Disney Cruise vs. Fill-in-the-Blank Cruise

[shadow1227]

I've been an on-and-off-again DL passholder for the past 15 years. Probably 8 or 9 of those years. I enjoy Disney and my under-8 y/o kids do too. I get the whole "Disney does it better" and believe that they do. I've been on one cruise with Norwegian about 10 years ago. SO and I thoroughly enjoyed it and would do it again, but then we had kids, so things changed. Haha. Kids are at an age now where they're old enough to enjoy the cruise (not throwing shade to those who take younger kids, more power to you), so I wanted to pose the question to see the responses. Assuming it's a normal year, compare the advantages and disadvantages of DCL vs. another brand. I can only compare it to my one trip on NCL, which was awesome. But we didn't have kids, so I could see that having kids might change the experience. 4 total in the fam. It's very hard for me to look beyond pricing, and wanted input on what makes it so much more expensive, or really, what makes the experience better/different. My one experience was awesome - and it didn't break the bank. In my head, I feel like I could justify going on a non-DCL cruise and just renew passes for the same price as going on a DCL cruise. But there's something I'm missing, so let me know!

A quick search for June 2022 RT sailings to Alaska:

1. DCL - cost per person for inside is 2.1k per person
2. Multiple others - cost per person for inside is $650 - 1k per person

We're talking reputable cruise brands (I may not have gone on many cruises, but I've done research on them) and even higher quality ones. What am I actually paying 1k per person for DCL that provides something over Princess, Celebrity, Holland, etc? I'd love dialogue on both sides of the aisle, and I'll provide feedback/questions to anyone who posts. It's the one thing that reading multiple articles online can't really do, so I'd enjoy the dialogue. Thanks in advance!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've been an on-and-off-again DL passholder for the past 15 years. Probably 8 or 9 of those years. I enjoy Disney and my under-8 y/o kids do too. I get the whole "Disney does it better" and believe that they do. I've been on one cruise with Norwegian about 10 years ago. SO and I thoroughly enjoyed it and would do it again, but then we had kids, so things changed. Haha. Kids are at an age now where they're old enough to enjoy the cruise (not throwing shade to those who take younger kids, more power to you), so I wanted to pose the question to see the responses. Assuming it's a normal year, compare the advantages and disadvantages of DCL vs. another brand. I can only compare it to my one trip on NCL, which was awesome. But we didn't have kids, so I could see that having kids might change the experience. 4 total in the fam. It's very hard for me to look beyond pricing, and wanted input on what makes it so much more expensive, or really, what makes the experience better/different. My one experience was awesome - and it didn't break the bank. In my head, I feel like I could justify going on a non-DCL cruise and just renew passes for the same price as going on a DCL cruise. But there's something I'm missing, so let me know!

A quick search for June 2022 RT sailings to Alaska:

1. DCL - cost per person for inside is 2.1k per person
2. Multiple others - cost per person for inside is $650 - 1k per person

We're talking reputable cruise brands (I may not have gone on many cruises, but I've done research on them) and even higher quality ones. What am I actually paying 1k per person for DCL that provides something over Princess, Celebrity, Holland, etc? I'd love dialogue on both sides of the aisle, and I'll provide feedback/questions to anyone who posts. It's the one thing that reading multiple articles online can't really do, so I'd enjoy the dialogue. Thanks in advance!

Yes, I've only ever done non-Disney to Alaska, so that's where I'm coming from. So the question really is - do you want a cruise to Alaska to experience Alaska? Or a Disney cruise with Alaska on the side?

Either answer is correct.

In my experience on other Disney cruises - their entertainment onboard is better than some others. Food is fairly comparable between all cruise lines. You don't mention how old your kids are, but kids clubs on the other lines tend to be less kid oriented, from what I've read, although Princess gets high marks in that category.

Rooms onboard Disney ships are larger compared to the same category rooms onboard other lines.

