CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

By the way... That 6 nights Western Caribbean cruise cost us 500$ USD less than the 3 nights cruise to the Bahamas on the Wonder.

 

[cruiser21]

The Havana Suites are really nice. The Cabana area is like having your own private deck area on the ship. It's like a balcony, but not. You also have exclusive access to the Havana Pool and deck area during the day, so your not competing with the rest of the ship for the pool and/or deck chairs. This is off limits to kids and only for Havana Suite guests during the day. You also have access to the Havana Bar, right by the Havana pool. It opens up to other guests in the evening, but during sea days, your not fighting the masses for a deck chair if you want to sit by the pool and not in your Cabana.

That being said......8 days are always better than 6....

I can't find a 8 day cruise with one available. Our first 8 cruises on DCL we had verandas, Our last 6 have been oceanviews , and the next ones an inside. I can't downgrade anymore unless I become a stowaway. We did have a balcony on our Breeze and Getaway cruises. I really enjoy a balcony. We've done so many cruises I want to try something different. Sometime in the next couple of years I want to try the Haven. My son wants to go back on the Fantasy..,but the prices are so much higher than what we paid in 2013 and 2014... not sure I can justify it if I can get a suite on another cruiseline for the cost of an inside on the Fantasy. We will be back on DCL next year for a TA.
I know the Havana area is 12 and up. Is the pool just for adults?

 

[cruiser21]

By the way... That 6 nights Western Caribbean cruise cost us 500$ USD less than the 3 nights cruise to the Bahamas on the Wonder.

The 6 nights in a Havana suite is only 1k more then my 4 night Dream in an inside room.

 

[mevelandry]

The 6 nights in a Havana suite is only 1k more then my 4 night Dream in an inside room.

Havana is some kind of Concierge/Club Level?

 

[MyDisWorld]

I know the Havana area is 12 and up. Is the pool just for adults?

Yes. You must be 12 or older to be in a Havana Suite, and in the Havana Pool area.

 

[MyDisWorld]

The 6 nights in a Havana suite is only 1k more then my 4 night Dream in an inside room

Yeah, I am still puzzled to this day how DCL charges so much for an Inside stateroom.

 

[cruiser21]

Havana is some kind of Concierge/Club Level?

No mostly just access to your own pool area

 

[mevelandry]

Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:

Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?

Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana.

I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night.

Thanks in advance

 

[cruiser21]

Yes. You must be 12 or older to be in a Havana Suite, and in the Havana Pool area.

I don't consider my 12 year old an adult, but I get what your saying.

Yeah, I am still puzzled to this day how DCL charges so much for an Inside stateroom.

I guess new people will continue to pay. I've cruised DCL since 2008 so I've seen the prices rise a lot. I haven't cruised Carnival or NCL that long so I'm not sure about them. I'm assuming prices have risen, but I doubt at the same % DCL has.

 

[cruiser21]

Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:

Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?

Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana.

I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night.

Thanks in advance

Guys burgers is very good. They have a topping bar with all kinds of goodies. I'm from AZ so I'm used to good Mexican food. Blue Iguana is delicious I guess it's similar to chipotle. Again they have a really good salsa bar. The Pizza is wood fired. They make it fresh and have 5 or 6 different types to choose from.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:

Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?

Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana.

I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night.

Thanks in advance

We did Cucina for lunch when there is no extra cost and freaking loved it! Several different pastas with different sauces and tons of add ins. My favorite was the bow tie pasta with clam sauce, then I added shrimp, chicken, spinach, grape tomatoes and fresh graded Parmesan, it was awesome. JiJi's for lunch is also no charge and it was meh, but I've read for dinner it's excellent. I'm not a sushi person but my Aunts loved Bonzai Sushi on board.

For the steakhouse; if you book a reservation the first night they'll give you a complimentary bottle of house wine. Also, if you don't want to fully upgrade to the steakhouse, you can purchase one of the steaks while dining in the MDR for about $20, (I think it's $20).

I loved Guy's and Blue Iguana, (AZ guy here too), especially the breakfast burritos. As a pizza restaurant owner, I loved the pizza on the Vista. Pig and Anchor had not opened yet when we were on her but will be trying it out this June. I'll be sure to post here how it was.

