CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[brent02139]

I think that's great reasoning that works perfect for your family. Your littles are the perfect age for Disney! I know you'll have a wonderful time!

And if this cruise works out great, maybe I can sell the idea of one more cruise to my wife. Otherwise it's one and done for us, haha.

 

[mevelandry]

And if this cruise works out great, maybe I can sell the idea of one more cruise to my wife. Otherwise it's one and done for us, haha.

Start saving money for the next one now.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Loved it! I love the look of the ship overall. I am not that much into casinos, but the Adventure‘s casino decor is my favorite to this day (the dancers statue and the decor at the entrance did it for me)...

There was so much to do! My family and I love going to Schooner’s (a nice bar with a classic look) to play Trivia. I loved the variety of the shows and IMO the skating show is not to be missed —we encounter rough seas that night, which made it even more impressive— but honestly, there wasn’t any bad shows ( quite the contrary) and all the singers were great. The comedy shows tend to be a little more family friendly than Carnival.

In order to avoid crowds on the first day, we treated ourselves to a lunch at the Steakhouse and it was fantastic. I haven’t tried the italian this time but I heard it was great as well.

Windjammer (buffet) is great and there is always a 2$ special on Mimosas in the morning... At night you can buy an affordable glass of wine sit near the aft view window, the lights are tamed and it almost feels like you’re eating at a nice restaurants. But most of the time, we ate in the dining room —main dining— which is absolutely spectacular and our food was always good.

We tend to stick to the adult pool because we love it over there but the main pools on the ship are nice and the hot tubs are the biggest I’ve ever seen on cruise ships.

The only thing I liked a little bit less was that we were put in a deck 2 cabin... We had a few storms during the night and the waves were crashing on the hull (making a lot of noise) but the view was amazing. The soundproofing wasn’t great between us and the other connecting cabin and we had an unpleasant loud neighbour... but since you are family, I’m sure you won’t have any problems.

To me, RCCL is the perfect mix between DCL and Carnival (Best of both worlds) and absolutely love the cruise line.

And don’t even get me started on CocoCay, best private island ever (Yes, better than Castaway Cay) I am absolutely jealous of your two stops.

Is your Grand Bahama stop at the new RCCL place they were planning to build? I can’t wait to see what they will do with that stop.

Thanks for all the info! Our kids are 20 and 21 so we’ll be doing a lot of the adult stuff, it looks like a really nice ship. They are doing set dining because of covid, I like your time better but totally understand so I’m ok with it.
We made reservations for the steak house and got one of the cabanas at CoCoCay for one of the days we’re there.

I can’t express how excited we are to be on a ship again in 76 days! Last year did us in mentally, as it did many people, but things are really starting to look up!

I’ll definitely do a trip report when we get back with pictures.There’s the excuse I needed for getting a new iPhone, mine is ancient and I’m too cheap to buy another, but for this I think it’s worth it.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

And if this cruise works out great, maybe I can sell the idea of one more cruise to my wife. Otherwise it's one and done for us, haha.

Make sure you book a placeholder for a future cruise while on board. It’s only a $100 deposit to do it and it’s good for 2 years. By doing this you’ll receive a 10% discount on the next cruise. We didn’t do it on our first one and kicked ourselves in the butt after we got home.
We thought we wouldn’t do another cruise after our first time, about a month after it ended we started talking about how great it was and ended up booking another. That was 2011, 10 years later we’ve done 12 cruises and have 3 booked, 1 this year and 2 next year. Cruises are the best!

We did Disney to Alaska in 2018 and it was fantastic

 

[mevelandry]

Thanks for all the info! Our kids are 20 and 21 so we’ll be doing a lot of the adult stuff, it looks like a really nice ship. They are doing set dining because of covid, I like your time better but totally understand so I’m ok with it.
We made reservations for the steak house and got one of the cabanas at CoCoCay for one of the days we’re there.

I can’t express how excited we are to be on a ship again in 76 days! Last year did us in mentally, as it did many people, but things are really starting to look up!

