Disney Cruises Competition Comparison

[cyclenut]

I think the reputation comes from a severe lack of experience sailing the line and also a lack of true knowledge of the line. 9 times out of 10 the worst things said about Carnival typically come from someone who has sailed only once or worse NOT AT ALL on Carnival. People seem to think just because someone else says something that makes it the Gospel... But unfortunately you have a lot of people who will go with only what they hear not necessarily what they have experienced. I have had a pretty crappy cruise with DCL, problems with the cabin and our service, but did it make me bash them and refuse to ever sail with them again? No I simply chalked it up to, well sometimes it just ain't always all roses! Sometimes you just have a less than perfect time. Any cruise has the potential to be amazing, it really depends on the type of person you are and what your mindset is going into the cruise!

I just don't see that as a negative.

Perhaps Carnival is having a hard time shedding a reputation they earned a few years ago. More likely there are still sailings that cater to the same singles crowd. My earlier point is that this crowd is likely much more price sensitive. My personal experience with Carnival was OK but after sailing RCCL and then DCL, I will likely never sail Carnival again. The experience was just so much better, even though I wasn't completely happy with DCL.

A co-worker of mine sailed Carnival just last summer and we compared notes. He was on a Mexican Riviera cruise on a pretty new ship. He will not likely sail Carnival again either. The cruise was cheap, but it felt cheap. Not enough tenders, long lines to board at the ports that didn't have a tender and very crowded lines at the buffet. It just felt like a cattle call to him.

Many people really enjoy sailing Carnival and perhaps they are working hard to shed their old reputation, but they are still missing the mark on a number of sailings and keeping prices low isn't helping them. They need to thin the crowds a bit, which means a higher passenger to crew ratio and more room to move around, but it also means they are going to have to charge more. As long as they are continuing to be the bargain carrier they will likely keep attracting the same clientele that gave them their reputation.

Does that mean the line is not for families? Not at all. But it isn't for my family, but I have recommended it to my kids who are now in their 20s as a great value.

 

[TinkGirl]

Would you go on a carnival cruise if it were " free" ( we have to pay taxes and port fees).?

 

[cyclenut]

Would you go on a carnival cruise if it were " free" ( we have to pay taxes and port fees).?

Absolutely! Carnival isn't terrible, i just prefer to spend my vacation dollar elsewhere. But if the extended family chose Carnival for a family reunion or I received one as a gift of some kind, I would be on the ship in a heartbeat.

 

[Rogillio]

Would you go on a carnival cruise if it were " free" ( we have to pay taxes and port fees).?

Heck no! It it were free you be sailing with every freeloader that could make it to the port.

 

[Rogillio]

Years ago it had the reputation as a party line that catered to singles. Then quite some time ago it turned itself around and began focusing on families. The people that still cling to the idea that Carnival is still the party ships are the close minded ones.

I enjoy DCL, but most of the time I can't justify the price for my family and pocketbook. My Carnival cruise 2 years ago was almost $2,000 less than the shorter DCL cruise at the same time. My upcoming Oasis cruise in a Central Park balcony is $800 less than an interior on the Fantasy at the same time.

It's a hard thing to change a reputation. Once people have an opinion in their minds about a commodity, it is difficult to change. That is why companies spend billions developing, marketing and protecting their reputations.

Single cruises and gay cruises and spring break party cruises may fill a ship but they also shape perception. You are right that Carnival is trying to change their image, every commercial I see for them shows kids.....not the smokey casinos and bars.

 

[MedicGoofy]

Our last cruise was on HAL to Canada. We missed DCL's casual dinning and since all we packed was jeans and Polos, we had to eat at the buffet 2 of the 7 nights since we did not bring slacks....and dress shoes....and dress shirt....and tie....and jacket.....and dresses....and hose...etc.

Im not sure what special cruise you were on where you needed to wear that to get into the main dining room. On formal nights, maybe. You didn't have to go all out if you didn't want to. It's optional. No need for a jacket. OR hose. BUT, there would have been at most 2 of them (unless you took an extended cruise). I wore jeans to the dining room, with a nice dress shirt one night. And got complimented!! Didn't have dress shoes. My dad didn't wear a jacket nor a tie. Wore dress pants and a shirt. I didn't have 'hose'. Don't own any. Good god, they are horrible things. But, I in no way didn't fit in and didn't really violate any policy they had. Many people wore jeans after their outings.

