Comparison of Disney Dream vs Carnival Lengend (long)

[rdevine10]

I wanted to give a fair review comparison of our experience between Disney and Carnival as it comes up so often here.

 

A little background.- We are a family of 4 ( 2 girls – now aged 9 and 6). We LOVE Disney! We have been multiple times.

 

That being said, I had wanted to cruise Disney since 1998 when the 1st ship was launched. We almost cruised in 2004, but then realized my older daughter, who was a toddler couldn’t swim in the pools and decided to hold off.

 

Fast forward to 2010. I was Disney Dreaming and discovered the Disney Dream was going to be built. We made the plunge and booked our 1st ever cruise on the Disney Dream, 15 months prior to our sailing date (oh it killed me to wait to long!!!!). I planned obsessively, the time flew by (as it does with kids), and finally last April of 2011 we went on our 4 night April break cruise! It was hands down the best, most relaxing vacation we had ever done with kids! We loved it, the worst part was it was just too short!

 

I booked dummy date and played around with it, but I still could never find a sailing close in price to what we paid (for a 4 night). All the Disney advertising with the new ships had really pushed the prices even higher!

 

So, in the end, after much research on cruise critic, a co-workers recommendation, we decided on the Carnival Legend out of Tampa. Below I will compare our experiences. But I will preface it all to say we had a GREAT time on the Legend and I would not hesitate to book Carnival again.

 

Disney Dream- 4 night – Nassau, Castaway Cay (and 2nd not scheduled stop at Castaway Cay) VS Carnival Legend- 7 night exotic Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Belize, Roatan & Grand Cayman).

 

Embarkation:

 

Disney- We got to the port early (Canaveral), got through lines fine, but ended up waiting around for over an hour to get on the ship. The kids were bored. It was not terrible, but it did seem very dragged out. Could partly be my fault for being so excited that we got there so early! Once on board we had a great lunch at the buffet, which we loved.

 

Carnival- Port of Tampa was very efficient. We got there a little later, tried off site parking to save money- at around 11:30. At the cruise port by 11:45. Zipped through our lines, waited all of 10 minutes once we were done and on to the ship we go. Ok, they didn’t announce our name, but truthfully, I didn’t even notice. We were so excited to start our cruise! We ran a couple errands (stopped to make sure we had a table just for our family at dinner, walked around, and had lunch). Buffet choices were great. Lines were similar on both ships. Slightly harder to find a table but, we got on later, so more people were already eating.

 

Winner: slightly smoother in Tampa via Carnival- perhaps only due to experience!

 

Staterooms:

 

Disney- we opted for the inside stateroom with the virtual porthole. It was an 11A. Room was sufficient, but tight at around 165 square feet. Loved the virtual porthole. Small tub was nice for the younger child. Lovely linens. Felt very new and nice. Deck 8- great location. We were happy with the room.

 

Carnival- we booked a balcony guarantee and got upgraded to an extended balcony. Room was BIGGER at 185 square feet and the balcony was twice the size of the standard! Room had a king vs queen bed (nice). Felt clean, but not as new (but not old per say). Then again this ship is OLDER!

 

Winner on the room, hands down Carnival! It might have been a bit older, but it was better space and laid out better. That being said, I know its hard to compare too different categories, but I will add this right here:

 

COST:

 

4 night Dream booked at a LOW price which I still cant match even with the 10% off in an interior room was around the same price at the 7 night in the upgraded baloncy room.

 

POOLS & WATERSLIDES:

 

Disney- the only negative I really didn’t like about our cruise, yes, the pools were crowded. And being from the North East, in April, my kids were EXCITED about swimming. The Mickey pool isn’t really a swimming area, IMO and the Donald pool literally was like a death trap with all the people and such in there, I was scared my 8 year was going to get pushed under and drown! We only used the pool really on our 2nd unexpected day at Castaway Cay. Aquaduck- was awesome, but there were lines! LONG lines! 45 minute lines when we went! We went once (my older daughter went twice- younger one was denied, even though she was 42 inches). Was very fun, but not worth the wait. And to explain our 2nd stop at Castaway, the Aqua Duck actually broke for 24 hours during the cruise. So we went back to paradise. It was a great surprise to me! I was thrilled as so many people got off, we actually got to use the pools, etc. Mickey waterslide- was fun for the kids. Adults not allowed. Seating, was very hard to find chairs near the pool area with the kids.

