DCL vs others?

[PSUDinsey]

We just recently decided not to buy DVC resale and are going to use some of that money on a cruise. Disney was my first thought but it is much more expensive.

My question is what makes it so different besides the characters on board? I read the Dcl vs the dark side thread but that doesn't really answer it.

Traveling with wife and 4 year old daughter.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We just recently decided not to buy DVC resale and are going to use some of that money on a cruise. Disney was my first thought but it is much more expensive.

My question is what makes it so different besides the characters on board? I read the Dcl vs the dark side thread but that doesn't really answer it.

Traveling with wife and 4 year old daughter.

DCL is a Disney vacation on water where as the other lines are cruise vacations. I'll always be thankful to DCL for helping me fall in love with cruising, but I'm at the point that I'd rather have a lot more days on the water doing non Disney cruises than doing just 1 DCL cruise. We have 3 non Disney cruises booked for 2017 totaling 21 days for the same price as we could have done the 12 night on the Fantasy next year.

I think if you're unsure if cruising is for you, DCL is a very safe way to test the water, (pun intended).

Here is my cruise report that compares the new Carnival Vista to DCL, I never thought I would ever try Carnival let alone enjoy them, but as they say, "you never know until you try."

http://www.disboards.com/threads/thoughts-on-the-new-carnival-vista.3521334/

 

[cgolf]

I have to chime in even though we won't be going on our first non DCL cruise until 2017. If you can afford a DCL cruise and love Disney I would definitely do at least one DCL cruise if not all four ships. If your DD is into the Disney characters she will have a blast. As CDC stated above it is a safe choice and you really can't go wrong.

Personally though I would start with one of the classics if you have never cruised before, they are less intimidating than the dream class. We personally like the classics better, while they have less tech stuff, we enjoy the atmosphere on the classic ships more than the dream class.

 

[Ofinn]

Since your daughters only 4 and not in school. If you want DCL, and don't want to spend a huge amount of money I would look at off season cruises on the Magic or the Wonder. I don't know where you live, but the Wonder out of Galveston usually has the best prices. I enjoyed cruising out of Galveston. It's a neat little Island.

 

[Mitchell G]

I don't have any other experience but DCL but my last trip on the Magic ran into a couple who don't have kids and have lots of experience with cruising telling me there's nothing like a Disney Cruise for service and amenities. Hope that helps and gives you some perspective.

 

[Bear3412]

Traveling with wife and 4 year old daughter.

With a 4 y/o choose your vessel wisely. IMO

Good Luck

 

[ludari]

I have been on a few other cruise lines besides Disney and Disney is my favorite for the following reasons... Service, Staff and Entertainment. Personally I believe the other cruise lines I have been on cannot compete with Disney in these categories. Now if you are more interested in the destinations or ports and not so much Disney exerpience I would say save the money and cruise with another line.

 

[BigredNole]

I have not been on a cruise at all. I am in your same boat. We have decided that we will take a Disney cruise as our first cruise. From friends and family that have cruised, people either really love it or really hate it. The differences vary greatly. With Disney, you have a level of expectations.

What it comes down to at the end of the day is how much you are willing to spend. A group of neighbors took a Christmas cruise on Carnival (forgot the ship name). It was a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise. The cost came down to $500 per person. They said it was one of the best cruises they ever took. After adding in all of the extra charges, it came to about $1,000 per person for the entire week plus the excursion costs. Their kids had to be dragged out of the clubs to go eat they loved it so much.

If you do an apples to apples comparison, Disney is going to win out most of the time on entertainment and kids appeal. As for total enjoyment, I do not see there being a drastic dropoff on other cruise lines, especially when cost is calculated in.

 

[Dug720]

I have been on a few other cruise lines besides Disney and Disney is my favorite for the following reasons... Service, Staff and Entertainment. Personally I believe the other cruise lines I have been on cannot compete with Disney in these categories. Now if you are more interested in the destinations or ports and not so much Disney exerpience I would say save the money and cruise with another line.

This!! I have done two other lines (Holland America once and Royal Caribbean twice) - twice because the group I was with was on the other lines (HAL and RCCL) and once because I liked the itinerary and it was what I wanted (RCCL). And I still gravitate back to Disney 99% of the time.

Why? Simply put there is (for me - I get that some others don't get it) just something special about Disney that makes everything more magical and enjoyable. IMHO the entertainment is FAR superior to what I've experienced on other lines across the board from the production shows (could not even sit through one of HAL's, only sat through one on RCCL's Radiance because I was trapped in my row and didn't want to climb over people, and while the production shows on RCCL's Brilliance were better, IMHO they were not up to the same level overall as DCL) to the musicians around the ship.

