Help me choose Venezia 10 day or RCCL Symphony for 7 days?

[Heatherco]

Hi there! Wondering if you guys can help me choose!  My husband and I are in our late 50’s and have been long time cruisers mostly with Royal.  We have only done one Carnival cruise on the Valor to Canada many years ago and had a great time.  Have also sailed Celebrity and Princess.  While we love Royals ships (particularly while our kids were growing up) we have loved every cruise we have been on.  

 

We are looking to book a last minute to us cruise out of NY/NJ this fall so we don’t have to fly and have narrowed it down to either a 10 day Eastern on the Carnival Venezia or 7 day Bahamas on Royal’s Symphony of the Seas.  We love Royals ships and have been wanting to try their Oasis class ships and thought this one might be a good time to just “try” the ship since the itinerary kind of stinks.  Port Canaveral isn’t really a stop in my book.😁. So we would do that one primarily for the ship and just to enjoy being on it.

 

Then I saw the Venezia has a 10 night out of NYC to the Eastern Caribbean and thought that might be fun too.  Because it has five sea days, however, I wanted to ask here and get some opinions on the ship itself.  I saw that the pool is small which is fine by us, Are there lots of shows and activities?  Is the ship nice?  Food?  Overall vibe?

 

Which would you choose?  Thanks fo any input!

[ProgRockCruiser]

The Venezia is the same class as the Vista, Horizon, and Panorama.  The Havana area isn't quite the same as those sister ships, but otherwise would be quite similar.

 

I found the Vista to be quite a nice ship, with lots of stuff going on, and I thought the food was just fine.  And with five sea days, that's five opportunities to enjoy Brunch, I suppose.  No Guy's Pig and Anchor, unfortunately - that would really make it great (for me), but you will have La Strada Grill, apparently, located in the spot Guy's P&A would be on Vista etc.  There are still two pools, two hot tubs, and two more hot tubs in Serenity, on Venezia.  Plus the hot tubs in the Havana area if you book there.

 

"Eastern Caribbean" isn't quite the exotic port itinerary that I'd want (assuming you are looking at one of those dates in Oct?), so not too much different from the Bahamas experience on Royal, I suppose, though you do get Grand Turk and Amber Cove.  Would be nice if it was the St Thomas / St Maarten itinerary instead.

 

I guess it comes down to:

 

Does the new Royal ship really pique your interest?  If so, then it might be a better choice.

 

But if all you want is "a nice cruise", then the three extra days on Venezia would be my preference.

[teknoge3k]

Just to clarify, the Venezia isn't the same class as the Vista/Horizon/Panorama. Those are Vista Class ships. The Venezia is a Venice Class ship, along with the Firenze.

 

I would pick the Venezia solely on the duration of the voyage. 10 days vs 7 days seals the deal for me! We've been on the Horizon several times, and are going on her again in 3 weeks. After the Horizon, we're on the Venezia next. That voyage goes to St. Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk with 5 sea days.

[DeniseTr]

I've done Royal out of NJ, will do Venezia out of Manhatten in Oct. 

Should be an interesting contrast. 

[john91498]

Hands down, the Symphony. 

[Riles34]

The Venezia is a beautiful ship and the 10 day trip is wonderful. I did not care for the "mall" like feel of the Oasis class, but that is just my opinion. Venezia has great outdoor seating close to the ocean, but don't spend the extra money for the Terrazza rooms since their is not a "private" pool for those guest like the Vista Class ships with the Havana area.

[ProgRockCruiser]

14 minutes ago, teknoge3k said:

Just to clarify, the Venezia isn't the same class as the Vista/Horizon/Panorama. Those are Vista Class ships. The Venezia is a Venice Class ship, along with the Firenze.

While Carnival makes that distinction, no-one else seems to: Wikipedia, The Points Guys, even Jamman54:
 

 

"Before we get started, let’s talk about the Carnival Venezia. Although she was built for Costa, she is a Vista Class ship. If you have been on the Vista, Horizon, or Panorama, you will know your way around. The major difference is the mid ship pool area on Lido Deck 10. It is boxed in just like the Splendor’s is, and has a retractable sliding glass dome. All the way aft on Promenade Deck 5 on the other Vista Class ships is the Havana Area and cabins. On the Venezia, this area is called the Terrazza Carnevale. The major difference is that there is no pool, and it is open to all passengers after 7pm."

 

They were all built using the same class template, just the "Italian" variations got a slightly different implementation, and the enclosed pool for Med cruises.  The deck plans are practically identical.

 

So, for all intents and purposes, those two Italian ships are Vista class, AFAIC.

[RoperDK]

Good question.  We are mainly Royal cruisers, but I've sailed on Carnival 26 times, too.  I love Oasis class and Symphony is highly regarded.  I've never sailed on Venezia, but I have my eye on an itinerary on her.  We feel that Carnival misses the mark a bit when compared to Royal, but a great price and itinerary would easily steer us to Carnival.  It depends on what you value the most.  Royal hands down has the best entertainment, if that's important to you.  Good luck on your decision and please come back and tell us how it went.   

[DanJ]

Loved Oasis, going on Venezia in a couple weeks. 10 days in the fall on Carnival will be a lot different experience than 7 days in the summer, with fewer kids which I think would be a plus. Not sure which ports the Symphony is going, PC was mentioned, I have to assume CocoCay is one, which sounds amazing. Never been to Amber Cove, loved Grand Turk, not sure what other ports, so can't offer an opinion there. I think the 10 days wins out for me, as much as I love an Oasis class ship and the idea of CocoCay. 

