Carnival Breeze vs Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas

The Carnival Breeze was built in 2012. It's 16 years newer than the Grandeur of the Seas, which was built in 1996 and renovated in 2021.

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 Breeze is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,004 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.8 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas, the Breeze is 73% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Breeze holds 85% more passengers than the Grandeur 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 Breeze has less space per person compared to the Grandeur of the Seas.

	Carnival Breeze	Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas
Class	Dream	Vision
Gross Tonnage	128,000	73,817
Length	1,004	916
Beam/Width	122	106
Passenger Decks	14	11
Passengers (double occupancy)	3,690	1,992
Crew	1,386	760
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.7	2.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	35	37

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 Breeze has seventeen different dining options like The Chef's Table, Mongolian Wok, and Bonsai Sushi. Of those options, fifteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other seven options have an additional fee.

The Grandeur of the Seas has eight fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Chops Grille, Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, and Giovanni's Table. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Breeze might be a better choice. It has 89% more dining options than the Grandeur of the Seas.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Breeze might be a better choice then the Grandeur of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Carnival Breeze	Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas
Total Dining Options	17	9
Complimentary Dining Options:	15	8
Additional Fee Dining Options:	7	6
% of Included Options	59%	33%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Breeze has 2 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas. The Breeze has 10 bars like Alchemy Bar, Plaza Cafe and RedFrog Rum Bar. On Breeze, you can grab a drink at 8 different bars such as Island Bar, R Bar and Viking Crown Lounge.

Carnival Breeze	Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas
•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Limelight Lounge • Liquid Night Club • Piano Bar 88 • Plaza Cafe • RedFrog Pub • RedFrog Rum Bar	•Casino Bar • Island Bar • Pool bar • R Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • South Pacific Lounge • Viking Crown Lounge

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Breeze serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Grandeur of the Seas serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like 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.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Breeze and the Grandeur 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 Breeze has a total of 2 pools and 8 hot tubs.

The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Breeze and fewer hot tubs.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Breeze.

	Carnival Breeze	Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas
Total Pools	2	2
Pools - General Access	2	1
Pools - Adults Only	0	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	8	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	6	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	0

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. On the Breeze, 73% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Grandeur of the Seas, only 62% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Carnival Breeze	Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Mini golf	✓	✗
Outdoor gym	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Ropes course	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✗	✓
Spa	✗	✓
Splash park	✓	✗
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✗
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties which vary per ship.

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 Breeze will likely be more expensive than on Royal Caribbean Grandeur 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 Breeze	Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$16.00	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	18%
Soda Price	$3.00	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$8.75 See drink menus	$8.25 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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