Done with DCL

[Hamitchell]

DCL prices will last until the next recession. There will probably be a reckoning for at least a year or so.

 

[magensbay93]

Glad to know it was not just me feeling like things were just getting more and more expensive with Disney. We have not cruised as many of you with Disney and just completed our 6th cruise on board the Magic in June to Norway which was one of the best vacations we have ever had and truth be told, the price for nine nights was not that more than expected for Fantasy seven night sailing for outside balcony. What really got us though was when we went to the Future Cruise Desk to book another cruise and take advantage of on board booking discount and was surprised that they were eliminating their more and more cruises from any discounts along with any routes that were only 1-2 sailings. I felt at the time they were getting greedy and then when we also priced the Star Wars cruises and new 2016 cruise prices, it was clear, they are getting greedy and it is sad. We love to cruise Disney but at these prices we can save a lot of money cruising with RCCL, Princess or Celebrity or spend the same type of money and cruise on a luxury cruise.

 

[Rogillio]

It is scary trying a different cruise line with your precious vacation time and money. When we booked our Baltic cruise it was pointed out (by people on this board) that we could do the same itinerary with NCL for about 1/2 the price of the Disney cruise. We tought long and hard about it and decided we did not want to gamble. This was a one time deal.....11 days in the Baltic Sea....costing me all my vacation days from work. One one hand we KNEW DCL and were certain we'd love being on a long Dinsey cruise. But NCL was a big unknown. What we sailed and the kids didn't like the kids activities? What if my wife and I didn't like shows....or the cleanliness of the ship or the friendliness of the staff?

So in the end we stayed with the known rather than the unknow. Might we have had a good time on NCL for the same itinerary? Maybe. But we have no regrets! That was the best trip ever and a large part of it was becuase of Disney.

 

[mevelandry]

We are just coming back from Boston where we went on a Whale Watch Cruise (one afternoon). It was absolutely magical... And the first thing that popped in our mind when we left the ship was that "It's the kind of magic that Disney can't offer... even if they were trying really hard". The service itself was just as good.

Breaking news: we have found "magic" and excellent service outside of Disney and that's just one more experience that proves us that we could be just as happy on another cruise line (while saving enough money to pay for a 2nd trip)... DCL have the mouse and princesses. Other cruise lines will have something else that we are going to enjoy.

We have absolutely no doubt that our upcoming cruise with DCL will be amazing... But now deep down inside, we are also 100% sure that we are going to appreciate our Carnival cruise (expecting a different experience, of course) ... probably just as much.

 

[ST1TCH]

Breaking news: we have found "magic" and excellent service outside of Disney and that's just one more experience that proves us that we could be just as happy on another cruise line (while saving enough money to pay for a 2nd trip)... DCL have the mouse and princesses. Other cruise lines will have something else that we are going to enjoy..

Well said. DCL does not have a monopoly on good service and good food in the cruise line industry. The things they have that set them apart aren't necessarily worth the price difference.

 

[Joel0917]

It is scary trying a different cruise line with your precious vacation time and money. When we booked our Baltic cruise it was pointed out (by people on this board) that we could do the same itinerary with NCL for about 1/2 the price of the Disney cruise. We tought long and hard about it and decided we did not want to gamble. This was a one time deal.....11 days in the Baltic Sea....costing me all my vacation days from work. One one hand we KNEW DCL and were certain we'd love being on a long Dinsey cruise. But NCL was a big unknown. What we sailed and the kids didn't like the kids activities? What if my wife and I didn't like shows....or the cleanliness of the ship or the friendliness of the staff?

So in the end we stayed with the known rather than the unknow. Might we have had a good time on NCL for the same itinerary? Maybe. But we have no regrets! That was the best trip ever and a large part of it was becuase of Disney.

for sure..these thoughts run through my head.. But we've sailed this itinerary before with DCL..so for $4000 cheaper...why not.

