So tell me about Carnival?

[amartin042]

My family and I have only cruised Royal Caribbean with the exception of one 2 day NCL. We have loved all of our cruises with RCCL, and we didn't care for our cruise with NCL. Our RCCL cruises have always had exceptional service and food. The NCL cruise had horrible service and food. I have been reading what I can about Carnival and they seem to have good reviews on the service and food for the most part. Unfortunately the prices for the Mariner of the Seas are out of our budget for Feb 09 so we are looking at the Carnival Pride instead. We can have our balcony room for $100.00 more than an inside on the Mariner. I much prefer a balcony room because I am slightly claustrophobic. Can anyone compare the two lines for me?

Thanks for any help you can give me with our decision.

Anna

[CT Cruiser10]

My family and I have only cruised Royal Caribbean with the exception of one 2 day NCL. We have loved all of our cruises with RCCL, and we didn't care for our cruise with NCL. Our RCCL cruises have always had exceptional service and food. The NCL cruise had horrible service and food. I have been reading what I can about Carnival and they seem to have good reviews on the service and food for the most part. Unfortunately the prices for the Mariner of the Seas are out of our budget for Feb 09 so we are looking at the Carnival Pride instead. We can have our balcony room for $100.00 more than an inside on the Mariner. I much prefer a balcony room because I am slightly claustrophobic. Can anyone compare the two lines for me?

Thanks for any help you can give me with our decision.

Anna

 

I've been on the Explorer of the Seas, and on the Carnival Triumph. As far as I'm concerned, they were equal. I make my decisions based on itinerary and price. I would take the balcony on the Pride.

 

both better than Norwegian. I don't like free-style dining. Plus the Norwegian ship was as clean as the others.

[SCUBA Mark]

My family and I have only cruised Royal Caribbean with the exception of one 2 day NCL. We have loved all of our cruises with RCCL, and we didn't care for our cruise with NCL. Our RCCL cruises have always had exceptional service and food. The NCL cruise had horrible service and food. I have been reading what I can about Carnival and they seem to have good reviews on the service and food for the most part. Unfortunately the prices for the Mariner of the Seas are out of our budget for Feb 09 so we are looking at the Carnival Pride instead. We can have our balcony room for $100.00 more than an inside on the Mariner. I much prefer a balcony room because I am slightly claustrophobic. Can anyone compare the two lines for me?

Thanks for any help you can give me with our decision.

Anna

 

I have been on RCCL and Carnival (also some other cruise lines). I think that after the dust settles, they are all about the same.

 

There is no rock wall on Carnival, but the service and food is great. I have sailed on the Carnival Pride before and it is a really nice ship.

 

Mark

[amartin042]

I've been on the Explorer of the Seas, and on the Carnival Triumph. As far as I'm concerned, they were equal. I make my decisions based on itinerary and price. I would take the balcony on the Pride.

 

both better than Norwegian. I don't like free-style dining. Plus the Norwegian ship was as clean as the others.

 

I know what you mean about NCL. On our trip I went to make coffee the first morning and found out that they hadn't bothered to clean it out form the last occupants. Then on the second night he didn't bother to do a turndown service and I had to figure out how to make the couch into a bed for my son.

[CT Cruiser10]

Let me add - I found Carnival to be "Fun". They had more activities on the deck.

 

Carnival has the 24 hour pizza place, Royal Caribbean doesn't.

Carnival offered room service much earlier than Royal Caribbean. I remember being able to get coffee delivered early enough to see the sunrise. Royal Caribbean didn't have room service until after sunrise.

Royal Caribbean's breakfast buffet seemed to open a bit later.

 

However, Carnival was my first cruise so I had absolutely no expectations going in. Royal Caribbean was my third.

 

I would go on cruise line again though. They are all great.

[CT Cruiser10]

I know what you mean about NCL. On our trip I went to make coffee the first morning and found out that they hadn't bothered to clean it out form the last occupants. Then on the second night he didn't bother to do a turndown service and I had to figure out how to make the couch into a bed for my son.

 

That sounds bad. I never had an experience like that. I just meant that the ship in general was not as clean. But, it was my second cruise. The second cruise always seems terrible because it can't match the awesomness of your first cruise ever.

