Trying out Carnival...

[rcclman1]

Well this December I will be trying out Carnival for the first time. I have been on four cruises before and they have all been on big ships on RCI. I have heard people talk of being disappointed after moving from RCI to Carnival because RCI is just a step up. I am also going to be traveling on a smaller ship (Spirit) for the first time. I have three teenagers and I am just hoping they will have the same wonderful experience that they have had on past cruises. I still cannot wait though! A cruise is a cruise. I would love to hear some of your opinions if you have cruised with both lines. Thanks so much!

[Broken07]

I will be brief. We have cruised both luxury and mainstream lines. I have only been on 3 carnival ships; the Fantasy (small) Pride (Large) and the Liberty (huge). We enjoyed ourselves. A few things to note. The food was pretty good, most of it was fried. The decor is a little less glamorous then RCCL, but pretty, nevertheless. There was more formica and faux marble then RCCL and the dining rooms lacked the sophistication of the other ships (Skimppy Chandeliers). There seemed to be less organized activities like salsa class, triva and the like. The biggest gripe I have is the layout of the Carnival ships. There are not many outside decks besides the upper one to hang out on, and it can seem like going through a maze to nagivigate the ship. But none of that stuff is a deal breaker. On the plus side Carnival cabins are general more spacious and their specialty resturaunts are awesome. Service all around was as expected. When our younger family and lot of kids join us we choose Carnival because it is a little more affrodable for that crowd. However, when it's my hubby, parents and I we cruise the other lines. Enjoy yourself.

 

These are just my opinions of the select Carnival ships we have been on.

[loudbmw]

We are Diamond on RCCL but still have many Carnival cruises under our belt. We like the Spirit Class (Legend, Pride and Miracle included) the best. Not too big and easy to navigate. For some reason, the eight day cruises have had much fewer kids and were very enjoyable.

 

Both lines are similar - the follwing differences are not significant and very subjective: Things I like better on Carnival: lower price, larger cabins, main dining room food, shows and special restaurant (best NY strip at sea). Things I like less: no Flowrider, don't get priority boarding, no diamond lounge, breakfast and lunch is not as nice as RCCL. RCCL wins hands down of the design of and features on their ships which is why we sail them the most.

 

Lastly I usually win money in the Carnival casino - can't win a dime on RCCL.

 

Lou

[niko40]

Only been on one carnival cruise a 14 night B2B east n west caribbean on victory it was our 3rd cruise back in 2003 I think the only thing we liked was the food and two great freinds we met onboard needles to say never been on again or would goe on again

[dixieva]

I've been on several Carnival cruises and enjoyed them all. The rooms are bigger and I thought the food was better than my recent RCI cruises. The staff and the service was great.

 

I think you will have a great time.

[tikimon]

You won't be sorry if you go with an open mind. A cruise is what you make of it.

 

To me RCCL has the best looking ships, layout and decor.

Carnival has better food all around.

I belive RCCL has a lot more things for small children and teenagers to do.

All of the Pool areas are bigger and better looking on RCCL.

Casino's I belive are easier to win on Carnival.

Pool games during the day are more fun on Carnival.

Onboard shops and bars are nicer and laid out better on RCCL.

Other Passangers seem to be a bit more friendly on Carnival.

Cabins are larger on Carnival, unless you have a Suite then it goes to RCCL.

 

RCCL- Mariner 2

Jewel 1 Favorite ship and cruise so far

Radiance 1

 

Carnival- Truimph 2

Spririt 1

Pride 1

Victory 1

Liberty 1

Freedom 1

Glory 2

 

Princess- Grand 1

Caribbean 1

 

I have to say that every cruise has been great, even though each of them had small things we didn't like, but we just look over those things and do our best to enjoy the cruise and each time it has worked for us.

 

Whichever line you choose I hope you and your family has a great vacation.

[thomarvin]

Are your teens boys or girls? We did Carnival (Pride) last year and my boys (14, 16) were bored. They like the rock wall, ice skateing etc. Girls I think are more apt to hang by the pools anyway. Another complaint my boys has was the arcade was so much smaller. They prefer RC but hey, a cruise is a cruise. We all love being at sea.

[mediator]

We did our first Carnival cruise on June 26th. We did it because of price and newness of the ship (we took our 6 year old granddaughter). We could not "touch" a balcony cabin on the Freedom of the Seas for what we got on Carnival.. we saild on the Dream.

 

We had lots of reservations about Carnival, but those were soon erased.

First of all, I will say that the customer service I received my the PVP was excellent. I had some issues ie. my husand joining the last minute etc., and it was handled excellently. Because we had no prior cruises, we thought embarkation and disembarkation will be hard as we had no priority for anything. Again, the staff on both ends were excellent. We were on quickly, and we were off at the appointed time (we exchanged our tags for earlier), and we were back home in our house by 9am (Orlando area).

