Carnival Cruisers First Royal Caribbean Experience

[billieholiday]

i sell never changed any more

[SailingGrace]

I'm sailing on RC for the first time next year. Why? The MAIN reason is Carnival isn't going where I want to go. I needed a May cruise in Europe...and Carnival simply didn't offer one. Had they- I'd probably be booked with Carnival.

 

Enjoyed your comparisons.

[gkny]

My wife and I usually sail CCL and have also tried Princess and HAL. In 3 weeks we are doing a repositioning cruise on the RCI Navigtor from Rome to FLL for 2 weeks. This will be our first time on RCI since 1994. On this cruise we couldn't pass up this offer. The price on RCI for 2 weeks is $800 a person including tax and tips for an inside cabin. We'll let you know about the cruise after we come back.

[janetz]

Such an interesting and refreshing thread. We have cruised Carnival many times (well over 16) due to logistics, price etc. but did have the experience of one RCCL cruise which was wonderful. It was great to see on this board that people can realize that the RCCL cruise is a great experience as is the Carnival one. What I do resent is the Carnival cheerleaders here and especially on another Carnival blog who constantly call RCCL unsavory names and make fun of that line. It has destroyed the Carnival experience for us as ship bashing,no matter what line, should not occur the same being with this CC site. We are at the point where we can no longer cruise but I would welcome cruising on the many lines and enjoy them all without negatively mentioning them. You are all very lucky you can still cruise and enjoy many cruises a year.

 

 

You can pretty much bet the loudest cheerleaders have never sailed RC. :)

[halos]

I also just got off of Explorer, I have been mostly CCL with one other RCCL cruise were I didnt have a good experience. I decided to have an open mind when doing this girls cruise. The ship was fabulous no doubt about it. I did try the rock wall, saw the ice show (awesome), however many times we all said we were missing the fun. We made our own fun but I like to stay up late and it seemed we were closing bars down at 1am. The casino was about the only thing that stayed open. We of course enjoyed the cruise but I dont think for this point in my life I would like to go back. I wanted party I got sedate. I also found the food hit or miss. Which I guess I do on Carnival too just not as often. lol

 

May I ask did you go to Bermuda??? That was the one Royal Caribbean cruise I did, Explorer OTS to Bermuda. If that is the case, I think the reason that it wasn't as much a party atmosphere is more about the itinerary than the cruise line or the ship. An Alaska cruise would give you the same sedate crowd. If you want younger passengers and nightlife you have to stick with the Caribbean.

 

As for the food, I found the food on the Explorer to be WELL at the bottom of my list of 16 cruises. I was not impressed. The ship however, was the most gorgeous I have ever been on (a close second being the NCL Spirit)

[yj2cute]

May I ask did you go to Bermuda??? That was the one Royal Caribbean cruise I did, Explorer OTS to Bermuda. If that is the case, I think the reason that it wasn't as much a party atmosphere is more about the itinerary than the cruise line or the ship. An Alaska cruise would give you the same sedate crowd. If you want younger passengers and nightlife you have to stick with the Caribbean.

 

As for the food, I found the food on the Explorer to be WELL at the bottom of my list of 16 cruises. I was not impressed. The ship however, was the most gorgeous I have ever been on (a close second being the NCL Spirit)

 

I was on this same sailing, and yes, it was a Bermuda sailing. I have to say that the more "sedate" crowd is one of the things I actually prefer about RCCL. While I do like a fun atmosphere, I like to keep it classy as well. I like to party, but without being rowdy. I will agree with you that the food on the Explorer previously, and on RCCL in general had declined considerably. I had been complaining about it for my last several cruises. But this trip on the EX was a great improvement. I had no complaints and enjoyed everything. Maybe they've listened to the many complaints.

[halos]

I was on this same sailing, and yes, it was a Bermuda sailing. I have to say that the more "sedate" crowd is one of the things I actually prefer about RCCL. While I do like a fun atmosphere, I like to keep it classy as well. I like to party, but without being rowdy. I will agree with you that the food on the Explorer previously, and on RCCL in general had declined considerably. I had been complaining about it for my last several cruises. But this trip on the EX was a great improvement. I had no complaints and enjoyed everything. Maybe they've listened to the many complaints.

