DCL Europe Summer 2022 approaching - what are you doing?

[bwmjam]

Just got back from a 14 night Med cruise on Princess. Ports were amazing but the cruise was just OK. I wanted to do this cruise on Disney but for half the price of a balcony on Disney, we got a suite, free gratuities, free wifi, free drinks, free speciality dining, etc on Princess. So, yes we got a heck-of-a-deal on Princess but we were also treated like it. I spent the majority of the time wishing I had forked over the $$$$ to Disney. I mean the level of service just doesn't compare.

 

[jeffporfirio]

Just got back from a 14 night Med cruise on Princess. Ports were amazing but the cruise was just OK. I wanted to do this cruise on Disney but for half the price of a balcony on Disney, we got a suite, free gratuities, free wifi, free drinks, free speciality dining, etc on Princess. So, yes we got a heck-of-a-deal on Princess but we were also treated like it. I spent the majority of the time wishing I had forked over the $$$$ to Disney. I mean the level of service just doesn't compare.

Thanks for your honest review.
I'm getting more confident we made the right decision not switching to RCL after DCL changed our Northern Europe itinerary.

 

[brentm77]

Just got back from a 14 night Med cruise on Princess. Ports were amazing but the cruise was just OK. I wanted to do this cruise on Disney but for half the price of a balcony on Disney, we got a suite, free gratuities, free wifi, free drinks, free speciality dining, etc on Princess. So, yes we got a heck-of-a-deal on Princess but we were also treated like it. I spent the majority of the time wishing I had forked over the $$$$ to Disney. I mean the level of service just doesn't compare.

I'm sorry to hear that. We almost did a switch to an alternative line for our med cruise, but ended up sticking with DCL. We sailed a week ago and I really enjoyed the cruise and thought about how glad I was we stuck with DCL multiple times during it. However, my wife and I are about to book Princess for Alaska next summer. Now I am second guessing our decision.

What areas of service were lacking? How was the general ambiance of the ships? The service, classic ship designs, lack of smoking, enjoyable meals, and general "feel" of DCL is what we really connect with. The shows are nice, but not critical for us. The characters aren't at all important to us, although I enjoy seeing little ones get excited for them. Evening entertainment is fun but not critical to us either. And my wife isn't a sit-by-the-pool type of person, so I only do it occasionally. So it really mostly just the general vibe of the ship and service.

Added: I think I also generally like the people that sail DCL. It seems we have a lot of similar interests and they are generally nice folks. Our Med cruise Facebook group rocked.

Added: The reason we were going with Princess is that we had read multiple cruise reviews that said they were experts in Alaska, they can cruise Glacier Bay, and the prices was inviting since this isn't really our big vacation next year.

 

[Chickadeesgrl]

I'm sorry to hear that. We almost did a switch to an alternative line for our med cruise, but ended up sticking with DCL. We sailed a week ago and I really enjoyed the cruise and thought about how glad I was we stuck with DCL multiple times during it. However, my wife and I are about to book Princess for Alaska next summer. Now I am second guessing our decision.

What areas of service were lacking? How was the general ambiance of the ships? The service, classic ship designs, lack of smoking, enjoyable meals, and general "feel" of DCL is what we really connect with. The shows are nice, but not critical for us. The characters aren't at all important to us, although I enjoy seeing little ones get excited for them. Evening entertainment is fun but not critical to us either. And my wife isn't a sit-by-the-pool type of person, so I only do it occasionally. So it really mostly just the general vibe of the ship and service.

Added: I think I also generally like the people that sail DCL. It seems we have a lot of similar interests and they are generally nice folks. Our Med cruise Facebook group rocked.

Was the buffet open in the evenings if teens didn’t want to go for sit down dining?

 

[brentm77]

Was the buffet open in the evenings if teens didn’t want to go for sit down dining?

I am 99% sure it wasn't. But I never specifically checked. I'll ask in our Facebook group and let you know. Update: It was not open.

I did notice the quick service places seemed open much later than my last trip on the Fantasy pre-pandemic, which I really liked. There may have been a few pieces of pizza or a burger at about 10:00 at night. The great part was that we walked so much at ports and in Rome prior to boarding, I actually lost weight! The perfect vacation.

I thought the pizza was better then I remembered, if not great, and the burgers were actually good. They had shawarma too, which was great. The quick services was good enough that it would at least be an passable option for skipping dinner. We were very close to doing that as an alternative to the long dining on several nights, but our servers were so good, we decided to go to regular dining every night.

