Taking the Leap AGAIN!

[2prettygirl]

We sailed our first Disney cruise on the Fantasy in 2014 and had an amazing time! This was after sailing Carnival and it was definitely an amazing experience from our first cruise on Carnival. Due to pricing and wanting to sail with family who refuses to pay the cost of Disney, we are setting sail on our 2nd Carnival cruise this fall. We are wanting to start planning ahead and planning our next cruise for next fall. Now comes the question, does anyone else have a hard time justifying the cost of a Disney cruise ($5400 for a 7 night on the Fantasy for our family of 4) when we could cruise so much cheaper on a different line? I want to sail Disney so badly for that Disney experience but I am having such a hard time just taking that leap and doing it AGAIN!! So I am asking for your help on convincing me to do Disney....it seems so long again that we sailed her and having all these other Carnival cruise things in mind, I need a reminder as to why Disney is worth that extra chunk of change!

 

[FigmentSpark]

Are you trying to convince yourself, your travel partner/family or are you anticipating convincing others that your decision for your money and vacation is 'worth it'?

 

[DnA2010]

it's such an individual/family specific decision- on you can know if it is worth it to your family? For us, we've been on RCL Oasis and Freedom, and DCL Fantasy- while we LOVED the Fantasy, we also LOVED our two RCL cruises- for us it isn't work the basically double the cost (being from Canada the currency conversion is killer) but if the service, Disney aspects are worth it to you, then GO for it!! For us, we'd rather take two trips rather than the one, but everyone is so different. We will cruise Disney again, but will wait till the exchange is better.

 

[2prettygirl]

All! Myself for the cost even though I want to do another family vacation on DCL! As for the hubby, he isn't liking the cost too terribly much when he compares it to being able to cruise Carnival on an 8 day cruise on their newest ship for $2800 less....yes, that does make sense but I know from our past 2 cruises and comparing the Disney and Carnival, Disney had a lot more things for our family and we just enjoyed the atmosphere but it seems like so long ago that I can't remember it all but I know we had a great time!

 

[Sytrace]

We have been on one Carnival cruise (July 2011) and 9 DCL cruises since November 2013 and we can justify the cost quite easily. We have two teens and my husband and I that sail at various times of the year, but frequently in the fall (Septmeber is our favorite BECAUSE of the lower rates) However, we have also sailed in January, April, June, November and December.

We can justify the price difference between the two cruise lines for a few reasons that work for OUR family. But if you feel that you would have a hard time justifying the cost, then would you really have a great time or would you worry about how much more you spent?
1. On Disney the cabins are bigger ...we stay in the verandah cabin on Disney. One cabin fits all 4 of us comfortably. On Carnival, I got 2 Oceanview (window) cabins side by side. I was traveling with my Mom and 2 kids back then as my husband could not get away. The cabins were small to the point where you had to wait until the other person in the cabin sat down or pressed themselves against a wall. lol.
2. Split bathrooms on Disney are very good to have. While my daughter (now 14) gets ready in one, someone else can use the other one. LIke my 13 year old son for example.
3. Disney entertainment venues are awesome and always have something going on that is age appropriate for kids and adults. We saw one show on the Carnival ship that was comparable to a strip show in Vegas with humor that pushed the envelope for a "kid friendly show. The actual adult show was really raunchy...and I do not blush easily...but I am pretty sure I came out looking like I had some five alarm chili.
4. On Carnival, the excursions were not handled very well and I never really felt comfortable leaving the ship for too long. Their cab/taxi services were not controlled in any manner and there was a lot of pushing and shoving happening. Not cool. My Mom is /was in her 70's and my kids would have been 9 and 10 at the time of sailing. It was all I could do to make sure that they did not get wound up in a crush of people. In Freeport we just turned around and got back on the ship. Which worked out great because it was really quiet on the slides. And in Nassau, we did the Dig tour of Atlantis and it was up to us to find our way over to the other side. I like the Disney excursions because, they have a really good handle on keeping people together and organized.
5. Food and service on Carnival is not the best, but the food was edible and the wait staff seemed friendly. We had a different person every night so no real connection was there. I think I saw our room stewards once in the 4 night cruise. As you know Disney has this down with rotational dining and very attentive (at least all of ours have been) cabin hosts/hostesses. You feel like you are more than a body filling up space with Disney. Even though you really are.
6. Kids clubs with Carnival felt like a free for all. I never really felt comfortable leaving the kids there but figured it would work out since they both were in the same age range) They went once and never went back. It was crowded and not very organized. But you know what? Sometimes my son doesn't want to go to the kids clubs on Disney either but my daughter will spend quite a bit of time there if she makes friends early enough. It irked me about Carnival but the kids and I had lots of fun hanging out together anyway so we were okay.

