DCL versus other cruise companys

[KANSAS]

I am DVC member. I have been to WDW, 7 times, So i really like Disney.

I am wanting to go on disney cruise. I just find they are dramatically more expensive than norwegian,RCCL, or CARNIVAL

If any has gone on DISNEY and then someone like NORWEIGAN, RCCL OR CARNIVAL.

can you please tell me, is it worth the extra $.

Disney holds itself to a higher standard, is this true for a DCL cruise.

THank you.

 

[GenieDana]

Here are reviews of RCCL (well a review and a chart). This first is from a DISer, the second from a Travel Agent representing both DCL and RCCL. Each has a slightly different bias (read).

http://www.cassworld.ca/explorer.htm

http://www.new-horizons-travel.com/dclvrccl.htm

P.S - there are other tangibles not on the second link, like smoking in cabins and other public areas, soda/juice program, childcare after 10:00, cost for Portofinos, Chops, and Johnny Rockets, etc. I suggest you spend some time on the following sites to learn more:

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=frm&s=927093444&f=969097554

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=frm&s=927093444&f=408097554

Plus spend some time on this board. If you read the posts on all three boards after about a week or so, you'll have a very good idea how they compare.

Good luck!

 

[mushck]

We just returned from our first DC. We did like it very much. We have cruised on Princess, Celebrity, RCCL, Windstar and Carnival. (I would not cruise carnival again.) The only area where I thought Disney did not exceed these other cruise lines was in the food. The food was good but the selection and taste I didn't think was as good as I expected. The staterooms were larger and nicer then any other ship except for Windstar. If you have children then NO other cruise line could touch what Disnay has. My kids absolutely loved the Disney ship. The programing and atmosphere is so exciting for the children.

If it is just you and your husband then you may want to consider another line. We did meet a couple that was traveling without children on our cruise. They said they wanted to feel like children again. How sweet!

We will be cruising on DCL again... and if you have children then it is well worth the extra expense.

I hope that helps.

 

[AnnMorin]

and have done four DCL's and booked number five for this year.
WE really hemmed and hawed about doing yet anouther DCL cruise as at this point it is all repeats, the shows, menus, ports etc. we debated and thought, weighed the cost factor verses another line.. it came down to this...
we love DCL
our son feels like he is 'going home' when he gets on the ship
we know where everything is and what to expect
the quality is impeccable
and as my dad always said "you get what you pay for"
never again would I step foot on a carnival ship..
other lines are said to be great and I am sure they are,but for now..we will stay with DCL there is comfort in knowing that everything will be perfect...........

 

[NCRedding]

Dh, DD (10 years old) and I tried RCCL on Radiance of the Seas to Alaska last year. I really wanted to like RCCL since the Mariner's itinerary is so close to the Magic, but I decided I would prefer to save my money and cruise with DCL. I'd rather spend the extra money and know that I would get a good product than spend a little less and be disatisfied.

 

[makaylee]

I think the price difference might also have to do with when you want to cruise. We are going on the April 30, 2005 sailing and I priced Princess and RCC for the same date and they were about the same price. This is the 2nd cheapest sailing of the year. I don't know if that had something to do with it but, i'll just keep picking the cheaper dates. Needless to say I choose Disney which I probably would have done anyway. We had a MAGICal vacation last year and couldn't imagine anything better.

 

[kb111570]

I'm not sure how much others have paid but our 3/6/04 sailing was quoted at $550.00 per person. (Wonder, cat. 11, we were upgraded to cat 10) This was booked through Expedia.com. We have never been on the DCL and I figured that we shouldn't pass this deal up considering Disney's reputation.

 

[markmyboy]

We have cruised both Carnival & Norwegian & DEFINITELY like DCL best!!

I'm not exactly sure why that is either. Like another poster said, it feels like going home. The entire atmosphere is better, I feel calm & relaxed & HAPPY. On the other lines I felt rushed & anxious about getting to where we had to go, or getting everything done that we wanted to do.

We also LOVE the Disney shows, especially because we can bring the kids (5 and 1). Despite having seen them 3 times before (except for Golden Mickey's of course) we still LOVED the shows.

I would say that the food on DCL was on the same level as the food on Carnival & Norwegian, though we like the buffet on DCL the best (Carnival's was a close second!!). The kids clubs on the other two lines can't even compete with Disney's, though Norwegian Dawn has an AWESOME kids water play area on the back of their ship!

