disney v. other cruise line

[aunt2brant]

we all know that dcl is much more expensive...my question to all of you who have previously cruised dcl and others is :is it worth it? my personal philosophy regarding anything disney is you get what you pay for and so much more. but still, think of all of the $$$ we could save. i REALLY want to go dcl, but others in my party are not so passionate about the mouse like I am, and they are wanting to go cheaper....help!!!!!!!!!

 

[hopelea]

It is a lot more expensive, but it is well worth the $$. Our first trip was in a Cat 11 room. We figured that we wouldn't spend much time in the room and we didn't. It was a great time.
If you can talk your party into it........GO GO GO

My dh didn't think it would be worth them money either, but he changed his mind when he boarded the ship and had a wonderful time.........we are going again soon.


Good Luck.........

 

[lovethattink]

We went on Norweigan for our 1st cruise. I was so disappointed. We have been on 3 Disney Cruises since then, and never disappointed!

 

[hyandui]

My wife & I are repeat crusers on DCL and would have it no other way, the bang for your buck is there, There is no one chasing you around to gamble on their machines, (makes those cheaper cruises cost more) The atmosphere, entertainment, meals, etc are top rate, just be careful what you as for, because if its possible you will get it on DCL, no extra cost! Some people think DCL is for children, ha ha Try it for yourself, you will return again.

 

[Mjasp]

Can someone please explain to me why the other lines you went on were disappointing? Were they older ships? Was the food that bad? I love DCL BUT I would like to see other shows, as I think their shows are OK, although I did enjoy the Golden Mickey's show.

Please explain, as I will probably go on DCL in 2006 BUT in 2005 I am thinking of trying Princess or RCCL. Their newer ships.

TIA

Joanna

 

[Muushka]

We are actually toying with the same question. We did Magic Eastern this past March and we have a 4 day Wonder for 12/22/05 already booked. While we did enjoy the ship, the CMs and the whole Disney theme, I am wondering if it would be fun to try another cruise line. I have been checking out Raddison. They are supposed to have wonderful food and great service. Anyone ever cruise Raddison? They do have the 1/2 price cruises (which is about the only way we could afford them).

 

[Mary Anne]

I've been on other cruise lines and we actually enjoyed them. The shows are different, and it is more adult. I'll even go out and say the food is better. (Sorry, we just didn't care for everything Disney served and the way it was served.)

Disney is great but other lines do things very nice also in different ways.

 

[Mjasp]

Thanks for your honesty Mary Anne.

 

[tvguy]

I took my first cruise in 1980 at the height of the Love Boat's popularity. The cruise industry is a LOT different now.

First cruise was on a French ship, the MS Mermoz, Paquet Cruise line, 14 days, Caribbean, a small ship, 500 passengers. Great food, free wine with lunch and dinner, great disco, but other entertainment literally was limited to staff talent shows, including one where the Captain singing was the big act.

Next 2 cruises were on the NCL's SS Norway. Caribbean again. Big old ship, that had been extensively remodeled, again great food. Here though, you had a Broadway quality show, AND name entertainers. The comedian was Norm Crosby......the singer was Jack Jones (yes, the guy who sings the love boat theme).......second trip the singers were the Fifth Dimension, and comedy act was Shields and Yarnell, the married mimes who at the time had their own prime time show on ABC. While the entertainers performed just one day of the cruise, they were on board the entire trip. I played a pickup game of basketball with the Fifth Dimension, and chatted with Norm Crosby at the poolside bar. And they always had a sports "star" on board. Moses Malone one trip, and some NFL player, last name Nixon (sorry, I'm a baseball fan).

Next cruise was on a smaller ship, RCCL's Nordic Prince. Caribbean itenerary. Again, great food, broadway shows, but no big stars.

We went for a bigger ship for the next cruise, RCCL's then brand new Soveriegn Of The Seas, it had only been operating for 3 months. Another Caribbean trip. Great food, great broadway type shows, no name entertainment, and a huge shopping mall.

After period of no cruises for 15 years, we decided, since we now had kids, to introduce them to cruising. This time Alaska, on HAL's Amsterdam. Great food, amazing big ship, a kids program that may kids ignored. Great broadway style show, but the best show of all was at 11 pm one night. An Indonesian cultural show put on by the cabin stewards and wait staff. We were entertained and educated by that show. And everyone was cheering on their waiter, bus boy, and cabin steward when they performed. This was a family vacation, we got to be our kids friends instead of mom and dad for a week.

Then over new years this year (12-27-03) DCL's Magic. Caribbean. Great food, great shows, and something none of the other ships had, a personality. A kids program, but again my kids didn't use it. As with Alaska, this was a FAMILY vacation, and except for the one hour my wife and I snuck off to wine tasting, we were never apart from our kids. As with Alaska, our kids discovered mom and dad are pretty cool people when they aren't worried about homework, work.....etc. We also had something happen we had never experienced before, and upgrade to a more expensive cabin with a Veranda. (Was a Veranda nice, oh yes, is it worth the extra $1500 it would have cost me if I had booked it, no)

If you have read this far, here is the payoff, is Disney worth it?
Yes, at least once in your lifetime. If you can afford it more than once, yes again. But if money is an issue, go on a cheaper line. Cruise vacations are the BEST vacations. I think Disney is the BEST cruise vacation, but it's better to go on a cheaper cruise than to not go at all.

