CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[we"reofftoneverland]

I am so sad I had to cancel my March Break cruise and don't have one planned until December now! Considering doing something in August, but they are a bit expensive and of course there is a risk of storms/hurricanes. Thinking of a 6 night on Magic or a 5 night on RCL Independence of the Seas. Long shot would be an 8-night on Horizon but that's (of course) the most expensive. I'm not sure I'll "need" a cruise in the summer, I mean it will be hot here too. I just want the relaxation of it

You are in Canada, right? Do you sail out of close ports to cut down on costs? Are u close to nyc? We almost always drive to ports to save on airfare.

 

[hdrolfe]

You are in Canada, right? Do you sail out of close ports to cut down on costs? Are u close to nyc? We almost always drive to ports to save on airfare.

I am in Canada and was looking at cruising from Baltimore or New York (any of the ports there) but the cost of the cruises seems to more than from Florida so I'm not sure it's a savings. Bermuda would be amazing! I would be happy if kiddo's school board would announce if they are going back after Labour Day or the week before (as the other local school board has decided to do). That last week (August 29 on) is much less expensive.

 

[mevelandry]

Never tried NCL, and I don't see a thread like this for it. However freestyle dining just means you have no set time/table. When you are hungry, you go to one of the "free" dining rooms and they seat you. I believe they may have different menus in the different dining rooms but I'm not 100% on that. If you booked to get the bonuses and have the dining plan, then I believe it is beneficial to make reservations in advance as it can be hard to get in on certain ships.

Thank you for the info. We don't know if we're gonna take the "free" drink package or the specialty dining package yet.

 

[mevelandry]

Agree, there isn't a specific NCL thread that I can see. I'm tempted to join a group on the other social media site just to start researching.

I'm already on the Norwegian Joy group (since this morning).

 

[mevelandry]

Our Bermuda cruise is officially booked with Norwegian! Yayyyy!!!!

 

[mevelandry]

Sometimes you can walk in but reservations are recommended. For specialty dining, it is like palo where you almost always need reservations.

Being an overplanner, I would do reservations in advance anyway.

 

[mevelandry]

I am in Canada and was looking at cruising from Baltimore or New York (any of the ports there) but the cost of the cruises seems to more than from Florida so I'm not sure it's a savings. Bermuda would be amazing! I would be happy if kiddo's school board would announce if they are going back after Labour Day or the week before (as the other local school board has decided to do). That last week (August 29 on) is much less expensive.

It's the taxes they add to the Bermuda cruises that are insane...

 

[hdrolfe]

It's the taxes they add to the Bermuda cruises that are insane...

Excursions too, at least through the various ships. I was looking at them to get an idea of what to do and wow, some are expensive! especially in CAD. Really adds to the cost, save on the flight but then spend on everything else...

 

[mevelandry]

Excursions too, at least through the various ships. I was looking at them to get an idea of what to do and wow, some are expensive! especially in CAD. Really adds to the cost, save on the flight but then spend on everything else...

I was told that it was much much cheaper to do things by yourself over there. And apparently, it's pretty safe.

 

[belle032]

Can someone just go on an NCL cruise and report back to us? I trust everyone on this thread and need some honest reviews!

 

[mevelandry]

Can someone just go on an NCL cruise and report back to us? I trust everyone on this thread and need some honest reviews!

Same!!!!

 

[mevelandry]

Got our excursions booked for our sailing!

Grand Cayman: Sensational Stingray Swim
Belize: Lamanai Mayan Ruins & River Boat Safari with Lunch
Cozumel: Mr. Sanchos!
Mahogany Bay: Daniel Johnson Monkey & Sloth Hangout w/Snorkeling

Now just to buy our beverage package in a few weeks and I think we're all set!

Just a note for Mr Sanchos. Look for a barman named "Jersy". He is extremely nice and he makes the best drinks. (He was working at the poor bar).

 

[Mika02]

I am in Canada and was looking at cruising from Baltimore or New York (any of the ports there) but the cost of the cruises seems to more than from Florida so I'm not sure it's a savings. Bermuda would be amazing! I would be happy if kiddo's school board would announce if they are going back after Labour Day or the week before (as the other local school board has decided to do). That last week (August 29 on) is much less expensive.