 

Carnival- this ship I chose because of its size. It’s a spirit class ship and its much smaller, and holds about half as many people. We went the same exact weeks just different years. The ship had 2 family pools, one kids pool (more like the mickey thing), one adult pool (we didn’t use on this or Disney), and one waterslide. Ok, my kids got to swim. The pools never scared me at all. You could get in the pool and actually swim, not just stand. (This is probably because of the size of the ships and # of people on it). Was always able to find a chair or table close to the pool. Waterslide- adults allowed on. Only negative, is I wish it was closer to the pool (on other side of ship). But, it probably kept the lines down. Typically was about 4 people wait, once on a sea day we waited about 15 minutes.

 

Winner- Carnival because it was less crowded. But Disney still wins with the aqua duck. Maybe since it was closed for repairs for 24 hours during our cruise it impacted my views on the wait times. But, it wasn’t worth a 45 minute wait!

 

Food:

 

Disney- Loved the buffet. But it was only open for breakfast and our 1st day lunch, if I recall. Loved the dining room with Crush! Was a true highlight! The other dining rooms, IMO were slightly “boring” in theme. Food and service were good!

 

Carnival- Loved the buffet choices. Seems to be open more. Was open even when were were in port (all of the stations). One dining room., but they did have magic tricks and dancing waiters. Food and Service good.

 

I am going to go with Tie here. I liked both, for different reasons. I had no faults with either.

 

Ports of Call –

 

Disney- well, Nassau is OK. Castaway Cay is HEAVEN on earth. Enough said!

 

Carnival- Cozumel, Roatan, & Grand Cayman were amazing. I would easily go back to any. Belize wasn’t our thing. But that’s ok!

 

Winner- well, its hard to compare. Totally different destinations. Both were good for the length of each cruise. Still love Castaway Cay the best out of everything!

 

Kids Clubs-

 

Disney- Ill be honest, my kids didn’t love it. They spent about 3 hours total there the whole trip. No tears, just didn’t want to go bank. That’s OK, its family vacation, I want to spend time with the kids!

 

Carnival- Same as above, they didn’t love it. But, it was located in the forward of deck 5 on this ship and our 1st sea day was very rocky. Got a call overhead 30 minutes after we left that my youngest wanted out. She felt sick. (it was motion sickness). She never wanted to go back after that. Older one didn’t love it either. They normally separate the 5 to 8s from the 9 to 11’s. But, they had them combined on this cruise. Older daughter was not happy with that arrangement.

 

Winner- well, they didn’t like either of them. So who knows exactly who the winner is. I will say at least they went back more than once on Disney!

 

Spa-

 

Disney- I got a rainforest pass. I spent about 2 hours there. I LOVED IT. I still dream about it!

 

Carnival- I got a massage with stones. It was supposed to last 75 minutes. I loved it. But no relaxation room on this ship, and after I realized my massage lasted only 60 minutes, so I was jipped!

 

Winner- well, I loved the rainforest room and at $15 was a bargain! The massage was a special and with tip cost about $150! Not worth it in comparison!

 

Entertainment:

 

Disney- The shows were very kid friendly! The mid ship detective agency was great! The mini golf was fun! There was almost too much to do on the ship! We wanted to experience it all, and 4 days wasn’t enough!

 

Carnival- My kids loved the mini golf! The shows were good! Ok, the costumes were more riske. But, it isn’t too different than something you might see in NYC on broadway or in Vegas. Some of the shows were more entertaining to them than others. They loved the family friendly comedy shows. 2 of the 4 were AWESOME. The other 2 were a little over there heads. We participated in a family scavenger hunt. And me and my 2 girls WON!!!!!! Yeah!

 

Winner- well, we enjoyed both for different reasons. I will say, in quite honesty I was sort of glad to not see the Disney character and wait in line for the 50th time to see Tinkerbell, etc. Maybe its because we have done Disney so many times. I would rather be exploring other things or having other fun!

 

Drinks:

 

Disney- all the soda you want is included. Don’t tell me its free. You ARE paying for it with the higher prices! Alcoholic Drinks were comparable in cost.

