Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean

[disneyaholicraquel]

They have a great cruise sale going on right now and I am considering taking a cruise in April (this will be our first). Which cruise line is better? I will have my 8 year old son with me...which has the most activities for his age group?

[DaveL]

Been on RC and it was awesome. There was plenty to do for all ages (putt putt on the ship was great!) and the crew was top notch. Never been on Carnival so can't comment on their services.

[mychza]

I've been on a Carnival cruise and it was so much fun. They have tons of actvities, esp during the fun days at sea. The shows are great, the food is great. I loved it. I really want to go again. It really depends on the boat and locations you're going on, but Carnival is a very family friendly cruise line.

[jillybean]

I've been on Carnival about 5 times, and RC once. I would definately go with Carnival. I have taken my now 11 year old son each time. I think it is more child-friendly, and just in general more fun. Each ship has more features, such as the rock climbing walls, putt-putt, etc. It seems the further south you go (like Miami), it seems the more features the ships have. Hope this helps, good luck, and have fun!

[llist]

Been on Carnival 3 times so far. We have gone on the Fascination, Imagination and Victory. My favorite by far is the Victory. Tons of activities and the Eastern Caribbean route was great!

[dtdoda]

My review of our Carnival cruise.

 

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Cruising with the rednecks

So we just got back from a Bahamas cruise. We've cruised before on Celebrity and we really enjoyed it.

 

This time, we thought we'd try a Carnival cruise.

 

Now, I've read a review somewhere that Carnival caters to the crowd that lives in double-wides and eats cheese from a can. After experiencing it first hand, I'm here to say that's pretty accurate.

 

First off, let's give credit where credit is due.

 

The ship we sailed on, The Elation, was beautiful. It was clean and well kept.

 

Dinner was passable. Decent selection and I can't really complain about the quality. We never ate in the buffet for dinner. Service was varied. The bartenders were great but the dinner service was poor. On two separate occations, we waited for dinner well over 30 minutes. We sat there with the salad plates on the table and waited and waited and waited. Unacceptable. Our waiter did his best given what he had to work with. We did not have a wine steward. We may have been one of the few tables that actually noticed.

 

That brings us back to the rednecks.

 

First off, ladies, a cutoff denim skirt doesn't qualify as proper attire on formal dress night. At least not anywhere where we walk on two feet. Likewise, the classic Dale #8 look sadly also doesn't meet the standard. Now, I realize that you've worn this to other important occasions, such as your wedding but it's not formal. I'm sorry to break it to you but I feel it's my duty. Now, I don't expect that my advice will influence you in the future to possibly consider a shirt with sleeves should you, in the distant possibility, ever have the opportunity to attend a formal function. You could also stick to the buffet for dinner. Psst, I hear it's all you can eat and you can get pizza! Sha-zaam!

 

Speaking of the buffet, we did get breakfast there since after all, it was by the pool and we were wearing bathing suits. One morning, I took notice of the guy in front of me getting coffee. On his arm he had a tattoo of a can. In the can, it said, "Whoop Ass". Now, when is THAT ever a good decision? What the hell were you thinking when you sat down in the chair and decided THIS is what I want on my arm for the rest of my miserable life? On top of it all, you probably had to pass on more than one WWF event to save up for it. I didn't check the other arm, presumably, it said "Dumbass".

 

Ladies, please PLEASE, if you are 50lbs or more overweight, go with the one-piece. Honestly, either there was no mirror in your room or you have a seriously warped sense of self. Thanks to you, I passed on going up to the topless deck for fear of what I might encounter up there. SHUDDER. We didn't;t see what you considered proper attire for dinner because, unsurprisingly, you were probably at the buffet. The ALL YOU CAN EAT buffet. Yee-ha!

 

I'm not sure if we were redneck central because we sailed out of Port Canaveral. It could very well be. The port isn't too far for those good old boys and gals to pack up the Ford F150, strap the kids in to the couch in the bed and drive down for a cheap vacation. None of those fancy flyin' machines required!

 

If we try Carnival again, it'll be a little further south. We certainly wouldn't even think of sailing out of Mobile or New Orleans. I can't imagine what the clientele would look like on those cruises.

 

Take my advice, even if you are willing to overlook all that I have mentioned above, remember, Jim Bob and Joleen brought the youngins! The hot tub, forget it, they were doing the swan dive in there. Didn't matter that you might be in there. Didn't matter that ma and pa were right there watching. Parenting skills can't be bought at the piggly wiggly.

 

In the event that you do get trapped on one of these ships and you do want some time away from the pork rind crowd but would rather not spend all that time in your cabin, I bet I can locate the one spot on the ship that is guaranteed bubba-free.

