Had to finally book with NCL because Disney wanted me to sell my house... lol

[perditax]

The other cruise lines have a lot more ships so the overall approval level is going to be lower. The Disney ships don't have a lot of reviews on cruise critic. The Fantasy has 95% rating, but there's only 223 reviews where as Oasis has a 83% rating, but there's 1246 reviews.

Yep. That exact bit of statistical misdirection is part of what caused me to book the Dream in the first place.

(Mumble, my next cruise after DCL, the Celebrity Eclipse, has 88% @ 950 reviews, mumble)

 

[TXDCLfan]

Sportmanship???.now hat is a good way to put it!

I have been reading at NCL for a few months now as we have friends that love NCL, or did until recently. My wife and I want to do a Bermuda cruise out of NYC so we were looking at NCL. However the more I read, the more the cuts showed up each week and NCL fans were/ are not happy. The news about the CEO was not good. So we are doing a 5 day with RCCL.

AKK

It is funny how you constantly post about all the negatives that you read on the "other" board, there are positive reviews being posted there and quite a few here on the Disboard by others including myself that have actually cruised with NCL. Yes there have been some changes that some do not care for but other changes have made the NCL cruise experience better. My suggestion is go give NCL a try and then come back and give us your review. NOTE- we cruised the Getaway this june and had such a awesome time we are cruising her again in 19 days.

 

[JimmyV]

The other cruise lines have a lot more ships so the overall approval level is going to be lower. The Disney ships don't have a lot of reviews on cruise critic. The Fantasy has 95% rating, but there's only 223 reviews where as Oasis has a 83% rating, but there's 1246 reviews.

I understand what you are saying in terms of the number of ships. However I do not follow the logic with respect to the number of reviews per individual ship. You seem to be suggesting that the Fantasy, once it receives 1000 more reviews, will fall down to the level of the Oasis. That means that the next 1000 reviews would have to average in the low to middle 70% range in order to drive the 95% approval rating down to 83%. But ratios do not work that way. There is no reason to think that the next 1,000 people who review the ship will feel dramatically different about it than did the first 200 who reviewed it.

 

[perditax]

It is funny how you constantly post about all the negatives that you read on the "other" board, there are positive reviews being posted there and quite a few here on the Disboard by others including myself that have actually cruised with NCL. Yes there have been some changes that some do not care for but other changes have made the NCL cruise experience better. My suggestion is go give NCL a try and then come back and give us your review. NOTE- we cruised the Getaway this june and had such a awesome time we are cruising her again in 19 days.

Sorry if we've discussed this before, but which GA sailing were you on? I was on June 20. (Or was it 19?)

Edit: I'm no statician, but yes, I'm willing to bet the Fantasy won't retain a 95% "love" rating as more data points come in.

 

[Ofinn]

I understand what you are saying in terms of the number of ships. However I do not follow the logic with respect to the number of reviews per individual ship. You seem to be suggesting that the Fantasy, once it receives 1000 more reviews, will fall down to the level of the Oasis. That means that the next 1000 reviews would have to average in the low to middle 70% range in order to drive the 95% approval rating down to 83%. But ratios do not work that way. There is no reason to think that the next 1,000 people who review the ship will feel dramatically different about it than did the first 200 who reviewed it.

The Magic has been around for what 18 years and only has 300 reviews. People that cruise on Disney don't seem to be big on writing reviews on cruise critic. I know from hanging around these boards for a few years that a lot of people smoke the pixie dust. There are some people on here with some serious Disney addictions. People that review other lines are probably a little more open minded and objective. I'm not a statistical wizard, but I'll stand by my theory.

 

[JimmyV]

The Magic has been around for what 18 years and only has 300 reviews. People that cruise on Disney don't seem to be big on writing reviews on cruise critic. I know from hanging around these boards for a few years that a lot of people smoke the pixie dust. There are some people on here with some serious Disney addictions. People that review other lines are probably a little more open minded and objective. I'm not a statistical wizard, but I'll stand by my theory.

I agree 100% that Disney is under represented at Cruise Critic. However, that does not change ratios. The Fantasy is never going to be in the 80% range unless a whole lot of people consecutively rate is very low which I don't see happening. It is an impressive ship after all. The ratings are based mostly on the experience one gets on board and has less to do with price paid. Much can be said about the value one gets from the price paid for a Disney cruise, but it is difficult to argue the fact that the Fantasy is a wonderful ship. That seems to be what the people on Cruise Critic care about most.

