CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[PrincessTrisha]

Forgot to mention. There are ladders down into the water to get into the snorkeling area. The only complaint about Mahogany Bay is that there were two Carnival ships in port that day. It would probably be paradise to only have one. The snorkeling side was not crowded however. You did not feel lonely or scared being out there, like there were people, but that area was not crowded. We got to the beach very early at 7am and it was not crowded at all. But by 12 it was very crowded. We started back to the ship at about 1:30. When I say crowded, I do not mean unpleasant, just that it was better early in the morning (empty) and if there had only been one ship, it would have been perfect all day. We did not want to pay for food, so we had planned to head back to the ship in the afternoon anyway. Ship was empty!

Oh my gosh - I loved Mahogany Bay! I rented a cabana there and it was perfect. The cabana area isn't crowded, the cabana's themselves are air conditioned (made for a nice break), come with padded seats, loungers, a hammock and floats.

 

[RedSox68]

Oh my gosh - I loved Mahogany Bay! I rented a cabana there and it was perfect. The cabana area isn't crowded, the cabana's themselves are air conditioned (made for a nice break), come with padded seats, loungers, a hammock and floats.

Are the cabanas as expensive as Disney's?

 

[mevelandry]

Are the cabanas as expensive as Disney's?

Much cheaper! According to the website they are 329,99$ and they seem a bit nicer than the Cabanas in Castaway Cay. There's AC, wifi and a tv in it.

P.s.: This place looks like heaven.

 

[RedSox68]

Much cheaper! According to the website they are 329,99$ and they seem a bit nicer than the Cabanas in Castaway Cay. There's AC, wifi and a tv in it.

P.s.: This place looks like heaven.

I must say I like their set up better than what we had on CC -- it seems closer to the water and more private with the trellis, etc. I like the idea of the AC, but I don't see a changing area. We had the ones on the adult beach, but it seemed bigger than this one. It looks like an amazing island though -- and so much less crowded Do you get the floats/inner tubes/snorkeling gear with the cabana?

 

[hdrolfe]

We also really enjoyed Mahogany Bay. Especially since it was free! Except kiddo loves rides so we had to buy the all day passes for the chair lift. Which freaked me out but he loved.

 

[mevelandry]

I must say I like their set up better than what we had on CC -- it seems closer to the water and more private with the trellis, etc. I like the idea of the AC, but I don't see a changing area. We had the ones on the adult beach, but it seemed bigger than this one. It looks like an amazing island though -- and so much less crowded Do you get the floats/inner tubes/snorkeling gear with the cabana?

I'm not sure that the Castaway Cay cabanas are bigger... We had cabana #25 on Serenity Bay and from what I see, I think the difference is that the SB cabanas were "wide open" while the ones on Mahogany Bay are "closed", which may make them seem smaller... It's hard to tell.

 

[hdrolfe]

Mahogany Bay chairlift pics.

 

[RedSox68]

Mahogany Bay chairlift pics. View attachment 345406 View attachment 345407 View attachment 345408

OMG, that lizard is so cute -- and so is your son But that chairlift would be a big fat no for me.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-lines-biggest-cruise-ship-ever-headed-to-port-canaveral/

Ok, guys the next big thing from Carnival (the LNG ship coming 2020) will be home ported at Port Canaveral!

 

[mevelandry]

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-lines-biggest-cruise-ship-ever-headed-to-port-canaveral/

Ok, guys the next big thing from Carnival (the LNG ship coming 2020) will be home ported at Port Canaveral!

I see that John Heald just announced it on its page.

Exciting!

 

[hdrolfe]

OMG, that lizard is so cute -- and so is your son But that chairlift would be a big fat no for me.

If it had been up to me we would have walked. I made him sit really still and far back on the seat lol. It was nerve wracking for me! But kiddo loved it and kept trying to make me feel better. "See we are over water now so if we fell we would be fine! We can jump that far."

