RC Navigator of the Seas or Carnival Freedom?

Please help us choose the ship for our wedding anniversary! We have never cruised before.

The ports of call for both are the same - Mexico, Belize, and Honduras, round trip from Galveston, TX in September.

The Royal Caribbean will cost us about $420 more. Is it worth the extra cost? I do not know if I should spend the extra money and go on Navigator of the Seas or spend 400 less and go on Carnival Freedom.

Thank you!

Please help us choose the ship for our wedding anniversary! We have never cruised before.

The ports of call for both are the same - Mexico, Belize, and Honduras, round trip from Galveston, TX in September.

 

The Royal Caribbean will cost us about $420 more. Is it worth the extra cost? I do not know if I should spend the extra money and go on Navigator of the Seas or spend 400 less and go on Carnival Freedom.

 

Thank you!

Welcome to Cruise Critic 1stime88 and Congrats on your wedding anniversary. We have not cruise Carnival but, our big fans of Royal Caribbean. We sailed on sister ship Explorer last year and adored the ship. The Voyager Class ships are really beautiful inside, with tons of on board activities to keep you busy, delicious food and terrific and friendly crew.

My vote is for Navigator, I think would really the her and cruising too.

Jonathan

Are you comparing prices on like cabin category?

I have sailed on both lines, and while some will disagree, with cutbacks in services and minor things over the years, Carnival and Royal Caribbean are more alike than different. Navigator is slightly older but both ships refurbished in 2014. Navigator is bigger with possibly a bit more variety of things to do on board.

You did not state your ages or likes and interests, so cannot suggest anything here.

Is saving the $420 and using that for excursions or whatever worth it? Ends up a personal choice.

I would use that sum and go with a nicer cabin on Freedom or maybe a special excursion or two, or specialty dining and drinks.

Please help us choose the ship for our wedding anniversary! We have never cruised before.

The ports of call for both are the same - Mexico, Belize, and Honduras, round trip from Galveston, TX in September.

 

The Royal Caribbean will cost us about $420 more. Is it worth the extra cost? I do not know if I should spend the extra money and go on Navigator of the Seas or spend 400 less and go on Carnival Freedom.

 

Thank you!

Cruise agent here...The Navigator is about 30% bigger and offers more perqs, but different ones..as others have said,you didn't state your ages ( 30's, 40's,etc.?)..Carnival has slides, but the NOS has the Flowrider ( surf simulator) ..NOS has the Royal Promenade, which I love , and the ice- skating shows, also which are great, IMO...also, you didn't say what kind of cabin you are considering..for an anniversary, a balcony would be perfect..in that case, the NOS balconies are ( D's & E's) are also 35% bigger than the Freedom's..a Junior Suite is even nicer & bigger because it has a walk-in closet ( very nice for the ladies!), a bath tub, and a bigger balcony & cabin overall ( those are my favs if you can swing the $$)..I have cruise 6x on Carnival, 13x on RCI...for a special cruise like that, I would choose RCI..I think it's just a nicer ship- Carnival's older ships have a little too much neon & glitz for me..newer ships are much better ( Dream, Breeze, Magic)...any questions , let me know...and congrats on your anniversary..we did the NOS twice and loved both...

Big Al

Please help us choose the ship for our wedding anniversary! We have never cruised before.

The ports of call for both are the same - Mexico, Belize, and Honduras, round trip from Galveston, TX in September.

 

The Royal Caribbean will cost us about $420 more. Is it worth the extra cost? I do not know if I should spend the extra money and go on Navigator of the Seas or spend 400 less and go on Carnival Freedom.

 

Thank you!

I've been on both ships more than once. Without a doubt, Navigator is the better cruise. The ship is a lot more amazing than Freedom and the entertainment is better. $420 more? It would still be worth it if Navigator was $1000 more, especially for such a special occasion. Definitely pick Royal Caribbean in this case. It's a better cruise line.

I would use that 420.00 on excursions or onboard spending. I have been on the Freedom and had a great time.

I cannot help with your decision but here is a recent thread with lots of pics of the Navigator.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...ight=navigator

Navigator of the Seas does not have a Flowrider.