 

[samily]

We've returned from our NCL Getaway cruise and had a great time! We are a family of 5, with 3 kids ages 10 -17, DH has a gluten allergy. I loved the change of pace and enjoyed trying something new. There are some things we think DCL does better and some things we think NCL does better (gasp!). I wouldn't hesitate to book them again. I am not sure I will have time to write a full review, but if there are any specific questions you have, please ask.

 

[momof2n2]

We've returned from our NCL Getaway cruise and had a great time! We are a family of 5, with 3 kids ages 10 -17, DH has a gluten allergy. I loved the change of pace and enjoyed trying something new. There are some things we think DCL does better and some things we think NCL does better (gasp!). I wouldn't hesitate to book them again. I am not sure I will have time to write a full review, but if there are any specific questions you have, please ask.

Share! Share!!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

It is funny how you constantly post about all the negatives that you read on the "other" board, there are positive reviews being posted there and quite a few here on the Disboard by others including myself that have actually cruised with NCL. Yes there have been some changes that some do not care for but other changes have made the NCL cruise experience better. My suggestion is go give NCL a try and then come back and give us your review. NOTE- we cruised the Getaway this june and had such a awesome time we are cruising her again in 19 days.

See you there!!!!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Just have to note how truly awesome it is to be cruising the Dream w/ @perditax then the day after we get off that cruise I'll be sailing on the Getaway w/ @TXDCLfan. Small world!

 

[momof2n2]

Just have to note how truly awesome it is to be cruising the Dream w/ @perditax then the day after we get off that cruise I'll be sailing on the Getaway w/ @TXDCLfan. Small world!

The odds of this are incredible, wouldn't you say?

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

It is funny how you constantly post about all the negatives that you read on the "other" board, there are positive reviews being posted there and quite a few here on the Disboard by others including myself that have actually cruised with NCL. Yes there have been some changes that some do not care for but other changes have made the NCL cruise experience better. My suggestion is go give NCL a try and then come back and give us your review. NOTE- we cruised the Getaway this june and had such a awesome time we are cruising her again in 19 days.

Sorry TX there are fans that don't feel the problems are issues for them, I never said there weren't fans that were accepting the cuts. However when there is repeated over and over again issues, when there is a list a mile long of cut backs, we decided not to try them. We choose RCCL. Yes it cost more, but a line having that long of cut backs and issues and a CEO that publicly makes announcements that he doesn't care what passengers think, that me wonder what others things, behind the scenes, are being cut back.

This was not based on the food or service, or entertainment, this was not a subjective issue, something that taking the cruise was important to judge. Our decision was based on publicly announced cuts back and unhappy passengers.

I have said this a number of times and will repeat it. If anyone is unhappy about DCL or any line, its time to move on and explore other Lines. I just figure when the forum of fans for the other line is complaining you need to explore and decide if the operation or changes being made is not a issue for you.


AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

As to the staticaily the approval or disapproval ratings should not be effected by the number of ships. The only effect will be on individual ships.

OK DCL has fewer rating , but has won far more awards, especially at CC.

AKK

It is also unfair to repeating say folks that like Disney, if they disagree about other lines they are suddenly mentally unable to offer a honest and correct opinion. Yet someone who like another line are smart and more honest.

 

[perditax]

Yeah, I was trying to do the math on that (the Sept 19 one) but then I got distracted trying to figure out if I was ALSO on @TXDCLfan's June sailing. 0.0

 

[sweetpee_1993]

The odds of this are incredible, wouldn't you say?

I was thinking that's pretty out there with the odds. Dang! I need to buy a lottery ticket!

 

[perdidobay]

Just have to note how truly awesome it is to be cruising the Dream w/ @perditax then the day after we get off that cruise I'll be sailing on the Getaway w/ @TXDCLfan. Small world!

Can we look forward to reviews of both? Pretty please?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Can we look forward to reviews of both? Pretty please?

I'm sure I'll be writing about them both. I'll give a heads-up where.

 

[drb116]

I can share my experiences from the Breakaway last month. We have been on 7 Disney cruises, a couple of Carnival, and a couple of Royal Caribbean before trying the Breakaway last month.