 

[Cheburashka]

I've been an on-and-off-again DL passholder for the past 15 years. Probably 8 or 9 of those years. I enjoy Disney and my under-8 y/o kids do too. I get the whole "Disney does it better" and believe that they do. I've been on one cruise with Norwegian about 10 years ago. SO and I thoroughly enjoyed it and would do it again, but then we had kids, so things changed. Haha. Kids are at an age now where they're old enough to enjoy the cruise (not throwing shade to those who take younger kids, more power to you), so I wanted to pose the question to see the responses. Assuming it's a normal year, compare the advantages and disadvantages of DCL vs. another brand. I can only compare it to my one trip on NCL, which was awesome. But we didn't have kids, so I could see that having kids might change the experience. 4 total in the fam. It's very hard for me to look beyond pricing, and wanted input on what makes it so much more expensive, or really, what makes the experience better/different. My one experience was awesome - and it didn't break the bank. In my head, I feel like I could justify going on a non-DCL cruise and just renew passes for the same price as going on a DCL cruise. But there's something I'm missing, so let me know!

A quick search for June 2022 RT sailings to Alaska:

1. DCL - cost per person for inside is 2.1k per person
2. Multiple others - cost per person for inside is $650 - 1k per person

We're talking reputable cruise brands (I may not have gone on many cruises, but I've done research on them) and even higher quality ones. What am I actually paying 1k per person for DCL that provides something over Princess, Celebrity, Holland, etc? I'd love dialogue on both sides of the aisle, and I'll provide feedback/questions to anyone who posts. It's the one thing that reading multiple articles online can't really do, so I'd enjoy the dialogue. Thanks in advance!

Alaskan cruises are among Disney's priciest. They're not the best idea for someone concerned about budget. Stick with NCL or Princess for Alaska, since budget is a significant concern. (We loved our DCL Alaska cruise, but budget wasn't a top concern and we were only a party of 2, which made the price more reasonable than it is for a family of 4.) I also think a verandah is important (not a necessity, but important) for an Alaska cruise, and you're better off sailing on an affordable line on which you can get a verandah stateroom.

That said, since you're a Disney loving family with kids the perfect age, I strongly recommend a Disney cruise. The classic Disney cruise is a Bahamian or Caribbean cruise that includes a stop at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. I recommend you go during the school year when prices are more reasonable, and I think that cruise would be worth it to you, especially if you sail on a Dream class ship (the Dream or the Fantasy) that has all the bells and whistles (Aqua Duck water coaster, Midship Detective Agency, mini-golf, sweets shop, magical portholes in inside staterooms, etc.)

 

[shadow1227]

Alaskan cruises are among Disney's priciest. They're not the best idea for someone concerned about budget. Stick with NCL or Princess for Alaska, since budget is a significant concern. (We loved our DCL Alaska cruise, but budget wasn't a top concern and we were only a party of 2, which made the price more reasonable than it is for a family of 4.) I also think a verandah is important (not a necessity, but important) for an Alaska cruise, and you're better off sailing on an affordable line on which you can get a verandah stateroom.

That said, since you're a Disney loving family with kids the perfect age, I strongly recommend a Disney cruise. The classic Disney cruise is a Bahamian or Caribbean cruise that includes a stop at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. I recommend you go during the school year when prices are more reasonable, and I think that cruise would be worth it to you, especially if you sail on a Dream class ship (the Dream or the Fantasy) that has all the bells and whistles (Aqua Duck water coaster, Midship Detective Agency, mini-golf, sweets shop, magical portholes in inside staterooms, etc.)

I did check July and the Caribbean and prices were similar. Thanks for the verandah point on Alaska - that totally makes sense. I actually think I'd love the DCL cruise, I just don't know if it's twice as nice as, let's say one of the newer ships on a different cruise line. During the school year would be difficult, but I could see where it might be worth it. Thanks for the points!

 

[Cheburashka]

I did check July and the Caribbean and prices were similar.

That's why I recommended you sail during the school year. It's much cheaper to cruise when school is in session. Prices can easily be half as low then. Disney knows their market and capitalizes on it.

 

[shadow1227]

Yes, I've only ever done non-Disney to Alaska, so that's where I'm coming from. So the question really is - do you want a cruise to Alaska to experience Alaska? Or a Disney cruise with Alaska on the side?

Either answer is correct.

In my experience on other Disney cruises - their entertainment onboard is better than some others. Food is fairly comparable between all cruise lines. You don't mention how old your kids are, but kids clubs on the other lines tend to be less kid oriented, from what I've read, although Princess gets high marks in that category.

Rooms onboard Disney ships are larger compared to the same category rooms onboard other lines.

