My review: Carnival vs. Disney

[CactusGirly]

Very nice posts, OP - seemed very balanced and fair and well laid out. We are a family of 5 and are doing our 2nd Disney cruise in a few months. We too have considered whether we will "stray" to another line in order to be able to cruise more frequently with the kids in the future. We are considering RCI as our potential next stop.

[bajathree]

I would love to try Royal. I really looked into the Allure when we were booking this cruise. The reason we didn't was that it was REALLY close to Disney prices, but doesn't include all of what Disney includes.... so I thought if I was going to spend that much money that I would just book with Disney again. I could be wrong about Royal, but it seemed like a lot of nickel and diming that Disney doesn't do. However, I could be persuaded. The Allure looked like a GREAT ship! My dd loves the Dreamworks characters. The entertainment looks great and the overall ship looks fantastic. I just don't want to pay extra for a good burger or just little things like that.

 

First off...DISCLAIMER...I am a huge Royal guy....NYE on Oasis will be my 7th time alone just on that class ship. There is absolutely nothing sailing that comes close to offering the choices of dining/entertainment/activities you will find on Oasis/Allure. Plenty free dining choices and many excellent specialty choices to fit just about anyones taste. You must keep in mind some of the activities that are included in your fare...2 rock climbing walls, ice skating, 2 Flowriders (surf simulator machines), the first zip-line at sea, mini-golf...then come all the entertainment choices also included... Broadway Production Shows of Chicago (Allure) and Hairspray(Oasis) that will rival any land based production of either including on Broadway in NYC....they have an outdoor Aqutheater with unbelievable high diving, theatrical and fountain shows....it's the deepest salt water pool at sea...this is just touching the highlights of just a few of the entertainment choices offered....you have Central Park with thousands of live growing and thriving trees, shrubs and flowers (birds and butterflies)...The Boardwalk with the only carousel at sea (included)...the first Rising Tide Bar, again a first at sea bar that travels 3 levels...the list just goes on and on and on.....

[will773]

Great comparison, thanks for posting!

[kath00]

Great posts! Thank you for taking the time...

 

Well, we have all of our bases covered, LOL!

 

Disney Wonder in 1 week

Carnival Splendor in 4 months

Allure of the Seas in 1 year!

 

It's only fair to try them all, right? So we can do our own "research!" :D:D:D

[DISNEYMAMA18]

Thank you for your posts. I sailed on the Carnival Liberty this past May and we enjoyed it. We will be sailing on the Disney Dream this coming June and I agree there is a huge price difference. We are a family of 5 and it is costing us a pretty penny to sail with DCL. We sailed on the Liberty for a 7 day cruise for half the price of what we are paying for the Disney Cruise. I agree with most of what you said about the Liberty. My biggest complaint about the Liberty was the food. It was decent, but it didn't "Wow" us, with the exception of the chocolate melting cake. I have also sailed on RC and their food was much better than Carnival's. With that said I am looking forward to better food on The Dream and hoping the difference in price is worth it. This will probably be our only Disney Cruise because of the price.

[bunnyman]

A little background on our family. We have a large family (9 total- usually 7-8 that actually sail) that had only sailed on DCL before. Specifically we've sailed the Magic to the caribbean and the wonder to the mexican riviera. We're a mixed family. My kids and I are super Disney fanatics. Dh and his kids are not... but are tolerant. All of our Disney cruises have been outstanding. Even my not so loving of disney stepkids and dh absolutely love the DCL product.

 

So, why did we stray in the first place? If we love DCL and never had a complaint, why did we book with Carnival? Like I said, we have a very large family. Price had a lot to do with it. With Disney prices, we just couldn't sail very often at all. It is extremely expensive to book 8 people. We love the adventure of cruising, but not necessarily the price. So, while looking toward our next adventure, I found an outstanding deal on a cruise with Carnival Liberty. If you didn't know, this ship just went through a renovation a month ago and is the only Carnival ship with the new Fun 2.0 features that they are rolling out. If you are curious to how big of a price difference it was, we ended up doing a 7 night Western caribbean in 2 inside cabins at the price of $230 per person! That's a huge price difference.

 

This review is just comparative between the two lines and overall impressions. I'll break it into different categories to try to make it easier to read. I hope this is helpful to someone trying to make the decision on which line to sail with.

