Disney fanatic but no desire to go on Disney Cruise?

[xavier2001]

I'm the opposite, I have NO desire to do the parks but LOVE the cruise. For me the 'go go go' in the parks is not a vacation, I like a slower pace. I have enough 'go go go' in my life. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[KVH]

Is it my imagination or are a majority of the DCL naysayers guests who have never been on a DCL ship? Or comparing to their cheaper lines only based on hearsay? There's a reason independent cruise and travel sites rate DCL at or on top in several categories.

So, yes, everyone who doesn't want to cruise DCL, convince your friends, families, pets, and anyone who will listen to you to NOT cruise Disney. Do your best to keep demand down. That allows me to make sure I get the room I want, the Palo times I want, the Castaway cabana I want and reduced craziness on Pirate nite.

 

[mevelandry]

Not sure where to pot this but wondering if others feel the same way as I do. I’m obsessed with WDW. I mean OBSESSED like I’m sure most of you are and get upset if I have to wait longer than a year to return. But I ha e no desire to cruise Disney although I love to cruise and have been on 6 cruises with my last being just a couple weeks ago.
People are always surprised that I wouldn’t so that’s why I’m curious if anyone else feels the same?
There’s something about the rides, the resorts, monorails and the busses that have the music blasting based on where you are going. Can’t get any of that on the cruise. And who wants to cruise without a casino!?

Has anyone cruised Disney and thought the same?

Yes and no...

I feel in love with cruising on DCL ships. However, for a mixture of reasons (being very intrigued by "more affordable cruise lines" + DH and I were both hit by a car at the end of 2015, received a slightly lower income in the beginning of 2016 because of that and therefore looking for a cheaper vacation) we have decided to try another cruise line... In our case, it was Carnival.

That Carnival cruise made us realized that while we were introduced to cruising by Disney --we originally booked DCL thinking that since we loved Disney, we would be at least 50% satisfied with our experience-- we enjoyed ourselves because we're very much into "cruising"...

When we want to cruise, we are now extremely satisfied with the more affordable options... and when we want Disney, we are much more satisfied with WDW.

If you ask me:

"A genie appears and offer you a free cruise of your choice but you have to pick between DCL and Carnival. Which one would you pick?"

My answer would be: The one with the best itinerary.

 

[dvcdisney]

Is it my imagination or are a majority of the DCL naysayers guests who have never been on a DCL ship? Or comparing to their cheaper lines only based on hearsay? There's a reason independent cruise and travel sites rate DCL at or on top in several categories.

So, yes, everyone who doesn't want to cruise DCL, convince your friends, families, pets, and anyone who will listen to you to NOT cruise Disney. Do your best to keep demand down. That allows me to make sure I get the room I want, the Palo times I want, the Castaway cabana I want and reduced craziness on Pirate nite.

I think the OP was just wondering why they love WDW, but don't feel that a Disney cruise would be the same. Some agree and others don't. I think those who love Disney cruises were just letting the OP know that we feel that Disney cruise has a lot of Disney in it.

Perhaps, some people's view of Disney is centred around WDW and not so much Disney. When my children were young, WDW was Disney to us. Now having gone to resorts like Vero, HH, Aulani and taking Disney cruises, Disney is far from being about WDW or DL. Even CC is very Disney.

But that doesn't mean that people who love WDW would love DCL. It's not the same thing. So it depends on what people are looking for. Is it WDW/DL theme parks or Disney? Personally, my family feel much more immersed in DCL than the parks, people may disagree but that's how we feel.

And I'm with you, if you don't like DCL, then that's okay...more for us!

 

[mevelandry]

lol I've never understood the appeal of Bingo. There is zero skill involved. Beyond not zoning out (which is what happens if I stare out a window at the ocean, but I digress)



You can't get all of that on other cruise lines. I mean, sure, there's entertainment and such but no Disney movies, Disney shows, Disney music, Disney characters, etc. Do other cruise lines have fireworks on every itinerary? (maybe they do, genuine question, not rhetorical) How about pirate parties? It's perfectly acceptable to not want those things, but if you are looking for those specific thing (ie the Disney flavor), you'll only find it on DCL.

Just want to add a small nuance here: other cruise lines present Disney movies too. And while they are not Disney Characters, RCCL presents Dreamworks characters.

 

[cruiser21]

Is it my imagination or are a majority of the DCL naysayers guests who have never been on a DCL ship? Or comparing to their cheaper lines only based on hearsay? There's a reason independent cruise and travel sites rate DCL at or on top in several categories.

