Carnival vs. RC

[nealstuber]

I have found the rooms smaller on Royal, the food better on Carnival and the entertainment no better on either. For now we'll stick with the best value and that's Carnival.

 

 

 

How was the Ice show on Carnival?

 

 

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[Rh2458]

How was the Ice show on Carnival?

 

 

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Well, considering there was no "ice show" on the RC ship I sailed I don't see how that's a relevant question.

[sparks1093]

How was the Ice show on Carnival?

 

 

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Might be a selling point for some but the last thing I want to see on a cruise is ice (except of course in my drink:D).

[Rh2458]

Might be a selling point for some but the last thing I want to see on a cruise is ice (except of course in my drink:D).

LOL-Good point! :D

[grandmarnnurse]

How was the Ice show on Carnival?

 

 

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Lol! Touché! The ice shows on Royal are unbelievable!! Entertainment on Carnival does not even come close!

[BigS28]

LMAO!! :'):'):'):') Maybe they found it somewhat entertaining. :D

 

I actually did watch the entire video, and enjoyed it thoroughly!

[nealstuber]

Well, considering there was no "ice show" on the RC ship I sailed I don't see how that's a relevant question.

 

 

 

You said rooms smaller on “Royal” and entertainment the same. Might be true for the ship you sailed on but not for Royal in general.

 

 

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[Rogueperson]

Both are similar in my opinion, but there are some areas where in my opinion, they stand out better. I've been on 5 Carnival and 6 Royal Caribbean cruises.

 

Food. I have to give that to Royal Caribbean, though its a slight advantage at best. Here are my takes. MDR food. Royal Caribbean has escargot EVERY night, while Carnival only offers it once. That's a tick. Chef's table. Although Carnival makes it up with the kitchen tour, Royal Caribbean's Chef's table pairs SPECIFIC wines to each dish, where Carnival has a red and a white that goes through the entire dinner. Sushi. Carnival wins here. I've been to Izumi's in Royal Caribbean and Bonsai on Carnival. Carnival's sushi is better. Royal Caribbean is..mediocre. As I said, close fight, but Royal Carribean slightly beats out here.

 

Service. Carnival wins here. Royal Caribbean runs hot or cold. You can have one staff member (hopefully one that is assigned to you like your room steward or waiter) be absolutely amazing, or they can be mediocre. I've never had *bad* service, but I've had service that could have been better on Royal Caribbean. Carnival may not hit the extreme highs that Royal Caribbean can, but across the board, from bartenders to waiters, whether they were assigned to you or not, were good consistently. Numerically, Royal Caribbean may have staff members that will give you that 120% or more, but then there are staff members that will give you closer to 85%. Not great, but not a failing grade. Carnival will give you that consistent 100%, but you wont see above that, but you wont see below either.

 

Entertainment (Shows). Here is where Royal Caribbean's excel at. Their shows are higher quality. They clearly spend way more money here than Carnival does. Especially on the Oasis and Anthem where they have feature shows like We will Rock you, and mama Mia. Ice skating shows that Carnival doesn't have. etc etc etc. If this is what you want, go Royal Caribbean.

 

Activities. Carnival excels here. Their activities staff spend more time and energy involving people. This makes you feel like part of a family if only for the extent of your stay. As a result, guests are more pumped and energize and the result is a *fun* cruise. For THIS particular reason, i chose Carnival for my wedding and they did not disappoint. Royal Caribbean offers many of the same activities, but you can tell they are not into it as much as Carnival staff are.

 

Bottom line, it depends on what you want out of your cruise. I've been leaning towards Royal Caribbean because its less hectic than Carnival. Its more relaxing in my opinion. However, they are very close, and if price were the same, it could go either way for me. The one thing that Royal Caribbean has in its strong favor that may keep me going back is they have a better loyalty program. For one, your status follows you across their brands (Azamara and Celebrity).

[mj cruiser]

I like both lines. I feel like Carnival has improved in so many areas and surpassed RCI in a lot of places. I used to feel it was worth the extra money for RCI but went on Oasis and missed the outdoor Bars that are on Carnival and NCL. I felt like I was in a hotel on Oasis. The crew was not as friendly as Carnival or NCL. The food was closed down at 845 pm on Oasis in the buffet and most dining options were paid. We went on Breeze a couple years ago it was awesome. We are trying Vista next month.

 

My favorite is NCL’s newer ships plus you get the drink package for free! I know we are comparing Carnival and RCI.

 

I feel like RCI’s entertainment for shows is above Carnival.

 

I have fun on whatever cruise we go on! I am not loyal to 1!

 

Happy sailing

[SpeedsterX]

I actually did watch the entire video, and enjoyed it thoroughly!

