Is Carnival Coming for Royal Caribbean’s Family Cruisers?

Carnival Wants Families Back—Can It Catch Royal Caribbean?

For a while now, Royal Caribbean has been the cruise line I think of when someone asks me about cruising with kids and teens.

And honestly, they’ve earned that reputation.  Between Oasis Class and now Icon Class, Royal Caribbean has gone all-in on families. We’re talking waterparks, FlowRiders, rock climbing walls, ice skating, zip lines, huge shows, teen spaces and enough things to do that your kids really shouldn’t have the chance to tell you they’re bored.

But lately, I’ve been watching Carnival—and I think Carnival wants some of those families back.

Are they beating Royal Caribbean at the family cruise game yet?

No, and it's going to be a while.

But I definitely think they’re making progress.

And after cruising on Carnival Celebration with my own family, I think there’s a much bigger conversation to be had about Carnival and families than there was a few years ago.

Carnival Is Changing

If you haven’t cruised Carnival in years, you may still have a certain picture in your head of what a Carnival cruise looks like.  You might have heard Carnival referred to as "Walmart" of the seas, or gotten the impression that Carnival was not safe for family cruising.

The newer ships are changing that.  Carnival Celebration is part of Carnival’s Excel Class, and these ships feel like Carnival’s answer to families who want the ship itself to be a big part of their vacation.  Celebration has BOLT, the roller coaster at sea, along with waterslides, a ropes course, mini golf, basketball, pools, kids clubs and plenty of other things going on throughout the ship.  It's sister ships, Jubilee and Mardi Gras are very bit as fantastic, if not even better.

Is it Icon of the Seas?

No, and it NEVER will be.

But I don’t think Carnival needs it to be.

Because Carnival has something else going for it that can make a BIG difference when you’re paying for an entire family to cruise.



Price.

This Is Where Carnival Gets Really Interesting

I always tell my clients that the “best” ship isn't necessarily the ship with the most stuff.  It's the ship that gives your family the vacation you're looking for at a price you're comfortable paying.  Because let's be realistic.  If one cruise costs your family $5,000 and another costs $8,000, we can't just ignore that $3,000 difference because one ship has a few more bells and whistles.

What could you do with that extra money?

• Upgrade your cabin?
• Book some amazing excursions?
• Add a drink package?
• Stay an extra night before the cruise?

Or just…keep $3,000 in your bank account?

That's where I think Carnival has an opportunity.  Royal Caribbean may still have more of the big WOW attractions, especially on Icon Class, but Carnival doesn't necessarily need to beat them feature for feature.



They need parents to look at the price and say:

“My kids are going to have a blast on BOTH of these ships. Is the other one really worth that much more?”

That's a very different question.

And Then We Actually Took OUR Family on Carnival Celebration

This is where my opinion started getting more interesting.  We recently sailed Carnival Celebration as a family, so I wasn't just looking at a list of amenities on Carnival's website anymore.  I was watching what my own family actually did.  We brought my sister's family as well, so the ages were 2, 6, 10, 11, 13, and 17.  Essentially, a good sampling of every age group.

The youngest cruisers LOVED the kids clubs.  Different activities every hour for every age means no one was bored.  The food options for kids were "normal" and consisted of favorites like hot dogs, burgers and mac & cheese.  The shows kept them captivated, and the ship size makes it easier to reach ports that some kids only dream of visiting.  The water slides and ropes course were a BIG hit.  And a ROLLER COASTER??  Are you kidding me?

The teens initially thought they were going to be too cool for the teen clubs.  However, we required our teens to visit the first night, and our they came out with new friends and after that, they were always with the friend group.  They still message some of those other teens even now, with life long friends made.

We never felt unsafe, and never saw any rowdy fights or crazy parties.  The ship was absolutely beautiful and sparkling clean.  It was everything that a family friendly cruise should be.

Because this is something I've learned from planning family vacations:  What looks impressive on a website and what your kids ACTUALLY care about once they're onboard can be two completely different things.  You can give a teenager 47 activities, and they might spend half the cruise doing the same three things with the friends they met onboard.

And honestly?  If they're having the time of their life, who cares?

Royal Caribbean Still Wins in Some Areas

I'm not suddenly going to tell everyone that Carnival has passed Royal Caribbean for families.  They haven't.  Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class ships are still some of my favorite ships to recommend for families, especially families traveling with older kids and teens.  And Icon Class is on another level when it comes to building an entire ship around family vacations.

Royal has spent YEARS creating that reputation and Carnival isn't going to undo that overnight.  But the gap doesn't feel as big to me as it once did.  Especially when you start comparing the actual price of the vacation instead of just comparing which ship has the longest list of attractions.

Carnival Isn't Done Yet Either

This might be the part I'm most interested in.  Carnival is still investing in new ships and new experiences.  So I don't think Celebration is the end of Carnival's push toward families. I think we're watching them figure out how to take what people already love about Carnival—the fun, casual atmosphere and usually more approachable pricing—and combine it with the bigger attractions families are looking for.  And if they can do that without their prices climbing into the same territory as Royal Caribbean's newest ships?

Royal should probably be paying attention.

So, Is Carnival Taking Families Back From Royal Caribbean?

Not yet.

If you ask me today which cruise line has the advantage for families overall, I'm still giving Royal Caribbean the win.  But I'm not dismissing Carnival anymore.  They're getting closer.  And I think Carnival is realizing something really important:  They don't have to build another Icon of the Seas.  They just have to give families enough that the kids have an AMAZING vacation while giving Mom and Dad a price that's hard to ignore.

Because if my kids are going to have an incredible week either way, and Carnival is thousands of dollars less?  I'm going to stop and look at Carnival.  And I think more families are going to start doing the same thing.

Which One Would I Recommend for Your Family?

It depends. And I know that's not the fun answer—but it's the truth.   I have families I would put on Royal Caribbean all day long.  I have others where I would tell them to save the money and book Carnival.

It depends on your kids' ages, what your family likes to do, which ships we're comparing, the itinerary, where you have to fly, what kind of cabin you need and how much each option actually costs.  That's also why I don't believe in just saying, “Royal Caribbean is better” or “Carnival is better.”

Better for WHO?

Tell me who's traveling, what your kids are into and what you want to spend.  Then we can figure out which one is better for you.

And if you're stuck between Carnival and Royal Caribbean for your next family cruise, that's exactly what I do at Take a Peek Travel. I'll help you compare the options and figure out where your vacation dollars are going to give your family the experience you're actually looking for.  You can start by clicking the button below, and requesting an apppointment with me.  Let's talk about the perfect cruise for you.  And the best part?  The cruise line pays me once you book, so it costs you nothing for the extra help.