Disney VS. Princess VS. Norwegian VS Celebrity

[fltink]

So my husband had decided on an Alaska cruise for this summer, in September. As much as I would LOVE to do DCL, money-wise, the other companies make more sense. So here's what I need to know... I am a die-hard DCL fan. Been on 14 of them and 2 Carnival (both of which I HATED!). Shread some light on any lines you have experienced other than DCL:

1. How does the food compare?

2. How are their kid-friendly offerings? I'm looking for "club" info as well as just general family-friendly activities.

3. Am I making a HUGE mistake???

 

[Happy99]

Food - Celebrity for sure
Princess is one of the companies which has visited Alaska the longest and gets first pick in ports when selecting itineraries for the following year.
My kids are young adults now so we didn't try the kids club on Princess but I heard they have gotten with Discovery Kids
I am not a fan of the nickle and dime NCL does, I like their ships and the shows are good but didn't like the other part of it. Food is so so and I would say on par with DCL which I don't think has great food either, other than the upcharge restaurants.

 

[Pens Fan]

We have sailed on both DCL and NCL in Alaska and loved both cruises, though for different reasons. NCL had the best itinerary (for us) as we wanted a one way cruise that allowed us to spend time in mainland Alaska, which we absolutely loved. The DCL one was, well, a Disney cruise - so yeah, we loved it. Alaska was spectacular, as well, but we didn't get to go to Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier which we did with NCL (DCL does offer a few Hubbard Glacier cruises on occasion).

That being said, I'll try my best to answer your questions.

1. Food is subjective. We all have different tastes. For us, hands down, NCL was better. We loved the variety of the restaurants and felt overall the food just tasted better than on DCL. Disney food isn't bad, it's just kind of bland and unimaginative for our palate. Others will disagree with me, and they won't be wrong. We all just like different things. On NCL there is no assigned dining rotation. You eat where and when you choose, which we love. Others don't care for that because it does require some preplanning and making reservations ahead of time. That doesn't bother me and I greatly prefer it to DCL's assigned rotations and tables.

2. I can't speak to the kid's club as our son was 19 at the time we sailed NCL. I will say this, though, NCL isn't even in DCL's universe when it comes to being kid-friendly. There is a reason we waited until our son was 19 to try them. The shows are definitely geared for adults, and some are completely inappropriate for children (though this will be clearly stated in the Dailies). If you take one of the new ships, though - Bliss or Joy they do have a lot of things for older kids - go karts ($$), laser tag ($$), virtual reality games ($$), some really big water slides, etc. NCL is definitely trying to move to a lot more family oriented activities on their new ships, I believe. If you are on one of the older ships, there will be a sports court, but that's about it (maybe an arcade??). You didn't say how old your kids were, but I'd recommend really checking out any NCL ship you are interested in to see if there is anything your kids would enjoy.

3. Are you making a mistake? I can't answer that. You said you are a die-hard Disney fan, so I'll say this. Unless you are totally committed to forgetting about Disney for this trip and just focus on a wonderful cruise to Alaska, then yes, you probably are. But if you go into it with an open mind and get excited about all of the wonderful things you'll see in Alaska, then I think you can have a great time. We were a bit nervous to stray away from the Mouse. But our last two cruises have now been on NCL, as will our next two upcoming. So obviously, we enjoy it. But all of those were taken with just adults. YMMV.

 

[fltink]

Food - Celebrity for sure
Princess is one of the companies which has visited Alaska the longest and gets first pick in ports when selecting itineraries for the following year.
My kids are young adults now so we didn't try the kids club on Princess but I heard they have gotten with Discovery Kids
I am not a fan of the nickle and dime NCL does, I like their ships and the shows are good but didn't like the other part of it. Food is so so and I would say on par with DCL which I don't think has great food either, other than the upcharge restaurants.

Ok, fair enough. Thanks for the feedback. Is it possible to do Norwegian WITHOUT a lot of upgrades and additional charges?

