DCL or Princess: Help Us Decide

[kehonuamemano]

Well spoken!

We have gone on both. THese are the bid differences from my perspective.
1 Same "category" rooms are smaller on princess.
2 Shows in the evening are frequently not family friendly.
3 There is a casino on Princess, and they use that a s a form of entertainment.

That said, we did like Princess and elected to go on it again when we went to ALaska. But I have to say, my first choice is DCL.

Were there any children in your sailing? If so, how old and did they enjoy the cruise?

Also, Im sure kids are not allowed in the casino. Is there a special entry to keep kids out?

I read that the shows are not family friendly-where there other things to do besides the shows in the evening? movie theatre? games?

 

[justmestace]

We defintely hope that she will go on more excursions with us. She will be almost 7 on the cruise, August 3rd is her birthday. But she tends to act older and is taller so can pass for a 9-10 year old.
With that being said, I realize she will have very little interest looking at 3000 year old artificats, musuem, etc with us. So she will probably want to stay on the ship.

I think the programs/child care on Princess would be as good and as trustworthy as that on Disney. They'd have to be trustworthy or we definitely would have heard otherwise....via media or stories of lawsuits.

 

[justmestace]

The way I see it.....$4000 is a LOT of money....that's airfare and then some.

I think other than not seeing Mickey and the other characters on a Princess ship, the ONLY difference is the cost.

If you have the money to toss, then go with Disney.

 

[justmestace]

Here's a link to the search I did on cruise critic....putting in the search box "kids clubs". Maybe this will help.


http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=37790223

 

[kehonuamemano]

I think the programs/child care on Princess would be as good and as trustworthy as that on Disney. They'd have to be trustworthy or we definitely would have heard otherwise....via media or stories of lawsuits.

True.

The way I see it.....$4000 is a LOT of money....that's airfare and then some.

I think other than not seeing Mickey and the other characters on a Princess ship, the ONLY difference is the cost.

If you have the money to toss, then go with Disney.

We could afford it but it seems like overboard to do so. Ideally, we were hoping the price of DCL would go down. When I asked this of the DCL cruise agent, she laughed and told me "DCL prices go up, not down." Which I have to say, is probably not the best message for DCL to promote.

Here's a link to the search I did on cruise critic....putting in the search box "kids clubs". Maybe this will help.


http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=37790223

That page returned a 'sorry No results found' I will try the search function again.
Thanks!

 

[justmestace]

True.


We could afford it but it seems like overboard to do so. Ideally, we were hoping the price of DCL would go down. When I asked this of the DCL cruise agent, she laughed and told me "DCL prices go up, not down." Which I have to say, is probably not the best message for DCL to promote.



That page returned a 'sorry No results found' I will try the search function again.
Thanks!

Sorry about that!!! If you go to their discussion boards and click on Disney Cruise Line, they have a search function that's basically the same as the one here.
A lot of times, you'll find that the people who answer "Disney" questions over there are members here, also.

Sad to say, except for "Resident Rates" it is true, DCL's prices do go up, not down.

And I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but I thought of something else.....for the $4000 you'd save on another line, you could hire a nanny or take a friend or relative along to watch your daughter if she didn't want to go on excursions with you.

 

[kehonuamemano]

And I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but I thought of something else.....for the $4000 you'd save on another line, you could hire a nanny or take a friend or relative along to watch your daughter if she didn't want to go on excursions with you.

LOL it's very true.

Of course there is no guarantee she will have fun on DCL either. We were fustrated on the Fantasy because she hated the Kids club, said the counselors were mean to her, and that the new computer stuff was boring. I thought maybe it was the FANTASY but maybe she is getting older and doesn't need the same stuff as before.

 

[woody73]

. . . 3 There is a casino on Princess, and they use that a s a form of entertainment.

Last month, we sailed 14 nights on Princess. True, there was a casino onboard. Since I don't gamble, I did not spend any time in the casino other than walking through it as a shortcut. Princess promoted the casino far less than the way other cruise lines promote bingo.

Woody

 

[luv2sleep]

Sorry about that!!! If you go to their discussion boards and click on Disney Cruise Line, they have a search function that's basically the same as the one here.
A lot of times, you'll find that the people who answer "Disney" questions over there are members here, also.

