First cruises stuck between royal carribean or carnival? Help!

Hi all

We are first timers planning trip to the carribean next June 2014. We are both in our mid-thirties and are a bit over whelmed on cruise co. to go with!

We seem to narrow it down to either carnival, because we like the idea of fairly in-formal and 'fun' or we like the look of the royal carribean ships oasis/allure for the facilities/activities on offe on board although it looks like they appear to have lots of extra costs for things such as different places to eat unlike carnival it's seems to be a bit less-so?

We like to do lots of things on holiday and see lots of places hence the try of cruising, can anyone give us any pointers on which cruise company and or ship you might think to be suitable?

Thanks all!

Hi all

 

We are first timers planning trip to the carribean next June 2014. We are both in our mid-thirties and are a bit over whelmed on cruise co. to go with!

We seem to narrow it down to either carnival, because we like the idea of fairly in-formal and 'fun' or we like the look of the royal carribean ships oasis/allure for the facilities/activities on offe on board although it looks like they appear to have lots of extra costs for things such as different places to eat unlike carnival it's seems to be a bit less-so?

 

We like to do lots of things on holiday and see lots of places hence the try of cruising, can anyone give us any pointers on which cruise company and or ship you might think to be suitable?

 

 

 

 

Thanks all!

. For a first experience, I would suggest you let the itinerary be a deciding factor if you see the ships as a toss up. Check the ports, and the possible shore activities offered. -- they are part of the experience as well.

I am a cheap cruiser and usually land up on Carnival, but I must confess, I like Royal better. The ships decorum is nicer. Not as glitzey. The shows are better and the food and service is comparable to Carnival. If money is not a factor I would go with RC. If you are, uh frugal, go with Carnival.

I must point out though, I have never been disappointed with a cruise.

The itinerary has always been a deciding factor for us as well.

But when it comes down to having a choice between Carnival and RC, I will pick RC every time! Much better overall experience. :D

I have been on both RC and Carnival. The BEST way I have heard it explained is think of Carnival as a .. three or four star hotel and RC as five. I have not had to pay for anything on RC that I didn't have to pay for on Carnival. I have found that RC had MORE to do on ship and off then Carnival. I have found both to be staffed with AWESOME and EXTREAMLy helpful and kind stuards/waiters/general cleaning staff/ext. THey always are smiling, say Hi! and after a day or two (even the first day!) they remember your name and say Good morning/night/ext. We even had our stuard question my dad as he came to pick me and my niece up at our room LOL> He was just making sure no one was harassing two young ladies :) Eather ship you chose will be FUN :) I would make it based on Itinerary. MY choise would be do Alure/Oasis Haiti, Jamaca. Mexio. It was my mom's fav ports :) I am SO HOPING to go next fall/winter :)

Thanks all - I think it may come down to itinerary - and now duration seems to be playing a part too! Husband thinks 7 nights is too short for traveling all that way from the uk but I think that 7 nights is fine considering hes NEVER been on a cruise before?.....

I would pick Royal Caribbean over Carnival. I would not let the itinerary be the decider but in this case the cruise line.

Keith

Well to make matters worse husband has now read about NCL and thier 'freestyle' cruising which seems to appeal but I can't seem to find many good reviews about the 'breakaway'or 'epic' ships, can anyone tell me what they are like ?

I have been on both RC and Carnival. The BEST way I have heard it explained is think of Carnival as a .. three or four star hotel and RC as five. I have not had to pay for anything on RC that I didn't have to pay for on Carnival. I have found that RC had MORE to do on ship and off then Carnival. I have found both to be staffed with AWESOME and EXTREAMLy helpful and kind stuards/waiters/general cleaning staff/ext. THey always are smiling, say Hi! and after a day or two (even the first day!) they remember your name and say Good morning/night/ext. We even had our stuard question my dad as he came to pick me and my niece up at our room LOL> He was just making sure no one was harassing two young ladies :) Eather ship you chose will be FUN :) I would make it based on Itinerary. MY choise would be do Alure/Oasis Haiti, Jamaca. Mexio. It was my mom's fav ports :) I am SO HOPING to go next fall/winter :)

Uhh Royal Caribbean a five star hotel and Carnival a three or four I dont think the difference between these lines is that great and both would be about three and half stars. Though I would go with Royal Caribbean for my first cruise. What people think a cruise is what they sell, and deliver at a good price.

