Loyal RCI Cruiser Looking to Try Carnival - Suggestions?

[kingsgirl]

I've only sailed on RCI but I am looking to try Carnival. I have a few questions, and am open to suggestions for itineraries! I have already done Alaska and the Bahamas (and another upcoming Bahama cruise in May).

 

1. Do you only book in US $? I'm Canadian and fine with this, but just curious.

 

2. Are there speciality restaurants/buffet?

 

3. Fresh or salt water pools?

 

4. Automatic tipping included in price or at your discretion?

 

5. RCI just put new beds and bedding fleet-wide (which are amazing). What are Carnival's bedding/sheets like? Comparable?

 

6. I've heard the decor is tacky? Is this true? Or is it just on older ships?

 

7. If I want to try Carnival, should I try a newer ship? If so, what are the old ones to avoid (That said, I love RCI older and smaller ships like Majesty - but she's had a refurb).

 

8. Does Carnival have promowave or tuesday specials (or something similar)? How do I find the best price otherwise? I find the website not as easy to manoever as RCI.

 

Any intinerary suggestions welcome, as well as ship choices. I cruise for the ports mostly, but I don't want to puke at the site of a ships exterior/interior either!

 

Thanks :)

[mpp113097]

I am also a loyal RCI customer but have been on Carnival in the past on the Fantasy, an older ship, and wasn't impressed by it but are giving Carnival another shot this year. We leave on 4/6 on the Victory for the Western Caribbean. I can only answer a few of your questions below and I'm sure others will be more helpful.

 

 

4. Automatic tipping included in price or at your discretion? Tips are automatically added but you can always adjust at your discretion

 

6. I've heard the decor is tacky? Is this true? Or is it just on older ships? IMO their ships can lean to the tacky side in the decor. But that doesn't really bother me.

 

7. If I want to try Carnival, should I try a newer ship? If so, what are the old ones to avoid (That said, I love RCI older and smaller ships like Majesty - but she's had a refurb). I would stick with thier newer ships.

 

Thanks :)

[LHP]

Having only cruised Carnival, I would suggest a Spirit Class ship.

 

They are smaller than the Conquest class....but larger than the Fantasy class.

 

They have a nice lay out and good "flow" to them. They do have a Speciality Supper Club and an adult only aft pool. Salt water pools and fresh water hot tubs. But the chlorine in the hot tubs is strong...so don't wear a suit that you are afraid will fade.

 

Yes, Carnival has great bedding.

 

Happy Cruising!!

[bdtmoult]

I have done a variety of both with two others thrown into the mix. I can't answer all of your questions but I would say, I really enjoy both lines. They really are very similar. I would say to pick a ship based on what ammenities/itenerary you are looking for. Carnival doesn't have the rock walls, the ice skating but they do have great water slides which RCI doesn't have. Some of the ships have mini-golf and some also have the large movie screens out on the lido deck. Two of the older Carnival ships (Imagination and Inspiration) have great pool areas - almost like a water park.

 

When it comes to decor - I guess I just really don't notice this type of thing. Maybe sometimes can be flashy - but that just really isn't important to me.

 

Bedding is great on Carnival. In fact, people love it so much that Carnival has marketed it for purchase.

 

As far as booking - you can book with Travel agents or directly with Carnival. I'm from US so don't know how it may be different for you.

 

Pools are salt water.

 

All of their ships have the dining rooms, and buffet and some of the boats have the upcharge dining as well - room service as well.

 

Tipping is auto but you can change the amounts if desired.

 

I'm getting ready to go on the Valor which to me - has a great itenerary and the amenities I'm looking for.

[firefly333]

I've only sailed on RCI but I am looking to try Carnival. 2. Are there speciality restaurants/buffet? The Conquest class ships I know have a specialty restaurant for $30. They also have a place at night for sushi (free) and at Noon they have Sur Mer (free) for fish which most people cant find its up above the pools. Their deli is good, you can order freshly made sandwiches they toast. My sister loves the reuban. They also have a grill and a omelet station in the morning.

