Carnival vs RCCL

Recently off the Glory Eastern Itinerary (see review here:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=760679)

We have done 2 Carnival and 4 RCCL cruises. WE had sworn off Carnival after our Destiny cruise in 1999. We decided to give Carnival another try after hearing good things about the Glory and a price difference of well over 800 for basically the same itinerary and balcony on the RCCL Mariner.

My opinion on the differences are the following:

Night Life - The Glory cruise had more going on at night and more people participating compared to our RCCL cruises. A few incidents of a coupld drunks heckling a comedian one night but nothing that would upset us.

Dining Service - much better on RCCL. The wait staff has always been outstanding on RCCL. I think the prepaid tips on Carnival may have something to do with this. But its the small things that make the difference. Having your kids drink at the table when you arrive to sit down, pouring ketchup on the plate, knowing your name, asking how your day was etc. Never saw this on Carnival Glory and watched 3 different waiters and their service. Now for some this is not a big deal..for me it is.

Buffet Food - Hands down RCCL with more variety and less waiting in line. Found the food in the buffet to be bland and tables hard to come by. Breakfast was the same food day in day out.

Dining Food - toss up here. Had good days and bad days on both lines.

Entertainment - Toss up here as well. Did not like the bingo games in the main show lounge on Carnival prior to the shows.

Ship Decor - Hands down RCCL. Glory was ok, not like the Destiny which was really loud. Room decor is very much the same on either line.

Ship Layout and activities - Voyager class wins for the promenade and skating rink. Daily activities seem similar. Pool decks seem better on RCCL, especially the adult only solariums.

Kids Club - toss up. our daughter loved both RCCL and Camp Carnival.

Overall I think Carnival is a good value for the money. We just like the RCCL ships better for their layout, decor and service.

And as I said in my review..any day on any cruiseline is better than any day at work.

Entertainment - Toss up here as well. Did not like the bingo games in the main show lounge on Carnival prior to the shows.

I find this comment kinda like the similar review by someone who didnt like the hairy chest contest on Carnival..... completely ignoring that RCL has a hairy legs contest, whats the difference?

My Voyager of the Seas cruise this past Easter, about a month ago, they had bingo in the main theater at least two nights when we went in to get good seats for the show, only to find the bingo players already had all the good seats up front.

Whats the difference since RCL also has bingo in their main theater?

What am I missing???

If our RCL waiter knew my name he never let on or any of staff call me by name on any of 4 RCL cruises (I was called mum a lot and that sort but never by my name on RCL). Maybe it depends on how friendly you are and what your expectations are of them...you expect it on RCL so you buddy up to them and they respond in kind. I never got really chatting with them this cruise, so they never got chatty with me.

Id say its so totally subjective, it probably depends on which ships you were on what you feel are the differences. A cruise is a cruise to me, but I did love the Voyager ship, what a beauty.

I find this comment kinda like the similar review by someone who didnt like the hairy chest contest on Carnival..... completely ignoring that RCL has a hairy legs contest, whats the difference?

 

My Voyager of the Seas cruise this past Easter, about a month ago, they had bingo in the main theater at least two nights when we went in to get good seats for the show, only to find the bingo players already had all the good seats up front.

 

Whats the difference since RCL also has bingo in their main theater?

 

What am I missing???

 

If our RCL waiter knew my name he never let on or any of staff call me by name on any of 4 RCL cruises (I was called mum a lot and that sort but never by my name on RCL). Maybe it depends on how friendly you are and what your expectations are of them...you expect it on RCL so you buddy up to them and they respond in kind. I never got really chatting with them this cruise, so they never got chatty with me.

 

Id say its so totally subjective, it probably depends on which ships you were on what you feel are the differences. A cruise is a cruise to me, but I did love the Voyager ship, what a beauty.

RCCL didnt make me sit thru bingo before the show and i didnt buddy up to any waiter..bottom line is you need not get defensive..RCCL had better dining room service in my experience.

RCCL didnt make me sit thru bingo before the show and i didnt buddy up to any waiter..bottom line is you need not get defensive..RCCL had better dining room service in my experience.

I wasnt being defensive...why are you attacking me for my personal opinion? I guess I deserved it for the way I said it. sorry.

Iv never been called by name on any RCL cruise by any of their staff. fact. ok? If you have great...its your experience. Your opinion. I was just saying my experience was different. I do agree RCL staff is very friendly and says hello more ok?

