Carnival to RC, what should I know?

Hello!

My family and I are considering a cruise next May aboard the Anthem OTS visiting Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. We've never cruised with RC, and it's been a while since we've even cruised with Carnival. Also, this will be our first time on a somewhat newer, fancier, larger ship.

What's everyone's opinions, advice, etc... for someone transition from Carnival to RC? What should I know? How does anytime dining work? What are the beverage (bar) prices like? Do we have to schedule our entertainment and activities? Any and all information is helpful!! :cool:

Out of Royal's 25 ships now sailing, only a few have pre-cruise entertainment reservations, and Anthem is one of those. So you should make all possible pre-cruise entertainment reservations.

Hello!

 

My family and I are considering a cruise next May aboard the Anthem OTS visiting Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee. We've never cruised with RC, and it's been a while since we've even cruised with Carnival. Also, this will be our first time on a somewhat newer, fancier, larger ship.

 

What's everyone's opinions, advice, etc... for someone transition from Carnival to RC? What should I know? How does anytime dining work? What are the beverage (bar) prices like? Do we have to schedule our entertainment and activities? Any and all information is helpful!! :cool:

My wife and I are in the exact same situation. We have both done many cruises and only with Carnival. I was finally able to convince her to jump ship, I have wanted to try other lines for a while now. We are also going to do the cruise you are planning on. May 23rd 2019 on the Anthem.

We were having similar questions to understand the differences, Carnival is good at deck parties, and dive in movies, poor in main stage entertainment (imo). But what should we expect. Two things I see the Anthem is missing that I enjoy on Carnival are the water slides and the T pool in the spa. But it seems to have many dining options, and tons of other entertainment like the trapeze and bumper cars and two70 looks awesome.

Out of Royal's 25 ships now sailing, only a few have pre-cruise entertainment reservations, and Anthem is one of those. So you should make all possible pre-cruise entertainment reservations.

So do you pre-plan everything from bumper cars, to comedy and main entertainment shows?

My wife and I are in the exact same situation. We have both done many cruises and only with Carnival. I was finally able to convince her to jump ship, I have wanted to try other lines for a while now. We are also going to do the cruise you are planning on. May 23rd 2019 on the Anthem.

 

We were having similar questions to understand the differences, Carnival is good at deck parties, and dive in movies, poor in main stage entertainment (imo). But what should we expect. Two things I see the Anthem is missing that I enjoy on Carnival are the water slides and the T pool in the spa. But it seems to have many dining options, and tons of other entertainment like the trapeze and bumper cars and two70 looks awesome.

Well hopefully this thread will benefit us both. I've always heard that RC is a step up form Carnival... Yes, I agree that they're missing a few things but the Anthem seems pretty awesome. We haven't booked yet, but this cruise will also be a graduation celebration for us!! I did notice that the fare did jump a total of $200 overnight, assuming RC is just in-between sales.

So do you pre-plan everything from bumper cars, to comedy and main entertainment shows? ...

Main entertainment shows yes. I think some of the activities (like iFly and NorthStar) have reservations, but I don't believe things like the rock wall and bumper cars have reservations. Your Cruise Planner on Royal's website should list all the items with reservations.

Main entertainment shows yes. I think some of the activities (like iFly and NorthStar) have reservations, but I don't believe things like the rock wall and bumper cars have reservations. Your Cruise Planner on Royal's website should list all the items with reservations.

Okay! I know there's four different restaurants. If you do anytime dining, how does that work?

Okay! I know there's four different restaurants. If you do anytime dining, how does that work?

All four of the "free" main dining room restaurants serve the same exact food from the same exact menus that change nightly. The only difference is the decor. My Time dining uses two of the restaurants and traditional dining uses the other two. I forget the assignments, but yours will be noted on your SeaPass card.

All four of the "free" main dining room restaurants serve the same exact food from the same exact menus that change nightly. The only difference is the decor. My Time dining uses two of the restaurants and traditional dining uses the other two. I forget the assignments, but yours will be noted on your SeaPass card.

Got it! Thank you! :D

Got it! Thank you! :D

You're welcome.

