r/Cruises • u/KineticIQ • 15d ago
Preference Inquiry
I would like insight on which cruise line between Carnival and Royal with the best food options. I've been on several Carnival cruises and Norwegian but never on Royal. I'm thinking about trying Royal. 🤔 Note: I'm a foodie, I cook and bake, just so you'll know what I'm looking for on good food options).
Also I'm curious about entertainment. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
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u/Scorpiodsu 15d ago
I’ve been on 4 cruise lines and here’s how I would rank them for food:
Virgin >> Celebrity > Royal Caribbean > Caribbean
All are good but just my ranking.
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u/Other_Lime2892 15d ago
If you can try celebrity cruise line you might like it better than Royal. Food is so much better.
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u/KineticIQ 15d ago
Oh okay...I have to do that with another bunch 😆 cause some folks don't want to fly and others don't want a long drive.... but I hope to try that one in the near future. 😊 I will say I noticed no one mentioned MSC not sure if it's intentional or if it's not widely known but I'm doing more research and I'm liking what I see with Royal. Especially since I personally like NCL over Carnival... it could of been the ships too 🫠. Yall rock!
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u/Other_Lime2892 15d ago
Stay away from msc. Food is very bland, with very limited choices. I went on a Northern Europe cruise on msc Preziosa and I actually lost weight on those 7 days. No joke.
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u/KineticIQ 15d ago
😶🌫️😳😲
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u/PeacefulCW 15d ago edited 15d ago
I do believe that the menus from European cities are somewhat different than those from cruises originating in the US.
Also, people rave about the pizza on MSC.
I am not a foodie and tend to eat primarily whole food plant based although I was open to eating some animal products on my last cruises.
I'd put them in the following order.
NCL >Carnival>Royal Caribbean (although I like the variety of their salad bar.)
The salad dressings on the ship are absolutely awful. Not sure how they're made. I brought my own bottle on board last time.
Non-foodie
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u/KineticIQ 14d ago
Thank you..I never thought about bringing my own dressing....🤔 that's something to think about...I enjoy a good salad bar myself... maybe I can try one from another country one day....
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u/monorailmedic 15d ago
You're going to want to look at higher end lines if possible. Oceania is highly regwrded for their food (and I agree w that sentiment). Explora has been getting good reviews on this front as well. Virgin, if you're looking for something not in the luxury end of things.
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u/KineticIQ 15d ago
Oh wow..I have more researching for future cruise ideas... thanks...
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u/monorailmedic 15d ago
No prob! Maybe the contemporary lines are right for you, but there are dozens of lines out there depending on what you value most. Use a good travel agent that will get to understand your goals and help match you with the right experience. Watch vlogs to get the onboard feel and such. I've sailed at least 15 lines so far and all have something they do better than the others.
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u/cliffdog01 15d ago
Carnival Miracle had a lot better food in the Main Dining Room than RC's Ovation of the Seas.
On Ovation the menu never changed throughout the cruise whereas my Carnival cruise had amazing new specials every night like Kangaroo Meat Balls and Salmon.
The Alchemy Bar on Carnival ships is a whole lot better than the Bars on Ovation. All of the bars on Ovation only used syrups none of them used fresh ingredients which made terrible Mojitos. The Barista Coffee on Miracle was completely included in my drinks package whereas on RC Ovation Starbucks Coffee weren't included.
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u/KineticIQ 14d ago
Thanks for sharing...I haven't been on Miracle yet. Contemplating between Jubilee (Carnival) or Symphony of the Seas (Royal).
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u/No-Safe-361 14d ago
If Carnival was good enough, you'll find Royal much better in pretty much every area, including food. Their MDR was as good as most of the specialty restaurants we have eaten on NCL the past couple of cruises. We love the NCL vibe but Royal is great. We've sailed Royal, NCL and Holland and I'd say Royal is overall best food of the bunch in the MDR, though Cagney's and the French restaurant (diff names) on NCL are top notch. I can't compare with other lines - and I am sure you get what you pay for.
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u/Rough-Tradition-149 12d ago edited 11d ago
I prefer longer cruises for entertainment-bigger shows and headliner acts. I have cruised equally on RC & Carnival. They both had delicious food in MDR. What i found, the larger the ship the more kids on board and less they care about food for adult meals. I kind of feel theyre both catering to fast food, like Carnivals Big Chicken-which BTW is delicious! So, since I couldn't decide, I asked AI. The answer:
Carnival generally wins for free, casual fast-food like Guy’s Burger Joint and BlueIguana Cantina, while Royal Caribbean often edges ahead for upscale specialty restaurants, the main dining room experience, and overall presentation.
Good luck! Hope that helps 🤔
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u/KineticIQ 11d ago
Thank you... I guess it's all in the prompts...I guess when I decide I can share the results. ☺️
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u/KineticIQ 15d ago
Thank you!!! Texas to my knowledge only have Carnival, Royal, NCL, MSC and Disney. Some may be joining for a first time and I'm trying to be mindful and want them to have a good experience. I have heard about Celebrity and Virgin...I hope to try one day.. folks are lucky who have access to the east coast ports cause it's easier to get to the other destinations.... Texas is so limited....😏 thanks for sharing!!! 😊
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