First Time Cruiser-Whats so Great about DCL?

[Tinkrbell]

Alright, I've never been on a cruise before, but everyone says Disney is great for the kids.

Whats so great about it? All I've ever heard about it(from these boards) is that it is extremely expensive, LOTS and LOTS of extra hidden charges(sodas, meals(palo), ice cream,drinks, castaway cay activities, towels, please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Its hard to get reservations for dinner. Hard to get reservations for a spa treatment. Hard to get your kids into the flounders reef.

PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE, tell me WHY I should go on a Disney Cruise?

And, how much nickel and diming actually does go on?

Thanks

 

[NancyDVC]

First let me say that I am waiting for my first DCL cruise this September.
I have cruised before on another cruise line to Bermuda and loved it.
All cruise lines charge for alcoholic beverages anywhere and regular beverages outside of meals, spa treatments, excursions, special meals (Palo or its equivalent) etc.

Towels? I believe that you get towels in your room every day and at the pools or CC. As for charging for towels that would probably only be when you buy a beach towle for a souvenir.

And don't you get ice cream at meals for free? As well as most drinks free at meals (with the exception of alcoholic ones).
And there is the free drink station.

Think of it when you go on a 'land vacation' you pay for the hotel, the meals, the drinks, the activities, the snacks the souvenirs etc.
On the cruise the 'hotel', the meals, the drinks at meals, and most activities are included.

Besides DCL has Disney magic. I have watched the Travel Channel's cruise shows and to me DCL is definitely one of the best. The way you are treated, the attention to detail, the way they think of how to accomodate all age groups-just wonderful.

You want to go because of the Disney magic. And this board can help you do it for less $$. Lots of posters have great ideas for saving $.

I know that most of us are Disney nuts and that's why DCL is the best to us, but I have met some non-Disney nuts who feel that this is one of the best cruise lines around.

 

[magic cruiser]

We have been cruising for 28 years.Our children are grown, but compared with 6 other cruise lines we prefer Disney !!

All ships have "hidden costs". You'll always pay extra for the specialty resturants. But we're only talking about a $10 service charge.And the food is cooked to order and very good!All ships charge for sodas, however sodas are free with your meals.Oh, Raddison Cruise Line doesn't "charge" for sodas.But believe me with their upscale prices, you DO pay for them.I don't believe you pay for towels on Disney, but I have heard of paying a deposit for towels on other lines.

Getting back to your original ques...WHY choose DCL ?? You get what you pay for. The staterooms are larger than most, you have two bathrooms, the best kids' programs on the seas, the friendliest crew on the seas, beautiful, classy ship...clean, just like the parks,activities for everyone, 5star spa, outstanding food...huge shrimp, filets, lobster,Mickey Bars, chocolate volcanos,the best brunch anywhere,hamburgers & hotdogs to gourmet !!!!

Yes, you can find cheaper cruises , but you'll never find ships like theMAGIC or the WONDER ! I've been there,done that.Just got back from the NCL Star around Hawaii. It was the ONLY time I wished that I was still on land ! Seriously ! Try it you won't be disappointed. Nothing's perfect, but the overall experience can't be beat IMHO !!

 

[Figment56]

We went a few years back and had a great time! I researched a lot before we went. We found out how much tipping was and set all that aside, so when it came time, we just made up our envelopes. Mostly only alcoholic drinks are extra. I believe sodas and milks and such are included in price. Find out as much as you can before you leave, that way you are prepared for things. There are extra costs for activities on Castaway Cay and other islands, but again, research it first and find out what you want to do the most and spend your money on that. My husband and daughter went parasailing and had a great time. I had no problem booking any of my requests except for swimming with the dolphins in Nassau. I found out I could book my own reservation for the same price as Disney at the very same place!
Good luck and have a great time-we did!

 

[WDWLVR]

I've been on over 15 cruises over the years - the last 5 with Disney. Let me see if I can help answer your questions.


Whats so great about it? What is great is that Disney always does things top notch. They pay attention to the details. They are tops in entertainment and they know children's programming.

All I've ever heard about it(from these boards) is that it is extremely expensive, LOTS and LOTS of extra hidden charges(sodas, meals(palo), ice cream,drinks, castaway cay activities, towels, please correct me if I'm wrong.) Yes Disney is more expensive than other lines. Mostly because they don't have a casino and all the extra income that brings in. Sodas - all ships charge for them (Disney does give them free at dinner. Palo - many many ships that offer alternative dining charge extra for it. Disney is unique in that you get 3 different dining venues at no extra charge - only Palo has the fee. Drinks - you'll pay for those on any line. Castaway Cay activities (snorkeling, bikes, etc.) again you would pay extra for those on other lines and only Disney docks right at the island! Towels? Towels are available free of charge at the pools, as you leave for a Disney excursion and on Castaway Cay.

