CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[Club Disney Chandler]

where are you guys cruising and when?

Were on the 12/26/30 Mardi Gras, western Caribbean. Stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Were on the 12/26/30 Mardi Gras, western Caribbean. Stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.

I thought I booked early!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I thought I booked early!

I guess that should be 2020 , oops

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Over 500 days to go and I have booked our first excursion for our BI cruise!

 

[belle032]

Over 500 days to go and I have booked our first excursion for our BI cruise!

I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that.

Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!

 

[Lynne G]

When are you going in January, Belle? We're on the Legend and stopping at all the ports you list, in January. First time on Carnival. And first time in the Western Caribbean.

 

[belle032]

When are you going in January, Belle? We're on the Legend and stopping at all the ports you list, in January. First time on Carnival. And first time in the Western Caribbean.

We're going on the Conquest (2nd time!) out of Miami. 1/25/20 - 2/1/20

I've never been on the Legend, but we have done the Western Caribbean itinerary before. Any questions about Carnival or the ports, please feel free to ask. Posters on this thread are always happy to help!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that.

Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!

I've never done a true Western itinerary but would love to see sloths! We always go to Paradise Beach in Cozumel. The pool is fabulous and the nachos are too!

We have 6 ports and 2 sea days for BI. I would love for it to be even longer! For this itinerary we don't really care too much about the ship but I am intrigued about the drydock they will be doing prior to the Europe sailings. It's about 5 weeks and in Spain where they have been "sunshining" the ships. Hoping they add Dive In Movies at least.

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks Belle. We sail the 5th. Was going to wait for military rate from Disney, but even with that at discount, we are getting same almost (no Star Wars), at for at least half, the cost, including tips, that the Disney fare I saw did not include tips. Booked all 4 ports on my own. Was going to do Cozumel from Carnival, but found cheaper place I hope will be as nice as rated. So far, all have sent confirming emails, and quickly answered questions I had.

 

[mevelandry]

I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that.

Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!

I’ll try to give you a review of Mr. Sanchos when I come back.

In Grand Cayman we’re going to Royal Palms.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I cannot wait to hear reviews of Carnival's BI cruises! I would absolutely book one in the future. We had a great time on our BI DCL cruise, but would love to see a different & longer itinerary and I think Carnival might be able to provide that.

Speaking of excursions, we booked 2 for our January Caribbean cruise through Carnival. Lamanai Ruins in Belize and a shorter stingray excursion in Grand Cayman. Got the 10% off both which saved a little bit. Planning on the Daniel Johnson sloth/monkey sanctuary in Mahogany Bay and I think I'll try out Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. So if anyone has any experience with any of these, please feel free to share!

The sloths are awesome!!!!! One of our best excursions ever, got to hold them and play with the monkeys and parrots too. Definitely book it through Carnival or the sanctuary itself. People that took a taxi over there were waiting for a very long time to get in, organized excursions have priority over drop ins.

 

[mevelandry]

The sloths are awesome!!!!! One of our best excursions ever, got to hold them and play with the monkeys and parrots too. Definitely book it through Carnival or the sanctuary itself. People that took a taxi over there were waiting for a very long time to get in, organized excursions have priority over drop ins. View attachment 456219

Wow... The sloth’s head is almost doing a 360. What is in his mouth? What is the mission of the sanctuary?

(Sorry for all the questions, I’m a bit obsessed with animals).

 

[Lynne G]

Great picture Club Disney. I am hoping to visit that sanctuary too, as we booked going there also, but booked months ago.

 

[belle032]

Wow... The sloth’s head is almost doing a 360. What is in his mouth? What is the mission of the sanctuary?

(Sorry for all the questions, I’m a bit obsessed with animals).

I obviously haven't been, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like a family run sanctuary that started as a hobby and just grew. Website says that most of their animals have come from locals that realized they couldn't take care of them.

I'm also an animal lover so I'm happy to book an excursion that not only looks so fun and has great reviews, but also gives back to something I care about!

 

[bcwife76]

where are you guys cruising and when?

We're booked on the Carnival Mardi Gras 03/13/2021-03-20-2021 eastern carib with stops in San Juan, Amber Cove (DR) and Grand Turk!

 

[belle032]

Just happened to be scrolling through my morning CNN newsletter and saw the 2019 Cruise Critic Editor's Pick Awards. Not sure how much stock is put in these or what the parameters are, but just for fun, here's the list!

Best New Ship: Norwegian Encore
Best Ship Refurbishment: Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International)
Best for Adventure: UnCruise Adventures
Best Cabins: Celebrity Cruises
Best Dining: Holland America Line
Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International
Best for Families: Disney Cruise Line
Best Itineraries: Holland America Line
Best Nightlife: MSC Cruises
Best Service: Carnival Cruise Line
Best Shore Excursions: Princess Cruises
Best for Solo Travelers: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International
Best Value for Money: Carnival Cruise Line
Best North American Homeport: Seattle, WA

Some are no surprise, but I thought it was super interesting that CCL won for Best service! And now the Norwegian Encore win makes me more interested in trying NCL.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Did you guys see this? At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested. My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy. Lol

https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

The sloths are awesome!!!!! One of our best excursions ever, got to hold them and play with the monkeys and parrots too. Definitely book it through Carnival or the sanctuary itself. People that took a taxi over there were waiting for a very long time to get in, organized excursions have priority over drop ins. View attachment 456219

Awesome photo
That excursion gets rave reviews on the other site. Trying to convince dh to do it next time we go that way.

 

[hdrolfe]

Did you guys see this? At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested. My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy. Lol

https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI

Umm, I think that looks awesome! thanks for sharing. I hope it continues to roll out across the cruiseline.

For the sloth tour people are mentioning, I have intended to do that in Mahogany Bay but we were tired and the beach was right there so we ended up just doing that instead. Maybe next time, or if we go and dock in Coxen Hole (obviously on a different cruiseline).

 

[belle032]

Did you guys see this? At first I though yuck, but when I told my kids about it they were so excited that I re-thought it and am now pretty interested. My kids were already not thrilled about our next cruise being on princess instead of carnival, but now they are really not happy. Lol

https://cruiseradio.net/guys-burger...c_EsmHhMUJQK2n53_ZOWdGuI8C46GmeOSZNjHDw4VE0RI

I'll definitely try it once if it does end up going fleet-wide. I imagine it will considering how popular Guy's is! I also think the Blue Iguana breakfast is really yummy too and I actually might prefer it overall over Guy's. *Gasp!* And I'm always in favor of more "included" food options. Not to be negative, but I do feel food options are something that DCL lacks and other cruise lines do much better with.