{"id":436,"date":"2015-08-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clanstellhorn.com\/2015\/08\/02\/our-carnival-cruise-lines-vs-royal-caribbean-cruise-lines-comparison\/"},"modified":"2016-05-26T18:41:42","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T23:41:42","slug":"our-carnival-cruise-lines-vs-royal-caribbean-cruise-lines-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clanstellhorn.com\/our-carnival-cruise-lines-vs-royal-caribbean-cruise-lines-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Carnival Cruise Lines VS. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone who knows us knows that we love to cruise!\u00a0 It is one of the most relaxing things on earth for us.\u00a0 Before this summer, we have cruised six times on Carnival Cruise Lines.\u00a0 Three times on the Carnival Ecstasy (May 2006, October 2006, March 2011), two times on the Carnival Triumph (May 2012, October 2014), and once on the Carnival Magic (March 2014).\u00a0 After our last cruise in October 2014, we had some encounters that made us decide we wanted to try a different cruise line.\u00a0 Carnival is known for catering to the party crowd, and we were wanting to try something a little quieter. This summer during my time off for the year, we squeezed in two cruises, one with the kiddos and one alone to celebrate our ten year anniversary.\u00a0 For our family cruise, we booked again a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Magic.\u00a0 Our cruise on the Magic went to Cozumel, Mexico, Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.\u00a0 For our anniversary cruise, we decided to splurge and try another cruise line.\u00a0 After looking, we decided to give Royal Caribbean a try and booked a 7 day cruise on the Navigator of the Seas.\u00a0 Our Navigator of the Seas cruise went to Cozumel, Mexico, Belize City, Belize, and Roatan, Honduras.\u00a0 We were looking forward to both cruises and to getting to try a new itinerary and a new cruise line! Embarkation<\/strong> Carnival:<\/strong>\u00a0 We purchased the Faster to the Fun excursion.\u00a0 In our opinion, it is well worth the dollars for FTTF.\u00a0 FTTF allows you to board with priority group, priority tendering at any ports that have tendering, a separate line with customer service and priority debarkation.\u00a0 We tend to arrive at the port around 930am.\u00a0 C parked the car and the boys and I checked in our luggage.\u00a0 We swiftly got through security and got checked in.\u00a0 It was around 11am when they started loading wedding parties.\u00a0 We were on board and sitting on the lido deck around 1130am. \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> Above left:\u00a0 The boys always take picture by the map of Galveston while we wait for C to come back from parking.\u00a0 Above right:\u00a0 S is super excited that we are on the boat.\u00a0 Photo is taken in the lido deck.<\/em> Royal:<\/strong>\u00a0 We had read on Cruise Critic<\/a> that Royal doesn’t start allowing anyone into the terminal until 10am.\u00a0 We left a little later than our norm, and were in the short line for security at the terminal around 945am.\u00a0 Promptly at 10am, they opened the doors and waited to move through security.\u00a0 Security was rather quick, as was check in.\u00a0 We were given a boarding number and asked to wait until our number was called to board.\u00a0 They began boarding around 1030am with priority passengers.\u00a0 After all priority were called, instead of calling the zone cards, the employee called “anyone who is checked in can board.”\u00a0 Needless to say, it was a minor chaotic situation as people began rushing and pushing ahead to get on the boat.\u00a0 We were in the line to board around 1050am. \"Royal<\/a> \"Royal<\/a> Above left:\u00a0 Waiting to board!\u00a0 Above right: A photo of our view of the boat as we waited in line to get on the boat.\u00a0 <\/em> Although we got on the boat quicker with Royal, boarding was much more chaotic and disorganized with Royal than our experiences with Carnival. Ship<\/strong> \"Carnival<\/a> Carnival:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Magic is our favorite ship that we have sailed on with Carnival so far.\u00a0 We like how big and spacious it is.\u00a0 I like how they have a big splash pad area for the kiddos.\u00a0 The boys love the water park area.\u00a0 There are multiple pools and hot tubs on the boat.\u00a0 This boat has a lanai addition on the fifth floor that is nice.\u00a0 There are a couple hot tubs that are over the water, and a nice area to walk or sit and enjoy the view on the lanai.\u00a0 A couple draw backs that we found is that the elevators are always backed up on Carnival almost anytime a day.\u00a0 You might be waiting awhile to catch an elevator that has room for you to join on.\u00a0 The upkeep and decor of the ship look quite cheap and gaudy compared to that of Royal.\u00a0 We have also found that people don’t seem to feel the need to comply to the rules about smoking on the ship, and saw multiple people throwing their cigarettes over board from the lanai when sitting on our balcony in our state room. \"Carnival<\/a> <\/p>\n

