CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[Dug720]

Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????

 

[mevelandry]

Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????

Absolutely, Carnival is very proactive. They also waived all fees for the phone and wifi on the cruise ships that are kept at sea (I believe most cruise lines do that though but it's reassuring to know that Carnival does it too) so they can rearrange plans and be in touch with family.

John Heald is also wonderful when it comes to keep people informed about what is going on. Also on the website they always inform you in advance when the next news are going to be.

Last year, we were sailing right after hurricane Matthew. It was a bit stressful because the day before our sailing, we had to fly in Orlando without even knowing if our cruise would happen at all --but, it's nothing compared to the stress the locals have been going through, of course!--, when I called, Carnival recommended that we fly anyway... and we learned at 7:00 p.m. the day before the cruise that we were actually sailing the next day but we would have an overnight in Nassau instead of going to Freeport.

Not only the news were posted on the website but John Heald posted them as well (an made many videos talking about it) and we received official letters by e-mail as well. All that time we had that "they got our back" feeling.

I have to say that sailing in hurricane season made me more resilient about travel plans as I don't take original plans for granted anymore and keep my mind open about change and non-planned port of calls.

 

[Dug720]

Absolutely, Carnival is very proactive. They also waived all fees for the phone and wifi on the cruise ships that are kept at sea (I believe most cruise lines do that though but it's reassuring to know that Carnival does it too) so they can rearrange plans and be in touch with family.

John Heald is also wonderful when it comes to keep people informed about what is going on. Also on the website they always inform you in advance when the next news are going to be.

Last year, we were sailing right after hurricane Matthew. It was a bit stressful because the day before our sailing, we had to fly in Orlando without even knowing if our cruise would happen at all --but, it's nothing compared to the stress the locals have been going through, of course!--, when I called, Carnival recommended that we fly anyway... and we learned at 7:00 p.m. the day before the cruise that we were actually sailing the next day but we would have an overnight in Nassau instead of going to Freeport.

Not only the news were posted on the website but John Heald posted them as well (an made many videos talking about it) and we received official letters by e-mail as well. All that time we had that "they got our back" feeling.

I have to say that sailing in hurricane season made me more resilient about travel plans as I don't take original plans for granted anymore and keep my mind open about change and non-planned port of calls.

They have not always been so proactive. This is a big change after some PR disasters up to and including Concordia (Costa is under the Carnival umbrella) - which is why this event was a pleasant surprise.

(RCCL has just finally admitted defeat and are taking the Liberty to Miami on Monday or Tuesday with her sailing back to Galveston to dock on Friday and ostensibly sail out next Sunday. So some sanity but a lot of insanity. And no word on what they're doing for the people who were supposed to sail today but listened to RCCL who said "It will sail a day late and if you're not on it too bad" who are now stuck in the flooding in Houston.)

 

[Pens Fan]

Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????

I was just reading about this on Cruise Critic. It seems that Carnival really made the best out of a horrible situation. I cannot fathom what the folks at RCCL were thinking. I know weather is unpredictable, but this storm and the flooding was predicted for days. There really is no excuse for encouraging folks to head into a natural disaster for fear of losing the money spent on a cruise.

It really makes you wonder. Add to that the fact that when we were in Vancouver for three days last month we spent a lot of time at Canada Place checking out the cruise ships. Obviously some were in slightly better condition than others, but one really stood out. There was one Royal Caribbean ship - I believe it was Radiance of the Seas??? (not sure) - but my son called it the "SS Tub of Rust". Honestly I have never seen such a sad looking cruise ship. Not only was it covered in rust, the paint was peeling from one end of the ship to the other. I just kept thinking that if they didn't care that the exterior of the ship looked that bad, what about the parts we don't see???? I used to think that RCCL might be a good alternative to sailing on Disney, but now - not so much.

Back to Carnival, though, kudos to them for how they handled this.

And for all you folks in the Houston area - stay safe!!!!

 

[Dug720]

I was just reading about this on Cruise Critic. It seems that Carnival really made the best out of a horrible situation. I cannot fathom what the folks at RCCL were thinking. I know weather is unpredictable, but this storm and the flooding was predicted for days. There really is no excuse for encouraging folks to head into a natural disaster for fear of losing the money spent on a cruise.

It really makes you wonder. Add to that the fact that when we were in Vancouver for three days last month we spent a lot of time at Canada Place checking out the cruise ships. Obviously some were in slightly better condition than others, but one really stood out. There was one Royal Caribbean ship - I believe it was Radiance of the Seas??? (not sure) - but my son called it the "SS Tub of Rust". Honestly I have never seen such a sad looking cruise ship. Not only was it covered in rust, the paint was peeling from one end of the ship to the other. I just kept thinking that if they didn't care that the exterior of the ship looked that bad, what about the parts we don't see???? I used to think that RCCL might be a good alternative to sailing on Disney, but now - not so much.

