Anyone else only sailed Disney, considered another cruise line

[lilsonicfan]

For us the price difference is not small. As a Canadian, 700$ USD difference means 1000$ more (and that's 2 months of grocery for the two of us). And since we have enjoyed the Vista more than the Dream and the Wonder... The choice would be easy.

It might not have been obvious from my post but I was trying to refer to the price difference for that family, which is clearly a family of at least 3 according to the post ('have a beautiful teenage daughter') but profile pic also suggests a family of 4. I get it, I'm Canadian too so yes I get that it's a difference of $1,000. But for a family of four that difference is NOT huge, and especially not if one can say that those sailing on the Vista are the 'sort' who can afford to be at the mall. Like, it's not like that Vista cruise was $1,000 vs $5,000 on the Wonder. KWIM?

 

[JW9DVC]

to save money (or maybe for a better/different itinerary) but ultimitaly always stuck with Disney for fear of being let down?

And if you were like this but, at some point, took the plunge with another cruise line, what was your experience?

Here are some things we really like about Disney (that make us fearful of trying another line):

1. General cleanliness, upkeep, and theming of the ships
2. The family friendly atmosphere
3. Lack of a casino on board. Obviously, on other lines, we could simily choose to avoid this area but it's my understanding that most cruise lines put their casinos in pretty commonly traversed areas on their ships. In addition, we associate casinos with cigarette smoke, which we prefer to avoid as much as possible (and I've never smelled cigarette smoke in an indoor area on a Disney ship whereas I've been told that you can almost always smell it near casinos on other ships).
4. The service level and friendliness of the cast members. While it's my understanding that the service level across the cruise industry in general is quite a bit above average for the hospitality industry as a whole, I've also heard people say the service level and friendlness of Disney cruise cast members just goes a bit above and beyond most other cruise lines.
5. Consistency of the food. While I've heard that other cruise lines sometimes have better/more expensive food offerings (particularly during dinner service), I've also heard that the food consistency and overall quality control isn't generally as good as Disney's (unless you sail with a really premium line that's known for its food).
6. Stateroom size and layout. I've heard that the standard staterooms on other lines don't tend to be quite as large, nice, or as well designed as Disney's (granted, for the price difference, you could probably book a large concierge room on many lines for less than the price of a standard stateroom on Disney).
7. Castaway Cay. While most of the big lines have their own private islands, just about everyone seems to agree that Castaway Cay is the best.
8. We've had several people tell us that they've tried other lines but now only sail with Disney because it's so much better and, in their opinion, worth the price premium.

I'd be interested to hear others opinions on the accuracy of these generalizations.

We have thought about it. Yet every time I see another ship. I’m like. I can’t do it. Even with open bar!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

It might not have been obvious from my post but I was trying to refer to the price difference for that family, which is clearly a family of at least 3 according to the post ('have a beautiful teenage daughter') but profile pic also suggests a family of 4. I get it, I'm Canadian too so yes I get that it's a difference of $1,000. But for a family of four that difference is NOT huge, and especially not if one can say that those sailing on the Vista are the 'sort' who can afford to be at the mall. Like, it's not like that Vista cruise was $1,000 vs $5,000 on the Wonder. KWIM?

I’m sorry but $1000 IS a lot more for even a family of 4. I sail Carnival and I am not trashy or a drinker or a a gambler and I am sincerely tired of that characterization of the people who can only afford Carnival.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I’m sorry but $1000 IS a lot more for even a family of 4. I sail Carnival and I am not trashy or a drinker or a a gambler and I am sincerely tired of that characterization of the people who can only afford Carnival.

Sorry, to go back to my post, she was saying a $700 difference on a 5 night cruise for 4. The $1,000 only came in when we were discussing Canadian dollars. Yes okay it isn't a tiny amount of money at all. It's just that for me personally, that isn't enough of a savings for me to skip DCL and try out Carnival. In my mind I'm thinking that the 5 night cruise was probably around $5,000 on DCL (that's sort of 'average' pricing) so a 5 night on Carnival for $4,300 - that does not appeal to me enough to ditch DCL in those circumstances. I suppose it's possible that DCL was $2,500 and Carnival was $1,800.

