If you’ve considered booking a cruise, you’ve definitely stumbled upon Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean and Carnival are two of the most popular cruise lines in the world right now.

Both cruise lines are known for their fun activities, variety of dining options, and family-friendly environment. While Carnival and Royal Caribbean have some similarities, there are also some key differences to be aware of.

As someone who has sailed with these amazing cruise lines, I know first-hand that Royal Caribbean and Carnival have a lot to offer.

With that being said, here’s everything you need to know about cruising with Carnival and Royal Caribbean. In this post we compare the two popular cruise lines so that you can decide which is best for you.

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Why Cruisers Like Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line refers to itself as “America’s cruise line.” They are a contemporary cruise line known for being family-friendly and affordable.

Cruise passengers enjoy sailing with Carnival because of the fun atmosphere, exciting activities, and casual dining options. Carnival also has a great variety of itineraries and extremely friendly crew members.

Here’s a deeper look at why cruisers like to sail with Carnival:

Dining Options

Carnival Cruise Line is known for having plenty of dining options. Carnival offers over 20 different dining venues across its fleet, including an all-you-can-eat buffet, a main dining room, and specialty restaurants.

Those who cruise with Carnival love their included casual dining options. These include Guy’s Burger Joint, Big Chicken, and BlueIguanna Cantina.

Dress Code

Carnival has a more relaxed dress code than many other cruise lines. This is ideal for those who prefer a more casual vacation.

Carnival states that some ships enforce a casual dress code, which includes, jeans or pants and a polo-style shirt.

If you enjoy dressing up, there is also an “elegant night” during the cruise. While more of a suggestion than an enforced dress code of traditional formal night, cruise passengers who enjoy it have an opportunity to have get glammed up.

However, for the most part, Carnival cruises do not have a strict dress code. You are free to dress however you would like, with a few exceptions (ie. no swimwear in the dining room).

This is great for those who don’t want to stress about dressing up while they’re on vacation or families with younger children.

Cabins

carnival-venezia-balcony-cabin — Carnival Venezia Balcony Cabin

Carnival offers a large variety of cabins. When you cruise with Carnival, you can book an interior cabin, ocean view cabin, balcony, and suites.

Families cruising with kids can find spacious rooms with pullman beds.

Carnival offers family cabins and suites on select ships for larger families. However, they are hard to book due to limited availability.

Typically, Carnival’s newer ships tend to have more modern cabins. In contrast, the staterooms on the older ships may look dated.

Carnival also offers specialty cabins like the Cloud 9 Spa rooms and Havana cabins on their newer ships.

Itineraries

One of the nice things about cruising with Carnival is that they offer cruise voyages ranging from 2-31 days. They also have a wide range of itineraries, and carnival cruise ships leave from multiple cruise ports across North America.

This means there is a good chance that a Carnival cruise ship will leave from a cruise port near you. This is great if you are looking to save money on a cruise!

Carnival offers short cruises to the Bahamas, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Carnival’s fleet also sails to Alaska, Hawaii, and South America.

Many Carnival cruises that sail in the Caribbean include visiting Carnival’s private island, Half Moon Cay.

When it comes to itineraries, most Carnival ships leave out of the United States. However, there are Carnival cruise ships that sail in Europe and Australia.

Onboard Attractions

Carnival is home to some of the largest cruise ships in the industry, packed with fun things to do onboard.

Various attractions can be found on different cruise ships. However, you will always find waterslides, a sports court, and mini golf on a Carnival cruise ship.

Here’s a list of activities and attractions on Carnival Cruise Line:

Bolt Ultimate Sea Coaster (Roller Coaster at Sea)
Sky Ride (Suspended Bike Ride)
Rock Climbing
Mini Golf
Water Slides
Waterparks
Sports Court
Video Arcade
IMAX Theaters
Basketball Courts
Pickleball
Sky Zone (Trampoline Park)
Carnival Sky Course (Ropes Course)

Friendly Service

Although Carnival is a mainstream cruise line, they are known for having some of the friendliest service in the cruise industry. The crew members onboard Carnival are known to be kind, helpful, and accommodating.

Interactive Cruise Directors

Carnival is known for having really fun, energetic, interactive, and friendly cruise directors. The cruise directors onboard Carnival will engage with passengers, host activities, and participate in events.

When you cruise with Carnival, be prepared to see your cruise director around the ship daily!

Entertainment

Carnival offers production shows, live music, and Karaoke as entertainment options. Carnival also has some of the best adult comedy shows at sea.

Carnival ships also host Family Feud in the main theater. This audience participation even is hilarious!

On a Carnival cruise ship, a lot will happen during the evening. Deck parties, casino events, and shows will keep guests entertained throughout their cruise vacation.

Deck Parties

Carnival has built the reputation of throwing some of the best deck parties in the cruising industry. These deck parties will have a theme, and it’s a great opportunity to have fun, drink, and dance the night away.

Your cruise director will host the deck party, and there will be dancers to keep your fellow passengers engaged.

