While there are a lot of cruise lines out there, when it comes to the United States, two main players come to mind: Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.
That’s for good reason. The two cruise lines are by far the most popular in the country, with millions of cruise passengers sailing on their ships each year. In fact, they are the two lines that we’ve personally sailed the most, so we have a lot of direct experience in how they compare.
If you’ve never taken a cruise… or you’ve only sailed with one cruise line or the other… then you’d be forgiven for thinking that both Carnival and Royal Caribbean are exactly the same.
While both lines do have a lot of similarities, there are also some major differences.
Anyone that is loyal to either Carnival or Royal Caribbean would tell you as much. To be sure, you’re bound to have fun on either company’s ships, however, if you want the real scoop on how they differ, we’ve laid out some of the major differences below.
Cost of Royal Caribbean vs. Carnival
Want to sail affordably? Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival offer affordable vacations. If you want to sail the more inexpensive cruise line, however, then you’re better off with Carnival according to our analysis.
About a year ago, we analyzed dozens of cruises from both cruise lines departing from three of their most popular ports. Carnival and Royal Caribbean both sail from Miami, Port Canaveral, and Galveston, which gives an ability to compare prices across the lines with similar trips.
When looking at the fares for each sailing in July (the peak of the cruise season in North America), we found that Carnival’s fares are less expensive on average.
According to our analysis, cruise fare for a 5-night trip aboard Carnival was about $50 cheaper per person during our search than what was seen on Royal Caribbean. That lower average pricing also held no matter the cruise length.
(Note: Royal Caribbean’s 7-night average in our analysis includes trips aboard Icon of the Seas. This ship features prices considerably higher than other ships.)
Now keep in mind that this doesn’t mean your cruise will automatically be less expensive on Carnival or more expensive on Royal Caribbean. What you pay for a cruise depends on a lot of factors, including when you sail, the specific ship you choose, and the route you take. But in general, you can figure that a Carnival cruise will run less than a similar one on Royal Caribbean.
Bottom line: When it comes to cost, Carnival is usually cheaper to sail than a similar trip on Royal Caribbean, but prices for specific trips will vary.
Size of Ships
While both cruise lines have ships ranging from older, smaller vessels to brand new mega-ships, Royal Caribbean and Carnival’s vessels definitely differ. Royal Caribbean is well known for having the largest cruise ships in the world. And while Carnival’s ships can be of comparable length, the overall size of Royal Caribbean’s biggest ships is noticeable.
Consider that Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas is nearly 1,200 feet and carries more than 5,700 guests at double occupancy. And that’s just one of several in it Oasis-class fleet. Overall, it has a gross tonnage of 237,000 tons.
Today, Icon of the Seas takes over as the largest cruise ship in the world and comes in at more than 250,000 gross tons. All told, the top six largest cruise ships on the planet belong to Royal Caribbean.
Carnival Celebration, Jubilee, and Mardi Gras, Carnival’s largest ships, have a gross tonnage of 183,000, or about 75% of the size of Royal’s largest ship. And this is just one example. When it comes to size, Royal Caribbean ships definitely have an edge.
Of course, with larger ships you can pack a lot more onto the vessel. While both cruise lines take advantage of all the space on their ship, you’ll see below that there are major differences in activities and entertainment between the two cruise lines due partly to the ship size.
Bottom line: If you want to travel on the biggest cruise ships, then Royal Caribbean is the clear winner. It sails the largest ships in the world, and the fleet as a whole is on average larger.
Activities & Entertainment
You might not realize it, but the vast majority of your time on a cruise is actually spent on the ship. Even on days in port, the ship is normally docked for only about eight hours. That means the activities and entertainment on the ship are important to the fun you’ll have.
Good news — both cruise lines offer constant entertainment. In fact, we find that the entertainment like evening shows, comedians, onboard contests, evening game shows, casino gaming and more are very similar between the two lines. (Though we do have to acknowledge the Aqua Theater shows aboard Oasis and Icon-class ships as unique to Royal Caribbean.)
But when it comes to activities on board, we think Royal Caribbean and Carnival are very different.
