We chose the dark side - Carnival VS Disney

[kaseyC]

On the Adventures by Disney section of the Dis, there is a thread titled "Other Options" to discuss other tour companies and experiences. You would think something like that could be done here.

 

[black magic]

All righty then...

We just returned from our Carnival Breeze cruise on Sunday and as promised, here is my review/comparison. Here is a quick re-cap of my/ my family's cruising experience. My wife and I have previously sailed on Carnival twice before in our youth. We have sailed Disney twice as a family (Dream-4 day and Fantasy-7 day). After hitting WDW and DL last year, we decided to take a less expensive route this summer and booked a Carnival cruise out of Galveston, TX. This not only saved us thousands in cruise fair, but also allowed us to drive to port and save on airfare.

The ships: Carnival Breeze is 4 years old and is comparable in size and age to the Dream and Fantasy. The Breeze has 2 pools(for everybody), 6 hot tubs(2 are adult only), 2 large waterslides and a splash zone, an adults only area, 4D theater, 2 formal dining rooms, 2 buffet areas(mirrors of each other), several cuisine specific locations and 2 specialty restaurants. I'm probably missing some stuff, but that pretty much covers what most people like to know about.

My review will cover what areas we experienced, but feel free to ask questions, as I probably will forget something.

When we booked, I had the chance to purchase the "Faster To The Fun" option and I'm so glad that I did. This cost about $60 and covered everybody in our stateroom. What this does is basically get you platinum or diamond perks for a small amount of money. Our first experience of this was at embarkation. We passed up the regular wait to check in and in the hot humid Texas heat, it was fantastic! Once on board, our room would be ready for us (doesn't change when luggage arrives), gives us priority tendering and our own line at the customer service desk. Think of it as a fast-pass for the cruise ship. I wouldn't book again without getting this option. Another fantastic advantage to Carnival is the HUB app. I know a lot of folks dislike the idea of having a phone on you while on the ship, but you really don't use it as a phone, so it was more of a tool. This app allows you to see what is happening on the ship(for each day) and you can mark "favorites" which will prompt the app to remind you when an event is approaching. For an additional $5 per device, you can also text. I loved this feature to help keep up/find where everybody was at. We also got the top tier internet package which was discounted to a total of $100 for the week if you purchased it on day one.

Our stateroom was a forward balcony on the Lido deck (Deck 10). This room had two twins pushed together to make a king bed, a sofa bed and a drop-down berth. By comparison, we have had family verandas on DCL. Bathrooms: Carnival had only one vs. two on Disney.. winner: Disney. Storage: both lines had plenty of closet space and even under the bed storage for suitcases... winner: tie. Balcony: I don't know the measurements between the two, but they felt close in size. However, the condition of the flooring (some rust near the rail) as well as other finishes(paint peeling and blistering around the light fixture) on the Carnival made the ship feel older than it was... winner: Disney. So, the overall winner when it comes to staterooms is Disney.

Pools/Slides: While I love the Aquaduck, having more choices was nice. The two waterslides were fun and fast. The lines could get pretty long, but so do those for the 'duck. The Breeze has two pools open to everybody and they had an area that you could lounge in that was just a few inches deep. They also had two covered seating areas that were in this shallow water at the main pool. The pools are filled with saltwater which bothered my son's eyes, but chlorine bothers other folks. The Breeze also had several hot tubs and just like on DCL, they fill up with unescorted children. However, I will say that I had a view of one of the deck 5 hot tubs that are on the side of the ship and it seemed much less busy. Winner: Carnival

