CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[lklgoodman]

Sorry if this is completely off-topic, but if you have any Southwest flights booked, check them. I got a notification in my Southwest app that I can change the dates/times of my flights for our January cruise at no charge. Looking at their social media page, it seems to be because of the ongoing Boeing issues and SW has removed them from service through February.

So this might only affect flights up until February, but if you're looking for a potential better flight during that time, check out your reservations!

Thanks for the info. We're flying with them in Jan. I just checked and saw that what we have are still the best times. I'm glad we won't be on one for our upcoming flight. We had flown on a Max for our last cruise, but didn't know about it's problems at the time. I don't know if I will want to fly on one even when they come back to service. I'm going to install the SW app, I haven't gotten an email or text about the info, so looks like the app is the best way of getting it. Thanks again for posting!

Edit to add, I hope what I'm thinking is wrong. I know for our flights there were over 20 different flights I could choose from, both going to MCO and also for coming home. We fly out of Columbus, Ohio, so not a big airport. That's a lot of choices, with quite a bit being direct flights. Do you think they may wait to see what flights most people cancel tickets on, and then SW will cancel those flights???? I hope not, we got REALLY great times. Direct flight at 9am the day before, last 3 cruises we had to go at 6am. Coming home we leave at 1:30, this is several hours earlier than we usually get. We live an hour from the airport, so getting home late afternoon/early evening is great!!! I hope they don't cancel our flights because they don't have enough people booked on them.

 

[pspookyc]

On Carnival, the cruise director welcomes people when they embark the ship (and say goodbye when people disembark) and host tons of activities, they make announcements all the time (inserting jokes here and there), they introduce shows, they host game shows, etc.

Some of them are almost considered like superstars among the cruise line.

There is also another person (forgot the title) who will introduce comedians at comedy shows, host games, bingo and trivia that you might end up seeing a lot. When they are really good, they can become Cruise Directors at some point.

We had Mike Pack as CD on the Horizon, and he was everywhere, extremely approachable and a lot of fun.

 

[belle032]

Thanks for the info. We're flying with them in Jan. I just checked and saw that what we have are still the best times. I'm glad we won't be on one for our upcoming flight. We had flown on a Max for our last cruise, but didn't know about it's problems at the time. I don't know if I will want to fly on one even when they come back to service. I'm going to install the SW app, I haven't gotten an email or text about the info, so looks like the app is the best way of getting it. Thanks again for posting!

Edit to add, I hope what I'm thinking is wrong. I know for our flights there were over 20 different flights I could choose from, both going to MCO and also for coming home. We fly out of Columbus, Ohio, so not a big airport. That's a lot of choices, with quite a bit being direct flights. Do you think they may wait to see what flights most people cancel tickets on, and then SW will cancel those flights???? I hope not, we got REALLY great times. Direct flight at 9am the day before, last 3 cruises we had to go at 6am. Coming home we leave at 1:30, this is several hours earlier than we usually get. We live an hour from the airport, so getting home late afternoon/early evening is great!!! I hope they don't cancel our flights because they don't have enough people booked on them.

You're welcome! But no, I didn't think of that! But now that you explain it that way, it sounds like something they might be moving towards.

I didn't end up changing flights because we got an early morning direct flight from Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale and flying out of Buffalo in the winter is already iffy enough. I thought early morning would be our best shot out just in case we got delayed. So I really hope it's not cancelled. If we're delayed on the way home, it's still irritating, but at least it's not like we're in jeopardy of missing a cruise ship!

 

[lklgoodman]

You're welcome! But no, I didn't think of that! But now that you explain it that way, it sounds like something they might be moving towards.

I didn't end up changing flights because we got an early morning direct flight from Buffalo to Ft. Lauderdale and flying out of Buffalo in the winter is already iffy enough. I thought early morning would be our best shot out just in case we got delayed. So I really hope it's not cancelled. If we're delayed on the way home, it's still irritating, but at least it's not like we're in jeopardy of missing a cruise ship!

Yep, we always get on the first direct flight out also. So far we've never had a cancelled flight leaving for a cruise. Last Jan. when we arrived back to PC at the end of the cruise a huge snow storm had hit a large section of the country. They announced this and told everyone to check flights since airports were closing/cancelling flights. Our flight was cancelled but we were able to get on new ones. I was hoping we'd be stranded in Florida for several days, but we weren't so lucky. I was so glad we weren't on the cruise after ours. I'm sure there were people who weren't able to get to PC because of the snowstorm. We get snow in Ohio, but nothing like you get in Buffalo.

