Disney or carnival?

the5beers

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Messages
4
Don't know what to do. Planning a Jan 2006 cruise with wife, and three children 9,7, and 4. Originally was planning for disney, but read reviews that said it is overrated, and over priced. Also said the food was subpar, and just as good of a time can be had on carnival. With carnival we have more itinerary choices so we could go on a southern caribbean cruise for warmer weather. On the other hand this is our first time cruising and I want it to be magical for my wife and I, as well as for the kids. Those with experience please help me! Thanks!
 
If Carnival, you're looking at an 8 day out of Ft. Lauderdale, unless you are willing to sail from San Juan (airfare might be $$$).

A Western would typically be warmer than an Eastern that time of year.

Are you Florida residents? If so you could sail Disney at large discounts(comparison Florida Residents CAT-10, (2 adults 2 Kids) March 5, 2005 Eastern $2493, NON-Florida Residents CAT-10, (2 adults 2 Kids) March 5, 2005 Eastern $4553)

You biggest problem will be a party of 5. Unless you buy a larger (more expensive) stateroom... You could (should) consider connecting cabins on either line. On Disney, the cheapest category with connecting cabins is CAT-10.

Carnival will be very competitive to Florida Resident's rates.
 
Carnival is much cheaper (if you look at internet or list rates), but the real question is what sort of cruise you want. Carnival is working really hard to get rid of the "drunk 20 something" image.....However, we have cruised on the Magic 12 times. We did 2 other cruises before the Magic. I think that says it all.

I've read reviews of the Magic that made it clear to me that the person writing the review had never even been on the ship....and I learned to take "professional" reviews with a grain of salt.

I've also heard that the food on the Magic isn't up to the gourmet standards of some people and/or lines. I can attest to the fact that there is plenty of good food around and that I've never gone hungry. If you are served something you don't like, they will happily bring you another selection. I guess I don't often eat in really upscale gourmet restaurants, but I've found the food on the ship to be excellent at dinner. Some of the lunch menus lacked in creativity, but there was always plenty of good food...and you can always do one of the deck 9 outlets if you don't like the sit down menu at lunch.

Obviously, the kid programming is a DCL strong point....nuff said since you have 3 kids.

You also must consider that you need to compare apples to apples as closely as possible. As above, with 5 people, you will need either a category 4, adjoining cabins, or across the hall cabins. One good "trick" can be to get a 9 (for porthole) or 6-7 (for balcony) with an 11 across the hall. You technically book an adult in each cabin, but no one cares where people actually sleep. They will issue Mom an extra KTTW card so she has access to kiddo's room. You really need to compare your prices for these options on the dates you are considering.

What I mean by "apples to apples" is that a normal cabin on DCL is the same size as a "junior suite" on another line. Thus, you might want to reallly look at the square footage of your cabin space if this matters to you.

Personally, I think DCL is worth the increased $.
 
You'll probably find on this board, most people will tell you go DCL including myself. I can not bring myself to go on any other line.

Our friend just got back from a 3 or 4 night on Carnival and was not impressed.

Carnival will probably be cheaper. But you know the saying, you get what you pay for.

Some people expect DCL to be absolutely perfect including the weather and end up disappointed because they paid so much. If you put your expectations that high, you will be disappointed.

Our neighbor just got back from the Magic last night. He said they had an awesome time. I asked about the weather-it rained 2 days and CC was cold and windy. He didn't like Cozumel. But they had such a good time it spite of that. They want to re-book.

My vote: DCL!!!!!!
 

I think that in the large picture for my family, Carnival, is the best of all the cruise lines. I started on the Queen Elizabeth back in 1972, traveling from Germany to FL, and have cruised many cruises with many cruise lines since then. Carnival has the absolute best food of any that I have been on.

Each year for my 3 children's b/days, we would cruise and I would allow them to bring a friend with them. That was 3 cruises each year for over 10 years and probably more.

And, of course, Carnival has gambling on it, where DCL does not.

