Royal Caribbean versus Carnival ?

cruise lover · Guest

Hi everybody,

I have sailed The Adventure of the Seas 2 times, I sailed The Radiance of the Seas. Then I get the Carnival Glory and to me Carnival is the best cruise line between both of them. The Radiance of the Seas was horrible, there were no activities, it has been the worst service ever, and the Carnival cabins are better, and the service, activities were better than the RCL one. The Adventure have plenty of things but you can use them a few hours, to me I will never get Royal Caribbean again, to me Carnival is the best.

Enjoy your trip!

marilynvallely · Guest

Carnival cruises ripped me off. They mistakenly booked me and my family of 8 people on a non existent cruise and on discovering the mistake, were loath to rectify it. This was despite 6 people travelling from the UK to make the cruise. I had to pay almost $1500 more to take them cruising as promised although the mistake was all Carnival's. Their customer relations is almost non existent and I would never go with them again. Having travelled with many cruiselines such as Costa, RCC, Princess, Airtours - Carnival doesn't cut it! I still await an apology from their personnel, despite having officially complained.

KyJoe · Guest

I've been on both cruise lines ... twice with RCCL and once with Carnival before my honeymoon. I wanted to make our trip special for my bride who had never been anywhere. I made the right choice and went with RCCL. Each and every time with RCCL when booking at least 6 months in advance I've found that we were upgraded in rooms. For our honeymoon ... a surprise for both of us, an open balcony room. Each time I return I'm treated better and the next cruise I book will be with RCCL for sure. My trip with Carnival was fun because I went with a friend but I felt I wasn't getting my money's worth. I guess I'm just very appreciative of finer things but I also like to party! Well ... there is a big difference in the type of people on each line. Budget I'm sure has a lot to do with it. I didn't miss the party atmosphere at all on RCCL because this past trip was about romance but Carnival made me feel like I was in a cheap Vegas Motel. Sorry but I'm careful with my money and the Vegas feel didn't appeal to me ... I was happy to spend the extra cash on a much more elegant vacation. I could actually relax in style. I get enough "action" at home in any club.

J

rkellyvidel · Guest

It was not Royal The all you can eat food was average. Mostly hot dogs, suprise hamburgers, eggs and bacon...etc..American food on a British ship. The ship was average, not clean and sparkling. When we complained about the mouse droppings in our room for the full 3 days, they shrugged their shoulders The best service was the bartenders...they were receiving a 15% tip no matter what. They were the nicest. But I wuld only recommend Royal if you are looking for an average trip.

Seawind · Guest

I have sailed both RCI & Carnival. While I enjoy Carnival ships (not a party person) and really am overwhelmed at the service, class of elegance that RCI offers.
However, I was not at all thrilled with the entertainment on RCI at my last trip on "Explorer of the Seas" in December, 2003. Seems it has drastically changed over time to a New Age style shows....with exception to a wonderfully talented lady comic. The Ice Show is wonderful...but here again very New Age in style. I found the "Explorer" to be a beautiful ship and was not in the least disappointed in it style and class.

The food on Carnival I found to be more versatiled in choices, then on RCI. RCI did have the same ole, same ole almost every night, but changed the names to make it look different. Although I must say the buffet foods were plentiful and an array of everything on RCI...so I give them a 10 score on the buffet over Carnival. Now, don't get me wrong....the newer Carnival ships have excellent buffets and a great Deli and more accessiblility to the 24hr pizza area. However, RCI (Voyager series) has "Johnny Rockets" theme restaurant which is an absolute hoot.

Cabins: as stating above Carnival's cabins are much much larger, while RCI is NOT. This would be a choice you'd have to make. The newer ships and some older ones have very nice appointments in bedding and such on both cruise lines. I found that both lines are equal here in this catagory.
I find that Carnival (Spirit, Destiny, Pride, Fantasy (4-day) and some others have a wonderful selection of emenities, in a basket, in your stateroom bathroom. RCI does not...unless you are in a suite (maybe). Carnival gets a 9 score here.

Activities: Carnival, I feel is better...more things going on and to whatever your taste might be. RCI (Voyager series) does out beat Carnival with miniture golf, rock climbing wall, huge basketball court, but, not every ship has these facilities. I guess it all boils down to what you like the most.

Ship class: While RCI is more in a classy style and well deserved I would say, you won't be disappointed. Carnival's newer ships are just as great, but tend to lend toward more of a whimsical approach in decorating. Although, it's not appealing...it truely is not a classy as RCI, but I would still sail the ships on Carnival. Now I don't know about some of the decor on the newer Carnival ships, so I have no idea if this is the rule of thumb.

Overall: If you want a classy elegant looking ship, gorgeous dining rooms, mediocre food, and small cabins....go with RCI
If you want more activities, parties of all sorts for the party set, more choices in food and would like larger cabins....go with Carnival.

