Anthem v. Carnival Triumph

[SNJCruisers]

9 day cruise on a ship built in 2015, weighing 167 K tons, visiting San Juan, St Maarten, Bermuda & Labadee or 8 day cruise on a ship built in 1999, weighing 101 K tons, visiting San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove. Both have 4 days at sea.

 

Since ports are basically the same.

Only San Juan is the same

[dmdiver]

If the cost is really close, I'd go with Anthem. I've never been on either of these ships, but Anthem is larger & newer and it's a longer cruise. Plus, I've never been to Bermuda.

[crooooze]

There’s no right or wrong answer to this.

 

We’ve been on both. While we really enjoyed both, quite honestly, neither was our favorite ship. Bigger and newer is not always “better”.

 

Just pick one and do the other next time. Personally, we would pick which ever one has more cruise days.

[Havingfun2010]

Triumph was my last Carnival ship, that made me so disgusted in Carnival I would never go back. It's a no brainer, Anthem.

[AmBear]

9 day cruise on a ship built in 2015, weighing 167 K tons, visiting San Juan, St Maarten, Bermuda & Labadee or 8 day cruise on a ship built in 1999, weighing 101 K tons, visiting San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove. Both have 4 days at sea.

 

Not even close.....Anthem. Nine days is longer than eight, the ports are better, the ship is newer and larger. I would be surprised if a single person over on the loyal royal boards would vote for the Triumph. It's 5-1 Anthem so far on the Carnival boards. Just thought of the Ace of Trump in the decision making process. The Anthem sails out of Bayonne, while the Triumph sails out of NYC. Parking at the NYC pier is 40.00 per day, while it's 20.00 per day at Bayonne and offsite in Bayonne can be cheaper still.

Agree with you, except for the idea, bigger is better, the large RCL ships are 'floating shopping malls'

[BlerkOne]

And the score so far....Anthem 15....Triumph 2....Either one 2....

 

Results from an unscientific poll are worthless. Perhaps Royal loyals are stuffing the ballot box. You can hear crickets chirping on the similar question on the Royal forum. Thinks that make me go hmmmmmmm.

[KmomChicago]

I would also choose Anthem based on our recent great experience on Oasis which was just stunning. DH likes the larger ship better. Also looking at value if you get an extra day for the same price, why not? Often Carnival is significantly cheaper for similar dates, but not always and that’s another argument in favor of Anthem. Next time it might be out of reach so grab it while the price is right.

 

 

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[sperkins921]

Results from an unscientific poll are worthless. Perhaps Royal loyals are stuffing the ballot box. You can hear crickets chirping on the similar question on the Royal forum. Thinks that make me go hmmmmmmm.

 

I've sailed more often on Celebrity than any other line, and that's not by much, I think by one cruise. I can't speak for all who are 'loyal to royal' as my last few and next cruise aren't even on RCI- but I don't really think comparing the Anthem and Triumph is a fair fight. It's like comparing the Victory to the Horizon. Also not a fair fight. I think this type of question often goes unanswered on the royal boards when it's not asking between two Royal ships.

 

I would also choose Anthem based on our recent great experience on Oasis which was just stunning. DH likes the larger ship better. Also looking at value if you get an extra day for the same price, why not? Often Carnival is significantly cheaper for similar dates, but not always and that’s another argument in favor of Anthem. Next time it might be out of reach so grab it while the price is right.

 

 

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I would say the same for the same reasons. We just happen to like the bigger newer ships because they often feature the things we enjoy about cruising. Also, now that I think on it, it's not without noting that the Anthem doesn't typically end up being a hands down fave over on the Royal boards. Nor do the O/A and now Harmony. Plenty of people who sail RCI don't like the bigger ships.

Edited April 20, 2018 by sperkins921

[sperkins921]

Agree with you, except for the idea, bigger is better, the large RCL ships are 'floating shopping malls'

 

I disagree. There is shopping to be done on the large Oasis class, and they feature upscale shops like Tiffany, Cartier, or Hublot.....but that is SO not the main feature of those ships. If you like to have variety and stay active and experience things- the big ships are a winner. If your idea of cruising is more relaxed and such- I can see where the big ships may be overwhelming, a waste, or a dislike. But I would not call them floating malls. Floating cities? Sure. But not malls. Heck, the bars and restaurants outnumber the shops, I think. Never counted, so won't say definitely, but I feel like there's a ton more places to eat and drink than shop.

[ryano]

There wouldnt even a seconds thought on this one. Anthem by a mile. Longer cruise on a much much newer ship. No brainer for me. :)

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Anthem wins.. No contest. Triumph is a rusty tub. I can't believe Carnival hasn't scrapped that broken down bucket of sewer water.

[CruisinPandora]

Anthem by a mile.

 

This^^^

[BlerkOne]

I disagree. There is shopping to be done on the large Oasis class, and they feature upscale shops like Tiffany, Cartier, or Hublot.....but that is SO not the main feature of those ships. If you like to have variety and stay active and experience things- the big ships are a winner. If your idea of cruising is more relaxed and such- I can see where the big ships may be overwhelming, a waste, or a dislike. But I would not call them floating malls. Floating cities? Sure. But not malls. Heck, the bars and restaurants outnumber the shops, I think. Never counted, so won't say definitely, but I feel like there's a ton more places to eat and drink than shop.

