Help me decide, for a good price can I do Carnival?

[tw67]

I have been on a few RCI cruises, but only one Carnival. I did not enjoy the Carnival Cruise very much, but I love my RCI cruises!! Now, I will be honest, the Carnival Cruise I was pregnant, having asthma issues, and it was a Cananda out of NYC cruise with a large group of people. This may have effected my attitude for the cruise!

 

We really want to go on a cruise that stops at Key West. I just got a great price for all 4 of us (DH and 2 DS 4 & 9) to go on Fascination in November.

 

I am getting limited on vacation days, and this cruise will be during a time I have a day off (election day) so I will use less days.

 

I did Majesty 3 day with my sisters last month (great time), and we did Enchantment in August, couldn't go to Key West due to Ernesto. So after being on 2 RCI ships that have just been renovated, how will I do on a Carnival? I did hear that Fascination just came out of dry dock and looks great. I read some good reviews on the Carnival area of CC.

 

I guess I am looking for advice from those who do both RCI and Carnival. I have priced out both Majesty and Enchantment for that time period, and they are both more. Am I missing any other ships that go to Key West?? Since the price is good, should I just try it because let's face it, going on any cruise is better than a day at work!!

 

Terry

[ndsumfun]

I have been on a few RCI cruises, but only one Carnival. I did not enjoy the Carnival Cruise very much, but I love my RCI cruises!! Now, I will be honest, the Carnival Cruise I was pregnant, having asthma issues, and it was a Cananda out of NYC cruise with a large group of people. This may have effected my attitude for the cruise!

 

We really want to go on a cruise that stops at Key West. I just got a great price for all 4 of us (DH and 2 DS 4 & 9) to go on Fascination in November.

 

I am getting limited on vacation days, and this cruise will be during a time I have a day off (election day) so I will use less days.

 

I did Majesty 3 day with my sisters last month (great time), and we did Enchantment in August, couldn't go to Key West due to Ernesto. So after being on 2 RCI ships that have just been renovated, how will I do on a Carnival? I did hear that Fascination just came out of dry dock and looks great. I read some good reviews on the Carnival area of CC.

 

I guess I am looking for advice from those who do both RCI and Carnival. I have priced out both Majesty and Enchantment for that time period, and they are both more. Am I missing any other ships that go to Key West?? Since the price is good, should I just try it because let's face it, going on any cruise is better than a day at work!!

 

Terry

 

Hello Terry!

 

I have just got off the Carnival Destiny and let me tell you I am a BIG Royal fan. Since you stated that you wouldn't mind the differences I believe you should just go for it!

 

The food was definitely not as good as Royal but I am a very picky eater. We made do with what we had & enjoyed our time! I did find some things that I actually liked better about Carnival and now I'm not afraid of trying them again for future cheaper cruises.

 

OMG! I just saw you are going on the Mariner next year! That is the BEST ship I have EVER been on! SOOOOOOOOOO beautiful!!!

[tw67]

Hello Terry!

 

I have just got off the Carnival Destiny and let me tell you I am a BIG Royal fan. Since you stated that you wouldn't mind the differences I believe you should just go for it!

 

The food was definitely not as good as Royal but I am a very picky eater. We made do with what we had & enjoyed our time! I did find some things that I actually liked better about Carnival and now I'm not afraid of trying them again for future cheaper cruises.

 

May I ask what did you actually like better about Carnival? Also, I remember my oldest (who was my only at the time) wasn't thrilled with the kids's area on Carnival, but has a great time in August on the Enchantment. How do the children areas compare?

[Lisichka]

I love both cruise lines. You will have a great time no matter which line you pick. My kids really enjoy the kids' club on both lines.

[sea-cruise]

I've only sailed Carnival once, aboard the Miracle out of NY. I didn't expect much, and was really shocked that it was good. I brought the grandchildren, who were teenagers at the time. I was sorry that they didn't have as much to do aboard as RCI, but the dining room meals, entertainment, and condition of the ship was excellent.