Food: I will be up front and say that I have never been a huge fan of the food on DCL. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The same holds true for Carnival. However, both lines have their good and bad points. Carnival has Guy's Burgers which were REALLY good!!! I had at least 4 while on our cruise. Carnival also has the Blue Iguana burrito/taco bar, which is what I had for breakfast most of the mornings... again, really good. They also served lunch there, but I never ate there... hard to pass on the burgers! Carnival has the typical buffet, which was very bland. The DCL lunch buffet was better. Carnival has an Italian restaurant, which is free at lunch, but cost $ in the evenings. We had the free lunch on embarkation and it was just okay. Carnival also has sushi, Indian, Steakhouse and 24hr pizza. We ate at the MDR one evening (1st formal night) and it was pretty bad. The service was okay, but the best thing that came to our table... and I'm not kidding, was the PB&J that my son ordered after his nuggets tasted and looked odd. The little dance show that the waiters do was lame and I actually felt sorry for them. We never went back to the MDR. On the flip side of the coin, we never missed dinner at the Disney MDRs. So here is how I'll break down my winners in the food category... Carnival wins with the Guy's Burgers, breakfast burrito and pizza. Disney wins with MDR food/show and buffet.

Ship appearance/design: The Breeze was the first ship to have a new designer handle the interior and it was really nice. I'm not sure if there was a single trace of gold plating or neon lights anywhere lol. It had a light fun feel and look. I am torn on the appearance, as the tropical laid back feel of Carnival is great for a cruise ship, but the classic ocean liner of DCL is so rich feeling. Winner: DCL by a small margin. Now moving on to ship maintenance... I rarely saw anybody on the Breeze cleaning other than squeegeeing the decks and sweeping floors, but they must have been doing it, as the ship was pretty clean with no piles of dishes, etc. laying around. Now on DCL, I always saw somebody cleaning, painting, etc. and it showed in the finishes on the ship. Granted, this ship has been running non-stop for 4 years and when we sailed on the Dream and Fantasy, both ships were less than a year old. It is possible that they too are showing some wear and tear. Going off of what I experienced... winner: Disney.

Kid's specialty dining: Carnival had the Cat In The Hat breakfast. My kids really enjoyed this. We had four characters come by for photos (Sam I Am, Cat In The Hat, Thing 1 and Thing2). To be fair, we have never done the character breakfast on DCL, so I am comparing this to the "fun" in the MDR's. Winner: Disney hands down (come on, it's what they do best!)

Non-tangible details: While everybody that I encountered on the Carnival ship was very friendly, nothing compares to pixie dust that Disney Cast Members provide. My fellow ship-mates were a mixed crowd with many families, seniors and couples. I will say that I noticed a lot of 20 something's, which makes sense. When I was in my 20's I didn't have a ton of money to spend on vacations, so I can see how Carnival would be very appealing to that crowd. I didn't see any craziness, rudeness or drunken behavior. Everybody that I encountered was having a good time and was respectful of the folks around them. Matter of fact, I think I ran into more rude parents and kids on DCL.

Summary: Carnival has "Faster To the Fun", better slides, "everybody" pools, burgers and tech. Disney has better rooms, MDRs, buffet, ship maintenance, staff and that magical Disney feel. So, would I do it again? Yes! Does it replace DCL for my family? No! We WILL sail DCL again, but it is a nice feeling knowing that there are other good options out there.

If you have any questions, let me know.

 

[Dug720]

Nice review.

BTW, Disney has had an app that is very similar (and I believe does not charge for texting) for a couple of years now.

 

[black magic]

You are correct. Learned something new.

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

I feel like Disney will be enjoyable for my kids for only so long, which will make it MORE enjoyable for me

Amazingly, you would be surprised. My son was 15 on our last Disney Cruise and had the time of his life. AND....he is NOT a Disney person. (Having a mother who is a Disney Freak and former Cast Member....he got overloaded on Disney a long time ago.) I literally barely saw him the entire cruise. I thought he would be bored, but deep down I am convinced that he had more fun than anyone, even though we all had a fantastic time. I only saw him when he first woke up in the morning, at Dinner (if I made him show up) and for Port Adventures. On Castaway Cay, he even did the Teens Only- The Wild Side Port Adventure. We are going again next September to give him one more chance to go to Vibe before he turns 18 and that part of his life is over.

