CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

*Paid in full dance*

 

[mevelandry]

Do you guys know the name of the instrument that is sometimes played on the main deck on Carnival cruises? It looks like drums but sounds a bit like a xylophone...

Yesterday, I asked my husband to close his eyes while I played a few seconds of a vlog where you could hear music played with that instrument. We both teared up.

I think we miss cruising with Carnival.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Do you guys know the name of the instrument that is sometimes played on the main deck on Carnival cruises? It looks like drums but sounds a bit like a xylophone...

Yesterday, I asked my husband to close his eyes while I played a few seconds of a vlog where you could hear music played with that instrument. We both teared up.

I think we miss cruising with Carnival.

They’re steel drums or sometimes referred to as kettle drums, they’re a staple in the Caribbean. I love lounging on the Lido listening to them. Thanks for helping me escape from reality for a few moments today.

 

[mevelandry]

They’re steel drums or sometimes referred to as kettle drums, they’re a staple in the Caribbean. I love lounging on the Lido listening to them. Thanks for helping me escape from reality for a few moments today.

Steel drums!!! That's it!!!!

Hearing that instrument brings me back every single time!

 

[KashasMom]

I love the steel drums! RCI has them as well. Sometimes I get tired of the same old movies/trivia on Disney funnel vision and wish they had some live Caribbean music by the pool.

 

[KashasMom]

Steel drums!!! That's it!!!!

Hearing that instrument brings me back every single time!

Just wondering what your Coco Cay cruise is?

 

[mevelandry]

I love the steel drums! RCI has them as well. Sometimes I get tired of the same old movies/trivia on Disney funnel vision and wish they had some live Caribbean music by the pool.

I enjoy live music by the pool very much!

 

[mevelandry]

Just wondering what your Coco Cay cruise is?

It's just a 3 nights to the Bahamas in October 2019 on the Mariner of Seas (the refurbs look nice though). Wish it was longer but DH and I deeply miss Universal Orlando (big Simpsons fans here but the last time we went was in 2014) so we decided to opt for a Land & Sea instead of a long cruise.

And I booked non-refundable (Yay me!)...

 

[KashasMom]

It's just a 3 nights to the Bahamas in October 2019 on the Mariner of Seas (the refurbs look nice though). Wish it was longer but DH and I deeply miss Universal Orlando (big Simpsons fans here but the last time we went was in 2014) so we decided to opt for a Land & Sea instead of a long cruise.

And I booked non-refundable (Yay me!)...

Nice! I'd like to get to Coco Cay. Curious how it compares to Labadee. Daughter is becoming a big Harry Potter fan so Universal is in our future. October will be a nice time to visit. Enjoy!

 

[mevelandry]

Nice! I'd like to get to Coco Cay. Curious how it compares to Labadee. Daughter is becoming a big Harry Potter fan so Universal is in our future. October will be a nice time to visit. Enjoy!

It's always a lottery as with hurricane season we never know what we are going to get... But we always got lucky so far and the weather is usually very nice.

I have a huge crush on CocoCay (or at least what they plan to do with the island).

As I am supposed to experiment Half Moon Cay this fall and CocoCay next fall, I can't wait to see how different or similar they are to Castaway Cay. But I really feel like CocoCay is going to have its own "niche".

Universal: your daughter's brain will explode. The wizarding world is so immersive... I'm a grown up and I was emotional in the Forbidden Journey ride and I'm not that a hardcore fan of HP.The butterbeer, the frog choir... Just wow.

My husband being a huge Simpsons fan was absolutely blown away by the Simpsons Land. Once again, so immersive!!

 

[belle032]

Universal: your daughter's brain will explode. The wizarding world is so immersive... I'm a grown up and I was emotional in the Forbidden Journey ride and I'm not that a hardcore fan of HP.The butterbeer, the frog choir... Just wow.

My husband being a huge Simpsons fan was absolutely blown away by the Simpsons Land. Once again, so immersive!!

