New to RCCL, looking to compare against Carnival

Short story is we began cruising just as we reached our late 40's. We have been on 4 Carnival cruises in the past 5 years. Looking to try something new now, we chose RCCL, and will be leaving out of Galveston on March 5th to Cozumel.

What are the main differences between the two? I am definitely not looking to bash anything. We just wonder what we will find, and what to should we be expecting with RCCL? In brief terms, how do the two lines compare? I understand RCCL is a bit quieter than Carnival, for example. Do RCCL cruisers dress a bit more better than whats typically seen on Carnival? Anything else to know? Thanks.

First, we have never not enjoyed a cruise!

We thought the Carnival cruises were fun. Then we went with Holland America and felt that the crew stood out as very friendly. We had avoided RCCL for a while due to the pricing. That said, our last 4 cruises have been with RCCL. The food has been very good. (We love Izumi)

The entertainment excellant. And the crew very hospitable. Our next 2 cruises are on HAL and RCCL. We plan on enjoying each of them equally.

Short story is we began cruising just as we reached our late 40's. We have been on 4 Carnival cruises in the past 5 years. Looking to try something new now, we chose RCCL, and will be leaving out of Galveston on March 5th to Cozumel.

 

What are the main differences between the two? I am definitely not looking to bash anything. We just wonder what we will find, and what to should we be expecting with RCCL? In brief terms, how do the two lines compare? I understand RCCL is a bit quieter than Carnival, for example. Do RCCL cruisers dress a bit more better than whats typically seen on Carnival? Anything else to know? Thanks.

Welcome to the Royal Caribbean forum, gfh.

If you go to the search box in the upper right, type in Carnival, you will find dozens and dozens and dozens of threads on this topic.

Happy reading!

Does RCCL provide an itinerary slipped under the door listing the activities for the next day?

Does RCCL provide an itinerary slipped under the door listing the activities for the next day?

No, but when room attendant does your nite turn down while you are at dinner they do put a one on your bed....

Does RCCL provide an itinerary slipped under the door listing the activities for the next day?

Yes. On Royal, the daily newsletter is called the Cruise Compass. And they do better than "slipping it under your door." Your cabin steward will place it ON YOUR BED!!!! ;) :D

Just my two cents. Although I have never had a bad cruise, I think the clientele on RCCL is a little more reserved than Carnival. With Carnival..I have been on the Pride, Splendor and Glory. So many times on Carnival, I found myself "shaking my head"....usually due to manners. Due to your age, I think you should graduate to RCCL. You will not be disappointed!!! Hey, maybe someday (when in your 60"s) you will be able to graduate to Celebrity Cruise Lines! Lol Take a chance...I think you will love it.

Short story is we began cruising just as we reached our late 40's. We have been on 4 Carnival cruises in the past 5 years. Looking to try something new now, we chose RCCL, and will be leaving out of Galveston on March 5th to Cozumel.

 

What are the main differences between the two? I am definitely not looking to bash anything. We just wonder what we will find, and what to should we be expecting with RCCL? In brief terms, how do the two lines compare? I understand RCCL is a bit quieter than Carnival, for example. Do RCCL cruisers dress a bit more better than whats typically seen on Carnival? Anything else to know? Thanks.

RC has no equivalent to FTTF.

RC has no equivalent to Early Saver.

RC does not limit the number of drinks per day if you have the beverage package.

RC allows you to use the beverage package the entire first day (boarding day) in Galveston.

Just my two cents. Although I have never had a bad cruise, I think the clientele on RCCL is a little more reserved than Carnival. With Carnival..I have been on the Pride, Splendor and Glory. So many times on Carnival, I found myself "shaking my head"....usually due to manners. Due to your age, I think you should graduate to RCCL. You will not be disappointed!!! Hey, maybe someday (when in your 60"s) you will be able to graduate to Celebrity Cruise Lines! Lol Take a chance...I think you will love it.

I agree with Champagne123. I still cruise on Carnival, mostly because family likes the pricing of Carnival, but I prefer less of a party environment and I would go to RCI and NCL for that.

Just something I did notice...

On Carnival, the stewards are always friendly, know your name(s), ask you how your day was/always say hello/have a nice day/enjoy your dinner, etc. and always easy to find in the hallway, etc.

