CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

One of my favorite extra fee options:

Jiji Asian Kitchen (did not take pictures from the free lunch because I wasn't a fan of it) but dinner was AMAZING...

 

[mevelandry]

Cucina del Capitano...

 

[Pens Fan]

Wow! What a beautiful ship! It looks so fun. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mevelandry]

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse...

My computer doesn't not want to give me the pictures of the restaurant, the desserts or the soup... but I got the pictures of the surprise appetizer (the tiniest burger I've ever seen) and wagyu beef... It was absolutely wonderful!

!!!

 

[mevelandry]

And now, Bonsai Sushi...
.

 

[mevelandry]

And... the last but not the least... My beautiful gigantic Blue Velvet Cake from the Java Blue Café!

 

[mevelandry]

I'm enjoying your report and photos! Looks like such a fun ship. I'm cracking up at the hearts covering your husband's face.

Was that a live Clue performance show, like the movie? or a game show based on the board game, with audience participation? I realize this is an odd thing to ask about, but if anyone would book a cruise based on the inclusion of Clue - it would be my family. We're such weirdos. My generation has passed a love of Clue on to our kids.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen the movie so I cannot compare. It was a presentation explaining each character/each characters's alibi... We unfortunately missed most of the following events and finale. But the first show was fun.

I don't think my husband would like his face all over the internet so I hide it with a heart.

Glad you enjoy my report. Thanks!!!

 

[mevelandry]

Awesome photos! I thought so much care went into that Dr. Suess event.

I can't say much about children activity but this one was very well done.

Oh, and I forgot to put a picture of the French Toast...

 

[mevelandry]

Wow! What a beautiful ship! It looks so fun. Thanks for sharing!

It is a wonderful ship. It beats the Disney Dream in my heart now (Never thought that would happen!). I had a feeling that I would like it but I never thought I would love it as much as I do now.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

So glad you had a positive experience. Only 220 days until our second time on Vista. I can't wait to try the Pig & Anchor. We are also going to JiJi's for dinner. We usually don't feel the need to pay for food but the menu looks great and something different from the usual MDR fare.

 

[mevelandry]

I was obsessed with Pig & Anchor to the point I had to eat there every time it was open (lunch on embarkation day and on sea days).

My husband always says the included food is so good that we don't need to pay for specialty dining but I am a fan of upgrades. Lol

In Jiji Asian Kitchen, we had the duck, the pork belly, the Chicken Kung Pao, Fried Rice (don't know what it was infused with but Wow!) and Noodles... that I forgot to take a picture of... they were delicious. I would recommend those dishes.

For dessert, I highly recommend the Rose Crème Brûlée... if you enjoy having a little Rose Water in your dessert... (I know sone people can't stand it. I love it)... It was so creamy and delicate... A masterpiece!

I call Jiji Asian Kitchen the "Asian Remy" now.

If you like Asian food and haven't try Bonsai Sushi, I would recommend it as well. I don't eat sushi but I was a fan of those Teriyaki Wagyu Beef bites (4$).

 

[cruiser21]

I was obsessed with Pig & Anchor to the point I had to eat there every time it was open (lunch on embarkation day and on sea days).

My husband always says the included food is so good that we don't need to pay for specialty dining but I am a fan of upgrades. Lol

In Jiji Asian Kitchen, we had the duck, the pork belly, the Chicken Kung Pao, Fried Rice (don't know what it was infused with but Wow!) and Noodles... that I forgot to take a picture of... they were delicious. I would recommend those dishes.

For dessert, I highly recommend the Rose Crème Brûlée... if you enjoy having a little Rose Water in your dessert... (I know sone people can't stand it. I love it)... It was so creamy and delicate... A masterpiece!

I call Jiji Asian Kitchen the "Asian Remy" now.

If you like Asian food and haven't try Bonsai Sushi, I would recommend it as well. I don't eat sushi but I was a fan of those Teriyaki Wagyu Beef bites (4$).

Food looks good. I would probably gain a few pounds on the Vista. I usually drop a couple Every Disney cruise. I'm not a fan of the type dishes they serve in the MDRs's on Dis. Is it French? I don't know it's alway rich with lots of sauce. I like American, Mexican, Chinese, sometimes German and there are a few French dishes I like.
I think I would like the variety they offer on the Vista. It looks like you can eat something different everyday. I'm not a fussy eater at all. I have a healthy appetite, but there is something about the Disney MDR food that just doesn't do it for me. I've felt this way from the first cruise to the last. Obviously it hasn't kept me off a disney ship. I could definetely see myself over indulging on the Vista.

 

[mevelandry]

Food looks good. I would probably gain a few pounds on the Vista. I usually drop a couple Every Disney cruise. I'm not a fan of the type dishes they serve in the MDRs's on Dis. Is it French? I don't know it's alway rich with lots of sauce. I like American, Mexican, Chinese, sometimes German and there are a few French dishes I like.
I think I would like the variety they offer on the Vista. It looks like you can eat something different everyday. I'm not a fussy eater at all. I have a healthy appetite, but there is something about the Disney MDR food that just doesn't do it for me. I've felt this way from the first cruise to the last. Obviously it hasn't kept me off a disney ship. I could definetely see myself over indulging on the Vista.