Above:\u00a0 Panoramic view of the lanai from our balcony.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a><\/p>\n

Royal:\u00a0 <\/strong>Our immediate reaction after entering the boat was, “Wow!\u00a0 This is fancy!”\u00a0 Navigator of the Seas was much more elegant than any Carnival ship I have ever been on.\u00a0 At one point during the cruise, I looked to the husband and said, “This ship makes Carnival look like the WalMart of cruise lines.”\u00a0 This boat felt about as large as Magic.\u00a0 One thing we noticed is that the elevators were fairly easy to catch and were rarely so full you would have to wait and wait.\u00a0 This boat also had many swimming pools and hot tubs.\u00a0 They had some different activities such as the rock wall and flow rider.\u00a0 The upkeep on this ship was superb.\u00a0 We were very pleased with the condition and lay out of the ship.<\/p>\n

\"Royal<\/a><\/p>\n

Above:\u00a0 The view down towards deck five. <\/em><\/p>\n

Muster Station<\/strong> As required by law, everyone on board the ship has to participate in the muster drill about thirty minutes before the ship sails. During this, you go to your muster station and the workers go through what would happen in an emergency.\u00a0 It’s a pain, but it is simple and easy enough. Carnival: <\/strong> This time our muster station was in the main dining room.\u00a0 It made it nice because you could sit and enjoy air conditioning.\u00a0 In the past on some of our Carnival cruises, we had to wait outside under the life boats.\u00a0 It was definitely nice to have a muster station inside.\u00a0 As to what is norm, the muster drill did not start on time due to people not following the rules and having to wait for them to arrive at their muster station.\u00a0 The muster drill went quickly and we were soon allowed back to enjoying the ship! Royal:\u00a0 <\/strong>On the Navigator of the Seas, the muster drill was a nightmare! Out of eight cruises, this was by far the worst muster station drill.\u00a0 All I could think about while waiting was how thankful I was that our children were not with us on this cruise!\u00a0 Our muster station was outside under the life boats.\u00a0 Not only is it hot, but they pack you in like sardines out there so you feel a bit claustrophobic on top of it all.\u00a0 We arrived promptly to our station and waited.\u00a0 And waited, waited, waited.\u00a0 Sweat dripping, feet and back hurting.\u00a0 I look down at my watch, and notice we have been standing here for thirty minutes and still it has not started.\u00a0 45 minutes after the time everyone should have been to their muster station, the drill finally began.\u00a0 I imagine there could have been some issues going on behind the scenes contributing to the delay, but this was by far the worst drill, standing like sardines in 100 degree heat. State Room<\/strong> On both our cruises this summer, we booked balcony state rooms.\u00a0 Our first five cruises, we booked oceanview state rooms and loved them.\u00a0 Then we tried a balcony for our sixth.\u00a0 It is hard to go back after having your own personal balcony! Carnival:\u00a0 <\/strong>We booked a balcony state room on the sixth deck, upper.\u00a0 Everything with our room seemed nice and standard.\u00a0 We had a kings sized bed, and the boys had a couch that folded into a bed as well as a bunk that was set up.\u00a0 We soon found out at 11pm on the first night of the cruise that things would become interesting.\u00a0 Out of no where, the room began vibrating and all we could hear is “boom, boom, boom.”\u00a0 The hubby and I tried trouble shooting, but could not figure out what was directly under us.\u00a0 C called guest services to ask what was under our room, and we discovered we were under the vibe nightclub, and they don’t stop hopping until 2-4am.\u00a0 The next day, since they could not change our state room due to being full, Carnival gave us close to 20% back from our cruise price in on board credit, as well as a letter to redeem 15% off our next cruise.\u00a0 My other slight dislike with a balcony on the Magic is that unlike a lot of other ships, the Magic has the lanai addition on deck five that extends out slightly over the water.\u00a0 What that means is that when you have a balcony room on deck six, there is no privacy.\u00a0 You can see all sorts of things going on below you, and they can see above on your balcony.