Alaska was just what I happened to look at at the time. They're similar for both Alaska and Caribbean though. In your opinion, is it worth the extras? You look like you've done you're fair share, so figured I'd just ask.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Alaska was just what I happened to look at at the time. They're similar for both Alaska and Caribbean though. In your opinion, is it worth the extras? You look like you've done you're fair share, so figured I'd just ask.

I, obviously, like Disney cruises. I also like other cruise lines. We pick our cruises based on itinerary for the most part, so that leads us to various lines.

Given a choice of a Disney Southern Caribbean vs a Princess Southern Caribbean (we've done both), the choice comes down to what the ports are, when the cruise is, and the price. Now, we don't have kids to figure into the mix, so that would be a consideration for you.

 

[shadow1227]

I, obviously, like Disney cruises. I also like other cruise lines. We pick our cruises based on itinerary for the most part, so that leads us to various lines.

Give a choice of a Disney Southern Caribbean vs a Princess Southern Caribbean (we've done both), the choice comes down to what the ports are, when the cruise is, and the price. Now, we don't have kids to figure into the mix, so that would be a consideration for you.

Thank you!

 

[Makmak]

I have done many cruises on several different lines all with kids. I have only done one Disney cruise to “try it” and see if it seemed worth the significantly higher cost. We went in October on a four day because I wanted the lowest price. (For comparison, this four day cruise on Disney cost the same as our 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Carnival and our 10 day Northern Europe/Russia cruise on RCL and twice or more what we have paid typically for the Caribbean cruises we have done ). We didn’t find that big of a difference, and there were many more kids than other cruise lines (not in a good way for us). Here’s something that I think you may find helpful as a “research angle” when making your decisions. Cruise lines license different characters/programming. So, depending on what your kids enjoy, they may like the children’s programming on different lines. Carnival has Cat in the Hat, including a green eggs and ham breakfast with music and dancing characters, a parade and stage show (kids can sit on the stage) and other things that vary by ship, Princess has partnered with Discovery Channel and had really great science programming including some people from Shark Week, the kids camp had a special reservation at the dance club where they got glow sticks and had a dance party that was shark themed and the parents did a dance off to....you guessed it.....baby shark (sorry that is now stuck in everyone’s head that reads this) RCL had some licensed characters but I think that’s changing but they still had an impressive array of kids and family programming and even Holland America (we were surprised by this) had a lot going on for kids. I actually didn’t like our Norwegian cruises very much (only two) I won’t go into alllll the details because we don’t know what kids activities will look like when cruising reopens. I just wanted to bring it up bc MANY people we met on the Disney cruise had not cruised any other line and didn’t know that other cruises had kids clubs and activities and kid exclusive pools (yes even Holland America had a kid pool!) if you have any specific questions you can PM me we have cruised A LOT —one of my kids first words was Lido....(bc the elevators say it) and despite being only 7 she is second from top tier in the loyalty programs on three different lines.....staff often do a double take at her lanyard haha.
Edited to add that one major difference on Disney that is very important for some parents is that the kids club doesn’t seaparate by age, so if a sibling group wants to play together they can. Different cruise lines hane different categories and locations for age groups to do age appropriate programming. We didn’t really like the all ages thing as older kids were trampling the little ones despite the cruise staff doing their best to manage behavior.

 

[Intr3pid]

Even if we were to hold our nose, Princess or HAL wouldn't make our cut in Alaska. They have had multiple criminal convictions for dumping in Alaskan waters.

Disney's premium is well worth the cost if you are traveling with kids. As amazing as the scenery is, you will need more than that to keep your kids entertained for 7 days. And that's where Disney comes through. You can leave the kids behind in the care of the club staff with their newly found friends and enjoy your own excursions independently.

The one attraction you will miss on a Disney cruise is a trip to Glacier Bay. If this is your first Alaskan cruise, you may not care, as you will have a full glacier day anyways. If it is important, check out Cunard (similar cost as Disney but less kid-friendly) or NCL (very cost effective but not quite the Disney service).

Celebrity is another great choice. Again, not as kid-friendly as Disney, but phenomenal service in some very well laid out ships. They also sport one-way itineraries if you want to spend some time pre- or post-cruise in Alaska and/or Yukon.

