Disney vs. Holland America vs. Carnival??

So not to put down Carnival, because I know there are a lot of folks who love them, but we just finished a cruise with CCL and were NOT impressed. I guess it was just not for us.:o

Our first cruise experience was with Holland America and it was soooo much better! The food was better, the ship was beautiful and the service was stellar compared to CCL.

We have only been on these two cruises, so I will be comparing our two experiences and asking what to expect on DCL.

We have heard that Disney is the "cream of the crop" and we know Disney does it right!!!! We know it's more expensive but feel "you get what you pay for"

So, after seeing the prices (OUCH!!!!), we were wondering if some of the things we didn't like about CCL (that didn't happen on our Holland America experience) are also true for Disney.

Here is what we are hoping to find on Disney:

A beautiful and classic ship that is clean and well maintained. (The CCL ship was nice, but for example, our cabin walls had dents in them and our air conditioner basically did not work in our cabin...which even after complaining, was never really fixed.)

Shows that are broadway quality or at least what we would find in WDW (which are great!).

Food that is "food network" yummy....ya know? (We are not picky, but if I feel I can get better food at a fast food joint than in the formal dining room...really? Holland America was way far above what we got on CCL so I know it can be done. Now, our Holland America ship was smaller, so maybe that is the key?)

Service that is prompt in the dining room (we were the last to be served every night and we waited for about 30 minutes between courses on CCL. We would look around and see most other tables being served dessert while we were still waiting for our main course.:mad: ).

:confused:Do the room attendants leave carts of stuff in the hallways on DCL?

:confused:Do we put room service dirty dishes in the hallway on DCL?

:confused:Do they leave vacuums and carpet cleaning equipment in the hallways?

On CCL, this made it really hard to walk to your room, especially when anyone else was in the hall. And disembarkation for self-disembark was a nightmare trying to get our suitcases by all the mountains of stuff the staff had in the hall. (On Holland America, we were not allowed to put dirty dishes in the hallway. Our room steward took care of them. We rarely saw carts of stuff or any other equipment in the hallway unless room service was delivering. )

OK, enough rant about CCL and uplifting Holland America. We are very interested in DCL, but just want to see what some of these experiences on DCL are like.

Thanks for your help. :)

DCL doesn't have any casino's . Activities are mostly geared towards families with kids.

Lack of the casino seems to raise the price up a fair amount.

Actually, it's worth a bigger price tag to me if there are no casinos and it is more family friendly. :) Also less of a party/drinking atmosphere too.

So not to put down Carnival, because I know there are a lot of folks who love them, but we just finished a cruise with CCL and were NOT impressed. I guess it was just not for us.:o

 

Our first cruise experience was with Holland America and it was soooo much better! The food was better, the ship was beautiful and the service was stellar compared to CCL.

 

We have only been on these two cruises, so I will be comparing our two experiences and asking what to expect on DCL.

 

We have heard that Disney is the "cream of the crop" and we know Disney does it right!!!! We know it's more expensive but feel "you get what you pay for"

 

So, after seeing the prices (OUCH!!!!), we were wondering if some of the things we didn't like about CCL (that didn't happen on our Holland America experience) are also true for Disney.

 

Here is what we are hoping to find on Disney:

 

A beautiful and classic ship that is clean and well maintained. (The CCL ship was nice, but for example, our cabin walls had dents in them and our air conditioner basically did not work in our cabin...which even after complaining, was never really fixed.) Yes, DCL ships have that "classic" look. But with some Disney touches.

 

Shows that are broadway quality or at least what we would find in WDW (which are great!). We found the shows on Carnival less than stellar. Holland America is hit or miss on their shows - we've seen great ones and not so great ones. Disney has production shows, much like in the parks.

 

Food that is "food network" yummy....ya know? (We are not picky, but if I feel I can get better food at a fast food joint than in the formal dining room...really? Holland America was way far above what we got on CCL so I know it can be done. Now, our Holland America ship was smaller, so maybe that is the key?) We've found the food on most lines less than "food network" yummy, but good enough. There are some hits and some misses. Our best food we've had on Holland America, but I've only had 2 dishes on all our DCL cruise that I didn't like.

 

Service that is prompt in the dining room (we were the last to be served every night and we waited for about 30 minutes between courses on CCL. We would look around and see most other tables being served dessert while we were still waiting for our main course.:mad: ).Again, I agree, our dining service on Carnival was very slow and disjointed. Our experience on HAL and DCL is similar - if you speak to the servers, they will serve at the pace that fits what you want.

