Will we like Carnival after Disney cruise?

[MIMomof2]

We took our first cruise as a family last year with Disney and loved it! We're looking to go again and Carnival seems to have the best prices, but we're wondering if we'll like this cruise line? Disney was perfect for us (two kids ages 2 and 6) -- we loved the family atmosphere, etc. Please advise!

[Dave85]

Hi! Please tell us a little more about what you liked and didn't like about the Disney cruise... I think that'll help folks here advise you better.

[Cruzman]

First, I would be tickled pink about paying half as much to go on a cruise! No, Carnival doesn't have Mickey and Goofy, but there is Funship Freddie, lol. Seriously though, Carnival has great children's counselors and programs; they will have a blast and I think you will too.

[*love2travel*]

We took a Disney cruise when our daughter was 7 and had a great time. Ship was beautiful and the service was excellent. Since then we have cruised Carnival one time (without our daughter) and had a fantastic time. We went with other couples and have another cruised booked with the same couples for this September. IMO Carnival is just as great as Disney. Some things about Disney I liked better and some things about Carnival I liked better. I don't think we will ever cruise Disney again just because of the price.

[A&Jfamily]

We took our first cruise as a family last year with Disney and loved it! We're looking to go again and Carnival seems to have the best prices, but we're wondering if we'll like this cruise line? Disney was perfect for us (two kids ages 2 and 6) -- we loved the family atmosphere, etc. Please advise!

 

If you go not expecting it to be Dinsey, you'll have a great time. You'll be eating in the same restaurant each night, or at the Lido buffet. Camp Carnival is a wonderful program.

 

I just had a friend that came off Disney and swears that he won't go again. It was just too kid oriented. He said that the streets rolled up at 8 p.m. - no nightlife etc. He said the shows were all kid oriented.

 

Carnival is much more of a "balanced" vacation - something for everyone. Camp is free until 10, so adults can see the shows (somewhat vegas styled, comedian, hypnotist etc). Or you can go to the casino. The bars don't open til 10, so we haven't taken much advantge of that as we are usually too worn out from the day. While there are plenty of families on board, there are also couples, singles, friends etc.

 

When you look at the details, it is like comparing apples and oranges. When you look at the big picture it is still a cruise.

 

Of course, I have never taken a Disney cruise - just couldn't justify the money. And Carnival works great for us.:D

[Crusin6]

We took our first cruise as a family last year with Disney and loved it! We're looking to go again and Carnival seems to have the best prices, but we're wondering if we'll like this cruise line? Disney was perfect for us (two kids ages 2 and 6) -- we loved the family atmosphere, etc. Please advise!

We had the same issues that you do. We LOVED DCL but due to their high prices we switched to Carnival. We are now in the process of booking a Disney land vacation and looking into ADDING on a Carnival cruise at 1/3 the price of DCL!

 

We have done 2 Carnival cruises since DCL and have been very satisfied. However, the entertainment on DCL cannot not even be compared to Carnival. DCL is superior in that manner. The shows on Carnival are not geared for kids your ages. This is true no matter what other posters may say.

 

However, our kids are now 18, 14, 13, 8 so we are ready to move one as far as cruises are concerned. That being said, DH still does want to do another DCL but the prices are just too high for us right now and it looks as though we may not do DCL again. But if we still had kids as young as yours I DO believe that we would be able to justify DCL once more.

 

 

The pools on Carnival are better for our kids, as is the slide. On DCL only one child could use the slide at this point. But the slides and pools on Carnival may be too much for your kids. The 2yo would be using the wading pool near Camp Carnival and no way would I let a 6yo in the other pools alone. The 2 types of pools are not near each other as they are on DCL. There is also more smoking and drinking on Carnival and fewer family functions. On DCL we found most activities up until 9pm were family oriented, we did not find that on Carnival. Carnival has a Casino that you would be walking thru many times a day that is very smoky. That is why the DCL prices are higher as they have no revenue from the Casino and the level of alcohol sales are lower on DCL.

 

So I would say if you can afford it and want to spend it, do DCL. If you just want a cruise for your family and price is a consideration, Carnival would be your choice. With kids as young as yours, nightlife is probably not a priority anyway, so just avoid the smoky Casino and entertainment venues. Try to pick a cruise with fun ports. Remember they do not have a private island.

