Carnival and Royal Differences -- Inquiring Minds Want To Know

[80sGal]

We recently tried RC after finally reaching Platinum on Carnival this year.   We thought we'd like to see what a different line offers because it was starting to feel a bit like Groundhog Day on Carnival .... buy, hey, maybe I like Groundhogs.    Anyway, we booked RC for a European adventure this summer, and then are going to try out NCL and MSC next year for even more comparisons.    As a previously Only Carnival cruiser, I figured other people might be wondering the same thing we had been wondering about -- what are the differences, and are they different enough to make a REAL difference.   Here's some of the things we found out along the way.

 

Obviously, RC appears to be more expensive.   We did 12 days on the Pride last summer out of Dover, and 10 days this year on Odyssey out of Rome.   Our 12 day cruise on Carnival was about 33% LESS than the 10 day cruise on Royal.   Granted, the class of ship is different too -- Carnival's small older ship/Royal's newer larger ship, so that is part of that difference.

 

For us, though, we've enjoyed all the ships we've tried out -- 3 or 4 of the old Fantasy Class, the Pride, Horizon a couple of times, Sunrise a few times, Dream and Celebration once each.   I think we're not so much into how pristine it all looks on the surface, or how large the ship is, but the type of service we get from the crew and the experience of the things to do on the ships.   And for that --

 

Royal -- they offer straws with drinks.  Biodegradable ones!   Why can't Carnival give me a straw?  Why do I have to pack my own or get all sticky with their candy straws??   Score One for Royal!

 

Carnival -- hands down the winner on bedding!  Those wonderful Carnival pillows!   On Royal -- I've never had to sleep on such a lumpy pillow (all four of them the same amount of lumpy) as I found on Odyssey.   The bed wasn't as comfy either, although I will say that our bed on the Pride wasn't as good last year as the newer bedding on Horizon, Sunrise and Celebration.   But overall -- Carnival wins here!

 

Royal -- Two words here, Carnival -- listen up!   SHOWER DOORS!   Yes, I know Celebration and MG have them now, and they can be found in suites (which we've had twice but we usually can't afford to splurge like that) on other Carnival ships, but they appeared to be standard for Royal.   Also, Carnival, while you're at it, can you get me a little footrest for my balcony chair, too?   Royal had them, and we didn't have to ask the steward for it either!

 

Royal -- The winner here, too, with the VARIETY of daily activities.    We are Bingo players, and we like a good round of trivia at least once or twice per sailing, and maybe a go at Wheely Big Trivia, and we almost always try out Deal or No Deal (but it costs extra), but Royal seemed to have SO MUCH more variety that was included at no extra cost.   There was a music game similar to Name that Tune, a Song and Dance contest, Battle of the Sexes, Family Feud, and of course, Bingo -- and those are just the ones we went to.   There was plenty to choose from on Royal, and something different each day, while Carnival seems to be getting a bit stale with the same old/same old -- and now that we've sailed more frequently since becoming Empty Nesters a couple of years ago (about 3x per year), we've realized that the questions and songs don't even get mixed up at trivia very often.   With that said, I'd have to add that Carnival's ENERGY is better.  The Fun Squad members do a good job at getting people involved, and Royal's tried -- but on our sailing I don't think the team members were as engaged as what we see on Carnival, and that is part of what makes Carnival FUN -- even for us who are maybe past Hairy Chest contests but aren't ready for a rocking chair yet.    Variety - Royal!    Staff Personality -- Carnival!

 

Royal -- Tags on the Doors for Breakfast Room Service!!   I was SO excited when I saw those tags in the stateroom.   I still do not understand why Carnival hasn't brought that back since the restart.   It delays everything when I have to wake up, place my order by phone and then wait!   I like to wake up with my coffee on the balcony and get my day started!   