I’ll definitely do a trip report when we get back with pictures.There’s the excuse I needed for getting a new iPhone, mine is ancient and I’m too cheap to buy another, but for this I think it’s worth it.

I’m sure you’ll love it.

Talking about set dining: the team we had on the Adventure was absolutely wonderful (Savritri and Mei). They made us want to go eat in the dining room more often.

Oh, just FYI, they offer a very nice and not crowded breakfast in the dining room which is a really nice experience as well if you are into that!

Can’t wait to see your trip report!

 

[mevelandry]

We wanted to book a short cruise for a romantic getaway during Fall 2022. We chose RCCL Independence of the Seas. A port intensive cruise (Nassau, CocoCay and upcoming Grand Bahama Island)...

Don’t get me wrong: I love Carnival but we looked it up and they really need to do something about their short cruises! Elation and Liberty (much older, just ok ships, IMO)... and overnights in Nassau? Meh.

Princess Cays is very nice but the idea of a sailing on Liberty (which was okay but not the best) and having a sea day on it was not appealing.

 

[brewcrew]

It’s nice to see everybody getting a little more excited about cruising again. Hope everyone has safe and fun travels!!!

 

[hdrolfe]

We wanted to book a short cruise for a romantic getaway during Fall 2022. We chose RCCL Independence of the Seas. A port intensive cruise (Nassau, CocoCay and upcoming Grand Bahama Island)...

Don’t get me wrong: I love Carnival but we looked it up and they really need to do something about their short cruises! Elation and Liberty (much older, just ok ships, IMO)... and overnights in Nassau? Meh.

Princess Cays is very nice but the idea of a sailing on Liberty (which was okay but not the best) and having a sea day on it was not appealing.

Liberty was my first cruise. We got hooked. But it didn't have as many bells and whistles as the newer ships for sure. And it doesn't do the 7 night itineraries any more.

 

[mevelandry]

Liberty was my first cruise. We got hooked. But it didn't have as many bells and whistles as the newer ships for sure. And it doesn't do the 7 night itineraries any more.

I’ve done Liberty after trying the Vista... Liberty is not a bad ship but it has unexploited potential. I could see it receiving the Victory treatment (refurbishment the Victory received becore it became the Radiance). Victory was very nice.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I’m sure you’ll love it.

Talking about set dining: the team we had on the Adventure was absolutely wonderful (Savritri and Mei). They made us want to go eat in the dining room more often.

Oh, just FYI, they offer a very nice and not crowded breakfast in the dining room which is a really nice experience as well if you are into that!

Can’t wait to see your trip report!

We actually prefer the MDR for breakfast, I’m not a huge buffet guy, would rather have a nice quiet breakfast and talk about what the day ahead holds. Although, I absolutely loved the Taste Bar for breakfast on Vista, was so. I’ve to go outside and have the deck practically to ourselves

 

[mevelandry]

We actually prefer the MDR for breakfast, I’m not a huge buffet guy, would rather have a nice quiet breakfast and talk about what the day ahead holds. Although, I absolutely loved the Taste Bar for breakfast on Vista, was so. I’ve to go outside and have the deck practically to ourselves

Oh good! The MDR for breakfast was a hybrid between a buffet and a menu. There was a few items at the buffet (think eggs, bacon, sausages, charcuteries, cheese, viennoiseries and fruits) and a menu you could could order from. Great experience.

 

[belle032]

Sorry this may be better suited to the Community Board, so please feel free to delete/move if not allowed! I just appreciate everyone's opinions in this thread!

Does anyone have any recommendations on all-inclusive resorts? DH & I are dying to cruise this year, but realize it might just not work out. So I'm very tentatively checking into other options. We also have at least one other couple who'd be interested as well. We'd prefer a more adult oriented resort, but happy to hear about any recommendations and experiences!

 

[mevelandry]

Sorry this may be better suited to the Community Board, so please feel free to delete/move if not allowed! I just appreciate everyone's opinions in this thread!

