There was a whole series of comments about this very topic in General Cruise Chat - click on that section (in the left-hand column) and look for the topic on "which is better - Royal or Carnival?" (not an exact quote). THat may help answer your questions, certainly better than the vote will -
I agree with Karen. So much depends on a variety of things, your age, children, ports, and especially ships and the length of the cruise. We are in our 60's, and although have not sailed RCL, would be more to our liking. Carnival more party, and RCL more laid back. Happy sailing. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif[/img]