Who has sailed Carnival after Royal Caribbean?

We have sailed on several cruises on Royal Caribbean over many years but feel like the quality is deteriorating. I would like to hear how Carnival compares. I was just looking online a little bit at cruises on Vista or Horizon. Thanks.

We have toggled between both and always spring break. Carnival Breeze 2 years ago and RC Oasis last year. Honestly think the food was better on Carnival than Oasis. The desserts were WAY better on Carnival. I wasn't impressed with MDR on Oasis. Rooms are comparable. Service comparable. Shows better on RC.

I feel like Carnival gets a bad rap because people think of it as a "party" ship and Royal Caribbean as "higher end" but our experiences were comparable...price-wise similar too.

Yeah, I've always heard Carnival was cheaper than RCI. Maybe things are changing as Carnival builds newer and bigger ships. At this point I'd pay extra to go on Carnival rather than go on RCI. It's a shame, too, because with our latest cruise, we moved up from Platinum to Emerald. With Carnival, we'll be starting over from square one.

Have you considered Celebrity? Their Solstice Class ships are beautiful and you'd get reciprocal loyalty benefits.

Another option is MSC. They status match from any cruise line, and their new ships look amazing.

Carnival has gone down further especially in the entertainment area . We find the only good entertainment are the comedians.

I've been on a lot of Carnival cruises through the years, but decided about 4 years ago I had had it with the entertainment. I don't care for the Playlist production shows and the Hasbro game shows are not my idea of a fun evening.

I like adult entertainment, but the material has to be funny and rely on more than F bombs to make me laugh.

I like everything else about Carnival, but won't be back in the near future because of the entertainment.

I was loyal to Royal for years...(Diamond)...see signature. Swore I'd never sail Carnival but did it one day and like it better.

 

I'm not saying I'd never sail RCL again but I found Carnival a comfortable fit for what I like these days,,,:)

Same here. We have 20+ Royal cruises and have been using Carnival lately. We find more similarities than differences overall, but there are some differences. The primary difference is the ships themselves. We are not fans of the inward facing nature of Royals newer ships and Carnival still has the promenade to the outside of the ship and the public areas span the entire deck rather than being sandwiched between rows of cabins that block any sea views. We do think the overall build quality of Royal is better with more attention to detail. It seems to us that royal tends to have larger pools if that is a concern. We prefer Carnival's Serenity areas to Royal's adult area in general. Carnival has more and better "no charge" food options than Royal. Guy's burgers for free beat Johnny Rockets for $6.95, no $7.95, no $9.95 any day. Buffet and main dining are very much similar. Carnival seems to have more emphasis on group participation activities. Alchemy Bar on Carnival is hands down the best bar I have ever seen on a ship. Not the bar, the drinks.

As far as we are concerned, either line is fine. We prefer some things on one and other things on the other. We would strongly recommend trying Carnival. You may find that you still prefer Royal, but you will not have a bad time on Carnival & you might like it as well or better. For a trial run we might recommend the Carnival Liberty out of Port Canaveral. It does the shorter cruises but it is a very large ship in comparison to the other short cruise vessels. We liked the decor and the layout will give you and idea of Carnivals general design features. It has the dining venues that most of the newer vessels have with a few exceptions. The ship and experience will give you a taste of Carnival cruising without a large investment.

We're Diamond on RCL, and Platinum on Carnival! We are members of both Casino Clubs!

Our thoughts between RCL and Carnival,,,,

Better food in buffet=Carnival

Better choice of food in buffet=Carnival

Better food in MDR=Carnival

Better access/your time dining which we like=Carnival

Better shows=RCL on larger ships with Broadway shows

Better over all entertainment=Carnival

Best large ships=RCL, but we really don't like the large ships

Best smaller ships=Carnival, but the RCL Radiance Class is nice.

Best itineraries=Carnival

Best company owned ports=Carnival

Best prices 'usually'=Carnival

Best loyalty club=RCL at the higher end

Better casino club=both equal, but Carnival easier to use

Carnival is a little more laid back, RCL is a little more classy/dressy! So it depends on what you're looking for on your vacation! We choose the laid back in the Caribbean, and the classy/dressy in the Med.!

This is how we see it, and why most of the time we choose Carnival!

I've had the opposite experience. My first 3 were on Carnival, and last 3 were on RC. I've also had the blessing of sailing inaugural for all 3 of Royal, so obviously everything was top shelf. I had a lot fun on Carnival, and preferred it over Royal during my first sailing with RC but by the end of that sailing, I knew Carnival was done. I'm an old soul - I don't party, I don't drink, don't gamble. I just turned 40, all my sailings on Carnival were from '97-'01- so I'm pretty out of the loop on Carnival now. I don't regret Carnival, but I'm open to different lines. I'd like to try Celebrity next. The only "wrong" cruise is the one that doesn't match your cruising style, right?

