Cost of Carnival Cruises v. Royal Caribbean

[Sandi149]

I would never use the rock climbing or "surfing" stuff

 

We have Johnny Rockets at our Sawgrass Mills Mall...we have rockclimbing at Coral Square Mall which is a mile or so away from me...

 

It would be fun to watch ice skating I guess...but...not for the sort of prices they want. It would be nice to try if it was like $100 more..or even maybe $200 more...but when I hear people talking about a $900 price diff?? Or even more...ouch

 

IMHO that could buy a lot of shore excursions, and onboard fun on Carnival

 

I guess if you want to "treat" your teens to this stuff, go for it..totally not worth it to me.

 

That's how I felt also....the ship I was looking at wasn't FOS but was the Explorer OTS based out of Bayonne, NJ. If it was a few hundred more, I would have booked it, but it was almost 2000 more:eek: I just can't justify spending that much more. We wouldn't use the rock wall, we don't ice skate....sure it would be nice to see the ice show but no ice show to me is worth $2000 extra. I don't need Johnny Rockets. Since it will just be hubby and I and not the kids with us I definitely couldn't see spending that on stuff we would never use at all.

 

But like Cruisingator said, it really is all based on supply and demand.

[GeoHack]

It would be fun to watch ice skating I guess...but...not for the sort of prices they want. It would be nice to try if it was like $100 more..or even maybe $200 more...but when I hear people talking about a $900 price diff?? Or even more...ouch

 

 

I don't know where everyone is getting their prices? Are you comparing brand new RCCL ships against older Carnival ships?

 

Here's a quick comparison out of Galveston. Keep in mind this is The Voyager (RCCL) vs. the Conquest (CCL). Also keep in mind this is the first time a ship of the Voyager size has sailed out of Galveston. The pricing was less when it was first listed last year.

 

Departure Dates Inside Oceanview Balcony Suite

 

Voyager

Feb 3 - 10, 2008 $649 $849 $929 $1,299

 

Conquest

Feb 3 - 10, 2008 $529 $649 $799 $1,399

 

So where is this $900 price difference?????

 

I would also like to point out that both ships were pretty much identical in price when the Voyager was first listed. However with RCCL pulling out of Galveston for much of the year, the prices did go up 20-30 percent. However if you want a Suite, it could be cheaper than Carnival.

 

Now with all that being said, I find the two lines to be very comparable in price most of the time. At least it had always been that way in the Galveston area since I have been watching fares.

 

If you're seeing $900 differences than you're not comparing apples to apples or are missing something. IMO

[evolutiondob]

GeoHack,

 

My $900 difference came when comparing Carnival Freedom to the Freedom of the Seas. Both cruises were for the Thanksgiving week, with Carnival Freedom leaving on the 17th of November and the Freedom of the Seas leaving on the 18th of November. Both were seven day cruises. I priced out a three per room cabin (I'm traveling with my two children who are 17 and 12 years old). Freedom of the Seas priced out at $2,542.88 for an inside cabin, $2,920.88 for an ocean view. I have an ocean view with Carnival and my price is around $1900 including all taxes, port charges, etc. So, in actuality the price difference is a little over $1,000 if I were to be accurate. I also priced the Mariner which was $2,441.43 for an inside, $2,781.43 for ocean view. Liberty of the Seas has a Thanksgiving cruise which is pricing out at $2,915.25 for interior and $3,558.25 for an ocean view. I called RCI today and got those prices.

[gtalum]

If you're seeing $900 differences than you're not comparing apples to apples or are missing something. IMO

 

 

Don't forget that when cruising Carnival, you can get significant discounts by calling a TA. This is not the case with Royal Caribbean.

[GeoHack]

GeoHack,

 

My $900 difference came when comparing Carnival Freedom to the Freedom of the Seas. Both cruises were for the Thanksgiving week, with Carnival Freedom leaving on the 17th of November and the Freedom of the Seas leaving on the 18th of November. Both were seven day cruises. I priced out a three per room cabin (I'm traveling with my two children who are 17 and 12 years old). Freedom of the Seas priced out at $2,542.88 for an inside cabin, $2,920.88 for an ocean view. I have an ocean view with Carnival and my price is around $1900 including all taxes, port charges, etc. So, in actuality the price difference is a little over $1,000 if I were to be accurate. I also priced the Mariner which was $2,441.43 for an inside, $2,781.43 for ocean view. Liberty of the Seas has a Thanksgiving cruise which is pricing out at $2,915.25 for interior and $3,558.25 for an ocean view. I called RCI today and got those prices.

