CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[wanderlust7]

We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing. First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC). The food and service exceeded my expectations! The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship. Guy's Burgers was so good. I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc. We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship. Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL. Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.

Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked). Only 4 bikes on the track. Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships? Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol. I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14). DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her. But it's actually very controlled and supervised. There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once. The digital rock climbing wall was cool too. The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.

I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table. Probably best described as molecular gastronomy. For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside. I preferred the food at Remy's. But this was quite the experience! A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.

Here are a bunch of pictures! Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.

ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!

 

[belle032]

We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing. First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC). The food and service exceeded my expectations! The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship. Guy's Burgers was so good. I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc. We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship. Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL. Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.

Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked). Only 4 bikes on the track. Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships? Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol. I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14). DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her. But it's actually very controlled and supervised. There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once. The digital rock climbing wall was cool too. The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.

I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table. Probably best described as molecular gastronomy. For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside. I preferred the food at Remy's. But this was quite the experience! A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.

Here are a bunch of pictures! Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.

ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!

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So glad to hear you had a wonderful time and that ship looks stunning. Of course I love to hear when everyone has a great cruise, but I'm very happy you were open enough to try CCL and give it a chance. I love when cruisers give new ships and cruise lines a shot so we can hear about them! Yay!

I've yet to try out that class of ship (she's sister to the Horizon & Vista, right?) but it's on my list. Too many options we want to try! #firstworldproblems. I know we're definitely planning Alaska in 2021 but now I'm wondering if we could swing a Caribbean sailing as well...

 

[mevelandry]

We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing. First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC). The food and service exceeded my expectations! The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship. Guy's Burgers was so good. I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc. We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship. Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL. Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.

Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked). Only 4 bikes on the track. Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships? Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol. I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14). DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her. But it's actually very controlled and supervised. There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once. The digital rock climbing wall was cool too. The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.

I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table. Probably best described as molecular gastronomy. For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside. I preferred the food at Remy's. But this was quite the experience! A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.

Here are a bunch of pictures! Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.

ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!

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Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you had a lovely experience.

I was just wondering... Because that's what a lot of DCL fans worry about... How were the other passengers on the ship? (Because Carnival has the reputation of being a party boat with drunks everywhere). Would love to know what your experience was by comparison with DCL.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing. First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC). The food and service exceeded my expectations! The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship. Guy's Burgers was so good. I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc. We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship. Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL. Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.

Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked). Only 4 bikes on the track. Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships? Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol. I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14). DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her. But it's actually very controlled and supervised. There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once. The digital rock climbing wall was cool too. The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.

I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table. Probably best described as molecular gastronomy. For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside. I preferred the food at Remy's. But this was quite the experience! A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.

Here are a bunch of pictures! Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.

ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!

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I’m so happy to hear you had a great time on Carnival. The number of bike stores the Sky Ride is the same on all 3 ships, 4. There is usually a line for them. I always go first thing in the morning in Sea days and always do them on Port days, that’s when they tend to be the shortest lines.

How was the weather in Mexico during your cruise? We spent a couple days at Disneyland between Christmas and New Years and it was pretty cold, granted I’m going by AZ standards so anything under 75 is freezing for me.

We’ve got a couple cruises booked for Mardi Gras too, I know we won’t keep them both but are really looking forward to trying that ship. I can hardly wait for Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurant.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We were on the Carnival Panorama New Year's sailing. First time on Carnival (have done 2 DCL, 1 NCL, and 1 MSC). The food and service exceeded my expectations! The choices at the buffet was limited, but I guess it's because they have so much variety on the ship. Guy's Burgers was so good. I was surprised at the higher end dishes available at no additional fee - steak was consistently good (steak and eggs was filet mignon at sea day brunch), prime rib, Maine lobster, oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna, etc. We had early dining and the servers would make a point to greet us by name and say hi when they saw us elsewhere on the ship. Our cabin steward was the best we've had since DCL. Twice a day, done by the time we got back, and towel animals every day.

