B-BallCoach3

Before we ever went on a Disney Cruise we went on the Carnival Destiny (which is now known as the Sunshine after a multi-million dollare facelift).  I know Carnival gets a bad rap for some things, but they have really done a nice job with overhauling all of their ships.  First off, the food compares nicely on both cruise lines so I would give that a wash.  As far as the shows go, in my opinion, that isn't even close as DCL blows the competition away with their shows.  I think the ports of call are obviously a wash as well because you can pretty much go to the same places, with the exception of the private islands.  As for the Casino, you can game at Atlantis if you go to one that stops at Nassau. 

I realize you pay more for a Disney Cruise, but for me a lot of the little things make it worth it.  As with everything Disney, they think of every last detail.  Just little things like putting "magic portholes" in the inside staterooms so people don't feel confined.  In addition the little aspect of not having to mess with getting a "soda pass" because DCL includes soda/soft drinks free.  Another thing that I love (which I've posted about before) is their alcohol policy.  The fact that you can bring your own alcohol on the cruise is a super benefit.  Depending on how much people enjoy drinking while on vacation, that aspect can help offset the higher cost of the cruise. 

In the end, I really don't think you can go wrong with any cruise line because in my opinion there is nothing more relaxing that being on a cruise ship.  Good luck with your decision making process!!!

First off, this policy by DCL is absolutely amazing!!!  I am not trying to sound like all I care about on a vacation is drinking, but at the same time I'm on vacation and enjoy to have drinks.  Their policy of each adult being able to carry on alcohol that can fit into a 14x22x9 carry on is VERY generous.  I don't know how many people have actually tried to see how much you could put in a bag that size, but it is a lot.  On our 4 night cruise in February we brought a couple of 1.75 liter bottles.  Their policy is they don't want you bringing it out into the public areas, but I'm pretty sure that is to discourage carrying a bottle of something around the ship.  What I did was just poured my alcohol into a water bottle and put it in our pool bag.  Then when we got to the pool area I would get a soda or lemonade from the self serve fountains (another plus for DCL) and make my own drinks.  As long as your aren't making a huge scene of it not one person will say anything.