CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[cruiser21]

I agree with pp posters about Atlantis. It looks a lot better on the commercials. I'd rather spend a week at the Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Wilderness lodge or Animal Kingdom for that money. I'm not a huge fan of Disney parks, but I love the deluxe resorts and the theming.

 

[mevelandry]

I agree with pp posters about Atlantis. It looks a lot better on the commercials. I'd rather spend a week at the Boardwalk Inn, Beach Club, Wilderness lodge or Animal Kingdom for that money. I'm not a huge fan of Disney parks, but I love the deluxe resorts and the theming.

Honestly I am glad all of you gave me your honest opinion (and I value your opinions) as I had heard mixed reviews but was (still) fooled by the commercials...

You just made me save money.

 

[mevelandry]

Weird...

I've been on a thread where people talk about adult activities... And some of them sound a lot like those you can find on a Carnival cruise.

Match your Mate = Love and Marriage Show

Adult Scavenger Hunt = The Quest

There are alcohol tastings on both cruise lines...

An adult sections with pools and/or jacuzzis on both cruise lines...

Cafés ont both cruise lines...

Bars on both cruise lines...

I'm surprised some people still talk trash about Carnival regarding entertainment when there are so many similarities.

Talking about talking trash: I was annoyed by Bill Maher's joke regarding Carnival on friday. Of course I knew he was refering to the Triumph incident from 2013 but I feel like it is dishonest to refer to "poop cruise" when describing a whole cruise line 5 years later after a single incident.

People have drowned on Castaway Cay, should we start calling it "the island where people drown"? :/ (I don't think so!)

Oh, well...

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

Weird...

I've been on a thread where people talk about adult activities... And some of them sound a lot like those you can find on a Carnival cruise.


I'm surprised some people still talk trash about Carnival regarding entertainment when there are so many similarities.

I don't think anyone is saying that these activities are not on other ships or that they're better on DCL. People are just pointing out that it's available and, in their experience, fun.

When I'm comparing entertainment, I'm comparing the main stage evening shows, and I prefer DCL. Though I'm sure there are people who prefer the Carnival entertainment.

That said, I too am not fond of name calling and trash talking from the employees of one cruise line towards another cruise line. It seems unprofessional.

 

[oklamomof4boys]

Carnival Valor 5 night cruise June 2017


Last summer I took my first Carnival cruise. It was a trip with my girlfriends. Let me start with I love all things Disney. I realize that part of what I like about DCL is just because it is disney. I love seeing the Disney touches and hearing the Disney music. But I did try to keep an open mind. We were on a 5 night cruise on the Valor.

Things I preferred on Carnival- I really liked the Faster to the Fun option. We are the type who love to be on the ship ASAP. I really liked that with FTTF we were able to go to our room immediately and out our stuff down. Some of the food I really liked, some I didn’t. I’m the same way on Disney. But I did LOVE the pizza on deck on Carnival.

Now for what I didn’t like as much- service is much better on Disney. Our room steward only serviced our room once a day- which wasn’t a big deal but one day he didn’t come at all. Yes we could have called but we didn’t. Most of the time we never saw a room steward. One day part of our door knob fell off and they just taped it back on. I thought maybe they didn’t have the part to fix it but it was fixed about 36 hours later- so they had the part it just took a while for them to fix it.



I didn’t really care for a lot of the decor. If I had little kids with me I’m not sure I would have cared for these pictures in the elevator landings

I thought the smell of the smoke from the casino spread to other parts of the ship (but I’m very sensitive to smoke). But the main thing was everything just seemed more crowded and I’ve been on Disney when the ship was full. Every bar was packed with people and it took forever to get a drink. One of the pools was jam packed with people
standing in it with drinks (I also didn’t like that you had to bring a towel from your room and take it back from the pool). Everywhere just felt crowded.

We only went to one show so I can’t really compare those. Also the “entertainment” at dinner was the servers dancing suggestively on the tables. For us it was hysterical but not sure I would have loved my kids seeing that when they were little.

We still had a good time. Maybe the Valor is an older ship. One of my friends only sails Carnival and she loves it (and takes her little kids). Maybe I’m too picky or I just love Disney too much to be open minded.

 

[mevelandry]

I don't think anyone is saying that these activities are not on other ships or that they're better on DCL. People are just pointing out that it's available and, in their experience, fun.

