CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

Waiting on some sort of cancellation/announcement for our Alaskan sailing, but in other news, we'll officially be at WDW from 3/28-4/3! Yay something to look forward to!

So Lucky!

We’ve been on lockdown (for the 2nd time) since December 16 and can’t really travel out of the country. But we need a getaway. So we’re going to go lockdown in a deluxe suite, drinking champagne in a jacuzzi for 2 days.

 

[belle032]

Make sure your phone has the correct time down to the millisecond. I set the timer on my iPad so I would know when to hit the join button on my phone. I was afraid I’d start day dreaming or get distracted. It was probably the most stressful thing about our last trip.

It's crazy how stressful this one single this is...and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan! I think I'd just be super bummed if we didn't get to experience it.

Do you recommend both my husband and I trying at the same time or will that mess it up?

 

[DCLMP]

It's crazy how stressful this one single this is...and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan! I think I'd just be super bummed if we didn't get to experience it.

Do you recommend both my husband and I trying at the same time or will that mess it up?

I don’t know if it will mess it up or not. I was the only one that tried. It’s an amazing ride we’ll worth the stress.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

When I cancelled our European cruise last Summer I splurged on a one bedroom Villa at Riviera. I don't know how you do normally do WDW, but there are ways to make it as relaxing a cruise vacation

We love the family suites at Art of Animation and booked that for this trip. I have to say, I’m super excited about going on the Skyliner to Epcot and HS!!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I don’t know if it will mess it up or not. I was the only one that tried. It’s an amazing ride we’ll worth the stress.

I think I need to do some homework and figure out what y’all are talking about. I know of the attraction but apparently I don’t know how or when to book it. Luckily, I have a little bit of time to get it figured out.

 

[DCLMP]

I think I need to do some homework and figure out what y’all are talking about. I know of the attraction but apparently I don’t know how or when to book it. Luckily, I have a little bit of time to get it figured out.

7am on the app. Don't worry you have 10 seconds to succeed or fail.

 

[mevelandry]

Hey, guys... My husband and I were looking to find a getaway for Easter week-end 2022 and couldn’t find any short cruise we didn’t already do... But you have inspired us!

We are going to book a Disney Springs getaway! Probably going to book a Disney Springs Hotel (cute and usually less expensive than Disney‘s resorts, this way we can put more money on good restaurants and entertainment)... This should be fun!

 

[hdrolfe]

I'm looking at booking the Pride out of Rome (or whatever the port there is called) to the Greek Isles for October 2022. Assuming by then things will be more normal. Has anyone cruised on a Spirit Class? I'd likely just get an inside cabin since it's so port intensive. I'm also looking at NCL Escape which is in August and has slightly different ports. It also costs more, and I'd be booking a guarantee cabin so none of the bonuses they are currently offering.

I've been reading cruise reviews and saw a few on Mediterranean cruises that sparked my interest. Talked to my son and he was ok with the idea of more tours, less beaches.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I'm looking at booking the Pride out of Rome (or whatever the port there is called) to the Greek Isles for October 2022. Assuming by then things will be more normal. Has anyone cruised on a Spirit Class? I'd likely just get an inside cabin since it's so port intensive. I'm also looking at NCL Escape which is in August and has slightly different ports. It also costs more, and I'd be booking a guarantee cabin so none of the bonuses they are currently offering.

I've been reading cruise reviews and saw a few on Mediterranean cruises that sparked my interest. Talked to my son and he was ok with the idea of more tours, less beaches.

I have not been on a Spirit Class ship, but from what I’ve read they are super popular and people tend to love them. If you want to do an inside cabin, I would recommend an obstructed view inside. They are considered inside cabins but have French doors that open to nowhere and your view is of the bottom of the lifeboats. From what I’ve read they are great cabins, if I ever go on a Spirit Class, (which I really hope I do), that is what I’ll be booking.

 

[Hegemon]

It's crazy how stressful this one single this is...and I'm not even a huge Star Wars fan! I think I'd just be super bummed if we didn't get to experience it.

Do you recommend both my husband and I trying at the same time or will that mess it up?

We did it in December and got boarding group 40. I had the Disney app open in one hand and time.gov open in the other (on my wife's phone). I hit the button at the very moment that 0700 hit. Keep wifi and location services off (they can impede data transfer).