I shouldnt have said what I said I agree. I aplogize. It was your experience. truce.

PS RCL didnt make me sit thru bingo, but it was too late to go back to our cabins, so we sat thru bingo not once but twice this last cruise in the main theater before the show started.

Recently off the Glory Eastern Itinerary (see review here:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=760679)

 

We have done 2 Carnival and 4 RCCL cruises. WE had sworn off Carnival after our Destiny cruise in 1999. We decided to give Carnival another try after hearing good things about the Glory and a price difference of well over 800 for basically the same itinerary and balcony on the RCCL Mariner.

 

My opinion on the differences are the following:

 

Night Life - The Glory cruise had more going on at night and more people participating compared to our RCCL cruises. A few incidents of a coupld drunks heckling a comedian one night but nothing that would upset us.

 

Dining Service - much better on RCCL. The wait staff has always been outstanding on RCCL. I think the prepaid tips on Carnival may have something to do with this. But its the small things that make the difference. Having your kids drink at the table when you arrive to sit down, pouring ketchup on the plate, knowing your name, asking how your day was etc. Never saw this on Carnival Glory and watched 3 different waiters and their service. Now for some this is not a big deal..for me it is.

 

Buffet Food - Hands down RCCL with more variety and less waiting in line. Found the food in the buffet to be bland and tables hard to come by. Breakfast was the same food day in day out.

 

Dining Food - toss up here. Had good days and bad days on both lines.

 

Entertainment - Toss up here as well. Did not like the bingo games in the main show lounge on Carnival prior to the shows.

 

Ship Decor - Hands down RCCL. Glory was ok, not like the Destiny which was really loud. Room decor is very much the same on either line.

 

Ship Layout and activities - Voyager class wins for the promenade and skating rink. Daily activities seem similar. Pool decks seem better on RCCL, especially the adult only solariums.

 

Kids Club - toss up. our daughter loved both RCCL and Camp Carnival.

 

Overall I think Carnival is a good value for the money. We just like the RCCL ships better for their layout, decor and service.

 

And as I said in my review..any day on any cruiseline is better than any day at work.

I agree with you on the dining room thing.

Every RCCL cruise we have been on they have had my kids drinks waiting for them when we got to the table. They knew all of us by first name, did everything for you but put the food in to our mouth. They also knew that right after the entree' we liked to have a cup of coffee, after the frist day, just like clockwork when we were done with our meal, the coffee followed shortly there after. Everything you ask for you hear "My Pleasure" which is wonderful.

The "MY Pleasure" factor as we like to call it, is where RCCL far exceeds Carnival. Would and have cruised on both more than once and RCCL wins for their "My Pleasure" factor.

There are always those that are loyal to their preferred cruise line and are going to react accordingly. Opinions are just that...take them for what they are worth. Everyone has one, and there are many different ones. Your opinion is just that...Your opinion. I just happen to agree with you this time.

There are always those that are loyal to their preferred cruise line and are going to react accordingly. Opinions are just that...take them for what they are worth. Everyone has one, and there are many different ones. Your opinion is just that...Your opinion. I just happen to agree with you this time.

Since Im the only other person who replied, you mean me?

My preferred cruiseline is RCL, thats what is so funny. Just because I said they didnt call me by name doesnt mean I dont prefer RCL. geez.

Talk about defensive.

Why post your comments and react if you dont want feedback, does everyone have to agree with the OP on everything. I love RCL. My last 4 cruises were all RCL. I love some things on both cruiselines. Thats all, thats not being defensive or a Carnival loyalist speaking. I just disagreed with a couple of the OPs points.

Interesting...On all my Carnival cruises I had my alcholic drink at my table when I arrived... As the above poster said...every one has their own opinino. Honestly in my 2 previous cruises on RCCL I did not notice any service difference and I preferred the Carnival food which has continuously improved and now remains consistent over my past 9 Carnival cruises.

I guess my question back at you ...Are the ambiance and service differences worth $800 more?? IMO RCCL is way over priced for what differences they offer vs Carnival

Recently off the Glory Eastern Itinerary (see review here:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=760679)

 

We have done 2 Carnival and 4 RCCL cruises. WE had sworn off Carnival after our Destiny cruise in 1999. We decided to give Carnival another try after hearing good things about the Glory and a price difference of well over 800 for basically the same itinerary and balcony on the RCCL Mariner.

