We chose the dark side - Carnival VS Disney

[Love2Cruz]

Well spoken. We have done 10 Disney cruises, and 6 other cruises on 4 other cruise lines. We love Disney because of its uniqueness with rotation dining, their stage shows and, of course, the characters and Disney feel.

I agree, only been on two short cruises though due to their prices. I like to cruise 2-3 times a year, wouldn't be able to do that if I sailed Disney exclusively. The only reason I tried DCL in the first place is for the sake of my daughter, but after our first cruise, I really liked the uniqueness of the rotational dining, the spacious rooms and the Disney "feel" so it will continue to be on our list, unfortunately, I think the short cruises is all I will do unless I get tired of cruising and would be content with just going once a year (the chances of that happening are pretty low....)

 

[KalamityJane]

Well spoken. We have done 10 Disney cruises, and 6 other cruises on 4 other cruise lines. We love Disney because of its uniqueness with rotation dining, their stage shows and, of course, the characters and Disney feel. But we also loved every other cruise we have taken on HAL, Princess, NCL and Carnival. Each one had their own style, food and way of doing things -- some we liked, some we didn't. But I love trying new things. We sail strictly for the itineraries now. Our first five Disney cruises it was just to be on the Disney ship, then it was about their new itineraries -- then sticker shock hit and we started exploring other alternatives. Because we knew if we wanted to see as much as we could see, we'd have to go cheaper. I have never bashed any Disney cruisers who are faithful to Disney and, for them, can justify paying those prices. I have brought up examples of ways to save money by doing another cruise line, but never faulted those who were naysayers about not being loyal to Disney. In that respect, I would expect the same courtesy when I talk about other cruise lines and what great deals we got

Along those lines, we had annual passes to Disneyland in 2015. We splurged for the 1 bedroom at the Grand for the first trip but quickly discovered if we wanted to go to Disneyland more, we needed to have cheaper accommodations. Our last trip we stayed at the Homewood Suites and let me tell you, it was just as amazing and about 1/4 of the price. Hubby even preferred HS I definitely think that while Disney is great, that doesn't mean that other lines are not. I'd rather be on a boat/vacation than not!

 

[Ofinn]

Along those lines, we had annual passes to Disneyland in 2015. We splurged for the 1 bedroom at the Grand for the first trip but quickly discovered if we wanted to go to Disneyland more, we needed to have cheaper accommodations. Our last trip we stayed at the Homewood Suites and let me tell you, it was just as amazing and about 1/4 of the price. Hubby even preferred HS I definitely think that while Disney is great, that doesn't mean that other lines are not. I'd rather be on a boat/vacation than not!

We just stayed at Springhill suites for a convention, and I really liked that. It was walking distance from the parks. I have stayed at the Grand it was nice. I've stayed at just about every WDW deluxe resorts. There are still ways to get good rates on the resorts, but it's the overall cost of WDW that has kept us away. The food being a big thing with two growing boys. Cruising is just a better value for us. Even a off season DCL cruise at full price comes out to be less for us than a WDW trip.

 

[ChicosWife]

Let me get this straight. You have been on one 4 night DCL trip, potentially have another in the distant future, have not been on any other lines, and are playing the role of the DCL snob by dismissing alternatives you know nothing about? Bad form.

Isn't it funny. Over the last fours I've spent a great deal of time on DCL ships, but not once did I ever come on this board and bash other cruiselines or proclaim DCL to be the best cruiseline. How could I? How would I know? I'd never been on another cruise line. Have my DCL cruises been Great? Yes. Are there people out there that have cruised 13 times on RCCL, CCL and NCL and had great cruises? After spending some time on Cruise Critic I'm going to say yes.
I find the people that proclaim DCL to be the best in the industry.
1. Have never cruised on another cruiseline or have very limited experience on other lines
2. Have very limited cruise experience in general, and are basing their opinion on a few DCL cruises.
I guess these two things make you a cruise industry expert.

