Which other cruise line do you think is the most (relatively) similar to Disney?

sunny2runner · October 24, 2017

good to hear your positive view of NCL.
another cruise line we've been considering for just the two of us (and it happily doesn't have the taint of carnival, other than historically and only peripherally).

and from what i've seen NCL has really great rates...

did you stay in a regular room or one of those specialty areas/suites they have?

.

Yes NCL is a really terrific cruise line but very different from the feel of DCL. Not to be a snob but I would never do a Carnival cruise as it think it is like the Walmart of cruise lines.

DCL has way more young families with babes and young kids whereas NCL has more families with older kids and teens.

We have done 2 NCL. 1 on the Epic - Caribbean cruise with a Balcony and 1 on the Breakaway to Bermuda in 2 inside staterooms.

We are doing a NCL Epic Thanksgiving cruise this year with 2 inside staterooms.

The rates are fantastic! We can do 2 NCL 7 night cruises for the price of 1 DCL 7 night. Now that our kids are older and not into Disney as much as when they were younger, we would rather be to do more days at sea.

alaska_planner · October 24, 2017

Yes NCL is a really terrific cruise line but very different from the feel of DCL. Not to be a snob but I would never do a Carnival cruise as it think it is like the Walmart of cruise lines.

DCL has way more young families with babes and young kids whereas NCL has more families with older kids and teens.

We have done 2 NCL. 1 on the Epic - Caribbean cruise with a Balcony and 1 on the Breakaway to Bermuda in 2 inside staterooms.

We are doing a NCL Epic Thanksgiving cruise this year with 2 inside staterooms.

The rates are fantastic! We can do 2 NCL 7 night cruises for the price of 1 DCL 7 night. Now that our kids are older and not into Disney as much as when they were younger, we would rather be to do more days at sea.

Carnival owns more than just carnival - Carnival owns Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Costa, among others.

Carnival has had more than its share of engine issues. I worry that the problems are contagious between the various subsidiaries.

we are still lovers of all things disney (at our very advanced age), but the price difference is significant.

so if i can go on 2 or even 3 cruises for the price of one disney, it makes sense to do that i think!

STHCruising · October 24, 2017

We also did a Princess cruise having heard it was comparable to DCL, both on this forum and through friends who cruise both lines. Our observations:

1. The DCL crew was much more friendly and engaging. Servers on Princess just wanted to serve and be done. Our Princess room host was the exception. Very helpful.

2. The DCL ships were in better shape, both in terms of upkeep and overall appearance.

3. DCL Entertainment far surpassed Princess.

4. Food quality has improved recently on DCL and we thought DCL was better.

5. The cruise director on Princess reeked of smoke. Quite a turnoff.

6. The cruise we were on with Princess (fall colors in New England and Canada)was a much older crowd.

7. Princess prices are far better than DCL.

8. Princess has much more variety in itineraries.

This may seem unduly harsh towards Princess. I would still do another Princess cruise if I were traveling with friends to an itinerary I could not get to on DCL.

I would also consider Crystal, Oceana and other high end cruise lines for the culinary and travel experiences. NCL and RCL are possibilities as well, but my go to cruise line remains DCL.

One side note regarding Carnival Corporation, vs. the Carnival Cruise Line. The parent company allows a fair amount of autonomy amongst the lines.

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alaska_planner · October 25, 2017

We also did a Princess cruise having heard it was comparable to DCL, both on this forum and through friends who cruise both lines. Our observations:

1. The DCL crew was much more friendly and engaging. Servers on Princess just wanted to serve and be done. Our Princess room host was the exception. Very helpful.

2. The DCL ships were in better shape, both in terms of upkeep and overall appearance.

3. DCL Entertainment far surpassed Princess.

4. Food quality has improved recently on DCL and we thought DCL was better.

5. The cruise director on Princess reeked of smoke. Quite a turnoff.

6. The cruise we were on with Princess (fall colors in New England and Canada)was a much older crowd.

7. Princess prices are far better than DCL.

8. Princess has much more variety in itineraries.

This may seem unduly harsh towards Princess. I would still do another Princess cruise if I were traveling with friends to an itinerary I could not get to on DCL.

