Is it worth it?

[Rich M]

I am brand new to cruises and was pricing out a vacation. Can anyone tell me why Disney is 3 times the amount of other cruises? Is what you get worth that cost? Do they offer and land and sea packages to go to Disney World and a Cruise?

 

[cgolf]

It really depends on how much your family values the Disney Brand. We have sailed another line now without kiddo and found that we like it just as much in different ways of course as DCL. We can't speak to how other lines handle the kids clubs, but RCCL at least seemed to have quite a bit of stuff around the ship itself to keep the kids busy.

If your family really likes the Disney brand and you can afford it, DCL is a great experience, we have never had a trip where we felt we didn't get what we paid for (we have not sailed at current prices though). Is it 3 times better than another brand, not to us, we see it as an equal.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

Why Disney is more expensive then the other line is because they can. Disney only has 4 ships currently and they have no trouble filling them up with passengers that are willing to pay their prices. It sounds harsh; but if they were not filling the ships; then they would be lowering their prices until they did. The same reason why they keep raising the prices at the parks; is because people are still willing to pay them.

As to your question if it is worth it; only you can answer that question. Now with that being said; I've been on 1 cruise back in 2011 on the Magic and have another scheduled in July going to the Med and I can say from our one experience so far; that the cruise back in 2011 was the most relaxing vacation I've ever been on. Not to sound to cliche; but the experience was Magical I enjoyed the ship and the CM's that we interacted with were great.

The wife loves everything Disney and use to work at Disneyland when she was a teenager growing up in So Cal. So for her going with Disney was a no brainer. I'm not as big of a Disney lover as my wife; but I have no complaints about our 2011 cruise and don't have any desire to try another cruise line. For me; it is mostly due to Disney having fewer mechanical issues and some of the best inspection reports compared to the other cruise lines. We are also not big party goers so the activities that the other lines offer for entertainment don't really do anything for me. My only real gripe is that Disney has priced their cruises to where we won't be taking another one for quite a few years

Psy

 

[DisneyWishes14]

"Worth" is subjective, but, when it comes to the "family-friendly" cruise lines, DCL has been worth it for us. We've sailed on NCL three times and DCL 6 times. Yes, NCL was cheaper, but it was also tackier, IMHO. Lots of upselling, not a lot of kid activities other than the kids club, (which wasn't great) and subpar customer service. On DCL, there is always something going on that I can do with DS or he can go to the kids club (which is spectacular), plus I found the food to be better and the overall ambience of the ship. On NCL, on one of our sail-aways, we were next to an extended family with two of the dads wearing "Drunk 1" and "Drunk 2" t-shirts. That's something you most likely won't see on a DCL ship.

That being said, now that DS is 10, we've expanded our cruise line searches to include Celebrity, Lindblad Expeditions and we sailed on the Paul Gauguin last year because DS doesn't really need a gigantic kids club to entertain him anymore. These aren't cheap lines by any stretch of the imagination, but (except for Lindblad), we will get a bigger bang for our buck on those lines for the same cost (bigger stateroom, more included amenities).

But in terms of RCCL, NCL, DCL and Carnival (which I would consider being in the same category of "family-friendly" lines, at this point, we sail DCL or we don't sail.

 

[MUN]

I am brand new to cruises and was pricing out a vacation. Can anyone tell me why Disney is 3 times the amount of other cruises?

Where did you come up with "3 times the amount of other cruises" ?

 

[Rich M]

I am looking at a cruise in October and the cost of Disney for a 3 days is $847 per person. Royal is $284 Per Person

 

[miss1180]

we've been on 3 DCL cruises, with a 4th one planned for next year. For us, its worth it from a young family prospective. (our boys are 7 and 4). we just like the family friendly atmosphere all over the ships. no "Hot Legs" or "Belly Flop" contests on the pool deck. No angry people cursing at the casino slot machines. That kind of stuff. We love that we can watch a Disney movie from in the pool, or watch our drawing get animated on a big screen during dinner. That my boys can be meeting Disney characters or building a car to race in the kid's club while DH and i are hanging out in the adults only hot tub. That they have the kind of service where a staff member will pick your little son up to help him reach the sink to wash his hands, so you don't have to LOL and touches like the pirate night or the character dance party. I'm not sure if all of that is worth double the price of other cruise lines to everybody.. BUT for us, we see the value in a vacation we all come away from feeling happy and relaxed. As our boys get a little older, we'll probably save the money and go with other lines- but for now they're still into the Disney stuff so that puts DCL over the edge for us.

