Carnival Luminosa vs Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas

The Carnival Luminosa was built in 2009. It was renovated in 2022. The Carnival Luminosa originally sailed with Carnival's sister cruise line, Costa Cruises. Because of that, it will have some differences compared to other Spirit-class ships and will be missing some Carnival signature items like Guy's Burger Joint. It's 5 years older than the Quantum of the Seas, which was built in 2014 and renovated in 2024.

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 Luminosa is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 964 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas, the Luminosa is 45% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Luminosa holds 46% fewer passengers than the Quantum of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Luminosa has more space per person compared to the Quantum of the Seas. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

	Carnival Luminosa	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Class	Spirit	Quantum
Gross Tonnage	92,720	168,666
Length	964	1,141
Beam/Width	106	136
Passenger Decks	12	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,260	4,180
Crew	926	1,500
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.4	2.8
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	41	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 Luminosa has nine different dining options like The Chef's Table, Pizzeria del Capitano, and Carnival Deli. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.

The Quantum of the Seas has seven more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Windjammer, Splashaway Cafe, and Dog House. thirteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Quantum of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 78% more dining options than the Luminosa.

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

	Carnival Luminosa	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Total Dining Options	9	16
Complimentary Dining Options:	10	13
Additional Fee Dining Options:	4	8
% of Included Options	56%	50%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Luminosa has 1 fewer bar than the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas. The Luminosa has 9 bars like Limelight Lounge, Ocean Plaza Bar and Sunset Bar. On Luminosa, you can grab a drink at 10 different bars such as Casino Bar, English Pub and Music Hall.

Carnival Luminosa	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
•Alchemy Bar • Altair Nightclub • Atrium Bar • Casino Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Ocean Plaza Bar • Piano Bar 88 • Sunset Bar	•Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • English Pub • Music Hall • Pool Bar • Schooner Bar • Sky Bar • Solarium Bar • Vintages

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

Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas has more pools than the Luminosa and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Quantum 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 Luminosa.

	Carnival Luminosa	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Total Pools	2	4
Pools - General Access	1	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive		1
Total Hot Tubs	4	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive		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 Luminosa. Only 58% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Quantum of the Seas, 69% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Carnival Luminosa	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Bumper Cars	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Escape Room	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Indoor Sky Diving	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✗	✓
North Star	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
	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 Luminosa will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Quantum 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 Luminosa	Royal Caribbean Quantum 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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