Would you consider Royal Caribbean a lot nicer than Carnival?

[time4u2go]

What exactly are they there to prevent? They won't get you back to port. It's disappointing that they weren't more aggressive retrofitting their ships.

They are there to prevent losing "life support" power (for lack of a better term). Things like A/C, lighting, plumbing, cooking ability. They are not there to propel the ship back to port.

Edited July 15, 2014 by time4u2go

[stsnfes]

This question is always funny to me. These stereotypes kill me.

 

We are not low rent folks, and we enjoy Carnival. I have seen plenty of less they stellar behaved folks on Royal, sloppy obnoxious, robe wearing folks at the buffet. Imagine that. Rude people exist everywhere! Some of the most wealthy people I know have what I think are strange and gaudy decors in their homes. They love them.. so what!

 

We are not stuffy 70 year olds, and we enjoy Royal. I have seen some stuffy old folks on Carnival who were miserable about everything. I have food that wasn't good on Carnival..yes including the precious pizza and chocolate melting cake.

 

We are giving NCL a spin next year as well. One trip on the one of their newest, the Breakaway and one trip on their smallest, The Spirit.

 

It is all about preferences and personal opinion. What I think is good, you may hate. That is why there are lots of options. We sailed Allure and honestly we didn't love it, we enjoyed our time together, but wouldn't sail her again.

 

Sailed the Explorer, absolutely one of my favorite trips. Sailed the Magic, had a great time, but not our favorite - but I would jump at a chance to go on the Glory again.

 

I guess that makes me wishy washy and confused! I say go for yourself, see what you like and have fun living your life!

Edited July 15, 2014 by stsnfes

[John&LaLa]

This question is always funny to me. These stereotypes kill me.

 

We are not low rent folks, and we enjoy Carnival. I have seen plenty of less they stellar behaved folks on Royal, sloppy obnoxious, robe wearing folks at the buffet. Imagine that. Rude people exist everywhere! Some of the most wealthy people I know have what I think are strange and gaudy decors in their homes. They love them.. so what!

 

We are not stuffy 70 year olds, and we enjoy Royal. I have seen some stuffy old folks on Carnival who were miserable about everything. I have food that wasn't good on Carnival..yes including the precious pizza and chocolate melting cake.

 

We are giving NCL a spin next year as well. One trip on the one of their newest, the Breakaway and one trip on their smallest, The Spirit.

 

It is all about preferences and personal opinion. What I think is good, you may hate. That is why there are lots of options. We sailed Allure and honestly we didn't love it, we enjoyed our time together, but wouldn't sail her again.

 

Sailed the Explorer, absolutely one of my favorite trips. Sailed the Magic, had a great time, but not our favorite - but I would jump at a chance to go on the Glory again.

 

I guess that makes me wishy washy and confused! I say go for yourself, see what you like and have fun living your life!

 

I miss being wishy washy and confused.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

[Yurita]

Traumatized? Seriously? 14 Carnival cruises; the only ship where the decor was really kind of crazy is the pink zebra circles on Splendor.

 

Enjoyed Oasis and have Jewel and Allure booked. Not because we love Royal now or dislike Carnival, just something different.

 

All cruises and ships have their pluses and minuses but I really am disgusted by the people that say, "never been on Carnival but I heard.........." There are drunks, unruly kids, door slamming and misses on menus on every ship. Try them for yourself, with an open mind if you can (doubtful), then make an informed, intelligent decision.

 

YES, Traumatized... after spending my youth with an interior modern designer & architect, YES, traumatized is the appropriate word. IT IS MY PERSONAL OPINION, AS you are also entitled to yours.... and who am I to criticize it?

[Ladysilver]

We tried Carnival once and didn't care for it at all. :p

[Videophile]

Our first cruise was on Carnival. We liked 90% of it and hated 10%. I called a TA and explained what we didn't like (the guy vomiting on the deck, the people staggering drunk, the garish decor) and what we did like (the food, entertainment, great service). He said and I quote "then you should try Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian or Celebrity. I think one of those will be a better fit."

 

We've been on three cruises since then (RCI X 2, Princess, and have NCL booked). When I chat with others I often explain that we're just starting out and ask which lines they like and dislike. So far about half of the people have said that they don't like Carnival. That's the only line that people have mentioned that they won't cruise on. (If you're interested, the line most people have said was their favorite was Celebrity.)