 

[OKgirl]

We are avid cruisers and DVC members (and LOVE DISNEY).... but DCL was a one and done for us!

We cruise RCCL, CCL, and NCL pretty regularly and have tried Celebrity once as well. We took NCL to Alaska 3 summers ago and chose it because it went to Glacier Bay, was a one way cruise from Vancouver (so we could extend our trip by a week afterward in Alaska) and because it was $10,000 cheaper than DCL. Yes that's right....$10,000 CHEAPER. (And on DCL we would have been cruising in connecting cabins with a window vs connecting cabins with balconies). We are a family of 5 (now 8 year old, 14 year old, and 16 year old). I finally bit the bullet and tried DCL for a Caribbean cruise in October 2019 because it was only $4000 more than RCCL or CCL. And all the people we knew that cruised Disney said it's the best and we'd never go back to other cruise lines. Unfortunately, we discovered that they've never tried other cruise lines (and many of them weren't actually paying for their cruises - their parents/grandparents were taking them and paying for them) - hence, the extra cost didn't matter to them!

Disney is GREAT for parents of toddlers and small children - in fact, they may not want to leave the kids clubs on DCL. My husband and I work quite a bit so we really want to spend time with our kids on vacations. (But for all you stay at home parents - you may need a break from your kids because you see them all day, every day....this could be a perk for some families!) However, on all other cruise lines, when I went to pick up my daughter from kids club - all of the staff knew who she was and went to get her. On DCL, they made me GO FIND HER among 200 other children in a giant kids club. They don't know your children at all on DCL. One night it took me nearly 15 minutes to find her and I almost had a meltdown because no one would help me find her. That kids club is HUGE on DCL. They told me "she's in this area" based on her GPS location. I finally found her and I was pretty upset by then.

Food: We all found the food to be very bland on DCL and voted it 5th (last) out of all of the other cruise lines we've tried (Celebrity won top awards for food). They also put all 5 of us at a table for 4 at the restaurants on DCL (we usually sit at a large table for 6 on other cruise lines). This made dinner cramped and uncomfortable when they just threw a chair at the end. The dining rooms were also so loud on DCL (with such a loud roar that we had difficulty hearing out youngest child across the table). What can I say....hundreds of small children are loud. And although I LOVE KIDS, I found the amount of kids on DCL was WAY too much for us. They seemed to outnumber the adults in almost every area. RCCL and CCL have great food (but Carnival wins by far for best pool side food- you don't get poolside food on RCCL). I dream about Guy's Burger Bar at night....

Cabins: The shower ceiling was only about 5'10" tall on DCL (so my husband's head brushed the ceiling while in the shower). For all of you tall guys and girls, you'll have to stoop in the shower. The cabins on DCL were nice but since we usually cruise in Junior Suites on RCCL (for a much lower price) they were inferior to what we are used to.

Pools:/Water areas: Way better on most other cruise lines. Other cruise lines have giant splash pads, multiple pools, and multiple water slides. DCL had one slide with a 2-4 hour line. (We only rode it once because we waited 2 hours in line on a port day). On other cruise lines the wait times for a slide are 5-10 minutes most days. Maybe 20 minutes on a sea day because they have multiple slides.

Daytime Activity: RCCL has the most to do during sea days so this is our favorite for daytime activity. They have shows during the day, water activities, escape rooms, 3D movies, zip lining, rock climbing, boogie boarding/surfing simulators, ice skating, etc. You can't even do it all in a week! We were bored on sea days on DCL because character meet and greets can only entertain you so far.

Entertainment: For us, the shows are so much better on other cruise lines, but I prefer adult shows, adult comedy, etc. We walked out of shows 3 times on DCL which is unusual for us. They weren't bad, they were just geared for 5 year olds. (And I'm not offended by adult content, raunchy comedy....I find it hilarious). The Aqua Theater shows on the Oasis Class RCCL ships are AMAZING and so are their stage shows. Carnival theater shows can sometimes be mediocre but they clearly spend their money on comedians, so if you like comedy shows, CCL is the best for this. The stage shows on other lines are wonderful as well. I'm not a gambler but there are casinos on other lines if you're into that. Just beware the smoke....

