Disney cruise review from a carnival state of mind.

I wanted to write a quick review in comparison from what I have experienced with Carnival in the past to what I recently experienced on a 3 day Disney Dream Cruise from Feb 20, 2014.

*Disclaimer* This is based on my opinions. It has been a few years since my last carnival cruise.

Family Info

On this trip was myself (34), DD (9), the love of my life (35), her dd (6), my MIL (60) and her BF(??).

Embarking

We flew from Providence to Orlando. We took the Disney Transport to the terminal in Port Canaveral. After about a 5 minutes wait in the check in line, we had our cards in hand. And within 20-30 minutes we were onboard the ship. Overall the whole process was quick and easy. This was a similar experience to what Carnival has done in the past. So no edge to either cruise line

Room,

We stayed in room 5150, which had an extended balcony. The room was a good size, although it got a little cozy for having 4 people. The extended Balance was huge and awesome. The one thing that stood out for me though, was the split bathroom. One bathroom had the toilet and sink and the other had a sink and shower. This made it easier for the 4 of us to get ready. Overall room size and room features were about the same as carnival. So very slight edge to Disney for the split bathrooms.

Ship

It is unfair for me to compare ships, since I have not traveled a comparable Carnival ship. The Dream was impressive. I never felt lost on it. It only took a day to know where I was going. The Dream was always clean and beautiful. The one thing that I did miss was a big atrium. I miss the awe of looking up for 9 floors. The ship never felt crowded. We never had any difficulty finding chairs by the pool. The only place I found lines was peak times at the Aquaduck and for certain Character meets.

Food

I will be honest, this scared me a little. I love my cruise food and based on other people’s reviews, I kept my hopes low that Disney would meet the high bar that Carnival has set for me. Good thing for me that I was very wrong. I loved everything about the food. The rotating 3 main dining rooms were incredible. Room service was standard, but the thing that stood out of was the buffet. I have accepted the notion that cruise buffets were ok at best. But the food was really hot and tasty at all times. So for me, based on the different MDR’s and buffet, edge to Disney (although I really wanted a molten lava cake).

Entertainment

This one is a mixed bag of nuts. If you have younger kids, it is a no brainer for me. The 3 production shows were unbelievable. Fireworks on pirate night. Sail away party and kids activities were top notch. And since the kids had so much to do, I never once, I repeat never, ran into kids causing mayhem. I am used to kids invading adult areas, playing on elevators and running amuck in the hallways. But there was so much for them to do, that was never an issue. The down side was the adult night life. They had nice bars and clubs, but there were not a lot of people there. It reminded me of the piano bar on the Carnival legend. It is in such a bad place that it was quiet. The bars were never busy. So if you have kids, big advantage Disney. If you are looking for more adult things like club action, Advantage Carnival. Also on a side note, I thought it was a bad thing that there was no casino, but in the end , I was happy I saved the money.

Service,

This is the big separator for me. Keep in mind; this was my 1st Disney experience. The entire crew went out of their way to always be friendly, courteous and attentive. I felt like I was their top priority at all times. When you passed anyone in the hallway, they always smiled and said hi. The Dinning crew went out of there was to know what we liked and were super quick. One night my daughter was not feeling well and we stayed in our room. Our waiter called our room because we were not there and let me order off of that night’s menu and had it delivered to our room. Some times on Carnival I feel like I am getting in their way. So big advantage to Disney.

Other,

As I said earlier, I was surprised that I didn’t miss the casino, but it would have been nice to have it on there. I didn’t do much drinking, but it awesome that you can carry on your own liquor. I also liked that there is no fear of losing a towel and then getting charged for it. I loved that you don’t need to buy a soda card and there are scattered soda stations.

Disembark

We were off the ship in minutes, found our bags easily and were on the bus back to the airport. Similar to my experiences on Carnival. No edge to either line.

Overall,

The $64,000 for me is, was it worth it. Disney does hold an edge, but at what cost. The price for this cruise was about %50 higher per day, to a similar Carnival ship for that time and course. My answer is Yes! We had such a great time and you get the service you pay for. We are rebooked for next year, but I am also planning another carnival cruise with me and the missus for later this year.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will post a full review, when I get my pictures from my travel companions (my pictures were lost).

Thanks for doing a review. Can't wait to see some pics.

Yeah, I've always wanted to try Disney but cannot at this point justify the cost. If I was suffering on Carnival or the other main lines I would make the jump but there's just no reason to pay 50% more. But it's on my to do list!