Sad to say, except for "Resident Rates" it is true, DCL's prices do go up, not down.

And I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but I thought of something else.....for the $4000 you'd save on another line, you could hire a nanny or take a friend or relative along to watch your daughter if she didn't want to go on excursions with you.

Someone mentioned the nanny. I have one. Not only would you have to pay for her roundtrip airfare, she'd need her own stateroom paid at least at the single supplement rate, then you'd have to pay her for her time. Even though she'd be getting room and board they don't work for free. That would add up to more than $4K easily. Just wanted to point that out because its been mentioned a couple of times. As a single parent this is actually something I've thought of. I'd definitey do it if there was no airfare and the cabin rate was pretty cheap though.

 

[fatfish]

While I have not cruised on Princess, my dad and stepmom are the equivalent of Platnum on Princess. They cruise on Princess at least once a year. They love it. They have have been on the Ruby and have told us it is a beautiful and fabulous ship. And Princess does have great airfare for their guests. Dad has said several times that he doesn't know how Princess does it, but the airfare is hundreds to thousands less than he could get on his own. That is not the case with Disney.

However, one of the reason my stepmom loves Princess is because "there aren't many kids." They will not cruise Disney with us because they don't want to be around "all those kids". (Yes, I have tried to tell them that there are adult areas and they don't have to be around kids, but it falls on deaf ears.) According to them, Princess does not cater to kids, and the kids activities are limited so there are limited kids on board. The cabins on Princess are smaller. When I showed my dad a picture of our oceanview cabin on the Dream last year, he literally exclaimed "That's your cabin? Its so big!"

$4000 is alot of money, at least to me. Is DCL worth $4000 more? That depends on you. I think the DCL cabins get smaller each day I am in them , so I would be very claustrophobic in a smaller cabin. On DCL, kids can be kids, on Princess that might not be the case. The good news is my stepmom will not be on your cruise.

Whatever you choose you will have a great time. Good luck with the decision!

 

[kehonuamemano]

Someone mentioned the nanny. I have one. Not only would you have to pay for her roundtrip airfare, she'd need her own stateroom paid at least at the single supplement rate, then you'd have to pay her for her time. Even though she'd be getting room and board they don't work for free. That would add up to more than $4K easily. Just wanted to point that out because its been mentioned a couple of times. As a single parent this is actually something I've thought of. I'd definitey do it if there was no airfare and the cabin rate was pretty cheap though.

I took the other posts are more of a babysitter e.g. family member or friend that would go on the cruise for room and board and help out, rather than a professional nanny. But you are right to point out that the job of a full time nanny is serious and would involve an investment of more than 4K.

I am not a single parent but I have thought of sailing alone with my daughter. My husband is in the Army and he is away a lot. Out of the past 5 years he's probably been away about 3 years total, including a 12 month deployment to Afghanistan.

Last month, we sailed 14 nights on Princess. True, there was a casino onboard. Since I don't gamble, I did not spend any time in the casino other than walking through it as a shortcut. Princess promoted the casino far less than the way other cruise lines promote bingo.

Woody

Good to know. We would just decline and find something else to do.

 

[kehonuamemano]

While I have not cruised on Princess, my dad and stepmom are the equivalent of Platnum on Princess. They cruise on Princess at least once a year. They love it. They have have been on the Ruby and have told us it is a beautiful and fabulous ship. And Princess does have great airfare for their guests. Dad has said several times that he doesn't know how Princess does it, but the airfare is hundreds to thousands less than he could get on his own. That is not the case with Disney.

However, one of the reason my stepmom loves Princess is because "there aren't many kids." They will not cruise Disney with us because they don't want to be around "all those kids". (Yes, I have tried to tell them that there are adult areas and they don't have to be around kids, but it falls on deaf ears.) According to them, Princess does not cater to kids, and the kids activities are limited so there are limited kids on board. The cabins on Princess are smaller. When I showed my dad a picture of our oceanview cabin on the Dream last year, he literally exclaimed "That's your cabin? Its so big!"

