Royal or Carnival

[byanks7]

Some opinions on choosing one or the other for 2 adults; a 4 night cruise on carnival liberty or Royal independence of the seas at the end of September

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Royal is better than carnival imo

 

[OKW Lover]

Have you ever cruised before? if so, what did you like/dislike? If not, what kind of cruise are you looking for?

 

[murmer]

I have not yet had my Royal cruise but I did go on a Carnival cruise in 2013th and it literally caused my family to not be willing to consider cruising again for years! We don't drink or just want to sit on the pool deck and found that the particular cruise we were on that was what there was to do. The shows were not good quality (and inappropriate for small children). The food was fine but with a kid with food allergies we literally couldn't eat anywhere but the main dining room and so many times they had no idea what was safe and there were meal were she basically just ate bacon and hamburger meat (milk allergy). The ports and port adventures were enjoyable and the kids liked the kids club but they had random hours they were open and not open (like the hour before dinner when I want to shower and get ready but instead I have to entertain hangry children). I feel like an open to activities and shows person and I could only find 1 activity in 3 sea days that I wanted to do and it was in the smoke filled casino. Now if you drink and if you love to be up on the pool deck and don't have small children, there were lots of people doing that and having the time of their life, I am not one of those people.

 

[RAD]

If you’re looking for a more adult cruise experience you might want to check Celebrity. I think their service is equal if not better then DCL for less money.

 

[John VN]

Out of Port Canaveral we would opt for Royal over Carnival but over Royal is MSC Yacht Club Level especially since the 4 day has the overnight stay at their Island - Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve that includes 2 lighthouse Nighttime Light Shows with Music.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Out of Port Canaveral we would opt for Royal over Carnival but over Royal is MSC Yacht Club Level especially since the 4 day has the overnight stay at their Island - Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve that includes 2 lighthouse Nighttime Light Shows with Music.

Oooh I didn't know MSC was now sailing out of PC. I loved our YC experience, though it was in the Med, and before Ocean Cay was even open I think.

 

[John VN]

Oooh I didn't know MSC was now sailing out of PC. I loved our YC experience, though it was in the Med, and before Ocean Cay was even open I think.

MSC has been out of PC for some time. Right now MSC is sailing Davina out of PC; HOWEVER, the refurbished Meraviglia will be repositioning from Med. to PC shortly. We have 2 cruises on Meraviglia and when she leaves it will then be Seaside out of PC next year. We are back on Seaside next year for a few cruises. At the value that MSC offers, all cruises are YC.

 

[jbh275]

Right there with you. I like MSC, Royal, then carnival.

 

[tidefan]

So, for us, this is VERY ship specific when comparing these two lines. Our first choice of any ship on either line would actually be Carnival Mardi Gras or the new Carnival Celebration. After that, I'd probably go Oasis class (Oasis, Harmony, etc.) or Ovation class on RCCL, or maybe, I'd go with a newer CCL ship (Horizon, Panorama, Breeze, Dream, Magic). After that, it's six of one, half dozen of the other. Have not sailed Liberty, but have sailed Independence and it was our least favorite cruise. Know that included food options are very limited on RCCL.

We prefer Princess, actually, and as others have suggested, Celebrity (or HAL) may be more the speed you may be looking for if you want similar service.

ETA: Never have sailed MSC. And actually, after thinking about it, Virgin Voyages is probably now our favorite, but if you have kids, that's a non-starter...

 

[Sleepy425]

I've done adult only on Royal and adult only on Norwegian. I choose Royal now only to work my way up the status tiers. There's so much to do on Royal's ships, I definitely recommend it. Celebrity is more of a party vibe, and some of their boats look so run down and old compared to the rest of the ships in port.

 

[RAD]

I've done adult only on Royal and adult only on Norwegian. I choose Royal now only to work my way up the status tiers. There's so much to do on Royal's ships, I definitely recommend it. Celebrity is more of a party vibe, and some of their boats look so run down and old compared to the rest of the ships in port.

Celebrity gives you a party vibe, what makes you say that? As for upkeep, in August I was on the Millennium which was launched in 2000 and it was in fine shape.

 

[tidefan]

Celebrity gives you a party vibe, what makes you say that? As for upkeep, in August I was on the Millennium which was launched in 2000 and it was in fine shape.

Yeah, that didn’t sound right to me. I think they meant Carnival…

 

[Susan2771]

Royal. I have cruised both and Royal all the way.

