Is the grass greener? A Carnival cruiser experiences the Disney Dream

[jcearth]

Here is a link to my review of my recent journey aboard the Disney Dream:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=116050

 

The QND (Quick and Dirty) for comparison to my experiences on Carnival:

 

Entertainment - The shows in the main theater are pretty far superior to Carnival's offerings - and I am by no means a Disney person. It is clear that a lot of money goes into these productions.

 

Food - The food was better in the MDR on Disney, but not by a lot. We had one really good meal that elevated my opinion. Breakfast and lunch offerings were pretty similar, with an edge to Disney due to the doughnuts at breakfast that were pretty amazing.

 

Kids Clubs - Disney allocates a lot of space to the little ones, which was good because there were so many kids on this cruise. The little cruisers are given a lot less structure (we like the structure of Camp Carnival) and more freedom to do as they wish (and there is a lot to do in the Oceaneers Club and Lab).

 

Adult Activities - One of the things I love about Carnival is the variety of activites in the evening from live music to comedy to theater shows to karaoke to the casino to the piano bar -- you are never at a loss for things to do. This was not the case on Disney -- outside of the main shows (which again were very impressive), and fireworks one night, there was not a lot for adults to do, and the adults only area was pretty dead at night.

 

Pool Deck - In contrast to the adults areas, the family areas of the ship were teemed with people, and the pools felt overcrowded. The main water attraction, the Aquaduck, while very fun usually had a significant wait. Outside of the Aquaduck, there wasn't a lot I could experience with my kids. The slide and Nemo's Reef (soft play wet area) were fun for the kids, but I was reduced to a spectator in these areas. By contrast, I loved sliding and playing with my kids on Carnival's Waterworks.

 

Miscellaneous - On the Disney Dream, the amount of crew memebers who spoke and understood English was very impressive. The only trouble we had all cruise was with our assistant waiter. This has not always been the case on Carnival, where we have found it is usually best to keep requests simple with the crew.

 

Overall Impression - The Disney Dream is a very beautiful, state of the art technologically (the Midship Detective Agency game was outstanding), very expensive ship. While it provided a nice cruising experience (outside of the crowding issues), it is my opinion that for the money we paid (almost twice the amount of Carnival), the value recieved did not exceed what we have experienced on Carnival. That being said, there were a lot of nice, little touches on Disney that I would love to see be added to the Carnival experience (not having to take towels to the private island, not having to check out towels or mini golf clubs and balls on the lido deck, the kids club check-in scanning system).

 

Next up: We are now preparing for our September voyage on the Carnival Dream!!

 

Any questions, feel free to ask!

[MrPete]

We did 2 Disney cruises, and really couldn't compare it to Carnival.

 

Our takeaway was taking your favorite line, and add all things Disney on top, with service to be rivaled by none.

 

The only area we found lacking was the food and the selections. Luckily, there was a menu change somewhere between our 2 Disney cruises, but I stil rated it a B-.

 

And the stop in Castaway blew us away. Talk about a day of fantasy, without the need of a tender.

 

Staterooms? Bigger than Carnival, and loved the split baths, as well as the sleek ship overall.

 

Now, off to read your review!

[jsfromsc]

We have friends that cruise Disney every year because the wife's mother works for Disney and they get the cruises dirt cheap. While I'm curious, I could not at this point justify paying so much more for a cruise, which is not to say I wouldn't try another line if the price were similar or not too much more than Carnival. I know that all things Disney are done with excellence and that the surroundings are immaculate. I've heard that even though there are tons of kids onboard, you never see them because they're kept so busy with their own activities in their own areas. But even if I were to travel with my grandkids, I doubt if I could afford it. My husband and I save for years to cruise and our kids couldn't afford this on their own either. We'd have to help. It would be easier for us to do a Carnival cruise with the whole family. But more power to those who can afford to do Disney. I've never heard a complaint. I'm going to read your review now. But before I do, I will say that having to change dining venues every night and not being able to choose where you will eat, as I have heard is what Disney does, would kind of bother me even though I'm sure the food in all their dining areas is good.

[skittl1321]

For the cost of a typical Disney cruise, I would hope it is MILES better than Carnival.

[gelo7]

Thanks, for sharing your thoughts.

[GTO-Girl]

We took our granddaughters on the Disney Dream because......well it was just something I wanted to do. While it was a wonderful cruise, it was very expensive, so if we cruise with them again it will have to be another line.

 

I always tell people if you have children/grandchildren and you can afford it, do Disney at least once while they are small, but try to do it in the off season or you will be paying $$$$$$$$$$$.

 

Don't regret going.......but won't be paying that kind of prices again.

