RCCL vs. Carnival?

[robin67]

We would like to take our children on a cruise to the Western Carribean. They are 15 and 11. Quotes I have gotten for Royal Car. are much higher than Carnival.... Is the difference in price worth it?? I have only been on Princess (with only my husband!). The cruise agents are pushing RCCL but I am hesitating, we are on a budget!! any advice would be helpful :p

[kente]

We would like to take our children on a cruise to the Western Carribean. They are 15 and 11. Quotes I have gotten for Royal Car. are much higher than Carnival.... Is the difference in price worth it?? I have only been on Princess (with only my husband!). The cruise agents are pushing RCCL but I am hesitating, we are on a budget!! any advice would be helpful :p

 

I have never been on Carnival, but I believe in the old adage: You get what you pay for. I have been Royal Caribbean and while not as good as Celebrity, it is still very good.

[Cruising89143]

We would like to take our children on a cruise to the Western Carribean. They are 15 and 11. Quotes I have gotten for Royal Car. are much higher than Carnival.... Is the difference in price worth it?? I have only been on Princess (with only my husband!). The cruise agents are pushing RCCL but I am hesitating, we are on a budget!! any advice would be helpful :p

 

 

If price is your determing factor then go with the least expensive. We all have our own opinions of one cruise line over the other and it really comes down to what is important for you. I suggest that you read some reviews here on the board of the ships that you are considering to see which ones will meet your needs the best.:)

[SoccerMom#3]

We were just on Royal Caribbean with my 16 and 17 year olds and 3 years ago we sailed Carnival with my kids who were then 13 and 14. Both lines are very similiar and great for kids your kids ages. I thought the food was better on Royal Caribbean and the entertainment was better on Carnival.

 

My son liked Carnival better but I don't know if that was because we took Royal Caribbean to Alaska and there just wasn't as much to do since it was too cold to swim or be outside on the sports deck a lot. He also liked that Carnival had 24 hour a day pizza and ice cream.

 

I'd say pick the itinerary you like and then look at price and the ship. You can't go wrong with either line in my opinon.

[mumofsons]

I have been on both. We took our kids on Mariner of the Seas(RCCL) There was alot for them to do - their biggest complaint - movie theater was too small. Of course they had been on the Disney Magic the year before and it has a great theater. They have not been on Carnival yet but DH and I went in February. There seemed to be alot of activities for the kids. My personal feeling - I think they are both good for different reasons. We are booked for Carnival Freedom for next Easter. They didn't want to go RCCL again - their opinion not mine. :) My kids will be 14 and 12 when we go.

[Chuggiebug]

My opinion, very little difference. We love both cruise lines. food is about the same, as is the entertainment. The 24 hour pizza and ice cream might be a pleaser for the kids and that is only on Carnival.

[ce2000]

The kids willl have a great time on either line, at least my kids did. Perhaps the RCCL kids program is a little better, but very little better. My kids liked the anytime Pizza and Ice Cream on Carnival. I have to admit the 24 hour Pizza onboard Carnival is very good. I was surprised.

[KAWS]

If the ports are the same and you don't have more than two full sea days, then I'd go with Carnival. I think RCCL has more like rock climbing, ice rinks, inline skating, etc. but that's only good IF your kids are going to actually use that. Otherwise you're paying for nothing.

 

The kids will find other kids their age in Camp Carnival and honestly most of the days are spent going out in the ports with mom and dad anyway. If you take the cheaper cruise, then you'd be able to afford some really fun excursions that might be out of reach for you if you took the pricier cruise.

 

Western Caribbean with kids is really fun. That's what we did in March on the Miracle and it was outstanding.

[rebeccalouise]

The kids will have a great time on either. I'd get the biggest cabin available- Carnival staterooms are bigger.

[Cotton]

Rebecca is correct; Carnival cabins are the largest in the industry. I've been on both lines, and for the biggest bang for your buck - choose Carnival. They usually are less in rates than RCCL, and just about as much for kids to do. (How many times a day do they want to climb a wall?)LOL . My last cruise, I overheard some 'tweens talking about how much they liked the activities Carnival set up for them.

 

I enjoyed both lines, but much prefer Carnival. Being a retired chef from N.O., the cuisine on cruises matters to me. Carnival's is far, far better than RCCL, in quality, preparation, presentation, and taste. Also, if you like espresso or cappuccino - it's comp in Carnival's dining rooms w/meals. I had to pay dearly for it on RCCL. Little things, I know, but they add up.