\u00a0 If we cruise again on the Magic before it leaves Galveston, I would definitely look at booking a cove balcony room for that reason.\u00a0 We all enjoyed the balcony for many reasons.\u00a0 Our 5 y\/o gets overstimulated with lots of people, and often will ask to go back to the room. He can watch cartoons, and I can sit and read on my balcony, which is seriously one of my favorite things about cruising.\u00a0 Overall, the stateroom itself was nice.\u00a0 Opinion of the location: awful. \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> Above:\u00a0 The boys enjoying the balcony.\u00a0 <\/em> \"Carnival<\/a>\"Carnival<\/a> Above Left:\u00a0 The boys snuggling in one of the beds.<\/em> Above Right:\u00a0 The outside of our state room.\u00a0 Just don’t book this room!<\/em> Royal: <\/strong>We booked a balcony state room on this cruise on the 12th deck.\u00a0 It was near the spa, and by the door that exited out to the outside jogging path.\u00a0 Our room was amazing on Navigator of the Seas.\u00a0 We had a king sized bed, with a couch.\u00a0 The room was nice and spacious.\u00a0 We found the balcony to have much more space as well, including a table where you could enjoy meals on your balcony.\u00a0 We did find the room to be rather warm, despite having the a\/c as cold as we could get it.\u00a0 Our room steward was great and got us a fan for the room and it helped immensely. Another draw back was that when you would go out to the balcony, it would shut off the a\/c inside until the balcony door was locked.\u00a0 That made it a bit frustrating when one of us wanted to go on the balcony and the other did not.\u00a0 However, I understand why they have it that way to make things more energy efficient.\u00a0 The room decor was very nice and updated on this ship.\u00a0 We definitely loved our room on this ship. \"Royal<\/a> \"Royal<\/a> \"Royal<\/a> Above Left:\u00a0 I enjoyed reading on the balcony.\u00a0 One afternoon, it included reading Midwifery Today and enjoying a pina colada.\u00a0 Above Center:\u00a0 A view of our state room standing by the balcony door.\u00a0 Above Right:\u00a0 One morning we enjoyed breakfast on our balcony.\u00a0 <\/em> Food<\/strong> For each cruise, I will go through the food in the dining room, room service and the food court area. Carnival:\u00a0 <\/strong>We thoroughly enjoy eating in the dining room as often as we can.\u00a0 They serve breakfast in the dining room every day.\u00a0 On sea days, they have a brunch menu and on port days they have a standard “quick” breakfast menu.\u00a0 I enjoy eating huevos rancheros off the brunch menu.\u00a0 You can only eat lunch in the dining room on days at sea.\u00a0 Some of my favorite things to eat during lunch were the chicken cesar salad, tomato soup, filet mignon meal and the macaroni and cheese.\u00a0 They serve both meals with bread basket at the table.\u00a0 Dinner is always a nice affair.\u00a0 The wait staff were wonderful and provided great service.\u00a0 Each night, you start off with a starter, entree and dessert.\u00a0 We never miss a dinner in the dining room because we love the service and the food.\u00a0 I will add that our 7y\/o has sensitivities to egg, gluten and dairy and they are very accommodating to food sensitivities\/allergies.\u00a0 We would order his meal the night before so the chef could prepare it special. Room service was standard for Carnival.\u00a0 You can choose from a variety of sandwiches, salad, fruit, a couple desserts and some drinks.\u00a0 My 5 y\/o and I enjoyed ordering grilled cheese from room service.\u00a0 Room service can often take 45 minutes or longer to arrive unfortunately. On Carnival, the Lido deck is where you will find the large variety of food.\u00a0 Magic has a lot of food options on the lido deck such as grill foods, burrito bar, mongolian, indian food, etc.\u00a0 I feel the food is fast food quality on the lido deck.\u00a0 It is definitely not my favorite.\u00a0 However, I was a huge fan of Tandoori, the Indian restaurant on the lido deck.\u00a0 It was only open during the lunch hour, and it was delicious every day.\u00a0 I began craving Indian food to the point that I would order the Indian vegetarian plate in the dining room with my dinner as well just to try it out. We did not eat at any specialty restaurants. Royal:\u00a0 <\/strong>We were excited to be able to compare the food on Royal vs. Carnival.\u00a0 We were disappointed in the breakfast quality in general on the ship.\u00a0 We tried eating in both the dining room and the windjammer for breakfast and we weren’t overly pleased with either.\u00a0 We found it to be below par.\u00a0 They served lunch in the dining room on sea days.\u00a0 Lunch was again below par in the dining room.