CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

Shoot! With all the buzz around the new Omicron variant (and countries closing their borders), I'm scared that we are going to miss the boat again!

I regret not rebooking Mardi Gras earlier this fall just because we didn't wanna pay expensive prices for the tests (and switch GT for Nassau)...

Hope we get to the bottom of that one really fast.

 

[belle032]

We're back from the Mardi Gras! Had a really great time-just experienced it differently than I would with DH (not a bad thing!)

The ship is truly beautiful and truly unlike any other Carnival ship I've been on. Main decks inside were 6, 7, 8 and main decks outside were 16, 17, 18. I believed we sailed at around 70% capacity.

- Loved the colors of the rooms and hallways. They were subtle blues and whites. Very beachy and gave a much more upscale feeling.

- The showers has glass doors! And a bar at the bottom to shave your legs!!

- We had a Cove Balcony & an Interior room, both on Deck 5 Aft. Nice location. I chose the interior room on the deck plan when booking because it had a square shape and I was intrigued (not long & narrow like normal. There were a few of these on 5)-turned out to be a really good decision! The room seemed incredibly spacious and I would definitely seek one of these rooms out in the future.

-The Lido buffet area reminded me of Cabanas on DCL. Just like the staterooms-beachy & upscale feeling, laid out nicely.

-Finally a pool on the Serenity Deck!! And the hottubs were huge! The entire space as a whole was wonderful. It's large, has a convenient bar and salad bar (open on sea days), has those circular lounges, full bed loungers and plenty of chairs. Spent a lot of time here.

-There were nice pools off the back of Deck 8 and 16, but lots of kids and the space wasn't huge. If you're looking for adult space, go to Serenity.

-This is crazy to say, but we did not eat dinner in the dining room AT ALL. Had breakfast here twice. The menus were the same as in Alaska, so didn't miss much. But, we did the specialty restaurants. We did Chibang twice (including on Thanksgiving), Guy's Smokehouse twice, Cucina once and Bonsai sushi/Emeril's once.

-I love the Alchemy Bar, but the Fortune Teller bar realllllyyyy gave it a run for the money. My brother & I had the Cheers package so I made an appearance pretty much every night. Bartenders were great as well!

-The one real negative I have is the lack of an atrium and the layout of the Center Stage. I missed some sort of central hub and really didn't like the layout of the stage and seating area. There wasn't a lot of seating-you had to show up an hour+ ahead of time to get a good seat. I can't imagine the ship at full capacity. The shows themselves were wonderful (LOVED Voodoo Moon!) and they involved a lot of aerial performers, HOWEVER, this worked against the theater seating configuration. Anyone on the bottom floor could not see anything above stage level because it was directly under the balcony. Just a strange set up. You also had the candy store, coffee shop, and main walkway directly behind you, so be ready for noise from that.


Seeing another really good deal for the last week of February so there is a good chance DH & I will book it. My SIL and her family and my in-laws booked an AirBnB in Davenport (no plans for theme parks/beaches/activities. Literally just rented a house with a pool in a Florida subdivision. Not my idea of a vacation by any stretch) and we're being guilt tripped that we aren't coming. Sooooo the cruise will overlap enough where we could do that and then show up at the house for like 2 days. Win-win.

But if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask and I can try to answer the best I can!

 

[mevelandry]

We're back from the Mardi Gras! Had a really great time-just experienced it differently than I would with DH (not a bad thing!)

The ship is truly beautiful and truly unlike any other Carnival ship I've been on. Main decks inside were 6, 7, 8 and main decks outside were 16, 17, 18. I believed we sailed at around 70% capacity.

- Loved the colors of the rooms and hallways. They were subtle blues and whites. Very beachy and gave a much more upscale feeling.

- The showers has glass doors! And a bar at the bottom to shave your legs!!

- We had a Cove Balcony & an Interior room, both on Deck 5 Aft. Nice location. I chose the interior room on the deck plan when booking because it had a square shape and I was intrigued (not long & narrow like normal. There were a few of these on 5)-turned out to be a really good decision! The room seemed incredibly spacious and I would definitely seek one of these rooms out in the future.

-The Lido buffet area reminded me of Cabanas on DCL. Just like the staterooms-beachy & upscale feeling, laid out nicely.

-Finally a pool on the Serenity Deck!! And the hottubs were huge! The entire space as a whole was wonderful. It's large, has a convenient bar and salad bar (open on sea days), has those circular lounges, full bed loungers and plenty of chairs. Spent a lot of time here.

-There were nice pools off the back of Deck 8 and 16, but lots of kids and the space wasn't huge. If you're looking for adult space, go to Serenity.

