Carnival vs RCL

[Northern Nickel]

We have only ever cruised on Royal Caribbean. Thought it was time to try out Carnival. For those who have cruised both, are they similar or will I be surprised by any differences good and bad.

[Computer Nerd]

We have only ever cruised on Royal Caribbean. Thought it was time to try out Carnival. For those who have cruised both, are they similar or will I be surprised by any differences good and bad.

 

have sailed both lines, and others, many times. find service and food to be better on carnival. carnival may be a smidge rowdier than rccl. carnival is usually cheaper.

[mom2oneXY]

We just went on our 1st Carnival this summer after 2 RCL and 1 Celebrity. We booked another Carnival for next summer. I didn't notice any huge differences, but I think this depends each person.

 

The production shows are better on RCL, but the comedians an small venue entertainment was better on Carnival. Carnival had more than enough space and things to offer on board for our family. I will say the bufett (particulatly breakfast) was much better on RCL. The dining room was the same.

 

Overall I think Carnival has a more laid back feeling, which we prefer. Plus Carnival's pricing will win us over. We booked an 8 night balcony for $600 less than a 7 night oceanview for the same week/similar ports next summer. That's a no brainer for us!

[sailingwithfriends]

I have sailed with both cruise lines. I feel they are more alike than different. The differences will be in the food and entertainment. I think Royal Caribbean has better professional entertainment. Carnival has better passenger participation events. I really like Carnival's food better. The taste and the choices. I also enjoy almost nightly entertainment of the waiters on Carnival. RCCL does have a farewell show put on by the waiters. I believe both ships are very clean. Carnival is usually a cheaper price. I hope you enjoy both cruise lines.

[susan1957]

My family and I had cruised on Carnival every year for 6 years when we thought we owed it to ourselves to cruise with Royal Caribbean. I have to add ...that we chose to do this only because Royal had a sale on a similar cruise we WERE going to book on Carnival....We REALLY looked forward to the cruise on Royal...had heard great reviews etc. Please understand....this is only my review from our sailing....After we boarded the ship, (Independence of the Seas)..we headed directly for lunch....went for a burger...can't mess up a burger, right? WRONG! It was without a doubt ..the driest overcooked burger I had ever had..couldn't even eat it....OK, no biggie...there's lots of other food....moving on....diningroom food was OK...Want a drink from the lido bar...get ready to WAIT...There was usually 8-10 people lined up with 1 bartender ....ridiculous. If we choose to eat our lunch at the tables on the lido deck...those dirty dishes sat there on the table for hours....EVERY employee walked around with their face hung to the ground...not a smile for a mile....not one of them wanted to be there....WE MADE OUR CRUISE FUN....but it certainly was not with help of the staff of Royal Caribbean....After our cruise ...people would say "ROYAL CARIBBEAN is NOT like that ...Really? But they are, or at least they were on the cruise we were on....so would I try them again...NO....I gave them a shot....didi not work for us....So GUESS who we went back to cruising with for the last 4 years...that's right....10 CARNIVAL CRUISES and 1 ROYAL CRUISE...Carnival food is good....price is good...but most of all, it's the staff...You CANNOT walk by a Carnival employee without seeing at least a smile, or a "Good Morning"...or How is your day going?...That's important to us....I know thousands of people cruise with Royal and love it....and that's great! This was just my experience...Have a great cruise with whoever you sail with.

[shibby sails]

If you don't pick a Carnival Fantasy class ship I think you will find Carnival much better in value.I am platinum on both lines but I find my carnival cruises to be more enjoyable for some reason. Probably the price.

[VASOXFANN]

have sailed both lines, and others, many times. find service and food to be better on carnival. carnival may be a smidge rowdier than rccl. carnival is usually cheaper.

 

Agreed. RC's ships tend to be more elegant, and Carnival's have loud decor.

 

Carnival passengers tend to be louder and more laid back. You'll have a good time no matter which you choose.

[Tapi]

Platinum on both as well. How different these two cruise lines are will truly be in the eyes of the beholder. Personally I consider that there are many and very noticeable differences between these two cruise lines (some in favor of Royal and some in favor of Carnival), but based on comments and reviews that I read here, I know that what I consider noticeable differences go unnoticed by many other cruisers.

 

The opinions can vary wildly, even for people who are married to each other. In my case, I consider Royal to be a few notches above Carnival (mostly in the decor, professional entertainment, past guest program, food selection, and children's program departments) but I'm very happy sailing on Carnival even with the things that I don't like about them. But my wife would rather have her eyeballs pulled out with a fork than (to use her own words) waste money on another Carnival cruise (and yes, she's been on several).

 

So the best piece of advice that I can give you is that you try it and decide for yourself whether Carnival is for you. Worst case scenario if you don't like it is that you don't sail on them again.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Tapi

[nednrom]

We have only ever cruised on Royal Caribbean. Thought it was time to try out Carnival. For those who have cruised both, are they similar or will I be surprised by any differences good and bad.