 

[AquaDame]

Yeah. I was kind of wondering why you didn't get the "We deleted your off topic post" message I got when I strayed from the topic at hand in another thread. I guess somebody must have whined about my post.

Probably... we're just volunteers and browse/participate normally except for when someone reports something to us, then we step in. On this forum at least its more hive mind than you'd think, with the exception of a couple rules (play nice, no social media redirects, certain TAs are blocked).

90% of the threads go off topic. They are welcome to delete any post I make. I really don't care.
My 12 year old hasn't Rick Rolled me in months...I miss it.

I don't mind going off topic either as long as the main question gets answered. Well, unless someone gets hurt or it gets reported. Or it goes into theme park territory/gets moved to another forum. Ok that is actually a good number of reasons... whoops!

On the Adventures by Disney section of the Dis, there is a thread titled "Other Options" to discuss other tour companies and experiences. You would think something like that could be done here.

It could be, but as someone else said the RCCL forum is very quiet. So quiet that I have seen a couple RCCL threads still get posted in this one for a quicker reply as there is more traffic. I'd hate to send threads somewhere else "to die" as it were... if someone wants to start a generic 'ask questions/chat about any lines' thread I'm happy to sticky it? Or if you have a better idea I'm all ears!

 

[mevelandry]

AquaDame: My suggestion would be to create a "jumping ship" category where all the other cruiselines could be discussed (and compared with DCL), the RCCL one could be merged in that category. And my thread (this thread) could be moved over there as well.

 

[kaseyC]

Thanks @AquaDame. I think some type of "Sticky" post would be great. I like @mevelandry's "jumping ship" idea. There seems to be more and more Dis posters who are veteran DCL cruisers who still enjoy DCL at the right price and/or itinerary but at the same time enjoy or are interested in other cruise lines due to price, itinerary or other reasons.

 

[AquaDame]

AquaDame: My suggestion would be to create a "jumping ship" category where all the other cruiselines could be discussed (and compared with DCL), the RCCL one could be merged in that category. And my thread (this thread) could be moved over there as well.

You don't feel that moving it out of here would be a purgatory sentence..? Despite having a forum for RCCL threads comparing them still come to this forum since its more engaging. But if you guys don't agree I can ask the webmasters to retitle the RCCL board.

 

[tinkerone]

You don't feel that moving it out of here would be a purgatory sentence..? Despite having a forum for RCCL threads comparing them still come to this forum since its more engaging. But if you guys don't agree I can ask the webmasters to retitle the RCCL board.

I posted on the RCCL board and heard crickets. I'm not overly fond of that other cruise site (you know who I mean ) because they can be really mean over there but as one of the converts to other lines it would be so nice to have some where to post questions where people actually answer. Not sure if the sticky idea would work but it would be good to maybe give it a chance.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

You don't feel that moving it out of here would be a purgatory sentence..? Despite having a forum for RCCL threads comparing them still come to this forum since its more engaging. But if you guys don't agree I can ask the webmasters to retitle the RCCL board.

I like the "Jumping Ship" idea. I sometimes feel bad posting a lot of stuff here comparing DCL to the other lines because I don't want to discourage newbies to not try DCL.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

All righty then...

We just returned from our Carnival Breeze cruise on Sunday and as promised, here is my review/comparison. Here is a quick re-cap of my/ my family's cruising experience. My wife and I have previously sailed on Carnival twice before in our youth. We have sailed Disney twice as a family (Dream-4 day and Fantasy-7 day). After hitting WDW and DL last year, we decided to take a less expensive route this summer and booked a Carnival cruise out of Galveston, TX. This not only saved us thousands in cruise fair, but also allowed us to drive to port and save on airfare.

The ships: Carnival Breeze is 4 years old and is comparable in size and age to the Dream and Fantasy. The Breeze has 2 pools(for everybody), 6 hot tubs(2 are adult only), 2 large waterslides and a splash zone, an adults only area, 4D theater, 2 formal dining rooms, 2 buffet areas(mirrors of each other), several cuisine specific locations and 2 specialty restaurants. I'm probably missing some stuff, but that pretty much covers what most people like to know about.