FootNote: if you sail on a 4 or 5 day cruise...expect to sail an older ship. So don't be disappointed if it's not up to snuff. i've never been on any ship that wasn't constantly cleaning, shining, and mopping.
Secondly....I have never found bad service on any ship I've ever sailed on....if you have received bad service....maybe you sailed at the wrong time or just so happen to get a cranky room steward or waiter. That happens on all cruise lines.
Thirdly: I do much prefer RCI's tipping over Carnival. I like giving at the end of cruise and prefer not to be charged ahead of time on my sail card. I give an 8 to RCI on this one.

Just go with what your heart desires and have a happy and delightful cruise.

"[i]Your attitude is what makes a cruise" Smile

[/i]

Guest · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 8:55 pm Post subject: Just have to say...

Sorry you Carnival lovers, but I must say that...

I´ve been a crew member on both cruise lines (1 ship in Royal - Splendour Very Happy

, 2 in Carnival - Fascination and Victory Sad

).

I regret every minute I´ve spent on carnival ships... Filthy ship, OH MY GOD Shocked

... If you have this impression already in guests areas, imagine CREW AREAS Embarassed

!!!!!!!!!!!! Don´t mean to say it, but Carnival ships carry passengers that are not so demanding, if you know what I mean... Some misbehaved so much that other´s around would be ashamed! So, even if RCCL cruises are cheaper (what a bargain, go for them!), the average "quality" of guests on Carnival make them good to be far from!

I´ve also met lots of guests on Carnival ships that have been cruising with Royal Caribbean before, and must say... 90% of them prefer RCCL.

So if you want a FINE ATMOSPHERE, CLEAN SHIPS, even though the food isn´t better than Carnival, ALWAYS GO FOR RCCL!

Rickp · Guest

I had been on 4 Carnival Cruises before I booked my first RCL cruise. I was impressed with the way RCL has a better method of moving people around. On my last Carnival Cruise it seemed like I was a speck in a sea of people. Long lines and inadequate services were common. RCL has a much better technique to handle the volume of traffic through their ships. But as someone else has already said, there is really no such thing a "bad" cruise.

Rickp · Guest

I had been on 4 Carnival Cruises before I booked my first RCL cruise. I was impressed with the way RCL has a better method of moving people around. On my last Carnival Cruise it seemed like I was a speck in a sea of people. Long lines and inadequate services were common. RCL has a much better technique to handle the volume of traffic through their ships. But as someone else has already said, there is really no such thing a "bad" cruise.

JLa · Guest

I sailed with RCC Monarch of the Seas on Feb 20 2004. This was the best cruise I had ever been on. The services were good. The food was ok..but not that bad. I even had my children babysit for most of the time. RCC was one of the best. I'd sail again and agian with RCC

Jay Man · Guest

I sailed on the Sovereign of the Seas in March 04. Although the ship wasnt terrebly huge, I enjoyed it very much. Nothing beats the class and elegance on a RCCL cruise. It only took one ring to call the room service(free with great food and deserts) or the pursers desk, and I was quite literally amazed at how freindlly and helpful the people were on the ship, always willing to help you or do anything you asked them to do. The ship was SOOOOOO well layed out that everywhere you went to eat or lounge, you had a full ocean view. the one thing that I was impressed with was that this 850 foot long ship that held 2850 people seemed to be without peole almost all of the time.. I had times where I could walk completely around the deck and not see but 5 people, most of which are middle-aged and very polite. I found that the staff was always singing and just plain loving their jobs, which is a rarety now-a-days. The ship made its maiden voyage in 1988, but looked only a year old. Every evening I came back to a sparkling clean room(although VERY small) and a cute little mint on my pillow. For the price, it beats carnival hands down. The Rosario strings were great (i am a cello player) and had so much grace and elegance (they play in the centrium). I WILL sail RCCL again because the service was just that good.

jp · Guest

I have been in 2 seven day cruises with Carnival (2001 and 2003) and 1 four day on Royal (march of 2004) I thought the boats were very similar, but enjoyed Carnival more. As for the hairy man contest- Royal has a similar contest involving big men jumping in the pool... so take your pick. I think the reason I enjoyed the Carnival ships more were #1 - the ones i went on were newer. If I were to pick I would go with the best rate on the newest ship available. Besides that- it appeared to be all very much the same.

mysterysmaster@earthlink. · Guest

[quote="Anonymous"]

mysterysmaster@earthlink. · Guest

[quote="Anonymous"]

mysterysmd · Guest

I am booked on the grandeur may 1st where are you booked?

foreman · Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 11

Manuel
Thats a hard call simply because both cruise lines have great ships! Even though Carnivals cabins are larger you not in youf cabin that much. The Voyager class ships are great on Royal Caribbean and the newer ships on Carnival are great as well I have a great agent I use is you would like the number let me know she always gets me the best rates.
Good luck

