Carnival and Royal Differences -- Inquiring Minds Want To Know

[cruisinqt]

20 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

We are on QOTS right now and yes, the elevator situation is ridiculous. 

 

Our cabin is aft (only option available for a disability room when we booked), and there's a forward and a mid elevator bank.  No aft bank. 

 

For any activity aft to our cabin we walk the length of the ship... next time we will choose a different cabin, but it won't change the issue of long waits at the midship elevators.  2/3rds of the ship is using them.

As bad as the elevator wait is on the Quantam, can you imagine the wait on Icon of the Seas with almost 8,000 people on board yet still just 2 elevator banks per deck? 😩 

[weezal]

4 minutes ago, cruisinqt said:

It’s funny because I’ve talked to a lot of people that gamble way more than me and my husband do and they don’t get anything near what we do as far as offers go. It’s been discussed many times on the carnival boards and no one can figure out how they determine who gets what offers. Some people say they spend a lot in casinos but get no offers then others say they are careful and budget themselves but get lots of great offers like us. I wish I knew their algorithm. But we spend a lot more than normal people do on other stuff like specialty dining, shopping etc. I’m wondering if there’s some type of connection. Or maybe it’s because we cruise so often. We don’t spend a ton in the casino on each cruise but we cruise all of the time and hit the casino on every cruise so maybe it’s because of that. 

i agree that onboard spending improves the offers, anything that contributes to ship revenue (excursions, spa, dining, etc).

[firefly333]

38 minutes ago, cruisinqt said:

As bad as the elevator wait is on the Quantam, can you imagine the wait on Icon of the Seas with almost 8,000 people on board yet still just 2 elevator banks per deck? 😩 

Isnt that including crew I read? A bit exaggerated lol. 

 

Personally I like how oasis class spreads the entertainment out from both ends and the middle of the ship. Better than smaller ships imo.

 

Carnival in a crowd you can hear by the ding if it's up or down. I think 2 dings down, 1 ding it's a up elevator.. from someone who has cruised on carnival with someone hc and waited a a elevator after the show let out. Me I let stuff like that go. Doesnt bother me. 

[cruisinqt]

22 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Isnt that including crew I read? A bit exaggerated lol

There will be 7,960 people on board (which does in fact include crew which is relevant since they use the elevators too) so the number is quite accurate I’m afraid, no exaggeration there. For those who don’t have health issues it’s not a big deal but for those of us with bad knees, bad backs, autoimmune disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome or other disabilities it’s a problem. It’s not just the walking distance from the end of the ship where there’s no elevators but it’s also the wait as every elevator is already full so you wait for next and it’s full and it goes on and on. Less elevators and more people on board means more waiting time which means more pain for some of us. I’m not dissing Royal, I’m just stating a fact about them that affects many of us cruisers with disabilities. I’ll still be cruising with them but I’ll just stick to the smaller ships when I cruise with Royal. The Quantam was a bit too much on this last cruise so I’ll do the Oasis class next time. Happy cruising 🚢 

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, cruisinqt said:

There will be 7,960 people on board (which does in fact include crew which is relevant since they use the elevators too) so the number is quite accurate I’m afraid, no exaggeration there. For those who don’t have health issues it’s not a big deal but for those of us with bad knees, bad backs, autoimmune disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome or other disabilities it’s a problem. It’s not just the walking distance from the end of the ship where there’s no elevators but it’s also the wait as every elevator is already full so you wait for next and it’s full and it goes on and on. Less elevators and more people on board means more waiting time which means more pain for some of us. I’m not dissing Royal, I’m just stating a fact about them that affects many of us cruisers with disabilities. I’ll still be cruising with them but I’ll just stick to the smaller ships when I cruise with Royal. The Quantam was a bit too much on this last cruise so I’ll do the Oasis class next time. Happy cruising 🚢 

come on now. Just how many times when you get in an elevator is there a crew member in the elevator. Most every time none.

 

2 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

It’s funny because I’ve talked to a lot of people that gamble way more than me and my husband do and they don’t get anything near what we do as far as offers go. It’s been discussed many times on the carnival boards and no one can figure out how they determine who gets what offers. Some people say they spend a lot in casinos but get no offers then others say they are careful and budget themselves but get lots of great offers like us. I wish I knew their algorithm. But we spend a lot more than normal people do on other stuff like specialty dining, shopping etc. I’m wondering if there’s some type of connection. Or maybe it’s because we cruise so often. We don’t spend a ton in the casino on each cruise but we cruise all of the time and hit the casino on every cruise so maybe it’s because of that. 

whatever the algorithm is or what it's based on it's certainly not the fact that you are Platinum that is getting you those offers.

