CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[belle032]

I am thinking of travelling after Christmas this year, the school break goes to January 8th so we have a nice week after the 31st to actually travel. I am thinking of going to Universal for a few days and then a cruise. Narrowed it down to Carnival Magic 8 night to Aruba, Bonaire & Amber Cove or Carnival Mardi Gras 7 night to San Juan, Amber Cove & Grand Turk. We have been on the Magic before, it was a nice ship, great cruise. But we do have Horizon Booked for April 2023 to Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao so two of those would be the same in close timing. We also have Mardi Gras booked B2B in December 2023 so would be doing the same cruise again a year later. I'm pretty sure no matter what we do, we'll have fun.

Thoughts? Which would you choose? Mardi Gras, though a day shorter, would actually cost a bit more. Is the newer ship worth it?

Honestly that’s a tough one! That Southern Caribbean itinerary is on our list, and I've only heard good things about it, so I might lean that way. Plus the extra day is always a plus!

 

[belle032]

Yes, I could go for some Big Chicken as well. Man, was that good.

I will ask, because I am not sure when you sailed, were they doing two shows a night in Center Stage on your sailing? They were on ours and it really helped space things out.

Yes-there was an 8:30 and a 10:30, which helped. The problem was that you had to get there so early to get a seat, it turned into 2+ hour affair. And we weren't even at capacity. We couldn't usually get to the 8:30 because of dinner and seating was full by 7PM. The 10:30 was a little better, but it interfered with the evening activities we like to do and you still had to be there at least an hour early. I think there just needs to be more (and better located) seating overall to accommodate the sheer number of passengers on the ship.

The bottom level (Deck 6 with the coffee shop and bar) had the space and the seats, but the problem is the majority of it is directly underneath the balcony of Deck 7. So you could have a view of what's going on straight ahead, but couldn't see the aerial performers at all.

So I have no issues with the shows and performers themselves, they were wonderful, it's just the space itself I wasn't a fan of! Which is fine-we still had a great time and I still think she's a beautiful ship!

 

[tidefan]

Yes-there was an 8:30 and a 10:30, which helped. The problem was that you had to get there so early to get a seat, it turned into 2+ hour affair. And we weren't even at capacity. We couldn't usually get to the 8:30 because of dinner and seating was full by 7PM. The 10:30 was a little better, but it interfered with the evening activities we like to do and you still had to be there at least an hour early. I think there just needs to be more (and better located) seating overall to accommodate the sheer number of passengers on the ship.

The bottom level (Deck 6 with the coffee shop and bar) had the space and the seats, but the problem is the majority of it is directly underneath the balcony of Deck 7. So you could have a view of what's going on straight ahead, but couldn't see the aerial performers at all.

So I have no issues with the shows and performers themselves, they were wonderful, it's just the space itself I wasn't a fan of! Which is fine-we still had a great time and I still think she's a beautiful ship!

We were at 5800 on our sailing and we were able to get seats for all the shows about 30 minutes ahead of time out in the front area on Deck 6. Maybe we were just lucky. There was only 2 of us though, so there was usually a place fir us to squeeze in.

The one girl that is the main singer on the Center Stage shows was really good.

 

[mevelandry]

For the first time in two years, it really looks like we may actually make it on board a cruise ship (Mardi Gras on top of it all). Only 24 days to go. Praying that we'll remain healthy until then and test negative.

 

[mevelandry]

New Miami Themed section on board the brand new Carnival Celebration!

Source: John Heald on Facebook!

 

[Monykalyn]

Got back Sunday from Carnival Panorama-Mexican Riviera. GREAT cruise-heard close to 4000k passengers so close to capacity. Some lines but moved fast, seems crew were fully staffed. Able to find chairs by either pool or Serenity even at prime times. Embarkation a breeze with Verifly-never had to pull out paper documents. Disembarkation was delayed though due to winds and fog at Long Beach.
JiJi's was outstanding.
Alchemy bar though, is always my favorite!! You know it's a good cruise when you get hugs from the bartenders on the last night LOL. Met some new friends here too (as in exchanged numbers to keep in touch).
Big ship, lots to do. Sky ride is so fun!! as are the water slides, did mini golf a few times, husband and son had ping pong or foosball competition every night.
Lots of quiet areas to chill too if desired.
First time on Vista class ship-was afraid it would be too big but it was great.