-This is crazy to say, but we did not eat dinner in the dining room AT ALL. Had breakfast here twice. The menus were the same as in Alaska, so didn't miss much. But, we did the specialty restaurants. We did Chibang twice (including on Thanksgiving), Guy's Smokehouse twice, Cucina once and Bonsai sushi/Emeril's once.

-I love the Alchemy Bar, but the Fortune Teller bar realllllyyyy gave it a run for the money. My brother & I had the Cheers package so I made an appearance pretty much every night. Bartenders were great as well!

-The one real negative I have is the lack of an atrium and the layout of the Center Stage. I missed some sort of central hub and really didn't like the layout of the stage and seating area. There wasn't a lot of seating-you had to show up an hour+ ahead of time to get a good seat. I can't imagine the ship at full capacity. The shows themselves were wonderful (LOVED Voodoo Moon!) and they involved a lot of aerial performers, HOWEVER, this worked against the theater seating configuration. Anyone on the bottom floor could not see anything above stage level because it was directly under the balcony. Just a strange set up. You also had the candy store, coffee shop, and main walkway directly behind you, so be ready for noise from that.


Seeing another really good deal for the last week of February so there is a good chance DH & I will book it. My SIL and her family and my in-laws booked an AirBnB in Davenport (no plans for theme parks/beaches/activities. Literally just rented a house with a pool in a Florida subdivision. Not my idea of a vacation by any stretch) and we're being guilt tripped that we aren't coming. Sooooo the cruise will overlap enough where we could do that and then show up at the house for like 2 days. Win-win.

But if anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask and I can try to answer the best I can!

Ok so from what I understand, the atrium also serves as a theater? That's strange. Thanks for the heads up regarding the limited seating. We'll know that we have to arrive earlier.

 

[belle032]

Ok so from what I understand, the atrium also serves as a theater? That's strange. Thanks for the heads up regarding the limited seating. We'll know that we have to arrive earlier.

Correct. It's called Center Stage and it serves as a type of atrium and the main theater. It's technically 3 stories, but pretty limited seating overall. So yes, get there early.

There is another Mardi Gras Theater similar to other ships' main theaters, but it wasn't used for the big stage productions. It held smaller shows, like Love & Marriage, a magic show, Family Feud shows, etc.

 

[mevelandry]

Correct. It's called Center Stage and it serves as a type of atrium and the main theater. It's technically 3 stories, but pretty limited seating overall. So yes, get there early.

There is another Mardi Gras Theater similar to other ships' main theaters, but it wasn't used for the big stage productions. It held smaller shows, like Love & Marriage, a magic show, Family Feud shows, etc.

Oh. Good to know!

 

[belle032]

Booked Mardi Gras again for February 26-March 5. San Juan, Amber Cove & Grand Turk.

That didn't take long!

 

[hdrolfe]

Realizing I was supposed to be on Mardi Gras this week, but with all the uncertainty still in the summer I moved it... Kind of wish I was on the ship. This week has been crazy, and I could use a cruise lol... k

 

[Ol Goof]

What were the mask mandates on your cruise? Popcorn allowed in movies or shows? Ty!

 

[tidefan]

What were the mask mandates on your cruise? Popcorn allowed in movies or shows? Ty!

We will be on the Mardi Gras mid-March.

Funny about masks. We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW. Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard. I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.

 

[sethschroeder]

We will be on the Mardi Gras mid-March.

Funny about masks. We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW. Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard. I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.

Ncl doesn't require them but everyone on the ship has to be vaccinated no exceptions from my understanding.

Crew still had to wear them.

 

[belle032]

What were the mask mandates on your cruise? Popcorn allowed in movies or shows? Ty!

Masks were pretty enforced in the theater and comedy lounge. It seemed like most people wore them in and out of the restaurants as well. There were signs about wearing them in the Lido buffet area, but many people didn't and it didn't seem enforced. All other areas, masks were recommended, but not enforced. Crew wore them at all times. And they honestly never really seemed to be a hassle! I know Carnival allows a 5% vax exception, so I figure that's why the masks are still used in some (crowded) areas.

We will be on the Mardi Gras mid-March.

Funny about masks. We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW. Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard. I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.

I would LOVE a review on that ship and your trip! My mom sailed on the Celebrity Edge in October and they didn't wear masks either. Ship was 100% vaxxed.

Ncl doesn't require them but everyone on the ship has to be vaccinated no exceptions from my understanding.

Crew still had to wear them.

I think you're right - although, I just saw the news article about the outbreak on the Breakaway. I hope everyone is OK, and I really hope it doesn't affect cruising!