If you were in their specialty dining rooms, they are strict. They will bring you a jacket if you need one. Other than that, it's not a big deal. Too bad you missed out. Food was GREAT!!

 

[TinkGirl]

Heck no! It it were free you be sailing with every freeloader that could make it to the port.

Well, I think they only allot a few cabins for the freeloaders, so we would be in with regular paying folk. It would be a 4 day from Galveston. We actually have our first cruise ever booked on the Dream for next July. This just came up and it would only be my husband and me.

 

[Rogillio]

Im not sure what special cruise you were on where you needed to wear that to get into the main dining room. On formal nights, maybe. You didn't have to go all out if you didn't want to. It's optional. No need for a jacket. OR hose. BUT, there would have been at most 2 of them (unless you took an extended cruise). I wore jeans to the dining room, with a nice dress shirt one night. And got complimented!! Didn't have dress shoes. My dad didn't wear a jacket nor a tie. Wore dress pants and a shirt. I didn't have 'hose'. Don't own any. Good god, they are horrible things. But, I in no way didn't fit in and didn't really violate any policy they had. Many people wore jeans after their outings.

If you were in their specialty dining rooms, they are strict. They will bring you a jacket if you need one. Other than that, it's not a big deal. Too bad you missed out. Food was GREAT!!

Holland Americn 7 day Candian cruise ith 2 formal nights. It was VERY formal and jeans were NOT appropriate. We didn't see any jeans besides our own on non-formal nights. Certainly jeans were not appropriate on formal nights where everyone we saw headed to dinner were in tuxes, suits and evening gowns.

Maybe we could have 'gotten away with it' but didn't think that would be fair to the people who went to the trouble to make it a formal night. It was not a big deal. The buffet was not that bad....and the lines were short on formal nights.

 

[Rogillio]

Well, I think they only allot a few cabins for the freeloaders, so we would be in with regular paying folk. It would be a 4 day from Galveston. We actually have our first cruise ever booked on the Dream for next July. This just came up and it would only be my husband and me.

OIC, I thought you meant hypothetically if they had a totally free cruise for everyone

 

[Rogillio]

Im not sure what special cruise you were on where you needed to wear that to get into the main dining room. On formal nights, maybe. You didn't have to go all out if you didn't want to. It's optional. No need for a jacket. OR hose. BUT, there would have been at most 2 of them (unless you took an extended cruise). I wore jeans to the dining room, with a nice dress shirt one night. And got complimented!! Didn't have dress shoes. My dad didn't wear a jacket nor a tie. Wore dress pants and a shirt. I didn't have 'hose'. Don't own any. Good god, they are horrible things. But, I in no way didn't fit in and didn't really violate any policy they had. Many people wore jeans after their outings.

If you were in their specialty dining rooms, they are strict. They will bring you a jacket if you need one. Other than that, it's not a big deal. Too bad you missed out. Food was GREAT!!

From HAL website:

Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Formal or Smart Casual. Smart Casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive Formal evenings, ladies usually wear a suit, cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week.


Doesn't specially prohibit jeans on formal nights but......

Well, never mind. We chose to skip formal nights with HAL for this reason. The age demographic is 20 years older on HAL than DCL so things tend to be less casual. You just don't see many 60 yo woman in blue jeans for dinner.

 

[TinkGirl]

OIC, I thought you meant hypothetically if they had a totally free cruise for everyone

Yikes! I am just trying to decide if we should do it. It is a certificate for attending a time share presentation, and there are lots of hoops involved to actually get the booking, I was hoping people with any experience with carnival could help me decide. The material says it could be princess or royal carribean as well, but carnival seems to have most of the short cruises out of Galveston. I have also heard It was the Walmart of cruising, but I don't know that first hand.