Back to Carnival, though, kudos to them for how they handled this.

And for all you folks in the Houston area - stay safe!!!!

I sailed Radiance in 2015 and she was beautiful then. That class is my favorite of RCCL (well, the only class of RCCL I've sailed).

 

[Pens Fan]

I sailed Radiance in 2015 and she was beautiful then. That class is my favorite of RCCL (well, the only class of RCCL I've sailed).

I don't think they have done any maintenance on that ship since you sailed!

Seriously, though. It was bad. I don't expect a ship to be immaculate and completely rust free, but this was awful. If the other ships in port were around an 8,9, or 10 for appearance, then this one was a 2 or 3. It was kind of shocking, actually. Maybe it's due for dry dock, or something. Who knows? It was the only Royal Caribbean ship we saw for the entire trip. Oddly enough the only other ship we saw the entire week that raised our eyebrows for rust was a Celebrity ship. It wasn't nearly as bad as the Royal, but it was pretty bad and much worse than any others. Not a great look for the Royal Caribbean Corp.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Never thought I'd say this, but seeing the difference in how Carnival and RCCL have handled the situation in/around Galveston with Hurricane Harvey has actually given me some respect for Carnival. THEY gave their cruisers options by Thursday. RCCL was still telling people they were making it in today and planning to leave for the next cruise tomorrow and there would be no refunds. They have since said if people can "prove" they can't get to the area they can get a future cruise credit - but seriously...all the airports are closed and the area is under historic flooding and they're demanding proof????

They've made huge changes in damage control the last couple years. I can't remember which Carnival ship it was a few months ago that had issues but CCL did an amazing job with guest recovery.

 

[mevelandry]

Turns out the three cruises that were supposed to be departing from Galveston are cancelled. Passengers from Freedom, Valor and Breeze are still on the ships and could be there for a few more days.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

We experienced this with Tropical Storm Karen. They closed the Mississippi River while the storm made landfall. The captain kept us behind the storm until it was safe to make our way to the river to wait for it to open. Those were some rocky seas for sure! The captain and CD kept us all updated, phone lines were opened to make travel arrangements and the crew kept us fed and entertained. We had driven to NO so were lucky that we did not have to contend with flight arrangements; only pet care and missing work. Carnival even gave us the extra days as credits on our loyalty accounts and they took care of the gratuities. We have since decided that hurricane season travel is not for us even if it saves money. I feel for everyone whose vacation was canceled and especially those in the area who lost their homes.

 

[mevelandry]

We experienced this with Tropical Storm Karen. They closed the Mississippi River while the storm made landfall. The captain kept us behind the storm until it was safe to make our way to the river to wait for it to open. Those were some rocky seas for sure! The captain and CD kept us all updated, phone lines were opened to make travel arrangements and the crew kept us fed and entertained. We had driven to NO so were lucky that we did not have to contend with flight arrangements; only pet care and missing work. Carnival even gave us the extra days as credits on our loyalty accounts and they took care of the gratuities. We have since decided that hurricane season travel is not for us even if it saves money. I feel for everyone whose vacation was canceled and especially those in the area who lost their homes.

It must have been very stressful to say the least.

I've always wondered how travel insurance work when you are actually stuck at sea... ???

Changing plane tickets at the last minute can be quite expensive.

 

[mevelandry]

I'm gonna put this here in case some "silent" members were going to sail with Carnival this week-end...

(Source Carnival.com)

WEATHER UPDATE 9/5/2017 – 9:00 PM (EDT)

We have been closely monitoring Hurricane Irma, which is now a category 5 storm in the Caribbean. Since the safety and security of our guests and crew are our primary concern, it will be necessary to cancel the following cruises given the projected path of the storm:



Carnival Liberty – September 7

Carnival Victory – September 8



We sincerely apologize for the disruption to your vacation plans. We will automatically process a full refund, including any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures, Fun Shop purchases and beverage packages. The refund will be processed to your original form of payment within three weeks.



Thank you for your patience as we continue to work on our plans for our other sailings departing from Central and South Florida this weekend. We will provide another update by 1:00 PM tomorrow.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

This has been a rough hurricane season for sure.

 

[mevelandry]

This has been a rough hurricane season for sure.

Yep. I've seen pictures. St. Marteen is devastated. It's sad to watch.

The port of Miami is supposed to close saturday.

Many sailings due to depart this week-end and in the beginning of next week are "in limbo".

 

[mevelandry]

Last night's update... So many cruises in limbo...