 

[Vicki106]

We sailed on the Ruby Princess last summer for the reasons that you have listed. We sailed in a a mini suite and an inside directly across the hall, for about 1/2 the price of 2 insides on DCL. (At least I think it was 2 insides.) Cruise was great and we loved Alaska. Some things we liked better than DCL, but more that we didn't. Food was fine. But we missed rotational dining, and the wait staff was just okay. Room Service was good for breakfast and we were able to eat our our balcony. My kids were 17, 14, and 10. The youngest only went to the kids club on Glacier Bay day to listen to the park ranger talk. My husband took him and picked him up. They both said it was chaos with little kids interrupting and yelling. My son never went back. My teenage daughters went to a couple of events at the teen club. They enjoyed a late night dance, maybe it was called a prom? To be honest, none of my kids are huge fans of the kids clubs anywhere, so maybe not the most useful review. We absolutely loved the naturalist on board. He gave multiple talks and also narrated from the bridge in Glacier Bay. The entire "North to Alaska" series that they put on was entertaining and educational. We loved it. The shows were hit or miss for us. The singers and comedians were awesome. The Broadway shows weren't great and one was actually a hot mess. We were missing DCL for sure. Also the atrium was overcrowded with tables of discount stuff for sale. And the public restrooms started to go out of order throughout the ship and they didn't ever fix them, Really strange. The Navigator-like daily schedule was organized with a section for each age group. And on the last day it had a recap of the weather, port of call and shows ... for the entire cruise. I really liked that. The pools were bigger than on DCL and not as crowded, but we were in Alaska where it got cool at night. Of course, Glacier Bay isn't available on DCL, and we really wanted Glacier Bay. Anyway, we prefer DCL, but for Alaska, Princess was fine. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll try to help with an answer.

 

[KashasMom]

Ok, fair enough. Thanks for the feedback. Is it possible to do Norwegian WITHOUT a lot of upgrades and additional charges?

I'm not sure what nickel and diming Happy was referring to. We didn't find that with NCL (actually we don't find that with any ship) - especially since they have the choose 3 promos (or whatever is offered at the time). We did the Bliss to Alaska in August and it was just okay. I'm not a fan of NCL because they really don't have any family friendly shows. We didn't have much to do at night. They also don't have a lot of family activities and what they have is usually out in the atrium, which is huge and noisy (surrounded by guest services, a bar, internet, and a bunch of other things). It's been too long since we've cruised Princess or Celebrity so don't want to comment on them.

 

[fltink]

Yikes. Now I am worried.

 

[Tasmen]

I can't speak to Princess or Celebrity but I can to NCL and DCL.

NCL

• Lots of food choices though some do require you to pay for them. We rather enjoyed our meals
• If you drink, you can sometimes get an unlimited booze package as a perk. This can help defer the costs.
• Depending on the ship, the spa > DCL for sure. We spent so much time in the spa when we were on the Escape.

DCL

• Service, service, service. Hands down, felt more 'special' on DCL than we did on NCL.
• Cleanliness of the ship was incredible.
• Towels... I hate checking out towels. You don't have to do that on DCL.
• Pools. I give this to DCL over NCL (or at least the Escape). NCL doesn't have the best layouts and it's insane trying to get a chair
• Kid's clubs - this one I give to DCL as my child likes those clubs better. NCL is very structured. We do this at this time and all kids must participate. DCL has activities but also lets them free range in the club too if they want to just sit there and draw for hours on end.

That was a little more than you asked for Overall, we pick DCL over NCL. That said, itineraries reign supreme and we wouldn't hesitate to go on NCL again if the ports were to our liking.

 

[lilsonicfan]

If the money savings is big, and I bet it is, I do not think there is much to fear. I'm not sure what line you chose. We are booked on Norwegian next year, we last sailed them in 2011 when DS1 was 2yo and at the time they actually accepted 2yo into the kids clubs... he loved them. My kids have been in kids clubs on Princess and also had a blast. I like that ages are actually divided instead of being a free for all like on DCL. There is also more structure which is (IMO) better than leaving kids to iPads as often happens on DCL.

