Competition with Disney?

[SL6827]

What ships with other lines can be compared to or go toe to toe with Disney's ships? And are the fares, itineraries comparable?

 

[LAS2AMS]

The major cruise lines (Carnival, Royal, Norwegian annd MSC) are all similar. Princess/Holland is Carnival Crops’s premium lines whereas Celebrity is Royal’s. The overall experience is more similar than it is different, though. Each line has its own niche. Carnival appeals to families whereas Holland generally attracts 65+. MSC is European-based and even its US itineraries attract large numbers of Europeans.

Newer and larger ships yield more food, beverage, activity snd entertainment choices - many included, many at an additional cost. You’ll pay more for these ships, sometimes a lot more - Royal has them on the same itineraries as its older ships and it’s not uncommon for pricing to be 50% higher or more.

Disney has the highest prices, although sometimes Royal’s newest ships will rival them. Not uncommon for Disney to be 2x or 3x the other guys… for example, we booked the 15d repositioning cruise from Honolulu to Sydney. But we cancelled because we did a 25d cruise on Carnival from Singapore to Los Angeles around the same time, plus we’re doing a 16d cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii and back on Princess - over Christmas and New Year’s - and still saved a few hundred dollars.

Obviously, only Disney provides a Disney experience. But with just 5 ships, they can command a huge premium.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

We get a reset of what we like about Disney Ships when we cruise others.

It's the charm and Disney energy and the appreciative crew members sprinkled with Pixie Dust we think no other line can match.
-At least for now.
But where Disney misses the mark other lines seem to better and vice versa.

DCL Food has defaulted to what we experience on other lines, but the warm service has yet to be matched.

I walk into a Disney lounge and order a Corona Light, the bartender will roll a case of it into the walk-in refer with my name on it.
Ain't gunna get that with any other line.
Entertainment for Grown ups on DCL is very lacking. Almost non existent.

One DCL cruise this year Director told us only 6 kids on the ship, yet only a trio that sang and a piano player for 7 days for adults.

Nothing matches it. Not that DCL is colossal, but other lines are cattle boats in comparison. At least for the moment. Iger and the stock holders are subject to anything that defaults the experience to less than before.

It never gets better, but still it's the character that other lines can't match if you are a Disney fan.

Keep your eye on her napkin until the very end:

 

[tvguy]

We have found HAL, and Celebrity to be on par with Disney in regards to service, food, entertainment and kids clubs, just less expensive.
NCL in the 1980's used to have the best entertainment.....name entertainers that you knew from TV. Saw The Fifth Dimension, Jack Jones, Norm Crosby, Shields and Yarnell and they always had a sports star on board, Mose Malone on one of our cruises. And an NFL player named Nixon.
Only cruise line that was lower quality was NCL America, but they only have one ship, the Pride of America in Hawaii with an American crew. But that cruise is completely different. The ship is really not much more than a floating hotel as it overnights in two ports in Hawaii on a 7 day cruise and that cruise is geared to you going ashore for meals and entertainment.
The best cruise I took was my first, on the now defunct cruise line Paquet's MS Mermoz. But that was a WHOLE different experience. A gourmet cruise on a 450 passenger French ship. The only dining option for any meal was the main dining room, except the nightly Midnight buffet on the pool deck. Just one seating for dinner, 6 pm and dinner was a 12 course 3 1/2 hour production. Can you imagine how people now who expect dinner in less than an hour would handle that?! Wine was included with lunch and dinner, and the entertainment? The comedian was the cruise director and the singer was the Captain! And the night club didn't open until 2 am!!!!!

 

[starvenger]

What ships with other lines can be compared to or go toe to toe with Disney's ships? And are the fares, itineraries comparable?

Well, no other cruise line has the entertainment connections that Disney has, so you can't really compare based on licensed properties. And I think Virgin is the only other cruise line that has gone "all in" with distinct theming, although I do like Royal's "neighbourhood" concept for their bigger ships, because it really does help break up the sheer size of the Oasis/Icon class.