 

Well Thank You BigS28! I am happy you enjoyed it. I have other cruising videos not as long on my Youtube page if you liked that one. And they are linked in my signature below. :D

[AmBear]

RCL is much better.

Disagree!:D

[AmBear]

As far as our experience.

 

RCI gets nod in: Ship and Entertainment

 

CCL gets nod in: Food variety and quality .

 

To me everything else is a toss up.

 

 

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Agree with you, but would add, Carnival adds more Ports, RCL wants to keep you on the ship!

[AmBear]

There was a time when you paid less for Carnival and actually got more. These days are L O N G gone.

 

It's worth the investment of paying more for a better experience, on a better ship with superior service and entertainment. Plus, you end up sailing with others that appreciate the same.

Problem is you're spending a lot more on RCL, and if extra money is no problem, go on Disney which has far better food, and service then RCL!

[AmBear]

My Allure cruise next year was cheaper than Glory for the same dates....

Had to be an aberration as the Glory is almost always less!:confused:

[AmBear]

A lot of little things? Royal has a "lot of little things" that Carnival doesn't have either. Royal is playing catch up with water slides? Come on... Royal ships have better slides, and flow riders. But whatever. Carnival most definitely does not have more fee-free dining options than Royal. Not even close. Though some of Carnivals options are better than Royals. Notably the burgers at their buffet burger station (that they call Guys) are pretty good and the burritos are good, too. The pizzas are better on Carnival, too, but I prefer Sorrentos as I don't like waiting 30 minutes to get a slice of pizza. All that time you spend at guest services... I just can't relate I guess. Never find myself there and I certainly wouldn't factor that in to a cruise decision regardless. People really factor in the elevator banks? You are stretching here a bit...

Seriously, you must be joking,,,Sorrento's=worst pizza at sea, the premade sands in the mall are garbage, and don't get hungry late, cause on RCL you got nothing edible! And the lines everywhere on the 5000-7000 passenger ship RCL's are certainly longer then Carnivals!

[BNBR]

Seriously, you must be joking,,,Sorrento's=worst pizza at sea, the premade sands in the mall are garbage, and don't get hungry late, cause on RCL you got nothing edible! And the lines everywhere on the 5000-7000 passenger ship RCL's are certainly longer then Carnivals!

 

What lines? I've sailed Oasis and Harmony, never stood in a line anywhere near as long as I did on Glory not only for food, but for entertainment as well. Royal may sail with more guests, but the ships are much larger. The space to guest ratio on Royal is actually much better than Carnival. It's just a fact.

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "you must be joking" - as I clearly said Carnival had better pizza. :confused: I don't personally grab the premade sandwiches in the Promenade, when you can get a fresh sliced roast beef sandwich in Central Park. The grab and go sandwiches in Park Cafe are also pretty damn good. But I do like the options...

[SpeedsterX]

OK, I'm curious about 10.

 

 

Here are the free non-Lido/WJ food options on both:

 

 

Harmony:

 

1. MDR

2. Sorrentos

3. Cafe Promenade

4. Boardwalk Dog House

5. Vitality Cafe

6. Park Cafe

7. Mini Bites

8. Solarium Bistro

 

Vista:

 

1. MDR

2. Pizzeria del Capitano

3. Guy's Burgers

4. Blue Iguana Cantina

5. Mongolian Wok

6. Pasta Bar

7. Fresh Creations

8. Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ

9. Taste Bar

 

Not seeing 10 for either one and they look kind of similar to me.

 

Solarium Bistro was not free for dinners on Harmony AND you better have a reservation or you most likely will not get in.

[LuCruise]

...

 

On a side note: everything I ever had from Solarium Bistro pretty much sucked but I never ate breakfast there.

 

 

My kids and I weren't as much of a fan of Solarium Bistro for lunch, but we loved its breakfast buffet. Less busy than Windjammer and some better options.

 

Solarium Bistro was not free for dinners on Harmony AND you better have a reservation or you most likely will not get in.

 

On our Symphony cruise, it looks like you can book it for dinner but it free.

[GlamorousGirl]

People are comparing Food, Entertainment, Design & Price. Between the 2. The thing I find is; The fellow Passangers (The people who i have to interact with on these journey's). With Carnival they are so much more Freindly & Layed-back & enjoyable. While on RCL They are Pushy & Rude & Stuck-Up. I do work in customer service (Run a large retail business) & i can see this.. It might be just here in Australia.. But I get told where are the friendliest people on the planet. Just my observation..