Nightlife: I found the nightlife to be non-existent on DCL. (Maybe lots of parents of young children were going to be early). The bars were almost empty on DCL. It was so odd. The bars are HOPPING on CCL - until the wee hours. We love to bar hop in the evening on CCL. If you love to dance, CCL is the best for that - people are DANCING at the parties!

Drinks: CCL wins this hands down. They make the best darn cocktails! We usually get the full beverage package so we can try out new drinks (and since we don't have to drive anywhere) and this always makes it a lot of fun for us. For those who don't like to be around adults drinking, this could be a deal breaker. CCL also includes specialty coffees with this package so we like this in the mornings.

Staff: DCL wins this by far! They just go out of their way to please you. However, our staff has always been great on other cruise lines and we haven't had a terrible experience with any of them.

Private Island: They all look the same to me. I didn't find DCL's island to be better than CCL or RCCL's (or NCL's) ....however, Cococay may blow these all away (we haven't been there yet.

My advice: Try DCL once! You may find it's worth the money for you! And it may fit your family perfectly! You might want to try a shorter cruise or Caribbean cruise which would be less than the Alaskan cruise. Although we can easily afford DCL, I didn't find the value to be there for me since I found it to be a similar product to other lines. And for my older kids, there was much more to do for them on other cruise lines. Good luck!

 

[ldo]

Different view: my younger kids didn’t care!! I’m glad I saved the $. My under 10 kids loved the kids clubs, crafts, water play areas, Putt putt, movies by the pool and (“not as good”) shows of other cruiselines. Even eating in the cafeteria type dining was fun for them. They had a ball on royal carib island in the kids club playing in the sand. We didn’t sail on dcl until youngest was 9 and we didn’t miss it at all. Imho other cruise lines do a good job with kids clubs. My 5-9 yr old kids loved simple games, crafts, etc. I was actually disappointed with dcl. My kids said they preferred akl community hall. I wondered why, so I Watched for a while. Bolder kids seems to have fun, but counselors didn’t seem to notice when shy kids got left out. It was Easter, so maybe just overloaded. On balance, Older DD loved preteen/teen clubs.
As older tweens/teens, they loved dcl for themed dining shows characters movies. Now, We’re usually willing to pay more for dcl.

 

[Makmak]

You can leave the kids behind in the care of the club staff with their newly found friends and enjoy your own excursions independently.

I just wanted to add that CCL, RCL,Holland America, Princess, and many other lines will also watch your children in kids clubs so you can do excursions in port or have free time onboard. They feed them lunch and/or dinner and my kids and many others don’t want to come out of the kids clubs on other lines. I just thought that was important to mention since that included service was one of the things that many people I have met thought was exclusive to Disney cruises.

 

[bbel]

Its also important to have a look at what other activities are available onboard. For example if you were to go to alaska on Royals ovation you also have bumper cars, flo rider, trapeze, North star, indoor sky diving, kids splash pad etc, but if you were to go on a older ship you would probably have non of that.
Disney tend not to have as many 'active' activities onbaord.

If you were to utilise kids clubs, disney keeps all ages together and is more of a free for all where as other lines provide structured age appropriate clubs. Doesn't make one right or wrong, its just preference.

(Over on the Royal page i wrote a (long but detailed) comparison of the DCL/RCCL kids clubs after working 5 contracts in each.)

Also look at the ports the lines go to, if that's an important factor to you.

 

[Disneyloverliz]

We are avid cruisers and DVC members (and LOVE DISNEY).... but DCL was a one and done for us!

We cruise RCCL, CCL, and NCL pretty regularly and have tried Celebrity once as well. We took NCL to Alaska 3 summers ago and chose it because it went to Glacier Bay, was a one way cruise from Vancouver (so we could extend our trip by a week afterward in Alaska) and because it was $10,000 cheaper than DCL. Yes that's right....$10,000 CHEAPER. (And on DCL we would have been cruising in connecting cabins with a window vs connecting cabins with balconies). We are a family of 5 (now 8 year old, 14 year old, and 16 year old). I finally bit the bullet and tried DCL for a Caribbean cruise in October 2019 because it was only $4000 more than RCCL or CCL. And all the people we knew that cruised Disney said it's the best and we'd never go back to other cruise lines. Unfortunately, we discovered that they've never tried other cruise lines (and many of them weren't actually paying for their cruises - their parents/grandparents were taking them and paying for them) - hence, the extra cost didn't matter to them!

