Anyone else only sailed Disney, considered another cruise line

[mevelandry]

I have a question... Why do people hate casinos so much? I mean... Nobody forces anyone to play. There are lots of lights and colors in there. I'm not a fan of them but I don't hate them.

The only thing I hate about them is the smoke. Seriously, all the smoking indoor has to go!

 

[starvenger]

It's mostly the smoke. It feels like casino placement on older ships never took airflow into account. Perhaps because designs predated ships going (mostly) non-smoking?

Since I like playing a few rounds of blackjack (although 6:5 odds on a natural are terrible.) I'll see how it is on Indy next year. On Oasis class ships you can still smell smoke, but the ventilation is good enough that it doesn't stick to your clothes, and you're ok with going through the casino (non-smoking side) to get to Studio B from the MDR.

And FWIW I love the fact that Ontario casinos are smoke free.

 

[hubbard53]

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.

oh, the snark on this board is priceless...

We were part of a big group that included some "older demographic" cruisers.

The biggest differentiators between the two lines - cabin & private island - had NOTHING to do with demographic. I recommend you read a little more objectively before you bloviate uselessly. . .

 

[Pens Fan]

I agree that it's the smoke that annoys most people about Casinos. I am (cautiously) optimistic that at some point cruise lines will improve this. Celebrity has some (maybe all??) smoke free casinos. NCL enclosed a separate smoking section inside the casino on their newest ship, the Bliss, so the exterior portion open to the rest of ship remains smoke free. I have read (mostly) positive reports on that over on boards frequented by NCL cruisers. Maybe the industry is getting the message.

As others have mentioned, the amount of smoke that carries outside the casino depends on the ship and location. The two ships we've been on recently (NCL Gem and Sun) had casinos, but we never really noticed the smoke unless we happened to be passing through there. The couple of times we did walk through, it's not as if we absolutely had to. There are always other ways to get around, and we just chose that path as it might have been slightly closer to where we were going. Smoke really was not an issue for us on either cruise, and we are pretty sensitive to it.

Other than the smoke, I'm perfectly fine with casinos on a ship. We don't gamble, but I greatly appreciate the fact the passengers that do are helping to supplement our cruise fare .

 

[orangecuse]

Our perspective comes from doing Celebrity, Carnival, DCL, RCCL

1. Cleanliness- never noticed a difference honestly. Our stateroom balcony door was broken for 2 days on DCL, so maintenance issues can happen anywhere. However, overall all ships have been nice.

2. Family friendly- my parents took us on a lot of Celebrity cruises as kids and we had a great time. RCCL and Carnival obviously have a lot of kid friendly attractions. I think its hard to complete with DCL for the real littles though. We had a really horrible experience with the nursery on DCL but I’m not the kind of person to say one bad experience means something is inherently bad. I know a lot of people who have had great experiences with the nursery.

3. I believe all (most?) Celebrity casinos are smoke free. We never noticed smoke from the casinos on other ships- its not hard to avoid.

4. Never noticed a difference. No bad or expectional experiences come to mind. We were on a Carnival right after the big norovirus outbreak on another ship and the song the waiters all sang at the buffet about washing your hands is still stuck in our heads like five years later hahaha They were fun!

5. Sorry but DCL is probably the WORST here of what we have done. (In our opinion, food is so highly subjective is kind of silly to take someone elses word here). Maybe second worst. Thats not even to say it was all bad- just not impressive. Its decent quality MDR food but poor selection and the deck food was pretty awful. Celebrity wins hands down for quality. Carnival wins hands down for deck/quick food. Carnival is equal to DCL for MDR quality with better selection. RCCL we thought had terrible deck food and maybe equal to slightly less MDR BUT we didn’t do any of their elective dining which may have changed things. Also we have no food allergies so can’t comment on if one line would be best here.

6. Haven’t noticed a difference. I assume this is easy to look up but did we feel a difference? No.

7. Not fair for me to comment as we aren’t lounge on the beach people.

Overall to me what you can’t compete with for each is

Celebrity- the MDR and overall food
Carnival- the deck food
Disney- that intangible Disney experience of characters, shows, themeing. Other cruises are super fun too but obviously no one is competing with DCL for their own game ya know? Also was highly impressed with the movie aspect on board.
RCL- I think we have to try this one again to give it a fair shake. The aqua and ice shows sound amazing!

