Disneyworld vs. Carnival cruise?

[WendyLovesPeter]

I don't mean to hijack, but may be others will benefit from this info that I am asking....i have also been considering a Carnival cruise, but I have not done any checking or planning.

Is it like Disney cruise where everything (food/drink/snacks) is paid for in advance except alcohol?

does anyone just not get off the boat? We are not real bahama-ish, so we would do limited debarking. Or is this just a waste of cash...

Is there more to do onboard for older kids and teens than the Disney cruises?

 

[crisi]

We've cruised, but if you are looking for an alternative, you might want to consider an All Inclusive. Like cruising, all meals are included - but most of them include your alcohol as well. The rooms are generally larger than a cruise ship. If the weather is bad, you don't have the seasickness risk, they are roomier and less cramped. Pools are nicer, you can still do excursions (often cheaper), you aren't going to miss the stop you've been looking forward to due to weather (Castaway Cay for Disney).

We've enjoyed cruising, but for that sort of vacation (i.e. sit around and enjoy the sun and food), we like the AIs better.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

We love to cruise and have done 5 on both Disney and Royal Caribbean. I also recommend Cruise Critic. It is just like the Dis except for cruising.

We get an adjoining cabin for the kids. I think you could all stay in 1 room but they are smaller than the Disney value rooms. Bathroom much smaller. To give you a frame of reference.

On the Freedom/Mariner class RCCL ships there are a few cabins at the back of the ship that have a balcony connecting to an inside. We have been lucky enough to get these 3 times and they are IMHO the best combo going at sea. I will not put my kids in a cabin across the hall with out checking on the muster station for both cabins. Chances of needing to go to the life boats is VERY slim but if it happens I want us and the kids to be at the same station.

 

[dydo2424]

I just returned from my first ever cruise on the Ecstasy on 1/18. I was on a "girls weekend" cruise so I didn't have my family with me. The boat was clean and the food was great. Never any problems with the room. However, I was thankful that my kids weren't with me at their ages (7 & 9). I don't think there was enough for them to do (besides swimming the few times there was sunshine) without paying $10 an hour to do the "camp" program the boat offered. Those kids looked like they were having fun. Now if my kids were older it might be a different story as they have lounges (night club-ish) for the teens to go to. I have a friend who has taken her young children and just kind of turned them loose on the boat with their older teenage cousins. I'm just the overprotective type and couldn't do that. Plus we had rough seas all but the last day and we would have been stuck in the room sick most of the time. DD & DH have motion issues. I don't normally have motion issues, but this cruise got my head rolling and it continued to do so for 3 days after getting back home Totally different vacation from WDW. Lot's of fun lazy days and Cozumel snorkeling at Chankanaab rocks!

That said, if you've never cruised before and you family wants to, you definitely get your money's worth in food and accommodations. If anyone likes adult beverages though it could get expensive. It's nice and relaxing. I used cruisecritic.com also for planning and information. I don't visit it often like I do the DIS though.

 

[ekatiel]

We are taking our first family cruise in just a few weeks ! DH and I have cruised before, but we've never taken the kids. We are leaving on the Conquest out of Galveston on Feb 28th . My boys are 3 and 5. This was a total budget trip for us, so we are in one inside cabin (which we got for super cheap-- $399 for passengers 1 and 2 and around $200 each for the kids). We are hoping the lack of natural light will help the boys sleep past 6:30am in the mornings! As far as sailings out of Galveston, the 5 day Ecstasy cruises tend to be the cheapest (even cheaper than the 4 day ones). Voyager of the Seas is only here January-April, I believe. The rest of the time, it's Carnival or nothing. If you've found a pretty good deal for the summer, I'd go ahead and book it-- prices in Galveston don't tend to go down for last minute cruises like they do for cruises in Florida. Summer prices will be the highest. The best deals are for sailings in from Sept-February (exculding major holidays, of course). Also, there are hotels in Galveston which will let you park your car there if you stay with them pre-cruise-- I would think that if you're driving down from Dallas, that this would be the way to go. Definitely check out cruise critic for more info! --Katie

 

[kmvand1]

We are scheduled to go on the Sensation for my son's graduation gift after a stay at Disney. I figured we would need two cabins, a little more pricey but worth it since the values are tight for us.

