Deciding Between DCL or other Cruise Lines?

[aseyrick]

For those of you wondering why DCL, here's our 1st Disney Cruise experience (Nov 27, 7-nt W. Caribbean) ...

Before booking our cruise, I conducted MONTHS of research to derive at the "perfect family vacation." Meaning, we needed: 1) a stateroom that gives us enough space/privacy for 2 adults and a toddler 2) entertainment for each of us and for the family 3) a kids club that offers a safe and fun environment for us to even consider leaving our 3-year-old by himself 4) the variety/quality of food and dining venues to keep us interested 5) service to meet our very high expectations and 6) value for the entire package. We found it all and then some. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Stateroom: Disney has the largest standard staterooms in its class. We originally booked a porthole stateroom because that was the least expensive category offering 2 baths and a full privacy curtain that placed our DS (3) in a pullout sofa on the inside of the stateroom so that we can enter/exit and order room service without waking him. When we arrived, we elected to upgrade to a 1-Br Veranda Suite for a fraction of usual cost! Since it was an accessible room, the hall, the living area, the bedroom, the 2 full baths and the veranda were all HUGE!! I don’t mean huge by cruising standards. I mean HUGE by 5-star resort standards! Plus, it was beautifully appointed and came with first-class concierge service.

2. Entertainment: Since we’re early sleepers, we didn’t see the nightly shows, but what we experienced during the day (i.e., the gym, the pools, the family activities, etc.) were more than adequate. With the separation of adult/family/kid pools, we had both privacy and family fun at our discretion. There was always something going on, be it a dance party with Chip & Dale, scavenger hunt with Mickey, gingerbread house building with the Head Chef or Tea with Alice to keep us duly entertained.

3. Kids Club: The Oceaneer Club/Lab far exceeded our expectations! Without going into excruciating details, my summation on another post says it all “…for those of you who are germ-a-phobic, over-protective, over-bearing, worry-wart parents with the single-kid syndrome like us, definitely put your mind at ease regarding the Oceaneer Club. Our son had the most amazing time and was exceedingly well cared for.”

4. Dining: We give DCL dining average marks. Breakfast and lunch options were somewhat lackluster with limited variety, and dinner was good, not great. Compared to Carnival and Holland America, they were about the same. With that said, the service and the ambience were phenomenal! From private photo opps at the Character Breakfast to line dancing at the Pirate Dinner, the fun surprises, alone, made up for the lack of high-quality food. With that said, Palo, their premiere adults-only venue was outstanding. The ambience, the service and the cuisine were second to none.

5. Service: I can’t give higher praises for DCL’s service. It’s mind-boggling how every “cast member” (cruise staff) can be so upbeat and service-oriented! Each time I asked for directions, the staff would escort me, not just “point” me in the right direction. While on Disney’s private island, I asked where to drop off towels. CM response: “I’ll take that for you,” even though we discovered the bin was just around the corner. Our son’s entrée was always cut at table-side; and his milk, my tea and my husband’s favorite cocktail were always waiting for us at dinner. Our stateroom host was simply incredible with his towel animals and surprise treats. I’ve not even mentioned concierge! Ten minutes after I called to ask where to purchase cold medication, we got a knock on our door and was handed cold tablets and a nasal spray. Response to requests was always “No problem!” “Right away!” or “Not sure, but I’ll figure out how I can help.” It was simply the best service we’ve seen ANYWHERE, and we’ve been all over the world!

