Carnival or Royal Caribbean?

[wework2play]

Does anyone prefer Carnival over RCI? Never been on carnival. Just wondering.

[Texas_Diver]

They are both great companies. Find the trip you want to take for the price you want to pay.

 

All things equal, we have heard that RCI is a bit classier but we don't know that to be true as we haven't cruised on RCI yet. (Dec, 2006)

 

My guess is that it has more to do with the age of a particular ship than the reputation of a company.

 

D.

[margie1221]

We had great experiences on both - depends on what you're looking for in a vacation. To us, RCI (Explorer of the Seas/Eastern route) seemed more reserved (even with a group of 80 Harley folks WITH their bikes on board) - live entertainment not as good and nightlife not as much fun overall and cabins much smaller than CCL. However, RCI service was definitely better than CCL - but not to say CCL was bad!! Food was decent on both lines - even though some say RCI is better - we didn't find that to be true.

 

We have been on Carnival Destiny/Eastern route & Imagination/Western route. Sometimes it comes down to price or certain itinerary... We next sail on Carnival Glory in April (balcony cabin with inside cabin across the hall) - chose this because we wanted an itinerary with more days at sea, we were limited on dates we could go as a family and most importantly because Carnival gave us a very generous military discount.

 

Hope this helps! Happy Cruising whatever you decide...

[jw4jg1mg2eg1]

I only have my one lil cruise on the Elation & I LOVED it!! I guess it just depends on what you are looking for in a cruise. We preferred a family/upbeat atmosphere. I've heard that RCL is a little more laid back.

[mrdood]

Does anyone prefer Carnival over RCI? Never been on carnival. Just wondering.

 

These are Carnival junkies, and those that are planning a Carnival cruise - were you expecting objectivity?

 

Hopefully you asked the same question in reverse order on the RCI board.

[cruise.freak]

We have had one cruise on each and while we prefer RCI we are cruising Carnival again due to the price differences.

[ilovethesun]

I have cruised once on both lines. First with Carnival on the Victory and then with RCI on the Voyager. Had a fabulous time on both trips. We are choosing to sail with Carnival again for a few reasons. We love the Eastern itinerary that the Liberty is doing and RCI doesn't have anything to compare. While we enjoyed the Voyager class ship and all it had to offer, Carnival beats it out with practicality. We really feel Carnival has MUCH more to offer as far as food (pizza, grill, ice cream by the pool... RCI can't compare) and we were able to get a great aft balcony wrap around cabin for about the same price as a regular RCI balcony cabin. Having said that, if RCI were to offer an itinerary that I couldn't get through Carnival, I would definitely sail them again. Their service was outstanding and I really have no complaints. If you like RCI, you will like Carnival. You can't go wrong on a cruise!

[silentbob007]

With all things being equal, try new things. If price or itinerary is the deciding factor ... well, each line has its strengths and weaknesses.

[KLV2cruz]

This mainly depends on your preferences. We've cruised both prefer Carnival for more activities. RCI a bit more reserved. Nite life slower. Especially if you are cruising to Hawaii. Age can be a factor on longer cruises. Carnival is definitely the FUN SHIP!!!

[salt_salt_salt]

You'll find them very similar.

RCCL; innovation, size, overall experience

Carnival; truly is great for fun, kids, entertainment

 

I'll add my other experiences

Princess; more elegant, also innovative, bit more classy but not stuffy, also great for kids

 

Celebrity; attention to detail, service, elegant.....................

 

Hell, why go on

there all good!!!!!!!

[love2relax]

I have sailed on both lines. I agree with everyone else. I compare the price for where I want to go. And that military discount that Carnival gives is a big factor! That being said, I do think that overall the cabins are larger on Carnival, and I love the free ice cream by the pool. I have not sailed on any of Royal's new ships. Maybe the cabins are bigger on the Freedom. I would love to check it out, but I've already got too many cruises to pay for this year!

[luvgreys]

When I graduated from college this year,:D we planned to take another cruise, and since we had already been on Carnival, we thought we would give RCI a try... well...we enjoyed the Conquest so much, that we thought we would give another ship in her family a try!!

[Cruisekrazy63]

My Dh and I have sailed both more than once and we prefer the "Fun" things to do on Carnival. RCI had a quieter crowd and was pretty dead by midnight. I guess it depends on what you like. I like the room size much better on Carnival and I think the service and food are honestly about the same. The crew has always been great on both. Try them both and make your own judgement.

[fdwt994]

We have had one cruise on each and while we prefer RCI we are cruising Carnival again due to the price differences.