 

[ekatiel]

I just returned from my first ever cruise on the Ecstasy on 1/18. I was on a "girls weekend" cruise so I didn't have my family with me. The boat was clean and the food was great. Never any problems with the room. However, I was thankful that my kids weren't with me at their ages (7 & 9). I don't think there was enough for them to do (besides swimming the few times there was sunshine) without paying $10 an hour to do the "camp" program the boat offered. Those kids looked like they were having fun. Now if my kids were older it might be a different story as they have lounges (night club-ish) for the teens to go to. I have a friend who has taken her young children and just kind of turned them loose on the boat with their older teenage cousins. I'm just the overprotective type and couldn't do that. Plus we had rough seas all but the last day and we would have been stuck in the room sick most of the time. DD & DH have motion issues. I don't normally have motion issues, but this cruise got my head rolling and it continued to do so for 3 days after getting back home Totally different vacation from WDW. Lot's of fun lazy days and Cozumel snorkeling at Chankanaab rocks!

That said, if you've never cruised before and you family wants to, you definitely get your money's worth in food and accommodations. If anyone likes adult beverages though it could get expensive. It's nice and relaxing. I used cruisecritic.com also for planning and information. I don't visit it often like I do the DIS though.

The camp program is free for kids, not $10/hr. You do have to pay for the after-hours program that runs from 10pm-3am. From reading cruise critic, it's my understading that the camp is open in the mornings, then closed for lunch. It opens again in the early afternoon (2pm, maybe?), and stays open until almost dinner. It closes for an hour to get ready for dinner, and then it's open until 10pm, all for free. Your kids can even eat dinner with the camp if they want to. We will probably use it for a few hours each day, but I jsut wanted to let the PP know that it is free unless you want to use the late-night babysitting after 10pm. --Katie

 

[dydo2424]

The camp program is free for kids, not $10/hr. You do have to pay for the after-hours program that runs from 10pm-3am. From reading cruise critic, it's my understading that the camp is open in the mornings, then closed for lunch. It opens again in the early afternoon (2pm, maybe?), and stays open until almost dinner. It closes for an hour to get ready for dinner, and then it's open until 10pm, all for free. Your kids can even eat dinner with the camp if they want to. We will probably use it for a few hours each day, but I jsut wanted to let the PP know that it is free unless you want to use the late-night babysitting after 10pm. --Katie

Well that's encouraging. I guess it was a communication error with the employee.

 

[disneymom3]

The camp program is free for kids, not $10/hr. You do have to pay for the after-hours program that runs from 10pm-3am. From reading cruise critic, it's my understading that the camp is open in the mornings, then closed for lunch. It opens again in the early afternoon (2pm, maybe?), and stays open until almost dinner. It closes for an hour to get ready for dinner, and then it's open until 10pm, all for free. Your kids can even eat dinner with the camp if they want to. We will probably use it for a few hours each day, but I jsut wanted to let the PP know that it is free unless you want to use the late-night babysitting after 10pm. --Katie

Yes, thanks for clarifying that. Kids programs are free and Carnival is often rated the highest in the industry for their kids programs as well.

As for what is included as a previous poster asked, pretty much everything other than tips, bar drinks and excursions if you choose to take them. I have been on a couple of cruises where we had days we stayed on the ship even though we were in port. I always like to have some time just to enjoy the ship itself and there is generally a port I can live without. (Actually one of my trips I could have lived without all of the ports, but I was going to be with my sisters not for the destinations so that was fine.) There is always plenty to do on sea days and for port days there is generally a lower fee for the spa services and lots of room around the pool.