 

I have to ask if you noticed any difference on Carnival having the casino versus Disney not having one? I doing the opposite next year, and doing first DCL after five Carnival cruises. Kids are getting older (will be 13 and 15) and really wanted to do it, but us adults are a little bit nervous that it will be too much Disney overload. We love going to WDW almost each year, but have always tended to avoid DCL based on the large price difference versus the other lines.

[Modern_Viking]

Thanks for the great review. I like the format and you seem observant and no biased. I wonder if you might have made a slight mistake with the rooms, however.

 

Both CCL & DCL have 2 styles of inside cabins. CCL (Carnival) has small and standard while DCL has standard and large. The standard insides on both lines should be similar. On Disney, you have to pay extra for a large inside to get the split bath and (on Wonder and Magic only) the extra steamer trunk storage area. Disney standard insides do not have the split bath.

 

On Carnival only the cheapest insides have bunk beds (1 upper and 1 lower) for the first 2 people. The standard insides have 2 lower beds for the first 2 people plus a couch and upper bed for the 3rd and 4th.

 

It isn't 100% clear but you might be comparing a Disney large inside to a Carnival small inside. Comparing a Carnival standard inside to a DCL standard inside might come out closer to the same.

[Modern_Viking]

Consider giving Royal a try;)

 

I know I am being picky here, but Royal Cruise Line went out of business many years ago (around 1997 in fact) a few years after being purchased by NCL.

 

You are no doubt referring to Royal Caribbean (abbreviated RCI or RCCL). I know it is somewhat common to shorten "royal caribbean" as "royal" but to those of us who remember RCCL and Royal as two separate, rival companies that both existed side-by-side for a time, that shorthand is confusing.

 

In fact, at Epcot in WDW, if you look around the Malestrom ride you will see one of the sponsors listed as Kloster Cruises, the one time owner of NCL, Royal, and Royal Viking but not an owner of Royal Caribbean.

[williamson_ja]

I have to ask if you noticed any difference on Carnival having the casino versus Disney not having one? I doing the opposite next year, and doing first DCL after five Carnival cruises. Kids are getting older (will be 13 and 15) and really wanted to do it, but us adults are a little bit nervous that it will be too much Disney overload. We love going to WDW almost each year, but have always tended to avoid DCL based on the large price difference versus the other lines.

 

We don't notice a difference between having a casino and not because we don't gamble. I would probably prefer for there not to be one on board just because they can be smokey, but it didn't bug me. Since we don't gamble, we didn't gain anything from it being there. Others may feel differently about that. :)

[Dave_MaryJo]

I just watched the Mighty Ships show on the Oasis. It's on the Smithsonian HD channel.

Most of he show was all about how big it is. Yes it is big, we get that, move on.

They made a big deal about the Central Park area but it looks like a mall to me. I can go to malls any time. I'd rather see more on the rest of the ship.

 

I'll have to try and catch Oasis on Smithsonian Channel again when it comes on. It's not on in the next 2 weeks. :(

[CruisingChics]

For DCL, you can choose a dummy date as far out as possible. Choose a 3-days cruise in early November 2013 category 11C, for instance. Deposit for 2 adults and 2 kids is $150. It locks in the 10% discount off cruise fare, $100 or $200 OBC, and 10% deposit. These "benefits" can be switched to other dates/ships subsequently. As far as I know, there is no expiry, and you can get the money back if you decided not to cruise with DCL again and wanted to cancel it.

 

you may be thinking of a "COURTESY HOLD" (courtesy reservation to hold)..... but to cancel with full refund, you must do so BEFORE the 75th-day-prior-to-sailing...... try to cancel on day 74,73,72,71...... 5,4,3,2,1, NO REFUND. Call and ask to be 100% sure....

[Friend100]

you may be thinking of a "COURTESY HOLD" (courtesy reservation to hold)..... but to cancel with full refund, you must do so BEFORE the 75th-day-prior-to-sailing...... try to cancel on day 74,73,72,71...... 5,4,3,2,1, NO REFUND. Call and ask to be 100% sure....

 

I am referring to booking next cruise on board, and then decide to cancel it before final payment deadline. You can get the deposit back. My post is in response to the OP's point of Carnival having the Future Cruise Certificate that you have to use it within 2 years.

