I've now been on Carnival and RCI....

[mrpayroll]

I remember my first RCCL cruise, pen and paper in hand, ready to trash RCCL and show CCL cruisers what a mistake I made.

 

I ended up with my tail between my legs, cause I found that RCCL had the superior product. Most things were close, but RCCL won hands down, starting with their magnificent ships.

 

I've cruised on both, also, and for me, Royal Caribbean is the better of the two in many ways.

 

Our feelings exactly.....(We still cruise both)...Dream in November 2013 and Freedom of Seas in January 2014

[RyanDMB99@aol.com]

Elation is actually a newer ship than the Rhapsody of the Seas. IMHO the problem that Carnival has with the Joe Farcus-Late 90's decor is that it doesn't "age" as well. What may have looked "cool and funky" then, probably will start looking outdated and run down 14 years later.

 

Royal's decor, while somewhat bland and repetitive, is also more elegant and timeless, which makes their older ships not look as outdated.

 

Ive only seen pictures of Rccl decor but I will be the first to admit the Farcus 'vegas at sea' does get old. Im loving the direction Carnival is going in with the Breeze and newer ships.

 

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[sprint180]

I was on the elation in 2011. I didn't have a problem with the shower curtain. The shower was huge compared to the sapphire princess. Now that curtain stuck!

the décor I thought was a bit odd and worn in some places. Had a blast though, really want to do it again

[restlessmysteries]

I'm loving this thread and everyone's open-minds to this topic. Thank you for that! I really feel much better knowing that all these Royal lovers still enjoy Carnival as well. Usually it's the endless negative comments and arguments that aren't much help.

My biggest concern is actually the quality of food on Carnival, as I've heard many negative things in the last few years.

 

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[TwinPrincessMermaids]

The food is good. The service to get it is not. :(

 

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[Gopher1934]

We have been on both as well and do give the edge to RC in terms of shows, food and ship decor. Royal Caribbean has increased their prices significantly lately making them more comparable pricewise to celebrity and i dont think they are in celebritys league. If I had the money I would definitely pick celebrity.

 

I will not sail RC again until their prices come down. I will sail carnival if I have a certain budget to stick with. They are a good value in terms of what you're getting. I think RC should price themselves where they belong which is in between carnival and celebrity.

 

They are all good just in different ways.

 

I agree with all of your points !!! good job

But I still will sail with RC again

[Midwestgal]

Haven't sailed CCL in a few years, but have sailed the biggest/best from RCCL....Allure of the Seas.

 

But, before that, I had sailed RCCL's Liberty of the Seas, and Carnival's Conquest and Liberty. I consider those ships to be pretty similar regarding food, service and the ships overall. I truly enjoyed both. I think both products, while different, were very good. If pressed to pick one ove the other, I considered Carnival to have better food, both in the MDR and their respective buffets. Had balcony cabins on both, probably give a slight edge to Carnival for their balcony cabin, too.

 

Both lines put out great products, they're just a bit different from each other. I tend to discount all the "the cruise was perfect...I'll never sail another cruise line again....I'm a frequent customer and value the perks (which really mean nothing to me)" crowd. I'll also discount the...."I'll never sail (pick a cruise line) again because I was a)bored, b)insulted, c) starved to death or d) I didn't have my own personal elevator just for me" crowd.

 

Personally, I have no problem in sailing any of the lines. I like NCL, CCL, RCCL equally.

 

I'll have another assessment when I return from CCL's newest/best, the Breeze, vs RCCL's Allure.

 

I do think a lot of judgements regardin Carnival is based on heresay and some of their unfortunate accidents, and the surrounding bad press they've had recently.

 

To me, that should motivate them to put out a better product, and it sounds like they did some of that with their new ships and the 2.0 initiative.

 

Either way, I'm looking forward to it and will report back in a couple of weeks.

I think its going to be hard to beat Allure from what I hear but Breeze is a nice ship. I don't think there are any ships out there that can be compared to the Oasis class ships, they are truly one of a kind.