I would suggest that you try it for yourself. You will find that everyone's opinions are different, so you won't know unless you try. :)

[polodad]

If Carnival is willing to pay YOU enough I'm sure you will have a great time, lol.

[gkrebs]

I was on Fantasy for my only Carnival cruise. It was ok. There were things that I liked and didn't like about both lines. I thought the bedding was better on Carnival even after the new bedding on RCL and I also like the food better to. But I love the newer RCI ships as well. Fascination is not a bad choice. Also, Jewel of the Seas should be doing a 6 day western starting in mid November that goes to Key West. It did it last decemeber, but you can look for that or one of the other Radiance class ships that should be doing it as well. The Jewel starts this run on 11/11, and it goes to Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Belize and is out of FLL

 

But your right the Fascination is a smokin deal and your kids will love Xcaret if you go there. Playa del Carmen is also a great place to shop. I would go on it for the price they have it for. You wont get anything near that price on RCI. But then again, RCI doesnt have a 4 day only 6.

[mickeyny31]

Carnival is great. I feel the bigger ships are the only way to go. The newer, the better, the more updated, the cleaner. I believe Carnival has much better food and Entertainment than RCCL. Carnival is a party ship! Lots of activities thru the night to keep you busy. Lots of fun. Nothing uptight about Carnival. If you are torn between two lines with Carnival being much cheaper, then book Carnival. RCCL should be a little more competitive (better priced) with Carnival since they both offer just about the same.

[Cruising89143]

I know that things change but out of 30 cruises, the Fascination has been the worst ship for me to date. It was not clean, in need of repair and the crew was just not friendly. To be fair it was back in 01 when I cruised on this ship but it was bad enough to never give it a chance again. For me I would pay more and cruise with RCI.

[Cruising89143]

Carnival is great. I feel the bigger ships are the only way to go. The newer, the better, the more updated, the cleaner. I believe Carnival has much better food and Entertainment than RCCL. Carnival is a party ship! Lots of activities thru the night to keep you busy. Lots of fun. Nothing uptight about Carnival. If you are torn between two lines with Carnival being much cheaper, then book Carnival. RCCL should be a little more competitive (better priced) with Carnival since they both offer just about the same.

 

Why does RCI need to be more competitive with their prices? If they can fill their ships at a premium price then so be it. I personally find the product that RCI offers to be much better than that of Carnival. I would gladly pay more for a better product.

[GMoney]

I agree with Cruisingator. While I have sailed Carnival but not Fascination, I would look long and hard before sailing that ship. Everytime I see her in port she looks horrible. I may be mistaken, but I think she is one of Carnival's oldest and takes a beating on those short cruises.

[piercetc4]

ditto rci over carnival-

carnival is great but rci is greater....lol- in every aspect in our opinion- from the boarding process to how nice the ships are to the loyalty program to the food to the entertainment to disembarkation - we may do carnival again but it will only be because the price diff was several hundred pp less than rci- ( times 4 pp )

[time4u2go]

In our opinion, Carnival was better for room sizes, shows, and food (quite a bit better). RCI was better for activities. Service was excellent on both. We'd do either again in a heartbeat!

[TennisLover]

While I prefer the larger ships, Fascination was a great short getaway for DH and me. The ship was refurbished in the fall of 06 and is in great condition (I'm sure completely different than in 2001, when a previous poster cruised on the ship.)

 

The entertainment at night was great (better than on NOS in February!). The food and service were excellent too.

 

If it fits your budget and your time period -- and it has a port that you really want -- then you should give it a shot.

 

If I wanted another short cruise, I would not hesitate to go on Fascination again.

[Nliedel]

I've sailed both lines and I find them comparable. I know, bad Royal fan, but I do. I think the food on Carnival is better. I think the entertainment on RCI blows Carnival out of the water.

