CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[tinkerone]

While I have been asked if I want to purchase a wine package ONCE per cruise on DCL and there are ladies from the spa out, the major difference I have found with DCL is that once you say no if asked they leave you alone. And they are not jumping in your face with things like they were on RCCL. Literally last summer I had to ask three crew members on RCCL to please move so I could enter the buffet because they were completely blocking my way waving their whatever they were selling in my face.

You have been very lucky then as I don't think I have ever been asked only once for anything on DCL. On the first day everyone we encounter wants to sell us some type of package (water/wine), the CM's are all over the top deck asking. Also, I normally get the wine package question for the first two nights at dinner, the second night is usually a 'are you sure?' question. As I mentioned earlier they are often set up at each port selling water.
Your right, the spa ladies tend to hang out at the doors to the adult only area and hock their wares. Can't say they only ask once there either because when they are out, each time I leave and come back they ask again. Everyone is friendly but they are there.
So far I have only sailed on the Oasis once however I have not had any issues with pushy sales people. I just say no and move on, they don't follow me. Maybe I will see more when we go back. I'll still just say no and walk away.

 

[Dug720]

You have been very lucky then as I don't think I have ever been asked only once for anything on DCL. On the first day everyone we encounter wants to sell us some type of package (water/wine), the CM's are all over the top deck asking. Also, I normally get the wine package question for the first two nights at dinner, the second night is usually a 'are you sure?' question. As I mentioned earlier they are often set up at each port selling water.
Your right, the spa ladies tend to hang out at the doors to the adult only area and hock their wares. Can't say they only ask once there either because when they are out, each time I leave and come back they ask again. Everyone is friendly but they are there.
So far I have only sailed on the Oasis once however I have not had any issues with pushy sales people. I just say no and move on, they don't follow me. Maybe I will see more when we go back. I'll still just say no and walk away.

Could be because I don't hang out on the top deck I haven't experienced it. One advantage to not really being a pool person I guess. I have been asked the first night about a wine package, but one "No thanks. If I want it, i will order by the glass" has always sufficed. With the spa ladies, it may be that I just don't make eye contact. All the people selling stuff - or trying to get you to sign petitions - on the subway and streets of NYC and I have about perfected that art when I see potential sellers.

The sales pitches were horrible on the Brilliance in the Med this past summer - it was quite literally a gauntlet to get past the door and then to get into the Windjammer. From reports on Cruise Critic it has not improved - and those reports run the gamut of the RCCL fleet.

 

[Sanchez]

I have not cruised Carnival (zero desire thanks to their advertising), but I have cruised RCCL, and they do heavy sales with a gauntlet to get on the ship and/or into the buffet.

While I have been asked if I want to purchase a wine package ONCE per cruise on DCL and there are ladies from the spa out, the major difference I have found with DCL is that once you say no if asked they leave you alone. And they are not jumping in your face with things like they were on RCCL. Literally last summer I had to ask three crew members on RCCL to please move so I could enter the buffet because they were completely blocking my way waving their whatever they were selling in my face.

The only time they have tried to sell a picture package was when we were deciding which ones to get and had i think 8 pictures. But he left us alone to decide and did not hover like a vulture.

As said, all DCL smoking areas are outside. The only one that irks me is at least on the Dream class, the Deck 12 area is placed so that if you try to get to 13 via the stairs outside you have to walk through it. Other than that, they are pretty easily avoided.

While I think sales techniques are more aggressive on Royal, the above significantly embellishes the situation. There are no gauntlets and no one is jumping in your face. My experience was that the drink package was pushed by bartenders early in the cruise. If comparing to DCL, I would much prefer a bartender politely asking if I would prefer to purchase the drink package than a server cornering me with the "excellent" speech. That needs to stop.

 

[Dug720]

While I think sales techniques are more aggressive on Royal, the above significantly embellishes the situation. There are no gauntlets and no one is jumping in your face. My experience was that the drink package was pushed by bartenders early in the cruise. If comparing to DCL, I would much prefer a bartender politely asking if I would prefer to purchase the drink package than a server cornering me with the "excellent" speech. That needs to stop.

I'm glad you were right next to me last summer. They were lined up as you boarded and once they could be on both sides they were. And they were blocking the entrance to the Windjammer.

I have been happy with my 2 RCCL cruises and would consider them again. But the above WAS my experience on Brilliance last summer.

 

[cruiser21]

Please, guys... Let's not fight here.

Not fighting. It's just a valid question. Royal doesn't appeal to me so I don't go to the Royal boards. It would be pointless for me to post multiple times over there that I don't like their ships.

 

[mevelandry]

Not fighting. It's just a valid question. Royal doesn't appeal to me so I don't go to the Royal boards. It would be pointless for me to post multiple times over there that I don't like their ships.

Not pointing at anybody in particular.