Royal Caribbean definitely seems more innovative with the things to do on the ship. Newer ships include the world’s tallest slide at sea, bumper cars, ice skating, a surf simulator, escape rooms, and even an observation pod that can take you up and out over the water on some ships. Icon of the Seas debuts a full-fledged water park with six slides.
Carnival offers plenty of fun things to do as well, but it’s typically more of the classic things to do on a cruise ship, like mini-golf, movies, pools, and jogging tracks (which Royal Caribbean also has).
That said, Carnival is moving in the direction of Royal Caribbean. For instance, Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration and Jubilee have the first-ever roller coaster at sea, and the cruise line is the only one to have an IMAX on some of its ships.
Bottom line: While the entertainment on board may be similar, the activities on Royal Caribbean are more innovative in our opinion.
Ports of Departure
One of the biggest benefits to the growth of the cruise industry? As cruise lines grow their fleet, they are able to add more cruises — including from smaller ports.
Are you near a major cruise port like Miami or Galveston? The good news is that you have your choice of either cruise line. You’ll find both lines in any port with heavy cruise traffic.
If you are close to a smaller cruise port like Mobile, Jacksonville, or Charleston, then you’ll be glad to know you still can sail aboard Carnival. Royal Caribbean is catching up in this regard, sailing from spots like Baltimore and New Orleans.
What’s so nice about sailing from smaller ports is that it means more people can cruise without the added expense of flying. The added cost of plane tickets on top of a cruise can be burdensome for some people who would otherwise set sail.
Bottom line: Carnival offers up trips from a number of smaller ports. Yes, trips from smaller ports are usually aboard smaller and older ships, but we think any cruise is better than no cruise.
Space Ratio
One complaint that many people have — especially with the size of modern ships — is that there are too many people. Well, that’s just become a fact of life on cruises, but where there is a difference between the two lines is how much space those people have on the ship.
There’s no perfect measure of this as ship design can have as much to do with the elbow room you feel than anything. But we like to use something called the space ratio. This is simply the gross tonnage of a ship divided by the occupancy at double occupancy. Essentially, this is how big a ship is per passenger.
In that regard, there’s a marked difference. Royal Caribbean ships consistently measure in the low 40s in this segment, no matter whether a ship is new or old. Carnival has a few that measure in the 40s, but most are around 34-37, meaning a significantly smaller size per passenger.
In other words, if you’ve felt that Carnival feels more cramped, it might not be your imagination.
Bottom line: If you want more elbow room, then Royal Caribbean generally offers more space than Carnival on their ships.
Drink Package Rules & Pricing
On a cruise, alcoholic drinks are a big business. It’s not unusual to pay $7-9 for a beer, or $11-14 for a cocktail. At those prices, the bar tab can add up quickly.
To help passengers budget, cruise lines have drink packages. The packages allow you to pay one set daily price and then you can get what you want, without worrying about the bill.
There are differences, however, between Carnival and Royal Caribbean when it comes to these packages.
First, Carnival’s CHEERS! package is less expensive than what you’ll usually find on Royal Caribbean. Carnival charges around $60 per day (if bought ahead of the cruise), while Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing where the price depends on your specific cruise. However, in general you can expect it to be more than what Carnival charges.
As well, Carnival has a 15-drink limit over 24-hour period for alcoholic beverages (non-alcoholic drinks are unlimited), while Royal Caribbean makes no mention of a limit.
Bottom line: Both lines offer drink packages, but Carnival’s rates are normally lower than Royal Caribbean. As well, Carnival makes an explicit limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per 24-hour period.
Atmosphere on Board
While it’s hard to explain, Carnival and Royal Caribbean just have a different “feel” to most passengers. It’s purely anecdotal, but you’ll hear many say that Carnival has more of a laid-back party atmosphere.
Want to have a margarita and dance in conga line around the pool? Let’s just say, there’s good reason that Carnival is known as the “Fun Ships.” In our experience, folks on both cruise lines love to have a great time, but seem more outgoing on Carnival.