6. Value: While it’s true that Disney Cruises tend to be pricier than competitors in its class, one must examine the fine prints:
a. There’s a 24-hr self-service ice cream station and beverage station that offers soft drinks, coffee, tea and hot chocolate for FREE.
b. You can bring your own alcohol onboard and to restaurants for FREE.
c. There’s only 1 restaurant that requires an upcharge, Palo, and it’s only $15 for dinner and $10 for brunch & high tea.
d. Cost of alcoholic beverages are comparable to those of chain restaurants.
e. Standard staterooms are the largest in its class.
f. 24-hr Room service is FREE.
g. Over 90% of family activities are FREE.
h. Dining & entertainment on Disney’s private island is FREE.
i. Over 90% of the staterooms come standard with 2 baths – with bathtubs for the little ones!
j. Having a FULL privacy curtain = don’t need 2 rooms for adult privacy.
k. Kids club is open EVERY day, not just on sea days and is FREE.
l. Daily FREE souvenirs/gifts from concierge are just too many to enumerate.
I’m sure there are lots more I’ve forgotten, but you get the picture. When you look at the entire package, Disney simply offers more than any other cruise line. Believe me. I’ve done my research.

All in all, we couldn’t have been happier with our cruise on the Disney Magic. Hope this helps anyone trying to decide.

 

[NancyIL]

Thanks for your report, and I'm glad you had a great cruise.

As an FYI - the price of Palo will be $20 for brunch and dinner in 2011.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Sounds like you had a great time and great post!!

Unfortunately, not everyone can upgrade to a suite at the port even if you can afford it and get those "Free" concierge gifts. On our last three cruises, the ship was completely sold-out and there was absolutely no availability for an upgrade. That said, we've been happy with our staterooms when we booked connecting rooms for our family of 5. We did a Cat 4 stateroom and it was too small for five people IMO. If we had little kids, perhaps it would have been fine, but not for a family with teens and adults!

Even though you enjoyed the activities on DCL, not everyone enjoys them. Our family enjoys them and we know many others who do. That said, you will get lots of opinions on the adequancy of entertainment/activities onboard especially as they relate to teens and young adults.

I actually disagree with certain aspects of your post, but I tend to agree with your overall assessment of DCL which is why we continue to cruise on DCL. We also like the consistency. We haven't seen much change during our 5 cruises spanning from 2005 to 2010. That said, I can see how others may not agree with us and that's okay.

I don't believe the new ships will have the "largest" in class stateroom accomodations. I think DCL is more mainstreaming their stateroom size.

You comment that DCL tends to be pricier than other cruise lines. While I think that's generally true, it's not always the case. For our 2012 Cruise on the Fantasy, we booked on Day 1 and I compared prices to both the RCCL Oasis and Freedom ships. Our 7-night cruise was less expensive than the Oasis leaving on the same day and going on a nearly identical 7-night itinerary. After factoring our 10% discount and gold-level CC OBC, we are actually paying slightly less than we would on the Freedom for a similar itinerary during that timeframe. If you book far in advance and don't go in the middle of summer or Christmas, you can sometimes find that Disney is similarly priced or sometimes less than other lines. Granted, I'm sure I could cruise on CCL for less. However, if you don't believe you will be happy with any vacation, no matter how much you pay, it's not a bargain.

 

[kaseyC]

b. You can bring your own alcohol onboard and to restaurants for FREE.

If you bring it into restaurants by the glass its free but by the bottle you are expected to pay a corkage fee.

When you look at the entire package, Disney simply offers more than any other cruise line. Believe me. I’ve done my research.

Enjoyed your review but IMO, the quote above is a pretty broad statement for this being only your first Disney cruise. Many of the items you listed under #6 are also available on other cruise lines at no extra charge.

Like you, we value our vacation experience, we have done our research, we have sailed Disney many times as well as most of the other main stream cruise lines. I can honestly say that I have never had a bad cruise.

 

[NancyIL]

If you bring it into restaurants by the glass its free but by the bottle you are expected to pay a corkage fee.

Enjoyed your review but IMO, the quote above is a pretty broad statement for this being only your first cruise and having not experienced any other cruise lines. Many of the items you listed under #6 are also available on other cruise lines at no extra charge.

Like you, we value our vacation experience, we have done our research, we have sailed Disney many times as well as most of the other main stream cruise lines. I can honestly say that I have never had a bad cruise.

The OP compared DCL's food to Carnival and HAL's, so I assume the DCL cruise wasn't their first.

