No real difference between Carnival and RCL?

[mikeerdas]

Here's my dilemma:

 

Me and my wife are looking at some eastern/western caribbean cruises on the Carnival Glory/Legend.

 

My in-laws swear up and down that we should avoid Carnival at all costs and go RCL instead. The in-laws claim Carnival's food is lousy vs. Royal Caribbean. They also claim Carnival gets a more "low class" clientele than RCL. Not sure where they're getting their information on the food--I've read good and bad about the food on both cruise lines.

 

I don't care about the "low class" clientele thing, unless it means that Carnival cruisers, on average, are a lot less well behaved (how can anyone generalize like this?), on average, than RCL cruisers.

 

If the "low class" designation means the dress code on Carnival isn't as well enforced as on RCL, then there's no issue for me. Frankly, I'm on vacation. It's not going to ruin my vacation if people wear shorts in the dining rooms. I'd prefer to wear shorts myself, but tend to stick to whatever dress code is recommended.

 

If "low class" means Carnival cruises tend to contain more loud and obnoxious people than cruisers on RCL, then yeah, that would bother me. "Class" doesn't bother me (I'm not a doctor / lawyer / prude / etc). Behavior does.

 

If the food on Carnival is, somehow, much worse, on average, than RCL, then that's one reason I might prefer RCL. But then I don't expect 5 star dining on a cruise, given the number of people to be fed daily.

 

A co-worker of my wife has been on a number of cruise lines and claims there's no significant difference between Carnival and RCL. She says the real difference comes between Carnival/RCL and higher tiers of cruise lines like Princess/Celebrity. *That* I can believe.

 

Finally, I wonder--of the people who hate Carnival, did they:

 

-- Take a cruise in peak season? (I tend *never* to travel in high season for any type of vacation travel; it's always a worse / more crowded experience by definition; some people just don't get that there will probably be more loud, obnoxious people--or more of them--cruising during peak season). I'd also guess--and it's just a guess--that during peak season, cruise personnel, including kitchen staff, would be more stressed than in the off-season; and that may directly impact the end result on the plate; though it wouldn't make a difference if the ingredients were poor quality to begin with.

 

-- Take a cruise on an older ship (e.g. 10-15 years old); I tend to look for the largest, newest ships as a hedge; although I don't know that this would get me better food.

 

Finally, yeah, I admit it. I'm not a "partier." I enjoy a few good beers / mixed drinks as much as the next person, but I don't cruise to drink myself into oblivion. So if I'm around a lot of crazy drinkers, I'm going to be less happy on a cruise than without them. But that's my personal preference.

 

I don't judge people who do like to whoop it up; but they can do that in clubs/bars; I'd prefer not to be near them.

 

By Carnival saying they are "the fun ships" or whatever the slogan is, do they really mean "the party ships"? Somehow, I like to think there's room for both family cruisers / cruisers who like it more peaceful and club/bar-goers.

 

Mike

[Chigirlcruzin]

Have your in-laws ever set foot on a Carnival ship? Nothing irritates me more than when people state the kind of things your in-laws have based on CCL's reputation 20+ years ago. I have a co-worker that's done RCI and Carnival...she much prefers Carnival. She's sailing with her in-laws, and they refuse to go on Carnival even though they've never been on Carnival and their own son and daughter-in-law perfer Carnival (they say the food is better on Carnival). If people have sailed on Carnival and had a less than stellar experience, well, that's a different story.

 

My experience is that if you want to find a party, you can. If you want to relax, you can. You don't see out of control stumbling drunks at all hours of the night.

[BrendaB1]

I cruise on Carnival with many people who cruise on both Carnival & RCL. They report both are about equal with Carnival cabins being larger. Food & service about equal.

I'm a Carnival cruiser & have no desire to cruise with RCL.

[crusinpsychRN]

I thought food and shows were much better on Carnival. RCL does have ice skating and rock wall. Some have wave runner. RCL ship interiors were prettier with the large promenade.

[Littlenygs]

I have been on two Carnival Cruises and loved them both. My friend went on RCL and she told me that there were people doing some things, on the lido deck usually, that really did not want to see. ie. standing or sitting on the top rail and showing their tatas or down there .