I really think the food choices are much better on Carnival than DCL and their desserts are way better. I did miss all the awesome fresh fruit on carnival that DCL has.

 

[mevelandry]

We prefered the food (in general and dining room) on Carnival too. The only food we really enjoyed on DCL is Palo and Remy, Cabanas and one of the sandwiches you can get need the pool (Dream) which is Bacon Tomato Brie.

Good tip for the steak house. But is the house wine good?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Aquadame decided to close comments for the Carnival Vista thread and told me to ask my question here:

Regarding the Vista (or any Funship 2.0)... Have you tried specialty dining like Cucina del Capitano and Jiji? (I requested a booking). Also, I'm not sure if I want to pay 35$/pp for the Steakhouse... Is it really worth it?

Also I would love to know more about Guy's Burger, the new Pork & BBQ place and Blue Iguana.

I wonder if Pizzaria del capitano is as good as Pizza Pirate from the Victory... We were obsessed with it and ate pizza every night.

Thanks in advance

I'm going on the Sunshine at the end of May and will be dining in both Cucina and JiJi's for dinner. I'll make sure I let you know how they were.

The steakhouse is awesome. From the amuse bouche - to your appetizer, soup and salad - a fantastic steak (or to die for lamb) topped off with dessert you'll be too full to eat but will still make every effort to stuff some in - it's well worth the $35 price tag and still stands out for us as our top pick for specialty dining on any cruise line (we've never done Remy but did Palo for brunch). That being said, the dining room is great and with the 2 other specialty restaurants being only $15 each - it's easy to skip the steakhouse and still enjoy lots of great meals.

Blue Iguana serves both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast burritos are excellent along with arepas (and they also have huervo rancheros). Lunch they have both soft tacos and burritos - the star really is the salsa and topping bar. They have a jicama and watermelon slaw that is fantastic - crisp and tasty, plus a fresh black bean and corn salsa that goes well with everything. They also have a slew of hot sauces for those who like things on the spicy side.

Guy's burgers are greasy but oh so tasty! They also have a great toppings bar with fried mushrooms, fried onions, bacon bits, and then the regular stuff (tomatoes, pickles, onions, lettuce, etc). They also have a chipotle mayo which goes very well with the fries (I always say I could put that stuff on cardboard and it would make the cardboard taste good - I really love it). The Ringer is a great burger - the bourbon BBQ sauce fantastic. Of course, if you're looking for something awesome but very, very, messy - the Chili Maximus fits the bill. I highly recommend a fork to go with that burger and to tuck your napkin into your shirt. Fries normally come seasoned but if you prefer yours plain - just ask and wait for a new batch.

The pizza is the same menu so I would expect it to be basically the same as on the Victory. The only difference is that the Vista has so many more options - I would recommend leaving the pizza for those times the other places aren't open (like late night or mid morning when you don't want breakfast but lunch isn't yet on the menu).

 

[PrincessTrisha]

We prefered the food (in general and dining room) on Carnival too. The only food we really enjoyed on DCL is Palo and Remy, Cabanas and one of the sandwiches you can get need the pool (Dream) which is Bacon Tomato Brie.

Good tip for the steak house. But is the house wine good?

The house wine is okay. If you don't want that free bottle though - on the first night you could instead order any other bottle of wine for 50% off.

 

[mevelandry]

I'm going on the Sunshine at the end of May and will be dining in both Cucina and JiJi's for dinner. I'll make sure I let you know how they were.

The steakhouse is awesome. From the amuse bouche - to your appetizer, soup and salad - a fantastic steak (or to die for lamb) topped off with dessert you'll be too full to eat but will still make every effort to stuff some in - it's well worth the $35 price tag and still stands out for us as our top pick for specialty dining on any cruise line (we've never done Remy but did Palo for brunch). That being said, the dining room is great and with the 2 other specialty restaurants being only $15 each - it's easy to skip the steakhouse and still enjoy lots of great meals.

Blue Iguana serves both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast burritos are excellent along with arepas (and they also have huervo rancheros). Lunch they have both soft tacos and burritos - the star really is the salsa and topping bar. They have a jicama and watermelon slaw that is fantastic - crisp and tasty, plus a fresh black bean and corn salsa that goes well with everything. They also have a slew of hot sauces for those who like things on the spicy side.

