RCCL vs Carnival

[babyblue78]

Only RCCL ship that I was willing to pay more than CCL was Allure/Oasis, we wanted to experience that class of ship. DH and I sailed on Allure last year and had a great cruise, and glad we did it. So I think that if you were talking about Allure/Oasis for $1000 more I would go for it, but Navigator.... nope. Not for me, maybe $500 tops.

 

I found the service to be more polished on RCCL, but more fun/friendly on Carnival. Love the comedy clubs on Carnival, and the deck parties. Enjoyed the Quest on Royal. Missed the ice cream machines on Royal. Was blown away by the ship itself (Allure), but MDR was disappointing at best (enjoyed specialties, but of course that is the point... for you to go to the for-pay venues). So, it is a toss-up for me. To me the two lines are so similar but with different pros/cons, I wouldn't spend much more for RCCL.

 

I think for a real step up, would need to jump up to Princess or Celebrity. Royal and Carnival are basically the same product in a different package.

[aubreyc1988]

RCI vs CCL

 

Food - From my experience, CCL is better - but this can vary per ship - the "Free" food I got from the Allure was not that good - but the "Free" food I got on an older RCI ship, the Independence was THE BEST food I have ever had on a cruise. RCI desserts are not very good. So CCL wins here - but the food on RCI is still good, and I wouldn't consider it terrible

 

Entertainment - No one does it like RCI - I have been on older RCI ships and newer ones, all the entertainment is top notch, very very good. I go to every show and I am WOWed - the newer ships especially - I LOVE that they have an iceskating rink and do iceskating shows - I personally LOVE to watch professional ice skaters and this is so cool. The Diving Show on the Allure is amazing, saw it 3x! As well as GREAT broadway shows like Chicago!

 

Room Size - CCL wins this one for smaller room categories, like interiors and oceanviews. I have done interiors, oceanviews, and suites on RCI - which are OK in size for us, but I think CCL have bigger ones

 

Decor - Ok, RCI without a doubt - they do some classy, timeless designs - even on their oldest ships. Carnival is very...colorful and very garish at times. Not a deal breaker for me, as long as there quality loungers and things to do!

 

Casino - I love the RCI casinos - I don't gamble much, but they are pretty good as far as variation in machines, layout, etc

 

Serenity vs Solarium - I like the loungers of Serenity better, but the Solarium Cantilevered hot tubs are amazing! I call this a wash

 

Overall, I feel like every cruise line has different plus and minuses - it just depends on what matters to you. For us, it's value. Sometimes you CAN get a great deal on RCI that is as good as CCL - I did a 6day on the RCI Independence for 300.00 pp Inside, I've done a CCL Triumph 7 day for 1,000 pp Inside. I've done a 400.00pp b2b 9day balcony on the CCL Ecstasy , but I've done a 1,200pp Junior Suite on the Allure. We bounce around a lot, like to try different things, and are pretty easy to please - Price/Perks/Value all kind of vary for me, depending on what I am interested in doing at the time.

 

I will say I tend to *prefer* RCI over CCL/NCL. But there are things I love about CCL and NCL that RCI does not do. So take what I say loosely.

 

:)

[aubreyc1988]

Only RCCL ship that I was willing to pay more than CCL was Allure/Oasis, we wanted to experience that class of ship. DH and I sailed on Allure last year and had a great cruise, and glad we did it. So I think that if you were talking about Allure/Oasis for $1000 more I would go for it, but Navigator.... nope. Not for me, maybe $500 tops.

 

I found the service to be more polished on RCCL, but more fun/friendly on Carnival. Love the comedy clubs on Carnival, and the deck parties. Enjoyed the Quest on Royal. Missed the ice cream machines on Royal. Was blown away by the ship itself (Allure), but MDR was disappointing at best (enjoyed specialties, but of course that is the point... for you to go to the for-pay venues). So, it is a toss-up for me. To me the two lines are so similar but with different pros/cons, I wouldn't spend much more for RCCL.

 

I think for a real step up, would need to jump up to Princess or Celebrity. Royal and Carnival are basically the same product in a different package.