I love cruising and after what we spent this last trip to WDW even being careful and frugal in our choices, a cruise is definitely coming before another WDW trip.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

We just got off of the Conquest a week ago, and had a blast! We did the same cruise 3 years ago, but the ship has been remodeled in the last year or so. The mini golf was fun, especially for the kids. The new giant tv on the lido deck was a nice touch as well. We sooo love cruising. There's just so much time to hang out and do absolutely nothing if you want to. On the sea days, we spent about the entire day just lazing in the sun. Good luck with your decision!!

 

[PLibster]

In 2008, my parents wanted us to go on a cruise instead of Disney with them. We said we would, but the closer the time got we couldn't think of going to Florida and not seeing the mouse. So, we stayed 4 days in Disney to get our fix, then drove to Miami to get on Royal Caribbean's Liberty. It was the best vacation ever! I love to cruise, but I also love Disney.
This year we are going to cruise on Freedom out of Port Canaveral and I am trying to add on some Disney days before the cruise. We are making blankets for Project Linus, so we will have 1 free park pass, and I have a pin that I can use on a room. I just don't know how much time we can get off from work.
I think you will love cruising. I just can't get the cruise cheaper than I can Disney. After you add in parking, tips, excursions, and drink cards, the price really goes up. I have stayed at Disney for 2 weeks for what I pay for a 7 day cruise. Do I regret it, no, I just can't do it every year. Have fun!!

 

[gabriellyn]

We are taking our first family cruise in just a few weeks ! DH and I have cruised before, but we've never taken the kids. We are leaving on the Conquest out of Galveston on Feb 28th . My boys are 3 and 5. This was a total budget trip for us, so we are in one inside cabin (which we got for super cheap-- $399 for passengers 1 and 2 and around $200 each for the kids). We are hoping the lack of natural light will help the boys sleep past 6:30am in the mornings! As far as sailings out of Galveston, the 5 day Ecstasy cruises tend to be the cheapest (even cheaper than the 4 day ones). Voyager of the Seas is only here January-April, I believe. The rest of the time, it's Carnival or nothing. If you've found a pretty good deal for the summer, I'd go ahead and book it-- prices in Galveston don't tend to go down for last minute cruises like they do for cruises in Florida. Summer prices will be the highest. The best deals are for sailings in from Sept-February (exculding major holidays, of course). Also, there are hotels in Galveston which will let you park your car there if you stay with them pre-cruise-- I would think that if you're driving down from Dallas, that this would be the way to go. Definitely check out cruise critic for more info! --Katie

Please let me know how you like the trip - I am very interested! I am a Disney NUT and can't imagine a vacation anywhere else, but I think the rest of my family is developing Disney-fatigue . I think a cruise might work really well for us, since it can entertain all of us at the same time (kinda like Disney!) It's hard to book vacations that make everyone happy - we have such a range of ages in our family.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Not to hijack a thread, but are you going on the Sensation? We just booked this on Monday.

I just saw your question! We are sailing on the Fantasy out of Charleston, SC.

 

[MinnieGi]

We did a Carnival cruise for the first time this past year 2009 and loved it!! We were on a 4 day cruise on the Carnival Sensation to the Bahamas. We then did 3 days at Sea World and for the first time since 2001 skipped Disney for the whole year. It was great to try a cruise and we found out we do very much like cruising and hope to do another one in a few years. Also another recommendation for cruisecritic.com!

 

[kellermomof3]

We just booked today for the Carnival Ecstasy in July ! I can't wait, this will be our first cruise.

For those who have been to Progresso, what do you do? My kids think they make soup .

 

[Weluvdisny]

We are looking into our first cruise for next year. Has anyone gotten on a ship in NYC? My DH wants to do cheap the first time to see if we like it so we are checking out Bermuda from NYC in April 2011.

 

[princessknb]

Wow!!! This is really great info. for a first time cruiser. I think we have decided on the 7/10 sailing from Galveston for 5 days. For those of you that have gone, did you book online thru Carnival or did you use a PVP or a outside agency?