I Compared 6,000+ Royal Caribbean & Carnival Cruises Through 2028 – Here’s the Real Price Difference
If you're pricing a 7-day cruise, compare Royal Caribbean and Carnival by cabin type, since a Royal inside cabin costs nearly the same as a Carnival balcony. Check departure port carefully: Royal's premium is steep in Miami (51.32%) and Port Canaveral (40.39%) but much smaller in Los Angeles (8.58%) and Galveston (13.41%), and Carnival is pricier in Tampa and New Orleans. If budget matters, target spring (March–May) sailings, when Royal's premium drops to its lowest point of the year.
What jumps out to me is that Royal Caribbean's premium isn't fixed — it swings from 8.58% in Los Angeles to 51.32% in Miami, and Royal is even cheaper than Carnival in Tampa and New Orleans, where fleet size rather than brand seems to drive price. That tells me Royal is pricing to local competition and ship deployment, not applying a blanket markup. The Icon Class premium of 85.54% over Carnival's Excel Class shows Royal is confident demand for its newest, $2 billion-plus ships will hold at eye-watering prices, while its older Vision and Radiance ships price much closer to Carnival's baseline. My read: budget-focused cruisers should look at Royal's classic ships or spring sailings, while anyone fixated on the newest hardware should expect to pay Royal's full asking price. I'd book an older Royal ship in the spring shoulder season if I wanted the brand without the premium.