I agree, however, that it's a tiring thing to hear those who somehow think the DCL clientele is more upscale.

 

[Intr3pid]

DCL cruises are themed cruises - themed after everything Disney. Themed means ... you are going to have a Frozen or Pirate deck party, you will see meticulously detailed characters, you will be treated to amazing dinner performances, and you will get to see Disney's superb shows. Add to it a relatively smaller size and a family focus, and the costs to operate these ships just climb. If you want a themed cruise - with a Disney premium and detail - you will have to pay up. Think of the WDW premium compared to a Six Flags property.

We have made peace with the cost. The cost doesn't bother us because we can understand why it is what it is. We won't always pay the premium, but the ships are great, the detail is meticulous, and the service remains excellent. In fact, I wouldn't have a sea day on any other cruise line.

The problem lies in the travel part.

We are a family of five (= travel in general is much costlier), our eldest is in high school (= limits us to peak holiday travel), and all three will be in university in about 4 to 5 years (= family travel clock is ticking). We have been on Dream and Fantasy during breaks. Our extended family did Alaska on Wonder last summer, and we are doing Europe on Magic this summer.

But - where next? Sure, we will escape again to the Caribbeans in the middle of another winter - but where else? We love travelling, and our kids want to see the world. And that's where DCL comes up short.

So, we are mixing things up this summer. We will try MSC Seaview out of Rome followed by NCL Star out of Venice before boarding Magic. We are going in with an open mind (and plenty of wallet damage).

If you too are unsure about branching out, mix it up. Keep your preferred cruise as a reward, and try out others. One new cruise line every year, and maybe you will never look back!

 

[mevelandry]

(...) I sail Carnival and I am not trashy or a drinker or a a gambler and I am sincerely tired of that characterization of the people who can only afford Carnival.

THIS.

(As if having a lower income made anyone less classy, an alcoholic and/or not interesting to interact with!)

 

[mevelandry]

Sorry, to go back to my post, she was saying a $700 difference on a 5 night cruise for 4. The $1,000 only came in when we were discussing Canadian dollars. Yes okay it isn't a tiny amount of money at all. It's just that for me personally, that isn't enough of a savings for me to skip DCL and try out Carnival. In my mind I'm thinking that the 5 night cruise was probably around $5,000 on DCL (that's sort of 'average' pricing) so a 5 night on Carnival for $4,300 - that does not appeal to me enough to ditch DCL in those circumstances. I suppose it's possible that DCL was $2,500 and Carnival was $1,800.

I agree, however, that it's a tiring thing to hear those who somehow think the DCL clientele is more upscale.

Regarding the 700$...

I guess what I was trying to say was: for many families, 700$ is a huge amount and sometimes they can barely afford the lower price to begin with.

But I say this without snark whatsoever: if 700$ more doesn't hurt your wallet and you can easily recover from spending that much more... Good for you.

 

[jenf22]

So, we are mixing things up this summer. We will try MSC Seaview out of Rome followed by NCL Star out of Venice before boarding Magic. We are going in with an open mind (and plenty of wallet damage).

I think the "open mind" is key. Our first cruise after DCL we spent a lot of time comparing things to DCL. Now we've done more non-DCL than DCL and we don't compare anymore. We've discovered we cruise for the itinerary and to spend time together. The cost savings of other lines lets us do that more. We did cruise Allure last October for the ship and it was awesome! We did not spend a cent extra on activities and we were never bored. We cruised the NCL Star to Norway in 2015 and we loved that ship. It was a very calm and laid back trip. In our experience, everyone on NCL has been super friendly, their ships have been very clean, and we've always had a great time.