 

When she told me that it really turned me off to RCL because she said they were doing it all week...so security liked the show I guess.:confused:

[akfan]

I have been on both. They are pretty equal. I DO think you find a younger and somewhat louder crowd on Carnival. I think more people looking to get drunk rather than just have a few drinks. But Never enough to consider not cruising with Carnival. Cabins are much bigger with Carnival. Food is very equal and will vary from ship to ship, So you may have great food on one RCI and not another and same with Carnival. My opinion is the service on RCI is a shade more upscale. But Carnival is fine by me. For us the nightly lounge entertainment has been better on RCI, but then again depends on ship and sailing date. For us it comes down to price and price only on the cruise we pick. We are going Carnival in May. Not enough of a difference to deter us one way or another. To me every cruise is good!!! And if you meet some great people to hang with then you have a great cruise!!!!

 

Have Fun........

[mikeerdas]

Thanks Chi and Brenda. I'm trying to find out where the in-laws are getting their information from. They may, in fact, have never been on a Carnival Cruise. In which case, they don't have any personal basis for comparison.

 

Two people in our immediate family have cruised Carnival--one cruised on the Carnival Fantasy during the 4th of July a year or two ago. The one I know of said the food was "sub par" on the Fantasy, but admitted he didn't have any basis for comparison (he'd never been on an RCL cruise). He's not a particularly picky eater, but then I don't know what his expectations were.

 

I'm going to trust people who *have* been on both cruise lines, and a number of different times on each. They're the ones who would know.

 

I can forgive food not being spectacular. When I cruised on NCL's Pride of Hawaii (first cruise ever) I heard horror stories about the food. To be honest, yeah, the servers were inexperienced and it wasn't 5 star dining. But I thought it was fine for the price I paid. Really enjoyed the buffet, and I was happy as a clam with the quality of the buffet (it was not "golden corral" (e.g. low) quality). I had no great expectations on NCL. Maybe someone really grouchy would hate it, but the ports were fabulous and I would cruise with them again.

 

I'm guessing NCL is in the same class as RCL and Carnival. But of course the Pride of Hawaii had only been 6 months or so old when I cruised. I figured "how bad could it be", being a new ship?

 

I'm just not going to let things like, for example, a cabin steward not fawning over me, ruin my trip. A lot of the cruise critic reviews I read, I have to "consider the source"--e.g. are these the types of grouches who walk up to an airline counter and verbally berate counter staff, expecting to get great service that way. I always have to shake my head when I see that type of behavior.

 

Mike

[Maxax]

We too, have been on both! And there are some positives...for each company where maybe they slightly edge out the other one. For instance, we really thought Carnival's food was slightly better than RCL. No kidding!But maybe...RCL's overall service was a bit more...catering...to any need. Bottom line though...they are pretty much equal, like everyone else has said...except...you will pay more for RCL....and HEY, Carnival is not the biggest cruise line in the world...because they don't know what they are doing. Carnival is top notch....for sure!

[wonderfullife]

I have cruised both. The main differences I see are the activities on board. Royal has the rock walls, ice rinks, and flow rider etc.. on the newer ships. Carnival has the water slide. From my experience:

 

Same:

 

Food

guests

service

games on board

Nightly entertainment

 

Differences:

 

Carnival:

 

More smoke

bigger rooms

Vegas look/decor on ships

 

 

Royal:

 

Small rooms

more of a polished look/decor of ship

Better repeat cruiser perks

On average, higher prices

More chair saving by the pool on all of the sailings I have been

 

 

Here is my history:

 

2 Carnival

1 Disney

4 Royal Caribbean

 

Reasons:

 

Royal: 1st cruise, 2nd cruise, Friends chose, wanted rock wall due to group going.

 

Disney: Brought young child

 

Carnival: Good itinerary, Wanted to revisit Carnival

 

Booked Cruise: Carnival for the price in comparison

 

Aleece

[wonderfullife]

I DO think you find a younger and somewhat louder crowd on Carnival. I think more people looking to get drunk rather than just have a few drinks. But Never enough to consider not cruising with Carnival.

 

-----------------

 

I think that there are equal amounts of drunks on both cruises. It depends on that particular cruise and often the length of the cruise seems to be a big factor. I actually saw more drunk people on Royal.

 

Aleece

[sunlover5]

We have cruised both also. Only Carnival ship has been the Liberty and by far the best food. Cabins are much bigger. The only time there was trouble on a ship was a group on one of our RC cruises. A young group caused a lot of heartache for passengers and security. It was a shorter cruise (5nights) and duriing spring break.

