Help me choose a cruise?

Question

I want to go on a cruise on September. I have two preferred options for 5 nights and the same price. Bu I can't decide!!! One is Carnival going to Half Moon Cay, Nassau and Turks. The other is Royal going to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. I'm traveling with small kids. I'm interested in beautiful beaches and relax. Some people say that Royal is better in service and food. Some other say that Carnival has more activities. I just don't know what to choose. Could you please help?

Answer 1

Haven't been on Carnival but I haven't heard good things. I've been on Royal to those ports and loved it. I went on the Freedom which is their biggest, but most have just as many activities except for the surfing. I'd pick the RC one cause of the ports too. I loved the beach at Grand Cayman (7 mile beach). And Ocho Rios was great too, we went on our own to Dunn's Fall & shopping. But definitly take the excursion if you don't feel comfortable dealing with the pushy tour guides at the port. The 2nd cruise sounds cool cause of Turks, but I've been to Nassau like 6 times already. Hope you have fun : )

Answer 2

Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by Carnival (through HAL). I have not been to the beaches in Nassau (I went to Pearl Island and I recommend that you don't repeat my mistake). Turk is a new port that Carnival built (though other cruise lines can stop there) and the photos I have seen look very interesting.

Ocho Rios is in Jamaica and a lot of people do not feel safe in Jamaica. However, Ocho Rios does have a very nice beach right next to the dock. I believe it is called Turtle Beach. It August 2004 it cost $1.00 to get in (sorry, but I didn't go to this beach when I was there last month) and no street vendors are allowed. The sand felt like powder. Grand Cayman has Seven Mile Beach which is a short cab ride north of the tender pier (all cruise ships tender to Grand Cayman). Seven Mile Beach is a world class beach.

The ships also make a difference. Unless you are going on a Voyager or Freedom class ship, Carnival, with its water slide, will have more to do for kids than Royal Caribbean, though both offer very good children's programs. None of the Royal Caribbean ships have a water slide that even compares to the water slides on all Carnival ships.

Though there is no water slide, the Voyager and Freedom class ships belonging to Royal Caribbean do have more to offer than the Carnival ships. However, the only Voyager class ship doing five night cruises is the Navigator, and it is in Europe. None of the Freedom class ships are doing five night cruises.

Another consideration is the number of ports. Five nights means four full days. With three ports Carnival is only offering one full day at sea. Days at sea are VERY relaxing. With only two ports (the first and last full days) Royal Caribbean is offering two full days at sea. Last month I was on the Freedom of the Seas for one week. We went to four ports and had only two days at sea. We would have been happier with three ports and three full days at sea (as we had in May 2004).

Service on both lines is about the same (very good to excellent - in my opinion). However, I think the food on Carnival is just a little better. Also, the standard Carnival cabins tend to be a little bit bigger, though Royal Caribbean has some nice family cabins.

If you are looking for beautiful beaches and relaxing then I suggest the Carnival cruise has a slight edge. Nonetheless, I believe you would be happy with either choice.

Answer 3

I think that the staterooms on carnival are slightly larger than on royal. I think that both the programs for kids are decent. The waterslides are better on Carnival. The food is comparable. The only difference I noticed really was at the buffet lines, the royal had slightly better selection / more expensive types of food. The dinners were about the same. The food is better the first couple days because the meats are fresh. After that , you start to get into the frozen stuff which they do amazing things with . I guarantee either cruise will be better than most dinners we have at home and no one comes off the cruise losing weight. The websites for both should have the programs for the kids activities on it. Camp Carnival i think it is called. i cant remember what the royal one was called. For future planning, The Norweigan cruise line, the Pearl had an excellent program for kids. The even have a portion of the buffet area set at the proper height for kids to eat together with smaller furniture. Was very cute. We saw a lot more programs / activities for them on it. Disney Cruise is also popular for families.

Answer 4

I have been on many RC ships and cruises and I highly recommend them. They do have better food, ships and service than Carnival which is a budget cruise line. RC also has kids' programs just like Carnival and many other cruise lines.

I have been to all of the places that you mention except Turks. If you want a great beach experience go to Grand Cayman. It has a beautiful beach called 7-Mile Beach which you don't even have to book a tour to get to. When you get off the ship there just catch a mini-bus or taxi to the beach. The beaches have changing areas and showers and a small snack bar.

In Ocho Rios we did not go to the beach but did a river raft cruise which was lovely. BUT, do not go off on your own in Jamaica, its not safe.

I have been to Nassau several times and they have some nice beaches that you can get to easily by taxi.

Answer 5

Go with Royal Caribbean. The ships are nicer and they have a lot more activities than Carnival. In Ocho Rios, visit the Dunn River falls, Grand Cayman has excellent beaches and is a good place for water activities.

Answer 6

With a 4 Year Old I would stay away from Carnival. I find that from one ship to another in the same Cruise line and fairly equivalent ships the experience will be very close. So I would think that your experience with Disney would probably be about same. The big determining factor is that your son is now older so he may handle it differently than he did before. But I am partial to Royal Caribbean and the Freedom of the Seas is in the Freedom Class ship which is just one step under the Oasis Class which are the biggest ships in the Industry. I do not personally know about the Freedom of the Seas but it is in the same class as the Liberty of the Seas which I have been on. In competing with Disney, Royal has tied with Dreamworks on their bigger ships. So you will have many characters on board as well as see them at various shows. They have a kids interactive water play area(no slides though), and an Ice Skating Rink that he should be old enough for. Like Disney they will have a "kids club" called Adventure Ocean. If you do go with Royal, be sure to get their MyTime Dinning rather than the standard dining.

Answer 7

I know that Carnival is more of a big party with lots of singles & drinking & that Royal is a bit more subdued with better food. Both will have equally good activities.. these do not vary much from boat to boat...

With kids I'd say Royal over Carnival

Answer 8

I have not traveled on Carnival cruises. I have not heard good things.

Is Royal "Royal Caribbean?" I have been on a few of their cruises. I wasn't impressed. I did short cruises on older ships. I have heard that their larger, newer ships are much nicer.

Do more research to find out exactly what programs they offer for your kids. I've heard that the kids' programs can be fantastic on certain cruises.

Answer 9

Royal and carnival's rooms are both about the same size, its just that carnival has darker colors that appear to be larger. royal also has more activites and shopping, so keep that in mind too.