Disney is GREAT for parents of toddlers and small children - in fact, they may not want to leave the kids clubs on DCL. My husband and I work quite a bit so we really want to spend time with our kids on vacations. (But for all you stay at home parents - you may need a break from your kids because you see them all day, every day....this could be a perk for some families!) However, on all other cruise lines, when I went to pick up my daughter from kids club - all of the staff knew who she was and went to get her. On DCL, they made me GO FIND HER among 200 other children in a giant kids club. They don't know your children at all on DCL. One night it took me nearly 15 minutes to find her and I almost had a meltdown because no one would help me find her. That kids club is HUGE on DCL. They told me "she's in this area" based on her GPS location. I finally found her and I was pretty upset by then.

Food: We all found the food to be very bland on DCL and voted it 5th (last) out of all of the other cruise lines we've tried (Celebrity won top awards for food). They also put all 5 of us at a table for 4 at the restaurants on DCL (we usually sit at a large table for 6 on other cruise lines). This made dinner cramped and uncomfortable when they just threw a chair at the end. The dining rooms were also so loud on DCL (with such a loud roar that we had difficulty hearing out youngest child across the table). What can I say....hundreds of small children are loud. And although I LOVE KIDS, I found the amount of kids on DCL was WAY too much for us. They seemed to outnumber the adults in almost every area. RCCL and CCL have great food (but Carnival wins by far for best pool side food- you don't get poolside food on RCCL). I dream about Guy's Burger Bar at night....

Cabins: The shower ceiling was only about 5'10" tall on DCL (so my husband's head brushed the ceiling while in the shower). For all of you tall guys and girls, you'll have to stoop in the shower. The cabins on DCL were nice but since we usually cruise in Junior Suites on RCCL (for a much lower price) they were inferior to what we are used to.

Pools:/Water areas: Way better on most other cruise lines. Other cruise lines have giant splash pads, multiple pools, and multiple water slides. DCL had one slide with a 2-4 hour line. (We only rode it once because we waited 2 hours in line on a port day). On other cruise lines the wait times for a slide are 5-10 minutes most days. Maybe 20 minutes on a sea day because they have multiple slides.

Daytime Activity: RCCL has the most to do during sea days so this is our favorite for daytime activity. They have shows during the day, water activities, escape rooms, 3D movies, zip lining, rock climbing, boogie boarding/surfing simulators, ice skating, etc. You can't even do it all in a week! We were bored on sea days on DCL because character meet and greets can only entertain you so far.

Entertainment: For us, the shows are so much better on other cruise lines, but I prefer adult shows, adult comedy, etc. We walked out of shows 3 times on DCL which is unusual for us. They weren't bad, they were just geared for 5 year olds. (And I'm not offended by adult content, raunchy comedy....I find it hilarious). The Aqua Theater shows on the Oasis Class RCCL ships are AMAZING and so are their stage shows. Carnival theater shows can sometimes be mediocre but they clearly spend their money on comedians, so if you like comedy shows, CCL is the best for this. The stage shows on other lines are wonderful as well. I'm not a gambler but there are casinos on other lines if you're into that. Just beware the smoke....

Nightlife: I found the nightlife to be non-existent on DCL. (Maybe lots of parents of young children were going to be early). The bars were almost empty on DCL. It was so odd. The bars are HOPPING on CCL - until the wee hours. We love to bar hop in the evening on CCL. If you love to dance, CCL is the best for that - people are DANCING at the parties!

Drinks: CCL wins this hands down. They make the best darn cocktails! We usually get the full beverage package so we can try out new drinks (and since we don't have to drive anywhere) and this always makes it a lot of fun for us. For those who don't like to be around adults drinking, this could be a deal breaker. CCL also includes specialty coffees with this package so we like this in the mornings.

Staff: DCL wins this by far! They just go out of their way to please you. However, our staff has always been great on other cruise lines and we haven't had a terrible experience with any of them.

Private Island: They all look the same to me. I didn't find DCL's island to be better than CCL or RCCL's (or NCL's) ....however, Cococay may blow these all away (we haven't been there yet.