 

:confused:Do the room attendants leave carts of stuff in the hallways on DCL? While they are servicing the rooms, yes. But not all day/night.,

 

:confused:Do we put room service dirty dishes in the hallway on DCL? People do, but it's not necessary. If you just leave them in your room, your room host will clear them.

 

:confused:Do they leave vacuums and carpet cleaning equipment in the hallways?

Again, only while servicing the rooms.

 

On CCL, this made it really hard to walk to your room, especially when anyone else was in the hall. And disembarkation for self-disembark was a nightmare trying to get our suitcases by all the mountains of stuff the staff had in the hall. As far as I can remember, yes there are carts in the halls (and vacuums) on debarkation day.(On Holland America, we were not allowed to put dirty dishes in the hallway. Our room steward took care of them. We rarely saw carts of stuff or any other equipment in the hallway unless room service was delivering. )

 

OK, enough rant about CCL and uplifting Holland America. We are very interested in DCL, but just want to see what some of these experiences on DCL are like.

 

Thanks for your help. :)

My responses in red.

Shmoo here, thanks for your great responses to my questions. What about a lot of drinking and smoking in the adult only areas? Also is smoking allowed on balconies/verandahs?

Shmoo here, thanks for your great responses to my questions. What about a lot of drinking and smoking in the adult only areas? Also is smoking allowed on balconies/verandahs?

No smoking on verandahs. Only in designated smoking areas (those vary by ship). As with any public drinking space, there can be problems with people who drink too much, but, in my experience, there isn't as much on DCL. We love the Quiet Cove (adult only pool). One side of the pool area is smoking, the other non-smoking.

DCL food isn't food network quality. I found it not as good as on Carnival or Celebrity (overall enjoyed Royal about the same as Disney food).

Service on any cruise is hit or miss. Our last servers on the Fantasy were personable and nice but we were often the last to leave the dining room (several at our table ending up leaving without dessert on Pirate night in order to see the fireworks). Dinner was regularly 2+ hours with long gaps between the courses.

We found carts on every cruiseline in the halls. Along with vacuums (with faces). For us, it's very noticeable because my mother is a full time wheelchair user. Same as dings in the staterooms. Our bathroom on the Magic had black stuff in the grout and under the sink was pretty gross.

The shows on Disney are one place where they really do shine. It's the only line where we see 1 or 2 shows each cruise (normally we skip them and find other stuff - love the comedy club and casino on Carnival).

Why not give DCL a try? You won't know if it's right for you unless you try it. Then again, I am willing to sail on any cruise line for the right price with the right cabin and embarkation port. :p

I've never cruised Holland America, so can't do that comparison.

There is very little smoking on DCL compared to other lines. Smoking is not permitted in any indoor spaces and very few outdoor spaces.

Entertainment on DCL is top notch.

Food--Celebrity is better, and DCL food has been decreasing in quality for many years. In general, food at the resort restaurants at WDW is better. Speed of service depends on your servers...if you have the slow pokes, talk to the head server.

Vacuums and carts in the halls--yes, while rooms are being serviced.

Dirty dishes--your choice--place in hall, call room service to pick them up, or just leave them in the room and your host will take care of them.

So not to put down Carnival, because I know there are a lot of folks who love them, but we just finished a cruise with CCL and were NOT impressed. I guess it was just not for us.:o

 

Our first cruise experience was with Holland America and it was soooo much better! The food was better, the ship was beautiful and the service was stellar compared to CCL.

 

We have only been on these two cruises, so I will be comparing our two experiences and asking what to expect on DCL.

 

We have heard that Disney is the "cream of the crop" and we know Disney does it right!!!! We know it's more expensive but feel "you get what you pay for"

 

So, after seeing the prices (OUCH!!!!), we were wondering if some of the things we didn't like about CCL (that didn't happen on our Holland America experience) are also true for Disney.

 

Here is what we are hoping to find on Disney:

 

A beautiful and classic ship that is clean and well maintained. (The CCL ship was nice, but for example, our cabin walls had dents in them and our air conditioner basically did not work in our cabin...which even after complaining, was never really fixed.)

 

Shows that are broadway quality or at least what we would find in WDW (which are great!).

 

Food that is "food network" yummy....ya know? (We are not picky, but if I feel I can get better food at a fast food joint than in the formal dining room...really? Holland America was way far above what we got on CCL so I know it can be done. Now, our Holland America ship was smaller, so maybe that is the key?)