 

That's exactly why we chose our latest cruise to be with Carnival. I have sailed both, and while I will be completely satisfied with Carnival and have a great time, I prefer RCI. The "classier" decor and service that I have experienced with RCI appeal to me.

[fullo'beans]

Hi, I haven't posted in quite sometime due to my disastorous last cruise which happened to be aboard RC. I was so dismayed that I swore off cruising for awhile, but a NY winter will steer anyone's fancy in the direction of the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean which brought me once again to this board.

 

I was on the Voyager in October of last year. What a nightmare, simply my opinion and experience take the following account how you will. I definitely had the feeling that RC had no respect for customer satisfaction and will not be cruising with them in the future.

 

The toilet in our suite did not work for over 24 hours, even after alerting customer service to the problem several times, I was told it was fixed. I then told CS that no one had entered the suite as a member of my party had been there at given times and the sewage and leaking water (about 1/4 to 1/2 deep) on the bathroom floor remained. I was told that they "fixed the problem outside of your suite therefore you did not see them", hmmmmm, well since the toilet is leaking inside the suite maybe they should have started there. It was not until it became so wet that it seeped through the carpeting in the corridor outside of the suite and several other passangers complained of the smell of raw sewage and having to walk through the wetness in the hall that the problem was rectified.

 

Our suite was not cleaned in the sense that was only vaccuummed once on a 9 day cruise, many times trash not emptied or counters cleaned, we actually cleaned and turned down the bed ourselves many times. One member of our party asked for supplies to clean and was given detergent never an offer for anyone to actually do their job. The balcony always had some form of sticky residue on the railing that had an oily and odd smelling texture that was never wiped down. No ice refills, and it may seem minor but only 2 towel animals the entire 9 day cruise (love those things).

 

The food was mediocre at best and not one sign of a lobster. I personally did not care for Portifino's and since we had an incredibly LOUD party shouting and obviously drunk that the staff did nothing about it made the experience worse.

 

The ice show was great, too bad they sell too many tickets to each show time so that seats are nearly impossible to get. The staff in the shops was terribly rude and unfriendly.

 

Embarkation was a breeze, wish I could say the same for debarkation as we sat cramped in the ice rink without word for well over 4 and a half hours as to when we would be allowed to leave the ship.

 

On my Carnival cruises, I was so enjoying myself I found the time to be too short. On RC, I literally broke down and cried, I tried to make the best of a bad situation. But my family and I spent quite a large amount of money for the lack of service we received and it was incredibly disappointing and I was never so happy to be home.

 

I am considering cruising again, possibly in a few years as this cruise left a bad taste in my mouth and not just because of the food. When I do cruise again it will definitely be with Carnival, people on this board often refer to RC being 'classier', I find that not to be the case unless you consider rude, tactless people and poor customer serivce the epitome of taste.

[Cruising89143]

Does anyone prefer Carnival over RCI? Never been on carnival. Just wondering.

 

You will find opinions all over the board. Post this on the Carnival board and most will go with Carnival. Post this on the RCI board and of course the answers will be RCI. My advice is to look at the itinerary that you would like, which ships give you what you want and then do some research by reading reviews that have been posted in the review section of this website and others. There are some very good well balanced reviews out there that tell both the good and bad and IMHO that is the key. Anyone that complains about their entire cruise in most cases could not have been made happy anyway.

 

Each cruise line has their areas of strengths and weakness. I have done both enough to know what I like. Maybe you should try Carnival to see if they measure up to your standards. You will never know unless you try them.

[margie1221]

These are Carnival junkies, and those that are planning a Carnival cruise - were you expecting objectivity?

 

Hopefully you asked the same question in reverse order on the RCI board.

 

 

I think everyone was fairly objective in trying to help the OP. Don't be so cynical when someone asks for honest feedback!!! Your reply was the most negative!!

[imatarb]

I go where the itinerary and price dictate. I like them both, but Carnival does have the edge in certain areas that are important to me, like the 24-hr pizza, soft serve ice cream and the food overall seems better on Carnival.

 

That being said, we had a wonderful cruise aboard the Legend of the Seas this past December, and we will absolutely cruise RCI again.

 

For us, it's all about who gives us the best bang for our buck when it comes time to book. That, and which itinerary interests us.

[gr81]

First cruise was with Carnival, loved it and have a difficult time trying something new if you know what I mean. If it aint broke, dont fix it attitude works for me. Honestly being this is CruiseCRITTIC, you will find bad and even some good stuff written about every cruise line discussed. Chose the line that you think fits your tastes (dress code, food, alcohol rules, gratuities etc...) and run with it. You may find your tastes arent what you thought or then again, like my wife and I, you may get so hooked that you wont care how green the grass is else where.

 

Happy cruising