Carnival Conquest vs Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas

The Carnival Conquest was built in 2002. It's 19 years older than the Odyssey of the Seas, which was built 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 Conquest is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 952 feet long and 116 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 13-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas, the Conquest is 35% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Conquest holds 29% fewer passengers than the Odyssey 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 Conquest has less space per person compared to the Odyssey of the Seas.

	Carnival Conquest	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Class	Conquest	Quantum-Ultra
Gross Tonnage	110,000	169,000
Length	952	1,138
Beam/Width	116	135
Passenger Decks	13	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,980	4,180
Crew	1,150	1,550
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.6	2.7
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	37	40

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 Conquest has eleven different dining options like The Chef's Table, Seafood Shack, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.

The Odyssey of the Seas has four more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Two70 Cafe, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, and El Loco Fresh. twelve of these restaurants are complementary and the other ten have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Odyssey of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 36% more dining options than the Conquest.

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

	Carnival Conquest	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Total Dining Options	11	15
Complimentary Dining Options:	12	12
Additional Fee Dining Options:	4	10
% of Included Options	64%	33%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Conquest has 2 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas. The Conquest has 13 bars like Cafe Fans, Degas Lounge and Vincent's. On Conquest, you can grab a drink at 11 different bars such as Giovanni's Wine Bar, Schooner Bar and The Lime & Coconut.

Carnival Conquest	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
•Alchemy Bar • Alfred's Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Blues • Cafe Fans • Casino Bar • Degas Lounge • Henri's Night Club • RedFrog Rum Bar • Sky Bar • SkyBox Sports Bar • Vincent's	•Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Music Hall • Playmakers • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Suite Lounge • The Lime & Coconut

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Conquest 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 Odyssey 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 Conquest and the Odyssey 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 Conquest has a total of 2 pools and 4 hot tubs.

Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas has more pools than the Conquest and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Odyssey of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

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

	Carnival Conquest	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Total Pools	2	4
Pools - General Access	1	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	1
Total Hot Tubs	4	5
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	3
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. You might up paying more while on board the Conquest. Only 70% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Odyssey of the Seas, 75% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Carnival Conquest	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Bumper Cars	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Indoor Sky Diving	✗	✓
Laser Tag	✗	✓
Mini golf	✓	✗
North Star	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✗	✓
Spa	✗	✓
Splash park	✗	✓
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 Conquest will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Odyssey 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 Conquest	Royal Caribbean Odyssey 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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