[SpoiledTraveler]

Great comparison review!

 

I've only been on one cruise so far (Disney Dream) but I was so impressed by everything. We're Disney people and felt right at home on the Dream. We didn't take the kids and thought that the adult only areas on the dream were simply amazing.

 

My inlaws are treating us to an NCL Cruise next year and I'm really excited, it will be my first non-Disney vacation in 15 years and I'm a little nervous. I started keeping a comparison list for my review after we sail. I hope that my comparison review will be as nice as this one. :)

[shanley]

My father recently went on a Princess cruise, although having a different perspective (senior) then the OP might have, he came up with the same conclusions. He didn't have any major complaints about Princess, but just found Disney to be over all better and the service way better - cleanliness, friendliness, personalized service, towels, embarkation, debarkation, Castaway Cay...

 

We are going on Carnival next, and then likely RCCL but we will return to Disney in a few years and I expect my dad will join us again.

[narsibvl]

At the end of the cruise, I asked my 18 year old son if he could sail Disney or Carnival again, which one would he pick. This is my stepson that is NOT a Disney fan of any sort. He said that it wasn't even a contest for him. He would choose Disney every time. I was rather surprised and asked him why. He said that the service on Disney was so much better and he just felt like it was a much higher quality of product.

 

Unfortunately, he does not make the end decisions for where our family vacations. So, what did the breadwinners think? If we were super wealthy, we would probably sail Disney every time. We are not. We have a large family and not so large of funds. In the end, we had a great time on Carnival. We felt that the VALUE for what you get on a Carnival cruise was superior to DCL. The food was great. The entertainment was surprisingly good. The ship was beautiful. The bad things were not that bad and certainly didn't ruin our trip. We decided that our next cruise will be with Carnival! Does that mean we'll never sail Disney again? No. it's awesome. I can just cruise much more frequently with Carnival. We had a great time.

 

Last note. Something that Carnival does that we would like to see Disney do is the future cruise certificate. How it works is that you tell Carnival that you would like to sail with them some time in the future. You pay $100 down per room. No dates or anything are picked at this point. In exchange, you get $100 toward your down payment plus a $100 onboard credit for a 7 night cruise (it's $200 for a 14 night). I like not having to come up with enough money for a downpayment for 8 people and not having to pick my dates yet to get the onboard credit promo. When you decide when and where you'd like to sail, you just apply the certificate to your room. You do have to book your cruise within 2 years, but we're sure we can accommodate that. We bought two certificates for our next cruise since we always need two rooms.

 

 

Anyone have questions that I didn't cover here?

 

The future cruise program of carnival is similar to booking a dummy date onboard the cruise in Disney, they do have some discounts then.

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Great review!

 

How did the kids like the pool deck and sports area?

[WeatherGeek]

Having just sailed Disney for the first time after 7 other cruises all with Carnival, I found your review to be mostly in line with my views in comparing the two. I certainly prefer Disney to Carnival after just 1 sailing with them, but we will continue to cruise Carnival because of the overall value, plus a few other factors - proximity to a Carnival port, I prefer their kids club over Disney's at my daughter's current age (I have no doubt this will change as she gets older, but she's special needs and Disney gave me a huge hassle about it) and because we keep buying FCC's every time we go on one!

[bklwashere]

Thanks for this review. We just got off our first Disney cruise and will be trying Carnival next year.

[gelo7]

Wonderful review.

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

Thanks for this review. I am glad you were open to trying a new line...there are pluses and minuses for each line. We sail Carnival because it is a good value...my kids really want to sail Disney, and I'm sure we will within the next couple of years. For the price I will expect SUPERIOR service on DCL.

 

I think it also depends on the particular ship. I have enjoyed certain CCL ships more than others. For the most part, my experience on RCI has not been worth the price compared to CCL...that's just my own opinion. One day maybe I'll try the bigger new ships on RCI, but for now, if I am choosing based on price and have to pay higher, I will definitely choose DCL. Already have 2 cruises booked for 2012, but am on the DCL boards now to research for 2013! So again, thanks for your review, and for pointing out the good and not so good on both lines.

[acenjen]

We are taking our first long Carnival cruise for spring break and I have to admit I am a bit concerned. However, the price and proximity to our home made it the best choice. We have been on all the Disney boats, which the last one was on the Dream last month.