 

Food -- DH said he liked the Main Dining Room better on Royal.   I don't know that I could tell much difference.   We tried out Royal's hibachi, and I also didn't see much difference in the food or the fun experience with the chef with either line.   We've also tried out the Italian specialty on both, and although the offerings were different, I don't think one was far superior to the other.   And as for the go-to pizza, Royal wins on speed (it was always available, no lines at all -- while I think that Carnival's pizza is better).   

 

Carnival -- Definitely wins on the shows and nightlife experience!   Royal had a different show every night of the cruise, along with their repeating primary production, and that was nice -- but none of them really wowed us other than the duo from Ukraine's Got Talent who were fabulous with their combined "magic" and cirque-like routine.    I had heard so many people talk about the fantastic shows on Royal -- but we were both feeling MEH about that afterwards.   Carnival's shows keep us entertained with their music and dancing (and on some ships, I'll grant you, it's better than others), but overall we were in agreement that Carnival wins.   And Comedy??   Non-existent on our Odyssey cruise, although we heard that Oasis Class has better comedy options.   We really enjoy a good comedian -- and Carnival has had some really, really good ones in our experience (with an occasional has-been who needed to retire years ago), too.   As a final thought on nightlife -- the Captain on Royal was Out and About ALL THE TIME.   When do we ever see the Captain on Carnival?  Maybe -- maybe -- one night at the Atrium Bar for 15 minutes.  But this one?   He was somewhere to be found for a little while on at least half the days -- Photo Opp one night, Meet and Greet, Q&A with the Crew, we even saw him randomly at dinner at the Italian restaurant.   I just don't remember this on Carnival.   And maybe I really would prefer my Captain to be on the Bridge, getting me to my destination, but it was a nice touch to have so much interaction and it reminded us of Captain Stubing from our childhood TV memories.   

 

Carnival -- PIANO BAR!   Royal's idea of a Piano Bar player was not in a closed environment, but in one of the pubs that were open air to the foot traffic.  And after walking by a couple of times, we just kept walking.   Where was Eden's energy?   Somewhere on Carnival!   Because it sure wasn't on Royal.   But that's just one ship -- so maybe others are better.   

 

Shore Excursions -- Too close to call, and probably operated by the same groups off the ship anyway.   Royal had theirs organized much like Carnival.   Meet in Main Theatre, go by groups.   A draw here.

 

So, even with some of the things that we had questioned about Carnival (Where's a decent straw -- it's the little things, ya know! -- Where's the Door Tag for Breakfast? -- Why Have I Heard this Trivia Question Five Times on Five Ships?) -- I think overall we're gonna give Carnival the Thumbs Up -- with the caveat to Show Us The Captain!   And that may sound strange given that there were things about Royal that we liked better.   But -- we even booked another Carnival cruise just this week -- for next NYE -- and we're thinking about the Panorama for Summer 2024.   And that probably says the most.   We came back from a Royal cruise, and booked one on Carnival.   LOL    There was nothing so great about Royal that we felt like we got much more value for the extra money that we spent.   Would we try Royal again?  Sure, someday -- I'd like to try out the Oasis Class -- but for people who like to cruise and have fun, without seriously breaking the bank -- Carnival wins.   We'll still try out NCL (which seems to be the most expensive, but the drink prices are factored into the fare) and MSC (which was more in line with Carnival's pricing for the cruise we chose) next year to see what we can find out about those lines.  

 

Hope this was helpful to anyone thinking about where to spend their Cruising Cash!

 

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by 80sGal
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[crewsweeper]

We're platinum on Carnival too.  But after our last 2 cruises on MG, DW said "No more Carnival"  Too loud. too crowded,  too many "old folks" in scooters (LOL, we both 73!).  Sea day BBQ on Royal way better than the stuff they slop out at Guys.   Royal's 150 Central beats anything Carnival puts out including Rudy's.

Personally I like the Carnival comedy clubs especially when they change comedians  twic on a 7 day. versus Royal has the same 2 joklies the whole cruise.

