Carnival or Royal Caribbean? Let’s talk about it…
So I Jumped On A Quick Weekender
Have I mentioned Vacations to Go lately (www.vacationstogo.com)? One of my favorite websites, I am almost never able to take advantage of their “90-day ticker” with cruises going up to 90% off. I live in the desert—no port—plus I am bound by the school schedule, so I look at the website often with envy.
Until this year.
This is not a drill, people!!! A Royal Caribbean 3-night cruise from Los Angeles is on a HUGE sale!!! Here I come, Navigator of the Seas!
Hell, yeah, I grabbed that bad boy immediately and started getting excited for my first Royal Caribbean cruise since 2008.
But, Patti, you are Platinum on Carnival and do this same itinerary at least once a year already with your girlfriend SuzyQ. Well, I don’t discriminate, people, especially between cruise lines. I’m just a bargain hunter with a passport!
So, let me tell you how this fantastic weekend went with me, Sweet Husband, LeeLee and RobberBaron…
Getting On And Off The Ship
While Carnival leaves from the port at Long Beach, Royal Caribbean uses the Port of Los Angeles, which is in San Pedro, California. The difference between these two ports is, literally, a bridge. We flew into the small and simple Long Beach airport the morning of the cruise, and used Uber—just like we do with Carnival sailings.
Embarkation notes
While I was excited to get an 11 am boarding time, I was shocked when we arrived at 10:50 to find them allowing anyone to board immediately. Initially a little annoyed, that vanished quickly as we walked through embarkation and on to the ship. Literally—didn’t stop walking from the Uber to the elevator to Lido deck. By 11:11 we were sitting in the Windjammer enjoying lunch (yes, I made a wish). Flawless embarkation. Well done, Royal Caribbean, well done.
Debarkation tips
When we left Monday, it was, if possible, even easier. We used self-disembark with an early flight time, so we left right around 7:45 when it was announced. Not only did we get an elevator immediately, but we walked straight through the entire process without stopping. We were at the airport by 9 am. Unbelievable.
Let’s Talk About The Cabin
People will tell you that I’m a “balcony snob” and I definitely own that title on longer cruises, but for the 3-nighter, I won’t be in the room much at all, so I go cheap. Yup…we had inside cabins. Our guarantee status put us on the seventh deck down an interior hall of the Navigator of the Seas. Our cabins were about ten cabins apart, which was absolutely fine—I was just happy we were on the same deck.
Size
Inside cabins are the smallest on every ship we have sailed on, and we were ready for it. I wouldn’t put more than two people in an inside cabin, despite having four people in balconies many times. However, Royal gets a big point over Carnival because we had a couch in our room! The problem on Carnival is that inside cabins are so small they don’t have the couch, and I miss it. Love lounging on the couch waiting for Sweet Husband to get ready while I read my book.
Storage spaces
I’m team Royal Caribbean on this, also! The double-sized closet was more than enough for us, with plenty of shelving down one side and enough hangers for our clothes. They also had several drawers against the wall, so that we didn’t even need to use them all. As usually with all ships, the luggage fits neatly under the bed out of the way.
The shower
Hello shower doors! This is definitely an upgrade from Carnival, where the water inevitably flows out of the shower onto the bathroom floor. However, Carnival still has separate body wash, shampoo and conditioner, which I very much prefer to the “all-in-one” that Royal Caribbean gave me.
Comfort tips
I am the wrong person to ask about the beds, because I have no problem sleeping anywhere. The beds have been comfortable, hard I guess, on every ship I’ve sailed, and after a long day partying, I have no problem falling asleep. Both lines are terrible with outlets, so make sure you bring a multi-charger on your cruise—it’s a pain to have to keep switching between different devices because there aren’t enough outlets.
How About That Food
Hi, I’m Patti, a big eater but not a foodie. Nice to meet you!
Holy crap!
Just a guess here, but I’m not sure Royal Caribbean was ready for us in the Main Dining Room, but when you put all three of my favorite appetizers on one menu, I’m ordering all of them! We eat in the dining room every night, rarely using a specialty restaurant and certainly never the buffet. The food was absolutely above what we are served on Carnival, and what we were served on Holland America last year. The only cruise line with better food was Disney. The service was excellent, and they accommodated all of our requests and even some changes on menu items.
The buffet option
We visited the buffet on this cruise more than usual, and it was very good. There were some things that were absolutely awesome, but not much better or different than our Carnival experiences.
Other food options
Carnival crushes all competitors in the lunch category. Crushes it! With their “fast food” options included in your cruise fare, you can eat a different lunch every day without ever setting foot in the buffet. The only other included food option on Royal Caribbean was a spot on deck 5. While this Café was very conveniently placed and had great operating hours, it didn’t have anything besides pizza, a few cold sandwiches and pizza.
What Is There To Do
In all 24 of my cruises, I’ve never been bored. There is always something to do, somewhere to walk, someone to chat with, twenty-four hours a day. If you get bored on vacation, you’re on the wrong blog, Boo Boo!
The usual trivia stuff
We don’t ever do trivia. On the ship. Off the ship. Never. However, it is extremely popular on every ship we sail on, and seems to cause more hard feelings than fun, in my opinion. If you like trivia, you won’t be disappointed on either Carnival or Royal Caribbean, that’s for sure
The physically active
Royal Caribbean wins the day for me on this one for one specific venue: The ice skating rink. In the middle of the ocean, I was able to indulge in my absolute favorite pastime from my youth. It was surreal. The kids loved the rock climbing wall and the Flowrider is a great addition to the ship. Giving Carnival its due, it has the same number of water slides as Royal Caribbean (two), and has some other options available to cruisers (I’m looking at you ropes course!!!). So, for this category, you just need to choose your activities and find a ship that will suit you.
The adults only spot
Serenity versus Solarium…absolutely no competition: Adults only area for the win!!! I don’t care what ship it is, my favorite thing to do is lounge on those comfortable chairs in this area and enjoy the sounds of the sea. Find me in a clamshell in this area every day—and don’t wake me up!
Shows
We are from Las Vegas—it takes a lot for me to recommend a stage show on a ship. The glaring exception to this is on my beloved Disney, whose stage shows are truly Broadway quality, and I don’t miss a one of them. I am, however, a big fan of other types of shows on that stage and in particular look forward to the comedy shows. On Carnival, we go almost every night, and we were happy Royal Caribbean had a comedian on our final night.
What’s My Final Opinion
This is so easy it’s almost painful…
GET OUT THERE AND JUMP ON A SHIP!!!
We absolutely loved this quick 3-nighter down to Mexico and back, and I was thrilled with the price and the value for the dollar was excellent. Normally, this itinerary on Royal Caribbean—actually every itinerary—is significantly more costly than Carnival, which keeps me coming back to Carnival for my frequent cruises.
I’ve never been on a bad cruise.
So, what’s next
The salient point of this blog is that inexpensive vacations, particularly cruises, are out there if you are willing to look and can be a little flexible. Despite school just starting (literally today), I will keep trolling Vacations to Go, Cruise Critic (www.cruisecritic.com) and my other favorite sites in search of bargains and great deals.
As for me, I’ve got five cruises on the books for the next 18 months, just waiting…impatiently…for everyone to open Summer 2025 Europe itineraries. Come on ITALY!!!
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR
Thank you for reading all about Carnival vs Royal Caribbean!
Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out some other tips, like touring London, here, or European trip part 1, here! Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!
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