This is the first time we have sailed with RC but have sailed with Carnival 3 times. I really can't compare the two because of the ship we were on (Oasis of the Seas). It was definitely a floating city. We were pleasantly surprised that with over 6000 passengers it never felt any more crowded that the other ships we have been on. That's because there is so much room to roam. We left from Ft. Lauderdale where there was very little waiting to board. We had lunch in one of the small cafe's In "Central Park". Of course that was crowded because everyone had the same idea. We ate in the dining room for the rest of the trip during breakfast and supper. The food there was excellent and the service superb. We attended all the shows during the cruise. That is where the Oasis excelled. The shows were so great that we went to all of them twice. The talent and technology was just unbelievable. Any of the shows could have fit in on Broadway or Las Vegas. We had a outside balcony cabin which was nice (nothing special). We were able to have the partition on the balcony opened to the next cabin which was good for visiting with our friends.
There was one problem with the ship. One of the three engines had some problem and the captain was forced to slow the ship down making us late to the port of St. Thomas. The cruise line did give us some credit and extended the time at St. Maarten. We missed our tour on St Thomas that was booked with Caribbean Historical Tours (not through RC). Although we contacted them in advance we only got a small part of our money refunded. That was very aggravating. That tour group has very good reviews but it left a bad taste in my mouth. They did offer the give us credit for another tour at a later date but I doubt that we will be there again.
We took a tour on St. Maarten which went around the island. It was interesting but the island doesn't have much to offer. That tour was through Bernard's. There were six of us in a van which was very crowded and the driver/guide couldn't be heard. I think we just got a bad draw on that one.