CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[PrincessTrisha]

Thanks for the input...since it's only a 4-night cruise, I know we'll be okay. Just used to so many on Carnival wearing shorts (supposedly a no-no) to the MDR. LOL! We love Carnival because of the reasonable price and the Western Caribbean let hubby scuba dive 3-4 times a week. Done it so many times, I rarely get off the ship, I stay on board and write mystery novels.

DCL has possibly the most casual dress code of any cruise line; while you'll see lots of little ones in fancy princess dresses or pirate costumes, the design du jour is definitely shorts and t-shirts; at breakfast and lunch (especially in the buffet) there's lots of swimwear - some with, and some without, cover-ups.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Thanks for the input...since it's only a 4-night cruise, I know we'll be okay. Just used to so many on Carnival wearing shorts (supposedly a no-no) to the MDR. LOL! We love Carnival because of the reasonable price and the Western Caribbean let hubby scuba dive 3-4 times a week. Done it so many times, I rarely get off the ship, I stay on board and write mystery novels.

I find that people dress up more on CCL than DCL.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I find that people dress up more on CCL than DCL.

I totally agree, especially on elegant night, Carnival folks take that seriously!

 

[cruiser21]

Interesting thread...we are taking our youngest granddaughter (4 1/2) on her first cruise in December (the Dream). Our tradition has been to take them to WDW between ages 4-5 but due to timing, her parents are taking her for Halloween this October. So, we opted for the cruise. We are Platinum on Carnival and so far, from all the reading I've done, the dinner dress code seems to be the biggest difference (at least for kids). We are looking forward to December!

My kids have worn shorts in the dining room on every cruise and just about every night. I made them put pants on a couple times on formal night the first couple of cruises and then I gave up the battle. They don't wear long pants at home. My son even wore shorts to dinner in Alaska. I think it goes from in living warm/hot weather year round. It's just what they are comfortable in. I would not worry about it you'll see people in shorts, people dressed up and everything in between.

 

[TheMcNicols]

My kids have worn shorts in the dining room on every cruise and just about every night. I made them put pants on a couple times on formal night the first couple of cruises and then I gave up the battle. They don't wear long pants at home. My son even wore shorts to dinner in Alaska. I think it goes from in living warm/hot weather year round. It's just what they are comfortable in. I would not worry about it you'll see people in shorts, people dressed up and everything in between.

Thank you, and everyone else who posted. I feel better about her dress code (age 4).

 

[mevelandry]

Hi guys,

Carnival seems to have a nice promo right now for the sailings happening this fall.

The price difference between you picking your cabin and them assigning you a cabin seems greater than what I used to see.

I even noticed a Canadian Residents rate which I had never seen before. (The downside is that of course, THEY choose the room for you.)

At the moment, it would be 40$ less than what I have right now.

EDIT: My husband doesn't want to change cabins. He thinks the one we got is perfect.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Hi guys,

Carnival seems to have a nice promo right now for the sailings happening this fall.

The price difference between you picking your cabin and them assigning you a cabin seems greater than what I used to see.

I even noticed a Canadian Residents rate which I had never seen before. (The downside is that of course, THEY choose the room for you.)

At the moment, it would be 40$ less than what I have right now.

I wonder if I should call?

I can imagine they won't let me change my promotion.

You should call and check. It depends on your current rate. If you are on easysaver they will let you change. For the others, I think it depends on PIF date, but not sure.

 

[mevelandry]

You should call and check. It depends on your current rate. If you are on easysaver they will let you change. For the others, I think it depends on PIF date, but not sure.

I think we'll keep the cabin after all. The location sounds nice and the view too. Not worth taking a chance for 40$ less.

 

[Crystal O_o]

My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized.

Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.

The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.

With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized.

Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.

The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.

With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.

That’s too bad your experience wasn’t good, my 21 days on the Vista was a completely different story. I would like to point out though the Fantasy only has a capacity of 65 more people than the Vista, I’m not saying I don’t believe you about it feeling crowded, just wanted to let you real numbers. I wish you many more happy cruises.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized.

Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.

The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.

With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.