Its hard to get reservations for dinner. Hard to get reservations for a spa treatment. Hard to get your kids into the flounders reef. Palo reservations are not hard to get if you are flexible. They are harder to get on the 3 and 4 day as you have less days to offer it over the same number of passengers as a 7 day. To be honest we only did Palo on our last (5th cruise). While I would certainly do it again I really don't think I missed out by not going on the first 4. Spa treatments - again if you are flexible you most likely will be able to get what you want. The hard ones are the massages on Castaway Cay and the Suriel Bath. Flounders Reef? Can't help you there as we don't have kids.

.And, how much nickel and diming actually does go on? This is personal opinion, but I honestly don't think DCL does nickle and dime. Is everything all inclusive? No, but they clearly spell out what is and isn't. When you think about what is included in the price (all your meals (except your surcharge at Palo), great entertainment, a beautiful ship, and the chance to go to many wonderful ports of call (the most beautful of which is Castaway Cay). I think it is a very good value.

PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE, tell me WHY I should go on a Disney Cruise? Only YOU know after doing your reseach if it is right for you and your family. Don't just do it because everyone else is. Do it because you want to

 

[PenskeSth1]

We went on our first Disney Cruise last Nov. We had a wonderful time. The kids loved the kids clubs. The crew is so friendly, I don't think we came across one soul who wasn't. The rooms are very spacious. The shows were wonderful. It is just being on the Disney Cruise alone that makes it magical. Kids enjoyed the farewell on Friday night getting to meet all the performers and characters, that was great and we got some wonderful pictures.
Our cruise was cancelled the first time we were to go, so perhaps that is one reason we feel this cruise was a little more magical.

The Buffet at Topsiders is also free and we really enjoyed that also.

They have a free ice cream and fruit bar up on the top deck. I went and got fruit a couple times a day and brought it back to the room, that was my addiction while cruising.They also have a pizza and hamburger place up their that you just walk up tell them what you want and they give it to you, NO CHARGE there either. If you choose not to get the soda card deal, yes you have to pay for that then.

At dinner Soda is free, but you do have to pay for any alcohol. We brought our own soda and drinks in a soft sided roll on cooler.

Room service was free, we just tipped a few bucks every time. Cheese platter was great.

We found no hidden costs that we did not expect anyway. We knew about the photos from reading these boards, and those are up to you if you want to buy them or not.

We did buy popcorn and some candy at the snack bar outside of Walt Disney Theatre. wasn't to bad though.

We did go to Palos, at $5 a person we felt it was worth it.

Didn't do any spa things so can't give any advice on that one.

At CC we did the banana boat excursion, it was like $14 a person maybe $7 I can't remember. But You pay for excursions on any cruise right? DH did the parasailing which he loved. We did rent tubes and rafts. All worth it IMHO. We cannot wait to sail DCL again!

 

[clh2]

As the cruise director said during our disembarkation talk - some final bills slip right under the door, others will land with a thud.

We didn't do any spa treatments (I'm not a "spa" kind of a gal), we didn't buy any "fru-fru" drinks. We did get 2 bottles of wine, and had them last us over the 4 nights. We did get the soda mugs, which let us drink unlimited pop throughout the cruise. Our biggest splurge was probably the unlimited access at the internet cafe.

While we were only charge $5 each for Palo, it is now $10 pp.

Our bill just "whooshed" under the door.

Some people have the opportunity to spend lots, others are much more frugal.

There really are no "hidden costs" as long as you do your research, and know what to expect.

 

[3 things]

1. Have you been to Disney World etc. and thought it was special? Disney does a great job of bringing that specialness to the cruise experience.
2. My kid is all grown and living on the east coast, but that doesn't mean my wife and I are 100% grown. We were on the 7 day Western cruise in March and had a GREAT time. We've booked our next Disney cruise for next April.
3. And like anything else, figure out what you're going to spend money on and what you are not. We had very few extra expenses while we were on the ship. (We had booked with AAA so we got all of our sodas free, but we had a drink or two each day, bought a limited number of souvenirs, and went to Palo's 2 times for dinner and once for brunch - don't miss that experience... the extra money was worth it for that...)