I also get tired of the generalized "class" statements (not by you Intr3pid). Just because it's not DCL doesn't mean it's a lower class of people. We've now completed 10 cruises. The only time I've ever been yelled at (because my child was walking too slow down stairs) was on a DCL ship. The only time we've had something stolen from under our seat in the theater was on a DCL ship. And the only time we've had people push their way between me and my child while in line at the buffet was on a DCL ship. Obviously experiences will vary. But please, have an open mind.

 

[lilsonicfan]

So, we are mixing things up this summer. We will try MSC Seaview out of Rome followed by NCL Star out of Venice before boarding Magic. We are going in with an open mind (and plenty of wallet damage).
!

We're on the Seaview right after the Magic this year

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I also get tired of the generalized "class" statements (not by you Intr3pid). Just because it's not DCL doesn't mean it's a lower class of people. We've now completed 10 cruises. The only time I've ever been yelled at (because my child was walking too slow down stairs) was on a DCL ship. The only time we've had something stolen from under our seat in the theater was on a DCL ship. And the only time we've had people push their way between me and my child while in line at the buffet was on a DCL ship. Obviously experiences will vary. But please, have an open mind.

I think it's kind of funny when we refer to Disney Cruise Line as being a "classy" experience. Sure, the ships are nice and the service is great, but let's be honest here.... we're sailing on a mass-market cruise line, boarding the ship in matching t-shirts and crocs (not hating on the matching tees - just pointing out the discrepancies).... and dressing up like pirates! What do we really mean by "higher class" - maybe we mean people that are more like us?

 

[starvenger]

I think it's kind of funny when we refer to Disney Cruise Line as being a "classy" experience. Sure, the ships are nice and the service is great, but let's be honest here.... we're sailing on a mass-market cruise line, boarding the ship in matching t-shirts and crocs (not hating on the matching tees - just pointing out the discrepancies).... and dressing up like pirates! What do we really mean by "higher class" - maybe we mean people that are more like us?

Wait... if you're not hating on the matching Ts, does that mean you are hating on Crocs?

 

[chamberlain]

We have only sailed on DCL and are Disney fans. But my husband and I (now empty nesters) are wanting to sail the Norwegian Fjords in a few years so I have been doing some research on other lines. We love Disney but they may not sail that itinerary when we are wanting to go (late July, early August). It does seem kind of scary to try other cruise lines but I don't see how we can go wrong with a port intensive cruise, plus all of that scenery. This thread gives me great information on what other cruise lines offer. I see that RCCL's Independence of the Seas does the fjord cruise. Does anyone have any comments on that ship? It looks like it has had a recent rehab. We're not so concerned about waterslides and some of the extras, more curious about staterooms, service, adult entertainment and food.

 

[bbel]

We have only sailed on DCL and are Disney fans. But my husband and I (now empty nesters) are wanting to sail the Norwegian Fjords in a few years so I have been doing some research on other lines. We love Disney but they may not sail that itinerary when we are wanting to go (late July, early August). It does seem kind of scary to try other cruise lines but I don't see how we can go wrong with a port intensive cruise, plus all of that scenery. This thread gives me great information on what other cruise lines offer. I see that RCCL's Independence of the Seas does the fjord cruise. Does anyone have any comments on that ship? It looks like it has had a recent rehab. We're not so concerned about waterslides and some of the extras, more curious about staterooms, service, adult entertainment and food.

Independence has grease the musical with a live orchestra, which is really good, and a couple of ice skating shows which are amazing (I didnt think ice shows were my thing...)
They have the quest games show, love and marriage (which is match your mate on dcl) and other acts bought in.
They have a parade on the promenade as well as a 70s party and or rock Britannia and an 80s party
Included dining is the main dining room, windjammer, cafe promenade, sorrentos pizza. then theres giovanis, chops, izumi and fish and chips for extra.