To us, Royal Caribbean has more of a luxury feel. That’s not to say it’s stuffy (far from it), however, it feels more subdued than Carnival. There are still plenty of chances to party, but we think there is simply a slightly different feel on Royal Caribbean.
Either way, you’ll have plenty of fun.
Bottom line: Both ships have a fun atmosphere and are similar, but the vibe on Carnival is a bit more “outgoing” than what we’ve found on Royal Caribbean.
Costs on Board
When you cruise, you should really think of having two different costs for the trip. There’s the cruise fare, which is by far the biggest bulk of what you’ll spend. But then there is also the spending you’ll do on the ship including things like drinks, wi-fi, excursions, specialty restaurants, and more.
The good news is that this spending is optional. If you don’t want to spend anything on the ship, you don’t have to. But if you do spend, then you’ll likely find that Carnival is less expensive than Royal Caribbean.
For instance, specialty cocktails on Royal Caribbean were recently seen at $14 per glass. On Carnival, they run more in the $10-12 range. The same goes for the drink package, discussed above. It’s less expensive on Carnival.
We will say that since the pandemic and the rise in inflation Carnival’s prices seem to be creeping up to match Royal Caribbean. For instance, the highest-tier Internet on Carnival is now up to $25 per day if bought on the ship. Still, at this point we’d say that Carnival generally offers lower prices around the ship.
Bottom line: In general, the prices on Royal Caribbean seem higher than what you’ll spend on Carnival.
Worldwide Sailings
Are you a Royal Caribbean fan, but also love to travel the world? In that case, you are in luck. The cruise line has trips sailing everywhere from the United States to Asia to Europe. While most trips are from the U.S., there are a number of other options if you are a fan of the cruise line but want to experience somewhere new.
In comparison, Carnival is more focused on the United States with their sailings. Outside of a handful of trips in Europe, there isn’t much available that isn’t based in the U.S. The one exception is Australia. Carnival does offer some trips from Brisbane and Sydney for Carnival fans in the southern hemisphere.
Bottom line: Royal Caribbean offers more sailings from a variety of spots around the world. Carnival is mainly U.S.-focused, although Australia is well-represented in their sailings.
Private Destinations
For years cruise lines have had private islands. These islands had largely been the same, offering some restaurants and shops, but the big draw being white-sand beaches with beautiful water. These spots offer snorkeling, beach activities, kayaking, and other beach activities.
However, that’s changed with the recent renovation of CocoCay by Royal Caribbean. The cruise line spent $250 million to completely transform the place from a sleepy tropical island to a full-blown destination. Today CocoCay features a full waterpark with one of the tallest slides in the world, a massive freshwater pool, restaurants, and tons more.
Carnival does have its own private destinations that are a lot of fun (Grand Turk, Amber Cove, among others), but they aren’t the same league as what CocoCay can offer as far as things to do. However, that will be changing. The cruise line has broken ground on Celebration Key, a new destination in The Bahamas, scheduled for 2025 that will be even larger than Royal Caribbean’s offering.
Bottom line: Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay gives it the lead in private islands and marks a big difference with Carnival. In the coming years, however, Carnival is set to debut a massive private destination of its own that should be on par.
Dynamic Pricing
If you are a budgeter, then one of the frustrating things you might encounter is dynamic pricing on Royal Caribbean. With this type of pricing, there isn’t a set cost for something like a specialty restaurant or drink package. Instead, the price will vary based on the specific cruise you take. So you could sail one cruise and see one price, but a completely different price the next time you sail.
Royal Caribbean has dynamic pricing on many things. For instance, the cruise line adjust prices on drink packages. And admission to Thrill Waterpark on CocoCay has also been higher or lower (including some prices of more than $150!) depending on the individual cruise.
Not having a set price can make it tougher to budget before you buy your cruise as you won’t know the price of some items on the ship until you are booked.
Carnival, on the other hand, has more traditional pricing that doesn’t change from trip to trip (at least right now). So even if you haven’t booked, you’ll have a good idea of how much things will cost on the ship.
Bottom line: Royal Caribbean has prices that can vary from cruise to cruise while Carnival has more traditional pricing based on our experience.
