One cruise on Allure or TWO on Carnival's newest ship?

[Beth C]

I'm glad this topic has been discussed as i'm currently trying to justify spending $$$ on Allure this fall... I've already done Oasis & Allure and will be back on Oasis next month so yes I think they're amazing ships and amazing experiences. Having done Liberty of the Seas in Jan/Feb I realized how well they have the crowd control managed on the big girls! The day of the $10 sale on Liberty it was literally impossible to walk the promenade!!

 

I had been debating trying out a Carnival ship (mainly because a B2B on Liberty and a week on Oasis has eaten up every penny of the vacation funds and then some!) and bring 3 cruise newbies on board with us too... the more I read the more i'll have to sell them on the benefits of paying a premium price for Allure because from what i'm reading I definitely won't be happy on Carnival :(

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I'm glad this topic has been discussed as i'm currently trying to justify spending $$$ on Allure this fall... I've already done Oasis & Allure and will be back on Oasis next month so yes I think they're amazing ships and amazing experiences. Having done Liberty of the Seas in Jan/Feb I realized how well they have the crowd control managed on the big girls! The day of the $10 sale on Liberty it was literally impossible to walk the promenade!!

 

I had been debating trying out a Carnival ship (mainly because a B2B on Liberty and a week on Oasis has eaten up every penny of the vacation funds and then some!) and bring 3 cruise newbies on board with us too... the more I read the more i'll have to sell them on the benefits of paying a premium price for Allure because from what i'm reading I definitely won't be happy on Carnival :(

 

I personally like Carnival so don't automatically assume you definitely won't like it. That being said, Royal Caribbean is in business for a reason and lots of people are willing to pay more for their product and most of them wouldn't be seen on a Carnival ship. Many people that cut down Carnival admit they have never been on a CCL ship or were on one 10 years ago - things have changed. Those that say they have been on both are excluded from that comment since they have experienced them personally. It also highly depends on the ship. I love the Carnival Spirit class ships and think they are nice. But none of the Carnival ships have a mall inside or a skating rink or a bowling alley so they are similar yet quite different at the same time. We haven't had a bad cruise yet and that includes NCL too. Carnival has better karaoke and I like karaoke. There ya go.

[morganboys]

the allure would be great but 2 weeks on a new carnival ship for the same price would be a no brainer. b2b!

[sail2sea]

Dream is my favorite Carnival class so I will probably take 2 weeks on Dream. I am willing to pay a premium for Allure but not at 200%. 150% maybe? :p

 

But I am curious which week you are looking at that Allure is twice as expensive? Would you consider Oasis? Oasis prices seem to be a bit less than Allure even though they are basically the same.

[kneught77]

We were in 7323. Nice cabin with plenty of natural light. If you get close to the glass and look to the right, you can see part of the Aqua Theater (although you can't really see the performances) and a very partial view of the ocean. Not a bad option, but next time I would pick a regular ocean view. The cabin was in the most part VERY quiet, BUT keep in mind that these cabins are right above Rita's Cantina. Twice during the week they host Rita's Fiesta with a live DJ so it gets loud for a couple of hours.

 

Here are some pictures:

 

 

 

Thank you so much! Exactly what I was looking for.... I'm sharing a balcony room just a few steps away from that room... and my sisters got that room. When we originally saw the booking we thought it was a balcony room but realised soon after it was not.

 

Nonetheless, the room will suffice and I cannot wait until we get on this ship! :D

 

Much appreciated!

[gilboman]

I could not disagree with your opinion any more, and I'm certain the vast majority of cruising public who have actually sailed Oasis Class and any Carnival ship would also disagree with your post.

 

Oasis Class has contracted Broadway entertainment and offers other shows not available on any other cruise ship (Studio B and Aqua Theater). Furthermore, Oasis Class offers dining options, room categories, public venues, and physical activites that do not exist on any other cruise line.

 

And as far as the Disney wannabe comment, I have 5 cruises on Disney, including the new Dream. Oasis Class looks nothing like Disney ships.

 

Personally, as someone who has not only extensively cruised RCI and CCL, but as someone who has been on well over 100 cruises, I was blown away by Oasis. No, it is not just like any other ship. To say a zipline is the only thing making it vastly different is not only laughable, but ridiculous.