 

[mevelandry]

Most recent informations regarding Carnival Sailings... (source: John Heald, brand ambassador)

 

[cyclenut]

Wife and I were in New Orleans when several ships came into port during Harvey. We talked to some passengers that had been aboard the Breeze, some of whom lived in Houston and didn't know the status of their homes yet. The folks I talked to all felt Carnival did a very nice job for them. When they arrived in New Orleans, Carnival gave them a comp ticket that could be used for certain tourist things like the city bus tour. They coordinated with the folks in New Orleans first to ensure they had enough buses in service to handle the spike caused by so many cruise passengers.

A lot of folks chose to take the opportunity to fly home. We were on the plane with one such family. They told us that even the rental car companies were being accommodating. They had a rental car at the port of Galveston. The rental agency told them not to worry. They would go pick up the car and ship them any personal property left behind. No charge.

The only complaints I heard from any passengers were that they didn't budget for the extra time and despite attempts to lessen the impact, Carnival was still charging for all the things that are typically an additional charge (which makes perfect sense). Nobody thought Carnival should have made everything free, but it was just a comment that extending the cruise without additional cruise fare, still comes at an additional cost. If the budget is tight, it can present a problem.

Some of the ships coming into New Orleans were only there for a replenish and only those who were planning to disembark for home were allowed off. The Breeze made it an additional port stop and they stayed docked overnight.

 

[mevelandry]

Wife and I were in New Orleans when several ships came into port during Harvey. We talked to some passengers that had been aboard the Breeze, some of whom lived in Houston and didn't know the status of their homes yet. The folks I talked to all felt Carnival did a very nice job for them. When they arrived in New Orleans, Carnival gave them a comp ticket that could be used for certain tourist things like the city bus tour. They coordinated with the folks in New Orleans first to ensure they had enough buses in service to handle the spike caused by so many cruise passengers.

A lot of folks chose to take the opportunity to fly home. We were on the plane with one such family. They told us that even the rental car companies were being accommodating. They had a rental car at the port of Galveston. The rental agency told them not to worry. They would go pick up the car and ship them any personal property left behind. No charge.

The only complaints I heard from any passengers were that they didn't budget for the extra time and despite attempts to lessen the impact, Carnival was still charging for all the things that are typically an additional charge (which makes perfect sense). Nobody thought Carnival should have made everything free, but it was just a comment that extending the cruise without additional cruise fare, still comes at an additional cost. If the budget is tight, it can present a problem.

Some of the ships coming into New Orleans were only there for a replenish and only those who were planning to disembark for home were allowed off. The Breeze made it an additional port stop and they stayed docked overnight.

From what I understand, they unlocked wifi and phone lines so people could mAke arrangements and Carnival took care of the extra gratuities.

If the only thing passengers had to pay for during the extra days was their drink packages (John Heald said they were going to have a percentage off of it), extra fee restaurants and some of the activities that comes with additional charge... Well, it's a choice that they made to pay for stuff that they could have lived without.

 

[mevelandry]

This has been recently added:

 

[cyclenut]

From what I understand, they unlocked wifi and phone lines so people could mAke arrangements and Carnival took care of the extra gratuities.

If the only thing passengers had to pay for during the extra days was their drink packages (John Heald said they were going to have a percentage off of it), extra fee restaurants and some of the activities that comes with additional charge... Well, it's a choice that they made to pay for stuff that they could have lived without.

I also understand that, on the Breeze at least, the offered free laundry service as well. I suspect it was similar on other ships.

Maybe you misunderstood what I was writing. I agree, those things are choices for the individuals to make. I was in no way criticizing Carnival. Just pointing out that what some think of as a "free" extension to a vacation, isn't necessarily so. Each is coming from a different place. It's a guess, but I would not be surprised if some of those folks are losing some compensation as well. Perhaps self employed or on commission, or maybe even just out of paid vacation time. It is not uncommon for folks to budget carefully for a vacation. Any unplanned hits to the budget could present a hardship.

 

[mevelandry]

I also understand that, on the Breeze at least, the offered free laundry service as well. I suspect it was similar on other ships.

Maybe you misunderstood what I was writing. I agree, those things are choices for the individuals to make. I was in no way criticizing Carnival. Just pointing out that what some think of as a "free" extension to a vacation, isn't necessarily so. Each is coming from a different place. It's a guess, but I would not be surprised if some of those folks are losing some compensation as well. Perhaps self employed or on commission, or maybe even just out of paid vacation time. It is not uncommon for folks to budget carefully for a vacation. Any unplanned hits to the budget could present a hardship.

That, I get and agree with 100%.

Also, we can never stress enough how important travel insurance is, at any time, but even more if you plan vacations during hurricane season.