Food Offerings
What’s a cruise without food? This is one area that the cruise lines differ a little bit. You won’t go hungry, and both offer tasty options. Where the difference lies is in your free versus paid choices.
In our opinion, Carnival has more and better “free” options. One of the most popular places on the ship is Guy’s Burger Joint — a tasty fresh-grilled burger with seasoned fries. If you want to eat there, it’s free. As well, there is also BlueIguana Cantina, Pizzeria del Capitano and a few other places where you can grab a bite (ChiBang!, Big Chicken, the deli) without any additional charge. And some spots that charge for dinner also have free lunch options.
Royal Caribbean definitely has free places to eat (larger ships tend to have more free options), but in our opinion the freebies outside of the buffet and dining room seem to be more snacks than meals. Meanwhile, the cruise line seems to focus more on specialty restaurants that charge extra. And those specialty restaurants tend to lean more toward fancier, high-end eats than Carnival.
Bottom line: While both lines won’t leave you hungry, in our opinion Carnival offers more tasty free options that are included in your fare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Carnival better than Royal Caribbean or vice versa?
Like most preferences, the decision of which cruise line is better is subjective. Many people are steadfast fans of one ship over another — and won’t hear anything otherwise. In our opinion, both offer an experience that’s about 80% the same. It’s that other 20% that may sway you one way or another. Like big ships with lots to do? Royal Caribbean may be for you. Like more free dining options and a fun atmosphere? You’ll enjoy Carnival.
I have the choice between a Royal Caribbean cruise and a Carnival cruise. Which should I pick?
If you have two cruises — one from each cruise line — that you are choosing between, then it’s a good problem to have! To help you decide, we’d suggest taking into account a few items like the ship (we think newer is better), the cost, and the ports of call. The good news is that you’ll have fun on either line.
What about a different cruise line like Norwegian?
You might realize that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are not your only choices. There are a number of cruise lines out there. In terms of larger lines, Norwegian is one of the other options for many passengers. If you want to know more about it, you can read the differences between Carnival and Norwegian or the differences between Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.
Have more questions about sailing Royal Caribbean or Carnival? Let us know in the comments below.
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Thanks for this article! My family just went on our first cruise on Carnival and we loved it!! Our hearts were filled with so much joy. We can’t wait until our next cruise!
We’re gold members on Carnival. We’re accustomed to everything Carnival so we’re not usually surprised by little things around the ship… depending on ship size. On the Horizon, a dip in the pool is really nice and a lot of fun. On the Paradise, there isn’t 1 square inch available all day. People stay in the pool ordering drinks and beer from there… one good thing, there’s never a line to the bathroom!
One big difference between Royal Caribbean and Carnival is the rewards are much better for repeat cruisers on Royal Caribbean. I’m Platinum on Carnival and Diamond on RC (they also match on Celebrity to Elite status). Diamond Lounge or four free drinks any time of day at almost any bar, some free internet, free photo and a few other extras.
We leave Sat on RC! We usually do Carnival! So far I am not impressed one bit with RC! You have to make reservations for all shows and they are already booked out, before boarding! We were assigned to 2:00 pm boarding, so that means when we get onboard and are able to book the leftover show times won’t be much left! How disappointed that we paid for 2 rooms with 4 guests and this what you get! Even with the anytime dining the first time available for dinner was 8:45 pm! So we changed to early dining! It’s sad that you have to have everything planned out that far in advance the whole week to get a spot! With Carnival you just don’t have this!
I hear you. But with the shows, you can arrive early and without a reservation almost always still get in! Enjoy your cruise on Royal, we did!
how often does the entertainment change? like comedies? and other shows ? while i loved everything on royal caribbean if i went again in the next 6 months i would want to see something different.
We tend to try all kind of different cruise lines. But we end up cruising with Carnival more often (not something by choice, just because we live close to Long Beach port). Something significantly different in our experience with Carnival is their cruise directors. We always remembered the names of cruise directors on Carnival ships, they worked so hard to entertain and take care the guests. They were fun. On the contrary, we took multiple Royal, Celebrity, NCL cruises, we rarely saw the cruise directors, in many cases, we didn’t even know they had one on the cruise.
