Carnival Firenze vs Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas

The Carnival Firenze was built in 2020. The Firenze is part of Carnival's "Fun Italian Style" Program. This ship is on loan from sister company Costa cruises. It's similar to Carnival's Vista-class ships, but it has a distinct Italian style. It's 23 years newer than the Enchantment of the Seas, which was built in 1997.

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 Firenze is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,061 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas, the Firenze is 63% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Firenze holds 81% more passengers than the Enchantment 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 Firenze has less space per person compared to the Enchantment of the Seas.

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
Class	Venice	Vision
Gross Tonnage	135,500	82,910
Length	1,061	989
Beam/Width	122	106
Passenger Decks	14	11
Passengers (double occupancy)	4,072	2,252
Crew	1,424	852
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.9	2.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	32	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 Firenze has 23 different dining options like The Chef's Table, Seafood Shack, and Guy's Burger Joint (Italian). Of those options, 16 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.

The Enchantment of the Seas has 11 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Windjammer, Chef's Table, and Chops Grille. 8 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 4 have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Firenze might be a better choice. It has 92% more dining options than the Enchantment of the Seas.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
Total Dining Options	23	12
Complimentary Dining Options:	16	8
Additional Fee Dining Options:	7	4
% of Included Options	70%	67%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Firenze has 6 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas. The Firenze has 12 bars like Java Blue Cafe, Pergola Bar and Versilla Pool & Bar. On Firenze, you can grab a drink at 6 different bars such as Casino Bar, R Bar and Viking Crown Lounge.

Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
•Amari Bar • Atrium Bar • Frizzante • Heroes Tribute Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Moda Bar & Lounge • Pergola Bar • Piano Bar 88 • Rococo • Tuscan Lounge • Versilla Pool & Bar	•Casino Bar • R Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Spotlight Lounge • Viking Crown Lounge

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Firenze 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 Enchantment 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 Firenze and the Enchantment 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 problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.

The Carnival Firenze has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 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 Enchantment of the Seas has more pools than the Firenze and the same number of hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Enchantment 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.

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
Total Pools	2	3
Pools - General Access	2	2
Pools - Adults Only	0	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	6	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	2	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 Firenze, 75% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Enchantment of the Seas, only 67% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✗
Bungee Trampoline	✗	✓
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	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✗
	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 Firenze will likely be more expensive than on Royal Caribbean Enchantment 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 Firenze	Royal Caribbean Enchantment 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	$59.95 - $69.95 Learn more	$70 - $125 Learn more
Internet Plan	$15.30 to $21.25 per device per day	$17 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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