It's one of weirdest things I've encountered on these boards. One of the posters I swear I thought he'd been on like 20+ DCL cruises the way he talks up and defends DCL, and then I come to find out he's been on 4 over a span of several years. I've been on 13 DCL cruises all were great. One Carnival it was Great. In no way shape or form do I feel qualified to proclaim any cruiseline better than the other.

I'm sorry if you assumed that I haven't been on any other cruise line (which I have). I shouldn't be bashed either for having a preference of cruise lines, correct? I am not saying that I would never sail on any other cruise line, other than DCL. My comment was only that I would not choose Carnival over DCL, but again this is MY preference and I am entitled to it without backlash!

 

[Dug720]

I'm sorry if you assumed that I haven't been on any other cruise line (which I have). I shouldn't be bashed either for having a preference of cruise lines, correct? I am not saying that I would never sail on any other cruise line, other than DCL. My comment was only that I would not choose Carnival over DCL, but again this is MY preference and I am entitled to it without backlash!

I agree with you. There is a lot of assuming by people for whom DCL is not their first choice that those of us who prefer DCL simply haven't tried other lines. I have tried RCCL and HAL as well as DCL since I started cruising as an adult (cruised on the Emerald Seas when I was 11...not with a line that I was aware of and the ship has long since been retired, so i don't count that).

Of the three I have sailed on, I would order them FOR ME DCL, RCCL Radiance Class (I don't need or want a ton of bells and whistles, and the Radiance class ships fit me well), and far, far behind (in the "someone holds a gun to my head and says I must board the ship or they will shoot me" category) is HAL. It simply was not for me at all.

I have looked at Celebrity and would possibly consider them (staying off the X board on cruisecritic though as a lot of those people are nasty and leave you wondering why they cruise X at all if they're so miserable).

I have briefly looked at Princess and will consider them in the future - especially if an itinerary I was eyeing as a possibility for this summer remains on their schedule.

I have looked at NCL, but I just want "simple" ships - I don't need all the bells and whistles and find their whole "freestyle" thing confusing.

The image Carnival puts forth in their ads is not one that appeals to me, plus you don't hear super good things about their non-bells and whistles ships.

So yes. I have been on other lines. I have looked at other lines. FOR ME DCL is my first choice as a general rule. And that is my right just as much as it is the right of posters on here to "jump ship" if they so choose.

 

[ChicosWife]

I agree with you. There is a lot of assuming by people for whom DCL is not their first choice that those of us who prefer DCL simply haven't tried other lines. I have tried RCCL and HAL as well as DCL since I started cruising as an adult (cruised on the Emerald Seas when I was 11...not with a line that I was aware of and the ship has long since been retired, so i don't count that).

Of the three I have sailed on, I would order them FOR ME DCL, RCCL Radiance Class (I don't need or want a ton of bells and whistles, and the Radiance class ships fit me well), and far, far behind (in the "someone holds a gun to my head and says I must board the ship or they will shoot me) is HAL. It simply was not for me at all.

I have looked at Celebrity and would possibly consider them (staying off the X board on cruisecritic though as a lot of those people are nasty and leave you wondering why they cruise X at all if they're so miserable).

I have briefly looked at Princess and will consider them in the future - especially if an itinerary I was eyeing as a possibility for this summer remains on their schedule.

I have looked at NCL, but I just want "simple" ships - I don't need all the bells and whistles and find their whole "freestyle" thing confusing.

The image Carnival puts forth in their ads is not one that appeals to me, plus you don't hear super good things about their non-bells and whistles ships.

So yes. I have been on other lines. I have looked at other lines. FOR ME DCL is my first choice as a general rule. And that is my right just as much as it is the right of posters on here to "jump ship" if they so choose.

Amen to that! Everyone likes what they like and that's it. I don't understand why people come on the DCL forum, just to say they are cruising on another ship. If DCL isn't their cruise line of choice, no problem! Enjoy what makes you happy!

 

[Love2Cruz]

Amen to that! Everyone likes what they like and that's it. I don't understand why people come on the DCL forum, just to say they are cruising on another ship. If DCL isn't their cruise line of choice, no problem! Enjoy what makes you happy!