Overall the point is DCL was great, Celebrity is great, Carnival is great, RCCL is something we will give another shot at some point and we won’t let one bad experience dim our view of a whole line.

 

[hubbard53]

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?

I think the challenge was that there was another HAL ship with us on the island so that contributed to the lines at all three food stations (the lines we so long the stretched from the food area to the main walkway) and lack of chairs. We had pre-booked clamshells so we were fine but we did see a lot of people searching for loungers.

What the other ship in port does NOT account for is the tendering process and long waits. It could have simply been an anomaly but my overall perception of the cruise was 'lack of crowd control'

-- OR --

I could simply be a DCL fanboi and just not realize it!

 

[ludari]

After 8 or 9 consecutive Disney Cruises a few years ago I sailed on RCL - Anthem of the Seas with some friends on a 12 day cruise and had a really good time. I did like a lot of the features of this ship such as the virtual balcony and other technology features around the ship, family activities (virtual skydiving, surf machine, bumper cars, roller skating etc.), and single staterooms that I hope DCL brings to their new ships. Several of the paid meal options where really good and RCL had a private beach. That being said the things important to me are service and entertainment which RCL couldn't compare to DCL. So even with RCL offering all sorts of activities I still prefer DCL which feels more like home to me. This year I sailed with my friends again but this time on NCL and I was not impressed at all and I would put RCL above NCL. I will admit that my stateroom host on NCL was fabulous. I definitely prefer DCL but I'm still open to try other cruise lines.

 

[starvenger]

In our opinion, food is so highly subjective is kind of silly to take someone elses word here

This is a mantra I started to use in the past couple of years. We can let people know experiences and likes/dislikes but what I generally enjoy could be completely different from what someone else likes.

What the other ship in port does NOT account for is the tendering process and long waits. It could have simply been an anomaly but my overall perception of the cruise was 'lack of crowd control'

Interesting that they would do that on a private beach. I'd recommend using something like cruisetimetables dot com to check what other ships are in port during your cruise. It won't change anything but it might temper expectations a bit.

Didn't think I'd need to recommend it for the private beaches but that shows you what I know - nothing!

 

[mevelandry]

It's mostly the smoke. It feels like casino placement on older ships never took airflow into account. Perhaps because designs predated ships going (mostly) non-smoking?

Since I like playing a few rounds of blackjack (although 6:5 odds on a natural are terrible.) I'll see how it is on Indy next year. On Oasis class ships you can still smell smoke, but the ventilation is good enough that it doesn't stick to your clothes, and you're ok with going through the casino (non-smoking side) to get to Studio B from the MDR.

And FWIW I love the fact that Ontario casinos are smoke free.

Montreal casino is smoke free as well!

I usually don't mind spending 30-60 minutes in a ship casino if the ventilation is good but when it's bad, I try to move as fast as possible whenever I go through it.

 

[mevelandry]

I think the challenge was that there was another HAL ship with us on the island so that contributed to the lines at all three food stations (the lines we so long the stretched from the food area to the main walkway) and lack of chairs. We had pre-booked clamshells so we were fine but we did see a lot of people searching for loungers.

What the other ship in port does NOT account for is the tendering process and long waits. It could have simply been an anomaly but my overall perception of the cruise was 'lack of crowd control'

-- OR --

I could simply be a DCL fanboi and just not realize it!

Having two ships on any private island is just a bad idea.

 

[VTNuke]

My Dad has never done a DCL, but has cruised 4 or 5 other lines. He likes Princess and RCCL the most for what he and his wife want on a cruise. I've only done Carnival once (boat literally broke down) and now 4 DCL's. He and I are very different consumers of vacations and neither of us have convinced the other they should try to go away from their favorites, although I would say both of us are interested in what the other likes and dislikes.

This stuff is so subjective. It's not like DCL has never had a bad cruise (google videos of the Fantasy during Sandy). There are websites like cruise mapper that detail how many times a boat has had ANY issue. You can see everything from a virus breakout to mechanical issues (that 2002 Carnival trip I took is listed) to emergency medical issues for one person. That's a very interesting site to track that sort of thing and from looking at it, I'd never book a cruise before checking out the ship's history.

