CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[mevelandry]

This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed. NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face.
I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.

This is where I believe Carnival did wrong. You did pay a lot more for this cruise s
so the 100$ OBC is like a slap in the face. They should have reimbursed you the price difference pp for a Cozumel cruise.

 

[belle032]

This is where I believe Carnival did wrong. You did pay a lot more for this cruise s
so the 100$ OBC is like a slap in the face. They should have reimbursed you the price difference pp for a Cozumel cruise.

In this case I agree. This was a sailing that the majority of people chose primarily because of the chance to go to Cuba and that was reflected in the higher price tag. True it wasn't Carnival's fault that you couldn't get there, however, I bet most guests wouldn't have booked that sailing if it weren't for that port. It wasn't a simple change like Ocho Rios to Cozumel, it was a change that affected the entire point of the cruise in the first place. Sorry you had to experience that disappointment OP!

 

[smmco]

I feel like it's a given for most experienced cruisers that they know ports can change or be cancelled. They are allowed to be disappointed if they were really hoping to visit one of them. Thankfully, a change of ports don't happen that often.

That being said, I've always felt like Cuba for US citizens is in its own "niche". In this case, it's not simply a port change but a complete ban so land trips over there are not even an option + they paid an extra charge specifically to go there. I'd be pissed.

You have every right to be disappointed angry etc. I’m still not sure if the cruise line is obligated to compensate. It would be nice if they did.

 

[mevelandry]

You have every right to be disappointed angry etc. I’m still not sure if the cruise line is obligated to compensate. It would be nice if they did.

Usually I would be against it unless they paid an extra (and extra taxes) just for this port like they did with Cuba. I believe they also had to pay for a 50$ visa?

 

[smmco]

Usually I would be against it unless they paid an extra (and extra taxes) just for this port like they did with Cuba. I believe they also had to pay for a 50$ visa?

Normally they refund all port fees and taxes if you miss a port. I would expect they will see that come off their cc. I’ve gotten refunds before and after cruises for port fees. I know DCL doesn’t notify you. I just see it on the credit card activity.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

This wasn’t a mere PORT change but an entire destination change that we paid a premium to go to. I get that “port” changes happen . But what I if you’d planned hoped dreamed and planned some more to go to Greece and you had a port change to Cozumel(yes I know that can’t actually happen but as an example)? And part of the bitterness is we DID pay more for a small smelly ship for the sole purpose of the destination - not a”port”. Lesson learned. Also Carnival offer $100 pp OBC for those of us already on the dang ship with NO option to cancel like those who hadn’t sailed. NCL offered 50% off that cruise plus 50% off a future cruise. Again lesson learned. Since I already paid for everything, one sea day to spend $400? For what? Slap in face.
I wish people could grasp the fact a Cuba cruise cost a premium, people booked to go to Cuba. It’s like booking to go see the rain forest and ending up in Key West. Not a mere port change but whole vacation destination alteration.

I agree that if you pay a premium for a destination that gets cancelled, it would be nice for the cruise line to “make up” for that (Not that they have to...). It seems like they could have given a decent percentage off a next cruise maybe? It doesn’t cost the cruise line much if anything to do it and builds good will. The Cuba situation seems like such a weird situation. How often does a cruise line cancel a destination mid cruise because the US government says they can no longer go there!? Wild.

 

[mevelandry]

For those who were fans of cruise director Matt Mitcham: he has been promoted as Mardi Gras CD!

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

For those who were fans of cruise director Matt Mitcham: he has been promoted as Mardi Gras CD!

Oh wow cool!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I guess we got lucky we didn’t miss our cruise last week! I think Carnival is handling the situation well though and giving a nice compensation package.

 

[mevelandry]

I guess we got lucky we didn’t miss our cruise last week! I think Carnival is handling the situation well though and giving a nice compensation package.

View attachment 410325

So basically, they get a full refund, a free cruise and 200$/pp for flights? Pretty good!

 

[quickcat]

Wow- a full refund plus a free cruise! That is a nice thing. I get people will be disappointed but a free cruise will take some of it away. Vista looks like an amazing ship!

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I guess we got lucky we didn’t miss our cruise last week! I think Carnival is handling the situation well though and giving a nice compensation package.

View attachment 410325

That’s incredible compensation

 

[pezgirlroy]

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn. My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that. My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents. So we still need to do something. We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise. These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn. My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that. My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents. So we still need to do something. We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise. These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.

I have not been on any of these ships! But... My first choice would be the Fascination. Those ports are to die for and it is hard to find cruises that go to some of those places.
Second choice: I have been on a sister ship to Glory and I would not hesitate to go on that ship. Great size. Plus, New Orleans is one of my favorite departure ports and I love the itinerary.
Third would be Freedom of the Seas, also looks like an amazing ship and definitely great ports. One reason why it gets 3rd for me is that I am assuming that it is the most expensive of the 4 choices (?).

