By Kyle Rindt
Ever wounding what vacation you could take over spring break? Well, you should go on one of the 314 different cruise ships that will take you across the world. But with each offering almost the same experience, what makes a cruise line unique or different from another? Two of the more popular options are Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises, but Royal Caribbean is a better cruise line than Carnival Cruises.
Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises are very close in size, with Royal Caribbean having 27 ships in their fleet and Carnival having 26 in their fleet. If you are looking at safety, then you would book Royal Caribbean because they have a much better history of safety and reliability compared to their competitors. To find how unsafe Carnival Cruises are you just have to go back a few years and find that two of their 26 ships have had major engine problems. In one case, the engine caught on fire leaving the four-day cruise to turn into an eight-day cruise, which might sound nice, but not for the passengers because they had no power, air-conditioning and no working septic system. While Royal Caribbean has had a few minor issues over the years, none of them have amounted to anything major like an engine failure.
Both lines offer cruises from two nights up to 10 plus nights. Compare the prices of the two cruise lines then you will see that Carnival is much cheaper per night. After looking at both websites and finding the month of May as a popular booking month I found a simpler 7-day cruise to the Caribbean and compared the two cruise lines. Carnival offers a cruise for $479 per person, while Royal Caribbean has almost the same cruise but for $611 per person. This significant difference in price could mean a huge advantage for choosing the Carnival Cruise line over Royal Caribbean.
Which cruise line offers a better family-friendly experience. According to a recent survey done by Statista, the third most popular vacation option is a cruise. With most people taking their kids on vacation with them this category is probably the most important. I would have to say that Royal Caribbean wins this category hands down. The reason I say this is because even on Carnival Cruises’ official website it says there is a “Mega Deck Party.” This party happens across two entire decks and offers a pool, volleyball, line dancing and limbo. The website goes on to say, “this is a party you’ll never forget.” which does not sound family-friendly for kids that are under the age of 12. Royal Caribbean offers a kids room and an adult area, this way both kids and adults have their own areas to hang out, without a major party distracting everyone on board.
As you can see, Royal Caribbean offers a safer, family-friendly experience that most people will enjoy. Although Royal Caribbean is more expensive than its main competitor, I believe that most people will pay a little more to make sure they are safe and in a good environment where all age groups can have a fun and relaxing vacation.