I think we'd be open to trying RCCL or some one of the higher rated lines at some point. My wife being very anti-smoke and a bit of a cleanliness nut is really the only reason we've never switched from DCL. One our last cruise we were docked next to a Carnival ship at one point in Nassau. It looked very old and dirty, yet it is the same age as the Magic. DCL takes very good care of their ships.

 

[mevelandry]

My Dad has never done a DCL, but has cruised 4 or 5 other lines. He likes Princess and RCCL the most for what he and his wife want on a cruise. I've only done Carnival once (boat literally broke down) and now 4 DCL's. He and I are very different consumers of vacations and neither of us have convinced the other they should try to go away from their favorites, although I would say both of us are interested in what the other likes and dislikes.

This stuff is so subjective. It's not like DCL has never had a bad cruise (google videos of the Fantasy during Sandy). There are websites like cruise mapper that detail how many times a boat has had ANY issue. You can see everything from a virus breakout to mechanical issues (that 2002 Carnival trip I took is listed) to emergency medical issues for one person. That's a very interesting site to track that sort of thing and from looking at it, I'd never book a cruise before checking out the ship's history.

I think we'd be open to trying RCCL or some one of the higher rated lines at some point. My wife being very anti-smoke and a bit of a cleanliness nut is really the only reason we've never switched from DCL. One our last cruise we were docked next to a Carnival ship at one point in Nassau. It looked very old and dirty, yet it is the same age as the Magic. DCL takes very good care of their ships.

Sorry but I can't help ... ( It's not you: In the past, I had pretty similar thoughts --before I tried Carnival-- now I see things differently but I still see similar comments) ...

The truth is we usually don't know much about the ships that are docked next to us. We're not there to experience the real feel and the ambiance ... And we can't see the interior of the ship. We can't judge the entertainment, the cruise director or the food, because we're not there.

And how can we assess the inside and the cleanliness of the ship from that far? By the hull? Wouldn't we all agree that rust is easier to spot on a white hull than on a black hull?

Now that I've experienced different kind of ships on Carnival (from very old to brand new), I come to the conclusion that decor is just decor. My least favorite decor was definitely on the Sensation but I had a great cruise regardless.

 

[smmco]

oh, the snark on this board is priceless...

We were part of a big group that included some "older demographic" cruisers.

The biggest differentiators between the two lines - cabin & private island - had NOTHING to do with demographic. I recommend you read a little more objectively before you bloviate uselessly. . .

It wasn't meant to be snarky. If you take kids on a cruise that's predominately known for having an older demographic you can't be surprised that some of the passengers don't like kids. I know people that cruise Hal and Celebrity for the pure fact that there's hardly any kids. It would be like taking a Disney cruise and then complaining about all the kids on board. Hopefully you'll get a chance to try one of non cruise disney lines that caters to families.

 

[Keyser]

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

This is us - we've only sailed DCL (family just reached Gold status last trip). We know we enjoy DCL, and we don't get to cruise super often (about once every 3 years), so we've been in the "stick with what we know we like" frame of mind. I've heard enough about other lines to know that there are likely some other options that would be good for us, and as our family status is changing (oldest one won't be home much longer), we might look elsewhere in the future. But, to this point there have been Disney options that met what we were looking for, at prices that we could afford at the time.

As an example, my wife and I celebrated our 20th anniversary with a family trip to Alaska. We know there were "better" Alaska cruise itineraries, and cheaper ones, but since we had no other options for our kids for a week, we wanted a trip where we could bring our kids and feel confident that we were going to have a trip they would enjoy and also get to do something that we wanted to do. The cruise was perfect for our situation, and from talking to several other people who have done other Alaska cruises on other lines, I don't think any other line would have been better for our family's situation at that time in our lives. If it were just the 2 of us, or our kids were in a different age range or had different interests than they had at that time, we might consider something else, but for us the DCL option was perfect for what we were looking for.

I kind of compare it to what I've heard about (land) vacations. We've done a few Walt Disney World vacations, and enjoy them for many similar reasons to what you mention for cruises. We know people that have taken family trips to other locations, like Branson or the Smoky Mountains (or just Universal), and the arguments are very similar - the other options are cheaper and just as good at providing family-friendly entertainment/food/general cleanliness/etc. And, they are probably right - some of those other destinations are likely just as good, if a little different. But, if we get a chance to do an "entertainment" trip as a family, we are more likely going to stick with something we know we'll enjoy (WDW) rather than roll the dice elsewhere.