 

[mevelandry]

We love Central Park. In the evening we sit out and watch the people stroll by. There's soft music playing, sometimes a string quartet. You can hear crickets chirping (piped in of course). Twinkling lights. Sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine in the evening is my favorite thing. I like them better than the ocean view cabins but that's a personal thing.
We also tried the Boardwalk balconies but didn't love them.

This sounds pretty amazing. I already showed my husband pictures and he said that cruising on one of those beasts is definitely part of the plans in the future.

 

[mevelandry]

We had Mike Pack as CD on the Horizon, and he was everywhere, extremely approachable and a lot of fun.

I haven't had the pleasure to sail with Mike Pack but we had Kevin Donohue as a CD and he was absolutely fantastic.

 

[mcd2745]

We had Mike Pack as CD on the Horizon, and he was everywhere, extremely approachable and a lot of fun.

We had Mike as well. I don't know where he gets the energy. He was literally everywhere and hosted everything. Best CD I've seen on any cruise line.

 

[tidefan]

I haven't had the pleasure to sail with Mike Pack but we had Kevin Donohue as a CD and he was absolutely fantastic.

We had Jamie Dee. She was incredible. By far the best CD we've ever had. I'd say the second best was Alex on Regal Princess (though I think he's transferred to Sky Princess)...

Now, on the Serenade, we had a husband/wife team that was the worst we've ever had...

 

[belle032]

I see John Heald just announced the Carnival Freedom will be sailing from Seattle for 7 Day Alaska itineraries starting in April 2021.

Alaska is on our 2021 list and happy to see CCL adding another ship there. However, still very open to other cruise lines for this one. I've heard Princess & NCL are great options for these itineraries!

 

[mcd2745]

I see John Heald just announced the Carnival Freedom will be sailing from Seattle for 7 Day Alaska itineraries starting in April 2021.

Alaska is on our 2021 list and happy to see CCL adding another ship there. However, still very open to other cruise lines for this one. I've heard Princess & NCL are great options for these itineraries!

We've only done Alaska once - on DCL. It was amazing and we will definitely do it again someday (not sure when as it's a big trip from NY).

I've also heard Princess is great for Alaska. I believe they typically carry the most number of passengers in Alaska each year. However, I could definitely recommend NCL Bliss for Alaska. We were on the Bliss in February (Eastern Caribbean), and it was clear how it was designed and built with sailing Alaska in mind. The Observation Lounge is an incredible space and must be great for sailing in Alaska.

 

[lklgoodman]

We've also done an Alaskan cruise on DCL in 2014. We went with extended family to celebrate my IL's 50th wedding anniversary. I'd love to do another some day. We also loved it, but I would go on another line if we were to go it again. Our dd was too young to do a lot of the more adventurous excursions. I'd want to pay less on the cruise and pay more for the excursions if we were to do it again.

 

[belle032]

We've only done Alaska once - on DCL. It was amazing and we will definitely do it again someday (not sure when as it's a big trip from NY).

I've also heard Princess is great for Alaska. I believe they typically carry the most number of passengers in Alaska each year. However, I could definitely recommend NCL Bliss for Alaska. We were on the Bliss in February (Eastern Caribbean), and it was clear how it was designed and built with sailing Alaska in mind. The Observation Lounge is an incredible space and must be great for sailing in Alaska.

My mom actually sailed on the NCL Bliss to Alaska last year and she raved about it (and she is NOT a cold weather person! ) Said it was probably the prettiest ship she had been on and loved the Observation Deck. Did complain about the go-kart track and how it was a waste of space, especially in Alaska, but she highly recommend the ship itself and Alaska in general. I will definitely be looking into the ship when we decide to book.

My BIL & SIL are sailing on the Emerald Princess in August to Alaska for their honeymoon, so will be very interested to hear their opinion. They came with us when we got married on our cruise in 2017 and at the end of the trip, told us how they preferred all-inclusive resorts to cruising and didn't see themselves cruising again....so not quite sure what we'll get from them!

 

[lklgoodman]

My mom actually sailed on the NCL Bliss to Alaska last year and she raved about it (and she is NOT a cold weather person! ) Said it was probably the prettiest ship she had been on and loved the Observation Deck. Did complain about the go-kart track and how it was a waste of space, especially in Alaska, but she highly recommend the ship itself and Alaska in general. I will definitely be looking into the ship when we decide to book.

My BIL & SIL are sailing on the Emerald Princess in August to Alaska for their honeymoon, so will be very interested to hear their opinion. They came with us when we got married on our cruise in 2017 and at the end of the trip, told us how they preferred all-inclusive resorts to cruising and didn't see themselves cruising again....so not quite sure what we'll get from them!