\u00a0 However, we did thoroughly enjoy the salad bar they offered in the dining room during sea days.\u00a0 You would go up to the bar and have the waiter put your salad together, mix in the dressing and then you would take your salad back to your table.\u00a0 The employees looked very unhappy to be doing this job, but the salad was really good.\u00a0 Dinner was very comparable to Carnival.\u00a0 We enjoyed eating dinner in the dining room.\u00a0 The bread was out of this world delicious.\u00a0 I had a hard time resisting the bread basket for seconds and thirds when it would come around.\u00a0 The meals were generally great as were the desserts.\u00a0 Our waiters were awesome.\u00a0 On Carnival, the waiters provide entertainment while you are eating dessert, and this was lacking on Royal.\u00a0 That was an interesting difference for us. The room service menu was much different on the Navigator of the Seas.\u00a0 You could order similar things as Carnival, but you could also order hot foods such as a hamburger, chicken strips, fish, pizza, etc.\u00a0 The first time we ordered, it arrived quickly and we enjoyed it.\u00a0 We found other than that that the room service was much slower than Carnival.\u00a0 The one morning we chose to have breakfast in our room on our balcony, the breakfast arrived 45 minutes later than the window we had chosen for it to be delivered.\u00a0 Another day we were tired and wanted an afternoon snack.\u00a0 We were told no later than 45 minutes, and it took an hour and a half.\u00a0 The service was definitely slow. On Royal, the Windjammer Cafe is where you will find the large variety of food.\u00a0 As mentioned above, we did eat breakfast there a couple mornings and weren’t overly pleased.\u00a0 We thoroughly enjoyed lunch in the Windjammer.\u00a0 There was a variety of foods to choose from at lunch time, and we found the quality to be good, and above the quality of the food on the lido deck on the Magic.\u00a0 We never dined in the Windjammer for dinner, so can’t comment on that. The only specialty dining on board that we tried was the Johnny Rockets.\u00a0 It was unlimited food for $4.95.\u00a0 We enjoyed burgers, cheese fries and onion rings and shared a milk shake.\u00a0 The waiters\/waitresses would sing and dance through 50’s era songs every few minutes.\u00a0 It was fun. The Navigator of the Seas also had 24\/7 snacks in the Cafe Promenade.\u00a0 The Cafe Promenade was my favorite place at 6am.\u00a0 I would grab a donut and coffee and sit at a quiet table and read my book and journal.\u00a0 Thoroughly enjoyed that area on the ship. Activities On Board<\/strong> Carnival:<\/strong>\u00a0 One of my favorite things about the Magic is the water park they have for the children.\u00a0 The boys love it.\u00a0 I can get everyone changed, sunscreen on and let them run off and play while I sit on one of the puffy chairs in front of the water park, reading a book as they play.\u00a0 Love it.\u00a0 I get sun and reading time, they get water and play time.\u00a0 It is a win for all. \"Carnival<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"Carnival<\/a> Another one of our 7 y\/o’s favorite things was to go to the Red Frog Pub and play checkers.\u00a0 He would ask repeatedly to go.\u00a0 Both boys also enjoyed the library.\u00a0 At the library you can rent out games to take to your state room to play. \"Carnival<\/a> One thing we all enjoy on every Carnival cruise is tea time.\u00a0 3pm on sea days, Carnival has tea time where you go and have hot tea and desserts.\u00a0 It is fun thing in the afternoon to do.\u00a0 We missed this on our cruise on Royal because they do not have tea time. \"Carnival<\/a>\"Carnival<\/a> The last day at sea, the Magic had a special program and breakfast called “Seuss at Sea.”\u00a0 It was $5 a person.\u00a0 It was nice to go to once, and the boys enjoyed it.\u00a0 However, the breakfast menu was very similar to the brunch menu with a couple tweaks.\u00a0 There were a few characters present to take photos with, and the waiters did a dance at the end.\u00a0 The boys had a good time.\u00a0 We felt it was mediocre and could have been a lot better, but was fine for $5 a person. \"Carnival<\/a>\"Carnival<\/a> The Magic also had towel folding fun, which our 7 y\/o always wants to go too.\u00a0 It was a fun thirty minute activity.\u00a0 He comes home and wants to make towel animals for several days after. \"Carnival<\/a> The hubby enjoys participating in the trivia events they have going on through out the days.\u00a0 I always enjoy watching karaoke.\u00a0 Carnival also has plenty of pools, bars and different clubs that have different events.\u00a0 We did take the boys to the piano bar one night for a sing a long.