Theres also and escape room for a fee as well as other activities included: ice skating, laser tag, rock wall, archery, mini golf, movies. Theres also a lot less kids on a Norway cruise...around 150 compared to 1000 for summer med cruises.

Indy is probably my favourite ship! And Norway one of my favourite itineraries...

 

[tidefan]

We have only sailed on DCL and are Disney fans. But my husband and I (now empty nesters) are wanting to sail the Norwegian Fjords in a few years so I have been doing some research on other lines. We love Disney but they may not sail that itinerary when we are wanting to go (late July, early August). It does seem kind of scary to try other cruise lines but I don't see how we can go wrong with a port intensive cruise, plus all of that scenery. This thread gives me great information on what other cruise lines offer. I see that RCCL's Independence of the Seas does the fjord cruise. Does anyone have any comments on that ship? It looks like it has had a recent rehab. We're not so concerned about waterslides and some of the extras, more curious about staterooms, service, adult entertainment and food.

If you don't need the slides, etc., also check out HAL, Princess, and Celebrity as well. They all have some nice itineraries...

 

[chamberlain]

Thanks for the info! I will check some other cruise lines too.

 

[hubbard53]

to save money (or maybe for a better/different itinerary) but ultimitaly always stuck with Disney for fear of being let down?

We have done six cruises on Disney -- just got off HAL (Holland America) so the differences are fresh in my mind...


1. General cleanliness, upkeep, and theming of the ships -- We sailed the HAL Nieuw Statendam which is their newest ship. It was clean and well kept (only a few months old). between me, wife, and DS, we are a messy munch and DCL does a better job keeping our cabin well kept.

2. The family friendly atmosphere - HAL has a much older clientele - kids activities are an afterthought. Their kids club is nice but way too structured and time limited. They will not feed them. Their hours are like 8-10am, 1-4pm, and 7-11pm - they have cool activities (like an entire row of XBOXs) but they're only allowed to play them at certain times. My son was not impressed.

3. Lack of a casino on board. I liked HAL's onboard casino but understand why DCL doesnt have one. HAL's was nice and open and NOT really in an area where kids would venture so it was not obtrusive. I thought I would use it more than I did - perhaps b/c of the age of most HAL cruisers, it just wasnt a hoppin place to be.

4. The service level and friendliness of the cast members. -- DCL service is much better than HAL's. It's not like HAL's staff is mean or dismissive, they're just not as family-friendly as DCL. For instance, wait staff makes a point on DCL to engage the kids. HAL wait staff engaged the parents trying to upsell bottled water, drinks, etc. I've had good and bad DCL wait staff and they've always been good about special requests (i.e. no sauces, sub veggies for starch) but HAL didnt bat an eye and accomodated requests without question (our last DCL waiter was borderline rude about 'no sauce' requests)

5. Consistency of the food. While I've heard that other cruise lines sometimes have better/more expensive food offerings . . . -- I heard HAL has exceptional food. To me it was no better than DCL. I tried 2 premium dining option on HAL and they didnt really compare to Palo or Remy. DCL does it better. As for the MDR, Disney's theming really sets it apart. HAL's MDR was bland, bright, and hot. Felt like a hotel banquet hall. While the Lido deck buffet on HAL is marketed as separate restaurants, it was just like cabana's but with different signs/names above each station. Some HAL buffet food was better, some was worse. I think DCL has more variety.

6. Stateroom size and layout. I've heard that the standard staterooms on other lines don't tend to be quite as large, nice, or as well designed as Disney's . . . -- This is where we really noticed the difference. Weve always had a verandah cabin on DCL so we got a verandah on HAL. The room size difference was noticeable. On HAL, when the sofa was converted, you could not use the desk or access the verandah. Weird. Each morning I had to move my son to the main bed so I could push in the bed and have coffee on the verandah. other noteable difference was no curtain to separate the areas (i.e. no privacy). DCL's separate toilet/shower is pure LUXURY! I didnt realize how great that is until we didnt have it.


