Carnival Festivale vs Hero of the Seas

The Carnival Festivale is still being built and will debut in 2027. The Festivale is named after the original ship that sailed with Carnival from 1977 - 1996. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships. Unlike the first Excel Class ships, Festivale does NOT have a BOLT roller coaster, instead it has a waterpark called "Sunsation Point." The ship will sail from Port Canaveral starting in May 2027. The Festivale is still under construction and Carnival hasn't released all the details yet. It's 1 year newer 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 Festivale is considered a large ship. Coming in at 1,130 feet long and 137 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers, and the same height as a 17-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas, the Festivale is 26% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Festivale holds about the same number of passengers as the Hero of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, Carnival Festivale holds 13% fewer passengers than the Hero of the Seas.

When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Festivale has less space per person compared to the Hero of the Seas.

Both the Festivale and Hero of the Seas use a zone concept to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

	Carnival Festivale	Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas
Class	Excel	Icon
Gross Tonnage	182,800	248,663
Length	1,130	1,198
Beam/Width	137	216
Passenger Decks	17	18
Passengers (double occupancy)	5,400	5,654
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	6,630	7,600
Crew	1,700	2,350
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.9	3.2
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	28	33

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 Festivale has twenty-five different dining options like Big Chicken, Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship), and JavaBlue Cafe. Of those options, nineteen are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.

The Hero of the Seas has two fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sorrento's Pizza, Celebration Table, and Chops Grille. Fifteen of these restaurants are complimentary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.

The Carnival Festivale has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas.

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

	Carnival Festivale	Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas
Total Dining Options	25	23
Complimentary Dining Options:	19	15
Additional Fee Dining Options:	11	14
% of Included Options	56%	39%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Festivale has 9 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas. The Festivale has 18 bars like Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse, Java Blue Cafe and Sunsation Sips. On Hero of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 27 different bars such as Rye & Bean, The Hideaway Swim-up Bar and Trellis Bar.

Carnival Festivale

Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas

•Alchemy Bar • Casino Bar • Center Stage • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Festival Grounds Bar & Coffee • Grand View • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Mix Bar • Piano Bar 88 • Punchliner Comedy Club • RedFrog Tiki Bar • Scenic Overlook Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • Sunsation Sips • The Spark Bar

•1400 Lobby Bar • Aquadome Market Bar • Basecamp Bar • Boleros • Bubbles • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • Desserted Milkshake Bar • Dueling Pianos • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Lou's Jazz 'N Blues • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rye & Bean • Schooner Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Swim & Tonic • The Grove Bar • The Hideaway Bar • The Hideaway Swim-up Bar • The Lemon Post • The Lime & Coconut • The Lime & Coconut: Frozen • The Overlook • Trellis Bar • Windjammer Bar

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 Barq's 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 the recent bar menus for the Festivale 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 Festivale has a total of 6 pools and 6 hot tubs. 2 of the pools 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 Festivale and more hot tubs.

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

	Carnival Festivale	Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas
Total Pools	6	9
Pools - General Access	3	5
Pools - Adults Only	1	3
Pools - Exclusive	2	1
Total Hot Tubs	6	9
Hot Tubs - General Access	3	7
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	3	1
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	1

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 end up paying more while on board the Festivale. Only 65% 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 Festivale	Royal Caribbean Hero of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Aquatheater	✗	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Brewery Tour	✓	✗
Carousel	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✓
Cooking Class	✓	✗
Crown's Edge	✗	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Escape Room	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Ice Skating	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✗	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Outdoor gym	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✗
Ropes course	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✗	✓
Spa	✗	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
Waterpark	✓	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties, which vary by 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.

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 may 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 Festivale	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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