At the same time, why would you comment on a thread that the OP shared that was specifically about another line that she enjoyed only to snarkily say "I would not go on that line"...seems a bit snobbish and pretentious to me.
You were on ONE DCL cruise, whoopeedoo!

 

[Ofinn]

I'm sorry if you assumed that I haven't been on any other cruise line (which I have). I shouldn't be bashed either for having a preference of cruise lines, correct? I am not saying that I would never sail on any other cruise line, other than DCL. My comment was only that I would not choose Carnival over DCL, but again this is MY preference and I am entitled to it without backlash!

There hadn't been a post on here in 11 days so you pulled it up just to make a snarky comment, and then you wonder why there is a backlash?

I agree with you. There is a lot of assuming by people for whom DCL is not their first choice that those of us who prefer DCL simply haven't tried other lines. I have tried RCCL and HAL as well as DCL since I started cruising as an adult (cruised on the Emerald Seas when I was 11...not with a line that I was aware of and the ship has long since been retired, so i don't count that).

Of the three I have sailed on, I would order them FOR ME DCL, RCCL Radiance Class (I don't need or want a ton of bells and whistles, and the Radiance class ships fit me well), and far, far behind (in the "someone holds a gun to my head and says I must board the ship or they will shoot me" category) is HAL. It simply was not for me at all.

I have looked at Celebrity and would possibly consider them (staying off the X board on cruisecritic though as a lot of those people are nasty and leave you wondering why they cruise X at all if they're so miserable).

I have briefly looked at Princess and will consider them in the future - especially if an itinerary I was eyeing as a possibility for this summer remains on their schedule.

I have looked at NCL, but I just want "simple" ships - I don't need all the bells and whistles and find their whole "freestyle" thing confusing.

The image Carnival puts forth in their ads is not one that appeals to me, plus you don't hear super good things about their non-bells and whistles ships.

So yes. I have been on other lines. I have looked at other lines. FOR ME DCL is my first choice as a general rule. And that is my right just as much as it is the right of posters on here to "jump ship" if they so choose.

I don't think my post was directed at you. I'm very aware of your cruising history which In my opinion is not that extensive. The people that it was directed at know who they are. Don't take things so personally when it had nothing to do with you. If your not interested in Carnival then why read this thread?

 

[Ofinn]

Amen to that! Everyone likes what they like and that's it. I don't understand why people come on the DCL forum, just to say they are cruising on another ship. If DCL isn't their cruise line of choice, no problem! Enjoy what makes you happy!

The reason they do that is because a lot of people on these boards are looking at other options and want reviews from DCL cruisers. DCL doesn't sail to places they want to go or they've just been out priced.. I for one appreciate the comparisons. If you don't like threads like this then don't come here. This thread wasn't intended for you anyway.

 

[RedSox68]

Amen to that! Everyone likes what they like and that's it. I don't understand why people come on the DCL forum, just to say they are cruising on another ship. If DCL isn't their cruise line of choice, no problem! Enjoy what makes you happy!

I guess that works both ways. Many of us don't understand why, when we are sharing information to help others on these boards (which is allowed), we get bashed for talking about anything other than Disney!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I guess that works both ways. Many of us don't understand why, when we are sharing information to help others on these boards (which is allowed), we get bashed for talking about anything other than Disney!

Because it's always been that way.

"DCL is so much better.
DCL doesn't have Riff-Raff customers - everyone is of a higher class.
DCL is the only clean, maintained ships.
DCL is the only one with great service."

Oh - which other lines have you sailed?

"None" or "I went on one 3 day booze cruise when I was 22 on <fill in the blank>"

If you want to see some heated arguments, go back to maybe 2012 when there were only maybe 3-4 of us on these boards who were defending Carnival. Those are some heated threads. Most ended up locked.

 

[mevelandry]

To each their own. It's all about what you value in a cruise-experience. I said Carnival would not be on my list, but you are welcome to have it on yours.

Just out of curiosity... What do you value? (And/Or That Carnival doesn't seem to have).

 

[mevelandry]

I have looked at NCL, but I just want "simple" ships - I don't need all the bells and whistles and find their whole "freestyle" thing confusing.

