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I'm a former Carnival cruiser with 10 cruises on them.

Liberty of the Seas included restaurants:  Main dining room including breakfast, Windjammer Marketplace (buffet like Lido Marketplace), Cafe Promenade (small sandwiches, croissants, snacks), Sorrento's (pizza).

Extra cost dining: Johnny Rockets, Chops Grille, Sabor, Giovanni's Table, Chef's Table, Cupcake Cupboard, Room Service

Activities Included: Water slides, mini golf, flow riders, ice skating, rock climbing wall, solarium adult only area, Splashaway Bay kids water park, ping pong, sports court

Entertainment Included: Saturday Night Fever Broadway show, Ice Skating Show, Other original main theater productions and shows

For room service the continental breakfast is free, other menu items carry a $7.95 fee per order (order all the food you want and the fee is $7.95 per order, not per menu item)

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Like Carnival the Royal MDR offers an early sitting and a late sitting.   This is "traditional" main dining room service.

Carnival also offers MDR "Anytime" Dining while Royal offers MDR "My Time" dining. 

With My Time dining you have the option of making dinner reservations in advance of sailing.  You can just show up to My Time like you can with Anytime dining but without reservations that can be waits during peak times just like on Carnival.  With My Time reservations though, you are seated more quickly, even in peak times.  Reservations can vary each night, 6pm day 1, 7pm day 2, 5pm day 3 , etc. 

Carnival has Fun Times delivered daily to your cabin, Royal has a Cruise Compass delivered daily.  You can look over past guests cruise compasses right on this site here:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=277

I made the switch from Carnival in 2016 and haven't looked back with 12 cruises completed on Royal ships now. 

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5 minutes ago, twangster said:

Like Carnival the Royal MDR offers an early sitting and a late sitting.   This is "traditional" main dining room service.

Carnival also offers MDR "Anytime" Dining while Royal offers MDR "My Time" dining. 

With My Time dining you have the option of making dinner reservations in advance of sailing.  You can just show up to My Time like you can with Anytime dining but without reservations that can be waits during peak times just like on Carnival.  With My Time reservations though, you are seated more quickly, even in peak times.  Reservations can vary each night, 6pm day 1, 7pm day 2, 5pm day 3 , etc. 

Carnival has Fun Times delivered daily to your cabin, Royal has a Cruise Compass delivered daily.  You can look over past guests cruise compasses right on this site here:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=277

I made the switch from Carnival in 2016 and haven't looked back with 12 cruises completed on Royal ships now. 

Thanks. Very excited to try RCL. Wife and I live near Galveston so we going to book Liberty of the Seas first.

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I often cruise Royal without purchasing specialty dining (extra cost dining).  I'm not a foodie and I am quite satisfied with Royal's MDR.  If you love a great steak, I've yet to experience great steak in either Carnival's or Royal's MDR.  Chops Grille and Giovanni's have pretty good steak, much like a steakhouse extra cost restaurant on Carnival.  However don't feel like you have to buy specialty dining to eat well on a Royal ship.

Windjammer flows different than the Lido buffet.  I recall thinking on my first Royal cruise how different it feels.  Now I prefer Windjammer over Lido but that's a personal preference.

I was 3 cruises short of platinum on Carnival when i switched and started at zero on Royal.  in my opinion the Royal's Crown and Anchor Society (C&A) frequent cruiser program is better than VIFP. 

Royal has a more efficient boarding process and you don't need anything like FTTF which Royal doesn't offer.  They stagger boarding based on C&A level which creates a smoother boarding process. 

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I'm not a fan of Johnny Rockets.  The Windjammer has free burgers.  Guy's burgers are awesome. 

The Royal Burger through room service is very good but at a cost.  Order one or ten, it's a flat room service fee of $7.95.

Lobster is included on the 2nd formal night in the MDR, opposite of many Carnival ships where lobster is on the 1st formal night, or was back when I sailed Carnival.

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