 

We have started to cruise with Carnival for the different ports/itineraries and have found Carnival Service to be much better. Every crew member that we've encountered has been cheerful and friendly. Unless you're going on the Vista, dont expect the bells, whistles or broadway caliber shows but the comedy club is great. I would say the food is about the same although the buffet doesnt have as many options. The adult pool area is really wonderful and we liked Carnival enough to go on our third one, this time on the Vista. We dont travel with kids so I cant comment on their children's program.

[ekajun1957]

Having sailed both and one other line I can say we like Carnival and a good part of that is we catch them out of New Orleans which is a 25 minute drive from our house and the price. It is an amazingly cheap vacation with no expense getting to port, no parking, we usually have daughter or someone drop us, and search out a good cheap sailing.

BUT Carnival also gets the nod for few reasons, we love the staff every time we have gone, and this includes the other cruise lines, but the added interaction with the dining room staff with the entertainment nights is something my wife just loves. Comedy Club on Carnival is great for us, always had very good comedians. And that's something we only ever get to enjoy when we cruise.

[mbrownferrier]

Similar experiences on both. Enjoy the flow riders on RC but Carnival has been great for everything else. Most of the time CCL's prices can't be beat.

 

 

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[dacsmom]

I go back and forth between lines and I find them to be more alike than different. RCI pricing has gotten a bit high for me right now so I am back to Carnival for a while. If you have the chance to book an Oasis class ship, that is a great experience that is unique to RCI. I like the entertainment on RCI and the food better on Carnival. Each ship is different, but I find the staff friendly on both lines.

[BenjiRodney]

Try it at least once, I've tried RCL 3 times, prefer CCL getting ready for cruise 15 16 17 on Carnival, like the staff, service and price better on Carnival.

 

 

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[AmberTeka]

We are just off the Freedom of the Seas. I had promised to write a review comparing the two. I have certainly wondered a lot. But something happened in the casino that totally made me not like R.C.I and I don't think I can give a fair review. ( On R.C.I. in the casino, your card is not your casino bank. You put cash in and get a ticket out. Not being used to that, I did not cash out, had my card, and then when casino reopened I went up to same slot machine. Someone else had withdrawn the money and cashed out. They said the tickets had numbers and they could see who traced it. But they did not. And it was not their mistake. It was mine. I stupidly left $80 in the machine, did not cash out and get the ticket. But you cannot help how you feel, and I did not like R.C. I. after that.

 

So Honestly..the few things that are not subjective.

Service......RCI by far. MDR. Cabin........could not ask for more. Never waiting. Cabin set tidy as soon as left.

 

Food.........Carnival by far. I lost four pounds on a cruise. And that was with eating bacon every day. ( that was good. and unlimited)

 

Activities.........Carnival by Far. Trivia was General Knowledge or so they said. It turned out to be stupid questions that no one could answer and unlikable hosts would crow about "fooling" people. Trivia was in Schooners Bar. Held about 30 people comfortably. Lot of people on FOS. So sixty would show up. No place to sit. madhouse. NEVER changed the venue. Most of the time........nothing to do. ALWAYS something to do on Carnival.

 

Passengers...................Passengers for the most part are always nice. Same here

 

Staff..............Both nice, nice, nice

 

Layout of Ship..........On day 6 of the cruise, we discovered where Studio B was located. Never did figure out where Star Lounge was located. Promenade was nice. But I like the gift shops of Carnival better.

 

Décor of Ships..............Both clean. Carnival cleanest. Like Carnival better. Cabin was by elevator. We had to jingle a wire for TV to work. Horrible stations. No NBC. CBS. ABC. Just Cartoons. 2 CNN outlets. TNT. TBS. Two Spanish Shows. German, etc. Shipboard shows. 2 ESPN which showed Soccer mostly. The Worst TV at sea. The absolute worst. The balcony door was so hard to open, we left it open a crack when we were out because we were afraid we would not get back in...!!!! I kid you not. Cabin Steward- Perfect. excellent. Tipped him extra.

I am a Carnival Lover. I hope I have not offended RCI Fans. The people were very nice. I know the incident in the casino colored my vision, even though it was TOTALLY my fault. But from now now...................I am sticking to Carnival

[AmberTeka]

Freedom of the Seas did have a lot of storage space. I have to admit that. There is like a big walk in ( sort of..like the ones on Princess) with more than enough room for both of us. ++++Big metal shelves on side of closet. Then 8 drawers by desk.

 

Getting on was easy. I have R.A. and it becomes noticeable when I am tired. A staffer stopped me when we went in to the check in building..................asked if I needed help, I thanked her and said no. She told me to tell the folks inside that she had said to get me on board now. We were whisked through. That was an exceptionally kind thing to do.

 

Our wait staff in MDR. LOVED them. Cannot wait to get survey from RCi so I can brag on them. Made them write their names so I can get them right. Food was not good. But they made going to MDR funny and nice every night.

 

Promenade. Could use a perk up job. Ben and Jerrys was for pay but was so good. Did not use any of the restaurants, for pay or other. Ate in Windjammer ( crowded. Wow!) or MDR.

 

Did not see Ice Show. I wish we had. Shows were OK. I think Carnival and RCI about equal on that but I did not see Ice Show. they did not have comedy club but we don't go on Carnival.

