Carnival v. RCI

[dcastro]

Hello everyone. I haven't cruised in Carnival in a little while. Although my kids liked it much, I wasn't thrilled the last 2 or 3 times. Now we sail Royal Caribbean or NCL with kids. Crystal and Seabourn w/o kids. it seems to me that every time we go back to RCCL, there are less and less things included however the price still goes up.

 

I know this may be a biased pace to ask but, can you give me your comments?

 

thanks

 

d

[momofzeke]

I have not sailed on RCI. I do happen to love Carnival and have thoroughly enjoyed my 3 cruises on Carnival ships.

 

From reading the boards, I have come to the conculsion that Carnival has better food and bigger cabins than RCI. The bigger ships on RCI have more "bells & whistles" like rock climbing walls and ice skating rinks.

 

If you weren't thrilled with Carnival before, what makes you think you would like them now? (I'm not trying to be sarcastic here, I'm asking a genuine question)

 

Maybe if you told us the things you did not like about Carnival, we could let you know whether those things might still be an issue today on Carnival ships. What things are not included on RCI, and we could let you know if they are included on Carnival.

[Guest scfjjb]

I can help you with this after next week. We are sailing on Carnival for first time in 5 years. We loved our Southern Caribbean cruise on RCI last December but we experienced the same thing as you. Prices, and what is considered "extra", are going up and up. We completely avoided the Champagne Bar (which used to be our favorite hangout) because the prices were just too outrageous. (Tip - order bottle at dinner and have waiter prepare it "to go") Service was still good but the last time we sailed Carnival service was great.

 

I'll post when we return.

[buzz2400]

I have sailed rc twice and carnival once. We just back from a rc cruise. we probably will never sail rc again. They do not have too many family activities. They are mostly geared at kids going into their appropriate clubs. I remember when we went on carnival, we were never in the cabin. we were always running here and there. We will be going again on a carnival cruise next september.

 

One thing I would like to point out is that the crew were terrific and the food was very good on the rc cruise that we just came back on. It was just the activities. We ended up playing checkers and cards for the majority of the cruise. The ice skating rink was really never opened.

[gweedo]

I am always interested in posts for comparisons such as this. I have never sailed with Carnival, but will be on the Glory in Jan. I have sailed with RCI 3 times now and have enjoyed all cruises. I hope this thread stays congenial with valuable info and not end up as I have seen some on both the Carnival and RCI sites. There are good and bad on all cruises, each has their own preferences. I know people who will only sail one line and won't try others. It will be interesting to see what kind of replies you will get. After Jan I hope to be able to offer some comparisons also. :rolleyes:

[dcastro]

Although rooms are cheaper and larger (overall) in CCL, I felt as if they did not have as much attention to detail as RCI and included much less as part of their package. I felt as if they were 'nickel and diming' me all the time. I'm a sucker for the 'extras' one gets.

 

What initially sold me on RCI was simple, we went on our first RCI cruise aboard the maiden voyage of the Explorer of the Seas in a Grand Suite. That sailing set the bar for all further cruises with RCI. From the concierge waiting for us at the cabin with printed personalized stationary, fresh fruit and tropical drinks, to the Maitre'D cutting the steak for my younger child adn the sommelier recommending wines. Everything was perfect.

 

Last time I sailed in Carnival, I felt as if we got burgers, pizza or chicken every night.

 

I say that at that time, it was the difference between a 3 star cruise (carnival) and a 3 star cruise (royal).

[SimplyAddicted]

I have sailed Carnival 3x and RCI once. I thoroughly enjoyed both lines. I had incredible service on Carnival (except the Destiny - it was so so), but was completely blown away with RCI. I preferred RCI's decor, atmosphere, and service. I also felt their were more activities that I enjoy. I preferred the food and staterooms on Carnival.

 

I would sail either line in a heartbeat.

[knoxvillecruiser]

I just got back a week ago from my first Carnival cruise on the Legend. I had only been on RCI. I must say that we had a great cruise and I will definitely sail carnival again. Our service was fantastic and food overall was excellent (with the exception of breakfast-wasn't too impressed). I felt that carnival offered extra "perks", or more so that RCI. Everyone gets nice robes on Carnival, not just people in suites like on RCI. I loved the bedding and pillows; they were definitely more comfortable than RCI. We loved our extended balcony cabin. The cabin and balcony were bigger than a balcony room on RCI. We got a basket of goodies in the bathroom and all the rooms have a refridgerator. We also enjoyed sushi bar before dinner which wasn't available on the RCI ship I was on. I felt like Carnival gives a great product for the money. I didn't think anything on RCI was "worth" more money.