 

 

Carnival- well, we could of bought a soda card, but to be honest, I don’t like my kids drinking a lot of soda (bad mom right?). The lemonade, water and ice tea were just fine for us. And no extra cost. We did let them get a soda or smoothie at dinner and it was still cheaper to just buy one soda a day than the card.

 

Photos:

 

Disney- The organization and viewing of the photos via your folder was MUCH easier. That being said, the lines were very long for pictures on the more formal night.

 

Carnival: You had to play where’s waldo to find your pictures. It took a LOT of time and was annoying. That being said there were SO many photo stations for pictures they were practically begging you to get your picture taken. Never waited more than 1 family for pictures, even on formal nights!

 

Seems they could both learn something from the other here! And PS: why do they charge so much for the pictures! I would buy more if they were not so overpriced! (both lines!)

 

Debarkation:

 

Both were fine and quick. We did self debarkation on Carnival. No issues with either.

 

Over all opinions:

 

Disney is 5 star. Beautiful ship. Great customer service. I loved it and would choose them all of the time if they were closer in cost!

 

Carnival is very nice. Our ship was older and you could see it wasn’t cared for the same was at the new Disney boat. But, it was nice and we really enjoyed it! 98% of the staff was really great. 2% could of improved it notch!

 

Décor- well, Disney was classic. Carnival was more vegas. But, honestly neither was something I focused on a lot.

 

Casino- Disney didn’t have one. Carnival- never played, but it was the only smoky area on the whole ship! We avoided walking though it.

 

Smoking over all- I don’t recall any issues on the Dream, I was slightly disgusted once on the Legend. I was sitting at a table (apparently on the smoking side of the Lido deck) and some guy came over to my table and smashed his cigarette out practically in my face and left it smoldering in my face. So, I moved it all to an open table next to me. Was pretty rude. And no I didn’t realize I was on the smoking side.

 

Drunks:

 

Just want to say, I saw 2 drunk people on my Carnival cruise. About the same as what I saw on Disney. Maybe the shorter carnival cruises are drunk fests, but this boat wasn’t.

 

Overall-

 

I still love Disney and would chose it every time if we could swing the price, but when cost is a factor, and it IS for us, I wouldn’t hesitate to chose Carnival.

[susie8862]

I wanted to give a fair review comparison of our experience between Disney and Carnival as it comes up so often here.

 

A little background.- We are a family of 4 ( 2 girls – now aged 9 and 6). We LOVE Disney! We have been multiple times.

 

That being said, I had wanted to cruise Disney since 1998 when the 1st ship was launched. We almost cruised in 2004, but then realized my older daughter, who was a toddler couldn’t swim in the pools and decided to hold off.

 

Fast forward to 2010. I was Disney Dreaming and discovered the Disney Dream was going to be built. We made the plunge and booked our 1st ever cruise on the Disney Dream, 15 months prior to our sailing date (oh it killed me to wait to long!!!!). I planned obsessively, the time flew by (as it does with kids), and finally last April of 2011 we went on our 4 night April break cruise! It was hands down the best, most relaxing vacation we had ever done with kids! We loved it, the worst part was it was just too short!

 

I booked dummy date and played around with it, but I still could never find a sailing close in price to what we paid (for a 4 night). All the Disney advertising with the new ships had really pushed the prices even higher!

 

So, in the end, after much research on cruise critic, a co-workers recommendation, we decided on the Carnival Legend out of Tampa. Below I will compare our experiences. But I will preface it all to say we had a GREAT time on the Legend and I would not hesitate to book Carnival again.

 

Disney Dream- 4 night – Nassau, Castaway Cay (and 2nd not scheduled stop at Castaway Cay) VS Carnival Legend- 7 night exotic Western Caribbean (Cozumel, Belize, Roatan & Grand Cayman).

 

Embarkation:

 

Disney- We got to the port early (Canaveral), got through lines fine, but ended up waiting around for over an hour to get on the ship. The kids were bored. It was not terrible, but it did seem very dragged out. Could partly be my fault for being so excited that we got there so early! Once on board we had a great lunch at the buffet, which we loved.