[Gayle V]

In general the two cruise lines are an awful lot more alike than they are different. If forced to choose, I prefer RCL over Carnival. Yes there are some places where RCL is better, and a few where Carnival does better. But for the price difference you describe, between those two ships, I would chose the Pride, and the balcony room, in a heart beat.

[amartin042]

That sounds bad. I never had an experience like that. I just meant that the ship in general was not as clean. But, it was my second cruise. The second cruise always seems terrible because it can't match the awesomness of your first cruise ever.

 

At least it was only a 2 day cruise! My 13yo son hated the experience. He has banned me from ever booking a trip with NCL again.:eek: I am sure that others have had better experiences on NCL, but one was enough for us.:mad:

[cruisingwiththekids]

We just got back from our first Carnival cruise (third cruise overall - first on NCL and 2nd 2 years ago on Royal Carribean). The RCL ship was a smaller ship than the Carnival Glory we just sailed on. There were some things I liked better on RCL and some I liked better on Carnival.

 

We had exceptional dining room service on RCL as there were 10 family members at the table and our waiter had all of our names memorized after the first night and she cut the steak for not only my 8 year old son, but for my 60 year old mom as well! I didn't expect that, but it was a nice touch. Our waiters on Carnival never asked our names, but they did provide good service. I asked for lemon with my water the first night and it was on the table every night after that. Same for hot chocolate with my desert.

 

As far as food - I am a picky vegetarian and it seemed to me there were more choices for me on RCL as far as different menu items each night. However, I could always find something on the Carnival menu (although one night I just had pasta with marinara and another night I had a baked potato with vegetables). I never got even close to going hungry. And Carnival had veggie burgers at their grill, which I loved!

 

I would sail either line again, but just like with everyone else, price matters right now, which is why we gave Carnival a try. Unless I could find a great deal on RCL, we'll probably be sailing Carnival more in the future.

[code_d]

Have not been on RCCL but we have been on NCL. We prefered CCL over NCL by a long shot. Mostly because the over all service was lacking. It seems that once you go on a cruise your expectations are formed from that first one. From what I gather here there really is no bad cruise. We didn't like NCL as much but we certainly had a blast!:D For the bang for the buck sounds like CCL is for you this time. We Love the 24 hr room service and pizza, the dinning room staff and stewards always refered to us by first names, even when seen in a diiferent part of the ship, and how clean everything is along with the bed comfort! Hey have a great cruise you won't make a bad choice!:)

[Cotton]

I think you'll find Carnival and RCCL are much more similiar than different. They both have good points, and these are my thoughts:

 

Carnival's bedding is far superior, as is the cuisine. The staff and crew seem a bit friendlier.

 

The entertainment and activities are about the same.

 

I prefer Carnival, but have enjoyed my RCCL cruises too.:)

[ElvisandTracey]

Like the OP, I too am a RCCL person who is taking Carnival next time due to the prices. It's clearly an LA issue, because I compared taking Mariner to taking Carnival Splendor in April, and I am getting 2 suites (cat. 11) on Splendor for the prices of E1's (regular balcony cabins, way smaller) on Mariner. And Splendor is band new, while Mariner has some miles on her.

 

I really think that once RCCL notices a pattern of their people switching to Carnival in the LA market due to pricing, they will be forced to reconsider the prices on Mariner, otherwise she may not sell. And with people trying to sail from home ports more and more due to airfare prices, the LA market is getting more and more important to those in the north and the west.

 

I only hope than when RCCL people are cancelling bookings and switching to Carnival, they tell the CSR why. They need to know that Carnival is pricing them out of the market, that's the only way that the prices may get changed...so when they ask why you switched, don't be shy, tell them...I did.

[amartin042]

Like the OP, I too am a RCCL person who is taking Carnival next time due to the prices. It's clearly an LA issue, because I compared taking Mariner to taking Carnival Splendor in April, and I am getting 2 suites (cat. 11) on Splendor for the prices of E1's (regular balcony cabins, way smaller) on Mariner. And Splendor is band new, while Mariner has some miles on her.

