Which would you rather cruise on?

[Cruis3rz]

Hi CC'ers (:

 

I'd like to start out by apologizing if this is in the wrong area.

 

Now onto the question.

I would like to cruise in the Bahamas again, with only my daughter (13) & son (12). My wife is going to visit her parents during the month of January.

 

There are two deals we are interested in: Disney Wonder and Carnival Sensation.

Which would you rather cruise on?

My kids don't mind, and neither do I. We already know that Disney is a great experience. The pros of the Carnival (that we know so far) are the casino, although I don't gamble often, & the pool's slides (?).

 

:confused:

If anyone can provide ANY insight/opinion, it'd be very much appreciated.

[firefly333]

Disney will be triple the price, but will have disney characters, and they do up the beach visit, with steaks on the adult side, the dining rooms are much fancier etc.

 

Sensation has had balconys added, so you could book a balcony for probably less than a inside cabin on Disney. The waterworks is supposed to be terrific that was added, its much more than "a slide".

 

Disney has free soda, you have to buy a soda card on Carnival for $4 a day for children, $6 a day for adults plus 15% tips.

 

Shows on Disney are better, more professionally done. Id like to do both, so it would depend on the deals on the particular dates you plan on going which one Id pick.

[serene56]

Disney will be costly- I can sail on carnival three times for the price of Disney.

Disney is nice dont get me wrong-- but for a 12 & 13 year old carnival would be the way to go

[boulders]

I wasn't impressed with Carnival the one time I sailed the cruiseline. Neither was my 13 year old son. I would choose Disney if I had to choose, but didn't have to pay. :D

[Karysa]

I am unsure about the age group splits on Disney but on Carnival both your children will be in the 12-14 year old group. Carnival seems to do a good job with keeping this age group occupied. If they were younger I would say that the whole Disney theme idea might be worth the money but for kids this age I would book Carnival and use the money saved on the cruise to do really amazing excursions.

[Cruisin' Chick]

For me, I would rather go with Carnival. But then I'm not into Disney. I did sail on the Sensation back in 1994 when it was pretty new.

 

Don't forget to bring documentation signed from your wife that she's okay with you taking your kids on a cruise w/o her. The cruiseline may require something like that.

[trish1c]

If you want to gamble you must sail Carnival b/c Disney doesn't have a Casino. I think Disney has family cabins so you & your wife can have a little adult privacy while the kids are safe on the other side of the doors rather than all being jammed together or in separate cabins where you don't know what is going on.

[silentbob007]

I've heard that Castaway Cay is a wonderful private island. I'd love to cruise Disney for myself, but never want to shell out the money.

[printingchick]

My youngest was 12 when we took our first cruise on Carnival. I've taken kids age 12-18. I have not cruised with Disney, but I tend to think it might be aimed at younger kids than yours. My kids LOVE the water slide on Carnival. For the price, at the age of your children, I'd have to add my vote for Carnival.

[Cruis3rz]

Thanks for the feedback!

I'll have to call to get everything straightened out, but we'll see.

All of the replies were appreciated.

 

Oh and just to add: Both Carnival & Disney are sailing the same route, on the same days, when we'd like to go. The only difference is that the Sensation is staying on Nassau for two days, while the Wonder is moving to Castaway Cove. Disney is only about $30/person more than Carnival right now because we're booking in January. The Disney did actually accomodate the adults' needs as well, but it was family-oriented, rather than just aimed toward one age group itself.

[hubofhockey]

The shorter Bahamas cruises on Carnival sometimes have lots of people in their 20s doing a lot of drinking and everything that goes along with that. I guess during college breaks that I might think twice about it. My kids are a little younger (6th and 4th graders) and I wouldn't subject them to that. They love Carnival. But we have only taken them on 6 and 8 day cruises on Carnival.

[Happy ks]

We've cruised Disney and Carnival...and would cruise Disney again in a heartbeat but it will take a lot of persuasion to get any of us back onto a Carnival ship.

 

It's for the whole family, many generations, not just young kids. The ships are gorgeous and not so child-like that many people imagine. I've also cruised on QM2 and the Disney ship we were on was just about as elegant as that.

 

The ships are seperated into age groups, not just the kids clubs, but the pool areas and night time entertainment as well. The restaurants are fun, the stage shows can't be beat. There are definite areas for adults, young families and older kids. One whole level of the ship is designed just for the kids clubs, not just a portion of a deck like most cruise lines have.

 

My sis took her daughter and granddaughter this past June with our recommendation and they would love to go on a Disney cruise again. We'd even go without kids.

[hubofhockey]

If the price difference is only $30, I would think Disney would be the easy choice. But there are some who might prefer Carnival.

[cruiserbryce]

DCL is going to be A LOT more expensive so if $ is a factor this is a big one. But DCL does provide a more premium experience, especially for the kids than CCL. I would personally probably go with Carnival...you get more for your $...but thats just me. I would imagine the ports are pretty similar

[HappyJoKer]

I have had wonderful cruises on both lines! If the price is pretty much the same I would pick Disney because of the private island!

[BroncosFan2010]

My guess is that Disney is going to be way more expensive, but will probably provide a better product. If you can afford the extra, I would go with Disney.

[hubofhockey]

Not sure if you actually read the thread or actually consider $30 per person for the cruise to be "A LOT". I don't think it's much at all for the difference.

 

 

DCL is going to be A LOT more expensive so if $ is a factor this is a big one. But DCL does provide a more premium experience, especially for the kids than CCL. I would personally probably go with Carnival...you get more for your $...but thats just me. I would imagine the ports are pretty similar

[obnurse]

No comparison to me....Disney all the way! It will be worth the extra money and your kids are a great age to enjoy this trip, because Disney cruises are for everyone. You get what you pay for, and that goes both ways. Carnival may be a little cheaper but it won't be the same as a Disney cruise.