Is Disney starting to slack compared to other cruises?

[cruiser21]

I like DCL or I wouldn't be going on my 15th cruise. I feel like some people on this board get really defensive about DCL. Am I Wrong? Am I imagining this? In the real world I'm not into political correctness at all. On a message board I try not to call things other people like dumb or stupid or criticize another cruise line that someone else likes that I haven't even sailed on. I find most of that unproductive to a discussion. As much money as I've given the Mouse or Carnival or NCL. I just don't have that defensive feeling others a have.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

I like DCL or I wouldn't be going on my 15th cruise. I feel like some people on this board get really defensive about DCL. Am I Wrong? Am I imagining this? In the real world I'm not into political correctness at all. On a message board I try not to call things other people like dumb or stupid or criticize another cruise line that someone else likes that I haven't even sailed on. I find most of that unproductive to a discussion. As much money as I've given the Mouse or Carnival or NCL. I just don't have that defensive feeling others a have.

I don't know that I've really seen defensiveness as you say, as much as just defending gratuitous attacks on DCL. I have read many threads where people sort of come out of nowhere and want to criticize DCL, which is fine if it's fair, but I'm talking about attacks on pricing when the topic was something entirely different than that, and then of course you get defensive responses to that. I mean really, I've read through many many comments at this point and universally the big criticism comes down to $$$. That's at the heart of any criticism.

 

[cruiser21]

I don't know that I've really seen defensiveness as you say, as much as just defending gratuitous attacks on DCL. I have read many threads where people sort of come out of nowhere and want to criticize DCL, which is fine if it's fair, but I'm talking about attacks on pricing when the topic was something entirely different than that, and then of course you get defensive responses to that. I mean really, I've read through many many comments at this point and universally the big criticism comes down to $$$. That's at the heart of any criticism.

Yes I can see where cost would be the number one criticism. I haven't seen gratuitous attacks, but I guess that's all about perception. It's funny to me when you offer suggestions on what you'd like to see in a new ship and people get mad like your criticizing DCL. Except for the fact that I've been on 15 cruises on Disney... so I kind of think I've earned the right to make a few suggestions. I'm never shy about offering my opinions at the officers Gold and Platinum meeting. They always seem to appreciate hearing opinions on how they can approve. On our last cruise I had three servers come around at Cabanas doing a survey on the food. I told them what I liked what I didn't like(the bad poolside food). Good Company's are always trying to improve and I think they appreciate their loyal customers opinions. I know where I work were always trying to make things better not just stay the same.
I've enjoyed this thread and this topic. It's passed the time while I've been off work this week.

 

[chaseg03]

Yes I can see where cost would be the number one criticism. I haven't seen gratuitous attacks, but I guess that's all about perception. It's funny to me when you offer suggestions on what you'd like to see in a new ship and people get mad like your criticizing DCL. Except for the fact that I've been on 15 cruises on Disney... so I kind of think I've earned the right to make a few suggestions. I'm never shy about offering my opinions at the officers Gold and Platinum meeting. They always seem to appreciate hearing opinions on how they can approve. On our last cruise I had three servers come around at Cabanas doing a survey on the food. I told them what I liked what I didn't like(the bad poolside food). Good Company's are always trying to improve and I think they appreciate their loyal customers opinions. I know where I work were always trying to make things better not just stay the same.
I've enjoyed this thread and this topic. It's passed the time while I've been off work this week.

Im definitely not throwing DCL under the bus. Im just saying disney might became a midsize cruise line in 10 years. With the new cruise ships being 135,000 tons that will be half the size that RCL ships will be in 10 years. Im afraid when Im an adult this cruise line will be something I don't want to go on. I just love thrills, I love taking life threatening risks. Im hoping the new ships will be something else or I plan to quit disney cruising. I get it thats its geared towards family but believe me, as a teen I feel a little less excited about the cruise every year. I just don't feel as pumped as last years than I do my next (3 days!!!). Im still excited but IM starting to rely on port excursions like atlantis to give me fun and thrills. And just curious why is everybody bagging the poolside food? Just curious.

 

[godde8ss]

There were many for and opposed to a change to the fleet. But, all the comments seemed centered around rock walls, rope courses, celebrity chefs and the like. Is there no Casino crowd? I have to say, this is a major reason why many of my friends will not sail Disney, and why they fear it is for families only. On the flip side, if Disney is trying to align with other lines, why not take away stuff? No more sodas included, no free movies, and down grade production of shows, Castaway Cay becomes more of a beach, and less of a destination that stands alone, and decrease the kids club staff and offerings. It is a different product and Disney SHOULD BE innovative, but I think, in its own way. To do something for the sake of matching another line's offerings, would be "copy-catting"... not imagineering.... I also think if the price point were lowered, this thread does not have so much dissension on it...