I have cruised on DCL for the past 3 years and love that one also.

Since different people like different things, we probably will get a lot of different answers on this thread.
:rotfl:
 
I went on a carnival cruise prior to our Disney one...I went back on DIsney again and am going in April again. I would not book Carnival again. I would like to try Royal Carribean but never carnival again. The food on our carnival cruise was horrible, there was to much smoking for me and way way to much partying for me. I like going out and having a good time but sloppy vomiting drunks just don't do it for me anymore. When our Disney cruise was docked in Cozumel we were standing on our balcony watching them literally carrying the drunk passangers back onto the carnival ship! We were all getting a good laugh about it! Two guys had to drag this girl back on, they each had one of her arms over their shouldars and were just about dragging her feet behind them to get her back onboard!
 
DCL is a very special experience, offering the very best service, as well as a unique ship in both decor and ambiance....

When you review the posts from some of the regulars on this board, you'll notice that many have cruised DCL multiple, multiple times....I dont think there is another cruise line that garners the absolute loyalty that DCL does...Youll find that non-DCL mass market cruise lovers tend to try other lines (Carnival, RCCL, Princess to name big 3).....
 
Like another poster said, I would consider RCCL but not Carnival. RCCL seems to get rave reviews when kids are around 10+ years old. Without a doubt Disney will be more expensive, especially compared to Carnival. RCCL is also cheaper, but not by much. Overrated/over priced, well that can be argued. Why would Disney sail at like 98% capacity & have a huge repeat business if that was the case? Sub-par food?? That one really has me wondering what review you read. I have seen posts about people not enjoying a Disney cruise, but I can only remember one post about someone saying the food was sub-par.
With a family of 5 you are going to pay a premium on DCL, look at booking connecting rooms instead of a Cat 4 or higher that holds all 5.

Bottom line, yes you will find cheaper cruises, but if you really want something that will impress your wife & kids, then I think Disney is well worth the extra money.

Let us know what decision you finally make!!
 
You will probably notice that most on these boards are Disney lovers and if you are..then DCL is the ONLY way to go...if you could take Disney or leave it...then try another line...
 
i would never go on a carnival cruise, RCCL yes i probably would. But if your deciding between carnival or DCL..i would say DCL.....there isnt gambling onboard DCL (if you are looking for a non-gambling cruise). But all i can say is ive been on 3 DCL cruises and have loved every one of them and havent had a bad experience once, im going on my 4th cruise in april of this year...cant wait! :teeth:
 
If you are planning a January cruise then don't plan on visiting Castaway Cay (CC). What DCL has for the kids is excellent but beyond what they have for the kids they are overpriced for what you get. January is not good weather to get into CC. We tried this year 3 attempts at CC March 1st & 2nd with no luck. Make sure you are not set on CC as oneof the main attractions. They need perfect weather to get in there.

Next time I will be on RCCL and get much more bang for my buck. That is of course unless DCL offers a great discount due to the lack of docking at Castaway Cay.
 
I have not cruised either line yet but have REALLY studied Carnival and Disney along with RCL. We are in the midst of planning a Disney cruise but since I have studied them SO much I thought I would post some comments and suggestions that I hope would help....

travelocity has tons of cruise info. pictures, cabin sizes, itineraries, prices, traveler's reviews etc.... it was really helpful. www.cruisemates.com has lots of info too - esp for family cruising.

these are the things that I looked for while figuring out what cruise I was going to go on...

pricing and staterooms - yes carnival is cheaper, esp the older ships but the newer ships that would compare to disney - are only about $150 less pp when I was looking (Sept 2005) for inside rooms. Balconies are a big price difference but I wasn't intersted in that. You also have to take the staterooms sq footage. DCL have the biggest standard rooms and a split bath that families truly need.

