Has anyone cruised on another cruise line after Disney?

[cathie]

We have been on 3 Disney Cruises & loved them. Has anyone ever been on Carnival or RCCL after doing a Disney Cruise? We loved our DCL cruises so much I don't know if any other cruise line could compare! Thanks for any info. Cathie & The Gang

 

[kcashner]

We did 2 cruises on another line before DCL. DD has been on DCL from the Club thru the Lab, and celebrated her 13th birthday in THE STACK. She had no desire for any other ship....her only regret is that she was only young enough for the CLub on our first cruise (7/31/98)....so she's thinking she may have to grow up and become a counsellor in the club.

 

[TheWog]

Haven't done it yet, but am booked on RCI's Enchantment of the Seas in January without DS7. DCL was our first cruise ever.

 

[NCRedding]

we cruised RCCL Radiance to Alaska in July of 2002, and found that DCL is still the best!!

 

[tezb]

Just this past June we cruised the Mariner RCCL after only cruising DCL (3 times). We now like RCCL better since we have older kids/teens and there is so much more to do. We also felt DCL was lacking in the night life for adults who have older kids and are now able to have a life again!! DCL is a great cruise line but RCCL has more for our family needs at this time. RCCL is also so much cheaper...1500.00-2000. cheaper for family of 5!

 

[MandM]

We've been on 3 DCL and RCCL Explorer of the Seas. RCCL is very nice, lots to do, skating rink, rock climbing wall, miniature golf and more adult night life. We are going on 4th DCL (Sept 4th Eastern) with grandma but our next one will be RCCL. Kids are getting older now...

 

[cjsmith]

We're taking our first non Disney cruise with Princess out of San Juan on 10/24. This will be our first cruise without the kids as well! I'm alittle anxious as I love DCL so much so we'll see how it goes. My husband keeps telling me to have an open mind so I enjoy the cruise. I'm hoping it goes well as I want to book a cruise in Europe next summer for all of us and Disney isn't over there.

 

[CamColt]

We are going on Norwegian in a few weeks. Ill be sure to post comparisons when we return.

 

[Chattyaholic]

DH and I took a 4-night Carnival Fantasy cruise after our first Disney Magic cruise, and just two days before our second Magic cruise. For the money we spent ($299 each, inside cabin) we thought it was a great bargain and we had a terrific time on the cruise. I love Disney, but I'm also looking forward to trying other cruise lines more too.

 

[tstobb]

We're sailing on the Mariner next month after 4 DCL cruises. It was a tough decision to switch (had already booked DCL) but the price difference swayed us. We're still spending a few days before at WDW so it won't be a completely Disney-free vacation and we'll let everyone know how it works out.

 

[Shebbieal]

We have done DCL 3 times, 2 with kids, 1 time me and hubby.

We have also done Princess (no kids) on the Grand Princess.

We went on RCCL 4 times, Majesty twice, Enchantment, and Navigator.

After saying this, I would do Disney and RCCL again ANYTIME!! Princess was kinda bland, nothing really negative but no "wow" factor at least for us.

Each line has pros and cons, I honestly feel no cruise is a bad cruise. I, for one, like all the available cruise lines depending on where I want to go, and exploring different ships!!

Right now, we have 2 cruises booked, A Panama Canal on Brilliance of the Seas in Dec, and a 15 night cruise/tour on Vision of the Seas (both RCCL).there will also be a Disney soon too. We do prefer the Magic over the Wonder also.

Sherry

 

[mickeymom923]

I did 5 Carnival cruises before doing Disney last Aug and they were nothing like Disney. I wanted to do Disney for MY 50th birthday and thought it was awesome. My teens said they had the best time on Disney because there was so much to do. We did Carnival again last Dec and my teens were bored. Doing the Wonder 8/19/04 and RCCL Voyager of the Seas 12/18/04. My son wanted to do Disney for his high school graduation gift and we are.

 

[TraSee]

We went on RCCL last Feb...huge mistake...too spoiled by DCL!

 

[glindamood]

We sailed on the Island Princess last August to Alaska - gorgeous ship but I prefer Disney's food and service. I don't gamble so the casino was not a bonus and I honestly didn't feel that the extra adult activities were great either. That 'magic' just wasn't there.

 

[ruvidu]

We went on a Coral Princess South bound cruise in Alaska this past May. After 4 trips on the Magic we were disappointed in the Princess cruise.
#1 No trays in the buffet line. You had to juggle a drink, a plate and your silverware while getting your food. There were no servers to help at any point.
#2 No beverage station. Coffee and tea were available at the buffet line only.
#3 Food was no where near as good.
#4 Servers were rude and could never remeber our beverage preferences. They continued to try to sell us wine every night even though we had told them we did not drink wine.
#5 Rooms were smaller and the bathroom was a joke. We had a Cat. B balconey room which I thought to be equal to a Cat. 6 on the Magic. It did not come close.
#6 Embarkation was a madhouse.

Maybe if we had never sailed with DCL it would have been a different experiance.

I guess we are jaded.

Russ

 

[jazstar87]

Im going on the princess sapphire to alaska in a week, but i know it is not going to compare to disney.

 

[momof3luvs2run]

DH and I went on RCCL Song of America in 1991 for our honeymoon. We LOVED it. No complaints at all. We haven't cruised since that time -- things like kids, etc. has delayed us. We are excited to be taking our 3 kids on Disney's 4 night cruise. Will see how it compares to RCCL. I have a feeling it will exceed our expectations.

 

[legs22]

I've been on one DCL in 2001. I just can't bring myself to cruise another line! Have been saving up for another DCL scheduled for May 2005. DD will be 7 and can be in the club again.

 

[goofydadeo]

I've read an awful lot about non-DCL cruises and wanted to experience the difference first hand. This May we did the RCCL Voyager 5 night Canadian Cruise. Because it was still a bit early for warm weather in Canada it really allow us to experience all the Voyager had to offer. First, let me say the VOS is a very nice but extemely large ship. I found it perhaps a bit more opulent than the Magic or Wonder! We stayed in a Junior Suite which was super. RCCL has Disney beat in this area. Our room was outstanding considering the price we paid. Our kids (DS10 and DD6) loved the kids clubs but I must say from a parental perspective it was a pain to pick them up since they close twice daily. Furthermore you have to pay for childcare after 10pm! As far as the food was concerned Disney wins easily. The RCCL food was barely average. Our servers were great and the stateroom attendant got us a couple of complimentary RCCL robes to use. The Spa, also operated by Steiner, was impressive and perhaps a bit nicer overall than the Magic, however there is no Rainforest (thermal suite). The entertainment was good - we had a nice time at the shows (definitely for an older crowd -- Broadway stype dance reviews). We had a delightful guest performer, the Platters! They were great! Disney could learn from RCCL on using more guest perfomers. Overall I will stick with Disney for now. Disney just has a more "magical" feel. On RCCL I felt a little bit like I was lost in a herd, where on Disney my experience was much more personalized!

 

[JerseyMom]

Originally posted by CamColt
We are going on Norwegian in a few weeks. Ill be sure to post comparisons when we return.

CamColt - I am going on the Norwegian Dawn in November - I will be anxiously awaiting your thoughts on NCL.