NWR: Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean

I have never been on a cruise and to tell you the truth im petrified but FH would like to try it.. so im reseraching.. for those of you who have done a cruise before please tell me pros and cons.. Which company is better? What ?'s do i need answered before traveling. TIA

Sorry for posting so many NWR posts lately!

i have been on 4 cruises
3 carnival and 1 Norwegian

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE carnival
Norwegian was HORRIBLE

for our honeymoon we're doing Royal Caribbean

I went on Carnival last summer and I loved it. People say there are millions of kids running around but I hardly saw any. The food was good and the pools were awesome. The bed was the most comfy bed that I have ever slept on in my life!!!

My parents swear by Royal Caribbean. I may try them next.

HTH

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Posted by Soon2BMrsD

thanks girls.. i hate to ask another stupid ? but whats included whats not.. how much spending cash would i need onboard?

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all meals are included

not included is
alcoholic drinks
pictures if you want to purchase that they take
gambling in casino

On my ship all food and various juices were included. Soda was a charge but for 30 bucks we bought a soda card and shared it (even though you arent suppose to)

Liquor is a seperate charge.

We put our room on our sign and sail card (the ship was cash less) so we didnt think about it.

We also booked the cruise and then it went down a lot, I called carnival and they adjusted the price and we had almost 400 on ship board credit. We used it for liquor, souvenires, shore excursion and for the many photos (20.00 each) that I felt the need to buy.

If we didnt have that credit, we probably would have spent a few hundred on the ship

I've been on many cruises before...all on Royal Caribbean. I would never cruise anything else because that's how happy I am with my experience on Royal Caribbean every time. (plus we have their credit card so we like to use our points that we accumulate ) From what I've heard about Carnival...they're more of a 'party' ship and are a little more affordable than RC. But I like to think that you get what you pay for when it comes to cruising. But like I said, I've only been on RC so I can really only weigh in on that end.
Some tips...get a room in the middle of the ship. The closer to the center you are, the less rocking you feel. Also, if you're able to, swing for the balcony room. Having a balcony is soooo worth the money in my opinion. If not, at least get a room with a window because those interior rooms can really bring out the claustrophobia in a person. lol

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Posted by jjk1007

I've been on many cruises before...all on Royal Caribbean. I would never cruise anything else because that's how happy I am with my experience on Royal Caribbean every time. (plus we have their credit card so we like to use our points that we accumulate ) From what I've heard about Carnival...they're more of a 'party' ship and are a little more affordable than RC. But I like to think that you get what you pay for when it comes to cruising. But like I said, I've only been on RC so I can really only weigh in on that end.
Some tips...get a room in the middle of the ship. The closer to the center you are, the less rocking you feel. Also, if you're able to, swing for the balcony room. Having a balcony is soooo worth the money in my opinion. If not, at least get a room with a window because those interior rooms can really bring out the claustrophobia in a person. lol

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I agree...we have 'loyal to Royal' as they say...we have cruised with Celebrity which is Royal Caribean's sister cruise line. LOVED them both.

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Posted by Snowflake08

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Posted by Soon2BMrsD

thanks girls.. i hate to ask another stupid ? but whats included whats not.. how much spending cash would i need onboard?

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all meals are included

not included is
alcoholic drinks
pictures if you want to purchase that they take
gambling in casino

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Shore excusions are also not included.

I have been on both Royal and Carnival. I have found the food and service better on Royal. Carnival has more kids and throws better parties. For me, Royal has the better all around vacation.

i know a lot of people dont like carnival
the food was AMAZING; really not a lot of kids
but i agree, get the balcony and stay in the middle of the ship

ETA: the food on norwegian was HORRIBLE unless you booked a reservation for a different restaurant and pay extra

IMO FH and I went on both and had waaayy more fun (and imo better service) on the Carnival cruise.. I think the staff were more helpful and friendly.

FH and I had a blast!

girls i swear i dont know what id do with out you!!!

im so scared to be on a cruise but i think i will take your helpful hits and use them wisely.. the carnival and RC are the same exact price.. so now im really torn i was hoping the price difference would make the decision for me!

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Posted by Soon2BMrsD

ok another question.. if you go out of port canaveral (cant spell) do i fly to orlando? but then how do i get from airport to boat? (not old enough to rent a car)

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yes, it is very close
you can take a taxi from the airport

megan
where are you getting these prices??

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Posted by jjk1007

I've been on many cruises before...all on Royal Caribbean. I would never cruise anything else because that's how happy I am with my experience on Royal Caribbean every time. (plus we have their credit card so we like to use our points that we accumulate ) From what I've heard about Carnival...they're more of a 'party' ship and are a little more affordable than RC. But I like to think that you get what you pay for when it comes to cruising. But like I said, I've only been on RC so I can really only weigh in on that end.
Some tips...get a room in the middle of the ship. The closer to the center you are, the less rocking you feel. Also, if you're able to, swing for the balcony room. Having a balcony is soooo worth the money in my opinion. If not, at least get a room with a window because those interior rooms can really bring out the claustrophobia in a person. lol

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Me too! I definitely agree about the balcony room. It adds space to your room.

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Posted by Soon2BMrsD

ok another question.. if you go out of port canaveral (cant spell) do i fly to orlando? but then how do i get from airport to boat? (not old enough to rent a car)

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Transfers are booked through the cruiseline too.

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Posted by Snowflake08

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Posted by Soon2BMrsD

ok another question.. if you go out of port canaveral (cant spell) do i fly to orlando? but then how do i get from airport to boat? (not old enough to rent a car)

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yes, it is very close
you can take a taxi from the airport

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Wellllllll....its not taxi ride close. I JUST went on a cruise out of port canaveral in florida. Its about 1 hour away from orlando. But if you book it all together (airfare and cruise) they probably have a transfer....

ETA: Also, meg - try cruise compete. Thats how I found it (on the awesome advice of LIW girls!). I got a better price AND I got extra money to spend on the ship!