Sky Ride was a lot of fun, just a bit of a wait (at least 30 minutes when we've checked). Only 4 bikes on the track. Wonder if that's the case on the sister ships? Kids did Sky Zone (for fee) and had fun, wore them out, lol. I was a little worried about the wide age range for the kids jump (6-14). DD is 7, so I worried about an older kid bumping into her. But it's actually very controlled and supervised. There are squares marked on the trampoline and there's a rule that only one person can be in each at once. The digital rock climbing wall was cool too. The game you pick determines how you'd want to climb.

I'm a bit of a foodie, so we did Chef's Table. Probably best described as molecular gastronomy. For example, what looks like a slice off a cob of corn is actually a cocoa butter shell with cream sauce inside. I preferred the food at Remy's. But this was quite the experience! A galley tour, explanations from the chef, even a magician half way through.

Here are a bunch of pictures! Happy to answer any questions if anyone is going on the Panorama.

ETA: Forgot to mention that I was so impressed by Carnival that I'm now looking at the Mardi Gras for 2022!

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Thanks for the review! We are on panorama in June. How did your kids like the club? Our love it. Good to hear that the new jumping area is fun. We were a bit worried about that. Not that it’s a huge deal anyway. But good to know that it is a fun activity.

 

[wanderlust7]

So glad to hear you had a wonderful time and that ship looks stunning. Of course I love to hear when everyone has a great cruise, but I'm very happy you were open enough to try CCL and give it a chance. I love when cruisers give new ships and cruise lines a shot so we can hear about them! Yay!

I've yet to try out that class of ship (she's sister to the Horizon & Vista, right?) but it's on my list. Too many options we want to try! #firstworldproblems. I know we're definitely planning Alaska in 2021 but now I'm wondering if we could swing a Caribbean sailing as well...

I'm a sucker for new, lol. The ships with bells and whistles works well traveling with the kids (they're 7 and 11). So we end up on different cruise lines and it's a bit of a learning curve since each does things a little differently. I love research though, so I don't mind.

Yes, Panorama is sister ship to Horizon and Vista. The main difference I heard about was that the Horizon and Vista have the IMAX. That space on the Panorama is the Sky Zone.

I was just wondering... Because that's what a lot of DCL fans worry about... How were the other passengers on the ship? (Because Carnival has the reputation of being a party boat with drunks everywhere). Would love to know what your experience was by comparison with DCL.

We did see 2 instances of ugly behavior, though I feel that can happen anywhere. First one, we were heading up to deck 11 (above the pool deck) for the New Year's count down. Was worried the pool deck would be too crowded (actually it wasn't too bad). The elevator stopped at 10 first and we heard some sort of altercation going on. Sounded like a fight, but I don't know if it got physical. Second was when we went to the show Rock Revolution. Someone was saving an entire row of seats. As it got closer to showtime and his party still wasn't there, the people looking for seats were increasing annoyed with him. One guy came up and told him you can't do that. To which he replied, back off! Later there was some accusation of pushing, but his wife(?) was like no I've got witnesses.

I actually didn't see anyone that was obviously drunk. We're not party people and didn't do any of the late night stuff.

How was the weather in Mexico during your cruise? We spent a couple days at Disneyland between Christmas and New Years and it was pretty cold, granted I’m going by AZ standards so anything under 75 is freezing for me.

We had pouring, torrential rain in Puerto Vallarta, lol. We booked Las Caletas, which DH and I have been to before kids some 15 or so years ago. Always thought it was an island, but as DH pointed out to me on a map, it is not. Was really looking forward to taking the kids. To their credit, Carnival did give us the option of canceling for a full refund. Seems most people still chose to go though. The boat picked us up right from the ship like a tender. Boat ride was pretty rough, luckily DD just slept and didn't throw up. I thought maybe the rain would be intermittent, but nope, just varying degrees of torrential. Kids did the zip line - slightly less torrential then. Animal experiences (hold monkeys and parrots, ride a donkey) were canceled. Then they went to play on the beach, in the pouring rain. They didn't care. DH and I watched them under umbrellas.

Weather was good in Cabo. We did an UTV excursion that was fun. Mazatlan we stayed on the ship. It was the perfect day to go on the water slides - no wait and comfortable temps. We also did the water slides on the first sea day on the way to Cabo. It felt fine until we got up to the top of the water slides - soooo windy! Brrrr! We did the same ports on the NCL Bliss for spring break. Weather was better then, though still a little cold the further away we were from Mexico.