When I'm comparing entertainment, I'm comparing the main stage evening shows, and I prefer DCL. Though I'm sure there are people who prefer the Carnival entertainment.

That said, I too am not fond of name calling and trash talking from the employees of one cruise line towards another cruise line. It seems unprofessional.

Big fail on my part as it wasn't the point I was trying to make... (and it is 100% okay to express a preference no matter what that preference is) I wanted to express my surprise that I've heard so much trash talk when cruise lines share lots of similarities.

And I 100% agree with you regarding employees, I think it's not professional. There are ways to sell your product without putting down other companies.

 

[mevelandry]

Carnival Valor 5 night cruise June 2017


Last summer I took my first Carnival cruise. It was a trip with my girlfriends. Let me start with I love all things Disney. I realize that part of what I like about DCL is just because it is disney. I love seeing the Disney touches and hearing the Disney music. But I did try to keep an open mind. We were on a 5 night cruise on the Valor.

Things I preferred on Carnival- I really liked the Faster to the Fun option. We are the type who love to be on the ship ASAP. I really liked that with FTTF we were able to go to our room immediately and out our stuff down. Some of the food I really liked, some I didn’t. I’m the same way on Disney. But I did LOVE the pizza on deck on Carnival.

Now for what I didn’t like as much- service is much better on Disney. Our room steward only serviced our room once a day- which wasn’t a big deal but one day he didn’t come at all. Yes we could have called but we didn’t. Most of the time we never saw a room steward. One day part of our door knob fell off and they just taped it back on. I thought maybe they didn’t have the part to fix it but it was fixed about 36 hours later- so they had the part it just took a while for them to fix it.

View attachment 318690

I didn’t really care for a lot of the decor. If I had little kids with me I’m not sure I would have cared for these pictures in the elevator landings View attachment 318688View attachment 318689

I thought the smell of the smoke from the casino spread to other parts of the ship (but I’m very sensitive to smoke). But the main thing was everything just seemed more crowded and I’ve been on Disney when the ship was full. Every bar was packed with people and it took forever to get a drink. One of the pools was jam packed with people
standing in it with drinks (I also didn’t like that you had to bring a towel from your room and take it back from the pool). Everywhere just felt crowded.

We only went to one show so I can’t really compare those. Also the “entertainment” at dinner was the servers dancing suggestively on the tables. For us it was hysterical but not sure I would have loved my kids seeing that when they were little.

We still had a good time. Maybe the Valor is an older ship. One of my friends only sails Carnival and she loves it (and takes her little kids). Maybe I’m too picky or I just love Disney too much to be open minded.

Thanks for your review.

Big fan of Faster to the Fun here!

Same for the Carnival pizza. I'm currently trying to find a restaurant in Montreal that would offer a similar product because I already miss it.

The room steward seems to be hit or miss. Ours on our two last Carnival cruises offered to service our room twice (but we chose only once). I never met my last DCL steward. I was surprised to be honest. I kinda like meeting them as it motivates me to keep my cabin cleaner. Sorry you did not get to have your doorknob fixed right away. Hope you complained about that after your cruise as it is not acceptable.

I love the dancing on the tables too. It's hilarious.

Have you tried the comedy shows?

 

[mevelandry]

Hey, I just realized... I noticed a big difference with the handling of the smoke in the Casino on the Victory vs the Vista. While I could spend some times in the Casino on the Vista without being to incommodated by the smoke, I was very annoyed with the smoke in the Victory casino.

So I don't know what they use on the Vista but they should put it on every ship.

 

[hdrolfe]

Home! Well at work. No Internet at home so I'm cheating and using work's I will post a bit better once I get internet back at home but we really enjoyed the cruise. My son loved the water slides and the ropes course. I didn't like the layout of the buffet, or the buffet food outside of Guy's and the Blue Iguana. I really enjoyed the MDR, the service was great, and kiddo enjoyed trying some new foods.

Check in was a breeze, and getting off was super quick (we walked off). My son wants to try the Breeze now because we really liked the ship, but he thinks we should try new ships. He would be happy to do the same ports again though. He also enjoyed the kids club, especially the "open choice" as he was able to play some video games.

