Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas vs Carnival Radiance

[danmanca]

Looking at two 3-night cruises down to Ensenada. The two options are the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas and the Carnival Radiance. It will be myself and my girlfriend both in our mid 30s (no kids). My girlfriend has never been on a cruise before, I've been on a few Carnival but never Royal Caribbean Which does everyone thing is a better choice? Of note, the carnival cruise will be one of their special "50th Anniversary" cruises not sure if that makes any difference. 

[gsalbato]

We were on the Navigator for a 7 nighter over Thanksgiving and I have a 3 nighter booked on her for 3/11. This is a great ship to get a taste for what RC has to offer. It's not one of the monster Oasis class ships, but she's a good size with a great pool deck. There are some good restaurants and quite a few bars. The shows and entertainment are great and the crew is amazing. I can't comment on Carnival since I have never done a cruise with them.

[Mywh82work]

I’ve been on both. I prefer Navigator over the Radiance.  The Navigator is a newer & bigger ship.  The Radiance use to be the Victory.

 

The Navigator has a flow rider, rock climbing wall & ice rink that the Radiance does not. The Radiance has a rope course that the Navigator does not.

 

Food- I’ll give the edge to RCL.

 

Entertainment - the shows were better on the Navigator (ice show, main theater).

 

Room - definitely Navigator.  The room on the Radiance was so noisy. I can hear everything from the hallway. People talking, PA announcements, room service.

 

Embarkation and disembarkation- Navigator wins. This was the fastest embarkation and disembarkation I’ve ever had.

 

Cost - Carnival. The Radiance was cheaper than the Navigator. 

[woodz]

We sailed ithe Radiance in December and it was great.  The food options were better than the Navigators in my opinion for casual dining. For a 3-4 day cruise it was a fun time.  We prefer Rccl but Radiance was $100 less so we went that direction. 

[deliver42]

A $100.00 price difference between 2 lines wouldn't influence me at all. I'd go with the better ship, and the Navigator wins hands down.