 

The library. I bet it's deserted.

[Annettecummings]

OMG that's tooo funny!!! I will leave out of So. Fla!

[dmmiller]

LOL, I've been on 2 carnival cruises, and have to say that Jim Bob and Joleen were not on our cruise. We left out of Port Canaveral and also the long beach, CA port. We experienced the eastern and western carribean. Both were beautiful.

About the cruise, it was wonderful. Now I think, from what I've heard that Carnival caters more towards kids/family... but then again, I've never been on any other cruise but carnival, so thats not from experience. I do know that carnival has a kids program, and they do a lot of activities and have contests all geared for kids of that age group. I think your Son would love it, and it would give you and your DH a break and a chance to sit by the pool and just chill listening to that great carribean music they play poolside. Not to mention the "drink of the day". (Dont drink too many, or your not gonna make it to dinner. LOL.)

The service was great, they pretty much did anything you asked of them. If they understood you.. we had a few times where they just looked at you and smiled.

All and all, I dont think you'll go wrong with either cruise line, they're main goal is to serve and to spoil you rotten in that week. And with any cruise, you're always gonna run the chance of having a bad moment or two.. lots of different kinds of people from different areas/countries on the same ship. Its bound to happen. Just bring your sense of humor, you may need it. :)

Let us know how it goes.

[dtdoda]

To be fair, I think if you're bringing the kids, it's probably the right cruise.

 

I just wish parents would PARENT when they were on the ship.

[ponycal]

That was a great story! Thanks. We've been on 2 cruises with Royal Caribbean (Alaska & Mexico) and they were both wonderful. There were lots of things to do for kids such as the climbing wall, mini golf, kids pool with water slides, ping pong, arcade and special club room for kids and more. They had organized events every day for all age groups. Didn't have any problems with Jim Bob or Betty Sue thank goodness. So good luck and have fun!

[decafmom]

We have cruised with Royal Caribbean and Princess. We prefer Royal Caribbean. The kids had an awesome time and the staff was very well trained and the kids loved them.

[bugsette]

Only have been on Carnival... my kids loved Camp Carnival

[asilenceblossom]

My husband and I have never been on a cruise....where can we find GREAT deals on cruises? We live in the NE.

[dtdoda]

I've found some really great deals at

 

www.travelzoo.com

[ajburlingame]

I have been on both Carnival and Royal Caribbean. I strongly preferred the food, environment and entertainment on the Carnival. I would definitely think Carnival would be better for a family. Then again I may not be the best judge in the world because myself, my family, and friends my be considered to be Jim Bob or Betty Sue. We are definitely not considered high class and would probably never notice if there wasn't a wine steward. We would be dressed in appropriate attire at dinner (we love to dress up in formal dresses and a cruise is the only place we ever get to do that), but some skin art would be visable at the pool I am sure. I actually would not be surprised by the can tatoo at all. haha

[roxybabe962]

Iv been on 6 Carnival boats and LOVED everyone. I went on one Royal Caribbean it was ok but not as much fun as Carnival. Carnival always are clean, great food!, always something going on, tons of activities. They are especially great for kids, they have a Carnival kids camp, a kid section on the boat with there own little pool and playgrounds. Carnivals are my FAVORITE..so id def. say Carnival over Royal Caribbean.

[ICF]

Has anyone been on the Carnival Valor? We are going in a few months, and would love to hear any thoughts.

 

We went on the Carnival Paradise a few years ago, and enjoyed it. We are also not "high class" and wouldn't miss a wine steward. We had a good time, enjoyed the shows and food and recommended it highly.

 

Unless you have weather issues or something similar, I think almost any cruise would be a fun time.

 

Carnival is a cheaper cruise, compared to Disney, RC and many others but I don't know that most people will really miss whatever extras you get (if any) with the other cruise lines in exchange for the higher bill.

[karen hurford]

We have cruised on Carnival, and found it ---very nice. I hope the above post was supposed to be a joke-------because , no matter how much money, you have, snobbery is belittling to you------people are generally very nice------if you get to know them--no matter what they look like, on the outside.

[vanessaa21]

DTdoda-

That is, from my experience, not a reflection of the Carnival Cruise lines. My husband and I are both professionals with graduate degrees and we have sailed on Carnival and enjoyed every minute of it!

Carnival cruise lines are, by far, the cheapest. We were very pleased with the quality and service on our cruises and would definitely go back again.

The last cruise I booked, I compared the "specials" from cruise.com (free shore excursion)and carnival.com (free upgrade). I called Cruise.com and told them that Carnival was offering an upgrade. They offered me their special in addition to Carnival's to book with them.