 

I think you can enjoy either line. Keep an open mind. I am now loyal to RCI, but there's a good reason for that :) If not for one thing, I would sail other lines.

[Cruisegirl6]

As you can see below the ships I mostly cruised on was Carnival. I only choose the newer ships of Carnival and stay away from all the ships that were built before 2001. The Valor, Miracle, Glory, etc stay with one of those.

 

My opinion on Carnival:

 

Carnival I always had fun loved the casino's had more fun slots and more tables, staterooms are larger, I find there is alot of outdoor deck space, perfer the artwork better in the art auctions, more assortment choices of music playing throughout the ship, there is always the disco, band, a guitarist somewhere on deck, piano player, and they always have a variety of music being played throughout the ship. I love the adult comedy shows and the kids gameroom is a very decent size. The food in the buffet is just ok, I find they stress more of the hamburgers, hot dogs and fries....they do have other dishes and a great fruit salad bar. You can find complimentary iced tea, lemonade, coffee, etc most parts of the night also. The pizza is best out of all cruise lines and I perfer the coffee on carnival also. Cuppuchino and espresso was complimentary in the dining room for dinner. Food in the dining room was good to very good depending upon what you ordered. Desserts are very good to excellent and many choices. We always found the beverage service to be extremely slow to a point my kids walk in with their glasses of soda, very poor service in this area. Bedding many of my carnival cruises have been just ok with many cruises I suffered on sagging mattresses this was a major flaw I found with Carnival. Swimming pools are very small and not elegant and are salt water.

I never got off a Carnival cruise and not say I had a great time, but I have gotten tired of cruising Carnival so I changed to Royal Caribbean.

 

Royal Caribbean:

 

Ships are more elegant and beautifully furnished. Staterooms are smaller but bedding is very comfy with better quality bedding ensembles. Royal's ships all have the promenade that goes all around the ship with many chairs and chaise lounges for lounging. You can find more shaded areas on Royals ships as well as more comfortable lounge chairs. The pools are salt water but somehow are converted to chlorinated water, its not very salty at all very little and they are big. The dining room is grande, gorgeous with huge crystal chandlier hanging down in the center. Chairs are more comfortable in the dining room. Food in the dining room is very good to excellent. A negative that we find personally is the desserts are not as good as Carnival's and not many choices either. Food in the buffet is good to very good with better quality dishes and more assortment than Carnival offered. Buffet breakfast is more fresh than Carnival and Royal serves fresh ham! Royal offers additional dining choices at its pay restaurants, chops is excellent! We went on the Enchantment last year but found the disco closed on us at 2am, this ship got quiet after 2am where on Canrival everything stays open to the late am hours. We LOVE the viking crown lounge with its large windows overlooking the sea, we sit there day and night its our favorite place.

 

After experiencing our first Royal Caribbean cruise we cannot go to Carnival at least not for the next few cruises. We found Royal to be more upscale, better bedding, better food, better service and definately more elegant. We are booked on the Liberty of the Seas for June 30th and looking forward to that beauty!!!

 

Now if it comes all down to price, if you can afford Carnival but not Royal Caribbean you have to choose Carnival. If you can afford Royal do it, its worth the extra few hundred dollars per person trust me!! If its a matter of more than 500 a person definately choose Carnival then. Try calling cruise agencies and ask if they have a group booking on the ship you want to take with Royal Caribbean on a particular sailing date that your looking for, try that.

[Nliedel]

As you can see below the ships I mostly cruised on was Carnival. I only choose the newer ships of Carnival and stay away from all the ships that were built before 2001. The Valor, Miracle, Glory, etc stay with one of those.

 

.