That's funny that they said they prefer a land trip, yet chose a cruise for their honeymoon. We did our honeymoon on the DCL Magic back in 2001. We found out we were one of the three couples on the ship without kids. Apparently DCL wasn't as popular with people without kids back then as it is now. Serenity Bay was like having our own beach! I didn't know NCL had ships with go carts, my dd would love that!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We did the Wonder in Alaska in 2018 and agree with others, I will do a different line when we go back. One of my business partners did the Royal Princess in August and lived it. It was his first cruise and said it was the best vacation of his life.

If I was to go back there soon, I’d definitely be on Bliss. I know a couple of people who sailed her earlier this year and they were very impressed. These are ladies who have a crap ton of money and typically sail Regent or Silver Seas or whatever the high end line is. They thought Bliss was gorgeous and the food was excellent.

 

[mcd2745]

That's funny that they said they prefer a land trip, yet chose a cruise for their honeymoon. We did our honeymoon on the DCL Magic back in 2001. We found out we were one of the three couples on the ship without kids. Apparently DCL wasn't as popular with people without kids back then as it is now. Serenity Bay was like having our own beach! I didn't know NCL had ships with go carts, my dd would love that!

We did the DCL Wonder for out 1st anniversary back in 2000. I don't know how many couples without kids there were, but i know it was at least 3 since were put at a table with 2 others in the MDRs (both of which were on their honeymoon - one of which was actually a couple of seniors).

The go carts can be hit or miss. Others enjoyed it, but we had a bad experience. They let about 8 karts go at a time. Unfortunately for us, we were with 4 young kids who had no clue how to drive at all (I've been at go kart tracks where some young kids drive better than adults). The karts are all electronic and can be controlled remotely by the staff. So each time someone (like these kids who couldn't drive) spun out, or got stuck, the worker who stands in the center of the track with a big remote control would shut everyone's kart off until they straightened out whoever was stuck. I don't think I ever made a full lap without being shut down. Very frustrating. I think if you have a full group of 8 who know what they are doing, it would be fun.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Also, do have any opinions of Half Moon Cay vs CocoCay? (Sorry so many questions).
I am not very fond of Castaway Cay. There isn't much to do and the snorkeling is terrible.

If you do not like CC, you might not like HMC. It is a beautiful beach and feels to me a bit like a deserted island. We love it, but that’s our style. We have not been to Coco cay, but it definitely sounds like it has more activity.

Also, the cruise director on Carnival reminds me of a really effective camp counselor who rallies everyone in a way I did not think I could be rallied. Lol. We are tame, barely drink, spend a lot of time on the ship reading, but the cruise directors on carnival reach even the “boring” guests. They along with the comedians on Carnival are hysterical and will have you laughing the entire cruise.

 

[tidefan]

My BIL & SIL are sailing on the Emerald Princess in August to Alaska for their honeymoon, so will be very interested to hear their opinion. They came with us when we got married on our cruise in 2017 and at the end of the trip, told us how they preferred all-inclusive resorts to cruising and didn't see themselves cruising again....so not quite sure what we'll get from them!

You may want to compare Royal Princess vs. Emerald Princess. Emerald is from the older Grand+ class of ship, whereas the Royal Princess is the new Royal class of ship (Royal/Regal/Sky/Majestic/Enchanted). We took Emerald to Alaska a couple of years ago, and while she is a perfectly fine ship, we took the Regal earlier this year (and will again in a few weeks!) and we found it better in a number of ways (especially the buffet was infinitely better and also the Royal class has the included Alfredo's pizzeria whereas the Emerald does not).

 

[tidefan]

Also, I am going again on Regal Princess next month , so if anyone wants specific pictures, info, or answers to any questions, just let me know!

 

[mevelandry]

We're going on another cruise right after the Christmas holidays... Not gonna lie, while cruising 3 times within the same year is absolutely awesome, our budget is tight tight tight!

The fact that at that time of the year, plane tickets to go from Canada to Florida are expensive (think 150$ CND more pp) sure doesn't help!

 

[mevelandry]

Out of subject but worth mentioning: A friend of my husband's godchild is very sick (He got diagnosed with brain cancer around the age of two and was treated in Jacksonville). Unfortunately, Jacksville won't take him back but St.Jude in Memphis will take him. He'll receive proton therapy treatments there.

I know Carnival does a lot for St. Jude and I tought that it was worth mentioning that the money you gave/give to St. Jude just by cruising with Carnival is actually gonna indirectly benefit someone in our entourage and a brave and amazing little boy.