 

I don't mind a sedate crowd either. So...are even the Caribbean cruises on RCI more 'sedate'??

As for food, I didn't starve by any means and lately (on 2 of my last 3 CCL cruises) the food was not as good as it used to be so the difference between the food on the two lines was far less drastic.

I think my biggest issue with RCI was the horrid crowding in the atrium area when they had something going on. It was like Times Square on NY Eve....total claustrophobia for me.

My favorite thing about the cruise was again, the ship. I thought it was magnificent...Unfortunately the one thing about the ship that made it spectacular (all those windows and sea views!!!), also caused the ship to be extremely HOT. We never felt cool anywhere on that ship. We figured it was due to it having so many windows and the sun beating in all day. On formal night, the guys could not sit through dinner with their jackets on...they were sweating like crazy. Our cabin stayed a decent temperature however....we had an interior for that cruise. It worked out well for that reason.

 

I would definitely sail Royal again...I'd sail any line. I like all of them, each for different reasons.

[gelo7]

Glad that you enjoyed your cruise.

[AmberTeka]

We have cruised with Carnival 8 times. We are booked on the Freedom for Feb.2012.

 

We have cruised with Princess 2 times and are booked on Princess for Dec. 2011.

 

We have sailed on HAL three times.Not booked right now..but will in the future.

 

We have sailed on NCL...three times...and are looking at a cruise on The Sun right now.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity once. Food was awful. Activies made you not care that the food was so bad. They were awesome. Ditto the Activities Staff.AND the free cookies and pastries in the Cova Cafe. The coffee is pricey..but Those cookes are made in cookie heaven. And all kinds of them..filled cookies...choc.chip..cherry topped..fruitcake cookies.............yum. AND I think they serve them on the Pool Deck too.

 

MY FAVORITE? Princess. So laid back. Not wild and unruly..People still take formal night seriously...but the vibes...are so relaxing...NO Photographers crawling all over the place...food is good..TRivia...Three..four games a day...LOVE IT. Ships..quiet..pleasing. a walk in closet...drawers out the kazoo. Just totally love it. Nice staff. Nice passengers.children on board well behaved.

 

CARNIVAL...LOVE IT. We only sail the big ships...when school is IN SEssion..NOT on Holidays...Never in the summer. BEST FOOD. Biggest Cabin. People are enjoying their vacations..and that vibe spreads. Loved the Trivia..before our last cruise on The Dream.Super Trivia..what a mess. You could answer all of the questions..but if you did not throw the dice right..lose. Mindless. Not trivia. A game..yes..NotTrivia. We booked our first Princess Cruise as soon as we got off the Dream. Have not gone back..until the Panama Canal Trip on the Freedom in june.

 

Would like to try RCCI. What in the world do they have to justify such high rates? When I can get a better deal on HAL..CARNIVAL..PRINCESS NCL...why change?

[letscruisegd]

I love the review! I'm always amazed at the "Carnival people" and the "RCCL people" battling over which is the best! I appreciate an honest, open minded review. I was wondering how the food was in the MDR. In addition, could you comment on the other shows?

The lobster was a little salty for my taste but other than that, I was quite pleased with each item I ordered. I can post a little food porn later. We went to the welcome aboard show and the bon voyage show. If I'm remembering correctly there was a comedian on the welcome aboard show. He was okay to me. A few of his jokes were pretty funny but overall he was just okay. The singers were pretty good but the singer in the bon voyage show could stand to sing more updated songs. The ballroom dancers were very good. They performed on the bon voyage show. That's about all I remember concerning the shows.

 

We just returned from the Carnival Dream (this morning :D) and I'm pleased to say that we had a wonderful time. I will write a more detailed review later, but I have to say that I DON'T believe that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are more alike than not.

 

Having sailed back to back on these two lines' respective largest and newest class of ships, I believe that each one shines for very different reasons and offerings. The ships, activities, decoration, food offerings and overall feel are FAR from being alike.