Thanks for the review! We are on panorama in June. How did your kids like the club? Our love it. Good to hear that the new jumping area is fun. We were a bit worried about that. Not that it’s a huge deal anyway. But good to know that it is a fun activity.

My kids are not much into the kids clubs. Much as I wish they would be. On any cruise line, it seems, though I keep trying! Only DCL is a little better. They will go if an activity sounds really appealing or if we're going to an adults only thing and tell them to go.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

My kids are not much into the kids clubs. Much as I wish they would be. On any cruise line, it seems, though I keep trying! Only DCL is a little better. They will go if an activity sounds really appealing or if we're going to an adults only thing and tell them to go.

That’s how our teen is. He never wanted to go to any clubs and still doesn’t. Makes me a bit sad! But our younger two usually love them. It’s amazing how different kids can be.

 

[smmco]

I’m so happy to hear you had a great time on Carnival. The number of bike stores the Sky Ride is the same on all 3 ships, 4. There is usually a line for them. I always go first thing in the morning in Sea days and always do them on Port days, that’s when they tend to be the shortest lines.

How was the weather in Mexico during your cruise? We spent a couple days at Disneyland between Christmas and New Years and it was pretty cold, granted I’m going by AZ standards so anything under 75 is freezing for me.

We’ve got a couple cruises booked for Mardi Gras too, I know we won’t keep them both but are really looking forward to trying that ship. I can hardly wait for Shaq’s Big Chicken restaurant.

Off topic question. Do you go to DL often? Which fast pass system do you like better? I’m debating going again last time was 2011. I’ve gotten so used to making fast passes in advance Im not sure how to handle the crowds at DL.. I feel like I can’t ride anything at WDW without a FP the standby lines have gotten so ridiculous.
What hotel do you stay at? Thanks

 

[lklgoodman]

Hope you all don't mind if I ask a somewhat off topic question here. I'm hoping someone on here will know the answer, if not those who have teenagers. could you ask them for me. My dd has my old Samsung galaxy phone. It is too old for the navigator app to work. I will use the app on my new phone, but that's all I will use phone for. We don't buy to use the internet while on the ship. My dd does a lot of snapchat. And is already having a hissy fit about not being able to get online(grrr tween girl) Anyway, can she use the snapchat app to only take pics without being online? I think not. I told her to just use the phone's camera, but she wants to take pics with snapchat and then post them when we get off the ship. I don't know anything about Snapchat, but assume her idea won't work. Anyone know? TIA

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Just had my 17 YO test Snapchat on airplane mode. According to him yes you can take pictures.

 

[lklgoodman]

Just had my 17 YO test Snapchat on airplane mode. According to him yes you can take pictures.

Ok, thank you so much!! She will be so happy to know it will work. And now I won't have to hear her grumble about not being able to do pics that way. Now I just have to hear how horrible it will be that she can't play some game called Roadblocks for the week. I'm seriously considering making our 2021 cruise just for dh and I and leaving her with her grandparents!

 

[smmco]

Ok, thank you so much!! She will be so happy to know it will work. And now I won't have to hear her grumble about not being able to do pics that way. Now I just have to hear how horrible it will be that she can't play some game called Roadblocks for the week. I'm seriously considering making our 2021 cruise just for dh and I and leaving her with her grandparents!

OK Boomer! It's Roblox. Kidding, I'm probably older than you, but I do live with a couple of Zoomers.

 

[lklgoodman]

OK Boomer! It's Roblox. Kidding, I'm probably older than you, but I do live with a couple of Zoomers.

Lol!! I wasn't really sure exactly what the name was. She just started playing it a few months ago. She has never played any computer games, but she's becoming addicted to Roblox. Just to show how unfamiliar I am with social media terms. I grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from University of OK.(Boomer Sooner). First time I heard "OK Boomer" I thought it was some kind of reference to those us who graduated from OU, LOL!! I know it's for Baby Boomers, but don't know what a Zoomer is.