I did have a wonderful stateroom attendant on Brilliance this summer, but overall I've found the service teams much better on Disney. Their attitude and friendliness and desire to help just feels more natural on Disney if that makes sense.

Invariably people will bring up the "but the ACTIVITIES" argument, and I guess if you feel you NEED a flow-rider, rock climbing wall, park, shopping mall, etc. to have a good vacation, then perhaps DCL isn't the right choice for you. But I like to experience a SHIP and feel like I'm on a SHIP. Ports are my time for "adventure" if I so choose.

So really it comes down to what you want in a cruise vacation. For me, while if the itinerary is right I will consider at least RCCL (HAL - never again; Carnival and NCL I have no interest in at all)...but I suspect that DCL will always be the cruiseline that I gravitate to. Even as a solo adult cruiser.

 

[FigmentSpark]

You have a 4 year old? One word that will make the difference for you..... LIFEGUARDS!

Disney had lifeguards. The others don't.

 

[ldo]

if you have never cruised, you won't know the difference. My kids ages 3-9 had fabulous times on a number of other cruiselines. I agree with all above comments. DCL PM entertainment will be great for a 4 yr old, assuming she can sit thru a 45 miknute show. Shows on other cruiselines will likely be boring or over her head. Kids clubs for under 9 tend to be quite good on any cruiseline. If you cruise off-season, there will be few kids on lines other than DCL. IF you can cruise off-season and price is somewhat similar, go with DCL. If not, pick at least a 5 day cruise, as the clientale, food, shows, tend to be better than on 3 or 4 day cruises. With DCL, a 4 day is fine, IMHO. A 3 day is not worth it, as you are really on the shiup only 2 full days.
for a 1st cruise on a budget, I would choose Princess (sometimes they have great rates on 5 day cruises) or RCCL. We have not been on Carnival in the Carib. in 15 years. RCCL CoCo Cay and Labadee islands are quite nice, IMHO, with a good kids club on the island.
RE. DVC resale. There are a lot of great things about DVC at the resorts. The community halls are one reason we decided to buy DVC. It's just not the same at other timeshares, IMHO. We can go to DVC and only go into the park 1 day or even no days b/c there is so much to do.

 

[Shanti]

We just recently decided not to buy DVC resale and are going to use some of that money on a cruise. Disney was my first thought but it is much more expensive.

My question is what makes it so different besides the characters on board? I read the Dcl vs the dark side thread but that doesn't really answer it.

Traveling with wife and 4 year old daughter.

For a young child, I can't imagine choosing any other line than Disney, as she's the ideal age to be wowed by the characters and all the kid-friendly activities.

For myself, I really enjoy the old-fashioned ocean liner style of Disney ships, the fact that they look & feel like ships, rather than floating malls. We like Castaway Cay, the perfect private island. We also enjoy the family entertainment, such as guest game shows and bingo. The dining rooms are lovely, though I'm not wowed by cruise food. The service is good.

I'm sure other lines have their positives and some would cost less money, but right now we're happy & excited about DCL, so we're not looking for anything else.

 

[ldo]

my kids 3-9 were very happy with RCCL kids' clubs. They were so excited to be on a cruise and go to the kids clubs, which had simple games, crafts, etc. They were too young for some of the DCL movies and didn't really care under age 7 about sitting thru a show. So, for a 4 yr old, I don't know that I would spend a ton extra for DCL.
At the tween age, DCL stands out. My tweens/teens enjoyed the all day staffed teen clubs (other cruiseline might only staff at night), great pm entertainment, Disney trivia contests, movies, etc. Of course, they would have also been fine on a DCL at that age. But, IMHO, from 3-6, it really doesn't matter as much, IMHO. WE had seen and gotten photos with Princesses @ WDW, so that was not super important to us.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I'd go with the Dream or Fantasy since you have a 4 year old. The kids club is a lot nicer and I think she'd really enjoy the Midship Detective Agency.

 

[pclvnmcky88]

I have never been on any other cruise line than DCL. Two 7 night cruises with my family in the 2000's, one 4 night with my husband two years ago, and we are going on another 4 night in a month and a half with my in-laws and brother-in-law's family. My husband thought that was the best vacation he had ever been on. I will say that we are Disney lovers, got engaged there, got married there, run the runDisney races, etc so that was part of the draw but not all of it. You can't match the quality that you get from Disney, you just can't. We could care less about a rock climbing wall or any other 'games', a shopping mall, other restaurant options, and most especially we could care less about a casino. When we were on the Magic at port in Nassau, I remember looking over at an RCCL ship and thinking 'why would I want to go on that, it looks so much less appealing.' It just looked dirty and not fun. Now I have no idea what ship it was, so maybe the new ones are better. I LOVE the jealous looks from other ship passengers when my Disney ship pulls into or out of port. I just have to laugh. We do not have kids yet so maybe that will make a difference someday, but I doubt it.

