As a first time Carnival cruiser and 3X Norwegian; and 3X Royal Carribean Cruiser, I would like to compare them. We cruised to the Bahamas and Cape Canaveral on the 2/18 cruise. It was cold two days going down and back but the ease of leaving from New England offset that negative. Let me start by saying that I thought that the lines were more similar than different. I will compare RC and Carnival mostly as they were my most recent trips.

Food: We enjoyed the dining room; for the most part the food was well-prepared and hot except for the last hight which was cold. I thought that the dining room food was similar on both RC and Carnival with an added edge to the Carnival deserts which were delicious. I really liked the buffet deli and hamburgers which gave Carnival an edge. However I missed the Royal Promenade on RC for the quick bites and people watching.

Shows: All ships have similar mediocre production shows. I enjoyed the guest performers on RC more. However, I really enjoyed the Punchline Comedy on Carnival which gave added entertainment in the evenings Read more