Carnival Horizon or RCL Allure?

[Jacquelyn11]

Planning a cruise for next March. Both sail out of Miami. Horizon has a better itinerary but is 6 days. I've been planning to go on one of RCL Mega Ships for a while. Any suggestions or comments?

 

Thanks!

Jacquelyn11:cool:

[MissesB4409]

I'm from the west coast and have never been on a carribean cruise. I have also never sailed either of those ships or any real mega ship for that matter. I don't know what the price difference is, but the ONLY thing that would have me choose Horizon over Allure would be the price. Hands down I would pick Allure if money was not to be considered. Someday I will make it there! :)

[metro211]

I haven't cruise for seven years. Decided to take my daughter and grandkids on a cruise last year, and the Allure was strongly recommended. I'd been on many RCL cruises and reviews were good, so booked the Allure. All I can say is thank goodness someone decided to comp us a a meal in the speciality restaurant, and then we just kept going to the different specialty restaurants every night. Reason: The food on the Allure main dining room was beyond poor, and we are far from picky eaters. The food on the buffet at breakfast was at beer mediocre, and lunch was always a problem. The kids kept buying burgers for lunch. Never mind the bill for food at the end of the cruise. The entertainment was very poor, and the ship flet crowded. Long line ups for everything except rock climbing. The cabin staff were run off their feet, and I never saw or heard of any other staff except those who picked up the towels by the pools. So, for the first time in over 25 cruises, we are booked on Carnival.

[crzndeb]

I answered on the Royal thread.

[mizLORInj]

TOUGH call. We are going on Horizon soon and the big plus is it's a new ship.

 

We were on Allure last year. It was great. How about go on one this time and the other next? !! Or oneof Royal's other mega-ships--we want to try out Symphony or Harmony too. (I know I've been a big help LOL).

 

Clearly, if you view the cruise history, we like variety and we have not had a bad cruise yet!

[jewel825]

Planning a cruise for next March. Both sail out of Miami. Horizon has a better itinerary but is 6 days. I've been planning to go on one of RCL Mega Ships for a while. Any suggestions or comments?

 

Thanks!

Jacquelyn11:cool:

 

I loved the Allure! One of my all time favorite cruises! I also loved the Harmony of the Seas which was our last cruise. Both amazing vacations! I have zero complaints about either one of those cruises. I found the food to be good on both and the entertainment was amazing with the water shows and the broadway type plays. I have no idea how anyone thought the entertainment was boring.

 

 

I can't compare yet though between the Allure and the Horizon because I haven't been on the Horizon yet. We have a cruise scheduled on the cruise in April 2019. We are excited to go back to Carnival because there are different ports, different menus, different entertainment, it's 8 days and we got a Havana room which looks really cool. These mega ships have different things to offer and I'm excited to see what the Horizon has.

 

 

I've been on 2 Carnival cruises and 4 Royal Caribbean and loved them all! The only cruise I was not really impressed with was our Princess one.

[sperkins921]

Tough call. I've been on the Oasis (Allure's "little" sister....or is it the other way around? I forget) several times and I'd have to say that she is my fave ship at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I've sailed other lines, but there's just the right mix of stuff on the Oasis that for DH and I we would not hesitate to go anywhere the Oasis was going.

 

I am a bit of a foodie. I enjoy good food, good wine, and good drinks. That said, there is literally not one ship I've been on outside of DCL where I routinely eat in the MDR. And on DCL we only did it because they rotate through dining rooms and like most things Disney it's an experience in and of itself. But, that said, I find MDR food across the board to be so-so. However, I do love Sabor on Oasis. 150 CP was great and then once not so great. Giovanni's has always been good. We get sandwiches from the cafe in CP for lunch. Buffet isn't bad for what it is. But if you go on Oasis/Allure, yeah, not going to say MDR is phenominal. I don't actually know. I've only eaten breakfast there twice and never dinner.

 

Activities, however? That's a different story. You can be as lazy or go go go as you want to be. And I find the shows top notch. Do not miss the comedian(s).

 

Horizon I don't sail on until September so I can't say. People say to compare to the Vista, but I don't know how accurate that is. Personally, I like to try new things, so I'd probably be the one voice who said go Horizon simply because it's new.

[firefly333]

If I wanted a particular port, I would choose that one first.

 

If both were equal cruises, Id pick the cheapest.