I agree that DCL does everything they can to make you feel special. Sometimes it's almost over the top. But it's amazing and you always feel assured that your needs will be met, and with a smile to boot. I agree that isn't always the case on other lines, but I am very low maintenance and sometimes would actually prefer less fuss. Rotational dining on DCL is nice, but we loved the flexibility of just showing up when we wanted, on other cruises.

I will also say it's hard to compare b/c DCL has one ship that goes to Alaska - the other lines have several. NCL has some of its newest and biggest ships going to Alaska.

We chose NCL for Europe next year because the price difference was staggering. DCL would have set us back $18,000-$30,000 or so depending on the exact itinerary we chose. NCL offered a newer/bigger ship (attractive for my growing boys) with a longer itinerary, free specialty dining or beverage package, for $6,600. Total no brainer. DCL might rock, but it doesn't rock to the tune of $12,000-24,000 more for a single cruise. I say this because Alaska is about the scenery and the ports almost more than it is about the ship, which I would also say about cruising Europe.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So my husband had decided on an Alaska cruise for this summer, in September. As much as I would LOVE to do DCL, money-wise, the other companies make more sense. So here's what I need to know... I am a die-hard DCL fan. Been on 14 of them and 2 Carnival (both of which I HATED!). Shread some light on any lines you have experienced other than DCL:

1. How does the food compare?

2. How are their kid-friendly offerings? I'm looking for "club" info as well as just general family-friendly activities.

3. Am I making a HUGE mistake???

1. Can only address Princess/Disney. I think the food was better on our Princess cruise.
2. No experience with kid's clubs on either, but I've read that Princess has a good kid's club.
3. You're not making a mistake by booking another line. Just be prepared, it won't be Disney, but other cruise lines are also good.

About Alaska - of the lines you've mentioned, Princess has been doing Alaska the longest, and has the most permits for Glacier Bay (and generally the better port call times). NCL also has some permits for Glacier Bay. DCL doesn't. And neither does Celebrity.

 

[mevelandry]

So my husband had decided on an Alaska cruise for this summer, in September. As much as I would LOVE to do DCL, money-wise, the other companies make more sense. So here's what I need to know... I am a die-hard DCL fan. Been on 14 of them and 2 Carnival (both of which I HATED!). Shread some light on any lines you have experienced other than DCL:

1. How does the food compare?

2. How are their kid-friendly offerings? I'm looking for "club" info as well as just general family-friendly activities.

3. Am I making a HUGE mistake???

I'm curious to know which (2) Carnival cruise ships you sailed on?

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

One thing that I don’t think has been mentioned yet is the variety of ships NCL has. Each class is so different, it really matters to our family. My daughter, who was 8 at the time loves DCL (still does) but hated The Jade because there was nothing for kids. No slides, and the pool was too cold to go in (Canadian cruise in Sept). However, we just went out he Epic, which has 4 different slides, and a much bigger kids area. She loved it compared to the Jade. Although she would still choose DCL over NCL any day. You also have to consider how port intensive it is. If you’re always in port, why pay for the premium of the DCL amenities? Also, NCL charges you if you want them to feed your child dinner. DCL does not. You just have to show up at the right time. Also, NCL has. 2 hour minimum that the child cannot sign himself out, even if he has self checkout privileges. We liked that, but our 10 year old did not. For Alaska, I would personally choose a ship that also has a land tour for four or five days before or after the actual cruise. We really enjoy the land portion of the vacation because you got to see the real interior of Alaska, not just the ports with the cheesy shopping and lumberjack shows. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I can't speak to other lines, but we sailed DCL to Alaska this May. I had looked at other lines, but didn't think there would be much for my 8 year old. Many folks have the view that Alaska is all about the ports, so the ship doesn't really matter. I can appreciate that, but there's lots of ship time on the typical Alaska itinerary. If you can find an itinerary that includes port stops nearly every day, then I would agree that the ship likely doesn't matter. If your itinerary includes 3 port days and a glacier viewing day (like the DCL itinerary), then it's really no different from a typical Eastern Caribbean sailing from a ship time point of view. You may spend more time off the ship during your port days in Alaska, but with 3 sea days (including the glacier viewing day), being on a ship with little to appeal to your sailing crew could be an issue. You know best what works for your family and your budget, but I don't regret sailing with DCL at all. Definitely consider each itinerary and, as others have noted above, the specific ship. The ships vary quite a bit on the larger lines. Good luck with your planning. Alaska is amazing, no matter how you get there!