And finally, some of the other cruises are a little cheaper. Only you can determine if the extra $ is worth it for you... But for us, it was worth EVERY PENNY!!!!!

 

[Muushka]

I agree with everything everyone has said. In addition, I would like to add that on our recent cruise experience we were never made to feel 'cheap' because we did not buy something-wine at dinner or special coffees at the adult coffee place (what is that called-cove something?). We were never bugged poolside or at CC to buy drinks.

We booked the REAS package to avoid the problem with the Palo and Spa reservations. We were even able to bring the champagne from the REAS gift basket to Palo to have with dinner.
The only extra things we bought were Palo brunch ($20.00-a bargain), one smoothie, a diecast of the Magic ($12.00) and a can of ginger ale from room service ($1.50) and tips for the massage (cannot remember how much that was). My husband thought he would not be able to make it without the refillable mug, but he did just fine. The occasional water or punch was just fine, and we could order soda at dinner (free).

Not too much nickle and diming to me. And we were able to find a great price for the cruise, it was about $300 more than a Royal Caribbean cruise to the same ports (more or less). I am glad we did it for a first cruise, it felt so familiar.

 

[Greysword]

It may be difficult to agree with the opinion of all the happy fanatics on this board about what is great about DCL, so as I have yet to go on my own cruise, I wanted to contribute by posting what Frommer's (the cruise experts) have to say about DCL:

The Experience
The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder boast a handful of truly innovative, Disney-style features, including a rotating series of restaurants on every cruise, cabins designed for families, Disney-inspired entertainment, and the biggest kids' facilities at sea. It's innovations like these that set Disney's cruises far apart from peers such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. In many ways, the experience is more Disney than it is cruise (for instance, there's no casino or library). On the other hand, the ships are surprisingly elegant and well laid out, and the Disneyisms are subtly sprinkled, like fairy dust, throughout their mellow, art deco– and art nouveau–inspired interiors and grand, classic liner–inspired exteriors. Head to toe, the ships are a class act.
In the spirit of Disney's penchant for organization, its 3- and 4-day cruises are designed to be combined with a Disney theme park and hotel package to create a weeklong vacation (though you can book the cruises separately). They even whisk you from Disney World to the ship in a fleet of custom Disney buses.

The Verdict
The only ships on the planet that successfully re-create the grandeur of the classic transatlantic liners, albeit in a modern, Disneyfied way.

Cabins
The Disney ships offer the family-friendliest cabins at sea, with standard accommodations equivalent to the suites or demi-suites on most ships. All of the 875 cabins have at least a sitting area with a sofa bed to sleep families of three, a bunch also have a pull-down wall-bunk to comfortably sleep four, and nearly half have private verandas. The ships' standard outside cabins are about 25% larger than the industry standard. Family suites have private verandas and sleep four or five comfortably. Outside cabins that don't have verandas have jumbo-size porthole windows.

Entertainment

Disney's fresh, family-oriented entertainment is a standout and unparalleled at sea. In the nostalgic Walt Disney Theatre, on one of the best-equipped stages found aboard any ship, actors disappear into trap doors, fly across the stage, and go through endless costume changes. After-dinner performances by Broadway-caliber entertainers include Disney Dreams, a sweet musical medley of Disney classics, taking the audience from Peter Pan to The Lion King; Voyage of the Ghost Ship, an adventurous musical with a pirate theme; and Hercules, A Muse-ical Comedy, a salute to the popular Disney film.


http://www.frommers.com/activities/cruise/line.cfm?linecd=DISNEYCR

These are quotes from their website and you can find it at the link above. Frommer's has their own book as well as doing the Cruising For Dummies books. You should be able to find them at your public libary (as I have).

You can cruise a lot cheaper on other lines, and they may have better service in some areas. Based on the quotes above, however, Disney provides an experience that harken the days of TransAtlantic Oceanliners (even the QM2 preview in Frommer's doesn't say that), and you get the outstanding service and excellence in productions and interaction that had made Disney famous for over 50 years.

Thats my stoey and I'm sticking to it

 

[kcashner]

There is a small library on the Magic....

The "hidden charges" are really minimal. Sodas are free in the dining rooms. You pay for them from the bars...however, lemonade, milk, iced tea, hot chocolate, fruit juices, etc. are free all the time. We just don't drink sodas except with meals.