 

I thought that was one of the most balanced and fair comparison posts, I have ever had the pleasure of reading on the boards. That was an EXCELLENT JOB!!! :)

[piercetc4]

hope i am not hogging in on this thread but

can someone who sailed carnival in 2003 or 2002 and who has also been on rci since 03, tell me honestly that carnivals food was better than rci's? i would say they are very similar with rci coming out ahead unless you are talking pizza and burgers and reubens - i am just wondering and almost want to do a carnival cruise just to do the comparison for myself but the rci loyalty program keeps me from it.............lol - :)

[Nliedel]

Hand up. I liked some of the desserts on Carnival better than RCI. I don't eat many hamburgers/hotdogs. I like Carnivals food better.

 

I'm a bit of a foodie, though. My husband cannot tell the difference.

[Cruisegirl6]

Nliedel: My husband also cannot tell the difference between the food. I also don't eat the hamburgers but I always taste a bit of his, have to say Royals hamburgers are better. As for the desserts Carnival!!! Have you ever had their key lime pie the best! They have a wonderful chocolate mousse also and many other great desserts.

[Cruising89143]

hope i am not hogging in on this thread but

can someone who sailed carnival in 2003 or 2002 and who has also been on rci since 03, tell me honestly that carnivals food was better than rci's? i would say they are very similar with rci coming out ahead unless you are talking pizza and burgers and reubens - i am just wondering and almost want to do a carnival cruise just to do the comparison for myself but the rci loyalty program keeps me from it.............lol - :)

 

I don't see a lot of difference in mass market cruise food period. To me it is mass produced banquet food in both the dining room and lido area. Basically what I would find while attending a catered event at a Marriott or Hilton. Carnival has better pizza but what I had on the Liberty last week was almost as close. RCI gives better choices with room service. IMHO they are even in this area when all things are considered. My last cruise on Carnival was in 04. I don't see anything getting me back on one of their ships.

[time4u2go]

hope i am not hogging in on this thread but

can someone who sailed carnival in 2003 or 2002 and who has also been on rci since 03, tell me honestly that carnivals food was better than rci's?

Absolutely! We sailed on Carnival in 2003, 2004, and 2005, and sailed RCI in 2006. In our opinion, the food on all of our Carnival cruises was a lot better than the food on our RCI cruise.

[piercetc4]

i have read carnivals food has gotten better and just wondered better compared to what - i am not a hamburger , pizza eater on a cruise but have had a bite of my sons just to see how good it is- try not to eat desserts either unless they are REALLY something worth eating - usually chops or portofino dessert since they are amazingly good versus main dining room desserts ( imho) most of the time

cruisingator- bet you are right about mass market cruise food all being pretty much the same- you squashed that curiousity and idea of trying carni again just to check out the "new food" quality...lol............:)

[time4u2go]

i have read carnivals food has gotten better and just wondered better compared to what

I'm comparing dinners in the dining room when I say that we thought Carnival's was better. We thought the buffets were very similar. Again, just our opinion!

[Cruising89143]

i have read carnivals food has gotten better and just wondered better compared to what - i am not a hamburger , pizza eater on a cruise but have had a bite of my sons just to see how good it is- try not to eat desserts either unless they are REALLY something worth eating - usually chops or portofino dessert since they are amazingly good versus main dining room desserts ( imho) most of the time

cruisingator- bet you are right about mass market cruise food all being pretty much the same- you squashed that curiousity and idea of trying carni again just to check out the "new food" quality...lol............:)

 

Food was not the main reason for my leaving Carnival. I cruised 16 times with Carnival over a 12 year period and during most of that time I never looked at other cruise lines. In 03 I noticed a decline in service, cleanliness and upkeep of their ships and a few other areas that I won't go into on the boards. In March of 04 we were docked in San Juan while aboard the Triumph. Docked next to us was the Navigator OTS. We sat there looking over at the Navigator and kept wishing that we were on that ship. She just looked so beautiful sitting there. I came home and booked us the next week for December of that year. The rest is history. I had a 50% off certificate that Carnival had issued to us that I let go unused. That was how tired I was of Carnival. A lot of folks love them and that's fine but they are no longer for me.:)