Also, give it a couple dry runs in the days prior to get in the rhythm...they'll let you see if you get a boarding group but won't let you actually reserve it until it's your day in the park. Good luck!

 

[hdrolfe]

I have not been on a Spirit Class ship, but from what I’ve read they are super popular and people tend to love them. If you want to do an inside cabin, I would recommend an obstructed view inside. They are considered inside cabins but have French doors that open to nowhere and your view is of the bottom of the lifeboats. From what I’ve read they are great cabins, if I ever go on a Spirit Class, (which I really hope I do), that is what I’ll be booking.

I found those when I was looking! I wasn't sure if they are good or not, I mean they mostly seem to see the lifeboats. And I believe they were changed to windows instead of french doors on the Pride during it's last update. But, it might still be nice to have the sunshine. I'm so tempted to book it. Even if kiddo would have to miss two weeks of school... that's if we don't end up homeschooling again any way. I do think it would be amazingly educational to be in those places, Rome! The ports are really nice. If we look to the summer months we would go on NCL, or we'd do British Isles I guess, which does look nice but not as fascinating to me. I was obsessed with ancient Greece and Rome when I was (much) younger.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I found those when I was looking! I wasn't sure if they are good or not, I mean they mostly seem to see the lifeboats. And I believe they were changed to windows instead of french doors on the Pride during it's last update. But, it might still be nice to have the sunshine. I'm so tempted to book it. Even if kiddo would have to miss two weeks of school... that's if we don't end up homeschooling again any way. I do think it would be amazingly educational to be in those places, Rome! The ports are really nice. If we look to the summer months we would go on NCL, or we'd do British Isles I guess, which does look nice but not as fascinating to me. I was obsessed with ancient Greece and Rome when I was (much) younger.

Yes, the doors are now windows so they don't open but do let in light. We are booked on the July 2022 British Isles to replace our cancelled 2021 cruise. We do prefer the Med as the weather is much better but this is DS's graduation trip and he really wanted to go to London and Scotland and Ireland.

We did the Med in 2016 and it is our favorite trip to date. The ports and sites are fabulous. If you do this and can hit a beach those are wonderful too. So different from N. America or Caribbean.

 

[hdrolfe]

Yes, the doors are now windows so they don't open but do let in light. We are booked on the July 2022 British Isles to replace our cancelled 2021 cruise. We do prefer the Med as the weather is much better but this is DS's graduation trip and he really wanted to go to London and Scotland and Ireland.

We did the Med in 2016 and it is our favorite trip to date. The ports and sites are fabulous. If you do this and can hit a beach those are wonderful too. So different from N. America or Caribbean.

I think my son would actually like one that goes to Paris/Le Havre as he is fascinated by WW2 and the beaches, even though they go to the US landing beaches and not the Canada one. But I would probably prefer Med. When I start looking outside of the Caribbean it opens so many things. And the ship seems to matter a little less since they are so port intensive. I believe Gibraltor has a WW2 excursion as well. Not sure if there is a cruise that would do both of those ports... so many options and so little time and two years of not being able to travel at all. At least I'm able to save money I guess so when I can travel, it'll be quite the trip.

 

[belle032]

We did it in December and got boarding group 40. I had the Disney app open in one hand and time.gov open in the other (on my wife's phone). I hit the button at the very moment that 0700 hit. Keep wifi and location services off (they can impede data transfer).

Also, give it a couple dry runs in the days prior to get in the rhythm...they'll let you see if you get a boarding group but won't let you actually reserve it until it's your day in the park. Good luck!

OMG I tried this morning and failed! Good lord it's stressful! But I'm glad I have time to run through it a few times and see what works best. I'm visual so I needed to actually see the screens. I think I wasted too much time on the "choose your party" page instead of just clicking through like a crazy person. And yes, boarding groups were full in approximately 8-9 seconds. Insane.

 

[brentm77]

OMG I tried this morning and failed! Good lord it's stressful! But I'm glad I have time to run through it a few times and see what works best. I'm visual so I needed to actually see the screens. I think I wasted too much time on the "choose your party" page instead of just clicking through like a crazy person. And yes, boarding groups were full in approximately 8-9 seconds. Insane.

I sure wish Disney would change this process. I would rather they let you enter a lottery spot the night before if you have a reservation for the next day and want to ride. They draw a lottery in the morning for a big group, then other lotteries as availability become apparent as the day progresses. Each lottery would be a couple of hours before expected ride time, to give you plenty of notice.

