CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

So excited for you, those panoramic rooms are awesome! Can hardly wait to hear about it!!!

Will try to post pictures when we get there.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

You must like Montreal and Quebec City. People disembark in the best area of both cities.

We are departing from Montreal. (It’s where we live).

Glad to hear you do not have to travel far to get to your cruise... even better! Unfortunately, I have not been to Montreal, just Quebec City. I drove there with friends from New York years ago and it was beautiful. We have not left from either port but will eventually get there.

 

[belle032]

We have sailed from New Orleans twice before. We don't particularly care for the city. We aren't into drinking and partying so not really our scene. Plus it's dirty, smelly and has a really huge homeless problem. The best thing about it is sailing down the Mississippi. That is really neat.

My sister-in-law just returned from a work trip in New Orleans. Honestly, she pretty much said everything you did. She had fun, said the food was awesome and the WW2 Museum is absolutely amazing, but she doesn't care to go back.

DH & I love the "darker" side of cities, so I think we would be really interested in the paranormal/ghost/voodoo aspect of New Orleans. Seeing the French Quarter, trying some yummy food, shopping a bit, and getting a few cocktails would be fun too. But it sounds like a 1-2 days would be more than enough for us.

Happy to hear the port itself and sailing away is very nice. So I think pairing it with a cruise would be a good way to go.

 

[mevelandry]

Glad to hear you do not have to travel far to get to your cruise... even better! Unfortunately, I have not been to Montreal, just Quebec City. I drove there with friends from New York years ago and it was beautiful. We have not left from either port but will eventually get there.

Montreal has been under major constructions for the last 2 years. However, it will be very nice when everything is done.

 

[mevelandry]

My sister-in-law just returned from a work trip in New Orleans. Honestly, she pretty much said everything you did. She had fun, said the food was awesome and the WW2 Museum is absolutely amazing, but she doesn't care to go back.

DH & I love the "darker" side of cities, so I think we would be really interested in the paranormal/ghost/voodoo aspect of New Orleans. Seeing the French Quarter, trying some yummy food, shopping a bit, and getting a few cocktails would be fun too. But it sounds like a 1-2 days would be more than enough for us.

Happy to hear the port itself and sailing away is very nice. So I think pairing it with a cruise would be a good way to go.

I wonder if they have some "Haunted Tours" like we have in Montreal? :O

 

[trvlgirlmq]

View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.View attachment 441974

Great view

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Great view

Loews Hotel 21st Floor! I highly recommend.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.View attachment 441974

I’m very excited to hear about your cruise when you return, please let us know how it went.

 

[mevelandry]

View from our room in New Orleans; Carnival Glory (not our ship). Can’t wait to board the Valor tomorrow.View attachment 441974

Have a great cruise!!!

 

[wilafur]

I wonder if they have some "Haunted Tours" like we have in Montreal? :O

Yup, there are a bunch of haunted tours to choose from while visiting NO. We did a haunted walking tour through the French Quarter and it was a blast.

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

We bet on all three. Now, the bets were all in Canadian Money but if we make the change in USD, the minimum bid for those were, Promenade View 40$ USD/pp, Ocean View 40$ USD/pp and Verandah 100$ USD/pp. You don’t lose any money if your offer is rejected...

Are those bids per person, per DAY? Or just per person?

 

[mevelandry]

Are those bids per person, per DAY? Or just per person?

The "added" rate per person for the whole cruise.

Ex: Let's say we paid 300$/pp, we ended up paying 340$/pp ...

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

The "added" rate per person for the whole cruise.

Ex: Let's say we paid 300$/pp, we ended up paying 340$/pp ...

wow! Now I’m feeling even more priced out of DCL. We need to bite the bullet and try another line.

 

[mevelandry]

wow! Now I’m feeling even more priced out of DCL. We need to bite the bullet and try another line.

I'd recommend it. Worst case scenario, it will make you realize that you're really more satisfied with DCL. Best case scenario, you'll fall in love with a new cruise line and you'll save a lot of money.

DH and I realized with time that we liked the cruising part more than the Mouse. Now we are ready to miss out on a thing or two to pay only half the DCL prices (and it gives us more money for add-ons).

 

[mevelandry]

Guys, we are currently leaving the Marriott Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel...

This hotel is a great value (cheaper than the Hyatt) and the service is Disneyesque here. Plus they have little freebies like Gatorade G2 in the gym, bottles of water, free wifi in the lobby and in the room... (And somehow, we ended up with free continental breakfast which was great.) They have a nice pool and a jacuzzi. A restaurant, a bar and a coffee place with gigantic cinnamon buns...

Good place. We slept like babies. Liked it very much.

If you need a good hotel in Orlando before a cruise, I recommend it. It's just a 7 min ride from the Airport.

 

[lklgoodman]

Guys, we are currently leaving the Marriott Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel...

This hotel is a great value (cheaper than the Hyatt) and the service is Disneyesque here. Plus they have little freebies like Gatorade G2 in the gym, bottles of water, free wifi in the lobby and in the room... (And somehow, we ended up with free continental breakfast which was great.) They have a nice pool and a jacuzzi. A restaurant, a bar and a coffee place with gigantic cinnamon buns...

Good place. We slept like babies. Liked it very much.

If you need a good hotel in Orlando before a cruise, I recommend it. It's just a 7 min ride from the Airport.

That's the hotel we're staying in before our next cruise in Jan. Glad to hear you liked it. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

My current view! We had a rocky start when we had to return to New Orleans 9 hours after departing for a medical emergency. I’ll say emergency lightly because some idiot overindulged in alcohol and “fell” from deck 10 onto deck 9. Stupid is as stupid does. We arrived only 3 hours late to Cozumel. Kudos to the captain for making up so much time.

 

[mevelandry]

Ok, I am currently on the Mariner of the Seas and you have a new RCCL fan in the house.

 

[lklgoodman]

Ok, I am currently on the Mariner of the Seas and you have a new RCCL fan in the house.

Can't wait to read your review. Our neighbors LOVE Disney and have done lots of Disney cruises. They did a RCCL cruise this summer and said they will never sail DCL again. Not sure which ship they were on, just know it was one of the really big ones with all the fun stuff.