Doing carnival after only DCL

[Dug720]

Maybe you should stop coming to threads about Carnival and bashing a product you have never, and apparently will never, try based on 30 year old advertising. Very juvenile.

Who is the nasty one?

I simply offered another option to consider. Did not bash anything.

First impressions matter for anything but advertising?

And I never called you "nasty".

 

[mevelandry]

Maybe you should stop coming to threads about Carnival and bashing a product you have never, and apparently will never, try based on 30 year old advertising. Very juvenile.

Who is the nasty one?

If I am not mistaken... I think Dug720 tried Carnival at least once.

*****

We are all different. And it's okay. I know people who hate Disney and hated Disney World... :O

*****

I just want to point out that longer cruises on Carnival are usually more "quiet" and family friendly than short cruises.

 

[mevelandry]

I simply offered another option to consider. Did not bash anything.

First impressions matter for anything but advertising?

And I never called you "nasty".

I'm sure we've had that conversation before but ...

Carnival advertizes the family cruising more and more since 2016 (the Vista) with the Family harbour and all.

They are taking the Family friendly route now. Most ships they have upgraded in the past years received a new Waterworks.

 

[Dug720]

If I am not mistaken... I think Dug720 tried Carnival at least once.

*****

We are all different. And it's okay. I know people who hate Disney and hated Disney World... :O

*****

I just want to point out that longer cruises on Carnival are usually more "quiet" and family friendly than short cruises.

I have not because of those first impressions from early ads. Very hard to shake. That saying "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" is true.

I have researched the possibility of them, but the decor and other things about the ships do not appeal to me.

Like you said, we are all different. I like the more classic looks - less neon, no casino, etc.

 

[mevelandry]

I have not because of those first impressions from early ads. Very hard to shake. That saying "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" is true.

I have researched the possibility of them, but the decor and other things about the ships do not appeal to me.

Like you said, we are all different. I like the more classic looks - less neon, no casino, etc.

Oh. My bad. I thought you did...

I prefer the classic look too. However, I tried not to judge a book by its cover and I am glad I did as I'm about to go on my third Carnival cruise.

 

[Dug720]

Oh. My bad. I thought you did...

I prefer the classic look too. However, I tried not to judge a book by its cover and I am glad I did as I'm about to go on my third Carnival cruise.

I've also watched some videos (Sea Cruisers - apparently never met a ship they don't like) - of longer cruises. The vibe doesn't appeal to me. Which is fine. It works for you and apparently a lot of others.

FWIW, they also had some on NCL and that (plus the fact that my principal cruises them and NO I do not want to even have the possibility of running into her on vacation) has sealed them also.

 

[mevelandry]

I think you are halfway to victory already. You know it will be different and you aren't expecting the moon. But I do think you might be pleasantly surprised. I thought Carnival's food was on the same tier as DCL, and the staff was helpful and friendly (if a bit more stretched).

I think it mostly comes down to what is your favorite parts about cruising. If you tell me your favorite parts are Disney Characters, Disney shows and on-board entertainment and such, then you might be disappointed on Carnival. But if you tell me that your favorite parts of a cruise are relaxing in the sun, seeing different ports of call, enjoying the food choices and having a relaxing time with your family, then I think you will be quite pleased.

As for the older/smaller ships versus the larger newer ships, you probably know what your family prefers. Did you have a strong preference between the Dream/Fantasy and the Wonder? That probably tells you if you prefer bigger or smaller ships.

Here's another thing. I know you are considering Carnival to save money, and that is great, but if you and afford to take 20-50% of the savings of Carnival over DCL and put it back into activities (Spa, excursions, up-charge restaurants, etc.) you may find that you have just as much fun because you aren't tapped out by the cruise fare and can afford to splurge on some of the extras that maybe you had to skip on DCL. Just factor it in to the cost ahead of time so you don't feel guilty about spending the money. For example, (made up numbers) if a DCL trip cruise fare was 10K and the Carnival one was 5K, tell yourself the Carnival one costs 7K and use the extra 2K on activities that you could not have done because of DCL's upfront costs. You still save a lot of money, but you feel better about treating yourself to things as well.

I agree with you. The money saved can be used to upgrade your cruising experience here and there (upgrading cabin, getting a spa pass, upgrading tp specialty dining, etc.) ...

 

[mevelandry]

I've also watched some videos (Sea Cruisers - apparently never met a ship they don't like) - of longer cruises. The vibe doesn't appeal to me. Which is fine. It works for you and apparently a lot of others.

FWIW, they also had some on NCL and that (plus the fact that my principal cruises them and NO I do not want to even have the possibility of running into her on vacation) has sealed them also.

You don't like the Sea Cruisers?

To me a cruise is what you make out of it: I've always found the vibe I was looking for on every cruise. Quiet or more active. I adapt to the situation or I change room to find one that fits what I am looking for.

 

[Dug720]

You don't like the Sea Cruisers?