It's not fun to start your day at a Disney park with such a stressful experience. I did it twice in Disneyland and it really left a bad taste in my mouth, even though I was able to ride both days.

 

[belle032]

I sure wish Disney would change this process. I would rather they let you enter a lottery spot the night before if you have a reservation for the next day and want to ride. They draw a lottery in the morning for a big group, then other lotteries as availability become apparent as the day progresses. Each lottery would be a couple of hours before expected ride time, to give you plenty of notice.

It's not fun to start your day at a Disney park with such a stressful experience. I did it twice in Disneyland and it really left a bad taste in my mouth, even though I was able to ride both days.

(Sorry I'm derailing the cruise thread here!) I like your idea, it makes sense. At least in a lottery you wouldn't be at the mercy of technical issues, like if your Wifi signal is strong enough or what type of operating system your iPhone is running. (And yes, I plan on trying DH's iPhone 12 vs. my 8 because I've heard it makes a difference. Again. Insane).

I was trying to explain the virtual queue thing to DH this morning and why I was stressed out about it. I think the idea works "in theory." When you think about it, it's really nice not to have to waste time waiting in an actual line for hours. However, with the popularity of the ride, I don't think it's the best way to go right now. In a few years when the hype dies down a bit, I can see it being implemented with success.

 

[brentm77]

(Sorry I'm derailing the cruise thread here!) I like your idea, it makes sense. At least in a lottery you wouldn't be at the mercy of technical issues, like if your Wifi signal is strong enough or what type of operating system your iPhone is running. (And yes, I plan on trying DH's iPhone 12 vs. my 8 because I've heard it makes a difference. Again. Insane).

I was trying to explain the virtual queue thing to DH this morning and why I was stressed out about it. I think the idea works "in theory." When you think about it, it's really nice not to have to waste time waiting in an actual line for hours. However, with the popularity of the ride, I don't think it's the best way to go right now. In a few years when the hype dies down a bit, I can see it being implemented with success.

Exactly. It's the fact that there is an 8-second window to be successful, and your success varies based on technological factors, that adds so much stress. The stress would be very much reduced if you had hours to enter the lottery and then just received a notification on your phone when the lottery happens. You may still be disappointed if you don't get a spot, but it would be much more mild compared to the stress of the hour leading up to that 8-second window and that 8 seconds.

We had one of our best park trips to WDW this past Christmas. The lack of fast passes greatly improved our experience. Lines can be physically long, but they move very fast. You feel like you are on a pleasant walk most of the time. And I forgot how nice parks were without certain times you had to be in this land or that land, or having to cross the park to ride that one ride you have a fastpass for. It was a game changer for us. Have a blast!

Sorry to derail too. I will see myself out now.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Yes, the doors are now windows so they don't open but do let in light. We are booked on the July 2022 British Isles to replace our cancelled 2021 cruise. We do prefer the Med as the weather is much better but this is DS's graduation trip and he really wanted to go to London and Scotland and Ireland.

We did the Med in 2016 and it is our favorite trip to date. The ports and sites are fabulous. If you do this and can hit a beach those are wonderful too. So different from N. America or Caribbean.

What ship were you on in 2016? We did a Vista Mediterranean that year, wow it was a great trip, amazing ports.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

What ship were you on in 2016? We did a Vista Mediterranean that year, wow it was a great trip, amazing ports.

Yep it was Vista! We did a 10 day Barcelona to Athens. We had 6 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona. I actually don’t remember much of those 6 days because I picked up a nasty cold/cough and was hopped up on meds the whole time. We also hit a heatwave that had temps over 100F while we were in Greece and Turkey. After the cruise we flew back to Rome for 4 nights. The whole experience was amazing.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Yep it was Vista! We did a 10 day Barcelona to Athens. We had 6 nights pre-cruise in Barcelona. I actually don’t remember much of those 6 days because I picked up a nasty cold/cough and was hopped up on meds the whole time. We also hit a heatwave that had temps over 100F while we were in Greece and Turkey. After the cruise we flew back to Rome for 4 nights. The whole experience was amazing.

That was the one we considered but went with the 8 day without Greece instead I really wish we would have included Greece now. I loved Barcelona, we only had a couple days there before the cruise but it’s an amazing city!