The image Carnival puts forth in their ads is not one that appeals to me, plus you don't hear super good things about their non-bells and whistles ships.

So yes. I have been on other lines. I have looked at other lines. FOR ME DCL is my first choice as a general rule. And that is my right just as much as it is the right of posters on here to "jump ship" if they so choose.

Did you take a look at the Carnival Paradise? We are booked to do Key West and Cozumel on it (never been there before)... It seems to be smaller than the Victory (Victory capacity 2700 capacity vs Paradise capacity 2000) but based on the pictures and videos I saw, it has a certain charm that I can't explain.

 

[mevelandry]

Amen to that! Everyone likes what they like and that's it. I don't understand why people come on the DCL forum, just to say they are cruising on another ship. If DCL isn't their cruise line of choice, no problem! Enjoy what makes you happy!

Because we sail on multiple cruiselines and we still love DCL and like to compare?

 

[Ofinn]

Because it's always been that way.

"DCL is so much better.
DCL doesn't have Riff-Raff customers - everyone is of a higher class.
DCL is the only clean, maintained ships.
DCL is the only one with great service."

Oh - which other lines have you sailed?

"None" or "I went on one 3 day booze cruise when I was 22 on <fill in the blank>"

If you want to see some heated arguments, go back to maybe 2012 when there were only maybe 3-4 of us on these boards who were defending Carnival. Those are some heated threads. Most ended up locked.

Ha Ha. I remember those threads. If people came to this thread that had cruised Carnival and gave some detailed, valid reasons(other then I don't like the look of the ads) why they don't like Carnival then that's fine. It's the people that pop up here to say something negative with very little cruising experience, and have never been on Carnival I don't get.

 

[mevelandry]

Because it's always been that way.

"DCL is so much better.
DCL doesn't have Riff-Raff customers - everyone is of a higher class.
DCL is the only clean, maintained ships.
DCL is the only one with great service."

Oh - which other lines have you sailed?

"None" or "I went on one 3 day booze cruise when I was 22 on <fill in the blank>"

I have to admit I have seen that happening a lot.

Also, I was told that my Carnival cruise on Oct 9-13 would be a booze cruise because it was a 4 nights to the Bahamas.

Maybe that is because we go to bed and wake up too early to notice but not once have we met drunk/rude people on that ship. Oh yeah, and the 30-60 minutes wait to eat at the buffet never happened either. And we found the "vulgar comedy shows" hilarious... Sometimes, you need to experiment and try to find what makes you happy among all the options.

 

[kaseyC]

Amen to that! Everyone likes what they like and that's it. I don't understand why people come on the DCL forum, just to say they are cruising on another ship. If DCL isn't their cruise line of choice, no problem! Enjoy what makes you happy!

If you don't understand it and/or it's SO bothersome to you, don't open the thread!! Scroll on by and go on with your day.

 

[RedSox68]

I have to admit I have seen that happening a lot.

Also, I was told that my Carnival cruise on Oct 9-13 would be a booze cruise because it was a 4 nights to the Bahamas.

Maybe that is because we go to bed and wake up too early to notice but not once have we met drunk/rude people on that ship. Oh yeah, and the 30-60 minutes wait to eat at the buffet never happened either. And we found the "vulgar comedy shows" hilarious... Sometimes, you need to experiment and try to find what makes you happy among all the options.

I received the same warnings when we were about to take our first Carnival cruise. We never saw any of the behavior or excessive drinking we were "warned" about and found our room to be amazing and the staff to be excellent.

 

[ChicosWife]

Just out of curiosity... What do you value? (And/Or That Carnival doesn't seem to have).

I value the quality, the experience, Castaway Cay! When we docked in Nassau, we were next to a Carnival ship and a NCL ship. DCL's ship was far more impressive, just in the looks alone. Carnival's was rusted and seemed outdated. That to me says, they don't care as much to take care of their business, as much as DCL.

 

[ChicosWife]

I guess that works both ways. Many of us don't understand why, when we are sharing information to help others on these boards (which is allowed), we get bashed for talking about anything other than Disney!

I'm not bashing anyone. I was being bashed for sharing my opinion.