Love Royal's Oasis class Central Park and Solarium. The havana deck and havana cabins on the Vista and Horizon are fantastic.

 

But neither hit different 7 day itineraries out of Florida so in that sense both are getting a bit old.

[JenSDCA]

Thank you for your open minded comparison. My family absolutely loves seeing comedy every night it’s offered, so that is something for us to make note of. 
 

As far as the door tags for room service breakfast, we were told that too many tags were being swiped or altered while hanging, and that pranksters were hanging order tags on doors with Do Not Disturb signs. Perhaps they should have a way to order in the app the night before. Some people had luck calling in their order the night before, but we never reached a human in our attempt to do so. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, 80sGal said:

 

 

Obviously, RC appears to be more expensive.   We did 12 days on the Pride last summer out of Dover, and 10 days this year on Odyssey out of Rome.   Our 12 day cruise on Carnival was about 33% LESS than the 10 day cruise on Royal.   Granted, the class of ship is different too -- Carnival's small older ship/Royal's newer larger ship, so that is part of that difference.

 

 

While I agree that in general, Carnival appears to be less expensive than RCL, it really isn't fair to compare your two cruises price-wise unless they were very similar in length, itinerary, dates traveled, and type and age of ship.

 

It would be like saying, "Marriott is cheaper than Hilton because I paid less for my 7 days in an old Marriott in Detroit in January than I did for my 5 days in the brand new Hilton near Disney World in June".

[Oceansaway17]

3 hours ago, 80sGal said:

We recently tried RC after finally reaching Platinum on Carnival this year.   We thought we'd like to see what a different line offers because it was starting to feel a bit like Groundhog Day on Carnival .... buy, hey, maybe I like Groundhogs.    Anyway, we booked RC for a European adventure this summer, and then are going to try out NCL and MSC next year for even more comparisons.    As a previously Only Carnival cruiser, I figured other people might be wondering the same thing we had been wondering about -- what are the differences, and are they different enough to make a REAL difference.   Here's some of the things we found out along the way.

 

Obviously, RC appears to be more expensive.   We did 12 days on the Pride last summer out of Dover, and 10 days this year on Odyssey out of Rome.   Our 12 day cruise on Carnival was about 33% LESS than the 10 day cruise on Royal.   Granted, the class of ship is different too -- Carnival's small older ship/Royal's newer larger ship, so that is part of that difference.

 

For us, though, we've enjoyed all the ships we've tried out -- 3 or 4 of the old Fantasy Class, the Pride, Horizon a couple of times, Sunrise a few times, Dream and Celebration once each.   I think we're not so much into how pristine it all looks on the surface, or how large the ship is, but the type of service we get from the crew and the experience of the things to do on the ships.   And for that --

 

 

Royal -- Two words here, Carnival -- listen up!   SHOWER DOORS!   Yes, I know Celebration and MG have them now, and they can be found in suites (which we've had twice but we usually can't afford to splurge like that) on other Carnival ships, but they appeared to be standard for Royal.   Also, Carnival, while you're at it, can you get me a little footrest for my balcony chair, too?   Royal had them, and we didn't have to ask the steward for it either!

 

Not on the older Vision of the Seas.  I had just a curtain. oh well

 

I like the 3 levels at the pool that the CCL Vista had.   nice to have lots of shade.  I am not aware of any other cruise lines with ships that have 3 decks by the pool

[hard_eight]

Did they do any kind of Status Match?

 

We're hitting Platinum on our next 2 cruises, her first, so I was just curious if this is something RCL does. I know MSC will.

 

Thanks for your observations.

[lazydayz]

As far as I know, Royal only does a status match with Celebrity, but they are both owned by the same company.  And it's not a true match, but close enough for most.  By virtue of being Diamond Plus on Royal, we are Elite on Celebrity.  

[RoperDK]

4 hours ago, JenSDCA said:

Thank you for your open minded comparison. My family absolutely loves seeing comedy every night it’s offered, so that is something for us to make note of. 
 