 

Thanks for explaining that. And I could see that since one ship is about 40% larger than the other and you are talking about a Holiday sailing. Not that I disagree with everyone's thoughts. I'm just saying that for all the years that RCCL and Carnival have sailed out of Galveston, they have almost always been exact on pricing. Yes one week one may be more than the other, but it all pretty much evened out. I sailed a Junior Suite on the Rhapsody for $1980 for 4 people. I also had the Rhapsody booked for Memorial Day week because it was $200pp cheaper ($1000 total) than the Conquest at the time I booked it. So when I see someone say that RCCL was $2000 more than Carnival, I've really got to wonder where the logic is.

[psblin99]

When my husband and I were looking to book our upcoming cruise for this June we looked into Carnival, Princess and Royal Carribean. All out of NY and basically the same itinerary, and a balcony cabin. RC wanted almost 2000 more than Carnival, Princess wanted almost 1000 more. I cannot see spending so much extra money for basically the same thing. I don't climb rock walls or ice skate so that would have done us no good. I am very happy that I chose the Miracle and have only been reading wonderful reviews about her.:D

 

Good choice. I was on the Miracle 12-06 and my 1st balcony. Great ship!

[rglbjl]

We sailed on both RCCL and Carnival a year apart on similar size ships - Glory

and Mariner of the Seas. We got a balcony on Carnival for less than an

inside on RCCL. We generally liked the Mariner layout better than Glory, but

not that much for the price difference. The ice skating was nice to watch,

but we do not rock climb.

[MaryZ]

$15,000, girl what room were YOU booking. lol>>>>

 

Just some plain old suites ;) Two of them tho. there are 5 of us. so between that and air down to florida it was way over our budget.

I told my kids when college is done and they get their jobs, they owe me:p :p

[veryhotred]

Here is a little information about size and crowds. A lot of folks go on the Sovereign of the Seas and base the entire line on that ship. That would be like doing the same thing with the Holiday.

 

I base my Carnival experience totally on the Fascination!! I loved it even though many look down on her...and yes, I will base a lot of my RC experience on my upcoming Sovereign experience. I am looking for how the staff is, the serivce, etc. On the Fascination the staff was very friendly and always saying hello, etc. Yes the ship was a little gawdy in decoration but it was clean and was fun!! We had no complaints and will sail on Carnival again and are fans now. I hope to say that about RC. I think people can/should base their opinions of cruise lines on any of their ships, even the Sov and Fac types-like I said, I am looking for service and friendliness. I am sure when I do cruise the bigger ships I will like them better but for now, I have no complaints and will base my judgments on the two ships mentioned. :p

 

 

 

 

[crusinmama06]

$15,000, girl what room were YOU booking. lol>>>>

 

Just some plain old suites ;) Two of them tho. there are 5 of us. so between that and air down to florida it was way over our budget.

I told my kids when college is done and they get their jobs, they owe me:p :p

 

Geesh, remind me to never sail on New Years Eve. I got some "plain ole suites" too ;) but nothing close to $15,000

[Cruising89143]

Don't forget that when cruising Carnival, you can get significant discounts by calling a TA. This is not the case with Royal Caribbean.

 

The TA can give you a savings in such things as On board credits, travel insurance, etc so it evens out the bottom line.

[Cruising89143]

Here is a little information about size and crowds. A lot of folks go on the Sovereign of the Seas and base the entire line on that ship. That would be like doing the same thing with the Holiday.

