- Carnival Cruise Line prices are level or dropping in Australia, while Royal Caribbean prices are increasing.
- This is creating a situation where the price gap between the two cruise lines is becoming much larger
- Royal Caribbean fares are an average of 70% more expensive than equivalent Carnival Cruise Line itineraries.
The price gap between Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean is widening, with fares for RCI increasing year-on-year. RCI has repositioned itself over the last five years with new builds like Icon of the Seas and activities onboard.
Once considered on the same pricing level as Carnival Cruise Lines and in the same “contemporary” cruise category, the change reflects the international policy of Royal Caribbean, which has focussed on building new and groundbreaking ships, onboard spend and island resorts as a way to dealing with the huge debts left by Covid.
Carnival, on the other hand, has emphasised cost control as its strategy.
While RCI has always been more expensive, the gap is widening quickly. The line has made no secret of the fact that it believes cruising is undervalued, and needs to catch up to its land-based holiday providers.
A Cruise Passenger survey of past prices shows Royal Caribbean’s 2022/23 Australian season began with pricing from $549 per person for a three-night cruise, or from $1049 per person/$131 per night for an eight-night South Pacific cruise.
For the 2025/26 season, a three-night will start from $859 per person and a seven-night cruise will be $1269, or $181 per night, more expensive than a seven-night cruise for the 2022/23 season.
Carnival prices, on the other hand, are holding steady even if we look at historical fares.
For the 2021/2022 season, Carnival’s prices for a four-night cruise in Queensland started from $549. For the next season, there has been a $39 price increase to $582. Furthermore, a 12-night cruise to the South Pacific starts from $1699, or $141 per day. Whereas for the 2025/26 season a nine-night South Pacific cruise starts from $999, or just $111 per night.
This shows that Carnival prices have hovered around the same mark, or dropped, across five seasons of cruises.
This means what used to be two similarly priced cruise lines are slowly becoming two very different options.
If the trend continues, the price gap will only continue to widen, making Carnival the sole budget option in Australia, and leaving Royal Caribbean positioned to the premium option for Australian cruisers.
Royal Caribbean prices are drifting towards those of a premium line such as Princess Cruises. A 14-day New Zealand cruise with Princess starts from $3539, at $250 per day. Royal Caribbean 10 or 11-night itineraries to New Zealand detailed below are at $224 per day and $279 per day respectively.
This raises the question: has Royal Caribbean moved to a premium position, alongside cruise lines such as Princess or Celebrity Cruises.
For certain cruise routes, cruisers will have to pay more than double for an interior cabin on Royal Caribbean versus the price for an interior cabin for the same itinerary on Carnival.
Royal Caribbean blog this week announced price rises, and warned passengers: “With such high demand right now, deals on a new cruise booking in 2025 aren’t going to be far and wide, so waiting is probably not the best approach.”
The price differences between Carnival and Royal
Cruise | Carnival | Royal Caribbean | Percentage increase |
Two-night cruise to nowhere | $374 | $529 | +41% |
Three-night cruise to nowhere | $374 | $859 | +129% |
Four-night Queensland cruise | $582 | $964 | +65% |
Five-night Hobart cruise | $819 | $1129 | +37% |
Seven-night South Pacific cruise | $934 | $1269 | +35% |
Nine-night South Pacific cruise | $999 | $1759 | +76% |
10-night New Zealand cruise | $1359 | $2238 | +65% |
11-night New Zealand cruise | $1424 | $3079 | +116% |
This table picks out eight different 2025/2026 cruise itineraries sailed by both Royal Caribbean and Carnival. We have picked out the most affordable route. Royal Caribbean has always been priced higher, ranging from at least 37% more expensive to more than double the price for some itineraries.
The price difference proves especially important for longer cruisers, as can be seen, people sailing to New Zealand for 10 or 11 nights can expect to pay between $1000 to $1500 more, for an interior cabin.
What could explain the divide?
One explanation is that Royal Caribbean is reducing its Australian cruise capacity, meaning prices are on their way up. While Carnival has technically lost a ship after the departure of Pacific Explorer it will still sail with more capacity than Royal Caribbean.
In the 2025/2026 season Carnival will sail with a capacity for 11,074 passengers across all its ships and Royal Caribbean with just 8507, across Anthem of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas.
Looking back to even 2023/2024, the picture was very different. Royal Caribbean had room for 12,353 passengers across its ships, and Carnival with just a touch more, with a 13,064 capacity across Carnival Cruises and P&O.
Now, less supply for Royal Caribbean seems to trending prices upwards, while Carnival stays the same.
However, it could also arguably suggest a difference in the cruise lines larger attitudes as well.
As Royal Caribbean builds new ships and look at private island investments, they’ve been very open about increased prices across the fleet.
Line CEO Jason Liberty told investors this month the Royal Caribbean brand has seen “really strong” demand across all its products, including for private destinations like Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.
He singled out Australia, New Zealand and SE Asia as showing “really strong” demand. Passenger numbers were running at 108.5% and onboard spending and pre-cruise purchases are up.
The line has recorded revenue up 11% up on 2023, with a total of us$16.5 billion. It also announced Star of the Seas, sister to Icon of the Seas and the world’s biggest ship, would be sailing early in August this year.
Not that Carnival Corporation’s earnings are lagging. The world’s largest carrier reported strong full-year results during its Q4 earnings at an all-time high of US $25 billion in revenue, 16% higher than the previous fiscal year.
Meanwhile Carnival’s decision to put P&O and Carnival ships under the same umbrella suggested that they are attempting to cut costs, perhaps to ensure they can remain as a budget option for Australians.
