DCL vs NCL with kids - have you had any regrets? sailed Haven?

[KashasMom]

Cadien - thanks so much for the review! How funny that your DS didn't appreciate the interruptions in dining room service! I guess it's a personal thing.

Neither did my daughter...especially when they try and cut her meat!

 

[cadien]

I don’t remember much upselling on NCL. Fresh-squeezed juice at breakfast. There was a lot of out and out selling though. Constant room flyers and announcements and temporary tables in the atrium that made it look like a flea market.

 

[xavier2001]

Thank you for the thoughtful replies.

Yes, three weeks out of school is a worry for me although they will be in kindergarten, grade 2 and grade 4 so I’m not too worried although I’m sure the teachers will frown a great deal. Sadly for work, spring and winter breaks are a challenge for me to take off and summer isn’t much better.

We’ve never done NCL but having just taken my 2 10 year olds (5th grade) out for 2 weeks to do WBPC, plus a week of spring break beforehand I have to say NO REGRETS. The family time was totally worth it and they were able to easily catch up on work before we left. The principal was supportive and I would not hesitate to do it again, family first!

 

[lilsonicfan]

I don’t remember much upselling on NCL. Fresh-squeezed juice at breakfast. There was a lot of out and out selling though. Constant room flyers and announcements and temporary tables in the atrium that made it look like a flea market.

I’ve been on other cruise lines that do the temporary tables and the $10 “outlet” sales etc. I don’t really have an opinion on these, i got a nice hoodie once, though. I’m okay with the upsell because I’m more and more convinced that paying the same price for two OVs on the Magic vs one Haven 2br villa with Haven perks just isn’t worth it.

 

[mevelandry]

I'm just back (yesterday!) from our first Disney cruise so I can finally offer a few comparisons to our NCL suite experience. We were just in an Oceanview on the Magic.

Our son turned 7 on the cruise. When we go back on NCL in July 2019 he is definitely going to miss the unlimited soft serve and pizza by the slice. He really loved not just eating both but being able to go get his own. (We'd be at a nearby table, not a different deck.) He seemed to enjoy both kids clubs equally and although the odds were excellent he'd spend it all on the iPads, he really spent more time playing. Especially in Andy's room. I missed him bringing back completed craft projects every night like on NCL, but that was me, not him.

I'm going to miss the lifeguards. When he was in the main pool, there wasn't a way to see him other than sitting on the edge, since that wall is so high, and it was so much nicer on my back to be in a nearby chair instead.

The smaller cabin was only an issue for our son. Was not expecting him to comment on it but he did. DH and I were fine with less space. In fact, DH preferred it. We tend to get suites in hotels, so DS was comparing it to those as much as to NCL.

The dining room service was interesting. DS didn't really appreciate all the interruptions to show him magic tricks and logic puzzles. But the children in the other family at our table loved it.

Which cruise line do you prefer now? (Out of those two)

 

[mevelandry]

I’ve been on other cruise lines that do the temporary tables and the $10 “outlet” sales etc. I don’t really have an opinion on these, i got a nice hoodie once, though. I’m okay with the upsell because I’m more and more convinced that paying the same price for two OVs on the Magic vs one Haven 2br villa with Haven perks just isn’t worth it.

They do that on Carnival. Putting t-shirts from the port you were at that day on sale. I love it!

 

[cadien]

Which cruise line do you prefer now? (Out of those two)

I now slightly prefer Disney. My husband strongly prefers Disney. (He has zilch interest in Disney as a brand and isn't interested in visiting the parks. It was just about the ship experience.) Despite being Haven on NCL and just an oceanview on Disney. My son is happy anywhere.

Now whether we prefer it and whether we can rationalize the price difference are two different things. And we're keeping our existing NCL reservation for next summer. It will be port-intensive so the ship matters less.

 

[mevelandry]

I now slightly prefer Disney. My husband strongly prefers Disney. (He has zilch interest in Disney as a brand and isn't interested in visiting the parks. It was just about the ship experience.) Despite being Haven on NCL and just an oceanview on Disney. My son is happy anywhere.

Now whether we prefer it and whether we can rationalize the price difference are two different things. And we're keeping our existing NCL reservation for next summer. It will be port-intensive so the ship matters less.

Thanks for the reply. I haven't tried NCL yet. DCL and Carnival are my "reference points". I'm always interested to know which cruise line people prefers after cruising with them... Especially from people who have tried other cruise lines first.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

No NCL regrets. Love NCL. Love DCL too but the price now ruins DCL for me. But... our kids did not like NCL kids club.

 

[jenf22]

We love NCL. We've done Norway and the Med on NCL with our son (we was 7 and 9). They were smaller ships than the Epic though. Our kiddo never did the clubs on DCL so him not doing them on NCL either is no big deal. We like that NCL is a lot less "in your face" than DCL in the dining room. My son doesn't need someone to cut his meat, do magic tricks, or kiss him on the head at dinner (that was weird on DCL). We also have never, ever, thought people were trying to "upsell" us stuff and we've done 3 NCL cruises. I suppose if you're looking for it to get upset, you'll find it. Yes, there are tables set up for drinks packages but I've seen that on every line. And in our experience, they're just sitting there - not trying to upsell you. We cruise for the ports and experiences off the ship. And with NCL's pricing, we can do that twice as often than on DCL. Don't get me wrong, we do love DCL and I would sail them again in a heartbeat if the price was right. But I have never priced a cruise that wasn't significantly cheaper on another line. And I just can't rationalize the price difference.

Oh, and I LOVE having a casino in the evening. At home we have to drive 90 minutes to get to a casino, so I love having it on the ship!

 

[cruiser21]

No NCL regrets. Love NCL. Love DCL too but the price now ruins DCL for me. But... our kids did not like NCL kids club.

My kids didn't like the kids club on NCL either that's why we haven't been back. Of course they're teens now so it might be a better experience. I would love to try the Haven, but I'm more of a destination cruiser now. I'm not sure I could fork over that kind of money for a room.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

My kids didn't like the kids club on NCL either that's why we haven't been back. Of course they're teens now so it might be a better experience. I would love to try the Haven, but I'm more of a destination cruiser now. I'm not sure I could fork over that kind of money for a room.

We have done 2 and no go with the kids both times. Not sure why. There were lots of other kids on the ships who seemed to love them, so my kids may not be normal. lol. Not a big deal because there was so much else for our kids to do. Going back on NCL in 2019. But... our kids love Carnival kids' club. They love DCL kids' club too, but they always seem to do iPad or video games in there.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Thanks again for the thoughts! We are leaning toward keeping the cruise for next year with NCL. The Haven suite we booked is the only room type that fits five, but I'm still open to cutting the cost a little with two rooms. That being said, as I mentioned, sailing in Haven is the same price as sailing in two OV or inside rooms on DCL so frankly I'm already sold on the 'value' of Haven relative to DCL.