Our Disney cruise...eh' I suppose it was ok

[catzle]

We are doing the double dip Memorial Weekend which is a 6 day 5 night. So I am hoping this is going to be GREAT!

 

[kcashner]

3 day vs. 4 day is a big difference. The 3 night is where the problems are!

 

[quinnc19]

I am taking a 3 nighter in May - does that make me riffraff?

 

[disney 2010]

riffraff
We have been considering booking b2b in 2011 to experience the dream. Now I'm uncertain. Would we enjoy a 7 day on the magic more.
We loved the 4 day but maybe we are riffraff and we don't know it

 

[NancyIL]

Thanks for your review. Both of my Disney cruises were 4-nighters on the Wonder, and neither wowed me. As some have suggested - maybe it's the fact that they were short cruises. On the other hand, many people rave about their Bahamas cruises.

 

[nails62040]

We are also Disney fanatics. We were on a seven day cruise on the Magic last month. Like you although it was mainly nice, it did not knock our socks off either. I guess to each their own. Good luck on your seven day.

I have to say that my family just returned off of the magic - 1/30/10 7 day sailing. This was our 8th cruise and 1st to Disney. We have traveled pretty much other cruise lines and I as much as I was waiting to have my socks blown off, it didn't happen for us. I absolutely LOVE Disney and am a huge fan, but didn't feel the extra money was worth it. This is just my opinion. But in saying this, I wish everyone traveling on the Magic or the Wonder a "magical time"!

 

[scuba]

I have to say that my family just returned off of the magic - 1/30/10 7 day sailing. This was our 8th cruise and 1st to Disney. We have traveled pretty much other cruise lines and I as much as I was waiting to have my socks blown off, it didn't happen for us. I absolutely LOVE Disney and am a huge fan, but didn't feel the extra money was worth it. This is just my opinion. But in saying this, I wish everyone traveling on the Magic or the Wonder a "magical time"!

Being the op, I feel that the actual cruise portion, ship, crew, and daily operations of a ship Disney is fairly new, however when it comes to entertainment Disney delivers. I will most certainly try disney again, but I want to stress that this was our experience, some of you that have made plans for a 3 day trip I say go and make up your own minds. Please don't base any decisions for your family on my opinions. I'm certain there are thousands of folks out there that have had a fine time on 3 day cruises.

We are looking at the 2011 December 24th cruise, sounds like fun, problem is we haven't dropped the bomb on the grandparents of our girls yet......you might hear the implosion from anywhere you might be reading this from.

 

[Dizzyworld]

Our last cruise was 7 days. While our room host was very nice, and more importantly good, we didn't meet her on the first day either. Can't remember when we did finally meet. She seemed very shy compared to previous CMs. We hardly ever saw her.

 

[joksten2000]

We use points to cruise on DCL and do it for the little grandkids, hands down a great experience for them.

When we sail alone we prefer a longer sailing, 12 day. The Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne is great for us. I would rate it very compairable to DCL for us. We really enjoy the Royal Promenade and the great ice shows, plus we can sail the 12 day cruise for under $2,000 and no airfare.

We had one bad cruise, one good cruise and one great cruise on RCCL. About the same with DCL, 4 great cruises, 4 so-so ones and two bad ones.

We are not demanding people and mostly relax at the pool all day. We are serious Disney fans (We bought 1,000 points) but not blind to other cruise lines. We will continue to sail DCL as long as we have young grandkids (21, 15, 3 & 6 months) Disney does know how to handle kids.

 

[Maxhoops1]

That is too bad your cruise didn't live up to your expectations...I have posted our trip report from our cruise on the Wonder on Jan 24th over on the trip report site and had a different experience...could be a combo of many things, but Disney did it right for us.

 

[abdmom]

Carnival ships- Celebration, Inspiration x2 , Glory, Destiny, and the Facination

Royal- Adventurer of the Seas, and Sovereign

Princess- Sun Princess and Ocean Princess

Shoot, we've been on 10 cruises with Disney being the eleventh...sorry

Thanks. I was wondering if you'd been on the newest ships and were comparing those to DCL, but I guess not! I've sailed RCCL 4X and Carnival 1X, including the Glory and the Adventure. Those two ships were probably my least favorites. To me, those cruises were just OK.

We leave on the Magic in exactly 3 months. This will be my longest cruise yet, 11 days. I'm hoping it will be at least as good as my previous cruises, but now I'm starting to wonder.