 

I really think that once RCCL notices a pattern of their people switching to Carnival in the LA market due to pricing, they will be forced to reconsider the prices on Mariner, otherwise she may not sell. And with people trying to sail from home ports more and more due to airfare prices, the LA market is getting more and more important to those in the north and the west.

 

I only hope than when RCCL people are cancelling bookings and switching to Carnival, they tell the CSR why. They need to know that Carnival is pricing them out of the market, that's the only way that the prices may get changed...so when they ask why you switched, don't be shy, tell them...I did.

 

I know what you mean about homeports. Unfortunately LA is the closest for us in the winter. It is really the only place that we can fly and cruise for a reasonable amount.

[amartin042]

So another concern that I have is how the ships compare? I am not worried about comparing the Mariner vs. the Pride as I know that the Mariner is much larger. But how does the Pride compare to the Vision of the Seas or the Serenade of the seas. Do you feel closed in or are there a lot of open spaces on the Pride? Also how is the decor on the Pride? I have seen pics of some of the Carnival ships that seem really Loud! I prefer the more natural tones of the RCCL ships. The decor won't make or break my decision but I don't really like the Las Vegas feel unless that is my destination.

Thanks for all your help. Anna

[cathyz]

So another concern that I have is how the ships compare? I am not worried about comparing the Mariner vs. the Pride as I know that the Mariner is much larger. But how does the Pride compare to the Vision of the Seas or the Serenade of the seas. Do you feel closed in or are there a lot of open spaces on the Pride? Also how is the decor on the Pride? I have seen pics of some of the Carnival ships that seem really Loud! I prefer the more natural tones of the RCCL ships. The decor won't make or break my decision but I don't really like the Las Vegas feel unless that is my destination.

Thanks for all your help. Anna

The Pride has a great flow and we never felt closed in anywhere (but then I also like the smaller Fantasy class ships too). The decor is not LV-ish on the Pride, lots of art work everywhere. Some folks think it's a bit too dark, but I didn't notice that at all. There are some pics in my signature from our Pride cruise last year.

[FunInTheCaribbean]

Our first cruise (just DH & I alone) was Carnival and we absolutely loved it and had a wonderful time! Always something fun to do, great service, everything was wonderful and have no complaints about Carnival. We have become partial to RCCL though; I think because we went on the Navigator and WOW, talk about beautiful and so many things to do. The Royal Promenade is something to be talked about. I couldn't believe how beautiful that ship was. And again, good service and all around a good cruise. We also tried NCL, never again. Just didn't like it at all.

 

We too are trying Carnival again in June because the price in LA was cheaper than the Mariner. And I'm partial to the newer ships.

 

I think you'll enjoy either cruise. Carnival and RCCL are very similar. While RCCL may not have had the 24 pizza, they had a Johnny Rockets when we sailed and that was so cool to go eat at 3am after leaving the dance club! Loved it!

[Casino Player]

My family and I have only cruised Royal Caribbean with the exception of one 2 day NCL. We have loved all of our cruises with RCCL, and we didn't care for our cruise with NCL. Our RCCL cruises have always had exceptional service and food. The NCL cruise had horrible service and food. I have been reading what I can about Carnival and they seem to have good reviews on the service and food for the most part. Unfortunately the prices for the Mariner of the Seas are out of our budget for Feb 09 so we are looking at the Carnival Pride instead. We can have our balcony room for $100.00 more than an inside on the Mariner. I much prefer a balcony room because I am slightly claustrophobic. Can anyone compare the two lines for me?

Thanks for any help you can give me with our decision.

Anna

 

You have my sympathy for your RCCL cruises. My wife and I were on one RCCL cruise and it was one of the worst cruises either of us were on. We took one NCL cruise and that was enough too. We had better service on NCL than we did on RCCL.

On Carnival you get better food and service than either of the lines mentioned above. You also have larger staterooms and 24 hour ice cream or yogart.

[Georgiagolfer]

Since you posted on CCL board, expect most responses to favor CCL. DW and I are not cheer leaders for either line as we love both lines. Many things equal.