kids entertainment - I have never really heard a vaild complaint for disney's kids clubs. I have heard there isn't as much to do for the teens but that wouldn't affect me (or you actually.) I have heard some poor reviews of some carnival ships kids areas. Disney seems to do more with the kids then just put them in a room and they seem to have much more activities all day and night to keep the kids busy. They don't charge any money either and stay open until 1am. Carnival charges $6/ hr per kid after 10pm so that could add up for you - if you want alone adult time at night. It also seems that disney has so much more family entertainment at night and really seem to separate the kids only areas, family areas and adult only areas well so that everyone is happy. Carnival tends to have a lot of adult entertainment and night shows but nothing too kid friendly.

adult entertainment - Carnival looks to have more adult night activites, shows, casinos and such. My dh likes to gamble and I do not so not having a casino on DCL was actually a plus for me ;) and no worries about spending more money!! I have heard things pretty much shut down around midnight on Disney but Carnival keeps going all night. Crusing with kids, I can't imagine who can stay up much past that anyway and I have heard there is a lot of smoke and drunks on carnival that can spoil a night.

Food I have heard Carnival has really stepped up their food and seems to get great reviews but you will always find good and bad reviews for both shiplines. It depends on what you are really looking for. I have also seen people say that disney's food incredible and some that say it was subpar but once I looked more into why, this is what I found. Disney only has 4 course meals compared to other liners 6 course meals. I think disney realizes kids are aren't going to sit around for that. You can however order anything and as much as you want.You can look at some sample menus of disney food online too - it looks good to me!!! Not top line gourmet but better than most restaurants have. I have also heard the dining staff with disney is superior, esp with kids, compared to carnival. To me, that can make or break a cruise. Disney also has 3 separate dining rooms and you rotate to all 3. Something a little different and none of them look like the stuffy huge dining rooms found on most ships. disney also has palo's adult only restaurant which gets great great reivews. I can't wait to try it!!

As far as itineraries are concerned, Carnival does have a lot more to offer and many more ports they ship out of but then again, this is yuur first cruise so either the disney eastern or western could appeal to you.


So anyway, I am not going to ramble on anymore. It seems to me that your kids are at a good age for a Disney cruise. If you can spend the extra money, I would say go for it. Many say it is worth it and after doing so much research it seems to me like it is. I have been to disneyworld and disneyland many times and the employees are always so happy and helpful and I love the feeling of being there. I want that kind of treatment on my cruise!! You said in your post you want it to be magical - nobody does that better than disney ;)

Also - down the line when your kids are older they may not want to do a disney cruise - so try carnival or rcl then.

Good Luck with your decision - there is a ton of great advice here, keep looking around!!
 
Hi everyone, thanks so much for all the great information. We really appreciate it. We are still deciding, we really want to go to Castaway Cay, but figure with us going in January it might not be a possibility. We are pretty sure Carnival is out, and are now looking at Royal Caribbean.

Thanks again for all your advice, and if anyone has any information on Royal Caribbean let us know! :)
 
Iv'e been on Carnival and never would choose them again. It was more of a party ship and not family oriented.
 
I have done DCL 13 times but also cruised other lines...I like DCL the best because I am a Disney additct....the family loves DCL but also wants to try other lines....we are doing a Carnival cruise this June with 50 family/friends and I really think the offspring will enjoy it...they are all in their very late teens and early 20's.

We have sailed a few times in January, Feb and March and never missed CC. The weather does not have to be perfect to get there...in fact statistically is is a very small percentage of times that the ships miss CC at all.
 
First and foremost remember that all of the posts here good or bad are our subjective opinions, at least in lots of areas. So when you read things about over stated, over priced and sub-par food, compare those against the huge number of posts that say just the opposite.

We have only cruised on DCL and are not consider any other lines in the future, because Disney always delivers the experience we extpect and we feel we get great vaulue for each dollar spent. Our only experience on Carnival comes second hand from our best friends. They and their three girls went on their very first cruise with us in September. Our the husband and wife just came back from a western cruise on the Glory. They had a good time and enjoyed the trip, but their main comment was No Magic. They found the food not to be as good and their stateroom was described by them as a closet. Again this is their opinion.

