Just got Back from Carnival... Is Disney worth it?

[ms.gloria]

I'll just say it stresses me out to read boards about other lines where you have to pay extra for soda cards, extra for drink packages, extra for boarding early, how to sneak drinks onboard, this, that and the other.

 

With Disney, I don't have to worry about any of that!

 

But we also pay over double the amount for Disney.

[ducklite]

But we also pay over double the amount for Disney.

 

 

Some people aren't as price conscious as others.

 

Those who have to scrimp and save to cruise in an inside on Carnival are going to have sticker shock at DCL prices while those who routinely buy the highest suites on Crystal are going to think DCL is quite reasonable. It's all relative.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[sippican]

Yeah, well those of is who have still get the same response. Basically it must be us, too negative and never happy with anything, can't trust a review as reliable. One thing I have noticed about CCL is the never ending excuse making on their behalf. "Any cruise is better than work or laundry," "a cruise is what you make it," "you have to go in with reasonable expectations." The first is a poor standard to hold a vacation to, the second blames you for not liking your trip, and the third already admits that they know going in to it to lower their expectations. I prefer to let a vacation company wow me and then if they let me down, I move on. I'm not taking the blame in this 'relationship'...

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

 

Well said. I haven't sailed DCL yet (but have toured the ship). I have sailed Carnival twice, as well as three other mass market lines. Having posted a negative impression (here as well as on the Carnival board) I was met with rolling eyes and a suggestion to try their newer ships.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and, based on my opinion and personal experiences, I will not spend another dime of my money on a CCL cruise.If the poor condition of our cabin was any indication of how they care for their ships internally, it is no surprise thay are having such issues. I will also not become a devote cheerleader for another line, believing there are many opportunities to have great vacations.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Well said. I haven't sailed DCL yet (but have toured the ship). I have sailed Carnival twice, as well as three other mass market lines. Having posted a negative impression (here as well as on the Carnival board) I was met with rolling eyes and a suggestion to try their newer ships.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and, based on my opinion and personal experiences, I will not spend another dime of my money on a CCL cruise.If the poor condition of our cabin was any indication of how they care for their ships internally, it is no surprise thay are having such issues. I will also not become a devote cheerleader for another line, believing there are many opportunities to have great vacations.

 

Yeah, my 'newest' CCL was my absolute LEAST favorite, while the old gal Holiday was my absolute favorite followed by the Triumph. Conquest not great but not bad. Dream, blah. It came down to the staff (and the nice big rooms on the Holiday). The bigger and newer the ship for CCL, the worst the service, at least our experience.

 

I hope you get to give DCL a shot some time. No one is perfect. The stateroom on the Disney Dream is THE SINGLE BEST room I have ever had on cruise. It also had the most interesting and nicely presented meals, THE SINGLE BEST live entertainment we have seen, the nicest private island and amenities, the best service in a very long time. It is the shortest cruise I have paid the same for.

 

As the PP mentioned, it IS REALLY nice to have the freedom of the drinks, be it Coke Zero (on the Magic yay!) or something else.

 

While its true that DCL collects your money upfront, you get a WHOLE lot more vacation for it (even if it is shorter days) and you aren't subject to a sailing infomercial...

[sippican]

I hope you get to give DCL a shot some time.

 

Oh, but we are, all 11 of us. (See countdown clock.)

We booked the day the itineraries opened - A holiday surprise for the whole family - can't wait.

[e2011]

if that were to happen, some people would have a lot fewer posts. :d

 

 

lol. Well we just booked the Seabourn Sojoum Med. cruise for August and I always said why spend the money because I will hate it but I am taking my own advice and trying it out so I can judge for myself. Should be interesting because it is only 32,000 tons which makes it a dingy compared to the RCCL Allure and Oasis.

Edited December 28, 2013 by e2011

[Tonka's Skipper]

But we also pay over double the amount for Disney.

 

Well its pretty hard not to pay double over Carnival Line with any line...ANY LINE, as Carnival line is giving away cruises trying to stay in business and fill some cabins.

 

The latest on TV is a $149.00 5 day cruise...........you have to wonder where they are cutting to give this price.

 

I wont let my family or friends(yes they listen to the facts and so far none have booked Carnival again or ever) take the chance!

 

AKK

[BullDawg91]

But we also pay over double the amount for Disney.

 

Right! And I'm saying I'm okay with that at the moment. I'd rather pay it all upfront and not have to spend another dime for an excellent experience.

[ms.gloria]

Right! And I'm saying I'm okay with that at the moment. I'd rather pay it all upfront and not have to spend another dime for an excellent experience.

 

Gotcha. You can also do that with carnival by prepurchasing everything though.

