Carnival vs RCCL

[wpas]

What makes Carnival better than RCCL? I've only cruised RCCL and would like to know.

[kelz66]

Nothing...it all depends what fits your needs better.

[tiger belle]

I've never sailed RCCL, so I can't truly answer your question. I have, however, read tons of similar threads on this board and others regarding the comparison. No doubt you will get a multitude of answers, since this question is entirely subjective. The only thing I've read consistently when RCCL is compared to Carnival is that Carnival offers a better overall value; i.e., it's a pricing issue.

[yogimax]

We prefer RCCL, but its fairly close. IMHO, CCL has slightly better food, warm chocolate melting cake, better pizza and slightly bigger cabins.

[Joanna-N-KY]

We prefer RCCL, but its fairly close. IMHO, CCL has slightly better food, warm chocolate melting cake, better pizza and slightly bigger cabins.

 

Just curious as to why you prefer RCCL?

[Dave Wojo]

:) Everytime I see a post with a title similar to this I'm always reminded of the "smackdown" commercials. "SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY! Two cruise titans will enter the ring, but only one will survive!". :D

 

We've been on three cruises so far...one with Disney and two with Royal Caribbean. We're planning to sail our fourth cruise with Carnival. I agree with the first responder...it's about what you like. We're still in the discovery phase, so we're trying different cruise lines until we find our "niche". :)

[Alegeeter]

I have sailed on both lines and agree that they are both similar in that they are both enjoyable. Carnival's food and rooms are better but RCCL's lido decks are nicer. Carnival's daytime and nighttime entertainment is better but RCCL offers more activities (rockwall, etc.). Service on both lines are comparable. I think Carniva's are more personable (get to know your name and faces), while RCCL's may be more helpful overall. All ships are spotless and impeccable, yet Carnival's decor is usually more out there while RCCL's decor is simpler and elegant. I don't mind Carnival's decor because it's fun to live somewhere crazy for a week, I've heard others are bothered by the "tackiness." If you want to have a good time, you will no matter who you sail with. My advice, however, is if you truly want to enjoy Carnival, don't board the ship expecting RCCL. It's not that Carnival is less that RCCL, it's just different. After sailing both, you recognize the differences and know what to expect from each and learn how to have a good time on each!

 

I think I'll generally sail Carnival more that RCCl though because of the price value. Carnival cruises are cheaper and I don't feel like I'm getting any less for my money on Carnival, so I think it is the better way to go. If I get a good price on RCCL though I'd book it because I like variety!

[Mommy40]

I like both lines but I have to say Carnivals rooms are much bigger and their prices are better in my opinion.

[Yazoo cruiser]

We have cruised both and would do either again in a minute. Carnival has slightly larger cabins and better service in my opinion. The only thing I liked better about RCCl was their buffets, they were great. Entertainment and dining room food were about the same.

[Steve8]

Here is a comparison that I did after our cruise last year.

 

Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean

First let me give you some background on our cruising history. We (DW 38, DD 12, and me 41) have just completed our 4th cruise. Our previous 3 cruises have all been on Carnival and our most recent on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. In 2005 we were on the Carnival Triumph, 2006 on the Carnival Liberty, and 2007 on the Carnival Legend. We loved all of our Carnival Cruises but were also anxious to try Royal Caribbean (RCI). The following is “our” feelings on both the positive and the negatives of both lines. I’m sure there will be many who disagree with our thoughts but they are exactly that – “our” thoughts.

Food (Background): We eat all of our dinners in the dining room and eat both lunch and breakfast at the buffets.

Dinners - Dining Room – This one was very close. We all gave a very slight edge to Carnival but again it was very close.

Lunch - Buffet – We all greatly preferred Carnival’s lunch buffet. Carnival offered many more alternates with several different “stations” in comparison to Royal Caribbean. The 9 day cruise on RCI had very little variety but we all felt that the lines were definitely shorter on RCI than on Carnival.

Breakfast – Buffet – They were almost identical in all ways. A tie from all of us.

One other note on the RCI buffet - While we didn’t eat dinner in the Windjammer (the name of their buffet restaurant on RCI) after dinner one evening we did go look at their buffet. Their dinner buffet looked much better than Carnival’s. The night we went everything that was on the dining room menu was also on the buffet and they also offered a pasta station, sushi, and create your own pizza. That was not the case from what I saw on Carnival.