 

Have a great time on Breeze!:)

[patrice1]

Many years ago we sailed RCL on the Nordic Empress twice - no longer even part of the line. We sailed X's Century once and NCL's Wind once (were booked on the Norway before she blew up in Miami). Only under financial duress did we book a CCL cruise. We decided to try it, as our finances had dramatically changed. We were totally amazed at how little difference there was from the RCL cruises and how much it met our vacation needs. So, now, we book with price in mind and we have grown to love the kind of cruise we get from CCL - the piano bar, the food, the ability to buy liquor for the cabin, the comedy (we don't go to shows), the younger crowds, and the other amenities we are familiar with - which helps us budget & plan our cruise. We did not care for snobby X (our opinion) or pricey RCL. We would do NCL again if the price was right, but we seem to have found our "go to" cruise line. It meets our needs and that's what counts!:D

[Tapi]

I tend to discount all the..."I'm a frequent customer and value the perks (which really mean nothing to me)" crowd.

 

IMHO, its easier to discount the "perks" on Carnival than on Royal. I'm Platinum on both and the differences are like night and day (and Platinum on Royal is not even one of the top tiers).

 

What's the most worthwhile things that I got on my last Carnival Platinum cruise? Priority embarkation and some bags of free laundry. :o

 

What's the most worthwhile thing that I'm getting on my next Royal cruise? In addition to Priority embarkation, I'm also getting a REAL discount. Between Crown & Anchor Society Savings Certificates and Royal Rewards, I'm reducing the cost of my next cruise from $2,500 to $460. Now THAT's one perk that's hard to discount! :D

[Sargent_Schultz]

IMHO, its easier to discount the "perks" on Carnival than on Royal. I'm Platinum on both and the differences are like night and day (and Platinum on Royal is not even one of the top tiers).

 

What's the most worthwhile things that I got on my last Carnival Platinum cruise? Priority embarkation and some bags of free laundry. :o

 

What's the most worthwhile thing that I'm getting on my next Royal cruise? In addition to Priority embarkation, I'm also getting a REAL discount. Between Crown & Anchor Society Savings Certificates and Royal Rewards, I'm reducing the cost of my next cruise from $2,500 to $460. Now THAT's one perk that's hard to discount! :D

 

All that really means is that RCCL is overpriced to begin with.

 

In any event, there is no free lunch. Someone is paying for those benefits, and those people will figure out that Carnival is the better value. :D

[Tapi]

All that really means is that RCCL is overpriced to begin with :D

 

Whatever rocks your boat, no pun intended.

 

Basically, I'm getting 2 oceanview connecting cabins for about $28 a day (taxes included) smack in the middle of the summer. You can call it whatever you want, but for me, that's a deal!

[kazbar]

Fairly sure Carnival has had a big re-think re. Farcus' decor.

 

Bearable on some ships, but at its worst on Splendor

judging from the pics I've seen of the interior fittings in public spaces.

 

Hopefully, as each dry dock happens,

they'll be tearing out the old and re-installing something kinder to the eye.

 

.

 

 

Splendor looks far worse in pics than it does in real life :)

[gritsnc]

OMG. You all don't mean that the shower curtain blows in and sticks to your body, do you? That freaks me out and makes me feel so disgusting!

 

I wonder if I could clip clothes pins to each edge of the curtain and then duck tape it to the wall. :cool:

[Oppalopa]

You are getting a great deal Tapi

[tandemcruzr]

Just don't bring it to the wall, and it goes NOWHERE! Leave a half to an inch from the curtain to the wall.

 

We bring a couple of 'chip clips' and attach them to the bottom of the shower curtain. It then stays in place. :)

[RyanDMB99@aol.com]

Would it really cost much (in the grand scheme) to "re-color" carnivals interiors during scheduled dry-docks? Perhaps more blues and greens like spa colors?

 

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[wnc]

DW and I have many cruises on both lines. In our humble opinions we give the edge to CCL in the dining room food and to RCL in the buffet. I have noticed a big improvement in CCL desserts over the years. We love both lines and have always had a great time on both. We are taking Carnival in October. Can't wait!!!