The RCI cabin stewards are pretty much "no nonsense" and just get on with their work. I think we saw our steward twice the entire week. When we did see him, he made no effort to talk to us or even greet us on day 1. However, our cabin was taken care of, so no complaints.

Also, I noticed there were not as many announcements over the speaker system from the cruise director on Royal. Sometimes that can be a relief.

 

RC allows you to use the beverage package the entire first day (boarding day) in Galveston.

Really? I thought this was state law and nothing any of the cruise lines could control, like Texas charging a duty for all alcohol imported into the state or charging taxes while still in State waters like NY and MD.

The RCI cabin stewards are pretty much "no nonsense" and just get on with their work. I think we saw our steward twice the entire week. When we did see him, he made no effort to talk to us or even greet us on day 1. However, our cabin was taken care of, so no complaints.

I would add that I get the feeling that RCI's staff has a lot more discretion on guest relations than Carnival. My experience with Carnival is that their staff seem to be consistent, but they never truly excel.

RCI, I've gotten great highs with some staff, while other staff, they were borderline rude. Its odd because my worst cruise out of my 18 to date, was my first Royal Caribbean cruise. However, my best cruise ever, is ALSO a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Short story is we began cruising just as we reached our late 40's. We have been on 4 Carnival cruises in the past 5 years. Looking to try something new now, we chose RCCL, and will be leaving out of Galveston on March 5th to Cozumel.

 

What are the main differences between the two? I am definitely not looking to bash anything. We just wonder what we will find, and what to should we be expecting with RCCL? In brief terms, how do the two lines compare? I understand RCCL is a bit quieter than Carnival, for example. Do RCCL cruisers dress a bit more better than whats typically seen on Carnival? Anything else to know? Thanks.

Here's my thoughts, having done both lines out of Galveston.

1. Generally, the more you pay for the cruise, the nicer people tend to dress. There's a real People of Walmart feel to the ship when you take a cheap 4 day cruise to Cozumel. I found the passengers a but more upscale on the 7 day cruises I've taken out of Galveston, two on Carnival and one on RCCL. So I'm not ready to say it's the cruise line that's the difference but the cost of entry. I've seen boorish behavior on both lines.

2. Food... the last Carnival cruise I took was after they removed the tablecloths and turned the main dining room into something that reminded me of Chili's or Applebees. Fun fact: when the ship starts rocking and you don't have tablecloths on the tables, the drink glasses tend to slide. RCCL main dining rooms aren't quite up to "fine dining" but more on par with a nice banquet hall. The food is good, but there's a noticeable step up when you move from the dining room to one of the specialty restaurants. I prefer both the main dining room and specialty restaurants on RCCL.

What I miss about Carnival when I sail on RCCL are the complementary casual offerings on Carnival. Guy Fieri may be annoying on TV, but the burgers with his name on them on Carnival are really good and a step above any burger you'll find on a Royal ship, including the ones you pay for at Johnny Rockets. I also found myself missing Blue Iguana on sea days on Royal.

The buffets are equal in my eyes.

3. Activities - this is about a wash. Both lines feature the ripoff art auctions and the infomercials masquerading as seminars. There's more live music on RCCL, there's more comedy shows on Carnival. Both do Love & Marriage, belly flops, hairy chest contests, etc. Out of Galveston both lines will make an effort to play country music; you won't see this out of other ports.

4. Decor isn't as garish on RCCL than most Carnival ships.

5. If you spend a lot of time in the hot tub, you will find that RCCL actually heats theirs. I've yet to get into one on any Carnival ship that is even lukewarm.

Really? I thought this was state law and nothing any of the cruise lines could control, like Texas charging a duty for all alcohol imported into the state or charging taxes while still in State waters like NY and MD.

Royal has a limited amount of "Texas stamped" liquor available for consumption from boarding until they get 12 miles offshore. However, every once in a while the ship's departure is delayed (usually due to fog), and if the delay is long enough, they can run out of some or all the Texas stamped liquor and have to stop serving some or all alcoholic drinks..

Really? I thought this was state law and nothing any of the cruise lines could control, like Texas charging a duty for all alcohol imported into the state or charging taxes while still in State waters like NY and MD.

Generally, they pour well drinks only with Texas tax stamped bottles and the good stuff comes out after they hit international waters.

If I recall correctly, they're supposed to pay tax on every drink and that's a hassle to keep track of, which is why Carnival just waits until day 2.