[MizDaisy]

I know they are marketing towards families (cuz they want everyone's money) but they really don't cater to families. Case in point are the vulgar sexy man or hairy chest contests on the main deck during the day Which is listed in the Fun Times as ADULT ONLY

Some of us have gold status and have sailed CCL enough to know that we are disappointed and bored...

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

 

 

And some of us have reached Platinum status with Disney and become disappointed and bored. Same shows, over and over and over....."free" soda?? That's the biggest joke I've ever heard, when you pay so much more for a cruise.

NOTHING for adults to do at night, unless you enjoy seeing the CM's dress in 60's clothes and dance around.....

Almost NO activities for anyone over the age of 13.

 

And that issue of other people complaining about being nickeled and dimed to death on other cruise lines? A load of baloney. NO ONE HAS TO PAY for anything they don't want.

[Silent Penguin]

MY QUESTION:

 

Is Disney worth it? It is twice the amount of Carnival of an equivalent itinerary (and then some on some trips). We LOVE cruising, but Carnival is just not for us... Will Disney make a big difference?

 

Thanks

 

I hear you. For us, emphatically, the answer is yes. If you are going to continue to take cruises, spend the extra money for the Disney experience. I am not a Disney freak (dh and I haven't been to the park for decades even though my mother lives an hour from WDW and we have 3 kids) or a DCL cheerleader. But, after 4 Disney Cruises (with and without kids) followed by two Carnival cruises (also with/without kids & itineraries we had previously done with Disney), we are affirmed in our decision that subsequent cruises will be on Disney ships (unless someone else invites us to cruise with them on another line and the decision is not ours).

 

We had a good enough time our Carnival cruises (both on the Pride out of Baltimore). The ship was attractive and clean, our room steward did a great job and our servers, although obviously harried, provided decent service. The food was usually pretty good in the MDR. I can't say DCL did a significantly better job of not overcooking the food or delivering hot food still hot. We had no use for the casino, the bars and clubs, the frequent karaoke, bingo, art auctions, poolside or shopping events but we were not bored because we had each other or, once the kids ditched us in favor of new friends, met other people to hang out with and play games with during at-sea times.

 

Almost everyone says it, and we experienced it to be true, Carnival is what you get when you pay what you pay. I have nothing bad to say about Carnival. In our experience, it's a good value for your cruise dollar. Like you, we're done with it. Probably, if we hadn't already tried DCL, we'd be doing what you are doing now, asking if it's worth it. Maybe, at the very least, you can consider it research. You sound like a family that is going to have a good time on whatever cruiseline you try.

[e2011]

Well its pretty hard not to pay double over Carnival Line with any line...ANY LINE' date=' as Carnival line is giving away cruises trying to stay in business and fill some cabins.

 

The latest on TV is a $149.00 5 day cruise...........you have to wonder where they are cutting to give this price.

 

I wont let my family or friends(yes they listen to the facts and so far none have booked Carnival again or ever) take the chance!

 

AKK[/quote']

 

I saw that ad for Carnival for $149 but upon a closer look it was not a Carnival ad at all. It seemed like one but it was really an ad for a timeshare company. You have to sit through a timeshare presentation to get the $149 cruise. You also have to pay tax and port fees on top of the $149.

Edited December 28, 2013 by e2011

[wdwlvr]

I've never sailed on Carnival, but I know enough about the line to know we wouldn't like it. We prefer Disney because of the classic styling and the customer service. I've been on a number of other lines (years ago) and know what I like and what I don't like.

 

I remember when I was in Vegas a few years ago and my husband and I were staying at Harrahs (he was there for business and it was one of the convention hotels). The hotel itself was nice but the casino had too much neon and was gaudy to me. One day I walked over to the Bellagio and walked around the casino and lobby. To me Harrahs felt like Carnival while the Bellagio felt like Disney.

 

I know no problem with anyone cruising any line. To each their own. For me I'm happy with Disney.

[ilovetexas]

I haven't been here in some time and I appreciate that y'all kept the DCL/CCL fight going in my absence. :D

 

I've gotten a bit tired of Carnival but after my dog's recent $4,000 surgery, a failing septic field (there's another $5,000) and a husband who is now frequently traveling to the UK for work, I had to cancel my upcoming Celebrity cruise. We were going to put off traveling until 2015 (I guess I can't complain since I was out of the country five weeks in 2013) but I found a great fare on Carnival Sunshine and get to take my first solo cruise. Plus, I figured Tonka's Skipper would approve of the Sunshine. ;)

 

I'll be in a Cloud 9 stateroom and from the videos I've seen online (since it appears we don't actually have to have firsthand experience to have an opinion :rolleyes:), Cloud 9 blows the doors off The Rainforest Room.

 

For less than 1/4 of what I would pay on the DCL Fantasy that week, I get:

 

1. A seven day cruise in a spa room. Steps down the hall is the three story adults only Serenity area. It even has a waterfall. The aforementioned Cloud 9 spa is just one floor away and I will be there quite a lot as well. My room also entitles me to discounts on spa services and includes two yoga/pilates classes. Sounds relaxing and wonderful with no hairy chest contests necessary.