My review will cover what areas we experienced, but feel free to ask questions, as I probably will forget something.

When we booked, I had the chance to purchase the "Faster To The Fun" option and I'm so glad that I did. This cost about $60 and covered everybody in our stateroom. What this does is basically get you platinum or diamond perks for a small amount of money. Our first experience of this was at embarkation. We passed up the regular wait to check in and in the hot humid Texas heat, it was fantastic! Once on board, our room would be ready for us (doesn't change when luggage arrives), gives us priority tendering and our own line at the customer service desk. Think of it as a fast-pass for the cruise ship. I wouldn't book again without getting this option. Another fantastic advantage to Carnival is the HUB app. I know a lot of folks dislike the idea of having a phone on you while on the ship, but you really don't use it as a phone, so it was more of a tool. This app allows you to see what is happening on the ship(for each day) and you can mark "favorites" which will prompt the app to remind you when an event is approaching. For an additional $5 per device, you can also text. I loved this feature to help keep up/find where everybody was at. We also got the top tier internet package which was discounted to a total of $100 for the week if you purchased it on day one.

Our stateroom was a forward balcony on the Lido deck (Deck 10). This room had two twins pushed together to make a king bed, a sofa bed and a drop-down berth. By comparison, we have had family verandas on DCL. Bathrooms: Carnival had only one vs. two on Disney.. winner: Disney. Storage: both lines had plenty of closet space and even under the bed storage for suitcases... winner: tie. Balcony: I don't know the measurements between the two, but they felt close in size. However, the condition of the flooring (some rust near the rail) as well as other finishes(paint peeling and blistering around the light fixture) on the Carnival made the ship feel older than it was... winner: Disney. So, the overall winner when it comes to staterooms is Disney.

Pools/Slides: While I love the Aquaduck, having more choices was nice. The two waterslides were fun and fast. The lines could get pretty long, but so do those for the 'duck. The Breeze has two pools open to everybody and they had an area that you could lounge in that was just a few inches deep. They also had two covered seating areas that were in this shallow water at the main pool. The pools are filled with saltwater which bothered my son's eyes, but chlorine bothers other folks. The Breeze also had several hot tubs and just like on DCL, they fill up with unescorted children. However, I will say that I had a view of one of the deck 5 hot tubs that are on the side of the ship and it seemed much less busy. Winner: Carnival

Food: I will be up front and say that I have never been a huge fan of the food on DCL. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The same holds true for Carnival. However, both lines have their good and bad points. Carnival has Guy's Burgers which were REALLY good!!! I had at least 4 while on our cruise. Carnival also has the Blue Iguana burrito/taco bar, which is what I had for breakfast most of the mornings... again, really good. They also served lunch there, but I never ate there... hard to pass on the burgers! Carnival has the typical buffet, which was very bland. The DCL lunch buffet was better. Carnival has an Italian restaurant, which is free at lunch, but cost $ in the evenings. We had the free lunch on embarkation and it was just okay. Carnival also has sushi, Indian, Steakhouse and 24hr pizza. We ate at the MDR one evening (1st formal night) and it was pretty bad. The service was okay, but the best thing that came to our table... and I'm not kidding, was the PB&J that my son ordered after his nuggets tasted and looked odd. The little dance show that the waiters do was lame and I actually felt sorry for them. We never went back to the MDR. On the flip side of the coin, we never missed dinner at the Disney MDRs. So here is how I'll break down my winners in the food category... Carnival wins with the Guy's Burgers, breakfast burrito and pizza. Disney wins with MDR food/show and buffet.