Carnival cruise line is all about taking your money, we recently took a cruise for 8 days and had 4 islands when booked but only stop at 1. They allowed us to board the cruise ship with staff having Covid19 and of course it spread to passengers, so for 6days we’re at sea giving a credit of $100 onboard credit per room. I have been trying to contact Company and no response as well as I filed a complaint with no response I’m a gold card traveler with Carnival and this was my final cruise with them.I learned something that cheaper is not always better. Royal Caribbean had a similar issue and they gave their Passengers 50 percent of their money back and 50 percent off their next Cruise. I want to feel like I’m appreciated too for being a loyal customer, so Royal Caribbean here my family come!!!
Thank you Tanner. This was a very informative article. I’ve been sailing on Carnival Cruise Lines for the past 15 years and this year my husband decided to change to Royal Caribbean just to get some variety. We will set sail in April and I’m looking forward to it. However, I did notice when booking the cruise how they try to encourage you to pre-purchase all the extras. So we opted to wait and see if the complimentary offerings are going to be enough. If not, we will know next time if it would be worth that extra money. Again, I do appreciate articles like this one that help consumers make good decisions about how to spend their time and money and get the most out of it. God Bless.
Glad you like it. If you have specific questions about what is included, let us know. In our opinion Carnival has more things included in your fare — most specifically we feel like there are more included food options.
Is there a drink package that can be purchased for alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks on RC
Absolutely. You can get a soda package or an alcoholic drink package.
Those replying about Royal Caribbean seem to have had very different then I have. I have been on almost 60 different cruise with Royal and all have been excellent. We have NEVER had an excursion leave late either so not sure what that one person was experiencing. The venues to eat on there larger ships are very impressive. On the Oasis class ships they have Central Park Cafe where you get to make your own salad or choose from hot sliced roast beef sandwiches and put au jus and horseradish if you want. For fun they have ice skating, 2 Flow riders for surfing, rock climbing, giant water slides. They have a water show where you sit and watch a complete water show with divers from 100 ft up doing various tricks. Their promenade deck is amazing, and they have a Central Park area with trees and all. From the promenade you can sit at the rising tide bar and literally go from deck 5 to deck 8 as your bar rises in the air. They have all the characters from Dreamworks for the younger sailors. The WIndjammers has plenty of various food to select from. The Solarium is for those who do not want children around them at the pool but these ships have many pools for all ages and desires. The kids pool has water cannons and other things for the kids to play with. Oh forgot it even has zip lining. I have been on so many ships with my kids and without, we have locked in on Royal due to the variety of things to do on board. Sometimes we do sail Celebrity which is also owned by Royal. Just my two cents. Enjoy, YOLO!!!
I loved Carnival , caring staff and nice food service. They even serve vegetarian meals.👍🏼
How much does it cost for children under 17 on each ship.
The age doesn’t make a difference in the price charged. However, if traveling as a third passenger in a cabin, there is a discounted rate.
The quality and variety of food on Royal Caribbean seems to depend on the size of the ship, sometimes. It is only as good as the chef’s they have and the space they have. That being said, we’ve been on a ship with approximately 1200 passengers and the food was wonderful. We were recently on a ship of approximately 3200 passengers and the food varied greatly between the buffet, the main restaurant and the specialty restaurants.
The layout of the ship was terrible and the buffet was very small for the number of passengers. The buffet variety tended towards junk food with very little healthy food and very little variety from day to day. The traditional dining menu did not seem typical of what we’ve had in the past. We have cruised since 2006, mainly on RCL, but have cruised on Holland America, Celebrity and Norwegian. We cruise at least once per year, but often twice per year. This year was extremely disappointing on a number of aspects.
This post would go too long if I posted what happened with everything so I will just touch on some of them; distance from ship to boat into Venice was further than told, much too far for older people to walk without having to get someone to get them a wheelchair; suddenly notified of a fee to take the boat back & forth to Venice at the last minute.(on top of the walk back to the ship), even if you have an excursion, told if you have an excursion to Venice you would be picked up and returned to the ship, NO, picked up yes, returned, NO.