 

I'm not saying that I won't sail on Carnival again, I would. I don't think one trip is representative of an entire line. It is a data point however, and you can't just throw it out because there's only one.

[krisko]

I'm a longtime RCI cruiser and just got off my second 4 day Carnival.

 

The ships on Royal are much more impressive and better designed. We were in the same port as Enchantment which is Royal's 4 day boat and it's so much nicer looking than the boat we were on. The food is also better, not much better but better. Especially the buffet, not normally a fan of buffets in general but won't walk into the Carnival buffet again.

 

The rooms on Carnival are MUCH bigger with nicer showers. That's a noticeable difference and could sway many to pick carnival over RCI. Other than that everything was quite similar, entertainment, service, shopping, etc.

[darlacat]

...a lot of you guys speak of better layout on RCI - what do you mean by that?

 

We were on the Carnival Liberty which is a very popular ship - and we didn't like how getting from one end to the other was not so easy - up and down stairs to this elevator and then off and then up a flight and then another elevator etc. etc. Frustrating! Can I expect a more streamlined design on the Adventure of the Seas? Is this what you mean by layout? I hope so.

[BND]

Our first cruise was on Carnival. We liked 90% of it and hated 10%. I called a TA and explained what we didn't like (the guy vomiting on the deck, the people staggering drunk, the garish decor) and what we did like (the food, entertainment, great service). He said and I quote "then you should try Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian or Celebrity. I think one of those will be a better fit."

 

We've been on three cruises since then (RCI X 2, Princess, and have NCL booked). When I chat with others I often explain that we're just starting out and ask which lines they like and dislike. So far about half of the people have said that they don't like Carnival. That's the only line that people have mentioned that they won't cruise on. (If you're interested, the line most people have said was their favorite was Celebrity.)

 

I'm not saying that I won't sail on Carnival again, I would. I don't think one trip is representative of an entire line. It is a data point however, and you can't just throw it out because there's only one.

 

Funny thing, the only person I've ever seen throwing up from being drunk on a cruise was on our very first RCI cruise, yet we returned. We had never seen that on any previous cruise (all but one on Carnival). People who get drunk cruise on every line. We've met well to do people on all three lines we've cruise on and we've also met people who have saved for years to take one cruise because they just don't have the disposable income that we do, also on all three.

[matt87]

i've been on 3 ccl cruises nad have yet to see all the "drunks" walking about the ship. i like both lines for different reasons but prefer ccl for value. rci you pay for all the "gimmicks" on their huge ships. i also like the food better on ccl. we went on the ossis of the seas recently and you want to see an overworked wait staff and man that mdr food was terrible. also ccl is changing thier ship decor to be more contemporary along the lines of other main cruise lines and not like a vegas nightmare. so in summary, ccl for value and rci for huge ships with more gimmicks.

[KuffMUp]

...a lot of you guys speak of better layout on RCI - what do you mean by that?

 

We were on the Carnival Liberty which is a very popular ship - and we didn't like how getting from one end to the other was not so easy - up and down stairs to this elevator and then off and then up a flight and then another elevator etc. etc. Frustrating! Can I expect a more streamlined design on the Adventure of the Seas? Is this what you mean by layout? I hope so.

 

I can only speak of two Carnival ships I have been on - the Valor and Pride. The Pride had a decent layout. We would spend time in the lobby bar before dinner then walk back to the dining hall. The galley was under the restaurant and they brought things up escalators. Next, the Valor. Ughhhhh :mad:. The first portion of the main dining is right behind the lobby bar. Then the galley. You get stuck anywhere but the forward dining room (only 1/3 of the seating) you must go up to the next floor, traverse through the cigar lounge then either stay on that floor or go down one level. We were on the lower level. So dinner is done. You all are now waiting in a narrow hallway to either wait for elevators or try to push your way forward to hike the stairs (ok, more like, "excuse me, pardon me, excuse me, pardon me") while trying to get out.

 

And the ships are definitely garish. Although I think the newer ones after getting rid of their designer look to be pleasing to the eye.

 

Did I hate my Carnival cruises? No. Did I love them? No. We decided to try Royal and like the product. In mass market, there is a little something out there for everyone. Not everyone loves Royal. Hey that's OK. Doesn't suit them. Good luck. Give it a try. If you don't like it, there are loads of other ships out there awaiting passengers.

