Disney cruise vs Carnival cruise - please help

[Tinkerboy00]

Hands down do the Disney Cruise.

We have done other cruises and never really enjoyed them and then we did a Disney Cruise. Its now the only cruise we will do. Disney just knows how to do it right! Totally worth the extra money.

 

[poohbearwithme]

Looks like you have some tough choices. Either way I think your family will have great time.

 

[Lumiere Lover]

Each family has to choose what is right for them. I would do DCL because of Castaway Cay. I felt the private Disney island was the best part of the entire cruise.

Disney holds everything to a higher standard, and I believe people come to expect this.

My advice would be stay on site, and do a DCL. Get a room with a private balcony, they are very nice!!

 

[1GR8DISNEYFAN]

I really wanted to go on a Disney Cruise, but chose Carnival because of the price. I will never do another Carnival Cruise! Way too much of a party atmosphere for a family. My kids had fun, but I think a Disney Cruise would have been much nicer. I just really regret not spending the extra $ for the one time event.

 

[CruizinTigers]

My family has cruised many times on different lines, though never Carnival. Disney, hands down, is our favorite line. IMHO, they are more expensive than the others (or so it seems) but worth every penny. I would tell you that if you've never taken a DCL cruise and can afford it, no doubt DO IT!! You will not regret it. Your only regret will be that it is too short.

 

[softballmom3]

Each family has to do what is best for them......that being said I do not ever plan on doing a Carnival cruise again. We went this past February and just did not like it. I know some people say they have stepped up their game but I do not feel they are anywhere near a lot of the other lines and I will just save my $$$ until I can afford a better one. It seem to just be a cheaper cruise line. That is just my opinion; everyone has their own.

If you can affford the DCL then I would go for that one .

 

[JLS]

We are going to do the Carnival Dream cruise - 7-night Eastern Caribbean - leaving Port Canaveral on December 31. The Carnival Dream is a very new ship - brand new in 2010. We have heard that it is beautiful. The reputation of Carnival for having a "party" atmosphere seems to apply more to the short (2-4 day) cruises that groups of young adults take for weekends, bachlor/ette parties, etc. The Dream has a lot of family-oriented amenities, a huge kids' club (where my 2 year old can go, unlike on many other cruise lines) and the largest spa on any ship. I have heard that the entertainment is not as good as Disney, but the food is better. Of course I cannot confirm that yet. But what sealed it for us was that the DCL cruises - and particularly the holiday week cruises - are insanely expensive. A 5-day cruise on the Disney Dream would have cost us TWICE what a 7-day cruise on the Carnival Dream is costing. For our first family cruise and what is basically a bonus vacation for us, we just could not justify that. At some point I would like to try Disney, but people including families with young kids have reported fantastic experiences on other new cruise ships so we are giving it a try! I will report back.

For the OP, I think the difference in your trip staying at BC vs. a value would be huge if you are into hanging around the resort and enjoying the pool and other amenities, walking to Epcot and the Studios etc. That would tip the scales for me, personally.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Having cruised several times with different lines... not Disney. Sorry, but of our cruise experiences, it was the worst. From a cabin that smelled like sewer the entire time (and no available place to move, they brought in a useless ionizer) to poorly cooked food more times than not, and utter boredom for the adults who chose to avoid the madhouse of the family sections, to marauding teens at night... we'll forego any more over priced Disney cruises.

So, all that to say, go with the Beach Club! It's an incredible resort, our favorite (OKW is our favorite DVC) deluxe resort with excellent service and beautiful hotel rooms. The proximity to EPCOT is great too!

 

[HersheyKisses]

Ive been debating this very question and posted a carnival vs disney thread a couple days ago as well. In the end I chose Carnival. An 8 night cruise with me and two kids plus gratuities added was 1700 dollars. An 8 day cruise with Disney was almost 6000 with no transfers and gratuities included! I chose Carnival ..Im confident ill have enough to do with the kids on the ship and Ill book an atlantis excursion and were spending a day in Epcot when we port in Port Canaveral! It's going to be a great trip!

 

[RFrank9504]

Im sorry a cruise is a cruise and carnival is like 75% cheaper than Disney-and they are fabulous. We cruise Carnival!

 

[Sprockie]

If you can snag a Carnival Cruise that includes Half Moon Cay in their itinerary, the choice would be a no brainer for me. Half Moon Cay is the most spectacular beach I have ever been to. The day there is unbelievable - you never want it to end - especially for kids. Calm, shallow water, sand is like whole wheat flour. It's rated one of the best private islands of all the cruise lines and Carnival borrows it from Holland America Lines on some of their itineraries.

 

[keishashadow]

If you can snag a Carnival Cruise that includes Half Moon Cay in their itinerary, the choice would be a no brainer for me. Half Moon Cay is the most spectacular beach I have ever been to. The day there is unbelievable - you never want it to end - especially for kids. Calm, shallow water, sand is like whole wheat flour. It's rated one of the best private islands of all the cruise lines and Carnival borrows it from Holland America Lines on some of their itineraries.

agree 100% and with the money you save booking CCL you can rent a cabana. We enjoy CC but HMC is our fav private island - so far When pricing I find DCL to price out 2-1/2 X more than similar length DCL.

DCL is our fav cruise line, and it's an indulgence in our travel budget that I have to stretch to cover my habit lol. We only book it:

* when rates 1st come out (typically the cheapest opposite how most cruise lines discount heavily closer to cruise dates)

* an inside cabin (oddly the insides on the Dream can wind up costing more than a OV due to popularity of the porthole)

* with onboard booking discount/credit res (which we wind up moving forward to different cruise at least once).

We've sailed CCL several times, mostly for the itineraries but past guest/military/early booking discounts are hard to beat. You need to do your research on the ship, check out reviews on cruise critic. I'd hesitate before sailing NCL again, not so on CCL.

CCL has a lively crowd who came to have a good time, but i've seen the sloppiest drunks aboard DCL (I bar-tended for years, apparantly amatuer drinkers who overindulged) combine with fact you can bring liquor aboard DCL it can cause problems vs CCL who only permits a bottle of wine per adult.

jmho, a 3 day cruise flies by so fast if you haven't sailed yet, i'd go with CCL and book an inside unless you have a sea day to enjoy balcony.

You cannot fairly compare a disney value to deluxe resort. If you can swing it, BCV has an amazing poolscape. Perhaps renting points from a DVC member (not a solicitation!) might be the way to go for your family of 5.

good luck.

 

[HersheyKisses]

If you can snag a Carnival Cruise that includes Half Moon Cay in their itinerary, the choice would be a no brainer for me. Half Moon Cay is the most spectacular beach I have ever been to. The day there is unbelievable - you never want it to end - especially for kids. Calm, shallow water, sand is like whole wheat flour. It's rated one of the best private islands of all the cruise lines and Carnival borrows it from Holland America Lines on some of their itineraries.

Aiyiyi now I need to search for a cruise with Half Moon Cay!! You got me daydreaming here