CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[abitagirl916]

It seems to me that most of the complaints about Vista and Horizon are from long time Carnival passengers that hate the fact there are no glass atrium elevators and the layout is different than traditional Carnival ships. They all just can’t seem to get past those two things. Going from Disney to Vista as our first Carnival cruise I thought the layout made perfect sense and we love Vista too. I never thought I could like a ship better than the Disney Fantasy, but I certainly do like Vista more.

My first Carnival cruise (after 4 DCL cruises) was on the Vista also. I absolutely loved the Vista. The Atrium on the Vista is so much nicer looking than the ones I have seen through pictures on the other Carnival ships. I will be going on the Carnival Dream this December, so I will have another Carnival ship to experience. Although the pics I have seen of the Carnival Dream Atrium, it seems a bit too flashy for me. But that won't stop me from having a wonderful time!

 

[mevelandry]

My first Carnival cruise (after 4 DCL cruises) was on the Vista also. I absolutely loved the Vista. The Atrium on the Vista is so much nicer looking than the ones I have seen through pictures on the other Carnival ships. I will be going on the Carnival Dream this December, so I will have another Carnival ship to experience. Although the pics I have seen of the Carnival Dream Atrium, it seems a bit too flashy for me. But that won't stop me from having a wonderful time!

That's one of the things I would change. I find that certain of the old Carnival ship atriums a bit too flashy for me (very busy patterns)... when a simple change of carpeting/floor could do a wonderful job in toning down the craziness and make it look a bit more 2018.

Here's an example with my beloved Victory...


We can't see the floor very much on this pic but it is black with lots of silver/gold spots. The carpet has very busy patterns. Just by putting a darker floor and a two toned carpet, you'd change the look of the place.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

That's one of the things I would change. I find that certain of the old Carnival ship atriums a bit too flashy for me (very busy patterns)... when a simple change of carpeting/floor could do a wonderful job in toning down the craziness and make it look a bit more 2018.

Here's an example with my beloved Victory...
View attachment 334814

We can't see the floor very much on this pic but it is black with lots of silver/gold spots. The carpet has very busy patterns. Just by putting a darker floor and a two toned carpet, you'd change the look of the place.

Gotta love those Joe Farcus designs - he really wanted each individual ship to stand out from each other.

The Carnival Dream was the last one he designed and even that one, he really toned things down. I will say that the Dream is what I call the "Red ship" - so much of it centres around that colour.

 

[mevelandry]

Gotta love those Joe Farcus designs - he really wanted each individual ship to stand out from each other.

The Carnival Dream was the last one he designed and even that one, he really toned things down. I will say that the Dream is what I call the "Red ship" - so much of it centres around that colour.

I noticed a predominant color on certain ships. Green/Aqua on the Victory, Purple on the Sensation, if I remember correctly, the Legend has lots of wood and gold...

 

[trvlgirlmq]

The Farcus stuff is why I won’t sail anything older than Dream class. Too ugly and over the top.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

It is funny because I have always been more preppy and styles like the Farcus designs used to horrify me, but about maybe 5 or so years ago I began to become more drawn to the offbeat and funky. And now, I love the old Farcus designs and find myself a bit bored with the newer styles-- not just on Carnival but NCL too. I do like the new clean look, don't get me wrong, but I really love the crazy bold colors and theming. All the detail. Like I would love to go on that ncl pride of America ship before they redo it, which I am scared will happen sooner than later. It looks so American kitsch. I just love that. And I wish I had gone on NCL's Jade before they removed the outlandish Hawaiian theming. I also like the ships having different identities, but unfortunately the lines seem to be moving away from that-- at least in terms of general decoration. I am trying to hit all the old CCL ships as well before they get "breezed" in dry dock. lol. Of the ones we have not been on, I am most interested in the Glory, Valor, Victory, and Spirit.

I saw this information on CCL cruise ship themes on CC. Someone posted information from an old CCL CD/dvd. I thought it was very cool:


FANTASY CLASS
Fantasy – Changes through time
Ecstasy- City at Sea
Sensation- The Senses
Fascination- Salute to Hollywood
Imagination- Legendary Symbols of Antiquity
Inspiration- Creative Spirits of the Arts
Elation- Muses who Inspire Artists
Paradise- Great Ocean Liners of the World

SPIRIT CLASS
Spirit- Famous Artistic Styles
Pride- Icons of Beauty
Legend- Legendary Figures
Miracle- Famous Fictional Characters


TRIUMPH CLASS
Triumph- Great Cities of the World
Victory- World’s Famous Bodies of Water

DESTINY CLASS
Destiny- Monumentality


CONQUEST CLASS
Conquest- Impressionists
Glory- Rainbow of Colors
Valor- Famous Heroes and Heroines
Liberty- Great Artisans and Artesian Wares
Freedom- Decades through the Centuries


SPLENDOR CLASS
Splendor- Splendid Things



DREAM CLASS not mentioned in the CD
Dream-
Magic-
Breeze-



NO LONGER IN CARNIVAL FLEET not mentioned in the CD
Mardi Gras-
Carnivale-
Festivale-
Tropicale-
Jubilee-
Holiday-
Celebration-

 

[daisyx3]

Just throwing this out there....if my first cruise next June is on the Horizon, will I be let down afterwards by the Dream class? The bummer would be no havana, so I'd have kids to deal with. But if I go spring break that year (2020), the Horizon is one too many days and the Vista goes to ports I've already seen. The ports on the Breeze would work, and I'd probably get a spa room.