[MaryZ]

Since you've never been on an Oasis class, pick Symphony.  Get the dining package. 
It's a much better experience.

We really enjoy the Venezia, but the Symphony is an excellent ship with much more to enjoy. 

[VentureMan_2000]

CCL Forum...  Duh !

[jerseyjjs]

I had the same choice.   I'm sailing the Symphony in October.

[Heatherco]

Thanks everyone!  We have decided on the Symphony for this trip.  There were a couple reasons besides also wanting to try an Oasis class ship.  One being that I read a bunch of reviews that there can be a lot of smoking from the casino throughout the midship on Venezia  would drive us crazy. That would really bother us the entire trip.

 

 The other reason is one of the ports is a tender port which we really don’t care for.  Silly I know.

 

We are going into this vacation with the mindset to just enjoy the ship.  We really don’t care about the ports that much since neither itinerary thrilled us anyway.  I think in that instance there will be more to keep us entertained on Symphony.

I am sure we will be booking on Carnival in the future at some point.  
 

I very much appreciate all your input!  Thanks so much and happy cruising!

 

[Riles34]

18 minutes ago, Heatherco said:

One being that I read a bunch of reviews that there can be a lot of smoking from the casino throughout the midship on Venezia  would drive us crazy. That would really bother us the entire trip.

It was awful!!! I took a few years off my life inhaling all that smoke for a week while in the casino. The layout of that deck isn't great as you have to walk through the casino to go from the bow to aft, but I didn't smell smoke anywhere other than the casino. 

 

Enjoy Symphony!!

 

 

[Stick93]

1 hour ago, Heatherco said:

Thanks everyone!  We have decided on the Symphony for this trip.  There were a couple reasons besides also wanting to try an Oasis class ship.  One being that I read a bunch of reviews that there can be a lot of smoking from the casino throughout the midship on Venezia  would drive us crazy. That would really bother us the entire trip.

 

 The other reason is one of the ports is a tender port which we really don’t care for.  Silly I know.

 

We are going into this vacation with the mindset to just enjoy the ship.  We really don’t care about the ports that much since neither itinerary thrilled us anyway.  I think in that instance there will be more to keep us entertained on Symphony.

I am sure we will be booking on Carnival in the future at some point.  
 

I very much appreciate all your input!  Thanks so much and happy cruising!

 

You made the right decision. You cannot compare Venezia to symphony. Oasis class ships are a class onto its own. 

[Heatherco]

9 hours ago, jerseyjjs said:

I had the same choice.   I'm sailing the Symphony in October.

We chose the week of October 20-27.  Which week are you sailing?  Getting excited now that it is booked!  Have a wonderful time!

[DeniseTr]

I was a little concerned about the small pool size, then realized 2 things. I rarely use the pool because they tend to be very small, it might also cut down on the number of kids. 

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, DeniseTr said:

I was a little concerned about the small pool size, then realized 2 things. I rarely use the pool because they tend to be very small, it might also cut down on the number of kids. 

Since you are cruising in October, there shouldn't be many kids at all. 😎

[elcuchio24]

On 8/14/2024 at 9:25 AM, Heatherco said:

Hi there! Wondering if you guys can help me choose!  My husband and I are in our late 50’s and have been long time cruisers mostly with Royal.  We have only done one Carnival cruise on the Valor to Canada many years ago and had a great time.  Have also sailed Celebrity and Princess.  While we love Royals ships (particularly while our kids were growing up) we have loved every cruise we have been on.  

 

We are looking to book a last minute to us cruise out of NY/NJ this fall so we don’t have to fly and have narrowed it down to either a 10 day Eastern on the Carnival Venezia or 7 day Bahamas on Royal’s Symphony of the Seas.  We love Royals ships and have been wanting to try their Oasis class ships and thought this one might be a good time to just “try” the ship since the itinerary kind of stinks.  Port Canaveral isn’t really a stop in my book.😁. So we would do that one primarily for the ship and just to enjoy being on it.

 

Then I saw the Venezia has a 10 night out of NYC to the Eastern Caribbean and thought that might be fun too.  Because it has five sea days, however, I wanted to ask here and get some opinions on the ship itself.  I saw that the pool is small which is fine by us, Are there lots of shows and activities?  Is the ship nice?  Food?  Overall vibe?

 

Which would you choose?  Thanks fo any input!

 

Not sure if it would be of interest to you, but the Kennedy Space Center tour in port Canaveral is pretty great, if you're into that kind of stuff. We have done it twice and are doing it again in November!

[jimbo5544]

On 8/15/2024 at 8:10 AM, Stick93 said:

You made the right decision. You cannot compare Venezia to symphony. Oasis class ships are a class onto its own. 

Huge and ugly.  Agreed 

[ProgRockCruiser]

Just now, jimbo5544 said:

Huge and ugly.  Agreed 

Hey, I'm right here, in this chat!

 

Oh, wait, you meant the ship...

 

😉 

[jimbo5544]

10 beats 7 every day in my book

[Theosprey247]

If you are cruising for the ship then Symphony, otherwise I agree with Jimbo 10 > 7.

[jimbo5544]

On 8/15/2024 at 10:21 AM, Jamman54 said:

Since you are cruising in October, there shouldn't be many kids at all. 😎

They certainly are not the biggest pools I have ever seen. 

[Badfinger]

Given your desire to check out that ship and did not mention price, but I would probably opt for the 7 day, take the money you don't spend and earmark it towards another cruise at a future date.