Actually
DCL is coming to the West coast in 2015. If you dn't want to add it to your Orlando trip, that is always a possibility.
Whatever you do, DON'T TAKE A CHEAP CARNIVAL. This is NOT the same. I used to LOVE Carnival, as you can see, I've taken quite a few, in fact, I have gold status with them. But I wouldn't take one for FREE now. I wouldn't even go if they offered to pay for everything. Its such an uncomfortable vacation, like being on a floating infomercial. They come on the announcement all the time to tell you to buy bingo cards, or the gold jewelry by the inch, buy buy buy, drink specials, and come to the theater 30 mins early for a seat, and WALA, buy bingo while you are here!
Ugh. Its such a shame. Believe me, I LOOVVVVE cruising, can you tell based on my history? On my last cruise, I was fine if I NEVER WENT ON ANOTHER CRUISE AGAIN. It seriously was bad enough that I didn't care if I never cruised anymore.
And then
Disney Cruise Line cured me!

And I realized how a REAL entertainment vacation company runs a cruise line! Not with 'sexy man' or 'hairy chest' contests on the pool deck in the middle of the day, but with 3 D movies, incredible staged performances similar to Lion King on broadway, fireworks out at sea, Jack Sparrow live stunt show fighting off the pirates who commandeer the vessel, a different dining room every night, interactive and really special and magical, and of course superior service. Family karaoke was hilarious and SO much talent.
Their island includes SO much.
Really, don't cruise if you don't want to. But if you allow your honey to book the 3 day Dream because he wants to try it, you will NEVER. EVER. REGRET IT. There's just no way that I can see.
If you decide to try any other cruise lines, our friends who HATED the Carnival that I actually thought was a good trip, who always cruise Disney with us, they enjoyed their NCL cruise in Hawaii. I also have a decent history with
Royal Caribbean, but I wouldn't sail anything less than their Freedom of the Seas, or Oasis/Allure (that's the one I'm sorta interested in), but dont' fall for a crappy deal on one of their ancient Majesty of the Seas etc. I went on her DECADES ago. I totally forgot what ship I was on in Hawaii, because while the ports were INCREDIBLE, the ship was just ok but not memorable. Turns out I found a picture that said it was the Legend of the Seas. But the Oasis/Allure class ships for RCI are basically similar pricing to a
Disney cruise and they don't include all the dining rooms (on Disney, only the adult dining rooms are for a fee), and they don't include unlimited soft drinks either.
And Disney is the ONLY CRUISE LINE I know of that lets YOU BRING any beverage of any quantity of ANY KIND on board with you. That means unlimited booze if you want. Every other cruise line makes you check your island purchases with them until the cruise is over, and charges you UNREAL for their drinks or drink packages. (Some allow you to bring one bottle of wine pp.) Disney has no limits. Just FYI.
DCL is definitely VERY VERY different from all the other cruise lines I've tried. And for adult entertainment, I laughed and laughed my head off! And this was WITHOUT any bad language or entertainment, it was just brilliant from a company that likes to entertain.
If you don't cruise DCL or RCI, save your money and don't step on a ship... You obviously aren't sure about cruising in general, not sure what it's all about, and so dipping your toes into it by going on a crappy drunken Carnival will just turn you completely off to cruising. Best just not to go in that case...