CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[cruiser21]

Lol. Wish we were getting tax cut bonuses! Worse... we appear to have the dubious honor to be in the small group whose taxes will go up next year. Ugh. Our youngest wants to be home for next Christmas so we are rethinking the Christmas cruise we have booked. There is another one we are looking at instead but waiting to see public school calendar when it comes out (so over these calendars). I am not optimistic. 2 other land vacations... undecided on them.

It seems like bonus checks get taxed about 40%, but hey every little bit helps.

We are looking forward to our 10 night Quebec cruise on the NCL Gem this fall. We also recently booked a 14 night NCL cruise on the Jade to Italy/Greece/Croatia/Montenegro for 2019 which has been a dream cruise for some time now. I survived our week at the in-laws over Christmas by reading Rick Steves books!

Happy cruising everyone!!

I wish our Quebec cruise was round trip. Greece is wonderful you should enjoy that.

 

[mevelandry]

Guys, let's not fight...

A lot of people are resistant to try a vacation when they tried it once and did not enjoy it... The same way we can remember some places to be better than they really were (like the town I grew up in which I used to remember as charming and then seen it again years later and realized it was uglyAF lol).

EDIT: Bad experiences can happen everywhere including in Disney/on DCL... I've had catastrophic experiences at Disney's Animal Kingdom (dirty room, horrible savannah view --half the view was on a industrial building, with forklifts, ventilator unit, forklifts and ventilator noises! Far from the immersive experience we were expecting! --) to the point that we asked to be downgraded to a standard view... But our previous experience at AKL was stellar!

 

[braysmommy]

Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!

 

[mevelandry]

Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!

I've been on the Vista (sister ship). I don't know if you have seen the pictures we have taken from the Vista (links are on Post #1, Page 1), but both ships are going to be very similar and it will give you a good idea of what to expect -- I hope that they'll correct the seating in the main lounge because it sucked but that would be my only complaint about the ship! -- Vista has the #1 spot in my heart now (I had previously tried the Disney Dream #2 and Disney Wonder #3).

Just don't expect Disney as they don't have as much character interaction -- Except during the Seuss Breakfast and Parade -- and you won't be disappointed.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!

So jealous!! You will love it. We have been on the Vista.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Just booked the Carnival Horizon WBTA this May. Will be our fist non-DCL cruise but the Horizon looks awesome!

You'll love her! We've spent 22 nights on the Vista and she is, by far, our favorite ship ever. I didn't think I'd ever like a ship better than the Disney Fantasy, but Vista beat her out. So jealous you get to do a TA!! Have fun.

 

[braysmommy]

So jealous!! You will love it. We have been on the Vista.[/QUOTE

I've been on the Vista (sister ship). I don't know if you have seen the pictures we have taken from the Vista (links are on Post #1, Page 1), but both ships are going to be very similar and it will give you a good idea of what to expect -- I hope that they'll correct the seating in the main lounge because it sucked but that would be my only complaint about the ship! -- Vista has the #1 spot in my heart now (I had previously tried the Disney Dream #2 and Disney Wonder #3).

Just don't expect Disney as they don't have as much character interaction -- Except during the Seuss Breakfast and Parade -- and you won't

I've been on the Vista (sister ship). I don't know if you have seen the pictures we have taken from the Vista (links are on Post #1, Page 1), but both ships are going to be very similar and it will give you a good idea of what to expect -- I hope that they'll correct the seating in the main lounge because it sucked but that would be my only complaint about the ship! -- Vista has the #1 spot in my heart now (I had previously tried the Disney Dream #2 and Disney Wonder #3).

Just don't expect Disney as they don't have as much character interaction -- Except during the Seuss Breakfast and Parade -- and you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for all the info you have provided! Now that my son is 11 it is time to branch out and the Horizon seems like a great ship to start with. The TA has been sold out but cabins pop up online every so often and yesterday a Family Harbor Cove Balcony showed up and I grabbed it. 1/2 the price of DCL TA and we now get to westbound and gain some sleep. I'll let you know how the trip was when we get back.

 

[mevelandry]

Thanks for all the info you have provided! Now that my son is 11 it is time to branch out and the Horizon seems like a great ship to start with. The TA has been sold out but cabins pop up online every so often and yesterday a Family Harbor Cove Balcony showed up and I grabbed it. 1/2 the price of DCL TA and we now get to westbound and gain some sleep. I'll let you know how the trip was when we get back.

Your son will be amazed I think. Right away I'm thinking of the Waterslides, the rope course, the Sky Ride, all the games (soccer pool, mini-golf, foosball tables, bowling) and the Thrill Theater that he'll be able to enjoy! (Mini-Bowling and Thrill Theater have small fees but totally worth the investment).

The cove balconies have a lot of fans. I'm sure you are going to love it.

 

[braysmommy]

Your son will be amazed I think. Right away I'm thinking of the Waterslides, the rope course, the Sky Ride, all the games (soccer pool, mini-golf, foosball tables, bowling) and the Thrill Theater that he'll be able to enjoy! (Bowling and Thrill Theater have small fees but totally worth the investment).

The cove balconies have a lot of fans. I'm sure you are going to love it.

