Carnival Vista vs Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas

The Carnival Vista was built in 2016. It was renovated in 2024. The Carnival Vista was the first cruise ship to have a working brewery on board. It's 2 years newer 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 Vista is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,055 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 15-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas, the Vista is 21% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Vista holds about the same number of passengers as the Quantum 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 Vista has less space per person compared to the Quantum of the Seas.

	Carnival Vista	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Class	Vista	Quantum
Gross Tonnage	133,596	168,666
Length	1,055	1,141
Beam/Width	122	136
Passenger Decks	15	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	3,934	4,180
Crew	1,450	1,500
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.7	2.8
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	33	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 Vista has nineteen different dining options like JavaBlue Cafe, Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue, and JiJi Asian Kitchen. Of those options, fifteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.

The Quantum of the Seas has three fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Chops Grille, Izumi, and La Patisserie. 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 Vista might be a better choice. It has 19% more dining options than the Quantum of the Seas.

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

	Carnival Vista	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Total Dining Options	19	16
Complimentary Dining Options:	15	13
Additional Fee Dining Options:	9	8
% of Included Options	53%	50%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Vista has 4 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas. The Vista has 14 bars like Atrium Bar, Havana Bar and Piano Bar 88. On Vista, you can grab a drink at 10 different bars such as English Pub, Pool Bar and Schooner Bar.

Carnival Vista	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Havana Bar • Heroes Tribute Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Ocean Plaza Bar • Piano Bar 88 • RedFrog Pub and Brewery • RedFrog Rum Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • Tides Pool 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 Vista 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 Vista 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 Vista has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 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 Quantum of the Seas has more pools than the Vista and the same number of hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Quantum 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 Vista.

	Carnival Vista	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Total Pools	3	4
Pools - General Access	2	2
Pools - Adults Only	0	1
Pools - Exclusive	1	1
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. You might up paying more while on board the Vista. Only 65% 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 Vista	Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Brewery Tour	✓	✗
Bumper Cars	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✓	✗
Escape Room	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
IMAX Theater	✓	✗
Indoor Sky Diving	✗	✓
Laser Tag	✗	✓
Mini golf	✓	✗
North Star	✗	✓
Outdoor gym	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Ropes course	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Skyride	✓	✗
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✗
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
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.

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 Vista	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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