What I think is annoying is people insisting that DCL (or for that matter WDW) is clearly superior when they haven't tried other places - I fully recognize that other options might be just as good, or better, than DCL. Likewise, it's just as annoying when people who have found that other lines work for their own situation then act as those choosing to cruise DCL are being foolish - we can do math and weigh pros and cons just as well. I do like hearing about other options, especially from those who can compare, though, since it does help me make an informed decision.

P.S.: From what I gather, one other point in DCL's favor is that their ships (since there are just 4 this is easier) are much more consistent. I have heard enough to know that on other lines, you have to be more careful about choosing a particular category of ship or itinerary to get the type of experience you might find comparable - not all Carnival/RCCL/NCL/etc. are equal.

 

[smmco]

I heard the an interview yesterday on CNBC with the CEO of NCL. They are pouring millions of dollars into renovating their older ships to make things more homogeneous across their fleet. I believe Carnival is trying to do the same thing. I will still probably stick to the newer ships unless it's a really great itinerary.

 

[Masonmj84]

I have a question... Why do people hate casinos so much? I mean... Nobody forces anyone to play. There are lots of lights and colors in there. I'm not a fan of them but I don't hate them.

The only thing I hate about them is the smoke. Seriously, all the smoking indoor has to go!

With regard to casinos, smoke is also the biggest negative for me. I just can't stand stale, second hand smoke and am super sensitive to it (gives me a headache and dislike how it quickly makes my clothes smell smoky).

My wife particularly dislikes casinos, first and foremost due to the smoke. In addition, she hates Las Vegas and anything that gives off any sort of Vegas-y vibe (and/or any sort of drinking, gambling, party crowd vibe).

In that regard, I'm leery of cruising on another line for fear that she'll feel that vibe (although I realize that this probably varies greatly by line and even by particular ships within a given line). With DCL, I know I'll never have to worry about this.

 

[mmmears]

I have a question... Why do people hate casinos so much? I mean... Nobody forces anyone to play. There are lots of lights and colors in there. I'm not a fan of them but I don't hate them.

The only thing I hate about them is the smoke. Seriously, all the smoking indoor has to go!

For me the primary issue is the smoke. It's a health issue for me, not just something I prefer to avoid. But honestly it's the whole package, too. The lights and sounds and stuff. It's just not something I care for, and it takes up space that could be used for something else. I know why most lines have them, but I still prefer to not have them. And that's ok. We can all prefer different things and that's why there are different cruise lines out there.

 

[lilsonicfan]

@Intr3pid we are on the Seaview May 25, so maybe just before you.... we are in YC, I'm super excited to try it. I hope your experience is good!

I don't see any issue with choosing DCL b/c there's no casino or choosing Celebrity for fewer kids or choosing HAL because you like to sail with older folks (hehe j/k) ... I think where it gets kinda messy is when people swear up and down that one line or another is simply better, full stop. These are all mass market cruise lines being discussed, DCL, NCL, RCCL, Carnival, MSC, HAL. None of these are specialty lines. What works for one family won't always work for another. I am of the view that if you choose to stick with DCL because it's what you know and like, that's totally great! Where it bugs me is when people say, or imply, that DCL is so simply superior to any other line that choosing something else is the wrong choice. There are no absolutes.

 

[mevelandry]

With regard to casinos, smoke is also the biggest negative for me. I just can't stand stale, second hand smoke and am super sensitive to it (gives me a headache and dislike how it quickly makes my clothes smell smoky).

My wife particularly dislikes casinos, first and foremost due to the smoke. In addition, she hates Las Vegas and anything that gives off any sort of Vegas-y vibe (and/or any sort of drinking, gambling, party crowd vibe).

In that regard, I'm leery of cruising on another line for fear that she'll feel that vibe (although I realize that this probably varies greatly by line and even by particular ships within a given line). With DCL, I know I'll never have to worry about this.

I feel like casinos on board of cruise ships are mostly frequented by older people. Sooooo quiet. People are way too absorbed by their slot machines to party. LOL

 

[DCLDVC1]

....What I think is annoying is people insisting that DCL (or for that matter WDW) is clearly superior when they haven't tried other places......

I see this A LOT! Especially when it comes to Concierge and Castaway Cay cabanas. I've read countless posts here and on other social media sites where people say something isn't worth it but they've never even tried it. It's just human nature.