We sailed last year over Christmas on the Liberty. This year we chose the Conquest over New Years. We would do that again in a heartbeat! Even our teenage sons engaged in the teen club and met new friends-said this was the best cruise yet and we have been on two Carnival and two Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean may be more "upscale" with more specialty restaurants, perhaps better "quality" shows (but you have to book them online which is a pain especially if the time you want is not available) and the flow-riders and ziplines are cool (we were on the Allure- hard to compare any ship to that one). But when push comes to shove, we prefer Carnival. They do fun well. Their beverage programs are better; the variety of shows is better; the food is just as good as any we had on Royal Caribbean. We found ourselves this summer on the Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise comparing to Carnival, and Carnival came out on top. Yes, the decor is cheesy. Yes, the rooms are small, but every inch of the room is designed to be an efficient use of space.

Biggest disappointment: definitely the piano bar. Last year, we loved Ben on the Liberty. This year, I think his name was Martin? Pretty lame. No one was in there...ever. Anyone know what ship Ben is on now? Read more