Having cruised RCCL and recently Carnival I will say that there are more similarities than differences, IMO: RCCL does not have the same wild deck parties that Carnival does (love the carnival deck parties, lots of fun), Carnival did not have a very good onboard shopping selection compared to RCCL (yes we like to shop in the ship's stores), the Carnival casino did not control the smoking as well as RCCL seems to with their filtration system (or whatever it is called) so we did not spend as much time there on the Carnival cruise, the food in the MDR on both cruise lines was very good in our opinions, the pool bars were more fun on Carnival as the bartenders would be making jokes and singing and dancing all the time but on RCCL there are usually waiters coming by to take your drinks orders where we had to traverse the decks to order at a bar on Carnival, the MDR waitress we had on Carnival was amazing and she made dinner a lot of fun so we ate in the MDR every night aside form our steakhouse reservation, the RCCL buffets are better as in the food seems a better quality and more variety (especially with desserts), the entertainment on RCCL blows Carnival out of the water and though some people complain about having to book shows ahead of time but I like that (we had to wait for ages in a long line to get into the comedy club on Carnival and it was terrible), the layout and storage options in Carnival's staterooms is better that the setup in RCCL's cabins, the drink package on RCCL is better I think because it is truly unlimited whereas Carnival allows 15 drinks from 6a to 6a and there were times when I tried a new drink and did not like it but it counted against my total so if you do that a few times you will whittle down your amount left, as for decor I think RCCL has the edge there but that is just my taste and maybe not yours.

Either way, you will have fun. Go on the cruise with an open mind as we did, knowing it will not be the same as Carnival, and you will find a lot to be happy about. We came back to RCCL for our next two cruises because when we were on the Carnival cruise and saw RCCL ships I felt a pang and realized I missed some of the things that makes RCCL special to me but YMMV.

Having cruised RCCL and recently Carnival I will say that there are more similarities than differences, IMO: RCCL does not have the same wild deck parties that Carnival does (love the carnival deck parties, lots of fun), Carnival did not have a very good onboard shopping selection compared to RCCL (yes we like to shop in the ship's stores), the Carnival casino did not control the smoking as well as RCCL seems to with their filtration system (or whatever it is called) so we did not spend as much time there on the Carnival cruise, the food in the MDR on both cruise lines was very good in our opinions, the pool bars were more fun on Carnival as the bartenders would be making jokes and singing and dancing all the time but on RCCL there are usually waiters coming by to take your drinks orders where we had to traverse the decks to order at a bar on Carnival, the MDR waitress we had on Carnival was amazing and she made dinner a lot of fun so we ate in the MDR every night aside form our steakhouse reservation, the RCCL buffets are better as in the food seems a better quality and more variety (especially with desserts), the entertainment on RCCL blows Carnival out of the water and though some people complain about having to book shows ahead of time but I like that (we had to wait for ages in a long line to get into the comedy club on Carnival and it was terrible), the layout and storage options in Carnival's staterooms is better that the setup in RCCL's cabins, the drink package on RCCL is better I think because it is truly unlimited whereas Carnival allows 15 drinks from 6a to 6a and there were times when I tried a new drink and did not like it but it counted against my total so if you do that a few times you will whittle down your amount left, as for decor I think RCCL has the edge there but that is just my taste and maybe not yours.

 

Either way, you will have fun. Go on the cruise with an open mind as we did, knowing it will not be the same as Carnival, and you will find a lot to be happy about. We came back to RCCL for our next two cruises because when we were on the Carnival cruise and saw RCCL ships I felt a pang and realized I missed some of the things that makes RCCL special to me but YMMV.

Thanks for the comparison! If you make reservations ahead of time, do you have to stick to those plans? Could you cancel, reschedule, or add new reservations with ease once you were onboard?

Thanks for the comparison! If you make reservations ahead of time, do you have to stick to those plans? Could you cancel, reschedule, or add new reservations with ease once you were onboard?

Yes, you can cancel or change your reservations to the shows at any time without penalty but you may not be able to get a seat if you cancel and just show up at another time. We did not have a problem on either of our Oasis/Allure cruises but I have seen people post that they have had issues getting a seat at some venues.

Thanks for the comparison! If you make reservations ahead of time, do you have to stick to those plans? Could you cancel, reschedule, or add new reservations with ease once you were onboard?

Once the cruise starts, it can be difficult to change show reservations. However, you can always use the standby line.