I think the fact that we are not patient enough to wait for the elevator (and staying on deck 14) prevented me from gaining a lot of weight. XD

There were lots of healthy choices... Everything was delicious.

 

[mevelandry]

Two things I would like to talk add regarding my review...

1) We stayed in a Cloud 9 Spa cabin that gave us Elimis shampoo and other toiletries. Loved it. It also gave us access to the Thermal Suite of the Cloud 9 Spa with a Thalasso pool, saunas and other rooms with strange names, warm chairs and perfumed showers (and we could have hot water in them YAY!)... Very similar to the Rainforest. Add to that a relaxation room with a great ocean view where we could get fruits infused water and tea. I went to the spa 4 times on the 6 nights... I did not go 6 times because I was too busy. If I remember correctly we only paid 125$ more for a Spa Room. Great value overall.

2) I would like to talk about what we have done in ports.

Jamaica: We went to Margaritaville in Ocho Rios. OMG. The vendors are much more "in your face" than in Nassau. But Jamaica is breathtaking, even when you look at it from the ship. I regretted not going on an excursion after all. My husband still talks about the mountains and was disappointed in the panorama (from the ship) of each ports we visited after Jamaica. Lol

Cayman Island: Wow. Wow. Wow. Fell in love with the place. It was 100% different from Jamaica: no pushy vendors at all. Super easy to find a shared ride to get to Royal Palm. Royal Palm was super affordable, clean and we rented snorkel equipment and I snorkeled... Snorkled? ... For the first time. The water was crystal clear and the sand like sugar. The food was good in Royal Palms too.

Cozumel: We did the "Save a sea turtle" experience. One of the best days of my life. It started with a stop in a small bazar close to a beach with volcanic rocks... Then we did the Turtles. You dig in the nest to get the baby turtles yourself... We were lucky enough to find 5 live baby turtles and released them to the sea. It was magical. Then we visited a Mayan Village (I'll have to come back with the name). When we got back to the port, we had snacks and drinks at Pancho's Backyard. Great place! Hope we get the chance to go back someday.

Let me know if you are interested in pictures from the ports and excursions.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I was so excited to come back and give my review and post pictures ... and now the fights are starting to ruin that for me. I don't want this thread to be closed, ok? I worked hard for it.

I haven't posted but I am excited to follow along. The Carnival Vista will be sailing out of Galveston, which is within driving distance for us. The price difference is bananas. I will have a 10 and 12 year old and that is making me lean toward Disney, but I'm not sold 100%. I'm worried my kids might be bored on sea days on Carnival, and we really liked the evening shows on Disney.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I haven't posted but I am excited to follow along. The Carnival Vista will be sailing out of Galveston, which is within driving distance for us. The price difference is bananas. I will have a 10 and 12 year old and that is making me lean toward Disney, but I'm not sold 100%. I'm worried my kids might be bored on sea days on Carnival, and we really liked the evening shows on Disney.

Your kids can't possibly be bored on the Vista! There are the kid clubs, ropes course, sky ride, waterworks, mini golf, bowling, imax movies, thrill theatre, trivia, pools.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Your kids can't possibly be bored on the Vista! There are the kid clubs, ropes course, sky ride, waterworks, mini golf, bowling, imax movies, thrill theatre, trivia, pools.

I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do. But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!

 

[mevelandry]

I haven't posted but I am excited to follow along. The Carnival Vista will be sailing out of Galveston, which is within driving distance for us. The price difference is bananas. I will have a 10 and 12 year old and that is making me lean toward Disney, but I'm not sold 100%. I'm worried my kids might be bored on sea days on Carnival, and we really liked the evening shows on Disney.

I have a hard time believing your kids would ever be bored on sea days on the Carnival Vista... There is too much to do!

There's the kids club...

But there is also the Waterworks, waterslides, pools, mini-bowling, soccer pool, pool tables, foosball table, ping pong tables, mini-golf, sky ride, rope course, arcades, dive-in movies, shuffle, sand bag games, Clue, and there are tons of the best board games in the Library Bar (which is pretty much never a bar as I have never ever seen a barman there. LOL)

... and that does not include all the included family friendly events!

And for a small fee: mini-bowling, 4D thrill theater short movies (it was FANTASTIC), IMAX movie theater, Dr. Seuss Characters Breakfast...

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I guess I'm just a little DIsney brainwashed because it's hard for me to imagine another cruise line catering to kids as well as they do. But those pools and slides look much better than anything Disney has!

There is life after Disney! Kids are adaptable too. I'm all about the best bang for my buck and DCL is just not it when I can still go to the same islands, eat good food and have fun on any cruise.

We have an 8 night Southern booked 4 people, balcony on deck 8 June 2018 and our base fare is $3989, taxes, port fees and prepaid gratuities add about $925. With the Carnival Early Saver program I can get price drops in my category until 2 days before sailing (already had 4 since booking). I've priced DCL for summer and I have never seen anything for an inside, much less a balcony, under about $8000 before gratuities are thrown in.

Go, try something new.

 

[mevelandry]

Your kids can't possibly be bored on the Vista! There are the kid clubs, ropes course, sky ride, waterworks, mini golf, bowling, imax movies, thrill theatre, trivia, pools.

I had not seen your pictures before I answered. Thanks trvlgirlmq! That's even better with pictures!