My advice: Try DCL once! You may find it's worth the money for you! And it may fit your family perfectly! You might want to try a shorter cruise or Caribbean cruise which would be less than the Alaskan cruise. Although we can easily afford DCL, I didn't find the value to be there for me since I found it to be a similar product to other lines. And for my older kids, there was much more to do for them on other cruise lines. Good luck!

Can you tell me what CCL stands for?!

 

[Disneyloverliz]

We are avid cruisers and DVC members (and LOVE DISNEY).... but DCL was a one and done for us!

We cruise RCCL, CCL, and NCL pretty regularly and have tried Celebrity once as well. We took NCL to Alaska 3 summers ago and chose it because it went to Glacier Bay, was a one way cruise from Vancouver (so we could extend our trip by a week afterward in Alaska) and because it was $10,000 cheaper than DCL. Yes that's right....$10,000 CHEAPER. (And on DCL we would have been cruising in connecting cabins with a window vs connecting cabins with balconies). We are a family of 5 (now 8 year old, 14 year old, and 16 year old). I finally bit the bullet and tried DCL for a Caribbean cruise in October 2019 because it was only $4000 more than RCCL or CCL. And all the people we knew that cruised Disney said it's the best and we'd never go back to other cruise lines. Unfortunately, we discovered that they've never tried other cruise lines (and many of them weren't actually paying for their cruises - their parents/grandparents were taking them and paying for them) - hence, the extra cost didn't matter to them!

Disney is GREAT for parents of toddlers and small children - in fact, they may not want to leave the kids clubs on DCL. My husband and I work quite a bit so we really want to spend time with our kids on vacations. (But for all you stay at home parents - you may need a break from your kids because you see them all day, every day....this could be a perk for some families!) However, on all other cruise lines, when I went to pick up my daughter from kids club - all of the staff knew who she was and went to get her. On DCL, they made me GO FIND HER among 200 other children in a giant kids club. They don't know your children at all on DCL. One night it took me nearly 15 minutes to find her and I almost had a meltdown because no one would help me find her. That kids club is HUGE on DCL. They told me "she's in this area" based on her GPS location. I finally found her and I was pretty upset by then.

Food: We all found the food to be very bland on DCL and voted it 5th (last) out of all of the other cruise lines we've tried (Celebrity won top awards for food). They also put all 5 of us at a table for 4 at the restaurants on DCL (we usually sit at a large table for 6 on other cruise lines). This made dinner cramped and uncomfortable when they just threw a chair at the end. The dining rooms were also so loud on DCL (with such a loud roar that we had difficulty hearing out youngest child across the table). What can I say....hundreds of small children are loud. And although I LOVE KIDS, I found the amount of kids on DCL was WAY too much for us. They seemed to outnumber the adults in almost every area. RCCL and CCL have great food (but Carnival wins by far for best pool side food- you don't get poolside food on RCCL). I dream about Guy's Burger Bar at night....

Cabins: The shower ceiling was only about 5'10" tall on DCL (so my husband's head brushed the ceiling while in the shower). For all of you tall guys and girls, you'll have to stoop in the shower. The cabins on DCL were nice but since we usually cruise in Junior Suites on RCCL (for a much lower price) they were inferior to what we are used to.

Pools:/Water areas: Way better on most other cruise lines. Other cruise lines have giant splash pads, multiple pools, and multiple water slides. DCL had one slide with a 2-4 hour line. (We only rode it once because we waited 2 hours in line on a port day). On other cruise lines the wait times for a slide are 5-10 minutes most days. Maybe 20 minutes on a sea day because they have multiple slides.

Daytime Activity: RCCL has the most to do during sea days so this is our favorite for daytime activity. They have shows during the day, water activities, escape rooms, 3D movies, zip lining, rock climbing, boogie boarding/surfing simulators, ice skating, etc. You can't even do it all in a week! We were bored on sea days on DCL because character meet and greets can only entertain you so far.

Entertainment: For us, the shows are so much better on other cruise lines, but I prefer adult shows, adult comedy, etc. We walked out of shows 3 times on DCL which is unusual for us. They weren't bad, they were just geared for 5 year olds. (And I'm not offended by adult content, raunchy comedy....I find it hilarious). The Aqua Theater shows on the Oasis Class RCCL ships are AMAZING and so are their stage shows. Carnival theater shows can sometimes be mediocre but they clearly spend their money on comedians, so if you like comedy shows, CCL is the best for this. The stage shows on other lines are wonderful as well. I'm not a gambler but there are casinos on other lines if you're into that. Just beware the smoke....