 

My opinion on the differences are the following:

Night Life - The Glory cruise had more going on at night and more people participating compared to our RCCL cruises. A few incidents of a coupld drunks heckling a comedian one night but nothing that would upset us.

Could happen on any given cruise on any line. Glad it didn't bother you.

Dining Service - much better on RCCL. The wait staff has always been outstanding on RCCL. I think the prepaid tips on Carnival may have something to do with this. But its the small things that make the difference. Having your kids drink at the table when you arrive to sit down, pouring ketchup on the plate, knowing your name, asking how your day was etc. Never saw this on Carnival Glory and watched 3 different waiters and their service. Now for some this is not a big deal..for me it is.

2 things here. 1. the auto-tips on RCCL work exactly the same as on Carnival. Just that RCCL uses the "voucher" sleight of hand trick to make you think it is something different. If a passenger does nothing about his tips or his voucher, the crew receive the tips exactly the same as those who got vouchers. Ask the Purser on your next RCCL cruise.

2. The service you desire is the TGIFridays type service. "Hi, my name is Kristen and I'll be your server!!!" In upscale establishments all over the world that would be considered completely rude and obtrusive service. Neither CCL or RCCL has highly professional service, but they're both acceptable as a whole. But both have individual waitteams in need of better training.

Buffet Food - Hands down RCCL with more variety and less waiting in line. Found the food in the buffet to be bland and tables hard to come by. Breakfast was the same food day in day out.

Buffet, overall, yes, RCCL is better.l Exceptions, CCL's deli, pizza, and Mongolian bbq.

Dining Food - toss up here. Had good days and bad days on both lines.

Agree here too. Except beef, CCL much better on beef and they're not very good. But RCCL is awful with beef.

Entertainment - Toss up here as well. Did not like the bingo games in the main show lounge on Carnival prior to the shows.

Individual preferences.

Ship Decor - Hands down RCCL. Glory was ok, not like the Destiny which was really loud. Room decor is very much the same on either line.

Again, Individual preferences. But RCCL more conservative.

Ship Layout and activities - Voyager class wins for the promenade and skating rink. Daily activities seem similar. Pool decks seem better on RCCL, especially the adult only solariums.

Voyager, and larger sisters, are my preference too. All but the skating rink, that space could be better utilized for anything else.

Kids Club - toss up. our daughter loved both RCCL and Camp Carnival.

No kids or comment.

Overall I think Carnival is a good value for the money. We just like the RCCL ships better for their layout, decor and service.

 

And as I said in my review..any day on any cruiseline is better than any day at work.

True.

Dan

Interesting...On all my Carnival cruises I had my alcholic drink at my table when I arrived... As the above poster said...every one has their own opinino. Honestly in my 2 previous cruises on RCCL I did not notice any service difference and I preferred the Carnival food which has continuously improved and now remains consistent over my past 9 Carnival cruises.

 

I guess my question back at you ...Are the ambiance and service differences worth $800 more?? IMO RCCL is way over priced for what differences they offer vs Carnival

Yes, for us its a difference maker, not just service but the buffet food and just the ship in general. If RCCL disappoints in a category then obviously I would reasses. As I posted in my review..we wanted to give it a try..we had a great time, and was a good value. I would recommend that ship to anyone.

It just goes to show how everyone has different tastes. The following is the comparison that I did a couple weeks ago.

Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean

First let me give you some background on our cruising history. We (DW 38, DD 12, and me 41) have just completed our 4th cruise. Our previous 3 cruises have all been on Carnival and our most recent on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. In 2005 we were on the Carnival Triumph, 2006 on the Carnival Liberty, and 2007 on the Carnival Legend. We loved all of our Carnival Cruises but were also anxious to try Royal Caribbean (RCI). The following is “our” feelings on both the positive and the negatives of both lines. I’m sure there will be many who disagree with our thoughts but they are exactly that – “our” thoughts.

Food (Background): We eat all of our dinners in the dining room and eat both lunch and breakfast at the buffets.

Dinners - Dining Room – This one was very close. We all gave a very slight edge to Carnival but again it was very close.

Lunch - Buffet – We all greatly preferred Carnival’s lunch buffet. Carnival offered many more alternates with several different “stations” in comparison to Royal Caribbean. The 9 day cruise on RCI had very little variety but we all felt that the lines were definitely shorter on RCI than on Carnival.

Breakfast – Buffet – They were almost identical in all ways. A tie from all of us.