KPL · Guest

I went on my first cruise - Majesty of the Seas in 1997 and vowed to never go on another cruise. Every aspect of the trip was terrible. For the first 3 days we did not have a seat in the dining room and could only use the buffet restaurants. Which is not that bad, but we wanted the full "cruise experience" and missed one of the formal nights. Our cabin steward informed us that he was not our mother and was not picking up after us - and refused to enter our room if we so much as left a towel lying around. I was insulted since most consider me a neat freak to begin with. If we left the towel over the back of the chair to dry, our cabin steward didn't enter, not even to leave us the RCCL newsletter. Finally on the last evening - we only gave our cabin steward $30 tip instead of the "recommended" $45. He was very upset at us and starting yelling because he wanted more tip. We were five couples, and all had the same problem. When we arrived in Miami at the end of the trip, our cabin steward informed immigration that we were drug smugglers!! The FBI stopped us and made us empty our bags in front of everybody during disembarkment. The men had to go to the hospital for chest x-rays to determine if they swallowed anything. Finally, after the truth was known and we explained the problems with our cabin steward, the FBI apologized. I have still not received an apology from RCCL. After writing several strongly worded letters, RCCL simply stated that it was because the ship was overbooked that week and problems arose. Shocked

Well, five years later, I'm taking another cruise - this time on Carnival Fascination - on May 21st for the 3 days to Bahamas. I could not convince myself to take anything longer. I surely hope the service is much better on Carnival.

Guest · Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 4:39 pm Post subject:

It makes me laugh when I read how much "classier" some people think Royal Caribbean is over Carnival. If you don't want a hairy chest contest, you better not cruise on EITHER! A man sitting at our dining table won that contest (AND the belly flop contest) on the Enchantment of the Seas, so don't try to tell me RC doesn't have those kinds of activities. It also amazes me when I read comments that say that Royal Caribbean attracts a different type of cruiser than Carnival. The same people cruise on BOTH cruiselines! I also love it when someone compares the former Mardi Gras to the Explorer of the Ses. Royal Caribbean better raise their prices some more if they want to "weed out" the people who also cruise Carnival.

Guest · Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 4:41 pm Post subject:

The only difference between Royal Caribbean and Carnival is that Royal Caribbean cruisers think they are better than Carnival cruisers. One more difference, Carnival has better food!

Guest · Guest

i'd pick royal caribbean over carnival any day. carnival is more of a party ship, especially the 3 day cruises from LA to Ensenada, but personally it's up to you whether or not you have fun.

if price is a concern then go with carnival, but if RC offers the same cruise at a lower price then definitely go with RC!

wussman53 · Guest

JTFan · Guest

We have never been on a cruise before, this will be our first.

I was looking to go on a 4 day/3night cruise, i know the real experience is a 7 night, but this is just our plan for now.

We were looking at RCCL & Carnival and not sure which to go for. I saw that Carnival offer bigger rooms, but that is not a big issue, we just want to know which ship to pick from:

Majesty of the Seas or Carnival Fascination

If anyone has gone on both or either one, please reply. Thanks, Mike

Bigpoppa87 · Guest

GREAT CRowd Manuel. EXCELLENT service, quality food and sooooo much to do. A GReat nightclub that has tons of YOUNG people dancing to all music types...hip hop/techno/trans/80's. Family's along with young single adults ready to party. I've gone for 4 years in a row with 6 of my friends and we've had a blast. Going back this summer as a matter of fact. JUST stick to any of the VOYAGER class ships..! have a good time b....

Guest · Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 7:55 am Post subject:

bridge · Guest

Vic in Miami · Guest

Since I live in Miami, I get to go on tons of cruises (and most of my friends are big cruisers too). Anyone comparing the two companies based on one or two trips each aren't doing justice to either. You can have a horrible vacation on the QE2 in the 50 thousand dollar round the world trip and then have the best trip ever on the $199 3 day Carnival trip. I have done my share of cruises on Carnival, RCCL, and Norwegian, and I think RCCL is consistently the best of the three. I think the difference really is in the tipping. Norwegian and Carnival have established tipping guidelines to follow, and on RCCL the employees are still "working for their money". I have spoken to employees on Carnival and Norwegian and most say they would rather work on RCCL because they know they can make more money if they work a little harder. As for the environment, Carnival does lend itself towards a younger wilder crowd (which is great if that is what you are looking for). You can think of Carnival as a singles club vs RCCL as a Jazz Lounge. Both are very good at what they do (usually). The way the ships are laid out, Carnival does seem more crowded (probably because more space is dedicated to the rooms). The only time I spend in the room is showering and sleeping, so I prefer using the space on the rest of the ship. As mentioned before, the RCCL ships feel like they have half as many people, adding to the feeling of more personalized service. I would take RCCL over anyone else in their class, but I would say try them all (more than once) and then pick your favorite.