About to go on first non-disney cruise

[Lilleshammer]

Hi -

 

First post here and I'm hoping someone can set my mind at ease. We have a 5 y/o son and before last year had never even considered going on a cruise. Oddly enough it was reading the bad press that the triumph was getting that even got me thinking about it. I didn't even know that cruises left out of Galveston which is only a 4 hour drive. I spend about 100 days a year in hotels and airports for work, so the thought of a vacation that wouldn't involve either sounded great. So I did some research and booked on the Disney Magic last April. We loved it! Exceeded our expectations in just about every way possible.

 

So this year, when we started thinking about a June vacation I was crushed to learn that disney moved the magic to Florida. After looking at the other options, we decided to try carnival and booked a 5 night cruise on the triumph to progreso and Cozumel.

 

Here are my concerns after reading some reviews.

I thought that the ship got a big refit after the fire? But I've read some reviews about it really showing its age and people even smelling sewage in several places.

 

One thing we liked about disney is they had lots of things for our 5 y/o to do. Generally if he is happy and entertained so are we. We have ZERO interest in partying, drinking or gambling. We just want a nice relaxing time where we don't have to plan things or "work" on having fun. That was very easy on the disney cruise. Our son had tons of stuff to do and we could just relax, read books, etc... Does carnival have comparable stuff for kids? I read that they don't have supervised kid areas where you can drop them off or pick them up whenever you want. He'll be a week away from turning 6 when we go so I'm a little worried about putting him with the 2-5 age group. Will they let him in the other group or does it matter?

 

The carnival price was great though. We got an ocean suite for much less than we paid for a balcony room on disney. But that price difference concerns me too. We don't care about the disney characters but I hope we aren't giving up too much in terms of quality.

 

We were also very impressed with the food on the disney magic. The rotating restaurants with the same wait staff was great. We were expecting hotel buffet quality food but were pleasantly surprised. They also have lots of easy food around the pools. Like a DIY soft serve ice cream machine (probably my sons favorite part of the whole thing). Does triumph have that?

 

One thing that was a little disappointing on the disney cruise were the pools. They seemed very small and crowded and prime seating was very hard to get (except at the adult only pool which was deserted). Is the triumph any better?

 

We only saw one show on the disney cruise and thought it pretty much sucked. So I don't think there is any chance of carnival disappointing us in that department.

 

Sorry for the long post, but if anyone has been on both and has similar cruising goals, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[TPFKAH]

The big thing that will startle you is the lack of that entire floor dedicated to kids on Disney. The kids club on the Triumph will seem like a closet.

 

The other thing is service. I've never had service like Disney on any other line.but from a kids eyes, it may be moot. My kids first cruise was Disney followed by Carnival. When I asked what we should go on next, I was told "BOTH!"

[Midwestgal]

Should of picked Dream or Breeze

[O2Cool]

We really enjoyed the Triumph!! Yes they have soft serve ice cream. The pizza is great and Guy's burgers can't be beat. I don't know about the kids programs as we don't need them, but there are probably other threads that cover this area on the boards. Have a great cruise :D

[evandbob]

Should of picked Dream or Breeze

 

The Disney Dream is indeed a glorious ship, with fantastic service, great food, plenty of fun options for kids and adults.

[kona_wahine]

I've only heard how wonderful Disney is, never been on. What I suggest you do is keep a very open mind. You won't be on Disney, and I don't think you can compare the two. Keep in mind the price difference. That's should tell you how different it will be. Now, I've only been on carnival, no kids as they are grown and have their own. I love it for a nice relaxing vacation, and we cruise mainly for the ports. I keep going back to carnival because of the value.

[hirent]

I haven't been on a Disney cruise, but the thing to remember is, you can't compare the two.

If you compare Carnival to Disney, it will almost always come up short since you would be looking through the eyes of your child (even if he won't feel the difference).

Disney is (roughly) twice as expensive as Carnival; food quality is better in general (or so I've read).

Personally, I'm not picky about food and enjoy Carnival's menu very much.

Plus, the Triumph has Guy's Burgers which are a big hit.

 

I can't speak to the activities, but Carnival does have programs for every age group.

http://www.carnival.com/onboard/cruise-entertainment/camp-carnival.aspx

http://www.carnival.com/onboard/cruise-entertainment/video-arcade.aspx

http://www.carnival.com/onboard/cruise-entertainment/night-owls.aspx

 

Carnival doesn't give anyone special treatment, in fact it is known for equality. They have some of the biggest rooms at sea. Whether you are in a suite or a Deck 2 interior cabin, you are treated the same and generally have the same amenities. Suites will be larger than standard cabins, but that's about it.