 

[hdrolfe]

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-lines-biggest-cruise-ship-ever-headed-to-port-canaveral/

Ok, guys the next big thing from Carnival (the LNG ship coming 2020) will be home ported at Port Canaveral!

Love that it will be in PC. Easy to combine cruise and disney. Best trips!

 

[braysmommy]

I do not have kids so I cannot judge the difference between the two cruise lines regarding that subject. I've already posted other people reviews since I can't do my own. I'd like to know if you would be interested in posting a review of the Kids Club?

All I need is a short description --5 to 10 lines?-- of what you liked/disliked in the Carnival kids club compared to the DCL kids club.

Let me know if you are interested and I will publish your review in the first post.

************

I'm glad you enjoyed the specialty dining and the rope course (which terrified me).

I'll take note of the cabin number and add it in the first post... Did they move you in another Family Harbor cabin or another type of room?

Not sure I can give a review of club since he only went a few times. They moved us up the hall into a cove balcony outside the Family Harbor area but we were able to keep key to get into Harbor Lounge.

 

[mevelandry]

Not sure I can give a review of club since he only went a few times. They moved us up the hall into a cove balcony outside the Family Harbor area but we were able to keep key to get into Harbor Lounge.

A few times is good enough for me.

Glad you could still have access to the Harbor Lounge. Hope the cabin was more quiet.

 

[robinb]

For those of you looking to book a Carnival cruise, I just received an email from Priceline. They have a free gratuity promo going on now for balconies and suites on select cruises.

 

[belle032]

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-line-makes-change-to-the-cheers-beverage-program/

New changes to Cheers program. Package covers drinks up to $20 instead of the previous $50. Drinks over $50 receive a 25% discount.

I will say this doesn't affect me in the slightest and I have no idea who was ordering drinks with a $50 price tag, but of course some people on different cruise FB groups I'm in are outraged.

Will purchase the package for our upcoming cruise regardless!

 

[Ben E N]

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-line-makes-change-to-the-cheers-beverage-program/

New changes to Cheers program. Package covers drinks up to $20 instead of the previous $50. Drinks over $50 receive a 25% discount.

I will say this doesn't affect me in the slightest and I have no idea who was ordering drinks with a $50 price tag, but of course some people on different cruise FB groups I'm in are outraged.

Will purchase the package for our upcoming cruise regardless!

Darn! I was going to make it my goal on my next cruise to find that elusive $47 dollar glass of scotch, and then ask to have it mixed with coke.
I think they had some pricier cognacs and ports in their steakhouse, so this change affects few people. The most expensive drink I could find in a week's time was $14.

 

[mevelandry]

https://cruisefever.net/carnival-cruise-line-makes-change-to-the-cheers-beverage-program/

New changes to Cheers program. Package covers drinks up to $20 instead of the previous $50. Drinks over $50 receive a 25% discount.

I will say this doesn't affect me in the slightest and I have no idea who was ordering drinks with a $50 price tag, but of course some people on different cruise FB groups I'm in are outraged.

Will purchase the package for our upcoming cruise regardless!

I wish they had a "small package" of 7 drinks. This one I would buy!

 

[Ben E N]

I wish they had a "small package" of 7 drinks. This one I would buy!

As long as you're not buying only beer, it comes out to pretty much exactly a 7 drink package anyway. I don't think I had more than that during a day (other than one night), including specialty coffee drinks, and I almost always met my monetary "quota". At $11 for a mixed frozen drink, it gets real easy to get to $55.

 

[robinb]

As long as you're not buying only beer, it comes out to pretty much exactly a 7 drink package anyway. I don't think I had more than that during a day (other than one night), including specialty coffee drinks, and I almost always met my monetary "quota". At $11 for a mixed frozen drink, it gets real easy to get to $55.

I always mull over getting a drink package. I could probably break even, especially on sea days, but my DH doesn't drink as many "silly drinks" as I do and we have to pay for both of us.