Disney Cruise Line vs. Others?

[WDW4TheGirls]

I'm sure this has been asked before...

We have never gone on a cruise before, and will be on The Dream in November. For those of you who have sailed on DCL and other cruise lines too, what are your opinions on them? Other lines seem less expensive, but sometimes the costs are hidden, not to mention customer service. Before we want to re-book DCL, what are the pros/cons?

Thank you!

 

[jilljill]

There are many threads about DCL vs. other cruise lines. You can go back thru the pages of threads to find them. Also, you can do a search using another cruise lines name and see what threads appear in the search box. Another option is to look on the trip reports boards as there are threads there talking about other cruise lines.
Since there are so many size ships it's hard to compare an entire cruise line to another one with so many different amenities available on the different ships.

Another place to read different opinions on other cruise lines is www.cruisecritic.com since they have forums for each of the cruise lines and also forums for the different ports.

 

[jrm11697]

I have the same question, but i will warn you:

I've done this before. Some people will get "offended" (for lack of a better word) and really state their point. I've seen some arguments on how/why DCL is better than Carnival!

Do what you want but just a heads up!

 

[cruisecrasher]

The Dis Podcast just had a DCL v. Norwegian podcast. I'd go look it up on iTunes.

 

[disneydreamer82]

There are many threads about DCL vs. other cruise lines. You can go back thru the pages of threads to find them. Also, you can do a search using another cruise lines name and see what threads appear in the search box. Another option is to look on the trip reports boards as there are threads there talking about other cruise lines.
Since there are so many size ships it's hard to compare an entire cruise line to another one with so many different amenities available on the different ships.

Another place to read different opinions on other cruise lines is www.cruisecritic.com since they have forums for each of the cruise lines and also forums for the different ports.

 

[darkwing818]

I'm sure this has been asked before...

We have never gone on a cruise before, and will be on The Dream in November. For those of you who have sailed on DCL and other cruise lines too, what are your opinions on them? Other lines seem less expensive, but sometimes the costs are hidden, not to mention customer service. Before we want to re-book DCL, what are the pros/cons?

Thank you!

Bottom line only you can decide whether you & your family will enjoy your November cruise enough to book another. Here's my 2 cents worth; book a "dummy date" future cruise on the 2nd day (less busy) get your 10% discount & the reduced deposit. Then after the cruise is over & you've had time to digest everything (cost, service etc.) from your cruise, you can cancel if it didn't work for you & get your deposit back or book a solid date. . We've sailed DCL 7 times, RCCL 2 twice, Celebrity & HAL once each. We & our 2 DDs have enjoyed all of them, but just seem to prefer DCL.

 

[mrsklamc]

So much is going to vary based on your personal experience...but for US, the service & food were much better on our Holland America cruise than our DCL one.

 

[abdgeek]

I'm sure this has been asked before...

We have never gone on a cruise before, and will be on The Dream in November. For those of you who have sailed on DCL and other cruise lines too, what are your opinions on them? Other lines seem less expensive, but sometimes the costs are hidden, not to mention customer service. Before we want to re-book DCL, what are the pros/cons?

Thank you!

People pick specific cruise lines for various reasons: price, itinerary, amenities, activities, average age group served, etc. What you have to ask yourself is--why did you choose DCL?

My first cruise ever was on RCCL about 20 years ago. After the cruise, I thought they hung the moon! My only complaint was that there weren't enough things that they offered on the days at sea that I wanted to do. Back then they mainly service an older crowd and I wasn't at the time. Not sure if that has changed.

About 10 years later, my second and third cruises were on Carnival. Carnival wasn't my choice, it was the choice of those I was cruising with and that choice was solely about getting the cheapest price for a cruise. At the time, Carnival was known as the "party boat". I'm not a party person, so again on the sea days there wasn't anything I wanted to do. I found the food to be somewhat less in quality than RCCL, but I didn't starve and always ate in the dining room.