 

We love Carnival. After our next cruise in the fall and we look for another cruise, I will definitely check out Carnival first.

 

Feel shows are the same, hit or miss on both lines. Staff has been great on all our cruises.

 

Good Luck and sure you will have a great cruise no matter what line you decide on.

[dragonflymy2000]

Carnival: food better, cabin larger, staff more helpful, deck life more lively

 

RCL: food was ok, cabin was small, staff behavior lets me know where norovirus comes from, sidewalks roll up by 10p

 

Been on both and wont even try another RCL after our experience (yes it could have been the ship but the food was definately not Carnivals)

 

Sincerly

low class cruiser

[halos]

The only way you'll know is if you try it yourself.In my opinion, CCL is a wonderful cruise. The food is fabulous, the service is fabulous, the cabins are comfortable and I am NOT low class ;)

 

Look at it this way, CCL has a lot of ships, and they fill them to capacity nearly every sailing. How bad can they be???

 

Don't listen to that Carnival is garbage crap from folks that never even sailed the line. People who talk like this are snobs that have no clue.

 

To be honest, I love CCL so much that I'm scared I'll be disappointed on the RCI I have booked for next year.

I won't know though, until I try it myself. ;)

[elaineb]

Mike - It seems to me you are a pretty open-minded, level-headed guy. Try Carnival. I've been on both and my sentiments seem to agree with others:

Rooms - larger on Carnival

Food - Better on Carnival in the dining room; buffet better on RCCL

Entertainment - Carnival has better comedy and also has midnight R rated comedy shows; as for the productions, it is a draw. RCCL has a great ice show on the Voyager Class ships.

Overall Ship Decor - Sorry, I prefer RCCL - Carnival is a little too over the top at times

Clientele - These lines have the SAME DEMOGRAPHICS! Don't let anyone tell you Carnival caters to a young, party crowd. I have read industry things which support this. However, if anyone goes on a short - 2 or 3 night run to the Bahamas, you ARE going to get a partying crowd, Carnival or RCCL. It just might be that they went on Carnival.

 

So it comes down to which things are important to you. I can't justify spending $300 upwards per person to get a rock climbing wall and ice skating rink. I don't do those things at home. We tried it once and it was cool to see, but once was enough. However, if I were cruising with a group of teens, I would seriously consider RCCL.

Carnival used to have that party crowd reputation, but it has worked hard to change it. People who have never cruised on Carnival, or haven't cruised since the 90's on her need to try her and stop slamming something they know nothing about.

[kgicker]

I just got back from a Western Carribean Cruise from the Carnival Legend and it was wonderful. Everything about the cruise was great. I mean GREAT. The food was good, the other guest were very friendly. We could not have asked for a better vacation.

[bakechef]

I have been on both and enjoy both, but after one cruise with Carnival, I am really excited to go with them again.

 

7 day cruises will not be as much of a party atmosphere as shorter cruises, on any line.

 

The largest difference is the ships themselves, RCI ships are very impressive in scale, but I found the Voyager class too big for my taste. Carnival ships are very fun in their decor sometimes gaudy, the different rooms have sometimes obvious themes, other times more subtle.

 

As far as food, Carnival has been awarded "Best Cruise Ship Food" by readers of Porthole Magazine, at least 2 years running. There are threads on the RCI board with many loyal RCI passengers, dissatisfied with the food offered in the dining rooms on their ships.

 

Thing that I find equal, are service, cleanliness, passenger mix, entertainment.

 

Things that Carnival excels at, food, food choices, cabin size, cabin amenities,bedding, number of elevators!

 

Things that RCI excels at, beautiful more upscale looking ships, more action activities (rock climbing, ice skating, surfing simulator etc).

 

For my money, I will choose Carnival, they fit my needs and wants better than others that I have tried, for a great price.

 

MAC

[star of county down]

I've only cruised 3 times. The first time, it was on Carnival. I didn't know what to expect. There was no internet then. When we arrived at our room, I thought it was a mistake. I was expecting a Love Boat-type room:D You could practically sit on the toilet and take a shower at the same time:D Then, there was no lobster for dinner. One of our waiters told us that if we wanted lobster, we would have to take one of the decorated ones off of the midnight buffet and assured us it was ok to do; if we didn't, staff would eat them anyway. We went to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Playa Del Carmen/Cozumel. Won the beer drinking contest on ship:D So, back then, I was a little disappointed with the room and the food...

