Do you prefer Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruises?

Question

or any other cruise ship ideas?

Answer 1

It's not a matter of what we like, it's a matter of which cruise and ship is the best match for you. All cruise lines are different, as are their ships.

It is correct that the shorter cruises are often very 'party' like, and if you're older and quiet that might not be the best match for you no matter what cruise line is offering it.

Look to see what amenities the ship offers. Will you use them? What about the itinerary? Is it long on ocean days and if so, are you a ship person that would enjoy that. Or perhaps it's port intensive arriving each morning at 7am and departure each night at 5pm - is that for you??

Check to see what the average age is for your cruise. Longer cruises, Alaska itineraries, etc., frequently command an older crowd. Summer cruises are full of families as are holidays.

I find a lot of carnival ships similar to kind of vegas atmosphere. I myself prefer Royal Caribbean. I think for the dollar, you can't beat the value. I think Princess is overpriced for what you get. Celebrity is a little nicer and consistantly has more upscale food, if you're a foodie.

Do more research. My happiest clients are those that find the cruise that best matches their interest, lifestyle and pocket book. Don't judge on brand alone. .Good luck.

Answer 2

I've been on three Carnival cruises. I had a great time on all three. I would not turn down any specfic cruiseline. But I do look for a ship rating of 4 1/2 at least. Carnival did not get to be the largest cruiseline by offering an inferior product. Also, the shorter the cruise (on any line) the more party atmosphere there will be. I usually choose the itinerary I like best. I've also done Princess, very nice!

Answer 3

I have been on three Carnival cruises, two Royal Caribbean cruises, one Norwegian cruise and one other line. I have three future Royal Caribbean cruises booked, and one future cruise each book on Carnival and Norwegian.

Basically all three lines are family friendly and attract younger more active passengers. While all three lines are different, all offer basically the same experience. As you can see, since I have future cruises booked on all three, I am happy with all three.

When I book a cruise, I first pick the area where I want to go. Then I pick the ship that will provide me with the best experience. Sometimes the offerings are the same, and I'll pick the least expensive option.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Do you prefer Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruises?
or any other cruise ship ideas?

Answer 5

I have been on both Carnival and Royal Carribean. I enjoyed both cruise lines. I would say the difference in the two would be that Royal has more to do on the actual ship itself than Carnival. Most of their ships are a little bigger too. Royal is a little more nicer as far as the ambiance too. But besides that, room sizes seem to be about the same, personnel on both ships are nice, food was good and still had the same excursions offered.

You had asked about other ships as well...The Princess is also another nice cruise line.

I always get my info and book my trips on cruise.com, they have the best packages and prices, check it out!

Answer 6

Go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards" at the top of the page and get all the info you could possibly want. You'll find many discussions on Carnival vs RC and other lines, too.

I've never been on RC [keep reading that the food isn't that great], but have been on three Carnival cruises - the food used to be a lot better than it was on the last one. Celebrity is terrific and Holland America was great, but probably not for someone under 40.

Answer 7

First on the meals. Your cruise fare includes all meals in the buffet and main dining room. It will also include food(sandwiches, pizza..etc) at various other locations that depending on the ship and time of day will vary. The buffet is open for all 3 meals, the dining room is open at breakfast and dinner. They do have other restaurants that do have a cover charge, they also(depending on the ship) may have other things such as a coffee bar, cup cake store, or ice cream shop that sells things for an extra cost. As for the drinks. During breakfast they do include various juices. They will also have the option to purchase "fresh squeezed" orange juice. It is unlikely that without the soda package you would be allowed to get a soda water without paying for it, but since we always have gotten the soda package I can not say for sure if this is the case. Lemonade and tea were available during the meals in the buffet and dining room, but sporadic during other times of the day and really dependent on the other venues that were open. Soda's were available from just about every bar location, and if you are on some ships they have gone to self-service machines. Personally even if you are not a huge soda drinker. The way their package is priced if you drink more than 2 per day it is usually a better deal to get the package. While I can't guarantee this, but in the past they have had the package available on the first day of the cruise. So you could not get the package, get on board, take a look at your options and then decide if you want to go ahead and purchase it.

Answer 8

I prefer Royal Caribbean. The service is way better and they have a lot more onboard activities than carnival. Also they don't try to charge you for every little thing.

Answer 9

I've only cruised Carnival, but always had a great time and no problems with Carnival either.

Answer 10

I prefer Royal Caribbean. I have never been disappointed with them.