I would also consider Crystal, Oceana and other high end cruise lines for the culinary and travel experiences. NCL and RCL are possibilities as well, but my go to cruise line remains DCL.

One side note regarding Carnival Corporation, vs. the Carnival Cruise Line. The parent company allows a fair amount of autonomy amongst the lines.

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autonomy yes, but one wonders if cost savings philosophy doesn't bleed into the subsidiary corporate culture.

and while they may or may not be autonomous, carnival corp most definitely gets involved - as in the corporate weight they threw around the legal proceedings following the costa concordia disaster.

moki'smommy · October 25, 2017

Fair review of Princess. We haven't experienced the improved food quality on DCL (it was great 10+ years ago), so in our experience, Princess food was better. Also, we didn't have a smoking CD.

The age range on Princess is definitely more varied but does tend toward the older. On our summer cruise on Princess there were LOTS of kids, particularly teens. On our winter cruise, there were only a few kids and they were primarily younger. It was basically the same age range swings that DCL experiences, but the overall numbers were smaller.

I also agree that we really can't assess how much independence there is among the various lines within the Carnival Corporation umbrella. While I would never cruise Carnival Cruise Line, I really didn't see the CCL problems on Princess.

STHCruising · October 25, 2017

Alaska_Planner makes some good points. I know from professional experiences that in the past Carnival Corp allowed each line a fair amount of autonomy on market awareness, branding, pricing and the functions that generate revenue and interface with passengers. Only recently have they implemented common platforms and systems. To Alaska_Planners point I don’t know how much autonomy exists in behind the scenes ship operations.

Like Moki’sMommy we would never cruise Carnival Cruise Line. We have considered other Carnival Corp subsidiaries including Princess, Cunard, Holland and Seabourn.

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Loonbeam · October 26, 2017

At one point I was part of the never Carnival Crowd, but ended up getting a great deal on a short cruise out of NYC. Honestly, I was really surprised how decent everything was. They have made strong investments in some areas, especially food and entertainment. Not sure I would want to do an extended cruise on them, but 5-7 days no problem on the right ship.

As far as autonomy the way it works now is basically Princess and HAL are under one umbrella and Carnival and Costa I think under another, but they all use CCL corporate for things like purchasing and all ship builds go thru CCL. Operation planning is split under the umbrellas, so you will see more synergy with HAL and Princess but not so much Princess and Carnival for example.

Alaska_Planner makes some good points. I know from professional experiences that in the past Carnival Corp allowed each line a fair amount of autonomy on market awareness, branding, pricing and the functions that generate revenue and interface with passengers. Only recently have they implemented common platforms and systems. To Alaska_Planners point I don’t know how much autonomy exists in behind the scenes ship operations.

Like Moki’sMommy we would never cruise Carnival Cruise Line. We have considered other Carnival Corp subsidiaries including Princess, Cunard, Holland and Seabourn.

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sm3ds · October 26, 2017

I would say Carnival if you have kids. I believe they carry more families then any other cruiseline. My kids loved the Carnival Vista. The teen clubs and activities were very similar to Disney. If you have kids I would look at ships not cruiselines. The newer, bigger ships are going to have more to offer families.

If you were to ask my kids what their favorite ship is it would hands down be the Vista. The food was amazing, best room sterward we have ever had. We loved the Ocean Harbor area with it's own private lounge.. We had a huge room with double bathrooms like Disney. The Imax theater was great. Ropes course, slides, shows everything was top notch.The adult areas fantastic. The best part it's half the cost of the Fantasy. We're back to Disney next month, but I won't pay for Disney without a discount...just not worth the cost.

sm3ds · October 26, 2017

Daughter had done a semester in at a Japanese language school in Tokyo and wanted to take me there. We did 2 cruise B2B that took us to different ports' date=' and then a week in Tokyo. She had not been able to leave the city while with the school, so seeing smaller places was fun for her too. I started with the idea of allowing her to plan the land portion of the trip, but ultimately had to limit it as she wanted to go everywhere....I said max of 2 cities as I wanted to be somewhere, no on trains all the time. Total was 20 cruise nights, 1 pre-cruise night in Narita, and 7 post cruise nights in Tokyo. It was a great trip.