 

[cruisehopeful]

I have been on Princess and would love to sail with them again for an Alaskan cruise. I have been on DCL for Alaska twice before. I would choose Princess over DCL for Alaska.

1.) Food is better and more plentiful on Princess. The buffet room is open almost all of the time vs. DCL Cabanas has limited hours. There's food everywhere on Princess.

You can book rotational dining if you want to. We did mostly because my husband has dietary restrictions and I thought it would be easier if we had the same servers every night, which we did. They were fantastic. I enjoyed our dinners on Princess much more than on DCL.

2.) We didn't do Princess with kids. I did see that there was an active teen club. The pools are much larger, we had an indoor pool as well as several outdoor pools. It looked fun for older kids.

3.) You are not making a big mistake unless you have young children or you cannot stand the idea of sailing away from DCL. Princess isn't as clean as DCL. Portholes at the coffee bar were often dirty - I've never seen a dirty porthole on Disney. The public restrooms were often out of order. The captain had to keep announcing not to flush stuff that wasn't toilet paper. It was very odd. Other than that, it was great.

The itineraries on Princess are better. DCL starts off with basically 3 sea days. Kids were getting restless and were unsupervised often during the sea days. If it is raining or very cold, the sea days are really long and having 3 in a row is brutal.

 

[Dug720]

I will be on Celebrity in Feb. And NCL in July 2021. So I cannot comment on them.

I have cruised RCCL to Alaska and they were fine - entertainment was lacking compared to DCL quality. Food was fine, but food is subjective.

I personally would not cruise Princess as they are part of the pollution (purposeful discharge of waste) issue Carnival has recently been charged with. I will not support a company that blatantly breaks the law and still gets permits into what is supposed to be a protected national park.

 

[Karlzmom]

I can weigh in on DCL, Celebrity and Princess. We are a family of 3 with a son that has cruised from age 9-14.

We started with DCL and really enjoyed it. I was actually "worried" to switch to Celebrity for a cruise with my parents. Then I tried it! No, we didn't have "rotational dining" but we did have the same servers every night who learned our preferences and did card tricks with my son. The rooms were just as nice and the "nightlife" for the grownups was better. I was blown away when my son said he preferred Celebrity's kids program over Disney. He felt that he actually go more individual attention (less kids) and a more varied programming than with Disney. I was thrilled the price was significantly less, even with specialty dining and adult beverages as it permitted cruising more often. We alternated a bit between DCL and Celebrity, typically short DCL cruises due to the relative cost and frankly I began to get a bit jaded at the notion of how much "Better" DCL was supposed to be. Sure, it was nice, but so was Celebrity. Although Celebrity did it at half the cost. Add in the OBC options and "perks" that could be had (tips paid, drinks included) and it was really hard to justify sailing DCL. Over time we did notice that DCL can be a bit repetetive, something we did not experience with Celebrity.

Our next hop was over to Princess because a group of friends was sailing. Again, I was a bit skeptical but found Princess and Celebrity to be more alike than different. The biggest issue I have with Princess is that you need a "deluxe balcony" on Regal/Royal princess or a minisuite to have a sleeper sofa. As none of us want to sleep hanging off the ceiling it does limit us a bit in cabin choices. We have done fixed and "anytime dining" on Princess and I've decided that I prefer "anytime." No, I don't always have the same table and server but I do tend to go the same dining room and they have been very willing to place with a preferred server if there is availability. The best part is being able to structure our evening based on what we feel like doing and how our day broke out. We all love the daily included tea service. Again, my son loves the kid's program. The cost is comparable to Celebrity and OBCs and "perks" are plentiful. So far this year we have sailed 15 nights to Hawaii and are getting ready for a week in Alaska - for far less than what we could have ever imagined spending. We certainly would not have spent 3 weeks this year on a DCL ship! My son again loved the kids program. Princess has partnered with Discovery Channel to do some of their programing which he enjoys very much (for examply star-gazing).

