Questions for those who've been on Multiples Lines

[Ohmymonty]

Hey all!

I have been on 9 cruises with Disney Cruise line and have loved (almost) every one of them. My boyfriend tagged along on two of them, and though he didn't care for his first one (April 2022, things not quite back to normal), he has repeatedly called his time on the Wish the best vacation he ever had.

I know that Disney magic comes at a premium, so it got us wondering if there were other cruise lines worth trying? We aren't traveling with kids so it doesn't need to be family-friendly. Some people have recommended Royal Caribbean and Celebrity to us, but we found ourselves getting a little worried after watching some video reviews.

Because I've been on Disney so many times, I know what kinds of entertainment to expect, but I am not so sure what to expect on other lines. We started to worry that we might be "bored" or have too much down time.

Ideally, we were looking to do a cruise in Alaska and do some whale watching/nature sightseeing. I went on DCL to Alaska in 2019 but I didn't have the extra scratch to do the whale watching or get a veranda - my biggest regrets!

Would love any advice you have!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Would love any advice you have!

We've been on Holland America, Carnival, and Princess.

We use different cruise lines because we primarily select itineraries that interest us. Not all cruise lines go to the same places.

Not knowing what might be of interest to you, I can report that Princess might be the closest to DCL in cruise experience. Holland America typically is more laid back, and the shows they used to do (generally pretty good) have been cut back drastically. Carnival is usually a "younger" crowd.

We have considered Celebrity, but not so much Royal Caribbean. But, as I said, if either of them offered an itinerary we wanted we'd probably book them.

 

[OKW Lover]

In addition to all five DCL ships, we've ben on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Viking. We have enjoyed all the lines. We find that most of them are less expensive than Disney but offer similar itineraries. They are worth checking out.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[auntlynne]

 

[auntlynne]

 

[tvguy]

I have cruised Paquet, NCL, RCCL, NCL America, HAL and Celebrity. Other than NCL America, they were pretty much the same when it came to the Broadway shows service and food. I don't think you can go wrong on any of those lines.

I single out NCL America because, while they are part of NCL, they only have one ship, Pride of America. They are an American flagged ship, and the service wasn't as good. They only cruise around Hawaii, and in a couple of ports the ship stays overnight. Because of that, many of their entertainment and dining options are actually in port, not on the ship. That cruise was more like a floating hotel than the ship being a destination.
Now, cruising has changed a lot since my first cruise back in 1980. Much more casual now, many more dining and entertainment options. I cruised NCL in 1983 and 1985 back when their big hook was big name celebrities as the entertainment. People you would see on the Tonight Show etc, on board for the entire week hanging with the guests and doing their show one night. We say the Fifth Dimension, Norm Crosby, Shields and Yarnell, Jack Jones and his dad Allan perform. And they had a sports celebrity on board who would give a lecture and just hang with the guests for the week. We cruise with Moses Malone and some guy from the NFL whose last name was Nixon....I can't remember his first name.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I have been to Alaska on RCCL and Princess, and I strongly recommend Princess because of Glacier Bay. They bring Naturalists on board, and National Park Guides! If you have a National Park Passport, you can even get your book stamped!

 

[RedHead0186]

I have cruised Princess and enjoyed it. If you're not necessarily looking for family friendly in terms of kids activities, then it'll fit the bill. Princess also is one of the lines that sails to Glacier Bay (not all lines can do this).

 

[NEGeekymama]

We've done one Royal, and four Carnival in addition to two on Disney. With any line, you're definitely getting what you pay for.

One (minor) thing that Disney does that I always missed on Carnival is free soda! And Coke products. It was something stupid like $2.25 per soda on Carnival. I also found the prices for things on Disney like adult beverages or specialty items were very reasonable, and even cheaper than Carnival in a lot of cases.

I'm also a big fan of a proper queen bed vs. two twins pushed together, and once you've had the split bathrooms on Disney it's hard to adjust to just one.

The room service options were also lacking on Carnival, plus it was not 24/7 and almost everything cost extra. And speaking of extras, while Carnival does often do a Green Eggs and Ham breakfast, you have to pay extra for it whereas the special breakfast for Pixar Day at Sea was included.

And, hands down, Disney absolutely kills it as far as kid-friendly. The Kids Clubs on Carnival were one generic-themed room per age group, and a lot of the time they would shut down for a huge chunk of time during the day. On our second/last sea day, our 9 year old only checked out of the club for our dinner, and then again when it closed at midnight!

Oh, and another minor thing is that on Carnival it's $5/device to use their on-board chat app, vs. free on Disney.

 

[lklgoodman]

Can you share what you like to do when not in port / on the ship (including evening entertainment).

Is there any specific about the Disney experience you can identify as a positive - or something missing?

…..

