CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

[auntlynne]

Heck yeah! Sign me up. Would it be inappropriate to order from both the Mexican and Chinese side? Asking for a friend

Inappropriate? No; they’ve set you up to do just that. . And order from a regular menu, too, if you read the bottom of the page. Chinese + Mexican = America’s two favorite restaurants, all in one place.

Now it looks like I won't be considered fully vaccinated because I mixed vaccines, at the recommendation of my government. So I guess I will be looking to change my December cruise. Very frustrating. Things can change by then, but Royal has said it's ok, just Carnival with the rule you can mix Pfizer and Moderna but not two types, I have Astra Zeneca as first and Pfizer as second. I don't want to wait to the last minute and run into problems. Add in my son not being vaccinated because he turns 12 in December. We may have to figure something else out. ☹

Can you get a second shot of one of the two different vaccines?

Both of our shots are Astra Zeneca and I'm not sure if that is considered vaccinated in the US. I know it's not if we want to see a show on Broadway. Apparently the CDC hasn't approved AZ. We have a B2B on Royal in Oct/Nov, not sure what we will do about it yet.
So many 'if ands and buts' about the whole issue.

We can’t give away our vaccines or appointment times, yet half our adults are not fully vaccinated. Pretty much every store with a pharmacy is offering walk-in availability (I’m in Alabama. In March, the waiting list at our hospital’s site was over 55,000. Things certainly have changed).

Are you still having to wait for an appointment where you live in Canada?

I think I’ve been reading several cruise lines’ wording that WHO-approved vaccines were acceptable. And documentation was whatever form the cruiser’s country was issuing. Somebody actually thought beyond just what the US was doing, yeah!

 

[auntlynne]

Dropping in tonight because y’all are such cruise fans. And I was so excited to have an upcoming cruise scheduled.

I was about to book on Celebrity Edge, but gave one more look at NCL to Alaska (I had booked it for August, moved it to September, cancelled it altogether and replaced the week with a trip to WDW). Then I kept watching cruise videos.

It was videos about the Edge that swayed me last night. I had a page with dates, prices, and airline airline miles. I even thought I’d bite the bullet and do an Infinite Balcony. I wasn’t so excited about the Western Caribbean, though.

One more look over at NCL. Labor Day weekend was still available. Delta Skymiles from Orlando to Seattle were much fewer than my hometown, and flying back to Orlando put me in Orlando a day before I was scheduled to be there. And I was driving to Orlando for WDW, anyway.

So, NCL Encore, here I come (fingers crossed). It’s a fully vaccinated cruise; no exceptions for children - they just can’t sail until after Oct 31.

I‘m trying a new (for me) cruise line, cabin type (studio designed for solo travelers), and a new port (Icy Strait Point).

I‘m also excited that a ship with a casino actually does not have smoking in the open casino area (there’s an enclosed smoking room in the casino).

I love hearing about all of your cruise plans; there‘s such a bigger world of cruising out there to discover than just DCL. (And I can’t find a good forum for NCL - Cruise Critic doesn’t have the same level of excitement as DIS).

Happy (belated) Canada Day and Fourth of July, everyone!

 

[ludari]

Dropping in tonight because y’all are such cruise fans. And I was so excited to have an upcoming cruise scheduled.

I was about to book on Celebrity Edge, but gave one more look at NCL to Alaska (I had booked it for August, moved it to September, cancelled it altogether and replaced the week with a trip to WDW). Then I kept watching cruise videos.

It was videos about the Edge that swayed me last night. I had a page with dates, prices, and airline airline miles. I even thought I’d bite the bullet and do an Infinite Balcony. I wasn’t so excited about the Western Caribbean, though.

One more look over at NCL. Labor Day weekend was still available. Delta Skymiles from Orlando to Seattle were much fewer than my hometown, and flying back to Orlando put me in Orlando a day before I was scheduled to be there. And I was driving to Orlando for WDW, anyway.

So, NCL Encore, here I come (fingers crossed). It’s a fully vaccinated cruise; no exceptions for children - they just can’t sail until after Oct 31.

I‘m trying a new (for me) cruise line, cabin type (studio designed for solo travelers), and a new port (Icy Strait Point).

I‘m also excited that a ship with a casino actually does not have smoking in the open casino area (there’s an enclosed smoking room in the casino).

I love hearing about all of your cruise plans; there‘s such a bigger world of cruising out there to discover than just DCL. (And I can’t find a good forum for NCL - Cruise Critic doesn’t have the same level of excitement as DIS).

Happy (belated) Canada Day and Fourth of July, everyone!

Hi Aunt Lynne, I have several future cruises booked and two are with cruise lines I’ve never sailed with before. One of my future cruises is on the Celebrity Apex (with an Infinite balcony stateroom) which is the sister ship to the Edge and I’m excited about testing the waters with a new cruise line.