Rooms – We have had balcony rooms on all of our cruises. We also did a cabin crawl with our Cruise Critic group on RCI so we had a great opportunity to see several rooms. We loved our specific room (1388) on RCI but in general we would rate the rooms as a tie.

Housekeeping Services – Excellent on all cruises.

Friendliness of Staff – Also excellent on both lines.

Dining Room Wait Service – This is really unfair to rate. This is so determined based on the specific staff you are assigned. While one table may get the best wait staff ever, the table next to them may have the worst. The only thing we can compare are the wait staffs that WE had. Fortunately we have never had bad staff on either line. On 2 of the 3 cruises with Carnival we had incredible wait service. The service on our RCI cruise was very good and would rate that the same as the lowest of 3 Carnival Cruises. Our waiters were extremely friendly but the service was just not as good as those other two. Again, this could have been entirely different if we would have had other wait staff on any of these cruises.

Overall décor – While the Explorer is showing her age we would rate RCI better here. In general, just a much nicer feel.

Cleanliness – We all felt that both lines do a great job keeping everything looking and feeling very clean.

Embarkation/Debarkation – I know a lot of people complain about going out of Bayonne but I thought RCI did a very good job getting you in and out of this “awkward” situation that requires shuttle buses. No complaints on either line.

Shows – This is an area that is totally based on personal preferences. Our family goes to almost all of the shows and usually enjoys most of them. We all greatly preferred Carnival’s entertainment. There was more variety to Carnival’s shows which often included Comedians, Magicians, Hypnotist, etc. RCI was clearly more “Production/Headliner” shows than Carnival. If you prefer these shows you would pick RCI in this category. We all really enjoyed the Ice Show on RCI.

Passenger age – Again all I can rate on were the cruises that we were on. The Carnival cruises were either a 7 or 8 day cruise and the RCI was a 9 day. The average age on RCI was considerably older than the 3 Carnival cruises we were on. There were also very few kids on this cruise which I am sure was based on the timing and the length. All four cruises were taken during the same week of each year. One thing that this definitely leads to is better dressed formal nights. Many more tuxes on RCI and nobody pushing the “formal” limit like you find on Carnival.

Activities – The biggest difference by far in our opinion. We all vote for Carnival here. We did like the Rock Climbing wall, mini golf, inline skating, and ice skating that RCI offers over the Carnival ships we were on. BUT, there were much less activities on RCI than on Carnival. Carnival usually had several good activities poolside each day. RCI had very few and to be honest they were very weak. Carnival also offered a lot of art type activities that my DW and DD did where RCI also had very few of these.

TV Channels – Our vote goes to Carnival. Carnival offers network TV where RCI does not have any network channels (sorry the old sitcoms on the “pretend” CBS channel doesn’t count). Carnival also shows a lot of cruise highlights on one of their channels where RCI kept showing the Love & Marriage game for almost the entire time.

Kids activities – sorry but we really can’t compare. My DD switched to the higher group since she is now 12 so we can’t fairly compare.

Here are a few specifics likes & dislikes on each line:

Areas we liked better on RCI:

Royal Promenade (very nice feature)

Table service in the Windjammer (Great friendly staff)

Ice skating, rock climbing, miniature golf (Not offered on Carnival ships we were on)

Everything starts exactly when they say it will

Shower doors vs. curtain

Balcony doors (Sliding doors on RCI)

Combination safe (Carnival is swipe card)

Alcohol prices seem cheaper (sorry if I’m wrong but it seemed that way)

Areas we liked better on Carnival:

Could always get drinks (Ice Tea/Punch) easily since buffet area is always open

Layout of buffet area (Always open on Carnival)

Waterslide

Poolside activities

More elevators

Double odds craps on Carnival vs. single odds craps on RCI

Soap dispenser in shower

Waiters performed almost every night (RCI only 2nd half of cruise)

More soft ice cream stations (RCI often had none open)

I know that many of you will not agree with many of the areas I had listed and I will probably get flamed but again these are “OUR” feelings. By reading this most of you are probably thinking we did not like Royal Caribbean which is not at all true. We had wonderful cruise on RCI but all things being equal we will pick Carnival for our next cruise.