I agree with your point of view + I used to be one who dissed CCL and RCCL strictly based on what I had seen while being docked in Nassau, before deciding to give CCL a chance... (and then ending up loving CCL)...

Now, I'm all in favor of "do not diss what you haven't tried" when it comes to travel, food and entertainment.

My new motto is "Open your heart and let the universe surprise you".

 

[mevelandry]

While I think sales techniques are more aggressive on Royal, the above significantly embellishes the situation. There are no gauntlets and no one is jumping in your face. My experience was that the drink package was pushed by bartenders early in the cruise. If comparing to DCL, I would much prefer a bartender politely asking if I would prefer to purchase the drink package than a server cornering me with the "excellent" speech. That needs to stop.

Ah, yes... The "excellent" speech. I've had that on both cruise lines but DCL was the worst.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

So after being momentarily swayed by the Wonder docking there as well, we are sticking with the Carnival Vista out of Galveston for Thanksgiving 2018. $3900 vs. $7300 is a no-brainer to me. There isn't that much free soda in the world!

 

[cruiser21]

Ah, yes... The "excellent" speech. I've had that on both cruise lines but DCL was the worst.

I only saw my room host once on the ship. My dining room host had been with the company for years on all the ships. He was really chill about everything. I actually did not get the excellent speech for the first time on a Disney cruise.

So after being momentarily swayed by the Wonder docking there as well, we are sticking with the Carnival Vista out of Galveston for Thanksgiving 2018. $3900 vs. $7300 is a no-brainer to me. There isn't that much free soda in the world!

Yikes!
I've never cruised DCL on a holiday week. We paid 3300 for four people the week after thanksgiving 2016. OGT rate out of Galveston. It's the best week of the year to get deals. We went to DL the same time one year and walked on every ride. You'll never get a break on DCL during a holiday.

 

[BCV23]

Not fighting. It's just a valid question. Royal doesn't appeal to me so I don't go to the Royal boards. It would be pointless for me to post multiple times over there that I don't like their ships.

Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL.

My DH took our DD on one Carnival cruise and they were not impressed. He told me I would not like Carnival. He didn't think it was as clean and the shows were so racy he was embarrassed to be there with our dd. One and done for our family. Different strokes and all that.

 

[mevelandry]

So after being momentarily swayed by the Wonder docking there as well, we are sticking with the Carnival Vista out of Galveston for Thanksgiving 2018. $3900 vs. $7300 is a no-brainer to me. There isn't that much free soda in the world!

Wait, you're saying you won't drink 1700 sodas* during your cruise?

(3400$ - at 2$/per soda)

 

[mevelandry]

Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL.

My DH took our DD on one Carnival cruise and they were not impressed. He told me I would not like Carnival. He didn't think it was as clean and the shows were so racy he was embarrassed to be there with our dd. One and done for our family. Different strokes and all that.

We have the permission from the admins for this thread since they won't open a category for Carnival and other cruise lines. It's doing well so far. Most people here are friendly and like DCL (although we tend to be a bit more "moderate" and a bit more critical of them than some others).

What ship was it? When? And what show? (We appreciate reviews --good or bad--, as long as there are details).

 

[cruiser21]

Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL.

My DH took our DD on one Carnival cruise and they were not impressed. He told me I would not like Carnival. He didn't think it was as clean and the shows were so racy he was embarrassed to be there with our dd. One and done for our family. Different strokes and all that.

That's fine. I have no problem with that. It's some people feel the need to say it over and over again. It's like ok we got it. I haven't seen anyone bashing DCL on this thread. Maybe some are a little put off by the prices, but that's about it.

 

[tinkerone]

Umm but this is the Disney Cruise Line Forum not the Carnival forum. Following your logic one might wonder why a few on this thread come here to bash DCL. .

That's pretty extreme, I don't think I have read anything from anyone 'bashing' DCL. There have been lots of opinions and thoughts but 'bashing'?
As someone who has discovered other cruise lines I'm happy to share what I have found and am thrilled to read what others have found. Comparison is good however what I like and what someone else likes could very well be polar opposites. That can be seen just in comments so its good to have two sides of the story, IMO.
It would be unfair for someone to say, for example, that other cruise lines nickel and dime without commenting that DCL does the same. Thats not 'bashing', that's a fact. Again, that's JMO. I hope the comparisons keep coming. I like reading about other options.

 

[tinkerone]

I know this thread is about Carnival however I thought I would toss out what I just looked at. I could have called for DCL rates opening day however, as I had no plans to book, I didn't want to waste a lot of time. Now that I can just go online and look I checked what the rates would be for DCL compared to our 2018 cruise aboard the new RCL ship the Symphony, which sets sail next year.
For the two weeks I have booked, last week of November and first week of December, the Fantasy would be $7316 U.S. ($10242 CND) for the cheapest veranda cabin, while the Symphony is $5454 CND for the two weeks. BIG difference, $4788. That will pay for flights, hotel stays, drink packages, extra meals, tips, excursions, I could go on and on but for sure I will have money in the bank! Being open minded pays.