 

As for the Mariner, sailed her last November and she is a great ship with much to do. Never sailed Pride, but we have loved all of the CCL ships we have been on. You should enjoy any ship/cruise you select. IMO you can't go wrong picking either ship.

[JRock59]

We've saided on a number of different lines but CCL get's our $$ the most. :) For the price it's the best deal out there. We've had both very good and very bad experiences on CCL. :rolleyes: But the bad usually was because of 1 or 2 crew members whose service and attitude were just horrible. We were told at the pursers desk they were leaving the ship when it returned to home port but they had to continue to use them because of staffing shortages and contracts. Always got a little gift from the line for "dealing" with the problem and realizing it was not the entire crew that put a "damper" on the Cruise. But this is something you could and can see on any Cruise line. I'd take a balcony over an inside room everytime! :D

I think you'll find the food a nice surprise as it's got better and better as the years have gone by. And let's face it Pizza, ice cream and room service 24/7 is always a good thing! Most if not all CCL ships now have a deli on them and we've found them to be great and if the ship has the seafood resturant that's open for only lunch hours make sure you try it. On the Conquest it's called SurMer and my DH says it's the best he's ever had. (and he LOVES his seafood) ;) The alternate dining areas you have to pay a little extra $ for are well worth it and you might want to give them a try. Go in with an open mind, don't compare everthing to RCL, different line-different experience, and take the $$ your saving and treat yourself to a little something extra. :p And if your first Cruise on CCL is not quite what you expected please give it another chance. Our 1st CCL cruise was in '94 (we had been on Princess and RCL only) and I said never again! :eek: In a few weeks we go on #8 & 9 with #10 planned for next year. Also if you haven't yet go to the website and order the DVD telling you about CCL and her ships. It will give you a little insite about the decor and why they are done the way they are. Remember they are the "Fun" ships, relax, enjoy, no cooking, no cleaning and a DOD in hand for 7 days!

[grest]

I preferred CCL's food, cabins, bedding.

I preferred RCL in that it seemed to be less crowded, fewer long lines.

Service and entertainment quite similar. I'd sail both again, but prices now take me to CCL.

[mom2girls]

For the most part both lines are similar. You can probably tell from my signature that I prefer Carnival, but I would go on RCCL again if it was a good deal.

 

IMO Carnival has better food and service. But, I've only sailed RCCL twice. I've sailed Carnival 7 times. As for entertainment they are pretty much equal in that there is plenty to do. RCCL does win in the show department though. I was very impressed with the shows on the Liberty of the Seas. As others have stated Carnival has bigger staterooms which is another perk.

[wework2play]

Anna,

I have been on RCCL once and CCL once. (See my signature for ships). Here's my quick comparison.

 

Service: RCCL was much better. More personal, more attentive, memorized names, pulled chairs out for us, etc. But, please note that my Carnival cruise was in summer and full of kids, my royal cruise was in April and more of an adult crowd. More people = crew works twice as hard. I have also heard wonderful things of CCL's service.

 

Food: CCL is way better. More selection, and most of it is better. 24 pizza is a plus.

 

Entertainment: I liked RCCL's shows better for the most part, but I LOVED the stand-up comedy on CCL. So it's a toss up. I'm just not big on the Vagas style.

 

Cabins: CCL's cabins are a bit bigger, but RCCL has their rooms so organized that you really don't notice it. Overall not a huge difference.

 

Decor: RCCL ships are simply beautiful. CCL's are pretty. Somewhat gaudy. At first I missed the beauty of RCCL, but soon into the cruise I realized you can't have it all.

 

Activities: CCL has much more to do it seems like. I really enjoyed watching the Hairy Chest contest and so much more. They seemed to offer more than Royal. I didn't care for the singing and dancing at dinner- but oh well.

 

Overall impression: Right now, as a mom of 2 with one on the way, and in my late 20's, I prefer Carnival. More bang for the buck. I will always sail carnival with my kids. More activities, wonderful kids program, more food selection, price, and so on. My DH and I are going CCL in 2 weeks just him and I. I figure we will go on Royal again when we can splurge a little on price and want a romantic vaca, or when the kids are older. Both lines offer great cruises. I had a blast on both.