 

[NancyIL]

Holland Americn 7 day Candian cruise ith 2 formal nights. It was VERY formal and jeans were NOT appropriate. We didn't see any jeans besides our own on non-formal nights. Certainly jeans were not appropriate on formal nights where everyone we saw headed to dinner were in tuxes, suits and evening gowns.

Maybe we could have 'gotten away with it' but didn't think that would be fair to the people who went to the trouble to make it a formal night. It was not a big deal. The buffet was not that bad....and the lines were short on formal nights.

Since this wasn't your first HAL cruise, you were aware that it was less casual than DCL before you packed your bags!

How did you like the Canada cruise - as far as the itinerary? I just booked the Maasdam's 13-night Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale cruise for October 2013. We were on a Canada cruise (RCI) in 2008, and I'm looking forward to cruising there again.

 

[Rogillio]

Since this wasn't your first HAL cruise, you were aware that it was less casual than DCL before you packed your bags!

How did you like the Canada cruise - as far as the itinerary? I just booked the Maasdam's 13-night Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale cruise for October 2013. We were on a Canada cruise (RCI) in 2008, and I'm looking forward to cruising there again.

You are right Nancy, we knew abut it and made a conscious decision to just pack for the 'smart casual' nights and skip the formal nights. So we had 5 nice nights of dinning and 2 nights of short and tee shirts at the buffet.

The Canadian cruise was very cool and the itinerary was great - Bar Harbor, Maine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Charletteville, PEI, Quebec City and Montreal. We only had one sea day which I appreciate. I'm not a fan of staying on the boat all day long.

I not on my pc now as I am in Cabo, but if I can remember, when I get home, I will PM you our travelogue Nancy as it will give you some insights into some of the sites to see at the various ports of call.

 

[woody73]

Holland Americn 7 day Candian cruise with 2 formal nights.

. . . Certainly jeans were not appropriate on formal nights where everyone we saw headed to dinner were in tuxes, suits and evening gowns.

Everyone!?! Really?

We've sailed 94 nights on HAL (including two Alaska cruises), and saw a wide range of attire on formal night.

Woody

 

[Rogillio]

Everyone!?! Really?

We've sailed 94 nights on HAL (including two Alaska cruises), and saw a wide range of attire on formal night.

Woody

Yup, very formal. Maasdam is a small ship and there is only one MDR and it was noticeably "upscale" on formal night. Jeans and Polos would stick out as obvious as tee shirts and shorts. I'm sure there are some that ignore the requests for formal attire but it's not in us to intentionally underdress.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter what other people did, the cruise line policy for formal nights requests jackets and ties, cocktail dress or evening gown.


ETA. I don't want to hijack the tread into a dining attire thread and what people do and don't do. On our HAL cruises, the age of cruisers was much older than DCL and I this manifests in more formal dining. We felt fine on our last DCL cruise in jeans and Polos on formal nights. We did not feel this dress was appropriate on HAL cruise line. Your opinion and experience may vary but this was our experience and perceptions. Bottom line, DCL carries a younger and more casually dressed cruiser.

 

[NancyIL]

You are right Nancy, we knew abut it and made a conscious decision to just pack for the 'smart casual' nights and skip the formal nights. So we had 5 nice nights of dinning and 2 nights of short and tee shirts at the buffet.

The Canadian cruise was very cool and the itinerary was great - Bar Harbor, Maine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Charletteville, PEI, Quebec City and Montreal. We only had one sea day which I appreciate. I'm not a fan of staying on the boat all day long.

I not on my pc now as I am in Cabo, but if I can remember, when I get home, I will PM you our travelogue Nancy as it will give you some insights into some of the sites to see at the various ports of call.

Enjoy Cabo, Mike!

I'd love to read your Canada cruise travelogue - thanks! This is the itinerary of the 13-night repositioning cruise that I just booked: http://www.hollandamerica.com/find-...voyageCode=M356&webItineraryIdForAudit=NNF313 (I hope Oct. 2013's prices drop just like Oct. 2012's have!) Our anniversary is October 16, and we'll be in Charleston, SC that day. My in-laws live near Hilton Head, so we could probably meet them in Charleston that day. (I am thinking of all the reasons why my husband should say "yes" to this cruise...once I mention it to him! )

 

[ppaigeyy]

That is great to know! We were actually considering a 4 night western Caribbean without the kids, should we not do this?

