CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[DCLMP]

Any suggestions?

I thought it was pretty fun and quiet recently with all the Mardi Gras/Celebration/Jubilee news.

It turned sour in the last hours.

For starters people need to stop interpreting other peoples opinions as personal attacks.

 

[mevelandry]

For starters people need to stop interpreting other peoples opinions as personal attacks.

Fair.

It would also help if people didn’t phrase their opinions like personal attacks:

Example: Calling Carnival guests… « trash », « WalMart People », « different group of people », «lower class of people », « that demography » (just to name a few).

Along the same line of « why talk trash about DCL guests on a DCL Forum : a lot of (good) people/participants of this thread are sailing on Carnival. Of course, it will ruffle feathers. We are humans.

I think we could all be a little more careful.

 

[mevelandry]

We haven't cruised Disney but have cruised Carnival and RCL. My son, at 5, 6, 7, 8 & 12 (bit of a gap due to covid, we were supposed to go at 9 & 11) has preferred Carnival. He prefers their ships and kids club, and the 24 hour ice cream. Their kids club was prepandemic though, I am not sure if it still runs the same as it did. He also prefers their food. Though he did like some aspects of RCL on Oasis, including the El Loco Fresh place, and he loved going to the waterpark (it costs extra) at Coco Cay.

I'd suggest Carnival Mardi Gras, Horizon or Dream class or RCL Oasis or Freedom class (I believe Wonder and Independence sail from Port Canaveral if that's where you are looking to sail from). Oasis is BIG but has a lot for kids, we prefer the smaller sized ships. A 5-night cruise isn't super long, you are probably looking at limited options for ports. Coco Cay is amazing, the waterpark is super fun but there are also nice beach areas that don't cost extra.

There are a lot of ships in both lines, so you really want to narrow down where you want to sail from, how many days/nights and if you have any ports in mind that you'd like to check out. And at those ports, what type of activities do you want to do.

Oh. THIS. + 1 on Royal Caribbean‘s CocoCay. The waterpark was great. A little overpriced but it was soooo much fun and the rest of the island too. And the food was the best I’ve had on any private islands.

 

[DCLMP]

Fair.

It would also help if people didn’t phrase their opinions like personal attacks:

Example: Calling Carnival guests… « trash », « WalMart People », « different group of people », «lower class of people », « that demography » (just to name a few).

Along the same line of « why talk trash about DCL guests on a DCL Forum : a lot of (good) people/participants of this thread are sailing on Carnival. Of course, it will ruffle feathers. We are humans.

I think we could all be a little more careful.

I did not see one post calling Carnival guests any of the things you stated. A few people stated they would never sail Carnival because of its reputation as a party cruise.. nothing more than that.

 

[mevelandry]

I did not see one post calling Carnival guests any of the things you stated. A few people stated they would never sail Carnival because of its reputation as a party cruise.. nothing more than that.

Then, you haven’t been there since the beginning of this thread and/or you came to read after the mods cleaned it up (and they had to do it a few times. I flagged some comments as well).

And it wasn’t just on this thread, on some other threads as well.

 

[mevelandry]

FIRST POST UPDATE:

- I have added a note remembering that this thread is a place to exchange informations, make comparisons between ships and cruise lines and to chat… It is NOT meant to be a battle/war between DCL and Carnival cruise line (although reviews and comparisons are welcome), and especially not between cruisers.

- I have added some details about private islands.

- I have added pictures of Mahogany Bay.

- I have removed reviews about ships that have been retired.

- I have removed the Roll Call because I couldn’t take good care of it. Unfortunately, I would sometimes forget to add dates and don’t have much time to follow-up…

 

[mevelandry]

Does DCL stop in Costa Maya sometimes?

I’m wondering if I should add Costa Maya in the first post… It’s more a port than a private island but it is kind of exclusive to cruisers like Mahogany Bay…

I know RCCL and Carnival (among other lines) stop there but I don’t remember seeing it in DCL itineraries.

If they don’t visit, I might add it.

 

[belle032]

Wow I must have missed a bit!

I find it interesting when people who have zero interest in anything regarding this thread feel the need to post negatively on it. With zero contribution. But that's fine, it's a public forum. Ignore and move on.

As to whether this thread has gotten off track, until the Moderators post as such (which I'll respect!), I'm not worried about what others think. I've found this thread to be immensely helpful, friendly, and open. Critical & constructive reviews are welcome. No cruise line or ship is perfect, so experiences will always vary and I like to hear the awesome, good, bad, and ugly. I don't need a paid influencer to give me a glowing ship review

Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.

TIA

Hi there! I think you need to take a look at budget and what activities your kids (and family) will enjoy. They seem to be a good age for DCL, but be prepared for the increased costs. If your family wants the characters, the Disney theming, the shows, then definitely look into DCL.

If you just want a cruise experience with lots of activities, more bells & whistles, and maybe a lower cost, I'd possibly look into the Oasis class on RCL or the Vista/Horizon/Mardi Gras on Carnival. Just an FYI, larger and newer ships tend to sail 6-8 day itineraries - just from me looking into them! I think DCL may be different in that aspect.

You'll probably find more detailed RCL information down on those boards, but if you want any specific Carnival information, we can try to help here!

As for service, I've sailed multiple lines, and I've truly experienced amazing service on each and every one.

I've said it many other times, you really have to figure out what works best for your family, because everyone vacations differently. And sometimes that's just trial & error!

 

[DCLMP]

Then, you haven’t been there since the beginning of this thread and/or you came to read after the mods cleaned it up (and they had to do it a few times. I flagged some comments as well).

And it wasn’t just on this thread, on some other threads as well.

Well, you did post a story that kind of confirmed how people feel about Carnival….so there’s that. You can’t post a video like that without getting negative reactions.
I would cruise on one of Carnivals new ships, but I would never take a cheap cruise on an older Carnival ship. I’ve see too many bad reviews and too many videos that have turned me off.

 

[lklgoodman]

Ok, so we have never done a cruise before and not sure if we will like it, but kids are young (5 and 7) and thinking of doing a cruise. I am not sure if this is the right thread, but is RC better than Carnival and is Disney better than RC?
We want a short 5 days I guess cruise and want lots of activities for the kids, which should we choose.

TIA

We've only sailed with DCL so far. My dd was really into the characters when she was your kid's ages so she loved going to the kid's club. We're doing a NCL cruise next summer. My dd is a teen now, so we want to try a line that has more activities. DCL is good for little kids, especially if you like all things Disney. If you look into other lines that have things like rock climbing walls or race cars, you may find your kid's are too young to do most of those activities. Most activities have a weight or height requirement to do them. You can look at each line's website to see what the requirements are for the different activities. The Aquaduck and Aquadunk have height requirements that are posted on the DCL site. My dd was able to go on the Aquaduck when she was 8 yrs old(she's short for her age). Disney has other slides for younger kids.

 

[CamColt]

This thread has deteriorated and is no longer serving it's original purpose, therefore I am going to close it.

If anyone has a specific Carnival question feel free to ask that and hopefully someone with experience will be able to answer that for you, without personal attacks and insults.