 

3. Fresh or salt water pools? Salt

 

4. Automatic tipping included in price or at your discretion? Automatic tipping added.

 

5. RCI just put new beds and bedding fleet-wide (which are amazing). What are Carnival's bedding/sheets like? Comparable? Carnival beds are better. They are so good they sell their bedding separate on their site. Its wonderful.

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/static_templates/promos/carnival_comfort_bed.aspx

 

6. I've heard the decor is tacky? Is this true? Or is it just on older ships? The decor is a bit garrish, might as well decide to ignore it if loud colors bother you.

 

7. If I want to try Carnival, should I try a newer ship? If so, what are the old ones to avoid (That said, I love RCI older and smaller ships like Majesty - but she's had a refurb). The newer ships will have more food choices, but the Fantasy ships are going to be getting evolutions of fun. The newer ships are getting MUTTS big screens for movies at the pool like Princess has. Many love the in between spirit class. OVs are 220 s.f. on the Conquest class but on the older ships both inside and OVs are 185 s.f., still much bigger than RCL if you are talking about the Majesty. I hated those small cabins myself. If you liked the cabins on Majesty either you had a suite or just arent that picky? I vowed never again, did a B2B inside/OV 119 s.f. and 121 s.f. Never again on the inside probably for me!!!

 

8. Does Carnival have promowave or tuesday specials (or something similar)? How do I find the best price otherwise? I find the website not as easy to manoever as RCI. No promowave, but TAs can discount, just cant advertise lower prices than Carnival. They do have past guest specials and such, if you qualify for a special rate, keep checking.

 

Any intinerary suggestions welcome, as well as ship choices. I cruise for the ports mostly, but I don't want to puke at the site of a ships exterior/interior either! If the decor is that important to you, maybe try Princess or HAL??

 

Thanks :)

 

Come join us on the Crazies CC cruise 9/20/09, most of the CC cruises are on Carnival for some reason...the price? Good price for a balcony guarantee.

[phinfan63]

.

 

2. Are there speciality restaurants/buffet? They also have 24 hour pizza that is pretty good. I believe the ice cream is available 24 hours too.

 

6. I've heard the decor is tacky? I think that their decor is fun. My home is decorated to my taste and much more conservative BUT I'm on vacation and the decor just adds to the vacation feel, imho.[/COLOR]

 

Any intinerary suggestions welcome, as well as ship choices. I cruise for the ports mostly, but I don't want to puke at the site of a ships exterior/interior either! I would suggest Eastern or Southern route ~ the islands are so beautiful ~ just breathtaking!

I don't know you but if you go with an open mind, I believe you will enjoy Carnival just as much as the other lines.

 

Have fun!

[lucyddr]

1. Don't know...

 

2. All of the ships have a buffet. It's nothing spectacular, but certainly edible. (We use it only for breakfast and an rare lunch.) Certain ships have a specialty restaurant which is $30 pp. The one on the Miracle was really good to us, but not as wonderful to us as others here have described.

 

3. Salt

 

4. When you book, you can automatically add your tips ($10 per person per day). Justbe sure to tell them.

 

5. Bedding is wonderful!

 

6. Decor is louder on some ships than others. The staterooms are all pretty much the same though. Burnt orange couches (not obnoxious though), white comforters, and "maple" stained furniture. It's not going to affect the quality of your cruise though.

 

7. I'd choose based on the itinerary if it was me. You might avoid the Celebration and the older ships like it that don't have many balconies.

 

8. Call Carnival or travel agent. They are good with discounts. If none are offered, join a CC cruise where they have group rates.

 

9. The southern Caribean is a port-intensive itinerary (if that's your style). We loved this cruise, but it's on one of the older ships.

 

Like you, we first cruised another line (Disney) and were really worried that Carnival would be a huge disappointment! (At the time though, it was the only line that offered a Tampa cruise on Sunday for our honeymoon.) We went on the Miracle and have already scheduled our 3rd cruise! Just decide that you are going to have a great time. It's fine to compare, but don't let that ruin your trip!