 

 

I guess you are right. Vast majority of cruising public on RCI and CCL are pretty poorly traveled or very limited. So they are limited by their experiences. I've had the fortune or misfortune of travelling a lot so I see right through the gimmicks and most definitely do not automatically equate bigger/more with better. A buffet or many ginormous buffet is not automatically better than a small bistro in an Art Deco area.

 

As for entertainment, contracting out is for marketing, the shows were of lower caliber than any on land production. Contracting out is to use a name for marketing, much like wolfgang puck whores his name out to any airport kiosk that will pay and he stuffs the fridge with some "artsan" sandwiches:rolleyes: ... But you get to call it gourmet and attach Wolfgang Puck's name!

 

My last show was Potted Potter and it was the most amateur show I've seen with lowest production budget, but it was light years beyond anything I've seen on any cruise, RCI/Allure or any other. Tell me when RCI manages to get Christopher Plummer to narrate Henry V with Orchestral version on board or gets Russel Peters or Seinfeld as headliner.

 

I guess this is not a knock on RCI as much as there's really nothing special at all about RCI's Allure class ships in shows or food to me. But for someone who's never been or rarely goes to any on land production RCI must seem great.

 

Allure is like a Grade 8 talent show, Best of Carnival is Grade 6. yes RCI is better, but its more same than different.

 

 

 

I did say that the Steakhouse on Carnival is indeed great (the Steakhouse on the Carnival Liberty and the Dream were far superior than anything I had on the Allure), so I do give credit where credit is due.

 

However, the majority of the "multiple options" that you refer to on Carnival are all clumped together. The Tandoori Grill, Deli, and Mongolian Wok are just stations in ONE venue. So you may be getting some Mongolian buffet but you'll be sitting in the same (overcrowded) table section with people eating Tandoori or from the Main Buffet.

 

Not quite the same experience as actually going to a completely different venue for each dining experience aboard the Allure...

 

Different places, same quality of food. Yes options, but it's not any better. More of mediocore is still mediocore. You can't have more mediocore and have it become good. I will concede there's more options on Allure, but that's not a positive in anyway to me. Quality is what matters to me, that's why RCI is more same than different than CCL to me. The downsides of getting past 20's, I start to care about quality and not just quantity lol

 

I have been on the Carnival Dream and on both RCI's Oasis Class ships. There is no comparison at all. In fact the difference is so great, I really have a hard time believing a certain someone in this thread was actually on the Allure. Either that or their perception of things is so radically different than most people, in which case, why do they cruise? :confused: Nevertheless, in answer to your question, like the last person said, I would take 1 week on Allure over 2 weeks on any CCL ship.

 

Do not compare prices between Allure and CCL. The ships aren't comparable, therefore neither are the prices. The difference in price really is the difference in what you get.

 

The big pro about the oasis class is crowd management, which is true. But how does that affect me?? Great, they manage 6000 people like if it w as 3000. But how is it any better?

 

I cruise because its cheap and requires minimal planning and I like being in the middle of the Ocean. I don't for a second think I'm actually travelling while on a cruise, you just can't. The food and shows on the economy lines like RCI and CCL do not impress me at all. Going on a cruise on RCI or CCL to me is like going to Denny's or IHOP, they're fine, but would I pay 2x more for IHOP over denny's or vice versa? They're both more same than different. Food items maybe different, but quality/service is not. But if quality/service is not a consideration and size is and if for some reason you care and it makes you have a better vacation knowing there's 5,999 other people with you but you don't notice it. Then Oasis Class is for you.

[Tapi]

Vast majority of cruising public on RCI and CCL are pretty poorly traveled or very limited. So they are limited by their experiences. I've had the fortune or misfortune of travelling a lot so I see right through the gimmicks and most definitely do not automatically equate bigger/more with better.

 

Hmmm, I'm wondering why I was wowed by Allure then:rolleyes:. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively since I was a child (and no, I'm not talking about taking vacations to Myrtle Beach or multiple cheapie Bahamas cruises).

 

I've had the chance to visit places from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to the Christ of Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, to the Opera House in Sydney. I've watched world class performances in London as well as countless Award Winning performances in New York. When I dine in a new city, I look for local, highly rated restaurants and venues.

 

In fact, I believe that having such an exposure to a higher level of travel is what gave me such an appreciation for what the Allure of the Seas has to offer. There are details and offerings on that ship that the "average" cruiser might not notice, but someone with a more discerning taste will most likely pick up immediately.