 

[cruiser21]

Im definitely not throwing DCL under the bus. Im just saying disney might became a midsize cruise line in 10 years. With the new cruise ships being 135,000 tons that will be half the size that RCL ships will be in 10 years. Im afraid when Im an adult this cruise line will be something I don't want to go on. I just love thrills, I love taking life threatening risks. Im hoping the new ships will be something else or I plan to quit disney cruising. I get it thats its geared towards family but believe me, as a teen I feel a little less excited about the cruise every year. I just don't feel as pumped as last years than I do my next (3 days!!!). Im still excited but IM starting to rely on port excursions like atlantis to give me fun and thrills. And just curious why is everybody bagging the poolside food? Just curious.

Love hearing from a teen. Food is subjective. My family likes Carnival food better especially my teens. The Disney defensive people will get mad and say Guy is s loud mouthed ...He may be I've never watched his show, but his burgers are better then Disneys. Not a slam on Disney Just my opinion. My teens wii eat Disneys poolside foodI I can't stand it. We all have different tastes.

 

[cruiser21]

There were many for and opposed to a change to the fleet. But, all the comments seemed centered around rock walls, rope courses, celebrity chefs and the like. Is there no Casino crowd? I have to say, this is a major reason why many of my friends will not sail Disney, and why they fear it is for families only. On the flip side, if Disney is trying to align with other lines, why not take away stuff? No more sodas included, no free movies, and down grade production of shows, Castaway Cay becomes more of a beach, and less of a destination that stands alone, and decrease the kids club staff and offerings. It is a different product and Disney SHOULD BE innovative, but I think, in its own way. To do something for the sake of matching another line's offerings, would be "copy-catting"... not imagineering.... I also think if the price point were lowered, this thread does not have so much dissension on it...

I don't think Disney should match other cruise lines I think they should be better. I expect their new ships to be something we've never seen. Something incredible with an incredible price tag. I'm not expecting them to be a carbon copy of the Fantasy.

 

[aVASTGrl]

Some people like what you call stupid things. Some of us like Guys burgers I personally don't think the thing that extend into the sky look dumb. I think they might be fun. Why so negative? It's great you feel so strongly about DCL, but why do you feel the need to slam other cruise lines and the people that like them. Not all of us only pay for ourselves and like other options that are more affordable for our families.
As far as Disneys market. I'm guessing it's not single young solo cruisers. It's families. Yes child free adults sail DCL, but letss be honest that's not their bread and butter.

Single, young(ish) solo cruiser right here. Good to know that ageism, and judging others' lifestyle choices is alive and well.

To be honest, I was so busy on my cruise that I didn't even have time to try out the watercoaster or even swim in the pools. I never felt like the ship was lacking anything for me. But if you're looking for a more "adventurous" cruise, maybe try one of the other cruise lines. I can't say you won't miss Disney, but you'll still have a great time!

 

[cgolf]

I don't know that I've really seen defensiveness as you say, as much as just defending gratuitous attacks on DCL. I have read many threads where people sort of come out of nowhere and want to criticize DCL, which is fine if it's fair, but I'm talking about attacks on pricing when the topic was something entirely different than that, and then of course you get defensive responses to that. I mean really, I've read through many many comments at this point and universally the big criticism comes down to $$$. That's at the heart of any criticism.

I have been getting tired of people that claim to have only sailed DCL rave about DCLs superior service over everyone else, which I want to know where they based this info on? It is not everyone, but when I did my RCCL and DCL compare review on here barely got any comments and it was unbiased and fair with DCL coming out looking ok, except in one key aspect. I think some people may have been interested had they read it.

Also when some of us that have sailed them for say eight years and say the service is declining, we get skewered. I was a fan boy for a long time, no more though. DCL is just a line we will price out and if it is a good value we will book it.

And no I don't necessarily care if DCL makes their ships with all the walls, slides, extendy arm thing like some other lines. We cruise for different reasons, we liked the stuff on the freedom, want to try Celebrity which has less than DCL, and the Magic which is somewhere in the middle is the best ship for us.

We love to cruise and take advantage of what is on each ship and have always found a way to enjoy the trip. Some are up tempo and some are slower paced, but all are special in there own way.

 

[deanimal]

To answer the original question: In my opinion, yes. Or at least partly yes. We started cruising with kids in 2011 and at the time I'd say Disney was head and shoulders above the rest in the "family friendly" cruise category. But in the past six years it feels like there are other cruise lines that are rapidly gaining ground. I don't know if DCL is slacking off, per se, but there are others that seem to be trying harder. We cruised NCL for the first time with kids last spring and we were blown away by the activities, dining options, pools and even the kids clubs compared to Disney. The only areas where I can say Disney was definitely better were the shows and Castaway Cay vs Great Stirrup Cay.

Maybe it's just an inevitable result of being on top of the heap in their category for so long. It's a competitive industry and the competition never stays still. We still love Disney but the market has changed in the past few years. For some people Disney will always be their number one choice. But anyone who just assumes that it's the "best" cruise line for families without shopping around is doing themselves a disservice. I love Disney cruises but I also love getting the best value for my vacation dollar.

 

[squirk]

-Partnering with big food stars Guy Fiere.

You lost me right there.