Agreed! When DH & I worked at WDW, we would often go to Universal. I LOVE Disney, but I absolutely give Universal tons and tons of credit because Harry Potter is just amazing. DH has no idea of what Harry Potter was about and even he was impressed with the lands. When I had friends visit me and I took them there, they would all just stop at the entrance and stare in awe. I've seen people immediately just start to cry when they first see it. It really is just incredible to see how it affects so many people. To see books come to life like that is just the coolest thing ever.

I'm sure Star Wars Land will have that effect on many people as well, but as someone who is not a Star Wars fan, it's so great that I could get that feeling from Harry Potter!

 

[mevelandry]

Agreed! When DH & I worked at WDW, we would often go to Universal. I LOVE Disney, but I absolutely give Universal tons and tons of credit because Harry Potter is just amazing. DH has no idea of what Harry Potter was about and even he was impressed with the lands. When I had friends visit me and I took them there, they would all just stop at the entrance and stare in awe. I've seen people immediately just start to cry when they first see it. It really is just incredible to see how it affects so many people. To see books come to life like that is just the coolest thing ever.

I'm sure Star Wars Land will have that effect on many people as well, but as someone who is not a Star Wars fan, it's so great that I could get that feeling from Harry Potter!

I agree. I have not seen Star Wars (Weird... I know, right?) but I am sure it will be just as immersive.

 

[mevelandry]

I love you guys.

I love the fact that I am not vilified in here (on this thread) because I like to budget my vacations and because I like to get good value for my money.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I love you guys.

I love the fact that I am not vilified in here (on this thread) because I like to budget my vacations and because I like to get good value for my money.

I'm a cheapskate at heart so I totally understand. If something is similar enough then I won't pay extra for what is essentially the same thing (I'm pointing my finger at you DCL).

I just booked our airfare last night for our 2019 vacation. We are paying $580 each RT Atlanta-Paris, France. That is a bargain! I could never get that airfare from my home city. Do we have to make a few adjustments to our trip, sure but I refuse to pay 3 times as much from my home airport. Bonus, these flights both have 24 hour layovers in Manchester, England so we are getting 2 days in Liverpool (only 1 hour away) so my mom can fulfill her teenage Beatlemania fantasy I am beyond excited about this bonus and can't wait to start planning our time in France.

 

[mevelandry]

I'm a cheapskate at heart so I totally understand. If something is similar enough then I won't pay extra for what is essentially the same thing (I'm pointing my finger at you DCL).

I just booked our airfare last night for our 2019 vacation. We are paying $580 each RT Atlanta-Paris, France. That is a bargain! I could never get that airfare from my home city. Do we have to make a few adjustments to our trip, sure but I refuse to pay 3 times as much from my home airport. Bonus, these flights both have 24 hour layovers in Manchester, England so we are getting 2 days in Liverpool (only 1 hour away) so my mom can fulfill her teenage Beatlemania fantasy I am beyond excited about this bonus and can't wait to start planning our time in France.

Sounds amazing!

Which Airline? In Canada, we don't have many Ultra Low Cost airlines but we have WOW Airlines which can usually get us a price between 450 and 600$CAD roundtrips in Europe and Northern Europe. (Ahhhh someday!)

*****

This week, I had to book our flights for our October cruise... Got a YUL-FLL ticket with points but I still paid 129$ for the taxes (one way flight was 280$) and the best I got for the flight back home was either a 188$ flight with a connexion in LaGuardia (Hell, no!!!) or a direct flight for 217$. I picked the direct flight.

Honestly, at this point I'm very hesitant to sail from Miami/Fort Lauderdale again. The flights and the hotels --unless you find something on Hotwire-- are so expensive! I think I will concentrate on sailings from Port Canaveral and NYC from now on.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Sounds amazing!

