Disney vs all other cruise lines

[Cfabar1]

I did the Dream last year, and was just on Utopia a month ago, and we're doing the Treasure later this year. After getting off the Utopia I think I preferred DCL more. There were pros and cons for each and some I like that RC does more and vice versa. It's def interesting to see how different they are though.

Having said that the aqua show on Utopia may be one of the best cruise shows i've ever seen.

The one thing RCL blows DCL out of the water though in my opinion is dinner options plus late night food. We never went to the main dining once. We did two specialty dinners (which is still half the price of DCL's) and the buffet the other two nights. Whereas with DCL you're basically forced to do the main dining or the pool deck food.

To each their own, but we prefer the main dining approach with DCL... Specialty Dining is truly for a special occasion and/or a special treat... The main dining room is great enough, and we like that the schedule is made for us - one less thing to have to consider/think about...

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

That's one of the things I love about NCL. They have enough specialty dining options, I could try a different one every night of my cruise.

Meanwhile, on my Disney Treasure cruise coming up, I can't even get 1 night because my status is too low. And no I'm not making that awful hour-plus long line to be told there's no availability like I did on the Wish. That is no way to start a cruise.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

. The beach was not as nice as Castaway but the shows on Royal were better than DCL- Aqua show, Ice Skating show (how do they do backflips on skates while on a moving ship is mind blowing to me), Comedy shows, and Mamma Mia is as good as any National Tour I have seen of it (and I didn't need to shell out $70+ a person to see it).

Wow. I love Royal’s shows, and this is why we now choose Royal over Carnival or NCL (or any other mass market ship), but I’ve always heard that Disney’s shows are the best.

I totally agree that you can do Royal and have a grand time with no upcharges.

With no status we’re not even going to try for a specialty restaurant on Disney. A relative really wants to do BBB, and I’m telling them not to get too attached to the idea since we’re first time cruisers on the line.

 

[dreamer17555]

Wow. I love Royal’s shows, and this is why we now choose Royal over Carnival or NCL (or any other mass market ship), but I’ve always heard that Disney’s shows are the best.

I totally agree that you can do Royal and have a grand time with no upcharges.

With no status we’re not even going to try for a specialty restaurant on Disney. A relative really wants to do BBB, and I’m telling them not to get too attached to the idea since we’re first time cruisers on the line.

Disney shows are cute- and short. Most are under an hour. They are good for what they are- either retelling of beloved Disney hit film cut down to fit in an hour or a show with some plot about believing in magic (or yourself) where the main character learns a lesson with Disney's most beloved characters sing their hit songs. They have great casts but IMO it is hard to compare to something like Royal's Aqua shows, ice skating shows, or a full 2.5 hour production of shows like Mamma Mia. Disney shows are amazing for what they are but Royal is really raising the bar IMO.

I don't recommend upcharge dining for a first time DCL cruiser unless you are lucky enough to score a Palo Brunch (either prior to boarding or by going to dining change request location as soon as you board). The dining rooms and your serving team are an experience in itself. More than likely unless you are sailing during the summer or holidays BBB will be bookable when your booking window opens.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

Disney shows are cute- and short. Most are under an hour. They are good for what they are- either retelling of beloved Disney hit film cut down to fit in an hour or a show with some plot about believing in magic (or yourself) where the main character learns a lesson with Disney's most beloved characters sing their hit songs. They have great casts but IMO it is hard to compare to something like Royal's Aqua shows, ice skating shows, or a full 2.5 hour production of shows like Mamma Mia. Disney shows are amazing for what they are but Royal is really raising the bar IMO.

I don't recommend upcharge dining for a first time DCL cruiser unless you are lucky enough to score a Palo Brunch (either prior to boarding or by going to dining change request location as soon as you board). The dining rooms and your serving team are an experience in itself. More than likely unless you are sailing during the summer or holidays BBB will be bookable when your booking window opens.

Thanks for the info! We’re looking forward to the sailing, and I’m sure we’ll love the ambiance and enjoy the ship. Whether it will make us revisit our Star of the Seas plans for next year is questionable.

 

[John VN]

I wanted to mention to you since I remember you really liking MSC's ship within a ship have you thought about going for Explora Journeys? It's getting quite the buzz over on the luxury/ultra luxury market.

for me but DW sadly is not interested.

 

[JM_97]

I say it all the time - in a perfect world, I would sail with Disney only, but that's not financially possible. I'm actually looking at a cruise now on another line. Disney just isn't the best option for this trip. I'm trying to decide between Royal, Norwegian, and Celebrity.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I love to cruise and I love Disney. I think the ships are beautiful and I can even afford to sail them however, I never will for 3 reasons.