Dropped of the full distance away where the other boats pick up and drop off which is the full walking distance,(again,too far for older people-which we are not-& I managed, but I was using a cane due to an injury). We arrived back at the ship 2 days in a row and asked them to send a wheel chair for 2 different people. The days weren’t over yet.
The new “Key” wasn’t what the website described, not totally worth it, most staff doesn’t know what it is and what it covers. NO staff knew where the seating in the theater was. Some excursions were not as described AT ALL. We are typically pretty easy going travelers. We do a lot of our travel planning on our own. We don’t expect a lot. The gathering of passengers in the theater (or wherever) is a “royal” pain.
No excursion left on time. One left 30 minutes late, none of it was because of late clearance, as we had already heard that the ship was cleared and people were cleared to go ashore. It is waiting on late passengers. When we first cruising we went directly to the buses and boarded ourselves. Once the bus was full and the departure time arrived, if everyone wasn’t there the guide would talk to the shore excursions, we would wait 10-15 minutes and go.
People are always late because they know that the excursion will wait for them for such a long time. We don’t go on as many excursions because of this anymore. We can do our own thing, get a taxi and see more and not wait on anyone for the same cost or less. The late people don’t even rush anymore. The ship was tired and the washrooms were not kept up. Two “quiet adult only spaces” were directly below shuffle boards that use plastic pucks. Incredible noisy. It was a wonderfully peaceful place when no one played shuffle board. It could be again if they used the original pucks that are quiet. We typically do not complain but this trip was absolutely terrible.
Honestly, I think most Carnival ships are beautiful (especially the Dream, one of my favorites) However, the picture of the ship chosen was the Valor which is one of the strangest and, in my opinion, ugliest ships in the fleet. The design makes very little sense and the decor is strange and unattractive. I think that was not the best representation for Carnivals ships, just my opinion.
Valor is definitely… unique. That said, even on other Carnival ships that may be a bit more modern there’s still a different feel compared to Royal Caribbean.
When I cruise, I really love live bands. Weather it would be pop, country,or whatever.i enjoy listening and dancing to the music.For me, if I knew that they were having a band, I certainly would be more enticied to choose that particular cruise line, for my cruise.
Justin B – some of those items you mentioned are NOT free. The Windjammer cafeteria is free, and most of the smaller second restaurant (Solarium) is free, but they charge extra for the lobster and (I think) the lamb chops. The drinks here are expensive and they even charge for soda, which I find strange as it’s one of the cheapest things to produce I could go on and on but I will say for those on any type of budget to watch yourself closely with Royal Caribbean and check your bill (for their extra “surprises”) with RC Guest Services. They are absolutely horrible at upwelling and misc nickel and dime charges.
Source—sailed on Ovation of the Seas
Organization the hospitality on Royal is priority, their staff makes sure you are comfortable and well taken care off. It’s a very warming welcome and their cocktails drinks consist with alcohol not juice and ice. Royal Carbbean take good care of their Ship when it come to cleaniness and top of it all well organize especially in the buffet when you dont know when the lines start. Payless dont expect more hospitality is key.
Royal has free burgers hot dogs a fries as well in the huge free buffet called windjammer, also free pizza buffet and more. Symphony of the seas has both plus a mexican food buffet with burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and cheese etc. They also have free ice cream machines. I feel your food comparison is wrong because they have a pretty good selection of free food as well as fancy dining (lobster, steak, fancy desserts etc) that is free every night with a reservation.
you seem to have been on Royal before how about drink package on Royal the one on Carnival isn’t that good as for as for alcohol.
Royal Caribbean allows you to bring non-alcoholic beverages as carry-on items on boarding day. Non-alcoholic beverages may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz.) cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom. Milk and distilled water brought on for infant, medical, or dietary use are permitted.
Thanks for the comment. This is a brand-new policy from the cruise line. We’ll look to update.
Carnival is the same