Royal Caribbean vs Carnival: Cabins

I love cruising! I’ve been on three cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess) and a total of 9 cruises. There’s something to love about them all, and each has its Loyalist!

Over the next few weeks, I will give you my perspective on two of my most traveled cruise lines, Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  I am comparing the smaller ships with a capacity of about 2100 guests (double occupancy).  This is not an in depth analysis, but my spin on the two cruise lines. I’ll start with cabins.

My favorite cabin is an ocean view.  I like this type of cabin because the price is generally pretty good, and you get an outside view without the premium price of a balcony.  After all, how much time will you spend in your cabin?  The ship is your resort and port days are opportunities for excursions.  However, the time in your cabin should make you feel comfortable and like you are on vacation.

So let’s compare the two cruise line standard ocean view cabins.  In general, Royal Caribbean’s ocean view cabin is about 154 sq. ft while Carnival averages 185 sq. ft.  Royal Caribbean does have larger ocean view cabins if you are willing to pay.  On Carnival, the view is easily accessible, with an open floor layout and more spacious bathrooms and showers.  On Royal Caribbean, the cabin layout, bathroom and showers feel cramped.  In addition, some Royal Caribbean beds are not high enough to slide your luggage under expanding the cramped feeling.

 

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Royal Caribbean Ocean View Cabin – 154 sq. ft.

 

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Carnival Oceanview Cabin (Sunshine) – 185 sq. ft.

 

My husband and I prefer the Carnival cabins.  What’s your favorite cabin type and why?  Can’t wait to hear from you!

 

Between The Dashes

Canada/New England Cruise – September 2019

My husband and I took the Canada/New England Cruise out of Baltimore, MD on Royal Caribbean. We did not anticipate Hurricane Dorian to come from the Bahamas, miss Florida and follow our cruise itinerary! After spending two nights at the Baltimore pier (it was closed due to Hurricane), we followed the Hurricane up the east coast! Our cruise skipped Boston and Saint John but completed the rest of the stops on our 9 night cruise. The waters after the storm are extremely calm so the cruise ended up being the calmest ever! And we were at the front of the ship!

We did a tour of the park followed by a lobster lunch! Enjoy the pics!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Between The Dashes

29 Dec 2018 – How To Get The Best Price On Your Cruise!

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Have you ever wondered how to get the best price for your cruise vacation?  Well, let me count the ways!  My family and I love cruising, and we have been to the “school of hard knocks” when trying to get a great cruise deal!  So, I’m sharing what I’ve learned so far.  I want your cruise vacation to be memorable and at a great price!  Before we get into how to get the best price for your cruise, there are some simple steps I recommend you take to become a cruise insider. Cruise insiders stay on top of the deals and promotions as they become available so you know a great price when you see it, and you have lots of great choices before you decide.

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May 2018 – Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Cruise Line

This was the first time Al and I went on a cruise, just the two of us, leaving from Port Canaveral going to Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk on the Carnival Sunshine.  During this cruise, we experienced a lot of firsts which I’m excited to share!

  • Cruise Director:  Al and I weren’t aware how important the cruise director is on a cruise.  Ours was awesome!  Our Cruise director was Mikey, and he made you feel like you wanted to be wherever he was on the ship because you knew you were going to have fun!  Now I know what it means to say Carnival’s “Fun Ships”!  Mikey selected Al to participate in a dance contest and Al actually won!  Mikey started our day with fun and had events all day long if you were up to it!  Here’s a pic of Mikey with Al and I.

 

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Jun 2016 Western Caribbean Cruise – Oasis of the Seas

The girls (Mom, Daughter and I) cruised 4-11 Jun 2016 to Haiti, Jamaica and Cozumel, Mexico.   This was our first cruise.   Lessons learned:

1.  Don’t start your cruise on your travel day.  We discovered that even with insurance, if your flight is delayed or anything happens that makes you miss your ship, the best the insurance can do is fly you to the next port.  This will shorten your cruise, and in our case by 2 days.  I don’t know what other compensations are available, but the cruise ship waits for no one!  So this time we flew a day early, spent the night in a hotel that provided travel to the port as well as pick you up when you return.   You have a choice of going directly to the airport or do more excursions before boarding your plane.

2.  Remember to pack sundries because they cost lots of money while on the cruise.  Examples of things to bring are:

  • Sea bands or motion sickness meds
  • Over the counter meds for tummy issues, colds, pain, etc
  • Your favorite snacks unless you know you can get them on the cruise.  Examples includes nuts, chips or your favorite treat.
  • Sunscreen, insect repellant

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