Just switched to RCCL

[Mjasp]

Kathy...I have to agree with you. Our kids are 12 and 8 now. We went on DCL 2 years ago when they were 10 and 6. After this time, I think we will be definitely be ready to try another line, kids get bored easily with the same old, same old (At least my kids do). We will be traveling with a group of 16, so my kids won't be bored this time and can hang with us if they'd like anyway, the only time I ask they go in the club for a couple of hours is Palo night.

Tell me about Celebrity, how old is your DD that you won't go on Celebrity now.

TIA
Joanna

 

[Laz]

I have been cruising for quite some time, I have cruised Disney, RCCL, Carnival, and NCL.

Disney, IMHO, is overpriced right now. It is wonderful that they are trying to keep their standards high, but you can get almost the same standards on RCCL for a lot less. when my DD was young, she had a hard time deciding between Disney and Carnival's kid's programs. In some ways, she thought Camp Carnival was better. As a 14 year old, all of the lines have trouble interesting her in terms of activities (Dad is doing a better job ).

I have been a little disappionted with Carnival as of late, but RCCL has impressed us the most.

 

[hayesktrm]

We had a hard time deciding also. We are going on a West Coast cruise next year and it was sooooo much more expensive. The thing that made us stick with DCL (probably for the last time) was that my DS will be 12 when we go and on the other cruise lines, they would put him in the teen group. He really didn't want to do this. He likes scheduled activities. When he is 13, we will probably take a different kind of vacation or try RCI (most likely to Alaska). Have a great cruise and let us all know how it compares.

 

[PoohJen]

Seems like alot of you are asking for permission to go w/ someone other than DCL, or else are trying to convince the rest of us of your justification.

Obviously there are pros and cons to all these options; what is right for one family may not be the same for the next family.

My reason for picking DCL as my first time cruise is, after alot of research and experience w/ WDW, I am willing to pay the extra $$ for the expectation of Disney's quality. Yes, I could've taken my family on 2 cruises for the price of one DCL - that was the trade-off I chose.

No matter what you choose, I know you'll find experiences to enjoy!

 

[lookingforward]

I agree that the DCL prices are signifigantly higher than other lines. We are taking the Wonder in September (when prices are lower...and hurricanes are higher!).

I have sailed on RCCL four times, Celebrity once, NCL once, Costa once. I prefer Celebrity. We enjoyed every moment of that cruise. I have sailed RCCL and quite honestly it has declined over the past few years. The last cruise we went on was in Alaska last June. It left much to be desired. My parents sailed on the Radiance (I think) a few months ago and said the food was very dissapointing. I am not stating these opinions to scare anyone but I think that the major cruise lines are slashing prices to fill ships and with those price slashes comes service and food cutbacks. For instance, on RCCL they no longer had (at least on our recent cruises) beverage/drink staff in the dining rooms. This was a problem that slowed down service. The food was sub-par and the waiters were even apologizing about some of the quality. They used powdered eggs in the buffets, etc. Little things that add up.

We sailed the Voyager a few years ago and found the activities to be great. That ship class is a great deal of fun for young adults. The food was better on that ship but we sailed on it in 2000.

In March we sailed on the Celebrity Millenium. We had a noisy cabin (deck nine) which they fixed by upgrading us. The food was fabulous, the service very upscale. The kids program was not as varied as RCCL but my son had fun. It was truly a wonderful week.

I think Disney charges too much, but I can't say for sure because I have not sailed yet. I can't wait for September to get here!