 

Service that is prompt in the dining room (we were the last to be served every night and we waited for about 30 minutes between courses on CCL. We would look around and see most other tables being served dessert while we were still waiting for our main course.:mad: ).

 

:confused:Do the room attendants leave carts of stuff in the hallways on DCL?

 

:confused:Do we put room service dirty dishes in the hallway on DCL?

 

:confused:Do they leave vacuums and carpet cleaning equipment in the hallways?

 

On CCL, this made it really hard to walk to your room, especially when anyone else was in the hall. And disembarkation for self-disembark was a nightmare trying to get our suitcases by all the mountains of stuff the staff had in the hall. (On Holland America, we were not allowed to put dirty dishes in the hallway. Our room steward took care of them. We rarely saw carts of stuff or any other equipment in the hallway unless room service was delivering. )

 

OK, enough rant about CCL and uplifting Holland America. We are very interested in DCL, but just want to see what some of these experiences on DCL are like.

 

Thanks for your help. :)

YMMV but you got to pay for what you get and sometimes you don't always get what you pay for. But if you don't pay what can you expect, there is a reason CCL is popular, they offer a great value product and many find it that. The fact some want more is why there are many other products, most costing A LOT more. Some like service and hallway clutter seem to be price agnostic, but it comes down to cultural and staffing and got to believe both are more focused on higher end lines.

YMMV but you got to pay for what you get and sometimes you don't always get what you pay for. But if you don't pay what can you expect, there is a reason CCL is popular, they offer a great value product and many find it that. The fact some want more is why there are many other products, most costing A LOT more. Some like service and hallway clutter seem to be price agnostic, but it comes down to cultural and staffing and got to believe both are more focused on higher end lines.

I certain agree that you get what you pay for so we are willing to pay more for a better experience. My question mainly is: Will the things that we didn't like about CCL be present on DCL?

It seems that the food might not be much better but the shows, beauty of the ship and family friendly atmosphere (with much less smoking and partying) might be enough to sway us to DCL.

DCL is by far the most family friendly line we have ever cruised. There is less smoking and drinking than on other lines that we've cruised. Yes, there are certainly smokers and there are people who over-indulge in alcohol, but the numbers are greatly reduced. NOW the smoking areas are so limited that they don't bother us. There are NO indoor smoking areas, no balcony or cabin smoking, and very few external decks where it is permitted. (This was not always the case). The shows are totally G rated before 9 pm, and after 9 kids are not permitted to attend. Kids are welcomed, not merely tolerated.

The staff is great. The ships are beautiful--highly detailed. DO the "Art of the Steamship" tour if at all possible. They will point out things you wouldn't see otherwise. The decor is lovely. There is nothing tacky about DCL except the re-imagined lobby of the Magic.

If you have ANY issues with your dining staff, talk to your head server. He will speed them up or change you to a different team.

The food is OK, just not great. Some items are super, others just so-so. But food is subjective. We felt is was better on another upscale line and is better in some of the WDW restaurants (like the Wave, Kona Cafe, etc).

What we liked better on other lines about the food.....

Celebrity has a healthy choice lunch place by the adult pool. They will grill fresh salmon for you as well as providing cold salads, fruit, etc. It was much better than the semi-healthy choices at Goofy's Galley (which has been re-named but has the same food). Their munchies outlet (similar to Cove Cafe) was also better and was staffed rather than self serve.

The quality of the food in general was better on the 2 other lines we've cruised. However, in terms of beauty of the ships and entertainment, DCL wins.

I have cruised all three lines.

I loved my Carnival cruise but then again I did not pay much and so I did not expect much.

I loved my HAL cruises. The food was excellent and the service was amazing.

I loved my Disney cruise. The entertainment was first class, the Disney branding was wonderful without being over the top, I loved running into the characters around the ship. The food was fine better than Carnival but not as good as HAL.

I think you will very happy with your experience.

I've cruised all three lines. HAL is tops of the three. I found the food on DCL so-so and CCL is just a tad " livelier" than I want on a relaxing cruise. We also had a gosh awful experience with an inept captain on DCL. He went directly into a tropical storm-resulting in damage to the ship (broken windows/damaged artworks/merchandise strewn in the shops like a bomb exploded) and the scariest night I've ever spent on a ship. So my opinion may be colored:eek:

We have sailed with DCL many times. The ships have always been immaculately clean in all areas, inside and out. The officers have always been top notch professionals. Servers have mostly been very good, wanting to make sure we are always more than satisfied with our dining experience. A few times, servers have struggled, mostly because they were relatively new. Seeing one of them years later on a recent cruise, he had matured and was quite engaging. The food is usually quite an enjoyable experience, but, admittedly we have reset our expectations just a bit over the last 10 years. It has gone from "over the top" to just "exceptional". The transatlantic menus were fantastic. Stateroom host/hostesses are usually very good. Entertainment is always a differentiator for DCL.

