Please don't throw anything at me!! Maybe Barb or Tony can help me here! :)

[kamgen]

Please don't throw anything at me, BUT....should we try another cruise line?? (I know, there really isn't ANOTHER one, but...) LOL!

We have cruised DCL 3 times and have another one booked. WE LOVE IT!!! Should we, though, try another line out?? Just curious of opinions and experiences. Thanks!
Kamy

 

[Michelle]

I won't throw anything at you! I think lots of folks here have tried other cruise lines, and you should too.

Like so many, we keep going back to Disney because we love it. For us, when traveling with our daughter, the kids programming and availability can't be beat (she LOVES it there) and it is a family vacation where everyone is happy.

There are plenty of other ships and itineraries out there and if you have an interest I definitely say go for it. And then come back here and tell us what you think!

 

[perdidobay]

yes, because I'm curious if someone who has cruised with DCL first, then with another line, feels about the difference
I'll let you be the guinea pig!

 

["Ginger"]

I am glad I was not the only one thinking a change may be needed. I don't want to be a trader but I would like to try something new. We have our 5th one booked and I am so glad that we will be going on different itinerary. I just hope the menus will change also. Our only problem is which cruise line do we try and will our DD like there childrens program.

 

[chrisn]

We are cruising on the Disney Magic this Saturday! It's our first cruise. The day after we debark the Magic, we board Royal Carribean's Eagle Class mega ship Voyager of the Seas. We really wanted something that was still family oriented with great kids clubs. I've heard from many people over the last year and a half that RCCL's kids clubs are wonderful. Some people that I spoke with that had cruised both ships actually favored RCCL's kids clubs over Disney's if you can believe that! These are our first cruises so I go into this trip with an unbiased opinion. I'm definitely going to be doing some comparisons and will be glad to share my experiences. Look for my reviews the week of March 10th.

 

[4nana]

I vote YES....
'Variety is the spice of life'
We cruised w/RCCL and loved it!
Now awaiting our first Disney Cruise.
But am anxious to try them all!!

 

[TnRobin]

Unless Disney gets the third ship up a running before next summer, I will be on a different cruise line. Hubby is taking me to Hawaii for our 10th Anniversary. We are looking at a cruise to Hawaii.

Disney's cabins have spoiled me, so this trip is going to be expensive to get a cabin size I have grown to expect.

 

[benebire]

I Loved the Magic and would love to take another but our next one will be on Carnival due to the fact that we we can take it on my husbands Marriott points (Nearly Free) I will definitely post what i think about comparing the two when we get back. Wont be till Dec2002.

 

[inkkognito]

Believe it or not, Tony and I HAVE sailed other cruise lines!! Disney was our first cruise experience, but then we sailed Sovereign of the Seas for comparison, since it does the same itinerary (Ugh! Tiny staterooms and ship in disrepair, although the food and service were good); Voyager of the Seas so we could see what a mega-ship was like (Nice. The best part was the awesome ice show, followed closely by the "street"); Viking Serenade, which offered a weekend experience out of California (Surprisingly fun for a tiny, ancient ship, but I felt like I was sleeping in a closet and the spa was closet too); and Radiance, since Tony wanted to go to Alaska (Fun, but after being overrun constantly by the billions of kids on board, I was longing for Disney's adult areas...their version of the surial is cool, tho'). We won't be doing another cruise line any time before 2004, as we have 8 more booked on Disney this year and 7 next year. RCCL was nice, but the Wonder is our "vacation home." I wish they offered a timeshare option on 5650!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[tarzanman]

Thanks everyone!!!
We are still leaning towards DCL. We want to do a 3 night this fall and are considering another line because it is soooooo much cheaper.!! BUT, DCL is fabulous and we LOVE the Wonder and its staff.
I am afraid we will miss the spa (love it) and the wonderful Disney touches (and of course Castaway Cay).

Well, we will keep tossing the idea around. \
For those who have cruised other lines:
Is there a huge difference in staff, food, amenities, etc?
Also, since we all know DCL costs more, I will ask outright...is DCL worth paying more??

Thanks,
Kamy

 

[inkkognito]

I would quantify it this way...paying more for Disney Cruise Line is like paying more to stay at a WDW deluxe resort rather than off-property. It is more expensive, and some people wouldn't feel that it's worth it, but for myself it's well worth the extra $$! Royal Caribbean has good food and service, and their staff is very competent, but Disney has that extra touch of pixie dust. Their attention to detail is apparent everywhere, and that is what I pay extra for. Comparing it to the premium experience at WDW (or at least the way WDW used to be before all the cost cuts) is the best way I can think of to explain it, or maybe the difference between our local Greek restaurant and Lawry's, my favorite place downtown. Both serve good food, but in an altogether different league.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

The completely smoke-free Carnival Paradise sounds good to me.