 

[kaseyC]

The OP compared DCL's food to Carnival and HAL's, so I assume the DCL cruise wasn't their first.

Yep, I missed that the first time I read through their post. I edited my post.

 

[aseyrick]

I certainly understand and appreciate everyone's comments. I suppose I should point out that I'm providing my opinion/review based on our family's experience, which is for 2 adults + 1 toddler on our 1st Disney cruise (having cruised with other cruiselines in the same class and with smaller, ultra-luxury liners). My intent is to help others who are in similar situation as ours, looking for similar amenities amongst similar ship classes (i.e., Carnival, RCCL, HAL, Princess, NCL, etc.).

Re: price/value - it's generally accepted/known that DCL is a bit pricier. I think most will find that to be true, considering those who will benefit from my post are those who have not cruised w/ Disney previously and will not be eligible for previous cruiser OBC nor the 10% onboard rebooking discount. As for what DCL offers, I do concur that other cruiselines also offer some of the amenities I've listed, but none offer all that I had mentioned. This is the main reason why we went with DCL versus RCCL, which made our top 2. For ex, the majority of RCCL's restaurants require an upcharge - some up to $45-$55 more per person. Plus, there is no 24-hr free beverage station, you cannot take alcohol on board and the price of drinks/packages are more expensive. We also considered Princess and HAL - neither have kids club available during the entire cruise, only on certain days and times. During the off-times, you would have to pay for private or group babysitting. Frankly, Carnival is the only other that offered similar bennies (i.e., larger rooms, kids club, drink station, 1 restaurant w/ upcharge, etc.) for similar and even lower cruise price; however, we selected Disney for the "Disney experience" and for the finer/kid-centric luxiries not offered on Carnival. We simply prefer to pay for a more upscaled cruise and know we aren't going to be nickeled and dimed once we're onboard. Again, that's just our preference.

I did notice that the Dream and Fantasy's standard staterooms are smaller, which is very unfortunate. Again, I'm providing a review of our experience on Disney Magic only.

I hope this helps!

 

[NancyIL]

Re: price/value - it's generally accepted/known that DCL is a bit pricier. I think most will find that to be true, considering those who will benefit from my post are those who have not cruised w/ Disney previously and will not be eligible for previous cruiser OBC nor the 10% onboard rebooking discount. As for what DCL offers, I do concur that other cruiselines also offer some of the amenities I've listed, but none offer all that I had mentioned. This is the main reason why we went with DCL versus RCCL, which made our top 2. For ex, the majority of RCCL's restaurants require an upcharge - some up to $45-$55 more per person. Plus, there is no 24-hr free beverage station, you cannot take alcohol on board and the price of drinks/packages are more expensive.

That is NOT true of Royal Caribbean. I don't know which RCI ship(s) you are referring to, but most RCI ships have only a few pay restaurants. I don't know of any that charge $45-$55. Maybe you are thinking of NCL.

 

[dursin]

I'm pretty sure DCL is the only cruise line that issues pagers to parents who are checking kids into the clubs. That alone was reason enough for us to stick with DCL back when the kids were younger. Even now, it's nice to know that they have a way to get in touch with us no matter where we are on the ship.

 

[aseyrick]

Nancy - Take a peek at their Dining Info under Onboard Experiences: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/finda...ARwz3YPCNVbI:13hldcill?cS=NAVBAR#/?subcat=209

I think most of RCCL higher-end restaurants are on their Oasis class ships, which were the ones we entertained when booking because they offered the Dreamworks Experience that's comparable to Disney's characters. In the above link, there are 11 specialty restaurants, all with an upcharge. California Vineyards Restaurant: "A $74.50 per guest fee covers meal and gratuities." Vini d'Italia: "A $54.50 per guest fee covers meal and gratuities." 150 Central Park: "A $35 per guest fee covers meal and gratuities." These don't include the family venues (i.e., Johnny Rockets, Rita's Cantina, etc.) that also have associated upcharges, with or without gratuities. Also, they have an upcharge for late-night room service, which DCL doesn't assess. This actually is the main reason why we chose DCL because we originally weren't planning on dining at Palo's, so there would've been no upcharge for any meals.