One other note on the RCI buffet - While we didn’t eat dinner in the Windjammer (the name of their buffet restaurant on RCI) after dinner one evening we did go look at their buffet. Their dinner buffet looked much better than Carnival’s. The night we went everything that was on the dining room menu was also on the buffet and they also offered a pasta station, sushi, and create your own pizza. That was not the case from what I saw on Carnival.

Rooms – We have had balcony rooms on all of our cruises. We also did a cabin crawl with our Cruise Critic group on RCI so we had a great opportunity to see several rooms. We loved our specific room (1388) on RCI but in general we would rate the rooms as a tie.

Housekeeping Services – Excellent on all cruises.

Friendliness of Staff – Also excellent on both lines.

Dining Room Wait Service – This is really unfair to rate. This is so determined based on the specific staff you are assigned. While one table may get the best wait staff ever, the table next to them may have the worst. The only thing we can compare are the wait staffs that WE had. Fortunately we have never had bad staff on either line. On 2 of the 3 cruises with Carnival we had incredible wait service. The service on our RCI cruise was very good and would rate that the same as the lowest of 3 Carnival Cruises. Our waiters were extremely friendly but the service was just not as good as those other two. Again, this could have been entirely different if we would have had other wait staff on any of these cruises.

Overall décor – While the Explorer is showing her age we would rate RCI better here. In general, just a much nicer feel.

Cleanliness – We all felt that both lines do a great job keeping everything looking and feeling very clean.

Embarkation/Debarkation – I know a lot of people complain about going out of Bayonne but I thought RCI did a very good job getting you in and out of this “awkward” situation that requires shuttle buses. No complaints on either line.

Shows – This is an area that is totally based on personal preferences. Our family goes to almost all of the shows and usually enjoys most of them. We all greatly preferred Carnival’s entertainment. There was more variety to Carnival’s shows which often included Comedians, Magicians, Hypnotist, etc. RCI was clearly more “Production/Headliner” shows than Carnival. If you prefer these shows you would pick RCI in this category. We all really enjoyed the Ice Show on RCI.

Passenger age – Again all I can rate on were the cruises that we were on. The Carnival cruises were either a 7 or 8 day cruise and the RCI was a 9 day. The average age on RCI was considerably older than the 3 Carnival cruises we were on. There were also very few kids on this cruise which I am sure was based on the timing and the length. All four cruises were taken during the same week of each year. One thing that this definitely leads to is better dressed formal nights. Many more tuxes on RCI and nobody pushing the “formal” limit like you find on Carnival.

Activities – The biggest difference by far in our opinion. We all vote for Carnival here. We did like the Rock Climbing wall, mini golf, inline skating, and ice skating that RCI offers over the Carnival ships we were on. BUT, there were much less activities on RCI than on Carnival. Carnival usually had several good activities poolside each day. RCI had very few and to be honest they were very weak. Carnival also offered a lot of art type activities that my DW and DD did where RCI also had very few of these.

TV Channels – Our vote goes to Carnival. Carnival offers network TV where RCI does not have any network channels (sorry the old sitcoms on the “pretend” CBS channel doesn’t count). Carnival also shows a lot of cruise highlights on one of their channels where RCI kept showing the Love & Marriage game for almost the entire time.

Kids activities – sorry but we really can’t compare. My DD switched to the higher group since she is now 12 so we can’t fairly compare.

Here are a few specifics likes & dislikes on each line:

Areas we liked better on RCI:

Royal Promenade (very nice feature)

Table service in the Windjammer (Great friendly staff)

Ice skating, rock climbing, miniature golf (Not offered on Carnival ships we were on)

Everything starts exactly when they say it will

Shower doors vs. curtain

Balcony doors (Sliding doors on RCI)

Combination safe (Carnival is swipe card)

Alcohol prices seem cheaper (sorry if I’m wrong but it seemed that way)

Areas we liked better on Carnival:

Could always get drinks (Ice Tea/Punch) easily since buffet area is always open

Layout of buffet area (Always open on Carnival)

Waterslide

Poolside activities

More elevators

Double odds craps on Carnival vs. single odds craps on RCI

Soap dispenser in shower

Waiters performed almost every night (RCI only 2nd half of cruise)

More soft ice cream stations (RCI often had none open)

I know that many of you will not agree with many of the areas I had listed and I will probably get flamed but again these are “OUR” feelings. By reading this most of you are probably thinking we did not like Royal Caribbean which is not at all true. We had wonderful cruise on RCI but all things being equal we will pick Carnival for our next cruise.