The main difference between the cruiselines that I noticed was the way the people chose to dress. This does not bother me, so I won't hesitate to sail carnival again. But... if you're used to seeing people dressed like golfers for casual wear, it was different on carnival. I know I'll get flamed, but I'm just reporting what I observed. There were many camo hats, t-shirts, cut off shirts etc. many just plain sloppy looking. Even the dining room was MUCH more casual with lots of baseball hats and just "old" looking t-shirts. (Some quite trashy t-shirts with nasty things on them) On Cruise elegant night it looked more like a regular night on RCI. Many consider a hawaiian shirt and khaki's dressy. (Saw only 3 tuxes the whole cruise) This would bother some people, but everyone was nice and just having a good time. I live in East Tennessee and that's how people dress around here. I just didn't expect that on a cruise ship based on the RCI cruises I was used to. To me that's the only real difference between the two. I enjoyed dining room food on Carnival more and like the Windjammer on RCI a little better-especially breakfast.

But as one poster already pointed out. If there are things you didn't like about carnival before, you might check on those specific things before you try again.

[momofzeke]

I don't know if this will help, but:

 

Included in your cruise price:

 

24/7 room service (limited menu)

24/7 pizza, calzone, caesar salad at pizza station

24/7 soft serve ice cream

dining room meals, buffet, deli, poolside grill, fish & chips on some ships

beverages, including coffee, tea, milk, chocolate milk, lemonade, fruit punch, juice

robes in stateroom

sampler basket of amenities in stateroom

entertainment in showroom

 

Not included in your cruise price:

 

Auto-tips ($10 per person per day)

Alcoholic beverages, soda pop (15% gratuity added automatically)

Specialty restaurant on some ships

Specialty coffee shop ~ lattes, milkshakes, pastries, desserts

Photos

Souvenirs, clothing, etc. purchased from shops

Gambling

Bingo

 

There are probably things I am forgetting, but this will give you an idea. There may be other things that are included if you are in a suite, but since I have not stayed in a suite I don't know what they are. Good luck in choosing your next cruise. :)

[CWcruisers]

There are Carnival Cheerleaders and there are RCI Cheerleaders and neither the two shall meet.

 

I've sailed 15 times on CCL and 4 times on RCI. IMHO, they are very similar in the demographics of people that sail them. RCI has a couple of classes of tricked out ships that far exceed anything CCL has, but CCL has a nightclub atmosphere at night that I prefer over RCI's 2 hour band sets, then switching to a completely different format.

 

You have to deceide what is more important, the destination or the journey, then follow in that path. I have 3 future bookings on CCL and 2 on RCI. Variety is the spice of life.

 

And if you go with the theory that there are no bad cruises, you will always have a good time.

[dcastro]

thanks to all.

[sappygirl]

I have only sailed Carnival so far. They do have a much more relaxed atmosphere than the others which is why we chose them to start with. Yes you will find people that do not adhere to the dress code esp. on cruise elegant night. Depending on what ship you are on, the Maitre d usually keeps an eye on it. Yes it would be nice if everyone would adhere to it but that will never happen I guess. I just don't let it bother me. You may not get all the bells and whistles on CCl like you do on RC so if that is what makes or breaks your vacation you will probably be disappointed. CCL does have great service. They will do just about anything for you to make you happy. All you can do is give it a try.

[Zukeeper4]

I used to ask this very same question!

 

Here's what I have sailed- two on CCL and one on RCI. Ships, ports and lengths all different and I will not compare apples to oranges so here's what I can verify that the shorter cruises are indeed more oriented to the party scene however, one can still have a great time if they do not choose to be a party animal! I will also say that we are not very picky or overly critical people, we are on vacation and have always had a wonderful time. Sure things don't always turn out exactly like you thought, but you roll with it and move along. I can't believe how many people complain about things that are really quite minor IMHO.

 

So basically comparing RCL to CCL well, basically, these are two VERY similar products!

 

A few noteworthy things are included in my personal ratings:

 

Customer service - tie. Pleasant and willing to go the extra mile.

Cabin/Balcony - winner is CCL much bigger cabins and balconies. If you have more than 2 in a room choose CCL for this reason ALONE.

Food - main dining areas - Tie! One important note, cappucino is FREE in dining room with CCL and you are charged on RCI!! Eh gads!

Coffee - Specialty - Tie - (Rcl has Seatlle best and I like that brand better personally)

Coffee - the free stuff - hands down winner is RCI, CCL coffee is not very good at all. RCI serves Seatlle Best in every free area as well as in the coffee shop.