You will have a great time, whichever of the two you choose.

Navigator of the Seas does not have a Flowrider.

You will have a great time, whichever of the two you choose.

Yes it does. It was added during the last refurbishment.

I just realized that the link I posted was not working... here is another one.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2199276&highlight=navigator

It shows the Flowrider :o)

PS: If this link fails again, I found it on the RCI site by searching for Navigator.

Yes it does. It was added during the last refurbishment.

ok, I stand corrected

Please help us choose the ship for our wedding anniversary! We have never cruised before.

The ports of call for both are the same - Mexico, Belize, and Honduras, round trip from Galveston, TX in September.

 

The Royal Caribbean will cost us about $420 more. Is it worth the extra cost? I do not know if I should spend the extra money and go on Navigator of the Seas or spend 400 less and go on Carnival Freedom.

 

Thank you!

Since you have boiled your decision down to these two ships, your age and interest are not that relevant since Carnival and Royal Caribbean passengers are more alike than different.

I've been on both ships (prior to recent refurbishments). I've been on ten Carnival cruises with one more booked. I've been on twelve Royal Caribbean cruises with one more booked.

The Carnival cheerleaders will tell you Royal Caribbean is not worth the extra money. The Royal Caribbean cheerleaders will tell you Royal Caribbean would be a better choice at twice the money.

The Navigator of the Seas is bigger by about 26% and has a better passenger space ratio (more interior room per person) then the Carnival Freedom. Being bigger, the ship has more options. But are these options, options that are of interested to you?

In general the service on Royal Caribbean is a little better than the service on Carnival. However, I've had cruises on Carnival where the service was better than the service I received when I was in a suite on Royal Caribbean. I'm comparing over 20 cruises between the two lines. You are going on your first cruise, period. I can't tell you now which one will offer better service. I have never had service on any cruise (I've been on 27 cruises with three more booked) that fell below acceptable. I've had fun on all my cruises. However, of my two favorite cruises, one was on Carnival and the other was on NCL (neither of my top two cruises was on Royal Caribbean).

You say that Carnival is $420 less. But you do not indicate what the two prices are. If Carnival is $700 and Royal Caribbean is $1,120, that is a big deal. If Carnival is $2,800 and Royal Caribbean is $3,220, that is not as big a difference.

You do not have to be in a balcony to enjoy a honeymoon. In general, the regular Carnival Cabins are larger than the regular Royal Caribbean cabins and I prefer the showers on Carnival over the showers on Royal Caribbean. However, if you are in a suite, then Royal Caribbean is the better choice. Carnival suites are basically just larger cabins. Royal Caribbean suites are true upgrades over the regular cabins and come with perks. I have been in suites on both lines.

If you are not going to be in the cabin much, you can save money by going with an inside or an ocean view cabin. However, sitting out on the balcony with your honey has value. Springing for suite to make the honeymoon more special can be justified, depending on your finances.

What is your budget like? Could the $420 be used to upgrade the cruise experience? Perhaps take a more expensive shore excursion? Perhaps have an upgraded meal at one of the specialty restaurants? Both cruises offer that option. Or is the $420 needed to meet other financial obligations. This is an important factor.

If you like the cruise you take, most likely you would have enjoyed the other cruise also. Based on that, take a look at the differences between both ships and decide if Royal Caribbean offers $420 more to you. If it does, book Royal Caribbean. If not, book Carnival.

The bottom line is not whether I think Royal Caribbean is worth $420 more, given that my finances are different than yours. The bottom line is, is Royal Caribbean worth $420 more to YOU than Carnival?

Navigator of the Seas does not have a Flowrider.

You will have a great time, whichever of the two you choose.

Wrong, they added one in the re-fitting, deck 13, FYI....

Thank you everyone who replied!

We are in our late 20s.

Carnival total is around $930 for interior room and Royal Caribbean total for interior is $1340 (unless I book with crucon.com they are only asking $1050 for the same RC cruise but I am not sure if I should book through them).