[crosscruiser]

I have just booked my 1st cruise so I cannot comment from experience on either cruise line but.... during my extensive research of both lines prior to booking I got the feeling that RCL differentiates quite a bit between "SUITE" guests and other passengers while at CCL it is more subtle. I didn't want to spend my money on a vacation and feel like I was 2nd class because I didn't pony-up for a suite (I did book an upgraded cabin on CCL) but I don't think CCL will rope-me-off from the "1st Class" passengers :D

I hope I'm right.

[Sargent_Schultz]

I have just booked my 1st cruise so I cannot comment from experience on either cruise line but.... during my extensive research of both lines prior to booking I got the feeling that RCL differentiates quite a bit between "SUITE" guests and other passengers while at CCL it is more subtle. I didn't want to spend my money on a vacation and feel like I was 2nd class because I didn't pony-up for a suite (I did book an upgraded cabin on CCL) but I don't think CCL will rope-me-off from the "1st Class" passengers :D

I hope I'm right.

 

You are correct. Carnival is not an elitist cruise line.

[Royalty X]

You are correct. Carnival is not an elitist cruise line.

Actually, they are...and your "Diamond" VIFP insignia in your signature proves it.

At any rate, I have only experienced one of Carnival's ships and one of RCI's and I rate RCI's product a lot higher than Carnival's. The RCI cruise cost me less and it was superior in every way and my experience with Carnival was enough to convince me not to sail with them again. The Carnival food was average, the entertainment (if it can be called that because there was so little of it) was laughable and the décor of the ship was nauseating. Sorry Carnival, but I'll be sailing with RCI and Celebrity from now on.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Actually, they are...and your "Diamond" VIFP insignia in your signature proves it.

At any rate, I have only experienced one of Carnival's ships and one of RCI's and I rate RCI's product a lot higher than Carnival's. The RCI cruise cost me less and it was superior in every way and my experience with Carnival was enough to convince me not to sail with them again. The Carnival food was average, the entertainment (if it can be called that because there was so little of it) was laughable and the décor of the ship was nauseating. Sorry Carnival, but I'll be sailing with RCI and Celebrity from now on.

 

Enjoy!

[restlessmysteries]

DW and I have many cruises on both lines. In our humble opinions we give the edge to CCL in the dining room food and to RCL in the buffet. I have noticed a big improvement in CCL desserts over the years. We love both lines and have always had a great time on both. We are taking Carnival in October. Can't wait!!!

 

Thank you so much for this food review! As I've said, I'm very worried about the quality...but this gives me hope! Have a great cruise! :)

 

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[wantocruisemore]

I've been on Carnival and RCCL and had no complaints about either. Food was really good on both and the ships had similar activities. There are little subtle differences but not enough to make me say I like one more than the other.

 

For me it comes down to which line has the best price for the time and locations I want.:)

[MargieWY]

I didn't want to spend my money on a vacation and feel like I was 2nd class because I didn't pony-up for a suite (I did book an upgraded cabin on CCL) but I don't think CCL will rope-me-off from the "1st Class" passengers :D

I hope I'm right.

 

You may want to look at a cruise line that doesn't have suites, balconies or oceanviews. Just inside cabins so that everybody is "the same".

 

You may also want to look at a cruise line that doesn't provide private access to those who pay extra for a spa pass or a spa stateroom..

 

You may also want to look at a cruise line that doesn't provide any type of perks for their frequent cruisers that differentiate them from first time cruisers.

 

You may also want to look at a cruise line with no specialty "for a fee" restaurants. You don't want someone who spends more money to be eating better than you.

 

Carnival's suite perks may be limited, but that doesn't mean that they treat everybody the same. The more you spend, the more they'll reward you, one way or another.

[Robkatcruisers]

My DH and I have sailed both. RC Mariner of the Seas was our first cruise. The ship was still relatively new and you just don't forget your first cruise. We had a room that had the window to the promenade. My husband swears to this day there was more to do on the RC ship. We are not partiers, drinkers or gamblers. I think that may have something to do with it.

 

That first cruise was a gift from my dad. We would love to go again but the price for RC is something we cannot afford so if we go cruising once every other or every 4 years or so then it will have to be Carnival.