[Aquahound]

Planning a cruise for next March. Both sail out of Miami. Horizon has a better itinerary but is 6 days. I've been planning to go on one of RCL Mega Ships for a while. Any suggestions or comments?

 

Personally, I would pick the Allure. One, it's 1 extra night. Two, I personally think they are the most amazing ships at sea. And three, if you've been wanting to try it, now's your chance. :)

[skiingj]

We did not list the Vista, worst ship ever. You don't have to look far for all the negative reviews. Horizon is in the Vista class so it's going to have the same dislikes. Our Allure and Harmony cruises were such awesome experiences. Carnival has nothing like it. You can often find prices on RCL similar or better than Carnival. I would sail any Oasis class over any Vista class. Good luck, happy cruising!

[riclop]

Allure anyday.

[Alexv500]

Definitely Allure. Just got back from a cruise on Allure a few weeks ago, and it was such an amazing experience!!! Was my first time on Royal, and it won’t be the last. By far the BEST cruise I’ve done in all 5 cruises I’ve been on. Allure is an amazing ship, would it all over again in a heart beat.

 

 

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[serene56]

depends on your cruising history.

 

I am not a fan of Vista so could not book the horizon.

for that reason i'd book the allure

[CruisingNole]

The entertainment was very poor

 

You're kidding, right?

[buddylover]

Hands down....the Allure! No comparison to any of the CCL ship. PLUS, it is one extra day too!! Have been on Allure OTS and Harmony OTS, but are RCI's mega ships and have been on CCL Vista (the worst ship we have ever been on for many reasons). Would not even be a CLOSE call for us.....but of course $$ can always be a consideration....so in the end, it is up to you....BUT very, very different ships and experiences and not hardly comparable!!

[ryano]

Personally, I would pick the Allure. One, it's 1 extra night. Two, I personally think they are the most amazing ships at sea. And three, if you've been wanting to try it, now's your chance. :)

 

Ive been waiting for about 8 years now and finally get my chance to experience an Oasis class ship in about 480 something days :D

 

I am beside myself excited about Harmony of the Seas AND my first oceanview balcony ever!

 

Based on everything Ive heard about Vista class ships, I wouldnt even give this a second thought. Allure all the way

[BNBR]

Allure for sure, especially since you haven't done a Royal Oasis-class yet. You would kick yourself for picking Horizon over Allure in this case. It's not even a close race.

[tap_out]

Ill be the different one here. We went on Allure about 6 years ago for our honey moon and it was one of our least favorite cruises. At the time we were more into party atmosphere and in our mid to late 20s. That could have been the problem. The ship had no night life, just a very laid back atmosphere. Now that were a little older we could probably appreciate that more. It was also so big it literally felt more like a floating hotel then a cruise ship. I do remember the food and entertainment being very good. We are booked on the Horizon this August and staying in a Havana room, so were really excited. We have cruised NCL Royal and Carnival and are not brand loyal but think that Carnival suits are needs the best.

[Tatka]

I haven't cruise for seven years. Decided to take my daughter and grandkids on a cruise last year, and the Allure was strongly recommended. I'd been on many RCL cruises and reviews were good, so booked the Allure. All I can say is thank goodness someone decided to comp us a a meal in the speciality restaurant, and then we just kept going to the different specialty restaurants every night. Reason: The food on the Allure main dining room was beyond poor, and we are far from picky eaters. The food on the buffet at breakfast was at beer mediocre, and lunch was always a problem. The kids kept buying burgers for lunch. Never mind the bill for food at the end of the cruise. The entertainment was very poor, and the ship flet crowded. Long line ups for everything except rock climbing. The cabin staff were run off their feet, and I never saw or heard of any other staff except those who picked up the towels by the pools. So, for the first time in over 25 cruises, we are booked on Carnival.

What was poor about entertainment?

All three shows Mamma Mia, Oceanaria and the third one are simply amazing. Oceanaria is unique! Then there is ice shows...

 

All 3 Carnival ships we sailed on were much more crowded than Allure. Maybe Horizon is different?

[Tapi]

Allure without a doubt. One of our best cruises ever, and leaps and bound more amazing than anything Carnival has to offer.

 

IMHO, Carnival cruises are nice but nothing truly out of the ordinary. The Allure, along with the other Oasis class ships, are more of a bucket list item. They must be experienced at least once in a lifetime.