 

[keaster]

I know this thread is about Carnival however I thought I would toss out what I just looked at. I could have called for DCL rates opening day however, as I had no plans to book, I didn't want to waste a lot of time. Now that I can just go online and look I checked what the rates would be for DCL compared to our 2018 cruise aboard the new RCL ship the Symphony, which sets sail next year.
For the two weeks I have booked, last week of November and first week of December, the Fantasy would be $7316 U.S. ($10242 CND) for the cheapest veranda cabin, while the Symphony is $5454 CND for the two weeks. BIG difference, $4788. That will pay for flights, hotel stays, drink packages, extra meals, tips, excursions, I could go on and on but for sure I will have money in the bank! Being open minded pays.

We are Canadian too, and with the lousy exchange rate, the amount of money added to the cost of a DCL cruise is ridiculous! We are gold on DCL but have been struggling to find a price that would allow us to sail again. I had booked the 7-night DCL Northern European cruise for August 2018 when it was released, but cancelled in favour of NCL which had a 9-night cruise (same itinerary, one extra port) for about $6000 less. I like that RCCL and NCL do pricing in Canadian dollars.

 

[mevelandry]

We are Canadian too, and with the lousy exchange rate, the amount of money added to the cost of a DCL cruise is ridiculous! We are gold on DCL but have been struggling to find a price that would allow us to sail again. I had booked the 7-night DCL Northern European cruise for August 2018 when it was released, but cancelled in favour of NCL which had a 9-night cruise (same itinerary, one extra port) for about $6000. I like that RCCL and NCL do pricing in Canadian dollars.

Yes! I love the canadian dollar pricing. My credit card takes a % every time I make a USD transaction... With RCCL, there is no conversion and no fees. I wish Carnival would do that too.

 

[cruiser21]

We are Canadian too, and with the lousy exchange rate, the amount of money added to the cost of a DCL cruise is ridiculous! We are gold on DCL but have been struggling to find a price that would allow us to sail again. I had booked the 7-night DCL Northern European cruise for August 2018 when it was released, but cancelled in favour of NCL which had a 9-night cruise (same itinerary, one extra port) for about $6000 less. I like that RCCL and NCL do pricing in Canadian dollars.

Didn't DCL used to have Canadian discounts? I guess they don't need to offer them anymore. Wait until the next market crash or bubble burst. All the discounts will be back again.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I had tried calling DCL when the Gold bookings opened but sat on hold for too long and I had to hang up to attend a meeting. Now checking the Panama Canal, the only accessible cabin I could find yesterday for 3 is Concierge - and that's way out of my range ($22,000). Today there is an oceanview accessible cabin available at $7300. I don't think that this cruise is in the cards via DCL - which is too bad because it's a cruise I really want to do and there is a great benefit to NOT having a casino on board for cruises with this many sea days.



And on the previous topic of selling - I will say that my recent Royal cruise, it was rough. They were everywhere and they were really hawking drink packages, specialty dining, and stuff (clothes, jewellery, bottled water). Every night on the promenade they were setting up extra tables to sell something. I had prebooked specialty dining and was still harassed to purchase more (and it did get to the point of harassment - I said no, we'd already booked and they still continued the hard sell - walking with us and not letting up). This is the only cruise I've experienced this really hard sell; it does seem to me that it's where Royal is headed and may be their new usual business.

On DCL we've been approved to buy bottled water, wine packages, pictures, specialty drinks (you notice how DCL does not list prices on their MDR menu for their 3 specialty drinks?) and of course light up cups for both adults and kids (on the deck and sitting in the MDR). I also found practically non stop ads for stuff on DCL - they aren't just selling dining and dodads, they are selling DVC, Adventures by Disney, and the Parks. We also had the hypnotist put in a 15 minute plug right before the end of his show to buy his book, dvd and/or cd. You didn't want to leave because you want to see the end, so you're pretty much captive during his shill.

I will say that on Carnival, I've not been approached to book specialty dining or a drink package. They have the tables set up but there's no push. We've had the roving waiters on day 1 trying to sell their DOD but I've seen that on every line (Carnival, Royal, Celebrity and Disney).

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Yikes!
I've never cruised DCL on a holiday week. We paid 3300 for four people the week after thanksgiving 2016. OGT rate out of Galveston. It's the best week of the year to get deals. We went to DL the same time one year and walked on every ride. You'll never get a break on DCL during a holiday.

I was also looking at the week after Thanksgiving on the Wonder. I'd love to take one more Disney cruise with the kids. About how far in advance did that rate come out? It might be worth it to pull them out of school for a week.