Having cruised RCCL and recently Carnival I will say that there are more similarities than differences, IMO: RCCL does not have the same wild deck parties that Carnival does (love the carnival deck parties, lots of fun), Carnival did not have a very good onboard shopping selection compared to RCCL (yes we like to shop in the ship's stores), the Carnival casino did not control the smoking as well as RCCL seems to with their filtration system (or whatever it is called) so we did not spend as much time there on the Carnival cruise, the food in the MDR on both cruise lines was very good in our opinions, the pool bars were more fun on Carnival as the bartenders would be making jokes and singing and dancing all the time but on RCCL there are usually waiters coming by to take your drinks orders where we had to traverse the decks to order at a bar on Carnival, the MDR waitress we had on Carnival was amazing and she made dinner a lot of fun so we ate in the MDR every night aside form our steakhouse reservation, the RCCL buffets are better as in the food seems a better quality and more variety (especially with desserts), the entertainment on RCCL blows Carnival out of the water and though some people complain about having to book shows ahead of time but I like that (we had to wait for ages in a long line to get into the comedy club on Carnival and it was terrible), the layout and storage options in Carnival's staterooms is better that the setup in RCCL's cabins, the drink package on RCCL is better I think because it is truly unlimited whereas Carnival allows 15 drinks from 6a to 6a and there were times when I tried a new drink and did not like it but it counted against my total so if you do that a few times you will whittle down your amount left, as for decor I think RCCL has the edge there but that is just my taste and maybe not yours.

 

Either way, you will have fun. Go on the cruise with an open mind as we did, knowing it will not be the same as Carnival, and you will find a lot to be happy about. We came back to RCCL for our next two cruises because when we were on the Carnival cruise and saw RCCL ships I felt a pang and realized I missed some of the things that makes RCCL special to me but YMMV.

I really appreciate this description and detail

Carnival usually has comedy shows every night. Royal has a smaller comedy venue, so definitely pre-book the comedy club ahead of time on Royal. I agree that the other Broadway-type shows are much better on Royal. Will be trying our first large Royal ship this summer. I did go ahead and pre-book all of the shows, which is a first for us.

I really liked the buffet/pool dining area on Carnival, including Guy's burgers, BBQ place, wok/stir-fry station, and the taco/Cantina place. I also really liked the chocolate buffet that Carnival had. It was nice to have everything in close vicinity. Looking forward to seeing how the increased choices on the larger Royal ships will compare.

The drink package is a better deal on on Royal, especially if you can pre-purchase when they have the $45-$47 deal. Carnival does have a 15 drink limit, which Royal does not. Never had a problem with the limit, however some have as every drink, even non-alcoholic choices such as bottled water, soda, etc, count.

The excursion "list" prices seem higher on Royal as compared to Carnival (catalog/on-ship pricing). You seem to get much better excursion pricing on Royal when pre-purchased ahead of time during one of their many sales.

I really appreciate this description and detail

No problem! I hope it helps.

Carnival usually has comedy shows every night. Royal has a smaller comedy venue, so definitely pre-book the comedy club ahead of time on Royal. I agree that the other Broadway-type shows are much better on Royal. Will be trying our first large Royal ship this summer. I did go ahead and pre-book all of the shows, which is a first for us.

 

I really liked the buffet/pool dining area on Carnival, including Guy's burgers, BBQ place, wok/stir-fry station, and the taco/Cantina place. I also really liked the chocolate buffet that Carnival had. It was nice to have everything in close vicinity. Looking forward to seeing how the increased choices on the larger Royal ships will compare.

 

The drink package is a better deal on on Royal, especially if you can pre-purchase when they have the $45-$47 deal. Carnival does have a 15 drink limit, which Royal does not. Never had a problem with the limit, however some have as every drink, even non-alcoholic choices such as bottled water, soda, etc, count.

 

The excursion "list" prices seem higher on Royal as compared to Carnival (catalog/on-ship pricing). You seem to get much better excursion pricing on Royal when pre-purchased ahead of time during one of their many sales.