$4000 is alot of money, at least to me. Is DCL worth $4000 more? That depends on you. I think the DCL cabins get smaller each day I am in them , so I would be very claustrophobic in a smaller cabin. On DCL, kids can be kids, on Princess that might not be the case. The good news is my stepmom will not be on your cruise.

Whatever you choose you will have a great time. Good luck with the decision!

The cabins do seem rather small. Hopefully we wouldn't need to spend so much time in them but I do agree. Even DCL cabins seem tiny by the end of the cruise with all the stuff that tends to accumulate over the trip.

Im defitnely bragging, but my DD is probably the best behaved child in the world, in public that is. She is 6 but people always think she is 10 because she is very mature for her age. Even as a baby she was an easy traveler. Didnt cry, complain, whine or anything. People always tell me how great she is. Your stepmother might even like her

Thank you for the info on the Ruby Princess. I still can't make up my mind but the feedback helps a billion times in thinking it through.

 

[stsomewhere]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1752629&highlight=kids+club



Ruby princess review


st returned from a lovely week on the Ruby Princess. So sad to have a great trip come to an end...looking forward to the next one!

This won't be a formal review, but just some overall impressions and thoughts! We have been on 6 cruises with Princess (9 overall) and have always had a wonderful time...this cruise was no exception! My DH and I travelled with my parents and brother (3 separate cabins) as well as our two kids (7 and 3).

Cabin- we had an aft suite on dolphin and it was lovely. Fantastic balcony and we spend a ton of time out there. Kids slept on the pull-out couch (DD who is 3) and bunk bed (DS who is 7) and both loved it. The room could use some sprucing up, but it is a pretty lovely place to spend time in. You definitely hear some noise and feel vibrations when you're backing up into or from a port, but it didn't last long. Overall lovely room and our room attendant was absolutely fabulous.

Kids Club- Both kids used the kids club and (much to our dismay) begged us to go pretty much around the clock. They loved it! The staff was amazing and the kids always brought home a ton of crafts etc. I can't say enough good things about the staff there!

 

[stsomewhere]

Here is another review

Panama Canal 10 day review (short) sailed Coral Nov. 9th/special mention Kids Club
Let's get the Kids Club out of the way, first. I know most of us on Princess on PanCanal don't have kids, are older, etc., but our 4 and 6 year old were absolutely blown away with Coral's KC staff. We've cruised Disney and Carnival, and Princess' club is hands down the best, by far, we've ever seen. They came home every visit with hands full of toys, crafts, prizes (even a $20 vertical checkers set). The staff from Austria, Asia, Ukraine were super. Amazing face painting my daughter came back with one day, computer games, the hard-to-please 4 year old son was all over that.

 

[luv2sleep]

Here is another review

Panama Canal 10 day review (short) sailed Coral Nov. 9th/special mention Kids Club
Let's get the Kids Club out of the way, first. I know most of us on Princess on PanCanal don't have kids, are older, etc., but our 4 and 6 year old were absolutely blown away with Coral's KC staff. We've cruised Disney and Carnival, and Princess' club is hands down the best, by far, we've ever seen. They came home every visit with hands full of toys, crafts, prizes (even a $20 vertical checkers set). The staff from Austria, Asia, Ukraine were super. Amazing face painting my daughter came back with one day, computer games, the hard-to-please 4 year old son was all over that.

Inside the club is probably great on any decent line that sails with kids. Glad the Princess ones look fun. I'm wondering what activities they had for families though outside of the club on all of those sea days? I think there are about 8 on most PC itineraries I've seen. This is where it could get boring. I've mentioned before that I did a two week PC at 14 and was really bored and ready to get off by day 10. Given my previous experience this is the part I was concerned about. 14 days on DCL was awesome. Never bored even as an adult. My son wasn't either and I doubt my 14 year old self wouldn't have been. The Med cruises have few sea days though so it wouldn't really matter. I can definitely see sailing Princess or another line for a port intense cruise.

 

[kehonuamemano]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1752629&highlight=kids+club

Ruby princess review

st returned from a lovely week on the Ruby Princess. So sad to have a great trip come to an end...looking forward to the next one!

