CARNIVAL VS DCL: The discussion and comparison thread!

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We had never cruise before and ended up booking three cruises this year: spring break - 10 day Panama Canal with HAL, 7 day Alaska DCL, and 6 day Caribbean DCL over New Years. The first two were cancelled by the cruise lines and we opted to cancel our New Years cruise as well.

So I only have customer service and refund issues to go off but I will not ever sail Holland America. They have strung me (and many others) along with our refunds. Initially told 5-10 days then when I called back, same story for another 5-10 days, then 60. It's been 75 days. We have called again and they said it should be soon. I'm not holding my breath. I just started a dispute with my CC company. Because of that they'll never have us as customers. DCL has been truthful with great service, so even though they are much more $$ than other lines I will only book with them in the future.

And that is how you get customers, HAL!

I’m sorry you experienced problems with your refund.

I’m following with Carnival and RCCL and so far, it seems to take 3 to 6 weeks for them to refund the guests.

How long did it take for DCL to refund?
 
I’m sorry you experienced problems with your refund.

I’m following with Carnival and RCCL and so far, it seems to take 3 to 6 weeks for them to refund the guests.

How long did it take for DCL to refund?

Thanks! We finally got our DCL Alaska cruise refund at about 3 weeks. Holland America STILL hasn't refunded. It has been 11 weeks! We have a charge back in place with conditional credit on our CC, however. Hoping it fully goes through. HAL has been stringing us along and we are DONE!
 
I have had really bad customer service from RCCL as well. It is extremely difficult to get correct answers from them by phone and they have strict guidelines for future cruise credit use and non-refundables. Their cruise costs may pale in comparison to DCL but I'd rather pay good money than have to deal with ongoing customer service problems when things go awry.
 


Thanks! We finally got our DCL Alaska cruise refund at about 3 weeks. Holland America STILL hasn't refunded. It has been 11 weeks! We have a charge back in place with conditional credit on our CC, however. Hoping it fully goes through. HAL has been stringing us along and we are DONE!

I’m happy you received your DCL refund within a decent delay. :)
 
I have had really bad customer service from RCCL as well. It is extremely difficult to get correct answers from them by phone and they have strict guidelines for future cruise credit use and non-refundables. Their cruise costs may pale in comparison to DCL but I'd rather pay good money than have to deal with ongoing customer service problems when things go awry.
Have you tried tweeting them? I noticed that whenever it gets « public », they get their **** together faster. ;)
 
Well, it’s the unofficial start of summer but just feels blah without a vacation to look forward to. I’ve been putting my energy into next year as we have another person joining our group so lots of changes to make. My DS, who is amazing 😉, asked his his GF could come if her mom paid her part. We decided to say yes because she is a sweet girl and they have been together for 2 years and probably in it for the long haul. No drama here thankfully. This meant adding a cabin to the cruise and booking her in the 3 excursions we have reserved. It’s kept my mind off the no travel this summer for the most part.
Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend!
 


Well, it’s the unofficial start of summer but just feels blah without a vacation to look forward to. I’ve been putting my energy into next year as we have another person joining our group so lots of changes to make. My DS, who is amazing 😉, asked his his GF could come if her mom paid her part. We decided to say yes because she is a sweet girl and they have been together for 2 years and probably in it for the long haul. No drama here thankfully. This meant adding a cabin to the cruise and booking her in the 3 excursions we have reserved. It’s kept my mind off the no travel this summer for the most part.
Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend!
I feel the same way, even though we have Carnival Horizon booked for 8/2 this year. None of us can get excited about it because we’re all afraid we’re going to lose it.
 
I did a Lift and Shift with Royal, no issues to speak of. It was done quickly, within minutes. I managed to get the same cabin and weeks I wanted. There was one snafu with the OBC. They only credited $100 when it should have been $150 but a quick call back corrected that. Received an email next day stating what monies would be refunded for drink packages, dining, excursions, all clearly noted. That was last Wednesday so I'll see how long it takes. It was less than two weeks when I changed my drink package last month as the price went down.
I'm having no issues with RCCL.
 