 

[Tluvs2talk]

I have been on the Carnival Sensation, RCCL Sovereign of the Seas, Celebrity Galaxy, and the Norwegian Majesty. I have also been on the Disney Wonder 4 times and the Disney magic 1. I have enjoyed ALL of my cruises. Some better than others. I do like the staterooms on Disney's Ships better. We usually book the cheap rooms, and Disney's Cat 12 is Wonderful. I do think a cruise is what you make of it. We have fun no matter where we go. We still Like Disney the best but try to book cruises on other lines to get a different experience.


Teri

 

[CamColt]

My personal opinion is no cruise can be a bad cruise, but we all know things can go wrong and sometimes there are extreme circumstances.

With that said, we started out with a 4 day cruise on the Big Red Boat. After that we found out we loved the cruising experience. We have since done 2, 3 day Wonder cruises and again, thought they were great. Being a Disney fanatic I couldnt imagine going on any other cruise and I was waiting desperately to do a 10th anniversary cruise in the summer of 05 on the Magic. DCL had other plans. But we adjusted and moved it up to Oct...again DCL had other plans and cancelled that cruise on us. We booked a back up cruise from CA for Aug, but we arent thrilled about it...especially since DCL still hasnt told us about the cancelled cruise and Im getting a bit aggravated now.
In the meantime, we were given a 7 night cruise on the Norwegian Majesty this past summer. We went and had a wonderful time. No, it wasnt Disney, but it was still great. This showed me I can have a good time on other cruise lines so Im really considering cancelling my CA DCL for next year and maybe go on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas. Ive heard great reviews of it and again,I cant imagine any cruise being bad.

I guess my point is there are other ships out there that you can enjoy. Yes they are different than Disney, but that doesnt make them bad. If it meant a great savings(3000.00 in my case) it may be worth giving it a shot...at least thats what Im thinking about my situation right now.

 

[SeaSpray]

We've cruised Royal Caribbean and we've cruised Disney. We are booked to cruise on Royal Caribbean again in June 2005, and are strongly considering another Disney cruise for August 2006. We like each cruise line for different reasons, but mostly for what they have in common: NOTHING BEATS A CRUISE VACATION!! The feeling of being at sea on a large beautiful cruise ship cannot be duplicated at any land-based resort.

To answer your question more specifically: Yes, it was worth cruising on DCL. Just like when we stay at a Disney World resort, I really love the theming and that extra bit of thought and design that Disney puts behind everything. (for example: Lamps in the cabins on Disney have an antique map design, plus cut out shapes of Mickey. I want one of these lamps for my bedroom! LOL Lamps in the Royal Caribbean cabins are very plain and look like white plastic. I wouldn't have one of these lamps in my house if it was free. LOL) But if money is a factor, I'd choose to cruise on the less expensive line than not to cruise at all.

It's not that Royal Caribbean is bad, in fact FAR from it, the pics of the Voyager look awesome! And I fully expect to have a wonderful time next year on it, but if you love Disney World or Mickey Mouse, etc. then Disney Cruise Line has that Disney touch to offer, where the other cruise lines don't.

 

[Oh Son of Ours]

We have been on Carnival (Just DH and me)with friends and loved it. This time our DS, 8 yrs old, will be along and we woundn't think of taking him for his first cruise on any other line.

We are doing the land and sea because we still love Disney World too.

The difference in the $$ was never an issue. It's that chance in a lifetime to see his face and I'm impressed by everything we hear about DCL.

Can't wait untill Sept. 2005.

 

[ericamanda01]

My in-laws have cruised with several different lines and they loved DCL. They said that the smallest rooms on DCL are bigger than on other ships. Also they said that the atmospher is completly different. Depending on the cruise line they said it was more of a party ship. Gambling and lots of drinking, which neither of them do. Now don't get me wrong they have been on luxury liners that have been wonderful, but they really felt they got their monies worth with DCL.

 

[rjones69]

I chose Disney for our cruise because it was more family oriented. If my children opted out of the kids club there were still activites that we could all do as a family. When looking at the activities once on Carnival is listed a hairy men's chest contest! That is not exactly what I want for family entertainment. I would also like to say that both times when I cruised with Disney you did not see folks drunk or did we hear any cursing. It is not the kind of ship that you see singles "pick" each other up. In other words it is not the "Love Boat". Now dont get me wrong they do offer adult only entertainment in the clubs at night like a 70's dance party, 80's dance party, couples game show, karoke, etc. The club was filled with smoke and lots of drinks being served but never did I see anyone out of hand and disrespectful to others.