Which Airline? In Canada, we don't have many Ultra Low Cost airlines but we have WOW Airlines which can usually get us a price between 450 and 600$CAD roundtrips in Europe and Northern Europe. (Ahhhh someday!)

*****

This week, I had to book our flights for our October cruise... Got a YUL-FLL ticket with points but I still paid 129$ for the taxes (one way flight was 280$) and the best I got for the flight back home was either a 188$ flight with a connexion in LaGuardia (Hell, no!!!) or a direct flight for 217$. I picked the direct flight.

Honestly, at this point I'm very hesitant to sail from Miami/Fort Lauderdale again. The flights and the hotels --unless you find something on Hotwire-- are so expensive! I think I will concentrate on sailings from Port Canaveral and NYC from now on.

It's a combination Virgin Atlantic (for the long-haul) and Flybe (for the intra-Europe part). It includes a checked bag though so that is a bonus in my book.

I agree about Miami. It's expensive, a hassle and I don't like the city at all. It is much easier and less expensive from Port Canaveral even if they don't have the newest, shiniest ships.

 

[mevelandry]

Good morning guys,

I'm currently trying to find the most "affordable yet efficient" transportation strategy as we have just booked the Disney's Beach Club (praying for promos as the rack rate price what though to swallow) for a pre-cruise stay in Orlando for our next Family Land & Sea in April 2019. *Carnival Sunshine, yay!!!!!*

I booked Magical Express both ways so worst case scenario, the day of the cruise, we can go back to the airport and take a shuttle to PC (thinking of Carnival shuttle but I heard there could be a cheaper option... We'll see.)

But then I thought this would mean long bus rides for my MIL and FIL ... :/

Do you know a company that would provide transportation for a reasonable price (gratuities included) from a Disney Hotel to PC? We do not want to pay more than 50$/pp...

(We'll take the Carnival shuttle back to the airport at the end of the trip so it's one way only).

None of us have a driver license so car rental is not a possibility.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Good morning guys,

I'm currently trying to find the most "affordable yet efficient" transportation strategy as we have just booked the Disney's Beach Club (praying for promos as the rack rate price what though to swallow) for a pre-cruise stay in Orlando for our next Family Land & Sea in April 2019. *Carnival Sunshine, yay!!!!!*

I booked Magical Express both ways so worst case scenario, the day of the cruise, we can go back to the airport and take a shuttle to PC (thinking of Carnival shuttle but I heard there could be a cheaper option... We'll see.)

But then I thought this would mean long bus rides for my MIL and FIL ... :/

Do you know a company that would provide transportation for a reasonable price (gratuities included) from a Disney Hotel to PC? We do not want to pay more than 50$/pp...

(We'll take the Carnival shuttle back to the airport at the end of the trip so it's one way only).

None of us have a driver license so car rental is not a possibility.

Thanks in advance.

We’ve used HappyLimo.com on several cruises and they’re fantastic. They have several vehicle options available, we usually book a minivan. I think last time we booked them, (2014), it was $120, (plus tip), for the 4 of us.

The drivers are very courteous, professional and will make a grocery store stop if you need to purchase any last minute items. I highly recommend them. There may still be a discount code on allears.net for a discount.

 

[mevelandry]

We’ve used HappyLimo.com on several cruises and they’re fantastic. They have several vehicle options available, we usually book a minivan. I think last time we booked them, (2014), it was $120, (plus tip), for the 4 of us.

The drivers are very courteous, professional and will make a grocery store stop if you need to purchase any last minute items. I highly recommend them. There may still be a discount code on allears.net for a discount.

OMG... That would be perfect!

I'll check that out, thanks!

 

[MickeyD]

Ha! I was just going to say Happy Limo, or Tiffany Towncars. Tiffany has a 10 passenger van. Their site says $185 one way from any WDW hotel for van, $150 for mini van. Dreams used to offer a discount for Tiffany. I have heard good things about both Happy Limo and Tiffany.