CCL vs. RCCL

[laurandhearts]

I have been a big Carnival lover ever since I went on my first cruise back in December of 2006. Working in a travel agency I have been exposed to more cruise lines, and I really want to go on the Freedom of the Seas and the Carnival Freedom. Entertainment wise, which ship/cruise line is better?

[Zach17]

i went on freedom of the seas this summer. i recomend Carnival all the way

[c_m_alex]

excuse me if i'm wrong (i've never been on carnival freedom) but freedom ots is bigger. if you life bigger ships, you should go on it. i went on it two years ago i think?? and it was so fun! there is so much to do that you don't get bored easily.

[Djcarolina]

Well, you have just asked the question that sparks controversy all over this board. We have Die Hard CCL fans and the same for RCI. Its true, Royal Caribbean has the larger, more updated ships. However, based on what i've experienced on RCI versus Carnival, in general, i would pick Carnival first. First of all, aside from the entertainment, Carnival has better food, better beds, larger cabins and better customer service all the way around. Someone will disagree, but i've sailed on both lines 3-4 times EACH in the past year and i'd still pick Carnival. As far as entertainment- Carnival has a tendency to have more lavish shows, but RCI's freedom class ships are untouched with their amenity opportunities such as the promenade parades, ice shows and largest showlounges in the world. However again, from a teen's perspective, the Club O2 programs and clubs found on Carnival versus Fuel/The Living Room on Freedom are much better. CCL has younger, better-relating teen directors and clubs that arent part of the kiddy daycare program.

My choice- Carnival

Would you have a good time on both? Yes, but dont be persuaded by RCI's lavish claims about Freedom, its really more hype than reality. I suppose however, the t-shirt alone would be worth the bragging rights for people who go less often than I. I'm sure whichever you pick, will yield a vacation youll remember for a lifetime.

[FunshipFreddy27]

I'm gonna go with none of the above. Princess all the way especially the Caribbean Princess that ship is pretty much perfect for anyone. Every cruise line offers something that is their trademark. So to really decide which cruise line is the better one you really need to look at what you personally perfer. For me I looooooved Movies Under the Stars eventhough I watched it mainly during the day but I'm pretty much sure that the Carnival Freedom has it now. I would love to try the Freedom class boats just because of all the things you could do on it. The thing that scares me though is the amount of people on those boats. Tendering must suck on it. But hey it's all about what suits you the best, but to me I'm starting to see a trend of cruise lines adopting other cruise lines "trademark features" as they're own to gain more passangers and make money.

[laurandhearts]

thanks for the replies..
lol. i think i just want to experience
something OTHER then carnival. :P

[Zach17]

Originally Posted by Djcarolina

Well, you have just asked the question that sparks controversy all over this board. We have Die Hard CCL fans and the same for RCI. Its true, Royal Caribbean has the larger, more updated ships. However, based on what i've experienced on RCI versus Carnival, in general, i would pick Carnival first. First of all, aside from the entertainment, Carnival has better food, better beds, larger cabins and better customer service all the way around. Someone will disagree, but i've sailed on both lines 3-4 times EACH in the past year and i'd still pick Carnival. As far as entertainment- Carnival has a tendency to have more lavish shows, but RCI's freedom class ships are untouched with their amenity opportunities such as the promenade parades, ice shows and largest showlounges in the world. However again, from a teen's perspective, the Club O2 programs and clubs found on Carnival versus Fuel/The Living Room on Freedom are much better. CCL has younger, better-relating teen directors and clubs that arent part of the kiddy daycare program.

My choice- Carnival

Would you have a good time on both? Yes, but dont be persuaded by RCI's lavish claims about Freedom, its really more hype than reality. I suppose however, the t-shirt alone would be worth the bragging rights for people who go less often than I. I'm sure whichever you pick, will yield a vacation youll remember for a lifetime.

ya i went on freedom this summer. dont be fooled by all the " FREEDOM OF THE SEAS" crap. dont get me rong its a nice ship. but youd think ooo, flowrider (wich i enjoyed but waited in line for hours), rockwall icerink etc. its all closed when you actaly have time. ccl all the way. if ur wondering why "freedom of the seas" aint got nothin on ccl, pm me. im doing rci one more time on Liberty of the Seas and im not expecting much

[Djcarolina]

I'm not a fan of the Caribbean Princess...but its owned by Carnival anyway. All of RCI's Voyager-Freedom class ships have the inflatable screens and projectors so they too have something similar. We watched 300 at the hottub party on Mariner. I think whatever you choose will be great.

[Kristina99]

Originally Posted by laurandhearts

thanks for the replies..
lol. i think i just want to experience
something OTHER then carnival. :P

Well if you like Carnival but want to try something new and different...go on a Costa cruise!! Their ships were designed by the same guy who did the CCL ships (so some have the exact same format) but a totally different atmosphere. It was like going to Italy AND on a cruise to the Caribbean. At least look into Costa =]

[jersey_girl_at_heart]

I'd say rccl. But I've never been on carnival, and I really don't want to go on it. The ships are not as nice looking, and they aren't as big..but whatever.

Princess is really nice too! I went on the Crown Princess and its gorgeous, and I met really amazing people. But the teen stuff wasn't as fun as rccl.

[ollyohh]

my funnest cruise was def the caribbean princess. more so than the mariner. like a thousand times better than the mariner.

but i think its just the people. period.