As far as the door tags for room service breakfast, we were told that too many tags were being swiped or altered while hanging, and that pranksters were hanging order tags on doors with Do Not Disturb signs. Perhaps they should have a way to order in the app the night before. Some people had luck calling in their order the night before, but we never reached a human in our attempt to do so. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I have to say that I believe the door hangar situation is more about cost cutting and staffing issues than bad kid behavior.  There are rowdy kids on Royal, too.  Their room service excels compared to Carnival. Royal has free continental selections just like Carnival, but they also have cooked eggs, BACON, sausage, and pancakes.  Lunch and dinner have burgers, salmon, salad, and pasta choices. The charges are not a la carte, but all you want for a $8 delivery fee. How many people (like us), just skip room service and go up to lido instead.  We actually get coffee and a plate and bring it back to our cabin to enjoy on the balcony.  It saves Carnival the trouble of picking up the hangars, delivering the tray, and then picking it up later.  That's a saving for them.  I just wish they would say that they are trying to save money instead of blaming pranksters.  Carnival has many positive points, but room service isn't one of them IMHO.

[LatinaInTexas]

My first few cruises were on RC and while nice I will prob never book them again.

Tried Carnival next and thought this line is for me, loved it. But I sail where the comps are so tried MSC last year and NCL last month.

Loved those cruises also. Certain things they did better than Carnival and certain things they didn't. Going forward I will gladly book again on either of those lines. Seems I don't have a favorite anymore lol.

 

[SF Cfan]

Royal -- they offer straws with drinks.  Biodegradable ones!   Why can't Carnival give me a straw?  Why do I have to pack my own or get all sticky with their candy straws??   Score One for Royal!

 

Spirit had weird, but usable melting straws on our cruise in April, not to be confused with chocolate melting cake.

 

My wife and I had fairly close Royal and Carnival sailings too, Vision OTS in December, Southern Caribbean and then Spirit in April, Panama Canal.

 

Thanks for putting your observations down is such objective detail.

 

We experienced a much more noticeable difference at dinner time.

 

Vision's output in the MDR was poor.  The MDR on Spirit was much better, really good I would say.  I think it just shows that there are ship to ship variances.  Others over on the RCL board have commented on the less than stellar food aboard Vision.

[80sGal]

5 hours ago, staceyglow said:

While I agree that in general, Carnival appears to be less expensive than RCL, it really isn't fair to compare your two cruises price-wise unless they were very similar in length, itinerary, dates traveled, and type and age of ship.

 

It would be like saying, "Marriott is cheaper than Hilton because I paid less for my 7 days in an old Marriott in Detroit in January than I did for my 5 days in the brand new Hilton near Disney World in June".

Ill agree with that.   But like I said ... Both Summer .... Both Europe .... 10 days/12 days .... and I acknowledged the different age and size of ship    It might not be perfect Apples to Apples but it's at least Oranges to Tangerines.  🙂

[80sGal]

3 hours ago, hard_eight said:

Did they do any kind of Status Match?

 

We're hitting Platinum on our next 2 cruises, her first, so I was just curious if this is something RCL does. I know MSC will.

 

Thanks for your observations.

Good to Know!  Thanks!

[staceyglow]

21 minutes ago, 80sGal said:

Ill agree with that.   But like I said ... Both Summer .... Both Europe .... 10 days/12 days .... and I acknowledged the different age and size of ship    It might not be perfect Apples to Apples but it's at least Oranges to Tangerines.  🙂

Fair enough. 😁

[sgttami]

I've sailed RCL and Carnival equally, 15 cruises on each one.  RCL was in my early years of cruising and CCL came later (2014-present)  Every cruise was different from ship size and itinerary to who I traveled with.  They were all good. . I'm  Platinum on CCL and Diamond Plus on RC but Carnival gets the edge these days because of the good casino offers.

 

Food, entertainment and excursions were all good at the time and I never recall any major complaints when coming home from a trip.