 

2. While I happen to find the MDR food on Carnival equal to/better than DCL, with the price difference I could afford to dine in specialty restaurants each night. The steakhouses on CCL are excellent at $35. The Chef's table is supposed to be stellar at only $75 a head. I'm looking forward to comparing it to Remy. The new JiJi on Sunshine gets excellent reviews, at $12 a head. Several others to choose from.

 

3. A $40 bar credit which I will use for bloody marys at the VERY good sea day brunch. Also useful at the Alchemy bar (DCL has nothing close) for a cocktail before dinner.

 

I could go on but why bother? Different strokes. I can and do find something to enjoy on every cruise. I feel sorry for people who can't do that. And, FWIW, I've found that low class people are low class people, I don't care where they shop, what kind of clothes they wear or how much money they make. I've got a pretty good feeling there are some that cruise Paul Gauguin, too.

 

For the record, of the four cruise lines I've cruised on, DCL ranks third in my opinion.

[ducklite]

One other major difference... DCL treats their cruisers like adults and allows them to bring in their own alcohol. While I don't drink spirits or beer, I do drink wine, and have a strong preference to bring bottles from my aged collection than order far too young wine off the quite limited and generally pedestrian wine list on board.

 

 

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[Ex techie]

ducklite,

I'm sure you will have the most amazing time on the Paul Gauguin, isolated in an exclusive Adult only environment, and dining in only the best possible taste.

And with the most tasteful and beautiful aged wines aboard in their selection.

 

I'm still confused as to why then you are on the DCL board in this thread demonstrating how much you wish to not cruise on Carnival because of so many reasons that you dislike the Carnival brand when you are over sailing on DCL as well?

 

The OP only asked Carnival or DCL.

I reckon if Carnival allowed you to bring your extensive stock of wine aboard with you (like DCL does) you might give them a try! ;)

 

ex techie

Edited December 29, 2013 by Ex techie

[e2011]

One other major difference... DCL treats their cruisers like adults and allows them to bring in their own alcohol. While I don't drink spirits or beer, I do drink wine, and have a strong preference to bring bottles from my aged collection than order far too young wine off the quite limited and generally pedestrian wine list on board.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

 

I do not see the correlation between "treating like adults" and cruise lines policies on bringing alcohol on board. It seems to me it is just a business decision. The reasoning I suspect is based on the idea that limiting the amount one can carry on board forces the drinker to buy the ships libations. Since we always travel concierge, it is not an issue because we get it free anyway.

[wdwlvr]

While I happen to agree with you about the difference between Harrah's and the Bellagio....I've stayed at the Bellagio, and have only been inside Harrah's.... But again, unless you HAVE been on both Carnival and Disney, you really don't know. Especially their newer ships.

 

I guess I've been lucky, because the times that I did cruise on Carnival, I missed the Hairy Chest Contest...never have seen it....so things like that (which really does seem to be the only objectionable activity mentioned) can easily be avoided.

 

I've said this before, too.....I'm happy being able to go anywhere at all.....and also, to each their own.

 

BUT...the question was "Is it worth it?" which to me means "money-wise", and also as I've said before, that unless you have kids....it really isn't worth that much more.

 

 

It's just a cruise. Basically, they're all the same when it comes right down to it. Some will prefer to watch Disney productions over and over and over....and some won't...but that's really the biggest difference. Disney. Characters. Shows. Merchandise. It's all Disney.

But beyond the "Disney", it's the same....same food, same rooms, same ports (luckily Disney is branching out in that department).

 

All it really boils down to is the amount of money you're willing to hand over.

 

Well that seems to be a big thing with you...money. You like to tell everyone how you have sailed concierge, how you have stayed at the Bellagio, etc. etc. etc. For someone who doesn't seem to like Disney very much you spend a lot of time on Disney forums.

 

The difference is money doesn't drive me. I'm happy to stay in my Navigator Verandah. As I've said I've sailed on other lines, and chances are at some point in the future I'm sure I will again. But I disagree that I don't have to sail Carnival to know I wouldn't like it. I know how to do my own research. I have seen reviews from people I trust. I know my own tastes. My husband and I work very hard and our vacations are for us. Be it a cruise, a visit to one of the Disney parks or even a road trip to our favorite Irish Festival every year. It is what makes us happy and what keeps us close and connected.

 

If someone wants to pay a lot less than Disney to cruise Carnival let them. If someone wants to pay more to cruise on one of the luxury lines let them. Maybe Disney is worth it to me because I'm a kid at heart. :)

[ducklite]

ducklite,

I'm sure you will have the most amazing time on the Paul Gauguin, isolated in an exclusive Adult only environment, and dining in only the best possible taste.