 

[cruiser21]

Single, young(ish) solo cruiser right here. Good to know that ageism, and judging others' lifestyle choices is alive and well.

To be honest, I was so busy on my cruise that I didn't even have time to try out the watercoaster or even swim in the pools. I never felt like the ship was lacking anything for me. But if you're looking for a more "adventurous" cruise, maybe try one of the other cruise lines. I can't say you won't miss Disney, but you'll still have a great time!

I said Dinsey doesn't market themselves to young solo cruisers. Families are their bread and butter. How is that judging someone's lifestyle choices? I have no idea what anybody's lifestyle choices are on these boards. If you watch Disney commercials you will see its marketed towards family. Yes that doesn't mean young single or married couples childless couples can't enjoy Disney. If you look around the ship though it's mostly families, and lot's and lots of kids.
Is calling someone young considered ageism now? I wish I was young. Good grief. At one point in my life I was a young, solo, female traveler. Good times.

 

[dragynally]

My point was if people like things that DCL doesn't have and are upset that DCL is so pricey they should cruise other lines. A lot of people on here say they're just as good as DCL so it shouldn't be an insult or defensive to say you can cruise any ship.

 

[Dug720]

My point was if people like things that DCL doesn't have and are upset that DCL is so pricey they should cruise other lines. A lot of people on here say they're just as good as DCL so it shouldn't be an insult or defensive to say you can cruise any ship.

This!

And "families" come in all shapes and sizes!

 

[dragynally]

This!

And "families" come in all shapes and sizes!

This!
My family is a family of 2. Some people make families out of friends. Family is a personal thing not a selling point.

 

[BartmanLA]

Regardless of all the reasons put forth here why you do or do not sail DCL, and the reasons for your choice, I think it should be said, that aside from the fact that Cruise Lines are purely in this business to make money, earn a profit for their bottom line and their shareholders. Customers are driven to conduct business with each individual cruise line based on what each offers to attract the customer. I fully believe everyone has the right to make their own choices and that what one chooses isn't always what someone else would pick for themselves. That's what makes the free market of competition so vital in industry. DCL has made a superior cruising experience, whether it's for first time families/individuals or for long time loyal customers. Other lines offer things that offer a different experience and appeal to a different type of customer. There's nothing wrong with being loyal or choosing to sail only DCL or another line or doing multiple lines. I think we come here to share our experiences and to help others learn and get the most out of their time on board any of the DCL ships. Whether you feel that you aren't being heard or your opinion isn't important or doesn't count here, you should still be able to accept that everyone else can hold a differing view with out feeling disrespected or put out for voicing it.

 

[AustinMommyofThree]

DCL will always have its primary niche with young families who want the Disney experience, and fortunately that is a perpetually self-regenerating pool of customers. They will always have a secondary niche of loyal customers of all ages who just enjoy their product for reasons of their own. Because they have a very limited supply (even with six ships, they are still very small for a mass-market cruise line), they will always be able to keep prices higher relative to their competitors in the mainstream cruise line industry, and so who can blame them.

My family has grown out of them for now. We want different things from our cruise vacations (and vacations overall). We want better itineraries, we want better food options, our children (now in their teens) want more engaging activities, we all want better entertainment (Disney's syrupy, campy shows were cute once, fine twice, and then they were utterly repulsive to all of us). The things some people value on DCL don't matter to us, and the things that we seek on other lines don't appeal to those who are DCL loyalists, and that's a good thing.

It won't surprise me if one day they have children of their own and go on another Disney Cruise (assuming the line still exists in 15-25 years), and it won't surprise me if my husband and I take our grandchildren on a Disney cruise one day, if their parents do not. That's how their market regenerates itself, and likely always will.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think the heart of this thread is really two competing philosophies:

Disney should be everything to everyone

and

Disney has chosen a niche and an approach, and that is great for some, but others may move on or want something else, and that's okay.

From a business perspective, most companies will have stronger long term success picking a niche. If that niche doesn't work for you, find a company offering what you want. We would never expect a Brazilian steakhouse to have strong accommodation for vegans, and that's okay. Cruising is more like to this than not.

 

[dragynally]

I think the heart of this thread is really two competing philosophies:

Disney should be everything to everyone

and

Disney has chosen a niche and an approach, and that is great for some, but others may move on or want something else, and that's okay.

From a business perspective, most companies will have stronger long term success picking a niche. If that niche doesn't work for you, find a company offering what you want. We would never expect a Brazilian steakhouse to have strong accommodation for vegans, and that's okay. Cruising is more like to this than not.

That was very eloquent and exactly what is happening.

 

[hanscarlet]

IDK but we specifically cruise because we cannot take the "madness" of amusement parks and all the activity that goes with it. My DD is on the Autism Spectrum so she likes low key things and DH doesn't like rides - they are both routine oriented and risk averse..... I know my YDD 5 year old is more like me and likes adventure so we may switch it up soon with another line but until the magic wears off or the money runs out I think we're going to stick with DCL, it just works for us. If DCL stops going out of NYC though we may try something new.