 

[MousseauMob]

It's true, trying something new is always a bit scary. Remember the first time you ever cruised being worried about whether you will even like cruising? Then falling in love with it. It can be the same branching out on different lines. As much as we love DCL and the Disney touches, we found that what we truly loved more was cruising. It is the cruising experience that has us hooked. So when we cruise other lines, we don't spend all our time comparing them, but enjoy the moment and enjoy what they have to offer. We've found there is no single superior line in all aspects, some are better in some things than others, and this can range even in the same line from ship to ship (even on DCL).

 

[Rogillio]

It's true, trying something new is always a bit scary. Remember the first time you ever cruised being worried about whether you will even like cruising? Then falling in love with it. It can be the same branching out on different lines. As much as we love DCL and the Disney touches, we found that what we truly loved more was cruising. It is the cruising experience that has us hooked. So when we cruise other lines, we don't spend all our time comparing them, but enjoy the moment and enjoy what they have to offer. We've found there is no single superior line in all aspects, some are better in some things than others, and this can range even in the same line from ship to ship (even on DCL).

I remember our first non-DCL cruise. We walked onto the ship and my daughters say, "Daddy, the forgot to announce 'the Rogillio family'!" I said, "Hmmph, I guess the don't that here." Funny the things kids notice/remember.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

It's true, trying something new is always a bit scary. Remember the first time you ever cruised being worried about whether you will even like cruising? Then falling in love with it. It can be the same branching out on different lines. As much as we love DCL and the Disney touches, we found that what we truly loved more was cruising. It is the cruising experience that has us hooked. So when we cruise other lines, we don't spend all our time comparing them, but enjoy the moment and enjoy what they have to offer. We've found there is no single superior line in all aspects, some are better in some things than others, and this can range even in the same line from ship to ship (even on DCL).

I agree.

We try not to do comparisons between the lines when we're actually sailing - it would drive me nuts to sit there all day going - "this is better on Carnival", "this is better on Royal", "this is better on Celebrity".

Each line has its plusses and minuses. Enjoy what you have at the time. Analysis is for when you're selecting your cruise or post cruise, not during the cruise.

 

[jahber]

We are just coming back from Boston where we went on a Whale Watch Cruise (one afternoon). It was absolutely magical... And the first thing that popped in our mind when we left the ship was that "It's the kind of magic that Disney can't offer... even if they were trying really hard". The service itself was just as good.

Breaking news: we have found "magic" and excellent service outside of Disney and that's just one more experience that proves us that we could be just as happy on another cruise line (while saving enough money to pay for a 2nd trip)... DCL have the mouse and princesses. Other cruise lines will have something else that we are going to enjoy.

We have absolutely no doubt that our upcoming cruise with DCL will be amazing... But now deep down inside, we are also 100% sure that we are going to appreciate our Carnival cruise (expecting a different experience, of course) ... probably just as much.

You WILL have fun on your cruise. One of the top 3 vacations we have taken with our family was on a Carnival 8-day cruise. It was just amazing. And that was a week after disembarking a Disney cruise, so Carnival had some pretty big shoes to fill!

 

[CesD]

We absolutely LOVED our DCL cruise last week but pricing out 2017, RC was coming out $2000 cheaper for similar ports, # of days and in a better stateroom... $2k can be a whole other vacation...

 

[MousseauMob]

I remember our first non-DCL cruise. We walked onto the ship and my daughters say, "Daddy, the forgot to announce 'the Rogillio family'!" I said, "Hmmph, I guess the don't that here." Funny the things kids notice/remember.

Yes funny, and what a great opportunity to teach enjoying differences. I had a similar experience when my son asked why DCL didn't have an Eggs Benedict bar with 8+ varieties on the buffet. I turned it to a positive by pointing out all the good things they did have.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

You WILL have fun on your cruise. One of the top 3 vacations we have taken with our family was on a Carnival 8-day cruise. It was just amazing. And that was a week after disembarking a Disney cruise, so Carnival had some pretty big shoes to fill!

