This was my 66th cruise and my 7th cruise line with Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland
America, Celebrity, MSC and Royal Caribbean sailed previously. I am not a Disney person so read this
with that in mind.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the cruise. Like I said I am not a Disney
person, but you couldn’t help feeding off the excitement of those who were and the excitement that the
kids onboard had for it. The ship was not “in your face” Disney and was tastefully done in the artwork,
ship design etc. Everyday they had areas for people to meet and take photos with the various Disney
characters, but it was certainly not the focus. The ship was incredibly clean and in great condition. They
do not allow paint to peel or rusty areas around the public areas and open decks. Spotless ship and they
still do cabin service twice a day. This was a great way to get a Disney fix in without dealing with the
parks.

Food: The only area that surprised me in a negative way was the main dining food quality. For some
reason I thought DCL food was elevated compared to the other cruise lines, but I did not find that to be
the case. I would say their included food quality in the main dining room was a step down from Holland
America and Celebrity, on par with NCL and a half step up from the new Carnival menus.

The 24-7 free room service was great, the buffet included crab legs daily and Mickey ice cream bars are
available for free anytime you want.

I loved that each night we rotated between the three themed dining rooms (Secret Garden, Royal
Palace, Animators Palate where the dining room goes from black and white to a rainbow of colors as the
meal progresses) but kept the same waiters each night.
Another food department area I loved was that the main dining room is open for lunch every single day
and the lunch menus changed daily.

Palo brunch was A+. Wonderful food and an even elevated level of service. Highly suggest going!

Shows: Disney wins out of all my other cruise lines when it comes to production shows, hands down.
Broadway quality with great effects, music, sets, costumes etc. Norwegian’s Pricilla Queen of the Desert
was my previous favorite show at sea but that has been bumped down to second place. The deck parties
were great too. They didn’t just have performers on stage, but they would come down from the smoke
stack, shoot across the pool deck etc.

Pirates of the Caribbean was a pirate themed night where everyone dressed up and was finished with
fireworks at sea. Overall great time for people of all ages.

Service: Some of the best at sea from the moment your cab pulls up to the pier to leaving. Everyone was
very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. Our waiters were rockstars and they are so good to the kids.
They make personal connections with them, make them feel special and even when carrying a tray of 12
dishes they will still pause and answer a kid asking them something. My 5 year old cousin told our waiter
that he loved Goofy and that he liked corn bread so for the rest of the cruise our waiter would say,

“Benji guess what Mr. Goofy is in the kitchen baking you up some cornbread. He asked me to tell him
when you arrive so I will go get it!” Just really made a great connection with the kids.

Cleanliness: As I mentioned earlier the ship was spotless in both public areas and our cabin. We loved
that cabin service was done twice a day and workers were always around the ship cleaning.
Ship condition: As expected the ship was in almost perfect condition. The cabins showed their age with
some design and décor items, wear and tear but for a ship of this age overall it was in great condition.
I’m always impressed that companies like Disney, Holland America and Cunard can keep dark painted
ship hulls in such prime condition.

Drinks: We were surprised by the price of drinks and in a good way. Drink prices were similar to other
cruise lines but the adults only bars had happy hours for a few hours a day. Drinks were 50% off so a
16oz beer was around $5, a glass of wine was $6, cocktails around $6 as well. Disney does not offer a
beverage package but with the cheap happy hour prices we definitely did not need one. Everyday they
have a “cocktail of the day” for $5 as well. Soda is included in the price of the cruise so we packed airline
mini booze bottles to make our own drinks from time to time. Disney also allows all adults to bring on
two bottles of wine or a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer each.

We loved the adults only coffee shop Cove Café. The café was relaxing, tastefully done and had many of
the same treats that Starbucks has (Cranberry Bliss Bars etc.) which were included.

Private Island: Their private island was wonderful. The ship is able to dock so you don’t have to deal
with tender boats, multiple beaches for all ages and the best tasting beach BBQ we have ever had on a
cruise. Usually the private island buffets are a miss in taste and quality but this was wonderful. In
addition to beach time, we rented bikes and enjoyed some nature trails around the island. Service on
the island matched the elevated levels that we found on the ship.
Pools: This might have been because of spring break but the main pools were quite small, so they were
incredibly busy and packed and the lines for the water slides were very long. The adults only area pools
were quiet which was nice. Even my seven-year-old cousin said he hated the pools because they were so
crowded you couldn’t go in without being constantly kicked or hit by people. The pool deck was overall
very hectic.