Ultimately, you have to justify it with your family and traveling companions. Anyone else that might question you about sailing on Disney and how expensive it is, is not really important. People spend their vacation money in ways that make them happy. That and family time is the most important thing.
You can have family time on Carnival just as much as you can on Disney, but you might find Disney more comfortable.

Enjoy your upcoming cruise!

 

[Hundredacre]

After years of dcl, for us it is only worth it if you can get a "deal." (Travel off season/smaller ships/interline rates, etc). The prices have gone up by at least 20%, even 40% in some cases, over the last couple of years. For the first time, wr are trying three other cruise lines over the next year and a half.

 

[bumbershoot]

So I am asking for your help on convincing me to do Disney...

I need a reminder as to why Disney is worth that extra chunk of change!

Alas I can do neither. While I haven't been on Carnival I just can't find the DCL things that make the current amounts worth it. DCL just isn't that special for me. I don't care about characters, the aesthetics of the ships don't do it for me like the nice sleek lines of other ships, "free" soda is useless for us and ha ha ha ha ha at the concept that it's "free"... Service on other lines is the same if not better in my experience. The negative parts of other ships can be found equally on DCL. And so on.

If you want to do it, do it.

If you're trying to find something that makes the extra money worth it, I can't help. I'd rather take a second (or a third) Royal cruise, that I will enjoy just the same if not MORE so, with the same chunk of money DCL is now charging.

 

[Jess_S]

For me, whether DCL is worth it or not depends upon the price. We're booked on a Southern Caribbean itinerary for next April. The price for an ocean view room on that itinerary is about the same as a suite room on NCL. I've sailed in an NCL suite and a DCL ocean view and I found the service better on DCL. For that reason, when I shop for cruises, I compare the price of a standard DCL room to an NCL suite. If the prices are similar, DCL wins.

(The other price comparison I did when booking this particular trip was looking at a land-based resort stay in the Caribbean during the same time period as the cruise. That wound up being double the cost of the DCL cruise, so it was eliminated from contention).

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

All! Myself for the cost even though I want to do another family vacation on DCL! As for the hubby, he isn't liking the cost too terribly much when he compares it to being able to cruise Carnival on an 8 day cruise on their newest ship for $2800 less....yes, that does make sense but I know from our past 2 cruises and comparing the Disney and Carnival, Disney had a lot more things for our family and we just enjoyed the atmosphere but it seems like so long ago that I can't remember it all but I know we had a great time!

Sorry, I can't help. After just getting off the Carnival Vista I have a very hard time justifying the price difference. We can only cruise during peak times and the price difference is over double. We are on the Vista for an 8 night Southern Caribbean for 6/3/17, 4 of us in 2 insides including gratuity and trip insurance is $5200. The same time on the Fantasy but only 7 nights and Eastern (which we've already done) is $9800 not including gratuity or trip insurance. We have 2 teens and we all had just as much fun and enjoyed the ship itself more than the Fantasy, (I didn't think I'd ever utter those words). It's definitely a different experience but not once did I ever say, "I wish I was on a Disney ship." I'd rather cruise 2 times every year than once on Disney. We're not stopping DCL by any means but we certainly aren't limiting ourselves exclusively to DCL.

