Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean (Updated for 2024): 11 BIG Differences Between the Cruise Lines

Summary

This script compares two leading cruise lines, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, highlighting their differences in pricing, ship sizes, entertainment, activities, and dining options. It reveals that while Carnival offers more affordable cruise fares and a variety of free dining choices, Royal Caribbean is known for its larger ships, innovative activities, and a focus on specialty restaurants. The summary also touches on the cruise lines' private islands and global reach, with Royal Caribbean providing more international options.

Takeaways

• 🚢 Carnival and Royal Caribbean are the two most popular cruise lines in the country, with millions of passengers each year.
• 💰 Carnival tends to be more affordable than Royal Caribbean, with lower average prices for cruise fares.
• 🌊 Royal Caribbean is known for having the largest cruise ships in the world, offering more space and larger capacities.
• 🎭 Both cruise lines offer a variety of entertainment, but Royal Caribbean's stage performances and activities are considered more innovative.
• 🎢 Royal Caribbean features unique activities such as the world's tallest slide at sea, bumper cars, ice skating, and a surf simulator.
• 🌴 Royal Caribbean has recently transformed its private island, CocoCay, into a full-blown theme park with a water park and other attractions.
• 🍔 Carnival offers more free dining options and is considered to have better free food choices compared to Royal Caribbean.
• 🍹 Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing for certain onboard amenities like drink packages, making it harder to budget, while Carnival has more traditional, fixed pricing.
• 🌐 Royal Caribbean has a more global reach, offering cruises in Asia, Europe, and beyond, while Carnival is more focused on the United States.
• 💸 Onboard spending for drinks, WiFi, and specialty restaurants tends to be less expensive on Carnival compared to Royal Caribbean.

Q & A

Which cruise lines are considered the most popular in the country?

Carnival and Royal Caribbean are the two most popular cruise lines in the country, with millions of cruise passengers sailing on their ships each year.

Are Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise lines the same in terms of experience?

While both cruise lines have similarities, there are also major differences in terms of pricing, ship size, onboard activities, and entertainment options.

Which cruise line tends to offer more affordable cruises?

Carnival is generally considered to be the more inexpensive cruise line compared to Royal Caribbean, with lower average pricing for similar trips.

What is the significance of the 'space ratio' in the context of cruise ships?

The space ratio is a measure of how much space there is per passenger on a cruise ship, calculated by dividing the ship's gross tonnage by its passenger capacity at double occupancy.

How does the space ratio compare between Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships?

Royal Caribbean ships consistently have a higher space ratio, typically in the low 40s, indicating more space per passenger compared to Carnival, which mostly has ratios around 34 to 37.

What is unique about Royal Caribbean's stage performances on their newer and larger ships?

Royal Caribbean's stage performances, especially on their newer and larger ships, are considered a step above, featuring unique shows such as the aqua theater shows aboard Oasis and Icon class ships.

What types of activities does Royal Caribbean offer that Carnival does not?

Royal Caribbean offers innovative activities such as the world's tallest slide at sea, bumper cars, ice skating, a surf simulator, escape rooms, and an observation pod that extends over the water.

How does the availability of cruises from smaller ports differ between Carnival and Royal Caribbean?

Carnival is known for offering cruises from a variety of ports, including smaller ones, while Royal Caribbean is catching up, with sailings from ports like Baltimore and New Orleans.

What is dynamic pricing and how does it affect pricing on Royal Caribbean?

Dynamic pricing is a pricing strategy where the cost of items like specialty restaurants or drink packages varies based on the specific cruise. This can make it harder to budget as prices are not set and can change from one cruise to another.

How do drink packages on Carnival and Royal Caribbean differ in terms of pricing and offerings?

Carnival's Cheers package is generally less expensive than Royal Caribbean's, with a set price of around $60 per day if bought ahead of time, while Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing with no drink limit mentioned. Carnival, however, has a 15 drink limit for alcoholic beverages over a 24-hour period.

What is special about Royal Caribbean's private island, CocoCay, and how does it compare to Carnival's private destinations?

CocoCay has been transformed into a full-blown theme park with a water park, restaurants, and various activities, making it a class of its own compared to Carnival's private destinations, which are fun but not as extensive.

How do the free dining options on Carnival and Royal Caribbean compare?

Carnival is known for having more and better free dining options, such as Guy's Burger Joint, Blue Iguana Cantina, and Pizzeria Del Capitano, while Royal Caribbean tends to focus more on specialty restaurants that charge extra.

Which cruise line offers a more global sailing experience, and which is more focused on the United States?

Royal Caribbean offers a more global sailing experience with trips in Asia, Europe, and the United States, while Carnival is more focused on the United States, with limited options outside of Europe and Australia.