Carnival vs Royal

[chasenluke]

I am a first time crusier. I was going to do Disney because we will have boys almost 9 and 5 when we go in Feb 2010 for Mardi Gras. I was looking at the RCCL Triumph and now at the Crnival Dream. I have no clue which to pick. We are 6 hours from Galveston or Houston and 11 from PC, Florida.

Has anyone been on both lines. I know the Dream is new which makes it more appealing plus my kids would almost die over the water park but the ice ring and rock climbing are tempting on the RCCL.

I am open to any suggestions. There is just to much information out there for a new comer. I still canoot decide if we want a balcony or not.

Shannon

 

[jetblue]

Either line would be an excellent choice especially for kids! To me in boils down to the following:

Carnival has better food
Carnival is cheaper
Royal Caribbean has better service
Royal Caribbean has bigger ships

Other than that it will be up to you to make a choice but you certainly can't go wrong with either.

 

[chasenluke]

I did notice the price. There is about $1000 difference in the two we are looking at. We are leaning more towards the Carnival because the Dream looks awesome and my kids would love it.

 

[Cruizer]

[quote chasenluke]I am a first time crusier. I was going to do Disney because we will have boys almost 9 and 5 when we go in Feb 2010 for Mardi Gras. I was looking at the RCCL Triumph and now at the Crnival Dream. I have no clue which to pick. We are 6 hours from Galveston or Houston and 11 from PC, Florida.

Has anyone been on both lines. I know the Dream is new which makes it more appealing plus my kids would almost die over the water park but the ice ring and rock climbing are tempting on the RCCL.

I am open to any suggestions. There is just to much information out there for a new comer. I still canoot decide if we want a balcony or not.

Shannon[/quote]

Well this is a little confusing. The Triumph is a Carnival ship, not a RCL ship. You mention Galveston/Houston and Port Canaveral. You also mention ice skating and that is limited to the Voyager class and Freedom class (though the Oasis class will likely have an ice rink too). If you are looking at Feb 2010 then the Voyager will likely be in Galveston and the Freedom of the Seas will be in Port Canaveral. The Carnival Dream will also be in Port Canaveral and the Carnival Conquest will be in Galveston.

The Conquest does not have a water park, but it does have a water slide. The Dream will have a water slide (all Carnival ships do) and I believe it will have a water park (the Dream is not out yet). The Voyager does have an ice rink and rock climbing. However, the Freedom of the Seas has an ice rink and a water park (but no water slide). I don't have any photos of the water park on any of the Carnival ships yet. The water park is being installed on the Fantasy class ships and I have not been on one that has it - yet. If the Dream has a water park, well, no one has been on the Dream yet.

The ice rink on the Voyager of the sea is just like the ice rink on the Freedom of the Seas. The following photos are from the Freedom of the Seas ...

Water park AKA H2O Zone ...

















Those were all from the water park. The two main pools are separate ...



Ice rink ...



Rock wall ...

 

[Patti-Cake]

We have cruised on both RC and Carnival. We prefer Carnival. While it sounds enticing to have an ice rink and rock climbing wall, keep in mind that those attractions are only open a limited amount of time each day, so you must schedule your days in order to use those attractions. Both RC and Carnival have very good children's programs, and at the age that your children are, they would enjoy either cruise. In our experience, we have found that Carnival has better food in the dining room. Based on what you get for the price you pay, you cannot beat Carnival.

 

[mickeyboy7]

To me the 2 lines are so close that it all boils down to itinerary and price. I've had a great time on both cruise lines but I've found that Carnival gives me more bang for my buck. Choose whichever departs closer to your home or has a nicer itinerary or chose which fits your budget. You'll love either one...enjoy!!! :wave

 

[Mbandy]

I have been on six Royal Caribbean and six Carnival. I agree completely with Jetblue's comments.

 

[Followthesun]

RC is more money but worth it.

The ships are nicer, the crews are higher quality with better service, the food is better and the guests are less of the "I'm gett'n mine" from the buffet line. Just a less "rough" crowd in general.

Spend the money, it is worth it.

 

[Babushka]

I've been on both Carnival and Royal Caribbean. We had a great time on both lines but my favorite cruise to date has been on the Carnival Valor and one of the worst to date (service especially) was on RC's Voyager of the Seas (I shouldn't say it was the worst...we really have had great times on all our cruises, it's just that the service, food, etc. wasn't as good as we've had before). You can't beat the price of Carnival and while RC seems to have a little more to offer I still think if you chose Carnival you and your family will have a great time! You're kids are still young and will have fun no matter which ship you're on and so will you. Good luck choosing...don't stress about it because honestly you'll have a wonderful time no matter what ship you choose!

 

[Debra919]

Go Carnival. I take a small exception to the generalization above that the Carnival cruisers are a "rough" crowd. I have never seen this displayed on the cruises I've been on. WE definitely aren't a rough crowd--my husband doesn't drink and he's on staff at a church! LOL.

But what I was going to address is whether you want a balcony or not. YOU DO. HAHA. See if you can get one of those wonderful "aft wraps" they offer or perhaps a suite. I know a guy who got an aft-wrap and had an adjoining room for their boys (and some other adult as minors cannot be in a room by themselves on the roster). They opened up the partitions for these two balconies (aft wraps are bigger) and they had balcony forEVER. Compare prices between RCI's balconies and Carnival's suites perhaps. You might get more room for your money.

Just some suggestions. I think that others (other than the person who said unequivocally that Carnival is a "rough crowd") have given good suggestions. Let us know what you decide!

Debra

 

[Babushka]

I also want to mention like the person above me that I don't find Carnival guests to be a "rough" or rowdy bunch. My husband and I don't smoke or drink and aren't party people and I have never really seen anyone get out of hand...on any cruise line I've been on. I mean you do get your person or two that may have had too much too drink but as far as people being way over the top and crazy...that's just not something we've encountered. Everytime we go on a Carnival cruise someone always makes the comment that we must really be party animals because that's the only type of people on Carnival...that's simply not true.

I also agree that if you can get a balcony....get one!!! I love a balcony cabin! Sitting on the balcony watching the ocean is so relaxing and I love leaving the door open at night listening to the waves...you will sleep so good!

Good luck with everything!