 

One of the things that I picked upon from day one aboard the Allure was the clientele. It definitely did not consist of "poorly or very limited" travelers. In fact, It was a wonderful experience to spend a week with so many people from all over the world. The Cruise Compass was available in Portuguese, Spanish, English, German, and Italian. In addition, there was a huge presence of Japanese guests. Everybody was very polite, well mannered, friendly and mindful of the other guests onboard the ship, a good indication that our fellow passengers were not of the "poorly traveled" kind.

 

As mentioned before, I don't care much for zip lines, rock walls, or flow riders, yet I found the Allure to be a wonderful experience.

[SpeedGeek]

Hmmm, I'm wondering why I was wowed by Allure then:rolleyes:. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively since I was a child (and no, I'm not talking about taking vacations to Myrtle Beach or multiple cheapie Bahamas cruises).

 

I've had the chance to visit places from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to the Christ of Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, to the Opera House in Sydney. I've watched world class performances in London as well as countless Award Winning performances in New York. When I dine in a new city, I look for local, highly rated restaurants and venues.

 

In fact, I believe that having such an exposure to a higher level of travel is what gave me such an appreciation for what the Allure of the Seas has to offer. There are details and offerings on that ship that the "average" cruiser might not notice, but someone with a more discerning taste will most likely pick up immediately.

 

One of the things that I picked upon from day one aboard the Allure was the clientele. It definitely did not consist of "poorly or very limited" travelers. In fact, It was a wonderful experience to spend a week with so many people from all over the world. The Cruise Compass was available in Portuguese, Spanish, English, German, and Italian. In addition, there was a huge presence of Japanese guests. Everybody was very polite, well mannered, friendly and mindful of the other guests onboard the ship, a good indication that our fellow passengers were not of the "poorly traveled" kind.

 

As mentioned before, I don't care much for zip lines, rock walls, or flow riders, yet I found the Allure to be a wonderful experience.

 

I wouldn't even bother responding to him anymore. His opinion is so far into the minority that he's resorting to trying to insult anyone who disagrees with him because of their supposed lack of world travels. :rolleyes:

[DonOtt]

My wife and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary next year and have decided on a B2B on the Allure as a suitable way to celebrate. When I started reading through this post, I started questioning our decision so I checked with our TA. She told me to stick with RCI because Carnival is "The McDonald's of the Cruise Lines". She went on to further say that they normally only offer it to first time cruisers.....

 

Not sure if she made my decision for me but after reading this and adding in her comments, I think I'm leaning to the Allure side of things...

[Crusing Nut]

I have sailed the Oasis, Celebrity Silhouette and several Carnival ships. I sailed on the Oasis during a Halloween period. While the ship is beautiful and large, I won't be sailing that class of ship again. The ship felt very crowded during the parades, we had booked all of our shows prior to sailing but still they managed to get them screwed up. The food was ok but the Wind Jammer was small and a certain nationality made the experience unpleasant to say the least. There are plenty of different dining venues but only a handful are included in the price of the cruise so be careful. While Johnny Rockets (mostly) was included, if you ate after 4 (I believe) you were charged full price for hamburger and fries. You defiantly will spend more on the Oasis class of ships than Carnival.

 

The shows were good. To be truthful, I probably will not be sailing any of Carnivals larger ships either. If I had a choice between one cruise and a b2b... I would choose the b2b. But if the price was right, I would sail the Silhouette again. Great ship, great service, good food.

[CruiserChloe]

Hmmm, I'm wondering why I was wowed by Allure then:rolleyes:. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively since I was a child (and no, I'm not talking about taking vacations to Myrtle Beach or multiple cheapie Bahamas cruises).

 

I really have to agree with you. I've been all over the World and to the point he was making about the shows, I frequent the theater. I've even been to several New York Broadway shows and frankly I always found them uncomfortable because I have yet to be in a Broadway theater that allows a little bit of elbow room between people. I love good entertainment and frankly, most cruise ship shows do bore me, especially the singers/dancers routines. But I was impressed by Hairspray, Chicago, and Liberty's Saturday Night Fever. And even the other shows, like Blue Planet and the Aqua Theater shows were excellent, in my opinion.