 

MOst posters will agree that Carnival is fabulous for kids, and it is. I personally feel that DCL and Carnival should not be compared. One is a Disney cruise with all the bells and whistles that 2 & 6 yo's love (adults love too!) and the other is a great cruise line that is well priced and fun to take. But you will find the general activities and entertainment suited to older children on Carnival. Now, many Carnival cruisers may disagree with me on that point, but DCL is better for your kids, at this time. Price not withstanding.

 

So in conclusion, if price is the issue and you want to save money....Carnival, you won't be disappointed!

 

If you want to have a great Disney cruise experience with your kids at least one more time, and you can afford to spend the extra bucks.....DCL......ABSOLUTELY.

[Jsme]

I agree with the person who said if you go without expecting the same things Disney will give you, you should be fine.

 

You will not have the same style dining. You will not have the characters.

 

You will still have entertainment. However, it will not be Disney or child related. The adult entertainment, comedian's, are very funny most times.

 

You will still have ice cream and yogurt but it is not like Disney offers. It will be self servie and the choice of cups or cones. Some days they may have Sundae type things to add to your ice cream.

 

You will have pizza, burgers and the such. I think they both are about the same.

 

You will not have the martini flights or the beer tastings. Or at least none of the Carnival Ships I have been on have offered this as does the Wonder or Magic offers.

 

You will not have the in your face happiness of the CM's that you have on Disney. You will still receive good service but not to the extreme that Disney goes.

 

Our teenage daughter loved the teenage club. I have friends who have younger children and they actually liked the kids club on Carnival better than on Disney.

 

I would advise for you to look at www.carnival.com and go to their fleet of ships. Check out the ship you are looking into. You will be able to see the floor plans and activites and much much more.

[kaykels]

After sailing 6 Disney cruises, I can throw in my two cents on this one.

 

IT TOTALLY DEPENDS ON WHICH SHIP YOU ARE SAILING! And even then I'd think twice.

 

If you are looking at the old fleet with Sensation, Imagination or Inspiration, don't do it with very little kids.

Carnival is fun. There are always activities and the food is good. They don't have the variety and presentation that Disney puts into it. And the shows won't be as kid friendly.

 

Honestly, I think your kids are too little unless you're booking one of their brand new ships. You might want to look into RCCL Freedom class or Voyager class. Or Oasis! That looks incredible with a boardwalk, carousel, zero entry pool, aqua theater with laser show, etc.

And it's still cheaper than Disney, starting at about 699.00.

 

Personally, if my kids were 2 and 6, I'd stick with Disney and go off season so I could afford it. Nothing and I mean NOTHING beats Castaway Cay, Palo, or the kids clubs. And the shows are all family oriented. Try the other lines when they are bigger.

But if it's a cheaper cruise or no cruise at all, well then that's a different story!

[ManyMore]

I don't it's possible for one to tell another if they will like something or not. I have cruises both and like both but I also dont have kids. I have 11 friends on the Magic as we speak and do I wish I was with them? suuuuuuuuure but I can't justify one of us cruising for the same price as 2 on Carnival.

[BambiRumsey]

We have done both with our daughter. She was 5 when we cruised Disney (September 2004) and honestly it ranks pretty low on my cruise list and I am not sure they could pay ME to sail with them again. We felt DCL was a mediocre Disney experience compared to what you get in the parks and their resorts and very very poor cruise experience compared to other lines.

 

1. We did NOT like the rotating dining rooms on the Magic as the only one we felt was up to snuff cruise-wise was Lumiere's. The Parrot one to me felt like a Carribean themed Outback Steakhouse. The Animator's Pallette to me was more about some silly lights on the walls than about our servers making sure our food was brought out the correct temperature and as ordered. We did eat at Palo's and THAT is what cruise dining is SUPPOSED to be, every night and not for a surcharge.

 

2. Hannah is 9 now and is getting ready to take her 9th cruise this coming Sunday. Disney is the ONLY kids club where she spent no more than 30 minutes there at a time and she paged me to come get her because she wanted to leave. Every single time we went to pick her up, they were all parked in front of a big screen watching a Disney movie. Not just at night, all times of day. No crafts, no games, no activities...just giant screen Disney movies.