7. Castaway Cay. While most of the big lines have their own private islands, just about everyone seems to agree that Castaway Cay is the best. --HAL has Half Moon Cay. It was a beautiful bahamian island with white sand and clear blue waters. It felt crowded. Lots of people milling about looking for chairs. Useable beach area for things like sand castles was very limited. The food area was disappointing - food was good but the lines were terrible. As for getting to the island, it was all via tenders. They jam packed us into tenders that held a few hundred people - you had to wait and wait and wait until it was full before they made the trip to the island. Coming back was even worse. It took us 70 minutes to get from the island to the ship - 60 of those minutes was spent in line waiting for the tender, sitting on the tender wait for the last few sardines, or waiting in line to exit the tender. If I ever do HAL again, I will NOT go ashore to the private island - just not worth it.


I'd be interested to hear others opinions on the accuracy of these generalizations.

-- see my answers above in italics..

Plus it's a few other little things that make DCL better, in my opinion. You underestimate how convenient the complimentary soda, tea, water is (you can access the coke freestyle machine if you get the soda package!) You underestimate how cool the movies playing on deck throughout the day are (HAL had one movie at night). Disney makes better use of the space. Getting a seat/lounger is tough on DCL - it's even worse on HAL - and once they're taken, they take them ALL DAY! And while I think the pool side quick service foods on DCL arent as good as HAL, getting them is certainly quicker. HAL took about 30 minutes to get a 8" pizza or a burger. Room service on DCL is quicker too! I ordered room service twice on HAL and never got it b/c it took over 45 minutes apparently and we had to be somewhere else...

The fellow cruisers make a difference too! Those sailing on DCL understand and appreciate that kids will be aboard and using facilities. Some HAL cruisers DO NOT. My kid was chastised for taking too long at the coke freestyle machine. Older folks tried to kids the kids out of the loungers they found (stating that poolside was for adults, not kids), they complained about some kids yelling "Marco! Polo!" too loud. And one guy asked the bar tender to have all kids removed from the pool! I understand that HAL has older clientele -- they must not remember having kids

Being part of a larger group made it tolerable. . . I'd never do HAL if it was just me, wife, and son. We thought we were outgrowing DCL but cruising another line put it in perspective! We will be doing DCL next year (we just hope they get a new show or two)

 

[mevelandry]

-- see my answers above in italics..

(...)

Wow. I just read your experience regarding 7. (Half Moon Cay). We LOVED HMC!! However, we've visited HMC with Carnival. We waited less than 10 minutes to leave the ship. Same to get back on the ship --and there was a roof over the waiting line so we were not incommodated by the sun or the heat--. We were comfortable on the water shuttle (not too crowded). Food was not great but there was 3 different stations with the same food so there was very little to no wait. There were a lot of chairs available.

Is it possible that the success of our day there had more to do with the fact that we were on a Carnival ship (and possibly smaller ship) instead of HAL?

 

[smmco]

-- see my answers above in italics..

Plus it's a few other little things that make DCL better, in my opinion. You underestimate how convenient the complimentary soda, tea, water is (you can access the coke freestyle machine if you get the soda package!) You underestimate how cool the movies playing on deck throughout the day are (HAL had one movie at night). Disney makes better use of the space. Getting a seat/lounger is tough on DCL - it's even worse on HAL - and once they're taken, they take them ALL DAY! And while I think the pool side quick service foods on DCL arent as good as HAL, getting them is certainly quicker. HAL took about 30 minutes to get a 8" pizza or a burger. Room service on DCL is quicker too! I ordered room service twice on HAL and never got it b/c it took over 45 minutes apparently and we had to be somewhere else...

