Comparison between DCL, other Cruise lines & Disney.

[Sytrace]

So we've been on our first Disney cruise aboard the Fantasy last month.

It's been an amazing vacation.

BUT.

If I'm being 100% honest with myself, I can't shake the feeling of disappointment.

Nothing was wrong, nothing was really "bad", and maybe it's just OUR expectations that we're too high....

But you know what? That's exactly my point - for the first time in my life, I had a Disney experience that did not exceed my expectations, which is what I've come to expect from Disney... you know what I mean right?

The dissonance was even bigger since we were staying almost a week at Disney World, and everything was so much more than perfect.

I was wondering:

1. Does anybody else feel that DCL does not compare well to other Disney... uhm, well, stuff (movies, channels, parks, resorts, hotels, restaurants, etc.) in terms of providing the "perfect 10" Disney experience?

2. Has anybody else tried different cruise lines and got the feeling that DCL is far from being the best one (which is totally what I expected from them)?

Personally I kept feeling like they should send a couple imagineers on a Holland America cruise to learn the ropes... it was the first time I ever found myself thinking stuff like "this could have been done better" instead of having my mind blown on a minute-by-minute basis like anything else Disney does).

Just to be clear -

This is not a complaint, at all.

With any other company I would have just "rated" it "7/10" in my head, and decide whether or not I'd like to do it again, and that would be it.

With Disney, however, I refuse to accept that this would be the last time - and I just care too much not to say anything.

I will definitely try DCL again (at some point) with the hopes that they get it right eventually, and that I'll be able to become a brand ambassador for DCL just like I am for anything else Disney.

Also I really hope this does not reflect the standard of other Disney vacation related experiences we we're counting on for the near future like Adventures by Diseny, DVC, and Aulani which was gonna be our next destination.

Would love your thoughts and perspectives.

- Adam

I am going to try and be objective and share my thoughts about DCL over just one other line I have cruised with (Carnival).
I have studied and researched various cruise lines but have not actually sailed on them (Royal, Norweigen, Princess, Carnival )

Here is some backround for you on our family:
We live half an hour from WDW and have had annual passes for the last 5 years (soon the be 6 once we renew in a couple of weeks) We have stayed on Disney property at least 2 times a year for our "Staycations" and enjoy those times as well as just being able to go when the mood strikes us...which is about once a week. lol

We live 45 minutes from Port Canveral and from November 2013 to current date we have taken 10 cruises (soon to be 11) on DCL and one on a Carnival ship.
Out of those 10 cruises so far, 6 of them were 7 nights on the Fantasy. And the remainder were on the Dream. We do tend to stay at Disney after our cruise on the Dream to just prolong our vacation a bit more.

We have yet to be disappointed by DCL and the service, amenities, friendliness of cast and crew members and the beauty of the ships. I was once a CM (eons ago) and sailed once on the Magic in her first year.
Because we have been able to sail so frequently in the past few years, we have met many wonderful Cast members who recognize us and we recognize them as well. It is such a warm and welcoming feeling to be acknowledged and remembered.
At Disney World at the resorts, it is not that way. Even though we tend to stay at the same resort a couple of times in a year, it is just not the same kind of feeling. They are very kind and friendly, but they don't know us or remember us from day to day, much less 6 months to a year.
On DCL, we turn off the phones and leave them off (or at home) for the duration of our cruise. We don't have email access, FB access or Instagram.
At WDW, we have to have our phones with us to check our Fast passes, text each other if we split up and sit thru lunch or dinner on our phones instead of interacting with each other.
On DCL, there is no rush to do anything unless we want to. If we want to stay on the ship and not do an excursion then that is what we do. No rush to get on or off the ship in port. It is most relaxing.
However, at WDW there are Fast passes, ADRs and Rope Drop to consider. There is the level and planning that far exceeds, what I need to do to go on a cruise.

As for Carnival, it was awhile ago on an older ship and was not close to what they offer now, so I hesitate to compare them. I think that I got my moneys worth out of Carnival but since it was only one cruise to 10 Disney cruises, I would need to try them again a couple of times to gain enough knowledge to share. I have researched them and they are definitely a good line (Holland America is a part of their line after all) They have lots of bells and whistles on the newer ships that look amazing as well.

All in all, I feel sad that you had a less than stellar experience with DCL. I honestly hope that one day, if you try again, it will hold more magic and value for you.

 

[KVH]

This is the wrong place to get a real feel for a consensus. Everyone here is most likely going to be at either end of the distribution. Go to generic site that is line-agnostic. See what the rank-and-file that have cruised on multiples lines say.

Then again, if you want a fantastic experience, you're looking at the wrong cruises. None of the lines mentioned in this thread are considered luxury. Those are the ones you need to be looking at.

 

[phinz]

I find the parks (and their resorts) filthy, overcrowded, loud and frustrating compared to DCL, but that's when comparing the two. I'll take a trip to either the parks or DCL (and oftentimes both these days) over most other places any day. Given my choice between one or the other, I'll choose DCL every single time. I know how many people will be on the boat on any given day, while the parks are a craps shoot.