Based on my experience on the Explorer I felt they were more alike. I'm sure if I decide to cruise the Allure or Oasis my experience will be quite different. As I stated intially, the obvious difference is the ship itself but other than that, there were many similarities on my sailing.

 

Glo, so glad you had a good cruise, and thanks for the comparative review! We will probably try RCCL at some point, but for now we're enjoying the value of Carnival and are still able to go to new ports. After a while we will have to change it up, I imagine. Now that I have a few minutes, I am finally going to go look at your pics in the link you emailed me! Miss you...hope we get to sail again together soon...twice was not enough!;):)

Hi Linny...I enjoy the value of Carnival as well. I couldn't pass up the "girls" cruise this time though. I'm glad I decided to try RCCL. We absolutely must said together again. Maybe we need a Saints & Sinners reunion cruise. :p

[Danacat222]

Great review! My first cruise was RCCL Sovereign of the Seas, ended up going on that ship again and even did a back to back on it. That was some years ago and I just had my first Carnival cruise experience. I had a good time on my Carnival cruise but enjoyed the food and service that I remembered on RCCL. That being said, who knows what has changed with RCCL since back then and would I equally enjoy another RCCL cruise as much as I did back when. The spice of life is variety and so hopefully I will have an opportunity to experience both cruise lines again. I'd certainly love to visit Coco Cay again!!!

 

Edited to add that I loved the shopping on RCCL too, every day was like a new fun shopping experience, I did not like the shopping on Carnival at all.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

In my experience I think RCCL is a notch above Carnival.

But I still enjoy Carnival.

[letscruisegd]

That is the way I felt when we took our RCL cruise. What did you think of the dinning room service. I thought Royal was superb in this area, much better than Carnival.

The dining room service was great. The bar service in the dining room however left much to be desired. A few times our assistant waiter ended up locating our bar server for us. The waiter & assistant waiter were very attentive and they offered recommendations each night. We never had to ask for water and on the nights I wanted lemonade, I received it promptly and I didn't have to request a refill. Our servers took very good care of us.

 

Thank you for this review. We will be sailing on the Explorer in February. Have not sailed RCCL since 1994 when we sailed on the Song of America and did not like anything about it. Are there any tips or things that should not be missed on the Explorer? Also, how do the drink prices compare to Carnival? Thanks

I purchased only a few drinks and they were a little over $7. Each of the drinks I ordered were frozen drinks. A BBC, Coco Loco and a Miami Vice. They were all very good. I must say the Miami Vice was much stronger than what I've had on Carnival. I read that RCCL water down their drinks but the drinks I had were nowhere near watered down.

 

The ice show is not to be missed as well as quest. Quest was hilarious. The things people will do in public amazed me.:eek: If you plan to watch any of the parades I would suggest getting there early. We got seats in front of the pub about 30 minutes before the parades started. We ordered drinks and people watched until time for the parade.

 

If you decided to go to the ice show wear pants and a jacket. It was really cold in there. The quest show was in the ice skating rink and although the ice was covered, it was still quite cold.

 

I was on this same sailing, and yes, it was a Bermuda sailing. I have to say that the more "sedate" crowd is one of the things I actually prefer about RCCL. While I do like a fun atmosphere, I like to keep it classy as well. I like to party, but without being rowdy. I will agree with you that the food on the Explorer previously, and on RCCL in general had declined considerably. I had been complaining about it for my last several cruises. But this trip on the EX was a great improvement. I had no complaints and enjoyed everything. Maybe they've listened to the many complaints.

Hi roomie. As laid back as I am I the sedate crowd was good for me. Although it was a sedate crowd I still felt it was a fun atmosphere. Since this was my 1st RCCL cruise, I don't have anything to compare the food to but the food on this cruise was great.

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

OK, I understand that RCCL is higher priced than NCL, CCL etc. However, having not sailed on RCCL since 1994, we are going on the 10 days Explorer from NY during winter break, and hoping we have a better experience this time around. In the past, when we sailed or flown during this week, the prices were out of control. When we priced the Explorer, and got the price we did, I thought they made a mistake. The price is dirt cheap for when the kids are out of school. Did they make a mistake and not realise that it's winter break in NY? Just asking. Airfaire alone during that week anywhere was well over $500 for each of us! When we booked our cruise on the Explorer an inside was going for $999.00. So what's up???