1. The elitist and judgmental mentality I see on the boards about people who choose to sail other cruise lines. I sail Carnival. I don’t drink, smoke or have a single tattoo. I have never seen a fight. I don’t stay up late enough to see drunk people. According to people here that is all there is on other lines. I do like to have fun, laugh, be with my family, relax and see some amazing places.
2. I want to eat dinner when I choose and only with my party. I don’t want to be told like a child when I have to eat. If I choose not to eat in the MDR I want other choices. I don’t want to sit with you or your children. You can’t get that on DCL.
3. I travel with my mom and we need our own real beds. I am not sleeping on a hard sofa after spending so much money. I am not going to make my mom sleep on a hard sofa. We can’t share a queen bed. DCL caters to spouses and not adult travelers who don’t want to cuddle up.

I’ll continue to get my Disney fix at the parks.

 

[tidefan]

They have great casts but IMO it is hard to compare to something like Royal's Aqua shows, ice skating shows, or a full 2.5 hour production of shows like Mamma Mia. Disney shows are amazing for what they are but Royal is really raising the bar IMO.

Well, just hope you don't get CATS like we did on the Oasis. It was the most god-awful thing I've seen (and I had seen CATS before in a traveling Broadway show and liked it). We (and much of the rest of the audience) left before it was halfway done. Funny thing, I looked on Cruise Critic later and that seems to be a recurring theme on the RCCL boards about that specific show...

We tried to watch Grease on Independence OTS, but the sets weren't working, so they did the show as a "concert". It was OK.

On a positive note, the aqua show was amazing. Included food, though, leaves a lot to be desired. I feel like RCCL really wants you to pay for the upcharge dining. It was little things that really turned us off on that sailing (like shutting down the soft serve ice cream at 5:30pm, but leaving the paid ice cream place open until 111:00..., and in-room movies for $12, that kind of thing).

Our non-DCL rota is currently comprised of Virgin Voyages, Princess, and the new Carnival livery. That said, we are branching out to HAL this year and hope to try Celebrity sometime in the future. Oh... and we have a cruise on the Destiny when she comes out later this year.

 

[Girl of the South]

I have only sailed Carnival once - but thought the food was really really good!

 

[JM_97]

I love to cruise and I love Disney. I think the ships are beautiful and I can even afford to sail them however, I never will for 3 reasons.

1. The elitist and judgmental mentality I see on the boards about people who choose to sail other cruise lines. I sail Carnival. I don’t drink, smoke or have a single tattoo. I have never seen a fight. I don’t stay up late enough to see drunk people. According to people here that is all there is on other lines. I do like to have fun, laugh, be with my family, relax and see some amazing places.
2. I want to eat dinner when I choose and only with my party. I don’t want to be told like a child when I have to eat. If I choose not to eat in the MDR I want other choices. I don’t want to sit with you or your children. You can’t get that on DCL.
3. I travel with my mom and we need our own real beds. I am not sleeping on a hard sofa after spending so much money. I am not going to make my mom sleep on a hard sofa. We can’t share a queen bed. DCL caters to spouses and not adult travelers who don’t want to cuddle up.

I’ll continue to get my Disney fix at the parks.

I want to try the Carnival Vista or Mardi Gras out of PC. I've heard great things about those ships and a lot of the new Carnival ships.

When I sailed on Norwegian, I loved freestyle dining. You eat when you want and it felt like a true vacation. Part of me did miss the personalization of rotational dining, but if you don't feel like going to the MDR, no problem. Go with the flow.

 

[mcd2745]

I love to cruise and I love Disney. I think the ships are beautiful and I can even afford to sail them however, I never will for 3 reasons.

1. The elitist and judgmental mentality I see on the boards about people who choose to sail other cruise lines. I sail Carnival. I don’t drink, smoke or have a single tattoo. I have never seen a fight. I don’t stay up late enough to see drunk people. According to people here that is all there is on other lines. I do like to have fun, laugh, be with my family, relax and see some amazing places.

Yeah, I get these are Disney boards and all, but I've never understood the constant disparaging of other cruise lines - particularly Carnival. While DCL is always our first choice, we have sailed Royal, NCL, and Carnival. And while comparisons to DCL (and each other) are inevitable, we thoroughly enjoyed the experiences on each of them. There are things each of them does very well...and some things, yes, where they could do better. That said,, if I could design and develop my "perfect" ship and experiences, I would incorporate elements of all four lines. It certainly wouldn't be 100% DCL.

 

[mjkacmom]

To each their own, but we prefer the main dining approach with DCL... Specialty Dining is truly for a special occasion and/or a special treat... The main dining room is great enough, and we like that the schedule is made for us - one less thing to have to consider/think about...