First thing I would say is that hands down the kids club was the best according to my kids. Disney has nice spaces, but they do't engage the kids like they do on other cruise lines. This was the first time that my kids (ages 5 and 7) actually would ask to stay longer in the clubs. My oldest was in an overflow room, so it wasn't even a kids club space, it was just the amazing job the counselors did.

The whole family also loved the ship. Yes, the Mid-ship Detective Agency is fun, but not as much fun as the ropes course or the water slides. The kids even loved some of the interior spaces and activities. We do miss some of the Disney features, such as the movie theater and the family friendly activities (like animation classes), but overall the ship was a hit.

The food was not as good as Disney, but it was fine and we all put on just as much weight as we do on a Disney cruise.

If you have never been on a Disney cruise, the experience is priceless and shouldn't be missed, however if you have been on several Disney cruises, it is hard to justify the premium you will pay over Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. (Carnival is just not for us though).

 

[momof2n2]

We've returned from our NCL Getaway cruise and had a great time! We are a family of 5, with 3 kids ages 10 -17, DH has a gluten allergy. I loved the change of pace and enjoyed trying something new. There are some things we think DCL does better and some things we think NCL does better (gasp!). I wouldn't hesitate to book them again. I am not sure I will have time to write a full review, but if there are any specific questions you have, please ask.

Did you prebook dining with the food allergies?

 

[samily]

Share! Share!!!

Did you prebook dining with the food allergies?

Yes, we pre-booked our dinners - we booked the cruise only about a month out and were still able to get all the times we wanted. We had the free unlimited specialty dining. We paid extra for the Illusionarium dinner/magic show on the first night, followed by specialty dining at Teppanyaki (Japanese hibachi), Cagney's (steak house), Le Bistro (French), La Cucina (Italian), and Moderno (Brazilian steakhouse) on the following nights. On the last night, we ended up canceling our specialty reservation to try the Tropicana Room (one of the 3 MDRs). We walked in about 6:45 and were seated without a wait. I enjoyed all of my food and actually overall liked it better than DCL. Not sure if that is just being bored with DCL's menus after so many cruises or not, but all of my meals were very good. I also really liked not being locked into the early/late seating.

My husband did miss having the same wait staff every night due to his allergy. He doesn't like to discuss it much and didn't like having to bring it up every night, where on DCL with the same wait staff each evening, you don't have to go through that every night. I had noted on our reservation that he has Celiac and needed to be gluten free. We received an email prior to the cruise regarding it, then a letter in our stateroom regarding this and who to speak to onboard if he had any issues, etc. We also received calls the first few days on board from one of the maitre'ds making sure he was being taken care of, so that was nice. However, it was odd that the only time the allergy could be noted on the reservation was when we dined in the MDR's. In the specialty restaurants, we were told we would have to mention it when we checked in. We were given the option of reviewing the menus the prior evening and could place orders in advance for breakfast/lunch/dinner in the MDRs. For the specialty restaurants, he suggested we look at the menu ahead of time and if there wasn't something on the menu that DH could eat, to stop by earlier in the day of our reservation to let them know. They did not have gluten free chicken fingers, which my DH did enjoy for an afternoon snack on DCL. They did have gluten free pizza but he did not try it. Interestingly, the chicken fingers on the kids menu and at O'Sheehan's were the same chicken fingers that DCL has - that made by DS's day as they are his favorite. They also had chicken fingers at the buffet, but they were a different style. My DS14 loves his chicken fingers and fries, lol. He actually counted the number of different french fry options on board: curly, shoestring, waffle, wedges, regular cut, sweet potato, truffle fries at Cagneys. He tried a different one every day, lol.

We had a couple of breakfasts and a couple of lunches in the MDRs, and the others we ate in O'Sheehan's or the buffet. The best kept secret on the ship is the Cuban inspired Flamingo Grill which is one deck above the Garden Cafe buffet. We ate up there for breakfast several times but never made it to lunch there. It was never busy and they made eggs to order (you can also get this at the Garden Cafe, but the line was always long). They also had breakfast sandwiches, hash browns, yogurt, fruit, breads and yummy pastries - kinds which were not available downstairs. My youngest son needed waffles every morning, so he would get them from the Garden Cafe and meet us up at the Flamingo Cafe. It is all open air shaded seating and it was never busy. Loved it.