I am loyal to cruising, but not to a particular line. You stated in the OP that there was an $800 price difference so you went with Carnival (similar itineary and room). You also said you prefer RCI which is cool. I guess my question is, Is it worth the additional $800 and what did you get that made it so?

RCCL didnt make me sit thru bingo before the show and i didnt buddy up to any waiter..bottom line is you need not get defensive..RCCL had better dining room service in my experience.

You are definitely right about the dining room service. I am a big fan of CCL but over the years they have cut the staff to the bone in the dining rooms giving the waiters too many tables. They simply have no time to chit chat like the old days.

You may still find an exceptional waiter but in my experience that would be the exception, not the rule.

Bill

Could happen on any given cruise on any line. Glad it didn't bother you.

 

 

 

2. The service you desire is the TGIFridays type service. "Hi, my name is Kristen and I'll be your server!!!" In upscale establishments all over the world that would be considered completely rude and obtrusive service. Neither CCL or RCCL has highly professional service, but they're both acceptable as a whole. But both have individual waitteams in need of better training.

 

LOL are u serious? where did i say i wanted them to announce their name? The service I desire is exacty what you get in fine dining establisments. Acceptable to you may not be acceptable to me.

Well I have been on 5 Carnival, soon to be 6 Carnival, one NCL, one Princess, and one Royal Caribbean.

Of the 4 lines we have been on, my favorite is Carnival.. By Far.

My least favorite is Royal Caribbean. I just sailed on the Grandeur in February, and it was the most boring, uneventul cruise I have ever been on. Absolutely zero nightlife. Nobody was on the decks past 10, and there was only one show, and the rest of the nights they showed movies.

When I am on a cruise, regardless of the line, I am on vacation, and I will always have fun, but on Royal Caribbean, it's hard to have fun when they don't offer any activities on board. Not to mention NO lobster.

The food was so so, nothing great, and Carnival beats Royal big time in the food department.

To sum it up, go on the line that you like the most, and make the most of it.

Having never cruised RCCL before I can only vouch ffor my CCL experience. When our family was on the Glory we had excellent dining room service. After the first night my DD, who was 4 at the time, had a Shirley Temple with extra cherries waiting for her each night. Then when dessert came out a glass of chocolate milk came without asking. And our servers greeted both of our children by name the entire time. I couldn't have cared less if they remembered my and DH names. (They remembered our drink preferences). My point being, they made my children feel extremely special and that is what made me happy.

Same thing with me on ALL my Carnival cruises. I drink ice tea at dinner, on night one, I ordered a ice tea, then each and everynight after that, my ice tea was wating for me. On my recent Royal cruise, I had to ask and remind them each night of dinner. They never remembered, and not to mention, I heard the same thing being said from several tables that had different wait staff.

Having never cruised RCCL before I can only vouch ffor my CCL experience. When our family was on the Glory we had excellent dining room service. After the first night my DD, who was 4 at the time, had a Shirley Temple with extra cherries waiting for her each night. Then when dessert came out a glass of chocolate milk came without asking. And our servers greeted both of our children by name the entire time. I couldn't have cared less if they remembered my and DH names. (They remembered our drink preferences). My point being, they made my children feel extremely special and that is what made me happy.

Well I have been on 5 Carnival, soon to be 6 Carnival, one NCL, one Princess, and one Royal Caribbean.

Of the 4 lines we have been on, my favorite is Carnival.. By Far.

My least favorite is Royal Caribbean. I just sailed on the Grandeur in February, and it was the most boring, uneventul cruise I have ever been on. Absolutely zero nightlife. Nobody was on the decks past 10, and there was only one show, and the rest of the nights they showed movies.

When I am on a cruise, regardless of the line, I am on vacation, and I will always have fun, but on Royal Caribbean, it's hard to have fun when they don't offer any activities on board. Not to mention NO lobster.

The food was so so, nothing great, and Carnival beats Royal big time in the food department.

 

To sum it up, go on the line that you like the most, and make the most of it.

Sorry you had such a terrible time on the Grandeur. Is it possible the port you left from had something to do with the age demographics? My experience has been similar..not as many people out and about on RCI but not quite like yours.