 

Other cruises:

MSC: went  once on a comp  .Would go again.  They did match your status on another line so that was nice.

 

Celebrity:  Once.  Charter cruise through the PBA.  Great time.  Would go again.

 

NCL:  Once was too much.  Wouldn't sail them again if my life depended on it!  

 

I think every line has their diehard fans and no matter what you decide, a cruise is still a great getaway!
 

 

 

[carohs]

Thanks for the feedback. Haven't tried Royal yet but if we did, it'd be on the ships that have the amusement rides and such. I found there were things I really enjoyed on CCL (quick service food options breakfast and lunch, afternoon tea) and things that were total misses for us. Lack of variety of entertainment (how much trivia can one really do?) and bad choice in smoking areas namely. I decided to forego CCL for longer cruises but do have a 3n one booked. It actually sounds like RCL and CCL have more in common than not so I might try them too one day. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

4 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

My first few cruises were on RC and while nice I will prob never book them again.

Tried Carnival next and thought this line is for me, loved it. But I sail where the comps are so tried MSC last year and NCL last month.

Loved those cruises also. Certain things they did better than Carnival and certain things they didn't. Going forward I will gladly book again on either of those lines. Seems I don't have a favorite anymore lol.

 

variety is the spice of life.🙂

[susieQ_2010]

I am platinum on Carnival and we just got back from a 7-day RCL cruise on the Allure of the Seas.  It was my 2nd RCL cruise and this was a "let's see if they are any better this time from last time" cruise.  I think there is too much pomp and circumstance on RCL.  I don't cruise for all of the 'stuff' so it didn't impress me.  My 9yo son did partake in the RCL kids club and felt Carnival's was more fun.  He did like the Flow Rider and the Zip line.  The kids club didn't have a way for parent communication like Carnival does.  Carnival updates the app when your child signs themselves in or out with location or destination information.  RCL couldn't or wouldn't do that.  

 

Food was hit or miss.  We ate mostly in the Windjammer for lunch and the Dining Room for dinners.  We did try the Italian restaurant, which was pretty good, but nothing to write home about for $100 meal.  I feel like Carnival always has some food options available all of the time.  On RCL, there were times when I felt nothing was available.  Their pizza was just ok.  Carnival wins that one.  Room service was pretty good on RCL.  

 

RCL wins on production shows.  There were multiple production type shows available during the week.  We saw 3 different theatrical shows that were very well done.  Their Aqua Show was incredible.  Carnival wins on Daily activities.  I felt like nothing was going on during sea days on RCL.  It was weird.  Bingo was in the early mornings.  Trivia was at odd times too.  It was just difficult to make it to any of them.  

 

Casino is a draw.  I feel RCL had a larger footprint with more of a selection of table games and slot machines.  Carnival has a better nonsmoking casino.  Carnival's players club has better offers.  I had to ask to have my table play reviewed on RCL and that still didn't happen.  On Carnival, table play was reviewed immediately.  

 

All in all, RCL just offers a different product and there are some that are drawn to it.  We are not so we will stick with Carnival.  We already have 4 other Carnival cruises booked between now and next August.  We might consider trying NCL, MSC and Celebrity at some point, but we are happy with Carnival as of now.  

[cruisinqt]

We just got back from an Alaskan cruise on Royal Caribbeans Quantam Of The Seas. It’s not our first time on Royal but it feels like it because it’s been 10 years since we’ve cruised with them. Right off the bat the biggest disappointment for us was the food. Cafe Two 70 had great breakfasts, Izumi had very good food, the MDR was decent and pretty comparable to Carnival, but overall we were underwhelmed food wise. And we tried all of the food places on Royal too. I’m just used to so much variety and choices with Carnival with everything tasting pretty good. And ALL of the Carnival specialty restaurants are really good whereas out of 3 specialty restaurants on Royal we were only impressed with Izumi. Nothing at the Windjammer was very good either. And they made every person wash their hands before entering which created a backup that seemed to go on forever, like literally hundreds of people. A squirt of hand sanitizer would be quicker and just as effective like Carnival does. 
 