 

[Budzooka]

Just got back from a 14 night Med cruise on Princess. Ports were amazing but the cruise was just OK. I wanted to do this cruise on Disney but for half the price of a balcony on Disney, we got a suite, free gratuities, free wifi, free drinks, free speciality dining, etc on Princess. So, yes we got a heck-of-a-deal on Princess but we were also treated like it. I spent the majority of the time wishing I had forked over the $$$$ to Disney. I mean the level of service just doesn't compare.

Thanks for sharing and sorry you were disappointed. We are on the July 6 Med sailing and can’t wait. We never seriously considered another line, as we are very happy with DCL and think coming back to a familiar ship is very comforting.

 

[brentm77]

Thanks for sharing and sorry you were disappointed. We are on the July 6 Med sailing and can’t wait. We never seriously considered another line, as we are very happy with DCL and think coming back to a familiar ship is very comforting.

As someone who just got back from the Med cruise, I can say I don't think you will be disappointed. Coming back to the familiar ship each night was a true pleasure, even when we absolutely loved the ports. It was easy and comforting. Because, even if you love a foreign place, it is simply more work to navigate, communicate, get transportations, etc. And that touch of "home" each night is great. You start the next day refreshed and ready for the next adventure. I had read how exhausting European cruises were, but we never really felt that. I think being on a ship we loved was a big part of why we never reached that point. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[tidefan]

Just got back from a 14 night Med cruise on Princess. Ports were amazing but the cruise was just OK. I wanted to do this cruise on Disney but for half the price of a balcony on Disney, we got a suite, free gratuities, free wifi, free drinks, free speciality dining, etc on Princess. So, yes we got a heck-of-a-deal on Princess but we were also treated like it. I spent the majority of the time wishing I had forked over the $$$$ to Disney. I mean the level of service just doesn't compare.

Sorry to hear that. We almost like Princess better than DCL. We just cruised Crown Princess and the staff was amazing.

 

[Chickadeesgrl]

I am 99% sure it wasn't. But I never specifically checked. I'll ask in our Facebook group and let you know. Update: It was not open.

I did notice the quick service places seemed open much later than my last trip on the Fantasy pre-pandemic, which I really liked. There may have been a few pieces of pizza or a burger at about 10:00 at night. The great part was that we walked so much at ports and in Rome prior to boarding, I actually lost weight! The perfect vacation.

I thought the pizza was better then I remembered, if not great, and the burgers were actually good. They had shawarma too, which was great. The quick services was good enough that it would at least be an passable option for skipping dinner. We were very close to doing that as an alternative to the long dining on several nights, but our servers were so good, we decided to go to regular dining every night.

We have the same travelling style! Thank you! We cruise for 9 nights beginning Monday. Our plan is to get off each morning & tour. We love coming back, eating, relaxing & not worried where to eat. We may see about quick serve if too tired or if my boys don’t want to join us for dinner. I enjoy a sit down dinner.

 

[brentm77]

We have the same travelling style! Thank you! We cruise for 9 nights beginning Monday. Our plan is to get off each morning & tour. We love coming back, eating, relaxing & not worried where to eat. We may see about quick serve if too tired or if my boys don’t want to join us for dinner. I enjoy a sit down dinner.

Enjoy! That sounds fabulous.

 

[oufpat]

Sorry to hear that. We almost like Princess better than DCL. We just cruised Crown Princess and the staff was amazing.

Just got back from a 14 night Med cruise on Princess. Ports were amazing but the cruise was just OK. I wanted to do this cruise on Disney but for half the price of a balcony on Disney, we got a suite, free gratuities, free wifi, free drinks, free speciality dining, etc on Princess. So, yes we got a heck-of-a-deal on Princess but we were also treated like it. I spent the majority of the time wishing I had forked over the $$$$ to Disney. I mean the level of service just doesn't compare.

That's exactly how I feel about Princess. We were on the Crown Princess May 28-June 4th to Alaska. Yes it was a great deal with lots of "freebies" thrown in, but what a disappointment! Disney may be more money, but to us, worth every penny!

 

[DCLMP]

Is anybody traveling to Europe concerned about their flights? I was relieved when I found out I didn't need a covid test to return home....now I can just stress about my flight canceling. I'm booked on BA and now they're planning a strike.

 

[Trisaratops]

Is anybody traveling to Europe concerned about their flights? I was relieved when I found out I didn't need a covid test to return home....now I can just stress about my flight canceling. I'm booked on BA and now they're planning a strike.

Oh no! I didn't hear about that, le sigh

 

[Peter pan’s shoes]

Very concerned. I’ve been checking for weeks seeing what flights are canceled. I’m flying in and out of Gatwick so not as worried about BA. That seems to be mostly an issue from Heathrow. We’re flying EasyJet to and from Switzerland the week before. Nervous about that.