I have to say that as much as I absolutely love Disney, outside of the cleanliness and service I was a bit disappointed with the Dream. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful ship, but we could never get any seats at the pool and the pool area was just too small. My biggest issue was the change in the kids club. Our previous cruises were with the children being separated into age groups. Our kids really enjoyed it. This time they were just running around in the two different areas, the club and lab. The staff call you every time your child comes up and says they're ready to leave and then by the time you get there, they say they're fine and you can go. It was a bit frustrating.

My other issue this time around is that there did not seem to be very many activities on board. There were a lot of character meet and greets, but everything else seemed a bit lacking. Don't flame me, that is just my personal opinion.

The staterooms were beautiful, but our midship room took a long time to get anywhere. It was right in between the two elevators and because the ship is so long it was a bit of a pain. I will remember that next time.

I am hoping we are not disappointed with the Carnival Spirit. Here is to a fun and sun...

[kath00]

We are taking our first long Carnival cruise for spring break and I have to admit I am a bit concerned. However, the price and proximity to our home made it the best choice. We have been on all the Disney boats, which the last one was on the Dream last month.

I have to say that as much as I absolutely love Disney, outside of the cleanliness and service I was a bit disappointed with the Dream. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful ship, but we could never get any seats at the pool and the pool area was just too small. My biggest issue was the change in the kids club. Our previous cruises were with the children being separated into age groups. Our kids really enjoyed it. This time they were just running around in the two different areas, the club and lab. The staff call you every time your child comes up and says they're ready to leave and then by the time you get there, they say they're fine and you can go. It was a bit frustrating.

My other issue this time around is that there did not seem to be very many activities on board. There were a lot of character meet and greets, but everything else seemed a bit lacking. Don't flame me, that is just my personal opinion.

The staterooms were beautiful, but our midship room took a long time to get anywhere. It was right in between the two elevators and because the ship is so long it was a bit of a pain. I will remember that next time.

I am hoping we are not disappointed with the Carnival Spirit. Here is to a fun and sun...

 

I could have written your words exactly!! We just got off the Wonder and found the exact same situation! No activities for adults during the day at all, unless you count all the "sales pitch" type activities like "how to have a flatter stomach by eating more" and how to incorporate acupuncture in your cruise and so on. Plus the DVC sales pitches to buy points and the many, many alcohol tasting events that you have to pay for. I too was disappointed in this aspect of the Disney cruise experience. That, and our food was just not good again. But, overall we had a great time, but then again we always have a great time on our cruises. I too found the kids club a total free for all and all the 8,9 and 10 year olds were running wild while the 3, 4 and 5 year olds were pretty much just kinda aimlessly wondering around. There were no interactions with the counselors because there were about 100 kids with only 4-5 counselors total, of which 2-3 were constantly checking kids in and out. I definitely don't think we are sailing Disney again. Next for us is Carnival Splendor and then the Allure of the Seas, which consistently gets 5* reviews from everyone with families...

[acenjen]

I'm glad I was not the only one. We, too, had a wonderful time, but not just what we had remembered from a couple years before.

[Bunkie103]

We are taking our first long Carnival cruise for spring break and I have to admit I am a bit concerned. However, the price and proximity to our home made it the best choice. We have been on all the Disney boats, which the last one was on the Dream last month.

I have to say that as much as I absolutely love Disney, outside of the cleanliness and service I was a bit disappointed with the Dream. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful ship, but we could never get any seats at the pool and the pool area was just too small. My biggest issue was the change in the kids club. Our previous cruises were with the children being separated into age groups. Our kids really enjoyed it. This time they were just running around in the two different areas, the club and lab. The staff call you every time your child comes up and says they're ready to leave and then by the time you get there, they say they're fine and you can go. It was a bit frustrating.

My other issue this time around is that there did not seem to be very many activities on board. There were a lot of character meet and greets, but everything else seemed a bit lacking. Don't flame me, that is just my personal opinion.

The staterooms were beautiful, but our midship room took a long time to get anywhere. It was right in between the two elevators and because the ship is so long it was a bit of a pain. I will remember that next time.

I am hoping we are not disappointed with the Carnival Spirit. Here is to a fun and sun...

 

We were on the Spirit in May and really loved it. One of our favorite Carnival ships. Love the big windows in the Main DR.