 

Moving right along, didn't go on the next one until August 2005 - Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore. It was a great trip and I enjoyed my food and was surprised that I couldn't take a shower and a toilet break at the same time:D I loved that cruise.

 

Last September, went on RCL again on Enchantment of the Seas. For a short cruise, it was great -- went very slowly, had the same great food, etc. I enjoyed myself. I will say that on the last day (at sea), two people in front of the bar on the pool deck (not the larger bar next the Windjammer but the smaller one in the middle of the ship) were exposing themselves and doing things that I wish I hadn't seen, were being egged on by other drunk people, and were allowed to do it for way too long. I'm no party pooper but it was really disgusting, plus, there were children on deck. It was an isolated incident and could happen on ANY cruise.

 

I can't compare shows because I never make it to any because I can't seem to take myself off of the deck. I like to be out in the open air, looking at the ocean, the stars, coastlines, storms in the distance...I like feeling the breeze or the sometimes hurricane force wind (like when we went thru Rita).

 

So, we're going on Carnival in a week to Baja. I'm sure I will have a good time. I love being on the ocean. It will be my first Pacific Coast cruise. And, best of all, I have found out, by reading these reviews, that I will get lobster one night in the dining room:D

[VentureMan_2000]

I DO think you find a younger and somewhat louder crowd on Carnival.

 

 

 

The median age of a Carnival passenger is 45... 7 years younger than other cruiselines.

[janerd]

First time on Carnival

FOOD-I'd say RCCL has more choices,I.E. Desert was not very good except the warm choc. cake.No Baked Alaska or Cherries jubilee.Room service on CCL sucked and badly.I.E.Breakfest no hot items only continental stuff,I don't know about anybody else but we get balconies for a reason and a nice breakfest delivered to our stateroom is one thing we enjoy.Plus we got room service twice and both times was wrong,how can you screw up toast and cereal.If your a vegetarian you only get one choice for your entree nothing else on the alternative menu either.RCCL always had pasta on the alternative menu.CCL had the best fruit,very fresh and good.We also liked the choc. fondue one lunch,yummeee.

ROOMS-CCL wins,our room was the best one so far,the extended balcony is awesome,more space to store stuff and the bathroom was nice also.

SERVICE-About the same great cabin stewards and waiters on both lines.Disney though beats them in this hands down.

SHOWS-We never do shows so can't help here.

These are just my observations up till this point.Mike.

[elaineb]

First time on Carnival

FOOD-I'd say RCCL has more choices,I.E. Desert was not very good except the warm choc. cake.No Baked Alaska or Cherries jubilee.Room service on CCL sucked and badly.I.E.Breakfest no hot items only continental stuff,I don't know about anybody else but we get balconies for a reason and a nice breakfest delivered to our stateroom is one thing we enjoy.Plus we got room service twice and both times was wrong,how can you screw up toast and cereal.If your a vegetarian you only get one choice for your entree nothing else on the alternative menu either.RCCL always had pasta on the alternative menu.CCL had the best fruit,very fresh and good.We also liked the choc. fondue one lunch,yummeee.

ROOMS-CCL wins,our room was the best one so far,the extended balcony is awesome,more space to store stuff and the bathroom was nice also.

SERVICE-About the same great cabin stewards and waiters on both lines.Disney though beats them in this hands down.

SHOWS-We never do shows so can't help here.

These are just my observations up till this point.Mike.

Mike - Carnival does offer pasta every night. It is listed as an appetizer, but you just have to ask for it for an entree. Did you book your cruise telling them of your dietary preference? Did you talk to the maitre'd and/or your server on the day of embarkation? I'm not sure how Carnival handles this, but just curious if they knew ahead if anything would have been handled differently. I wasn't aware that hot breakfast items were not available through room service.

[dan40]

I have multi cruises on both CCL and RCL. In fact, the only major line operating today that I have not cruised is Disney [no casino]. There are differences between CCL and RCL, but they are not major. RCL Voyager class type ships are nicer, CCL cabins are larger and cheaper for the most part.

Food in dining room, CCL is better, especially beef and CCL's beef is not that good but RCL's is worse. Beef is good in the supper clubs. But both have excellent dishes if you try new things. In the buffet, RCL is a little better than CCL. Except for pizza and the deli. All in all, a close thing between them both. Clientele? Exactly the same on both lines, They may not know it, they may deny it, but its the same clientele on both.