Nightlife: I found the nightlife to be non-existent on DCL. (Maybe lots of parents of young children were going to be early). The bars were almost empty on DCL. It was so odd. The bars are HOPPING on CCL - until the wee hours. We love to bar hop in the evening on CCL. If you love to dance, CCL is the best for that - people are DANCING at the parties!

Drinks: CCL wins this hands down. They make the best darn cocktails! We usually get the full beverage package so we can try out new drinks (and since we don't have to drive anywhere) and this always makes it a lot of fun for us. For those who don't like to be around adults drinking, this could be a deal breaker. CCL also includes specialty coffees with this package so we like this in the mornings.

Staff: DCL wins this by far! They just go out of their way to please you. However, our staff has always been great on other cruise lines and we haven't had a terrible experience with any of them.

Private Island: They all look the same to me. I didn't find DCL's island to be better than CCL or RCCL's (or NCL's) ....however, Cococay may blow these all away (we haven't been there yet.

My advice: Try DCL once! You may find it's worth the money for you! And it may fit your family perfectly! You might want to try a shorter cruise or Caribbean cruise which would be less than the Alaskan cruise. Although we can easily afford DCL, I didn't find the value to be there for me since I found it to be a similar product to other lines. And for my older kids, there was much more to do for them on other cruise lines. Good luck!

Boy, you’ve given me a lot to think about! I have a September cruise booked on the Fantasy, with my 2 adult children, who happen to have Down syndrome. I’ve been wondering, since they are too old for the teen club, if they’ll even get bored! They loved pools and slides and swimming, and geez, sounds like I can get that on any other cruise line for a fraction of the money. ho hum . . . What to do . . .

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

I went to Alaska on Holland America. I loved the service and the food equal (although not the same) to DCL.
The entertainment was horrible though. Evening shows were boring (many people walked out). During the day activities were a joke. We were bored on seas days and went to bed early each night.
When it comes to excursions, I don't think there is really a difference.

 

[cdoc29]

We cruised Alaska in 2018 on RCCL. Alaska was awesome, RCCL was not.

Kids club are only open select hours, not all day, Kids club space is very small compared to DCL. Onboard activities seem to be centered around the various bars, no family activities.

RCCL was constantly upselling, I would be sitting with my morning coffee on the royal promenade and get hassled a least twice by people trying to get me to book specialty dining, heck they even hassled you in the main dining room to pay extra for the food served in the various specialty restaurants in main dining room for an uncharge.

Cabin steward was not attentive and had to be called several times to make up the room or get it ready for the evening. (my parents and brother on the exact opposite had a great cabin steward though)

Our waiter was not helpful, his other table the first three nights would not show up until 45 minutes after dinner started and our waiter wouldn't put in the orders until he could put them all in and pick up all the food for both tables at the same time. We asked about this and he said that was RCCL policy. RCCL had a midweek comment card and we mentioned this and how stupid it was when we had two kids who would get restless at dinner. That night we got the BIG lecture from the waiter and the head waiter that we need to bring problems to them and not the comment card, that was the last night we ate in the main dining room, needless to say we had our tips removed and stated why. Also they had no cutlery, glasses that were kid sized, my children both drink water and all they had was the big heavy glass goblets.

We are going back to Alaska in 2022 and are gladly paying for the Disney experience. The service on DCL is top notch and RCCL was cheaper for a reason. You get what you pay for.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Can you tell me what CCL stands for?!

Carnival Cruise LInes

 

[starvenger]

I do think you need to try different cruise lines to figure out which one is for you. You may like DCL better. You might like NCL better. But you won't know until you experience both.

I mean for me, I liked my one trip on DCL. They've got some lovely ships. But for me it wasn't better than my trips on RCG (we had some food issues on the Fantasy) and so with the price difference I knew I wouldn't be doing a second trip anytime soon.

We keep wanting to do Princess again but timing never works out for us. C'est la vie. Carnival's new ships are intriguing as well.


At the end of the day, I'm certain that whichever cruise line you choose, you will enjoy it.