Spectrum of the Seas vs Carnival Encounter

The Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas was built in 2019. It's 17 years newer than the Encounter, which was built in 2002 and renovated in 2026. The Carnival Encounter is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Star Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Encounter for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers.

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 Spectrum of the Seas is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,139 feet long and 135 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.2 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Carnival Encounter, the Spectrum of the Seas is 56% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas holds 61% more passengers than the Encounter 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 Spectrum of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Encounter.

	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas	Carnival Encounter
Class	Quantum-Ultra	Adventure
Gross Tonnage	169,379	108,865
Length	1,139	951
Beam/Width	135	118
Passenger Decks	14	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	4,246	2,636
Crew	1,551	1,100
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.7	2.4
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	40	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 Spectrum of the Seas has sixteen different dining options like Jamie's Italian, Chops Grille, and Sorrento's Pizza. Of those options, eleven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.

The Encounter has five fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Dragon Lady, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and Waterfront Restaurant. Six of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Spectrum of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 45% more dining options than the Encounter.

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

	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas	Carnival Encounter
Total Dining Options	16	11
Complimentary Dining Options:	11	6
Additional Fee Dining Options:	11	6
% of Included Options	31%	45%
	See the options	See the options

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means 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.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Spectrum of the Seas and the Encounter 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 Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas has a total of 4 pools and 4 hot tubs. 1 of the pools 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.

The Carnival Encounter has the same number of pools as the Spectrum of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Encounter. 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 are adults only on Spectrum of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas	Carnival Encounter
Total Pools	4	4
Pools - General Access	2	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	1	1
Total Hot Tubs	4	8
Hot Tubs - General Access	4	6
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	0
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	2

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 Spectrum of the Seas, 75% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Encounter, only 55% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas	Carnival Encounter
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✓	✗
Bumper Cars	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✗
Comedy Club	✗	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✗	✓
Edge Adventure Park	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✓	✗
Indoor Sky Diving	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✓	✗
North Star	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✗
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

Royal Caribbean and Carnival 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 Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Encounter.

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.

	Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas	Carnival Encounter
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	20%
Soda Price	$3.50	$3.25
Domestic Beer Price	$7.49 See drink menus	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$77 - $118 Learn more	$83 - $88 Learn more
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day	$18.70 to $23.80 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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