Towels are free in your room and on the pool deck, and are provided for you on excursions. Don't know where the idea started that there is a charge for this. Some beaches charge for towels IF you didn't bring your own from the ship!

Ice cream is free in the dining rooms AND at the ice cream bar (Scoops). Again, don't know where your info came from.

Yes, you pay for excursions. Snorkeling/swimming is free at Castaway. You pay to rent snorkel equipment. If you bring your own, you snorkel free. THere is music, dancing, hula hoop contests, kid activities, etc. all free. So...if you choose to pay for excursions, that was a choice, not a necessity.

Never had a problem with and reservations...Palo costs $10 per person. My DD was always older than Flounder's Reef age, so I won't address that one. I have always gotten Palo, spa, or whatever I wanted without a hassle. We plan to arrive at the port at or before noon. I do realize there is a bigger ressie hassle on the Wonder (we've sailed 10 times on the Magic). WOnder has only half as many days, so only half as many ressie slots for same number of cabins.

I find very few "hidden" charges. You can drop a bundle on smoothies, sodas, photos, etc. OR you can drink sodas in the dining room, take lots of pics with your own camera, and purchase sparingly.

 

[clarabelle]

A few things that are important to me:

Disembarkment- with Disney you pretty much walk off the ship and grab your luggage- With many other lines you have to wait your turn- usually in a bar until you are called -I dreaded the idea of doing that with small children.

The shows. I don't think my children could have enjoyed any shows more than Disney Dreams and Hercules. Watching their faces light up when they saw a character they knew was worth a lot to me

The characters. They LOVED seeing the characters around the ship. We have some wonderful photos!

 

[soccercruiser87]

Disney Cruise Line is just the best cruise line, nothing beats it. It offers everything. And you will have a great time.

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Please delete...

 

[lori saxman]

I have not yet been on my first DCL vacation (booked in July and I can't wait!!) but I have been on RCCL (which is just ok in my book) and I can tell you after reading (a lot) the kind folks that have posted their comments before me are the reason I have voted to go with Disney. I have been to WDW many times from as young as a child -adulthood and I love the place. Look, you get what you pay for. Read other cruise line forums, I bet you will not find people like the DIS. They are the best, and I have a feeling this vacation with my family in July will be too.

 

[crisi]

There aren't many cruise lines where your four year old announces "Mom, Mom....guess what...we had a party last night, and Stitch came and he taught me to HULA!" (Insert mental image of four year old hula dancing).

That said, we waited until our kids were three (actually four) and potty trained (that's why four) before investing in a Disney cruise. We REALLY wanted to take advantage of the kids programming. Flounders is a nice way to get some adult time, but its a nice way to get some adult time - not a great way for your baby or toddler to take a vacation. I know a lot of people have great DCL vacations with babies and toddlers, but if you are worried about getting nickle and dimed, you may be better off waiting until the kids programs are included in your child's fare and you aren't "surprised" by the bill at the end.

Likewise, although we spent quite a bit, we didn't feel pressured to spend anything (well, except tips - you need to budget for tips). We paid for liquor because we wanted to. We never had a pop outside of the dining room - the kids were fine with the free lemonade and fruit punch. We didn't do spa appointments (didn't take time). We did buy photos and souvieniers, rented snorkle equipment and took one Disney sponsered excursion. We didn't bother with Palo - we may not have any idea what we are missing, but we didn't miss it. But it is possible to walk off the boat having had a wonderful time, never stood in line for reservations, even gotten a couple character autographs without large lines, and not spent a penny other than tips.

 

[MariettaC]

EVERYTHING!! My daughter has suggested RCCL for our next cruise and I can't believe they will be able to top a Disney cruise.

 

[MO Disney cruiser]

I'll ditto everything said and add....

DCL really doesn't nickle and dime you to death. We've sailed on RCL a couple of times and it really feels like they do that more than DCL.

On RCL litterally every 5 minutes (or less) someone bothers you to see if you want anything from the bar. I may purchase 2 fru fru drinks total on a cruise. That kind of thing just makes me uncomfortable.

I just don't get that kind of feeling on DCL.

 

[jrabbit]

I can't believe that no one's mentioned Castaway Cay. Most people say that it's the reason for the cruise! A clean, beautiful beach where Hakuna Matata rules - no worries, and no one bugging you every few minutes to braid your hair or sell you something. You want something to drink - a waiter will be there with one for you (even if you are out in the ocean!!). For those of us who don't live near the ocean, this place is the best - or as the kids say - Castaway Cay Rocks!!