Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean

[perkyblue]

I posted this same message in the Carnival folder, and the repliers were pretty much unanimous that they preferred Carnival. I thought I'd post it here too to see what others think--

 

I have sailed with RCCL 3 times, and was completely thrilled with my experience each time. My previous cruises were on Voyager and I'm booked for Carnival Legend in June. (The only reason I didn't go with RC this time is because I received a buy one get one free offer from a TA & the deal was only valid for a Carnival cruise.)

 

I was wondering if some of you who have cruised with both have any comments about similarities, differences, which you prefer & why, etc. I'm totally excited and open-minded about sailing with Carnival, but my experiences with RC were all so fantastic, I can't imagine how it could get much better! (Although I am really looking forward to that waterslide!)

[Cruising89143]

This question gets asked almost weekly. If you ask this question on the Carnival board then you will get more positive answers about Carnival and vice versa over here.

 

For me after 16 cruises with Carnival, I prefer RCI hands down. IMHO better service, friendlier crew, cleaner ships that are kept up better overall and a more refined atmosphere keeps me at RCI now.

 

Food is about even with Carnival having better pizza if that is important. RCI has a much better room service menu. Entertainment is about the same unless you are on a Voyager class ship. Carnival has nothing in their fleet that can match a Voyager class ship.

 

I feel that RCI is a step above Carnival and now that RCI is upgrading their bedding they will go up a notch or two more in my book. I have been on the Carnival Legend and she is a nice ship and I'm sure that you will enjoy it.

[seas06]

I have only cruised with Royal Caribbean and I love it!

However, we are thinking on going on the Carnival Miracle in the summer since it leaves right out of Tampa and that is a short drive from our home.

My husband has cruised in both and prefers royal caribbean hands down.

I guess if we go on the Miracle I will be able to see for myself which one is best for me. :-)

[suzeyQ]

I've cruised twice with Carnival (Triumph) and twice with Royal (Explorer) and prefer Royal by far. The Explorer was far nicer than the Triumph, in terms of decor and furnishing and general upkeep. I found the service to be far superior on Royal, especially the dining room service. The food was also better on the Explorer than the Triumph. Both ships had a fair number of young people and could be described as "fun" ships; however, I found the party atmosphere a little too extreme on the Triumph. It seemed to be toned down somewhat on the Explorer.

[Hypo]

Two times on Carnival and 7 times on Royal Caribbean. Prefer RCI by far, less neon on RCI, better facilities for children on RCI, quieter and fewer announcements on RCI. Better pizza on Carnival, lower prices (usually) on Carnival.

 

Will try Carnivals newer ships one of these days, but only when a particular itinerary suits us.

 

Hypo

[lacycatherine]

My 1st cruise was on carnival and I absolutely loved it ... until I went on Celebrity. I have always wanted to go on RCCL (going in less than a month) beause I have always heard good things about it. IMO .. I think that Carnival is a cheaper way to go .. maybe not cheaper but not as nice as some of the others. I have always thought that Disney is overrated (just from what I hear). I would love to take my daughter on it but we are balcony kind of people and they are OUTrageous on there.

 

/ramble off :p

[woodz]

I have to agree 100% with cruisingator2 - we just completed our 1st Carnival cruise last week and all week we kept seeing the RCCL ships in port and wishing we could switch ships. If you love to drink, hairy chest contests, strange color combinations, all formal dining rooms closed on port days, love to drink, maybe 4 activities scheduled during port times for those that stay on the ship, confusing ship layouts, love to drink, love kids in the adult only pool and all the spas, no music during sail-away at different ports, over-weight show girls in thongs and male dancers dressing like female hookers (complete with thong and make-up) no card room, than Carnival is the cruise for you. We went on Carnival to have a good cruise and we did, but we really missed RCCL. Take an open mind and you can have fun on any cruise.

The food on the Conquest was good, but our waiters didn't bother to learn our names, the band was great, the crew friendly, cabin size bigger and the price was great.

[horsefeathers75]

I have done both Carnival and RCCL and have just booked my 11th with RCCL so need I say more. Was in Grand Cayman when a lady in dire straits wanted to finish her cruise with RCCL instead of the ship she was on which was Carnival. I remember she said to the RCCL officiers she had made the worst mistake of her life as her ship had ran out of eggs, diet soda and butter. I don't know if that was the truth but I sure was glad to be getting on the Brilliance.

 

Having said all that, even though I prefer the service, the perks, the food and the beauty of the RCCL ships, you make the most or least of your cruise whatever the line. Go with a great attitude, not expecting anything and you will be remarkably surprised. Have fun:)

[Jtd724]

They say don't judge a book by its cover, well in cruising I do. RCCL ships look like sleek stretched yachts, Carnival ships look like red and white 200 foot tall barges. Well, most of them. I gotta cruise in style.

[JudithEM]

I have been on 4 Carnival cruises (Victory, Conquest, Valor, Liberty) and have had the greatest time on the first three. Before the last one, we considered trying something different but figured that the price was right and we always had a blast on Carnival, so we did a 4th Carnival cruise.

 

We are going to try RCCL for our next cruise -- just because we need a change of scenery and have heard so much about other cruise lines. However, the person that said that it all depends on your attitude is totally right. On the Liberty last month, we were completely disappointed in the piano bar and it was a huge let down (that's why the 4th cruise mentioned above was not the best vacation). We had been waiting for that nightly party for a long time. But, we got to go to more shows and had a great time with the cruise director.

 

It's vacation, and it definitely beats work. It was 1,000 times better than sitting in my house in NY for a weekin February, freezing, with the kids looking to me for entertainment.

[Cruising89143]

I have to agree 100% with cruisingator2 - we just completed our 1st Carnival cruise last week and all week we kept seeing the RCCL ships in port and wishing we could switch ships. If you love to drink, hairy chest contests, strange color combinations, all formal dining rooms closed on port days, love to drink, maybe 4 activities scheduled during port times for those that stay on the ship, confusing ship layouts, love to drink, love kids in the adult only pool and all the spas, no music during sail-away at different ports, over-weight show girls in thongs and male dancers dressing like female hookers (complete with thong and make-up) no card room, than Carnival is the cruise for you. We went on Carnival to have a good cruise and we did, but we really missed RCCL. Take an open mind and you can have fun on any cruise.

The food on the Conquest was good, but our waiters didn't bother to learn our names, the band was great, the crew friendly, cabin size bigger and the price was great.

 

To me the Destiny/Conquest class of ships are the worst designed ships that I have sailed. Dead ends and poor traffic flow throughout the ship. Also a very crowded feeling along the promenade deck and the pool areas. The tiered outer decks are horrible. I like the Spirit class much more and they are the best that Carnival has IMO.

[flips7]

We have been on 2 carnival and 6 rccl cruises. We have had fun on every cruise because they are what you make of them, but the service and amenities on rccl are by far better than on carnival. Everyone keeps talking about the partying on carnival but both ships we have been on have been lame. Last year on carnival we went to bed most of the time by midnight because there was nothing to do!!!!! Trying to get a drink by the pool was also very difficult, you either could not find a server or waited half an hour after you ordered.

 

 

Flips