[che5904]

Overall Impression - The Disney Dream is a very beautiful, state of the art technologically (the Midship Detective Agency game was outstanding), very expensive ship. While it provided a nice cruising experience (outside of the crowding issues), it is my opinion that for the money we paid (almost twice the amount of Carnival), the value recieved did not exceed what we have experienced on Carnival. That being said, there were a lot of nice, little touches on Disney that I would love to see be added to the Carnival experience (not having to take towels to the private island, not having to check out towels or mini golf clubs and balls on the lido deck, the kids club check-in scanning system).

 

I think this paragraph sums it up nicely. Since it would not be at all fair to compare these two lines. After all if you paid Disney prices, we would have to hope that meant things like more money into production shows, a step up in the MDR and extra towels purchased for their private island.

 

I think anyone that does try and directly compare seem to be missing the point you have made.

 

Glad to hear you had a good time and have fun on your next cruise.

[Bashlin]

Soon as my kids got over 10, I hope to never see anything Disney again. Glad you had fun, but you couldn't give me a Disney cruise.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[jcearth]

I think this paragraph sums it up nicely. Since it would not be at all fair to compare these two lines. After all if you paid Disney prices, we would have to hope that meant things like more money into production shows, a step up in the MDR and extra towels purchased for their private island.

 

I think anyone that does try and directly compare seem to be missing the point you have made.

 

Glad to hear you had a good time and have fun on your next cruise.

 

 

The question we asked ourselves while onboard was "Is this a type of cruise that we would take again?" The onboard booking perks for Disney are very good (Reduced deposit, 10% discount off base fare and $200 per cabin OBC plus you can still transfer to a TA and get their OBC), so there is pressure to book while onboard. My wife and I decided that while we were very glad that we took the cruise, it was not something that we would repeat anytime soon. I think, though, that this is just a matter of preference towards cruising style.

[crusinpsychRN]

Soon as my kids got over 10, I hope to never see anything Disney again. Glad you had fun, but you couldn't give me a Disney cruise.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

You and I would be tossing Mickey overboard!

[Sargent_Schultz]

How did the price of the cruise compare? Number of children? Not having a casino might be good for some. :)

[jcearth]

We did 2 Disney cruises, and really couldn't compare it to Carnival.

 

Our takeaway was taking your favorite line, and add all things Disney on top, with service to be rivaled by none.

 

The only area we found lacking was the food and the selections. Luckily, there was a menu change somewhere between our 2 Disney cruises, but I stil rated it a B-.

 

And the stop in Castaway blew us away. Talk about a day of fantasy, without the need of a tender.

 

Staterooms? Bigger than Carnival, and loved the split baths, as well as the sleek ship overall.

 

Now, off to read your review!

 

 

My wife had said that if she had not just been to Half Moon Cay, that Castaway Cay would have blown her away. We preferred the beauty of Half Moon (and I think the water temperature in September vs. February had something to do with it), although I did appreciate how much there was to do on Castaway, and also having the Kids Club on the island.

 

 

We had standard insides, so no split baths, but we had two rooms, so it didn't matter. Personally, I don't like the tubs (all my boys take showers and I had to duck down to fit -- I am 6'5")

[jcearth]

How did the price of the cruise compare? Number of children? Not having a casino might be good for some. :)

 

 

I paid $125 pp per night, which outside of Florida resident deals, was what I understand to be very good for Disney. This was for Inside Guarantee. By contrast I paid around $60 pp per night for 6D oceanview on the Fascination last September, and am paying (so far - gotta watch for the price drops) about $90 pp per night for 6M Deluxe Oceanview on the Dream this September.

 

The Disney Dream double occupancy is 2500, but the max load is 4000 -- I would have to think that we were close to 4000 on this ship. There were between 140 to 250 children in the Oceaneers Club and Lab at any one time (which the club handled very well). The pool deck was not able to handle all the children very well, in my opinion however. The Adults only pool had a lot of space by comparison, when I glanced in on it.

 

5 years ago I would have hated that there wasn't a casino (I was hooked on blackjack and poker for years), but I honestly never even thought about it while onboard.

[Beachdude]

The question we asked ourselves while onboard was "Is this a type of cruise that we would take again?" ........My wife and I decided that while we were very glad that we took the cruise, it was not something that we would repeat anytime soon. I think, though, that this is just a matter of preference towards cruising style.

 

Same here, our Disney Cruise ten years ago was by far the best cruise we've ever done in the last 15 years and all cruise are measure against Disney. But up until about a year or so ago, we always felt the Carnival expereince was similar enough to Disney for the price, so we cruised Carnival a lot. Carnival is changing a lot now and we are booking other lines. We are even watching for good deals on Disney, but personally I would rather spend that money renting a house near the beach in Hawaii.

 

Burt

[Jimmy Geegitz]

One good thing about Disney, You can bring on all the beer and booze you want.