The fellow cruisers make a difference too! Those sailing on DCL understand and appreciate that kids will be aboard and using facilities. Some HAL cruisers DO NOT. My kid was chastised for taking too long at the coke freestyle machine. Older folks tried to kids the kids out of the loungers they found (stating that poolside was for adults, not kids), they complained about some kids yelling "Marco! Polo!" too loud. And one guy asked the bar tender to have all kids removed from the pool! I understand that HAL has older clientele -- they must not remember having kids

Being part of a larger group made it tolerable. . . I'd never do HAL if it was just me, wife, and son. We thought we were outgrowing DCL but cruising another line put it in perspective! We will be doing DCL next year (we just hope they get a new show or two)

I don’t think comparing Hal to DCL is a fair comparison. I would never take my kids on HAL. All it a takes is a few minutes of research to learn that Hal has an older demographic. Hal doesn’t even market themselves as a family cruise line whereas as Carnival, NCl and RCCL do. I’d recommend doing a little research before you book a cruise.

 

[mmmears]

I think it's kind of funny when we refer to Disney Cruise Line as being a "classy" experience. Sure, the ships are nice and the service is great, but let's be honest here.... we're sailing on a mass-market cruise line, boarding the ship in matching t-shirts and crocs (not hating on the matching tees - just pointing out the discrepancies).... and dressing up like pirates! What do we really mean by "higher class" - maybe we mean people that are more like us?

Thank you for posting this. I totally agree. DCL isn't a super premium line. But it's a fun line, where it's ok to decorate your cabin door and wear matching t-shirts. Every time I look at other cruise lines online I keep wondering if they are filled with people like us or if I'm looking in the wrong place. And by people like us, I don't mean race/money/class, etc. I mean people who still like character meals, drawing Mickey Mouse, decorating doors, and all the silly stuff like that. This, plus my need for less smoking and no casino if possible, has kept us booking DCL even though we don't have little kids anymore. I think it's just about being comfortable, too, and knowing what we will get.

 

[Intr3pid]

I think the "open mind" is key. Our first cruise after DCL we spent a lot of time comparing things to DCL. Now we've done more non-DCL than DCL and we don't compare anymore. We've discovered we cruise for the itinerary and to spend time together. The cost savings of other lines lets us do that more. We did cruise Allure last October for the ship and it was awesome! We did not spend a cent extra on activities and we were never bored. We cruised the NCL Star to Norway in 2015 and we loved that ship. It was a very calm and laid back trip. In our experience, everyone on NCL has been super friendly, their ships have been very clean, and we've always had a great time.

I also get tired of the generalized "class" statements (not by you Intr3pid). Just because it's not DCL doesn't mean it's a lower class of people. We've now completed 10 cruises. The only time I've ever been yelled at (because my child was walking too slow down stairs) was on a DCL ship. The only time we've had something stolen from under our seat in the theater was on a DCL ship. And the only time we've had people push their way between me and my child while in line at the buffet was on a DCL ship. Obviously experiences will vary. But please, have an open mind.

Thanks for the tips! The Star's is a very port-intensive itinerary (no sea day). They remodelled the ship last year after an extensive dry dock, and apparently, it now looks brand new. Plus, we are booked into a family suite, which is in an area with other families. All of this means the ball is in our court - and we will go in with a very open mind.

We try to avoid cruises that have these unlimited drinks packages and in-your-face casinos. People will drink hard to justify spending on those drinks packages, and all it takes is one out-of-control person's behavior to ruin your entire cruise. Unfortunately, yes, this can happen on any cruise.

For our Alaskan cruise last year, we wanted to invite a couple of folks in our extended family who had specific dietary requirements. We wrote to pretty much all cruise lines, and only a handful offered to accommodate (with notice): Regent, Oceania, Silversea, Cunard, and Disney. So, DCL did come through where it mattered for us.

The two of us have sailed on a couple of the "luxury" brands before, but I wouldn't take the kids on them.

We're on the Seaview right after the Magic this year

Maybe we are on the same sailing?

The kids insisted on keeping Disney for last. First, risk - then, reward. Let's see who gets an earful in the end.