 

I base my Carnival experience totally on the Fascination!! I loved it even though many look down on her...and yes, I will base a lot of my RC experience on my upcoming Sovereign experience. I am looking for how the staff is, the serivce, etc. On the Fascination the staff was very friendly and always saying hello, etc. Yes the ship was a little gawdy in decoration but it was clean and was fun!! We had no complaints and will sail on Carnival again and are fans now. I hope to say that about RC. I think people can/should base their opinions of cruise lines on any of their ships, even the Sov and Fac types-like I said, I am looking for service and friendliness. I am sure when I do cruise the bigger ships I will like them better but for now, I have no complaints and will base my judgments on the two ships mentioned. :p

 

I still stand by my comments. Both Carnival and RCI have many different class ships and you cannot base an opinion on the lines oldest ships. Both the Sovereign and Fascination are far from what Carnival and RCI are today with their newer ships. Both are ships that sell their cabins cheap for the first time cuisers and folks wanting a quick get away and not wanting to spend much money. They can not match that of the new ships in both fleets. By the way I will be mature and not stick my tounge out!!:rolleyes:

[veryhotred]

 

I still stand by my comments. Both Carnival and RCI have many different class ships and you cannot base an opinion on the lines oldest ships. Both the Sovereign and Fascination are far from what Carnival and RCI are today with their newer ships. Both are ships that sell their cabins cheap for the first time cuisers and folks wanting a quick get away and not wanting to spend much money. They can not match that of the new ships in both fleets. By the way I will be mature and not stick my tounge out!!:rolleyes:

 

First of all it' s spelled T O N G U E if you are going to call me immature!!! I didn't think that was a "sticking my tongue out" smiley face...I thought it was just a happy face thing...never even looked at it and thought, oh I am going to stick my tongue at this person...geesh. Second, I was just commenting, not bashing you at all.

[villa10]

I priced the June 4th Miracle cruise from NY compared to the June 8th on the Explorer which was one day longer than Miracle. We wanted a suite and they were about the same size on both ships. By the way a Cat. 11 on the Miracle is 275 Sq. Ft. with 85 Sq Ft. balcony.--Whirlpool tub; double closets, 2 sinks, etc. Booked through Costco Travel Services and got the best price from them. When I called AAA travel and told them the price they said they could not match it and if that was the price I was being quoted for a suite "grab it fast" . Through Costco the Explorer was $2,800 more than Miracle. When I asked why such an enormous difference I was told "because RCI can get it because some just want to sail on that ship with the rock wall, ice skating etc. and RCI would not allow them to discount at all. One more day would have been nice--but for $2,800? I think not.

 

I agree with the others--I have an ice skating rink 2 miles from home; a Johnny Rockets, which we do not care much about anyway. 10 minutes from home; a rock climbing wall 10 minutes from home etc. We can do it any time we want; Why on earth would I spend $2,800 more for that on a ship carrying 3,500 people, which for us is just too much, when I can use that money for the next trip.

 

It's all a matter of personal choice. I drive a $15,000 Honda Civic for commuting; my wife drives a $30,000 Nissan Maxima with all the bells and whistles; my Civic gets me to the same place as the Maxima does; might not be as fancy but it more than gets the job done. Perhaps Carnival does not have all the same bells and whistles as RCI but from what I read about Miracle, and I researched this for 3 months before booking, I am anticipating a great vacation on the Miacle. I hear she is spotless, only 3 years old, excellent food, great shows--. It's all in how you want to spend your money.

[silentbob007]

Pricing is a funny thing ... for my summer cruise (for 5), an inside on Glory was about $2500 cheaper than an inside on Mariner. For the spring break cruise I just completed, I got an inside on Voyager for about $200 cheaper than anything comparable (7 day, biggership wise) on Carnival. Thankfully, I can say that I"ve been on RC's "big ships" (not biggest now ;)).

 

Now Gator, you can give us passenger ratios all you want, but quite frankly Conquest-class ships and Voyager-class ships (and I assume Freedom ones too) have their drawbacks and logjams ... of course. Like you say ... it is about choice and what the market will bear. I would fully suggest people trying out Royal's big ships if they get a chance and find a deal (or just want to drop the coin). I wouldn't suggest dropping the big coin ... but then again ... while I enjoyed Voyager (except for the food), I still wouldn't pay a huge premium for her (as I'm sure others would). Now all that's really left on my list is a Radiance class. :)

[westernmom]

From what I understand all of the extra activities such as skating, rock climbing, etc. have a fee. That would up the cost of the cruise considerably if you have several people that want to participate!