For example, ships with lots of guests v fewer guests (capacity, not a ghost ship, under full)

Ambiance / Background noise - Disney cruises are on the quiet side. There is not a constant presence of live and/or loud music throughout the ship. Neither is there a lot of pool deck or atrium gatherings with Pump-you-up effort to dance or cheer on an activity

Casino (and possible smoke). Many ships are trying to eliminate smoking in casinos - or containing it in set-off areas.

Evening shows - you definitely get Disney entertainment on its ships. Carnival has some raunchy comedians. Even the family shows are racier than the adult hour entertainment in Disney. NCL comedians were also more “adult” in that regard. For the most part, I am not happy with Nighttime shows on other cruise lines. Princess does have Movies Under the Stars in Alaska. Blankets provided (I have watched The Avengers and Skyfall. Pretty typical offering). It looks like Holland America is big on live music in venues for evening entertainment - it depends on the ship. Royal C has historically had one or two Broadway shows - Jersey Boys, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, ... But possibly are replacing them with in-house (no usage fee) creations. NCL may offer Choir of Men in AL. Kinky Boots and Priscilla Queen if the Desert have been in their line-up. If entertainment matters, look for ship reviews and reports (and company websites.).

As for a ship in AK, my favorite is NCL Encore (It’s older sister, Bliss, has a whale in its hull.). These ships are built for AK. They have an extensive Promenade on a deck 8. The front 1/3 of Deck 15 us the Observation Lounge with massive windows, to take in the view. Seating is like a bunch of living rooms, so never very loud. Light snacks available through the day. Princess ships has something in common with Disney - you sail one, you know what to expect with the rest. You don’t have to be too torn if deciding among them).

We're doing NCL Encore this June, so excited. Kinky Boots contract is done so it's no longer playing on any of the ships. Encore still has Choir of Men. Bliss has Six which I'd love to see. Rumor has it they are going to have Beetlejuice joining the line up of shows, but don't know when or which ships. Viva starts this summer(I think) so maybe on it???

 

[jimmymc]

IMO the biggest thing you'll notice when researching other cruiselines is how inconsistent they can be. The new vs old ships and small vs large can be very different on the same line, so make sure you're researching the specific ship and itinerary.

In general, there are pros and cons of other cruiselines:

Pros:
1. Cheaper
2. Better buffets
3. Broadway shows
4. More entertainment in the bars and lounges around the ships
5. Wider variety of itineraries and ports
6. Casino
7. More specialty dining options
8. Drink packages available
9. More features on the ship

Cons
1. No real themed dining
2. More upcharges
3. Entertainment outside of Broadway shows is hit or miss
4. Crew can be more aggressive with upcharges (a pet peeve of mine)
5. Fewer kids at activities
6. Kid clubs have paid times
7. No castaway cay
8. Activities around the ship aren't as much fun or more centered around gambling

If you're looking at Alaska in particular, NCL, Princess, and Holland America do Glacier Bay National Park and that is far and away the best glacier viewing day you'll get on a big ship. If you're going to try a non-DCL cruise, that's a good one to start with.

I do find that you might have to bring your own entertainment for sea days if you don't want to spend extra money doing activities. There are plenty of shows and entertainment in the evenings and at night, but on my sea days on other cruises to Alaska the ship is pretty slow.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[JM_97]

Norwegian is worth checking out. I used them in Bermuda and I had a great time. Service is good and so was the food. Staterooms a little bit smaller but it wasn't too bad. It was mostly a place to sleep and shower anyway. Price was a little cheaper than Disney but probably more than Carnival or Royal.

I also like their anytime dining concept. You can dine wherever, whenever; there are no set dining times for MDR. Made it feel like a true vacation. I know this would be harder to do on DCL but it was nice to just kind of go with the flow for dinner. Sometimes you just want a cheeseburger and a beer by the pool!

In a perfect world, I could afford Disney every time, but that's not always the case. I want to try Royal and have heard Carnival has upped their game with their newer class of ships.

 

[randumb0]

Princess is the way to go as a Disney alternative

 

[Anna131517]

For Alaska definitely consider another cruise line, one that goes to Glacier Bay. Look how long each ship you consider will have in each port. Some have covered pools so you can still use them even if it’s cold outside. Also consider where you want to sail from - where do you want to fly in and out? The three to really consider are Holland America, Princess, and NCL. Holland America was first to Alaska and has access to Glacier Bay. Princess also goes to Glacier Bay and has railcars and their own resorts for pre and post cruise land excursions (you really only see half of Alaska by cruise ship - the other half is inland). NCL also goes to Glacier Bay and does pre and post cruise land excursions. I don’t know much about RC in Alaska.

 

[lklgoodman]

My Encore AK cruise was Sep 2021. Very low passenger count (maybe 35% of capacity) and no children under 12, just a handful of teens observed. The AK season was so short! I think NCL didn’t start those itineraries until August. As a repeat visitor to AK, I really didn’t miss out on must do’s; I was happy to be cruising and happy with AK.

