Carnival Firenze vs Royal Caribbean Symphony 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 2 years newer than the Symphony of the Seas, which was built in 2018.

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 Symphony of the Seas, the Firenze is 41% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Firenze holds 26% fewer passengers than the Symphony 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 Symphony of the Seas.

The Symphony of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
Class	Venice	Oasis
Gross Tonnage	135,500	228,081
Length	1,061	1,188
Beam/Width	122	216
Passenger Decks	14	16
Passengers (double occupancy)	4,072	5,518
Crew	1,424	2,200
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.9	2.5
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	32	41

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 eighteen different dining options like Bonsai Sushi, Il Viaggio, and Bonsai Teppanyaki. Of those options, seventeen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other seven options have an additional fee.

The Symphony of the Seas has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Playmakers, Jamie's Italian, and Dog House. fourteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Symphony of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 17% more dining options than the Firenze.

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

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
Total Dining Options	18	21
Complimentary Dining Options:	17	14
Additional Fee Dining Options:	7	14
% of Included Options	61%	33%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Firenze has 8 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas. The Firenze has 12 bars like Limelight Lounge, Piano Bar 88 and Versilla Pool & Bar. On Firenze, you can grab a drink at 20 different bars such as Playmakers, Sand Bar and Wipeout Bar.

Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Symphony 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	•Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • Dazzles • English Pub • Mast Bar • On Air Club • Playmakers • Pool Bar • Rising Tide Bar • Sand Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Suite Lounge • Suite Sun Deck Bar • The Attic • Trellis Bar • Vintages • Wipeout Bar • Wonderland

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 Symphony 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 Symphony 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 Firenze has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs. 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 Symphony of the Seas has more pools than the Firenze and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Symphony 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? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Firenze.

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
Total Pools	2	4
Pools - General Access	2	3
Pools - Adults Only	0	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	6	10
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	8
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. You might up paying more while on board the Firenze. Only 75% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Symphony of the Seas, 78% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Carnival Firenze	Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Aquatheater	✗	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Carousel	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Escape Room	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Ice Skating	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✗	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Outdoor gym	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Ropes course	✓	✗
Shows - Broadway play	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Thrill Slide	✗	✓
Water slides	✓	✓
Zip Line	✗	✓
	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.

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 Symphony 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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