Fast forward to the last two years where I have cruised DCL 4 times(Med, Alaska, Western Caribbean & Mexican Riviera) and I love DCL! This is the only cruise line I have found where an adult can be a kid. I no longer have trouble occupying myself on sea days. I usually have to schedule my activities because there is so much to do. DCL is also known for its high level of customer service and the fact that it values its customers opinions. The fact that I'm a DVC member and can use my points to cruise with DCL means that I can cruise more often, which I do.

I think once you try DCL, you will love it. Enjoy your cruise in November.

 

[Capt_BJ]

I have over 40 cruises spread over a dozen lines

Some I did with kids .. and one line was better for that

Some I did to avoid fancy clothes

Some I did to enjoy fancy clothes

Some I got for free!

IMO DCL is NOT the best .. unless I'm taking my pre-teens, as I did 10 times . . .

give me YOUR metric for best, and I'll try to rank my cruises

 

[luv2sleep]

I have over 40 cruises spread over a dozen lines

Some I did with kids .. and one line was better for that

Some I did to avoid fancy clothes

Some I did to enjoy fancy clothes

Some I got for free!

IMO DCL is NOT the best .. unless I'm taking my pre-teens, as I did 10 times . . .

give me YOUR metric for best, and I'll try to rank my cruises

Which one was better for kids? ...your top comment...

 

[Rogillio]

Asking the best cruise line is like asking wht is the best automobile. It you have 2 young kids always on the way to some practice or scouts then an F250 is prolly not your best fit. OTOH, if you live in the pantry and often haul hay and pull a boat or horse trailer like I do, a mini van is a bad fit.

We cruised DCZl because we went to ll the Disney movies that were out when the kids were young - Toy Story, Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King. Cruiing was about the atmosphere for the kids.

As they got older our bar for DCL was lowered and we sailed with them because of the quality we had come to trust. We didn't want to risk transatlantic flights with an unknown.

 

[WDW4TheGirls]

I have over 40 cruises spread over a dozen lines

Some I did with kids .. and one line was better for that

Some I did to avoid fancy clothes

Some I did to enjoy fancy clothes

Some I got for free!

IMO DCL is NOT the best .. unless I'm taking my pre-teens, as I did 10 times . . .

give me YOUR metric for best, and I'll try to rank my cruises

A big factor is the ages of my kids, 11 and 9 at the time of cruising. One has a dietary restriction, one my biggest reasons for choosing DCL as they are so good with dietary accommodations.

We don't vacation often, so I also want to have a great experience for the money spent. I don't mind spending money to take a nice trip, but we DO want a nice trip. I don't want to take the vacation time, money out of the bank, and come home saying "Eh". We have loved our Disneyworld vacations because their customer service is great, everything is clean, and there are a lot of choices--nice fancy dinner one night, casual hamburger the next, etc.

What's your opinion given that?

 

[tvguy]

Disney was great, but so were HAL, NCL, RCL and Paquet. Only NCL America was less than great. Each line is a little different.
You need to decide where you want to go, when, how much you want to spent, they find a cruise line and a ship that fits your needs.

For us, we picked HAL to Alaska over Disney for the following reasons:

1) Disney goes Monday to Monday, thus forcing us to burn up an additional vacation day, and getting just 1 day off in a week is tough at my work. HAL goes Saturday to Saturday.

2) Disney is the newest cruise line going to Alaska, HAL is the oldest, and as a newbie, Disney doesn't have the best permits to see glaciers.

3) HAL is cheaper by $400 a person.

4) HAL service and food were a hair better than Disney.

What did we lose by not going Disney? Mickey and the gang, Disney shows, and the Disney name.

 

[tajz90]

We love Disney the best and my kids are older.... Heck, not even kids. My oldest will be 20 on our next sailing. We just like the feel of a Disney ship. It's where we are in our life.