Guy's burgers are greasy but oh so tasty! They also have a great toppings bar with fried mushrooms, fried onions, bacon bits, and then the regular stuff (tomatoes, pickles, onions, lettuce, etc). They also have a chipotle mayo which goes very well with the fries (I always say I could put that stuff on cardboard and it would make the cardboard taste good - I really love it). The Ringer is a great burger - the bourbon BBQ sauce fantastic. Of course, if you're looking for something awesome but very, very, messy - the Chili Maximus fits the bill. I highly recommend a fork to go with that burger and to tuck your napkin into your shirt. Fries normally come seasoned but if you prefer yours plain - just ask and wait for a new batch.

The pizza is the same menu so I would expect it to be basically the same as on the Victory. The only difference is that the Vista has so many more options - I would recommend leaving the pizza for those times the other places aren't open (like late night or mid morning when you don't want breakfast but lunch isn't yet on the menu).

Thanks for your review... I'm drooling.

DH and I had our little routine on the Victory: eating pizza late at night after a comedy show. I'm sure we'll do it again on the Vista.

 

[mevelandry]

The house wine is okay. If you don't want that free bottle though - on the first night you could instead order any other bottle of wine for 50% off.

That one is good to know! Thanks!

 

[mevelandry]

The house wine is okay. If you don't want that free bottle though - on the first night you could instead order any other bottle of wine for 50% off.

Thank you!

I conviced my husband to book the Steakhouse and the booking confirmed my reservation and they confirmed the promotion on the wine as well.

 

[mevelandry]

We did Cucina for lunch when there is no extra cost and freaking loved it! Several different pastas with different sauces and tons of add ins. My favorite was the bow tie pasta with clam sauce, then I added shrimp, chicken, spinach, grape tomatoes and fresh graded Parmesan, it was awesome. JiJi's for lunch is also no charge and it was meh, but I've read for dinner it's excellent. I'm not a sushi person but my Aunts loved Bonzai Sushi on board.

For the steakhouse; if you book a reservation the first night they'll give you a complimentary bottle of house wine. Also, if you don't want to fully upgrade to the steakhouse, you can purchase one of the steaks while dining in the MDR for about $20, (I think it's $20).

I loved Guy's and Blue Iguana, (AZ guy here too), especially the breakfast burritos. As a pizza restaurant owner, I loved the pizza on the Vista. Pig and Anchor had not opened yet when we were on her but will be trying it out this June. I'll be sure to post here how it was.

I really think the food choices are much better on Carnival than DCL and their desserts are way better. I did miss all the awesome fresh fruit on carnival that DCL has.

Thank you for the tips and the info about the steakhouse! (It was correct, they still give a bottle of wine house).

 

[cruiser21]

I was wrong its the Havana balcony that's available in October. I did find a 8 night cruise with Havana Cabanas available( actually 6 of them)It's the week before Christmas. Awkward time to travel so close to the holidays, but I'm going to think about it.

 

[cruiser21]

Well for all the negativity Carnival gets on this board I will say it's slim pickings on the Vista this Fall. I have pretty much ruled out the Havana Cabana. It's too close to Christmas and more then I wanted to spend this Fall. I'm trying to be good. We are booked in a inside Family harbor room 8 day Southern cruise in October. I knew when I booked this room I probably wouldn't keep it. I've been checking daily for an oceanview to open up. I think with a lot of people booking with the non refundable deposit this may not happen.

I guess I'm fussy. I don't like inside rooms. I don't like the 1k plus up charge for a balcony, but I would pay 2k+ more if it was something remarkable like a Havana Cabana or suite in the NCL Haven. My happy place is really an oceanview. In terms of price, size and natural light it can't be beat. There is only one cruise this Fall on the Vista that has an Oceanview family harbor room available . There are regular oceanviews available on deck 1.. meh Really only one cruise and one room left. It's an eastern Caribbean in Nov. I put a hold on it. I have until Monday to decide. All of the 8 day Southerns were almost completely sold out, and some had only 1 or 2 balcony rooms left.
I guess were not the only ones excited about this ship.