[jcearth]

One good thing about Disney, You can bring on all the beer and booze you want.

 

 

I did bring a bottle of vodka and a Bubba Keg onboard, but only filled it up twice (maybe 5 drinks total in the two fillups). Additionally, my wife and I averaged less than 2 drinks per day each (ON VACATION!). There were definitely people drinking, but I felt the vast majority were not. By contrast, last cruise I pre-purchased 68 drink tickets for a 5 day cruise, and still purchased many drinks after the tickets ran out. I think that Carnival definitely has more of the fun party atmosphere onboard (intentionally or not).

[evandbob]

I did one of the early Disney Dream cruises, and the ship just blew me away. Modern, clean, spacious. The balcony cabin was far superior to CCL's - big comfy bed, interior drape divider, split bath. Sailaway brunch had jumbo shrimp, crab legs, baby lamb chops, need I go on? Dinner dining room rotation was unique, and the interactive panels in the media dining room kept the kids busy throughout dinner. The interactive electronic detective game throughout the decks for the kids was challenging enough to keep the young ones interested and engaged. While the Aquaduck is not an adult ride, I enjoyed rafting with my g-kids; I've seen some lines on CCL waterslides just as long. The nightime deck party with fireworks, music and dancing was simply the best I've ever attended on any cruiseline. The amount of activities on Disney's Castaway Cay was varied and geared to all ages.

I certainly felt the extra expense was worth it. My g-kids would not have enjoyed themselves the same as on CCL. I am not a Walt Disney fan either, I simply loved the ship and the service.

[arpie05]

Here is a link to my review of my recent journey aboard the Disney Dream:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=116050

 

The QND (Quick and Dirty) for comparison to my experiences on Carnival:

 

Entertainment - The shows in the main theater are pretty far superior to Carnival's offerings - and I am by no means a Disney person. It is clear that a lot of money goes into these productions.

 

Food - The food was better in the MDR on Disney, but not by a lot. We had one really good meal that elevated my opinion. Breakfast and lunch offerings were pretty similar, with an edge to Disney due to the doughnuts at breakfast that were pretty amazing.

 

Any questions, feel free to ask!

 

My mom, sister and SIL (ya, I wasn't invited :cool:) went last year on Disney Dream. My mom is a avid cruiser and has sailed on Carnival, Holland, Princess (prob others too). My sister and SIL both sailed Carnival once years ago.

 

They all thought the food was horrible. I'm not sure why but even my mom said it wasn't very good. My sister (not picky) said there wasn't anything she would eat and ordered of the kids menu.

They said the desserts were good.

 

The 7 year olds enjoyed the kids club but the 11 year old was bored. She didn't like the limited internet :rolleyes: (being blocked from sites). (It was a girls only trip with grandma but the moms tagged along)

 

I would love to go on one but my son got too old before the Disney Dream was finished. I had thought maybe once he's 18 he'd be willing since no more kids clubs but no gambling so I don't know.

 

I know people sometimes have bad food experiences on Carnival so maybe they just had a bad sailing ???

I know I've had meals that weren't my favorite but never been hungery on a cruise (and my sister said that she lost weight because of the food).

[Max Circus]

My experience on Disney Dream is like most here. Beautiful ship. Fantastic shows. Best Deck Party on the seas!! Fireworks off the ship!! And terrible food in MDR. The buffet food was very good - and if I ever went again I would eat there exclusively. Or maybe at Remy's or Pallo (spelling??). We had great meal at Remy's (but leave time - we were there 4+ hours). Pallo had a really nice brunch.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and review with us.

[eroller]

I did one of the early Disney Dream cruises, and the ship just blew me away. Modern, clean, spacious. The balcony cabin was far superior to CCL's - big comfy bed, interior drape divider, split bath. Sailaway brunch had jumbo shrimp, crab legs, baby lamb chops, need I go on? Dinner dining room rotation was unique, and the interactive panels in the media dining room kept the kids busy throughout dinner. The interactive electronic detective game throughout the decks for the kids was challenging enough to keep the young ones interested and engaged. While the Aquaduck is not an adult ride, I enjoyed rafting with my g-kids; I've seen some lines on CCL waterslides just as long. The nightime deck party with fireworks, music and dancing was simply the best I've ever attended on any cruiseline. The amount of activities on Disney's Castaway Cay was varied and geared to all ages.

I certainly felt the extra expense was worth it.