This won't be a formal review, but just some overall impressions and thoughts! We have been on 6 cruises with Princess (9 overall) and have always had a wonderful time...this cruise was no exception! My DH and I travelled with my parents and brother (3 separate cabins) as well as our two kids (7 and 3).

Cabin- we had an aft suite on dolphin and it was lovely. Fantastic balcony and we spend a ton of time out there. Kids slept on the pull-out couch (DD who is 3) and bunk bed (DS who is 7) and both loved it. The room could use some sprucing up, but it is a pretty lovely place to spend time in. You definitely hear some noise and feel vibrations when you're backing up into or from a port, but it didn't last long. Overall lovely room and our room attendant was absolutely fabulous.

Kids Club- Both kids used the kids club and (much to our dismay) begged us to go pretty much around the clock. They loved it! The staff was amazing and the kids always brought home a ton of crafts etc. I can't say enough good things about the staff there!

Here is another review

Panama Canal 10 day review (short) sailed Coral Nov. 9th/special mention Kids Club
Let's get the Kids Club out of the way, first. I know most of us on Princess on PanCanal don't have kids, are older, etc., but our 4 and 6 year old were absolutely blown away with Coral's KC staff. We've cruised Disney and Carnival, and Princess' club is hands down the best, by far, we've ever seen. They came home every visit with hands full of toys, crafts, prizes (even a $20 vertical checkers set). The staff from Austria, Asia, Ukraine were super. Amazing face painting my daughter came back with one day, computer games, the hard-to-please 4 year old son was all over that.

Thank you so much for posting these reviews. I really appreciate it as I seem to be unable to naviagte cruise critic correctly. It's good to know that they are positive reviews for the kids club.

 

[Disney Canadian]

I love DCL (Platinum) and have sailed on Princess as recently as last month.

Normally I would say the kids club on another cruise line is less of an issue on a port-intensive itinerary, such as the Princess cruise you describe. Families are often off the ship when it is in port.

But if you intend to leave your DD on the ship all day while you go on excursions, I would go with Disney. DCL is well known for its child care.

Woody

I actually spoke to DCL (through travel agent) about leaving a child on board while just staying near port and shopping. Disney actually advises against this (and obviously for excursions as well) in case of emergency. This was in regards to a WC cruise so not sure if they change the rules for European cruise itineraries. Also, what if something happened and the ship had to leave without you? Your child would be on the ship alone. Not sure if people do this anyway but I think that it's not in anyone's best interest to leave your child on the ship while you aren't.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I actually spoke to DCL (through travel agent) about leaving a child on board while just staying near port and shopping. Disney actually advises against this (and obviously for excursions as well) in case of emergency. This was in regards to a WC cruise so not sure if they change the rules for European cruise itineraries. Also, what if something happened and the ship had to leave without you? Your child would be on the ship alone. Not sure if people do this anyway but I think that it's not in anyone's best interest to leave your child on the ship while you aren't.

And...

Most kids are in daycare without thier parents.

Unless you are going a LONG way away you probably aren't much farther from your kid then you are when you are at work (and considering some commutes you may be closer. I have a friend who has to commute two hours each way)

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

True.


We could afford it but it seems like overboard to do so. Ideally, we were hoping the price of DCL would go down. When I asked this of the DCL cruise agent, she laughed and told me "DCL prices go up, not down." Which I have to say, is probably not the best message for DCL to promote.



!

The Disney Cruise Line attitude is "we let you on our ships, you should be happy to pay for that privledge" And it works for them

 

[Justacruiser]

I don't really get this thread Luv2Sleep. I keep reading the $4,000 extra cost. And if you child will be happy with the choice you want to make with another cruise line.

Here is a solution. Take her to the Princess web site and show her around the ship. If she says yes, book away. If she says NO, then you decide if her vote counts. If it does, do a cruise within the budget you have and save some money for future cruises.

To me, reading this thread, she says No. Then get over the Princess stuff one way or the other. And figure out what is best for your budget. I did for my DD for years. Now she is out on her own and we take her once a year. But the other things, to include my DCL cruises is up to my DW and I.

Also, too many folks, let DCL watch their kids while the adult is on vacation. Split the time that kids stay with DCL and do things when your child is around that will gain their interest.

I know you will do the right thing.