Loyal Royal Checking out Carnival

DW and I really enjoy RCI but thinking of changing things up by going on an 8 day, Carnival Sunshine cruise out of Orlando, Grand Turk, San Juan, St Kitts and St Maarten in Nov 18. Looking to hear from die hard Carnival cruisers, did we make a good choice? Thx!

DW and I really enjoy RCI but thinking of changing things up by going on an 8 day, Carnival Sunshine cruise out of Orlando, Grand Turk, San Juan, St Kitts and St Maarten in Nov 18. Looking to hear from die hard Carnival cruisers, did we make a good choice? Thx!

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that any "die hard Carnival cruiser" is going to tell you that you made a great choice :confused:. Lol. Enjoy your cruise!

Its a great itinerary. I'm doing the same one on the Vista in April-18. Also did a similar one on RCI on the Independence of the Seas that had Labadee vs Grand Turk. I prefer Labadee to Grand Turk, but either way, the Sunshine is a refurbished ship with all the upgrades,etc.

I'll highlight a few things that to me stand out favorably for Carnival vs RCI. Make sure you try a drink at the Alchemy Bar and also make reservations at the Steakhouse. IMO, its much better than Chops and then spend some time in the Serenity area which is 21+ unless you like that hustle and bustle of the main pool area. Spend some time in the Piano Bar at night as it can quite fun (especially vs. the low key piano bar on RCI), though that is dependent on who the entertainer is...there can be a dud here and there.

While the shows on CCL might be weaker than RCI, if you are a fan of 70's and 80's rock (depending on your age) you might enjoy some of the playlist productions. The ones that complain the most are old timers with oxygen tanks that miss Vegas style Sinatra and Wayne Newton type tunes LOL

DW and I really enjoy RCI but thinking of changing things up by going on an 8 day, Carnival Sunshine cruise out of Orlando, Grand Turk, San Juan, St Kitts and St Maarten in Nov 18. Looking to hear from die hard Carnival cruisers, did we make a good choice? Thx!

If you haven't booked yet, consider booking Carnival Vista out of Miami on the 8-day Southern Caribbean itinerary on the same date.

Sunshine is a refurbished older ship, and tends to be very crowded. Vista is much newer and will be much nicer and less crowded.

Either way, you'll have a great time! Be open-minded and don't go into it thinking Carnival is going to be just like Royal and you'll enjoy yourself.

;p We have been on both cruise lines and prefer Carnival for it's upbeat atmosphere. We love the Sunshine and will be sailing on her come this Friday. Same port as your cruise will go to, great ports really like Old San Juan.

One note on the Sunshine it has some of the best food of any ship we have been on and the crew was really great onour last cruise. I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise.

I cant speak specifically for Sunshine but I think you will like Carnival. To me, the food is better and there are more included options. The steakhouse, if thats your thing, Chops cant even come close anymore. Service on Magic was every bit on par with any Ive received on any Royal ship and drinks are about 40% less. I liked my last Carnival cruise on Magic that Im going again this October.

If you were happy with RCCL, there's every reason to feel you'll also be happy with Carnival.

Whatever, it's never a bad thing to "sleep around" and see for your own self. ;p

DW and I are pretty easy to please as we do more R&R vs trying to do every activity on the ship. We've been to the other ports but never Grand Turk so that will be new. We looked at the menus and saw many things not offered by RCI that looked good to us. Desserts on RCI are nothing to brag about and though we seldom drink, Carnival does have less expensive drinks. We generally enjoy entertainment on RCI but as previous poster mentioned the older rock music will appeal to us and looking forward to some of the comedy clubs.

Have a great time. For future Carnival cruises, check out either the Vista or the new Horizon. They both have Havana area cabins that come in inside, balcony/lanai or suite versions. Only about 62 in the exclusive area that includes a pool and two hot tubs on deck 5 aft. Not jammed like the other pool areas or Serenity adults only area. You also need to be 12+ to stay in a Havana cabins, so no youngsters running around.

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

Its a great itinerary. I'm doing the same one on the Vista in April-18. Also did a similar one on RCI on the Independence of the Seas that had Labadee vs Grand Turk. I prefer Labadee to Grand Turk, but either way, the Sunshine is a refurbished ship with all the upgrades,etc.

 

I'll highlight a few things that to me stand out favorably for Carnival vs RCI. Make sure you try a drink at the Alchemy Bar and also make reservations at the Steakhouse. IMO, its much better than Chops and then spend some time in the Serenity area which is 21+ unless you like that hustle and bustle of the main pool area. Spend some time in the Piano Bar at night as it can quite fun (especially vs. the low key piano bar on RCI), though that is dependent on who the entertainer is...there can be a dud here and there.

