I Compared 6,000+ Royal Caribbean & Carnival Cruises Through 2028 – Here’s the Real Price Difference

A lot of comparisons between Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise line get thrown around. But in this article, we’re only going to compare fare costs between the two cruise giants.

I recently compiled pricing data from both cruise lines that examined every cruise available between now and April 16, 2028.

And yes, you probably already know that Royal Caribbean cruises are a bit pricier, but after looking at 6,164 cruises, there’s some other very interesting numbers that surprised me.

Whether you’re loyal to Royal and their attraction-packed mega ships or prefer the more budget-friendly Carnival “Fun Ships”, I hope you get something out of the several hours it took to put all of this data together.

Quick note: The prices used in this article reflect the lowest entry-level cabin price available. Also, these prices include all taxes, port fees, and even gratuities and reflect the price for two passengers in a cabin.

Here is exactly what the data showed me.

Average Daily Cost Between Royal and Carnival

Because available suites and more premium cabin types can skew the numbers, I looked only at the lowest inside cabin price and balcony cabin price.  After looking at the total cost for a cruise, I divided that by the days in the sailing to get an average daily price.

This consisted of more than 10,000 rows of data in my spreadsheet, but here are the results averaged together:

 
Looking at the overall baseline, Royal Caribbean costs an average of 27.45% more per day than Carnival just to get on the ship. Again, this is across over 6,000 cruises through 2028, priced for two people in a cabin.

The reason I like to give a daily cost is based on how longer cruises vs shorter 3-day cruises can alter the numbers quite a bit. 

The Standard 7-Day Cruise Cost

Daily averages are great for math, but most of us want to know what a standard week-long vacation is going to cost. When I isolated exactly 7-day cruises (which covered a chunk of 3,250 sailings in the pool) the price gap really started stretching out. 

Of course, also consider that some ships don’t even offer 7-day sailings. Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas only offer 3- and 4-nighters currently.

When looking strictly at 7-day cruises between Royal and Carnival, here are the average total fare prices:

 
I compared 810 week-long sailings on Carnival and 2,440 on Royal Caribbean. The result? A 7-day cruise on Royal Caribbean will run you an average of $783.07 more per cabin than Carnival. That is a 35.10% total price increase.

Same Price: Royal Inside vs. Carnival Balcony

This is easily my favorite finding from the data. Cruisers constantly argue over whether they should stick with a dark inside cabin to save cash or splurge on a private balcony. While booking inside cabins will allow you to take more cruises, there’s nothing like walking out on a balcony at first light and sipping a cup of coffee.

The data showed me that the cost to upgrade from an inside room to a balcony averages roughly $111 more per day on both cruise lines. But because Royal Caribbean’s starting baseline is higher, it sets up an interesting choice:

 
The difference between an inside cabin on Royal Caribbean versus a Carnival balcony is a negligible $2.05 per day. Basically, it’s the same price.

For the exact same daily budget, Carnival gives you ocean views while Royal gives you an interior hallway.

Royal Caribbean fans will say that it’s still worth booking an inside cabin and getting everything a Royal Caribbean cruise has to offer for that price, and that’s a fair argument. But if you’re all about having a balcony cabin on a budget, it’s hard to argue with the numbers.

Flagship Showdown: The Newest Ship Classes

If you want to sail on the latest and greatest ships, you are going to see completely different pricing strategies. So, it’s only fair we break these up into their own category.

I took a look at 327 sailings for Carnival’s newest flagship Excel Class (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee, Festivale) and compared them with 336 sailings for Royal Caribbean’s new Icon Class (Icon, Star, Hero, Legend).

Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class commands an 85.54% price premium over Carnival’s Excel Class.

Carnival prices its newest mega-ships remarkably close to its fleet-wide baseline. Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, knows the demand for its newest ships is still incredibly high, and prices them over $600 as a per day cost basis.

Ships That Are 20+ Years Old

What if you prefer smaller, classic ships or are just looking for a rock-bottom bargain? I isolated ships in both fleets that have been sailing for over 20 years. This meant Royal’s Vision and Radiance classes versus Carnival’s classic Fantasy, Spirit, and Conquest classes across more than 3,400 total combined sailings.

 
When it comes to older ships, we can see that there really isn’t much of a price difference between the two.

The Royal Caribbean premium shrinks down to just 10.29%. If you want the Royal Caribbean brand experience without paying a fortune, booking their classic, smaller ships is the best way to keep your costs close to Carnival’s baseline.

Royal Caribbean’s latest ships cost upwards of $2 billion to build, so it makes sense that they have to recoup that money somehow and that fare’s would be higher on these sea giants.  

You can check out Cruise Fever’s list of the most expensive cruise ships ever built here.

Port Cost Difference: Where the Premium Explodes (and Flips)

Where you decide to board your ship completely changes the math. While Royal Caribbean holds an overall premium nationwide, breaking the numbers down by departure ports shows that regional competition can make the price gap change dramatically.

 
If you are sailing out of Florida’s cruise hubs, you are going to pay a heavy premium for Royal. In PortMiami, Royal is 51.32% more expensive than Carnival. In Orlando (Port Canaveral), that premium sits at 40.39%.

But look at the drive-to markets like Texas (Galveston) or the West Coast (Los Angeles). In LA, Royal is only 8.58% more expensive, and in Galveston, it’s just a 13.41% gap.

The script completely flips in New Orleans and Tampa. In those ports, Carnival is actually the more expensive line to book. In Tampa, Carnival commands a clear 10.89% premium over Royal Caribbean.

But the biggest factor in these smaller ports isn’t really the port but the ships themselves, since only a handful of vessels sail out of New Orleans and Tampa. For instance, Carnival has three ships sailing out of New Orleans, while Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas will be the fleet’s only ship to sail from Louisiana in November 2026.

Timing the Market: Seasonal Pricing

Finally, I grouped the months into travel seasons to see when the pricing gap hits its peak and how both cruise lines compare in this category.

 
Both cruise lines hit their highest rates during the Summer Peak (June, July, and August). However, Royal Caribbean surges much harder in response to summer family demand, stretching the gap to $120.24 extra per day (a 32.83% premium).

If you have your heart set on booking Royal Caribbean but want to bridge the price gap as much as possible, my advice is to target the Spring Shoulder season (March through May). During the spring, Royal’s daily premium drops down to its lowest point all year, just $61.72 more per day over Carnival (an 18.00% premium).

The Verdict

It’s not my intention to say if you should choose one cruise line over the other. The facts show that Royal Caribbean cruises cost more, but for many that cost is worth it. Others will say they enjoy a Carnival cruise more and the fact that it’s cheaper is just the cherry on top.

The point is to be aware of what you’re getting for your money and to enjoy the experience. Ultimately a cruise is what you make of it, no matter what you spent to get on board.

A special thanks to CruisePlum, which is the tool I used to compile all of this information. No, it’s not an affiliate link. It’s just a great tool for both finding a cruise and tracking prices as they fluctuate.

Want more comparisons between these two cruise lines? Check out my article on the 10 biggest differences between Royal and Carnival here.