 

[Sykes]

Funny about masks. We did the Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady (awesome, BTW. Highly recommend) a couple weeks ago and masks were not required onboard. I had thought they were on all lines, but Virgin did not require them, though staff wore them.

It's about 50/50. Celebrity, Virgin, NCL, and some of the other lines that cater mostly to adults (I think mostly those that originally sailed under the 95% vaccinated rules from the CSO) aren't requiring masks. Those with more kids are requiring masks.

 

[mevelandry]

Booked Mardi Gras again for February 26-March 5. San Juan, Amber Cove & Grand Turk.

That didn't take long!

Nice! MG must have left a good impression on you for you to book it again so soon after your last cruise!

If everything goes well, you should do the same itinerary at the end of January (***fingers crossed***).

 

[belle032]

Nice! MG must have left a good impression on you for you to book it again so soon after your last cruise!

If everything goes well, you should do the same itinerary at the end of January (***fingers crossed***).

I definitely want DH to experience it, it's unlike every other CCL ship we've sailed. And that week is the last one that we got a great casino promotion for-we booked an Interior for $120 per person. Prices skyrocket the following week. I think a lot of these amazing promos end as cruising slowly returns to "normal" and it's Spring Break season. So we jumped on it while we had the chance!

We honestly thought about going to WDW instead, but there is no way I'm paying those full price room rates right now. If they haven't released a promotion for February yet, don't think they will. So I decided to not hold out.

 

[mevelandry]

I definitely want DH to experience it, it's unlike every other CCL ship we've sailed. And that week is the last one that we got a great casino promotion for-we booked an Interior for $120 per person. Prices skyrocket the following week. I think a lot of these amazing promos end as cruising slowly returns to "normal" and it's Spring Break season. So we jumped on it while we had the chance!

We honestly thought about going to WDW instead, but there is no way I'm paying those full price room rates right now. If they haven't released a promotion for February yet, don't think they will. So I decided to not hold out.

Amazing price!

 

[tidefan]

I would LOVE a review on that ship and your trip! My mom sailed on the Celebrity Edge in October and they didn't wear masks either. Ship was 100% vaxxed.

Virgin Voyages was amazing, quite honestly. We can't wait to sail with them again. BTW, not only is the ship fully vaxxed, but there is a test done at the terminal (No extra charge for this) by Virgin.

I'll do a big review sometime, but I have to say that Virgin has really upped the cruise game in terms of innovations. The food was amazing. Also, I miss that hammock from our balcony every day...

 

[trvlgirlmq]

We have cancelled our British Isles cruise. There are too many variables at play and we just didn’t want to play the waiting game again.

We are now booked on Vista (3rd time) from Galveston. First time from this port and we will take a day at the end to tour NASA. My DS is an aerospace engineer major and would love to work for them or Space-X. My son’s GF has never been on a cruise so I think she will have a good time.

All 3 ports are new to the kids and 2 are new to me and grandma. I am looking forward to some relaxing on the beach. Moving, training a new team and building a house has been exhausting!

 

[belle032]

We have cancelled our British Isles cruise. There are too many variables at play and we just didn’t want to play the waiting game again.

We are now booked on Vista (3rd time) from Galveston. First time from this port and we will take a day at the end to tour NASA. My DS is an aerospace engineer major and would love to work for them or Space-X. My son’s GF has never been on a cruise so I think she will have a good time.

All 3 ports are new to the kids and 2 are new to me and grandma. I am looking forward to some relaxing on the beach. Moving, training a new team and building a house has been exhausting!

I can't blame you cancelling. Too much uncertainty right now!

Sounds like the Vista is much deserved! Which ports are you going to?

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I can't blame you cancelling. Too much uncertainty right now!

Sounds like the Vista is much deserved! Which ports are you going to?

We are going to Mahogany Bay & Belize (new to all) and Cozumel (new to kids).

 

[mevelandry]

Apparently, Canada is about to forbid non-essential travel again. I have very little to no hope that things will change back until the end of January when we are (were?) due to cruise on Mardi Gras.

We’ll be waiting until mid-January to make a decision but I have a very bad feeling about this and feel like we might have to change dates again. I’m so bummed, I wanna cry.

We now deeply regret not travelling during the short window we had this fall.

Lesson learned...

My husband says that we’ll put all pieces in place to make sure we can do a last minute cruise as soon as travelling reopens again for us. Next time, we’re not gonna wait.

Update: The travel advisories is now back up. According to several reports, it will be up until Jan 12. That's awfully close to our sail date. Let's just say I won't get my hopes up and will start looking for my options early January if things don't get better.