Interestingly, when I first talked to family about trying another line, the reaction was, "If it starts with a C, forget it." Princess was OK because they didn't know it was owned by Carnival![/quote']

What do you have against Carnival.? Have you tried them or is just Disney snobbery thing.?

moki'smommy · October 26, 2017

What do you have against Carnival.? Have you tried them or is just Disney snobbery thing.?

My only experience with them is what I can only describe as a "booze cruise." Yes, I know there is drinking on DCL and more on Princess, and I also realize that Carnival has been working hard to drop the image of 20-somethings getting plastered. From what I've read, they have been at least partially successful on their longer cruises.

My personal experience was a short cruise that resembled a bad frat party. Lots of passengers must have been determined to get their value out of their unlimited alcohol package. We've actually done several other lines and have found many things that we like about the others (as well as DCL). But Carnival was not a good fit for our family, and I am not inclined to give them another chance. I do like Princess, which is owned by Carnival Corporation...but our Princess cruises had a totally different character than the Carnival cruise.

I guess it amounts to the fact that I was not into "wild and crazy" when I was in college and the older I've gotten, the less my tolerance for such behaviors in public.

Edited October 26, 2017 by moki'smommy

axelskater · October 26, 2017

Cunard uses a similar 'Liner' style, but price point might be above Disney before deals.

Out of Miami, I would probably lean NCL - they run more ships out of there.

All of the various answers go to show you that "beauty" is in the eye of the beholder. On the QM2 is a huge portrait of Walt sailing her original namesake with his family (or could have bee the QE). The liner design mimics the ships on which Walt and his family sailed.

I sail Cunard and Disney only - with a brief dalliance last month with Holland America which did not turn out well.

I feel like the things which Cunard shares with Disney are a level service, a classic beauty, attention to architectural detail, attention to detail in service and crew, superior suites/concierge services.

The entertainment and vibe could not be further apart, but if you have a mindset to appreciate both extremes, the 2 lines are superb. I won/t stray again!

I am sorry you will not find Cunard sailing out of Miami. The prices are on par with Disney - they are more than the "mass market" ships - RCCL, etc. I cannot recommend Holland America, though I know some love it.

axelskater · October 26, 2017

sounds nice....i do like enrichment type activities (in addition to the silly games i also very much enjoy)..
maybe we'll try it one day..

i was thinking of doing a japanese cruise, though i wouldn't want to do one that's too long...

i'd like to spend a few weeks on land as well....i spent a lot of time in japan growing up, but i haven't been back since i was pregnant with my oldest (now 32)...though i apparently successfully brainwashed them to both want to go there (one has since been for a month, the other is planning)..

but a combined land/sea would be nice. Maybe 2 or 3 weeks on land and 7 days at sea. that could work for me :)

.

If enrichment activities is what you want - why not Cunard - even a WC segment (they have them in segments of 15-25 days, including Japan)

I am not sure about the "evil empire" connotation ...if not for Mickey Arison & Carnival (which I would not sail), then my beloved Cunard would not have been saved, and the QM2 - the only true liner with regular service still in existence - would never have been built.

But as for activities -if enrichment on sea days is what you want - I have seen true crime novelists give fascinating talks, the leader of the opposition in parliament (Lord something or other) give a speech on English politics which was hilarious, travel writers, Dr. Ruth (:o) a novelist who was an official Royal family biographer, Bill Miller (if you love the Golden Age of travel, you know Bill Miller!) Kitty Carlisle Hart speaking about being married to one of the famous Rogers & Hart duo, Jazz musicians, an ambassador married to Lana Marks (Princess Di's best friend), speakers on National parks we were visiting, and much more. I have seen RADA do Canterbury Tales & Shakespeare, and the Royal Astronomy Society do stargazing from the top deck at night. If you want enrichment activities, go Cunard. It is a huge focus.

sunny2runner · October 26, 2017

We also did a Princess cruise having heard it was comparable to DCL, both on this forum and through friends who cruise both lines. Our observations:

1. The DCL crew was much more friendly and engaging. Servers on Princess just wanted to serve and be done. Our Princess room host was the exception. Very helpful.