No cruise line has 5 star food, not really even 4 star. But no 5 star restaurant anywhere serves 15,000 meals a day.

I wouldn't hesitate to cruise either line again and have within the last 12 months.

My personal experience with Carnival haters is that 8 or 9 out of 10 of them have NEVER cruised Carnival.

 

 

 

Dan

[tinlizzy]

We agonized over cruising AOS or the Destiny last October. We chose the Destiny because of the price and had a great time with a few rowdy ppl on board.

 

On the way home we met a senior couple in line at the airport who had taken the AOS because they thought the same thing as your in-laws about Carnival. They hated it - the Solarium was completely destroyed by a group of ppl and had to be closed for 2 days. They couldn't get over how much they liked the pictures of our ship and on-board activities.

 

There are no guarantees when it comes to people's behavior so you should pick the cruise based on other things that are important to you (price, itinerary, food, room size) to minimize any negatives caused by fellow cruisers.

[VentureMan_2000]

First time on Carnival

FOOD-I'd say RCCL has more choices,I.E. ...No Baked Alaska or Cherries jubilee.

 

 

 

I've had both Baked Alaska andr Cherries jubilee on Carnival cruises, so your comment is misleading.

 

One things Folks should do when they don't see what they like on the menu is to ask the Waiter. Most often they are able to provide you alternatives that are not listed on the menu. For instance, steak and grilled chicken is always available, even when not listed on the menu. I'm sure this would hold true for vegetarians as well.

 

Some of the vegetarian dishes available include:

Vegetarian

 

Assorted Fresh Vegetables Princess

• Baked with a Cheese Sauce and Topped with Asparagus

Baked Herb Polenta

• Served with a Regout of Domestic and Wild Mushrooms

Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas

• Served with Sour Cream, Guacamole and Mild Salsa

Gratin of Vegetables with Peas, Parmesan, Pistachio nuts and Tarragon

• Served with Oven Roasted Root Vegetables and Fried Cherry Tomato

Indian Vegetarian Dinner

• Stewed Cottage Cheese and Peas, Roasted Vegetables Mash with Indian Spices
  
• Slow Cooked Chick Peas, Indian Bread Stuffed with Cumin Scented Red Onions

Porcini, Cepes and Portobello Mushroom Strudel

• Served on Leek Fondue

Roasted Fennel and Braised Leeks

• Served over Basmatti Rice and Bean Risotto

Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach, Mushrooms and Ricotta Cheese

• Served on Italian Tomato Sauce

Zucchini and Eggplant Parmigiana

• Served on Lake of Pomodoro Sauce

Retrieved from "http://unofficialcarnivalwiki.com/wiki/Dinner_Main_Courses"

[firefly333]

I just got off voyager of the seas a week ago. I saw shorts in the dining room and posted a pic of a baby in the adults only hot tub. Rules are not enforced on either ship at all. I dont know what you would have to do to get yelled at on the cruise.

 

We also had a awful cabin steward, 4th week on the job who was seasick the whole week because of where her cabin was she said. I got my own tp, soap, washcloth, anything we used up and needed to replace during the week. I finally mentioned to her about the trash can under the desk was trash on Saturday, it had something sticking out of it since Wednesday so she clearly didnt know the trash needed to be emptied every day. I realize any cruiseline this can happen on.

 

The ship was drop dead beautiful, and we are not picky and didnt care, but some do...anyone who claims RCL is higher class maybe hasnt cruised recently. Both kinda the same to me....except the beds on RCL are harder and the ships on RCL are drop dead gorgeous classy. We loved our last cruise on voyager I have to admit...lovely ship.

[GaryWT]

I have been on 4 RC and 1 Carnival Cruises and have a Carnival one planned for August. We have loved all our trips. The 4 Rc ones were 7 day and the Carnival was a 5 day. Not sure if I am low class or not.

 

The kids liked Carnival better, my wife like the food choices better on Carnival, it was more of the stuff she eats, she could not figure out what most of the RC dishes were. The Rc ships are beautiful but service drops off as the ship gets larger (this might be true on all lines. The drinks were pushed a lot less on Carnival, on RC they push drinks the entire cruise. We saw more of a party crownd on a couple RC trips than we say on Carnival.

 

I guess pretty much waht everyone else says. a lot is what you are use to. We have friends that want us to cruise with them but they will only go on Celebrity.

 

So much of the choice is the stops and where the ship leaves from, everything else will be fine.