Bummer. Definitely miserable when you spend $$ on a vacation and walk away unhappy. When we were on the Vista last summer, we also did not feel like it felt new. Not that it felt old, just not new. And that was a year ago. We felt like some areas on Vista (buffet and comedy club especially) were crowded, but we also felt that way on both DCL Fantasy/Dream (hallway to kids club and "shows" in the atrium or on deck to name a few). There were always lines at the cafe on Vista. We met a lot of fun people in those lines. lol. And you did not mention it, but we felt there wasn't enough a/c in the buffet. But... we loved the food all over Vista, huge variety blew us away. And the kids club??? Funny how experiences can be so different. Our kids loved the kids club. And I hate to admit it but our kids are difficult to satisfy. We also though the service all around the ship was excellent. We had YTD on the Vista, so we met a variety of waiters-- all very with it and sincere. Our room steward was excellent. Finally, we loved the "fun ship" vibe. Overall we thought it was incredible value for money. Did you have Matt as your CD? Best CD ever.

Thanks for your review.

 

[mevelandry]

My sister in law is a teacher and can only vacation during the normal times that the rest of the kids are out of school. So we choose to do Carnival Vista July 4th weekend. I went into that cruise with knowing that it's not going to be at the level of my past Disney cruises. However, what totally surprised me was how awful the service and ship actually were. The vista is only 2 years old and it felt 10 years old. The cabins were falling apart as well as the rest of the ship. Chipping paint everywhere, corner covers falling off, dirty carpet and generally just poor materials and keep up. The food was not great at all. The buffet lacked the basics like chicken strips, or french fries for the kids. I am not a very picky eater however I found myself at the uncharge food options then the regular options. The uncharge options were great, but again I had to pay additional for them. Service was poor, our waiter was rude as well as a couple of other ones. Getting on and off the ship was a mission and very unorganized.

Another thing that was surprising was the ship felt small and packed. Like navigating it was difficult and I felt like we were in lines for everything. The Fantasy hold way more people then the Vista and I never felt like I was on a crowded ship on the Fantasy. On the Vista, I felt like there were people everywhere and I waited in line for far to long for everything.

The kids club was so lame too. My kids said it was bad and wanted to go back to disney.

With that said, I will NEVER EVER EVER book a Carnival cruise again. Not worth what I paid and it wasn't really the way we like to vacation.

I have to say I am quite shocked reading your review as I sailed on the Vista 10 months ago and experienced the complete opposite as what you are describing. Work was done in places that IMO did not even need refurbishments yet, carpets and floors were ****'n'span. My husband has been eating chicken strips at almost every lunch in the buffet... maybe there was a shortage??? French fries can be found at Guy's burgers if you can't find any at the buffet.
Getting on and off the ship was always a breeze for us. Food always delicious and I am super picky. I feel like we were not on the same ship at all...

But 4th of july week-end tends to have busier cruises... Do you usually cruise during 4th of July week-end each year?

Feeling crowded sucks. I felt like that on the Disney Wonder and definitely would sail the Dream or Fantasy if I had to go back to a DCL cruise.

 

[cruiser21]

One thing about Disney is everyone is in the same place at the same time. It's easy to avoid the crowds. You just do what everyone else is not doing. It's the one reason(other then the fact that I've seen them all) that I don't go to the shows. Between 6 and 8 you have the ship to yourself. I'm not sure how it is on the Vista, but I can't imagine anything being worse the kids pool on a DCL ship.

 

[cyclenut]

I have to say I am quite shocked reading your review as I sailed on the Vista 10 months ago and experienced the complete opposite as what you are describing. Work was done in places that IMO did not even need refurbishments yet, carpets and floors were ****'n'span. My husband has been eating chicken strips at almost every lunch in the buffet... maybe there was a shortage??? French fries can be found at Guy's burgers if you can't find any at the buffet.
Getting on and off the ship was always a breeze for us. Food always delicious and I am super picky. I feel like we were not on the same ship at all...

But 4th of july week-end tends to have busier cruises... Do you usually cruise during 4th of July week-end each year?

Feeling crowded sucks. I felt like that on the Disney Wonder and definitely would sail the Dream or Fantasy if I had to go back to a DCL cruise.

Funny you mention feeling crowded on the Wonder. We've sailed her a few times and really didn't feel that way at all. The only time was when leaving the theater after a show where there were crowds at the elevators. I always know when sailing Carnival though to expect more lines. The lines are so bad they make extra money selling Faster to the Fun (and that's embarkation and tenders).

Haven't been on the Vista yet, but that's probably our next cruise. We have another couple we are trying to coordinate with.

 

[mevelandry]

One thing about Disney is everyone is in the same place at the same time. It's easy to avoid the crowds. You just do what everyone else is not doing. It's the one reason(other then the fact that I've seen them all) that I don't go to the shows. Between 6 and 8 you have the ship to yourself. I'm not sure how it is on the Vista, but I can't imagine anything being worse the kids pool on a DCL ship.

