If you sailed many DCL cruises do you think you are bored with it?

[drb116]

I really didn't mean for it to get into price or change in policy. Just wondering if the magic dies after so many cruises. Maybe I could have phrased it that way, sorry!

I think it is related. After 7 cruises, we still love Disney, but the cost factors in. Disney is worth the extra money in so many ways, but that extra value declines over time. Take the shows as an example. They are great productions and I loved seeing them the first time, and in some cases the second or third time, however the value of seeing a Disney show for the fourth time versus a Royal Caribbean show for the first time is different.

We have not done Disney in 18 months now, although we look for cruises all the time. Ever time we look we find Oasis for half the cost, or Anthem/Breakaway out of NYC for a large discount, and these are ships with lots of new places to explore,new activities, and new ports to experience.

So the Disney magic doesn't wear off, but if you love cruising, I think there gets a point where the value of the other cruise lines becomes compelling.

 

[delo4]

We have been on 26 DCL cruises with number 27 and 28 coming up in the next few months, sooo the answer for me is no. We always seem to find different things to do on each cruise. We do, however prefer the newer ships with the Fantasy being my personal favorite.

I have been on other lines, but have not gone back to them since sailing Disney.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I've been on 11 DCL cruises across all 4 ships in the past 4 years. For me the answer to the OP's question is yes. I am pretty bored. I'm no longer wild about assigned dining times. I've seen the shows. I've done the activities I like many times. I'm totally worn out on the same menus. Everything feels very repetitive. I know lots of people enjoy the comfort of what's familiar. I'm not that person after a certain point. I get restless for something new & exciting.

That said, the 3 Disney cruises I have booked are more for the company than the cruise itself. If I had a prayer of getting those friends to do something else, I would!

 

[Sytrace]

We are going on our 6th DCL cruise in 9 days and 24 hours (well, as of midnight that is )
We have been to several ports repeatedly and the magic is still there for us.
My kids are 12 and 13 (soon to be 14) and love the Aquaduck and Castaway Cay most. They enjoy the Edge and activities around the ship. My husband and I enjoy the vacation and of getting onboard and sailing away from work for 4 or 7 days. No phones, no electronics is truly relaxation for us.
We live in Orlando and have annual passes so we do mini staycations at WDW and we can never truly leave the phones behind when we do those trips.
This is why cruises are so wonderful for us as a family.

The magic is still there for us. And I hope it remains that way for many more cruises to come.

PS. I have also sailed Carnival with the kids and my Mom and I am a TA who has been certified in Disney, Princess, Norweigen, RCCL and Carnival.
All of those companies have great ships, routes and kids programs and some have pretty cool perks and offerings, BUT I still cannot bring myself to switch yet. lol

 

[cgolf]

Yes and no. I agree with some that the ship is the destination, but there are some misses that diminish the return trips. Because we have been to most of the Caribbean ports we rarely get off the ship anymore and just enjoy being on the ship. We were really disappointed though on our trip on the Magic last year when they had the aquadunk closed on port days while we were docked. When we were on the Magic just after the dry dock, this is the time when I got most of my drops in.

The other thing that diminishes the enjoyment is that they continue to do the same shows year after year, so we generally don't go to those any more. Also the acts they bring on board really don't change up their shows at all, so we usually sit in the back and take off once we realize it will be the same thing. The exceptions to this are buckets and boards and John Charles, both awesome acts.

All in all we still enjoy it, but would love to see some new shows and acts or coordinate with DCL to have John Charles and Buckets and Boards on for our trips

Would like to add that I would love to see some new itineraries, while staying on the ship is fun, we would love to see some new islands.

 

[mmouse37]

Next month we will be taking our 34th DCL and our 35th is already booked for next August. I just booked the Panama Canal cruise last week. No, I do not find it gets old or boring at all!!!. I still go to the shows every cruise (love them). I still enjoy dining in the MDR's, seeing the same comedians, etc. I just like the Disney ships. Don't really care about the itineraries in general (but do like the special ones like Alaska, PC and the TA) I like the atmosphere onboard, I like the decor, I like the service, I like everything.

Our first cruise ever was the Maiden Voyage of the Magic back on July 30, 1998 so basically we aged alongside DCL, seeing and taking in stride all the good and bad changes over the years. In case anyone thinks we don't know what else is out there we do...we have been on other vacations other than cruises and we have sailed NCL, Carnival, RCCL and Princess. I know there are cheaper options out there but my go to cruise line is DCL.

I really get excited each time we board a DCL ship. We used to be die hard WDW fans until we started cruising DCL. I now prefer cruising DCL than being at the parks (though I still do visit WDW).

I also LOVE traveling with first time DCL cruisers. I love seeing it all through their eyes for the first time. Can't wait to bring our two new granddaughters onboard next year for their first DCL cruise!!!