Itineraries are largely similar across the cruising industry for the size of ships Disney and other "family-oriented" cruise lines sail (Virgin as well). This is especially true in the Caribbean, where the only real difference is which private island/beach you go to.

And as everyone will note ad nauseum, Disney's fares are routinely the highest for family-oriented cruising. That's not to say that deals cannot be found, or that other cruise lines won't have higher-priced routes. But it's a constant with Disney, and it's why people have that dilemma of a 4 night Disney cruise or a 7 night on another cruise line.

Overall, I think each cruise line (and sometimes even the classes withing a cruise line) has a vibe that either resonates with you or does not. There's things you can compare to Disney, things that might be better, or might be worse, but that's a subjective thing that only you can answer for yourself.

The best resources I can recommend to you are the comprehensive "ship tours" on YT which can further help inform you as to what's on board and what to expect. If there's a cruise YouTuber that you follow, that might also be helpful.

Other than that, I hope you find the cruise that feels best for you!

 

[jimmymc]

Disney is truly an outlier in the cruising industry because of their theming and focus on families while also being in the premium price category.

The cabins are expensive, but also larger than most ships and can typically fit a family in one room. Food quality can vary between mass market and other premium lines, but the theming and service are top notch. The entertainment is up there with other cruises that do Broadway shows, but they are all Disney themed and kid-friendly. Disney doesn't have casinos, but they do have top-notch kid's clubs and fun themed bars. Other cruiselines can offer some of these things for less money, and others offer more than Disney for more money, but I don't think anyone else fills this niche of premium, themed, family cruising.

 

[bakerworld]

When we ask the DCL crew they mainly say Celebrity.

 

[LAS2AMS]

When we ask the DCL crew they mainly say Celebrity.

DCL crew has no idea. Most of its crew have never worked with another cruise line - especially many front line employees and entertainers (who hail from North America and Western Europe… which otherwise isn’t common in the industry). Nor is your stateroom attendant going to be able to identify small differences.

IMO, DCL isn’t up to Princess or Celebrity standards. DCL’s main dining options are more similar to Carnival and Royal, for example — you simply won’t find premium meat and seafood offerings as often.

 

[DCLMP]

What ships with other lines can be compared to or go toe to toe with Disney's ships? And are the fares, itineraries comparable?

We cruised Royal and Carnival in the Med. Service and food were fantastic. You can have a great or bad cruise on any cruise line. There are so many variables. I've had bad cruises and great cruises on Disney. Read the reviews and head over to cruise critic to ask questions.

This forum is heavily biased towards Disney. You will get better recommendations on cruise critic. There's a lot of cruisers over there that cruise on all of them.
The fares are not comparable, Disney cost a lot more. As far as itineraries go if your looking for unique DCL doesn't offer that.

 

[Cfabar1]

I wish we could sail Princess.... but with young kids the value add of Disney makes it much more worth it to stick it out with DCL... at least for a few more years... No nursey/childcare, few kids/family activities, etc.

For adults sailing on their own, DCL is probably not the best value or bang for their buck. When our kids are older, we are likely to switch to Celebrity or Princess and find interesting itineraries rather than stick with the Caribbean thing on RCL to enjoy the ship....

 

[LAS2AMS]

I wish we could sail Princess.... but with young kids the value add of Disney makes it much more worth it to stick it out with DCL... at least for a few more years... No nursey/childcare, few kids/family activities, etc.

For adults sailing on their own, DCL is probably not the best value or bang for their buck. When our kids are older, we are likely to switch to Celebrity or Princess and find interesting itineraries rather than stick with the Caribbean thing on RCL to enjoy the ship....

Since Covid, all of the major cruise lines have heavily invested in improving kid and family activities. That includes Holland, which is basically a retirement home at sea Some of the programs have a minimum age of 3, but Royal caters to 6 months and up.