 

[Hundredacre]

Sorry, I can't help. After just getting off the Carnival Vista I have a very hard time justifying the price difference. We can only cruise during peak times and the price difference is over double. We are on the Vista for an 8 night Southern Caribbean for 6/3/17, 4 of us in 2 insides including gratuity and trip insurance is $5200. The same time on the Fantasy but only 7 nights and Eastern (which we've already done) is $9800 not including gratuity or trip insurance. We have 2 teens and we all had just as much fun and enjoyed the ship itself more than the Fantasy, (I didn't think I'd ever utter those words). It's definitely a different experience but not once did I ever say, "I wish I was on a Disney ship." I'd rather cruise 2 times every year than once on Disney. We're not stopping DCL by any means but we certainly aren't limiting ourselves exclusively to DCL.

We are on that cruise in august 2017, 8 night southern carribean on the vista= $6200. Does not include gratuity. 2 adults, 4 kids. one "cove" balcony, which looks a lot like a navigators balcony at dcl. And one inside. We looked at dcl eastern 7 night same week=over $13000, gratuity not included for two inside rooms. Crazy difference for us!!! And the vista goes to ports disney does not even go to!! Aruba!! Last summer, same 7 night eastern cruise on dcl, same time, rooms, everything... $9000. That's about $4000 in two years. Last march, four night on the wonder (nassau, key west, cc)= $3600. Next march, same ship, same rooms, same people, same cruise (except no key west )= $4900. Off season. Better, but still prices rising like mad.

 

[tink1970]

I can't justify it for you.

For me, it's what my family is accustomed to sailing and we are all (DM-65, DF-71, DH, DD, myself) comfortable on the ship(s). We don't have to re-learn locations, the concierge hosts know us, it's nice to have servers who know your drink preferences after 1 seating. With aging parents, I'm happy if they're happy and comfortable and DCL does that. With a spouse who works a high stress, physically tiring, emotionally draining job (to pay for these jaunts), this is what he likes, so again, I'm happy. With a teenage daughter who would rather not vacation with boring parents but will deign to do so on a DCL vacation, that's worth it. I've sailed other lines but didn't enjoy them as much. That is a completely subjective experience; I don't drink, don't gamble and while I've been on the Dream the most, prefer smaller ships so the mega ships like Harmony/Oasis/Allure don't appeal to me.

I can't put value on these things for you or your family, however. I have a girlfriend who is the highest level of repeat customer on Carnival. She thinks I'm crazy to pay DCL prices. I would prefer to pay higher prices than have a casino on board. To each his own...

 

[PrincessTrisha]

If you look at the newer Carnival ships (Dream Class - So Dream, Magic, Breeze), they have family oceanview cabins which actually sleep 5 (twin/queen, 2 pull downs and a couch) plus the split bathroom.

You could also select a set dining time (either early dining or late dining like DCL) and have the same servers every night.

You'll also find that on the newer Carnival ships (the ones listed above and the new Vista) that the food options are much better - Guy Fieri Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Pirate Pizza, Comfort kitchen, A Mongolian wok, A made-to-order Pasta place - and all of these are included in your fare (these are lunch restaurants that are around/part of the buffet).

These ships also have excellent Waterworks areas (at least 2 big slides, plus water splash areas, dump buckets, etc) and the Magic and Breeze also have small Ropes courses and the Sports square.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

We are on that cruise in august 2017, 8 night southern carribean on the vista= $6200. Does not include gratuity. 2 adults, 4 kids. one "cove" balcony, which looks a lot like a navigators balcony at dcl. And one inside. We looked at dcl eastern 7 night same week=over $13000, gratuity not included for two inside rooms. Crazy difference for us!!! And the vista goes to ports disney does not even go to!! Aruba!! Last summer, same 7 night eastern cruise on dcl, same time, rooms, everything... $9000. That's about $4000 in two years. Last march, four night on the wonder (nassau, key west, cc)= $3600. Next march, same ship, same rooms, same people, same cruise (except no key west )= $4900. Off season. Better, but still prices rising like mad.

The Cove Balcony is different than a DCL Navigator's balcony. Yes, the cove is a bit more enclosed than a regular balcony but it's still very open - the difference is they are on deck 2 - very close to the water line. These are some of the best cabins on the newer class (that and spa cabins) as long as you avoid a cabin that's right under the galley.