 

[Rich M]

It seems like most people go with Disney because of there children so if your 2 adults would you be going with a different one?

 

[mevelandry]

I am brand new to cruises and was pricing out a vacation. Can anyone tell me why Disney is 3 times the amount of other cruises? Is what you get worth that cost? Do they offer and land and sea packages to go to Disney World and a Cruise?

Can anyone tell me why Disney is 3 times the amount of other cruises?

Because of the mouse. (We don't think they are necessarily the best value when it comes to other specific criterias and I'll explain why below).

Is what you get worth that cost?

This one is not easy to answer. In this case, I would say that value is in the eye of the beholder. I thought DCL was worth the price until I tried another cruise line that was much more affordable.

Disney is unbeatable when it comes to Disney (but out of the two, if I wanted Disney, I would pick WDW over DCL). You won't find Disney anywhere else.

Now, if we remove all the Disney and just look at the cruising part: DH and I find that other cruise lines offer a better value (Better food, entertainment more to our taste and staff was just as nice & just as efficient and much more choices in itineraries) while DCL cabins are a little bit cuter and the ship is slightly well-maintained than some older cruise ships.

DCL has introduced us to cruising (We thought that if cruising wasn't for us, at least we would enjoy the Disney part) and we've had an amazing experience.

I don't think you would regret trying them at least once.

 

[fredandkell]

I am looking at a cruise in October and the cost of Disney for a 3 days is $847 per person. Royal is $284 Per Person

Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Two of the DCL ships are newish (dream/fantasy) and two are older but so well maintained that they look new. Some of RCLs older ships just do not hold up as well. We did a 4-night on Enchantment in 2015 and we were disappointed; the whole time we kept saying we missed Disney. Now we are trying Norwegian next year but it is on a brand new ship which looks to cater more toward kids than they used to so we will see if we like it.

 

[Manda_Lizabeth]

I haven't been on a cruise yet (1st cruise is this July), but we are 2 adults going and chose Disney for the service and cleanliness of the ship. We watch a few people on YouTube and as we viewed their vacation we knew it would be worth it to us. The high-level service, the look and feel of the ship/cabins, and we really love the idea of Castaway Cay and the adult only areas both there and on-board. We also wanted more of an "upscale" trip, and with our dining plans for Palo and the various bars/clubs, we feel it's all worth the value.

But we are also "Disney" people and having a land and sea trip was also a plus with letting Disney literally take care of us, the second we step off the airplane

 

[Rich M]

Can anyone tell me why Disney is 3 times the amount of other cruises?

Because of the mouse. (We don't think they are necessarily the best value when it comes to other specific criterias and I'll explain why below).


I don't think you would regret trying them at least once.

Thank you for your feedback. This is exactly what I was looking for. I am all Disney type of guy when people ask why I go to Disney all the time. I can explain why I enjoy Disney over Six Flags and Universal so I figured maybe someone could tell me the same thing when it comes between Disney and Royal.

 

[Rich M]

Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Two of the DCL ships are newish (dream/fantasy) and two are older but so well maintained that they look new. Some of RCLs older ships just do not hold up as well. We did a 4-night on Enchantment in 2015 and we were disappointed; the whole time we kept saying we missed Disney. Now we are trying Norwegian next year but it is on a brand new ship which looks to cater more toward kids than they used to so we will see if we like it.

I know its hard to be hypothetical on this but if you had not done Disney before would you have been happy on Royal?

 

[mevelandry]

It seems like most people go with Disney because of there children so if your 2 adults would you be going with a different one?

YES. DH and I have done 3 cruises with DCL and 2 with Carnival (with more coming). We prefer the "adult oriented" entertainment that Carnival offer. Mickey is nice but we definitely needed the change after 2 DCL cruises.

 

[mevelandry]

Thank you for your feedback. This is exactly what I was looking for. I am all Disney type of guy when people ask why I go to Disney all the time. I can explain why I enjoy Disney over Six Flags and Universal so I figured maybe someone could tell me the same thing when it comes between Disney and Royal.