 

[Cruiser20]

This is the wrong place to get a real feel for a consensus. Everyone here is most likely going to be at either end of the distribution. Go to generic site that is line-agnostic. See what the rank-and-file that have cruised on multiples lines say.

Then again, if you want a fantastic experience, you're looking at the wrong cruises. None of the lines mentioned in this thread are considered luxury. Those are the ones you need to be looking at.

What site is line agnostic? Not cruise critic. I post there and I find each cruiseline site to have some pretty serious fanboys. Nothing compares to Disney fans though they are one of a kind when it comes to loyalty.
I personally haven't been on a luxury line. Someday when the kids are gone I will. DCL prices itself like a luxury line, but I don't think it qualifies.

 

[over50visits]

Both DCL and the parks share a common Disney cache that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

They both share a constant price increase which basically puts more and more families out of reach for that experience.

However, one thing DCL has that the parks will never have: it will never be more crowded on the ships that it is now. Their capacity is set, and won't increase. The parks just pack them in at times like sardines. DCL is overpriced compared to the rest of the cruise lines, but we cannot want until our next cruise. It is always amazing.

 

[Baduist]

This is the wrong place to get a real feel for a consensus. Everyone here is most likely going to be at either end of the distribution. Go to generic site that is line-agnostic. See what the rank-and-file that have cruised on multiples lines say.

Then again, if you want a fantastic experience, you're looking at the wrong cruises. None of the lines mentioned in this thread are considered luxury. Those are the ones you need to be looking at.

Indeed, but I also think we're kind of like-minded here and the responses are great.

I think I will always prefer Disney over luxury, although we try to aim for the high end with Disney as well in terms of Hotel Rooms, services, etc.

We were thinking maybe we should get a more luxurious stateroom next time but I don't think it will change a lot outside of the room on the ship.

Also Remy and Palo weren't really for us as we didn't feel like w/o the little brat ;-)

Are there any luxury cruise lines that you can go on with a baby?

 

[mcd2745]

2. Has anybody else tried different cruise lines and got the feeling that DCL is far from being the best one (which is totally what I expected from them)?

Objectively, I do feel DCL is the best overall. That said, there are still some things that the other lines do better than DCL. In the end though, I would still rate DCL at the top. However, the difference is not great enough to justify paying double or more over the other lines (which is what it normally costs most dates - ignore any DCL apologist that always finds one obscure "off-season" date where DCL prices are comparable to other lines and disingenuously posts it as if that is the norm). There are probably as many, if not more, similarities as there are differences across the various cruise lines - including DCL.

 

[Love2Cruz]

To OP, I agree with you, while my experience on DCL was pleasurable, it didn't blow me away either. I like the parks just as much and their on site hotels. It's just another vacation to me...not one that is less than or more than my other ones. I say enjoy the variety out there and cruise on other lines, as well as take different types of vacations. Actually, when I compare my on site stay at the Poly in WDW to DCL, I'd say they were about equal.

 

[cgolf]

Objectively, I do feel DCL is the best overall. That said, there are still some things that the other lines do better than DCL. In the end though, I would still rate DCL at the top. However, the difference is not great enough to justify paying double or more over the other lines (which is what it normally costs most dates - ignore any DCL apologist that always finds one obscure "off-season" date where DCL prices are comparable to other lines and disingenuously posts it as if that is the norm). There are probably as many, if not more, similarities as there are differences across the various cruise lines - including DCL.

Actuallly that isn't really possible anymore. DCL finally jumped their off-season prices above the pack as well.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Granted per one poster on here my experience is "not all that extensive" (never said it was), but...

Interesting you found HAL better... I could not get off the Westerdam fast enough as their service was RIDICULOUSLY lacking. Dining staff that didn't care, cabin staff that in spite of going over the cabin with a supervisor and check list (I didn't complain...I just got back to my cabin - where admittedly I had a LOT of DCL stuff from a hoodie to the toiletries, and a stuffed Goofy and Baby Sven (found him in Seattle and didn't want him to sit in a bag) - when my steward, an assistant, and a supervisor were going over things off a checklist) never got it all right, a general stuffiness among the crew (more than one seemed SHOCKED when I passed and said "Good morning/afternoon/evening!"), etc. Nowhere near anything I want to experience EVER again.

I've cruised on RCCL's Radiance Class (I refuse to sail on the behemoths of the seas...I want my ships to LOOK like ships and not have ridiculous square-shaped open spaces off the back) and found them ok, but other than one cabin steward not the level of Disney service I've received.

I've always had spectacular service on DCL (and no, I have NOT always been on board with my sister) and HAVE found them generally a notch above. Better even (or in some cases especially) than in the parks.

But everyone has their own experiences and expectations.

The first time we set foot on a Disney ship (Wonder), our first impression was "This is what HAL used to be like before they decided to chase a mass market". Now every time we step onboard a Disney ship, we find ourselves making little comparisons to all the other lines we've sailed. Some positive, some negative. After 50+ cruises across five different lines, there are things Disney does better, things they could use a bit of coaching on to improve, and things they do that are the same on virtually every ship we've sailed. Overall, at least to us, the Disney "experience" is worth a 10-20% premium over the other four lines we routinely sail, and when we find a Disney cruise in that range, we book it. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen all that often anymore.