[browneyes7]

I have sailed on both lines and agree that they are both similar in that they are both enjoyable. Carnival's food and rooms are better but RCCL's lido decks are nicer. Carnival's daytime and nighttime entertainment is better but RCCL offers more activities (rockwall, etc.). Service on both lines are comparable. I think Carniva's are more personable (get to know your name and faces), while RCCL's may be more helpful overall. All ships are spotless and impeccable, yet Carnival's decor is usually more out there while RCCL's decor is simpler and elegant. I don't mind Carnival's decor because it's fun to live somewhere crazy for a week, I've heard others are bothered by the "tackiness." If you want to have a good time, you will no matter who you sail with. My advice, however, is if you truly want to enjoy Carnival, don't board the ship expecting RCCL. It's not that Carnival is less that RCCL, it's just different. After sailing both, you recognize the differences and know what to expect from each and learn how to have a good time on each!

 

I think I'll generally sail Carnival more that RCCl though because of the price value. Carnival cruises are cheaper and I don't feel like I'm getting any less for my money on Carnival, so I think it is the better way to go. If I get a good price on RCCL though I'd book it because I like variety!

 

 

I totally agree with you!:)

[shorebilly]

Having sailed on both I would say that I really enjoy Carnival over RCC! RCC has more things, rock climbing, ice skating etc, but they are useless if they are never open, which was the case in our experience. I also found the rooms to be not only larger on CC, but much cleaner. Our balcony stateroom on RCC came with it own old make up and pubes in the room! YUK!!! In the afternoon, after a near riot on the lido deck (RCC), they finally put on a radio for entertainment, this was a sea day mind you. They kids clubs don't even compare CC wins, hands down. That is why we are booked for our third CC, and letting a $500.00 gift certificate for RCC go unused and will expire.:):):)

[MaryZ]

]I know that many of you will not agree with many of the areas I had listed and I will probably get flamed but again these are “OUR” feelings. By reading this most of you are probably thinking we did not like Royal Caribbean which is not at all true. We had wonderful cruise on RCI but all things being equal we will pick Carnival for our next cruise. [/font][/size]

 

 

You gave an excellent comparision.

[Dave Wojo]

Here is a comparison that I did after our cruise last year.

 

Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean

 

First let me give you some background on our cruising history. We (DW 38, DD 12, and me 41) have just completed our 4th cruise. Our previous 3 cruises have all been on Carnival and our most recent on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. In 2005 we were on the Carnival Triumph, 2006 on the Carnival Liberty, and 2007 on the Carnival Legend. We loved all of our Carnival Cruises but were also anxious to try Royal Caribbean (RCI). The following is “our” feelings on both the positive and the negatives of both lines. I’m sure there will be many who disagree with our thoughts but they are exactly that – “our” thoughts.

 

Food (Background): We eat all of our dinners in the dining room and eat both lunch and breakfast at the buffets.

 

Dinners - Dining Room – This one was very close. We all gave a very slight edge to Carnival but again it was very close.

 

Lunch - Buffet – We all greatly preferred Carnival’s lunch buffet. Carnival offered many more alternates with several different “stations” in comparison to Royal Caribbean. The 9 day cruise on RCI had very little variety but we all felt that the lines were definitely shorter on RCI than on Carnival.

 

Breakfast – Buffet – They were almost identical in all ways. A tie from all of us.

 

One other note on the RCI buffet - While we didn’t eat dinner in the Windjammer (the name of their buffet restaurant on RCI) after dinner one evening we did go look at their buffet. Their dinner buffet looked much better than Carnival’s. The night we went everything that was on the dining room menu was also on the buffet and they also offered a pasta station, sushi, and create your own pizza. That was not the case from what I saw on Carnival.

 

Rooms – We have had balcony rooms on all of our cruises. We also did a cabin crawl with our Cruise Critic group on RCI so we had a great opportunity to see several rooms. We loved our specific room (1388) on RCI but in general we would rate the rooms as a tie.

 

Housekeeping Services – Excellent on all cruises.

 

Friendliness of Staff – Also excellent on both lines.

