Thinking of switching to Royal Caribbean after only done Carnival

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

Some recent threads on the subject:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2192796

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2179970

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2177867

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2171985

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

 

You can tell by my signature that I have done all 3 of the mass market cruise lines - Carnival, RCCL and NCL (I have also done MSC, Princess and a few that are not longer around).

 

I did the RCCL Explorer in January and the CCL Sunshine a few weeks ago. Depending on the class of ships you are comparing, the cruise lines are very comparable. On RCCL I like the size and decor of the ship, ship layout, promenade and entertainment options. On CCL I like the dining options (can't beat a Guy's Burger or El Capitano for lunch), the size of the cabins, free room service 24 hours a day and the new Serenity area on the Sunshine.

 

Which ship are you specifically looking at?

Really like the Solarium and Park Cafe on RCI. Why not try a 4 day cruise on the Enchantment to see how you like a change.

As you can see by my signature, we have cruised on Carnival, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Next year we will be on Holland America for the first time. We choose our cruises based on the itinerary.

 

However, I will say this we prefer RC over Carnival. It's hard to describe the reasons for this preference. It's best to try it yourself to get a good "feel" for the overall experience. If possible, book a 7 day cruise rather than a shorter one. You will get a better idea of whether or not you like RC over Carnival.

 

Happy cruising!

Last Carnival cruise last summer did us in after 9 other cruises. Definitely went down hill! Trying our first Royal Caribbean cruise on August 9th on Freedom of Seas in a Grand Suite!

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

 

I think it's always a good idea to try other lines. We've done a couple on Carnival, one on HAL and one on NCL. There are always things we like on some and not so much on others. But, on the whole, our preferred line is Royal. We've only done the Voyager, Freedom and Oasis Class ships but love them all. We book most of the time at the last minute since our schedules are flexible and basically shop timing, itinerary and price. All works for us ... we love cruising! Good Luck to you and Happy Sailing! :)

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

 

The biggest pro for me with RCI is their past guest program, it's much more generous than CCL's. Especially at the Diamond level and above when the nightly cocktail parties kick in. They also have several discount/freebie coupons that they load onto your Seapass which vary depending on your Crown and Anchor level. RCI also has ships that are much larger and have features that will differ greatly from CCL.

 

On the con side, I've found RCI's nightlife to be much more "tame" than Carnival's, especially on the short cruises. I've always preferred Carnival when taking a party cruise with the fellas, the atmosphere is just more festive.

 

Aside from that, RCI and CCL aren't that different. Mostly similar activities, food, shows, service etc. Of course it can vary from ship to ship, but overall you're not going to see huge differences.

I don't know which Carnival ship you are considering. We went on our first Carnival cruise on one of the newest ships for Carnival about a year and a half ago. It did not have some of the 2.0 upgrades but only a few. We prefer Royal. One of the biggest reasons is more elegant decor and better laid out ships. Cabins are a bit smaller than Carnival but like Carnival have a sofa and are laid out well. Royal no longer does chocolates on pillows but that is not a deal breaker for us. Though the newer Carnival ships have Comedy clubs with several shows a week we like Royal's overall entertainment better and the ice show shouldn't be missed! We thought the service was fine on both. I think there is just something classier about Royal.

Maybe compare drink prices before you decide

DarthGrady's last two sentences pretty much sum it up for me as well. I will have to say that the RCI ships (especially the newer, larger ones) are laid out very nicely and the Royal Promenade on those ships really is impressive your first time. Someone suggested comparing beverage prices - with all the dust that's been raised on this board recently about RCI's increase in drink prices (and increase in drink gratuity to 18%), perhaps that would be something to consider as well - assuming that is important to you.

Edited April 24, 2015 by joepeka

We too have only cruised on Carnival with the exception of Royal MOTS back in 2000. We are now booked on Allure for next year. Although we've had great cruises on Carnival we've grown tired of them and are now looking for something different. I think Royal is a good place to start, after Allure we probably move on to Princess and then HAL, don't think ill stick with any one line too soon.

Carnival Breeze was my favorite followed by Liberty. As far as past guest offers go I cant complain as my Breeze cruise was a free cabin....:D

Edited April 24, 2015 by Midwestgal

Give Royal a try

 

Here's what I mean

 

If you had cruised with Royal 6 times and were asking the same question I would suggest you give Carnival a try.

Once you do the Allure, everything else will pale.