 

Carnival- Port of Tampa was very efficient. We got there a little later, tried off site parking to save money- at around 11:30. At the cruise port by 11:45. Zipped through our lines, waited all of 10 minutes once we were done and on to the ship we go. Ok, they didn’t announce our name, but truthfully, I didn’t even notice. We were so excited to start our cruise! We ran a couple errands (stopped to make sure we had a table just for our family at dinner, walked around, and had lunch). Buffet choices were great. Lines were similar on both ships. Slightly harder to find a table but, we got on later, so more people were already eating.

 

Winner: slightly smoother in Tampa via Carnival- perhaps only due to experience!

 

Staterooms:

 

Disney- we opted for the inside stateroom with the virtual porthole. It was an 11A. Room was sufficient, but tight at around 165 square feet. Loved the virtual porthole. Small tub was nice for the younger child. Lovely linens. Felt very new and nice. Deck 8- great location. We were happy with the room.

 

Carnival- we booked a balcony guarantee and got upgraded to an extended balcony. Room was BIGGER at 185 square feet and the balcony was twice the size of the standard! Room had a king vs queen bed (nice). Felt clean, but not as new (but not old per say). Then again this ship is OLDER!

 

Winner on the room, hands down Carnival! It might have been a bit older, but it was better space and laid out better. That being said, I know its hard to compare too different categories, but I will add this right here:

 

COST:

 

4 night Dream booked at a LOW price which I still cant match even with the 10% off in an interior room was around the same price at the 7 night in the upgraded baloncy room.

 

POOLS & WATERSLIDES:

 

Disney- the only negative I really didn’t like about our cruise, yes, the pools were crowded. And being from the North East, in April, my kids were EXCITED about swimming. The Mickey pool isn’t really a swimming area, IMO and the Donald pool literally was like a death trap with all the people and such in there, I was scared my 8 year was going to get pushed under and drown! We only used the pool really on our 2nd unexpected day at Castaway Cay. Aquaduck- was awesome, but there were lines! LONG lines! 45 minute lines when we went! We went once (my older daughter went twice- younger one was denied, even though she was 42 inches). Was very fun, but not worth the wait. And to explain our 2nd stop at Castaway, the Aqua Duck actually broke for 24 hours during the cruise. So we went back to paradise. It was a great surprise to me! I was thrilled as so many people got off, we actually got to use the pools, etc. Mickey waterslide- was fun for the kids. Adults not allowed. Seating, was very hard to find chairs near the pool area with the kids.

 

Carnival- this ship I chose because of its size. It’s a spirit class ship and its much smaller, and holds about half as many people. We went the same exact weeks just different years. The ship had 2 family pools, one kids pool (more like the mickey thing), one adult pool (we didn’t use on this or Disney), and one waterslide. Ok, my kids got to swim. The pools never scared me at all. You could get in the pool and actually swim, not just stand. (This is probably because of the size of the ships and # of people on it). Was always able to find a chair or table close to the pool. Waterslide- adults allowed on. Only negative, is I wish it was closer to the pool (on other side of ship). But, it probably kept the lines down. Typically was about 4 people wait, once on a sea day we waited about 15 minutes.

 

Winner- Carnival because it was less crowded. But Disney still wins with the aqua duck. Maybe since it was closed for repairs for 24 hours during our cruise it impacted my views on the wait times. But, it wasn’t worth a 45 minute wait!

 

Food:

 

Disney- Loved the buffet. But it was only open for breakfast and our 1st day lunch, if I recall. Loved the dining room with Crush! Was a true highlight! The other dining rooms, IMO were slightly “boring” in theme. Food and service were good!

 

Carnival- Loved the buffet choices. Seems to be open more. Was open even when were were in port (all of the stations). One dining room., but they did have magic tricks and dancing waiters. Food and Service good.

 

I am going to go with Tie here. I liked both, for different reasons. I had no faults with either.

 

Ports of Call –

 

Disney- well, Nassau is OK. Castaway Cay is HEAVEN on earth. Enough said!

 

Carnival- Cozumel, Roatan, & Grand Cayman were amazing. I would easily go back to any. Belize wasn’t our thing. But that’s ok!

 

Winner- well, its hard to compare. Totally different destinations. Both were good for the length of each cruise. Still love Castaway Cay the best out of everything!