 

[smmco]

Lol!! I wasn't really sure exactly what the name was. She just started playing it a few months ago. She has never played any computer games, but she's becoming addicted to Roblox. Just to show how unfamiliar I am with social media terms. I grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from University of OK.(Boomer Sooner). First time I heard "OK Boomer" I thought it was some kind of reference to those us who graduated from OU, LOL!! I know it's for Baby Boomers, but don't know what a Zoomer is.

It's Gen Z the generation after Millennials. Your daughter's generation. Some of them like to refer to themselves as Zoomers.

 

[smmco]

On another note. Carnival sent out an apology email to those of us on the inaugural cruise that were not informed. They pushed back the time to rebook with OBC to March 3 and the time to rebook with the 25% discount to Jan 3, 2021. I don't think I'll rebook anytime soon, but hopefully, I'll be able to take advantage of the 25% discount.
The cancellation really screwed up this year's plans. I want to sail on the Mardi Gras I'm just not sure when we'll do another Caribbean cruise. I have some ideas just nothing concrete yet. I think I'll have a better idea after we return from our Baltic cruise in August.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Off topic question. Do you go to DL often? Which fast pass system do you like better? I’m debating going again last time was 2011. I’ve gotten so used to making fast passes in advance Im not sure how to handle the crowds at DL.. I feel like I can’t ride anything at WDW without a FP the standby lines have gotten so ridiculous.
What hotel do you stay at? Thanks

We don’t go as often now as we used to. The last few years it’s only been once a year, but we were annual pass holders for several years. I really hate the new FP system, I was much happier when we just went and got paper tickets throughout the day. This new system of paying extra to have electronic access as soon as you walk in the park bothers me. Case in point, our first day there we arrived about 9:30 AM, at the point the first FP time for Space Mountain was already 10:00 PM, Indiana Jones was 10:30 PM.

Luckily, we’ve been enough that the attractions aren’t as important as they used to be, we have a ton of fun people watching and grazing the food stands. We did wait about 2 hours for Guardians of the Galaxy, I have to do that every time we’re there.

We are very loyal to Hilton properties so we always stay at the Homewood Suites near the convention center buts right next to the Toy Story parking lot so we just walk into the lot and take the Disney busses to the park. They have a great breakfast every morning and an evening reception with decent food and free beer and wine Monday - Thursday. We try to go back to the hotel late afternoon to take a nap, have dinner and then head back to the parks. We sometimes stay on property but with two teenagers the one bedroom suite at Homewood is much better for us. We also like having the included breakfast downstairs that we can go to whenever we want. There is another Homewood about 1 mile further away that we used to stay at before this new one was built. It’s not as convenient but still is a decent property. The Residence Inn and Embassy Suites in that area are good too. For us, it really is all about the included breakfast, the fact that we can all eat whenever we want is huge for us

 

[Lynne G]

We are back from our first Carnival cruise, so some thoughts on that versus our Disney ones.
First, would we go with Carnival again? Yes, though not a strong one.
Second, we did have the soda package as we like soda with our meals. It was a pain to have to get it from the bar, which the bar tenders were not as keen to fill our orders as no extra tip for them and a low cost sale, when not in the dining room.
Third, we found the food way too bland, and think the cooks had many more misses than hits, then we ever remembered Disney having many more hits than misses in the dining room.
Fourth, was a tie for waiters and room host. We found them to be as nice as the ones Disney had, and we hugged our room guy, he was so great.

Lastly, yeah the decor was too dark for us, and I found some of the decor of the Legend gaudy. But the cabins were nice, lots of storage, and we did not miss the bathroom set up Disney has.

And a final comment. Did what we paid for the cruise, it was within our budget. Sadly, we would pick Disney every time, but even with last minute military rates, our budget was not large enough.

And most interesting, no real difference in guests, some rude, but very few drunks we saw. And there were many bars.

 

[belle032]

We are back from our first Carnival cruise, so some thoughts on that versus our Disney ones.
First, would we go with Carnival again? Yes, though not a strong one.
Second, we did have the soda package as we like soda with our meals. It was a pain to have to get it from the bar, which the bar tenders were not as keen to fill our orders as no extra tip for them and a low cost sale, when not in the dining room.
Third, we found the food way too bland, and think the cooks had many more misses than hits, then we ever remembered Disney having many more hits than misses in the dining room.
Fourth, was a tie for waiters and room host. We found them to be as nice as the ones Disney had, and we hugged our room guy, he was so great.