\u00a0 We had fun, and they enjoyed that the pianist played “Ring of Fire” per their request. \"Carnival<\/a> The Magic does have Camp Carnival, but the boys prefer staying with us on the ship. Royal:<\/strong>\u00a0 Activities were similar on both ships.\u00a0 Royal had trivia events, pools, bars, different clubs.\u00a0 They did not have high tea which was sad.\u00a0 We enjoyed playing a variety of games on board, including scrabble in the library and shuffle board on deck four. \"Royal<\/a>\u00a0 \"Royal<\/a> We did go to karaoke most nights and enjoyed that.\u00a0 It is just fun watching others sing! \"Royal<\/a> I enjoyed the solarium on the Navigator of the Seas.\u00a0 This is the adult only pool and hot tub area.\u00a0 The pool was really nice most days at off times when it wasn’t busy.\u00a0 The pure salt water is refreshing.\u00a0 The pool side loungers are much nicer in the solarium and have cushions.\u00a0 I would go down there to get in the pool, and then read after. I also enjoyed walking on the jogging track in the mornings.\u00a0 I did this a few times.\u00a0 The hubby and I also watched a seaside movie one night.\u00a0 That was enjoyable, watching a movie, enjoying the sea breeze. We had originally intended to go to the ice show, but missed it.\u00a0 I chose to nap instead, which is also glorious on the ship. Since the boys weren’t with us, I am not sure all children based activities that were available. There was also a bridge area over the front of the boat where you could see inside the captain’s area.\u00a0 We thought that was neat to see.\u00a0 There was also a small chapel on the highest deck that had some beautiful stained glass that was unique from what we had seen in the past. Ports<\/strong> I will go through all ports of call for both ships.\u00a0 Both ships went to Cozumel, Mexico.\u00a0 Every cruise we have ever been on goes there, and we aren’t a big fan of that port.\u00a0 We find it to be overly Americanized, and now choose to enjoy the quiet boat instead of getting off the ship.\u00a0 I will not discuss that port. Carnival:<\/strong>\u00a0 Our Magic cruise stopped in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Montego Bay, Jamaica.\u00a0 We had a blast at both ports. In the Caymans, we were able to be one of the first to be tendered off the boat since we had purchased FTTF.\u00a0 Once off the tender, we decided to take a taxi to the public beach.\u00a0 For less than $40, we got transportation to and from the beach and entry to the beach.\u00a0 The Seven Mile Beach by far is the most beautiful beach I have ever been to in my life.\u00a0 The water was crystal clear and the most beautiful turquoise water.\u00a0 The boys and I spent our full two hours in the beautiful water.\u00a0 The next time we have a cruise that goes there, I would definitely bring goggles and swim under some of that gorgeous water.\u00a0 Slightly deeper than the boys and I went, some people commented that they could see fishes swimming through the water. \"Carnival<\/a> In Montego Bay, we decided to hire a private driver and tour the local Rastafarian Village.\u00a0 We booked our tour with Travel Jamaica Tours<\/a>.\u00a0 Our driver, Errol, was great.\u00a0 He took us on a small tour of the area and set up our tour of the village.\u00a0 We had to take a small hike to get to the village, that included walking through a river.\u00a0 It was fun, and the boys found it interesting.\u00a0 Our 5 y\/o kept asking to do more exploring.\u00a0 Our Rasta tour guide, Micah, was really kind and interactive.\u00a0 He was fascinated with our 5 y\/o’s name.\u00a0 We got to meet some of the people of the village, hear their back ground and belief system.\u00a0 They are vegetarians and grow their own food.\u00a0 We got to try some of their fruit, as well as drink fresh coconut water.\u00a0 They believe in allopathic treatments, and grow a lot of their own herbs for remedies.\u00a0 It was definitely a memorable and interesting tour.\u00a0 After the tour, we did a quick stop in at the craft market before going back to the boat. \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> Top Left:\u00a0 The part of the river we hiked.\u00a0 Top Center:\u00a0 Sign at the entrance of the village.\u00a0 Top Right:\u00a0 One of our boys trying the fresh coconut water.\u00a0 Bottom Left:\u00a0 Selfie with our tour guide.\u00a0 Bottom Right:\u00a0 View from the entrance where we waited for the hike.<\/em> Royal:<\/strong>\u00a0 On this cruise, we got to experience Belize City and Roatan, Honduras for the first time.\u00a0 We were looking forward to experiencing these two new ports of call. Belize City is a tendered port.\u00a0 We had to wait almost two hours before we were on the mainland.\u00a0 We kept wondering what was taking so long, and then we got on the tender.