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There are both Adult Batabano and Junior Batabano parades, held on separate weekends. The biggest take place on Bay Street in downtown Nassau, but Junkanoo can be enjoyed on all 16 islands. 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. There’s no perfect measure of this as ship design can have as much to do with the elbow room you feel than anything.
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The packages allow you to pay one set daily price and then you can get what you want, without worrying about the bill. 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. 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.
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I have the choice between a Royal Caribbean cruise and a Carnival cruise. 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.
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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. A 7-night Caribbean cruise on Carnival Celebration, a ship that’s similar to Wonder of the Seas though not quite as big, would cost you between £85/$105 and £105/$135 per person, per night for an Inside Cabin with fees included.
New law forces Carnival Cruise Line to change advertised price for cruises - Cruise Blog
New law forces Carnival Cruise Line to change advertised price for cruises.
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:49:49 GMT [source]
Carnival is just one behind with 26 ships, and one more that’s currently sailing for Costa Cruises and will join Carnival in 2024. This is a major cultural event throughout the Guadeloupe islands, but especially in Basse-Terre, which hosts the main parades of costumed dancers and musicians. On Ash Wednesday, King Vaval, the symbol of the Carnival, is burned.
If you're considering a cruise with Royal Caribbean or Carnival Cruise Line, you're looking at an affordable big-ship experience with lots of activities. Located on the Gulf Coast of the United States and known as the 12th largest port in the country, the cruise port of Mobile Alabama is definitely one for history buffs. The St. John Festival celebrates the spirit of freedom—July 3, 1848, marks Emancipation Day for slaves who lived in the USVI—and the festivities begin in late June on St. John's Day and culminate on July 4 in Cruz Bay with parades, parties, and fireworks. This French Caribbean paradise begins its annual Carnival celebrations on Jan. 6 (Feast of the Epiphany) and ends on Fat Tuesday (aka Shrove Tuesday), with the major events, such as the Grand Parade on the Sunday before, taking place in its final few days. Carnival season culminates on Feb. 27 with the island's Independence Day celebration and then with the National Carnival Parade on the first Sunday in March along the waterfront in Santo Domingo. Carnival on Grand Cayman is a cultural melting pot (Caymanians comprise more than 100 nationalities) of music, dance, and pageantry.
Night Western Caribbean CruiseDetails
They’re also sheltered, with the sides and bottom half of the railing all being made from solid steel, and a smaller opening. It’s like an alcove rather than a fully exposed balcony, hence the name. These are more affordable balcony options, and they’re good if you really value privacy too. On the Oasis-class ships and the newer Icon-class ships, it’s possible to book a balcony stateroom that doesn’t have a view of the ocean.
All told, the top six largest cruise ships on the planet belong to Royal Caribbean. Carnival has a partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises to bring many favourite Seuss experiences into the kids’ clubs and throughout the cruise, including meet-and-greets and parades. Camp Ocean also has loads of activities for kids to enjoy, while Circle C (12-14) and Club O2 (15-17) cater to the teens in your group, with chilled hangout spaces, karaoke parties and even the Carnival prom. Remember that, on both cruise lines, only the newest and biggest ships offer all of these activities. You’ll need to check each ship individually to see what’s on offer, and the older ships don’t have anywhere near the facilities of the newest ones. Most cruise ship balcony staterooms are higher up a ship, but Cove Balcony cabins on a Carnival ship are a little lower – they’re the closest you can safely get to the water.
Its ships can be found in other international destinations, such as Australia, New Zealand, China and Singapore. Carnival ships mostly cruise in North America, with voyages in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, Canada/New England and the Mexican Riviera (from California). Carnival's focus is affordable contemporary cruising for everyone, with an emphasis on fun. Its "Fun Ships" provide a casual and carefree experience; the crowd consists mostly of American, young and young-at-heart adults and their families. A lot of people come aboard looking for fun times — but don't think it's a haven for debauchery. Carnival also excels at live entertainment, but its style is different from Royal Caribbean's.
And while Carnival’s ships can be of comparable length, the overall size of Royal Caribbean’s biggest ships is noticeable. With its heritage and ongoing status as a British Overseas Territory, the British Virgin Islands times its annual Carnival festivities to Emancipation Day (August 1)—in fact, the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in the BVI are public holidays. The BVI Emancipation Festival is a two-week celebration featuring food fairs, Jam Band music, and J'ouvert parades with floats and costumed revelers with the largest events held on the island of Tortola. Of course, with larger ships you can pack a lot more onto the vessel.
Tweens and teens have separate lounges with video games, comfy seating and versatile spaces for games or dancing. Virgin Islands all hold Carnival celebrations—they just do them at different times of the year. To experience it on St. Thomas, you'll need to visit in late April-early May for VI Carnival, the largest celebration with steel pan bands, lavishly costumed dancers, calypso shows, and more. The tiny French-Caribbean island of St. Barth has a two-day Carnival St. Barth festival with a colorful Mardi Gras parade in the streets of its capital, Gustavia, and a nighttime party. The celebration ends on Ash Wednesday with the burning of Vaval on Shell Beach just outside of town. For a week in late July, the small Dutch-Caribbean island of Saba celebrates with a festive Carnival Village and events that include live musical performances, food stalls, and colorful dance troupes.
So even if you haven’t booked, you’ll have a good idea of how much things will cost on the ship. 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. 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.
Instead of Broadway musicals, it offers 35- to 45-minute high-tech Playlist Productions, featuring singers and dancers performing to original compilations of familiar tunes. Carnival puts a big emphasis on comedy; the line's Punchliner Comedy Clubs host more than 27,000 live performances a year, which makes Carnival the largest employer of comics in the world. If you like Indian cuisine, you are in for a treat with delicious vegetarian dishes on the main dining room menu each night. On select ships, Carnival has its own New Orleans bistros by Emeril Lagasse and breweries where the drink is accompanied by Fieri's barbecue (for a fee).
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. 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.
Guests are split into age-appropriate groups, so the teens are stuck with younger children, and they each have their own spaces suited to their age range. Kids will love trying experiments in the Adventure Science Lab, getting creative in the Imagination Studio, or watching a movie in the kids-only Adventure Theater. What Carnival does license is big game shows, turning them into interactive games that the family can join in with. The two big ones are Family Feud and Deal or No Deal, and let by the talented Cruise Directors onboard, you’ll love seeing guests win fabulous prizes or even taking part yourself. Carnival does have live theatre shows, but they are not the big-name musicals you already know and love elsewhere.
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