2. The DCL ships were in better shape, both in terms of upkeep and overall appearance.

3. DCL Entertainment far surpassed Princess.

4. Food quality has improved recently on DCL and we thought DCL was better.

5. The cruise director on Princess reeked of smoke. Quite a turnoff.

6. The cruise we were on with Princess (fall colors in New England and Canada)was a much older crowd.

7. Princess prices are far better than DCL.

8. Princess has much more variety in itineraries.

This may seem unduly harsh towards Princess. I would still do another Princess cruise if I were traveling with friends to an itinerary I could not get to on DCL.

I would also consider Crystal, Oceana and other high end cruise lines for the culinary and travel experiences. NCL and RCL are possibilities as well, but my go to cruise line remains DCL.

One side note regarding Carnival Corporation, vs. the Carnival Cruise Line. The parent company allows a fair amount of autonomy amongst the lines.

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Was this cruise (Princess) on one of the newer ships? Regal or Royal Princess? I find when comparing you need compare against equal ships such as Disney Fantasy/Dream compared to Regal/Royal Princess. Personally I think the Regal/Royal Princess ships are on par with the Disney Fantasy/Dream but Princess's older ships haven't received as much attention update wise. Many still look older and need some maintenance.

Also, compare on a similar route. Like Caribbean to Caribbean as the crowds are going to way different.

Just a couple counter points, I do think that Princess is an great alternative for those looking for a DCL quality experience and not looking to pay the extra $$.

Princess does a fantastic job keeping the ship clean. We found the crew amazing but didn't do main dining much at all as their are so many other dining options on Princess.

After 12 DCL cruises, we are tired of the same MDR dining menu and really no other nice dining options if you aren't into sitting through the long MDR service on DCL. Princess has Alferdo's and the Garden Buffet open at diner as well as serval speciality restaurants.

The food/dining options are far superior to DCL on Princess.

Yes, DCL beats everyone on evening entertainment and all around the ship entertainement but Princess has Movie under the Stars which I loved! They also brought in a really funny comedian.

The bar staff on Princess was lacking big time in comparsion to DCL. On Princess we could hardly ever find a pool side waiter and they were rather rushed all the time at the Bar. On DCL, you can also find someone friendly to take a drink order.

The ships interior was beautiful, clean and well maintained on Royal Princess and we had the most attentive cabin steward.

Anyway after our Princess experience last year, we booked the same ship for spring break next year and saved $3000-$4000 as compared to a DCL sailing the same week.

alaska_planner · October 26, 2017

What do you have against Carnival.? Have you tried them or is just Disney snobbery thing.?

regarding carnival cruise lines - it's both safety and the booze cruise image...

carnival cruise lines seemed to have a lot of engine problems - more than other cruise lines...

safety is everything to me....i know all cruise lines have issues every now and then, but recurring problems make me very nervous....after all, you are out in the middle of the deep blue sea....not a place i want to be with safety issues....

and even if i didn't have doubts about safety, their booze cruise image doesn't seem to be a very good fit for my husband and me...

neither of us drink, nor did we ever.....not in college, not now.....call us sticks in the mud if you like, but we're not only not drinkers, but are disturbed by drinking culture....

no judgement, it's just something that is very much outside of our comfort zone (e.g, vegas made us so uncomfortable, we paid an additional $2,000 to fly us out a day early!!!)..

so i think it's not a mistake to think we probably wouldn't be very comfortable on carnival...

.

alaska_planner · October 26, 2017

My only experience with them is what I can only describe as a "booze cruise." Yes' date=' I know there is drinking on DCL and more on Princess, and I also realize that Carnival has been working hard to drop the image of 20-somethings getting plastered. From what I've read, they have been at least partially successful on their longer cruises.

My personal experience was a short cruise that resembled a bad frat party. Lots of passengers must have been determined to get their value out of their unlimited alcohol package. We've actually done several other lines and have found many things that we like about the others (as well as DCL). But Carnival was not a good fit for our family, and I am not inclined to give them another chance. I do like Princess, which is owned by Carnival Corporation...but our Princess cruises had a totally different character than the Carnival cruise.

