CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[we"reofftoneverland]

Your words were that Jamaica should not be picky about the tourist they receive even if those potential tourist are carriers of an illness that could devastate the island implies something that you probably didn't mean to imply but did so yes it's offensive.

Lol. You do understand that I was responding to a post that said that carnival ships were being targeted for being carnival ships, not for having Coronavirus? If that is not what I was responding to, then there is a misunderstanding. Obviously if there is Coronavirus on a ship, ports should exercise caution, especially ports that do not have the ability to protect their local population because of lack of infrastructure. My response was also tongue in cheek— a joke. I feel like you are desperately looking for a reason to be offended. It must be exhausting.

 

[mevelandry]

Was it your first Carnival cruise? I think you might enjoy the appearance of the new ships more. (I sure did!)

 

[wombat_5606]

Was it your first Carnival cruise? I think you might enjoy the appearance of the new ships more. (I sure did!)

It wasn't my first, but the last one was 2001.

Yes, I think I will try one of the new ships but I do like to keep the number of passengers down below 3500. Do you know off the top of your head which ship would fit that criteria? I'll do my own research, but just if you have a suggestion, let me know.

 

[belle032]

It wasn't my first, but the last one was 2001.

Yes, I think I will try one of the new ships but I do like to keep the number of passengers down below 3500. Do you know off the top of your head which ship would fit that criteria? I'll do my own research, but just if you have a suggestion, let me know.

The Dream class should fit that requirement, which would be the Magic, Dream & Breeze ships. I believe the Breeze is the highest rated ship in the fleet in terms of passenger reviews. We actually got married on the Carnival Magic and felt it was a much prettier ship in terms of decor. More subdued at least!

I could be off, but I *think* the Vista & Horizon are around 4,000 passengers.

 

[smmco]

Lol. You do understand that I was responding to a post that said that carnival ships were being targeted for being carnival ships, not for having Coronavirus? If that is not what I was responding to, then there is a misunderstanding. Obviously if there is Coronavirus on a ship, ports should exercise caution, especially ports that do not have the ability to protect their local population because of lack of infrastructure. My response was also tongue in cheek— a joke. I feel like you are desperately looking for a reason to be offended. It must be exhausting.

I think it's a millennial thing. If they can't find something to be offended by nothing is right in the world.

 

[mevelandry]

It wasn't my first, but the last one was 2001.

Yes, I think I will try one of the new ships but I do like to keep the number of passengers down below 3500. Do you know off the top of your head which ship would fit that criteria? I'll do my own research, but just if you have a suggestion, let me know.

The Radiance (2800 passengers capacity). It's not new but is currently being reimagined. It was already awesome (as the Victory) before that. I think you might like it.

 

[mevelandry]

Ok, I'm not sure how valid this is but I saw someone on Reddit saying that people are cancelling their cruises so much that they could get very very affordable upgrades... And sometimes upgrades + refund!

 

[belle032]

Ok, I'm not sure how valid this is but I saw someone on Reddit saying that people are cancelling their cruises so much that they could get very very affordable upgrades... And sometimes upgrades + refund!

I'm seeing that in some FB groups as well. Seems like lots of room upgrades are being offered. And a lot of people doing mock bookings to see their cruise price is much lower now. And I think that results in refunds and/or OBC. Some people are posting that they have hundreds in OBC now!

Also, I've been on the NCL website like every night *this close* to putting a deposit down on our Alaskan cruise. I don't know why I can't just do it! It even includes 5 "free" offers, a room price discount and 2-for-1 deposits. I think it's because I haven't put down our WDW deposit yet as I'm trying to hold out for some kind of late Fall room discount. And Southwest flights don't release til next week...*sigh*. So many first-world vacation problems!

 

[mevelandry]

I'm seeing that in some FB groups as well. Seems like lots of room upgrades are being offered. And a lot of people doing mock bookings to see their cruise price is much lower now. And I think that results in refunds and/or OBC. Some people are posting that they have hundreds in OBC now!

Also, I've been on the NCL website like every night *this close* to putting a deposit down on our Alaskan cruise. I don't know why I can't just do it! It even includes 5 "free" offers, a room price discount and 2-for-1 deposits. I think it's because I haven't put down our WDW deposit yet as I'm trying to hold out for some kind of late Fall room discount. And Southwest flights don't release til next week...*sigh*. So many first-world vacation problems!

There's no refund if you book right now?

 

[StarSeven7]

I'm seeing that in some FB groups as well. Seems like lots of room upgrades are being offered. And a lot of people doing mock bookings to see their cruise price is much lower now. And I think that results in refunds and/or OBC. Some people are posting that they have hundreds in OBC now!

Also, I've been on the NCL website like every night *this close* to putting a deposit down on our Alaskan cruise. I don't know why I can't just do it! It even includes 5 "free" offers, a room price discount and 2-for-1 deposits. I think it's because I haven't put down our WDW deposit yet as I'm trying to hold out for some kind of late Fall room discount. And Southwest flights don't release til next week...*sigh*. So many first-world vacation problems!