Food buffet - Tie - although the larger ships have much better buffet selections than the smaller ships

Specialty Rest - Tie

Fun - You know,Cheesy things to do (karaoke, belly flop contest, etc) - CCL

Fun - skating, rock wall, etc - RCI

Stage Shows - winner is CCL

Music, piano bar etc - Tie

Pools hot Tubs etc. That's a hard one. The pools on the larger ships are, of course, more abundant. No staff on either line was willing to do anything about chair hogs. 30 (certainly 60) minute rule should be applied like the signs read on all the ships. The adult only pools on CCL did have staff enforcing the adult only policy and I appreciate that. I was traveling without children and didn't want to be over run by kids. Kids have so many areas of the ship I don't go to, their own discos, play areas and premium seating at all the events, leave the one and only adult only area alone! The RCI staff only enforced kids only rules, pity those adults who try to sit in the kids reserved area at the shows! CCL made sure that kids stayed out of adult areas. BRAVO. RCI let kids in the adult only hot tub and I also saw kids with "little swimmers" diapers in the pools and hot tubs everywhere - ewwww. The hot tub then became a swirling bubbling germ/bacteria/ecoli in my mind.

Bar personnel all happy to serve you and amaze you with their witt - they also are wonderful at driving you crazy to buy the Drink of the Day - Even when your eyes are closed and your snoring in the sun! Tip the bartender before he pours your drink and keep going back to that same bartender ;)

Auto tipping/gratuities - CCL - I do not like that RCI "prints" out your auto tips and wants you to place them in the envelope and deliver the envelope to your waiter, room steward etc. I like auto tipping so I don't have to worry about any of that.

I had to help an elderly lady the night before we left the ship as she was so confused and thought she neded to go cash a check with the pursor so she could put money in the envelopes when she had the vouchers sitting right there...she simply did not understand that she had already paid her gratuities and needed to only add to them if desired. What a pain, I paid the gratuities and if I think you went above and beyond on CCL I can either go and have the gratuity adjusted OR I'll hand you something extra personally...I don't need the envelopes and vouchers. Would I choose another line over RCI for this, no....but it is annoying so I mention it.

 

So, I guess I would say if I was traveling with more than two people in a cabin I would pick CCL for sure.

If I was traveling with kids, especially active kids to young teens, I would pick a large RCI ship with ice rink, surfing, rock wall etc. to keep them occupied.

Other than that I would stick with price and ports - like I said they are similar products in my opinion.

 

Hope that helps.

Jan

[Casino Player]

Hello everyone. I haven't cruised in Carnival in a little while. Although my kids liked it much, I wasn't thrilled the last 2 or 3 times. Now we sail Royal Caribbean or NCL with kids. Crystal and Seabourn w/o kids. it seems to me that every time we go back to RCCL, there are less and less things included however the price still goes up.

 

I know this may be a biased pace to ask but, can you give me your comments?

 

thanks

 

d

 

Hi, I have sailed on the three lines you sail with kids. Here is the difference. I have sailed on one NCL cruise, one RCCL cruise, and five on Carnival with two or three slated for next year.

Staterooms- Carnival has the largest staterooms for each category in the industry. If you don't believe me then ask your travel agent.

Service- Of the three lines mentioned Carnival has the best service. It took five cruises until Carnival messed up bringing an order. It was lateness. NCL has decent service, but, the food isn't good. RCCL runs on their own schedule and service isn't there.

Food- What is a cruise without good food? It could make you miserable if the food isn't good. Carnvial has the widest choices of food type and quanitity. 24-hour resturant, the pizzaria, no extra charge for cappiccino served in the main resturant. Soft serve ice cream and/or yogurt served almost around the clock. NCL serves ice cream at a bar, but, you must request it. Service charge for cappicino. RCCL service charges for ice cream and cappiccino.

Why go on RCCL or NCL? On Carnival you get better food, more activities, and pay less.

[Wennfred]

I don't know if this will help, but:

 

Included in your cruise price:

 

24/7 soft serve ice cream

 

 

 

This is why I book with Carnival :D oh and the cabins are much bigger then RCI.

 

If you like to sleep in a closet then book RCI.

 

 

 

Fred

[Luv4dacruise]

Staterooms- Carnival has the largest staterooms for each category in the industry. If you don't believe me then ask your travel agent.

 

Im no cheerleader, but this information is totally untrue. On average, Carnivals standard categories are larger (not by much if your sailing on anything other than a Sovereign Class) , any sort of Suite is definitely larger on RCI.

 

RCCL service charges for ice cream

 

RCI has free hand packed ice cream in the buffet, as well as the ice cream/frozen yogurt machines on the pool deck.

 

It sounds to me like alot of people are comparing ships that should not be compared. For instance comparing lets say the Holiday and the Freedom of the Seas, who will look better, um, definitely RCI.

 

Or if you compare the Sovereign of the Seas and the Carnival Splendour, Carnival, hands down.

 

There is alot of misinformation in this thread pertaining to comparing ships that cannot be compared.

 

Just an FYI to the OP.