Nonalcoholic drinks do not count toward your limit of 15, only alcoholic beverages count. The reason I found it to be a pain is because I do not want to have to keep a running total in my head of how many sangrias I have had by the pool on a sea day and wonder if I will have enough left to have a glass of wine with dinner :'). I like to try new drinks and there were times I would get one and think "yuck" or "this is way too strong" and those would get tossed out but still count toward my total. Not a big deal I guess as I never really got close to the 15 but still...

Carnival usually has comedy shows every night. Royal has a smaller comedy venue, so definitely pre-book the comedy club ahead of time on Royal. I agree that the other Broadway-type shows are much better on Royal. Will be trying our first large Royal ship this summer. I did go ahead and pre-book all of the shows, which is a first for us.

 

I really liked the buffet/pool dining area on Carnival, including Guy's burgers, BBQ place, wok/stir-fry station, and the taco/Cantina place. I also really liked the chocolate buffet that Carnival had. It was nice to have everything in close vicinity. Looking forward to seeing how the increased choices on the larger Royal ships will compare.

 

The drink package is a better deal on on Royal, especially if you can pre-purchase when they have the $45-$47 deal. Carnival does have a 15 drink limit, which Royal does not. Never had a problem with the limit, however some have as every drink, even non-alcoholic choices such as bottled water, soda, etc, count.

 

The excursion "list" prices seem higher on Royal as compared to Carnival (catalog/on-ship pricing). You seem to get much better excursion pricing on Royal when pre-purchased ahead of time during one of their many sales.

Have you participated in Royal's beverage program before? Do you know the current bar prices? How many drinks does one have to have in order to breakeven when buying the beverage (premium) package?

I have purchased both the Carnival and Royal beverage packages in the past. Most recently, I have pre-purchased the deluxe beverage package for my upcoming Oasis cruise for $47 per day (+18% gratuity) during one of their many on-line sales. This was a slightly better price than the Carnival drink package price. Mixed drinks and wines cost anywhere from $8 to $ 12+. I also like to drink one to two specialty coffees during the day, a soda, and get a few bottled waters for excursions/room/pool, etc,. It pays off for me, especially if the cruise has more sea days.

I have purchased both the Carnival and Royal beverage packages in the past. Most recently, I have pre-purchased the deluxe beverage package for my upcoming Oasis cruise for $47 per day (+18% gratuity) during one of their many on-line sales. This was a slightly better price than the Carnival drink package price. Mixed drinks and wines cost anywhere from $8 to $ 12+. I also like to drink one to two specialty coffees during the day, a soda, and get a few bottled waters for excursions/room/pool, etc,. It pays off for me, especially if the cruise has more sea days.

Good to know. Does Royal allow passengers to carry on a certain amount of water/soda/wine per person?

I also have some questions : What kind of beverages are you allowed to carry onto the ship? I see that reservations for the $ restaurants are online. Do you really have to book them online? We are going on Allure and it is the largest ship so I know there are a lot of people but I would rather just eat somewhere for lunch on a spur of the moment kind of thing. Is that realistic? Also on port days are all of the specialty restaurants open? Especially at lunch time. Can the comedy shows be booked before you board? Thanks in advance I am sure I will have more :)

I also have some questions : What kind of beverages are you allowed to carry onto the ship? ...

Technically, no beverages are allowed except for two bottles of wine per stateroom. However, they tend to look the other way with water and soda.

Carnival does have a 15 drink limit, which Royal does not. Never had a problem with the limit, however some have as every drink, even non-alcoholic choices such as bottled water, soda, etc, count.

As someone else noted, this is simply not true. Carnival's "Cheers" program includes soda, bottled water, sparkling water, specialty coffees, milkshakes from the ship's café, all without limit....plus 15 alcoholic drinks per day including wine by the glass up to $50 or $70 per glass (I forget the exact amount) and a 30% discount on bottled wine purchases onboard.

Between my friends and I, we've only reached the fifteen drink limit once. :)

Good to know. Does Royal allow passengers to carry on a certain amount of water/soda/wine per person?

The rule is nothing but two bottles of wine per stateroom.

Thank you for this thread. I am booked on my first RCCL cruise after 7 Carnival cruises and always looking for info. I often see people talking about cruise planner, but nothing seems to be available for me in cruise planner yet. When I click on Dining, beverage packages or even activities, I get the same message. Sorry, this is not available right now, please try again once on the ship. Is this because my cruise is too far out at 252 days?