 

Kids Clubs-

 

Disney- Ill be honest, my kids didn’t love it. They spent about 3 hours total there the whole trip. No tears, just didn’t want to go bank. That’s OK, its family vacation, I want to spend time with the kids!

 

Carnival- Same as above, they didn’t love it. But, it was located in the forward of deck 5 on this ship and our 1st sea day was very rocky. Got a call overhead 30 minutes after we left that my youngest wanted out. She felt sick. (it was motion sickness). She never wanted to go back after that. Older one didn’t love it either. They normally separate the 5 to 8s from the 9 to 11’s. But, they had them combined on this cruise. Older daughter was not happy with that arrangement.

 

Winner- well, they didn’t like either of them. So who knows exactly who the winner is. I will say at least they went back more than once on Disney!

 

Spa-

 

Disney- I got a rainforest pass. I spent about 2 hours there. I LOVED IT. I still dream about it!

 

Carnival- I got a massage with stones. It was supposed to last 75 minutes. I loved it. But no relaxation room on this ship, and after I realized my massage lasted only 60 minutes, so I was jipped!

 

Winner- well, I loved the rainforest room and at $15 was a bargain! The massage was a special and with tip cost about $150! Not worth it in comparison!

 

Entertainment:

 

Disney- The shows were very kid friendly! The mid ship detective agency was great! The mini golf was fun! There was almost too much to do on the ship! We wanted to experience it all, and 4 days wasn’t enough!

 

Carnival- My kids loved the mini golf! The shows were good! Ok, the costumes were more riske. But, it isn’t too different than something you might see in NYC on broadway or in Vegas. Some of the shows were more entertaining to them than others. They loved the family friendly comedy shows. 2 of the 4 were AWESOME. The other 2 were a little over there heads. We participated in a family scavenger hunt. And me and my 2 girls WON!!!!!! Yeah!

 

Winner- well, we enjoyed both for different reasons. I will say, in quite honesty I was sort of glad to not see the Disney character and wait in line for the 50th time to see Tinkerbell, etc. Maybe its because we have done Disney so many times. I would rather be exploring other things or having other fun!

 

Drinks:

 

Disney- all the soda you want is included. Don’t tell me its free. You ARE paying for it with the higher prices! Alcoholic Drinks were comparable in cost.

 

 

Carnival- well, we could of bought a soda card, but to be honest, I don’t like my kids drinking a lot of soda (bad mom right?). The lemonade, water and ice tea were just fine for us. And no extra cost. We did let them get a soda or smoothie at dinner and it was still cheaper to just buy one soda a day than the card.

 

Photos:

 

Disney- The organization and viewing of the photos via your folder was MUCH easier. That being said, the lines were very long for pictures on the more formal night.

 

Carnival: You had to play where’s waldo to find your pictures. It took a LOT of time and was annoying. That being said there were SO many photo stations for pictures they were practically begging you to get your picture taken. Never waited more than 1 family for pictures, even on formal nights!

 

Seems they could both learn something from the other here! And PS: why do they charge so much for the pictures! I would buy more if they were not so overpriced! (both lines!)

 

Debarkation:

 

Both were fine and quick. We did self debarkation on Carnival. No issues with either.

 

Over all opinions:

 

Disney is 5 star. Beautiful ship. Great customer service. I loved it and would choose them all of the time if they were closer in cost!

 

Carnival is very nice. Our ship was older and you could see it wasn’t cared for the same was at the new Disney boat. But, it was nice and we really enjoyed it! 98% of the staff was really great. 2% could of improved it notch!

 

Décor- well, Disney was classic. Carnival was more vegas. But, honestly neither was something I focused on a lot.

 

Casino- Disney didn’t have one. Carnival- never played, but it was the only smoky area on the whole ship! We avoided walking though it.

 

Smoking over all- I don’t recall any issues on the Dream, I was slightly disgusted once on the Legend. I was sitting at a table (apparently on the smoking side of the Lido deck) and some guy came over to my table and smashed his cigarette out practically in my face and left it smoldering in my face. So, I moved it all to an open table next to me. Was pretty rude. And no I didn’t realize I was on the smoking side.

 

Drunks:

 

Just want to say, I saw 2 drunk people on my Carnival cruise. About the same as what I saw on Disney. Maybe the shorter carnival cruises are drunk fests, but this boat wasn’t.