Lastly, yeah the decor was too dark for us, and I found some of the decor of the Legend gaudy. But the cabins were nice, lots of storage, and we did not miss the bathroom set up Disney has.

And a final comment. Did what we paid for the cruise, it was within our budget. Sadly, we would pick Disney every time, but even with last minute military rates, our budget was not large enough.

And most interesting, no real difference in guests, some rude, but very few drunks we saw. And there were many bars.

Thank you for your honest review! I've never sailed the Legend, but I do agree about decor. Most of the older Carnival ships had that gaudy Vegas-y style decor, which isn't great to say the least. Some were worse than others. The first ship I ever sailed was the Sensation and god it was all purple and black and gold from what I remember. Ugh. I'm so glad the newer ships ditched that theming and are now much more subdued and pleasing.

I've never gotten the soda package so I can't comment, but that does sound like a hassle. Will the servers that come around on the pool decks get you soda?

Food is super subjective so I honestly don't comment one way or another. I'm sorry you had more negatives than positives there. Every ship we've been on (CCL & DCL) have had hits and misses, so I don't argue with people about food taste and quality. Personal preference!

So glad to hear your service was great! People rave about DCL service and while they were perfectly wonderful to us, I never noticed anyone going above and beyond other cruise lines. I also don't think we're their target clientele either and that's fine. But I know we've always had amazing stewards and waiters and bartenders no matter what ship we've been on. Also it's always nice to hear the other guests were pleasant. Again, I've never noticed much of a difference from cruise line to cruise line, but again, it's all rather subjective to the ship, length of cruise, itinerary, etc.

I totally understand the budget issue, and I recommend that if you do choose to give Carnival another try, try a newer ship. I'd absolutely recommend a ship from the Dream class or newer.

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks Belle. Yep, all is subjective as to each one's experiences. I always go in with a good attitude, and while we did not particularly like the decor, we did pick the Legend, as the itinerary was what we wanted. And would we sail it again, yes. We did like the size of it. But yes, next time, probably on one of their new ships.

For the soda package, it was to be all over the ship, the only time I had a waiter fill my soda order, was in the theater, never saw one stop and ask me at the pool areas. Always, had to go to the bar, myself. I did like that they poured it from cans, not from the machine. And gave a large cup of ice, which was nice, as I like my soda cold. Did we save money with it? Maybe. I did get every time we did it, listed on my print out. But it was a deal for me, as we all enjoy soda drinking when on vacation.

And yes, we like cruising, so we will be cruising with Royal next January, same week.

 

[belle032]

Thanks Belle. Yep, all is subjective as to each one's experiences. I always go in with a good attitude, and while we did not particularly like the decor, we did pick the Legend, as the itinerary was what we wanted. And would we sail it again, yes. We did like the size of it. But yes, next time, probably on one of their new ships.

For the soda package, it was to be all over the ship, the only time I had a waiter fill my soda order, was in the theater, never saw one stop and ask me at the pool areas. Always, had to go to the bar, myself. I did like that they poured it from cans, not from the machine. And gave a large cup of ice, which was nice, as I like my soda cold. Did we save money with it? Maybe. I did get every time we did it, listed on my print out. But it was a deal for me, as we all enjoy soda drinking when on vacation.

And yes, we like cruising, so we will be cruising with Royal next January, same week.

It sounds like you really gave it a chance and I think that's awesome. Too many people go in with "Ok I'm going to compare everything on this ship to "fill in the blank" ship that I already love. And when it doesn't live up to their expectations they write it off immediately. And it sounds like the same dilemma I was having with the Carnival Fascination last year when we were looking to book. It's the oldest, smallest ship in the fleet but the itineraries sound great! I just don't know if I want to make that trade. I would go in with a good attitude but still be hesitant for sure.

I understand about the soda package, and yes I would get annoyed to constantly have to go to the bars as well! Just bring me a soda while I lounge on the Lido!

I'm trying to get DH to try Royal, especially with the CocoCay addition. He's only done DCL & CCL and is hesitant to jump ship. We'll get there though!