The rooms on DCL are much larger than comparable staterooms on the other lines. We had cruised Norwegian last & somehow got upgraded to a Penthouse suite (NICE) and we were worried that we would feel cramped in our Secret Porthole room on the Wonder, but we were very comfortable & being only 3 days, we were hardly ever in there!! The original room we had booked on the Dawn would have been a few sq. feet smaller than the Disney stateroom. Almost all of DCL's staterooms sleep 4, many rooms on the other lines only accomodate 2?? We could not even get a balcony on Norwegian Dawn unless we booked a "minisuite" (almost the same size as a DCL verandah room!!)

The service on DCL is top notch. We have never had "bad" service. On the other lines we always ran into at least one "bad" server/crew member!!

After we got off of our Norwegian cruise (in November) we decided we had to go back to DCL to see if it was as great as we remembered (had last cruised DCL in 2002) AND it was!! We took a 3 night just a few weeks ago & rebooked for 2005 while we were onboard.

We will also be trying Royal Carribean in October, as we have heard their Voyager class ships are the closest thing to come to Disney??!!??

I think the reason DCL can keep their prices so high is because there is more demand for their TWO ships than they can supply. The other lines have such large fleets that in order to have fully booked sailings on any given day, they may need to make steeper discounts & YES DCL is worth the extra money!!

Good lick making your decision, whichever you choose I am sure you will have a good time...Cruising is a great vacation!!

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

I'm wondering, when everyone comments about CCL, are they speaking about previous 7-day cruises or shorter 3,4 or 5-day trips?
I'm a Carnival veteran myself and other than our first 5-day this past September, service has always been good, rooms have always been clean and comfortable and food has always been quite good.
Just curious.

 

[awatt]

I would recommend you go to the NCL and RCCL boards on cruisecritic.com and post the same question.

The disboards ar obviously biased toward DCL. It might help you to hear other opinions on cruisecritic.

I have sailed on RCCL,NCL and DCL. DCL was the most expensive,but I did not feel it overall was better than the other 2 lines. It is not necessarily worth the extra money- it depends on what is important to you. In some areas DCL was not as good. RCCL and NCL had better food. Service on RCCL was far better and NCL moderately betetr than DCL,most notably in the dining rooms. NCL had the best entertainment. In some areas DCL was better,particularly the private island and the theming/characters.

We have enjoyed all three lines for different reasons. Our next 2 cruises this year will be with NCL then RCCL. I probably will sail with DCL again in the future as well,but will have to be in the mood for the DCL experience and those things it does best,maybe in a year or two.

So check out cruisecritic,think about what is most important for your cruise experience and then make a decision.
There's no msuch thing as a bad cruise!

 

[AnnMorin]

Our cruise with them was 12 years ago.. It was only a four day.. and I was SO glad as it was HORRIBLE.. people screaming in the halls at all hours of the night, tiny tiny cabin. The diningroom was like a cattle call and smelled like rotten fish, I just hated every minute of it. Now this was on one of their old ships the carnival.. the new ships are suppossed to be nice, I just would not risk it again.

 

[afcgirl]

I have to defend Carnival!

My DH and I went on a new Carnival ship last summer and had a fabulous time. The ship (Conquest) was beautiful. Carnival provides great value for the money and the kids programs are excellent. Carnival has made a concerted effort in the past few years to shed its party image and to appeal to families, while still being a "fun ship". The good thing about cruising on Carnival (and other non-Disney lines) is that there is more adult entertainment, including a casino and adult-themed shows, for when the kids are in their programs.

 

[markmyboy]

I did not mean my comments as offensive to Carnival. We had an awesome cruise with them, but I guess we are just more into DCL at this time in our lives (with a 5 & 1 year old!!) The kids club was good for my son, but just not as extensive as Disney's or even Norwegian's for that matter & we were on one of their newer ships, the Pride for 7 days. There were no services at all for the baby (though we knew that going in) Disney is really the only line I know of that offers services for the under 2 crowd!

We are not really too into the casinos or night clubs, though we spent time in one of Carnival's REALLY awesome night clubs when they had a party for the kids there.

The shows on Carnival & Norwegian were just good, I don't think their singers were as good as those on Disney, though I must admit some of the acrobatics on the Norwegian cruise were unbelievable!!

I know that MANY cruisers stay away from Disney because of the lack of nightlife & casinos, but those are not things we enjoy on land or sea at all....I think that is another reason why Disney is the perfect fit for us right now. I am sure when my children reach the pre-teen/early teen years that Disney Cruise line will not be their first choice & I am absolutely open to ALL other cruise lines! Can't wait until my kids are over 7 so that I can go on a Windjammer cruise!!

I think it is just about matching up with a cruise line that offers you the things that you would enjoy doing (on a vacation) on land!!