Carnival VS Rccl?

[MrPete]

We typically sail RCL and just got off the Dream.

 

Hey Schplinky.....

 

I was looking forward to your return. Did either of you write a review yet?

[steveaaaaa]

Which are you more worried about?

 

More money in your pocket?

Better food and the availability of it?

The bigger staterooms?

The FUN atmosphere?

The fantastic slide?

The pizza?

The free ice cream?

The Supper Club?

The entertainment?

Something fresh and new?

 

Coming from someone who's last 3 out of 4 cruises were with Royal on a Voyager class ship.:D

 

Steve

[MrPete]

Coming from someone who's last 3 out of 4 cruises were with Royal on a Voyager class ship.:D

 

Steve

 

Yup. Our primary cruising destination is currently Bermuda, and Carnival only offers this itinerary once a year, in April :confused:.

 

We will switch in a NY moment when they return there. I was hoping with a second dock created in Dockside, this would happen, but according to JH's sources, no. :mad:

[jules815]

Hey Schplinky.....

 

I was looking forward to your return. Did either of you write a review yet?

 

Hi Schplinky! Glad to hear you enjoyed Dream. Have you posted any pictures yet?

[Schplinky]

Hey Schplinky.....

 

I was looking forward to your return. Did either of you write a review yet?

 

Hi Schplinky! Glad to hear you enjoyed Dream. Have you posted any pictures yet?

 

 

We've only been home about 12 hours but we're working on it.

 

In a nutshell, I really liked the ship and the CCL experience. Our experience tells us that most lines are far more alike than different and this experience leaves me thinking that even more. Carnival had some nice little touches that we loved and there were a couple of things we missed from other lines we've sailed but on the whole, it was a great experience. We would sail the Dream or another newer CCL ship any day.

[steveaaaaa]

Yup. Our primary cruising destination is currently Bermuda, and Carnival only offers this itinerary once a year, in April :confused:.

 

We will switch in a NY moment when they return there. I was hoping with a second dock created in Dockside, this would happen, but according to JH's sources, no. :mad:

 

I wish we had an option for Bermuda from FL. I did not know CCL even had a sailing from your area until I just looked.

 

Steve

[Btyson]

We just got back from a cruise on Royal's Freedom of the Seas. Being my 5th cruise and first with Royal, I will have to say that for the price (especially on larger Carnival ships) Carnival is more bang for the buck. Like many others I found Carnival's food to be much better than that of RC. And as others have said Royal Caribbean's ships are on a different scale than that of Carnival's. Not greatly better, just different. I love the designs and decor of Carnival ships. Each one has it's ongoing theme. And at the same time, who can't enjoy all there is to see on RC ships. Performance shows were in my opinion better on our Royal cruise. But not so much so that I would choose a RC cruise over Carnival. In returning from our cruise on Freedom of the Seas, we will definitely cruise with Royal again. But concerning price...if I had to choose between the two for the same itinerary, ----Carnival. I love cruising with Carnival so without rambling on and on, you will not be disappointed with a Carnival cruise...especially the Carnival Dream! I say go for it!

[Socref124]

looking to book cruise for B day May 2010 kinda worried about switching to carnival??

 

We haven't been on Disney, However, we were on the Monarch of the Seas and found them to be more alike with Carnival than different. Funny thing is we hear about all the partying on Carnival and all the drunks but there was just as much party goers and inebriated people on Monarch of the Seas as on any Carnival ship we have been on. Some of the differences we noticed are: Carnivals rooms are bigger than Royals; Royals shops on the ship were better (in our opinion); Carnivals pizza and Deli offerings are better than Royals, Royal has excellent cold soups every day; Carnivals piano bar was a lot better, Royals was shared with another lounge and it didn't have the same effect; The Crown lounge on Royal was superb and Carnival doesn't have anything that comes close to the view from this lounge (only downside here was the service in the lounge was not that good); and Carnivals shows seemed to be a little more professional than Royals. Room stewards, bar service, food quality, dinning room service and ships activities were all pretty much the same. The decor on RCL is a little more subdued than on Carnival, but I liked both styles. I really believe that if you enjoyed your time on the Mariner of the Seas, you will enjoy most Carnival ships. Not sure which Carnival ship you are looking at, but the ships we have been on are on equal footing as RCL and NCL if not better. To top it off, Carnival has been quite a bit less expensive than Royal in our experience. I don't think you can go wrong with Carnival, but, I obviously enjoy Carnival since we are going on our 9th CCL cruise in 4 days.:D

[foureyedbuzzard]

Interesting comments on pricing between the two lines, with most giving the nod to CCL. I found just the opposite recently when looking for a 5 night Caribbean for me and DW - RCCL was $100 - $150 pp less on a balcony on the Navigator for the dates we could go plus we got free prepaid gratuities on top of it. Maybe it's the spring break thing, and CCL might well be more popular with younger cruisers (we're 50 ish). I'd have chosen either one honestly - we just wanted to get away somewhere warmer than here and the discounted deal on the RCCL balcony room was competitive with comparably upscale land vacations like getting a suite at the Mandalay, Luxor, etc in Vegas once I factored in food and air.

 

We've only been on one cruise before - CCL Fantasy when it was newer. It was okay, but I would prefer less harsh decor and a more upscale "feel". Hopefully I've made the right choice - I'll know by Sat night!

[Cher222]

We have cruised about 14 times, mostly with my parents (70s) and three children. Started out on RCCL, Celebrity twice to bermuda, and then a RCCL and Carnival mix. the last two were with Carnival and we have the Miracle booked for 7/2/10. I can tell you that we all prefer carnival, including my parents. We feel the entertainment is by far the best and the food has gotten quite good and the last two cruises we thought it was great. I like how there is a deck with lots of different entertainment venues and areas to sit and people watch by huge windows. The RCCL ships we have been on tended to space these areas out on different decks. I would cruise RCCL again at some point if I preferred the itinerary, but Carnival is my first choice for now....

[broberts]

We typically sail RCL and just got off the Dream. We had a great time and would do it again tomorrow. We also like RCL and would do that again tomorrow. The thing is, I think people compare lines too much and should compare the actual ships that they're considering. For instance, the Carnival Dream vs one of the older RCL ships? No competition. Freedom of the Seas vs. Ecstasy? No competition. I think comparing lines is difficult because there are a lot of things that make a particular cruise great beyond whose logo is on the smokestack.. . .

 

I totally agree with you with respect to comparing ships not lines.

[whciv]

My family has been on 20+ cruises to almost everywhere including several in the Med and Baltic. Early on we did 2 Carnival Cruises, one was our honeymoon. We are just about to take our first Carnival since 1988 and are hoping they have improved. When we first traveled on them they catered to college level kids with a party atmosphere. More crowds and crazy folks. We have heard things have changed so we are quite excited about our upcoming cruise.

 

In a nutshell, I think the fancy cruise lines have come down over the years and Carnival has come up a bit. Carnival owns Princess but they operate them separately. RCCL was our favorite, but they have changed and aren't what they use to be. NCL is nice, but mainly pushes its open dining. Celebrity is probably the most fancy and we really enjoyed them, but they have an older crowd. Carnival is probably more like going to Las Vegas. Lots of lights and neon, young crowds, and party atmosphere but also not super expensive.