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

 

I did 5 Carnival cruises before my first RC cruise this last December. I can't think of any cons when comparing the two to be honest. It was all pros. Carnival cruises I found were similar prices, so there was no advantage to them there. We went on the Navigator of the Seas which had been refurbished in early 2014 and MAN did it impress us. Comparing it to the Carnival Magic (most recent Carnival ship I've been on) it felt so much more upscale, and more like it was worth the overall cost. The staff was excellent and I had 0 complaints about the food.

 

Go for it, you won't regret it!

Edited April 24, 2015 by sidekick3_cruiser

Last Carnival cruise last summer did us in after 9 other cruises. Definitely went down hill! Trying our first Royal Caribbean cruise on August 9th on Freedom of Seas in a Grand Suite!

 

We always book a full suite on RC, except for the one coming up on Sunday on the Navigator of the Seas. We will be in a jr suite since we booked at the last minute and all the full suites were gone.

 

The perks for full suite guests are great. Enjoy and take lots of pictures!

Edited April 25, 2015 by JimAOk1945

I agree with others who suggest you try Royal. Our favorite ship to date is Freedom of the Seas. We have cruised on CCL, RCI, NCL, Celebrity and Costa. All the lines have their pros and cons, as you will soon find out. I have yet to find a ship I don't like, or a cruise that was not worth the money paid. :)

 

I would caution you though... if you are used to 7-day cruises, book a 7-day on Royal. The 3-4 day cruises have a different atmosphere and do not fit our personal style of cruising. Our Majesty cruise was a 3-day voyage and if that had been our first Royal experience, we would not have been back. Fortunately, we had done a 5-day on Encahntment prior to that, and realized the 3-Day crowd was what made the difference, not RCI.

I've got to say, I'm really impressed with this thread. There is a lot of useful information here and not just a bash fest on one cruise line or another. I think the people who contributed to this thread should be on ALL threads :)

I've done 6 Carnival cruises now and would like to change it up. I've always thought RC was expensive but after looking is not that much more. Please tell me your thoughts on both and any pros and cons. Thanks!

 

I have done both. I think at this point you should price shop princess Norwegian and celebrity as well. There are fine points to each after gaining status as a repeat cruiser. As a new person to each venue... the rooms are similar, dinning not too different, activities are there as well as performers. Find something in your price range and optimal itinerary, and you;ll enjoy yourself. Don't be loyal to just one line. Price compare and pick the best island options out there for you. You'll have a blast.

 

Me, I am looking at other lines so understand my suggestion. RCCL is not the only great option out there. With that said, the Allure/Oasis, is a must do, if you can put up with the crappy redundant ports. Those ships ARE the destination and I could spend 14 days on them, my first cruise. Other than that, RCCL is the same, plus or minus differences that don't really make a difference.

 

So says one that has cruised both... IMHO and yes... gasp, on a RCCL board. Let the flaming begin :eek:

Edited April 25, 2015 by nimbex1970

The seven day cruises on either ship have been wonderful for me. The only thing I won't do again is a short cruise. The people, atmosphere,quality etc is just not the same.

We are diamond on RCCL and gold on Carnival so we have cruised many times on both. We have also cruise Holland, Princess, Celebrity, and NCL. You will find more similarities than differences on Carnival and RCCI. We shop by itinerary and than price when we book a cruise. The rooms are bigger on Carnival and the food is about the same. Carnival does more comedy with there comedy club than RCCI but that's not a deal breaker. We have been on Freedom of the Seas three times and it is our favorite ship. We are on her again next month. I have also read on here about the drink prices. I have heard they just up went to about $12 to $15 per drink. If that is the case I will drink very little on this cruise. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Have fun.

You will enjoy royal caribbean much more than carnival. It is definitely a step in the right direction. The food is much better, and the ships appear to be in better shape. The service is much better as well.

We are also looking to try RCCL for the first time. We tried Disney, Princess, NCL and CCL; we've enjoyed them all.

Edited April 25, 2015 by klct39lg

We have cruised 4 times with Carnival and are going to try Liberty of the Seas on RCI because a 7 day cruise for 5 (Western to Jamaica, etc.) is $1500 less on RCI and it will be in a Family Promenade instead of a oceanview with a trundle bed. To those who say the rooms are smaller on RCI which type of room are you comparing?

I did the RCCL Explorer in January and the CCL Sunshine a few weeks ago.

We did Explorer in Nov and thought about Navigator this Nov, but then I saw an 8 night on CCL Sunshine that's $520 cheaper (There's 3 of us...). So now I'm torn between what I know RCCL and new islands CCL. What were your thoughts on Sunshine?