To me a cruise is what you make out of it: I've always found the vibe I was looking for on every cruise. Quiet or more active. I adapt to the situation or I change room to find one that fits what I am looking for.

I like the Sea Cruisers ok - don't like that they try to get people to pay for their cruises which is what their Patreon account is. BUT they pretty much never seem to find anything they don't like on any ship.

I said their videos showed me enough of Carnival and NCL to know that those are not my kind of cruise line.

 

[mevelandry]

I like the Sea Cruisers ok - don't like that they try to get people to pay for their cruises which is what their Patreon account is. BUT they pretty much never seem to find anything they don't like on any ship.

I said their videos showed me enough of Carnival and NCL to know that those are not my kind of cruise line.

Not sure what type of cruise line you think NCL is... but so far all cruise lines seem to be my type. I guess I'm a chameleon cruiser.

 

[Dug720]

Not sure what type of cruise line youbthink NCL is... but so far all cruise lines seem to be my type. I guess I'm a chameleon cruiser.

Every boarding video I've seen it's like a high school pep rally. No thank you.

The primary reason is I do NOT want to be on a cruise with my principal. And with my luck - and given that we have the same breaks - she would be.

I am also not a fan of the attitude I've encountered of their Haven cruisers on another board. I'm sorry, but bragging about buying up the wristbands for the for-fee adult sundeck with no intent to use it but simply so that there is even more space around their precious Haven sundeck really turned me off.

I also want a bit more structure than their IMHO confusing freestyle thing. Especially being gluten-free and having a peanut allergy there is a lot of comfort in having the same people looking out for you and a lot of discomfort for me in this "do whatever whenever" thing.

Curious as to why you're so intent on trying to make me go on other lines. I'm perfectly happy with DCL and Radiance-class RCCL. Besides, it keeps those other ships open for you!

 

[mevelandry]

Every boarding video I've seen it's like a high school pep rally. No thank you.

The primary reason is I do NOT want to be on a cruise with my principal. And with my luck - and given that we have the same breaks - she would be.

I am also not a fan of the attitude I've encountered of their Haven cruisers on another board. I'm sorry, but bragging about buying up the wristbands for the for-fee adult sundeck with no intent to use it but simply so that there is even more space around their precious Haven sundeck really turned me off.

I also want a bit more structure than their IMHO confusing freestyle thing. Especially being gluten-free and having a peanut allergy there is a lot of comfort in having the same people looking out for you and a lot of discomfort for me in this "do whatever whenever" thing.

Curious as to why you're so intent on trying to make me go on other lines. I'm perfectly happy with DCL and Radiance-class RCCL.

I don't remember ever trying to convince YOU (specifically) to try another line, ever.

With all due respect, I don't know where you get that idea from... And I assure you it's not the case.

I may be one of the few who put more effort into trying to understand why you love or hate certain things...

How could I put this... When you say you hate/hated something, the chances of me liking it very high because of how different our tastes are.

I have this totally different (and favorable) opinion of Carnival due to my experience vs what you think Carnival is based on videos you've seen... To me, experience beats opinion. Forgive me if I insist on trying to convince people that they can still have fun on another cruise line...

 

[Dug720]

I don't remember ever trying to convince YOU (specifically) to try another line, ever.

With all due respect, I don't know where you get that idea from... And I assure you it's not the case.

I may be one of the few who put more effort into trying to understand why you love or hate certain things...

How could I put this... When you say you hate/hated something, the chances of me liking it very high because of how different our tastes are.

I have this totally different (and favorable) opinion of Carnival due to my experience vs what you think Carnival is based on videos you've seen... To me, experience beats opinion. Forgive me if I insist on trying to convince people that they can still have fun on another cruise line...

And I never said people couldn't. I was just in this thread stating that there are other options besides JUST Disney and Carnival.

I think I figured out where you thought I had - fathom is under the Carnival umbrella and all of the non-program staff was still P&O (also under the Carnival umbrella) and while the destination and experience was amazing, the service on board in the dining room and my cabin steward was not spectacular. Ditto the dining room and stateroom host service (and Guest Services in general) on HAL which is also under the Carnival umbrella. So yes - given that I've had 3 experiences with crew who operate under the Carnival umbrella, I have very little faith that I would have fabulous experiences on anything under their umbrella.

 

[Ben E N]

I am not hugely emotionally attached to either cruise line myself, but seem to have many of the same concerns as the OP. My in-laws wanted to treat everyone in their family to a cruise, so they chose a Carnival one. I do not blame them one bit, and appreciate the trip, but can see where people would have reservations about going on the line. They had the whole poop buckets on deck cruise just a couple of years ago, and that was all over the news - a PR diasaster. Then the Costa Concordia, which is run by Carnival. My wife and I took a cheap Carnival 3 night cruise years ago. The food was good, but the entertainment was not and it was really a booze cruise. That wad a short trip on a smaller ship, though. The main concern I have with taking my kids on Carnival this summer is their drink package. While the Disney cruise certainly has drinks on board, Carnival allows you to pre purchase a drink package of up to 14 drinks per day for the cost of about 6. This actually encourages people to drink more than they normally would choose to do so, in order to get their money's worth.
I am sure we will have a great time this summer, but I am already looking at RCCL for my next cruise. Disney is not a good enough value and Carnival seems to be trying too hard to be 'fun', at the expense of being classy.