The room steward was fine, he asked if we wanted morning, evening or both. I chose both but since he usually came at around 1pm we really only got it once a day. I was a little disappointed in that, we don't require a lot of cleaning but it's nice to have the room tidy, and the beds made.

All-in-all it was a very fun cruise, and I look forward to going again. Our cabin was noisy during events in the lobby because we were right beside the glass elevators, I'd avoid that area unless you are a stay up late traveller it did quiet down before 11 but kiddo was often in bed well before then. Cookie as the cruise director was good, people seemed to really enjoy him. We don't do a lot that involves him but the kids were part of the lip sync battle so we went to that show and he was funny there.

Any questions about Magic, or the ports I'm happy to answer (Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya).

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Welcome home travelers.

hdrolfe - The Breeze is my favorite ship. I know it's not much different from Magic but I just love it anyway. I'm not a fan of buffet's in general so it's a good thing there is plenty to choose from that is made to order now. I'm anxiously awaiting my boarding day Guy's burger!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Home! Well at work. No Internet at home so I'm cheating and using work's I will post a bit better once I get internet back at home but we really enjoyed the cruise. My son loved the water slides and the ropes course. I didn't like the layout of the buffet, or the buffet food outside of Guy's and the Blue Iguana. I really enjoyed the MDR, the service was great, and kiddo enjoyed trying some new foods.

Check in was a breeze, and getting off was super quick (we walked off). My son wants to try the Breeze now because we really liked the ship, but he thinks we should try new ships. He would be happy to do the same ports again though. He also enjoyed the kids club, especially the "open choice" as he was able to play some video games.

The room steward was fine, he asked if we wanted morning, evening or both. I chose both but since he usually came at around 1pm we really only got it once a day. I was a little disappointed in that, we don't require a lot of cleaning but it's nice to have the room tidy, and the beds made.

All-in-all it was a very fun cruise, and I look forward to going again. Our cabin was noisy during events in the lobby because we were right beside the glass elevators, I'd avoid that area unless you are a stay up late traveller it did quiet down before 11 but kiddo was often in bed well before then. Cookie as the cruise director was good, people seemed to really enjoy him. We don't do a lot that involves him but the kids were part of the lip sync battle so we went to that show and he was funny there.

Any questions about Magic, or the ports I'm happy to answer (Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya).

Cookie is a crack up! He was part of the entertainment staff on the Vista last year and I knew he’d be a CD on some ship, he’s a very personable guy with a ton of energy.

Happy to hear you enjoyed the Magic

 

[daisyx3]

I'm about to book a Horizon cruise for 2019...thanks for the previous tip about Havana Cabanas! Anything I need to know before I book? They have a deal right now for less of a deposit. Going to Ocho Rios (never been), Cayman and Cozumel (been, but in 2004).

 

[mevelandry]

Talking about entertainment staff who should become CD... Brad "Baby Gap" on the Victory should be a cruise director. He's way too funny and talented not to become a CD.

 

[mevelandry]

Home! Well at work. No Internet at home so I'm cheating and using work's I will post a bit better once I get internet back at home but we really enjoyed the cruise. My son loved the water slides and the ropes course. I didn't like the layout of the buffet, or the buffet food outside of Guy's and the Blue Iguana. I really enjoyed the MDR, the service was great, and kiddo enjoyed trying some new foods.

Check in was a breeze, and getting off was super quick (we walked off). My son wants to try the Breeze now because we really liked the ship, but he thinks we should try new ships. He would be happy to do the same ports again though. He also enjoyed the kids club, especially the "open choice" as he was able to play some video games.

The room steward was fine, he asked if we wanted morning, evening or both. I chose both but since he usually came at around 1pm we really only got it once a day. I was a little disappointed in that, we don't require a lot of cleaning but it's nice to have the room tidy, and the beds made.

All-in-all it was a very fun cruise, and I look forward to going again. Our cabin was noisy during events in the lobby because we were right beside the glass elevators, I'd avoid that area unless you are a stay up late traveller it did quiet down before 11 but kiddo was often in bed well before then. Cookie as the cruise director was good, people seemed to really enjoy him. We don't do a lot that involves him but the kids were part of the lip sync battle so we went to that show and he was funny there.

Any questions about Magic, or the ports I'm happy to answer (Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya).

Nice!

