CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

The ship docks right at the beach. There is a big shopping plaza and then Margaritaville where you have use of the giant swimming pool (no charge,don't have to purchase food or anything). The beach has some chairs for rent (closest to water) and some for free (further back under the trees). You can walk along the beach to Jack's Bar or go shell collecting. Its just a nice, relaxing day where you don't have to spend any money (my kind of day).

The ship from the GT Beach. It's that close.

Nice! I went to see videos and I love the look of it. It looks like Puerta Maya but ... Nicer?

If you are hungry, what happens? My guess is the food isn't free...?

Does it get really crowded?

 

[trvlgirlmq]

The food is not free but you can go back on the ship easily. We did have some great nachos from Margaritaville. It does get crowded so you have to get off the ship early to grab a chair. Or wait for a few hours for the first wave to get sunburned and head back to the ship. Then you swoop in and claim their chairs!

 

[mevelandry]

The food is not free but you can go back on the ship easily. We did have some great nachos from Margaritaville. It does get crowded so you have to get off the ship early to grab a chair. Or wait for a few hours for the first wave to get sunburned and head back to the ship. Then you swoop in and claim their chairs!

I already booked a cabana in Grand Turk.

There is no tendering in Grand Turk?

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I already booked a cabana in Grand Turk.

There is no tendering in Grand Turk?

No tender. There is a real dock and you just walk off. Only 2 ships can port their at a time.

 

[mevelandry]

I'm going to need help for our March 2019. I know NOTHING about San Juan. Don't know where I should stay, how to get from the airport to the hotel and/or the port, etc. Scary. It's good that we still have a whole year to figure that out. LOL

 

[Pens Fan]

I'm going to need help for our March 2019. I know NOTHING about San Juan. Don't know where I should stay, how to get from the airport to the hotel and/or the port, etc. Scary. It's good that we still have a whole year to figure that out. LOL

The only time we've been to San Juan was on our honeymoon cruise (in 1985 !!), so whatever I'd actually remember about it would be useless to you. But I have found the Cruise Critic port specific pages to be filled with great info. Here is the one for San Juan:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131

Hope this helps.

 

[mevelandry]

The only time we've been to San Juan was on our honeymoon cruise (in 1985 !!), so whatever I'd actually remember about it would be useless to you. But I have found the Cruise Critic port specific pages to be filled with great info. Here is the one for San Juan:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131

Hope this helps.

Oh, thank you so much!

 

[MickeyD]

So, I have been dying to see the Southern Carib. Priced the Fantasy (DCL), even though they only cruise in June . The price for two of us in a veranda...ready for this....$10,843.30!!! That is over $500 a day pp. So, I went on Carnival's site and I can do the Conquest 8 day for about $1139pp TOTAL, in a similar balcony room. My question for Carnival people, has anyone been on Conquest? Is it a sister ship to Vista, or smaller? Also, @mevelandry the Sensation was the first Carnival ship I ever sailed. Nice ship, hope she is still in good shape. Super easy to get around and not as "loud" in appointments as some of the Carnival ships.

 

[mevelandry]

So, I have been dying to see the Southern Carib. Priced the Fantasy (DCL), even though they only cruise in June . The price for two of us in a veranda...ready for this....$10,843.30!!! That is over $500 a day pp. So, I went on Carnival's site and I can do the Conquest 8 day for about $1139pp TOTAL, in a similar balcony room. My question for Carnival people, has anyone been on Conquest? Is it a sister ship to Vista, or smaller? Also, @mevelandry the Sensation was the first Carnival ship I ever sailed. Nice ship, hope she is still in good shape. Super easy to get around and not as "loud" in appointments as some of the Carnival ships.

Wow. The prices gap is INSANE.

Based on pictures and videos I have seen, the Conquest seem to be in a pretty good shape still and looks beautiful. It's on the list of ships that I would love to sail on someday.

The Sensation was refurbished in 2016 or 2017 I think. So it is a fun ship 2.0 which I know my husband and I will appreciate. I sailed the Victory when it was in "bad" shape and managed to have a lot of fun so at this point, I am not worried at all. I'm curious to see how it feels to sail a smaller ship as it will be our smallest ship so far.

I also noticed we'll be the only ship in Grand Turk when we go there (weather permits, as we are sailing during hurricane season).

 

[MickeyD]

Wow. The prices gap is INSANE.

Based on pictures and videos I have seen, the Conquest seem to be in a pretty good shape still and looks beautiful. It's on the list of ships that I would love to sail on someday.

The Sensation was refurbished in 2016 or 2017 I think. So it is a fun ship 2.0 which I know my husband and I will appreciate. I sailed the Victory when it was in "bad" shape and managed to have a lot of fun so at this point, I am not worried at all. I'm curious to see how it feels to sail a smaller ship as it will be our smallest ship so far.

