My husband have been planning to book a cruise on Carnival for April of next year for our 10th anniversary however, all of these issues the last month or so with their ships has me nervous. I found a cruise with RCCL that goes to Bermuda, St. Marteen, San Juan and Labadee. I'm wondering if anyone here has been on both Carnival and RCCL and has been to all of these places. The Carnival cruise goes to the Bahamas and Grand Turk. Can someone help me out here? The price is obviously better on Carnival and we can get a balcony for the price of an inside on RCCL. Advice? Thanks!
My husband have been planning to book a cruise on Carnival for April of next year for our 10th anniversary however, all of these issues the last month or so with their ships has me nervous. I found a cruise with RCCL that goes to Bermuda, St. Marteen, San Juan and Labadee. I'm wondering if anyone here has been on both Carnival and RCCL and has been to all of these places. The Carnival cruise goes to the Bahamas and Grand Turk. Can someone help me out here? The price is obviously better on Carnival and we can get a balcony for the price of an inside on RCCL. Advice? Thanks!
Have been on both lines several times and if ports visited are important your two choices RCCL wins hands down . You have not indicated which ships are involved and this in my opinion also would influence my decision. Price is also a consideration and balcony a much better room selection. Either choice you will have fun.
It would help if you mentioned what ships you are considering?? It also looks like twice the ports on the Royal Caribbean ship over the CArnival ship. Where do the ships depart from??
I have been to all these ports, except Bermuda, on both cruise lines.You will get a bigger cabin on Carnival with good food on both. Some would say Carnival has better food.. I loved it, but, have no sailed RCI in a while. I have enjoyed great shows on both lines, and, would prefer not to have an inside cabin.
Are you a first time cruiser,looking for port info? Also, remember April vacation is different all over the country, so, April will have a larger kid population onboard, if that makes a difference to you...it can impact how one enjoys a cruise,when there are lots of kids.
I also feel that while at the moment Carnival is having issues, next year, it's possible it could be another line in the spotlight... I would not hesitate to book w/Carnival.
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Sounds like you are looking into the Explorer that does the 9 nighter with ports you mentioned in your post and Carnival Miracle.
I have done the Explorer 9 nighter and love love love that itinerary....A private island (Labadee) st. maarten, san juan and Bermuda with 4 full sea days. Usually the ships leaving out of NJ/NY that do Bermuda are 7 night bermuda cruises. With explorer you get the caribbean with bermuda. Bermuda is so beautiful...
I have not been on Miracle. I hear Turks is wonderful we finally were going to port there with Carnival Breeze but turks stop got cancelled. Bahamas I can take it or leave it...If any of my future cruises never stop at Bahamas it would be too soon. Not a fan of Bahamas.
Food wise both cruiselines were good.
Carnival has bigger cabins.
Entertainment as well as service hands down Royal.
Royal is a longer cruise then Carnival but on Carnival you get a balcony. Carnival most of the times prices out alot cheaper.
What would be more important for you in a cruise vacation....Food, entertainment, service, balcony, itinerary?
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Hi been on dccl explore of the sea good food big fun ship dont do carnival splendor 2 propulsion problems and is only 4 years old you may want to do ncl breakaway
Ok so more info for you....lol I have never been to any of the ports with the exception of Bermuda. The one thing that bugs me about Royal is you only get 1 day in each port versus 2 days in the Bahamas and 1 day on Grand Turk. A bigger cabin sounds nice and we do spend a bit of time in them when we're just feeling plain lazy. The ship for Carnival is the Splendor though I have only heard about the engine fire on that ship a couple of years back. The Royal ship would be the Explorer. We're leaning more toward Carnival because of the fact that I can get a better room for less. I'd rather have more $ to spend on the cruise itself than paying more for a smaller room.
We have done both these intineraries several times on the Explorer of the Seas and the Carnival Miracle. We will be repeating the Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau cruise on the Carnival Splendor this coming August. Both are GREAT cruises, but we like Carnival a bit better. A couple of opinions...
The Explorer is a much nicer ship, with a lot more amenities, which translates into higher fares. If rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, in line skating, etc. don't mean that much to you, go for the balcony cabin on the Splendor.
Comparing the food on both lines (dining room, lido, etc), Is a very subjective subject, but we feel that Carnival is better....Hands down.
Itinerary wise, the Explorers Bermuda and Labadee, though very nice, are trumped by the Splendors Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. The other ports on both lines, San Juan, Nassau, and St. Maarten we have been to so many times, that they are not a factor in selecting an itinerary for us.
Again, these are just our opinions. Have a GREAT cruise whichever line you finally cruise!!
__________________ Next Up: August 2013 - Carnival Splendor - 8 Days from New York to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, & Nassau.
Grand Turk is a nice beach day...just walk off the ship, and down the pier. The beach is right there,and into the compound,there is a big pool a Margarittaville. Several shops dot the area, along with a big store of, what you find onboard the Carnoval shops, but, with many more selections.
Take a cab over to the Atlantis, and indulge in this amazing place! The Dig ,and the Aquarium are a wonderful way to spend some time, along with the casino,and the hotel shops.
The Straw Market is your bargaining place downtown,, where local crafts people sell their wares, and the prettiest shop in the Caribbean is John Bull, right there, to make you drool, with leather goods, perfumes and baubles.
I really enjoy Nassau
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I agree with most above, I think you will have a great time on either ship so
just pick the one that's most appealing to you and your needs.
The one thing we really like about Carnival is the room size.
