which one is better?

[cruisekimmy]

Which cruise line is your fav...Carnival or Royal Caribbean? like put it all in one who has better food or who has better activities or u no other stuff??I have never been on royal caribbean before!!Just Carnival and That is my cruiseline so far but u no thats the only cruise line i have been on..lol and if we go on Royal Caribbean we will leave on the Rhapsody out of Galveston!So i really need yalls help!!Thanks!!:D

Carnival jubilee,Celebraiton,Elation july18,04.Ecstasy 11-11-04

[hstrybuf]

I have no preference at this time. We book for the price, itinerary and when we can get away for vacation. Carnival has larger staterooms, but other than that they've all been pretty equal for us. We've been on RCI, Carnival and Princess and would gladly do any of them again. It's all in what you're looking for in a cruise and we just aren't that hard to please.

[dncheatham]

I prefer Royal Caribbean over Carnival. Just personal preference, but I think that Carnival has way too many announcements going on all day which I find rather annoying.

[cruisin' 4 fun]

My DW and I have been on 4 cruises in this order: Disney, Carnival Ecstacy, Carnival Fantasy, and RCI Serenade. We prefer RCI over Carnival for several reasons. RCI seems to be cleaner, quiter, classier (more on that later), better layed out, better food, and more of what the non-cruising public generally thinks a cruise is like.
We are 30, and 31 years old, have 2 kids, and are middle class. We are lucky enough to have my wife home during the day to raise our kids (harder than my job!) and she also works part time at night. out 3 year old thinks Wal-Mart has everything. We dine out 5+ times a month at local family restaurants, and have never paid $100 for any meal EVER. we are not food critics. The only time I wear a tie is on a cruise. we are "casual" and "normal" people.
that being said, I have a hard time paying hard-earned money for something i will not enjoy. 2 weeks after out RCI cruise, we were already booked for another this january 2005. we have tried to go every other winter, but RCI has made it easy for us to be repeat customers. they just do a better job. I'm sure one of the high-level lines like Cunard or Seabourn is better, but i don't think i would relax enough to enjoy it.

sorry there is not enough details about the lines, but sometimes it's better to see who likes the lines more than if RCI has better pillows or Carnival has an extra 1 cubic foot in the inside cabins...

[D4]

I think the service on Carnival has significantly declined over the last 10 years. We've taken 10 cruises - Carnival, NCL, Celebrity, and RCCL.

Last year, on the 2nd day of our Carnival cruise, my 15 year old daughter said "Mom, no more Carnival. We have to stick with other cruise lines." And we all agreed.

We were on RCCL 3 few weeks ago and loved everything about the service - the whole crew seemed so friendly.

[BopRN]

We were on Carnival last summer...RCCL 2 weeks ago. RCCL wins by a landslide!! Better everything...food, service, classiness of the ship and passengers and friendliness of the staff...it is like comparing a Days Inn to a Crowne Plaza...just a different class. I would go again on Carnival if the price was right or a group going, etc. but if I am doing the planning, it will be RCCL all the way!

[cruisekimmy]

well we are gonna plan a RCCL and see how we like it!!but so far i LOVE Carnival!!


Carnival jubilee,Celebraiton,Elation july18,04.Ecstasy 11-11-04

[lizardhowson]

We booked a balcony cabin on our Carnival cruise only to find you can't order breakfast and have it served on your balcony. What you could order was coffee or juice, a muffin or a donut.

I understand RCL offers a full menu for room service.

That alone is enough to declare RCL the winner !!

[cruisekimmy]

i still like Carnival!!

[RM]

Give it a try and then let us all know what you think. Both lines have loyal followers but only you can make up your own mind.

[aebalc]

[quote name='cruisekimmy']Which cruise line is your fav...Carnival or Royal Caribbean? [/QUOTE]
I think this will REQUIRE further research. [size=+1][color=purple][font=gothic]Honey fire up the credit cards, grab the suntan lotion and my swim trunks we've got work to do![/size][/color][/font]

[wdbarrett]

I have two friends who recently took cruises. One of them on Disney and one on Royal Carribean. The one who took the Disney cruise loved it, but said that 7 days is a bit too long. The one who took the Royal Carribean cruise also loved it and said 7 days is not long enough. My wife and I are saving up to take a cruise and we will be taking Royal Caribbean. The ship Mariner of the Seas out of Port Canaveral is just spectacular.

I do not have much experience with Carnival Cruise, and I do not know anyone who has been on one recently.