 

[belle032]

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn. My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that. My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents. So we still need to do something. We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise. These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.

I know the Fascination is one of the oldest (if not THE oldest) ship in the fleet, but that sounds like a great itinerary. So it will definitely be a smaller ship without all the bells and whistles. Some people prefer that, but it's not for everyone. And if someone is sailing Carnival for the first time, or the first time in a while, I usually recommend a larger/newer ship. And it's personal preference, but I like to have more than 1 sea day!

DH & I love the Glory and the ships in that class.We just sailed on her sister ship, the Conquest, this past September. The ship is a good size, easy to navigate, and has all the upgrades. Something we really liked was that the aft pool was actually adults only and it was enforced. We spent lots of time there! The itinerary looks pretty standard, but I'd enjoy the sea days and we like Cozumel & Grand Cayman.

I can't speak for the RCL ship, but looks like a really fun & different itinerary!

I think the Miracle is kind of it's own class of ship, so I don't know much about it or what to compare it to. Hopefully someone else can elaborate on it!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn. My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that. My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents. So we still need to do something. We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise. These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.

If those are the options, I'd chose the Freedom of the Seas (even though I'm not a huge fan of Royal). It has a great itinerary, it's a large ship with lots to do, it has Sabor which is a great specialty restaurant, Royal frequently has deals on their drink packages and Royal's adult only pool area is better than any of the ones on those particular Carnival ships.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn. My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that. My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents. So we still need to do something. We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise. These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.

I wouldn’t do Fascination just because of the class of ship, I like bigger ships with all the bells and whistles.

My vote would be either Freedom of the Seas, because I loved Aruba when we were there or the Miracle. Miracle is a Spirit class ship that for some reason, I really love, even though I’ve never been on one. They have some cabins that are considered inside that have French doors that open to the outside of the ship. It’s only about a 1 foot wide balcony that you really can’t go out on and has an obstructed view because of the life boats. They’re a really good value if one is available.
We just got back from a Vista cruise that stopped in Belize and Honduras, and I love both of those places. Belize is a very long tender from the ship, took about 25 minutes from ship to shore, not including loading and unloading, that’s straight water time. Honduras has a gorgeous beach that is about a 5 minute, very safe walk from the ship. They have chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, etc there. The port shopping area is also very large, clean and safe. It’s in the top left of this picture. You can also take a ski lift type ride over there, it’s $7.00 for an all day pass to ride it, you can purchase the tickets on the ship at the excursion desk.

So after typing all this out, I changed my mind, I’d definitely do Miracle, just talked myself into it! LOL

Have a great time and let us know what you end up doing.

 

[mevelandry]

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn. My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that. My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents. So we still need to do something. We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise. These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.

That's a personal choice but I would avoid Fascination (even though the itinerary is very nice) ... I find the Fantasy class ships to be very old and small with not much to do --I was on the Sensation last year, we did not have a bad cruise but the ship was only so-so.

It would be quite a shock to go from DCL to that kind of ship.

 

[pezgirlroy]

The other one I am considering is the Valor out of New Orleans for 5 days. Just basically goes to Mexico but then we would spend two days in New Orleans at the end.

 

[hdrolfe]

Okay folks I need help and I think this might be a good place to turn. My husband and I were supposed to go to Punta Cana from July 31 to August 5. Well we have cancelled that. My oldest will be at summer camp and my youngest will be watched by grandparents. So we still need to do something. We are now thinking about a cruise. We have down a few Disney cruises with the whole family and loved them. I have cruised Carnival in the past (long time ago) and I was just fine with it. So we are thinking about a Carnival cruise. These are the ones we are debating right now. Can anyone give me some thoughts on these/the ship/anything? we will probably do an interior room or just oceanview just because it is just the two of us. Are there plenty of things for just adults to do? Any advice is welcome. Here they are:

Carnival Fasicnation
Departs Sunday July 28 from San Juan
Returns Sunday August 4th
San Juan; St. Thomas; St. Maarten; Saint Kitts; St. Lucia; Barbados; Sea Day; San Juan

Carnival Glory
7 night
July 28, 2019 from New Orleans
New Orleans; Sea Day; Sea Day; Montego Bay; Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Sea Day

7 night Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas
July 28 from San Juan
San Juan, Sea Day, Aruba, Netherland Antilles, Bonaire, Sea day, Netherland Antilles, San Juan

7 night Carnival Miracle
July 28
Tampa, sea day, grand cayman, Honduras, belize, Cozumel, sea day, tampa

Thank you.

So. I have been on Freedom (twice) and for adults, it's a nice ship. The first time my son loved it, the second time he was bored. I'd choose one from San Juan simply because of the ports, and being port intensive (I don't care for sea days). I would probably choose Fascination because while it is a lower class of ship, you only have one sea day. But Freedom is a nice ship and perhaps new ports? Have you been to any of the Southern ports?

The Miracle itinerary is nice, because I do like the western ports and have heard good things about the ship itself.