Is a Disney Cruise Worth it?

[cgolf]

Yes, I know disney charges for those other things you listed....but so do the other lines. THe point I was making in my post is TO ME, I feel that the soft drinks being included and not paying a cover charge to go and get a burger from one of the quick service places on the pool deck on DCL vs a Johnny Rockets on RCCL are worth the difference. We paid for pictures on RCCL just like we did DCL....and also gratuities, alcohol, (although DCL lets you bring some of that on board too vs the other lines), Bingo, etc......it's the few things DCL doesn't charge for that I personally take advantage of that makes it worth the price to me. And maybe you and your daughter don't drink soda, but some people do. The OP asked for opinions on if we thought it was worth it......I gave mine.....you can't tell me my opinion "is just not true". An opinion is an opinion...nobody said it was fact.....but it is fact that DCL doesn't charge extra in addition to cruise fare for soft drinks or for a hamburger from the quick service on board.

One thing about the soda though is that it ends up being roughly 70-80 bucks per person for a 7 day cruise and when we do our cost comparison for 2 or 3 of us even with the extra cost of the soda, RCCL was much cheaper than even the Wonder out of Galveston. There were hamburgers available in windjammer, but not on deck other than Johnny Rockets. Saying all that My wife and I barely used up our OBC on RCCL, it took some work on the last 2 days to do so. It all depends on what you want out of a cruise, their mdrs and windjammer were plenty good for us.

 

[MUN]

I'm always shocked people would buy a soda package for their kids. My kids have never had a soda in their life and they are teenagers. I don't care about the free soda either. My body can do without that garbage.

I totally agree with you about soda. I call it poison water. The only time I drink soda is when I mix it with booze.

MUN

 

[tinkerone]

Yes, I know disney charges for those other things you listed....but so do the other lines. THe point I was making in my post is TO ME, I feel that the soft drinks being included and not paying a cover charge to go and get a burger from one of the quick service places on the pool deck on DCL vs a Johnny Rockets on RCCL are worth the difference. We paid for pictures on RCCL just like we did DCL....and also gratuities, alcohol, (although DCL lets you bring some of that on board too vs the other lines), Bingo, etc......it's the few things DCL doesn't charge for that I personally take advantage of that makes it worth the price to me. And maybe you and your daughter don't drink soda, but some people do. The OP asked for opinions on if we thought it was worth it......I gave mine.....you can't tell me my opinion "is just not true". An opinion is an opinion...nobody said it was fact.....but it is fact that DCL doesn't charge extra in addition to cruise fare for soft drinks or for a hamburger from the quick service on board.

You are absolutely correct, your opinion matters. From what I read, I don't think that Kashasmom was saying your opinion was wrong. I just think that others, me included, don't see the same thing. Johnny Rockets is not a quick service, its a sit down option that is an extra fee. Its hard to compare that to a walk up like Flo's where you get a true quick service meal and you walk away. There several places on the Oasis to get a hamburger to take to the pool if someone wants one. Also, while you can bring wine onto DCL, you can't bring any hard liquors. That is the same for RCCL. You can bring on a limited amount of wine and RCCL does not charge a corking fee but DCL does. I won't even get into Wi-Fi on the ships, DCL wants your first born while RCCL will give you unlimited streaming for a daily fee of about $10 (or so).
I just don't see the nickel and diming that everyone else does and I keep waiting for it to come. Your preference is DCL and that shows. Mine used to be but I can no longer justify paying almost twice as much. For us, for now, it just does not work. That is my thought, opinion. Yours is every bit as correct for you. Were both right.

 

[RedSox68]

My husband and I are planning to take our 8 and 7 year old boys on a cruise this fall. We have done several Royal Caribbean/Carnival cruises. We have taken them to Disney World. Is a Disney cruise worth the extra expense? What makes it better/different than a typical cruise?