 

Keep an open mind and enjoy yourselves.

Edited June 5, 2014 by hirent

[thebaddruid]

My family has been on 5 Carnival cruises and did our first Disney Cruise on the Fantasy last October. First off the Disney does have a larger area for the kids but the area can be so packed that some kids can't get any attention from the staff. Camp Carnival is much smaller but both kids love the attention they get from the staff at camp carnival. Both did a great job of having daily activities for the kids and Disney had more high end activities where Carnival uses more staff based activities. On a side note my son was hurt twice during our disney cruise in the kids club and not a single staff member noticed. It was the first time we were not happy with the response we got from guest services.

 

As far as food goes that is subjective, each person has their own tastes. Our family felt that the Main Dining room food on Carnival was Better. The lido deck food was a toss up as far as taste on both lines. As far as room service Disney has Carnival beat hands down. Calling to get a huge plate of fries and a few mickey bars at midnight is just awesome.

 

As far as staff and services both do a pretty good job. Disney has a better staff to passenger ratio and they have enough staff to do more activities. I talked to several staff members on the Fantasy and most of them worked for Carnival in the past. I saw one of our waiters from the Valor on the Fantasy and he came over and chatted with us for a few minutes. He cut my son's lunch up for him and this is one of those things where disney gets high marks. With that said Carnival still does a great job with less staff. Our first cruise with carnival, every staff member knew my son's name by the end of the cruise and went out of their way to make him feel special.

 

Your cruise will be great and their is plenty of activities on the ship to just relax. As a matter of fact I usually pick a few things to do each day and never seem to get them all done.

[PAPERBKWRITER]

Reading the posts I'm surprised that nobody mentioned Camp Carnival. Very seldom see anything negative about that. Most kids love it and as far as having quiet time, try the serenity area when the kids are in Camp. Carnival provides different strokes for different folks. Lots to do or nothing to do, your choice.

[CatlinSTJ]

Disney is...well, Disney. I have not cruised with them but what I have seen and heard its a bit too much Disney for us :-)

 

We are not drinkers and partiers either, so no worries there.

 

There are supervised programs on all Carnival ships for children and they're good. I had the same concerns with my daughter for the same reasons last year and it turned out to be a non-issue. She wasn't allowed to bump up, but she had a great time and didn't want to leave. She talks about it all the time and is really looking forward to Camp Carnival and the Night Owls party this summer!

 

The food on Carnival is good, often rated better than much more expensive lines. Better than Disney? Probably not, especially as far as the dining room service goes, but it's not miserable fare either.

 

As others have stated, go in with an open mind and try not to compare the two as it really is apples to oranges. Your local amusement park is fun, but it doesn't compare to the big trip to the Magic Kingdom. Relax and have fun!

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Breeze June 2014

[mzloolue]

It will be fine.

 

Just don't compare it to Disney.

Let it be another thing entirely.

 

It will be fun, but maybe another kind of fun,

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Hi -

 

 

 

First post here and I'm hoping someone can set my mind at ease. We have a 5 y/o son and before last year had never even considered going on a cruise. Oddly enough it was reading the bad press that the triumph was getting that even got me thinking about it. I didn't even know that cruises left out of Galveston which is only a 4 hour drive. I spend about 100 days a year in hotels and airports for work, so the thought of a vacation that wouldn't involve either sounded great. So I did some research and booked on the Disney Magic last April. We loved it! Exceeded our expectations in just about every way possible.

 

 

 

So this year, when we started thinking about a June vacation I was crushed to learn that disney moved the magic to Florida. After looking at the other options, we decided to try carnival and booked a 5 night cruise on the triumph to progreso and Cozumel.

 

 

 

Here are my concerns after reading some reviews.

 

I thought that the ship got a big refit after the fire? But I've read some reviews about it really showing its age and people even smelling sewage in several places.