Regarding the cabin steward, my FIL (not knowing how this works on Carnival), told our steward that he wanted his room to be serviced between 9:00 and 10:00 AM. *Blushes* ... But she did! LOL

Good to know regarding the location of your cabin. I usually book completely aft or forward because I find the cabins to be more quiet over there and I always bring earplugs just in case. I will keep it that way!

I thought I could link your review on the first post so if you want to add pictures, it would be great and a nice addition to your review.

 

[mevelandry]

I'm about to book a Horizon cruise for 2019...thanks for the previous tip about Havana Cabanas! Anything I need to know before I book? They have a deal right now for less of a deposit. Going to Ocho Rios (never been), Cayman and Cozumel (been, but in 2004).

Yay!!! Congrats in advance! I'm jealous!

Recommendation: Book an excursion in Ocho Rios... don't venture by yourself. Those vendors are... how could I put this... "Intense"?

Royal Palms in Grand Cayman is fantastic, just 2$/pp to get in (you can rent chairs and umbrellas over there) and just a 4$/pp shared-cab drive each way, about 5-10 minutes from the cruise terminal. This beach was heaven on hearth.

Regarding Cozumel, I can't stop talking about our Save a sea turtle experience excursion. I would recommend that if you are looking for something different.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I'm about to book a Horizon cruise for 2019...thanks for the previous tip about Havana Cabanas! Anything I need to know before I book? They have a deal right now for less of a deposit. Going to Ocho Rios (never been), Cayman and Cozumel (been, but in 2004).

If they are offering a reduced deposit that means it is an Early Saver rate. If you make any changes (different sailing date, etc) you will be charged a $50 per person fee that must be paid at the time of the change. You also can't downgrade your room without paying the same fee. If you cancel you will be charged the $50 per person fee from your deposit and the rest of the funds are held for you to use towards a future cruise that must be sailed within 24 months. These funds will not go toward a new deposit. ES has lots of restrictions but it's usually the lowest rate available.

 

[mevelandry]

If they are offering a reduced deposit that means it is an Early Saver rate. If you make any changes (different sailing date, etc) you will be charged a $50 per person fee that must be paid at the time of the change. You also can't downgrade your room without paying the same fee. If you cancel you will be charged the $50 per person fee from your deposit and the rest of the funds are held for you to use towards a future cruise that must be sailed within 24 months. These funds will not go toward a new deposit. ES has lots of restrictions but it's usually the lowest rate available.

I would like to add for @daisyx3 :

In the past, I was told by someone from Carnival that if I kept all my guests "TBA" and have to cancel, I will only pay a 50$ fee --removed from the credit kept for 24 months-- when I do the change. I tested it and it worked. I've paid only 50$ fee instead of 50$ fee/pp (which used to be 100$/pp in my case).

*************************

Also, when you book with Early Saver, you cannot "downgrade" your room category in order to save money. You can only upgrade.

That being said, if the price of the type of room you picked gets lower than it was when you originally booked, you can fill a price protection form and they will either upgrade your room or give you a refund in form of OBC. We got back 25$/pp on our last cruise thanks to that.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We saved about $300 on our August cruise with early saver/price drops. To claim the price drop, you have to monitor the price yourself and fill out a form on line. The form is very easy and Carnival responds very quickly.

 

[mevelandry]

We saved about $300 on our August cruise with early saver/price drops. To claim the price drop, you have to monitor the price yourself and fill out a form on line. The form is very easy and Carnival responds very quickly.

300$??? Impressive.

 

[mevelandry]

Hey guys,

I got a little survey for you. Which are your favorite dishes in the dining room?

Mine are...

Port Days Breakfast:

-The French Toast with caramelized bananas
-The Avocado Toast with poached eggs


The Sea Day Brunch:

-The (Filet Mignon) Steak and Eggs


The Dinner:

Appetizers
-Cesar Salad without anchovy

Main dish
-The beef brisket
-The Meat Lasagna
-The Chicken Breast (my husband)

The Side Dish
-The Bacon Mac'n'Cheese (loooooove it!)
-The Oven Baked Potato

Dessert

-The Cheese Dish
-The Exotic Fruit Plate
-The Baked Alaska

(Can you believe that after three cruises I still haven't tried their Molten Lava Cake?)