 

But his opinion of cruising is not that of most people on these boards, and for those who actually do love cruises and all they have to offer, they will love Allure.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

My wife and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary next year and have decided on a B2B on the Allure as a suitable way to celebrate. When I started reading through this post, I started questioning our decision so I checked with our TA. She told me to stick with RCI because Carnival is "The McDonald's of the Cruise Lines". She went on to further say that they normally only offer it to first time cruisers.....

 

Not sure if she made my decision for me but after reading this and adding in her comments, I think I'm leaning to the Allure side of things...

 

Carnival is often referred to as the Walmart of cruising too but when I need a crockpot, why would I buy it Dillards for twice the price? I associate Carnival with value. Get the most bang for your buck and I'm certainly not rich. Same reason I use Priceline to book hotels. Why pay more?

 

I had a TA that also cut down Carnival left & right & she told me that once I cruise on RCI, I won't want to go back to CCL. I found a new TA because if you see my cruise history, I tried RCI and I still like Carnival due to the value. I totally get that RCI has elegant ships. No doubt about that fact. What I do like about RCI is the entertainment. No Carnival ship will give me an ice show or the water show. I am really looking forward to seeing these shows on my Allure cruise. I'm not into the musicals and dancing/singing stuff and I don't climb rock walls or surf to use the flowrider, but I do look forward to some of the other stuff on the Allure. By all the comments here and all the reviews I've read, I gotta say it sounds like RCI does a much better job of handling the crowds that CCL and I admit CCL really doesn't do a good job at that.

[whitshel]

I guess i'm not seeing the huge price differance. Im not sure where January came from in this post but I looked at January sailings, took the 1st 2 sailings on both the Breeze and the Allure (Breeze alternates 6-8 day routes) since the op mentioned 2 weeks at the price as 1 week on the Allure or Oasis. Findings;

 

These are standard rates for 2 people(including taxes), cheapest Ocean view balcony(Not counting Central park, Boardwalk or Cove Balconies)

 

Week of Jan 5th Breeze -$1738 Allure-$2595

Week of Jan 13th Breeze- $3101 Allure-$2983

 

2 week Total-Breeze $4839 Allure $5578 $700 difference. again not seeing twice the price, only 350 per week:eek:.

 

I know people will say that Carnival offers their early saver, non refundable fare. Not really comparing apples to apples but I did it any way.

 

Breeze for those same 2 weeks =$4244

Allure for those same 2 weeks =$5578

 

$1300 difference again no where near twice the price. And your out $500 if you need to cancel.

 

This is obviously just these 2 weeks, maybe op was looking at the summer, maybe for 4 people, I dont know but its not looking like 2 cruises for the price of one.:D

[DonOtt]

Carnival is often referred to as the Walmart of cruising too but when I need a crockpot, why would I buy it Dillards for twice the price? I associate Carnival with value. Get the most bang for your buck and I'm certainly not rich. Same reason I use Priceline to book hotels. Why pay more?

 

I had a TA that also cut down Carnival left & right & she told me that once I cruise on RCI, I won't want to go back to CCL. I found a new TA because if you see my cruise history, I tried RCI and I still like Carnival due to the value. I totally get that RCI has elegant ships. No doubt about that fact. What I do like about RCI is the entertainment. No Carnival ship will give me an ice show or the water show. I am really looking forward to seeing these shows on my Allure cruise. I'm not into the musicals and dancing/singing stuff and I don't climb rock walls or surf to use the flowrider, but I do look forward to some of the other stuff on the Allure. By all the comments here and all the reviews I've read, I gotta say it sounds like RCI does a much better job of handling the crowds that CCL and I admit CCL really doesn't do a good job at that.

 

Hey Lisa....good points. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise which took place on the Allure. At the time we wondered how the heck we were ever going to top it. Similar to cruising, our first 'real' vacation was to a Sandals resort (and then another 2 years after). We wondered the same thing with the resorts. We did take a vacation to another resort in Punta Cana and found we constantly compared it to the Sandals resorts but....in time we got over it and just enjoyed ourselves.

 

I can't say if we will flip over to a CCL cruise or not but I do know that I will take a TA's (biased) opinion with just a little salt please..... :p

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Hey Lisa....good points. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise which took place on the Allure. At the time we wondered how the heck we were ever going to top it. Similar to cruising, our first 'real' vacation was to a Sandals resort (and then another 2 years after). We wondered the same thing with the resorts. We did take a vacation to another resort in Punta Cana and found we constantly compared it to the Sandals resorts but....in time we got over it and just enjoyed ourselves.