 

 

 

One thing we liked about disney is they had lots of things for our 5 y/o to do. Generally if he is happy and entertained so are we. We have ZERO interest in partying, drinking or gambling. We just want a nice relaxing time where we don't have to plan things or "work" on having fun. That was very easy on the disney cruise. Our son had tons of stuff to do and we could just relax, read books, etc... Does carnival have comparable stuff for kids? I read that they don't have supervised kid areas where you can drop them off or pick them up whenever you want. He'll be a week away from turning 6 when we go so I'm a little worried about putting him with the 2-5 age group. Will they let him in the other group or does it matter?

 

 

 

The carnival price was great though. We got an ocean suite for much less than we paid for a balcony room on disney. But that price difference concerns me too. We don't care about the disney characters but I hope we aren't giving up too much in terms of quality.

 

 

 

We were also very impressed with the food on the disney magic. The rotating restaurants with the same wait staff was great. We were expecting hotel buffet quality food but were pleasantly surprised. They also have lots of easy food around the pools. Like a DIY soft serve ice cream machine (probably my sons favorite part of the whole thing). Does triumph have that?

 

 

 

One thing that was a little disappointing on the disney cruise were the pools. They seemed very small and crowded and prime seating was very hard to get (except at the adult only pool which was deserted). Is the triumph any better?

 

 

 

We only saw one show on the disney cruise and thought it pretty much sucked. So I don't think there is any chance of carnival disappointing us in that department.

 

 

 

Sorry for the long post, but if anyone has been on both and has similar cruising goals, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

If you think the shows sucked on Disney I am afraid to think what you'll think of CCL's shows.

 

Bill

 

 

Sent from Iphone 4S using Cruise Critic App

[Midwestgal]

The Disney Dream is indeed a glorious ship, with fantastic service, great food, plenty of fun options for kids and adults.

 

I was talking about Carnival a Dream or Breeze.

[evandbob]

and so many posters commenting on Disney that haven't cruised that line yet.......

[evandbob]

I was talking about Carnival a Dream or Breeze.

 

I know, but I've sailed Disney Dream and haven't cruised Carnival Dream yet. Disney Dream is a dream ship. I had baby lamb chops, jumbo shrimp and King Crab legs, and that was just for the lunch sailaway. My G-kids totally enjoyed the interactive map searches, the Disney club and the restaurants. We had a ball with fireworks and a Pirates of the Caribbean deck party.

 

You do get what you pay for.......

[OCruisers]

Please consider when you go on Carnival to think of it as a totally different cruise experience and enjoy it for what it is. :)

LuLu

[erocrobro]

I am in the exact same boat as the OP, so to speak. Last summer our family was on the Disney Fantasy and it was the trip of a lifetime. This year my entire family decided to do a cruise and they decided on the Carnival Liberty. My choice was to go and enjoy what could possibly be the last time we could all get together or stay home and miss it. I'm going into it with an open mind, and I figure if we don't enjoy the ship we at least will have 4 days in port and we are always happy on a beach. My kids are 8, 9, and 12 and the biggest problem I'm having is that I can't seem to find anything in the Fun Times that lists what activities will be going on throughout the day for them. On Disney, it was listed daily in the Navigator what was happening in the clubs at what times.

[cruizinisthebest]

I am in the exact same boat as the OP, so to speak. Last summer our family was on the Disney Fantasy and it was the trip of a lifetime. This year my entire family decided to do a cruise and they decided on the Carnival Liberty. My choice was to go and enjoy what could possibly be the last time we could all get together or stay home and miss it. I'm going into it with an open mind, and I figure if we don't enjoy the ship we at least will have 4 days in port and we are always happy on a beach. My kids are 8, 9, and 12 and the biggest problem I'm having is that I can't seem to find anything in the Fun Times that lists what activities will be going on throughout the day for them. On Disney, it was listed daily in the Navigator what was happening in the clubs at what times.

 

The kids camps have their own daily activity sheets. One per day per program. Kinda hard to get a look at one ahead of time unless someone happens to post it in a review or something.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[erocrobro]

The kids camps have their own daily activity sheets. One per day per program. Kinda hard to get a look at one ahead of time unless someone happens to post it in a review or something.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks! I know these itineraries are pretty new, so I will just keep googling and hope someone posts some up somewhere before August.

[cb at sea]

All ships (yes, even Disney!) will experience a "sewage" odor at times....it's a ship thing...and the way the plumbing/drainage works. Usually, it's fleeting. If you have it in your cabin, run water down ALL the drains (some cabins have floor drains..don't forget those , too!), and keep the drain plugs closed. Call maintainence. Annoying, but not dangerous, and not a deal-breaker.

