CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

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...

Wow, this is great news!

And at least we don’t need to test before coming back home. That’s what made us keep our booking this time.

Now the real challenge for us is to « not catch it BEFORE our trip »... *Fingers crossed*

 

[mevelandry]

Important update

 

[mevelandry]

Dear friends,

My family and I tested negative and we made it on board Mardi Gras yesterday.

That ship is absolutely AMAZING. A little too crowded for my taste but we are currently taking notes of when it gets quieter and we are having a blast so far.

 

[lklgoodman]

Dear friends,

My family and I tested negative and we made it on board Mardi Gras yesterday.

That ship is absolutely AMAZING. A little too crowded for my taste but we are currently taking notes of when it gets quieter and we are having a blast so far.View attachment 662959

Glad you made it onboard!! I nearly cried when we tested negative last month and made it onto the Fantasy. Now over 400 days until our NCL cruise. Hope you have a great trip. We saw the Mardi Gras at one of the ports during our cruise. It looked like a really fun ship and not as gigantic as some RCC ships.

 

[tidefan]

Dear friends,

My family and I tested negative and we made it on board Mardi Gras yesterday.

That ship is absolutely AMAZING. A little too crowded for my taste but we are currently taking notes of when it gets quieter and we are having a blast so far.View attachment 662959

Awesome! Yeah, our Day 1 seemed crowded as well, but I think that is because most weren't outside. After a day or so and people spread out, it will be way better in that regard! Make sure to order the Arancini at Cucina! Have a great trip!

 

[mevelandry]

Thank you! We are currently on Day 5 of our cruise.

I still find the ship a little bit too crowded. There are some hit or miss but overall, we are having a great time and Mahogany Bay was like heaven.

I realize that most things I like we already have on a Vista class ship... So I am looking forward going back to those. However, adding Big Chicken on them would be a great touch.

It's so good to be back on board a ship.

 

[belle032]

Thank you! We are currently on Day 5 of our cruise.

I still find the ship a little bit too crowded. There are some hit or miss but overall, we are having a great time and Mahogany Bay was like heaven.

I realize that most things I like we already have on a Vista class ship... So I am looking forward going back to those. However, adding Big Chicken on them would be a great touch.

It's so good to be back on board a ship.

So happy to hear you're having a great time! Really is a beautiful ship, but yes, I imagine crowded. I think sailing the MG and feeling a little crowded made me not want to try the mega-ships of RCCL and instead go down a step to the Vista Class.

Isn't Chicken Guy fantastic? Agreed - just being back on a ship was heaven!

 

[Minniemoomoo]

Greetings from Nashville. So we are looking at going on the Horizon. We just returned from the Mardi Gras and it was way too crowded and the kids clubs were backed up 25-30 people deep just to check in a child or get them out. The children that I was with, only went once and were not interested in returning. I have never been with children on a Disney Cruise that said that. EVER. So, I am looking for some help with making a good decision. I do appreciate it. The children are ages 8 and 11.

 

[mevelandry]

Hello! Sorry for now coming back to make a review right away:

The day after disembarkation (thankfully we were back home then), we found out we all had COVID.

During our cruise, out of safety and courtesy toward the staff, we imposed to ourselves the same measures that we have in Quebec where masks are still mandatory indoors… But very little passengers were wearing them. Most of the time, we were the only family in the room (which of course offers less protection).

Or maybe we got infected in the shuttle to the airport where there were a lot of people coughing non-stop behind us? Hard to tell.

By the end of the cruise, it was obvious that a lot of people were sick and did not disclose their symptoms to the cruise line.

I’ll be back with my review in a few days when we feel better.

 

[mevelandry]

Greetings from Nashville. So we are looking at going on the Horizon. We just returned from the Mardi Gras and it was way too crowded and the kids clubs were backed up 25-30 people deep just to check in a child or get them out. The children that I was with, only went once and were not interested in returning. I have never been with children on a Disney Cruise that said that. EVER. So, I am looking for some help with making a good decision. I do appreciate it. The children are ages 8 and 11.

We don’t have kids so I can’t give info about that but the crowds on Vista Class ships are not even close to what we experienced on Mardi Gras… IMO, it can only be better.

 

[hdrolfe]

Greetings from Nashville. So we are looking at going on the Horizon. We just returned from the Mardi Gras and it was way too crowded and the kids clubs were backed up 25-30 people deep just to check in a child or get them out. The children that I was with, only went once and were not interested in returning. I have never been with children on a Disney Cruise that said that. EVER. So, I am looking for some help with making a good decision. I do appreciate it. The children are ages 8 and 11.

I can't comment on current kids club crowding but I know my son loved the Carnival kids club (pre covid). He preferred it to the Royal Caribbean club. With Carnival they had specific activities at a set time, whereas with Royal it was a group of possible activities for a block of time, so it could be any of those activities they end up doing. My son likes to know what's happening so the possibility of it not being what he expected wasn't fun for him. At the times we went, it wasn't really an issue doing drop off or pick up unless you were there right at the end of the night when everyone was picking up. What time of year are you looking at? If it is a typical school break, there will likely be more kids (and so it will be busier). I believe at those ages you may be able to opt to have them sign themselves out, if you trust them to do so at a specific time to meet you.