 

Laid back people has not been my experience on Carnival. I find that people have been much more rambunctious and party-hardy. For some that will be a plus, but in my case it's not - I prefer a quieter atmosphere and end up seeking out a quiet area of deck away from people. I will sail on any ship depending on a variety of circumstances, and can have a great time on any ship. I have not been on RCI yet but hoping to plan a trip this year. I have sailed on 3 lines so far including Carnival and while I continue to sail with them (I have 3 future cruises with them already booked), they fall short in the one category that is the highest priority for me - the upkeep and maintenance of the ship and how run-down and dated it does or does not look and feel. It's not a "deal-breaker," I will still sail with them and can have a good time, but everyone has their own priorities and that just happens to be a major one of mine. Some people couldn't care less about the condition of the ship and that is their prerogative. For someone else cost might be the top priority and Carnival is very strong in that, or the aforementioned "party" atmosphere I mentioned. It's important to recognize all lines have their advantages and disadvantages, and that one thing that is preferred by someone will be loathed by someone else, and that peoples' priorities are different. I respect everyone's own opinion and happy to see people share whether or not I agree.

[SpeedsterX]

No, there's no lines on the huge RC ships, you're right. You know why? Because you need reservations for EVERYTHING! Including the Bistro. No lines if you can just turn people away that don't have reservations. AND the pizza on RC sucks! PROOF

[AmBear]

Laid back people has not been my experience on Carnival. I find that people have been much more rambunctious and party-hardy. For some that will be a plus, but in my case it's not - I prefer a quieter atmosphere and end up seeking out a quiet area of deck away from people. I will sail on any ship depending on a variety of circumstances, and can have a great time on any ship. I have not been on RCI yet but hoping to plan a trip this year. I have sailed on 3 lines so far including Carnival and while I continue to sail with them (I have 3 future cruises with them already booked), they fall short in the one category that is the highest priority for me - the upkeep and maintenance of the ship and how run-down and dated it does or does not look and feel. It's not a "deal-breaker," I will still sail with them and can have a good time, but everyone has their own priorities and that just happens to be a major one of mine. Some people couldn't care less about the condition of the ship and that is their prerogative. For someone else cost might be the top priority and Carnival is very strong in that, or the aforementioned "party" atmosphere I mentioned. It's important to recognize all lines have their advantages and disadvantages, and that one thing that is preferred by someone will be loathed by someone else, and that peoples' priorities are different. I respect everyone's own opinion and happy to see people share whether or not I agree.

Quieter then RCL would be Holland.:confused:

[2CatsInFlorida]

I have been meaning to share my recent CCL / RCI conclusions. For context I have sailed 60 days on Carnival, and 59 days on Royal. I just recently returned from a beautiful 9 night Royal cruise, and came away preferring carnival for most if not all of my future cruises. There were a lot of small negatives to the Royal cruise, but the two top issues, which I can't get past are:

 

1). There is a $7.95 + 18% gratuity for ALL room service orders, other than the continental breakfast offerings

2). The Viking Lounge, the flagship bar on every Royal ship, was closed to all but Diamond members every day from 4:00 - 8:00. That's BS

 

I cant get past these two issues ....

 

 

 

The room service charge on RCI annoys us also as we like to have breakfast on our balcony.

 

 

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[BNBR]

No, there's no lines on the huge RC ships, you're right. You know why? Because you need reservations for EVERYTHING! Including the Bistro. No lines if you can just turn people away that don't have reservations.

 

You made this up. Why? There is a standby line for just about everything if you prefer to stand in line like you are used to doing on Carnival. We skipped the comedy show at Carnival after it was clear you had to wait in a line that wrapped down the Promenade. Reservations would have been great. Having the option to skip the line with a reservation "fast pass" is bad, why? And Solarium Bistro recommends reservations, but doesn't require them, like just about any upcharge restaurant.

 

There is also no lines at the buffet because RC modernized the layout. They use islands that rapidly move people from station to station versus the long queue that Carnival uses. And I've said it over and over, that Carnival makes great pizza, much better than Royal. But again, those lines. 5 times I probably went to get pizza and only ended up ordering twice because the line and wait was brutal since they make every pizza from scratch. I wish Carnival would have some premade slices to speed things up.

[BNBR]

Quieter then RCL would be Holland.:confused:

 

 

I think it has more to do with time of year. I thought the demographic on Carnival seemed identical to Royal. Lot of nice, quiet, respectful people sail both lines. Funny enough, the most memories I have of rude or obnoxious guests would be on Royal, not Carnival. I am curious, does Carnival draw a more American based crowd compared to Royal?

[BNBR]

The room service charge on RCI annoys us also as we like to have breakfast on our balcony.

 

 

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We thought the breakfast was so awful from RCI's room service, that the charge ended up not bothering us at all since we won't order it! But I do agree that a $7.95 charge is tacky and unnecessary for this service - it comes off as nickel and diming for sure.