 

Overall-

 

I still love Disney and would chose it every time if we could swing the price, but when cost is a factor, and it IS for us, I wouldn’t hesitate to chose Carnival.

I thank you for your very detailed review. I just don't understand why you are comparing two totally different cruises against each other from last year. But I do appreciate it.

[kjunea]

Very good comparisons. I too am a Disney addict and had planned on going on the Dream this fall. But then I made the mistake of looking at prices and realized I could get a 7 night balcony on the Carnival Dream for what I was paying for a 4 night inside cabin on the Disney Dream. Add to it that my mother (who is 85) wants to come and doesn't want to do the Disney ship and I'm going with Carnival again! But I am adding on a couple of days in Orlando to see Legoland and go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party!

[rdevine10]

I thank you for your very detailed review. I just don't understand why you are comparing two totally different cruises against each other from last year. But I do appreciate it.

 

Sorry, I have seen it come up so many time with families not sure if Carnival will be right for them after taking Disney. Read it for what its worth, if it doesnt interest you, move along :)

[susie8862]

Sorry, I have seen it come up so many time with families not sure if Carnival will be right for them after taking Disney. Read it for what its worth, if it doesnt interest you, move along :)

As I said, I thought the review was wonderful. I wasn't snarking you. I just did not understand. One of the cruises was 2 years ago and the other one was last year. I thought maybe there was a reason for posting it now. As I said...I really appreciate it. Thank you.

[pe4all]

Nice comparison! We "started" on Disney (3x) and then switched to CCL when we got outpriced and our kids got older. That being said, I have been recently tempted to try one of Disney's new ships. However, their Christmas cruise price is more than double of what I am paying for for my Breeze cruise. So no Disney for me!

[rdevine10]

As I said, I thought the review was wonderful. I wasn't snarking you. I just did not understand. One of the cruises was 2 years ago and the other one was last year. I thought maybe there was a reason for posting it now. As I said...I really appreciate it. Thank you.

 

Sorry I misunderstood. I just got back from the Carnival Legend a week ago. The Disney cruise was 1 year ago. Sorry need to update ticker!

[susie8862]

Sorry I misunderstood. I just got back from the Carnival Legend a week ago. Sorry need to update ticker!

 

I hope you had a great time. I love the Legend (although it was a while ago). Waiting to go on the Splendor in January. :)

[CurlyCali8]

Thank you, I enjoyed your perspective! We are big Disney fans; we usually have annual passes to Disneyland (taking a break this year). When it came time to book our first cruise, my first choice was Disney...until I started comparing prices. :eek: I crunched numbers & tried to justify it, just from my experience of how well Disney does all the "details" in the park. But...nope! Wasn't happening! I'm glad to hear that many of the major things (food, cabins, etc.) were the same or even better on Carnival.

 

At 7 & 10, my kids are getting a little old for the Disney character stuff anyway, so don't think we'll miss that. (The Crush talk in the dining room sounds fun, tho!) :) Glad you all had a great family vacation!

[Yoli=)]

I also enjoyed this comparison very much. I always wondered about these two lines and now I do. Thank you for writing it! I really appreciate it! =)

[tattoos]

Thank you for your honest review. You mentioned that you parked off-site in Tampa, can you tell me which parking facility you used and if you were satisfied? Thank you.

 

Rose

[rdevine10]

Thank you for your honest review. You mentioned that you parked off-site in Tampa, can you tell me which parking facility you used and if you were satisfied? Thank you.

 

Rose

 

Sure we used Capital Parking. They were about 3 to 5 min from the port (depending on lights and traffic). It was a fenced open air lot. You had to prepay via credit card online prior. I found promo code to save one day (since you really pay for 8 days). It was under $50 for the week. There was minimal wait on the way to the cruise (they loaded one other family while we waited). And the driver literally picked us up about 2 minutes after we called him on the way home. I would definitely use them again if traveling out of Tampa.

[mikehn]

Likewise, our only cruise experiences have been with Disney and Carnival. Carnival will never match Disney in any cruise attribute. But having said that, we thoroughly enjoy Carnival all the same.

[Celandine]

thanks for the review.