 

[kamgen]

Thanks everyone! Still thinking about it.
Might take a while to decide! LOL!!

Kamy

 

[Gretel]

We are looking into the Carnival Paradise as well.............completly smoke free would be heaven..................

 

[disneyholic family]

well you all already know that the smoke-free Paradise sounds like paradise to me....
but we've pretty much decided to go on the Wonder for our first cruise....if we like it (and yours truly doesn't die of motion sickness) then we'll consider other cruises in our area.....Europe, Mediterannean, Greek Islands.....not the "party ships" i imagine, but interesting shore excursions.....

 

[bethd]

We have cruised with Disney twice and loved it both times. We actually had our third cruise booked when my DS(8) decided he wanted a break from Disney to try another cruiseline. My DH and I thought what the heck and booked the Carnival Victory . It was a great cruise. The kids program was very good. The ship was beautiful and going to different ports was great. Our cabin was almost the same size as on Disney(cat 6 w/verndah). The service, food and entertaniment very good. The cost was $1600 less then Disney. I'm glad we tried another line. We will be back on Disney one day but for this years cruise we have decided to try NCL's Sun. It'll be fun to compare NCL with Carnival and Disney.

 

[callahanjulie10]

We are also looking fo another cruiseline. We love DCL but I want something different. We are going on #4 in May and we will see the same shows, eat the same food, play the same games, and my DD will get the same t-shirt, do the same activities, etc. If you have smaller children and want a GREAT vacation- DCL is the way to go. We have enjoyed every cruise we have taken. But as my DD gets older, it is important to me that she have just as great of a time as my DH and I do. I have found when looking at other cruiselines that DCL isn't really more expensive. When we looked into Carnival Pride (new ship in Port Canaveral) that it is MORE than DCL for less of a cabin during the same week! We also priced Voyager and Explorer of the Seas and found the same situation.

 

[4megs]

even got to Southampton from London via the Orient Express...sigh!

Took their "family crossing" (ie. they had kid's programs), some crossings are Noel Coward themes etc.) My daughter, 6 loved the clubs and the club even performed on stage with Bob McGrath (from Sesame Street)! Kids got tokens for participation which were "cashed in" for a variety of prizes at the end of the cruise.

It's very "class concious"- upper, middle and lower. We were middle - middle accomodations (very small compared to Disney), and dining at the "middle restaurant" only.

The service was exceptional - they'd give us the dinner menu at lunch and ask if we wanted anything different. EVERY WISH was granted from Wiener Schnitzel to Epoisse (smelly French cheese - but delicious!). We had a sommolier who tuned in very quickly to our tastes and produced the most amazing bottles and vintages. And the food was 5 stars!

Down side...Stabilizers seemed pretty feeble (hubby crawled to the infirmary once)! Rooms were smaller, not as "up to date".

And coming back to the States after 2 years in Germany, waking up to see the Statue of Liberty on the horizon was awesome (and I'm not even American).

That said, we enjoyed the 4 day Wonder and March 30th will do the 7 day Magic. We'll see where we'll go from there!

 

[disneyholic family]

4megs...

it's not necessarily that the stabilizers were shot, but rather the atlantic is just a much rougher body of water than the carribean.......
if you think the QE2 is class conscious, you haven't seen anything...
i was on the Queen Mary and the first Elizabeth back when they had locked gates between the classes......being in first class, i was allowed to go anywhere (the stewards would open the gates for me) but those in lower classes couldn't come up to our level....(don't you just love the brits).....
of course, i was the only person in 1st class who bothered going to the other classes, but that's a curious 7 year old for you....plus there were no other kids at all in first class.....there were a handful in the lower classes so i had to go to them if i wanted to play with them.....
but it was the most spectacular time of my life.....
i can't wait for the Queen Mary II to go on her maiden voyage...
i'll be on it if i can....

 

[Minnie's Guy]

My DH and I have tried Royal Carribean and Holland America,
we loved both of them. THEN, the kids came, and we stopped
cruising until we discovered DCL. I believe this cruise line
is best for children. The other cruise lines have casinos, which
we, the grownups like, I'd be so nervous the kids would 'try'
to get into them. NONE of the other cruise ships, which we
sailed on, have the large cabins/bathrooms that Disney
provides. Holland America is definitely for grownups, better
food than DCL, but we did not starve or go hungry on DCL.
Have heard very good things about Celebrity Cruises - we'll
try one day, without kids, but for right now, DCL is for us!