[cruisinqt]

4 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

come on now. Just how many times when you get in an elevator is there a crew member in the elevator. Most every time none.

 

whatever the algorithm is or what it's based on it's certainly not the fact that you are Platinum that is getting you those offers.

There have been many many times I’ve had crew members in the elevator with me. How do you think they get from their cabin on the bottom deck to their job on deck 10 or deck 12 or higher? I see crew members all over the ship quite frequently including very often in the elevators. And as far as the algorithm goes Carnival keeps it a very close secret so we will probably never know the full truth on that so guessing or hypothesizing is futile. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

On 6/22/2023 at 2:04 AM, cruisinqt said:

There have been many many times I’ve had crew members in the elevator with me. How do you think they get from their cabin on the bottom deck to their job on deck 10 or deck 12 or higher? I see crew members all over the ship quite frequently including very often in the elevators. And as far as the algorithm goes Carnival keeps it a very close secret so we will probably never know the full truth on that so guessing or hypothesizing is futile. 

I thought there was a fireman's pole.

[Susan in Maine]

I have several on RCCL and several on Carnival, also 2 on Princess and one each on Disney and NCL. 

For a long time I was a die hard RCCL fan, and my first cruise on Carnival was a big disappointment.

 

However, post-Covid Carnival has been as good and sometimes a little better than my last post-Covid cruise on Anthem of the Seas.

 

There are definitely some things better on RCCL, but not enough to justify the difference in price for it over Carnival. I've been very happy with my last three Carnival cruises and are cruising with them again in November. Generally I can get a balcony on Carnival for what I'd pay for an outside cabin on RCCL. 

[ldubs]

On 6/21/2023 at 11:04 PM, cruisinqt said:

There have been many many times I’ve had crew members in the elevator with me. How do you think they get from their cabin on the bottom deck to their job on deck 10 or deck 12 or higher? I see crew members all over the ship quite frequently including very often in the elevators. And as far as the algorithm goes Carnival keeps it a very close secret so we will probably never know the full truth on that so guessing or hypothesizing is futile. 

 

 I agree that the elevators can be very crowded on the large RCI ships.  We experienced that earlier this year on Oasis.  As for crew, I do see them occasionally on elevators, but not that much.  There are other elevators just for crew.  Some behind closed doors so we would not even know of them.  However, I don't recall ever seeing them up on the higher open decks.  But that doesn't mean they aren't there (or are there I suppose lol).  

[Lane Hog]

On 6/21/2023 at 10:04 PM, cruisinqt said:

There have been many many times I’ve had crew members in the elevator with me. How do you think they get from their cabin on the bottom deck to their job on deck 10 or deck 12 or higher? I see crew members all over the ship quite frequently including very often in the elevators. 

I don't think I've ever seen crew in a guest elevator on RCL.  I don't recall seeing them on Carnival either.

 

Crew have their own elevator banks.  That's also how the baggage gets from Deck 2 to the guest floors...

[paulco]

Did a six night on the Spirit to Alaska last June. Was 80 bucks a person for a balcony, not much Carnival experience. She’s a great little ship, and has four elevator banks!

[Etta1213]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:31 AM, cruisinqt said:

I’ve had total knee replacement on my right knee and I’m contemplating getting the left one done soon. And my husband has had 3 back surgeries. So I understand where you’re coming from. That long walk to the elevators and even just standing there FOREVER waiting for one can be painful. And the long elevator wait on Royal was way longer than any wait I’ve ever had on Carnival. The cruiser that posted earlier that the elevator wait with Royal wasn’t that bad and it never bothered him obviously has no clue what it’s like to cruise with disabilities. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, 3 sets of elevators per deck is essential on larger cruise ships, especially ones with several thousand people on board like the Oasis or Quantam class. And I looked at booking the new Icon Of The Seas but it only has 2 banks of elevators per deck and I just can’t do that, not with 7,960 people on board. The elevator wait would be too much for me. 

My husband has mobility issues, so we only book cabins near the elevators we use most. We are "buffet" folks, so we book cabins close to the rear RC elevators.

[Thenagers]

The biggest difference I have found is the free options on carnival are better. Fast casual is amazing on Carnival. I would take blue Iguana over El loco fresh any day! And Johnny Rockets is not worth the up charge when Guys is free? I think RCL had a better MDR but I have not been since they changed that menu? I know a lot of people are not happy. I think RCLs ships are prettier but I was impressed with Mardis Gras so carnival improving? 