When we sail alone we prefer a longer sailing, 12 day. The Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne is great for us. I would rate it very compairable to DCL for us. We really enjoy the Royal Promenade and the great ice shows, plus we can sail the 12 day cruise for under $2,000 and no airfare.

I'm hoping to do this cruise one day too.

 

[JohnO]

We've sailed twice aboard the Wonder. Our first was a 3 night. We loved it but it was way too fast. Last year we tried a 4 night. It was amazing how much difference a day made. We liked the 4 night even more. We've booked a 7 night cruise aboard the Magic for this year and can't wait. We're Disney fanatics too and the Disney factor on DCL kicks it up a notch for us.......

 

[quinnc19]

I have actually taken the Wonder 3 night a few years ago. Really enjoyed it, but did go by too fast. On board, booked a 4 night. Moved that to the 7 night Alaskan next year. Then I decided I couldn't wait until then, and tacked a 3 night onto my WDW plans this year. The 4 night didn't work with that itinerary, so chose the 3 night again! I'm sure we'll have a great time and hopefully the cruise won't seem so short after we've already spent 9 days in Orlando (5 nights BLT, 2 nights PBH, and added 2 nights POFQ to bridge to the cruise). I couldn't add the 4 night prior to the Disney plans because I can't take time from work then - college professor

 

[Anal Annie]

I am taking a 3 nighter in May - does that make me riffraff?

Not EVERYBODY on the 3 nighters are "riffraff" but I DO think a lot of the people who take them are "wannabes". Because they are short they are cheaper and so they attract a different mind set of people. Either they think they can't afford a longer cruise or don't want to save up for it or they just want to "test out" cruising or something. IMHO there seemed to be a lot of people with a more casual attitude who thought the ship was a giant playpen for their kids.

Just saying that if you try a 3 night & don't like it there are factors to consider that make them different from a longer cruise. They are not all the same & unless you've DONE one of each then it's hard to explain without stepping on SOMEONE'S toes. I know someone who decided to "try" cruising by starting with a 3 night. She and her DH both HATED it for some of the reasons previously mentioned. I did not "warn her" before she went bcuz I didn't want her to go with my judgment in her mind. But then she came back swearing off DCL and now I don't think she'll try a longer one. I keep telling her they're not all the same but she had the same bad experience we had - actually maybe worse 'cuz they ended up on a "kids free" cruise after she booked. Anyway, not all cruises are created equal and if you DO go on a 3 night just go knowing that it could be better if you went for a longer one.

 

[addieandreece]

This thread is getting me MORE excited for our upcoming cruise, and I didn't think that was possible. We have done two 3 night cruises and we LOVED them. . .Had the time of our lives!!! But, we decided no more short ones, it's too sad leaving the ship after only 3 nights So, we saved up for a 7 nighter and are leaving in 5 weeks. From what I am reading. . .it's going to be even better?!?!?! I mean I knew 4 more nights would make it better, but it sounds like it's more than just that?! Can't wait!!

 

[Kay1]

Not EVERYBODY on the 3 nighters are "riffraff" but I DO think a lot of the people who take them are "wannabes". Because they are short they are cheaper and so they attract a different mind set of people. Either they think they can't afford a longer cruise or don't want to save up for it or they just want to "test out" cruising or something. IMHO there seemed to be a lot of people with a more casual attitude who thought the ship was a giant playpen for their kids.

Just saying that if you try a 3 night & don't like it there are factors to consider that make them different from a longer cruise. They are not all the same & unless you've DONE one of each then it's hard to explain without stepping on SOMEONE'S toes. I know someone who decided to "try" cruising by starting with a 3 night. She and her DH both HATED it for some of the reasons previously mentioned. I did not "warn her" before she went bcuz I didn't want her to go with my judgment in her mind. But then she came back swearing off DCL and now I don't think she'll try a longer one. I keep telling her they're not all the same but she had the same bad experience we had - actually maybe worse 'cuz they ended up on a "kids free" cruise after she booked. Anyway, not all cruises are created equal and if you DO go on a 3 night just go knowing that it could be better if you went for a longer one.

I appreciate your comments. We've never cruised but probably will cruise later this year. My husband suggested we start with a 3-day but ,for a few reasons, I'm not interested. I'd rather save the money for a 7-night Western and now I'm even more sure of my decision.

 

[sabrecmc]

This thread is getting me MORE excited for our upcoming cruise, and I didn't think that was possible. We have done two 3 night cruises and we LOVED them. . .Had the time of our lives!!! But, we decided no more short ones, it's too sad leaving the ship after only 3 nights So, we saved up for a 7 nighter and are leaving in 5 weeks. From what I am reading. . .it's going to be even better?!?!?! I mean I knew 4 more nights would make it better, but it sounds like it's more than just that?! Can't wait!!