 

Royal wants their ships to be the destination and to hold you and your money hostage on the Malls of the Seas. Enormous malls have bars, restaurants, even hotels, and not just shops. Not to mention prices and gratuities are higher on Royal

[dmdiver]

To me, the biggest downside to the giant RC ships is having to make reservations for shows in advance. I just never know when I'm booking a cruise what I will do on each evening, nor do I usually know until that day. Then, I don't want to stand in line to make reservations and I don't want to show up & wait to see if someone is a no-show.

 

The 2nd downside is they don't keep the soft-serve machines running 24/7 - our experience was that they never had them running until about 1pm & they were shut down by maybe 7pm. Just annoying when you want a mid-morning or late evening ice cream cone.

[BNBR]

It's not even close. Anthem by a mile... or a marathon...

[BNBR]

To me, the biggest downside to the giant RC ships is having to make reservations for shows in advance. I just never know when I'm booking a cruise what I will do on each evening, nor do I usually know until that day. Then, I don't want to stand in line to make reservations and I don't want to show up & wait to see if someone is a no-show.

 

The 2nd downside is they don't keep the soft-serve machines running 24/7 - our experience was that they never had them running until about 1pm & they were shut down by maybe 7pm. Just annoying when you want a mid-morning or late evening ice cream cone.

 

You don't "have" to make reservations ahead of time. Reservations are free, you can noshow without penalty. You book them for the shows you think you are most likely to see. It's basically a fast pass. There is always plenty of seats for standby passengers especially if you get in the line 30 minutes or so before the show. If you prefer to wait in a long line like you do on Carnival, you can still do exactly that and get a seat via standby virtually every time. Why you would do that over skipping the line? No idea. But some people like spilling hot coffee on themselves, some people love long obnoxious lines... It's all good.

 

You can book a reservation on your TV screen, by the way. You don't have to wait in line to do that unless your significant other wants you to wait until a show is over.

[KmomChicago]

To me, the biggest downside to the giant RC ships is having to make reservations for shows in advance. I just never know when I'm booking a cruise what I will do on each evening, nor do I usually know until that day. Then, I don't want to stand in line to make reservations and I don't want to show up & wait to see if someone is a no-show.

 

The 2nd downside is they don't keep the soft-serve machines running 24/7 - our experience was that they never had them running until about 1pm & they were shut down by maybe 7pm. Just annoying when you want a mid-morning or late evening ice cream cone.

 

 

 

These are accurate and we did not love these details either compared to Carnival. Lots of people were turned away from the comedy club after waiting in hopes of no shows. Would add Carnival hub app texting which is pretty awesome. Really both of these options have pros and cons. Its not as lopsided a choice for me as for some others.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

To me, the biggest downside to the giant RC ships is having to make reservations for shows in advance. I just never know when I'm booking a cruise what I will do on each evening, nor do I usually know until that day. Then, I don't want to stand in line to make reservations and I don't want to show up & wait to see if someone is a no-show.

 

The 2nd downside is they don't keep the soft-serve machines running 24/7 - our experience was that they never had them running until about 1pm & they were shut down by maybe 7pm. Just annoying when you want a mid-morning or late evening ice cream cone.

 

 

 

It is like going to Disney, actually from the planning perspective and the amusement park perspective.

 

 

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[SNJCruisers]

Results from an unscientific poll are worthless. Perhaps Royal loyals are stuffing the ballot box. You can hear crickets chirping on the similar question on the Royal forum. Thinks that make me go hmmmmmmm.

No loyal Royal here....18 on Carnival versus 3 on Royal. Perhaps the results of this unscientific poll are worthless to you, especially since you're on the losing end, but the OP wanted opinions and he/she got them, overwhelming choosing the Anthem. You probably hear crickets over on the royal board because they don't even consider it a worthy comparison. I like to pay it forward on the boards and that is why I took 5 minutes to provide substantial comparison information.

[Aquahound]

No cruise line loyalty here, so I'm pretty objective and fair minded. To me this one isn't even close. Definitely Anthem!

[BlerkOne]

No loyal Royal here....18 on Carnival versus 3 on Royal. Perhaps the results of this unscientific poll are worthless to you, especially since you're on the losing end, but the OP wanted opinions and he/she got them, overwhelming choosing the Anthem. You probably hear crickets over on the royal board because they don't even consider it a worthy comparison. I like to pay it forward on the boards and that is why I took 5 minutes to provide substantial comparison information.

 

On the losing end? Nope. I choose not to cruise on a behemoth that is too big to tender. So much is subjective and any reasonable person knows it. The correct answer is, it depends.

 

 

The two questions related to two of Royal's biggest ships in close proximity and similarity between them leads me to think at least one of them fails the smell test.

[Thorncroft]

On the losing end? Nope. I choose not to cruise on a behemoth that is too big to tender. So much is subjective and any reasonable person knows it. The correct answer is, it depends.

 

 

The two questions related to two of Royal's biggest ships in close proximity and similarity between them leads me to think at least one of them fails the smell test.

 

Anthem is only 168,000 tons. Not much bigger than Vista. So you won't be considering a sail on Carnival's 180,000 ton ships following Panorama, then?

[BlerkOne]

Anthem is only 168,000 tons. Not much bigger than Vista. So you won't be considering a sail on Carnival's 180,000 ton ships following Panorama, then?

 

I won't be trying to compare a shopping mall to a mom and pop store.

[Thorncroft]

I won't be trying to compare a shopping mall to a mom and pop store.

That makes no sense and you sidestepped the question, but whatever.

[morganboys]

anthem without a doubt.