Wow! I didn't realize it had a bowling alley! My kid is going to go bonkers....course I haven't even told him about the cruise yet.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Thanks for all the info you have provided! Now that my son is 11 it is time to branch out and the Horizon seems like a great ship to start with. The TA has been sold out but cabins pop up online every so often and yesterday a Family Harbor Cove Balcony showed up and I grabbed it. 1/2 the price of DCL TA and we now get to westbound and gain some sleep. I'll let you know how the trip was when we get back.

You probably read my review but the thing that really shocked us was how much our kids loved the kids club. They now ask, "Is our next cruise on Carnival?" They still ask for Disney-- but the parks not the cruise. I really still can not believe this, because we are truly a "Disney" family. Most days our kids walked out of the kids club very excited about some kind of trinket (carnival key chain, carnival eraser etc) they had "won" playing a game. I saw a lot of other kids leaving with cute arts and craft type projects (unfortunatetly our kids skipped those). And the last night they give out bags related to their age group, so make sure your child goes the last night.

 

[mevelandry]

Wow! I didn't realize it had a bowling alley! My kid is going to go bonkers....course I haven't even told him about the cruise yet.

I corrected my description. It's actually a mini-bowling alley (maybe half the usual size) but it's a lot of fun and perfect for kids. My husband and I played and had fun!

 

[mevelandry]

The Soccer Pool:
View attachment 279368

Mini-Golf:
View attachment 279370

The Pool Tables:
View attachment 279371

The Mini-Bowling:

View attachment 279372

@braysmommy

Here are pictures of some of the activities... All you have to do is click on each link.

 

[braysmommy]

@braysmommy

Here are pictures of some of the activities... All you have to do is click on each link.

Thank you!!

 

[mevelandry]

DH and I have started talking about 2019. I wanted Alaska but nobody seems to be interested except me.

My second choice would be an itinerary including Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk.

Now, I think I want to wait until October 2018 before booking as we are supposed to try RCCL in a few months and I don't know which cruise line we'll want to sail on after that.

 

[hdrolfe]

We are going back on Carnival in April (this time on the Magic, having been on Liberty for our first cruise). We have done RCL three times, twice on Freedom of the Seas which was nice. However they both have pros and cons. While Freedom had a rock wall and skating, Magic will have a ropes course and water slides (travelling with my 8-year-old). We are excited to get back on Carnival. Kiddo prefers Carnival's kids club to RCL (he won't go to theirs any more). We have not been on an Oasis class though, or anything as big as Anthem. I do find we prefer to cruise from Port Canaveral over FLL, simply because we can add on a day or two of Disney to the beginning or end of the vacation. We are supposed to be taking a break from trips, but we'll see how long that lasts!

 

[mevelandry]

We are going back on Carnival in April (this time on the Magic, having been on Liberty for our first cruise). We have done RCL three times, twice on Freedom of the Seas which was nice. However they both have pros and cons. While Freedom had a rock wall and skating, Magic will have a ropes course and water slides (travelling with my 8-year-old). We are excited to get back on Carnival. Kiddo prefers Carnival's kids club to RCL (he won't go to theirs any more). We have not been on an Oasis class though, or anything as big as Anthem. I do find we prefer to cruise from Port Canaveral over FLL, simply because we can add on a day or two of Disney to the beginning or end of the vacation. We are supposed to be taking a break from trips, but we'll see how long that lasts!

I love sailing from PC too. Mostly for monetary reasons. Flights and good hotels in FLL and MIA are much more expensive.

 

[mevelandry]

John Heald has just announce that they are changing campaign/slogan today.

Their last one was "FUN FOR ALL" which put the emphasis on family being their target now.

I will come back today.

I'm thinking about adding a new section to my first post on the thread. I noticed how some people had sailed the cruise line many years ago (when it was more adult oriented --I heard that it even had a "topless deck"... What?!?!?!-- ) and I believe Carnival is 100% going towards experiences for the whole family. I think it's important for someone who can't afford DCL prices but would still love to cruise to know that.

 

[mevelandry]

The new slogan is "CHOOSE FUN".

They launched a series of short commercials that situated in a range from funny to goofy.

 

[mevelandry]

Dear experienced cruisers,

I recently added a section on the first post where I am answering questions that I have seen many times here and there regarding Carnival and I am also addressing some rumors and false beliefs...

BUT... I would like to add an answer to a certain question because I've seen it a lot:

IS CARNIVAL AS KID FRIENDLY AS DCL AND WHAT WOULD BE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO CRUISE LINES REGARDING ENTERTAINMENT DESTINED TO CHILDREN?


In that category I will need the help of Moms and Dads who experienced both cruise lines and can answer that question in details. (I will quote you).

Also, if you think of a question/answer that I did not think of and could add, please let me know.

 

[hdrolfe]

I have not cruised on Disney so perhaps not a true comparison, however I have cruised on Carnival and their kids program is great. It starts at age 2 (I don't think most start until 3?). The program is quite well structured, they have the kids broken into age groups and the do activities at a certain time. My son loved it because he likes to know what exactly he'll be doing. They have a parade and story time which was a lot of fun, and also of course the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast ($5 per person). They also usually have a Build a Bear activity (for a fee) at least once. Not sure I've helped My son does not like the RCL camps because they do this list of many activities in a 2 to 3 hour block, but he doesn't know which will be when. He doesn't want to do them all, just the ones he likes. With Carnival he can do that and know what is happening when.