 

I am just Carnival. I like having things to do on Sea Days. I like the atmosphere. And we cruise on longer voyages, and often in off season, but I do feel Carnival goes out of their way to make you feel welcome.

[sgttami]

I like both.

 

Sailed RCL for years and then tried Carnival.

 

When sailing solo I found that the passengers I've met on Carnival are a lot friendlier than RCL.

 

I'll go with the line that gives me the best price for what I'm looking for and right now, Carnival wins!

[jallison8378]

I have sailed both many times. I think the biggest difference is the interior design and decor of the ships. I love Carnival and have cruised them almost exclusively for the last decade, but to me there is no comparison between the two in terms of the ships. IMO, Carnival leans toward loud and tacky (others might say lively and fun) while Royal Caribbean leans toward refined and elegant (others might say stuffy and boring). Of course, I say that having not yet experienced the newest ships in either line.

Edited September 12, 2016 by jallison8378

[RecoveryDude]

I'm platinum on RCL and Gold on Carnival. Both have plusses and minuses. However, right now I have FOUR Carnival cruises booked, and soon to be FIVE. What pushes the edge in CCL's direction is:

 

1. Initial fare: Carnival is almost always cheaper

 

2. Discounts: can buy unlimited 10% off gift CARDS (RCCL's are gift "certificates": and you can only use ONE per cruise so your savings is limited to $50 per cruise. on CCL I get 10% off the cruise itself, plus my carnival excursions and my S&S account, because I pay for it all with gift cards I buy at the discount!).

 

-----However, if you want a "Mega Ship" you really gotta sail RCL - so I AM planning on booking Harmony of the Seas for Aug/Sept 2018 ... which is my next slot for a cruise (I'll have taken 5 Carnival cruises by then tho, and finally be Platinum on Carnival by then too!)

[cyntil8ing]

I like them both and continue to sail them both, though Celebrity is really my favorite. To me, the biggest difference is suite perks and past guest perks. RCCL wins both, hands down. It's hard to give up the RCCL Diamond status to book Carnival, but the cruise price difference often makes up for the loss of those "free" perks.

Edited September 12, 2016 by cyntil8ing

[AmberTeka]

rThis was a very interesting thread. I thought the comments were excellent, and in most cases sort of agreed.

 

I did notice a lot of perks for Elites on R.C.I. they had an office in a lounge between sections of the deck we were on just for Elites. They had a full time counselor , a computer for free, and brochures in all languages on the wall. Lines at counters were policed. I know. I got in the wrong line once.

 

I think they get big discounts on cruises too.

 

On Carnival we get early boarding and free laundry. ( 3 bags per trip). Those are the biggies to us. ( Grand child travels with us sometimes). So I am good but I can see where the perks would be appealing.

 

Like I said. I am just a Carnival Person. There is an exuberance on Carnival that I like. The I am on vacation and having a great time mode that I enjoy.

 

On RCI...........I give them great credit for enforcing clothing standards. I saw a man in a wifebeater's Tee being told he was welcome to the MDR but he would have to change into a shirt with sleeves. Couple got huffy. RCI lady stuck to it. Nicely.

 

On RCI........I did not see a single girl or woman in a bathing suit, a Bikini or a thong in the Windjammer. No reaching for your tomato at the Salad Bar and looking at a humongous almost naked butt in front of you. I give RCI credit for that. WISH Carnival would stop that. Not let them in until they tie a towel around their waists.

And usually.........the almost nude people..............should have clothes on. They don't look that good naked. Few of us do look all that good naked. And the ones that do............not while I am eating please. Sound like a prude. Just my one small issue with Carnival. They should nicely tell them to cover up a little.

Edited September 13, 2016 by AmberTeka

[EmeraldCoastCruisers]

I haven't read all the comments, but can tell you we've cruised both. In the earlier days there were more differences then now. All quite similar. The differences you tend to see now is a short cruise vs a longer cruise. We went on the Carnival Dream out of NOLA last year and it was one of our favorite cruises (had a Spa Balcony room).

 

 

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[skywalkr2]

All I know is that CCL fans seem to be happier. Go do the CC RCCL forums and its not very active or happy IMO.

[BettyPC]

We travelled on Carnival first and then tried Royal. We like them both. Usually go for itineraries. Enjoy!

[frenchcanrican]

I have travelled both. On the longer trips RCCL has been better hands down. Service in the MDR via MTD has been impeccable. Food is still delicious. Service in general has bee perfect.

 

What I did find is that as I get older(sailed CCL for the first time when I was 20 I am now 40) I just want a different type of vacation and RCCL delivers. We are trying Celebrity (RCCL sister company) in 59 days. Can't wait.

 

 

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[AmberTeka]

I have travelled both. On the longer trips RCCL has been better hands down. Service in the MDR via MTD has been impeccable. Food is still delicious. Service in general has bee perfect.

 

What I did find is that as I get older(sailed CCL for the first time when I was 20 I am now 40) I just want a different type of vacation and RCCL delivers. We are trying Celebrity (RCCL sister company) in 59 days. Can't wait.

 

 

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Hope you post on this board and tell us what you thought of Celebrity. I would be very interested in reading you observations.