As previous posters have said, when comparing, compare apples to apples. Other lines and agencies don't always quote you the full price of a crusie. They often quote the base fare, then later add on the government taxes, port charges, ground transfers and insurance. DCL qenerally quotes it all up front. And they are obviously not so over priced that they are loosing business. As one person said, they sail nearly full all of the time and usually have a huge number of repeat passengers on each sailing. I think when we sailed in January there were upwards of 6 or 800 return cruisiers. If they were so over blown and expensive, they'd only get us once.

Ulitmately it comes down to your budget and what you are looking for. I think cruising is one of the greatest vacation options availble and all lines do a good job, we choose Disney because we are Disney addicts and love that special something that you get when you walk into the Disney rhealm, where else can you sail with Mickey and friends.

You'll get lots of great information from this board, most of it positive. The only danger in this is sometimes people do expand their expectations beyond reality and come back a little let down. We think DCL is the best, but ultimately they are a company run by people and can be falable. But we think they do better than anyone else and armed with the inforamation we've gotten from this board, we've always had an excellent experience.
 
Is value paying less moeny for a vacation of the same length as you would have on another cruise line? Or might value mean paying something above the usual price, but having a superior experience. Best trip I ever took was the most expensive one I ever took, spending the $ to fly first class and book five star hotels in oceanfront suites and renting convertibles for 2 weeks in hawaii. 13 years later I've still never spent anywhere near that much on a trip, not with inflation or more mouths to feed. i've also had less expensive experiences that seemed like a waste of $ at any price.

a good travel agent can help you sort out which cruise might be best. or you might enjoy the time and effort into individual research to get the answer to that question on your own. go to multiple sources and cross reference. soon enough you can start to sense that at least some of the negatives written for ANY cruise review are indicative of someone who either went on the wrong cruise for them, or who just isn't a cruise person at all. (sorry, but many times that just true but the traveler who spent several thousand wants someone to blame rather than admit he spent all that money on a vacation that turned out to be a poor choice; if i buy a high couture fashion dress is it a lousy garment because it is all wrong for me? I'm a guy, by the way! No, its a fine garment--for someone else, but any money i spent on it was a waste.
 
logan1_2000, wow awesome perspective. Quite true value and price are not neccessarily the same thing!
 
We were just off the Carnival Triumph a few weeks ago. We are a family of 5...me, dh, dd 9, ds6 and ds3. We cruised Disney a few years ago and absolutely loved it. We would do it in a heartbeat if it didn't cost so much $$$. We chose the Triumph because we could all fit in a stateroom. The whole cruise cost about $3000. A Disney Western route would have been at least double in a Cat. 4. We know we could have gotten two inside staterooms for less, but we really wanted a balcony and wanted the kids to be with us.
It was perfect for us. We weren't too cramped in the stateroom. We met a lot of very nice people on the ship. It was very clean. The food was fine. Granted, it wasn't necessarily a "distinguished" atmosphere, but I don't think Disney is either. But it was definately a lot of fun.

Melissa
 
Wow, just re-read my post; I didn't realize what a roll I got onto! All I meant was it depends on what you are looking for--when we go to the beach it is most often to the redneck riviera of Panama City Beach, and I am fine with that, and I would compare it to going on Carnival--but we enjoy it and it is what we are looking for in those circumstances. When we go to the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island, we expect more, we pay more, and we get more. For all the Carnival bashing, I'd probably be willing to experiment sometime and go on the Conquest or the Glory, the newer Carnival megaships, to see what they were like--but I'd go with an expectation that was in line. And for the life of me, I can't get my mother to forsake her allegiance to Holland America and take a cruise with her grandson, my wonderful DS, to share in all of his enjoyment, even though she loves to cruise and loves to go to WDW with her grandkids and loves my DS a ton. But I have to respect her because she knows what she wants from a cruise experience and she won't go elsewhere where she feels she would not be satisfied.
 

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