And with the most tasteful and beautiful aged wines aboard in their selection.

 

I'm still confused as to why then you are on the DCL board in this thread demonstrating how much you wish to not cruise on Carnival because of so many reasons that you dislike the Carnival brand when you are over sailing on DCL as well?

 

The OP only asked Carnival or DCL.

I reckon if Carnival allowed you to bring your extensive stock of wine aboard with you (like DCL does) you might give them a try! ;)

 

ex techie

 

 

Again, I would not sail Carnival as we hated RCCL and would not sail any mass market line for all the reasons we hated RCCL--as they are all the same in regard to the things we disliked. DCL is closer to a premium line, particularly if you choose a concierge cabin. I would sail them again if I were sailing with children, as I have already stated at least twice in this thread.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[ducklite]

I do not see the correlation between "treating like adults" and cruise lines policies on bringing alcohol on board. It seems to me it is just a business decision. The reasoning I suspect is based on the idea that limiting the amount one can carry on board forces the drinker to buy the ships libations. Since we always travel concierge, it is not an issue because we get it free anyway.

 

 

You get free wine with your dinner?

 

I believe it to be less a business decision and more to keep people from over-indulging with no oversight. Or perhaps it is a combination of the two.

 

 

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[MizDaisy]

Well that seems to be a big thing with you...money. You like to tell everyone how you have sailed concierge, how you have stayed at the Bellagio, etc. etc. etc. For someone who doesn't seem to like Disney very much you spend a lot of time on Disney forums.

 

The difference is money doesn't drive me. I'm happy to stay in my Navigator Verandah. As I've said I've sailed on other lines, and chances are at some point in the future I'm sure I will again. But I disagree that I don't have to sail Carnival to know I wouldn't like it. I know how to do my own research. I have seen reviews from people I trust. I know my own tastes. My husband and I work very hard and our vacations are for us. Be it a cruise, a visit to one of the Disney parks or even a road trip to our favorite Irish Festival every year. It is what makes us happy and what keeps us close and connected.

 

If someone wants to pay a lot less than Disney to cruise Carnival let them. If someone wants to pay more to cruise on one of the luxury lines let them. Maybe Disney is worth it to me because I'm a kid at heart. :)

 

 

 

I have not once, in this thread, said anything about staying in concierge.

 

The only reason I mentioned staying at the Bellagio, but not at Harrah's, is that I feel that if someone hasn't tried one, then it's a little difficult to do a good comparison.

Research or no, reading reviews, etc....you're only taking someone else's word for it.

And what everyone likes is different. It's what makes the world go around.

 

I honestly think that if a person asks if Disney is better than another cruise line, if you haven't gone on that other cruise line, then you have nothing to say. Period.

 

I'm trying really hard to not comment on the "being a kid at heart".....but since it seems you've popped in to two threads that I've commented on, I feel as though you're posting just to disagree with me.

 

So yes.....I'd have to say that someone is a kid at heart, or a tad immature, if they insist on carrying a stuffed bear around with them everywhere, putting hats and clothes on it, as if it were a child.

[ducklite]

So this is an admission that there are more drunks on Disney.....because they are "treated like adults" and allowed to over-indulge.

 

 

No, just the opposite. The lines that either prohibit bringing on alcohol or strictly limit it do so because their guests have proven to not be able to control themselves in the past.

 

 

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[Ex techie]

Again, I would not sail Carnival as we hated RCCL and would not sail any mass market line for all the reasons we hated RCCL--as they are all the same in regard to the things we disliked. DCL is closer to a premium line, particularly if you choose a concierge cabin. I would sail them again if I were sailing with children, as I have already stated at least twice in this thread.

 

I know you would not sail RCCL again, neither would you sail on CCL. You have stated that many times. I hear what you have said!.

 

But did the OP particularly ask if staying in a suite on Carnival was similar or worth the extra to sail concierge with DCL?

No.

 

Just the standard staterooms.

 

ex techie

[sippican]

But beyond the "Disney", it's the same....same food, same rooms, same ports (luckily Disney is branching out in that department).

 

Having been on a few cruises, I can guarantee you that that I have never seen a cabin like the one we had on CCL Imagination - torn drapes, leaky window, no room to turn around, no hair dryer or refrigerator, one hard chair.

NOT the same room I had seen on any line by any stretch of the "Imagination"

[Ex techie]

sippican,

 

If your list of ships are in date order, you obviously enjoyed the Valor enough to try the Imagination though?

And I don't doubt you had a substandard cabin on the Imagination.

That sounds very very unacceptable.

 

But we shouldn't forget the reports of the Magic having torn bed lining, cracked and grout missing in the bathrooms, and her plumbing problems.

And that is about MY ship, so I am trying to be non-partisan about it.

 

ex techie