Which cruise line has better on board activities and entertainment?

Question

I'm looking between royal caribean, norwegian, and carnival cruise lines and I'm just wondering which has more to do. I don't drink or gamble so a party boat isn't really my thing. I would just like some good shows at night and plenty to do during the day.

Answer 1

Royal Carribean because some ships have ice rink or indoor rock climbing, wave machine, etc.

Answer 2

Take it from me man. I would prefer princess cruises because that's the cruise line i used when i took a cruise to Greenland but i hear Midwest cruise lines are actually cheap and fun at the same time!!!

Answer 3

I worked on cruise ships for 5 years and in my opinion, of the three lines you named, go with Royal Caribbean. Bar none, the shows are the best on Royal Caribbean. This depends on which ship you choose, as well. If you can, go for the newer ships, for example the Jewel of the Seas or the Serenade. The stages and lounges on these ships are state of the art and usually the better acts and performers are hired for these vessels. Also, Royal does have activities like Rock climbing and, if you get a Voyager or Freedom Class ship, ice rinks and the like.

Also, in general, the smaller to medium sized ships may have a more friendly vibe than the big mega-ships. Same as a small city versus a big city. Also, cruises lasting longer than 7 days will usually have an older clientele since most younger people and families can not take off work for longer than that.

Carnival is definitely more geared towards partying with drinking and wild deck parties a big priority. The shows aren't as spectacular, however.  Norwegian will probably have great service, but their ships leave something to be desired, I feel. Royal and Carnival will almost certainly have a younger crowd (20s-50's) than Norwegian (usually predominately 40s or 50s and up).

All of the cruise lines have the same activities as far as shows and dinner and on-board daily activities like ping pong and shuffleboard and deck parties.

Answer 4

Definitely Royal Caribbean. The ship I went on had an ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, movie theater which showed 2-3 different movies per day. They also offered different free activities such as salsa and swing lessons, ice skating lessons, learn to play the steel drums and keyboard, scrap booking classes, to name a few. The shows are good too, there's a different show each night. Plus there are shows, games and music going on in the multiple lounges on the ship. I went on a carnival cruise and they had nightly shows which were ok, kinda hit or miss. They lacked activities though. Most were art auctions, or bingo for $20, or classes on shopping in the ports.

Answer 5

Personally, I prefer Princess Cruises. We've been  twice, and both times have been exciting yet different, even though it was the same ship and destination.

Princess has many different activities onboard with themed deck parties (with activities, not just drinking), several lounges with very good acts - good comediens, hypnotists, musicals, cabaret, etc. They also show movies inside on a theater-style screen and you can eat in there. New movies that are in regular theaters. Great wine tasting session. They also have min. golf course, many pools, tournaments (ping pong, shuffleboard, tennis,) bingo, pool games, art shows, the list goes on and on. They also have classes you can attend (computer classes, cooking classes,) and many other things.

I've heard Royal Carribean is very similar. As far as Carnival goes, the prices are a bit less, but it's more family orineted (lots of kids everywhere). Princess and Royal have designated kid areas separate from the main venues, with strict age restrictions on adult activities.

On Princess, you can personalize your cruise to fit your vacation expectations. When you do book, whichever cruise line, be sure to get a BALCONY!!!! It's worth the money and privacy.

Happy Cruising! Check out this website and see what you think!