Glad you posted this as you hear so many negative things about Carnival. My husband and I have gone on a 4 day and a 7 day Carnival cruise and didn't have any issues on either but our girls have only been on DCL and RCCL. We will probably take our girls on the 8 day Carnival Sunshine in 2017 to celebrate our youngest daughter's graduation. We wanted to take them on DCL again but we just can't afford it anymore.

 

[blondietink]

They have lost our family, too. Just priced a Caribbean cruise for Feb 2017 to celebrate a big birthday for me. Price for 7 night came $1,000 more than the 14 night Carnival one I have been eyeing up. Same type cabin. We love Carnival so it's a no brainer. Have to fly to either port, and the Carnival one ends up close to home, so cheaper airfare, too. Love the shows on DCL, but for that price, we can do without.

They are raising cruise fares the same as park tickets/hotels. Pricing the middle class out, IMHO.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

They have lost our family, too. Just priced a Caribbean cruise for Feb 2017 to celebrate a big birthday for me. Price for 7 night came $1,000 more than the 14 night Carnival one I have been eyeing up. Same type cabin. We love Carnival so it's a no brainer. Have to fly to either port, and the Carnival one ends up close to home, so cheaper airfare, too. Love the shows on DCL, but for that price, we can do without.

They are raising cruise fares the same as park tickets/hotels. Pricing the middle class out, IMHO.

Are you looking at the 14 night repositioning of the Carnival Pride in February 2017? I have to say, I did the Pride Repositioning last March and it was the best cruise we've done!

 

[blondietink]

Are you looking at the 14 night repositioning of the Carnival Pride in February 2017? I have to say, I did the Pride Repositioning last March and it was the best cruise we've done!

Yes, that is the one I am looking at.

 

[iloverags2]

My 50th birthday is in 2016, and the initial plan was to be on a Disney ship for it. However, we are now rethinking those plans because quite frankly DCL has gotten too out of control with their pricing. And gone are the days of Florida Resident Rates (for the most part). We can do other cruise lines for a fraction of the cost...and see new ports to boot.

 

[Ofinn]

My 50th birthday is in 2016, and the initial plan was to be on a Disney ship for it. However, we are now rethinking those plans because quite frankly DCL has gotten too out of control with their pricing. And gone are the days of Florida Resident Rates (for the most part). We can do other cruise lines for a fraction of the cost...and see new ports to boot.

Itinerary is as big a problem as the price. I might be able to justify the price of the Fantasy if it went to some different ports. It's the same old thing year after year.

 

[JenniSurf]

We absolutely loved our Disney Dream cruise & had intended to sail on the Fantasy EC May 2016 in an inside room, but have since cancelled. We booked with Norwegian on the Escape their brand new ship on the same date as the Disney cruise, but out of Miami to nearly the same ports (no Castaway obv) in a mid ship balcony room with 2 ultimate beverage packages (read: free unlimited alcohol lol) for roughly $600 less.
We're a young couple with no children who love Disney, our honeymoon and first 2 wedding anniversaries were celebrated at DL, WDW & DL respectively. We know we'll be back when we have children, but for now we're going to try something different.

 

[JimmyV]

As much as we love DCL and the Disney touches, we found that what we truly loved more was cruising. It is the cruising experience that has us hooked.

Well said. For us, the joy comes from climbing a Mayan pyramid in Belize or going on a whale watching excursion out of Juneau. Or escaping the crowds and heading to a remote beach to snorkel. That is what gets us excited about the vacation. To us, that is the essence of cruising, and those are the memories we take away. Whether or not the butter dish on the ship has Mickey-shaped butter or a first run movie is playing in the theater is beyond irrelevant. Many different cruise lines will help you capture those moments, and all differ in terms of their on board experience. One just has to decide where their comfort level is with respect to the on board experience and how much one is willing to pay for that. I'd love for all my cruises to be on Crystal or Regent or Seabourn. But that isn't going to happen. And I used to be willing to pay the upcharge to sail on DCL. But not any more.