Premium price: So, is the premium price worth it? This was the perfect ship to try with kids and while
we had a wonderful time and will be back on Disney with them in the future, I think the premium price
just depends on the specific itinerary if it is worth it. We had to go during spring break so that meant
peak pricing. This five day Disney cruise was more expensive than 14 day Asian cruises we have done in
a balcony cabin. The ship does not have a casino so I save some money there. If you love Disney I say
give it a try and if you don’t like Disney then don’t necessarily write it off either. Like I mentioned at the
start, we enjoyed it a lot more than we thought we would and we will be back to Disney but for the price
it certainly won’t become a main cruise line choice for us but I can see us doing them from time to time. Will be sailing on the Disney Fantasy next April.

Thanks for reading!

I sent mine in on March 28th for expedited service. They received the application on April 3rd, cashed the check and yesterday the status was changed to approved with estimated shipping arriving on April 15th. 

1 hour ago, stobe1 said:

If I were Doug Parker, I would have used a more updated pic of Gwen Stefani. She is much botter today as she has gotten older. She has aged very, very well in my opinion. The Blake Shelton Gwen vs the No Doubt Gwen.

Yes..lets call it aging very very well....yes aging is what made her new look. (I love Gwen but I feel like she didn't need all that work that she, and the pressures of the industry, made her get)

48 minutes ago, sid_9169 said:

 

It's definitely Honolulu. Look at the buildings towards the left side and that long antenna sticking up in both pictures...

 

That is LA. That building is the Wilshire Grand Center. People used to say it was the Pepsi building because it had Korean Air's logo on it 😁

6 minutes ago, puffinsmom said:

Is that the Carnival Venezia ship lobby in the Chinese drama "You are my destiny" 

Sure is! Technically it was still the Costa Venezia at the time of filming though. 

1 hour ago, jsglow said:

I don't really think it matters. The ship will be parked bow in and both sides will get a view of the Bimini shoreline, mostly beachy type waterfront.

 

If memory serves it's actually a reasonably long pier, directly 90 degrees, so no view from a Deck #1 OV is anything to get particularly excited about.

 

Also, we very much enjoyed a golf cart rental/exploration day last time we were there. We walked ashore (maybe a 1/3 mile) and rented a cart for the day. No need to coordinate through a ship sponsored excursion. This was during the Covid recovery. I think we paid about $60.

I feel like the ships are always docking here with the stern in (closest to the shore) with the bow pointing out to the ocean with the pier on the port, left side of the ship. I'm writing this from the Freedom currently docked in Bimini and this is the same case today. I think OP would want to pick a cabin on the right side of the ship for the most unobstructed views. OP hope this helps!

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Not Carnival.

 

Carnival

The photo that you say is not Carnival is definitely Carnival and that is how all Starlink equipped ships across all cruise lines look. Starlink does not come in a dome. Anyway, the rest of the infrastructure makes a big difference in reliable connections also. That is why the Mardi Gras class is wonderful with its routers literally everywhere. 

3 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Marriott. Does not offer free wifi

 

Member BenefitsEnjoy endless benefits with Marriott Bonvoy membership. Stay connected. Members enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi. Use our mobile app to check into your room, then use your phone as your room key.

 

Hilton does not offer free wifi

 

 

oes Hilton Honors offer free WiFi?

 

 

When you join Hilton Honors, you'll instantly have 'Member'-level benefits available when you book directly through Hilton: Free Wi-Fi.

 

ow much is hotel wifi?

 

 

While many budget and midscale hotel chains have largely given up on charging guests for Wi-Fi, fees persist at more luxurious sister hotels — typically about $9.95 to $19.95 a day

All what Marriott and Hilton require is for someone to have joined their free loyalty program. Taking 10 seconds to sign up for a free program (which most people are already in to get the points for their stay) which gives you free wifi certainly makes the wifi free. If Carnival said "sign up for our newsletter to get free wifi" people would certainly be arguing that the wifi is free. 

19 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

5 Major Hotel Brands That Still Charge For Wi-Fi

 

https://www.mapquest.com/travel/5-major-hotel-brands-that-still-charge-for-wi-fi/

While I know satellite ship internet can't be compared to land internet, this list is very outdated. These brands offer free wifi and Starwood hotels has been part of Marriott for over 7 years now. 

I don't mind the increase in price (business costs are business costs) but I keep better track now when it's not working and ask for the appropriate amount of a refund at the end of the voyage. I don't mind paying the premium price for when it works but not when it doesn't. This hasn't been an issue with partial refunds recently and guest services seems to be pretty understanding when you say you just want x%. Due to this I am paying more upfront with the new prices but probably paying less overall with some partial refunds from time to time. 

I think them allowing notifications to come through at times (error or not) is a great marketing move to get more people to buy the internet. If someone hasn't purchased it but suddenly got emails and messages they might want to reply to then I bet they purchase a package.

26 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

You should have also gotten a letter for a free Steakhouse dinner for two. 😎

Yeah going tonight. The regular food has been good I must say. Great service onboard as well. 