Ship appearance/design: The Breeze was the first ship to have a new designer handle the interior and it was really nice. I'm not sure if there was a single trace of gold plating or neon lights anywhere lol. It had a light fun feel and look. I am torn on the appearance, as the tropical laid back feel of Carnival is great for a cruise ship, but the classic ocean liner of DCL is so rich feeling. Winner: DCL by a small margin. Now moving on to ship maintenance... I rarely saw anybody on the Breeze cleaning other than squeegeeing the decks and sweeping floors, but they must have been doing it, as the ship was pretty clean with no piles of dishes, etc. laying around. Now on DCL, I always saw somebody cleaning, painting, etc. and it showed in the finishes on the ship. Granted, this ship has been running non-stop for 4 years and when we sailed on the Dream and Fantasy, both ships were less than a year old. It is possible that they too are showing some wear and tear. Going off of what I experienced... winner: Disney.

Kid's specialty dining: Carnival had the Cat In The Hat breakfast. My kids really enjoyed this. We had four characters come by for photos (Sam I Am, Cat In The Hat, Thing 1 and Thing2). To be fair, we have never done the character breakfast on DCL, so I am comparing this to the "fun" in the MDR's. Winner: Disney hands down (come on, it's what they do best!)

Non-tangible details: While everybody that I encountered on the Carnival ship was very friendly, nothing compares to pixie dust that Disney Cast Members provide. My fellow ship-mates were a mixed crowd with many families, seniors and couples. I will say that I noticed a lot of 20 something's, which makes sense. When I was in my 20's I didn't have a ton of money to spend on vacations, so I can see how Carnival would be very appealing to that crowd. I didn't see any craziness, rudeness or drunken behavior. Everybody that I encountered was having a good time and was respectful of the folks around them. Matter of fact, I think I ran into more rude parents and kids on DCL.

Summary: Carnival has "Faster To the Fun", better slides, "everybody" pools, burgers and tech. Disney has better rooms, MDRs, buffet, ship maintenance, staff and that magical Disney feel. So, would I do it again? Yes! Does it replace DCL for my family? No! We WILL sail DCL again, but it is a nice feeling knowing that there are other good options out there.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Thanks for the review. We did the Vista in June and have 2 more Vista cruises next June booked, I was surprised how much I enjoyed Carnival. I really loved Guys and had Blue Iguana breakfast burritos almost every morning, love them! I also ate at the Captains Pasta Bar 4 times for lunch and loved the Penne pasta in clam sauce with shrimp added to it, but wasn't a big fan of the marinara sauce.

My daughter really wants to try the Breeze but we are doing Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston in October 2017 instead. I was actually shocked that LotS is actually cheaper than the Breeze for the same week. We're only paying $3200 for 2 Promenade view rooms including insurance and gratuity.

Thanks again for taking the time to review.

 

[DnA2010]

All righty then...

We just returned from our Carnival Breeze cruise on Sunday and as promised, here is my review/comparison. Here is a quick re-cap of my/ my family's cruising experience. My wife and I have previously sailed on Carnival twice before in our youth. We have sailed Disney twice as a family (Dream-4 day and Fantasy-7 day). After hitting WDW and DL last year, we decided to take a less expensive route this summer and booked a Carnival cruise out of Galveston, TX. This not only saved us thousands in cruise fair, but also allowed us to drive to port and save on airfare.

The ships: Carnival Breeze is 4 years old and is comparable in size and age to the Dream and Fantasy. The Breeze has 2 pools(for everybody), 6 hot tubs(2 are adult only), 2 large waterslides and a splash zone, an adults only area, 4D theater, 2 formal dining rooms, 2 buffet areas(mirrors of each other), several cuisine specific locations and 2 specialty restaurants. I'm probably missing some stuff, but that pretty much covers what most people like to know about.

My review will cover what areas we experienced, but feel free to ask questions, as I probably will forget something.