[morganboys]

if you go trying to compare it to Disney you will have a terrible time. its not Disney and not even close to Disney. it is like comparing your local theme park to Walt Disney world. you just can't. there is a reason why Disney cost twice as much. if you don't sail with an open mind you will not be satisfied.

[amyh13]

I have cruised NCL, RCCL, Carnival twice and did the Disney Fantasy this April. We were on the EXACT same itinerary as the Carnival Dream from 2013. If you asked my kids which they liked better, they would probably say Disney (I have a 4 yo daughter who thinks she is a princess so she was in heaven, and DS 8 loved the aquaduck). The kids club is definitely bigger and fancier but found my son playing video games most nights which is what he did on the Dream. I found my daughter just dressing up in princess dresses and watching Disney movies. They usually had an art project on Carnival. And there was a case of head lice in the kids club on Disney (not that I am judging but that is something that some folks would love to slam a lower price cruise line for.)

 

Cabin Steward FAR better on Carnival. Our best service all around for dining and state room was the Carnival Legend. RCCL had great dining room staff. Our Disney dining staff was adorable and friendly, but slow and inaccurate. I didn't care because I was on vacation but I did not see the price premium.

 

As I paid for both cruises so I was constantly running the cost/benefit analysis in my head (sorry I am an engineer). NEVER saw the 100% mark up value (and we were in a suite of CCL vs Balcony on Fantasy).

 

With the exception of the buffet food (which we avoid just because we like sit-down service), Carnival food is better. And I prefer an "anytime dining" option vs traditional seating.

 

And yes Camp Carnival has its own activity schedule.

 

I say any day cruising is better than a day at work. Enjoy the break with your family.

[Lilleshammer]

Thanks for all the comments. We will certainly go with an open mind but it will be impossible not to compare it to the only other cruise we've ever been on since, well, on paper they are very, very similar ships with identical itineraries. I get that disney has Mickey Mouse and princesses and carnival doesn't but that wasn't what we enjoyed. I guess it was just the quality of everything.

 

I will have to ask myself if being on on disney instead would be worth the extra $ plus flying to Florida first and I doubt it will. It's the fact that it sails from Galveston that makes it an easy vacation. I just wish disney would bring that damn boat back. Is there another line that departs from Galveston that we should have considered?

 

And one thing I'm still not clear on. Did the triumph get renovated? I could have sworn I saw a video showing off all of the awesome new fun 2.0 features. I was kind of expecting a newer ship than the disney magic which was showing its age last year (I think it was about to be renovated).

 

Edit: one other thing. How do the pools and the deck experience on the triumph compare to the disney magic? Triumph has water slides and disney doesn't! That and DIY ice cream cones are enough to get my son super excited.

 

Thanks again for the info. I'm sure we'll have a great time.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Lilleshammer

[Midwestgal]

I know, but I've sailed Disney Dream and haven't cruised Carnival Dream yet. Disney Dream is a dream ship. I had baby lamb chops, jumbo shrimp and King Crab legs, and that was just for the lunch sailaway. My G-kids totally enjoyed the interactive map searches, the Disney club and the restaurants. We had a ball with fireworks and a Pirates of the Caribbean deck party.

 

You do get what you pay for.......

I've only heard positive things about Disney cruise line and your pretty right on, you get what you pay for.

I think since the OP is a Disney cruiser and uis trying Carnival they should of picked a ship more kid friendly and Breeze was great for families as I imagine Carnival Dream would be also. Don't think I would expect kids to have as much fun on other Carnival ships or at least the other ones I've been on.

[Pattyjo9951]

We have been on 6 carnival cruises, 1 royal, and 1 disney. Of course we loved Disney. I am a travel agent and I book more carnival than I do Disney. We thought our Disney cruise was awesome and my kids said it was their best vacation. You really do get what you pay for. Although saying that my family likes to travel a lot so we do more Carnival cruises because you can get some great prices. Prices you will never get on Disney. I enjoyed the food better on the carnival cruises than I did on Disney or Royal. I think Carnival goes to more different ports. And for us we love going to new ports and seeing new things. I think you will love your Carnival cruise and of course you will compare them but when doing that remember the price difference!

One big thing is Carnival don't have free soda like disney does. You can buy a soda package so you can have soda. You can also bring soda onboard with you if you are a soda drinker.