Thanks for the comparison! Hubby and I are going on our first cruise ever in May. We want to scope it out before we decide to do a cruise with our daughter, which will probably be Disney. Can't wait to see pictures :)

Thanks for this! I've been considering trying a Disney cruise because I feel like Carnival is putting less and less emphasis on kids. The big downfall for us is that DH is a smoker and wants his balcony.

When you talked about the service on Disney it immediately took me back to the days of the Carnival Holiday. Definitely know what you mean about sometimes feeling like you are in the way, especially if you get done with dinner and want to change clothes before heading out and about.

Glad to hear you had such a nice experience!

Nice write-up. We took our kids on Disney for thier first cruise and they loved it. I agree about the nightlife it is truly non existent on Disney, and I didnt miss the casino on the 4 day. But I might feel differently on a 7 day or longer.:)

Just returned from our 3rd Disney cruise. We are seasoned Carnival cruisers too. Want to add that at disembarkation on Disney, there are NO set times to leave the ship. Once you clear, the doors are open and anyone can leave at any time. BIG difference for me. There's no mad rush and people hanging in the stairwells. It just doesn't happen. Being able to bring on a reasonable amount of alcohol is a huge plus. Split bathrooms goes without saying with tubs for the little ones. The service is just top notch and the staff/crew truly exhibit a desire to make your vacation a memorable one. It is pretty funny that you don't see long lines at the bars and the adult pool always has seats available. The children's clubs are amazing, simply amazing. I do miss the casino, but not a deal breaker because I know I will get a superior product. In this case, you do get what you pay for IMHO and we can't wait to go again.

On some of the newer Carnival ships have cabins with the same split bathroom configuration.

We did the Disney dream almost 3 years ago when she was brand spanking new! We loved it as well. The only think we didnt love was the price tag. For this april the 3 day disney dream was more than I am paying for the 6 night carnival. 3 nights is just too short. But, apparently they are still sailing full even at those prices :rolleyes: Too bad for me. Till I catch a good deal with Disney again we will stick with Carnival or Royal.

Disney is a better overall experience, but for the money, I prefer CCL.

Thanks for the comparison. We are thinking of trying Disney with our little one. You said in your review that you hadn't been on Carnival in a while and I noticed from your signature that our first cruise was actually the sailing right after yours on the Legend. In fairness, Carnival has changed since then, but it's still a good time and value. Our 2nd cruise after the Legend was on RC and while we thought some things were marginally better than Carnival, overall we liked Carnival better and stuck with it since, especially considering the savings. Not sure what we would think now, though there probably are more similarities than differences amongst all the lines. Really, it's the overall experience that matters. Glad you had a good cruise and would be interested to read a review of your impressions if you do another cruise with Carnival!

We want to scope it out before we decide to do a cruise with our daughter

I also did a Disney Dream cruise, and mostly had the same experience as you. I did have a few meals in the main dining room on the Dream that were just so-so, and unfortunately, our tables in 2 of the 3 dining rooms were in the back corner, in a divided off area that made it difficult to enjoy the ambiance of those beautiful Disney dining rooms, so overall I myself prefer Carnival in the food category.

I found that the staff on the Disney Dream and the staff on all of the Carnival ships to be amazing. Maybe I have just been lucky, but I've never had an experience on any cruise where the staff wasn't amazing!

My absolute favorite thing about my Disney cruise was going to Castaway Cay. I love their private island!!!!

Overall, I loved my Disney cruise, but I'm not sure I would want to pay the amount we paid for it again, when I could get 2 or 3 Carnival cruises for the same price. I think if I ever do Disney again (and I would love to go to Castaway Cay again!), I would go off season when I could get the cruise at a somewhat reasonable price.

Bottom line... I'd rather take 2 Carnival cruises than one Disney cruise. :)

A fair and balanced review. How long were your Carnival cruises? 3 nights is barely enough time to find your way around (my opinion). Longer is better. Lava cake is on longer cruises!

And price comparison--as noted, DCL up front cost is significantly more BUT you saved some money by not buying soda cards, not dropping it in the casino, bringing on your own beverages if desired. No, that doesn't make up the entire price difference, but it does slightly whittle away at it.

And price comparison--as noted' date=' DCL up front cost is significantly more BUT you saved some money by not buying soda cards, not dropping it in the casino, bringing on your own beverages if desired. No, that doesn't make up the entire price difference, but it does slightly whittle away at it.[/quote']

 

We don't drink soda or use the casino, so for us, it's way cheaper to cruise Carnival. But one day I hope to get on an off-season Disney cruise again that goes to Castaway Cay....which is in my opinion is the best private island out there!

