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Carnival Festivale vs Disney Destiny
The Carnival Festivale is a fairly new ship, being built in 2027. The Festivale is named after the original ship that sailed with Carnival from 1977 - 1996. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships. Unlike the first Excel Class ships, Festivale does NOT have a BOLT roller coaster, instead it has a waterpark called "Sunsation Point." The ship will sail from Port Canaveral starting in Spring 2027. It's 2 years newer than the Destiny, which was built in 2025. The Disney Destiny is inspired by stories of heroes and villains. You'll enter the ship through the Grand Hall which is themed after Marvel's Black Panther. Outside the ship, you'll see Spider-man painting the name on the stern. The Destiny is still under construction and Disney hasn't released all the details yet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Festivale is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,130 feet long and 137 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 17-story building. Compared to the Disney Destiny, the Festivale is 27% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Festivale holds 35% more passengers than the Destiny based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Festivale has less space per person compared to the Destiny.
The Festivale uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Festivale | Disney Destiny | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Excel | Wish |
| Gross Tonnage | 182,800 | 144,000 |
| Length | 1,130 | 1,119 |
| Beam/Width | 137 | 128 |
| Passenger Decks | 17 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,400 | 4,000 |
| Crew | 1,700 | 1,555 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 36 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Festivale has twenty-three different dining options like Bonsai Teppanyaki, Seafood Shack, and Carnival Deli. Of those options, nineteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Destiny has thirteen fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Pride Lands, Worlds of Marvel, and Enchante by Chef Arnaud Lallement. five of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Festivale might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Destiny.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Festivale might be a better choice then the Destiny. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Festivale | Disney Destiny | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 23 | 10 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 19 | 5 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 5 |
| % of Included Options | 61% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Festivale serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Destiny serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Festivale and the Destiny below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Festivale has a total of 6 pools and 7 hot tubs. 2 of the pools are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Disney Destiny has more pools than the Festivale and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Destiny. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Festivale.| Carnival Festivale | Disney Destiny | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 6 | 8 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 6 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Festivale. Only 65% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Destiny, 83% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Festivale | Disney Destiny | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✗ |
| Character experiences | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Movie Theater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Salon | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water Coaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Waterpark | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival is considered a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Disney, on the other hand, is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Festivale | Disney Destiny | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | Included |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $6.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | No drink package available |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $12 - $36 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
With Disney Cruises, soda is included for meals, but will have an extra cost at bars and throughout the day. While no drink packages are available, you can preorder bottles of wine or beer at a discount.
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