I’ve also cruised previously on the NCL Breakaway on a 12 day cruise out of New Orleans. The Breakaway is a nice ship and full of wonderful amenities but I less impressed with NCL and the solo stateroom. On the Breakaway I did enjoy the private access to the solo area and the dedicated lounge area for solo travelers but the solo staterooms especially the shower is extremely small. I don’t think I would sail again on NCL but if I did I would not book a solo stateroom. I think it’s great to try out other cruise lines and if I can answer any questions for you regarding NCL please asks.

 

[tinkerone]

Are you still having to wait for an appointment where you live in Canada?

Where I live there is no wait and we are now being given options on which vaccine we would like. Your second appointment is booked when you receive your first shot but that is often changed before the date to fast track your second shot. Several walk-in spots each week if you can't/don't want to make an appointment.
We are doing well.

 

[belle032]

What do y'all think about purchasing travel insurance for an Alaskan cruise? I normally do purchase some when we cruise out of the country, but was thinking our normal insurance would cover any medical related issue because we aren't leaving the US.

 

[auntlynne]

What do y'all think about purchasing travel insurance for an Alaskan cruise? I normally do purchase some when we cruise out of the country, but was thinking our normal insurance would cover any medical related issue because we aren't leaving the US.

I bought it for my September AK cruise. I usually didn’t in the past, but I did due to uncertain times. I have even started buying airline insurance.

 

[auntlynne]

Where I live there is no wait and we are now being given options on which vaccine we would like. Your second appointment is booked when you receive your first shot but that is often changed before the date to fast track your second shot. Several walk-in spots each week if you can't/don't want to make an appointment.
We are doing well.

Our second dose appointments were actually made the same time as the first. And then we switched to a closer location.

Glad to hear it’s going well in your part of the world. I live among the crazies who won’t get vaccinated. We are the in the bottom 3 states for immunization. My town (full of engineers and scientists) has been better than the rest of the state, fortunately.

 

[auntlynne]

Hi Aunt Lynne, I have several future cruises booked and two are with cruise lines I’ve never sailed with before. One of my future cruises is on the Celebrity Apex (with an Infinite balcony stateroom) which is the sister ship to the Edge and I’m excited about testing the waters with a new cruise line.

I’ve also cruised previously on the NCL Breakaway on a 12 day cruise out of New Orleans. The Breakaway is a nice ship and full of wonderful amenities but I less impressed with NCL and the solo stateroom. On the Breakaway I did enjoy the private access to the solo area and the dedicated lounge area for solo travelers but the solo staterooms especially the shower is extremely small. I don’t think I would sail again on NCL but if I did I would not book a solo stateroom. I think it’s great to try out other cruise lines and if I can answer any questions for you regarding NCL please asks.

The solo studio is definitely going to be tight. At last the small shower has a door instead of the cold wet shower curtain on Princess. And the enclosed WC shows as having a grab bar on the wall - low toilets pose a challenge for me.

The studio lounge is not a drawing card; I am looking forward to using the Observation area as my hanging out space. When at home, I use my 9x11 bedroom for sleeping and dressing. A 100’ cabin with a smaller bed shouldn’t be so different.

I was torn between the Edge and the Encore. I think it was Alaska that really was the deciding factor. And an opportunity to visit Icy Strait Point. I am scheduled to do the ZipRider there; I hope it doesn’t get cancelled and leave me regretting my choice. But I was really wondering what I would do on a Western Caribbean cruise, especially so soon. I was a little weary of getting off the boat in Mexico and Roatan. But I really was interested in the Infinite Balcony. I think I might have gone that way if there had been a Solo Infinite Balcony available. ... Maybe in the future.

(I‘ve cruised Alaska 4 times already, so it’s like returning to a summer camp with great memories.)

If I have Questions about NCL, I will reach out to you.

Will love to hear what you think about Apex.

 

[mevelandry]

Where I live there is no wait and we are now being given options on which vaccine we would like. Your second appointment is booked when you receive your first shot but that is often changed before the date to fast track your second shot. Several walk-in spots each week if you can't/don't want to make an appointment.
We are doing well.

Yep. Same here in Quebec. Everyone can get their 2nd shot "early" now. According to Public Health our data indicates that 8 weeks between the two shots is the best course so anyone who has their 1st dose 8 weeks ago is eligible to get it now at walk-in clinics or get an appointment.

UPDATE: They have just announced that they are authorizing people to get their 2nd dose after 4 weeks if they wish to do so, starting tomorrow.

 

[mevelandry]

What do y'all think about purchasing travel insurance for an Alaskan cruise? I normally do purchase some when we cruise out of the country, but was thinking our normal insurance would cover any medical related issue because we aren't leaving the US.

I guess it doesn't hurt to have a travail insurance just in case. Travel insurance usually covers cancellations and loss of luggage, etc. It can be very useful.

 

[bcwife76]

Yep. Same here in Quebec. Everyone can get their 2nd shot "early" now. According to Public Health our data indicates that 8 weeks between the two shots is the best course so anyone who has their 1st dose 8 weeks ago is eligible to get it now at walk-in clinics or get an appointment.

UPDATE: They have just announced that they are authorizing people to get their 2nd dose after 4 weeks if they wish to do so, starting tomorrow.