So, yes, everyone who doesn't want to cruise DCL, convince your friends, families, pets, and anyone who will listen to you to NOT cruise Disney. Do your best to keep demand down. That allows me to make sure I get the room I want, the Palo times I want, the Castaway cabana I want and reduced craziness on Pirate nite.

Some people love to cruise and don't feel the need to pay double to have Mickey on the ship. Maybe they'd rather use the money they save cruising on another line to visit the parks.
I've cruised dcl and other lines. There's reasons we choose Disney and reasons we'll occasionally choose another line. I haven't seen any real tangible differences in customer service or cleanliness on any of the cruiseline I've been on.

While your on you high horse about cruising Disney. Did it ever occur to you some families can't afford Disney....actually most families in this country can't afford Disney.

 

[mevelandry]

Is it my imagination or are a majority of the DCL naysayers guests who have never been on a DCL ship? Or comparing to their cheaper lines only based on hearsay? (...)

My observation is different from yours. Most of the people hanging on the Carnival vs DCL thread --which I started-- have cruised or are still cruising on DCL once in a while. Most of us still love DCL but we are aware that other cruise lines also offer a (in some areas different yet) great product.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We did 3 WDW trips in 3 years, and visited Aulani for some meals when we were in Hawaii. I love park planning and we’ve been lucky to have great, if short trips that have gone off without a hitch. But we’re just not that excited to go back at least until Star Wars Land opens. For our Alaska cruise DCL was the only line I seriously considered even with the markup. The kids club and nursery, smaller classic style ship, Disney-themed dining, shows, lack of a casino or other bells and whistles you see on floating city style ships, and characters all appealed to me. I’m hoping the service is better than concierge at the WDW resorts.

 

[mevelandry]

We did 3 WDW trips in 3 years, and visited Aulani for some meals when we were in Hawaii. I love park planning and we’ve been lucky to have great, if short trips that have gone off without a hitch. But we’re just not that excited to go back at least until Star Wars Land opens. For our Alaska cruise DCL was the only line I seriously considered even with the markup. The kids club and nursery, smaller classic style ship, Disney-themed dining, shows, lack of a casino or other bells and whistles you see on floating city style ships, and characters all appealed to me. I’m hoping the service is better than concierge at the WDW resorts.

Curious to know where you had bad concierge service in the WDW resorts. The service we had at the Yacht Club and Grand Flo' was outstanding.

 

[ArielSparrow]

Just want to add a small nuance here: other cruise lines present Disney movies too. And while they are not Disney Characters, RCCL presents Dreamworks characters.

That's cool! I don't recall my RCCL having any movies, and there definitely weren't any DreamWorks characters (this was 10 years ago out of Long Beach, CA though).

 

[KVH]

Oh, don't get me wrong. I do realize there are other lines out there that, IN SOME CASES, would be worthwhile. Who wouldn't love to go 'round the Horn on Stella Australis? Then again, my DW is an ex-HAL employee (who has worked with Carnival people too). And having read the Carnival thread (enlightening), there's no way I'd get on one of those boats, regardless of price. It's like comparing the GF to an AllStar during Pop Warner week. It's not always just about the boat - many times it's more the other cruisers who make or break an experience than a shiny new ship.

And as for the coat argument, it's not an argument, just the way things are. I want a house on Pebble Beach. I want to cruise Silversea and Seaborn but that ain't happening. So? I am nowhere near feeling bad most of the country can't afford Disney. To denigrate the DCL experience because it is above average cost outside of the context of any other facts isn't really a good reason not to cruise DCL.

 

[mevelandry]

Oh, don't get me wrong. I do realize there are other lines out there that, IN SOME CASES, would be worthwhile. Who wouldn't love to go 'round the Horn on Stella Australis? Then again, my DW is an ex-HAL employee (who has worked with Carnival people too). And having read the Carnival thread (enlightening), there's no way I'd get on one of those boats, regardless of price. It's like comparing the GF to an AllStar during Pop Warner week. It's not always just about the boat - many times it's more the other cruisers who make or break an experience than a shiny new ship.

Can you tell me more regarding your opinion of the Carnival cruisers? Because I don't remember the reviews we presented on the thread being that bad... ?