 

[DCLMP]

Oh no! I didn't hear about that, le sigh

I've looked at the flight status from CPH to LHR you can check 10 days out. They canceled several flights over the next 10 days. They seem to be having the most issues of any airline and now the strike. They haven't announced the strike days yet. I booked with miles I could cancel and rebook on AA, but I can't find any flights I have enough miles for. If I find something I could then fly CPH to Lhr on SAS. I wish my cruise ended in Dover that would be so much easier than CPH.

 

[brentm77]

Is anybody traveling to Europe concerned about their flights? I was relieved when I found out I didn't need a covid test to return home....now I can just stress about my flight canceling. I'm booked on BA and now they're planning a strike.

I was very nervous before our cruise two weeks ago. But I used flightaware to watch my flights for a couple of weeks leading up and had a good idea of what my odds of being canceled/delayed were. I knew there was a good chance we would be ok, and we were. If your flights don't have a good track record, I would look at possible changes.

Also, I highly recommend traveling carry on only. On our cruise, we ran into three families, on three separate flights, who had lost their luggage. It is extremely common, particularly when flying to Europe right now. Delta promised to have the bags delivered to a port, but never did.

It's very possible to do carry on. We did two weeks in Europe, including the cruise, without any issues. It just takes some planning, reuse of outfits, and doing some wash on the ship. You can even wash clothes in your hotel sink in a bind.

If you can't do carryon only, pack a few key outfits, medicine, and everything important in a carryon at least, and be mentally prepared to cruise with only that stuff if needed.

 

[Flossbolna]

It's very possible to do carry on.

If you do that and are planning on taking flights within Europe, make sure to investigate the size limits for your carry on luggage carefully. A lot of European carriers have smaller dimensions than the US carriers and some do measure bags regularly, others occasionally. Also, the wheels are considered part of the allowed dimension! Ryanair especially is a stickler for this. I think part of their revenue model is making people pay very high last minute checked bag fees at the gate where they often check every single bag before you are allowed to enter the gate area.

 

[mousefan73]

If you do that and are planning on taking flights within Europe, make sure to investigate the size limits for your carry on luggage carefully. A lot of European carriers have smaller dimensions than the US carriers and some do measure bags regularly, others occasionally. Also, the wheels are considered part of the allowed dimension! Ryanair especially is a stickler for this. I think part of their revenue model is making people pay very high last minute checked bag fees at the gate where they often check every single bag before you are allowed to enter the gate area.

I second this and also what many people don’t realize is there is a weight limit. Some airports even to weight checks.

 

[Budzooka]

Is anybody traveling to Europe concerned about their flights? I was relieved when I found out I didn't need a covid test to return home....now I can just stress about my flight canceling. I'm booked on BA and now they're planning a strike.

Maybe I should be worried, but it’s out of my control. We’re flying in a week ahead of our cruise to explore London and Paris, so we have lots of buffer. Yes, we have lots of neat things planned in that time, but not the end of the world. Just have to keep our fingers crossed.

I’m much more worried about testing positive at the port. Still out of my control, but much more disruptive.

Positive thoughts for all!!

 

[brentm77]

If you do that and are planning on taking flights within Europe, make sure to investigate the size limits for your carry on luggage carefully. A lot of European carriers have smaller dimensions than the US carriers and some do measure bags regularly, others occasionally. Also, the wheels are considered part of the allowed dimension! Ryanair especially is a stickler for this. I think part of their revenue model is making people pay very high last minute checked bag fees at the gate where they often check every single bag before you are allowed to enter the gate area.

This is great advice. If you are from the US, the bag requirements are slightly smaller than US standards and some airlines weigh luggage too. We flew Delta to a KLM connection, and I knew KLM was unlikely to cause a problem for two of our bags that were an inch too big in one direction. They didn't even look at the bags. But you need to know the aircraft too if you are trying to push the limits, because you might not fit in the bin, even if the airline enforces the rules. Do you research. And as you said, Ryanair and others are much more likely to check. Even there, I would find a way to carryon if you like to have your belongings when you cruise. I know people going on European tours, where checking bags is now completely prohibited by the tour operators.

Or, only check the very non-critical stuff. But its not a perfect solution, since you have to go make the lost baggage claim at the airport when you arrive, and that is the last thing I would have wanted to do when landing in Rome. Carryon has so many other advantages too It made traveling through Europe so much more pleasant for our family.

If I had a direct flight, I would be a little less concerned. But that's not possible much of the time.