 

[Thumper1]

I'm the kind of person who likes to be actively involved in a vacation. Not just sit down and flake out. Needless to say I have experienced the Carnival Cruise Line and The Disney Cruise Line. Let me preface this by saying that I am not the sit in the sun and bake type person. The difference between these two cruise lines are (in my opinion):

We went on the Mexican Riviera Carnival "Elation" Cruise four years ago. The most exciting things I could find to do during the day that we weren't in port was an art auction and watching "Titanic" with subtitles. There were "Las Vegas" type shows every evening and an adult comedian to watch at midnight, but I live in the Vegas area and I don't do these things at home, so why should I pay to do it on a cruise ship. I'd say Carnival Cruise Line is a "party" ship.

On the Disney Magic and Wonder, I don't have enough time in the day to do all the great events. My biggest complain is that at times there are three great things I can be doing and I am only one person. My family, composed of all adults, can do anything they want from being a kid at heart to being an adult.

The only thing better on the Carnival Cruise Line was the food was fancier. But it gets really boring eating in one restaurant night after night.

So there it is: for an active and fun vacation with lots of variety, take the Mouse for a ride.

 

[lopezgang]

We have cruised with Royal Caribbean on the Explorer of the Seas and most recently on the Disney Magic. Although I enjoyed Disney for the kids geared shows and characters, etc. I by far enjoyed RCCL much better. I guess I just didn't expect so many poorly behaved kids (and parents) when we cruised with Disney. It was nothing the cruise line did (although I did like the food on RCCL better), but it was more the clientele that they attract. Even when my children would go to the clubs I still had to deal with other peoples children pushing past me in the halls and pressing every elevator button,, running around yelling on deck 4, etc.. Dinner every night was like being in a cafeteria. Like I said, Disney did everything right, it was just the other cruisers. I would say a good majority of the other cruisers did not dress up for formal and semi-formal night. Overall I just liked the atmosphere on RCCL much better and they still have a lot of kids activities.

Just my two cents.

 

[mrsltg]

Anyone ever cruise Raddison? They do have the 1/2 price cruises (which is about the only way we could afford them).

Musshka - if you can go Radisson, GO RADISSON. While I myself have not yet made it onto their ships (but dream of the day when I will), they are in a class superior to DCL. They are truly first class and it shows in everything from service on down. I don't believe they are particularly child friendly, though.

Is DCL worth the money? Depends. I'm on the fence about it. I cruised with DCL 3 weeks ago and enjoyed myself. I was not as impressed as I thought I'd be which is why I'm going to give it another shot. I want to see what sort of role expectations played in my trip. The food was fine, but far from superb. The kids activities were fine, but my 3 y.o. could color and make crafts at home, or on any other cruise ship for that matter. Some activities were special, some were not. The Disney shows were fantastic, but the "hired hands" were so-so. Michael Harrison (I think) was a comedian/ventriloquist. His act was funny - the first time. He repeated it the same night in the adult show, and then again on the last night. I expected more (as an example). The service was top notch, but I have only had one not-so-hot experience with service in 6 cruises. The big draw for us is the infant care availability and the Mickey Pool for my daughter! Not to mention really good qucik service food.

The only way to judge is to give it a try. If your friends are not into it, go with another line. RCCL gets rave reviews, as does HAL and NCL. It is hard to go wrong with the right frame of mind!

Erin

 

[jlmarr]

There are some good reviews of various ships at http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews, and although the Disney Magic is rated highly, it's not at the top of the list. My suggestion is to check out the cruises which stop at a private island and then compare prices for comparable rooms. Disney is very nice but there are other quality cruise lines out there that don't reach so deeply into your bank account. After paying the Disney premium there might not be much left for shore excursions, drinks, photos, souvenirs, and such. Something to think about. (Also, there's no casino on the Disney ships, which is no biggie for me, but might be for some.)

 

[lookingforward]

We absolutely love Celebrity Cruise Line. It is geared towards a mature crowd (over 30) but they were wonderful with my kids. Their children centers are not very fancy but since the kid crowd is usually small (except during Spring Break) the kids get a lot of attention and the counselors know them by first name. The food on Celebrity is very, very good. And the service is refined. It is, in my opinion, one of the best main stream cruise lines. Not at all like DCL but just as good in a different way.

We have also sailed RCCL on their huge ships and mid size ships. The food is not as good but on the Voyager class ships your kids will have a great time. They have ice skating, rock climbing, inline skating, mini-golf, Johnny Rockets, etc. Teen boys will love these ships!

NCL was great for us back in 1996. Have not sailed on them recently and have not heard such great things lately.

My husband and I have a seven night cruise booked on Celebrity for April. We booked a sky suite (with a balcony that includes two chaise lounges, a full size table and two chairs) on the Century for $2100, total for two. It includes pre-boarding, priority debarkation, concierge services, butler, in room dining, etc. etc. We had the royal suite on the Millenium (on a free upgrade) and the experience was breathtaking!