 

 

2 things here. 1. the auto-tips on RCCL work exactly the same as on Carnival. Just that RCCL uses the "voucher" sleight of hand trick to make you think it is something different. If a passenger does nothing about his tips or his voucher, the crew receive the tips exactly the same as those who got vouchers. Ask the Purser on your next RCCL cruise.

 

RCCL does not have auto tipping like Carnival. One has to go to the Pursers desk to have them added to their SeaPass card. RCCL still uses the old system of paying on the last night with cash in the envelopes.

Not sure. We sailed out of Tampa, and I have sailed out of Tampa other times, and never had this problem. There were quite a few younger people on the ship, like 30's and 40's, but there weren't any events going on. I was just really surprised at the lack of activities, and the lack of motiviation to "have fun" and unwind on the vessel.

One of our sailing mates that went with us said she had been on 3 Royal cruises, and they all were the same, very laid back, not much going on like on the Carnival ships. You live and learn, and I learned I would never go on another Royal vessel, unless it was a free cruise.

Sorry you had such a terrible time on the Grandeur. Is it possible the port you left from had something to do with the age demographics? My experience has been similar..not as many people out and about on RCI but not quite like yours.

Not to mention NO lobster.

Someone set me straight about this, its only RCL cruises under 7 days they dont serve lobster. That being said, the lobster is very tiny. Spring 2007, they served it with 4 herb large shrimps. This year it was served with 4 tiny shrimps, no herbs on them. Someone else said its actually lagistino (sp?), its good, I dont care what it is, I love shrimp and lobster better than any other meal.

I dont know if Carnival is shrinking their portions or not, almost to double digits on my next cruise aboard the Conquest, then Ill know. mmmm lobster.

Envelopes for gratuities will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Gratuities may be paid in the following ways:

Pre paid by having them added to your reservation by your booking agent.Added to your onboard SeaPass account.Paid in cash at the end of the cruise

The above is directly from Royal Caribbean's website and yes you can prepay your gratuity just like you can with Carnival and they have a set amount just like Carnival if you wish to prepay it. Both will allow it to be added to your shipboard account or you can remove it with Carnival and pay cash - what is the difference between the two???

RCCL does not have auto tipping like Carnival. One has to go to the Pursers desk to have them added to their SeaPass card. RCCL still uses the old system of paying on the last night with cash in the envelopes.

Wrong on the auto tip. We were on Mariner in November 07 and the tip was included in our SeaPass. We did however, receive envelopes also in our stateroom the last evening in case we wanted to give additional tips.

Envelopes for gratuities will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Gratuities may be paid in the following ways:

Pre paid by having them added to your reservation by your booking agent.Added to your onboard SeaPass account.Paid in cash at the end of the cruise

 

The above is directly from Royal Caribbean's website and yes you can prepay your gratuity just like you can with Carnival and they have a set amount just like Carnival if you wish to prepay it. Both will allow it to be added to your shipboard account or you can remove it with Carnival and pay cash - what is the difference between the two???

RCCL does not automatically add it to your Sail n Sign card like Carnival does. That is what I meant. You have to ask for it to be done. RCCL still gives their passengers the choice to pay in cash without having to go and have it removed from their Sail n Sign account.

Since Im the only other person who replied, you mean me?

 

My preferred cruiseline is RCL, thats what is so funny. Just because I said they didnt call me by name doesnt mean I dont prefer RCL. geez.

Talk about defensive.

 

Why post your comments and react if you dont want feedback, does everyone have to agree with the OP on everything. I love RCL. My last 4 cruises were all RCL. I love some things on both cruiselines. Thats all, thats not being defensive or a Carnival loyalist speaking. I just disagreed with a couple of the OPs points.

HUH?

You are giving yourself way too much credit.....Trust me it is you who is defensive here, I am sure I wasn't addressing you.

I was simply replying to the OP, Not you.

RCCL does not automatically add it to your Sail n Sign card like Carnival does. That is what I meant. You have to ask for it to be done. RCCL still gives their passengers the choice to pay in cash without having to go and have it removed from their Sail n Sign account.

As I stated in my original post, I think this has an effect on service. I think the RCI waiters go out of their way to ensure they get tipped well. Our waiter on Carnival had been working on the ship since 1999. One thing in particular that bothered me was how he would show up at out table with his notepad in hand and not say a word..not even good evening. I could go on and on but you get the poing right..i had 2 bad experiences on carnival with service..none on rci.