 

 

This is exactly how I feel. I've sailed on the DISNEY DREAM twice and the DISNEY WONDER once. Frankly IMO there is no comparison to Carnival. I don't have any kids so my viewpoint is a little different. Even without kids I thought the entire Disney experience was magical. From when they announce your name as you board the ship, to your waiters calling you by name the first time they meet you, to the fireworks and evening shows it all just blew me away. The Disney produced production shows rival anything I've seen on land, and at sea only the OASIS and ALLURE even some close. The ship itself was also absolutely stunning, from the cabins to the pools and lounges. I loved all the attention to detail that Disney really excels at. I agree the main family and kids pools were too crowded for my liking, but the adults only pool area and deck was peaceful, beautiful, and I never had a problem getting a prime spot for my lounger. Yes it was more expensive but I thought worth every penny. This is not to say I would cruise Disney exclusively because I don't like to limit myself to any one line, but I sure do like pretty much everything about Disney Cruise Lines. Now if they would only have an adults only cruise I would be in heaven! ;)

 

In the past I thought Carnival had very good food, service, and entertainment which made it an excellent value. My opinion of all that changed during my CARNIVAL BREEZE cruise a few weeks ago. The ship looked great and was without question the best looking of all the Carnival ships I have sailed (still didn't compare to DISNEY DREAM), but the entertainment and food/service in the MDR went downhill and I mean a steep decline from the way it used to be on Carnival. A huge disappointment and those are things that are really important to me on a cruise. I look forward to the evening production shows and a really nice experience in the MDR. Didn't happen. Now the buffet with all the new 2.0 choices was excellent, but too bad it had to be a tradeoff with the entertainment and MDR. Also the BREEZE felt very crowded by both pools (just as bad as Disney) but even in Serenity I could never find a seat except on port days. With the adults deck and pool on Disney it was never an issue.

 

I'm sailing on the CARNIVAL SUNSHINE next month, and if the food/service in the MDR and the entertainment are not improved from the BREEZE, it will likely be my last Carnival cruise. If those things are not up to snuff, then I don't care how cheap it is, it's not a good value to me.

[heatherbelle]

Thanks for posting yor thoughts. I am doing things the other way around. We have cruised on the Disney Magic in the Med and loved it. I did however feel that the magic of Disney was missing until I went to the show where it starts to snow. :D

 

This year we will be on the Sunshine in the Med and to be honest I am worried that we won't enjoy it. I love everything Disney. So it is nice to hear that most things are comparable.

 

I do have a cruise booked on the Disney Fantasy next year and those prices in comparison to the current Carnival prices for my sailing 08/24 are more or less the same this far out.

 

We will see what July brings, will I be cruising with Carnival again, or will I head back to Disney? One thing is for sure, we can't afford to cruise with DCL in the Med, whereas we can with Carnival.

[mom2tcdx2]

I only sailed on the Disney Magic in 2011 for the TransAtlantic Cruise. By far the best cruise experience I have ever had. My sister did a shorter 3 or 4 day and was bored the entire time, she didn't care for Disney all that much.

 

Not really sure what people are looking to do in the evenings, I pretty much do the same things on all cruise lines. I go to the evening shows, comedians, might grab a drink at a bar, we play trivia, hang out in the hot tubs, etc. On Disney we did drink tastings, food tastings, played lots of trivia, saw the most spectacular shows at sea, watched several movies, had great comedians, the fireworks. They had a Disney artist on board that my husband had do a picture of Lady from Lady and the Tramp.

 

Dining room staff were excellent and so were my meals at dinner. Again I would say breakfast was pretty much the norm. Though when I commented that there were no hash browns (more to myself and my husband) a crew member heard me and he went to another dining room and brought me back hash browns.

 

We were upgraded from an oceanview to a balcony for the Disney sailing at no cost,have only gotten an upsell offer on Carnival though it was from a balcony to a suite, and the price wasn't too bad. Never got a free upgrade.

 

Truly I think there is no comparison between Disney and other lines, though I can't afford to only sail on Disney - my pocketbook just don't allow it.

 

I think Disney offers a fantastic product at a not so nice product and Carnival delivers a good reasonable product at a good reasonable price.

 

Though we are once again looking at the Disney TA for next year as in terms of Disney prices they by far offer the best price.

[jolyroger]

Soon as my kids got over 10, I hope to never see anything Disney again. Glad you had fun, but you couldn't give me a Disney cruise.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

WOW !!! I wont and cant even respond to that!! I have been a disney nut even before our kids, go at least twice a year , But I guess to each is own !!!

 

 

To the OP, we've done a disney cruise with our girls back in 08, the ship was beautiful, the cast members were great, food , so so, ..the price is the killer!!! But its Disney what isnt pricey, lol!! 2 yrs later we cruised our first Carnival ship The Dream...Our girls liked it more than the Dream!! Which was great for us cause it was half the price of a dIsney cruise, and we had a balcony on the Dream!! And from then on its been Carnival ever since!

[Cruizinman]

OP ,thanks this is one interesting post. I'm sure to look at Disney cruises now :)