 

[aseyrick]

Actually, I believe RCCL and Carnival also offer pagers, but DCL seemed to have more non-arcade/computer game offerings than most. I didn't want my DS to just sit in front of a TV or play computer games. At his age, large/small motor and educational activities are important to us. Also, DCL was one of the few that actually published the counselor to kid ratio on their website, which does offer some peace of mind. Princess and HAL have been known to completely cancel kids' activities (says it on their websites) when there are not enough participants, so the few kids are relegated to babysitters, not interactive, accredited counselors. In fact, HAL is the only US-based ship that offers in-room babysitting (bonus); however, if you call HAL directly, you will learn that the sitters are just arbitrary staff members who are willing to babysit. There's no formal accreditation for the sitters whatsoever. Yes, before we booked I called each of the major cruiselines to specifically inquire about their kids' clubs, counselor ratios, activities, pool rules and babysitting policies. DCL came out clearly on top for us.

 

[dursin]

Actually, I believe RCCL and Carnival also offer pagers, but DCL seemed to have more non-arcade/computer game offerings than most. I didn't want my DS to just sit in front of a TV or play computer games. At his age, large/small motor and educational activities are important to us. Also, DCL was one of the few that actually published the counselor to kid ratio on their website, which does offer some peace of mind. Princess and HAL have been known to completely cancel kids' activities (says it on their websites) when there are not enough participants, so the few kids are relegated to babysitters, not interactive, accredited counselors. In fact, HAL is the only US-based ship that offers in-room babysitting (bonus); however, if you call HAL directly, you will learn that the sitters are just arbitrary staff members who are willing to babysit. There's no formal accreditation for the sitters whatsoever. Yes, before we booked I called each of the major cruiselines to specifically inquire about their kids' clubs, counselor ratios, activities, pool rules and babysitting policies. DCL came out clearly on top for us.

Maybe someone can confirm, but I really don't think that RCCL offers pagers and I know that Carnival didn't when we cruised with them last year.

 

[NancyIL]

Nancy - Take a peek at their Dining Info under Onboard Experiences: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/finda...ARwz3YPCNVbI:13hldcill?cS=NAVBAR#/?subcat=209

I think most of RCCL higher-end restaurants are on their Oasis class ships, which were the ones we entertained when booking because they offered the Dreamworks Experience that's comparable to Disney's characters. In the above link, there are 11 specialty restaurants, all with an upcharge. California Vineyards Restaurant: "A $74.50 per guest fee covers meal and gratuities." Vini d'Italia: "A $54.50 per guest fee covers meal and gratuities." 150 Central Park: "A $35 per guest fee covers meal and gratuities." These don't include the family venues (i.e., Johnny Rockets, Rita's Cantina, etc.) that also have associated upcharges, with or without gratuities. Also, they have an upcharge for late-night room service, which DCL doesn't assess. This actually is the main reason why we chose DCL because we originally weren't planning on dining at Palo's, so there would've been no upcharge for any meals.

I stand corrected when it comes to Oasis/Allure of the Seas! Those are only 2 of RCI's 22 ships, and the majority of them have only one or two specialty restaurants @ $20-25/pp (not including Johnny Rocket's @ $4.95/pp). Several of RCI's Freedom-class ships will also have the Dream Works characters onboard.

If I had young kids and wanted them in some sort of kids' club or nursery throughout the day, I can see how DCL would be the obvious choice. My kids are all young adults, so children's activities aren't a factor when I choose a cruise. I also don't drink alcohol or soda, so the fact that DCL includes soda in the cruise price and allows you to bring alcohol onboard is unimportant to me.