My Carnival/MSC cruises are in December and I'm worried we won't be able to go, or it will be so different that it won't be as much fun as we usually have. I don't have to PIF until September so I still have some time, but it's hard because I want to be booking excursions and and researching, but I don't want to spend the money and then have to wait for a refund. I think my deposits would be forefeit at this point, but it's not a huge loss. I haven't even booked flights yet...

Trying to focus on things I can control though. My boss confirmed I can work from home until school is back in September so I am taking the time to focus on getting healthier (that's code for losing weight ;) ) and spending less money on "stuff" although that is hard since we are home all day, and the online shopping is so convenient! But I have no summer camp expenses, no parking to pay, less gas to use in the car. My hydro will be higher (hello 38C with the humidex already, thank goodness for AC!). I just want to plan my trip :( and enjoy two weeks on a cruise.
 
I think I'm in the same boat (no pun intended!) as everyone else. I should be counting down the days until WDW and planning out fastpasses and dining reservations (which I actually love to do!)...but nope. I know with Disney Springs reopening and hopefully a plan for the parks soon to follow gives us some hope about a return to "normal," but I've come to terms with the fact that WDW is really not going to happen this year. Originally, I thought we would go as long as they were open in some capacity, even if masks were required, but I've since realized it's not feasible. DH & I were out getting flowers and such this weekend and it was about 80 degrees outside. We left the greenhouses after wearing masks less than an hour, and I looked at him and said "just think about doing this ALL DAY at WDW." His response was "Absolutely not happening." I agreed. There is no way. We have Alaska booked next September, so maybe we could swing a trip in the beginning of 2021, but we were so looking forward to Halloween in the parks, so we'll see.

So I have like 4 potential cruises saved on the Carnival website for the end of October/beginning of November, but yet to pull the trigger. I'd really like to see how that first month goes for sailing guests and what they think about any changes and precautions. Basically just is is worth it? Is cruising still fun? The problem is waiting that long and then trying to book for the Fall will probably be difficult, especially if ships aren't sailing at full capacity. Thanksgiving time might be more feasible at that point.

On the "real life" side, I'm working from home at the moment, but we did just get word of possible voluntary furloughs that would last until the end of July. I think that could be good or bad, I'm not sure yet. It's a little scary but definitely something to think about. I live in Upstate NY, so that extra $600 per week in unemployment is looking really nice for our vacation savings account and more realistic things, like a new roof.

But, I'm glad everyone is trying to find some positives to focus on! We're finally getting sunshine and warm weather. I too am trying to get healthier. My workout program is going well, eating more under control, but still a work in progress. My dog's daycare opened back up so we're both excited about that. And I can finally resume my horseback riding lessons with my trainer after over a month off. But like all of you, this would all be much sweeter if I had a vacation on the horizon!
 
Well, it’s the unofficial start of summer but just feels blah without a vacation to look forward to. I’ve been putting my energy into next year as we have another person joining our group so lots of changes to make. My DS, who is amazing 😉, asked his his GF could come if her mom paid her part. We decided to say yes because she is a sweet girl and they have been together for 2 years and probably in it for the long haul. No drama here thankfully. This meant adding a cabin to the cruise and booking her in the 3 excursions we have reserved. It’s kept my mind off the no travel this summer for the most part.
Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend!

Regarding « Blah »: Ah! I get it. I’m trying to find joy in the spring/summer so ... I’ve never been as invested in my backyard as I am now. LOL

When it comes to my girls trip in December... The reopening of WDW is pretty eventful. Lots of disappointment coming with the absence of meet and greet, parade and fireworks. However, I trust the Disney imagineers to find us some replacements to bring us some magic.
 