Basically for us NYers it's less expensive though then flying out to Florida certain times a year so it's worth it.

I have heard great things about NCL. Only one thing someone had bad was about the drink options. But I think if you get a drink package (which right now you can get for free) it's a good option.

 

[mom2brooke76]

Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things

 

[hdrolfe]

Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things

Carnival Liberty was my first ship (as an adult, I cruised about 25 years earlier so that doesn't count). It's why I love cruising so much! I am glad you enjoyed your Carnival cruise. My son and I find them to be a lot of fun. We enjoy the food, but I think we are less particular than some people. But kiddo asks for steak and plain pasta every night and always gets it without any issues, so he's always happy! I like the choices for quick food, pizza, Guy's, Blue Iguana, the buffet. And the seaday brunch.
And that is a great price!

 

[wanderlust7]

Can someone just go on an NCL cruise and report back to us? I trust everyone on this thread and need some honest reviews!

Ok, since Carnival will not release dates for Bermuda (from NYC) in 2021 and RCCL's deposit was pretty high... We have a Norwegian Joy booking on hold for October 2021... A bit more expensive than we wanted to pay initially BUT the ship is departing from Manhattan which is ideal since we'll travel with my in-laws --we have to make transportation as short as possible with them-- and we'd get a 50$ credit on excursions.

To be continued...

We've been on 1 NCL and 1 Carnival (Panorama). NCL was on the Bliss, sister ship to the Joy. The go karts were fun and DS liked the laser tag. I made reservations right after we boarded for the go karts and the shows on the touch screens that are near the elevators. Reservations for go karts can go fast, but laser tag is easy to get into. The headliner show Jersey Boys was really good. I like Broadway shows, so I really enjoy that part of NCL and missed it on Carnival. I think having the reservation system is good too, which Carnival doesn't have.

The buffet on the Bliss was huge with so much variety. The Indian food was especially good. I missed that on Carnival, but they make up for it with the multitude of other venues.

I thought the food in the main dining rooms on NCL was not as good as on Carnival. But I did enjoy Freestyle and having the "free" specialty dining package. We didn't repeat a single dinner venue on the Bliss. There's 3 main dining rooms, the 3 night dining package, and then we did buffet one night. I really enjoyed that and missed it a little on Carnival. But the flip side of that is we didn't have the personalized service as on Carnival where the servers would recognize us and say hi elsewhere on the ship.

We took the "free" drink package on NCL, but it was of questionable value for us with the gratuities. We're such lightweights. I like cocktails and I thought that was better on Carnival. I liked that Carnival had a long list of special cocktails in the main dining room. NCL only had a couple signature cocktails in the specialty dining venues. Also, sometimes the cocktails on NCL were made in batches and didn't taste as good. Thinking probably more people have the drink package since it's "free", so the quality suffers.

We enjoyed both NCL and Carnival, there's pros and cons to each. Have NCL Getaway booked for 2021 and Carnival Mardi Gras 2022. This summer is RCCL Ovation - will be interesting to see the differences!

 

[wombat_5606]

Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things

I have just booked a short Liberty cruise! I couldn't be more excited to read your post today!

I will be traveling with my adult daughter and a friend of hers in 2 weeks. Last minute!!! I don't have a lot of time to do my usual research and the 4 nights is not long enough for trial and error. I would be interested in hearing about anything you would suggest we do and anything you would suggest we don't bother with.

Should we see the shows?
Should we eat in the MDR or stick with the extra dining venues?
What about the pools? Any trouble finding a place to sit there or should we just head to the Serenity area?

I'm Platinum on DCL but I have cruised several other cruise lines through the years and I agree that you can absolutely have more fun and find more value while saving money at the same time. There is too much to see and too many adventures in the world to limit oneself to a Disney itinerary and the repetitive experience IMO.

 

[mom2brooke76]

I have just booked a short Liberty cruise! I couldn't be more excited to read your post today!

I will be traveling with my adult daughter and a friend of hers in 2 weeks. Last minute!!! I don't have a lot of time to do my usual research and the 4 nights is not long enough for trial and error. I would be interested in hearing about anything you would suggest we do and anything you would suggest we don't bother with.

