Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Adventure vs Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas
The Carnival Adventure was built in 2000. It was renovated in 2025. The Carnival Adventure is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Golden Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Adventure for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers. It's 26 years older than the Hero of the Seas, which was built in 2026. Hero of the Seas will start sailing in August 2027. It'll feature many of the same restaurants and attractions as its sister-ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas plus The Royal Railway, two new pools, and extended adult-only areas. The Hero of the Seas is still under construction and Royal Caribbean hasn't released all the details yet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Adventure is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 951 feet long and 118 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas, the Adventure is 56% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Adventure holds 53% fewer passengers than the Hero of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Adventure has less space per person compared to the Hero of the Seas.
The Hero of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Adventure | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Adventure | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 108,865 | 248,663 |
| Length | 951 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 118 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,636 | 5,654 |
| Crew | 1,100 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 45 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Adventure has ten different dining options like Waterfront Restaurant, Angelo's, and Dragon Lady. Of those options, six are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.
The Hero of the Seas has thirteen more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Celebration Table, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, and Royal Railway - Hero Station. Fifteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Hero of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 130% more dining options than the Adventure.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Adventure might be a better choice then the Hero of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Adventure | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 10 | 23 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 6 | 15 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 5 | 14 |
| % of Included Options | 50% | 39% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Adventure and the Hero of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Adventure has a total of 4 pools and 8 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas has more pools than the Adventure and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Hero of the Seas. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools are adults only on Adventure.| Carnival Adventure | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 9 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 8 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 6 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5
(Carnival Edition) (Royal Caribbean Edition)
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8
(Carnival Edition) (Royal Caribbean Edition)
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Adventure. Only 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Hero of the Seas, 74% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Adventure | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Crown's Edge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edge Adventure Park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Royal Caribbean are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Adventure will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Adventure | Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $17.00 | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.25 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | $7.49 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
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Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
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