Carnival Miracle vs Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas

The Carnival Miracle was built in 2004. It was renovated in 2025. It's 3 years newer than the Radiance of the Seas, which was built in 2001 and renovated 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 Miracle is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 963 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. It's about the same size as the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Miracle holds about the same number of passengers as the Radiance of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Miracle has the same amount of space per person as the Radiance of the Seas.

	Carnival Miracle	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Class	Spirit	Radiance
Gross Tonnage	88,500	90,090
Length	963	962
Beam/Width	106	106
Passenger Decks	12	12
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,124	2,143
Crew	910	894
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.3	2.4
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	42	42

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 Miracle has ten different dining options like Bonsai Sushi, Carnival Deli, and The Chef's Table. Of those options, eleven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.

The Radiance of the Seas has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Chops Grille, Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, and Dog House. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other seven have an additional fee.

The Carnival Miracle has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas.

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

	Carnival Miracle	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Total Dining Options	10	11
Complimentary Dining Options:	11	9
Additional Fee Dining Options:	4	7
% of Included Options	60%	36%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Miracle has 1 fewer bar than the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas. The Miracle has 10 bars like Alchemy Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar and Mad Hatter's Ball. On Miracle, you can grab a drink at 11 different bars such as Casino Bar, Pool bar and Sky Bar.

Carnival Miracle	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Dr Frankenstein's Lab Dance Club • Gotham Lounge • Heroes Tribute Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Mad Hatter's Ball • RedFrog Pub • Sam's Piano Bar	•Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • English Pub • Jakarta Lounge • Lobby Bar • Pool bar • Schooner Bar • Singapore Sling's • Sky Bar • The Colony Club • Viking Crown Lounge

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Miracle 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 Radiance 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 Miracle and the Radiance 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 Miracle has a total of 3 pools and 3 hot tubs.

Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas has fewer pools than the Miracle and the same number of hot tubs.

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

	Carnival Miracle	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Total Pools	3	2
Pools - General Access	2	1
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	0	0
Total Hot Tubs	3	3
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	2
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	1	1
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. On the Miracle, 71% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Radiance of the Seas, only 70% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Carnival Miracle	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Mini golf	✓	✓
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 Miracle will likely be more expensive than on Royal Caribbean Radiance 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 Miracle	Royal Caribbean Radiance 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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