We liked Royals cabin layout and storage space better. The showers were great. I thought their shows were better than Carnivals. We loved every show we watched. As far as activities go Royal has lots of activities you don’t normally see on Carnival. Like bumper cars, laser tag, escape rooms, rock climbing walls, and even skydiving simulators. But we found most of these activities to be more geared towards the younger crowd. Being in our fifties we like Carnivals adult comedy club, Deal Or No Deal, Family Feud, bingo, etc. But that’s a personal preference. 
 

As far as the spa goes Carnival wins hands down. We went to Royals spa and were shocked to see everything $250 and up. I’m looking right now at booking either an Elemis Biotec facial for $159 or a 50 minute Swedish massage for $119, or a 75 minute bamboo massage for $167 on our upcoming Carnival cruise. You can’t beat those prices and the massages and service are top notch. And they send out coupons a lot. I’ve got a $50 coupon I’m using that Carnival just sent me for this cruise. 

We were disappointed with Royals app, it was very hard to navigate and didn’t have all of the cool features the hub app had. We were also shocked there were only 2 elevators on a ship with 5,000+ people on board. The elevator situation was the worst I’ve ever seen. I’ll never complain about Carnival’s elevators again, at least they have 3 of them. And the casino was quite small, poorly laid out and had very old machines with the emblems all faded on them. But the adults only solarium with its two massive hot tubs and a multi level pool made up for all of that. It was absolute heaven. The bar made strong drinks and even brought them to us at the hot tubs. And the bistro was so convenient with fresh fruit that hit the spot. I’d go back on Royal just to hang out there all day. 
 

Overall we enjoyed our cruise and found some things we liked better on Royal and other things we liked better on Carnival. But the things we liked better on Carnival were the things that matter most to us while cruising. Like the food (we’re foodies), the spa, the activities and the casino. We missed Carnival and definitely prefer it over Royal. That doesn’t mean we wont cruise Royal, we love them, but Carnival just checks all of the boxes for us. 

[RWolver672]

We tried RC once and never again.  Cabin steward was rude, acted like he was doing us a favor for taking care of our cabin.  

 

Two different nightly shows were cancelled half way through for technical problems.  

 

Smoking section was right by the entrance to the Lido buffet.  Non smokers would give the waving hand in front of their noses, cough and try to belittle the smokers that were there because it was the only place to smoke.  Not the smokers fault.

 

The real downer was the night they had the midnight buffet out on the Lido deck.  For starters, it made no sense to have it set up out there when everybody that got food had to go back into the buffet for a table.  We were in the smoking section when they were setting up the buffet.  The windows were open and the wind was quite strong.  I noticed that the wind was blowing the dinner rolls off onto the floor.  I went to one of the chefs that was setting it up and told him.  He came over, picked the rolls up off the floor and put them back on table tray. (I did mention this in the survey and got a call from RC.  They wanted to know the full story.  I told them and they said that they  were seriously thinking about not putting it out there anymore).

 

We have eleven cruises on Carnival.  We've had fun on every one with no complaints at all.  In fact, number twelve is on the books.

 

[firefly333]

One big difference is as your loyalty on rcl goes up, you get more discounts. I get $250 off balcony and 25% solo discount. If carnival gave me a solo discount, I'd be all over it. 5 free drinks a day and 2 free days of wifi is a tipping point.

 

I'm hoping carnival prices come down to what I can book rcl for I'd book more carnival, but i would pay extra.

Any time dining is one thing carnival does better than rcl. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

7 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

We tried RC once and never again.  Cabin steward was rude, acted like he was doing us a favor for taking care of our cabin.  

 

Two different nightly shows were cancelled half way through for technical problems.  

