Here goes! Which should we choose???

[kamgen]

Well, dh and I are debating cruising over Thanksgiving this year (ya know...to avoid all that drama! LOL!)

Here are choices (and yes, One is not DCL..hurts to say):

1. Disney Wonder 3 nt - $727 each
2. Carnival Fantasy 3 nt - $433 each
3. Other

Info you need to know:
We do not have children. We have cruised only DCL before (3 times). We LOVE Disney. We don't care about ports or stops. We love having a spa onboard.

We are considering Carnival for two reasons:
1. price (could really use the $600 for other things)
2. A change of pace

So, all you experts, what do you think???

Thanks in advance!
Kamy

 

[Sneaky3]

What Category for DCL............

 

[kamgen]

Sorry I did not say
DCL - category 11
Carnival - category 4 (inside)

So they are both inside cabins

 

[bcburgner]

I voted for DCL. My reason is that I've heard (never actually cruised Carnival) that Carnival is a step down from DCL. So in other words, you get what you pay for. Having been on DCL before, I think you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. I considered the Other option, as I've also heard RCCL and some other cruise lines are more in line with DCL standards, but for me, the Disney Magic is good clean fun and you know you can count on great service and great entertainment.

 

[tecdavidt]

Try the Carnival cruise. I have cruised on Carnival 6 times, Disney 3 with #4 coming up 3/16. I don't feel Carnival is a step down, just a different style of cruising. Carnival has better food than Disney and a lot more choices. Fewer children on Carnival but it is hit and miss whether there will be a lot of children or few. Carnival also has a Casino. The ships are more Las Vegas style of entertainment from the shows to the bars to the decore.

The Spa is run by the same company that runs the Disney Spas, Steiner.

My only complaint is that Carnival still allows smokers to walk indoors. They do have the non-smoking cruise ship for those who prefer to stay from smoke. Again it is hit and miss on the number of smokers on any given cruise.

It is fun to sail on different lines and compare them. Kathy

 

[Diz-Me]

I would try the Carnival cruise also. DH and I have been on two other cruise lines (NCL and HAL) and enjoyed both cruises tremendously; they were both quite different from the Disney cruise experience. We are taking a second Disney cruise - this time on the Wonder (our first cruise was on the Magic) because we think DCL is far superior for families with children.

But our next cruise will be on a different line. We are hoping to sail on as many cruise lines as time and finances will allow.

<font color=red>After all - variety is the spice of life! </font color>

 

[minnieandmickey]

I am the exact opposite. I have only gone on a Carnival cruise and not a Disney one. This year I am are going on 1 Disney cruise with my sister and her girls, and 1 on Carnival with our husbands. My sister and I loved the cruise last Aug. it was the 4 day Ensenada cruise, and with the exception of Ensenada,we had a great time. We didn't do the spa so I can't help you there. And unlike the Disney cruise( from what I hear),Carnival has a midnight buffet 3 out of the 4 nights which were not bad, go to at least the first one and see all the sculptures made out of ice and different foods. My vote try carnival, if you don't like it come back to Disney. Oh and by the way Carnival does have a non-smoking ship it is called the Paradise.

 

[bcburgner]

After reading the last few posts, I change my vote. The others seem to have liked their Carnival cruises and I agree that variety is a good thing. I am just in one of thise Disney zones right now and can't see past that darn mouse.

 

[mickybean0816]