I just returned from a 14-night Transatlantic cruise on Adventure of the Seas on Sunday. RCI's Voyager-class ships aren't my favorite, but this ship had a nice itinerary and a great price. The disembarkation in San Juan was pretty awful for a lot of people due to long delays getting off the ship. Fortunately, I booked a ship's excursion in San Juan before being transferred to the airport, so I didn't have to wait that long to disembark. This was my 9th RCI cruise since 2005, and the cost-cutting over the past 5 years is noticeable. On the other hand, this cruise also had the lowest per-day cost of any cruise I've been on.

I'm looking forward to my Disney Dream cruise in February, and HAL Amsterdam cruise in August.

 

[Edd]

The RCCL Freedom charges: Chops - 25.00, Portofino - 20.00 and Johnny Rockets - 4.95. I only used Johnny Rockets a few times. I think the meals in the regular dining rooms on all ships are really great. Why spend extra for what, course I spent extra at Johnny Rockets, but the hamburgers were the best on the ship and the onion rings were great.

Why are pagers such a big thing. I cruised DCL three times and carried a pager with me from the kids club. Never used it. I never saw anything about pagers on the Freedom.

The Freedom had over 700 kids aboard the ship last week. The funny thing about it is you never see them around, plus the pools for the kids is awesome and didn't seem crowded a bit. I was wondering where they put them all.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

The RCCL Freedom charges: Chops - 25.00, Portofino - 20.00 and Johnny Rockets - 4.95. I only used Johnny Rockets a few times. I think the meals in the regular dining rooms on all ships are really great. Why spend extra for what, course I spent extra at Johnny Rockets, but the hamburgers were the best on the ship and the onion rings were great.

Why are pagers such a big thing. I cruised DCL three times and carried a pager with me from the kids club. Never used it. I never saw anything about pagers on the Freedom.

The Freedom had over 700 kids aboard the ship last week. The funny thing about it is you never see them around, plus the pools for the kids is awesome and didn't seem crowded a bit. I was wondering where they put them all.

I've not cruised other lines, but the pagers do come in handy on DCL. The younger kids aren't allowed to check themselves out. What happens when a child wants to leave and the staff can't get ahold of his/her parents? Or what happens if a child is sick, has an accident or misbehaves? I guess you could check in every hour or so without the pager.

For the older kids with check-in/check-out privileges, they have told the counselors to page us to let us know they were leaving or entering the clubs. It was a nice courtesy.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

The RCCL Freedom charges: Chops - 25.00, Portofino - 20.00 and Johnny Rockets - 4.95. I only used Johnny Rockets a few times. I think the meals in the regular dining rooms on all ships are really great. Why spend extra for what, course I spent extra at Johnny Rockets, but the hamburgers were the best on the ship and the onion rings were great.

Why are paghing.ers such a big t I cruised DCL three times and carried a pager with me from the kids club. Never used it. I never saw anything about pagers on the Freedom.

The Freedom had over 700 kids aboard the ship last week. The funny thing about it is you never see them around, plus the pools for the kids is awesome and didn't seem crowded a bit. I was wondering where they put them all.

When you have small children it is a great peace of mind knowing that if they got sick or hurt you can be contacted quickly

 

[KSDisneyDad]

I certainly understand and appreciate everyone's comments. I suppose I should point out that I'm providing my opinion/review based on our family's experience, which is for 2 adults + 1 toddler on our 1st Disney cruise (having cruised with other cruiselines in the same class and with smaller, ultra-luxury liners). My intent is to help others who are in similar situation as ours, looking for similar amenities amongst similar ship classes (i.e., Carnival, RCCL, HAL, Princess, NCL, etc.).