 

Dining Room Wait Service – This is really unfair to rate. This is so determined based on the specific staff you are assigned. While one table may get the best wait staff ever, the table next to them may have the worst. The only thing we can compare are the wait staffs that WE had. Fortunately we have never had bad staff on either line. On 2 of the 3 cruises with Carnival we had incredible wait service. The service on our RCI cruise was very good and would rate that the same as the lowest of 3 Carnival Cruises. Our waiters were extremely friendly but the service was just not as good as those other two. Again, this could have been entirely different if we would have had other wait staff on any of these cruises.

 

Overall décor – While the Explorer is showing her age we would rate RCI better here. In general, just a much nicer feel.

 

Cleanliness – We all felt that both lines do a great job keeping everything looking and feeling very clean.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation – I know a lot of people complain about going out of Bayonne but I thought RCI did a very good job getting you in and out of this “awkward” situation that requires shuttle buses. No complaints on either line.

 

Shows – This is an area that is totally based on personal preferences. Our family goes to almost all of the shows and usually enjoys most of them. We all greatly preferred Carnival’s entertainment. There was more variety to Carnival’s shows which often included Comedians, Magicians, Hypnotist, etc. RCI was clearly more “Production/Headliner” shows than Carnival. If you prefer these shows you would pick RCI in this category. We all really enjoyed the Ice Show on RCI.

 

Passenger age – Again all I can rate on were the cruises that we were on. The Carnival cruises were either a 7 or 8 day cruise and the RCI was a 9 day. The average age on RCI was considerably older than the 3 Carnival cruises we were on. There were also very few kids on this cruise which I am sure was based on the timing and the length. All four cruises were taken during the same week of each year. One thing that this definitely leads to is better dressed formal nights. Many more tuxes on RCI and nobody pushing the “formal” limit like you find on Carnival.

 

Activities – The biggest difference by far in our opinion. We all vote for Carnival here. We did like the Rock Climbing wall, mini golf, inline skating, and ice skating that RCI offers over the Carnival ships we were on. BUT, there were much less activities on RCI than on Carnival. Carnival usually had several good activities poolside each day. RCI had very few and to be honest they were very weak. Carnival also offered a lot of art type activities that my DW and DD did where RCI also had very few of these.

 

TV Channels – Our vote goes to Carnival. Carnival offers network TV where RCI does not have any network channels (sorry the old sitcoms on the “pretend” CBS channel doesn’t count). Carnival also shows a lot of cruise highlights on one of their channels where RCI kept showing the Love & Marriage game for almost the entire time.

 

Kids activities – sorry but we really can’t compare. My DD switched to the higher group since she is now 12 so we can’t fairly compare.

 

Here are a few specifics likes & dislikes on each line:

 

Areas we liked better on RCI:

Royal Promenade (very nice feature)

Table service in the Windjammer (Great friendly staff)

Ice skating, rock climbing, miniature golf (Not offered on Carnival ships we were on)

Everything starts exactly when they say it will

Shower doors vs. curtain

Balcony doors (Sliding doors on RCI)

Combination safe (Carnival is swipe card)

Alcohol prices seem cheaper (sorry if I’m wrong but it seemed that way)

 

Areas we liked better on Carnival:

Could always get drinks (Ice Tea/Punch) easily since buffet area is always open

Layout of buffet area (Always open on Carnival)

Waterslide

Poolside activities

More elevators

Double odds craps on Carnival vs. single odds craps on RCI

Soap dispenser in shower

Waiters performed almost every night (RCI only 2nd half of cruise)

More soft ice cream stations (RCI often had none open)

 

 

I know that many of you will not agree with many of the areas I had listed and I will probably get flamed but again these are “OUR” feelings. By reading this most of you are probably thinking we did not like Royal Caribbean which is not at all true. We had wonderful cruise on RCI but all things being equal we will pick Carnival for our next cruise.

 

 

Thank you for taking they time to write this fair and balanced review. Very cool. :cool:

[myacuna]

I really really enjoyed your comparison. Having never cruised, we have to decide between Royal and Carnival.

[9855donna]

I really really enjoyed your comparison. Having never cruised, we have to decide between Royal and Carnival.