MJ

 

[clten]

We are leaving on our 39th DCL cruise next week. To be honest, we were ready to jump ship from DCL after our issues on the Magic right after her re-imagining. The activities on board do get stale. Not only don't they change up the shows and cabaret acts, they don't even change up their trivia or other Cruise Staff activities. How many times can you participate or watch Mickey 200's/Chip It/Mickey Mania, etc. If I were not upon the sea is funny, but really not worth the effort on the last night most of the time now. Bingo has gotten too expensive for us (we don't go expecting to win but I'm not paying $60 for 1/2 hour of activity).

Have we been bored on any of our cruises? No, we make our own fun and always enjoy interacting with the crew and other passengers. But I do think DCL needs to look at getting more variety. (That's why I was such a big fan of the now defunct Platinum Experience benefit.) We had several issues on a few of our cruises (unusual noise in our stateroom that they all told us was normal until they came to the stateroom to listen and shook their heads because they didn't know what it was, smell in our stateroom that housekeeping covered up with scented air freshener that my sister was allergic to, and several others). And after very poor treatment getting on not one but two cruises in a row on the Magic (after cancelling the first cruise). We seriously pondered sailing with Royal for awhile. (We've sailed with Royal before and also Princess and have been on short cruises on Carnival). What saved it for DCL was the introduction of itineraries that we found interesting this year and that they are sailing from NY again next year. If it comes to just doing Caribbean sailings, we won't be doing that on DCL because it is old and stale to us and not worth the premium.

So while the latest changes I am not opposed to. I could see if they took away the one thing that was something we enjoyed on every cruise, it might be enough to push us over the edge and even the interesting itineraries wouldn't be enough to draw us back. Not sure what that would be but do understand the people currently disgruntled.

 

[mevelandry]

I have only sailed once (2012) and I had a blast! I have had other vacations but I hope to go back on a DCL next May 2016. I think the magic and fun will still be there.

for those that are a little disheartened with DCL, do you think it partially has to do with how many cruises on DCL you have done? I mean, i would think it would tend to get old after a few cruises on all ships.

Just curious on thoughts

edited to add: if you reply can you say how many DCL you have done? thanks

It will be my second DCL cruise in November and I already know I will need to try something different after that (already booked the Carnival Sunshine who looks just as awesome as the Dream to me)

I go on vacation to break my routine... when vacations becomes a routine I lose interest.

It's like WDW. I've been there 7 times... Tried new hotels every time (split stays). Almost every time I've been to a hotel for a second time, I got bored with it (with the exception of the Polynesian because it was entirely refurbished). And I need a break from the parks.

If I go back to DCL after 2016 I will need a different ship and a different itinerary.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I've sailed only 5 times on DCL (with number 6 in November).

For us, the death knoll for DCL is that we have gone out and tried other cruise lines and enjoy them just as much. We just got back from a 7 night Celebrity cruise to Bermuda, have a 4 night Royal Caribbean cruise booked in November (so it's practically back to back with our DCL cruise) and then a 21 Carnival cruise for January.

I have a difficult time justifying the DCL cost when what is important to us (Service, food, trivia, cabins, non-big show entertainment) are the same or better on other cruise lines for a lesser cost.

I like sailing with DCL. I would rather sail longer or more frequently on other lines for the same cost though.

 

[Fuzzywuzzy]

No.

 

[thumpie's mom]

No, I don't get bored on DCL cruises. We have done 6 with them and will be leaving in less than 2 months for #7 and are booked in 2016 for #8. We love the ship and with the exception of Alaska, have not gotten off the ship on our last several cruises! We always find plenty of fun things to do and the time flies. Even after doing a 14 night cruise, we could not believe it was time to get off the ship. As far as the food, we are not picky eaters so we try different things which keeps it interesting. We all have our favorite dishes we look forward to and would be disappointed if they took them off the menu. We still enjoy watching most of the shows...if it is one we don't want to see, it is a great time to go to the pool. The ship is our little piece of heaven and we enjoy every minute on it.

 

[saraheli]

We've sailed twice and are set to sail next summer on our third cruise. I felt like the first cruise was almost a test cruise for us to figure out what we like and don't like to do (our opinions tend to differ from most on these boards). This summer on our second cruise, we had an AWESOME trip, it was a total slam dunk. We loved everything about our cruise (5 night double dip concierge) that as soon as I got home we booked again for next summer (alas no double dips available but we opted for a 4 night on the Dream concierge with some WDW time beforehand). That said I think after next summer, we likely won't sail again. What I love most about the cruise is that I feel that my kids are at the exact right age to really enjoy it (5 and 8 this summer/6 and 9 next summer). I just don't know if the Disney magic will appeal to them as much as they get older to really warrant spending so much on the trip. At that point, I think we will look for different type of adventures to take together!

 

[Quellman]

I think it is related. After 7 cruises, we still love Disney, but the cost factors in. Disney is worth the extra money in so many ways, but that extra value declines over time. Take the shows as an example. They are great productions and I loved seeing them the first time, and in some cases the second or third time, however the value of seeing a Disney show for the fourth time versus a Royal Caribbean show for the first time is different.

So the Disney magic doesn't wear off, but if you love cruising, I think there gets a point where the value of the other cruise lines becomes compelling.

The other thing that diminishes the enjoyment is that they continue to do the same shows year after year, so we generally don't go to those any more. Also the acts they bring on board really don't change up their shows at all, so we usually sit in the back and take off once we realize it will be the same thing. The exceptions to this are buckets and boards and John Charles, both awesome acts.

All in all we still enjoy it, but would love to see some new shows and acts or coordinate with DCL to have John Charles and Buckets and Boards on for our trips

Would like to add that I would love to see some new itineraries, while staying on the ship is fun, we would love to see some new islands.

It would seem that the current DCL mind set is: Let people share how great our ships are and new people will book. There seems to be less emphasis on creating draws for guests considering a return sailing. The fact that the shows are the same for years is a shame. How hard would it be to rotate shows between, at a minimum, same class ships? Another mentioned source of disappointment is the seemingly low benefits of being in the castaway club vs. other cruise loyalty programs.

The activities on board do get stale. Not only don't they change up the shows and cabaret acts, they don't even change up their trivia or other Cruise Staff activities. How many times can you participate or watch Mickey 200's/Chip It/Mickey Mania, etc. If I were not upon the sea is funny, but really not worth the effort on the last night most of the time now. Bingo has gotten too expensive for us (we don't go expecting to win but I'm not paying $60 for 1/2 hour of activity).

I agree about the staff activities. While the trivia at least can vary some because there are question banks, some of the other activities are always the same. In fact, the adults activities where you have to be "the first team to rush to the stage with a man in a womans bra" games are so predictable people will show up to them with spare bras, lipstick in purses, etc. Really takes the fun out of it, especially for first time cruisers.



As for us, we are disheartened with DCL after 3 cruises but not yet bored. I did inaugural in 1998 as a youth, and then recently the Fantasy twice, same itinerary, once as a double income no kids, and once with a tot under 2. We do have a B2B scheduled next year but will be cruising with family for one of those trips.
Disheartened because as others have mentioned, the value is diminishing. Part of it being newness. We have not yet exhausted the activities available to us so we aren't bored. We still have lots of classes, trivia, and onboard entertainment to see. Variety adds value. I can do trivia on other ships, bingo on other ships, animal folding classes on other ships. I can't do Disney animation classes, Disney history classes, or meet Disney characters on other ships. We are working through the current theater shows but already won't be retuning to see some of them as we didn't care for them. Tangled will be a nice addition, but I wish they would rotate them more frequently. Villains tonight is one of our favorties but some of the pop culture references just don't work as well when it was new and fresh. But recent changes make it difficult to continue justifying staying with Disney long term, especially with our budget. Reduced hot tub hours and the new BYOB are for sure some of the most recent. Mickey Mail autographs was a sad thing but understandable. The sad part is we have to think of something besides Disney, the good part is we will be thinking about something other than Disney. Even with the cost of beverage packages, upcharge dining, and the lack of Disney characters, other cruiselines appear to offer great experiences (my only other cruise was Carnival in Alaska) and we will be much less hesitant to book with them in the future. Not because of boredom but cost and value.

 

[The Sasquatch]

i think it just really comes down to if you are a Disney person or not. And that may change over time as your tastes change. There will always be fans of everything Disney and there will always be fans of something else. These other cruise lines and theme parks wouldnt exist. Just as there is WDW and Universal, there is DCL and RCCL.

We have been to WDW 50+ times as a young couple, married couple, family, etc. We dont get bored and enjoy our vacations every time. We recently discovered DCL after never wanting to go on a cruise and absolutely fell in love with it. We will be gold coming up in April and its only been a few years. Now our vacation tastes have changed, we go to WDW a few days before and after a cruise in the middle. DCL has made our vacations even better and we cant wait to get back on the ship. We also started spending a night in Universal because their parks are amazing. As much as I love WDW, Universal is knocking out of the park with development and Disney needs to catch up. With that said, I dont see the same appeal with RCCL vs. DCL. Yes the ships look huge and have alot to offer but there is just something thats a little cheesy and lacking in the "magic". I say the same thing about the Universal resorts. They are nice and big but there is something missing.

So I dont think we will ever be bored of Disney but we may change things up a bit to make it different. There are many itineraries outside of the Bahamas to explore yet with DCL. I would love to do Alaska, Norway and Canada

 

[cgolf]

It would seem that the current DCL mind set is: Let people share how great our ships are and new people will book. There seems to be less emphasis on creating draws for guests considering a return sailing. The fact that the shows are the same for years is a shame. How hard would it be to rotate shows between, at a minimum, same class ships? Another mentioned source of disappointment is the seemingly low benefits of being in the castaway club vs. other cruise loyalty programs.



I agree about the staff activities. While the trivia at least can vary some because there are question banks, some of the other activities are always the same. In fact, the adults activities where you have to be "the first team to rush to the stage with a man in a womans bra" games are so predictable people will show up to them with spare bras, lipstick in purses, etc. Really takes the fun out of it, especially for first time cruisers.



As for us, we are disheartened with DCL after 3 cruises but not yet bored. I did inaugural in 1998 as a youth, and then recently the Fantasy twice, same itinerary, once as a double income no kids, and once with a tot under 2. We do have a B2B scheduled next year but will be cruising with family for one of those trips.
Disheartened because as others have mentioned, the value is diminishing. Part of it being newness. We have not yet exhausted the activities available to us so we aren't bored. We still have lots of classes, trivia, and onboard entertainment to see. Variety adds value. I can do trivia on other ships, bingo on other ships, animal folding classes on other ships. I can't do Disney animation classes, Disney history classes, or meet Disney characters on other ships. We are working through the current theater shows but already won't be retuning to see some of them as we didn't care for them. Tangled will be a nice addition, but I wish they would rotate them more frequently. Villains tonight is one of our favorties but some of the pop culture references just don't work as well when it was new and fresh. But recent changes make it difficult to continue justifying staying with Disney long term, especially with our budget. Reduced hot tub hours and the new BYOB are for sure some of the most recent. Mickey Mail autographs was a sad thing but understandable. The sad part is we have to think of something besides Disney, the good part is we will be thinking about something other than Disney. Even with the cost of beverage packages, upcharge dining, and the lack of Disney characters, other cruiselines appear to offer great experiences (my only other cruise was Carnival in Alaska) and we will be much less hesitant to book with them in the future. Not because of boredom but cost and value.

I will say that when we did the inaugural Hawaii cruise we were really impressed with how they added lots of special activities and brought on presenters to teach us about Hawaii. Regardless of other things our first Panama Canal cruise will be on DCL because we really liked how they handled the specialty cruise. If they could translate some of that magic to the other cruises it would be awesome.

 

[Quellman]

I will say that when we did the inaugural Hawaii cruise we were really impressed with how they added lots of special activities and brought on presenters to teach us about Hawaii. Regardless of other things our first Panama Canal cruise will be on DCL because we really liked how they handled the specialty cruise. If they could translate some of that magic to the other cruises it would be awesome.

My in-laws are doing the EBPC in a month and are excited and me for them. We looked at past navigators and trip reports. I don't think they will have any worries about finding great things for 14 days at sea!

 

[JimmyV]

I'm no longer wild about assigned dining times.

I do agree with this. Having now experienced "Anytime Dining" on Princess, I think I am done with assigned dining at assigned tables. This isn't merely a "bored with DCL" issue. This is an issue that cuts across all cruise lines. I would have to be really lured by price and itinerary for me to be persuaded to sail on a cruise ship that limits its MDRs to assigned times and tables or rotations. I'm pretty much done with "So...what did you do today?", and "So, what are you going to do tomorrow?"

 

[darkwing818]

To answer the OPs question; after 15 cruises I can truly say, we're never bored on a Disney cruise. We've also not been bored on a RCCL or Celebrity cruise either. But I can see where others might be bored, everyone is different, what works for us, may not be others cup of tea.
We started cruising Disney when our 2 DDs were 8 &10 ( (I think). But our last 5 cruises have just been DW & I. Our girls have graduated college & living on their own. We did however take them with us on our last 2 Disney NYE cruises. For us cruising seems to be a great way to spend a vacation. We can do as little or as much as we want.

* Full disclosure, we've also done the more "tradition" vacations; trips to Hawaii, Australia, Europe etc
** a 2nd Side Note: We still get excited every time, we drive up to the port & first see a Disney ship in the distance & then of course there's the ships horn.

 

[alavoi]

We have done five DCL cruises - one on the Wonder, two on the Magic, and two on the Fantasy. We're not bored at all, although we did decide on our next cruise this fall on the Fantasy to skip some of the shows we've seen already and relax by the pool.

 

[DisneyHelen]

I have done five cruises. My family really enjoy the Magic and Wonder. We like doing interesting itineraries like Alaska, Med and Norway. They are never boring.