I guess it amounts to the fact that I was not into "wild and crazy" when I was in college and the older I've gotten, the less my tolerance for such behaviors in public.[/quote']

seems we're soul mates :cool:

cruisefamilyforever · October 26, 2017

The negative carnival comments from people who have not been on them are ridiculous! Like any cruise line each ship and crew are different. My family has cruised with Carnival, Disney and RCI a few times. All were good experiences because I did my homework. We select ships that are not more than about 5 years old and have consistent good reviews. Carnival is half the cost of Disney and the food was just as good. RCI is a third of the cost of Disney and the entertainment and enrichment activities were very good. There are some things each line does better and overall I do like Disney the best, but we will definitely cruise with Carnival, RCI, and several other lines in the future. Why limit your options and base your decisions without first hand knowledge. Also, my parents have been on over 50 cruises with at least 10 different lines and they have no issue cruising with Carnival. Even though they are very well off they love the prices Carnival offers.

alaska_planner · October 26, 2017

If enrichment activities is what you want - why not Cunard - even a WC segment (they have them in segments of 15-25 days, including Japan)
I am not sure about the "evil empire" connotation ...if not for Mickey Arison & Carnival (which I would not sail), then my beloved Cunard would not have been saved, and the QM2 - the only true liner with regular service still in existence - would never have been built.

But as for activities -if enrichment on sea days is what you want - I have seen true crime novelists give fascinating talks, the leader of the opposition in parliament (Lord something or other) give a speech on English politics which was hilarious, travel writers, Dr. Ruth (:o) a novelist who was an official Royal family biographer, Bill Miller (if you love the Golden Age of travel, you know Bill Miller!) Kitty Carlisle Hart speaking about being married to one of the famous Rogers & Hart duo, Jazz musicians, an ambassador married to Lana Marks (Princess Di's best friend), speakers on National parks we were visiting, and much more. I have seen RADA do Canterbury Tales & Shakespeare, and the Royal Astronomy Society do stargazing from the top deck at night. If you want enrichment activities, go Cunard. It is a huge focus.

cunard is definitely one i've been considering, but mainly for a TA.

last time i sailed cunard was on the original Queen Mary way back in 1962 (when there were locked gates between the classes!! and my sister and i were the only children on board the ship).

when i started looking into a TA on cunard, i did note the wealth of enrichment, which is definitely a good thing..

one thing that i was wondering and maybe you can answer this...

on DCL, it makes no difference whether you're in concierge of regular, you get to enjoy all of the good service/entertainment (other than the concierge lounge)..

this seems not to be true on cunard....so my question is, if you're not in the higher classes (brittania? i can't recall, but i know there are different levels) is the cruise as enjoyable?

as for mickey arison - not my favorite person in the world, but it's personal..

probably enough to taint my feelings toward carnival...

but even without the personal thing, my feelings about how they might play fast and loose with safety is the bigger issue for me...

.

sunny2runner · October 26, 2017

The negative carnival comments from people who have not been on them are ridiculous! Like any cruise line each ship and crew are different. My family has cruised with Carnival, Disney and RCI a few times. All were good experiences because I did my homework. We select ships that are not more than about 5 years old and have consistent good reviews. Carnival is half the cost of Disney and the food was just as good. RCI is a third of the cost of Disney and the entertainment and enrichment activities were very good. There are some things each line does better and overall I do like Disney the best, but we will definitely cruise with Carnival, RCI, and several other lines in the future. Why limit your options and base your decisions without first hand knowledge. Also, my parents have been on over 50 cruises with at least 10 different lines and they have no issue cruising with Carnival. Even though they are very well off they love the prices Carnival offers.

I get that but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Carnival as a whole has a very bad reputation and receives bad press for things that have happened on their ships and do happen on their ship.

I have been on 1 Carnival ship and I am definitely apart of the Never (again) Carnival especially after going on 12 Disney cruises, 1 Princess and 2 NCL which raised the bar higher. I am open to other cruise lines and not a straight up Disney loyalist and willing and open to new experiences. Heck we have a MSC cruise lined up for Christmas this year because it was half the cost of Disney.

DCL does an amazing job of always cleaning the ship and maintenance. They have no record Norovirus outbreaks as compared to the amount of recorded CDC outbreak on Carnival ships. Yes, Carnival has way more ships in their fleet but they definitely do not take cleaning as serious as DCL does.

