I have a confession...

[UGAFan0829]

Well, fellow DIS'ers, I feel there is something that I need to confess...as some of you know the DH and I took our first cruise ever aboard the Disney Wonder on 1/13. I was a little disappointed after looking back on the whole trip, but it wasn't because of anything that Disney did. It was simply because it was our first time and we just didn't have as much time to do all the things that we thought we could have. So what I wanted to say was this...after leaving the cruise, we thought that we might again one day book another cruise. I was even looking into Royal Caribbean, which I know some of you have cruised before. But let me just say this...I just don't know about cruising on another line besides Disney. The thought of it just scares me. I just don't think that things would be as magical and that I would feel as safe. I know that may sound very close-minded and silly, but I just am afraid to cruise with anyone else but Disney. So with that being said, I am trying my best to rebook another cruise...4 nights this time...for sometime early nexy year!

 

[GoofyFD]

Good to know!!

 

[allears]

Our first cruise was a 4 night and we found that was no where near enough time. And in September our 7 night was shortened by Hurricane Jeanne to 4 days and five nights. That was way too short. We are in love with the 7 night cruise.

I know what you mean about staying with Disney. We've only cruised with DCL and are unlikely to go else where. That's not to say that other lines don't do a great job and each one has things it does differently. I think cruising is simply awesome in general. We've come to the conclusion that we are now pretty sure of what we're going to get when we pay for our Disney crusie. We have not yet been disappointed in our cruises. So we know the product. We also enjoy the fact that we now know the routine and our way around the ship. That allows us to get into the fun faster. We are also self professed Disney freaks, so we love the entire atomosphere and Disney's magical touches.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I know exactly what you mean! We went on our first cruise ever and we chose DCL. I felt very safe with Disney and not once was afraid to leave my children under the Disney care at Kid's Club (Oceaneer Club/Lab). I knew we were in good hands and we knew that the service would be top notch...and what we recieved was a SUPERB service.

I dont think I would want to cruise with a different cruise line. I really would like to stick with DCL. The "magic" is there.

 

[BuzzMan]

As you can tell, you are not alone in wanting to stick with Disney. I bet cruising on other lines is great and I may do it some day. But, I will be certain that my itinerary does not include any port call on the same day that the Magic or Wonder will be there. I just don't know how I would react to being on another ship and seeing those red smoke stacks or hearing that magical horn.

 

[disneysooz]

We have no intention of looking at any other cruise lines at this point. DD is only 5, so we will most likely stay put until she is quite a bit older. She is all about Disney and so am I, so I doubt we would be impressed with any line for a while. We are set for September 2006, and maybe DH and I will sneak away (alone!) for a 4 day on the Wonder in April of this year, if I can pull it off! We'll see...
Susie

 

[dbond]

We have been on other cruise lines and find ourselves ALWAYS comparing our experience to DCL. No other line measures up in our opinion. You might find better ports, different amenities on the ship, but the overall experience is never equal. IMHO.

 

[jclark3]

Our first cruise was Carnival, the second was Premier's Big Red Boat and that's when we saw The Magic... I remember thinking, "If we can only afford a Disney cruise someday..." Well, that was 4 years and 2 Disney cruises ago. And we're booked for another one this spring. I seriously checked into RCCL's Mariner but as I was verbalizing the pros and cons, DS14 said "Mom, I don't think you're going to be happy with anything but a Disney cruise." I think he's right... No casino, strong family themes, fewer smokers and drunks all add to the Disney experience for me.

 

[allears]

"No casino, strong family themes, fewer smokers and drunks"

This is one of the big draws for us as well. I don't have to worry about my kids wandering into areas I don't want them to be around. We really enjoy the over all wholesome atmosphere of the Disney ships.

"But, I will be certain that my itinerary does not include any port call on the same day that the Magic or Wonder will be there."

LOL, this was so us. We sailed on the Hurricane Jeane cruise in September, and long story way short, our best friends and their three girls were on with us as a wish trip. Our friends had already booked a cruise on the Carnival Glory for this February, for just the two of them. Because of the delay in the start of our crusie, DCL refunded 40% of our fare. We were a hairs breath away from booking on the same cruise so we could all go together. But the thought of standing on the deck of the Glory, with the Magic docked right next to us at Port Canaveral was too much. So we booked a trip for just my DW and I on this past 1/15s sailing of the Magic.

We know other lines do a great job and have lots to offer, we're just too sold on the DCL experience and the fact we KNOW we'll have a great time. Our children are 17, 14 and 8, and have cruise 4 times on Disney. It has been the perfect vacation for all of us, because each age group is well attended to. My oldest will be 18 when we next plan on cruising and is no less excited about going back to the Magic than we are. They just love the ship, the people we've gotten to know on board and we're all big Disney fans!

 

[becobscot]

Our first cruise was RCI Enchantment of the Seas and our second was Disney Wonder. I have to say I enjoyed both. The shows were better on Disney of course but the service was just as good and the food was quite a bit better on RCI. As for the Kid's Clubs, of course Disney had much larger and nicer facilities but my son enjoyed the clubs on both ships and I did not feel bad leaving him at the club on either ship. That being said, the RCI cruise was much less expensive. I plan to cruise both lines in the future, but I will have to save up and make the Disney Cruise more of a special occasion experience due to the increased cost. I also did not see drunken debauchery on the RCI ship( I think Carnival really has the rep for that). Just my $0.02! Cruising itself is a wonderful vacation!

 

[232271]

What does RCI stand for? is it royal caribbean, I just thought it was RCCL

 

[logan1_2000]

I know what you mean, I find the 4 niters--I have done three, two DCL and one RCCL--too short, and am very excited about the next 7 niter, which will be our second 7 niter. So 3 was not near enough when you went!

I am doing a RCCL 4 niter next February because I just can't get some friends of mine to do a 7 nite cruise with us. We did the 1st 4 night cruise with them, and want to cruise with them again. I dont care much for the bahamas, so for a 4 nighter w/ them we have to look elsewhere, and frankly I wanted to go farther south so I found a 4 night western caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale. I'll spend the entire time comparing to DCL. And since we want to cruise w/o the kids, to get away, I would feel guilty cruising DCL w/o DS. After all, he isn't RCS, he is DS.

There are many good feature of other cruises, and I suspect when DS gets older he would be interested in other cruise lines. Already DS skipped Disney Dreams on the Wonder this month, he was too busy shooting hoops up on Deck 10. But smaller staterooms and smokey casinos dont entice me. So for now, its DCL.