 

glad I am not the only person who thought RCI Allure MDR was disappointing! We did the RCI Independence and were blown AWAY by the MDR, so don't let the Allure spoil RCI food for you! Maybe it's just because there is SO many people on the ship....

[arkjeweler]

I prefer RCL hands down and if I had the $1000 I would do it in a heartbeat. However I don't. Of course Elation is the only ship I've been on so maybe our next cruise on the Dream will change my mind.

[aubreyc1988]

I prefer RCL hands down and if I had the $1000 I would do it in a heartbeat. However I don't. Of course Elation is the only ship I've been on so maybe our next cruise on the Dream will change my mind.

 

I feel like Royal has gotten MORE expensive lately. Like outrageously so. They STILL want 600-800.00 pp for an INSIDE for the Oasis and Allure - now I KNOW these ships are great, but they are a couple years old, I was hoping prices would go down so I can enjoy them again. Guess not - I will NOT pay more than 300-400.00 pp for an inside now, call me a cheapskate, but if I am going to be a cave, I am not going to spend 600-800pp.

[Jay Sam]

I feel like Royal has gotten MORE expensive lately. Like outrageously so. They STILL want 600-800.00 pp for an INSIDE for the Oasis and Allure - now I KNOW these ships are great, but they are a couple years old, I was hoping prices would go down so I can enjoy them again. Guess not - I will NOT pay more than 300-400.00 pp for an inside now, call me a cheapskate, but if I am going to be a cave, I am not going to spend 600-800pp.

 

Same thoughts here, that Royal has gotten more expensive lately, yes outrageously so. Oasis is 5 years old and Allure a touch younger. Never have tried either of those ships, but am hoping to in the near future. Even western Caribbean itin's are not great prices. But with ships of that class, maybe not that outrageous. You're getting a lot of bang for your buck. For me though, all those bells and whistles are not a priority. I think I want to try this class just for the novelty. Even Brilliance of the Seas on 4/5 night cruises from Tampa seem high too.

[aubreyc1988]

Same thoughts here, that Royal has gotten more expensive lately, yes outrageously so. Oasis is 5 years old and Allure a touch younger. Never have tried either of those ships, but am hoping to in the near future. Even western Caribbean itin's are not great prices. But with ships of that class, maybe not that outrageous. You're getting a lot of bang for your buck. For me though, all those bells and whistles are not a priority. I think I want to try this class just for the novelty. Even Brilliance of the Seas on 4/5 night cruises from Tampa seem high too.

The allure is amazing, 7 days isn't enough time to do everything. Yet I still feel like they should be 500.00 max for an inside for a ship 5 years old. I won't be sailing oasis class again until they drop in price. Any cruise is a great cruise for me! I did a 7 day on the NCL jewel for 349pp with free drinks. And it was a blast!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1000 Is too much.I like RCL better, but maybe for 350.

 

 

I agree. I wouldn't pay more than $150 per person for a week. RCL has better entertainment, attractions, and nicer ships. Carnival has better food, comedy, and relaxed passengers.

[pe4all]

I wish I could take advantage of these 'sales', maybe one day. We can only sail over Christmas/NYE, spring break and summer(which we never do). So prices for us are high and Carnival always wins out in that department.

We are in the same "boat" as you. However, we did splurge on a Christmas cruise on Freedom of the Seas. For the incredibly inflated price we paid, we got off the ship saying "meh." Yes, the ship was pretty - loved the atrium and entertainment - but probably because we were Carnivaled out at that point, after so many CCL cruises in a row. Food was pretty bad in the dining rooms. Buffet was fine. Would we ever take another RCCL cruise again? Yes, if the price was right. But for $1,000 less I would take Carnival.

[CJHAN]

1000 Is too much.I like RCL better, but maybe for 350.

 

Thats what I was considering. Having never been on royal I would have been willing to pay more but not that much, after all when we board the ship I can look back and see the navigator and then again at ever port. true I will not see the inside but I will have an extra $1000 in my pocket to do as I please.:D

[CJHAN]

The other option is to change accommodation type or sail date, just to get to experience RCCL. This was not a decision maker in the OPs requirement however.