 

[Sanchez]

I have never been on any other cruise line than DCL. Two 7 night cruises with my family in the 2000's, one 4 night with my husband two years ago, and we are going on another 4 night in a month and a half with my in-laws and brother-in-law's family. My husband thought that was the best vacation he had ever been on. I will say that we are Disney lovers, got engaged there, got married there, run the runDisney races, etc so that was part of the draw but not all of it. You can't match the quality that you get from Disney, you just can't. We could care less about a rock climbing wall or any other 'games', a shopping mall, other restaurant options, and most especially we could care less about a casino. When we were on the Magic at port in Nassau, I remember looking over at an RCCL ship and thinking 'why would I want to go on that, it looks so much less appealing.' It just looked dirty and not fun. Now I have no idea what ship it was, so maybe the new ones are better. I LOVE the jealous looks from other ship passengers when my Disney ship pulls into or out of port. I just have to laugh. We do not have kids yet so maybe that will make a difference someday, but I doubt it.

To the bolded: Yes you can. Disney is not a luxury cruise line (though you pay luxury prices) and in my recent experience in many areas the quality is better on other mass market lines.

You have dismissed features not important to you that are important to others. Further, you have rendered a broad opinion ("dirty" and "not much fun") without any comparative experience.

Finally, I doubt that you have truly witnessed "jealous looks" but if it justifies your choices then so be it. And be careful, some people just might be laughing at you for grossly overpaying for a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas when they are paying less to travel on a new ship, with a balcony, for 7-8 days, and with a better itinerary.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Unfortunately, yours is based on a lack of supporting facts and, in my opinion, seems a bit arrogant.

 

[RACHEL_GB]

We have just come off the Magic with a 9 and 5 year old and it was exactly that from start to finish. The look on my 9 year olds face when she saw the ship, saw Mickey for the first time, etc (I won't go on) will live with me forever. I know some people thinks it's tired but I loved the fact it felt like I was on an old fashioned glamorous cruise, but with modern touches.

For what it's worth we got talking to a chap on the way back home that my husband had seen in the spa and it turned out he was a cruise director by trade. He said it was the only second time he had ever cruised as a passenger and he said the first (RCCL) was good but the Disney service blew it out of the water (ha!) and had set the bar very high.

I don't think I will be cruising with DCL forever but I am really glad I did it whilst my kids were young enough

 

[o&smom]

You have a 4 year old? One word that will make the difference for you..... LIFEGUARDS!

Disney had lifeguards. The others don't.

Also, life jackets!!!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

For what it's worth we got talking to a chap on the way back home that my husband had seen in the spa and it turned out he was a cruise director by trade. He said it was the only second time he had ever cruised as a passenger and he said the first (RCCL) was good but the Disney service blew it out of the water (ha!) and had set the bar very high.

When we were on the Carnival Vista in June, my wife started talking with a couple who the husband currently works on the Disney Magic and he relayed to my wife that, "Disney just got some stiff competition, with the Vista."

 

[pclvnmcky88]

To the bolded: Yes you can. Disney is not a luxury cruise line (though you pay luxury prices) and in my recent experience in many areas the quality is better on other mass market lines.

You have dismissed features not important to you that are important to others. Further, you have rendered a broad opinion ("dirty" and "not much fun") without any comparative experience.

Finally, I doubt that you have truly witnessed "jealous looks" but if it justifies your choices then so be it. And be careful, some people just might be laughing at you for grossly overpaying for a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas when they are paying less to travel on a new ship, with a balcony, for 7-8 days, and with a better itinerary.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Unfortunately, yours is based on a lack of supporting facts and, in my opinion, seems a bit arrogant.

All entitled to our own opinions. I said that I had never been on any other cruise line before and that I had only sailed DCL. I was being honest about my opinion at the time, so if my honest opinion is considered arrogant then so be it. I may love another cruise line if I sail on one, who knows. Those things are not important to my family but, yes, there are to a lot of others. Getting "jealous looks" does by no means justify my choices, but I was stating a fact of which I have seen on occasion when on those cruises. You have made judgements against what I am recounting from my experiences so you yourself are coming off as arrogant. Were you there with me on the boat? I do not believe so. People can laugh, but do I care? No, I don't. Different people appreciate different things. No problem in that. My family just happens to appreciate the level of quality among other things that we can get from sailing with Disney.