 

Some very nice things: 1) I love the robe that I get for being diamond + on RCL. I was surprised to see two robes in the cabin, very nice. 2) There was a basket in the bathroom of samples... headache meds, toothpaste, skincream, conditioner. It was a nice touch and again being samples it probably didn't cost them anything or much, but it was nice to have. 3) We had chocolates on the pillow every night. I did miss that on RCL, when I took our granddaughter on her first RCL cruise. She was thrilled to see that everynight. So my thought was, if Carnival can provide a robe, provide chocolates, and sample tolietries why can't RCL? I paid less for this cruise and I had no status for a robe.

 

I thought the food was good. My husband thought the sushi was better quality... not selection, but better fish. I don't know I don't eat it.

We loved the deli, fresh made burrito bar, and the soft serve machine open 24hours. The kids room closed at 10pm. so we made many atrip to the deli for a sandwich and cone before going to our room. OUr granddaughter will never be the same!!

 

We did a couple of shows and they were good. We never made it to the comedy club. Our focus is/was on our grandaughter, this was HER cruise. I was mostly by the pool or waterworks, with a hotdog and fries.

 

The biggest difference that we noticed was the service. Staff did their jobs, but I did not encounter any area where they went above and beyond, or even had that exuberant attitude that I have found on RCL. In the buffet area, it was the most noticed. Plates were not removed quickly, staff seemed to be around in the background, but did not move with any sort of timeliness.

 

We had a good time, we felt we had a great value, and what I mentioned that they provided were extras that RCL gives only certain member or have been taken away, so that was a surprise. We have never had a bad cruise. It is what you make it also.

 

Oh, the rowdy crowed we thought we would enounter did not exist. It was very family, and security was VERY visible. They were everywhere, and if you saw a group of kids or adults in the pool, with drinks (signs say no drinks in the pool), they were right on it. They had no trouble telling the adults to get the beer bottles out.

 

We would definately go on Carnival again if there was a big difference in the price. Since we plan on doing a cruise once a year with ourgrandaughter (school age) and soon to be two grandaughters on a cruise when the other one turns two or older then price will be a factor. If the price was close, then I would stick with RCL.

[silentbob007]

If you go in trying to make comparisons or expecting to hate something, it's amazing how often you receive what you expect. As you said, a cruise is a cruise ... there will be some great things and some not-so-great things ... just go in expecting to enjoy yourself and save the comparisons for once your trip is finished. :)

[funat55]

If you go in trying to make comparisons or expecting to hate something, it's amazing how often you receive what you expect. As you said, a cruise is a cruise ... there will be some great things and some not-so-great things ... just go in expecting to enjoy yourself and save the comparisons for once your trip is finished. :)

 

Gotta say I agree with Silentbob007. I've done far more Carnival Cruises then RCCL, but my next cruise is on the Oasis and that cruise will be all about the ship and not so much the destination. That being said, every cruise I've ever gone on was wonderderful. Funny when I think back to my first cruise which was on the Song of America back in 1986, I wondered if I would ever go on a nicer ship. We were blown away back then and to this day, each ship, so matter what line, no matter how big or how small, has something to impress me. Go have a good time and enjoy your cruise.

[RunnerNic]

Well this December I will be trying out Carnival for the first time. I have been on four cruises before and they have all been on big ships on RCI. I have heard people talk of being disappointed after moving from RCI to Carnival because RCI is just a step up. I am also going to be traveling on a smaller ship (Spirit) for the first time. I have three teenagers and I am just hoping they will have the same wonderful experience that they have had on past cruises. I still cannot wait though! A cruise is a cruise. I would love to hear some of your opinions if you have cruised with both lines. Thanks so much!

 

i just got back from the carnival liberty... u will have a good time... the food is much better on carnival (in my opinion) and the rooms a little bit bigger... however, u can't compare it to RCCL... we had a lot of issues with our sailing and i guess it was a bad week... we didn't enjoy the cruise nd are going back to royal caribbean... but u may feel otherwise and i'm sure ull have fun!

[terisu10]

You will love the Spirit! Go and have a great time and do not worry about comparisons. Your kids will LOVE the fresh burgers and hot dogs grilled by the pool and the 24 hour pizza and calzones on the lido deck. We also love the 24 hr ice cream machine, late night comedy club, and the shows. Have a great time!

[sippican]

Plese let us know how you make out on Carnival. I had a Carnival cruise booked and I jumped ship back to RC after reading so many poor reviews of the Dream .We've sailed RC before and loved it, so chickened out. Since we had booked Early Saver with Carnival, we were not entitled to a refund, so have to take our refund in the form of credit for a future cruise. ( Be aware that RC has a better cancelatiion policy>

Hope you have a great time. Look forward to your review.