Me. I started out on RC, then went to Carnival and never plan on going back. Yes, RC ships are nicer, and they have better shows. But I always have more fun in Carnival, everything stays open late, everyone is drinking and having a good time. The comedy shows are better and the parties are better. I guess I’m not looking for a relaxing cruise like I could get on RC, I’m looking for constant fun and party on Carnival.

 

One other plus for RC, no continuous shufflers in Casino.

 

 

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We are opposite from the OP since we were Platinum + on Carnival and new to RC or NCL. We first went on NCL and last year on RC. The food and service was similar on all cruises but the entertainment much better on both RC and NCL. The differences that led us to the other lines rather than Carnival were the clientele. Carnival is big on their late night comedy shows, that seems to be their big draw and the crowds display that. The shows are very crude and blue which draws a louder, rowdy group but to each his own. Otherwise Carnival always served our purpose but we really enjoyed a different experience on RCL and NCL. It does pay to try other cruise lines and not stick exclusively with one line as many do.

I have to agree with you. Our very first cruise was Enchantment on RC and then took Fantasy on Carnival. We are reserved and enjoy quite and serenity. We don’t like to party or mingle much, so we were out of our element on Carnival. The Clientele Carnival attracts seems to be large groups and rowdy, party folks. Not that this is bad- just not what we prefer.

I think Fantasy ruined it for us. My husband refuses to cruise on Carnival again.

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Quality is deteriorating across the board. Unless you want to shell out the money for Disney or one of the other high end lines, you're going to find more similarities than differences between the top 3 economy lines (Carnival, Royal, NCL).

In my opinion, Disney is deteriorating as well. A lot of the perks that made Disney a good choice for families are no more. Unlimited alcohol during embarkation, Character signings, the introduction of Concierge class, (personal view) food quality and staff quality slipping.

I've sailed Disney Magic in 2007, Fantasy 2014, and Magic 2016, all 7 night cruises, and each was downhill from the other.

We sailed on Freedom of the Seas in March of 2015, and all of our sailings since then have been on Carnival. The food is pretty much the same, and with the exception of the Flowriders, the ships are pretty much the same. The passenger attitude is a tad less stuffy if you will than on Royal. We’re in our mid-30s and definitely prefer Carnival.

We tried the Adventure of the Seas and found the same as the red above. Cabin steward was snotty, fellow passengers never interacted with anyone but themselves. One show was canceled half way through it because of equipment failure. It just wasn't the Funship experience we were use to. We'll stick with Carnival where we know we'll have fun.

I've been on a lot of Carnival cruises through the years, but decided about 4 years ago I had had it with the entertainment. I don't care for the Playlist production shows and the Hasbro game shows are not my idea of a fun evening.

 

I like adult entertainment, but the material has to be funny and rely on more than F bombs to make me laugh.

 

I like everything else about Carnival, but won't be back in the near future because of the entertainment.

Well, I'm laughing at my own post - just booked a 5 night cruise on Elation for Feb 2020 out of Port Canaveral, ( I guess I can at least say 2020 is not the near future - LOL!). We want to do a few days at Disney and a short cruise, so the options are limited if we want to sail out of PC. I looked at Disney for the cruise , but the prices are crazy and the 5 year old we will be taking will have just as much fun on Carnival, so it was a no brainer.

I like Carnival better than RCCL

We tried the Adventure of the Seas and found the same as the red above. Cabin steward was snotty, fellow passengers never interacted with anyone but themselves. One show was canceled half way through it because of equipment failure. It just wasn't the Funship experience we were use to. We'll stick with Carnival where we know we'll have fun.

Do Carnival passengers tend to be younger and hardcore partiers? We are in our early 60s but we like a lot of activities and stay up usually past midnight every night. That's why we don't think Celebrity would probably be a good choice for us. Would we be out of place on Carnival as far as being age appropriate?

Do Carnival passengers tend to be younger and hardcore partiers? We are in our early 60s but we like a lot of activities and stay up usually past midnight every night. That's why we don't think Celebrity would probably be a good choice for us. Would we be out of place on Carnival as far as being age appropriate?

Our best cruise friends are in their 60s, Diamond, and THEY’RE the ones closing the club down and making a ruckus with people younger than us (34) by the pizza when everything else on the ship is closed and quiet.

You’ll have no problem fitting in age-wise. [emoji3] It’s all in the state of mind anyways.

I have done many cruises over 26 some years, and different cruise lines. Here lately I have been doing mostly Carnival, as it seems to be a tad cheaper, than Royal Caribbean. Most people do not realize this, unless it has changed, Carnival rooms are a "tad" larger than the other cruise ships. Another thing I like about Carnival are their beds. I know this sounds funny, but I sleep like a baby in them.:)

One thing with Royal Caribbean I was impressed with, was the ice skating. What a wonderful show!

Our first cruise was on Carnival and then 6 on RC. We tried going back to Carnival but reverted back to RC. Skip forward a bunch of years without cruising and then we looked at the options. We always hated lines, designated dinner companions, a shower I couldn’t turn around in as well as tipping and paying for drinks. Loved our last Seabourn cruise and are lined up for another.

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