Thanks for this! I've been considering trying a Disney cruise because I feel like Carnival is putting less and less emphasis on kids. The big downfall for us is that DH is a smoker and wants his balcony.

 

When you talked about the service on Disney it immediately took me back to the days of the Carnival Holiday. Definitely know what you mean about sometimes feeling like you are in the way, especially if you get done with dinner and want to change clothes before heading out and about.

 

Glad to hear you had such a nice experience!

Just an FYI....Disney no longer allows smoking on the stateroom balconies.

It's allowed in a few designated areas of the outside of the ship only.

Great comparison review! We had such a bad experience on the Carnival Fantasy that we have a hard time booking Carnival anymore. We find that Disney is by far a better fit for us right now. We hope to do one more next year and then try another line. But honestly, the price of Carnival keeps grabbing my attention! We might try again but go with the newer, bigger ships

A fair and balanced review. How long were your Carnival cruises? 3 nights is barely enough time to find your way around (my opinion). Longer is better. Lava cake is on longer cruises!

 

And price comparison--as noted' date=' DCL up front cost is significantly more BUT you saved some money by not buying soda cards, not dropping it in the casino, bringing on your own beverages if desired. No, that doesn't make up the entire price difference, but it does slightly whittle away at it.[/quote']

 

My carnival cruises were 8 and 7 days. 3 days is way too ahort. We are going back agaon for a 4 day next year

So for us, the disembarkment from the Dream was awful. After going to your appointed dining room for breakfast at 8:00 (I wish buffet was open), everyone gets off at the same time. It was a mass exit with lines, not fun. Royal Caribbean was much better, got off at assigned times and it was staggered. We liked food better on RC a little bit. But those Mickey bars, YUM!

So for us, the disembarkment from the Dream was awful. After going to your appointed dining room for breakfast at 8:00 (I wish buffet was open), everyone gets off at the same time. It was a mass exit with lines, not fun. Royal Caribbean was much better, got off at assigned times and it was staggered. We liked food better on RC a little bit. But those Mickey bars, YUM!

The buffet is open. Sorry you missed that part.

So for us, the disembarkment from the Dream was awful. After going to your appointed dining room for breakfast at 8:00 (I wish buffet was open), everyone gets off at the same time. It was a mass exit with lines, not fun. Royal Caribbean was much better, got off at assigned times and it was staggered. We liked food better on RC a little bit. But those Mickey bars, YUM!

I'm sorry to hear that. As the other poster stated, the buffet is open for breakfast. When we disembarked, we left the ship around 9:00 and it was a breeze.

Cabanas/Topsiders have always been open for breakfast on our cruises (perhaps you missed this??), as has Goofy's Galley for quickie items. You can go to your assigned breakfast or to the buffet. You can also order some milk/cereal/fruit from room service the night before and save it in your fridge till the morning.

Yes, on the new ships, they are processing off 4000 guests in about 90 minutes (7:30-9:00) and there are limits as to how many can be in the terminal at any time. Still, we've only been kept waiting more than 5 minutes when there was an issue with Customs clearing the ship. In that case, there's nothing DCL can do. On the worst one, the "big doors" didn't open till after 9. DCL brought out characters to entertain kids who were standing in the endless lines...... But most disembarkations are smooth and easy.

I do notice the servers often forget to mention that (not surprising since that AM is often when the tip envelopes are passed out)

I'm sorry to hear that. As the other poster stated, the buffet is open for breakfast. When we disembarked, we left the ship around 9:00 and it was a breeze.

I do notice the servers often forget to mention that (not surprising since that AM is often when the tip envelopes are passed out)

Our 3 Day Dream was our first DCL and we knew about the option to eat at the buffet debarkation day. We choose NOT to. But I think your wrong about the envelopes.

Nope, sorry that is wrong based on our Dream experience last April. Envelopes came out the night before, we brought them to dinner, we were VERY VERY happy to fill them as our service and experience was spectacular, and it made it even better for us knowing that we WOULD see them again in the morning (we made it a family reunion across 3 states, so that was our last family dinner and buffet wouldn't have worked to visit, so we did come back for our morning debarkation breakfast and one last time for perfect service). We tipped them the night BEFORE and gave them a hug good bye in the morning.

They do NOT leave the tip envelopes until the morning you leave. Sorry to be blunt, and you might sense a harumph, but on our experienced, this information is just plain wrong. Its left in your stateroom long before dinner on the last night.