Is royal carribbean really that much better than carnival?

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ctelly22

Yes royal caribbean is that much better than carnival. I've cruised both and royal gives you your monies worth. The ships are beautiful and very well maintained. The food was good in the dining hall and buffet, lots of variety and food was fresh. On the carnival ship I was on the food was horrible, no variety, buffet food was old. Royal caribbean also offered a lot of activities such as ice skating, salsa and steel drum lessons which were free. I felt carnival was boring. They didn't even have half the activities that royal does and what they did offer they charged for. Carnival ships aren't for people that like to be active and stay busy while at sea, but they are great if on the days at sea you just want to do nothing but lay by the pool. Even the nightlife can be hit or miss. The carnival ship I was on had no nightlife, and didn't have a lot of places to enjoy music. Royal caribbean had a nightclub and tons of lounges. There was always a party somewhere. There ships are very innovative and worth the price. When I initially cruised with carnival it was my first cruise, it was so bad and boring that it made me not want to cruise ever again. It took me a few years and a lot of convincing to even try a cruise again. Since I've cruised with Royal I haven't regretted it and try to go on a cruise with them every year.
Your price range is doable. Royal caribbean has sales periodically and has plenty of affordable cruises during that time period. Also you may want to try a different room category. I always opt for the inside promenade rooms.They are usualy cheaper than an oceanview and have a window that looks inside over the promenade. I love it because its great for people watching, viewing the parades, and gives the feeling of being in a hotel rather than a ship.

1Cheapcruise

Carnival is great if you are on a budget...

Julie T

Since budget is a concern, you should consider Carnival for this trip. RC has some newer ships but the fares pretty steep. We only sailed RC once and won't sail them again.

They have several Carnival itineraries that meet your budget on nice ships.

Be sure to consider the "extra fees" that will be added to your fare: fuel supplement ($9 per day per guest) and taxes ($50-100 dollars per guest depending upon the ports you visit).

The new on-line booking tool on www.carnival.com includes these fees when you do an on-line search. You can make changes to your selection of cabin and even pick you cabin number with the new on-line booking tool.

Notable...Depending on the month and departure port, some dates in March and April will be higher than others due to the local Spring Breaks. For example, Texas schools have Spring Break in March so most of the sailings out of Galveston in March are at the high season (most expensive rate).

If you dates are flexible, then you can get some great deals in Jan and Feb. Prices are higher in June and around the holidays. Remember, hurricane season runs from June to November with more activity in Aug-Oct.

Johan from Sweden

Well the royal is preatty much the same as the carnival so it isnt that much better. Whats different is that while royal focus on theyre royal service (and yes thyere realy good at that) carnival likes to focus on a las vegas kind of dizzle dazzle cruise. So its realy up to you to choice what kind of cruise youd like.

As for me Id go on royal and had an excelant time with nothing (except long ques at embarkation) to complain at them. Johan.

.:. LoLa .:.

I have been on both, and I really enjoyed both, but Royal Carribean was more luxurious. It had a fancier ship, rooms, and dining.

MomSezNo

I'm guessing it may be hard to find a 7-day cruise in March or April in an oceanview cabin for $700, but you may luck out. You can check VacationsToGo.com to get an idea of the prices out there.

CruiseCritic.com has a "Reviews" section [click at top of page]; be sure to read "Member Reviews". You may also want to check "Cruise Styles" for a comparison of what the different lines offer. I've only be on Carnival [of the two you mention], but from reading CC, it sounds like the two lines are pretty comparable. If it's your first cruise, you have nothing to compare, so you'd probably be happy with either.

Don't know how old you are, but if you're under 21, be sure and check the cruiseline policies regarding age.

Iris

My boyfriend and I have been on RC and we leave in 12 days on Carnival Splendor. We liked RC caused there is always something going on but on Carnival I went two years ago and felt that the food was better and it was just more of a party.

RC on all of it's newer boats it's a lot more expensive but with Carnival's newer boats its' not as expensive. Definitely book really soon and go directly through with whatever company you deiced to sail with we ended up with a nice upgrade to a balcony for an extra $250, and if you leave near a port you can get a discount we live in Fort Lauder dale and saved. Just ask if there is any specials going on you never know.
Just keep in mind that your going to spend money in the port also.

It is the best way to travel through you will get addicted.

Have fun

Kristina L

You will find lots of people on here that are loyal to both Royal Caribbean and Carnival. They are both good cruise lines that have much to offer. Carnival is cheaper, generally has a younger crowd and is known as a party ship. But you'll see reviews from people of all ages that love the Carnival ships.

I can tell you that chances are for your first cruise, you won't care. You will have such a great time regardless of which ship you are on and what destinations you are going to, that it will just be happy you are there. If you continuing cruising you'll start building more preferences, but currently you have nothing to compare it too and we'll just enjoy it. Choose a cruise that is in your price range. Be sure you have the extra money for shore excursions and shopping, and don't over think it too much. If it comes down to going on Carnival with more spending money or going on Royal Caribbean and stressing about money the whole time, you will have a much better time on Carnival.

Travel101

I prefer Carnival, I know their ships are not as large as Royal but thatâ€™s ok. When you sail with Carnival you know that you are going to get what you paid for! I love the itineraries that Carnival offers. When you go on a cruise you want to experience different ports of call and carnival offers that on all sailing. But Iâ€™ve notice that Royal Caribbean is about the ship. They want you to stay on the ship as long as possible spending up all the money that you can spend. Personally, when I cruise I like to see different islands and cultures, not to hang around a huge ship with more sea days than port days. If you want that you should just go to a resort! But whichever one you chose have a great time!!!!

Allen H

we went on 10 Carnival cruises before our first RC cruise...
We will never go Carnival again...worth the extra you will spend...
better lodging..better food...better staff...better parties...

Cutie

Definitely do-able. I haven't been on either, but i was told by my travel agent Royal Caribbean is much better then Carnival. Carnival is a budget party ship. I looked up cruises and found some under 700 from royal caribbean. I went to www.cruise.com. I'm not sure what port you are sailing out of, put there were many with an ocean view that were under 700 for about 7 days in April.

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