Some people say (i.e., many passengers and most professional critics) that overall Carnival is not quite up to the quality of most of the other major market cruise lines. However, Carnival has the reputation of being one of the best values for the money and one of the best for families. We've cruise Carnival and RCL. RCL was definitely a cut above as far as overall ambience and art on the ship. However, we really liked Carnival better for overall quality of the cruise. The issue of cabin size is an example. Yes, Carnival's decor is a bit tacky compared to RCL. But the cabins are bigger and are very comfortable. Here's a small thing, but one that matters to me. Carnival has self-service laundromats on board. RCL and some of the others do not. Is this tacky? Maybe, but it's also very convenient because I can pack less and do one or two loads of laundry while soaking up rays by the pool. Most critics and passengers also agree that the onboard entertainment and the major shows are very good on Carnival, perhaps the best in the industry. Again, this is very important to me. Yes, the theatres are very Vegas-like, but I'm not cruising to get the "Carnegie Hall" experience - I want to have fun. I found the food on the RCL and Carnival to be comparable; perhaps a bit better in the Carnival dining room; definitely better in the RCL "cafeteria". Customer service may be a bit better on RCL and definitely better on Holland America, Celebrity and some of the other lines, from what I've read. But the actual service on Carnival ships has been quite good. Bottom line, deciding which cruise line is "best" depends alot on what's important to you. Have a blast, whichever cruise line you sail on.