I would encourage you to give DCL a try. We are in the group of people who find DCL an exceptional experience.

I've sailed HAL a whole bunch and DCL twice (never CCL). In general, the things we liked about HAL, which seem to be the same kinds of things the OP likes, were shared qualities on DCL. In my opinion, from a service and hard product standpoint, the two lines are pretty similar.

I have done all three. I enjoyed all three lines in there own way, but I confess I am in love with DCL. Food is so subjective, and maybe I am not picky, but none of the food really stood out as memorably bad, always just good for me on all lines, but for Chefs table and Steakhouse on CCL and Palo and Remy on DCL---those were excellent.

DCL shows BY FAR the best (as long as you are okay with Disney themed shows) HAL the worst, but CCL very close. Service best on DCL, worst on HAL (mainly owing to one server, probably just an anomaly). DCL ships the best (so beautiful, classic and well-maintained) but I liked how small the HAL ship was, even more intimate than Magic and Wonder. Trivia best on HAL. CCL best value, HAL the worst --I had to book 2 rooms because they had no rooms for family of four but for suites, which made it very expensive. HAL had awesome library and computer lab, but DCL had best internet quality/price (specifically on the Magic).

To OP, if you go on DCL I highly recommend the Magic or Wonder, as I fdont think you will like the size or crowds on the Fantasy or Dream. And let your servers and stateroom attendant know your wants-such as a quick dinner. Maybe we have just been lucky, but the servers on DCL, for me, are THE best!

I have only cruised Disney, so I cant compare. But I do love Disney and I am not sure I will ever cruise anyone else.

The ships are beautiful and well maintained.

I really love the shows. I would consider them Broadway style and very entertaining. My husband doesn't love shows, but he enjoys the DCL ones.

We really enjoy the food. I wouldn't consider us "foodies" or anything, but we have always had a good experience in the main dining rooms. They get to know you and what you like.

I have found service to be prompt in the dining rooms. We usually sit back and enjoy ourselves.

I have only seen carts a few times in the hallways, but they weren't an inconvenience.

People do leave room service plates in the halls, but I have never seen an abundant amount. I did see several when we had a rough sea night. I assume people didn't go to dinner due to sea sickness and just ordered room service.

I have seen vacuums in the hall. I only remember this because I said to my husband "wow that's a dyson. that's a nice vacuum." haha

But with seeing the carts and vacuums, I never though it was an issue and they never seemed to be in the way.

We like that there is no casino and we like that there isn't really a party scene. Even at night in the adult bar areas, it isn't wild and crazy. We enjoy being able to just sit and have a few drinks.

The more I look at things, the more we are sold on DCL. No casinos, more family friendly, beauty of the ships, the quality shows, the service etc. I think as far as the food quality, we'd have to go back with HAL and would do it but in the summer they are only going to be in Alaska and Europe I think.

The only thing that is holding us back from DCL is the HUGE pricetag. Even if we only did a 4 nighter, it is so high. With our schedules we have to travel after Memorial day....SUMMER. $$$$. We'll have to see how we can figure it out.

We just got back from the Magic. Agree with all above. I am a foodie, and while the food was not over the top, it was consistently good. I had one tuna steak that was overcooked, the the lobster pasta one had one piece of lobster in it. Other than that, I was quite happy with the food.

The ship was completely full, and we commented several times at how not full it seemed. Other than the major character meet and greets, there were rarely crowds. Now, this was also Northern Europe and it was too cold to use the pool, so that might have influenced my opinion of the crowds.

The service attention to detail was fantastic and what I expected from Disney.

This was our second cruise. Dh and I sailed Oceania last year for our first cruise. I know you didn't ask about it, but I found it to be similar in quality and atmosphere overall. The shows were not fabulous, but I'm not a fan of even most of the DCL shows. There is a casino, but it is small. The staff were really good, and it was a generally not wild and crazy group of people. The food was excellent. There were some bars that were hopping at night, and some quieter sit and chat places as well. It was a very good experience. Dh and I keep looking at Oceania prices and thinking we could do 2-3 cruises for the cost of another DCL cruise.