I did not find the service, food, ship layout or cleaniness as nice as my experience with other cruise lines.

I have not been on a Carnival ship in 10 yrs so things may have change but once was enough to say hey I don't want to do that again.

In addition, the newer Carnival ships like the Vista are pretty dang pricey and really not a whole lot cheaper than DCL. I have price compared them on different routes as my husband wanted to give it another try on the Vista. Well it was slihgtly less than DCL for the weeks and routes we looked at and if I was going to drop that much I was going spend it on Disney. The only less expensive or half the cost of Disney ships/cruises are the older ships. Whereas you can get half the cost of Disney on Princess or NCL on their newest ships.

My view is that Carnival is like staying at a Holiday Inn whereas DCL is like staying at the Ritz and Princess is like a high end Marriott and NCL is like a resort styled Marriott. I have no reference point on RCCL so I have no opinion.

Edited October 26, 2017 by sunny2runner

axelskater · October 26, 2017

cunard is definitely one i've been considering, but mainly for a TA.
last time i sailed cunard was on the original Queen Mary way back in 1962 (when there were locked gates between the classes!! and my sister and i were the only children on board the ship).

when i started looking into a TA on cunard, i did note the wealth of enrichment, which is definitely a good thing..

one thing that i was wondering and maybe you can answer this...

on DCL, it makes no difference whether you're in concierge of regular, you get to enjoy all of the good service/entertainment (other than the concierge lounge)..

this seems not to be true on cunard....so my question is, if you're not in the higher classes (brittania? i can't recall, but i know there are different levels) is the cruise as enjoyable?

as for mickey arison - not my favorite person in the world, but it's personal..

probably enough to taint my feelings toward carnival...

but even without the personal thing, my feelings about how they might play fast and loose with safety is the bigger issue for me...

.

.

I have done TA's and I LOVE it. 7 day crossings are not for everyone but it is seriously like stepping back in time. They even have the kennels like the old days, so if you are going to be abroad for months you can take your pet, and many people use QM2 to make permanent moves.

The 1st 6 times I sailed Cunard I sailed Britannia (the main staterooms) and it was just wonderful. I fell in love with the ship and I barely noticed there were "Grills". All of the entertainment was the same. Afternoon tea in the Queens Room with white gloved waiters every day, ballroom dancing to the live Big Band orchestra every night (It's an older crowd but I never felt out of place). Wonderful dinners, great lectures, LOVE the British pub with it's traditional pub lunch every day. String quartets during cocktail hour in the lounge (even if you are drinking sparkling water and not champagne!) Yes it is another era. Then we were upgraded for free to Princess Grill (a junior suite) and we have sailed "Grills" ever since. Mainly because I love having a large room with a huge closet and separate restaurant. That is the only difference really.

Honestly except for the restaurant, concierge Disney (which we have done each time we sailed) and Grills on Cunard are very similar, the only main difference being you get the added bonus of the Grill restaurant instead of the Main Dining Room. That is really the big thing. There is a Disney concierge lounge & Cunard has one, there is a Disney Concierge sun deck and Cunard has one. The level of service for all passengers on Disney and Cunard is wonderful. I highly recommend it.

I did not like my one Holland America cruise to Alaska last month. Disney & Cunard and their lovely ships spoiled me. So now the Queen Elizabeth will be doing Alaska in 2019 - I am definitely booking that! Good luck in your decision - if you choose Cunard, I think you will not regret it! And as for safety, it is all British officers, most former Royal Navy. If you can't trust them for safety who can you trust. The Queen Mary you sailed made it through WWII after all! I have been on the Queen Mary 2 in 40 foot seas and Force 10 winds. She is amazing.

STHCruising · October 26, 2017

Was this cruise (Princess) on one of the newer ships? Regal or Royal Princess? I find when comparing you need compare against equal ships such as Disney Fantasy/Dream compared to Regal/Royal Princess. Personally I think the Regal/Royal Princess ships are on par with the Disney Fantasy/Dream but Princess's older ships haven't received as much attention update wise. Many still look older and need some maintenance.

Also, compare on a similar route. Like Caribbean to Caribbean as the crowds are going to way different.