 

I can't say if we will flip over to a CCL cruise or not but I do know that I will take a TA's (biased) opinion with just a little salt please..... :p

 

No need to flip Don and I'm certainly not trying to convince people to not cruise RCI. I'm doing it. :) I'm just personally having a hard time with the big cost difference. My particular cruise will cost me an extra $1,000 for the 2 of us on the Allure vs same itinerary same timeframe and cabin type as the Dream. No question the Allure outshines the Dream. I'm not disputing that. But $1,000 is a lot of money to me which is why I usually end up going with CCL in the end. If it wasn't for my friends going on the Allure, I wouldn't have booked it. I'm still wondering how the heck I'm going to pay for it though.:D

[SpeedGeek]

No need to flip Don and I'm certainly not trying to convince people to not cruise RCI. I'm doing it. :) I'm just personally having a hard time with the big cost difference. My particular cruise will cost me an extra $1,000 for the 2 of us on the Allure vs same itinerary same timeframe and cabin type as the Dream. No question the Allure outshines the Dream. I'm not disputing that. But $1,000 is a lot of money to me which is why I usually end up going with CCL in the end. If it wasn't for my friends going on the Allure, I wouldn't have booked it. I'm still wondering how the heck I'm going to pay for it though.:D

 

The cost difference disappears when you compare the Dream to a ship like the Freedom, which is the more accurate comparison for that class of ship. I've looked at CCL more than a few times, and while the initial prices look good, you get nickel and dimed to get a room you want. Don't want to be on deck 2? 90$. Don't want to be aft? 50$. :eek: In the end the prices were roughly equal between the two, and once I add in my Crown and Anchor perks, there's a slight edge to RCI. For a first time cruiser or someone who doesn't really have a preference for where to stay on ship, CCL might be a great option because they do seem to have good prices if you'll compromise, but for me, RCI ends up with just as good or better pricing for the rooms I'm looking for. :D

 

I still would love to go on the Allure or Oasis, but not until the prices drop a little bit or they do a different itinerary than what I would get on the Freedom.

[smiles998]

I didn't see that anyone had mention this, so forgive me if it's being repeated... If you are booking at Carnival's "Early Saver Rate" you will not be able to cancel or make any changes to your reservation without paying a fairly large penalty. It is my understanding that your deposite is no refundable if you cancel. It will however, be applied to a future cruise but only if you cruise within a year.

Just thought you should know... :)

[jcg4550]

This is a no win! Some people just love RCL and others love Carnival. It just depends on what you want to spend on a cruise vacation and how many days (weeeks) that you have available to travel. That said, the Oasis and the Allure are to be experienced at least once and I do not foresee the prices dropping any time soon. The ships are packed every sailing.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I didn't see that anyone had mention this, so forgive me if it's being repeated... If you are booking at Carnival's "Early Saver Rate" you will not be able to cancel or make any changes to your reservation without paying a fairly large penalty. It is my understanding that your deposite is no refundable if you cancel. It will however, be applied to a future cruise but only if you cruise within a year.

Just thought you should know... :)

 

I personally would never book early saver so my comparisons are strickly using past guest rates if they are offered or standard pricing where I pick my room. I don't like guarantees either. Many people love the early saver rates but its too strict to me. No changes. I want to be able to make a change if necessary up to final payment. I think the one year comment isn't accurate either. I believe its 2 years. But I still wouldn't do it myself because there are no name changes at all or cabin changes etc without a penalty. Too risky especially if someone should get sick & unable to travel or worse yet, die. No changes. Absurd stupid thing they started. That is the reason most TA's don't like Carnival. It isn't because they have a bad product. It is that it causes extra work and less commission for the agent.

 

To me, I don't like having to pay to eat. RCI & NCL have too many "upsell" choices so to me, that is nickel & diming. I have to factor that into the cost of the cruise too. Its nice people have that option but I don't have to pay for a decent hamburger on CCL.

[Cruising89143]

 

To me, I don't like having to pay to eat. RCI & NCL have too many "upsell" choices so to me, that is nickel & diming. I have to factor that into the cost of the cruise too. Its nice people have that option but I don't have to pay for a decent hamburger on CCL.