When we booked, I had the chance to purchase the "Faster To The Fun" option and I'm so glad that I did. This cost about $60 and covered everybody in our stateroom. What this does is basically get you platinum or diamond perks for a small amount of money. Our first experience of this was at embarkation. We passed up the regular wait to check in and in the hot humid Texas heat, it was fantastic! Once on board, our room would be ready for us (doesn't change when luggage arrives), gives us priority tendering and our own line at the customer service desk. Think of it as a fast-pass for the cruise ship. I wouldn't book again without getting this option. Another fantastic advantage to Carnival is the HUB app. I know a lot of folks dislike the idea of having a phone on you while on the ship, but you really don't use it as a phone, so it was more of a tool. This app allows you to see what is happening on the ship(for each day) and you can mark "favorites" which will prompt the app to remind you when an event is approaching. For an additional $5 per device, you can also text. I loved this feature to help keep up/find where everybody was at. We also got the top tier internet package which was discounted to a total of $100 for the week if you purchased it on day one.

Our stateroom was a forward balcony on the Lido deck (Deck 10). This room had two twins pushed together to make a king bed, a sofa bed and a drop-down berth. By comparison, we have had family verandas on DCL. Bathrooms: Carnival had only one vs. two on Disney.. winner: Disney. Storage: both lines had plenty of closet space and even under the bed storage for suitcases... winner: tie. Balcony: I don't know the measurements between the two, but they felt close in size. However, the condition of the flooring (some rust near the rail) as well as other finishes(paint peeling and blistering around the light fixture) on the Carnival made the ship feel older than it was... winner: Disney. So, the overall winner when it comes to staterooms is Disney.

Pools/Slides: While I love the Aquaduck, having more choices was nice. The two waterslides were fun and fast. The lines could get pretty long, but so do those for the 'duck. The Breeze has two pools open to everybody and they had an area that you could lounge in that was just a few inches deep. They also had two covered seating areas that were in this shallow water at the main pool. The pools are filled with saltwater which bothered my son's eyes, but chlorine bothers other folks. The Breeze also had several hot tubs and just like on DCL, they fill up with unescorted children. However, I will say that I had a view of one of the deck 5 hot tubs that are on the side of the ship and it seemed much less busy. Winner: Carnival

Food: I will be up front and say that I have never been a huge fan of the food on DCL. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The same holds true for Carnival. However, both lines have their good and bad points. Carnival has Guy's Burgers which were REALLY good!!! I had at least 4 while on our cruise. Carnival also has the Blue Iguana burrito/taco bar, which is what I had for breakfast most of the mornings... again, really good. They also served lunch there, but I never ate there... hard to pass on the burgers! Carnival has the typical buffet, which was very bland. The DCL lunch buffet was better. Carnival has an Italian restaurant, which is free at lunch, but cost $ in the evenings. We had the free lunch on embarkation and it was just okay. Carnival also has sushi, Indian, Steakhouse and 24hr pizza. We ate at the MDR one evening (1st formal night) and it was pretty bad. The service was okay, but the best thing that came to our table... and I'm not kidding, was the PB&J that my son ordered after his nuggets tasted and looked odd. The little dance show that the waiters do was lame and I actually felt sorry for them. We never went back to the MDR. On the flip side of the coin, we never missed dinner at the Disney MDRs. So here is how I'll break down my winners in the food category... Carnival wins with the Guy's Burgers, breakfast burrito and pizza. Disney wins with MDR food/show and buffet.

Ship appearance/design: The Breeze was the first ship to have a new designer handle the interior and it was really nice. I'm not sure if there was a single trace of gold plating or neon lights anywhere lol. It had a light fun feel and look. I am torn on the appearance, as the tropical laid back feel of Carnival is great for a cruise ship, but the classic ocean liner of DCL is so rich feeling. Winner: DCL by a small margin. Now moving on to ship maintenance... I rarely saw anybody on the Breeze cleaning other than squeegeeing the decks and sweeping floors, but they must have been doing it, as the ship was pretty clean with no piles of dishes, etc. laying around. Now on DCL, I always saw somebody cleaning, painting, etc. and it showed in the finishes on the ship. Granted, this ship has been running non-stop for 4 years and when we sailed on the Dream and Fantasy, both ships were less than a year old. It is possible that they too are showing some wear and tear. Going off of what I experienced... winner: Disney.