[crusinmama06]

From what I understand all of the extra activities such as skating, rock climbing, etc. have a fee. That would up the cost of the cruise considerably if you have several people that want to participate!

 

No they don't. We have already answered that question many times in this thread.

[GeoHack]

Nevermind, cruisinmama06 beat me to it.

[albertiger]

Carnival seems to be much kinder to singles.

My comparison is between a cat. I outside, 7 day on Grandeur of the Seas in April vs. a 6 day on Carnival Liberty cat 1A porthole cabin, same month.

RCI wants $1059 vs. $519 for Carnival.

The hell with loyalty and a free gift, my rent just went up $250 a month so its Hello Carnival for me!;)

[westernmom]

No they don't. We have already answered that question many times in this thread.

 

Oh. I was pricing a cruise on the Mariner and seen there was fees for the activities such as $6/hour. That makes a difference as we are looking at another cruise for next spring. Thanks.

[mrBit]

I look forward to my Voyager cruise which is little more around 300 more than what I paid for Conquest.

 

It really does come to supply and demand, value is subjective and until RCI feels the damand is falling they will respond.

 

As for PSR calculations, tons cannot literally translate into area specific to passengers.

 

The whole is bigger better reminds me of the Boeing versus Airbus competition where Boeing did go big at first but now is scaling down in size versus Airbus with the biggies now. Two different strategies as for now Airbus is having problems but perhaps can work them out.

 

Not to say this reflects the RCI going bigger and Carnival as per Bob stating they do not plan to compete for size of ship parallel is bigger really better.

[Cruising89143]

I look forward to my Voyager cruise which is little more around 300 more than what I paid for Conquest.

 

It really does come to supply and demand, value is subjective and until RCI feels the damand is falling they will respond.

 

As for PSR calculations, tons cannot literally translate into area specific to passengers.

 

The whole is bigger better reminds me of the Boeing versus Airbus competition where Boeing did go big at first but now is scaling down in size versus Airbus with the biggies now. Two different strategies as for now Airbus is having problems but perhaps can work them out.

 

Not to say this reflects the RCI going bigger and Carnival as per Bob stating they do not plan to compete for size of ship parallel is bigger really better.

 

Just let the dollar get stronger against the Euro and my bet will be a Pinnacle class ship will be announced. Carnval has the design ready to go and placed it on the back burner when the dollar went south.

[mrBit]

Pinnacle class wow, where is this linked at?

 

I like the dollar where it is at for now. Not to make this an economic forum;)

 

I will say if the bigger ships do well after the wow factor has gone, it would behoove carnival to go bigger, perhaps.

 

But again, I go to Airbus and Boeing model.

[Cruising89143]

Pinnacle class wow, where is this linked at?

 

I like the dollar where it is at for now. Not to make this an economic forum;)

 

I will say if the bigger ships do well after the wow factor has gone, it would behoove carnival to go bigger, perhaps.

 

But again, I go to Airbus and Boeing model.

 

 

Mickey Arison stated about a year ago that Carnival had drawn up plans for the Pinnacle class that would rival that of the RCI's new Genesis class. Carnival decided to place it on the back burner for now. There were many articles about this on the boards. Here is one area where the Pinnacle is mentioned. All you have to do is Google it.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/travel/cruise/news/3640800.html

[Jenna1983]

I almost did a RCCL for my first cruise. Then when everything went wrong with the plans we saw we could take a 7 day cruise on Carnival in a balcony that a OV on RCCL 5 day would be.

 

I'm 23 years old, was 21 at my first cruise. I looked at the stuff like, "What can't I do at home that I can do on a ship?"

 

I can go ice skating 365 days a year here for less than $5 a time. I'll never rock climb home or on a ship. I can also now go to my amusement park for free and use the surfing simulator, which I'll probably break my arm on the first try.

 

I'm sure I'd like RCCL, but ecnonomically I prefer Carnival.