After reading responses, I think I am leaning towards RC, because I care about being on a nicer ship (as of now the other cruise lines are too expensive for our budget and I did not see an NCL cruise leaving from Galveston in September 2015 so did not consider that line). However, if we have to delay our trip to November, should I consider NCL or Princess? They are both going out in November from Houston for around the same price as RC

Thank you!!

...because I care about being on a nicer ship.

And that, right there, is why you should choose Navigator. Carnival Freedom is nowhere as nice of a ship as Navigator. That is, unless you like purples, pinks, golds and other interior colors that makes your eyes bleed.

However, if we have to delay our trip to November, should I consider NCL or Princess? They are both going out in November from Houston for around the same price as RC

Other than Liberty of the Seas sailing out of Galveston this winter, Navigator is the nicest ship sailing from that region. NCL is on the same level as Carnival and at your age, I do not recommend Princess. Consider Liberty of the Seas if you postpone til the end of the year.

Navigator of the Seas does not have a Flowrider.

We spent quite a bit of time watching people of all ages having fun on the Flowrider when we cruised on the Navigator in April.

It's a fantastic ship with so much to offer. We have cruised on Carnival and Princess but prefer Royal Caribbean for its amazing ships, friendly crew, great food, and overall better experience. I highly recommend it.

I booked my 1st cruise for June 27 on the Freedom. I was able to get a balcony on the spa deck for less than on interior on Royal. We are a family of 4 & figured that either cruise would be a good time, so we went with cheaper price with balcony. We've done a lot of research on here & it seems ppl have their preference on cruise lines, but ppl have still enjoyed all their cruises on multiple cruise lines. I don't see how you can go wrong. Go read the carnival & Royal forums, lots of info. Good luck!

Ok so I did it! I booked the Navigator! It did cost more but I hope it will be worth it! I didn't book the one I originally wanted I booked the one stopping at cayman islands and jamaica.

Ok so I did it! I booked the Navigator! It did cost more but I hope it will be worth it! I didn't book the one I originally wanted I booked the one stopping at cayman islands and jamaica.

I'm glad you came back and posted your decision. You will have a fantastic cruise!

We sailed Navigator two years ago and we've sailed the sister ship, Freedom twice and will once again be on Freedom later this month. Navigator is a great ship and you'll love it. Cayman Islands is one of our FAVORITE ports. There are plenty of choices for excursions. You'll have a great vacation.

Please tell me what the best excursions or things to do are in cozumel, falmouth jamiaca, and grand cayman. Also, how can I uprgade to a balcony for the least amount of money? Give me some tips please!

Please tell me what the best excursions or things to do are in cozumel, falmouth jamiaca, and grand cayman. Also, how can I uprgade to a balcony for the least amount of money? Give me some tips please!

The cruise line's website will give you ideas of what is available in each port. It's what I do when planning our cruises.

I think if you would say what type of activities you enjoy, you would probably get a lot of suggestions. :)

Please tell me what the best excursions or things to do are in cozumel, falmouth jamiaca, and grand cayman. Also, how can I uprgade to a balcony for the least amount of money? Give me some tips please!

You can check out the roll call for your specific cruise to see what others are planning and maybe join in some events like slot poll, cabin crawl - whatever gets planned. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

Roll calls are great for most cruises. For some cruises out of Galveston I have found that they are not used as often as many others - fewer people join and participate. They can be a good way to meet your fellow cruisers.

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

Ok so I did it! I booked the Navigator! It did cost more but I hope it will be worth it! I didn't book the one I originally wanted I booked the one stopping at cayman islands and jamaica.

You made the right choice. Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you everyone!!!!

I like beautiful scenery, so rainforests, waterfalls, ziplining, I know that was available in honduras but we can't go there this year (us permanent residents need a visa there from my understanding). So I really want to know what are the best experiences in those places since I have never been. I was considering the mayan ruins? Also dunns water falls and ochos rios?

So what is the best way to get to some beautiful places or even beaches. I read that booking an excursion is more expensive than simply taking a taxi?

Also, does anyone know how to upgrade to a balcony for less?