[mareed]

...a lot of you guys speak of better layout on RCI - what do you mean by that?

 

We were on the Carnival Liberty which is a very popular ship - and we didn't like how getting from one end to the other was not so easy - up and down stairs to this elevator and then off and then up a flight and then another elevator etc. etc. Frustrating! Can I expect a more streamlined design on the Adventure of the Seas? Is this what you mean by layout? I hope so.

 

Count me in the group that does consider RC nicer than Carnival. And the reason you mentioned about wacky layout on Carnival is just one of many.

 

My cruise experience is fairly recent since late 2012. Have cruised 6 times with Disney (loved it and will return as much as possible), once on Carnival Triumph and once on RC Navigator. I currently have 2 future Disney cruises and 3 future RC reservations so it's obvious which cruise lines are a good fit for us! I also recognize that Carnival is a better fit for others and I'm glad that there are many choices.

 

Carnival Triumph had no outside deck for strolling around the ship other than the top deck with pools that we generally avoid on all cruise lines. We disliked the garish Vegas decor on Carnival and did not enjoy the night-time entertainment options which were either nightclubs (half of which allowed smoking inside so were completely ruled out for us) or the comedy club that was so foul and un-funny since the comedian had nothing to go off of except totally rude, crude language. Somewhat similar to RC's announcement at the beginning of their adult comedy evening show to make it clear that children don't belong - but Carnival crossed the line with the announcer and rest of guest shouting out that if you don't like it you can get the F* out. I'll admit we only saw 2 comedians on the Carnival cruise and one lady was OK and could do adult humor without totally crossing the line, and she could also be funny for Carnival's version of "family-friendly". Their other male comedian totally bombed at the "family-friendly" show and was actually checking his watch to see how long he'd been up there because he just had absolutely nothing to offer!

 

Would I cruise Carnival again? Perhaps for a long weekend if the price was right for a quick getaway where the main purpose was spending the time with those I was cruising with. I'd absolutely require a balcony cabin to have my own private space and since they're not going to allow smoking out there, it won't have the be the front cabin on the ship which is where I was before in an attempt to avoid the balcony smoke. :) No way would I take any children with me on a Carnival cruise based on my experience.

Edited July 15, 2014 by mareed
fix typo

[A2Mich]

Not sure what "nicer" means but we perfer Royal. Our most recent cruise was on the Carnival Legend. The food and shows were very good; the decor appalling. I can't imagine who came up with the heavy, dark, Greek/Medieval theme for that ship.

 

 

That would have been Joe Farcus.......

[A2Mich]

i've been on 3 ccl cruises nad have yet to see all the "drunks" walking about the ship.

 

 

Take a 4 day summer cruise to Cozumel - can't miss them.:D

[vacation_junkie]

Funny thing, the only person I've ever seen throwing up from being drunk on a cruise was on our very first RCI cruise, yet we returned. We had never seen that on any previous cruise (all but one on Carnival). People who get drunk cruise on every line. We've met well to do people on all three lines we've cruise on and we've also met people who have saved for years to take one cruise because they just don't have the disposable income that we do, also on all three.

 

Exactly..people get drunk on every line!!!

 

The most intoxicated person I've seen on a cruise yet was on Disney Cruise Lines. She was a treat. Almost fell in the pool..crawled back to her lounger and passed out!

[gordiej]

Exactly..people get drunk on every line!!!

 

The most intoxicated person I've seen on a cruise yet was on Disney Cruise Lines. She was a treat. Almost fell in the pool..crawled back to her lounger and passed out!

The most drunk person I've seen on a cruise was this lady who passed out face-down on the ice at the Martini Bar on the Celebrity Constellation. :eek: She was quite a piece of work the entire 5-day cruise.

[Big_G]

...a lot of you guys speak of better layout on RCI - what do you mean by that?

 

We were on the Carnival Liberty which is a very popular ship - and we didn't like how getting from one end to the other was not so easy - up and down stairs to this elevator and then off and then up a flight and then another elevator etc. etc. Frustrating! Can I expect a more streamlined design on the Adventure of the Seas? Is this what you mean by layout? I hope so.

 

Yes. Adventure has the Royal Promenade which you can practically walk from one end of the ship to the other. Much better flow.