 

We considered this as well but DW is a Teacher so we are limited to when we can go. Given that, any other sailing that we where interested in was still way more expensive. We only get summertime and school breaks and they are always much higher.

[CJHAN]

I wish I could take advantage of these 'sales', maybe one day. We can only sail over Christmas/NYE, spring break and summer(which we never do). So prices for us are high and Carnival always wins out in that department.

 

Judging by your sail dates it must be a teacher or students in the family? that's our issue as well.

[CJHAN]

I agree. I wouldn't pay more than $150 per person for a week. RCL has better entertainment, attractions, and nicer ships. Carnival has better food, comedy, and relaxed passengers.

 

I seem to see a lot a bout RCCL passengers being a little uptight Is that really the case? I cruise to have fun not to be worried if I'm going to upset Mr stuffy-pants.

[nealstuber]

We've done both and prefer the Navigator. But we would never pay $1000 more for the same cruise at the same time. I think we paid 50pp more for Navigator vs Magic for Thanksgiving 2013 and Navigator was actually cheaper than Magic when we booked for Thanksgiving 2014. Have not checked prices of late, but there are more and more ships sailing out of Galveston and Texas. Prices are sure to drop. Might be worth looking at different dates to get the ship you want. But if you do go with Magic get the one really great cabin that Navigator does not have; a cove.

[aubreyc1988]

I seem to see a lot a bout RCCL passengers being a little uptight Is that really the case? I cruise to have fun not to be worried if I'm going to upset Mr stuffy-pants.

 

About RCI passengers being uptight - yes, Some CAN BE, but also some CAN BE on Carnival and NCL. And then there are people who are not uptight on RCI, CCL, NCL. I think it just depends. We had the wildest group of people we have ever seen on a cruise on NCL but the rest of the cruise was pretty normal.

 

 

Will you encounter people who say "UGH, those people wearing shorts in the MDR have ruined my supper" Perhaps, but you will also encounter people who way more relaxed

Edited April 1, 2015 by aubreyc1988

[Tapi]

I seem to see a lot a bout RCCL passengers being a little uptight Is that really the case? I cruise to have fun not to be worried if I'm going to upset Mr stuffy-pants.

 

 

I think that there's a bigger difference in people's heads than in reality. Just like Carnival cruisers are labeled by some Carnival haters as being trashier and lower class, the same applies to Royal where cruisers are labeled as being snobs and uptight. It's as if the people that come up with these labels need some validation for their choice in cruise lines by trashing the others. Maybe they have self esteem issues. Who knows.

 

What I've experienced is that on your typical Caribbean or Bahamas cruises, demographics are very similar between these two cruise lines.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Tapi

[LeisaH3067]

My wife and I where looking to book a cruise (The choice at this point is already made) Between the RC Navigator and Carnival Magic. They have the exact same Itinerary we looked at the same cabin type but the RCCL was $1000 more. My question is this. Is RCCL worth that extra money and why? I know this is going to be all about preference but Never having sailed on RC I would like to know and maybe give it a shot at some point.

 

 

I believe the Navigator is one of the older ships that was just dry docked and got some new features but even with those, I would not pay $1000 more to sail it. If the itineraries are the same, save the money and sail on the Magic. We have no loyalty to any cruise line. Service, food, amenities are all very subjective and two people's experience can be very different on the same sailings. Between the two cruise lines, the only place where we see the difference is in the entertainment. Food & service was no different. Keep looking for deals..they are out there. Our cruise on the Oasis was not much more than the Dream.

[aubreyc1988]

I believe the Navigator is one of the older ships that was just dry docked and got some new features but even with those, I would not pay $1000 more to sail it. If the itineraries are the same, save the money and sail on the Magic. We have no loyalty to any cruise line. Service, food, amenities are all very subjective and two people's experience can be very different on the same sailings. Between the two cruise lines, the only place where we see the difference is in the entertainment. Food & service was no different. Keep looking for deals..they are out there. Our cruise on the Oasis was not much more than the Dream.

 

For the most part, I have seen the Navigator get down to around 300-400.00 pp after final payment out of Galveston, so not bad. I haven't sailed yet, maybe one day. But yeah,1,000 more is crazy