 

[tinkerjo]

OMG I didn’t mean to open a can of worms. We really enjoy the Disney shows and level of service ( just regular staterooms) DS is a pool, slide , mini golf, midship detective game kinda kid. This is just a last minute trip. My mom broke her leg/torn MCL last fall and she is just ready to get out. We love at sea days and good food!! I do. It want a party atmosphere though. How is the entertainment??

 

[Cinderella94]

For whatever this is worth...

I've never done a Disney cruise. Inside of a few years, we did a couple of Royal Caribbean cruises, then did one Carnival, then went back to Royal Caribbean and will not return to Carnival. On our Carnival ship, in our experience, it was a "partier" atmosphere than we experienced on RC. Those are the only two I can compare, and we much prefer RC.

 

[mevelandry]

OMG I didn’t mean to open a can of worms. We really enjoy the Disney shows and level of service ( just regular staterooms) DS is a pool, slide , mini golf, midship detective game kinda kid. This is just a last minute trip. My mom broke her leg/torn MCL last fall and she is just ready to get out. We love at sea days and good food!! I do. It want a party atmosphere though. How is the entertainment??

It varies from ship to ship. Some ship have better performers than others when it comes to performers in musical revues. I love their comedy shows.

I find that the cruise directors take more place on Carnival and some of them are very entertaining and funny.

I find the food on Carnival better than the food I've had on DCL. Much more choices too.

I've done a 4 nights & 6 nights during fall. It wasn't a party atmosphere.

 

[hdrolfe]

I haven't done DCL but did one cruise on Carnival and it was a lot of fun, though (perhaps the time of year?) it was quite an older crowd. We had great service, one of the waiters took a shine to kiddo and was making him napkin animals when he saw him in the buffet. We have since done a couple RCL and the first was a 4-night booze cruise... I am glad kiddo didn't notice as much as I did. The other two were longer and were fine but we cruise more for the ports I guess and we are happy to get back on Carnival. I don't recall any spectacular service on RCL, I don't remember much about the waiters or the room attendants, they were fine but nothing spectacular. We have another on Carnival coming up soon and can't wait! We may be doing DCL in the new year, but the cost! I could do two weeks on Carnival for the same price, and get to go to Aruba and Curacao. I know kiddo would love the DCL experience, especially the star wars stuff, but I do wonder if he would like the kids club. He doesn't care for the one on RCL but likes the Carnival one.

 

[tinkerjo]

Why is this sad? You have vacation time and are going on a cruise?

It’s sad only because we do truly love DCL.

 

[tidefan]

And at least a few of us in “cult Mickey” (not sure why that person is even on here other than to troll if they hate the Mouse, but that is another topic) have said that RCCL is worth looking into.

There thankfully are lines in between Disney and Carnival on the cruiseline spectrum.

Well, just for another opinion...

We are platinum on DCL, but have also cruised with Princess, RCCL, and Carnival. Quite honestly, I'd put Carnival ahead of RCCL based on our experiences (which, I'll admit is a small sample size since we've only done one ship with each).

We really, really enjoyed our cruise on the Carnival Sunshine. We had very low expectations going in, but it ended up being great! We all said we'd go back with Carnival in a heartbeat. I think where Carnival really excels is in "comfort" food. The Guy's Burgers and the Blue Iguana tacos are really, really good as well as the asian stir fry station. MDR, maybe a step below DCL, but still good. And, there was tons to do. A waterpark, a ropes course, and an "80's" night that was one of the most fun things we've done at sea.

By contrast, we really were looking forward to our cruise on the Serenade of the Seas and all of us that went on that cruise rank it dead last when we look at all of the cruises we've taken. There were a number of issues, I think, that were specific to that cruise, but we just didn't enjoy the experience at all. There were things to do like a waterslide and a rock wall, but the waterslide was only open a few days, and only then from 12-3pm and the rock wall was only open 1 day of our cruise. Also, there was no poolside grill. They had a buffet (Windjammer) where all pizza and burgers were put out as well (But they were in food trays under heat lamps, not cooked to order). That closed at 2pm. The only other option for food during the day was the Park Cafe, which was in the Adult Solarium Area. Anyway, we called it the "ship of excuses" for many reasons, but I left with a really bad taste with RCCL. (NOTE: This could have been a one off experience, but it was our experience).

As to Princess, it is a very nice cruise line. It is laid back and has really good food (especially pizza). It has a more elegant feel than Carnival or RCCL, but it is still fun. We're on Princess in July, so I can report back if things have changed. (NOTE: Our first cruise was on Dawn Princess, so I have a soft spot for Princess. On sail-away that cruise, as soon as the "Love Boat" theme played over the loudspeakers... I was hooked...)