brief summary of my 2 cruises.

[Francis]

just got back from carnival victory's nov 27eastern caribbean cruise and rcl's dec 4 explorer of the seas western caribbean cruise.

1. if at all possible, DO not book aft or forward lower deck carbin. we were in carnival victory's ocean view foward cabin on deck 1. i could feel the moments and was sea sick for 5 days! i did get the free medicine from the info desk, but then felt too tired to do anything.

2. both cruises are good. it all depends on your own personal preference. if you like carnivals high energy and fun, then carnival is for you. if you prefer more low key, then rcl is for you. i noticed majority of the passengers in explorer of the seas are older (older than 50s). carnival had much younger crowd.

3. food. well, it all depends on your taste and expectation. personally, i think they are ok. carnival is A and RCL is A+, RCL has a slight edge here. but i am not a fussy eater, but i have no complaint on both. RCL does more variety in their breakfast and lunch in the windjammer deck.

4. shows. missed 2 shows at carnival, but the ones i attended were high energy and more fun than RCL. RCL only had one midnight show and it was on the last night of the cruise!! but RCL ice show CAN'T BE MISSED!!! and don't forget to get your ticket early!! i personally prefer carnival shows, even the comedians were funnier.

5. services. RCL has better service not only in the formal dining room, but also in the windjammer deck, they served you coffee/tea/juice. in carnival, you get your own. RCL staff more friendly and faster in cleaning up the tables.

however, carnival glasses for juice is MUCH bigger than RCL and so you can get more juice.

6. decors. well, it all depends on your own taste. RCL is more refined and elegant. Carnival is more funky.

7. shore excursions. we prebooked before we went. it was a mistake because you could walk out of the pier and join tours right there, cheaper. however, if the tour is more than 5 hours long, i strongly recommend book it through the ship, just in case if it is late, the ship will wait for you. if you book your own, then you wave the ship goodbye if you are late.

8. which one to choose? well, it all depends on your expectation. they are both good. it is like coffee, some like regular coffee and some lilke decafe.

9. if i really have to choose, i will pick carnival. why, because i like the shows better. i know service is not as good. but i am not a picky person. i don't mind a slow service. hey, we are in the ship, we have no where to go, so we can wait. on the other hand, if you like better service, more elegant decor, than RCL is for you.

10. last but not least. IF YOU ARE IN A TOUR, MAKE SURE YOUR FRIEND/FAMILY INSIST THAT THE TOUR BUS WAIT FOR YOU. when we were in belize, a young woman missed her carnival tour bus and she got a ride with the RCL tour bus. we got back to the pier at 4:30 pm. i hope this young woman made it back to carnvial on time because carnival was suppposed to leave at 5 pm, and we had to tender. her friend was waiting for her when the RCL tour bus pulled in. i don't know about her, but if it was me, i would be extremely mad, because the tour guide should have counted the # of people before the bus left. if the tour guide could not wait for an extra 5 minutes, there is something wrong with the guide. we were in the alta tun (something like that) mayan ruin, the guide could see ALL the people within the 200 feet diameter as the ruin was not that big.

11. hope this brief summary helps.

12. have fun with your future cruise. we are thinking of taking the alaska cruise either aug or sept of 2006. with either carnival or rcl.

[Mark]

why would you post this thing here? you should post a review in the section for your cruise line and label it with the ship's name...:cool:

[bibb]

Tough review of a another person's review Mark. Take a pill or something.

[VentureMan_2000]

Great review... great contrast between the cruise lines... glad to hear having fun is more important to you than being pompus.

 

Also, Carnival has some very luxurious ships... the Carnival Pride comes to mind. I prefer a less neon theme... but that is not high on my list for selecting a cruise.

 

I will be cruising on the Victory in April.

 

Tnaks again for the post.

[Loves_Dogs]

Thank you for the information. I am seriously considering RCL for my 07 cruise (after 2 Carnival cruises and 06 has been booked through Carnival) so I do appreciate the comparisons from someone who has cruised both lines. Thanks again for taking time to share your information.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I appreciated the OP sharing the comparisons of both of their cruises here.

 

Thanks for taking the time - I enjoyed reading the differences and reading about your experiences.

[AmandaNS]

Thanks for the review!! I think the review fits well here since it's a comparison, and not just a straight review. It would be nice to have a "review" section separate from the roll call boards, separated by ship the way the roll boards are, but also with a general category so posts like this have a place!!

 

Again, thanks!!

[momofmeg]

why would you post this thing here? you should post a review in the section for your cruise line and label it with the ship's name...:cool:

 

Because Mark not everyone goes to both of the cruiseline forums. I only go on a cruiseline's forum if I have a cruise booked on it-plus I found I get more objective impressions from people who cruise more then one line on this forum then I do at a particular cruiseline forum- so I am glad this person posted here.

 

 

To the OP-sounds like you had a great time and it must have been wonderful to do back to back cruises. I enjoyed your review of the 2 cruises.

[Francis]

we are from western canada, airfare costs more than the cruise and thats why i decided to do back to back cruise. miami is a long long way from western canada. however, wife said she would not do back to back again because it was very tiring for her!!! she has some health problems, thats why.

 

have fun in your future cruise.

[VentureMan_2000]

however, wife said she would not do back to back again because it was very tiring for her!!! she has some health problems, thats why.

 

My first thought was... drinking for two weeks in a row could tire you out... :eek:

[momofmeg]

we are from western canada, airfare costs more than the cruise and thats why i decided to do back to back cruise. miami is a long long way from western canada. however, wife said she would not do back to back again because it was very tiring for her!!! she has some health problems, thats why.

 

have fun in your future cruise.

 

I met some people on my southern caribbean cruise that booked back to back cruises. The reason they did it was because his mother had given them the cruise as an anniverasry gift but she did not give them airfare. When they discovered the cost of airfare they decided to book another cruise that went to mostly different islands as they figured it would be a long time before they flew to San Juan again.

 

Sorry about your wife's health problems. I also tire easily but that is why hubby and I cruise-he goes on lots of excursions-I go some but I also spend more time on ship when it is in port then him. I

 

If I don't feel well- I spend more time in the cabin while hubby hits a lounge or show without me. So for us a cruise is the perfect vacation.

 

To me a cruise is one of the most relaxing vacations-for hubby it is the opposite but we both have a good time.