What I would recommend is calling ahead and asking what you can bring on board. If your ship allows it (mine did), take along your own beverages--sodas and water. These are very pricey on the ship. Their all inclusive does not include sodas.

[jeninpa]

We have cruised on Carnival, and found it ---very nice. I hope the above post was supposed to be a joke-------because , no matter how much money, you have, snobbery is belittling to you------people are generally very nice------if you get to know them--no matter what they look like, on the outside.

 

I believe it was just her recount and even though I live in the "boonies" I was not offended, I found it hilarious! lmao I'm sure Jeff Foxworthy doesn't get hate mail for his redneck jokes,lol. I know what she means about people not dressing up for dinner when you are SUPPOSE to! I don't care where you are from, that is just rude and should be enforced. My only cruise so far was a Disney Cruise though and there were no rednecks or "bummy" looking people on that!

[yuyi64]

We have cruised on Carnival, and found it ---very nice. I hope the above post was supposed to be a joke-------because , no matter how much money, you have, snobbery is belittling to you------people are generally very nice------if you get to know them--no matter what they look like, on the outside.

I think her post was rather humorous! Sadly, I've witnessed just about every funny situation she described; especially the lack of proper attire in the dining room and hot tubs turned into kiddie splash pools. Even worse are the parents (if you can call them that!) that turn their kids loose on the ship, totally oblivious to what their little darlings are doing. I miss the days when everyone on board acted properly and appreciated the wonderful experience that cruising is, without trying to dumb it down to the level of spring break or a frat party. My advice is to pick the cruise line, ship and sail date carefully so as to minimize the number of passengers that are likely to engage in boorish behavior.

[Gator Pam]

My Daddy sailed both, and he enjoyed both. But he always said RC is the class and Carnival is the trash. He did not mean that Carnival was dirty, or the passengers lower class in any way, just that the service on RC was much classier in his opinion.

[stacya]

dh has been on both, and he says RC, hands down! I've only been on Carnival, and the ship I was on, I was afraid to go in the pool, because it looked terribly run down and nasty...

[Crue2001]

Has anyone been on the Carnival Valor? We are going in a few months, and would love to hear any thoughts.

 

Lots of cruise reviews (by ship, by cruise line, etc) on http://www.cruisecritic.com. My husband and I have been "looking" at cruising for awhile now and spend a lot of time on this site, reading reviews and articles. You can search available cruises from there as well.

[imaguy1010101010]

Been on RC and Carnival. Food on Royal was by FAR!!!!!!!!!!! better then Carnival. Ive been on 4 cruises and Royal C is the way to go for me

[mackeeg]

Has anyone been on the Carnival Valor? We are going in a few months, and would love to hear any thoughts.

 

We went on the Carnival Paradise a few years ago, and enjoyed it. We are also not "high class" and wouldn't miss a wine steward. We had a good time, enjoyed the shows and food and recommended it highly.

 

Unless you have weather issues or something similar, I think almost any cruise would be a fun time.

 

Carnival is a cheaper cruise, compared to Disney, RC and many others but I don't know that most people will really miss whatever extras you get (if any) with the other cruise lines in exchange for the higher bill.

 

We are looking into the Valor for April 8th Eastern Carbi we went Westeren last year on the Miracle last year. Kids 14 and 12 had a blast on Carnival.

[wdwmoose]

In my experience, Carnival tends to be the party ship (think Spring Break), and Royal Caribbean tends to be more for families and people who don't like that frat-party lifestyle.

Just my experience, though. YMMV.

[mh1973]

My review of our Carnival cruise.

 

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Cruising with the rednecks

So we just got back from a Bahamas cruise. We've cruised before on Celebrity and we really enjoyed it.

 

This time, we thought we'd try a Carnival cruise.

 

Now, I've read a review somewhere that Carnival caters to the crowd that lives in double-wides and eats cheese from a can. After experiencing it first hand, I'm here to say that's pretty accurate.

 

First off, let's give credit where credit is due.

 

The ship we sailed on, The Elation, was beautiful. It was clean and well kept.

 

Dinner was passable. Decent selection and I can't really complain about the quality. We never ate in the buffet for dinner. Service was varied. The bartenders were great but the dinner service was poor. On two separate occations, we waited for dinner well over 30 minutes. We sat there with the salad plates on the table and waited and waited and waited. Unacceptable. Our waiter did his best given what he had to work with. We did not have a wine steward. We may have been one of the few tables that actually noticed.

 

That brings us back to the rednecks.