 

Smoking section was right by the entrance to the Lido buffet.  Non smokers would give the waving hand in front of their noses, cough and try to belittle the smokers that were there because it was the only place to smoke.  Not the smokers fault.

 

The real downer was the night they had the midnight buffet out on the Lido deck.  For starters, it made no sense to have it set up out there when everybody that got food had to go back into the buffet for a table.  We were in the smoking section when they were setting up the buffet.  The windows were open and the wind was quite strong.  I noticed that the wind was blowing the dinner rolls off onto the floor.  I went to one of the chefs that was setting it up and told him.  He came over, picked the rolls up off the floor and put them back on table tray. (I did mention this in the survey and got a call from RC.  They wanted to know the full story.  I told them and they said that they  were seriously thinking about not putting it out there anymore).

 

We have eleven cruises on Carnival.  We've had fun on every one with no complaints at all.  In fact, number twelve is on the books.

 

Was this back in the year 2000? 

[cruisegus]

6 hours ago, firefly333 said:

One big difference is as your loyalty on rcl goes up, you get more discounts. I get $250 off balcony and 25% solo discount. If carnival gave me a solo discount, I'd be all over it. 5 free drinks a day and 2 free days of wifi is a tipping point.

 

I'm hoping carnival prices come down to what I can book rcl for I'd book more carnival, but i would pay extra.

Any time dining is one thing carnival does better than rcl. 

Yes RCCL Loyalty program is much better especially if you're normally break even drink package person.  Even in the other aspects I doubt anyone can legitimately argue that RCCL is not "the best loyalty package at sea" by far.

 

But Both lines excel in some areas over the other.  Also when reading review you need to notice the information that is very crew specific and can change from not only ship to ship but "A" or "B" crew.  Examples of this were the OP's comment's like seeing the Captain out and about, have nothing to do with the cruise line but are very specific to that particular Captain.  The same as activity staff is very dependent on the CD (cruise director).

 

Carnival definitely does Comedy Club and Piano Bar better,  Also the Free extra food places like Guy's Burger and Blue Iguana Cantina blow RCL away.  Additional mention deserved for the Alchemy Bar.

 

RCL defiantly takes the prize for Broadway, Production, and use of new technology for shows as well as better adult pool area.  Bigger and more modern ships (although Carnival has been coming along in the last 5 years)  If you looking for an Amusment Park at Sea, Royal can't be beat.

 

Either line if you love to cruise you can have a good time.

Edited June 15, 2023 by cruisegus

[RWolver672]

54 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Was this back in the year 2000? 

 

No, it was 2008.

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

14 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

We were disappointed with Royals app, it was very hard to navigate and didn’t have all of the cool features the hub app had. We were also shocked there were only 2 elevators on a ship with 5,000+ people on board.

I don't believe that for a second.

Been on many RCI ships - never had only 2 elevators.

38 minutes ago, cruisegus said:

Also the Free extra food places like Guy's Burger and Blue Iguana Cantina blow RCL away. 

Oasis class has a ton of free food places.... I feel that people are comparing completely different ship classes.

 

 

 

We have cruised on RCI, Princess and NCL. We are trying out MSC, Carnival and Celebrity later this year and next year. When I make my comparisons, I will make sure to compare similar ships, so it's not apples and oranges. Like - not comparing NCL Jade with RCI's Harmony.

[cruisegus]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

 

Oasis class has a ton of free food places.... I feel that people are comparing completely different ship classes.

 

Yes Oasis Class ships have tons of free food.  None of which compare to the popularity or quality of Guy's and Blue Iguana. 

 

More importantly Oasis Class ships venue hours don't consider well with the lunch crowd, example the Dog house and Loco Fresh don't open till after 1pm making them inconvenient for lunch hours 11 to 1.

 

I'm Pinnacle on RCCL so obviously I like sailing them, and have sailed all 5 of the "oasis" ships in last 10 months, just pointing out the this is one area that Carnival actually does better than RCCL.  JMHO