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We have always cruised Carnival, what to expect on RCCL?


Mr. Baloo

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Hi all, we have always cruised on Carnival ships and have been happy. We live in New Orleans, so the cruises out of their have been convenient. I have cruised with them at least 4 times and cant complain about too much as far as food, drinks, service, and housekeeping.

 

I will say that although our group likes to have a good time, we also like the nicer things, plush rather than party, cocktails over beer, cheesecake over ice cream... get the picture? I know, we are complicated.

 

However, next summer we are cruising on the Voyager of the Seas on a Western Med cruise. What can I expect to be different than Carnival? Better or Worse?

 

Thanks.

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#1 the ship. You will be ga-ga over Voyager!

#2 the ship. So darn easy to get around!

#3 the crew. Good solid, professional service...with a smile!

#4 the venues. ICe skating..no matter what you do, do not miss!

#5 Did I mention the ship? No neon, beautiful decor.

 

Cabins might be a tad smaller, but after you unpack, put stuff away, you will find they work perfectly.

 

Passengers....the one area lots of folks do not talk about. We choose RCI of the thing syou said you like...you will find like minded passengers on RCI.

 

 

Bon Voyage

 

By, the way, wait until you see the ship!!!!

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If you are comparing it to the Fantasy, you will be awestruck with the Voyager. I had done the Esctasy only and now have been on the Conquest which was nice, but Voyager is going to knock your socks off. All the inside and OV cabins on Fantasy are 185 s.f. On Voyager I think they range from about 145 s.f. up to 180 s.f. OVs. The difference is RCL puts in lots of little cubby holes for extra storage to make up for the smaller space.

 

Be sure the check out the cafe in the Promenade. I didnt know everything was free until about day 3!!! Its great. You can grab pizza the minute its out of the oven he puts it on plates for grabbing. All kinds of cookies, including my favorite oatmeal raisen. Other goodies there.

 

The 3 levels dining room you are going to say WOW.

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As the previous posters have stated, you'll be impressed with the RCI ship. Carnival ships just don't compare. ...shrugs... That's no offense toward Carnival, they have their own things that they do well, but RCI ships are works of art.

 

Also, you'll find that RCI's passengers are more refined. Again, not better or worse, just different. There's much less...maybe horseplay is the word I'm looking for, on RCI. They also have pool chair police on RCI, which is nice if you like the pool. That way YOU don't have to remove chair hogs stuff, they literally stand around and watch and if you're gone for more than 30 minutes or so, THEY move it. ;)

 

I will say that RCI's food isn't quite as good as Carnival's. But, in all fairness, unless you're on one of the elite lines, cruise food isn't exactly 5 star anyway, right? :eek:

 

They both have pluses and you'll enjoy RCI. Have a wonderful time!!!!!

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I've been on several Carnival ships and I think you'll find the RCI ships much classier that those you've seen. Nothing garrish or over-the-top. Smaller but more elegant cabins - I've never seen a spec of vinyl anywhere in a RCI cabin. Better service, however that's subjective. Contrary to a lot of reports, I found the food more to my liking on RCI although some of the alternate dining venues on Carnival have been the best meals I've had on any line.

 

2P.P1

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* Different Ships - Decor more toned down on RCI.

 

* Service - About the same ( I think CCL is a little better, but that is just my opinion.. certainly not a big noticible difference. )

 

* Food - RCI fails miserably in this category for us. Sorry!

 

Besides what I mentioned above, it is pretty much the same, INCLUDING the passenger demographics, and the silly pool games. Those that will tell you the passengers are more refined etc., have blinders on. It's ALL mass market!!

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* Different Ships - Decor more toned down on RCI.

 

* Service - About the same ( I think CCL is a little better, but that is just my opinion.. certainly not a big noticible difference. )

 

* Food - RCI fails miserably in this category for us. Sorry!

 

Besides what I mentioned above, it is pretty much the same, INCLUDING the passenger demographics, and the silly pool games. Those that will tell you the passengers are more refined etc., have blinders on. It's ALL mass market!!

