Just my observation....

[jwo1976]

Just an observation from my last cruise.
A little back ground on me. I am an engineer working as a maintenance manager for a large company, so I notice little things.
We just got off the Dream on a 3 night Bahamian cruise. While in Nassau another cruise ship pulled in next to us. The ship was from a popular line sailing out of Port Canaveral also (actually sailed the same day out of port and we pretty much stayed in visual contact throughout the cruise). I will not name the ship. As I was walking by I noticed the condition of the ship in comparison the the Dream. The maintenance on the Dream seem to be top notch and world class as nothing was out of sorts. Even the paint on the vessel is impeccable. This other ship showed many signs of wear and neglect. Visible from the waterline and up.
For me if the little things are ignored what are they doing with the bigger items? What about the unseen. If you want to be world class it has to show in the details.
Now...I've only sailed on DCL and no other line but the visible impression of the other line was not outstanding.
Just my 2 cents..

 

[OKW Lover]

Very interesting observation. There are a few DIS Boards regulars (@Tonka's Skipper for one) with extensive maritime experience that have similar observations.

 

[anricat]

I don't mind naming names. We've been docked next to other cruise ships that looks like floating rust buckets. Specifically, I noted a Carnival ship and Princess ship that looked just awful. I know there are some nice ships from both lines out there because I've seen some good reviews, but those two in particular stuck out at me. They looked old and particularly awful.

 

[PhilP]

I'm also an engineer and have noticed the same. I find myself peeking here and there (like into the crew stairwells, or around the winch area you can walk past on the Magic) and notice very good maintenance on DCL. As soon as I walked onto another (I'll not mention the line) ship, the first thing I noticed (other than the mimosa table) was the rust, dirty windows and missing caulking.

 

[PrincessJo]

I've heard similar things in the past. I'm a nervous cruiser anyway, but I don't let it stop me... so rust freaks me out. That's why I don't mind paying the higher prices to sail with DCL. Worth it to me.

 

[cruisehopeful]

They look better to me, too. The other ships look cheaper and they usually are cheaper.

 

[Happy100]

Sailed on Carnival and noticed the less then appealing exterior condition. Found out once on board the less then appealing interior cognition as well. If the mindset is subpar it will carry through all areas.

 

[tinkerone]

I've seen both ships that look amazing and ships that make me glad I was not on board. dcl has a 'look' that is very clean and 'early' cruising where as some of the other lines, think rcl, have a more modern sleek look. different feels.
the older ships on other lines do tend to look like rust buckets but is this because they are so much older than any of the dcl ships? on our last dcl cruise dh pointed out to me that the fantasy did show some rust signs at the water line and commented that it was probably time for an overhaul. other than that the ships are very well taken care of.

 

[JenniferS]

The first thing we noticed when we arrived on deck on the Dream was that the crew was adding lacquer to the railing and the front deck was closed because they were pressure washing. When we docked at Nassau, we noticed that the DCL crew were on the side of the ship pressure washing. We were docked beside a Carnival ship and noticed that there were tons of rust on the ship. Every time we were on deck, we noticed the crew cleaning, painting, etc. When we talk about taking DCL to others they always talk about the price and my DH informs the naysayers about the fact that DCL was constantly maintaining the ship while we were on board.

 

[Bishoparc]

I can totally agree with this. After seeing the other ships (including RCL's Enchantment of the Seas), I won't get on any other cruise line. Disney is constantly taking care of their ships, at Nassau they're pressure washing the outside, Castaway you see them touching up the paint. They actually drop the lifeboats in the water and test them.

Last time we were in Nassau, one of the Carnival ships actually had plastic wrap in place of several of their windows.

If these other lines are trying to attract business with the appearance of their ships, they're failing. I might try one of the Oasis RCL ships one day but looking at their older ships eventually even the Oasis class will probably look the same.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I was on the Fantasy a few years ago and we pulled up next to a Carnival ship in Nassau. Wow, the difference was astonishing. I was certainly glad I was on the Fantasy!

 

[Pens Fan]

When we were on the Magic last summer we received a note in our stateroom one night warning us that they would be varnishing the the railing on our balcony the next day while we were in port. It cracked us up as the railing looked absolutely fine as it was! But it must have been the scheduled time to varnish, so varnish they did. My son kept the sign they hung on balcony that says "Wet Varnish" (just laminated paper - he didn't take anything valuable ) and has it hanging on his bedroom wall. It's a fun souvenir and a reminder that Disney just does things better than most. He's starting college in the fall to study mechanical engineering and his dream is to be an Imagineer for Disney. As goofy as it sounds, that sign actually means a lot to him about the Disney way.

 

[darnheather]

I tried to talk myself into going with one of the cheaper cruise lines for our first cruise but just the photos of the staterooms put me off. So dated and run down looking. If that's what I can see I can't even imagine what it looks like where I can't see.

 

[Tasmen]

I definitely noticed the differences between the NCL ship docked next to the Fantasy when we stopped in Cozumel on our sailing. In my mind, there is no question that Disney prioritizes maintenance/staying up to date a bit higher than some other cruise lines.

 

[DHSbutcher]

The only line I have found that was near-comparable to Disney in quality was Celebrity. And even they have their faults. Overall Disney still wins.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I must say that the Island Princess is taken care of. In January we did a partial transit of the Panama Canal. The ship hit the side of the canal and there were scrapes and at out next port, those scrapes were being painted.

 

[diznymom]

We had a similar experience in Nassau. While the crew of the Dream were busy cleaning the outside of the ship (looked like busy ants.....all over the place), we didn't see anyone working on the other cruise ship. It just looked so sad.

And everyone wonders why I will only sail w/ DCL. No one else has impressed me. If I want a sub par experience, I'll stay at home and work.

 

[Bishoparc]

The only line I have found that was near-comparable to Disney in quality was Celebrity. And even they have their faults. Overall Disney still wins.

How is Celebrity? They got a lot of high marks on Cruise Critic's Cruisers' Choice awards (along with Disney) so was really curious to hear from someone that cruised with then.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiserschoice_index.cfm?Category=Overall&sort=large

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Wife and I will be taking our first non-Disney cruise this year. It will be an Alaska cruise on Celebrity with two other couples that have never been on Disney. For one of the couples this will be their second cruise on Celebrity, they really enjoyed their first time with them. The other couple have also been on one other cruise but it was not Celebrity.

One thing I am afraid of; is I will be comparing Celebrity to Disney through the entire cruise. From design, crew members, food, cleanliness, upkeep, etc.

 

[darkwing818]

I was on the Fantasy a few years ago and we pulled up next to a Carnival ship in Nassau. Wow, the difference was astonishing. I was certainly glad I was on the Fantasy!

We were on the Fantasy last year & noticed the same exact thing. While we were docked the crew was painting & polishing the ship, just like another PP noted. I guess Carnival gave their crew the "Day Off".