Just a couple counter points, I do think that Princess is an great alternative for those looking for a DCL quality experience and not looking to pay the extra $$.

Princess does a fantastic job keeping the ship clean. We found the crew amazing but didn't do main dining much at all as their are so many other dining options on Princess.

After 12 DCL cruises, we are tired of the same MDR dining menu and really no other nice dining options if you aren't into sitting through the long MDR service on DCL. Princess has Alferdo's and the Garden Buffet open at diner as well as serval speciality restaurants.

The food/dining options are far superior to DCL on Princess.

Yes, DCL beats everyone on evening entertainment and all around the ship entertainement but Princess has Movie under the Stars which I loved! They also brought in a really funny comedian.

The bar staff on Princess was lacking big time in comparsion to DCL. On Princess we could hardly ever find a pool side waiter and they were rather rushed all the time at the Bar. On DCL, you can also find someone friendly to take a drink order.

The ships interior was beautiful, clean and well maintained on Royal Princess and we had the most attentive cabin steward.

Anyway after our Princess experience last year, we booked the same ship for spring break next year and saved $3000-$4000 as compared to a DCL sailing the same week.

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess which was built in 2004 if I am reading correctly. We mostly sale on the Disney Magic and Wonder because of the more interesting itineraries. I am not basing my comparison on the newer DCL ships.

STHCruising · October 26, 2017

The negative carnival comments from people who have not been on them are ridiculous! Like any cruise line each ship and crew are different. My family has cruised with Carnival, Disney and RCI a few times. All were good experiences because I did my homework. We select ships that are not more than about 5 years old and have consistent good reviews. Carnival is half the cost of Disney and the food was just as good. RCI is a third of the cost of Disney and the entertainment and enrichment activities were very good. There are some things each line does better and overall I do like Disney the best, but we will definitely cruise with Carnival, RCI, and several other lines in the future. Why limit your options and base your decisions without first hand knowledge. Also, my parents have been on over 50 cruises with at least 10 different lines and they have no issue cruising with Carnival. Even though they are very well off they love the prices Carnival offers.

This is a fair criticism. My counterpoint is that we lived in a city that was a Carnival Port and saw people arrested off the ships after fights, incidents of norovirus, and finally, the ship being towed into the port after being stranded at sea. This reinforces the image of Carnival as a rowdy booze cruise and a budget cruise line that doesn't maintain their fleet to the standard I would expect. I am sure they want to change that image, and I take your point and that of other posters that the newer ships are nicer, with better food and entertainment experiences. But, the image of Carnival created over many years makes me unlikely to book on Carnival. I would consider some of the other lines owned by Carnival Corporation that have been discussed on this thread.

emjayel56 · October 27, 2017

Royal Caribbean maybe? Newer ships?

I've sailed every line (approximately 30 sailings) and had always avoided DCL due to the added cost, however in May of this year I decided to try DCL and was absolutely amazed at the experience and totally understood why the cost was at a premium. I immediately booked my first Christmas DCL cruise for this Dec. In my opinion, DCL is in a class of it's own and beats every other line in every area. I was truly amazed.

DaKa2002 · October 27, 2017

I've sailed every line (approximately 30 sailings) and had always avoided DCL due to the added cost, however in May of this year I decided to try DCL and was absolutely amazed at the experience and totally understood why the cost was at a premium. I immediately booked my first Christmas DCL cruise for this Dec. In my opinion, DCL is in a class of it's own and beats every other line in every area. I was truly amazed.

We are "Platinum" on DCL and agree that the cruise line is in a class of its own. Have cruised also on RCCL, Azamara, Princess, HAL, Oceania, Celebrity, and Uniworld. However, the MDR food on DCL has declined to nearly sub-standard in our opinion over the years. Only Palo and Remy truly stand out as restaurants at sea IMHO.

meatloafsfan · October 27, 2017

I get that but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

DCL does an amazing job of always cleaning the ship and maintenance. They have no record Norovirus outbreaks as compared to the amount of recorded CDC outbreak on Carnival ships. Yes, Carnival has way more ships in their fleet but they definitely do not take cleaning as serious as DCL does.

Let's introduce a few facts regarding the Norovirus Outbreaks:

2017 (so far)

DCL - 0 reported to the CDC