 

[mevelandry]

Just throwing this out there....if my first cruise next June is on the Horizon, will I be let down afterwards by the Dream class? The bummer would be no havana, so I'd have kids to deal with. But if I go spring break that year (2020), the Horizon is one too many days and the Vista goes to ports I've already seen. The ports on the Breeze would work, and I'd probably get a spa room.

The Dream class have a lot of fans among the Carnival cruisers. They seem to be the most popular.

I have never stayed in Havana so I cannot compare (and I think those are two completely different categories anyway)...But I'm a big fan of Cloud 9 Spa cabins. I had one on the Vista and I booked one on the Sunshine for April 2019. I love that Cloud 9 Spa cabins have (sometimes) their own deck, usually close to the Serenity section (adults only). They give you 1 or 2 free yoga or pilates classes and a certain % off treatments. Also, all the amenities (spa access, the travel size Elemis products, the use of bathrobes & bath sheets and slippers in the cabin) scream comfort and relaxation to me.

The only downside is a 30 minutes sales pitch you'll get when they make you visit the spa for the first time... Super annoying, but worth it considering all that comes after that.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

https://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article213850534.html
This article talks about how the Panorama will not have any cruises before getting to California. So no TA or PC.

 

[mevelandry]

https://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article213850534.html
This article talks about how the Panorama will not have any cruises before getting to California. So no TA or PC.

Oh. So no more European cruises with Carnival. Ok. Got it.

However, why not explain the theme better or change it a bit like they apparently do in Australia?

 

[mevelandry]

Two digits are better than three.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Oh. So no more European cruises with Carnival. Ok. Got it.

However, why not explain the theme better or change it a bit like they apparently do in Australia?

I wouldn't say that Carnival will never sail Europe again but it's not a profitable area for them. Our 10 day Vista Med cruise was much less expensive than our latest Caribbean cruise. They don't have the name recognition or clout in Europe because they don't sail seasonally like all the other lines. There are 2 more new ships planned for 2020/2022 so fingers crossed.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I wouldn't say that Carnival will never sail Europe again but it's not a profitable area for them. Our 10 day Vista Med cruise was much less expensive than our latest Caribbean cruise. They don't have the name recognition or clout in Europe because they don't sail seasonally like all the other lines. There are 2 more new ships planned for 2020/2022 so fingers crossed.

I think so too. I am sure they will go back at some point, but just no plans right now. I read somewhere about a year ago that Americans are traveling less to Europe. If CCL does attract mostly Americans, that may be why they are putting Europe on the backburner for a bit. I had not really thought about it, but makes sense, because I do not think DCL can even fill their one ship in Europe lately. I noticed they have been offering EU citizen discounts on those cruises. Overall, the tone of that article was weird, but what I really thought was interesting was how they said that they are sailing the Panorama from Italy across the Pacific to Long Beach without customers. I am surprised about that route and the lack of customers! I keep thinking about the NCL Bliss and how they sailed her with customers from Europe to NYC and then through the PC to get to Alaska right away. I am surprised that CCL isn't taking that route.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Two digits are better than three.

View attachment 335092

I love seeing that. It really starts going quickly for me once you switch to double digits!

 

[mevelandry]

I love seeing that. It really starts going quickly for me once you switch to double digits!

Yes! I feel like it's going to happen for real!

 

[mevelandry]

Sunday Fun Day:

Want to share one of your fun memories from a Carnival cruise?

I may have shared mine before but I'll repeat it:

One night, during the Love and Marriage Show, our cruise director (Felipe), gave us the instruction to make a loud "buzzer sound" at the end of an announcement he would be making the next day (he gave us the time). The next day, we were in our cabin when the annoucement happened, and very disappointed to miss the opportunity as nobody would hear us...

However, as we were making the buzzer sound for ourselves (on cue), a guest in a cabin near ours decided to push the absurd humor further by opening his cabin door and screaming very loudly in the hallway before closing its door.

We still joke about it.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Sunday Fun Day:

Want to share one of your fun memories from a Carnival cruise?

I may have shared mine before but I'll repeat it:

One night, during the Love and Marriage Show, our cruise director (Felipe), gave us the instruction to make a loud "buzzer sound" at the end of an announcement he would be making the next day (he gave us the time). The next day, we were in our cabin when the annoucement happened, and very disappointed to miss the opportunity as nobody would hear us...

However, as we were making the buzzer sound for ourselves (on cue), a guest in a cabin near ours decided to push the absurd humor further by opening his cabin door and screaming very loudly in the hallway before closing its door.

We still joke about it.

Great idea! This one popped into my mind. The morning we left the Vista, over the loudspeaker, Matt said that he knew everyone had packed boxes of cereal and burritos in their bags. He was hysterical.

 

[RedSox68]

I just read that the Horizon just raised the most money for any Carnival ship for the Groove for St Jude, $27,500! The Captain has to “Walk the Plank” into the pool in his uniform because they raised over $20,000. This is something that is done on every Carnival shift for every sailing. I think that is so awesome. We did it on our Vista sailings and had an awesome time. View attachment 334538

We bought the St. Jude t-shirts, bracelets, etc. on our last cruise -- of the money going to St. Jude. It was great fun and they take great pride in their participation.

 

[mevelandry]

Great idea! This one popped into my mind. The morning we left the Vista, over the loudspeaker, Matt said that he knew everyone had packed boxes of cereal and burritos in their bags. He was hysterical.

OMG, the doggy bag filled with Pig & Anchor food I wish I could bring back home!!!

 

[belle032]

Carnival cruise is paid in full! Such a good feeling!

80 days to go!