This is my first review and I have done the best I can to provide an "apples to apples" comparison between the two lines. Our first cruise was Carnival Victory in March of 2011; our second was Royal's Explorer of the Seas.
Let me first start off by saying that our cruise got off to a rocky start. The cruise immediately preceding ours was delayed due to a medical emergency so we were shorted by one day and subsequently missed one port. We left from (Cape Liberty) Bayonne, NJ in January, we were happy to get away from the snow and cold weather so any vacation was welcomed.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Our stateroom was a Promenade View which was unavailable on Carnival's Victory. We selected this room due to our budget restrictions but still wanted to have a window. The view was of the Royal Promenade which is a fixture on Royal's ships; it houses bars, shops and is the main thoroughfare of the ship. The bed was two adjacent twins that made up one large king sized bed. It took up most of the room but still allowed for a small seating area and a make-up desk for my wife. The bed on Carnival was also two twins but they couldn't get the two to line up properly and the height of each bed was different which made very difficult to sleep comfortably. Royal has solved this issue by using a pad or "crease" filler to provide comfort when they put the beds together, it worked well and the whole bed was very comfortable. It was very interesting that the foot of the bed was rounded and only allowed for 12 inches between the wall and the foot of the bed, this may be used to accommodate taller guests but it was a minor inconvenience for us. The closets were similar for both ships and adequate enough to accommodate our ten days worth of clothes. We appreciated the availability of the promenade room on RC as it was a nice step up from the interior stateroom with only a minor jump in price; I highly recommend this room for couples looking for nice accommodations on a small budget.