 

While the shows on CCL might be weaker than RCI, if you are a fan of 70's and 80's rock (depending on your age) you might enjoy some of the playlist productions. The ones that complain the most are old timers with oxygen tanks that miss Vegas style Sinatra and Wayne Newton type tunes LOL

Loyal to Royal and felt the same twitch to venture out last year. We had a blast even on a bit older ship and I could not have gave a mini review better then this quote above. We loved having a comedy show at least once a night if not twice. I also felt our room stewards were better, room service was also better but both can be hit & miss but I only have one Carnival to base it on. Pizza is amazing! One tip is boarding, if Faster to the Fun is available get it! It was so wonderful to go straight to the cabin to drop off heavy bags, boarded just after a wedding and top tiers of Carnival, straight to the front of the line to the tender and second group off the ship. Kinda like buying status and so worth the money. Try it once, yet to be on a cruise that I said wow I would have enjoyed staying home better. ;p Drink pkg however needs a bit of improvement. We never went over our limit but the drinks were smaller but all top shelf liquor and all out of cans no fountain soda.

BonVoyage

Dawna

I've done both Royal and Carnival. Enjoy both. Have more "Fun" on Carnival though.

I have to agree with another poster though regarding the Sunshine. That ship was the old "Destiny" until they made some changes and changed her name.

We're doing the same route on the Vista next month.

Someone else also mentioned the Piano Bar and the Steakhouse. We also enjoyed these venues more on Carnival than Royal. The shows? Royal hands down.

I was a loyal royal as well. Tried carnival and never looked back. Better value, my opinion better food, shows a little less, etc..

Carnival casino players club takes way better care of me than Royal ever did. Free cruises, gifts, and cash.

The only thing I miss on Royal was the glorious promenade on the bigger ships.

You will have a good time.

There is good and bad to both. Carnival has better food IMO. But the royal ships are far superior and there entertainment is not even close in comparison. We love oasis class ships but always enjoy the dream class ships on carnival too.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Love the food and service better on Carnival, have had a better time on Carnival vs Royal 15 vs 3 cruises, 4 more booked on Carnival. Go have a good time.

Other than the ships themselves (royal has better ships), I'd venture to say you wouldn't notice much of a difference. I do like the FTTF option on Carnival, wish RCL had something similar. As others have said, some of the food options are definitely better on Carnival - but even that is subjective. The pizza itself is better on Carnival - but you could wait 45 minutes to get one. Whereas I kind of like walking into Sorrentos and out with a pizza within 5 seconds... same with other venues. But yeah, I don't think you'll notice hardly any difference in the overall experience.

Its a great itinerary. I'm doing the same one on the Vista in April-18. Also did a similar one on RCI on the Independence of the Seas that had Labadee vs Grand Turk. I prefer Labadee to Grand Turk, but either way, the Sunshine is a refurbished ship with all the upgrades,etc.

 

I'll highlight a few things that to me stand out favorably for Carnival vs RCI. Make sure you try a drink at the Alchemy Bar and also make reservations at the Steakhouse. IMO, its much better than Chops and then spend some time in the Serenity area which is 21+ unless you like that hustle and bustle of the main pool area. Spend some time in the Piano Bar at night as it can quite fun (especially vs. the low key piano bar on RCI), though that is dependent on who the entertainer is...there can be a dud here and there.

 

While the shows on CCL might be weaker than RCI, if you are a fan of 70's and 80's rock (depending on your age) you might enjoy some of the playlist productions. The ones that complain the most are old timers with oxygen tanks that miss Vegas style Sinatra and Wayne Newton type tunes LOL

How old are you...I am a senior 72 and I have never listened willingly to Sinatra in my life also never a fan of Wayne Newton. Remember we were in our late 20s or early 30s during the 70s and if I am not mistaken Sinatra was way past his prime by then. DH has an oxygen tank...one of those new fangdangled ones and he isn't a fan of Sinatra or Newton either. But I think my parents were big fans.

I am a D+ on Royal but have been on 6 cruise en on Carnival twice both on the Destiny, it is now the Sunshine. We I be on the Paradise in Sept. I prefer Royal but like to try other lines.

How old are you...I am a senior 72 and I have never listened willingly to Sinatra in my life also never a fan of Wayne Newton. Remember we were in our late 20s or early 30s during the 70s and if I am not mistaken Sinatra was way past his prime by then. DH has an oxygen tank...one of those new fangdangled ones and he isn't a fan of Sinatra or Newton either. But I think my parents were big fans.