I have cruised both Carnival and Disney. I went on a Carnival cruise about 5 years ago, and I guess I got my hopes up too much, and it wasn't as I expected. In fact, my flights were delayed by about 6 hours and we almost missed the boat...they had to hold it for us...so from the beginning, we had a tough way to go. I went on a 4-night Disney cruise last April (on the Wonder)...and it was a complete change from that of the Carnival. Disney seemed much more organized and themed. I noticed someone mentioned that Disney is a step-up from Carnival, but I'd have to say it's about two steps up. If you are low on cash, Carnival is the best way to go, but if price isn't a big deal, then you'd definitely want Disney. I found that the food wasn't all that different...and on Disney, there weren't all that many unruly children running around...there are places for adults and places to avoid children...but for the most part, the children that were around were well-behaved. The biggest difference I noticed between the two is the staterooms. Carnival's was a lot smaller and had very few decorations...in fact, I don't recall any. Disney's staterooms (I stayed in the cheapest ones) were far more roomy, decorative, and comfortable. I'm big on atmosphere, and Disney made everything seem like a fairy-tale. So, if you've been on Disney before, then you know what to expect. But even if you wanted a change and decided to go on Carnival...I'd still say Disney is where it's at!

Mickybean0816

 

[mac_tlc]

We ahve been on two DCL cruises (both 7-day) and two Carnival cruises (7-day & 4-day). Our family (me, DW, DD-14, DS-7) enjoyed every single one of them! There are pros and cons for both. Casino vs no-casino, more kids vs, less kids, and on and on. I would certainly say that variety is a good thing, and I'm as much a Disneyholic as the next DIs'er. Also, there are so many other places to see... Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mediterranean, ...... Why limit it to one line? DCL is superior in many ways.. Shows, cleanliness, kids program, but its worth tryig another...

mac_tlc

 

[stormkrow]

Like most of the written replies, I would try something new as a change of pace. Make sure you pick a cruise that visits different ports - or maybe a Hawaiian cruise. I haven't heard any DCL talk about Hawaii.

Good luck!

 

[kamgen]

Thanks everyone. We are still deciding. There are just too many pros and cons to weigh! I wish decisions could be easier ! LOL!

Kamy

 

[kamgen]

Now I just realized that with only $200 more than the ONE November DCL cruise, we could do two cruises. DCL in September and Carnival in November. Hmmm... it's a good thought. But how to convince hubby to take two!
He is leaning towards the November Carnival to save $600!
We'll see.
Thanks,
Kamy

 

[ErinC]

Kamy, I didn't vote in the poll but I wanted to let you know that I will be going on a Carnival Cruise next weekend. ( a 2 day to nowhere) I am taking my DH for his birthday as a surprise. ( I can't believe I am writing this) I'm not telling him until the day before we leave. Anyway, I will email you when I return and let you know my thoughts. We have children, but we are not taking them so I can give you the adult perspective. We will be on the Holiday which I understand is an older ship. Since we aren't going to any ports, we will have plenty of time to check out this ship. We are scheduled to be on the Wonder in May, as a family,but we have never cruised before, so I won't be able to compare to Disney yet, but I will let you know my thoughts. Erin

 

[bbump]

I voted Carnival, because I would consider Carnival to experience a new port. It sounds like you a pretty much open to try it... the extra money would definately come in handy. It would be nice to compare the cruise lines too!
good luck with the planning!

 

[taswira]

I voted for Carnival because it would give you a different cruise experience as well as costing less. But to enjoy it, you would need to remember at all times that it is not Disney. You DO get what you pay for . . .

 

[idontknow]

I didn't vote, but that is because we've never cruised before. BUT, I wanted to let you know that we are in the same dilema. We can cruise in a nav. veranda on a 4 night cruise for just under $2000 or take a Carnival cruise for under $1000 for an ocean view. That's a thousand dollar difference! I am really torn, but I am leaning toward Disney because I would feel MUCH better about DS 12 exploring the ship by himself and being able to check in and out of the kids club by himself. Also, the only place that I've read so far to escape kids on Carnival is in the casinos. (I could be wrong, though) I don't want to have to go to a casino to enjoy the adults only times DH and I want to have. Disney has adults only clubs and an adults only pool. The other plus to Carnival is that we would get to stop in Freeport. Disney is discontinuing the Freeport stop before we go. Our plan is to go on Disney for this 4 day cruise and then if we like it, check out Carnival for a 7 day the next time we cruise. (pending any deals we can find, of course. ) But, like I said, we are still undecided.