That's us, too! We did a 3-night "test" cruise back in September and LOVED it. CC was definitely a highlight though, so if you missed that, it would probably be disappointing. For us, it is the characters, shows (my daughter is obsessed with the Anne Marie character from the show) and Disney touches that make it. We're going on a 10-night Med cruise in May and have the LA-Alaska repo and first Alaska cruise booked for next year, as well as a double-dip on the Dream. So, um, yeah, we expect to like the longer cruises even more!

 

[lovethedream]

Our family has also been on many, many cruises since my youngest was 2 (now he is 12). I also have a 16 dd.
We have cruised DCL once and although it was good, the kids LOVE RCCL and so does my dh and I. We are going on DCL Dream next year with my sister and her family and my mother (using DVC points) but really I find the experience much better for my family on RCCL. Granted, I was on the Magic only once so maybe giving DCL one more try will be a great time but if I were spending the cash and not using my points, I would much rather be crusing on RCCL.

There are a LOT of people on this site that LOVE Disney (hey, I am right there too) and will only cruise DCL but I so wish they would try other lines. They just don't know what they are missing. You can get excellent service on Princess and RCCL, not just DCL.
Thanks for your review.

I agree with what you say. That you do not know if you do or do not like something unless you try it for yourself as every person and every family is different. Try one or two other lines and see what you like best.

For our families personal experience, having sailed on DCL twice and then giving RCCL FOTS a try, we found that we missed cruising on DCL while on the FOTS. In the end, DCL, at least for now, just seems to fit our family better as far as what we like to do and enjoy. We just enjoyed ourselves so much more on DCL than on RCCL. When given a choice, my family picked DCL for our next cruise, even having to save up a little longer for it if need be.

I will also say, because I have heard others mention it, that castaway cay was a big part of that. I have not had the opportunity to visit the other cruise lines private beaches, so I cannot compare there. And maybe that is the one thing that was missing from our FOTS cruise. But there were a few other things that just made us feel welcome on DCL that we felt was lacking with RCCL.

The Name announcement when you boarded on DCL seemed to make a difference for us and seemed to help set the mood for the entire cruise. We were looking for that on RCCL and received nothing more than a welcome aboard. The sail away party and the deck parties were a lot of fun, especially since the kids get to dress up and feel like they are a part of the show. We loved the fireworks, the food and the rotational dining. The split bathroom worked very well for us also.

Either way, find out what is best for your family and enjoy the ride. We feel blessed that we have had the opportunity to have done what we have done.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

We have done the 3, 4 and 7 night cruise on DCL. All of them were wonderful in different ways. Contrary to some PPs our service on the Magic was sub-par as compared to our service on the Wonder. This is just our opinion and this is just our experience. There are so many people that go into making a cruise what it is. And each cruisers expectations before each cruise has a lot to do with what they get out of the cruise. On our 3 night cruise we had a blast! Yes, it was short...but that was all the time that we had for that particular vacation...and we made the most out of it! On our 4 night cruise...there were so many toddlers and small children...the shows were actually not too enjoyable because of all the movement from the children. Again...this is hit or miss...and it can happen on any cruise and on any length of cruise.


I guess what I am trying to say is that a vacation/cruise is what you make it! Whether it's short or long, on DCL or on another cruiseline...a cruise is about making memories and having a great time doing it!


And BTW...DCL does get a lot of positives on this board...just as so...other cruiselines get a lot of positives on their respected boards...it's all relative!


To the OP...My crew really likes RCCL freedom class ships. You might want to try one sometime in the future...great fun and again...great memories!


Crystal

 

[tmtee]

I would have to agree about the three day. We did the 3 day with the bounce back offer, and decided it was just to fast for us. We came off the ship exhausted from trying to get everything in. So unless there is another great deal for one, 4 or higher it is for us. We have a 4 booked this year and a seven booked next year both on DCL.
To be honest, I do want to try another ship probably RCCL, but am a little nervous about it. We enjoy everything that makes up a DCL cruise. We might be a little weird but we don't mind not having everything on a cruise ship. We really enjoy sitting by the pool watching the kids or relaxing in the Rainforest room, and not having to do anything. The kids really enjoy the kids club. I guess you could say, we like the slower pace.

But the RCCL looks like a lot of fun. So maybe a lot more research is needed.