[letscruisegd]

Lido breakfast

 

Room service breakfast

 

Food art

 

Lido lunch

 

Lido lunch

 

Lido dinner

[letscruisegd]

 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to take a pic of the lobster before the server took it out of the shell

[letscruisegd]

 

 

View from balcony

 

View of structure from balcony

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to take a pic of the lobster before the server took it out of the shell

 

OK, so that all looks like every cruiseline I've been on. Good to know thanks!

[ardnassac79]

... but next time i'll spend my $2700 on a 7 day cruise with a suite on carnival and not a regular (cheapest rate) balcony room on rcl. just my opinion

 

Nail head: hit it.

 

Granted I haven't sailed on any line other than Carnival (or any ship yet other than the Pride) but until we hit platinum, we have no desire to "try" another line if we are spending our own money. A vacation is what you make it, and the extra $1000 or so just isn't worth it in my opinion!

[yj2cute]

Nail head: hit it.

 

Granted I haven't sailed on any line other than Carnival (or any ship yet other than the Pride) but until we hit platinum, we have no desire to "try" another line if we are spending our own money. A vacation is what you make it, and the extra $1000 or so just isn't worth it in my opinion!

 

That is your opinion, but you could be missing something really great by not venturing out and adding a little variety to your travels. To each his own, but I would find that boring. I, too, was happy with Carnival until I tried something new.

 

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

[PROCRUISE]

Thanks so much for the level-headed, open minded integrity in your review. As you can see, we have branched out of just cruising with CCL also but remain loyal. Each cruise line has had more in common than we expected, and we've enjoyed every cruise. Must admit, we really do like Celebrity, but we're also looking forward to being aboard The Breeze. :)

[kentuckyluckyguy]

After five Carnival Cruises, I must say I am very satisfied. But, at some point, I'd like to "upscale" a bit to just see what it's like. Princess is my first choice. The thing is, I know what I am getting with Carnival....and it's sort of double edged because if I like another line...will I be spoiled?

 

The one thing that really attracts me to Princess, Celebrity and those types of lines is the "attention to details" that I hear so much about. I really want to try one.

 

My GF and I are VERY laid back so I think we'd be good...I just wonder if I'd find myself "comparing" while on-board and wishing I'd done something diferent or if I'd be like "WOW..this is where I shoulda been all along".....

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Nail head: hit it.

 

Granted I haven't sailed on any line other than Carnival (or any ship yet other than the Pride) but until we hit platinum, we have no desire to "try" another line if we are spending our own money. A vacation is what you make it, and the extra $1000 or so just isn't worth it in my opinion!

 

Maybe it's me, but I don't understand the mentalithy of "hitting platinum" on any cruise line???? We sail for the sailing experience, and not for what we can get from being in a certain status? Have tried all major cruise lines and each delivers something different. For us it's not about the line, but about the ship we fall in love with. Could care less whether we are platinum or any other kind of perk given by a cruise line. If I want to be spoiled, I book a suite on a cruise ship. Would never want to limit myself by staying with a particular cruiseline just to bet "free laundry"!

[Kokomo_Man]

If any one is interested, I posted a daily "Live From the Flowrider of The Seas" series a couple of months ago. It was my first time on RCL (Freedom of the seas) and I tried to compare the "Flowrider of the Seas" experience to the Carnival experience.

 

Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1443650

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

[kentuckyluckyguy]

That is your opinion, but you could be missing something really great by not venturing out and adding a little variety to your travels. To each his own, but I would find that boring. I, too, was happy with Carnival until I tried something new.

 

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Your post inspires me!!!!! I am where you were NOW. And being lazy, what did you try that was different that you liked? I really want to try Princess (always have).....but would be open to Celebrity or RCCL too....I'm thinking I'd probably like it better but have that "what if I don't like it as much" mentality?