 

3. We found the pools on the Magic to be FILTHY. Cpould not see the bottom of the Mickey pool it was so cloudy. The adult pool always had debris in it and was not so "serene" considering it was right under the horn! The Carnival pools are salt water which takes a bit of getting used to but if your 6 year old can swim and your 2 year old is potty trained, put some floaties on them and get in the pools with them. The Carnival pools are about 4 feet deep so if the 6 year old is not a strong swimmer I would definitely use a flotation device.

 

4. The slide will be great for the 6 year old on Carnival. Don't let people discourage you from some of the older ships. Imagination, Inspiration, Fascination etc have all recently under gone huge renovations including adding water park/splash zones in the back. They are all extremely well maintained and lots of fun and better than their counter parts in RCCL (Majesty and Sovereign, at least in our experience).

 

5. We were not pleased with the service in general on Disney. We never saw our cabin steward. Not once. Not to introduce themselves, not to see if we needed anything. Nada. It took about a dozen phone calls to establish that we would like ice in our room, which is standard on Carnival but I think required an act of Congress on Disney. And then once we established that we wanted ice they brought it all hours of day and night, including after midnight when the do not disturb sign was on the door.

 

6. The size of the cabins are pretty comparable. I found the split bath on Disney to be better in theory but the toilet room was really too small in practice.

 

7. Shows. You do not mention if you have boys or girls. We were underwhelmed by the Disney Dreams show that everyone raved about but we really really enjoyed Hercules. On Carnival we have seen some shows we didn't like and some we did. Since we have a girl who dances and twirls baton she has always loved the song and dance shows on Carnival (and other lines) with all the sparkles, feathers, etc. I would consider these shows on Carnival to be rated PG rather than G like on Disney and what you like your kids to see is your decision. I can tell you though that if they make friends in kids club (which they will!) they may not want to leave to come see the show so you could just be watching them as a couple.

 

I think that for us, we went into the DCL experience with very high expectations and were extremely disappointed. I felt that since they owned the characters that perhaps Cinderella would come into kids club and read her story. Or there would be a pixie dust craft with Tinkerbell. Hannah was in kindergarten and at the height of her Princess Mania. I was expecting a much more immersive, inclusive Disney experience. Pretty much the only interaction we had with the characters was when I stopped what I was doing and stood in line like cattle for a photo op.

 

The one bright spot is that some of my favorite cruise pics are from that Disney cruise.

 

I think your idea of a Disney Land vacation and a Carnival shortie cruise is a good one and the best way to kill 2 birds with one stone!

[Cruzman]

So I would say if you can afford it and want to spend it, do DCL. If you just want a cruise for your family and price is a consideration, Carnival would be your choice. With kids as young as yours, nightlife is probably not a priority anyway, so just avoid the smoky Casino and entertainment venues. Try to pick a cruise with fun ports. Remember they do not have a private island.

 

Gotta take issue with you here; CCL does have a private island! It's called Half Moon Cay. Even though it is technically a part of the HAL brand, CCL has several ships that use the island.

[Ruggled]

I've been on two Disney cruises with my child. I've also been on two Carnival cruises without my child. My bet is that given the fact that you report that you loved your Disney cruise, you may not get exactly the same experience on Carnival--not bad, just different.

 

First, let me say that I like Disney and Carnival for different reasons. I have always experienced excellent service on Disney cruises. Having been on both the Magic and Wonder, I've found them both to be beautiful, well kept, with exceptional service everywhere. I also thought the shows were better in talent and production and I thought the meals were superior to what I can get in the Carnival dining room. Their adult's only restaurant, Palo, comprable to the Supper Club was outstanding as well. The ship pretty much goes to bed at 10PM, but that's fine when you have kids. The split bathroom is nice for families and as you already know, there is no casino on a Disney cruise. And Castaway Cay can't be beat for a beach break.

 

My Carnival cruises have been great. They were far less expensive, which was great. I went on them expecting them to be different than Disney and they were, but that was OK. The food in the regular dining rooms was OK. The entertainment is OK. I have not experienced Club Carnival because I have yet to take my child on a Carnival cruise--but I am not opposed to doing so and it looks like the kids are having fun. There is more of a party atmosphere, you will walk though a smoky casino...you will not get your picture taken with Captain Mickey :p Now, I like the overall Carnival atmosphere. I like to go to the casino and I love to go out dancing...you don't get that on Disney, but when I went on Disney, I had a younger child.

 

Would I pay a Disney price to go on a Carnival ship...nope.