After three cruises on Carnival I can't say they were "more bad behaved" (not sure I have the right term here , pardon my french!) than DCL cruisers.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Curious to know where you had bad concierge service in the WDW resorts. Tje service we had at the Yacht Club and Grand Flo' was outstanding.

Contemporary. Wasn’t impressed at all for the cost and we had a RO discount. Mousekeeping was abysmal, concierge desk was straight up unhelpful. The lounge and cast members there were fine though. Would like to give it a shot again someday, maybe at AKL if the price is right.

 

[mevelandry]

Contemporary. Wasn’t impressed at all for the cost and we had a RO discount. Mousekeeping was abysmal, concierge desk was straight up unhelpful. The lounge and cast members there were fine though. Would like to give it a shot again someday, maybe at AKL if the price is right.

Sorry you had a bad experience.

 

[mmmears]

Contemporary. Wasn’t impressed at all for the cost and we had a RO discount. Mousekeeping was abysmal, concierge desk was straight up unhelpful. The lounge and cast members there were fine though. Would like to give it a shot again someday, maybe at AKL if the price is right.

Are you asking/trying to compare regular DCL rooms with CL rooms at WDW, or concierge WDW rooms?

 

[cruiser21]

Contemporary. Wasn’t impressed at all for the cost and we had a RO discount. Mousekeeping was abysmal, concierge desk was straight up unhelpful. The lounge and cast members there were fine though. Would like to give it a shot again someday, maybe at AKL if the price is right.

Back when the 40% off deluxe resorts was a common discount I liked staying club level. It always came out to about a hundred dollars more per night. For a family of four with the breakfast, snacks and drinks it made sense. At today's prices it's totally not worth it imho. I haven't stayed club level since 2012, but from what I've read food offerings and service has really declined. I would save your money.

 

[mmmears]

Back when the 40% off deluxe resorts was a common discount I liked staying club level. It always came out to about a hundred dollars more per night. For a family of four with the breakfast, snacks and drinks it made sense. At today's prices it's totally not worth it imho. I haven't stayed club level since 2012, but from what I've read food offerings and service has really declined. I would save your money.

Actually it seriously declined and then (most likely because of all the complaints) they started offering better food options. We like CL at WDW for the convenience, but are quite happy sailing DCL in a normal cabin.

 

[cruiser21]

Oh, don't get me wrong. I do realize there are other lines out there that, IN SOME CASES, would be worthwhile. Who wouldn't love to go 'round the Horn on Stella Australis? Then again, my DW is an ex-HAL employee (who has worked with Carnival people too). And having read the Carnival thread (enlightening), there's no way I'd get on one of those boats, regardless of price. It's like comparing the GF to an AllStar during Pop Warner week. It's not always just about the boat - many times it's more the other cruisers who make or break an experience than a shiny new ship.

And as for the coat argument, it's not an argument, just the way things are. I want a house on Pebble Beach. I want to cruise Silversea and Seaborn but that ain't happening. So? I am nowhere near feeling bad most of the country can't afford Disney. To denigrate the DCL experience because it is above average cost outside of the context of any other facts isn't really a good reason not to cruise DCL.

Just to be clear it's not the ship it's the people.? So your saying you don't like the type people that cruise Carnival. You're better then them?...or think you are?

I just got off a dcl cruise where about 70% of the cruise were platinum or gold. This was a transatlantic that was relatively cheap for dcl. There was some real dcl snobbery on that boat. How many of those people would actually sail on the Fantasy peak season or spend 20k on a European cruise I'm not sure. I'm guessing not too many.

To say that price shouldn't be a factor in not cruising DCL is kind of odd. When is price not a factor in choosing any vacation? I think it's the number one factor in choosing a vacation.

 

[cruiser21]

Actually it seriously declined and then (most likely because of all the complaints) they started offering better food options. We like CL at WDW for the convenience, but are quite happy sailing DCL in a normal cabin.

It's good to know they improved it. I still wouldn't pay the up charge anymore, but Im kind of over WDW.

 

[mmmears]

It's good to know they improved it. I still wouldn't pay the up charge anymore, but Im kind of over WDW.

I get that. For us the convenience is worth something but not a ridiculous upcharge. At DL it's typically $350/nt extra for CL and I won't pay it. When it was $100/nt it was much easier to book a room. We enjoy WDW and DL, but want to go to some new destinations, so we don't go as often as we did in the past. And with food included (and convenient) on the ship we haven't seen the need (or been able to pay double the price of a verandah stateroom) to book concierge.