I honestly think you'll have a good time. Like I said, DCL introduced us to cruising and we'll always be thankful for that. We now alternate between cruise lines... Chances are we'll cruise with DCL again when we miss the Mouse.

 

[Rich M]

YES. DH and I have done 3 cruises with DCL and 2 with Carnival (with more coming). We prefer the "adult oriented" entertainment that Carnival offer. Mickey is nice but we definitely needed the change after 2 DCL cruises.

I have heard Carnival is for the party crowd. I am looking to relax after a few days at Disney. Did you find the Carnival was a party all the time?

 

[tink1970]

if your 2 adults would you be going with a different one?

No...DH and I are super comfortable on the DCL ships, knowing there aren't casinos, there are nice adult areas and we've been so many times the ships are like a second home. We've sailed on DCL as many times without our daughter as with.

That said, value is super subjective so other people have different perspectives. We know the brand, the ships and what we'll receive onboard so avoiding the "x" factor of a potentially disappointing vacation when DH's vacation days are so limited it worth it to us.

 

[mevelandry]

I have heard Carnival is for the party crowd. I am looking to relax after a few days at Disney. Did you find the Carnival was a party all the time?

Not at all. I heard that before I tried them (even a short one) and it wasn't my experience. (That being said, we mostly cruise after Spring Break and during the fall, maybe it has an impact on the crowd).

I think they really suffer from their old reputation... but they changed and they are being more and more "family friendly". Take a look at the Carnival Vista and the Carnival Horizon and you'll notice that there are a lot of interesting spaces for the kids... and the adults!

DH and I are "quiet" people. We wake up at 5:00 AM and go to bed at 10:00 PM and we've had relaxing vacations with them.

 

[Sanchez]

I am brand new to cruises and was pricing out a vacation. Can anyone tell me why Disney is 3 times the amount of other cruises? Is what you get worth that cost? Do they offer and land and sea packages to go to Disney World and a Cruise?

You have asked a very good question that will no doubt touch some nerves. Please keep in mind that this is a Disney site and that by definition this is a pro-Disney crowd. Further, there are a few that take great offense to any criticism of DCL. Finally, beware of advice from anyone who has not cruised on another line (they will have you believe that other cruises are littered with drunks, chain smokers and degenerate gamblers.)

The threshold question is whether you (and your travel companions) value Disney. Are characters, Disney theming, Disney decor and Disney shows important to you? DCL puts on a very good cruise, but the difference between DCL and some other cruises is the Disney product. If the answer to this question is no you are likely better off on another line (however even if Disney theming is not your thing you may have young children and DCL, in my experience is the best line for young children.)

If the answer to that question is yes then you should continue to explore DCL. At this point you need to answer several questions:
- Who is traveling? Adults only? Young children? Teens? In my opinion DCL trails some others for adults only or adults with teens.
-How long do you wish to cruise? DCL's 3 and 4 day cruises are generally better than other lines as other lines tend to use older ships.
-What itinerary do you want? DCL has limited itineraries.
-What is your budget? This is a big one. Whether you are a Disney fan or not DCL prices are so out of whack that many have decided that even though DCL is their favorite they are willing to forego DCL for another line.
-What are you willing to compromise? Are you willing to cram into an interior cabin on a 4 or 5 day cruise or pay the same for a better room on a longer cruise?
- What else is out there? There are many options.

There are some great ships with great experiences out there (I try to compare ships and not lines as many lines have a larger fleet with an array of ships - old and new.) I would suggest that you focus on the newer ships. In general, I have found that DCL excels with young children, RCCL with teens (Oasis class and their newer ships), and Princess for adults (Regal and Royal.) I have not sailed Celebrity and only once on NCL years ago. Because DCL theming is not important to me, I have found other ships/cruises to be better than DCL - this includes service, food (DCL is poor in this area), entertainment, ship quality, itinerary - for far less money.

In the end you have to decide whether the DCL theming is important enough to pay the significant premium. I do not believe that it is but others will disagree.

 

[cadien]

The party level on Carnival really depends on the ship and the itinerary. They're almost two different lines now. They have their booze cruises but then they also have things like the Vista and the Havana Cabanas that are much more upscale and sedate.