Question:
MY boyfriend and I are planning a 4 day cruise for April2003..but dont if we should chose Carnival or Royal..Destination-Bahamas..Please HELP!! Which cruise line is better??

Choices:
Royal
Carnival

 

Well, it depends. What do you want/expect from a cruise? What things do you like to do? Is dancing and night life important? Give us something to work with here!!!

I haven't personally sailed Royal, but have Carnival 3 times and wouldn't recommend to anyone.They have numerous problems aboard the 3 ships we've been on, and an "we don't care" attitude. Princess is our favorite, but don't think they do just a 4 day cruise. Good Luck!

My husband and I have been on RC for 2 cruises and are about to be on RC for a 3rd cruise in November 2002. We have had fabulous trips on RC. Although we have never been on Carnival we have talked to plenty of people who have and did not get favorable reviews. We have found RC to be the top of the line.. My recommendation is definitely RC...

Haven't done Royal but love Carnival. Like anything there are things I can do without but we have sailed it as a couple, a family and in a group and have had a wonderful time.

I have been on 9 cruises. 4 with Carnvial, 4 with RCCL, and 1 with Commodore. It seemed that something always went wrong on Carnvial. We kept going back because of the price and the sailing dates out of New Orleans. We could drive and not have the expense of flying. Commodore was one of my favorite lines, but they are not in business now.We have never been disappointed in RCCL. We were on the Nordic Empress during the 9/11 out of New York. We left on Sunday and the attack was on Tuesday. I cannot tell you the comfort this crew expressed to us. The Captain was the nicest man. He was seen walking the decks and talking to the passenagers. He had to have alot on his mind, but he was rarely out of sight. To top it off at the end of the trip RCCL gave us a 25% off the next cruise. Which I will be using on the 12th of October.I have seen nothing on the chat lines, about what Carnival did for their passenagers. This was something that RCCL did not have to do. This puts them on the top of my list.

It seems Carnival is getting some bad raps here! I have not cruised RCCL, though have toured several of their ships. I have sailed Carnival twice, both short cruises, and enjoyed both. Found a few things I wasn't really happy with, but also found a few details on other cruise lines that weren't perfect either. Your attitude and matching the cruise line (and ship) with what you enjoy are the most important factors in enjoying your cruise experience. I have had several clients on both cruise lines and all enjoyed their cruises a great deal.
I agree with Maureen, we can't help unless we know what you like, and what you are expecting/hoping for.
Karen

I agree with Maureen & Karen. You have to fit the ship to the person and what they like. Mary & I wrote the following and include it in the Suggestions section of our reviews.

All Ships of a Cruise Line Are Not the Same:
Mary & I come from large families. Our siblings have similar characteristics but each one has their own distinct personality.

Cruise lines and their ships are like that. Not all ships of a cruise line are the same. They differ for many reasons. The age of the ship, the size of the ship (the tonnage), the amenities, the expertise of the Food Manager/Executive Chef but the most important difference is how the crew comes together under the guidance and the direction of the Hotel Manager. The effectiveness of his training of the servers is reflected in the way the crew caters to and pampers their guests.

The point we’re making is, if you want to increase your odds of booking the ship that will best fulfill your expectations, we suggest you learn as much as possible about the ships of the cruise line your considering booking. Read as many cruise reviews as you can. Frequent the cruise message boards. If you have a question about a specific ship or port, post your question and one of them will answer you. You shouldn’t leave every thing to your TA. The Internet has a wealth of information about cruising. Do as much research as possible so you can give your TA the information he/she needs to help you select the right ship and right itinerary for you.

Warm regards,
Tom & Mary

Tom & Mary
(The Honeymooners)

Take the cheapest one. If it is Carnival and you have never been on a cruise before you will enjoy it and have a great time. Start at the bottom and work your way up. This way each cruise will be better than the last one. Carnival is the party ship. They do a lot fun and wild things. Things like the first person to jump in the pool with all of their cloths on gets a free drink. Etc. It is like anything else if you do not participate you will not enjoy it. Go on the cruise get involved with all of the goofy stuff and party. Our first cruise was on Carnival. All we heard from passengers that have cruised a lot were complaints and comparisons to the other lines. One guy said he did not like the food. I asked what was wrong with it? He said anytime they have ten pieces of silverware you never get enough to eat. I looked at him and said "If you did not like the food why would you want more?" he did not know waht to say. All cruise lines have their own little perks. If Carnival is the least expensive go for it.

I wholehartedly disagree with the last comment. You get what you pay for, and having sailed Carnival 3 times, will never do it again. The staff doesn't care about the passengers, and just read some of the reviews on the Carnival Spirit April 21st cruise. We were on the previous cruise, April 4th, and started complaining about the problems they subsequently had. We were offered 2 free drinks the the 1st time we called , got a letter the 2nd time, and had the phone hung up on us the 3rd time. Trust me when I say we can speak from experience, RCL is the way to go.

Sue.
My comment was to take the cheapest. If it is Carnival just enjoy the cruise and have a good time. I also said that by starting with the cheapest your other cruises will also get better by working your way up. I can't believe you have gone on Carnival 3 times if your experiences have been that bad. Once would have been enough. I would not have given them a second let alone a third chance. According to your comment about getting what you pay for. What if Royal Carribean has the best deal. Are you then suggesting to take Carnival because it cost more? A 4 day cruise is short and would at least give them a feel for either cruise line. They can then use the money differential to do things on shore.

My first 2 Carnival's were 4 day cruises on old ships, and we just knew a ship that wasn't quite a year old would be better, and certainly cleaner. The price was right at a time we needed to get away, and with 11 other couples from our area, it seemed like the right thing to do. Did you check the Spirit reviews out like I mentioned? Doubt very much that any of those people would do Carnival again. I just feel that if you have the knowledge beforehand from people that have experienced many problems, research it very thoroughly and don't jump into something blind to save a few dollars.

You can't beat Royal Caribbean! We've been with them for 5 of our 6 cruises, and couldn't have been more pleased. Our 1 other cruise was on Hal, and the service didn't compare to Royal. We've been in ports at the same time as Carnival, and if your idea of fun is mooning people on another ship, then you want Carnival.

I don't quite agree with the last comment about Carnival - it really depends on the ship, sailing, etc. More likely to find numbers of young partygoers on the shorter (3 and 4-day cruises), but everyone's cruise experience is different.
In line with that, everyone has their own personal preferences. I have 2 sets of clients who sailed the same RCCL ship this summer - one set loved it, had the time of their lives, want to go back; the other said it was ok, but there were some things they weren't happy about, etc. All people are different!
Karen