 

[babyruth]

Hey all, asking here since I don't see a thread for DCL vs RCC. Is the Royal kids club the most comparable to Disney? We have never been on a RCC cruise but looking at the prices, oh my! we just may have to try them. I have a stateroom on the Wish for February break on hold but I'm thinking about trying Royal instead. Also if anyone has food allergy experiences on other cruise lines to share I'd love to hear about it.

 

[hdrolfe]

Hey all, asking here since I don't see a thread for DCL vs RCC. Is the Royal kids club the most comparable to Disney? We have never been on a RCC cruise but looking at the prices, oh my! we just may have to try them. I have a stateroom on the Wish for February break on hold but I'm thinking about trying Royal instead. Also if anyone has food allergy experiences on other cruise lines to share I'd love to hear about it.

There is a section of the forums for Royal Caribbean cruises, you may have more luck there.
I am not sure how Disney kids club is organized. On RCL the kids club is broken down into age groups. Here is a sample of how it's broken down. You can see there is a morning, afternoon and evening session. You can see they do lunch/dinner with the kids but I have never done that.

 

[belle032]

Hello! Sorry for now coming back to make a review right away:

The day after disembarkation (thankfully we were back home then), we found out we all had COVID.

During our cruise, out of safety and courtesy toward the staff, we imposed to ourselves the same measures that we have in Quebec where masks are still mandatory indoors… But very little passengers were wearing them. Most of the time, we were the only family in the room (which of course offers less protection).

Or maybe we got infected in the shuttle to the airport where there were a lot of people coughing non-stop behind us? Hard to tell.

By the end of the cruise, it was obvious that a lot of people were sick and did not disclose their symptoms to the cruise line.

I’ll be back with my review in a few days when we feel better.

I tested positive 2 weeks ago and ended up with bad cold symptoms for a few days. Escaped unscathed for 2 years, including traveling, WDW, and multiple cruises, and I end up with COVID just going about my normal life. On top of that, it's allergy season. Everywhere we go people are sneezing and coughing. Who knows anymore. You just do what you can.

I hope you and your family feel better soon and had a great time otherwise!

 

[mevelandry]

I tested positive 2 weeks ago and ended up with bad cold symptoms for a few days. Escaped unscathed for 2 years, including traveling, WDW, and multiple cruises, and I end up with COVID just going about my normal life. On top of that, it's allergy season. Everywhere we go people are sneezing and coughing. Who knows anymore. You just do what you can.

I hope you and your family feel better soon and had a great time otherwise!

Thank you! Same here... We managed to avoid it until last week.

So far we've had flu like symptoms for the last 3 days. Hopefully this will end soon.

 

[mevelandry]

Hey all, asking here since I don't see a thread for DCL vs RCC. Is the Royal kids club the most comparable to Disney? We have never been on a RCC cruise but looking at the prices, oh my! we just may have to try them. I have a stateroom on the Wish for February break on hold but I'm thinking about trying Royal instead. Also if anyone has food allergy experiences on other cruise lines to share I'd love to hear about it.

There is a RCCL section underneath the DCL one. I remember reading a few comparisons over there.

My husband is allergic to coconut so they always make sure to let him know what he should not order. Had great experience on all cruise lines regarding allergies.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

@mevelandry : So sorry you left your vacation with an unwanted souvenir. I hope you and your family have a mild case and can get back to “normal” soon. Looking forward to your review.

We leave for our Vista cruise a week from tomorrow. I am thoroughly worried about flying now that no one is masking.

 

[mevelandry]

@mevelandry : So sorry you left your vacation with an unwanted souvenir. I hope you and your family have a mild case and can get back to “normal” soon. Looking forward to your review.

We leave for our Vista cruise a week from tomorrow. I am thoroughly worried about flying now that no one is masking.

Thank you. It looks like we have mild symptoms but they are very unpleasant (and weird). Good thing we can work from home and sleep on breaks.

My advice would be to wear a mask in crowded indoor areas, get private shuttles if you can and eat outdoor whenever you can.

We felt we were taking reasonable precautions but we got it regardless. In insight, I wish we would have eaten outdoor more often and booked a private shuttle… Maybe that would have prevented it…

*****

That being said, I can’t wait to be back on a ship. We still have 3 other cruises booked in the next 9 months and I’m looking forward to it.

 

[tidefan]

Thank you. It looks like we have mild symptoms but they are very unpleasant (and weird). Good thing we can work from home and sleep on breaks.

My advice would be to wear a mask in crowded indoor areas, get private shuttles if you can and eat outdoor whenever you can.

We felt we were taking reasonable precautions but we got it regardless. In insight, I wish we would have eaten outdoor more often and booked a private shuttle… Maybe that would have prevented it…

*****

That being said, I can’t wait to be back on a ship. We still have 3 other cruises booked in the next 9 months and I’m looking forward to it.

On the plus side, having had Covid last August... There is this feeling of freedom for the first 3-4 months after you recover and know you have some immunity/antibodies. Enjoy that time!

 

[mevelandry]

On the plus side, having had Covid last August... There is this feeling of freedom for the first 3-4 months after you recover and know you have some immunity/antibodies. Enjoy that time!

My husband and I were saying exactly that. Hopefully, we’ll catch a little break for a few weeks.