Re: price/value - it's generally accepted/known that DCL is a bit pricier. I think most will find that to be true, considering those who will benefit from my post are those who have not cruised w/ Disney previously and will not be eligible for previous cruiser OBC nor the 10% onboard rebooking discount. As for what DCL offers, I do concur that other cruiselines also offer some of the amenities I've listed, but none offer all that I had mentioned. This is the main reason why we went with DCL versus RCCL, which made our top 2. For ex, the majority of RCCL's restaurants require an upcharge - some up to $45-$55 more per person. Plus, there is no 24-hr free beverage station, you cannot take alcohol on board and the price of drinks/packages are more expensive. We also considered Princess and HAL - neither have kids club available during the entire cruise, only on certain days and times. During the off-times, you would have to pay for private or group babysitting. Frankly, Carnival is the only other that offered similar bennies (i.e., larger rooms, kids club, drink station, 1 restaurant w/ upcharge, etc.) for similar and even lower cruise price; however, we selected Disney for the "Disney experience" and for the finer/kid-centric luxiries not offered on Carnival. We simply prefer to pay for a more upscaled cruise and know we aren't going to be nickeled and dimed once we're onboard. Again, that's just our preference.

I did notice that the Dream and Fantasy's standard staterooms are smaller, which is very unfortunate. Again, I'm providing a review of our experience on Disney Magic only.

I hope this helps!

I think most of RCCL higher-end restaurants are on their Oasis class ships, which were the ones we entertained when booking because they offered the Dreamworks Experience that's comparable to Disney's characters.

I wasn't trying to criticize your OP. I think it was a great summary and review. I agreed with most of it, expecially your conclusion. However, I was trying to point out that parts were opinion vs fact and that others may disagree.

With repect to price Disney vs Oasis/Allure. We've considered the Oasis and have even priced it three times over the past couple of years. Each time, we found it more expensive than DCL even without our 10% discount and OBC! It was always during very early/very late summer. This was also the case for June 2012. The Oasis was $1,100 more for two similar staterooms that we booked on Disney. However, since we booked our cruise this past October, the cost of our 2012 Fantasy staterooms has gone up by nearly $700!!! It will only get more expensive as time goes on. I just think that the Oasis is generally similarly priced as Disney unless you're trying to book last minute on Disney (i.e. 3 to 7 months out!). That's why I suggested booking as far in advance as possible to help minimize the costs.

There tend to be several posts on these threads that suggest that Disney is always a lot more expensive. I read one post recently that suggested that DCL cost 3 times as much as other lines! I like to counter that myth as DCL is not always a lot more expensive. Granted, it often is more expensive especially for those who don't book right away. However, if you do your homework and book far in advance, it can be competitively priced or even less expensive altogether especially when compared to RCCL's newest ships.

 

[Edd]

My GS was 8 years old when he was on the Wonder and 9 when he was on the Magic. I don't believe it is a policy to page the parent or quardian when the child checks out of the kids club. At least it wasn't a policy when I cruisede DCL. Like I said I never received a page and my GS was in and out all day long. I happened to check by once in a while to find out if he was there or at the basketball courts. Maybe he was 9 or 10. He was at the age he could check himself in and out.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

My GS was 8 years old when he was on the Wonder and 9 when he was on the Magic. I don't believe it is a policy to page the parent or quardian when the child checks out of the kids club. At least it wasn't a policy when I cruisede DCL. Like I said I never received a page and my GS was in and out all day long. I happened to check by once in a while to find out if he was there or at the basketball courts. Maybe he was 9 or 10. He was at the age he could check himself in and out.

YOu are correct in that if your child is old enough to check him/herself out, DCL will not automatically page the parents. However, they will do it if the child requests it. We asks our kids to have the counselors do it and they did as a courtesy. It was helpful.

For our youngest without check-in/out privileges, we were paged several times during our cruises (two 7's and a 15-night) when he wanted picked up or once when he misbehaved.

 

[dursin]

Why are pagers such a big thing. I cruised DCL three times and carried a pager with me from the kids club. Never used it. I never saw anything about pagers on the Freedom.

Gee, I don't know Edd. Why are the technical merits of the dancers in the shows such a big thing?

As for the pagers...

• I like that my kids can reach me if they need something and don't know where I'm at on the ship
• It's comforting to know the counselors can reach me if there is some issue with one of my children
• It's nice to get the reminder at the end of the night that the kids clubs are closing. Easy to lose track of time when your out having fun on a DCL ship. May not have that issue on other cruise lines.