I think I'm in the same boat (no pun intended!) as everyone else. I should be counting down the days until WDW and planning out fastpasses and dining reservations (which I actually love to do!)...but nope. I know with Disney Springs reopening and hopefully a plan for the parks soon to follow gives us some hope about a return to "normal," but I've come to terms with the fact that WDW is really not going to happen this year. Originally, I thought we would go as long as they were open in some capacity, even if masks were required, but I've since realized it's not feasible. DH & I were out getting flowers and such this weekend and it was about 80 degrees outside. We left the greenhouses after wearing masks less than an hour, and I looked at him and said "just think about doing this ALL DAY at WDW." His response was "Absolutely not happening." I agreed. There is no way. We have Alaska booked next September, so maybe we could swing a trip in the beginning of 2021, but we were so looking forward to Halloween in the parks, so we'll see.

So I have like 4 potential cruises saved on the Carnival website for the end of October/beginning of November, but yet to pull the trigger. I'd really like to see how that first month goes for sailing guests and what they think about any changes and precautions. Basically just is is worth it? Is cruising still fun? The problem is waiting that long and then trying to book for the Fall will probably be difficult, especially if ships aren't sailing at full capacity. Thanksgiving time might be more feasible at that point.

On the "real life" side, I'm working from home at the moment, but we did just get word of possible voluntary furloughs that would last until the end of July. I think that could be good or bad, I'm not sure yet. It's a little scary but definitely something to think about. I live in Upstate NY, so that extra $600 per week in unemployment is looking really nice for our vacation savings account and more realistic things, like a new roof.

But, I'm glad everyone is trying to find some positives to focus on! We're finally getting sunshine and warm weather. I too am trying to get healthier. My workout program is going well, eating more under control, but still a work in progress. My dog's daycare opened back up so we're both excited about that. And I can finally resume my horseback riding lessons with my trainer after over a month off. But like all of you, this would all be much sweeter if I had a vacation on the horizon!
They are opening July 11! :) The experience will be different but it’s happening!
 
I noticed that Disney was already selling masks so I’m expecting it to become a thing in the parks...

I also heard Royal Caribbean has patented a mask so I’m expecting it on cruises as well, at least for the crew and maybe in crowded places like the theaters.

I wonder how well those masks will go over in summer when it's temps in the 90s and very humid. People will feel like they're suffocating.
 
I wonder how well those masks will go over in summer when it's temps in the 90s and very humid. People will feel like they're suffocating.

I went into the grocery store for the first time yesterday. I've been doing curb pick up since March. I only had the mask on for a short time and it drove me crazy. I opened the door of the giant frozen food freezer and I wanted to stick my head in it. I feel so thankful that just about everyone around here wears them. I feel so bad for all the store employees, they have to be miserable, and that's in air conditioning. Hopefully the WDW cms will get a lot of extra water breaks and more pay.
 
I wonder how well those masks will go over in summer when it's temps in the 90s and very humid. People will feel like they're suffocating.
It’s probably not going to be very comfortable.

I’ve been wearing a mask when I go out since mid-march... and in 80 degrees+ temp these days (in public transportations without A/C) and the textile needs to be very light for it to be comfortable.

But fall/late fall should be more comfortable.

It takes some time to get used to it (some people get anxious as soon as they put it on)...
 
Carnival Mardi Gras...

View attachment 497739

« Be still, my heart »

I’m THIS CLOSE to book for 2022. I won’t for now (because there are huge (professional) changes coming my way and I need to wait for a few months before I invest in more projects) but... I am in love.
I love it! I want to sail on this ship so bad but we already have our 2021 & 2022 vacations planned due to 2 high school graduations.
 
Oh that does look nice, doesn't it? I was thinking of booking it for late 2021 but am hesitant until I know if I will be going this December. It cruises from Port Canaveral too so adding on a few Disney or Universal days would be nice. Ah what to do... I guess keep waiting and watching at this point. My son turns 12 in December 2021 so maybe after that and we can book Havana. Hmm.
 
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