Does anyone have any recommendations on all-inclusive resorts? DH & I are dying to cruise this year, but realize it might just not work out. So I'm very tentatively checking into other options. We also have at least one other couple who'd be interested as well. We'd prefer a more adult oriented resort, but happy to hear about any recommendations and experiences!

Any destinations you'd like? I got a lot of friends crazy about all-inclusives so I could check out the ones they have tried.

 

[belle032]

Any destinations you'd like? I got a lot of friends crazy about all-inclusives so I could check out the ones they have tried.

Not really picky about location, I'd be open to all. But I would definitely say a little bit larger resort with activities available. DH isn't one to sit on the beach for days on end (it's why we love cruising so much!), so a beautiful beach + other options is ideal!

 

[mevelandry]

Not really picky about location, I'd be open to all. But I would definitely say a little bit larger resort with activities available. DH isn't one to sit on the beach for days on end (it's why we love cruising so much!), so a beautiful beach + other options is ideal!

Recommendations from friends:

-Sandos Playacar - Playa Del Carmen (Mexico)
-Iberostar Quetzal - Playa Del Carmen (Mexico)
-Bahia Principe Luxury Cayo Levandato - Dominican Republic

 

[chamberlain]

I have only been on DCL cruises and now am going to try RCL. I am not a fan of the free coffee on DCL ships and am curious how the free coffee is on Royal. It looks like Royal has a coffee card and various beverage packages but want to know what people think of the free stuff. And I know it is subjective. Thanks!

 

[mevelandry]

I have only been on DCL cruises and now am going to try RCL. I am not a fan of the free coffee on DCL ships and am curious how the free coffee is on Royal. It looks like Royal has a coffee card and various beverage packages but want to know what people think of the free stuff. And I know it is subjective. Thanks!

My husband is very much a fan of the free coffee on Royal.

 

[chamberlain]

That's good to hear! Thanks!

 

[DCLMP]

Thanks for all the info! Our kids are 20 and 21 so we’ll be doing a lot of the adult stuff, it looks like a really nice ship. They are doing set dining because of covid, I like your time better but totally understand so I’m ok with it.
We made reservations for the steak house and got one of the cabanas at CoCoCay for one of the days we’re there.

I can’t express how excited we are to be on a ship again in 76 days! Last year did us in mentally, as it did many people, but things are really starting to look up!

I’ll definitely do a trip report when we get back with pictures.There’s the excuse I needed for getting a new iPhone, mine is ancient and I’m too cheap to buy another, but for this I think it’s worth it.

What is the process to get back in the USA? Do you need a PCR test before you get on your flight? I think you need it to enter the Bahamas. I’ve tried reading up on all the rules for international travel to different countries, but I find it confusing and depressing.
I thought about doing a Greek isles cruise in November since Greece is opening to Americans, but all the hoops you have to jump through are giving me some heartburn. Of course that could all change in 7 months. It could be better or maybe worse.
The scariest thing is getting a false positive.

 

[mevelandry]

What is the process to get back in the USA? Do you need a PCR test before you get on your flight? I think you need it to enter the Bahamas. I’ve tried reading up on all the rules for international travel to different countries, but I find it confusing and depressing.
I thought about doing a Greek isles cruise in November since Greece is opening to Americans, but all the hoops you have to jump through are giving me some heartburn. Of course that could all change in 7 months. It could be better or maybe worse.
The scariest thing is getting a false positive.

I’m interested in that question as well.

If I remember correctly, in the USA, they announced recently that people who are fully vaccinated don’t/won’t need a PCR test to board the airplane anymore?

For us (in Canada) right now, the biggest problem is that we may not be able to receive tests results on time to board an airplane, they are extremely expensive (last time I checked they were around 150$-250$/pp and mandatory)... and then, unless we fly in the same day, they are not valid anymore (past the 72 hours window) to board the cruiseship. And I am not even talking about the mandatory quarantine in hotels in Canada. They are making it extremely complicated and $$$$$$ to travel. If that’s if you test negative. If you test positive all hell break loose.