I also noticed we'll be the only ship in Grand Turk when we go there (weather permits, as we are sailing during hurricane season).

I couldn't believe the difference! I really liked the size of the Sensation, that is why I am nervous about the size of the Conquest. Hope the weather is great for you. The Conquest stops at Grand Turk with the itinerary I am looking at as well. (in February)

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Conquest is bigger than Sensation but smaller than Vista. I would check the Carnival site to see if it has the 2.0 upgrades like Guy’s Burgers and Blue Iguana. We are doing the Southern on Vista this June. If you don’t mind GTY there are some good prices.

 

[mevelandry]

Conquest is bigger than Sensation but smaller than Vista. I would check the Carnival site to see if it has the 2.0 upgrades like Guy’s Burgers and Blue Iguana. We are doing the Southern on Vista this June. If you don’t mind GTY there are some good prices.

Yes, the Conquest is 2.0

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

So, I have been dying to see the Southern Carib. Priced the Fantasy (DCL), even though they only cruise in June . The price for two of us in a veranda...ready for this....$10,843.30!!! That is over $500 a day pp. So, I went on Carnival's site and I can do the Conquest 8 day for about $1139pp TOTAL, in a similar balcony room. My question for Carnival people, has anyone been on Conquest? Is it a sister ship to Vista, or smaller? Also, @mevelandry the Sensation was the first Carnival ship I ever sailed. Nice ship, hope she is still in good shape. Super easy to get around and not as "loud" in appointments as some of the Carnival ships.

We did the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Vista this past June and loved it, especially Curaçao! What a beautiful and clean Island, it’s truly the jewel of the Caribbean. Grand Turk was pretty dang awesome also. We loved it so much we’re doing it again on Horizon for June 2019, this time we’re doing it in the Havana area, for 4 of us, my wife and I in a Havana Cabana and the teens in a Havana inside, cost is about $8000 including insurance and prepaid gratuity. If you’re not opposed to the big ships, I’d really look into this itinerary on Vista or Horizon, especially the Havana area, it’s really a special part of the ship.

 

[cyclenut]

We did the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Vista this past June and loved it, especially Curaçao! What a beautiful and clean Island, it’s truly the jewel of the Caribbean. Grand Turk was pretty dang awesome also. We loved it so much we’re doing it again on Horizon for June 2019, this time we’re doing it in the Havana area, for 4 of us, my wife and I in a Havana Cabana and the teens in a Havana inside, cost is about $8000 including insurance and prepaid gratuity. If you’re not opposed to the big ships, I’d really look into this itinerary on Vista or Horizon, especially the Havana area, it’s really a special part of the ship.

Co-worker of mine sailed the Vista in a Havana room and had nothing but great things to say about the entire experience. A member of my team, who knows I love cruising, had reservations about Carnival as the last time they sailed with them was a 4 day out of Long Beach to Ensenada and really didn't like the frat party atmosphere. I talked to him about our experience on the Breeze, the comments here and the comments from our co-worker who recently returned from a cruise on the Vista. He decided to give it a try and booked the Vista.

Those who don't understand the reputation Carnival gets for the party ships have not had the experience a number of people have had on some of those older ships and their 3-4 day, one port cruises. I've seen it personally. Friends and family have seen it too, as recently as January of this year.

Fortunately there are enough experiences on the newer ships that are more positive, even those who have experienced this frat party atmosphere are willing to give them another shot.

 

[cyclenut]

I’ve seen Flick 3 times on the Vista, the first time was the inaugural entertainment staff and they were excellent, especially Flick himself, (his real name is Brett), - he had an injury and has been doing developing choreography but will be on the Horizon when she sets sail in a couple months. I don’t know if Horizon will have Flick or not, but it would be be worth sailing her just to see him in that role. This past year the singers weren’t nearly as strong but I still love the show.

This is the issue with Carnival production shows. They can put together some visually appealing shows with great themes that should be awesome, but just fall flat. A lot of the reason is the talent is good, but not great. Our last experience on the Breeze was exactly that. I posted much earlier in this thread how the show concept and music was great, but the staging and execution were poor. For example, there was a large piano on stage. It was on wheels and a few minutes in they rolled it to front center stage blocking the view of what are usually considered to be premium seats (first few rows in the center). All you could see was the piano, which was central to the show at that point, but not the only thing going on. In fact, you couldn't even see the lead half the time and virtually none of the company. The lead was very good, but was the only one who could really carry a tune. This kind of thing occurred throughout the show with the piano moving around stage, blocking different views of anyone in the first 5-7 rows. People were getting up and moving around just to see the show. Fortunately the theater wasn't too full.