I guess its leather just feels like plastic. Hope these pics help!

14 minutes ago, pcvtmom said:

The first time Diamond gift is a luggage tag and passport holder set, not the robe. Initially, they were supposed to be a leather set, so I'm disappointed that ohioNCLcruiser reports that he/she received a plastic set.  Was this the Diamond gift (not Platinum)? If so...bummer! 😉 They've been "out" since we turned Diamond back in January. I got the same email, but our next cruise isn't until April, so they are supposed to mail them.

When I get back to my cabin I'll take a closer look at it. If it was indeed leather it felt very plasticy. I'll post some photos of it this afternoon. 

I just got mine on the Venezia yesterday and it is a plastic passport holder and luggage tag. I appreciate the gesture but it is pretty cheap and I will certainly not be taking it with me. The quality seems like 95% of them will just end up as more plastic in a landfill. A robe would have been great or even the whale tail/smokestack luggage tag from the giftshop which I love. Hopefully people don't get the hate going with the "so ungrateful" or "you know how much debt they are in" etc I'm just saying what I feel. I rather have not gotten it then more plastic that will just be tossed. Hope this helps!

On the Panorama two weeks ago it was open however it is no longer a "create your own" kinda place. They had three pre-made bowls that you could choose from. The quality was def not the same. JiJis at dinner was as wonderful as always!

19 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I tried to post a funny mole meme, but it didn't work.  Then I tried to find a mole emoticon but the best I could do was a porcupine. 🦔

 

I just think of "Moleeeee" from Austin Powers.

4 hours ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

John doesn't make them up. I've looked and found them in the community pages. Now if those posters make them up.... I think so

John or his team make up a majority of them. I'm not even saying it's a bad thing since it clearly works very well for him and provides a lot of engagement, clicks and shares. Over time you will notice some very similar writing patterns and habits that are too much of a coincidence to be from the masses. Certain phrases and name placement are also in patterns. 

The general public can be insane. I supervised guest services onboard for many years and have heard pretty much everything but even the craziest don't even come close to some of the stuff that John's team comes up with for entertainment purposes. Nobody is in the middle of eating their formal night dinner and sees someone in their military formal clothes and immediately stops eating, whips out their phone, and sends a long DM to John Head about how they are so offended.  Notice that a lot of them are on pretty controversial topics where the replies will almost always go in one direction. Example using some of the repetitive wording and phrases..."John how dare you. A 20-year-old US military member is saying he thinks he should be able to drink a beer because he serves our country and is on vacation. I am offended John and you better do something about that mentality. I will never cruise with Carnival again!!! What are you going to do about it John??" 

This isn't something that just John does, or just Carnival but most companies do things like this with social media to create engagement. Heck, even "news" hosts do it. Stand-up comedians make up false stories all the time as part of their sketches. 

Some are certainly real but most are created for "entertainment purposes only."

5 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

I am convinced that nearly all the posts JH features on his page are fake. Either posted by fake accounts for content, or lies dreamed up by people for attention.

98% of them are definitely fake. The complaints have very similar writing patterns and you can tell are usually written by the same few people. On top of that I have met someone on his staff who admitted it after a few drinks lol. Works well for them though!

23 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

You mean SOME AMERICANS

Bingo lol

Carnival is really going after casino players now as a big part of their focus. They would probably be taking quite the revenue hit by having the same group of people onboard for three months vs 15 different groups coming and losing as much money as possible onboard. 

I'm in a ocean suite for the TA crossing and had no idea it included access to this area when I booked. I'm excited for this perk and I'm not a big pool guy so I think I even prefer a bit more seating area to feel less crowded. 

Carnival can never issue a gift card to the same gift cards that you originally used. When I purchased cheers packages and paid with gift cards online, once I canceled that for a refund I called Carnival online shop support and after a couple minutes Carnival sent me a refund via a new gift card that came via fedex. Sorry it's taking so long to get a Carnival rep to just issue a new gift card to "refund" you. 

1 hour ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

Yes, I would think so. But what could this be? Something like a sport square expansion? Something new? What does everyone think?

Hopefully it's not a "it is fascinating how many extra cabins we can fit into these former lounges" type of thing 😂 I'm excited to see what the Pride gets besides some TLC.

The Pride has been so neglected in the past couple years. It's almost like she was the next ship on the chopping block if the shutdown lasted any longer. Nothing is fun about not getting good sleep on vacation. I feel for ya there! I agree with you that the bed looks awful but disagree it was neglect from the cabin steward. They don't have the time (management's and corporate management fault) or the inventory to just swap out beds. For all we know they have reported the mattress issue their entire contract there. 

Really hope the Pride gets the TLC she deserves in the dry dock. She is a great class of ship when in decent condition.