\u00a0 The tender ride is quite long, about 20 minutes approximately.\u00a0 It made sense for the delay.\u00a0 We had planned to tour mayan ruins, but changed our minds a couple days before and decided to just see what was available when we got off the boat.\u00a0 We decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride to tour the city.\u00a0 It was nice to see the city and get a little history.\u00a0 Afterwards, we did a little shopping at the small craft market.\u00a0 We took advantage of the free wi fi before getting back on the tender to get on the boat. We weren’t overly pleased with Belize and could easily stay on the boat in the future, unless we decided to tour mayan ruins which I think would be fun. \"Carnival<\/a> I was most excited about our time in Roatan.\u00a0 We arrived at 7am and were one of the first of the boat.\u00a0 We hired a private driver for our time in Roatan.\u00a0 We chose to go with Rony’s Tours<\/a> after doing research and seeing their great reviews.\u00a0 I emailed that we wanted a detailed tour of the island and to get a feel of the culture.\u00a0 Our driver was the cousin of the owner, and was available to take us to do whatever we requested.\u00a0 We told him that we wanted a detailed tour of the island, to hear about the culture and history.\u00a0 He did just that.\u00a0 We started on the tour.\u00a0 An hour and a half in, we stopped at a small cafe for lattes which were delicious.\u00a0 He continued our drive through the town.\u00a0 At one of the highest points in the city, there was an amazing craft market where we purchased several souvenirs for family and a couple hammocks.\u00a0 We continued our tour through the more touristy areas, and then our driver took us to an area restaurant for lunch.\u00a0 We had such a lovely time, and would gladly hire Rony’s Tours again if we should go to Roatan again. \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> \"Carnival<\/a> Top Left:\u00a0 View of the water from our balcony.\u00a0 Top Center:\u00a0 Shopping at the craft market.\u00a0 Top Right\/Bottom Left:\u00a0 Some of the beautiful views we saw on our drive.\u00a0 Bottom Center\/Right:\u00a0 The restaurant and food we ate for lunch.\u00a0 It was delicious.<\/em> Debarkation<\/strong> Carnival:<\/strong>\u00a0 The nice thing about being able to purchase FTTF is you can choose if you want off the boat first or last.\u00a0 We are the sort to be some of the first on the boat and some of the first off.\u00a0 We chose the relaxed debarkation since we had the children and extra luggage.\u00a0 With this route, you place your luggage out the night before and the unload it into the cruise terminal upon arrival where you locate your bags.\u00a0 We get a porter once in the terminal to help with our luggage and get through immigration.\u00a0 Things went smoothly, and we were through immigration by 9am. Royal:<\/strong>\u00a0 Since we didn’t have the boys with us and each had one suitcase and a back pack, we decided to do self assist.\u00a0 On the Navigator of the Seas, you have to go to guest services to sign up.\u00a0 We signed up for group A, which meant we would be getting off the boat around 730am.\u00a0 Things went fairly smoothly with debarkation.\u00a0 We were through immigration by 815 and on the way home.\u00a0 It was nice.\u00a0 We have since figured out ways we could do self assist when we have the boys with us. Final Notes<\/strong> It is hard for us to say which is the better cruise line overall.\u00a0 We definitely felt like Carnival has the feel of being the “WalMart of cruise lines” after being on a Royal cruise.\u00a0 However, things weren’t without down sides on Royal either.\u00a0 Our first two days on the Navigator of the Seas, we totally would have said we would never cruise Carnival again and move to taking more on Royal.\u00a0 However, by the end of the cruise, I don’t feel one way or the other about a cruise line.\u00a0 I could easily cruise either ship again and be happy.   Have questions about cruising?\u00a0 Please feel free to ask!\u00a0 Definitely no expert, but we have cruised lots and love it. Glad to share whatever wisdom I can to those looking into cruising!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who knows us knows that we love to cruise!\u00a0 It is one of the most relaxing things on earth for us.\u00a0 Before this summer, we have cruised six times on Carnival Cruise Lines.\u00a0 Three times on the Carnival Ecstasy (May 2006, October 2006, March 2011), two times on the Carnival Triumph (May 2012, October […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,34,8,30],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nOur Carnival Cruise Lines VS. 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