 

I think the service and entertainment is about the same on both lines. I'm sure y'all will enjoy whichever you choose. After all, it's vacation!:)

[Host Kewlguy]

Rebecca is correct; Carnival cabins are the largest in the industry. I've been on both lines, and for the biggest bang for your buck - choose Carnival. They usually are less in rates than RCCL, and just about as much for kids to do. (How many times a day do they want to climb a wall?)LOL . My last cruise, I overheard some 'tweens talking about how much they liked the activities Carnival set up for them.

 

I enjoyed both lines, but much prefer Carnival. Being a retired chef from N.O., the cuisine on cruises matters to me. Carnival's is far, far better than RCCL, in quality, preparation, presentation, and taste. Also, if you like espresso or cappuccino - it's comp in Carnival's dining rooms w/meals. I had to pay dearly for it on RCCL. Little things, I know, but they add up.

 

I think the service and entertainment is about the same on both lines. I'm sure y'all will enjoy whichever you choose. After all, it's vacation!:)

 

Considering the only Royal ship you've been on for the past 15 years is the Sovereign your comments need to be taken with a grain of salt. Try one of Royal's newer ships and then you'll be able to make a more reasonable comparison. We've sailed on both cruise lines and Royal is far and away the superior of the two in our humble opinion.

[sandm]

I agree with many posters here. We have been on both and my kids ages 14 and 12 prefer Carnival. There are few differences between the two.

[Cruising89143]

Considering the only Royal ship you've been on for the past 15 years is the Sovereign your comments need to be taken with a grain of salt. Try one of Royal's newer ships and then you'll be able to make a more reasonable comparison. We've sailed on both cruise lines and Royal is far and away the superior of the two in our humble opinion.

 

 

I'm always amazed at the Carnival cheerleaders that try to pass off the room size of RCI ships. Over 50% of RCI's fleet now match that of Carnival and also offer more cabin size choices. The only place where Carnival takes the award is interior cabins.

 

RCI and Carnival comparison on staterooms on each lines newest and largest ships that in are currently in service. Carnival Liberty and Freedom of the Seas. Also RCI offers many other cabin choices than the ones listed below for inside, families and suites. The biggest difference that I see is only on the standard inside cabins. The three Sovereign class ships and the six Vision class ships are the ones that have the smaller cabins. The Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class which makes up 11 ships in the fleet have the cabin sizes listed below.

 

Outside cabins

 

Carnival Liberty 5A porthole outside stateroom = 185 square feet

Freedom OTS - outside stateroom = 161 square feet.

Carnival Liberty 6A - standard outside stateroom = 185 square feet

Freedom OTS - Large outside stateroom = 200 square feet

Freedom OTS - Family outside staterooom = 290 square feet

 

Balcony cabins

 

Carnival Liberty 8A - Standard balcony stateroom = 220 square feet of which the cabin is 185 square feet and the balcony is 35 square feet.

Freedom OTS - Standard Balcony stateroom = 251 square feet of which the cabin is 177 square feet and the balcony is 74 square feet.

 

Interior Staterooms

 

Carnival Liberty Category 4 = 185 square feet

Freedom Standard Inside = 152 square feet.

 

Suites

 

Carnival Liberty Category 11 = 330 square feet of which the cabin is 245 square feet plus 85 square feet for the balcony.

Freedom OTS Junior Suite = 388 square feet of which cabin is 287 square feet and balcony is 101 square feet.

Carnival Liberty Catergory 12 = 415 square feet of which the cabin is 300 square feet plus 115 square feet.

Freedom of the Seas Grand Suite = 513 square feet of which the cabin is 387 square feet and the balcony is 126 square feet.