[cruisinqt]

3 hours ago, Thenagers said:

The biggest difference I have found is the free options on carnival are better. Fast casual is amazing on Carnival. I would take blue Iguana over El loco fresh any day! And Johnny Rockets is not worth the up charge when Guys is free? I think RCL had a better MDR but I have not been since they changed that menu? I know a lot of people are not happy. I think RCLs ships are prettier but I was impressed with Mardis Gras so carnival improving? 

The first time I went on the Mardi Gras I thought ‘wow this is just like a Royal Caribbean ship.’ The excel class is completely different from the rest of carnivals fleet. Carnival has definitely made a lot of changes for the better, especially food wise. Royal used to blow them away when I compared food but now I prefer Carnivals food. But I still like Royals activities and shows a little better. 

[firefly333]

13 hours ago, Thenagers said:

The biggest difference I have found is the free options on carnival are better. Fast casual is amazing on Carnival. I would take blue Iguana over El loco fresh any day! And Johnny Rockets is not worth the up charge when Guys is free? I think RCL had a better MDR but I have not been since they changed that menu? I know a lot of people are not happy. I think RCLs ships are prettier but I was impressed with Mardis Gras so carnival improving? 

I agree mostly. I didnt much like el loco fresh so its not it hard to beat. Time to replace Johnny Rockets. I've been since the meals changed on rcl and was pleasantly surprised. I thought service and food improved that cruise. Fish served hot and crisp, steak cooked right. 

 

Heard carnival earnings came in this morning. A beat but not huge. Lost 31 cents, 34 cent loss projected. So from earn gs stand point, ,ets get back to positive earnings and pay off this bonds. Maybe then everyone dlesnt have to push prices so hard. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

On 6/25/2023 at 1:15 AM, Lane Hog said:

Crew have their own elevator banks.  That's also how the baggage gets from Deck 2 to the guest floors...

Pretty sure Carnival blocks off one of the banks of elevators for baggage movements - IIRC (and I probably don't) it is the aft elevators for embarkation and the mid-ship elevators for debarkation.

[mizLORInj]

I pretty much like all of them.  Cant' say we've had a bad cruise yet. 

 

Tried out Virgin Voyages late 2022 (fabulous!), and going on MSC out of NYC this year as well to see what they're like; already got my status match set up.

 

Best to try them out more than once to see which you prefer.   I'm at the point where the loyalty perks do weigh in a little bit (thank you Royal/Celebrity) for next cruise planning. . . and Carnival's platinum perks don't have any weight for it to tilt the scale.    I've heard they are in the process of revamping, but I doubt there will be huge improvements. 

[Lane Hog]

On 6/26/2023 at 11:00 AM, ProgRockCruiser said:

Pretty sure Carnival blocks off one of the banks of elevators for baggage movements - IIRC (and I probably don't) it is the aft elevators for embarkation and the mid-ship elevators for debarkation.

Yep, I've seen that on Carnival as well.  

Royal ships only have forward and mid elevator banks, even on the Oasis class.  Carnivals ships of comparable size to Royals have elevators forward, mid and aft.  

It may work out to the being the same physical number of elevators, but the perception is you spend less time walking between venues that are aft on Carnival than you do on Royal.  

[cruisinqt]

11 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

Yep, I've seen that on Carnival as well.  

Royal ships only have forward and mid elevator banks, even on the Oasis class.  Carnivals ships of comparable size to Royals have elevators forward, mid and aft.  

It may work out to the being the same physical number of elevators, but the perception is you spend less time walking between venues that are aft on Carnival than you do on Royal.  

Carnival only blocks off elevators for baggage on embarkation day so it doesn’t really effect your cruise much accept the first day. 
 

I do think Royal has the same number of elevators it’s just that when you’re on the end of the ship that doesn’t have elevators it can be a long walk, especially if your cabin is on that end. It’s not really a big deal unless you have health issues or disabilities. 

[sunonfire]

On 6/16/2023 at 12:52 PM, cruisinqt said:

I guess I should have explained this a bit better, I was referring to the amount of elevator banks PER DECK of which Royal has two. Quantam of the Seas has only two sets of elevators per deck, one forward and one aft. This is standard with Royal. Carnival has 3 sets of elevators on each deck, one forward, one midship, and one aft. Having 3 sets of elevators to choose from per deck (instead of 2) makes a HUGE difference in a ship that hold 5,000+ people. 