I don't regret DCL, as we brought the kids, we had a blast, and the itinerary was what we were looking for. But for the current costs, if it were just DH and I, we'd sail Oceania again.

OP,

Fantasy is a beautiful ship - elegant and very art deco. Magic is nice but is showing its age (even after renovation).

Food on Disney is OK - nothing to write home about. Food much better on Princess.

Disney does have carts in the aisles but they blend in more and seem smaller. Never had an issue with that at all.

People will leave their dishes out on ALL cruise lines - no difference here.

Shows on Disney are great - but you gotta like Disney 'cause that's what you get.

All in all, I've really enjoyed Disney - if the price is fairly commensurate with, let's say, Princess or RCI. I'm not sure I'd pay a lot more. I've had great experiences (with the kid) on Princess, too.

We just cruised the CCL Breeze after two DCL cruises. Frankly, the Breeze had a lot more to do than DCL ships. We also found the food better on the Breeze than on DCL (outside of specialty restaurants).

That doesn't mean I will exclusively cruise either line. I don't want to cruise on an old CCL tub. I want the newer ships or nothing. I love the elegance of DCL ships.

We enjoyed the shows on both lines. We thought service was nearly as good on CCL.

I was a little put off at first by the initial "get your drink on" atmosphere of the Breeze but that settled down after the first sea day. The DCL cruises had a different vibe I suppose due to the much higher proportion of families.

We've just returned from a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Fort Lauderdale (Apr 3 - 10).

There are some issues that will be helpful for future passengers, so here goes:

1. Don't book your return flight before 11 a.m. If you do, you are responsible for getting all of your luggage off the ship--that means you have to get all bags from your room down the halls to the deck for disembarkation and down the gangway. It was a mess and a really difficult process because other people were trying to do the same. If you book after 11, they will take all but your carryon bags the night before from the hall and unloading into the cruise terminal

2. Entertainment on the ship. Showroom not so good. Singers couldn't sing. Dancers suffered as well. Best entertainment in the BB King Blues Club. The jazz musicians were outstanding!

3. Rooms (V5083). Impeccably clean. Stewards were thorough and well trained.

4. Food in the Lido. Excellent, hot.

5. In room dining. Not so good. Got severe vomiting and diarrhea three hours after eating a tuna sandwich on the last night of the cruise. Solution -- eat BLTs!

6. Designated Smoking area shouldn't be where food served. It is on the aft deck reserved solely for adults.

7. Aft deck food service - Pizzas are great and small (one person sized)

8. Fore deck food service - burgers and hot dogs outstanding!

9. Activities - if you don't drink, you are limited to trivia in the afternoon and early evening, otherwise its mixology, wine tasting, champagne art auctions, etc.

I haven't done Carnival, but have done HAL (to Alaska) and DCL (Fantasy) twice-1 eastern Caribbean and 1 Western Caribbean. The latter was a Merrytime Christmas cruise, just DH and myself.

I've sailed HAL a whole bunch and DCL twice (never CCL). In general, the things we liked about HAL, which seem to be the same kinds of things the OP likes, were shared qualities on DCL. In my opinion, from a service and hard product standpoint, the two lines are pretty similar.

While Disney doesn't allow smoking on its balconies, trust me....it happens.:rolleyes: Took me days to figure out where it was coming from, because it was down about 5 or 6 staterooms from mine. (so not visible, but I could smell it)

For our family, cost and itinerary are always factors to be considered. Happy cruising, whatever you decide!

5. In room dining. Not so good. Got severe vomiting and diarrhea three hours after eating a tuna sandwich on the last night of the cruise. Solution -- eat BLTs!

 

 

9. Activities - if you don't drink, you are limited to trivia in the afternoon and early evening, otherwise its mixology, wine tasting, champagne art auctions, etc.

Oh, see, the in room dining is something that was a real treat for us! We got back from a shore excursion and were tired. We had the entire dining room meal brought in for dinner. Heaven to eat so well, while relaxing! ;) I like your idea of just choosing a BLT, though.....maybe for lunch next time!

I'm a trivia nut, so this was right up my alley....along with mixology and the computer sessions. Learned some, and got a couple of freebies! :)

Bottom line if you have young children or like things really quiet after 9 pm then Disney is for you if you prefer adult entertainment after 9 pm then it's not. Disney has beautiful ship and top notch kid programs but is lacking in the adult entertainment big time!!

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