That was a downside for us on DCL, fixed dining times, with 5 kids it wasn’t fun getting everyone ready in time, and everyone wasn’t always even hungry. I really like NCL’s options of being able to walk into a MDR at ant time, or utilizing the buffet.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I want to try the Carnival Vista or Mardi Gras out of PC. I've heard great things about those ships and a lot of the new Carnival ships.

When I sailed on Norwegian, I loved freestyle dining. You eat when you want and it felt like a true vacation. Part of me did miss the personalization of rotational dining, but if you don't feel like going to the MDR, no problem. Go with the flow.

I’ve been on Vista 4 times! We did a Mediterranean cruise during the inaugural season that was one of my favorite family trips to date. I’ve also been on the other 2 Excel ships and love all of the included dining options and the new sliding balcony doors. My mom and I are already planning to be on one of the first sailings of Excel 4 in 2027.

I have my gripes about Carnival but I have never had anything go so wrong that I said I would never sail them again. I do want to try other lines but my mom is very set in her ways so it must be handled delicately

 

[Gdes1]

I say it all the time - in a perfect world, I would sail with Disney only, but that's not financially possible. I'm actually looking at a cruise now on another line. Disney just isn't the best option for this trip. I'm trying to decide between Royal, Norwegian, and Celebrity.

If you don't mind me picking your brain, do you have any research or recommendations for the best line or ship for Alaska for a family with teens? We like DCL for the beautiful themed decor, shows, the private islands, teen/kids clubs etc. But for such a port-heavy trip (that's not in the Bahamas where their islands are), we don't want to feel like we had to cut land/port time short to go back for a meal or show or something. I figure for Alaska, we will mostly be waking up early to eat and be ready to disembark, will be at port stops/excursions, then going back for dinner, maybe a little entertainment, then sleep and repeat. Everyone seems to say RCL. But, again, would we even benefit from the things the ship offers? I'm honestly thinking we do HA or something that is just clean, comfortable, and decent food.

 

[European]

I can’t help but wonder: those of you who aren’t (or no longer) interested in sailing with DCL, why would you be on a DCL discussion board?

 

[Gdes1]

I can’t help but wonder: those of you who aren’t (or no longer) interested in sailing with DCL, why would you be on a DCL discussion board?

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but there are those of us who have sort of watched things change (and not often for the better) over the years and have some sadness over that and are maybe looking for a place to state that or process it with others who feel the same. And there are even more people who will still sail DCL under the right circumstances, but see more and more reason to sail other lines. For me, if you have only sailed DCL, it can be really hard to take a chance on another line. If you talk to someone who is as devoted to another line as you are/were to DCL, it's not very informative. But finding someone who likes/liked DCL for the same reasons as you do/did, but has given other lines a chance, and can explain what they did and didn't like...that's incredibly helpful when deciding how to spend one's vacation dollars.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I can’t help but wonder: those of you who aren’t (or no longer) interested in sailing with DCL, why would you be on a DCL discussion board?

This Board only has two cruise line dedicated spots DCL and Royal Caribbean which means that while there are two spots available to discuss there's only really two spots to discuss cruising (and I would say traffic to the discussion too).

If there was a Cruise Board for just generic talk it would be nice but that's not really in line with Dreams Unlimited wanting space for DCL and Royal Caribbean. There can be some talk on the general Community Board but IME that's mostly people who don't venture out to other spots of the DIS itself (random travel talks happen on the Community Board though). I don't typically see cruise talk on the Budget board either. So really there's not much space (understandably so) on this Board to talk much about cruising hence tons of overlap mostly on the DCL forum side.

However, there's a lot of overlap in travelers either by features they like or don't like of a cruise line (or lines in general), the sharing of information, the sharing of places to go, new ships, new itineraries, as well as overlap in governmental stuff such as visas or pre-authorization, etc

 

[JM_97]

I’ve been on Vista 4 times! We did a Mediterranean cruise during the inaugural season that was one of my favorite family trips to date. I’ve also been on the other 2 Excel ships and love all of the included dining options and the new sliding balcony doors. My mom and I are already planning to be on one of the first sailings of Excel 4 in 2027.

I have my gripes about Carnival but I have never had anything go so wrong that I said I would never sail them again. I do want to try other lines but my mom is very set in her ways so it must be handled delicately

I've heard great things about both the Vista and Excel class.

Carnival has its flaws, as does Disney and all the other cruise lines. No vacation is perfect!

 

[JM_97]

I can’t help but wonder: those of you who aren’t (or no longer) interested in sailing with DCL, why would you be on a DCL discussion board?

I think Disney is the best, but since I don't have children it's hard to justify it every time, so I've opened up to other lines.