 

I agree totally with this post.

 

RCI ships are definitely prettier (more to my taste) but the food does not compare to CCL.

I had superb service on both lines

Passenger demographics are the same.

(RCI passengers more refined??? LMAO. I guess that poster never particiapted in or saw The Quest.)

 

It's definitely all mass market.

 

I love both lines and I think you'll love Royal. I also think switching lines now and then is the best thing to do. Each line offers something different and this keeps cruising from becoming monotonous.

 

Book it and have a blast! :D

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* Different Ships - Decor more toned down on RCI.

 

* Service - About the same ( I think CCL is a little better, but that is just my opinion.. certainly not a big noticible difference. )

 

* Food - RCI fails miserably in this category for us. Sorry!

 

That about sums it up for me, as well. Just got off the Majesty last week--it is a beautiful ship.

 

Service was perfunctory. Staff did what was necessary with politeness and a smile. But, as we watched them go about their duties, the smiles disappeared. Our dining room staff were great, though. Very professional. and helpful. Bar servers were horrible--and we tipped extra! Our cabin steward was...well...the worst we've encountered on our six cruises. I have to wonder if they're having staff problems on that ship.

 

Food was nothing special. I can't mention one thing that stands out. To be honest, I can't even remember what I had to eat!

 

Quite frankly, I was actually kind of bored on the ship. We're 50-somethings and found the nightlife to be geared toward those 20 years older than us or 20 years younger. There weren't a lot of people our age onboard. We did enjoy Quest, and the comedian on the first night. The 1/2 hour 70's disco party was sort of fun, but it ended too quickly. I just didn't get the point of the other shows (they seemed disjointed and not well choreographed to me) and we missed the juggler because we attended the Past Guest Reception (which turned out to be nothing more than a big advertisement for the Oasis).

 

We did enjoy our RCI cruise, but we're looking forward to our Carnival cruise next year.

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we attended the Past Guest Reception (which turned out to be nothing more than a big advertisement for the Oasis).

.

 

Funny you mentioned that.

 

Today I got a call from Royal Caribbean in response to the review which I posted here, that I printed and sent to them via mail.

The woman I spoke to on the phone was lovely and she told me that my comments about the crew members that I loved would get passed on as well as my comments on how I thought the food was not exactly great. We chatted for a while and then she started talking about the Oasis and assuring me that the food would be FABULOUS on that ship.

I told her that I'll be on the Jewel next year and I'll see after that cruise...I told her that although I haven't met a ship yet that I don't like, the Oasis may just be a little too big for my taste, but I've learned never to say never.

;)

 

LOL...I think they may be a little afraid that they may not be filling those Oasis cabins.

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Carnival = Walmart

RCCL = Target

 

Best comparison I've ever seen! Spot on!:p

 

 

 

 

yes, absolutely!!

The Target store (or Royal ship) is a much nicer looking store (ship)

And although they sell the same product, Target charges more. ;)

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For me, once I cruised on RCI I never looked back at Carnival. RCI gives me a MUCH better overall cruise experience than Carnival ever tried to do. Cleaner ships, better service, a much more friendly crew, a past guest program that puts Carnival to shame and the major WOW factor of their ships. Both are good cruise lines but IMHO one is much better than the other. ;)

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That about sums it up for me, as well. Just got off the Majesty last week--it is a beautiful ship.

 

Service was perfunctory. Staff did what was necessary with politeness and a smile. But, as we watched them go about their duties, the smiles disappeared. Our dining room staff were great, though. Very professional. and helpful. Bar servers were horrible--and we tipped extra! Our cabin steward was...well...the worst we've encountered on our six cruises. I have to wonder if they're having staff problems on that ship.

 

Food was nothing special. I can't mention one thing that stands out. To be honest, I can't even remember what I had to eat!