Best Regards,

Bill

[Tex_Jen]

I have only sailed on RCI and that was the Serenade. Just like wdbarret's friends, 7 days didn't seem like enough! I told everyone there were clawmarks left on the ship from my forced removal off of the ship. My aunt and uncle recently sailed on Rhapsody and loved it as well.

My opinion is that a vacation is what you make it, so just go and enjoy!!!

[yarlenna]

[quote name='D4']I think the service on Carnival has significantly declined over the last 10 years. We've taken 10 cruises - Carnival, NCL, Celebrity, and RCCL.

Last year, on the 2nd day of our Carnival cruise, my 15 year old daughter said "Mom, no more Carnival. We have to stick with other cruise lines." And we all agreed.

We were on RCCL 3 few weeks ago and loved everything about the service - the whole crew seemed so friendly.[/QUOTE]
We must have been on different ships - even different lines!
I have noticed a marked improvement in Carnival over what it was say 10 years ago. On the other hand, if I compare RCI of ten years ago with last March - the decline is remarkable.
On RCI (last cruise in Grand Suite on Brilliance March 8th) My room was never made up before 10 AM and rarely before noon.
ONCarnival (last cruise Pride June 27, 2003) my room was ALWAYS made up while I was out for breakfast - by 8 AM
In Chops, RCI's extra tarrif restaurant, they did not get my hubby's steak order right on 2 different nights.
In David's, Carnival's extra tarrif restaurant, they got everything we ordered done to perfection.
On the Pride, we watched part of a belly flop contest.
On Pride, we enjoyed high tea one afternoon to the tune of some light classical music being played live!
Yes, the service on BOTH lines has become quite uneven.
On Brilliance (remember we were in a grand suite) when we had trouble using our sea pass card they insisted that we come down to the office and wait in line - even after they had attempted to fix it four times without success.
On Pride, things worked correctly the first time - so we didn't have to see if our patience would be taxed.
I must say, that on that 5th try, my hubbie did refuse to come down again. We parked ourselves in the concierge lounge. The concierge listened to my DH's frustration and poured drinks for us while we waited. The CONCIERGE appologized to us for the lapse in service even though it was not his fault. He told us to come back to him if things weren't straightened out that last time.
Needless to say, the changes in menu have been a hot topic on this board. I would like to point out that while RCI has been replacing some menu items with things of lower cost and quality, Carnival has been steadily improving their menu. Yes I have had let-downs on both lines - but Carnival does IMHO give a better bang for the buck.

[Desertbelle]

To me it's like asking what is better? Grapes or Pears. Fords or Chevys. Dell or Gateway. Spring or Autumn.

It's such a personal decision based on so many things. I always laugh when people say that RCI is more upbeat because our biggest "snoozer" cruise was on RCI. I shake my head when people say the food on Princess is so good because is was by far the worse food we ever had on a cruise with Carnival being the best...and BTW even the worse was pretty darn good. :) I heard that the staff was "stuffy" on RCI, but I loved the staff on the Legend of the Seas. The itinerary on our NCL cruise knocked our socks off, and the food was great, yet I hear terrible things about their ships. :rolleyes:

I think that every ship has the potential to be a great cruise, but that many things factor in to make it less than ideal. Crews change, itineraries change, passengers change, and all of those things need to be taken into the mix.

My suggestion for cruise shopping is to find the itinerary and price that suits you and go with it, even if it's something different. You may be surprised. Plus, a cruise is what you make of it...go with a good attitude and you'll be surprised how much fun you will have even if things aren't perfect! :D

[baseballmom]

Hi cruisekimmy,
I've only been on one too-short cruise (RCCL Monarch of the Seas), but in comparing Carnival to RCCL, scouring the boards, asking endless questions, and researching cruise #2, I've decided to stick with RCCL -- either Rhapsody (because of the itinerary) or Explorer (because the ship sounds just too cool). In my case, the itineraries for Carnival and RCCL were almost identical, as were the prices. In one case, Carnival was more expensive, which surprised me. Lots and lots of people on the boards say the food is better on Carnival, but I thought Monarch's food was quite good. Carnival's staterooms are apparently larger than RCCL's, so if you plan to spend more time in your stateroom there is that to consider. I think that RCCL may have more sports-related activities, and since I'm traveling with my teen son, that's a plus.

I know this probably wasn't much help to you, but that's my 2 cents. I wish you luck with your decision, and, since we won't sail until next June, I hope you'll share your experience with us newbies!

Laurie

[aearly]

[quote name='aebalc']I think this will REQUIRE further research. [size=+1][color=purple][font=gothic]Honey fire up the credit cards, grab the suntan lotion and my swim trunks we've got work to do![/size][/color][/font][/QUOTE]


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