[cruzmax]

Just returned from Carnival Valor on 3/16, it is a large ship (like Liberty we sailed on last year). We have also cruised on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, and had no problems with Carnival. A few things we enjoyed on Carnival: More food selections in Main Dining Room, Carnival has a Deli with great sandwiches, and the pizza is really good. Loved the jumbo screen out by the pool - they show movies and concerts, which is nice. I didn't think the production shows were as good as the ones on Celebrity and RCI, but that's just my opinion. We liked the decor, though it is more colorful than RCI or Celebrity. I will say that the employees on Carnival seemed more tired than on other lines, but they were still very helpful and pleasant. Next we want to try Princess!

We were on Eastern Caribbean route, and loved St. Thomas and St. Marteen.

Good luck in your choice - we prefer the newer (large) ships, but each of us has different preferences - that's what makes the world interesting.

[kingsgirl]

Thanks to everyone who has posted so far! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer :)

[txladydi]

I've only cruised twice, first was RCI Rhapsody, second was CCL Ecstasy. Difference in ship size and age. Loved both. Bedding was MUCH better on Carnival. Ship flow (i.e. walking paths - how do I get there from here) was much better on Rhapsody. We liked the Cruise Director on CCL better.

 

To me, the biggest differences are:

Carnival is generally less expensive

Carnival state rooms are bigger

Royal Caribbean has a better atrium - taller more photogenic

Royal Caribbean has more on-board shops

 

The current renovations on the CCL ships which adds the Lido movie screen, and the slides/water parks and the adults only pool area make some of the older ships really great choices.

 

I have a Carnival booked (CC Group Cruise), but would sail with either line again.

 

Have fun,

Diane

[Sailfish]

I am not particularly loyal to any cruise line, as the ports of call usually dictate which cruise line or ship we decide to go on. I probably cruise less with Carnival than the others, but as I have a cruise on Carnival coming up, I have been poking around the Carnival boards and thought I too would chime in and give you my take on the cruise line.

 

I have cruised with Princess, Celebrity, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and others; all of them have have things I like and things I don't. I have yet to find the "perfect" cruise line for me, as all seem to have something (mostly minor issues that don't really distract from our enjoyment of the cruise) that I wish were not the case or were missing a certain something that another cruise line had! It's also hard to not compare your previous cruise to the one your are on.

 

So, with that in mind, here is my take on Carnival. First off, the ships, in my opinion are not as nice as what you get on Royal Caribbean, especially Voyager class ships like the Navigator or their bigger sisters, like the Liberty. Carnival ships have less active things to do compared to Royal Caribbean, so if you are traveling with teens, this could make a big difference. The state rooms on newer Carnival ships are comparable to what you get with Royal Caribbean - the bedding is pretty much the same. The food I thought was slightly better on Carnival, but you have to take into consideration that food for me won't make or break the cruise. Evening entertainment aboard Royal Caribbean is a lot better than any Carnival ship I have ever been on, but that too is subjective, and I'm sure you'll hear good things about Carnival as well in this regard.

 

Both cruise lines appeal to families, so you'll find a lot of kids on just about every sailing during school holiday periods. In the off season, you won't see as many. Shorter cruises tend to have a more party crowd on either line, and cruises longer than a week tend to have more older folks - again about the same demographic on both lines.

 

Carnival tends to be more laid back as far as dress code is concerned, but people still do dress up on formal nights, just maybe not as formally. There are alternative restaurants on both, and I would say the quality of service and food varies by ship - this is the case on all, in my opinion. Both cruise lines structure dinner the same way, have similar buffets and offer a good variety of food to satisfy most.

 

Royal Caribbean tends to have higher prices, but it pays to compare sail dates on both lines as there are discounted sailings all the time. I probably cruise more with Princess, since I like their anytime dining concept, their ship designs and their nightly entertainment choices. But when traveling with kids, I choose Royal Caribbean, as I believe they have a better kids program.

 

Regardless of what you read here, you should try Carnival and judge for yourself. Like I said, I cruise for the itinerary, which is at the top of the list. For me, the ports of call, followed by the price are what usually decides which ship we end up on. ALL mass market cruise lines are more alike than different. It's the little things you will probably notice the most. As far as decor, ALL Carnival ships have a little "faux" appearance about them. Meaning even the newest ships that have a more subdued interior upon closer inspection, is mostly plastic and reproduced posters and art! That said, I think the designer wanted it that way. I think Royal Caribbean ships have a more upscale feel to them.

 

Good luck!!