 

[belle032]

Got back Sunday from Carnival Panorama-Mexican Riviera. GREAT cruise-heard close to 4000k passengers so close to capacity. Some lines but moved fast, seems crew were fully staffed. Able to find chairs by either pool or Serenity even at prime times. Embarkation a breeze with Verifly-never had to pull out paper documents. Disembarkation was delayed though due to winds and fog at Long Beach.
JiJi's was outstanding.
Alchemy bar though, is always my favorite!! You know it's a good cruise when you get hugs from the bartenders on the last night LOL. Met some new friends here too (as in exchanged numbers to keep in touch).
Big ship, lots to do. Sky ride is so fun!! as are the water slides, did mini golf a few times, husband and son had ping pong or foosball competition every night.
Lots of quiet areas to chill too if desired.
First time on Vista class ship-was afraid it would be too big but it was great.

Glad you had a wonderful time! I've heard really great things about that class of ships, so for our next Caribbean sailing we will definitely be booking the Horizon!

 

[belle032]

New Miami Themed section on board the brand new Carnival Celebration! View attachment 656791

Source: John Heald on Facebook!

I could be completely wrong, but I think that's the same space on the Mardi Gras! On MG, it's just Italian themed. Either way - it's pretty!

 

[tidefan]

New Miami Themed section on board the brand new Carnival Celebration! View attachment 656791

Source: John Heald on Facebook!

From having just been on Mardi Gras, this looks like it is the La Piazza area on Mardi Gras where the Panini and Pizza counters are.

 

[mevelandry]

I could be completely wrong, but I think that's the same space on the Mardi Gras! On MG, it's just Italian themed. Either way - it's pretty!

Sure looks like it. Love the theme. Celebration is definitely on my list. Do we know which port it will sail from? I missed that info.

 

[belle032]

Sure looks like it. Love the theme. Celebration is definitely on my list. Do we know which port it will sail from? I missed that info.

I believe Celebration will sail from Miami and Jubilee will sail from Galveston. Makes sense if MG sails from Port Canaveral! I'm sure that's all subject to change. I wonder if they'll ever have one on the west coast? Like the Panorama?

 

[carlamouse]

From having just been on Mardi Gras, this looks like it is the La Piazza area on Mardi Gras where the Panini and Pizza counters are.

It is the same area as La Piazza on the Mardi Gras. If you'll notice, on the Celebration the pizza counter is called "Miami Slice".

 

[robinb]

Got back Sunday from Carnival Panorama-Mexican Riviera. GREAT cruise-heard close to 4000k passengers so close to capacity.

I am thinking about taking a cruise in May and Carnival's senior fares are almost too good to pass up. BUT, I sailed on the NCL Gem in September and it was only about 50% full and I was pretty spoiled by how few people were on board. Ugh. I think I might just pay more for a cruise with fewer people. You never know when that'll happen again.

 

[beckicnm]

I'm seeing the price differences too while doing Iceland research. NCL & Celebrity are coming out to be a bit more expensive overall, but there are trade offs. They're offering brand new ships (NCL Prima looks stunning!), a more inclusive experience and an overnight in Reykjavik. This is what I'm coming up with:

NCL Prima - 11 Days - Oceanview - Beverage Package/Dining/Wifi/Shore Excursion Credit: $6144.64
Celebrity Apex - 12 Days - Oceanview - Premium Beverage Package/Wifi/Gratuties/Shore Excursion Credit: $7309.86
Carnival Pride - 12 Days - Balcony - Gratuities - $100OBC - Beverage Package - $5829.76 (This is based on the beverage package being $52 pp per day + 18% gratuity)

As of right now, I'm leaning fully towards NCL. God only knows what DCL would be if they sailed itineraries like that! Our Alaskan cruise was a few thousand less on Carnival so we jumped on it. These differences probably aren't enough to get us there. And being 1.5 years away gives us plenty of time to budget.