Don't forget that you're supposed to stop by the TABC table and pay your tax upon return for the alcohol and cigarettes you purchase abroad, plus a $3 fee. Because we don't raise taxes in Texas. We just call them fees.

I will second the comments from MrSnarkyPants.

We enjoyed the solarium on RCCL more than on Carnival due the large hot tubs that were actually hot. We also found the decor on RCCL more subdued. We especially liked the promenade.

We thought the entertainment was comparable but we were not on an Oasis-class ship which I would expect to be better than the offerings on Carnival.

We thought the MDR were equivalent on selection and quality. We do however prefer Carnival in terms of the casual food selection (Guy's and Blue Iguana) and the buffet. We were very frustrated at how difficult it was to find seating in the Wind Jammer. This never is a problem on Carnival for us.

We found the lines to be more similar than different. I agree that the difference in passenger behavior has more to do with the timing (spring break, summer) and length of cruise than with the cruise line itself (RCCL/NCL and CCL).

As noted more similar to each other than different. Galveston doesn't have an MSC ship but would be cheaper than either Carnival or Royal.

Ran into a Carnival cruiser last week that wouldn't cruise Royal again because the Royal ship didn't have Molten Lava Cake available all the time. Also as noted if burgers are a make or break for you Guy's wins.

Easiest thing is to make a list of what is make or break for a vacation ask specific questions here about those things to see if Royal has equivalent.

Think "pretentious Carnival" and that is RCCL. Higher average age, big with families especially the larger ships. Not near as many drunks. NOT a party ship.

Just something I did notice...

 

On Carnival, the stewards are always friendly, know your name(s), ask you how your day was/always say hello/have a nice day/enjoy your dinner, etc. and always easy to find in the hallway, etc.

 

The RCI cabin stewards are pretty much "no nonsense" and just get on with their work. I think we saw our steward twice the entire week. When we did see him, he made no effort to talk to us or even greet us on day 1. However, our cabin was taken care of, so no complaints.

 

Also, I noticed there were not as many announcements over the speaker system from the cruise director on Royal. Sometimes that can be a relief.

on most of our cruises we have found the stewards to be both friendly and effective. I don't think it matters which cruise line you are on. Some people are friendly,seem to enjoy their work and will take time to take part in a conversation.

I have never been on Carnival so it was good to read through this thread and get some idea of differences.

I have been on quite a few lines other that RC and the biggest mistake I made was comparing one against another. I find it best to take each on its own merit and appreciate that each line has its USP and negatives. These days I like to try out different lines just to sample something different. Carnival is on the list of lines I still need to check out.

I too used CCL exclusively for years. I've been on 10 with them but was done terribly wrong by Carnival on our last cruise with them. We were going to try another line or find a different type of vacation. We booked the Oasis and will not look back! We have another cruise booked on the Oasis we enjoyed it so much. In my opinion buffet food is better on Carnival but we certainly didn't go hungry. RC doesn't have a nice salad layout as CCL. Entertainment on RC is much better in quantity and quality than CCL. Normally after about 5 days I'm ready to get off the ship but not with RC. After 7 days, I felt like I could spend another 7. I think the staff is about the same on both. CCL closes their hot tubs early but RC has some open 24 hours.

The biggest differences I have observed are that RCCL has more public spaces that feel less crowded, and comparing RCCL and Carnival is like comparing Disney to Six Flags.

My DH and I are actually considering trying out RCI in 2019. We have been sailing exclusively with Carnival for a number of years now and the itineraries and ships are getting a little repetitive. My husband mentioned that we should look for a Bermuda cruise to change things up and RCI was actually the best option.

I've done a little research and we would be sailing on the Grandeur of the Seas which is one of the older ships and doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the larger ships do. I tend to prefer the smaller ships as I have found over the years that the service seems to be better and they are not as crowded.

There have been some great comparisons shared so far. Is there anything else we should be aware of difference wise between the two so we aren't surprised (pleasantly or unfortunately)?

We just got off the Grandeur last month. It is a smaller ship, but we loved the food and entertainment and crew. They had a brunch at the Italian restaurant the last sea day that also included an entertaining and informing galley tour. We like the Grandeur OTS!

They had a brunch at the Italian restaurant the last sea day that also included an entertaining and informing galley tour. We like the Grandeur OTS!

Great tip! Thank you!