We had the performers of Choir of Men onboard, but no show. Just one of the consequences of sailing then.

Specialty restaurant Onda was excellent Italian food (and filet).

The helipad should be open in Glacier Bay. Really neat view.

Pier 66 in Seattle is a nice starting point, thanks to the remodel done by NCL.

My biggest advice: book your hotels early, if you haven’t already.

I booked our hotel and everythng else months ago. We're going 2 days before our cruise. My dh and I have been to Seattle before, but our dd hasn't. We're staying downtown and will go to Chihuly Gardens, Pike Place, and some other places. We did an Alaska cruise on Disney years ago. We hadn't planned on doing another Alaskan cruise. We wanted to try another line. I saw we could do Alaska on NCL for the same price as we were paying for Caribbean cruises on DCL, so back to Alaska we go. My dd was too young when we did our DCL one, so we missed out on a lot of fun excursions then. The ones we did were good, but not exciting. Plus I feel like I spent the entire cruise standing in character lines. Thanks for the helipad info. We have a balcony cabin, but I want to spend time at different viewing locations during Glacier Bay.

 

[Ohmymonty]

Can you share what you like to do when not in port / on the ship (including evening entertainment).

Is there any specific about the Disney experience you can identify as a positive - or something missing?

When in port, I would love to do whale watching, some other wildlife tours, nature sightseeing, general exploration. I don't mind being fairly active, but I'm not looking to be sore on vacation! Good food and cooking classes are always a win. My ultimate win would be if there's some kind of port adventure that would go to the Mendenhall ice caves. That's a bucket list item for me. When I went to AK with DCL in 2019 I was told that they couldn't guarantee I would be back in time for the ship departure and that's why it wasn't an offering. So! Not sure if ice caves are possible but that would be a dream.

On the ship, I enjoyed sightseeing through the glass and under a blanket. I sat outside of cove Cafe on the wonder, tucked under a blanket with some tea and a book. Pure heaven for me, really. I would want some similar quiet, comfy, sightseeing. I love the Disney shows and Broadway style entertainment. But I remember being a little bored. I would be looking for something that has lots of activities to do, preferably not an add on charge for all of them. One of the things I hate is feeling like I'm being nickeled and dimed.

I want to keep an open mind about things to do...some of the most fun things I've done have been things I was 100% sure I would not enjoy.

The one final thing I would add is that it needs to feel like vacation. Wherever we are going, we need to be able to unwind. I don't care about wifi or texting on board. I don't want to have to think and schedule out my day once I'm on board. Happy to do the planning ahead of time, but once on board I kind of want to do whatever whenever, with a hot cocoa in hand

 

[lilsonicfan]

I often see people saying they don't want the nickel and diming of other cruise lines and while I do get that, I don't really see it as a reason to reject another line....simply because typically, that other cruise line charges far less on the base price. I guess if one is the type to say, I simply want to pay once for my vacation and never think about it again, then sure. But for me, I'll pay the extra $50 to do something that I want to do, if the actual cruise is much cheaper. And, DCL has add-on, i.e extra cost options too - the liquor tasting activities, the Royal Tea or BBB (I know, not in your case as you don't have kids), Remy/Palo, bingo, spa/rainforest room, certain exercise classes, etc.

One thing that can make a cruise line comparison difficult is that most other lines have far more ships than DCL and therefore a much wider range of reviews. Best to compare actual itineraries that you want to do and look at the ships that sail them. You might enjoy one of the big ships (RCI, NCL come to mind) with their plentiful activities, or you might really like the chill atmosphere of Holland. Holland and Princess have the best Alaska itineraries and I'd definitely check both of those lines out to see what ships they have sailing.

 

[Ohmymonty]

I often see people saying they don't want the nickel and diming of other cruise lines and while I do get that, I don't really see it as a reason to reject another line....simply because typically, that other cruise line charges far less on the base price. I guess if one is the type to say, I simply want to pay once for my vacation and never think about it again, then sure. But for me, I'll pay the extra $50 to do something that I want to do, if the actual cruise is much cheaper. And, DCL has add-on, i.e extra cost options too - the liquor tasting activities, the Royal Tea or BBB (I know, not in your case as you don't have kids), Remy/Palo, bingo, spa/rainforest room, certain exercise classes, etc.

This is true! My workaround for DCL has been to add on-board credit ahead of time to account for the add ons I purchase to make it feel less like that. But I also so thoroughly enjoy the free entertainment (trivia, game shows, movies, etc) that I know I can have a great time without the add ons. Maybe it's more just my anxiety talking, showing my concerns about what will the true cost be after I pay for extra stuff to make sure we have a great time. Or me not knowing whether or not I can pre pay on other lines.