Kevin, John and Tracey did a show on Apex on the Dreams Unlimited show. It's pre-pandemic, but that ship hasn't changed much.

 

[mevelandry]

I am thinking about taking a cruise in May and Carnival's senior fares are almost too good to pass up. BUT, I sailed on the NCL Gem in September and it was only about 50% full and I was pretty spoiled by how few people were on board. Ugh. I think I might just pay more for a cruise with fewer people. You never know when that'll happen again.

Aren’t all lines back at full capacity right now?

It’s weird how reviews can be so different from one person to another. Some say it felt crowded, others say it wasn’t. Maybe it depends on where we like to hang out?

I like to avoid crowds so I plan to go for the spaces that tend to be more quiet.

 

[belle032]

Aren’t all lines back at full capacity right now?

It’s weird how reviews can be so different from one person to another. Some say it felt crowded, others say it wasn’t. Maybe it depends on where we like to hang out?

I like to avoid crowds so I plan to go for the spaces that tend to be more quiet.

Oh yes, overall I think ships are filling right back up. Some might be slower to fill up, (DCL maybe?), but if there isn't a capacity requirement, you can bet they're booking every cabin they can. Prices seem to be trending back to "normal" too, especially as we go into Spring Break & summertime. Cruise lines have a year of profits to make up, people are wanting to cruise again and are paying for it. I think the 30-50% capacity days are over. It was nice while it lasted though!

Same thing with WDW. I SO regret not being able to take a trip down right when they opened back up and it was a ghost town. Would have loved to experience that. Unfortunately, New York wasn't having that.

 

[robinb]

Aren’t all lines back at full capacity right now?

It’s weird how reviews can be so different from one person to another. Some say it felt crowded, others say it wasn’t. Maybe it depends on where we like to hang out?

I like to avoid crowds so I plan to go for the spaces that tend to be more quiet.

No. I read on another site and people ask about capacity nearly every week. Princess, Celebrity, RCCL and NCL are all running under capacity. I think about 60%. I’m not sure about DCL since it’s not on my radar … I refuse to pay those prices. Carnival and MSC seem to be running much higher. I don’t have anything against Carnival but I’m willing to pay a bit more for a ship that’s not jam packed.

 

[robinb]

Same thing with WDW. I SO regret not being able to take a trip down right when they opened back up and it was a ghost town. Would have loved to experience that. Unfortunately, New York wasn't having that.

Me too! I have a friend who went a couple of times and he said it was amazing. I went in May 2021 and I loved it with no FP and no Genie. It was great!

 

[mevelandry]

I have completed our check-in.

Here in Quebec we are currently/already getting hit super hard with a sixth wave of COVID but this time we have decided to try to travel regardless. We'll be as careful as possible.

Still under mask mandate here and I'm working and taking public transportation every day with a KN-95 practically grafted to my face in hopes that we will all test negative for our pre-cruise antigen test. The fact that tests are still mandatory to travel and board a ship is 0-50% reassuring... and 100% stressful.

The simple idea of possibly being able to board a ship after over 2 years brings tears to my eyes.

What an emotional journey!

If it all works out well in the end, you will definitely hear from me... as I will need to scream YAY from the top of my lungs.

 

[tidefan]

I have completed our check-in.

Here in Quebec we are currently/already getting hit super hard with a sixth wave of COVID but this time we have decided to try to travel regardless. We'll be as careful as possible.

Still under mask mandate here and I'm working and taking public transportation every day with a KN-95 practically grafted to my face in hopes that we will all test negative for our pre-cruise antigen test. The fact that tests are still mandatory to travel and board a ship is 0-50% reassuring... and 100% stressful.

The simple idea of possibly being able to board a ship after over 2 years brings tears to my eyes.

What an emotional journey!

If it all works out well in the end, you will definitely hear from me... as I will need to scream YAY from the top of my lungs.

If it makes you feel better, here in Alabama (next to FL), our hospital, for the first time in 2 years reported "5 or fewer" COVID cases at the hospital, which is the minimum they report. It's been that way for 6 straight days. I believe Florida is similar right now, may be a good time to get down South...