I'm assuming that's just Quebec? BC has not moved up from 8 weeks (yet anyway). Dh and I are both double dosed now, DD12 is due for her second anytime after July 24 if they stick with 8 weeks.

 

[mevelandry]

The roll call is back on the first post!!! Feel free to share your cruise plans if you want me to add it.



Talking about the first post, I will try to take some time to update it as things have changed/will change and some details are clearly out of date. EDIT: Updated!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Hopefully our rebooked cruise is a go!

July 22 2022 Carnival Pride British Isles

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Greetings from deck 11 of the Carnival Vista in Cozumel with Adventure of the Seas! So far the cruise has been fantastic!!!!! A couple hiccups with dinner service not being up to par but we have Your Time dining so on the 4th night found a fantastic serving team so requested them again last night and will continue to do so.
Check-in was great in Galveston, just like normal but had to show vaccine card with passport and boarding pass. Christine Duffy, (Carnival President), was there to welcome and thank us for staying loyal.
We’re at 74% capacity and everyone seems super happy. Carnival decided to let the outdoor crew be mask less, not trying to make this a debating point just giving info, they seem so happy!
This cruise really feels very much like every other Vista cruise we’ve been on, absolutely amazing to be back on a ship. I really wish there was more I could say about changes but there really are none. Buffet is self serve, guests are happy, staff is happy, people in port are happy, it feels like before COVID, my heart really needed this! I can hardly wait for you all to be back on a ship too!

 

[belle032]

Greetings from deck 11 of the Carnival Vista in Cozumel with Adventure of the Seas! So far the cruise has been fantastic!!!!! A couple hiccups with dinner service not being up to par but we have Your Time dining so on the 4th night found a fantastic serving team so requested them again last night and will continue to do so.
Check-in was great in Galveston, just like normal but had to show vaccine card with passport and boarding pass. Christine Duffy, (Carnival President), was there to welcome and thank us for staying loyal.
We’re at 74% capacity and everyone seems super happy. Carnival decided to let the outdoor crew be mask less, not trying to make this a debating point just giving info, they seem so happy!
This cruise really feels very much like every other Vista cruise we’ve been on, absolutely amazing to be back on a ship. I really wish there was more I could say about changes but there really are none. Buffet is self serve, guests are happy, staff is happy, people in port are happy, it feels like before COVID, my heart really needed this! I can hardly wait for you all to be back on a ship too!
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UGH this is sooooo nice to hear!! My cruising excitement level just skyrocketed Thank you for taking the time to update!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

she had a nice new coat of paint and inside looks as good as she did when we were on her 3rd sailing back in 2016.

 

[brewcrew]

Greetings from deck 11 of the Carnival Vista in Cozumel with Adventure of the Seas! So far the cruise has been fantastic!!!!! A couple hiccups with dinner service not being up to par but we have Your Time dining so on the 4th night found a fantastic serving team so requested them again last night and will continue to do so.
Check-in was great in Galveston, just like normal but had to show vaccine card with passport and boarding pass. Christine Duffy, (Carnival President), was there to welcome and thank us for staying loyal.
We’re at 74% capacity and everyone seems super happy. Carnival decided to let the outdoor crew be mask less, not trying to make this a debating point just giving info, they seem so happy!
This cruise really feels very much like every other Vista cruise we’ve been on, absolutely amazing to be back on a ship. I really wish there was more I could say about changes but there really are none. Buffet is self serve, guests are happy, staff is happy, people in port are happy, it feels like before COVID, my heart really needed this! I can hardly wait for you all to be back on a ship too!
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Thanks for checking in! So glad you are enjoying your cruise!

 

[mevelandry]

Looking to find some kind of excursion to replace our beloved Royal Palms in Cayman (RIP), one of the excursion that we would like to do brings you to a sandbar. Ok so… I like watching stingrays from far away. I don’t want them to touch me. When you do that kind of excursion, is it possible to stay on the ship or go in the water while staying away from the stingray?

 

[hdrolfe]

Looking to find some kind of excursion to replace our beloved Royal Palms in Cayman (RIP), one of the excursion that we would like to do brings you to a sandbar. Ok so… I like watching stingrays from far away. I don’t want them to touch me. When you do that kind of excursion, is it possible to stay on the ship or go in the water while staying away from the stingray?

I'm sure you could if you wanted to, they aren't going to push you off the boat But we have done it, and it was pretty neat. We went with a private tour so there were just 4 people, myself, my son and another couple who had booked the same thing. We did that, plus snorkelling and then a stop at a beach with lunch. It was a great day, one my son's favourite excursions.

 

[belle032]

Looking to find some kind of excursion to replace our beloved Royal Palms in Cayman (RIP), one of the excursion that we would like to do brings you to a sandbar. Ok so… I like watching stingrays from far away. I don’t want them to touch me. When you do that kind of excursion, is it possible to stay on the ship or go in the water while staying away from the stingray?

We've only done stingray excursions in Cayman! And honestly, it wasn't like being swarmed with hundreds of stingrays, it was maybe dozen or less around the entire sandbar with quite a few boats in the area. But yes, you can stay in the boat and watch from afar if you want - no one will force you in the water!