I would pick RC over Carnival or NCL (also owned by Carnival). Carnival cruises are cheaper, hence, you get what you paid for. If money is a factor, choose a shorter cruise on RC instead. You want your first cruise experience be a positive one. You will regret if you choose Carnival!!!

For our cruise this summer from San Juan RCL was 2X the price of Carnival and the Carnival itinarary was better to us so that's who we are going with. I like the food better on Carnival and the ship better on Royal but I don't like it enough to pay double for it.

I would pick RC over Carnival or NCL (also owned by Carnival). Carnival cruises are cheaper, hence, you get what you paid for. If money is a factor, choose a shorter cruise on RC instead. You want your first cruise experience be a positive one. You will regret if you choose Carnival!!!

NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) actually is not owned by Carnival. It is an independent cruise line and a competitor of Carnival.

NCL starts out with a basic price that is quite cheap when compared to Carnival and Royal Caribbean, but many of the restuarants on NCL have an extra charge which varies depending on the restaurant.

One fact not mentioned above is that when you compare cruise lines (NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean or others such as Disney), you have to compare similar classes of ships. If you are looking at Oasis/Allure, you must look at NCL Epic or their newest ship soon to launch or Carnival's biggest ships Dream and Breeze.

Make sure that if you are using Oasis and Allure for price comparison, that you compare the biggest ships of the other cruiselines. That also includes amenities and itinerary, not just price.

Also consider the home port and date of departure, as this may impact your air fare as well.

I'm sure you will ahve a fabulous time no matter which cruise line and ship you choose. Smooth sailing!

Those 3 cruise lines are more similar than different. All offer some version of "freestyle", "my time", or "anytime" dinning. All 3 have entertainment that is becoming more and more a version of audience participation game or talent shows.

Here's how my husband and I have decided to choose our future cruises...

-First we look at the destination ports we feel we want to visit. We also decide on a general month/season we want to visit.

-Then we look for what ships are sailing there. Yes some ships even from the same cruise line are more appealing than others. Not every Royal ship has the the flowrider or Dreamworks character on board, not every Carnival ship has a Guy's Burgers or offers week long pass to the Spa's thermal suites, and not every NCL ship has a Blue Man group preform a show or even the same number of specialty restaurants to choose from.

-After that we try to narrow it down to whatever departure port area is less expensive to get to. No sense in a "bargain" cabin rate if we need to spend a premium on getting there. Once saw a fantastic deal for an 7 day cruise leaving from San Juan, an Ocean Suite for $429 pp, but the air fare would of been $750 pp round trip plus the cost of a hotel room the night before & after the cruise. Invested instead on an 8 day cruise in a balcony for $779 pp but no air fare or hotel just car service of around $240.

-Finally if there are 2 or more cruises that fit within the other criteria we look for examples of daily activity sheets for that itinerary on that ship online to compare what each might offer that appeals to us. Just Google name of cruise (ie Eastern Caribbean) with the number of nights/days, and the name of the daily activity sheet (Carnival= FunTimes, Royal= Compass, or NCL=FreeStyle daily). Of course that's no absolute guarantee that those same activities or shows are still being offered but it does give a decent guideline.

Hi all

 

We are first timers planning trip to the carribean next June 2014. We are both in our mid-thirties and are a bit over whelmed on cruise co. to go with!

We seem to narrow it down to either carnival, because we like the idea of fairly in-formal and 'fun' or we like the look of the royal carribean ships oasis/allure for the facilities/activities on offe on board although it looks like they appear to have lots of extra costs for things such as different places to eat unlike carnival it's seems to be a bit less-so?

 

We like to do lots of things on holiday and see lots of places hence the try of cruising, can anyone give us any pointers on which cruise company and or ship you might think to be suitable?

 

Thanks all!

There are still many "included" dining venues on Oasis/Allure too. You can have a very full cruise experience without dining in specialty restaurants (added fee) or buying into anything that has an additional cost. We spend very little money on extras on RCI ships, including Allure, and never felt deprived of anything or came home wishing we had done any of the additional cost things.

Thanks all - decided to go with allure of the seas .... Getting it booked later today

As seasoned RCI passengers, we'd recommend them over Carnival. We've got the Allure booked for late June this year.

JM

Thanks all - decided to go with allure of the seas .... Getting it booked later today

Great choice.

if seven nights seems too short, you could consider adding a second cruise (aka back-to-back or B2B). either a second week on Allure or perhaps a different ship departing from Fort Lauderdale or Miami ports. it is pretty easy to get ground transit between those two ports.