Kid's specialty dining: Carnival had the Cat In The Hat breakfast. My kids really enjoyed this. We had four characters come by for photos (Sam I Am, Cat In The Hat, Thing 1 and Thing2). To be fair, we have never done the character breakfast on DCL, so I am comparing this to the "fun" in the MDR's. Winner: Disney hands down (come on, it's what they do best!)

Non-tangible details: While everybody that I encountered on the Carnival ship was very friendly, nothing compares to pixie dust that Disney Cast Members provide. My fellow ship-mates were a mixed crowd with many families, seniors and couples. I will say that I noticed a lot of 20 something's, which makes sense. When I was in my 20's I didn't have a ton of money to spend on vacations, so I can see how Carnival would be very appealing to that crowd. I didn't see any craziness, rudeness or drunken behavior. Everybody that I encountered was having a good time and was respectful of the folks around them. Matter of fact, I think I ran into more rude parents and kids on DCL.

Summary: Carnival has "Faster To the Fun", better slides, "everybody" pools, burgers and tech. Disney has better rooms, MDRs, buffet, ship maintenance, staff and that magical Disney feel. So, would I do it again? Yes! Does it replace DCL for my family? No! We WILL sail DCL again, but it is a nice feeling knowing that there are other good options out there.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Nice review! Did you happen to price out a similar cruise on Disney? Just curious the approx difference

 

[Ofinn]

Great review Black Magic. I like the "jumping ship" idea. I think most of us will continue to cruise DCL, but would like to explore different options. Sometimes when I 'm doing a google search comparing DCL to other lines I'll come across an old disboards thread form 3+ years ago. It's funny because anybody that even questioned the value in DCL back then got ripped to shreds. The attitude has definitely changed with the rising prices and all the new ships on the market.
I agree the RCCL section on this board is really slow. I would like it to include all cruise lines. I know the DU agency doesn't sell the other cruise lines. I'm not sure why they don't .
I can't wait to report back on the Vista.

 

[Ofinn]

Thanks @AquaDame. I think some type of "Sticky" post would be great. I like @mevelandry's "jumping ship" idea. There seems to be more and more Dis posters who are veteran DCL cruisers who still enjoy DCL at the right price and/or itinerary but at the same time enjoy or are interested in other cruise lines due to price, itinerary or other reasons.

I'm going to go a lot off topic here, but I know you just came back from your Vista cruise and stayed in Greece. Where did you stay? I couldn't find anything in Central Athens that met my criteria. I'm very picky when it comes to hotels. I ended up booking a hotel in Glyfada the Blazer suites. I got a lot more for my money 560 sq ft suite. 3 beds, pool, gym, safe area, restaurant, free breakfast, great reviews, rated number 1 on trip advisor. 605.00 total for 3 nights. Just wondering where you stayed. I spent countless hours looking at places even considered AirBnb.

I would love a port of call section, but I don't think DCL has enough ports to keep it busy enough.

 

[kaseyC]

I'm going to go a lot off topic here, but I know you just came back from your Vista cruise and stayed in Greece. Where did you stay? I couldn't find anything in Central Athens that met my criteria. I'm very picky when it comes to hotels. I ended up booking a hotel in Glyfada the Blazer suites. I got a lot more for my money 560 sq ft suite. 3 beds, pool, gym, safe area, restaurant, free breakfast, great reviews, rated number 1 on trip advisor. 605.00 total for 3 nights. Just wondering where you stayed. I spent countless hours looking at places even considered AirBnb.

I would love a port of call section, but I don't think DCL has enough ports to keep it busy enough.

We stayed at the Athens Gate. Fabulous location and very nice hotel. It was literally around the corner from the Plaka and across the street from the Temple of Zeus. We booked a double with a connecting triple. It was a total of 405 Euro for both rooms. We could have got a better priced hotel staying farther out but we were only spending one extra night in Athens before flying to Mykonos so a central location was more important to us.

