Thinking of cheating on DCL... Thoughts on Carnival

[Luliemouse]

I'm thinking of cheating on DCL with Carnival. We are gold with DCL (2 away from Platinum). We have never cruised with another cruise line. I would like some advise/thoughts/input on the carnival experience. Mostly from those who have criuse with both Criuse lines.

 

[Saamh]

We've cruised DCL 8 times so far. After my first family DCL cruise, I went on a 3 night girls weekend getaway (from Los Angeles to Ensenada) on Carnival. There was no comparison between the 2 cruises however I believe the itinerary on Carnival catered to all the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties in the Southwest U.S. The ship was really old (rooms looked to have the same decor and furnishings they had in the 80s) and the crowd was really rowdy. Please keep in mind this was probably due to the specific itinerary and probably not representative of all Carnival ships or itineraries.

 

[wendydarling33]

I think it can be a good option especially considering the price. I'm not sure I'd do it with small children though as the kid's clubs are pretty limited. Also it seems to vary by ship. We went on a short 4 night "booze cruise" on an older ship and weren't impressed but the other three Carnival ships we've been on for longer cruises have been pretty nice. Obviously Disney outshines in the entertainment and kids' clubs/activities department but we honestly think most other categories are comparable and usually for half the price.

 

[cableguy123]

My first cruise was on the carnival dream back in 2010 it was terrible. They really didn't have any activities going on me and my wife where pretty bored out of our minds it wasn't until the end they actually had activities going on. I was totally against going on amother cruise until we booked last may on the fantasy omg the difference I was actually tired out we had so much to do. We booked a November cruise on the fantasy my little one doesn't know about the wife wanted to see the ship decorated for Christmas!

 

[klmrph]

I have never done DCL, but I was not impressed with Carnival, I would check out RCCL instead since I prefer them.

 

[clambert1273]

We have only been on Carnival (8 of them) and love it every time... we like the relaxed atmosphere and our kids LOVE the clubs. My daughter (7) never wants me to pick her up lol she loved the waterslides, pool, etc...

We haven't had a bad cruise with Carnival but we don't do short cruises either. We are strictly 7day+ and never during prime summer time.

 

[OhThePain]

We don't care much of Carnival, at all. I have been on DCL, RCCL, NCL, PCL, HAL, Celebrity and Carnival and there is a reason why Carnival is priced the way it is. Food, staff, service, ships, entertainment, etc. just about everything was subpar. We had a real tacky vibe from embarkation to debarkation. I'd much rather pay slightly more for RCCL or even NCL (not a huge fan of NCL either) or pay a premium for the others.

 

[clambert1273]

We don't care much of Carnival, at all. I have been on DCL, RCCL, NCL, PCL, HAL, Celebrity and Carnival and there is a reason why Carnival is priced the way it is. Food, staff, service, ships, entertainment, etc. just about everything was subpar. We had a real tacky vibe from embarkation to debarkation. I'd much rather pay slightly more for RCCL or even NCL (not a huge fan of NCL either) or pay a premium for the others.

I think it depends on the kind of person you are Hubby and I are loud, sarcastic and like to live it up.. we used to go to Vegas frequently (still got free rooms waiting lol). We have a great time no matter what we do

 

[lisamarie12]

I have not yet sailed on Disney, so I cannot compare the two, but I can give you thoughts about Carnival. First, you need to go in with the right expectations. Carnival is a budget line, you have to go into it knowing that. Secondly, they have a lot of ships and itineraries. It really depends on where, when and which ship. There is absolutely no comparison between a 3 day weekend cruise from California and a 7 day cruise on a Conquest or Dream class ship. I have heard the 3 day weekend cruises are party boats- (never been). I have only done 5 and 7 day cruises and they are not like that. There are a lot of activities by the main pool during the day. It gets kind of loud. If you are not in to that, you can avoid that area. They have shows, but they are not super impressive. Comedy shows are good and well attended. Drinks are good. They are expensive, but its like that anywhere. Food is good. The sea day brunch is really good. They have kids clubs. They start at 2 years old. I would not say they are “limited” but I would not be surprised if they are more limited than Disney. Kids are Disney’s thing so of course they probably do that better than anywhere. If you have specific questions or a specific ship in mind, ask away.

 

[E ticket rider]

I'm thinking of cheating on DCL with Carnival. We are gold with DCL (2 away from Platinum). We have never cruised with another cruise line. I would like some advise/thoughts/input on the carnival experience. Mostly from those who have criuse with both Criuse lines.

As you can see by the above posts, you're going to get a variety of answers. Shorter cruises (in general) tend to have more alcohol related issues. They are more "weekend getaways" or "booze cruises" rather than family vacations. I'm not saying that everyone on the ship is a raging alcoholic, but the guests are trying to pack in as much fun as possible into a short timeframe. DCL tends to have higher price points, so I have noticed fewer drunks as the weekend getaway crowd tends to want to sail away and party on the cheap. Also, especially with Carnival, the age of the ship does matter. Carnival's older boats have that cheesy, old-school Vegas feel about them (neon climbing the walls etc). Their newer boats are far more subdued. I've been on 3 Carnival cruises and had a blast on each one. If you go into the cruise with the mindset that "it's not Disney", you are bound to nitpick everything and come away disappointed. If you take it for what it is, a cruise vacation, you'll enjoy yourself just fine!!!