We are looking at November. Does anyone know if any promotions typically come available? I know with Disney the free dining comes out in May for the fall months, and wasn't sure if the cruise promotions followed suit.

In a word -- if you have young children, I would do it once. They are on the higher end price for cruises and there are lots of other cruise lines with kids programs, activites on board, etc. But I always say to everyone with young ones, if you can afford it, do it at least once. We've done 10 and my daughter is now an adult. They would be my first choice in cruising even without a young one, but we can no longer justify the expense when there are other options out there with similar itineraries.

And I have seen very few cruise promotions. Disney doesn't have "sales" like other cruise lines and offer very few sailing incentives.

 

[cruiser21]

I'm pretty sure hamburgers are included on every cruise line.

 

[RedSox68]

I'm pretty sure hamburgers are included on every cruise line.

Even in room service

 

[ChicosWife]

Yes, I know disney charges for those other things you listed....but so do the other lines. THe point I was making in my post is TO ME, I feel that the soft drinks being included and not paying a cover charge to go and get a burger from one of the quick service places on the pool deck on DCL vs a Johnny Rockets on RCCL are worth the difference. We paid for pictures on RCCL just like we did DCL....and also gratuities, alcohol, (although DCL lets you bring some of that on board too vs the other lines), Bingo, etc......it's the few things DCL doesn't charge for that I personally take advantage of that makes it worth the price to me. And maybe you and your daughter don't drink soda, but some people do. The OP asked for opinions on if we thought it was worth it......I gave mine.....you can't tell me my opinion "is just not true". An opinion is an opinion...nobody said it was fact.....but it is fact that DCL doesn't charge extra in addition to cruise fare for soft drinks or for a hamburger from the quick service on board.

 

[KashasMom]

Yes, I know disney charges for those other things you listed....but so do the other lines. THe point I was making in my post is TO ME, I feel that the soft drinks being included and not paying a cover charge to go and get a burger from one of the quick service places on the pool deck on DCL vs a Johnny Rockets on RCCL are worth the difference. We paid for pictures on RCCL just like we did DCL....and also gratuities, alcohol, (although DCL lets you bring some of that on board too vs the other lines), Bingo, etc......it's the few things DCL doesn't charge for that I personally take advantage of that makes it worth the price to me. And maybe you and your daughter don't drink soda, but some people do. The OP asked for opinions on if we thought it was worth it......I gave mine.....you can't tell me my opinion "is just not true". An opinion is an opinion...nobody said it was fact.....but it is fact that DCL doesn't charge extra in addition to cruise fare for soft drinks or for a hamburger from the quick service on board.

I didn't mean to imply that your opinion isn't true. The FACT is that no one can drink enough soda or eat enough hamburgers (even though you can get them FREE on ALL other cruise lines) to make up the thousands of dollars difference in price between Disney and another cruise line. Justifying it may be another discussion, although I think we'd be on opposite sides on that one.

 

[RedSox68]

I didn't mean to imply that your opinion isn't true. The FACT is that no one can drink enough soda or eat enough hamburgers (even though you can get them FREE on ALL other cruise lines) to make up the thousands of dollars difference in price between Disney and another cruise line. Justifying it may be another discussion, although I think we'd be on opposite sides on that one.

Good point. Overall expenses like tips, photo packages, excursion fees and specialty dining are pretty much the same on most cruises. But if you add up what you might spend on the soda that isn't free and the need to buy bottled water onboard and corkage fees, it still wouldn't add up to the $2,000 to $7,000 I have seen in the difference between Disney and other cruise lines I have compared. Granted Disney has a great crew and the split baths and great shows, but you really are paying for the brand overall.

 

[ali_in_al]

We're going on our first cruise ever this fall with DCL. Lots of great info here for future use! Thanks!

 

[RedSox68]

We're going on our first cruise ever this fall with DCL. Lots of great info here for future use! Thanks!

You will love it and it really is magical when you cross the bridge and enter that atrium. Have a wonderful time.