 

Yup.That was a great comparison.I am also trying to decide on either Carnival or RCCL for my first cruise.And I'm still undecided....:p

[mudpievelour]

I have sailed on both lines and agree that they are both similar in that they are both enjoyable. Carnival's food and rooms are better but RCCL's lido decks are nicer. Carnival's daytime and nighttime entertainment is better but RCCL offers more activities (rockwall, etc.). Service on both lines are comparable. I think Carniva's are more personable (get to know your name and faces), while RCCL's may be more helpful overall. All ships are spotless and impeccable, yet Carnival's decor is usually more out there while RCCL's decor is simpler and elegant. I don't mind Carnival's decor because it's fun to live somewhere crazy for a week, I've heard others are bothered by the "tackiness." If you want to have a good time, you will no matter who you sail with. My advice, however, is if you truly want to enjoy Carnival, don't board the ship expecting RCCL. It's not that Carnival is less that RCCL, it's just different. After sailing both, you recognize the differences and know what to expect from each and learn how to have a good time on each!

 

I think I'll generally sail Carnival more that RCCl though because of the price value. Carnival cruises are cheaper and I don't feel like I'm getting any less for my money on Carnival, so I think it is the better way to go. If I get a good price on RCCL though I'd book it because I like variety!

 

Well said!

[dan40]

I really really enjoyed your comparison. Having never cruised, we have to decide between Royal and Carnival.

 

Do both.

 

Toss a coin to decide which you do first.

 

All the posts above say its a very close race. Thats pretty fair coming from the Carnival board.

 

Dan

[goggs]

What makes Carnival better than RCCL? I've only cruised RCCL and would like to know.

RCCL is the best by far in my oppinion. I have sailed both and the only reason to sail Carnival would be price.

[Fighterone]

Thank you for a very detailed analysis.

[grneyedmustang]

Things I liked better on CCL:

The Carnival Comfort Bed (I'm kind of tall and felt a little cramped in the RCL bed)

More selection in the dining rooms during dinner

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

Room Size

Lobster Night

 

Things I liked better on RCCL:

DJ in the nightclub (I think he played a better selection of music than I've heard on Carnival)

RCL's drink specials (not quite as sweet as Carnival)

Ship Decor

Activities (Rock Climbing Wall, etc.)

Pizza Station (just a hair better than Carnival)

 

 

Things equal on both cruise lines:

Entertainment/nightlife

Shows

Buffet

Service (Service was great on both cruise lines!)

 

Carnival usually wins out with me though, due to the price difference.

[MonaCK]

Here is a comparison that I did after our cruise last year.

 

 

Steve, what a great comparison. I have been on both lines and pretty much agree with everything you have said here. I would say that Carnival and RCCI come in pretty close in my eyes. More often than not, however, Carnival will win for us due to price.

[Cruzaholic41]

What makes Carnival better than RCCL? I've only cruised RCCL and would like to know.

 

IMO, RCCL gets the nudge. In general, I have found all things equal on both lines, except for one.....the ships. I just think RCCL ships give more of a wow factor.

 

My advice is to do both. If you are going to compare the two lines, make sure you compare like ships. If you've cruised the Freedom of the Seas, or the Jewel of the Seas, don't compare Carnival by cruising the Celebration.

[Luv4dacruise]

IMO, RCCL gets the nudge. In general, I have found all things equal on both lines, except for one.....the ships. I just think RCCL ships give more of a wow factor.

 

My advice is to do both. If you are going to compare the two lines, make sure you compare like ships. If you've cruised the Freedom of the Seas, or the Jewel of the Seas, don't compare Carnival by cruising the Celebration.

 

Very good point here. Was reading a comparison type review a while back where the cruiser was comparing one of the Conquest Class ships to the Sovereign of the Seas.

 

Which line won that do ya think?....:rolleyes:

[yogimax]

Just curious as to why you prefer RCCL?

 

Let's start with the decor of the ships. RCCL wins hands down. All their ships have a subtle elegance as opposed (please don't flame me:)) to a 1970s Las Vegas decor on many of Carnival's older ships. Guess is you like 1970s Las Vegas, you would prefer Carnival.

 

The RCCL Freedom and Voyager Class ships are phenomenol. The ice shows are amazing and the Royal Promenade adds an extra dimension.

 

One of the main reasons is also RCCL's loyalty program. As a Diamond member, one of the best perks is access to the Concierge Lounge on the majority of their ships. It's free hors d'oevres and drinks every night. Not too shabby.

 

As I said originally, we also enjoy Carnival and would never bash them. But, given a choice, RCCL wins in a close horse race.