We've only sailed 3 other lines. RCCL would be our other choice, Carnival if there was no other choice and NCL never. IMO, not to bring on the hell storm people will unleash on me, there is too much smoking on those particular lines. Yes, Disney allows smoking on balconies, but they don't in any interior spaces. The interior smoking just kills me. One place and it seems to be everywhere. Admittedly, I have only sailed Carnival 3 times, but the atmosphere is more party to me. I just want to sit in the hot tub and enjoy without being sandwiched by a bunch of drunks . NCL was a terrible experience and I'll never give them another try, not even free. However, the ports were some of our favs when we sailed with them.

The OP asked for our pros and cons. These are mine.

 

[cyclenut]

There is a thread here titled Shrek vs Mickey. It is really a most excellent trip report for a family on the Oasis of the Seas who has travelled on DCL before. It does such a good job of walking you through the RCCL experience through their eyes, you can decide for yourself.

Personally, if you have the extra money available in your vacation budget, DCL is a good choice for families. You won't be disappointed. If money is a real stretch and you are pinching every penny to afford the vacation, give RCCL a try. The bigger ships won't save you much, but those that are comparable in size to the DCL ships will be much less expensive and you won't be disappointed with your experience.

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

As far as "Hidden Costs" or the "Nickel and Diming".....it happens on almost every line. Unless you cruise on one of the extreme luxury lines, you'll pay extra for a lot of things......if you want.

You can cruise without any extra costs, OR you can spend a fortune aboard. It's completely up to you.

The one thing that DCL offers is free sodas at dinner. If you're a big soda drinker, this might be a huge thing. For us it is not. They also do NOT have a casino (which I enjoy) that can add up as an extra cost.

Things you'll spend extra money on on all lines: Gift Shops, spa services, drinks, souvenir cups, hair braiding, excursions, specialty restaurants, photos, some events like wine and tequila tastings, etc.

DCL is comparable to most other mainstream lines. Some have been better for specific reasons, some have been worse. None are off the scale in either direction. We cruise for the Ports of call (Itinerary) and price.

 

[Raspberry Beret]

As far as "Hidden Costs" or the "Nickel and Diming".....it happens on almost every line. Unless you cruise on one of the extreme luxury lines, you'll pay extra for a lot of things......if you want.

You can cruise without any extra costs, OR you can spend a fortune aboard. It's completely up to you.

The one thing that DCL offers is free sodas at dinner. If you're a big soda drinker, this might be a huge thing. For us it is not. They also do NOT have a casino (which I enjoy) that can add up as an extra cost.

Things you'll spend extra money on on all lines: Gift Shops, spa services, drinks, souvenir cups, hair braiding, excursions, specialty restaurants, photos, some events like wine and tequila tastings, etc.

DCL is comparable to most other mainstream lines. Some have been better for specific reasons, some have been worse. None are off the scale in either direction. We cruise for the Ports of call (Itinerary) and price.

 

[mrsklamc]

Has anyone here sailed Carnival? What I've heard about it is just terrible...full of loud drunks...Is it really that bad? I'd like to visit Half Moon Cay but it looks like HAL only is going there on longer/repo cruises at the moment.

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

Has anyone here sailed Carnival? What I've heard about it is just terrible...full of loud drunks...Is it really that bad? I'd like to visit Half Moon Cay but it looks like HAL only is going there on longer/repo cruises at the moment.

We have, three times I think. No, it's not filled with any more loud drunks than lots of other cruises. There will always be a few groups that tend to be more obnoxious, bigger drinkers, etc. Yes, because Carnival is a lower prices line they tend to draw more groups and a younger crowd, but does that mean it's a ship crawling with pukers? No. The newer Carnival ships are gorgeous and cater to families, groups, singles, and pretty much everyone in between. The only problem we saw on ALL of our Carnival trips were way too many kids in the buffets touching the food with their hands. I've also seen that on DCL. Kids are going to be kids. The only other thing I don't like about Carnival is that they seem really crowded compared to other lines.

Choose a 7 day or longer cruise and you will have a decent experience. I like the food on Carnival, better than DCL, not as good as Princess or RCCL. Rooms are more spacious as well.

 

[mrsklamc]

Thank you, mrsfuzzmo! Did you visit Half Moon Cay? How did you feel it compared to CC?