There isn't a single cruise out there I'd scoff my head to if it's just my DH and me. We have fun on ANY cruise!

With that said, we really like to enjoy quite a bit of time in the casino and piano bar when it's just us. So a 4 or 5 day cruise is seriously a no-brainer for ME. I could care less if people are having more FUN (yes I said FUN, I don't think they're rowdy just because they're laughing and dancing) on shorter cruises than 7 days and longer.

I should not have told you "just don't take a 4 day cruise". I have NO idea if that is your lifestyle or not! I like the atmosphere on both short and long. People just tend to pace themselves a little more on longer cruises. 4/5 day cruises are sooo short, people (hey, including me!) want to get all their FUN in quickly....before it's all over and you're headed back home.

I will say this. I have never been on a cruise over spring break (or even summer other than DCL). That is when "they say" all the college party-ers come on the boat. What cruise line can a college kid afford? Exactly.....Carnival! So I'm sure there is some truth to the rumors....

I prefer to sail in January and October, so I'm guessing that's the difference.

 

[ppaigeyy]

Totally agree!! It's either that or people who've sailed on CCL 20 years ago giving the opinion as if they've "just" sailed CCL. I haven't been on CCL in 12 years but am really looking forward to our cruise on the brand new Breeze in December!

Ahhh!!!! So JEALOUS! I'm finally going on the Carnival Magic next month though, so I'm only one new ship behind ya!

 

[NancyIL]

I will say this. I have never been on a cruise over spring break (or even summer other than DCL). That is when "they say" all the college party-ers come on the boat. What cruise line can a college kid afford? Exactly.....Carnival! So I'm sure there is some truth to the rumors....

I prefer to sail in January and October, so I'm guessing that's the difference.

Yep - the reason you don't see lots of college kids on DCL by themselves during spring break (as opposed to traveling with their parents) is because DCL's prices are quite high at that time. Heck - *I* don't cruise on DCL during school breaks for the same reason!

 

[ppaigeyy]

Yikes! I am just trying to decide if we should do it. It is a certificate for attending a time share presentation, and there are lots of hoops involved to actually get the booking, I was hoping people with any experience with carnival could help me decide. The material says it could be princess or royal carribean as well, but carnival seems to have most of the short cruises out of Galveston. I have also heard It was the Walmart of cruising, but I don't know that first hand.

I wanted to share my experience with you since I could not find any personal experiences when researching mine.

My Aunt went to a time share thing and was given the certificate. She didn't want to go on a cruise so she gave it to my DH and me. Woo-hoo! The little information I DID find was you have to give three dates (specific amount of days apart) and they would let you know which date you get 45 days out or something like that.

Well this company obviously wants to put you in the cheapest room possible, so the dates are going to be based off that. I went to Carnival's website and found 3 dates which were in the specs of how far apart they needed to be. I purposely picked out 2 really high priced dates and the lowest rate was the third date (which is our anniversary and only time we could go). I figured.....hey, if I give them option 1 and 2 which are a higher cost than option 3, I KNOW they'll say:
"I'm sorry, we just can't do either of your first 2 dates" Me: "ok, I'll take the third date (quietly patting myself on the back for my plan working out perfectly!)" Them: "Oh really? Uh uh ok." HA! Take that!

They obviously TRY to make you request your certificate fee refund.
We went on that cruise for our 4 year anniversary. It was 4 days out of Galveston on the Carnival Triumph. We had a marvelous time!

Oh, and you said it's good for both RCI and Princess. I wouldn't believe that. Princess and RCI don't do 4 day cruises out of Galveston. And even if they did, Carnival is cheaper so that is the cruise line they will offer ya.

I hope this helped you some! I don't think there is anyone on even this DIS Board that would not go on a cruise if all they have to pay is the port fee and taxes.

"Walmart of cruising"? You were just offered a $600 gift certificate to Wal-mart, are you going on a shopping spree or throwing it in the trash?