Here are the deck party themes on Carnival:

Sail Away Party
Mega Deck Party
White Hot Night Party
80’s Night Deck Party
Northern Lights Glow Party (Alaska cruises)

Kids Club

If you’re traveling with kids and teenagers, they will love the Carnival’s youth program. Camp Ocean is a great place for your kids to make new friends, participate in activities, and play video games.

There will be different events and activities in the evenings, ranging from movie nights to dance parties and game nights.

Here are the age groups for the kids clubs on Carnival cruise ships:

Penguin Colony (2-5)
Stingrays (6-8)
Sharks (9-11)
Circle C (12-14)
Club O2 (15-17)

Atmosphere

Since Carnival refers to itself as the “Fun Ship,” you can expect a party-like atmosphere. Carnival is known for its energetic vibe and fun atmosphere.

Since Carnival is a family-friendly cruise line, expect that kids will be onboard, especially during the holiday season. Overall, Carnival has a great atmosphere for those who like having fun or are traveling with kids.

Pricing

The bottom line is that Carnival cruises are affordable and offer tremendous value for your dollar. If you’re looking to book a family vacation at an affordable price, it’s hard to beat what Carnival offers.

Booking a Carnival cruise is a great way to visit new destinations, have fun, and enjoy a wonderful vacation.

Related: What to Pack for a Carnival Cruise

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Why Cruisers Like Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean, formally known as Royal Caribbean International, is a contemporary cruise line known for its innovation. Royal Caribbean is home to the largest cruise ships in the world!

Cruise passengers enjoy sailing with Royal Caribbean because of the amazing attractions, delicious food options, and versatile entertainment. Royal Caribbean has amazing bars, lounges, and an incredible private island.

Here’s a deeper look at why cruisers like to sail with Royal Caribbean:

Cruise Ship Design

If you’ve never stepped on a Royal Caribbean cruise, prepare to have your mind blown! Royal Caribbean is known for having the industry’s most incredible and innovative cruise ships.

In fact, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship at sea, weighing over 250,000 tons and holding more than 7,500 passengers!

Royal Caribbean ships offer tons of exciting features and attractions. If you want a cruise ship with many activities, check out Oasis Class ships and the new Icon class.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class cruise ships also have amazing onboard attractions and are known for their unique technology. These cruise ships are smaller in size than Oasis class ships. However, they are still more than 160,000 tons and hold over 4,500 passengers.

Royal Caribbean’s older ship designs are also great, but they won’t have the bells and whistles that you’ll find on the newer ships. On the bright side, these cruises are often more reasonably priced.

Since there are so many Royal Caribbean cruise ships, it’s important to do your research in advance to find the best cruise ship and itinerary that suits your style of travel.

Private Island

When it comes to private islands owned by a cruise line, nobody does it like Royal Caribbean.

When you sail to the Caribbean or Bahamas with Royal Caribbean, many itineraries stop at their private island, Perfect Day at Cococay.

The food on the private island is very tasty, and it’s included! Furthermore, Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship internet and drink packages work on CocoCay as well.

Perfect Day at Cococay has an incredible water park with a wave pool, tons of waterslides, and even the tallest waterslide in North America (Daredevil’s Peak). There is also a beach, large swimming pools, zip lines, a hot air balloon, and many more attractions.

Variety of Restaurants & Dining Options

There are many dining options to choose from onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships. There’s a mix of restaurants which are included and others that have extra cost.

The “free” dining options onboard Royal Caribbean include the Windjammer Marketplace (buffet), El Loco Fresh, Sorrento’s Pizza, Central Park Cafe, and Cafe Promenade.

The main dining room is a great included dining venue for a sit-down meal.

All Royal Caribbean cruises have a wide variety of specialty restaurants that cost extra. These dining venues range from steakhouses to sushi and Italian cuisine.

If you want to try the specialty restaurants, you can always purchase the Ultimate Dining Package. This is a great way to try new foods and have an enhanced culinary experience.

Bars & Lounges

Royal Caribbean has a wide variety of bars and lounge areas. The cool thing about Royal Caribbean is that many of the bars have a different theme, and they will feature live performances and attractions.

Whether you’re at the Bionic Bar, Rising Tide Bar, English Pub, or Boleros or grabbing a drink by the pool at The Lime and Coconut, you will enjoy the bars on Royal Caribbean.

Since Royal Caribbean has a variety of bar venues, it’s easy to find a place to grab a drink and enjoy yourself. They offer a great mix of bars where you can relax and chat and bars where you can drink and dance.

Included Activities & Onboard Attractions

When you cruise with Royal Caribbean, there is never a dull moment. Royal Caribbean offers a bunch of free onboard attractions!

Many onboard activities are family-friendly, so it’s a fun time for every family member. Here’s a list of activities onboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Activities Onboard Royal Caribbean:

Ice Skating
Zip Lining
Bumper Karts
Basketball Courts
Water Slide
Water Park
Splash Park
Laser Tag
Ropes Course (Crowns Edge)
FlowRider Surf Simulator
Mini Golf
The Ultimate Abyss (10 story dry slide)
Escape Room (additional cost)
Rock Climbing

One of the best parts about sailing with Royal Caribbean is that many of their cruise ship activities are included. This is especially important for families cruising on a budget, as paying extra for activities can add up.