Price differences

[dfishner]

We have a cruise booked on RCL Freedom of the seas for November I saw Carnival Liberty cruise with the exact itinerary same month for much less. Even when I applied my OBC Credit, the platinum discount and our TA pays our gratuities on royal it still comes out $450 less on carnival . I know the difference between the lines but when I look at the difference in cost $450 is quite a savings. I know the freedom of the seas is a nicer ship. I have read the reviews on carnival liberty and they are favorable. My question is Freedom worth the $450 more? We are pretty even keel people and enjoyed every one of our Royal cruises. We just tried Princess last month and we had a good time but not as good as we do on Royal.

 

If it were closer in price I would not even give it a second thought but to me it seems like a big difference. We were on Carnival a long time ago and had a nice cruise. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

[madforcruising]

It´s really only you who can make that decision. If you are fine with trying Carnival again and as you priced both cruises I guess you are ready for it, I say why not try it.

 

Personally to me it would be a no brainer and I would cruise RCCL, but that has nothing to do with bad experience on Carnival. I´ve never cruised with them and can´t comment a bit about them but just from the look I don´t like their ships and therefore so far have never even considered them as an option.

[Sue L]

Well I am a true loyal to Royal and I did sail Carnival 3 times and would not go back at this time as I am happy with the product I am getting for the price I am paying. I look at it as a ford and lexus are both cars and get you where you are going but it is a personal decision whether the extra cost is worth it to you.

[Cruising89143]

If the price is the most important factor for you then you may have a decision to make. For me, it is a no brainer. Been there and done that with Carnival. No more for me after trying Royal Caribbean but then price is not my first consideration. It's all about what is important to you.

[cruisePRN]

I look at it as a ford and lexus are both cars and get you where you are going but it is a personal decision whether the extra cost is worth it to you.

 

Go with the lexus :D

[ancldaca]

$450 sure pays for a lot of drinks, specialty dining, shore excursion, etc...

[Morgsmom]

The Freedom of the Seas has every conceivable bell & whistle (as well as the crew to take care of said bells & whistles.) Someone has got to pay for that big shiny new boat (and the big mortgage payment on it :p ), and that's the guest. The higher prices for these cruises are a function of their big price tags, as well as supply & demand. People will pay more for them because they have a higher perceived value proposition.

 

That being said, it truly is up to you if you find it "worth it" to have access to its amenities. Are you going to ice skate or rock climb or virtual golf? If not, and the Liberty would suit your needs and offers the itinerary you like, then you might consider that and use the $450 for other things.

 

My signature will show that I have only sailed Carnvial once, and that was on a pre-refurbished ship which I found to be sub-par on all levels (food, decor, general cleanliness), but I have friends who adore the newer Carnival ships. As far as the (RCCL) Freedom is concerned, my Brother, SIL and her side of the family just got off her about six weeks ago for spring break (for which they paid a small fortune) but raved about it.

 

good luck!

[silentbob007]

As others have said ... it depends on what you want/will use on board and what that money means to you. If that is the toal price difference between the two for similar types of rooms, then that actually seems like a fairly decent price for FotS.

[Jolimont]

I am in the same situation. I know I love Carnival, I think I would love RCCL, but every time I check out the routes RCCL is considerably more expensive. I can't talk myself into paying that much more for RCCL. Maybe some day, but for now I've always gone with the value--value as I see it that is.

[dfishner]

Thanks all for your honest comments. As I wrote I am booked on the Freedom of the seas for November. I have been on the NOS so am well aware of what Freedom offers. The Nos and the Jewel were both our favorite cruises for different reasons. I like the lexus comment and that is the way I am looking at it. Will sleep on it for a couple of days and decide.

[Daghis]

We had the same concern before sailing on the Liberty of the Seas last year. I couldn't understand why Royal Caribbean was so much more expensive than their competitors.

 

Nonetheless, we knew we would be coming into some money in 2007, so we decided to try them out. I was especially curious about the Royal Promenade and the Promenade staterooms.

 

Since sailing, I'm convinced! I love the Royal Promenade, and it's become perhaps the most important feature for me to look for, so that even sailing on Royal Caribbean, it's got to be either a Voyager or Freedom class vessel. In addition, the ships are so massive with so much to do, it offers the best chance to find something for all four of us in the family. Given that, it's been worth the price difference.

 

In the future, though, I'm not as sure. I've not been able to book a cruise for on Royal Caribbean 2009 because the prices have risen quite a bit from our 2007 and 2008 cruises and they're out of our budget range for now. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a good sale going on, especially out of New Jersey where we could drive and not have to include the cost of four airline tickets.