Funny. That is why my husband did not go on the two Royal ships from Tampa. We stick to Carnival spirit class and Celebrity Constellation. There are more elevators. 9 out of 10 we are the only passengers on the elevator.

[cruisinqt]

56 minutes ago, sunonfire said:

Funny. That is why my husband did not go on the two Royal ships from Tampa. We stick to Carnival spirit class and Celebrity Constellation. There are more elevators. 9 out of 10 we are the only passengers on the elevator.

Celebrity is on my agenda to try out next. We’ve done Hal, Royal, Carnival, Princess, and Norwegian but not Celebrity yet. It’s good to know that their elevator situation is up to par. When you get to a certain age things like that matter. 

[Bound4Bermuda]

I just completed my check-in for my first Carnival cruise, and there’s one difference already Royal customers should know about. The Carnival luggage tags are wider, so if you have the narrow reusable plastic luggage tag holders that work for Royal, you’ll need to get new ones for Carnival. Just a heads up in case anyone waits until the last minute to print the tags.

[firefly333]

On 6/28/2023 at 1:54 PM, cruisinqt said:

Celebrity is on my agenda to try out next. We’ve done Hal, Royal, Carnival, Princess, and Norwegian but not Celebrity yet. It’s good to know that their elevator situation is up to par. When you get to a certain age things like that matter. 

If you decide to do celebrity be sure and transfer your rcl loyalty status. Status transfers. I've done all the same lines you have plus celebrity. Loyal to my wallet. Not yet to the point I would decide on a ship based on elevators. ..though I do have a end of boardwalk booked on the new utopia. It is a long walk back there. Also done a aft corner. Another long walk on rcl but loved the aft. No elevators on the end of oasis class .. boardwalk is a walk back on all ships. 

 

Imo it's the drink pkgs on carnival and rcl have the most differences especially out of texas. I do wish carnival had more pay restaurants discounts I could prebook. I miss that too. The last excursions I did on rcl mostly booked black friday I got 35% off. I think carnival could sure push prebooking deals. 

[cruisinqt]

11 hours ago, firefly333 said:

If you decide to do celebrity be sure and transfer your rcl loyalty status. Status transfers. I've done all the same lines you have plus celebrity. Loyal to my wallet. Not yet to the point I would decide on a ship based on elevators. ..though I do have a end of boardwalk booked on the new utopia. It is a long walk back there. Also done a aft corner. Another long walk on rcl but loved the aft. No elevators on the end of oasis class .. boardwalk is a walk back on all ships. 

 

Imo it's the drink pkgs on carnival and rcl have the most differences especially out of texas. I do wish carnival had more pay restaurants discounts I could prebook. I miss that too. The last excursions I did on rcl mostly booked black friday I got 35% off. I think carnival could sure push prebooking deals. 

Thanks for the tip, I had no idea you could transfer your loyalty status. I wouldn’t normally let elevators be a deciding factor (I’m in my fifties) but until I get my left knee replaced I’m having to be picky. I worked for the federal government for over 20 years which is what tore up my knee. Yet the department of labor is still giving me a hard time and not approving the surgery. 
 

Yeah I wish Carnival had more restaurant discounts too. Even though their base price is cheaper than the other lines, Royals sales, like the 3 restaurant dining package we got on our cruise last month, are an absolute steal. 

[firefly333]

13 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

Thanks for the tip, I had no idea you could transfer your loyalty status. I wouldn’t normally let elevators be a deciding factor (I’m in my fifties) but until I get my left knee replaced I’m having to be picky. I worked for the federal government for over 20 years which is what tore up my knee. Yet the department of labor is still giving me a hard time and not approving the surgery. 
 

Yeah I wish Carnival had more restaurant discounts too. Even though their base price is cheaper than the other lines, Royals sales, like the 3 restaurant dining package we got on our cruise last month, are an absolute steal. 

Yes once you are diamond on rcl its elite I think on celebrity. Just status transfers, not pts. 

 

I'm D+ on rcl so I get bogo every cruise. It's very hard to compare apples to apples on dinner prices when you get bogo. Carnival still has surf and turf in their steak restaurant which I always order. Rcl only has lobste in their steak restaurant at a upcharge for 1.5 lbs maine lobster. Too big. Carnivals is just right for me. I've got quite a bit obc for my 14 day dream so I can dream a bit and plan some extras. New ports and excursions too. That obc woukdnt go that far.

 

Carnival gives one free restaurant at diamond .. they could make a killing doing what rcl does with the bogo every cruise so i have to pay for one to get the free one. No dining pkg on dream.