[flipperfan]

We have sailed both Carnival(Destiny) and RCI(Mariner) with our teenage son and he preferred RCI. I have to say although I enjoyed both, I definately preffered RCI. I find RCI overall a brighter and airy ship where the Carnival is more dark and gaudy. The promenade is a huge sell for me(and my DH and DS). The cafe promenade is open 24 hours and on the FOS and LOS there is now Sorrento's Pizza as well!! You will enjoy no matter what you choose! Happy Cruising! :D

[Cotton]

Considering the only Royal ship you've been on for the past 15 years is the Sovereign your comments need to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

'Scuse me....ALL my comments? I said my cruise was enjoyable, and that the service and entertainment was equal. Did I put the ship/line down? Sovereign was the ship that met my time constraints. I don't regret my choice at all. If she's THAT bad to you, maybe you should suggest they retire her???;)

 

Try one of Royal's newer ships and then you'll be able to make a more reasonable comparison. We've sailed on both cruise lines and Royal is far and away the superior of the two in our humble opinion.

 

To each his/her own. I think I'll just stick with Carnival. Happy cruisin'.:)

[cruise.freak]

We have sailed RCI and Carnival and we much prefer RCI. I will defiently sail Carnival also because the price is usually cheaper but we prefer the look of the RCI ships. Everyone has different taste but the food, entertainment and ours kids liked the teen program much much better on RCI to us. If the price was right I would sail Carnival but if it was close I would sail RCI.

[Aquahound]

The cruise agents are pushing RCCL but I am hesitating, we are on a budget!! any advice would be helpful :p

 

Listen to them. They know what they're talking about.

 

Just curious, what specific ships are you comparing? That could make a big difference.

[vjmatty]

Considering the only Royal ship you've been on for the past 15 years is the Sovereign your comments need to be taken with a grain of salt. Try one of Royal's newer ships and then you'll be able to make a more reasonable comparison. We've sailed on both cruise lines and Royal is far and away the superior of the two in our humble opinion.

 

I didn't find anything too humble about that opinion ;)

 

I have been on one of each, both about the same age ships and found it is a give-and-take but the differences are minor. Carnival had better cabins, food and overall price. RCI had better room service, more services for adults such as the solarium, and the buffet was set up much better than the chaos on Carnival's Lido deck. Comparing the two is not always easy because it depends on what is important to you.

 

If my countdown clocks were working you would see that I am pretty eclectic with cruising, having future trips booked on Carnival, RCI, Cunard and Celebrity. I just can't see missing out on 80% of the worlds ships by sticking to only one cruise line, and that is why I suggest you try as many as you can based on the type of vacation you are looking for.

[Leafpeeper]

We sail on lots of cruiselines because we like variety. If you are taking a short cruise, most of the the ships are older ships which are very similar.

 

We often find Carnival to be higher priced for the itineraries we like, but sometimes we simply choose one cruiseline over the other because of the day the ship departs and returns to use as few vacations days as possible.

 

What we like on Carnival are the last minute price bargains, larger cabins, $3 casino table games specials, kareoke, and of course, the pizza with caesar salad and ice cream 24 hours.

 

The biggest problem for me on ships is smoking. The older Carnival ships in the Fantasy Class have a hallway running the side of the ship so you don't get stuck breathing in smoke when you pass the casino. RCCL always makes you walk thru the smoke filled caisno on their ships to get to the theater. You even have to walk thru the smoke filled Schooner Bar to get to the specialty restaurants and main lounge on Jewel of the Seas (which we are sailing next year).

[TennisLover]

Your kids will have a good time on either -- pick whichever itinerary you like and whichever price works for you.

 

While it was neat to ice skate on a ship, my kids (now 14 and 12) prefer Carnival. Among the things they like better are the water slide and 24 hour ice cream.

 

Both lines are great for families -- You will have fun on either one.

[KC_fn]

My then-13-year-old daughter and I sailed Carnival 2 years ago, and we're about to leave on a RCCL cruise, so I'll let you know.

 

The 24-hour ice cream on Carnival was also a big hit with my daughter (I paid HOW MANY thousands of dollars, and what she remembers is the freakin ice cream! :mad: ). But our ship next week (Mariner of the Seas) features an ice skating rink and rock climbing, both of which she's looking forward to. I have a feeling that the restaurant Johnny Rockets is also going to be a favorite.

 

I'll report back in a couple of weeks.

[gtalum]

If you filter out the "cheerleader" type posts that universally praise one line and bash the other (and it goes both ways) you'll find that the most objective reviews say pretty much the same things about RCCL and Carnival. RCCL does have the rock-climbing wall and ice skating rink, but personally those don't justify the extra fare for me.

[newyorker123]

I was comparing the Liberty and the Mariner and the rates seem to be the same. I'm having a hard time deciding.