Should we see the shows?
Should we eat in the MDR or stick with the extra dining venues?
What about the pools? Any trouble finding a place to sit there or should we just head to the Serenity area?

I'm Platinum on DCL but I have cruised several other cruise lines through the years and I agree that you can absolutely have more fun and find more value while saving money at the same time. There is too much to see and too many adventures in the world to limit oneself to a Disney itinerary and the repetitive experience IMO.

Definitely see all of the shows!! So good!! Also, don’t miss going to the Alchemy Bar. It’s hard to find a seat but worth the wait. Also, the piano bar is a blast! If Lady Red is still playing in there when you go then she’s a must see! Also, I recommend attending Groove for St. Jude. It’s a deck party on sea day where you can buy St. Jude shirts for $10 and a St. Jude Build-a-Bear (already built) for $25. ALL of the proceeds go directly to St. Judes which is AWESOME!! We didn’t do specialty dining this cruise, but the MDR was great!! We had Your Time Dining and would go at 6 and they put on a dance show around 7 which is a must see!! If you happen to have Your Time Dining, I recommend you ask for Kristi from Indonesia as your server. Phuong from Vietnam was her assistant. We requested them nightly and they were amazing! Definitely better service than I’ve had the last few years on Disney. Also, the pool deck seemed to be hit or miss as far as loungers go. Try Blue Iguana Cantina for breakfast (they have amazing breakfast burritos!) Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[mevelandry]

Just got off my first Carnival Cruise on the Liberty yesterday, and after 13 Disney cruises I can honestly say I had way more fun on Carnival and the food was overall better IMO. No, the upkeep isn’t on the Disney level, but for $800 for 3 people I can look past some things

Liberty was my ship on my last Carnival cruise. I can't wait to hear your impressions and what you liked/disliked.

 

[mevelandry]

We've been on 1 NCL and 1 Carnival (Panorama). NCL was on the Bliss, sister ship to the Joy. The go karts were fun and DS liked the laser tag. I made reservations right after we boarded for the go karts and the shows on the touch screens that are near the elevators. Reservations for go karts can go fast, but laser tag is easy to get into. The headliner show Jersey Boys was really good. I like Broadway shows, so I really enjoy that part of NCL and missed it on Carnival. I think having the reservation system is good too, which Carnival doesn't have.

The buffet on the Bliss was huge with so much variety. The Indian food was especially good. I missed that on Carnival, but they make up for it with the multitude of other venues.

I thought the food in the main dining rooms on NCL was not as good as on Carnival. But I did enjoy Freestyle and having the "free" specialty dining package. We didn't repeat a single dinner venue on the Bliss. There's 3 main dining rooms, the 3 night dining package, and then we did buffet one night. I really enjoyed that and missed it a little on Carnival. But the flip side of that is we didn't have the personalized service as on Carnival where the servers would recognize us and say hi elsewhere on the ship.

We took the "free" drink package on NCL, but it was of questionable value for us with the gratuities. We're such lightweights. I like cocktails and I thought that was better on Carnival. I liked that Carnival had a long list of special cocktails in the main dining room. NCL only had a couple signature cocktails in the specialty dining venues. Also, sometimes the cocktails on NCL were made in batches and didn't taste as good. Thinking probably more people have the drink package since it's "free", so the quality suffers.

We enjoyed both NCL and Carnival, there's pros and cons to each. Have NCL Getaway booked for 2021 and Carnival Mardi Gras 2022. This summer is RCCL Ovation - will be interesting to see the differences!

Hi!

I did not know we needed reservations for shows and go karts. I will pay attention to that.

Apparently, we have Footloose on our cruise... I loved Jersey Boys (on Broadway) so much that I saw it twice. I'm almost sad it's not on our cruise since we're all huge Franki Valli and The Four Seasons fans.

So with freestyle dining, you eat whenever you want (walk-in)? Do you need reservations for Specialty Dining? Since we'll have an overnight in Bermuda, I'm thinking there are strong chances we might eat over there so I'm not sure we'll take the SD package + My husband loves the idea of the drink package.