On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!

 

[belle032]

There's no refund if you book right now?

I'm not sure how it works with NCL as I'm so unfamiliar with it. I'll check into their policies though!

On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!

Wow that's a lot! It definitely wasn't that much for DH & I, maybe a couple hundred? I know it it definitely less than what we would typically pay for an alcohol package, which we always purchase. So for us it's worth that extra money. But I can see how it isn't if you weren't going to buy it anyway. Luckily, I did notice that you could remove the drink package and the specialty dining option if you chose to.

 

[mevelandry]

On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!

That is not normal. Did you talk to someone? I'm adding the free package for 5 nights and it's just 265$ (CAD) for 2 adults total that they add to our bill.

 

[StarSeven7]

That is not normal. Did you talk to someone? I'm adding the free package for 5 nights and it's just 265$ (CAD) for 2 adults total that they add to our bill.

No, I’m not really looking at it seriously but I thought that was crazy! I can see charging more for adults but for kids who can’t drink alcohol? Ridiculous!

 

[StarSeven7]

I'm not sure how it works with NCL as I'm so unfamiliar with it. I'll check into their policies though!



Wow that's a lot! It definitely wasn't that much for DH & I, maybe a couple hundred? I know it it definitely less than what we would typically pay for an alcohol package, which we always purchase. So for us it's worth that extra money. But I can see how it isn't if you weren't going to buy it anyway. Luckily, I did notice that you could remove the drink package and the specialty dining option if you chose to.

Yeah, if I ever booked with them I would remove the “free” drink package and pay out of pocket! We Probably spent less than $1200 total on the ship on our DCL cruise and that included an excursion for 4 of us, lots of souvenirs, and some splurging on drinks!!!

 

[mevelandry]

No, I’m not really looking at it seriously but I thought that was crazy! I can see charging more for adults but for kids who can’t drink alcohol? Ridiculous!

(Side note: I honestly think that's a bug in the system.)

OMG. Seriously... Call the agent assigned to your reservation...

I just called mine and he pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

I got ALL the freebies for just a few dollars more than what the tips for the drink package was supposed to be!

 

[StarSeven7]

(Side note: I honestly think that's a bug in the system.)

OMG. Seriously... Call the agent assigned to your reservation...

I just called mine and he pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

I got ALL the freebies for just a few dollars more than what the tips for the drink package was supposed to be!

Good to know that's not normal! I knew they charged tips on the free drinks package but that seemed crazy to me. Like I said, I'm not looking seriously right now, just looking at possible options for next summer. Not even sure if we want to do a cruise but I like to look at options!

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Just received an email from Princess that we can cancel our upcoming cruise no questions and get a 100% refund in the form of a cruise credit. If we do not cancel we get $200 on board credit per cabin as a thank you. Applies to all cruises from March 9- May 31, 2020. They must have so many people canceling. Crazy time for the cruise industry.

 

[hdrolfe]

Looks like Carnival is following Princess with an offer if you sail before May 31st. It's on John Heald's facebook, sorry I can't copy at work. Looks overall like a good deal if you choose to cancel. But I don't think it's a full refund, just future cruise credits.

 

[lilsonicfan]

On a side note, I was just looking at the NCL site and pricing out cruises and some of those “free” offers are ridiculous! I added “free” drinks to a cruise for my family of 4 (kids are 10 and 6) and the pricing increased $1200!!! We couldn’t drink $1200 worth of drinks in a week if we tried!

NCL used to charge gratuities on the open bar package only for the first two in the room, so the open bar was only good for 2 people. Now, I've noticed that the open bar applies to everyone when you are adding it as a free offer, so they charge gratuities for everyone, and it is a ridiculous price depending on the length of the cruise. Also, it seems insane to charge the same gratuities for kids as you do for adults when kids are clearly not eligible for the "full" open bar package. I haven't looked into how they price their crazy drink packages as I assume they may have decided to just charge everyone the same whether you have an alcoholic drink package or a non-alcoholic drink package. I price out NCL cruises frequently and NEVER take the drink package, I definitely don't drink enough to make up the crazy cost.

 

[StarSeven7]

NCL used to charge gratuities on the open bar package only for the first two in the room, so the open bar was only good for 2 people. Now, I've noticed that the open bar applies to everyone when you are adding it as a free offer, so they charge gratuities for everyone, and it is a ridiculous price depending on the length of the cruise. Also, it seems insane to charge the same gratuities for kids as you do for adults when kids are clearly not eligible for the "full" open bar package. I haven't looked into how they price their crazy drink packages as I assume they may have decided to just charge everyone the same whether you have an alcoholic drink package or a non-alcoholic drink package. I price out NCL cruises frequently and NEVER take the drink package, I definitely don't drink enough to make up the crazy cost.

Exactly! I can see a few hundred dollars being worth it for an adult but for a kid? No way!