We have friends that are in the live theater industry. Performers who go to auditions know what they are auditioning for. Those that aspire to Broadway, will sometimes get their start on a cruise ship. Most of those steer away from Carnival. They don't pay as well and don't have a good reputation among producers and directors. You have Carnival on your resume and it won't leave a positive impression. It's unfortunate, but it explains some of why the talent is spotty. Make no mistake, the performers do work hard and are really pretty good. They just are not at the same level as the performers Disney hires.

 

[MickeyD]

We did the 8 night Southern Caribbean on the Vista this past June and loved it, especially Curaçao! What a beautiful and clean Island, it’s truly the jewel of the Caribbean. Grand Turk was pretty dang awesome also. We loved it so much we’re doing it again on Horizon for June 2019, this time we’re doing it in the Havana area, for 4 of us, my wife and I in a Havana Cabana and the teens in a Havana inside, cost is about $8000 including insurance and prepaid gratuity. If you’re not opposed to the big ships, I’d really look into this itinerary on Vista or Horizon, especially the Havana area, it’s really a special part of the ship.

So I looked at those ships so I could do the Havana. I was getting $6990 for 2 people for the lowest level, which I think is the spa cabins?? So you got a great deal! I like the idea of the pool area and the lounge exclusive to Havana guests. I like the itinerary of the ABC islands and Grand Turk, but I do not want to do the Caribbean in June..LOL. I want to get out of here in Jan/Feb when it is cold and go warm. We get plenty of heat in the summer. I loved your review of the Vista and headed over now to re-read it because I forgot some of the particulars like how you compare the Vista to the Disney ships...size-wise and crowd control- wise.

 

[mevelandry]

This is the issue with Carnival production shows. They can put together some visually appealing shows with great themes that should be awesome, but just fall flat. A lot of the reason is the talent is good, but not great. Our last experience on the Breeze was exactly that. I posted much earlier in this thread how the show concept and music was great, but the staging and execution were poor. For example, there was a large piano on stage. It was on wheels and a few minutes in they rolled it to front center stage blocking the view of what are usually considered to be premium seats (first few rows in the center). All you could see was the piano, which was central to the show at that point, but not the only thing going on. In fact, you couldn't even see the lead half the time and virtually none of the company. The lead was very good, but was the only one who could really carry a tune. This kind of thing occurred throughout the show with the piano moving around stage, blocking different views of anyone in the first 5-7 rows. People were getting up and moving around just to see the show. Fortunately the theater wasn't too full.

We have friends that are in the live theater industry. Performers who go to auditions know what they are auditioning for. Those that aspire to Broadway, will sometimes get their start on a cruise ship. Most of those steer away from Carnival. They don't pay as well and don't have a good reputation among producers and directors. You have Carnival on your resume and it won't leave a positive impression. It's unfortunate, but it explains some of why the talent is spotty. Make no mistake, the performers do work hard and are really pretty good. They just are not at the same level as the performers Disney hires.

I don't know... Vrooom on the Victory in October 2016 had GREAT singers. We were impressed.

 

[mevelandry]

So I looked at those ships so I could do the Havana. I was getting $6990 for 2 people for the lowest level, which I think is the spa cabins?? So you got a great deal! I like the idea of the pool area and the lounge exclusive to Havana guests. I like the itinerary of the ABC islands and Grand Turk, but I do not want to do the Caribbean in June..LOL. I want to get out of here in Jan/Feb when it is cold and go warm. We get plenty of heat in the summer. I loved your review of the Vista and headed over now to re-read it because I forgot some of the particulars like how you compare the Vista to the Disney ships...size-wise and crowd control- wise.

I also made a comparison and review of the Vista here if you are interested. The link is on the first page.

I love when people come back with reviews, it gives a good idea of the experience.

 

[mevelandry]

Thoughts regarding the incident on the Carnival Legend:

-Bad passengers can happen everywhere.

-I'm surprised by the intervention of some security guards... (EDIT: I don't know where they have been trained but I don't think kicking someone who's on the floor is part of the training).

-I heard they were prison cells in cruise ships. Don't know if is true or was the protocol is.

-I am slightly irritated but not surprised to see Carnival haters jumping on the band wagon going at it and seizing the opportunity to trash talk the cruise line.

Looking forward to get official statements from Carnival regarding this.

 

[MickeyD]

I also made a comparison and review of the Vista here if you are interested. The link is on the first page.

I love when people come back with reviews, it gives a good idea of the experience.

Wow, I hadn't re-looked through all the original pages to see the updates! Love it! You did a great job with this thread. I, too, love when people come back with reviews. Even though everyone's experience is their own, you can usually pick out key things that you would like or not like based on their descriptions.
One thing, I didn't see, except in a passing comment, is how bad is the smoking on the Carnival ships? Do they allow smoking in the casinos? One thing I like about Celebrity is they have banned smoking in the casinos so one can be in there without choking.