Carnival is the best value at sea, and that's why I like it. So, my feedback is that you will probably like it fine. For me, the Disney ships are the gold standard...I always compare other lines to them and weight that against the cost of the cruise (one reason why HAL was unable to impress me was its relative cost compared to Carnival/Disney...to me, it wasn't worth the price I paid). Now that my kid is older, I doubt I'll ever go back to Disney--but if he was younger, I'd likely go back.

[Relayer]

We took our first two cruises on Disney and had a WONDERFUL time! All of our children are grown so this is from a totally adult point of view. Those cruises fostered the love we have for cruising! Since then we have sailed Carnival 3-4 times and again we have never been disappointed in anyway. We love the whole Carnival experience! Just the simple fact of being at sea is the total thing for us.

We would certainly sail Disney again without hesitation. As others have mentioned DCL is more expensive for comparable staterooms and both have their pluses but very few minuses.

 

We'd rather be cruising! Any line....Any Time!

[sunline2000]

Nothing compares to Disney cruise you pay for what you get ..My 1st cruise was a 7 day Disney Magic and Princess was my 2nd no comparison ..Disnay is the best for me,,but cost wise we are trying other lines....and we do open minded....next cruise is Carnival Sensation to Nassua short one...and I can't wait to cruise again...Princess while we had a fun cruise was okay..did not like the fact that children were allowed in the lounge areas after 9pm for the entertainment..only the dance club ,cigar lounge and casino enforced no admittance under 18...Go open minded and enjoy....good luck:)

[kicia]

We have done both Carnival (16 cruises) and only one 3 day on Disney and here are some differences we noticed.

 

The cabins are very comparable in size. We did not like the split bath on Disney. It sounds great but were so tiny and we are not big people at all. We couldn't close the bathroom door. We liked the fact that Disney has sliding doors to the balcony instead of the outward swinging doors on Carnival. We had great service on both lines.

 

Disney has a better sail away party than Carnival and they are the only cruise line that has fireworks. The pirate deck party was fun.

 

The food is much better on Carnival than Disney in the dining room. We didn't like changing dining rooms on Disney. Only one dining room was suited for formal night and we happened to be in the tropical themed room instead. It was a strange atmosphere. The times for dining even on the Lido were more restricted on Disney. You can eat almost all the time on Carnival. Also the breakfast on Disney on debarkation day was tied to your supper time. It was OK since we had late seating but it would have been terrible if we had early seating.

 

The shows are good on both lines but different. The shows on Disney are more themed for the kids with Disney characters. Carnival has more Vegas style shows.

 

We expected to see Disney characters everyone on the Disney cruise and were disappointed. There was a schedule that you could use to find the characters but we thought it would be like the old Premier cruises when they were affiliated with Disney and we saw the characters everywhere and every night in the dining room.

 

Of course as was noted above, there is no casino but that is no big deal for us. We like Half Moon Cay for Carnival as much as Castaway Cay for Disney. They're both very good.

 

We don't have any kids so this is from an adult perspective.

 

We like both cruise lines but it's hard to justify paying twice as much for a Disney cruise. Hope this helps with your decision.

[MDC]

I agree with a previous poster, Disney is not Carnival and the differences are many.

 

Several years ago we went on Disney, granted our kids were younger, but it was certainly designed around a family oriented atmosphere. I appreciate their standard, but I perfer a little more adult type activities especially in the evening hours.

[lms2004]

We sailed with Disney this past summer with our 4 kids (our 1st cruise.) As much as we loved it (we are now hooked on cruising), I've decided to book our next family cruise with RCI on Oasis of the seas. It is cheaper than Disney - even on the June "high season" sailing (we got balcony rooms on Oasis cheaper than I could book oceanview cabins on DCL.) Plus, I decided that I didn't want to end up with the same pictures - repeats - from two different vacations (something to think about.) My husband and I are sailing on the Carnival Conquest (w/o the kids) this coming June. Enjoy whatever option you decide to go with. I'm sure you'll have a ball!!!

[fllady61]

depends on what you are looking for in a cruise.

 

I don't sail disney for personal reasons, but know that as far as I am concerned, there is nothing to do for adults if you don't drink, or want to be around screaming kids all the time. we are around the mouse 8/5 ( 8 hours a day/ 5 days a week)

 

we prefer Carnival.