 

[Sleepy425]

Yeah, that didn’t sound right to me. I think they meant Carnival…

Ha yes meant Carnival. Definitely not Celebrity for a party vibe!

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

So, for us, this is VERY ship specific when comparing these two lines. Our first choice of any ship on either line would actually be Carnival Mardi Gras or the new Carnival Celebration. After that, I'd probably go Oasis class (Oasis, Harmony, etc.) or Ovation class on RCCL, or maybe, I'd go with a newer CCL ship (Horizon, Panorama, Breeze, Dream, Magic). After that, it's six of one, half dozen of the other. Have not sailed Liberty, but have sailed Independence and it was our least favorite cruise. Know that included food options are very limited on RCCL.

We prefer Princess, actually, and as others have suggested, Celebrity (or HAL) may be more the speed you may be looking for if you want similar service.

ETA: Never have sailed MSC. And actually, after thinking about it, Virgin Voyages is probably now our favorite, but if you have kids, that's a non-starter...

Oh no, now I am worried about our Royal Cruise in June on the independence. We are going with my daughters dance studio since they will be dancing on board. ALready a little nervouse since we always fo DCL but this was a neat opportunity.

 

[Frozen2014]

Oh no, now I am worried about our Royal Cruise in June on the independence. We are going with my daughters dance studio since they will be dancing on board. ALready a little nervouse since we always fo DCL but this was a neat opportunity.

We went on Independence and loved it. For that cruise, it was just DH and I, but it's definitely great for the whole family. There is a separate water area for kids (not sure how young your daughter is), laser tag, sky pad, rock wall, flowrider, mini golf, etc. It also has Grease (which may or may not be appropriate for the kids) and Once Upon a Time which I quite enjoyed. Food is great too, and they have other fun activities going on. Nothing to be nervous about. Independence is a great ship!

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

We went on Independence and loved it. For that cruise, it was just DH and I, but it's definitely great for the whole family. There is a separate water area for kids (not sure how young your daughter is), laser tag, sky pad, rock wall, flowrider, mini golf, etc. It also has Grease (which may or may not be appropriate for the kids) and Once Upon a Time which I quite enjoyed. Food is great too, and they have other fun activities going on. Nothing to be nervous about. Independence is a great ship!

Good to know! She will 10, and then our will be 7 and almost 5 boys will be going as well.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Oh no, now I am worried about our Royal Cruise in June on the independence. We are going with my daughters dance studio since they will be dancing on board. ALready a little nervouse since we always fo DCL but this was a neat opportunity.

Not trying to hi-jack the thread but straying a little off topic to respond to this statement. If someone is comparing the Oasis and Quantum classes to the other ships, then the other ships may not get the best review. It will depend on timing and which ships. The Freedom class, including the Independence were the biggest ships at sea until the Oasis class came along. They still have plenty to do and see with the Royal Promenade, FloRider, Skating rink, etc. The Independence was also Amp'ed in 2018 so that major refurbishment helps. Here is a link that might be helpful - https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/renovations-royal-amplified

 

[tidefan]

We went on Independence and loved it. For that cruise, it was just DH and I, but it's definitely great for the whole family. There is a separate water area for kids (not sure how young your daughter is), laser tag, sky pad, rock wall, flowrider, mini golf, etc. It also has Grease (which may or may not be appropriate for the kids) and Once Upon a Time which I quite enjoyed. Food is great too, and they have other fun activities going on. Nothing to be nervous about. Independence is a great ship!

The problem with Indy if you are used to other lines (even other RCCL ships) is the lack of included food options. Unlike DCL/Carnival/Princess/etc. There are no poolside grill options. So, if you want a hamburger, for instance, you are required to go to the buffet. Your choices are the buffet, the MDR, the pizza place (which is OK), and the small “Cafe Promenade” which has cookies and a few bad “sandwiches” (we did not eat here). That’s it. There is not a Park Cafe or El Loco Fresh or anything like that which you would find on the larger RCCL ships.

Now there is Fish and Ships, but the fish and chips are $7 extra. There is Johnny Rockets, but after tax/gratuity it’s $15 extra per person. There is Playmakers, but all the snacks are à la carte ($5-$15) per snack…

My biggest issue is that I can go on one of the newer Carnival ships, pay less, and have A LOT more included. Or, I can pay a bit more and go on one of the larger RCCL ships and get a lot more.

That said, for 3 or 4 days, you will be fine. We don’t do any of the flowrider/zip line stuff, so all that is lost on us….