It’s also worth noting that Royal Caribbean ships are generally more modern than their Carnival counterparts and are generally considered to have more extensive facilities. However, it can also be argued that Carnival ships have more included, whereas some of Royal Caribbean’s best features have to be paid for.
Maybe it’s because I’m from US but I find royal lightyears ahead of carnival in customer service and cruise amenities….not even comparable on carribean vacations..in states carnival is filled with cheap party seekers and kids way more hectic than royal.. I think this may just be a lack of desire for the world to cruise that area..notcto mention all the great royal ships don’t go to Australia… I’ve been on 8 cruises tho and carnival was by far the worst
i really think that royal thinks that being the biggest in the world really works,but for most cruisers the smaller cruise ships are better,sadly royal keeps sending down under the bigger and older ships,we just came off a re ferbed quantum,it doesn’t look anything like re ferbed,sure new carpets,some new cabins,but still lots of rust,plumbing that was making lots of noise at night and early morning,our toilet didn’t work,but when they fixed it i thing they had a lot of AIR in the lines causing this loud noise in the lines,some cabins didn’t have any water,and for the new carpet lots of pilling of the new carpets in windjammers,it looked like it had never been vacumed,and yes the prices,they have increased them by at least double,higher prices,average service,and average food in the main dining,we found windjammers was much better in variety and quality,wakeup royal carribean.
Prices increasing and getting less in return.
When it gets to 4th night of cruise and staff in main dining room are recommending that you eat elsewhere for next night because the food will be unpopular and some dishes served for a second time says a lot.
Shows only mediocre compared to pre covid,
Getting jostled out of the way by boozed up younger guests on our last cruise out of Brisbane. People vomitting in spa pools and sitting in it laughing, leaving worse in main pool then getting back in spa then laughing about what they did on the social media groups for the trip and cruise line.
Not going on another Royal cruise out of Australia. No longer value for money when getting drunk is all the majority of guests were doing. 27 people marched off by Federal police when we returned to Brisbane.
hi,we are diamond plus members and have found that royal has increased their prices,they aren’t the same sinse covid,poor service,food very average,but we also found the cabin attendants,some are amazing,others just don’t care,royal used to be very good on every level,but sadly no more,they have also taken a lot of the perks from diamond and diamond plus members,pinnacle and top suite guests get everything,they are shooting themselves in the foot,loyality works both ways,but for royal its all about MONEY,on the last 4 cruises with royal, they have been a sheer disaster,so we are taking our loyalty and business to princess,our last was just amazing not 1 complaint,so different to royal and quantum and brilliance of the seas.wakeup royal carribean
I have cruised a lot with Carnival , Princess and RCI and sometimes I cruise solo and I do find that RC fares are getting dearer so I may have to cruise a lot more with Carnival and maybe Princess
I have noticed that RC itineraries are not appealing where they only go to the South Pacific or up the East Coast of Australia with the odd NZ cruise thrown in where as Princess try to vary their itineraries and if cruising from Sydney and going past Brisbane they make a sector point where people can embark or disembark in Brisbane where as the other cruise lines don’t have the sector option
As a keen cruiser of 35 sailings I now notice that RCI keep mentioning the difference between land and sea prices. From what I’ve seen of US prices RCI will keep putting prices up but not give us better value. Remember the pizza sarger last year! Then decided to put up prices on all other eatery’s. These people in ivory towers in the US don’t really care about Australia as you can see by putting older ships and a lot smaller.
As Australian dollar not good at the moment cruising where we have to pay US dollars on board,it not good value. Just look at the high prices for internet .
These CEO’S will keep pushing up prices until the cruising public say enough is enough and stop cruising.
Are you able to post me a selection of cruise brochures, retirement cruise planned. Catherine Pepper, 21 Cuthbert ct Golden grove SA, 5125.
The larger RCL ships have all the charm of a Westfield shopping centre with no smaller spaces to chat with fellow guests or watch the ocean. The smokers are on the promenade deck. The experiences occupy less than 30 minutes of fun, plus line up time and require more fitness and daring than most people over 60 are capable of. The nicest ships to travel on were the smaller, older HAL with under 3000 passengers. The larger ships might be pleasant for 2 or 3 days at sea, but pretty boring when crossing the Pacific when 4or 5 days are more common. This leaves a niche market for smaller, local coastal vessels for Australia, NZ, PNG, South Pacific Islands,and maybe Indonesia, catering to the family groups that want to travel without driving and camping.
“However, it can also be argued that Carnival ships have more included, whereas some of Royal Caribbean’s best features have to be paid for.”
Can you give a single example of one thing that you get included with Carnival that you pay for with RCL?
While there are extra cost items on both lines, I can only think of more extras, that are inclusions with RCL than with Carnival e.g. 270 shows, ice skating, or dodgem cars. Whereas I can’t think of any extras included on Carnival.
And that’s putting aside the lower grade/food downgrades Carnival has done lately.
Yes I would agree Royal Caribbean Cruises I used to love Cruising on are now as a Pensioner out of our reach. Sailed mant times with them on different ships and loved them all, but now can’t afford being just on a Pension
Am usually loyal to Royal Caribbean but the price hikes are making it not as attractive as it was. As an aged pensioner, I am finding it difficult to remain loyal. I want to cruise but the pricing is getting ridiculous.
The cost of building, funding and operating these massive ships is coming through and they want to keep there massive margins.
Off the menu for me!
Compared to pre Covid royal prices have soared. They actually have retired a few older ships and as such the fleet is very modern. We are diamond plus cruisers with royal but price is making us look elsewhere and are now considering Norwegian and Carnival. Post Covid cruising is not such good value as it use to be compared to flying somewhere and staying. But I feel with time royal with drop prices as demand reduces a bit.