 

[Ofinn]

We stayed at the Athens Gate. Fabulous location and very nice hotel. It was literally around the corner from the Plaka and across the street from the Temple of Zeus. We booked a double with a connecting triple. It was a total of 405 Euro for both rooms. We could have got a better priced hotel staying farther out but we were only spending one extra night in Athens before flying to Mykonos so a central location was more important to us.

Thanks. Yeah that hotel is not available. My boys refuse to sleep in the same bed. They're both going through puberty and maybe things are happening in the middle of the night...TMI I know. Its extemely hard to find a hotel room in Europe with 3 beds. I dont think I can book two rooms because I'm the only adult. Im pretty happy with my choice. I think Ill love being by the beach. Its a 45 minute tram ride to Acropolis Searching for hotels rooms in Europe has really made me appreciate the accommodations we have in the US. We enjoyed the family friendly premier Inns they have in Great Britain.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Nice review! Did you happen to price out a similar cruise on Disney? Just curious the approx difference

Not the poster you were asking but as a comparison, we are booked on a B2B Southern Caribbean followed by Western Caribbean on the Carnival Vista for next June for 14 nights. For both cruises for 4 people in 2 connecting insides we're right at $10,000 including trip insurance and gratuity. I booked the first leg back in March and the second leg a few weeks ago. When I booked the second leg I also looked into the Fantasy 11 night Southern Caribbean and I believe it was priced at about $17,000 before insurance and gratuity for 2 connecting insides. The Vista is Carnivals highest price ship right now because of its popularity, and it's a fantastic ship!

 

[cmph]

I like the "Jumping Ship" idea. I sometimes feel bad posting a lot of stuff here comparing DCL to the other lines because I don't want to discourage newbies to not try DCL.

As a newbie myself, I don't think anyone should feel bad about that! I appreciate all of the information. Maybe years ago, everyone could always sail DCL and not bother to price-compare b/c the difference wasn't so great, but today's prices aren't going to let most of us (as in the newbies with young families) sail DCL exclusively once we learning that "cruising" is our thing. If you made it onto this forum, you're a Disney fan, and Disney fans are always going to want to try DCL. I don't think a "jumping ship" forum is going to change that, personally. I certainly haven't read all of these threads and decided to cancel my cruise and re-book on another line! DH and I are totally aware that we're paying more (although not on the level of the 2017 rates), and we're cool with that this time. Once we learn what's important to us in a cruise, it would be SO helpful to hear more direct comparisons. For example - comparing kids' clubs for various ages... wouldn't it be nice to have that all in one place? Maybe it helps reaffirm to a particular family that DCL still makes the most sense for them, even. Plus a single place to post that sort of stuff will probably make the folks who will only/always sail DCL happy, keeping it out of the main DCL forum and reducing drama, as they can easily ignore it.

I have tried to search the RCL board for info and found little. It does seem like that would be an obvious place to just turn into a non-DCL cruise forum.

 

[mevelandry]

You don't feel that moving it out of here would be a purgatory sentence..? Despite having a forum for RCCL threads comparing them still come to this forum since its more engaging. But if you guys don't agree I can ask the webmasters to retitle the RCCL board.

I don't think so. I noticed that a lot of people are thinking about/curious about other cruise lines because of DCL prices. I'm sure it would be popular.

Not gonna lie to you, I've received more infos on Disboards' RCCL threads than I have received elsewhere. It may not be "DCL category popular" but it's efficient.

I think that creating a whole "Jumping ship" category (With RCCL, NCL, CCL, Celebrity, MSC, HOA,etc) would attract more people than the current "just RCCL" one.

Also, that would mean less "priced out" threads in the DCL one (which can ruin the mood a little for those who are loyal/willing to pay the premium/still can afford it).

Also, I promise to comment on it A LOT.

If you decide to reassign it, the first thing I'll do is creating a thread for the Carnival Victory (which proposes a Bahamas itinerary departing from Port Canaveral very similar to the Disney Dream) since I'll be sailing on it in 7 weeks. I'll post tons of pictures and make a very detailed review.