[Georgiagolfer]

DW and I sailed on Mariner of the Seas (11/07) in a JS, and CCL Glory (5/08) in a Cat. 11. Mariner had a larger room with a walkin closet. Glory had double sinks. So CCL does not have larger rooms in all categories.

 

We have sailed both lines numerous times and like both, with the differences they offer, there are many things equal. Overall, we have found CCL costs less in the majority of the times. With todays economy, we look to sail where we can get the most for less, and CCL is beating RCI hands down on most cruises right now. Will sail either line, with cost being a major factor, now more than ever.

[dcastro]

We'll probably try again a 2-3 night on CCL to see how it goes. I do like the CCL poster much more than the RCI ones. You have no idea.

 

We're going on RCI this month but will probably be the last time with them in a long time. Since my wife and I cruise 3-4 times a year aboard Seabourn, and CCL owns them, we keep getting discount coupons, etc...

 

One more thing, are there special amenities/service for suites? We usually cruise in a suite.

 

 

 

Thanks to all.

[CWcruisers]

I don't think a 2-3 night cruise on any cruise line is a good way to judge it. Those cruises tend to be booze cruises and everything is so rushed, they really are not a good assessment. I only use them to upgrade my status.

 

With a suite on CCL you get to use the VIP line for embarkation. That's the only perk. All categories of cabins have bathrobes, but the suite robes are usually nicer. Also in the suite, you supposedly get upgraded pillows, but I have never noticed the difference. The most coveted suites are the aft wraps on the Spirit class and above ships. You own an entire corner of the ship.

[Kurbanfan]

Im no cheerleader, but this information is totally untrue. On average, Carnivals standard categories are larger (not by much if your sailing on anything other than a Sovereign Class) , any sort of Suite is definitely larger on RCI.

 

 

 

RCI has free hand packed ice cream in the buffet, as well as the ice cream/frozen yogurt machines on the pool deck.

 

It sounds to me like alot of people are comparing ships that should not be compared. For instance comparing lets say the Holiday and the Freedom of the Seas, who will look better, um, definitely RCI.

 

Or if you compare the Sovereign of the Seas and the Carnival Splendour, Carnival, hands down.

 

There is alot of misinformation in this thread pertaining to comparing ships that cannot be compared.

 

Just an FYI to the OP.

 

Yes alot of misinformation........I agree!

[Nezmo]

Priority debarkation too with the suites. No concierge, butler, etc.

[17andacruiseaddict]

there are plenty of differences between the two. if there werent any difference, they would be the same cruise line. one thing that really stands out to me is the food. i hear a lot of people say that is why they cruise.

the food is better on ccl (imho)

and its 24hrs! soooo unline rccl. when u leave that club at 3 in the morning and ur hungry, u can get pizza or order room service. rccl had me starving each early A.M.

 

speaking of clubs....ccl trys to stay open longer if there are more people in there having a good time. rccl closed their club at 3 a.m. each night(morning). even if people were still partying it up having a good time. i was in a ccl club and they closed at 5:50 a.m. one night! (thinks back* that was a good night)

[bakechef]

Well here is my 2 cents.

 

On the whole Carnival and RCI offer a very similar product, but there are significant differences in ships between the two lines.

 

After 9 cruises I am not into the constant activities, so the cabin is important, and I am really comfortable in Carnival's cabins, I like how they are set up, love their beds and bedding, and the amenities basket and robes are a nice touch.

 

Price keeps me coming back to Carnival, and I just like the vibe of the ships. Maybe they carry a more casual class of people, but I have enjoyed my fellow passengers on my two Carnival cruises. Next year's cruise will most likely be on Carnival, unless my friends want to try something else, but it will most likely be Carnival because of price.

 

MAC

[wonderfullife]

Just adding my 2 cents worth...

 

I have been on 4 RCI and 2 Carnival with one more coming in Feb.

 

The guests are very similar for the most part. The pool side activities are very similar. The ice rinks, rock walls, and flow riders are different, of course.

 

The food that I have experienced was not very different but there may have been more available on Carnival. Room service is more extensive on RCI.

 

Shows are almost the same.

 

Ice cream is available on both but it was always available on Carnival and most of the time on RCI.

 

Basically, I like RCI better because I like the look and feel of the ships I have been on better.

 

I am choosing more Carnival recently because there just isn't enough of a difference to justify the much higher prices that are generally on RCI.

 

Keep in mind while reading that each ship is somewhat different and the guests that happen to be on board during your sailing can make all the difference.

 

Aleece

[Jaxsonbrownie]

The OP has been over at thr RCCL Threads, telling this horror story of sailing on Royal Caribbean, and having some "unique" problems, to say the least. Check out this thread....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=870107&page=8

 

:confused::confused: