I'm so torn!

[cjsmith]

I'm so torn over what cruise to take in March. We just did another Princess cruise for 10 nights in Europe and while it was great, I miss Disney. I currently have a deposit down on the 4 night on the Wonder for 3/19/06 but I can get an inside and a minisuite for a western caribbean cruise aboard Princess for 7 nights for the same price. I just don't know if I can give up on the 7 night and go back to a 4 night cruise just so I can be on a Disney ship. I've priced out the 7 night Eastern at the same time on The Magic and for a Cat 11 and a Cat 6 it's $2700 more than the Princess cruise. Help me make up my mind!!!

 

[callahanjulie10]

With as much as we love DCL, we love to cruise too. We always are open to new things so I would go with Princess and maybe when DCL has some decent prices out, go then.
I don't think we could go on a 4 nighter, it is just too short.

 

[staceymerrill]

Have you factored in the FL res discount that you have a very good chance of getting for your date reserved? Note that DCL seems to extend FL Res more on 7 day cruises than 3 and 4 day.....Figure on about a 25% additional savings....

 

[krdisneybound]

I know what you mean by another cruise ship might be a little cheaper. If you choose the right one, it is well worth it. I am on the 11 day 9/17 DCL cruise and am looking into canceling it and going with the Norweigian Dawn next year. It is also a great chance to meet additional cruisers from a different perspective.

 

[cjsmith]

Have you factored in the FL res discount that you have a very good chance of getting for your date reserved? Note that DCL seems to extend FL Res more on 7 day cruises than 3 and 4 day.....Figure on about a 25% additional savings....

I haven't factored in the FL res discount as I have no idea whether or not there will be one. It seems like DCL doesn't have to offer them as much as they used to, that's how we did the other 4 cruises so quickly. I've seen so little of them this year.

I do enjoy Princess as well, it's just not DCL. My husband and I did a 7 night out of San Juan on 10/24/04 and then this past 10 night on 7/11/05 in Europe on Princess with the kids. We did do an open booking on Princess which I can apply towards the 7 night. They let you rebook and can have it be an open booking with only a $100 per person for the first 2 people plus we get on board credit that depends on the length of the cruise to how much you get,

 

[staceymerrill]

If you really want to go on DCL, which IMO is unparalleled , why not consider 7-day during a slightly more offpeak time for cruising .....Most assuredly, you would get FL res discount for all October, possibly May, early November, early December. and most of January.....

 

[WDWLVR]

I've cruised other lines and I find it harder and harder to want to look at other lines as we love DCL so much. Plus the friends we've found here on the DIS boards really make the cruise special.

In fact the only way we would consider another line is with some of those friends. We're talking of Alaska in 2007. If DCL goes there then we'll be booking it the first day available. If not - well our group just might have to book another line but we'll all be together!

 

[krdisneybound]

I won't be going to Alaska with DCL - have been there twice already in the past two years on the land tour and the 7 day cruise - both times.

The last time I went totally "free" at the expense of a cruise line that my daughter worked for as a sales rep. that was a true gift. They wined and dined us for 10 days from one end of Alaska to the other.


It is nice to have a change of your cruising partners anyways. I have met cruisers on other lines that I have been friends with for over 25 years. They are true friends and will be forever.

 

[cjsmith]

If you really want to go on DCL, which IMO is unparalleled , why not consider 7-day during a slightly more offpeak time for cruising .....Most assuredly, you would get FL res discount for all October, possibly May, early November, early December. and most of January.....

I can't pull my kids out of school. My daughter will be a senior as of Monday, one son a sophmore and the other an 8th grader, just not fesible any longer. I have no choice but to take the cruises when they're out of school.

 

[mrsdon]

As much as I love DCL. I too have ventured out.
We are taking a RCCL on a new ship called The Freedom of the Seas.
Its a 7 day ane we are paying way less than DCL.
Its going to Jamica and I've always wanted to stop there.
I howerver wil be drooling once the trip reports start rolling in

 

[justmestace]

I had to cancel our Mexican Riviera cruise (the first one) with Disney, because I found out that the kids school started early this year. We would have just gotten back yesterday, and school started Thursday. I was so disappointed, since DCL was so close to us this time. My husband didn't seem to be all that bugged. After talking about it a while.....turned out, he didn't realize that it was DISNEY that was coming so close to us! He said "Well, if I'd known it was DISNEY" It made all the difference to him! It turned out that we DID get to go, only earlier in the summer.....

But we are going to try (for the first time) two different cruise lines. We have a free cruise on Princess at the end of October.....not about to turn down a freebie.....and Norwegian at Christmas. DCL wasn't doing one this year, and we LOVED the 10 night DCL so much last year that we may make Christmas cruising a tradition. The ports we're going to are what make it so attractive. I already know that the ships and the rooms are not going to be what we are used to......and as long as I keep reminding myself that it is NOT DCL.....but that it's okay, because I'm spending time with my family, I should be able to deal with it.
I know that we will be treated like royalty on Princess, as it is a private, invitation-only arrangement, chartered jet, etc.....but it still won't be the same.

Is DCL that great?? YES. I seriously doubt that any other line will compare.
And I don't necessarily see myself as wanting to make the type of life-long friendships that I have made with some of my Disney cruise friends.

 

[cjsmith]

I had to cancel our Mexican Riviera cruise (the first one) with Disney, because I found out that the kids school started early this year. We would have just gotten back yesterday, and school started Thursday. I was so disappointed, since DCL was so close to us this time. My husband didn't seem to be all that bugged. After talking about it a while.....turned out, he didn't realize that it was DISNEY that was coming so close to us! He said "Well, if I'd known it was DISNEY" It made all the difference to him! It turned out that we DID get to go, only earlier in the summer.....

But we are going to try (for the first time) two different cruise lines. We have a free cruise on Princess at the end of October.....not about to turn down a freebie.....and Norwegian at Christmas. DCL wasn't doing one this year, and we LOVED the 10 night DCL so much last year that we may make Christmas cruising a tradition. The ports we're going to are what make it so attractive. I already know that the ships and the rooms are not going to be what we are used to......and as long as I keep reminding myself that it is NOT DCL.....but that it's okay, because I'm spending time with my family, I should be able to deal with it.
I know that we will be treated like royalty on Princess, as it is a private, invitation-only arrangement, chartered jet, etc.....but it still won't be the same.

Is DCL that great?? YES. I seriously doubt that any other line will compare.
And I don't necessarily see myself as wanting to make the type of life-long friendships that I have made with some of my Disney cruise friends.

Wow, you're lucky, a free cruise with Princess. You'll enjoy Princess, especially their personal choice dining. I do love that the best over the traditional dining, but you can have that as well on Princess. Which ship are you on? We were on the Golden both times which is a grand class ship. One thing I can tell you is that the balconies are Princess do blow Disney out of the water, they're so much bigger. We didn't even have the largest on the ship as the minisuites are on the Dolphin deck and the larges balconies are on the Caribe deck (regular balcony cabins) and it was huge, a dining table with 2 chairs and then 2 lounge chairs. You may also be surprised at the cabins, no they're not Disney, but they're still nice. We were very worried about our kids inside cabin compared to Disney, but they weren't much smaller, it just didn't have the sofa. I do love the mini-suites on Princess and will have a hard time going back to a balcony cabin, even on DCL.
I went ahead and used my Princess credits towards reserving the 7 nights in March so I now have that as well as the 4 night DCL cruise. I just have to sit my husband down and figure out which he wants to do with the kids. I would ask them, but it was going to be a surprise for Christmas.

 

[GrumpyMom1]

Wow, you're lucky, a free cruise with Princess. You'll enjoy Princess, especially their personal choice dining. I do love that the best over the traditional dining, but you can have that as well on Princess. Which ship are you on? We were on the Golden both times which is a grand class ship. One thing I can tell you is that the balconies are Princess do blow Disney out of the water, they're so much bigger. We didn't even have the largest on the ship as the minisuites are on the Dolphin deck and the larges balconies are on the Caribe deck (regular balcony cabins) and it was huge, a dining table with 2 chairs and then 2 lounge chairs. You may also be surprised at the cabins, no they're not Disney, but they're still nice. We were very worried about our kids inside cabin compared to Disney, but they weren't much smaller, it just didn't have the sofa. I do love the mini-suites on Princess and will have a hard time going back to a balcony cabin, even on DCL.
I went ahead and used my Princess credits towards reserving the 7 nights in March so I now have that as well as the 4 night DCL cruise. I just have to sit my husband down and figure out which he wants to do with the kids. I would ask them, but it was going to be a surprise for Christmas.

I just have to chime in that I'm happy to hear from someone who has cruised DCL and Princess. I just booked an Alaska cruise on the Sapphire Princess for next summer. We were able to get a mini suite for several hundred dollars less than an inside cabin on the Magic for the same week. It will be interesting to try another line. We still love DCL and hope to cruise them again, but since we can only cruise during the summer when their prices are sky high, it's going to be tough.

 

[justmestace]

We'll be on the Caribbean Princess....I think it's one of the newer, bigger ones. And they are putting us all in mini-suites, but having a drawing for one lucky person to get a Presidential suite (or whatever they call them). I am NOT lucky at drawings, so I'm not holding my breath on that one. I wish I could see pictures of the rooms and balconies on Princess, but haven't found any good ones online....tried all the sites I could come up with. I am looking forward (with an open mind) to trying some of the others, but it is funny that all this time, we never would have done the Mexican Riviera if Disney hadn't come so close to us!

On the Norwegian, we have an Owner's Suite, the largest they have with a balcony. It will be pretty small for us....we have only done a Cat 3 and higher on Disney. Which is why I have to keep an open mind!!