[Big_G]

Funny thing, the only person I've ever seen throwing up from being drunk on a cruise was on our very first RCI cruise, yet we returned. We had never seen that on any previous cruise (all but one on Carnival). People who get drunk cruise on every line. We've met well to do people on all three lines we've cruise on and we've also met people who have saved for years to take one cruise because they just don't have the disposable income that we do, also on all three.

 

I must not be paying attention because I've never seen anyone that drunk on any ship including Carnival. I'm sure it happens but I think those claims of multiple sitings on one ship may be a little exaggerated.

[matt87]

sorry dont do 4 day cruises lol! to short, more like a tease.

[Captain Jake]

 

 

 

 

 

heck NO

Edited July 16, 2014 by Captain Jake

[Irie]

I have 22 carnival cruises and 10 or so RCA. I see virtually no difference between the two. I have thoroughly enjoyed both.

 

Allure and Oasis on RCL are unique, though pricey, experiences.

 

Only problem with both lines is they make you get off at the end of the week.

[Linsifer]

I've been on Carnival, Princess, NCL (once) and RCI (once and another one booked.) So far, my overall best experience has been with Princess. A lot of that has to do with the food. Their late night and daytime buffets are so much better. I also loved afternoon tea. And the burger cafe on the main pool deck. The Mariner of the Seas was fun, though. Just a lot of inside activities. A floating mall. I'm looking forward to the Brilliance and having more contact ( through glass) with the sea. I've only been on smaller and older Carnival ships. But their dining room food was very good. My favorite pools are on Princess! LOVE their freshwater pools and design.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Linsifer

[trixiegal]

I've been on Carnival, Princess, NCL (once) and RCI (once and another one booked.) So far, my overall best experience has been with Princess. A lot of that has to do with the food. Their late night and daytime buffets are so much better. I also loved afternoon tea. And the burger cafe on the main pool deck. The Mariner of the Seas was fun, though. Just a lot of inside activities. A floating mall. I'm looking forward to the Brilliance and having more contact ( through glass) with the sea. I've only been on smaller and older Carnival ships. But their dining room food was very good. My favorite pools are on Princess! LOVE their freshwater pools and design.

 

 

Trying Princess for the first time in September. Really looking forward to it! It is a Carnival Corp brand and I've been impressed with the value for $$$. If we like it, I'll book the Med on on one of the newer Princess ships, Royal or Regal.

 

Back to topic, I'm unusual in that my first and early cruises were with RCCL and Disney but I was wowed when I switched to Carnival. Disney has best service but didn't like their food, RCCL have huge ships but I felt overlooked by rude and pretentious staff bc they're overcrowded. Carnival was fun for us because of laid-back and family-friendly atmosphere with awesome port stops. Dream and Breeze never felt too crowded and staff greets you by name after first day. Food is pretty good with lots of choices and my teens were impressed with activities and clubs. I'm not a loyalist so I plan on trying any line that interests me if $ is right. Will not overpay like I feel I did on RCCL.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[krisko]

...a lot of you guys speak of better layout on RCI - what do you mean by that?

 

We were on the Carnival Liberty which is a very popular ship - and we didn't like how getting from one end to the other was not so easy - up and down stairs to this elevator and then off and then up a flight and then another elevator etc. etc. Frustrating! Can I expect a more streamlined design on the Adventure of the Seas? Is this what you mean by layout? I hope so.

 

That's exactly what I mean. The Carnival's I've been on are older ships, but I've been on Monarch too (RCI's oldest boat). I can always get around on RCI, I seem to have to double back at least once a day on the carnival boats I've been on.

[tidygirl]

I must not be paying attention because I've never seen anyone that drunk on any ship including Carnival. I'm sure it happens but I think those claims of multiple sitings on one ship may be a little exaggerated.

 

DH and I were on a RCI cruise in April and 2 different evenings while trying to enjoy the jacuzzis had drunk peoplein them (we were not looking for them) the one lady fell getting out of the jacuzzi and proceeded to fall between loungers her husband wasn't in much better shape not sure how they got to their cabin! The other evening a lady was so drunk fell asleep in the jacuzzi! Her friends couldn't get her out so we got her out and laid her on a lounge chair!

We have seen drunk people on CCL and RCI