We have had fairly active internet groups for the Princess cruises that set up various optional group activities, so it still feels comfortable and friendly. The other lines do have casinos, but they really don't change the "vibe" its just an option if that is your thing. Both have outdoor movies over the pool. Celebrity has a lawn up top to sit and take in the world which I enjoy. Food is subjective, but for me the other lines are a bit more adventurous in their regular food and I find the variety and flavor superior. There are more options for food, from wine bars with Tapas (snack with your purchased wine), to sushi (small fee) to an included sit down pizzeria. Some would say that you are "nickle and dimed" but it doesn't feel that way to me and the ample OBC offers really offset any extra charges if the reduced prices don't make you feel better from the start.

At the end of the day, we would certainly cruise DCL again but its not a "must do" any longer. I'd rather cruise more often and for a longer stretches. We now look when we want to go and then compare options confidently.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

 

[Bonnie1222]

I have been on Princess and would love to sail with them again for an Alaskan cruise. I have been on DCL for Alaska twice before. I would choose Princess over DCL for Alaska.

1.) Food is better and more plentiful on Princess. The buffet room is open almost all of the time vs. DCL Cabanas has limited hours. There's food everywhere on Princess.

You can book rotational dining if you want to. We did mostly because my husband has dietary restrictions and I thought it would be easier if we had the same servers every night, which we did. They were fantastic. I enjoyed our dinners on Princess much more than on DCL.

2.) We didn't do Princess with kids. I did see that there was an active teen club. The pools are much larger, we had an indoor pool as well as several outdoor pools. It looked fun for older kids.

3.) You are not making a big mistake unless you have young children or you cannot stand the idea of sailing away from DCL. Princess isn't as clean as DCL. Portholes at the coffee bar were often dirty - I've never seen a dirty porthole on Disney. The public restrooms were often out of order. The captain had to keep announcing not to flush stuff that wasn't toilet paper. It was very odd. Other than that, it was great.

The itineraries on Princess are better. DCL starts off with basically 3 sea days. Kids were getting restless and were unsupervised often during the sea days. If it is raining or very cold, the sea days are really long and having 3 in a row is brutal.

Can I ask which Princess ship you sailed on?
DH and I had 2 cruises booked for 2020 - 1 on Princess which includes 4 days on land and 1 on Disney. We have since cancelled DCL because it was the same price as the extended Princess and I didn't like the round trip to Vancouver - I truly feel we will be missing too much.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Can I ask which Princess ship you sailed on?

I was on the Star Princess. I would have no problem sailing on that ship again.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We just went on the Island Princess northbound to Whittier Cruise with a three night land add on, and it was wonderful!

We were six adults, and we had varying opinions on the food. No one thought it was bad, but no one thought it was fantastic, “good” is the consensus, with the buffet rating “very good” and service “excellent.”

It was too cold for most to take advantage of Movies under the Stars, but we did watch Disney Nature Bears on the in Room TV.

The whole nature experience was EXCELLENT! A naturalist was on board for the whole cruise, and two Park Rangers came on in Glacier Bay NP.

Night shows varied so much from Excellent (Encore) to poor enough to walk out, a comedian. Encore was the first show I had seen on any ship to be on par with Disney’s!

I would not go to Alaska again without booking a land component. Seeing Denali caps the experience and makes it complete, IMO.

 

[Bonnie1222]

I would not go to Alaska again without booking a land component. Seeing Denali caps the experience and makes it complete, IMO.

I am very glad to hear this as it was my biggest reason for cancelling DCL and staying with the Princess we have. I want to see Anchorage and Denali.