I've never seen a pool like DCL pools on any of my Carnival cruises. Those are baaaaaad. Hopefully DCL will add more pools to their new ships.

 

[cruiser21]

Funny you mention feeling crowded on the Wonder. We've sailed her a few times and really didn't feel that way at all. The only time was when leaving the theater after a show where there were crowds at the elevators. I always know when sailing Carnival though to expect more lines. The lines are so bad they make extra money selling Faster to the Fun (and that's embarkation and tenders).

Haven't been on the Vista yet, but that's probably our next cruise. We have another couple we are trying to coordinate with.

DCL usually sells out all it cabins. The number of kids on board really affects the crowd size. I'm really starting to like the longer cruises with less kids. Our TA cruise was sold out, but it didn't feel crowded at all. The last time I was the Dream there was 1300 kids it felt like WDW on Christmas day.

 

[mevelandry]

Funny you mention feeling crowded on the Wonder. We've sailed her a few times and really didn't feel that way at all. The only time was when leaving the theater after a show where there were crowds at the elevators. I always know when sailing Carnival though to expect more lines. The lines are so bad they make extra money selling Faster to the Fun (and that's embarkation and tenders).

Haven't been on the Vista yet, but that's probably our next cruise. We have another couple we are trying to coordinate with.

This is exactly what I am talking about. Huge lines before the shows and chaos as you exit the theater & tiny elevators.

I've been FTTF on my last Carnival cruise. It was awesome and lines went so fast!

My next ship will be the Sensation which is one of the smallest. An employee told me those were the best. Can't wait to try it.

 

[cyclenut]

DCL usually sells out all it cabins. The number of kids on board really affects the crowd size. I'm really starting to like the longer cruises with less kids. Our TA cruise was sold out, but it didn't feel crowded at all. The last time I was the Dream there was 1300 kids it felt like WDW on Christmas day.

We have been on sold out cruises and it still didn't feel THAT bad. I guess it's just opinion, like a lot of other things. What seems bad to one isn't so bad to another. We almost always experience longer and slower lines with Carnival. It's just something we have come to expect so it doesn't bother us. I found the Disney Fantasy to feel more crowded than the Wonder.

I agree with you about the longer cruises. Our Panama Canal was sold out, but there were far fewer kids so it was glorious. Several tables in the MDR were empty and visiting Castaway Cay felt like we were on our own private island at times.

 

[belle032]

It's crazy how people can have such different experiences on the same type of vacation. We've been on about every class of Carnival ship and never experienced super long lines, trouble with embarkation/debarkation, bad food, etc. However, I have heard mixed things about the Vista so we have yet to try it. Same with the mega ships on RCL, like the Oasis or Symphony. Before we booked the Conquest, we looked at all of these different ones and just couldn't get excited about them. But other people swear by mega ships and the new Carnival ones, so you just never know until you give it a try.

And our first DCL cruise is the Magic next year, which is the oldest & smallest ship. Can't wait to try that out!

This is exactly what I am talking about. Huge lines before the shows and chaos as you exit the theater & tiny elevators.

I've been FTTF on my last Carnival cruise. It was awesome and lines went so fast!

My next ship will be the Sensation which is one of the smallest. An employee told me those were the best. Can't wait to try it.

The Sensation was my first ever cruise! I've been on the Imagination and Fantasy as well. Yes, they are smaller, but you'll still have a great time. The one thing about the Sensation I really remember is the crazy "Las Vegasy" colors!

 

[cruiser21]

It's crazy how people can have such different experiences on the same type of vacation. We've been on about every class of Carnival ship and never experienced super long lines, trouble with embarkation/debarkation, bad food, etc. However, I have heard mixed things about the Vista so we have yet to try it. Same with the mega ships on RCL, like the Oasis or Symphony. Before we booked the Conquest, we looked at all of these different ones and just couldn't get excited about them. But other people swear by mega ships and the new Carnival ones, so you just never know until you give it a try.

And our first DCL cruise is the Magic next year, which is the oldest & smallest ship. Can't wait to try that out!



The Sensation was my first ever cruise! I've been on the Imagination and Fantasy as well. Yes, they are smaller, but you'll still have a great time. The one thing about the Sensation I really remember is the crazy "Las Vegasy" colors!

I've been on Disney cruises where you walked off the ship and other times it takes an hour. I've had great food and meh food, great servers, strange servers, not so good servers. Overall I reallylike the DCL product, but it's not perfect every cruise. I liked my Carnival cruises too. You know what they say about first impressions though. If you try something once and it's great. You're more apt to be forgiving if things aren't that great the second time. If it's awful the first time you're not that likely to go back.