 

[MC0810]

This TOTALLY depends on the age of the ship and the length of the cruise. We did a 10 day carnival cruise a few years ago on a NEWER carnival ship and its still my favorite cruise we have ever taken(weve done princess,rccl,and disney magic). Our ocean view room was large. The service was comparable to disney and the food was better than disneys. We encountered no drunks and my then 2 year old had a blast. Disneys kids club however knocks every other cruise line out of the park though..but thats to be expected.

For the right price,on a newer ship...we wouldnt hesitate to sail carnival again.

 

[jrapps]

Go for it! We are DCL cruisers all the way but every line has their pluses and minuses. Don't get me wrong we'd choose DCL over any other line in a heartbeat all things considered, but sometimes budget being what it is we can't do that every time. We did the carnival breeze last year and it was very good. It wasn't Disney but the kids had a blast, the water park was amazing and the food was surprisingly VERY good. I do agree that doing one of Carnivals newer and larger boats is your best bet.

 

[Crystal O_o]

Out of all the cruises I have been on, I was most disappointed with Carnival. I would never cruise with them again.

 

[perditax]

I've never been on CCL, but I've done a lot of reading about cruises in the last month. From what I've seen, it's ALL about the specific ship and itinerary you choose. I think CCL's "Walmart of the Seas" reputation comes from the shorter booze-cruises on older ships, but meanwhile lots of people seem to LOVE them for their nicer ships and longer itineraries. If you try to go with the cheapest cruise they have at the closest port to you, your experience will probably be different than if you research specific ships and itineraries.

Also don't forget that the CCL parent company owns MANY cruise lines besides Carnival, including luxury/premium lines.

 

[whitneylauren]

We have traveled in Princess, Disney, Celebrity and once on Carnival. If you can afford it Disney is the only way to go when you have children. Ours ranged from 9 months to 10 years with our most recent Disney Cruise in December. We were so impressed with the wide variety of activities for children of all ages as well as the cleanliness and overall atmosphere of our Disney cruise, and when 3 of our children were 2 and under it was particularly important to find things they could enjoy. After this cruise we all agreed that we would choose Disney for all future cruises (at least while we have small children).

Our one and only carnival cruise was in January of 2014. We cruised with my husbands' family for a large reunion. It was by far the worst vacation we have ever been on- so much so that I cried mid- week for want to go home. The food was horrendous- inedible. I lived off of the fresh fruit, which was still coated in some chemical concoction to keep it looking fresh. There was nothing to do on the ship while at sea and you could forget about finding any activities the smaller children would enjoy. They turned off the air conditioning in the rooms while at port and the refrigerators never cooled- food was left luke warm. The ship, the Carnival Miracle, looked as though it was built in 1980 and had the distinct feeling of a crappy Vegas casino. I understand that it is a budget cruise line and many would not be able to cruise were it not for Carnival. It's just not the type of vacation we enjoy.

 

[TestingH2O]

I haven't cruised Disney yet, but I've started looking into options for next spring. Since I have no brand loyalty, I've been throwing a very wide net. I personally ruled out Carnival because it does not seem like they have the option for upper tier. RCCL and NCL both appear to have a wide range of cruising options from inside cabins that get you on the ship to upscale suites with butler and concierge services. Carnival does not appear to have this upper option. At least, that is what I found in my research. Since we will be cruising with my parents, I know they would strongly prefer to have the upscale choices of the other lines.

 

[ThistleMae]

Ive been on three NCL cruises, all with the older, smaller ships. We found the entertainment excellent. The food was super good, so many choices. We played bingo and shuffleboard. We took dance lessons. We had time to catch one of the family competitons...so funny! We did the White Hot Party! We did one show every night. There are two formal shows every night at different times, so you can plan around your dinner. It's freestyle, so you can eat when you like. There are so many other activities we just couldn't do them all! I've looked at Carnival. I like the Carnival Dream Ship. They have the Cloud 9 spa, which is really nice looking. That would be the Carnival Ship I choose. My daughter has been with her kids, they loved it. I would research the kid specific activities and make a decision from there. I know kids love the water slides! The NCL Escape, which launches this fall looks really awesome! It's their newest ship. Just do your research about the ship, look for utube videos as well, so you can see the rooms and the boat!

 

[Mousesmom]

We did a short Caribbean cruise on Carnival that was AWFUL! The room was poorly set up - DH had to climb over a bench to get into the bed. The room was dirty and the tap leaked (which was fixed after we reported it). The food was mediocre and the service just ok. The shows were fine, but not what we expected. I really didn't appreciate seeing the staff walking around the ship chewing gum and looking unkempt.

When we got home I wrote a letter to Carnival to complain and never heard back.

We've done 2 DCL, 1 Princess, doing HAL in May and DCL again in September. Would I consider Carnival again? Not even for half price.

 

[quickcat]

We went on a week long Carnival cruise (also Gold on Disney) out of Puerto Rico and thought it was fine. It had many ports so most days we were off the ship. We thought dinners were fine (although I am not a food complainer) No drunks....no partying crowds.
We did this after we were married with no kids so I cannot comment on the kid part.
We haven't sailed with carnival since but just like Disney because we always bring the kids with. That being said, we are trying our first Royal Caribbean cruise this next winter. There was one carnival itinerary I was really thinking about....they do have some very nice itineraries!! It was an 8 night but we found an 8 night on Royal too so in the end we decided on RC.
Good luck!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We just jumped ship and booked the new Carnival Vista for the Mediterranean in June 2016. I really don't know what to expect for sure but we are going into it with the attitude of its not going to be Disney, but it will be a brand new ship and its very port intensive so I'm sure it will be fine. Our kids are teenagers now and have never utilized the clubs on the Disney ships so that isn't a concern for us.