 

I would love to do a Disney cruise, but I just can't get around the price factor right now.

 

I am curious, how was the digital porthole? THat is the room I would like to book just to have that! Do you have any pictures of it? thanks.

[rdevine10]

thanks for the review.

 

I would love to do a Disney cruise, but I just can't get around the price factor right now.

 

I am curious, how was the digital porthole? THat is the room I would like to book just to have that! Do you have any pictures of it? thanks.

 

Im sorry I dont have any pictures handy, but it was GREAT! It added a touch of magic to the trip to see the characters appear. Being our 1st cruise we had nothing to compare it to. But, Im glad we got one. We had wanted to book the 10A category (which is a slightly larger room with the magical porthole) but all had already sold out for our cruise. Right now I have a 10A booked for our Fantasy. We are still deciding if we want to keep our reservation. Time will tell :)

[afergvip]

I loved this. I am on the Dream June 1 and on the Legend September 30th. Family on the dream, girls trip in Sept. I wondered if I would be disappointed after sailing the dream. I have been on the Dream before and have sailed Carnival many times but never on the Legend. We have a bigger room on the Legend but the beds and rooms are so comfy on the Dream. Good to know I will not be disappointed. Thanks!!

[ZoeyVictoria]

But I am adding on a couple of days in Orlando to see Legoland and go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party!

 

You are going to love Legoland. I have been twice with just adults, and once with grandsons ages 1, 3 and 8 (and their parents). Many unusual rides/activities, and very interactive.

[mkt779]

Thank you so much for this review... I'm in the same position. We went on the 4 day Dream in December and wanted to go back this year BUT the prices are INSANE for a week so I booked the Breeze with a Spa Balcony for more then half the price. For my DH, DD (5) and myself - can't wait!

[ttnc4me]

Thanks for the review. We too love Disney and would like to try CCL.

[hygienist999]

We have cruised with Disney 5 times, all on the Magic. Our last cruise with Disney was this past June for an 11 night Med cruise.

 

We just got off our first Carnival cruise last Saturday and it was on the Liberty.

 

All I have to say is that we saw the Disney Magic in port over at St. Marteen, while we were at St. Thomas and we really, really wanted to sneak on board.

 

Our room on the Liberty was super tiny, the food at the buffet was horrible, although the food in the MDR was very good. Everywhere I went I felt like someone was blowing smoke in my face. The shows were only entertaining for the first 20 minutes and then I was bored. The cruise director Jaimie was fabulous on the Liberty though. Never could find a chair to lay out in, even on the upper levels due to chair hogs. Although, we did enjoy playing bingo, loved all of the photo stations (except for the weird poses), loved seeing the cruise director get so involved with the guests, and loved the afternoon shows which included the guests and staff. We did not like the layout of the ship. Everything re-routed to go past the casino, to the point where you have to change decks to get to the other side of the ship.

 

Also, it took us over 2 hours to get on board once we got to the port of Miami. Total Chaos.

 

Will we ever go on another Carnival cruise again? I said I would, but my husband said no.

 

As far as the prices go. We are Disney Vacation Club members, so we always use our points.

[Celandine]

thanks for your input. I'm glad that the characters show up too, that's what I was wondering.

 

 

I did some price checking to simply re-confirm that I can't afford to go on Disney right now... only because my free time is the highest priced time... oh well, maybe in a few years...

[navybaby1113]

Thank you for the detailed review. It's interesting to hear someone compare the two lines.

[jollytammy]

Thank you for the great review! We have done Disney twice and due to the cost, are doing Carnival this year. It was great to see your review. You hit some of the items I was worried about. We did the inside room on Disney and will have the extended balcony on the Carnival Dream, so I'm excited, and even more so after your wonderful comparison!!!

[gogetter]

Wait a minute,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

Please explain something to me.........first of all what did you do in Roatan?

 

Then i will ask you my question/\.

[princess di44]

Been on Disney and carnival. I think Disney is better for little kids and the kids programs. Thought Disney buffet a bit better than carnival but liked carnival mdr better. For adults carnival is much better hands down. My 20 yr old who has been on both likes carnival, many more activities that she liked. Mdr service better on Disney. If the price came down on Disney I wouldn't mind trying it again. But I can't see paying that much more.