 

 

 

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[SMSACE6]

Although I have never sailed on Royal Caribbean ships, in this case I would have to vote or Allure. From all I have seen of Vista and Horizon, Allure just seems to be more interesting, glitzier ( I like that ), and the Vista and Horizon, just don't seem to have that draw for me. Still, I like Carnival's older ships, but given this choice, then it would be Allure.

[Cruzaholic41]

I agree with the majority. This isn’t even close. Allure is amazing and Vista Class is one of Carnival’s biggest mistakes.

[mjmiller]

Allure has great entertainment, such as the full Mama Mia show - just make sure to reserve the main shows before you go onboard. I personally love the rotating comedians on Carnival, but their main stage shows aren't that good. I thought the RCL food was bad, particularly at lunch. Carnival has so many great varied free lunch options. Allure had sandwiches, salads, and blah buffet. And dinner desserts - ugh - almost every one had the same thick pudding consistency. Most of our lunches ended up being mediocre pizza and cookies - and I'm seriously not a fussy eater. I'm surprised I didn't lose weight on the Allure, no joking. We ended up having several meals in pay restaurants on Allure, which we seldom do on Carnival, because we just weren't happy with the free food. Honestly, neither one is a bad choice. What's important to you? Ports? Food? Night entertainment? Ship amenities? Cost? Personally, I'm glad I did the Allure due to the novelty of the ship and its entertainment, but we've come back home to Carnival. I haven't specifically been on Horizon yet - that's coming up in December!!

[Tapi]

I thought the RCL food was bad, particularly at lunch. Carnival has so many great varied free lunch options. Allure had sandwiches, salads, and blah buffet. And dinner desserts - ugh - almost every one had the same thick pudding consistency. Most of our lunches ended up being mediocre pizza and cookies - and I'm seriously not a fussy eater. I'm surprised I didn't lose weight on the Allure, no joking. We ended up having several meals in pay restaurants on Allure, which we seldom do on Carnival, because we just weren't happy with the free food. Honestly, neither one is a bad choice.

 

 

I personally consider the complimentary food on Royal far superior to the one on Carnival. I think that, because Royal’s Oasis class ships cater to a vastly more diverse and international clientele, their buffet offerings tend to stray from the more “traditional” buffet fare in favor of a more diverse one in order to appease to different tastes. I also noticed a bigger effort towards offering healthier offerings. Because of all that, I believe that many selections may seem unappealing to the less adventurous palate.

 

With all of that said, one of the things that I appreciated about sailing on the Allure was having so many dining options. Yes, they do have many specialty restaurants for an extra charge, but they also have just as many if not more than Carnival that are free of charge. Because of that, we only set foot at the Windjammer buffet once or twice during the entire week. Instead, one day we’d enjoy breakfast at the MDR, the next day at Park Cafe, the next at Johnny Rockets (yes they do serve breakfast free of charge), the next at the Solarium, etc. Same for lunch and dinner.

 

 

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[Alexv500]

I personally consider the complimentary food on Royal far superior to the one on Carnival. I think that, because Royal’s Oasis class ships cater to a vastly more diverse and international clientele, their buffet offerings tend to stray from the more “traditional” buffet fare in favor of a more diverse one in order to appease to different tastes. I also noticed a bigger effort towards offering healthier offerings. Because of all that, I believe that many selections may seem unappealing to the less adventurous palate.

 

With all of that said, one of the things that I appreciated about sailing on the Allure was having so many dining options. Yes, they do have many specialty restaurants for an extra charge, but they also have just as many if not more than Carnival that are free of charge. Because of that, we only set foot at the Windjammer buffet once or twice during the entire week. Instead, one day we’d enjoy breakfast at the MDR, the next day at Park Cafe, the next at Johnny Rockets (yes they do serve breakfast free of charge), the next at the Solarium, etc. Same for lunch and dinner.

 

 

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I 100% agree with you on this! I felt the same exact way about the Allure on our cruise we did on her this past March. So many choices, and everything we had was delicious, I loved the food on the Allure. We also hardly ever went to the windjammer too, maybe like 3 times the entire week. So much food, I loved Sorrento’s pizza. (I think it was a lot better than the Pizza on Carnival to be honest). We loved all the food we had onboard, Allure has been the BEST cruise and my favorite that I’ve done so far.

 

Side note, did you get a chance to do the up-charge lunch at Chops Grille?

 

 

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