 

Quite frankly, I was actually kind of bored on the ship. We're 50-somethings and found the nightlife to be geared toward those 20 years older than us or 20 years younger. There weren't a lot of people our age onboard. We did enjoy Quest, and the comedian on the first night. The 1/2 hour 70's disco party was sort of fun, but it ended too quickly. I just didn't get the point of the other shows (they seemed disjointed and not well choreographed to me) and we missed the juggler because we attended the Past Guest Reception (which turned out to be nothing more than a big advertisement for the Oasis).

 

We did enjoy our RCI cruise, but we're looking forward to our Carnival cruise next year.

 

I was on the same cruise, and our cabin attendant did not even introduce herself. We had more talk with another attendant down the hall than we did with our own. The rest of the staff was nice, but not as friendly as on past cruises.

 

The staff was discussing the moving of Majesty from RCL to another of their lines, so there may have been some discontentment there.

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I was on the same cruise, and our cabin attendant did not even introduce herself. .

 

:eek: wow.

 

That just happened to me on my Explorer cruise (9/6). It was my first RCI cruise.

In 10 cruises, that was the first time that EVER happened to me.

Did you fill out a comment card and mention it??

 

My cabin steward did a wonderful job of taking care of my room, and I don't need to be 'best buddies' with the cabin steward, but I never realized how important it is for them to introduce themselves until one didn't. Usually they make a point of introducing themselves and letting you know that if you need anything, they are there to help. Not having that on the Explorer definitely made it feel like something was missing.

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I've enjoyed both RCL and Carnival but the thing I much prefer on RCL is the type of shows. They tend more towards a Broadway type show and Carnival a Las Vegas type which I find boring. I'm looking forward to a cruise on the Voyager of the Seas this December.

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Also, you'll find that RCI's passengers are more refined. Again, not better or worse, just different. There's much less...maybe horseplay is the word I'm looking for, on RCI.

I will say that RCI's food isn't quite as good as Carnival's. But, in all fairness, unless you're on one of the elite lines, cruise food isn't exactly 5 star anyway, right? :eek:

 

They both have pluses and you'll enjoy RCI. Have a wonderful time!!!!!

 

yes, absolutely!!

The Target store (or Royal ship) is a much nicer looking store (ship)

And although they sell the same product, Target charges more. ;)

 

DW and I have sailed both lines more than a few times, and quite frankly don't find much difference between them. True, RCI has the rock wall and skate rink, but how many passengers actually climb (or try) the rock wall or skate. But the ice show is very good and we really enjoyed. CCL decor is tacky, but overall rooms are larger.Food is too subjective to personal taste and has never been the same on any cruise, even when we sailed the same ship.

 

You'll never know if you like the RCI product unless you experience it. Go for it and have a great time as I'm sure you will. But remember that RCI is still a mass market line, despite some posters thinking otherwise.

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I apologize, I did not get to read the other posts before me.

 

As you can see from my signature, I had 3 Carnivals under my belt prior to my first RCCL. I had nothing to compare to so at the time, they were fine.

Now that we have cruised Royal last year, I would never go back to a Carnival ship. I even won a cruise last year on Carnival and it paled in comparison to our Liberty Cruise. Its pretty sad when you are ready for your 7 day cruise to end, but all 4 of us were ready to exit last fall.

 

I'm not sure how to put it into words. Its just a different atmosphere. A more classy group of travelers (not stuffy classy...just friendlier, more cordial). The cabins are a tad smaller but their more plush, upscale. Everything from the food to the cabin steward to the pursers desk...the pools..the tenders..the promenade..ships decore...was so much nicer in all of our opinions. They were always cleaning something on RC, we did not see this on the C ship. The crew members on RC seemed VERY happy to be there and the C ship, they did not come across that way. The past guest program on Carnival is a joke also, I'm not even sure why they bother.

 

Its something I would have not believed until I experienced it last year. My two teenage sons noticed it and they don't notice much of anything.

My husband has already asked that I do not enter any more contest to win any Carnival cruises...lol I would someday like to experience NCL or Princess. Its always nice to have more lines to compare too.

 

have a great cruise..

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