Disney’s entertainment and activities is pretty lacking for older children. I get that most of us are Disney families and some of us have teenage boys that sing a long to MK’s Happily Ever After… but average teenagers will prefer Royal’s etc activities and entertainment.

 

[emmybee]

While I am more than willing to try different cruise lines, my husband refuses & will only consider DCL. I like watching cruising videos on YT, and he does not like the large, mall-like scene of the mega cruise ships. I'll suggest smaller, more high-end cruise ships...still no. I have no idea if I'll ever see another cruise ship again whenever Disney decides to retire the Magic

 

[enzy65]

While I am more than willing to try different cruise lines, my husband refuses & will only consider DCL. I like watching cruising videos on YT, and he does not like the large, mall-like scene of the mega cruise ships. I'll suggest smaller, more high-end cruise ships...still no. I have no idea if I'll ever see another cruise ship again whenever Disney decides to retire the Magic

My husband also.

 

[starvenger]

While I am more than willing to try different cruise lines, my husband refuses & will only consider DCL. I like watching cruising videos on YT, and he does not like the large, mall-like scene of the mega cruise ships. I'll suggest smaller, more high-end cruise ships...still no. I have no idea if I'll ever see another cruise ship again whenever Disney decides to retire the Magic

Yeah I think you're stuck. If your spouse is stubborn about it, there's not much you can do.

IMO, DCL isn’t up to Princess or Celebrity standards. DCL’s main dining options are more similar to Carnival and Royal, for example — you simply won’t find premium meat and seafood offerings as often.

Interestingly, when I sailed Princess last New Year's, I found the meat to be pretty bland, like the staff was afraid of seasoning the stuff after taking it out of the sous vide. They do have great pizza on the pool deck though - the best I've had at sea. So there's that.

 

[bakerworld]

DH will only use DCL. The crew we've asked their opinion are the ones who have told us they worked on other cruise lines. Many of the bartenders have worked on different cruise lines.

 

[DCLMP]

Yeah I think you're stuck. If your spouse is stubborn about it, there's not much you can do.

I'm surprised women have trouble getting their husbands to comply. Men are easy.

 

[LAS2AMS]

DH will only use DCL. The crew we've asked their opinion are the ones who have told us they worked on other cruise lines. Many of the bartenders have worked on different cruise lines.

There’s very little movement in the cruise industry as cruise lines use a de facto seniority system. The more contracts you have, the higher compensation and preferences you will receive. Hence why the employee overseeing karaoke is usually on one of their (if not.thee) first contacts…

If somebody came to DCL from another cruise line, it’s because they wanted to work for Disney, they were unhappy with their prior employer and/or they were not offered another contact.

I say this because it’s perpetually posted that ‘even its employees say DCL is the best.’ But they’re hardly objective opinions.

 

[jimmymc]

I'm surprised women have trouble getting their husbands to comply. Men are easy.

Men are easy with 95% of things, but when we feel strongly about something, we're set in stone.

 

[cvjw]

DCL crew has no idea. Most of its crew have never worked with another cruise line - especially many front line employees and entertainers (who hail from North America and Western Europe… which otherwise isn’t common in the industry). Nor is your stateroom attendant going to be able to identify small

We sail multiple times per year on DCL. We have gotten to know many cast members that we see when we cruise. All of them have worked on different cruise lines before coming to DCL. Doesn’t mean everyone has, but the ones who have are happy to tell us about their prior ships.

 

[John VN]

What ships with other lines can be compared to or go toe to toe with Disney's ships? And are the fares, itineraries comparable?

As a price comparison, I just booked an Easter Sunday 4 Night from PC 4/20/2025

MSC Seashore Yacht Club DeLuxe -- $3,552.00 https://www.msccruisesusa.com/cruise/msc-yacht-club

DCL WISH on 4/21/2025 -- INSIDE $4,458.00

FYI, we have sailed many times and itineraries are not as important as the Cruise Ship Experience