 

First off, ladies, a cutoff denim skirt doesn't qualify as proper attire on formal dress night. At least not anywhere where we walk on two feet. Likewise, the classic Dale #8 look sadly also doesn't meet the standard. Now, I realize that you've worn this to other important occasions, such as your wedding but it's not formal. I'm sorry to break it to you but I feel it's my duty. Now, I don't expect that my advice will influence you in the future to possibly consider a shirt with sleeves should you, in the distant possibility, ever have the opportunity to attend a formal function. You could also stick to the buffet for dinner. Psst, I hear it's all you can eat and you can get pizza! Sha-zaam!

 

Speaking of the buffet, we did get breakfast there since after all, it was by the pool and we were wearing bathing suits. One morning, I took notice of the guy in front of me getting coffee. On his arm he had a tattoo of a can. In the can, it said, "Whoop Ass". Now, when is THAT ever a good decision? What the hell were you thinking when you sat down in the chair and decided THIS is what I want on my arm for the rest of my miserable life? On top of it all, you probably had to pass on more than one WWF event to save up for it. I didn't check the other arm, presumably, it said "Dumbass".

 

Ladies, please PLEASE, if you are 50lbs or more overweight, go with the one-piece. Honestly, either there was no mirror in your room or you have a seriously warped sense of self. Thanks to you, I passed on going up to the topless deck for fear of what I might encounter up there. SHUDDER. We didn't;t see what you considered proper attire for dinner because, unsurprisingly, you were probably at the buffet. The ALL YOU CAN EAT buffet. Yee-ha!

 

I'm not sure if we were redneck central because we sailed out of Port Canaveral. It could very well be. The port isn't too far for those good old boys and gals to pack up the Ford F150, strap the kids in to the couch in the bed and drive down for a cheap vacation. None of those fancy flyin' machines required!

 

If we try Carnival again, it'll be a little further south. We certainly wouldn't even think of sailing out of Mobile or New Orleans. I can't imagine what the clientele would look like on those cruises.

 

Take my advice, even if you are willing to overlook all that I have mentioned above, remember, Jim Bob and Joleen brought the youngins! The hot tub, forget it, they were doing the swan dive in there. Didn't matter that you might be in there. Didn't matter that ma and pa were right there watching. Parenting skills can't be bought at the piggly wiggly.

 

In the event that you do get trapped on one of these ships and you do want some time away from the pork rind crowd but would rather not spend all that time in your cabin, I bet I can locate the one spot on the ship that is guaranteed bubba-free.

 

The library. I bet it's deserted.

I am really speechless!!! I can't believe how judgemental some people can be! I live in Alabama, and WILL be going on a cruise out of Mobile. It's a shame that you would categorize people as rednecks just because they happen to live in a certain region!

[ewiz06]

In my experience, Carnival tends to be the party ship (think Spring Break), and Royal Caribbean tends to be more for families and people who don't like that frat-party lifestyle.

Just my experience, though. YMMV.

This is quite accurate. I've cruised both lines. My very first cruise was with Carnival and we absolutely loved it. They sold us on the cruise vacation. Since then we have been on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises and just recently Princess cruise lines. Without question, of the 3 cruise lines we've been on, Royal Caribbean was the best. They have a ton of activities for children of all ages, day care until approx. 1:00 A.M., teen clubs, etc. Their food is without question better than Carnival's, although Carnival was not bad. We went on the most recently built Princess ship the Crown Princess in November. While this was a nice ship, we still liked Royal better. Not to mention that the shows on Royal were much better. Again, most of their new ships also have ice skating rinks that can be used by passengers during the day, with great shows at night.

 

Most of the newer Royal ships have basically a small shopping mall that runs down the middle of the ship. The brand new ships, Freedom and Liberty, have an incredible mini-water park on deck.

 

However, don't just read my comments and others here, go to specific sites that have 100s of review for all cruise lines, such as www.cruisereviews.com, www.cruisecritic.com, & www.cruiseclues.com

 

Have fun deciding. Once you cruise, you won't stop:D

[jeninpa]

 

Have fun deciding. Once you cruise, you won't stop:D

 

Tell me about it!!!! The kids' gram & pap took them on a Disney Cruise in '04 and as soon as she got home, her and I booked a 7 day Disney Cruise for '06! We just went in October and all I can think of is booking another one!! I want to cry when I look at my pics because I want to go back,lol. My DS12 wants to bokk a back-to-back 7 day cruise,lmao. I told him he needs to get a job and hand me some money,lol. If you have the money, Disney is the way to go! They are definetly top of the line! It was luxury and we were pampered!! They have special adult only sections and restaurant so it's even great if you don't have kids. Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, was gorgeous and the food & drinks there are even included!! We did the double dip where you stop there twice, it was the best 2 stops of the trip although it was fun buying everyone in my family nice $1 souveniers in Costa Maya and Cozumel,lol.