 

That is not nickle and diming. It's called more options. You have plenty of places to dine on both RCI and NCL that is included in your cruise fare. Those comments are nothing more than grasping for straws.:rolleyes:

 

I also don't remember Carnival's burgers being all that great. At times I was able to get a fresh one and other times one was already plated and handed to me by the cook. By the way, Carnival's so called new Sunshine ship will be adding three specialty resturants when it returns to service. Carnival has finally woke up and realized that there are people out there who will pay for this.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

That is not nickle and diming. It's called more options. You have plenty of places to dine on both RCI and NCL that is included in your cruise fare. Those comments are nothing more than grasping for straws.:rolleyes:

 

I also don't remember Carnival's burgers being all that great. At times I was able to get a fresh one and other times one was already plated and handed to me by the cook. By the way, Carnival's so called new Sunshine ship will be adding three specialty resturants when it returns to service. Carnival has finally woke up and realized that there are people out there who will pay for this.

 

Yes but if you notice, they are not for a fee or upsell option. They are all "free" options. You won't have to pay for decent burger on CCL. Thats a fact. I've never had a bad burger on CCL. Of course, thats my opinion and food is very subjective. Thats why there are Burger Kings, McDonalds, Wendy's, & In & Out Burger. Not everyone likes McDonalds etc. I have had a bad burger on RCI and the one that was good I had to pay extra to get so that isn't grasping at straws.

[Cruising89143]

My wife and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary next year and have decided on a B2B on the Allure as a suitable way to celebrate. When I started reading through this post, I started questioning our decision so I checked with our TA. She told me to stick with RCI because Carnival is "The McDonald's of the Cruise Lines". She went on to further say that they normally only offer it to first time cruisers.....

 

Not sure if she made my decision for me but after reading this and adding in her comments, I think I'm leaning to the Allure side of things...

 

We did a B2B last year on the Allure and it was by far one of my best cruises. You need two weeks to really enjoy this ship while still being able to relax. I would not call Carnival the McDonalds of cruise lines, but IMHO they fall short in many areas compared to my experiences on the other cruise lines including RCI. They are more suited for the first time cruiser and those who are value seekers.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cruising89143]

Yes but if you notice, they are not for a fee or upsell option. They are all "free" options. You won't have to pay for decent burger on CCL. Thats a fact. I've never had a bad burger on CCL. Of course, thats my opinion and food is very subjective. Thats why there are Burger Kings, McDonalds, Wendy's, & In & Out Burger. Not everyone likes McDonalds etc. I have had a bad burger on RCI and the one that was good I had to pay extra to get so that isn't grasping at straws.

 

I suggest doing some homework or reading the article in the below link. Carnival now charges for their steakhouse and Italian specialty dining for dinner. They will be adding those two specialty restaurants plus an Asian restaurant that will carry a surcharge for dinner.

 

http://www.cruise-community.com/News/News-Headlines/Carnival-Destiny-set-for-$155m-refit-renaming.html

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[time4u2go]

However, the majority of the "multiple options" that you refer to on Carnival are all clumped together. The Tandoori Grill, Deli, and Mongolian Wok are just stations in ONE venue. So you may be getting some Mongolian buffet but you'll be sitting in the same (overcrowded) table section with people eating Tandoori or from the Main Buffet.

 

Actually that worked to our benefit! With that arrangement, everyone in our group was able to get whatever type of food they wanted, and we were still able to easily sit together!

[hubofhockey]

Would you rather stay two weeks at a Holiday Inn Express or one week at a Hyatt Resort?

 

We did a 9-day (7 really nice ports) Med cruise on the new Carnival Magic. We had a family of four in a spa balcony cabin for less that $5K total. So that one was about the ports and not the ship. I wouldn't go on ANY Carnival cruise for the ship. If this is about the ports, go with Carnival. I wouldn't book the Allure for the ports in any case. So, the question is what are you expecting to get out of this cruise?

 

We priced out two cabins (oceanview balcony and inside) on the Allure and Carnival Breeze for the same week in April 2013. The prices for the four of us were higher on the Allure by $100 per person. We were going to book the Allure in any case, but just wanted to check price comparisons for reasonability and we think the Allure is a bargain and Carnival seems high priced for what you get.