Thread: Carnival or Royal Caribbean from Cape Canaveral

Thinking of booking a 4 night Bahamas cruise from Cape Canaveral Sept/Oct 2009.
What one would you recommend?
Carnival Sensation = suite $619 pp. or Royal Caribbean Sovereign of the seas = suite $649 pp
Many thanks for taking the time and effort.
John.

I have cruised the Sovereign a number of times, and Carnival twice. One of the Carnival cruises was a 4 day from Port Canaveral, on the Fantasy.

I definately prefer the RCL ship, but others do prefer Carnival.

HOWEVER, if you are planning on a 2009 departure, the Sovereign will not be an option, as RCL is transferring that ship to their Spanish fleet late this year.

Did you mean 2008, or 2009?

The Monarch of the Seas - a sister ship to the Sovereign of the Seas - will replace the Sovereign at Port Canaveral. While I've not sailed the Monarch, she is nearly identical to the Sov, just a couple of years newer.

Here are some comparisons for you:

Cabin size: Carnival cabins are definately larger. RCL's inside and oceanview cabins are quite small by comparison.

Service: RCL gets the edge from me on level of service and attention to detail.

Food: Food on both ships is good. I like the selection better on RCL, but the difference isn't that great. The dining experience on Carnival seems to be geared towards excitement, while on RCL, it's more low-keyed, with emphasis on great service.

Decor: Carnival is glitzier, more neon, and bright bright colors. RCL is a little more understated, more relaxing colors.

Entertainment: Carnival's production shows tend toward Vegas style, while RCL's tend towards Broadway style. Guest entertainers are about equal. Bar/lounge/casual music lots of similarities. However, RCL's Rosario Strings (live pre-dinner music and occasional dinner music) do not have a counterpart on Carnival that I know of. I LOVE the Rosario strings! This trio is so versatile, they can play - on request - just about anything, from classical to pop to regtime to country.

Itinerary: Both call at Nassau. The second port of call for Carnival is Freeport, while RCL makes a call at CocoCay, the cruiseline's private island. The day at CocoCay is worth the entire price of the trip! (IMO) It's a little slice of paradise, all yours for the day.

One other thing is, I find the energy level (and accompanying noise level) higher on Carnival ships.


Once again, these are just my personal impressions. Some folks think Carnival has a real edge on food, and they love the high energy atmosphere ... so you will get different opinions from different folks.

Disclaimer: I have only sailed Carnival twice, RCL 20+ times, so I naturally have less experience with Carnival.

Another word in favor of the Rosario strings. That would definitely tilt my choice to RCL. The strings are a family out of the Philippines and are fantastic. We first saw them on the Veendam (they do get around!) and several nights we swere just wandering around, heard them play, stayed for the rest of the song, and ended up staying for their full set.

They can and do play EVERYTHING. We only found one song that they did not know and that was from an obscure Broadway musical. What was best is that they remembered us from day to day and would play our favorites when they saw us.

They are simply a great group.

I would choose RC as well for same reasons as above!!

Another RCI vote from me! Canarymoon has done a fine job of comparing.

Now, we need to hear from some Carnival cruisers.

Fantastic guys. your so kind, and what a quick response. I'm getting to like this site.

I agree with everyone else; Canarymom said it best.

Plus, I'm not a big fan of Freeport - there's nothing to do at the pier, the beaches, shopping, and other things are a 20 minute cab ride away, and there's not alot to do.

On the other side, we really love spending the day on Coco Cay! It's a very nice beach and we always enjoy relaxing there.

So just because of this, I would choose RCCL.

Pete

I also enjoy Cocoa Cay. For that matter I have enjoyed all the private islands we have visited. It is nice to just enjoy a beach without the hastle of getting there and back.

I agree that the RCL is a little more low key than Carnival. We prefer it that way. Some like the higher energy level but we do not.

I would go with RCI because of it stopping at Coco Cay!!!