I was trying to be a little lighthearted with that last sentence...given my belief that the biggest complainers of the new shows seem to not enjoy rock/pop music from the 70's and 80's. I'm in mid 40's and my mom is 72 as well...and there was certainly a generation gap between mine and my parents musical tastes.

The shows can't appeal to everyone unfortunately. On the Oasis of the Seas, they had "Cats" and I fell asleep and then left during the 1st intermission. Just not my style. No doubt a full broadway style production costs more to put on and no doubt CCL isn't spending that kind of money but as long as the musical style of the productions are in my wheelhouse, I'm going to enjoy them. Now if they delve into the popular music of the 2000's and 2010's...then I'll start complaining :)

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you. A few quick questions, how does the Faster to the Fun embarkation work? How much is it? What dining venues are open during embarkation? Where do you check out beach towels for shore excursions.

Don't miss JiJi's restaurant - try it one evening. Amazing food - the crispy duck is lovely.

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you. A few quick questions, how does the Faster to the Fun embarkation work? How much is it? What dining venues are open during embarkation? Where do you check out beach towels for shore excursions.

I'll let someone else answer the faster to the fun questions because I don't have experience with that.

Dining venues at embarkation will be on the Lido Marketplace - the buffet and all of the surrounding food stations. You'll have your choice of the following:

• JiJi's Asian Kitchen - Mongolian Wok (made for you stir fry)
  
• Cucina del Capitano - Pasta Bar (made for you pasta)
  
• Pizza (made for you)
  
• Deli (made for you)
  
• Havana Bar - Cuban bites
  
• Comfort Kitchen
  
• Guy's Burger Joint
  
• Blue Iguana Cantina
  
• Regular Buffet
  
• 
  

Beach towels will be left in your cabin. If they get wet or dirty, your cabin steward will replace them (or you can bring them up to the towel place on the deck).

I have numerous friends here in Florida that cruise a lot. I have 25 cruises myself. And this question between the cruise lines comes up many times when we are together. We may differ on a lot of things, but we all agree the RCL nickels and dimes it passengers. You will say a couple of times on your CCL cruise "what this is included, I have to pay for it on RCL".

Have fun!

i was trying to be a little lighthearted with that last sentence...given my belief that the biggest complainers of the new shows seem to not enjoy rock/pop music from the 70's and 80's. I'm in mid 40's and my mom is 72 as well...and there was certainly a generation gap between mine and my parents musical tastes.

 

The shows can't appeal to everyone unfortunately. On the oasis of the seas, they had "cats" and i fell asleep and then left during the 1st intermission. Just not my style. No doubt a full broadway style production costs more to put on and no doubt ccl isn't spending that kind of money but as long as the musical style of the productions are in my wheelhouse, i'm going to enjoy them. Now if they delve into the popular music of the 2000's and 2010's...then i'll start complaining :)

lol ;)

I'll let someone else answer the faster to the fun questions because I don't have experience with that.

 

Dining venues at embarkation will be on the Lido Marketplace - the buffet and all of the surrounding food stations. You'll have your choice of the following:

 

 

 

• JiJi's Asian Kitchen - Mongolian Wok (made for you stir fry)
  
• Cucina del Capitano - Pasta Bar (made for you pasta)
  
• Pizza (made for you)
  
• Deli (made for you)
  
• Havana Bar - Cuban bites
  
• Comfort Kitchen
  
• Guy's Burger Joint
  
• Blue Iguana Cantina
  
• Regular Buffet
  

Beach towels will be left in your cabin. If they get wet or dirty, your cabin steward will replace them (or you can bring them up to the towel place on the deck).

Trisha, hoping to be your new friend here. Wow! Nice to have these kind of choices. RCI only has the Windjammer depending on the size of the ship, so this is a pleasant surprise. I also note on this forum people seem to complain about it being over crowded, to me it may be subjective as food. DW and I have never experienced what we would call a crowd on RCI outside of right after the main show let out. We always found space and even on sea days, we could usually find a place to sit. We love hot tubs so I'm wondering how full they get on sea days on the adults only location. I know, lots of questions but I help out on the RCI board and am very grateful to the fellow posters here on the Carnival forum.

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you. A few quick questions, how does the Faster to the Fun embarkation work? How much is it?

I'm not up with the current pricing, but with Faster to the Fun you can board immediately after the Platinum and Diamond guests. You also get to wait in the priority lounge with them until boarding begins, if you arrive early. IMHO it's totally worth it if you plan to arrive early. If you will arrive later (say, after 1 pm), it's probably not worth it.