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Thank you to everyone for the advice. We have decided to book with Carnival. Just seems to make more sense to us...lol
Congrates...have fun, and I hope you all enjoy the trip! we have only been on one cruise before and loved it, loved the balcony we had on the Conquest and loved the food and experience and customer service on Conquest...we would also suggest the Steakhouse the night of your Anniversary we did it for our 20th (we were on the ship) and it was a wonderful experience worth every bit of the 70 bucks for both of us...the steakhouse is akin to a ruth crist and let me tell you the steaks, service, the entire meal WOW....the balcony, wife and I would enjoy sunsets or rises depending on what direction we were headed and enjoyed the dauphins swimming with the ship we spent hours enjoying the sea on the balcony...and we told ourselves we would never sail again unless in a balcony after seeing the inside cabins, we just could not do it...but I am sure there are those who enjoy them...but we enjoyed our balcony...room service for breakfast sitting on the balcony...let me tell you was a wonderful experience...
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We're actually going the month after our actual anniversary. We had to plan that way because of our kids. They aren't coming with us but we needed someone to watch them the week of their spring break...lol
Perhaps not but A. You are doing nothing but bashing Carnival and B. What's the point of commenting on posts if you can't spell or write a clear sentence that anyone else but yourself can understand?
Hpotterfan77
Rest assure your going to have a great time, no worries my friend.
Thanks! I know I will. Like I said somewhere before, by the time it's our turn next year to get on, I'm fairly certainly Carnival will have inspected and fixed the issues on their ships.
Ok so more info for you....lol I have never been to any of the ports with the exception of Bermuda. The one thing that bugs me about Royal is you only get 1 day in each port versus 2 days in the Bahamas and 1 day on Grand Turk. A bigger cabin sounds nice and we do spend a bit of time in them when we're just feeling plain lazy. The ship for Carnival is the Splendor though I have only heard about the engine fire on that ship a couple of years back. The Royal ship would be the Explorer. We're leaning more toward Carnival because of the fact that I can get a better room for less. I'd rather have more $ to spend on the cruise itself than paying more for a smaller room.
What in your opinion is so much better about being in the Bahamas 2 days as opposed to being at a port for 1 day?
Most people would rather be anywhere but the Bahamas.
I see you have already picked where you will be going but I'm just curious.
What in your opinion is so much better about being in the Bahamas 2 days as opposed to being at a port for 1 day?
Most people would rather be anywhere but the Bahamas.
I see you have already picked where you will be going but I'm just curious.
I am sure you will enjoy the Splendor.
Bill
Totally agree with you as the Bahamas certainly not like when we first visited in the late 50,s and early 60,s. Paradise Island was an island only with no hotels and you took a small boat for a wonderful day at a beautiful beach and at night went over the hill to some very lively bars when the limbo was just starting by the original Sweet Richard and Princess Kitty. No McDonalds and the country was run by the British.Fancy rum drinks only a dollar and the British colonial was the place to be for the more affluent. Now in my opinion nothing but a tourist trap and very expensive if you travel to the Atlantis Hotel for anything connected to this gambling mecca.
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We've been on both many times and always prefer RCCL over Carnival no matter the ship we've gone on. But that's us. Keep in mind that what one person loves, another will hate.
This goes for the food, too. Some people prefer McDonalds, while others prefer Burger King, yet others like both, and others don't like either. Food is very subjective and everyone's taste is different.
But why only thing about RCCL and Carnival? Why not consider some other cruise lines?
Often you can get better without spending more money. So you have to ask yourself what's more important to you; money, food, quality, ship, itinerary, etc?
Talk with your agent (don't book directly with the cruise line or online) and have them present several options to you. You might be surprised as to what you may find. But it's important for you to find the right cruise for you based on your requirements, budget, and lifestyle.
Pete
__________________ 45 Cruises & Counting! Favorites: Paul Gauguin to Tahiti: Uniworld River Cruises in Europe; any of the Celebrity Solstice-class ships; Holland America for 12-nights in the Baltics & Russia; RCCL for 14-night Greek Isles, Turkey, & Croatia; Holland America for 14-day Alaska cruisetour; 10-night Canada/New England cruise; 21 days in Hawaii including a 7-night NCL cruise; Oceania for 25 days in Asia; & 3 months touring Europe by train. And many days spent in all-inclusive resorts!
We've been on both many times and always prefer RCCL over Carnival no matter the ship we've gone on. But that's us. Keep in mind that what one person loves, another will hate.
This goes for the food, too. Some people prefer McDonalds, while others prefer Burger King, yet others like both, and others don't like either. Food is very subjective and everyone's taste is different.
But why only thing about RCCL and Carnival? Why not consider some other cruise lines?
Often you can get better without spending more money. So you have to ask yourself what's more important to you; money, food, quality, ship, itinerary, etc?
Talk with your agent (don't book directly with the cruise line or online) and have them present several options to you. You might be surprised as to what you may find. But it's important for you to find the right cruise for you based on your requirements, budget, and lifestyle.
Pete
Actually, it's a matter of the departure port. We prefer to go out of New York and not all ships go out of New York and New Jersey so it's a matter of convenience for us.
You still have a choice of cruise lines other than RCCL and Carnival.
Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity all go out of the area, so there are definitely other choices. All depends on where you want to go, when, and how much you want to spend.
Pete
__________________ 45 Cruises & Counting! Favorites: Paul Gauguin to Tahiti: Uniworld River Cruises in Europe; any of the Celebrity Solstice-class ships; Holland America for 12-nights in the Baltics & Russia; RCCL for 14-night Greek Isles, Turkey, & Croatia; Holland America for 14-day Alaska cruisetour; 10-night Canada/New England cruise; 21 days in Hawaii including a 7-night NCL cruise; Oceania for 25 days in Asia; & 3 months touring Europe by train. And many days spent in all-inclusive resorts!
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