Thinking about cruising again

[nlenguyen]

A little bit of background is the first cruise I went on was about 10 years ago. We went to Ensenada on a Carnival cruise. Fast forward to today and me and my family are thinking about doing another cruise. We probably would like to do another port besides Ensenada to see more places. I know that the two cruise lines we are thinking about are RCL and DCL. We are really big Disney fans, but the cost of RCL is very tempting. We either would do a Caribbean, Bahamas or Alaska cruise, but know that Alaska cruise will be a longer trip. We do not need anything extravagant but would like good entertainment. Family does not drink so having access to bars/lounges is not a big deal either. My dad is retiring this year and would be nice to do something for him.
What are some of your suggestions for cruising? Dates would be within the following months: May 2022, Dec 2022, Jan 2023 or Mar 2023 which is a wide range but I know that various itineraries are in these dates. Is it a good time to cruise? We are in Arizona and can go to either coast. If we do Florida, we probably would stay in WDW for a night before and after the cruise. If we do Vancouver, we have family in Seattle.
Thank you for any ideas

 

[Gigi22]

A little bit of background is the first cruise I went on was about 10 years ago. We went to Ensenada on a Carnival cruise. Fast forward to today and me and my family are thinking about doing another cruise. We probably would like to do another port besides Ensenada to see more places. I know that the two cruise lines we are thinking about are RCL and DCL. We are really big Disney fans, but the cost of RCL is very tempting. We either would do a Caribbean, Bahamas or Alaska cruise, but know that Alaska cruise will be a longer trip. We do not need anything extravagant but would like good entertainment. Family does not drink so having access to bars/lounges is not a big deal either. My dad is retiring this year and would be nice to do something for him.
What are some of your suggestions for cruising? Dates would be within the following months: May 2022, Dec 2022, Jan 2023 or Mar 2023 which is a wide range but I know that various itineraries are in these dates. Is it a good time to cruise? We are in Arizona and can go to either coast. If we do Florida, we probably would stay in WDW for a night before and after the cruise. If we do Vancouver, we have family in Seattle.
Thank you for any ideas

Alaska cruises are quite seasonal and occur during the warmer months, May would be too early to see everything you would want to see in Alaska. If you are firm on your dates, I suggest you scratch Alaska.

 

[happycamper47]

May would be too early to see everything you would want to see in Alaska. If you are firm on your dates, I suggest you scratch Alaska.

We did DCL Alaska in May, June and July each several years apart and we had the best weather in May with the best scenery since the mountains still had snow. June and July had rain numerous days on each cruise and the itineraries were the same no matter which month.

 

[Colo17]

Unless you are HUGE Disney fans and want to see all the characters on the ship beyond anything else, go with Royal. Cabins are larger on Disney but you can get a full suite on most of the Royal ships for the price of a balcony on Disney. Food is better with far more options on Royal (and there are even more specialty restaurants). Royal lets you dine when you want, Disney doesn't. The stage shows are very good, with tons of smaller venues as well. There are a ton of activities on Royal, as well. Pick one of the smaller ships (not Oasis or Anthem class) since they can go to more places.

Alaska is a whole separate issue. Why pay Disney prices if you are going to spend your time watching scenery? We've been on Alaska cruises four times and frankly prefer Princess. You get to see Glacier Bay on that line, not on either Royal or Disney. And a glass-enclosed pool where you can watch the scenery on a lounger. But food and shows are less than Royal or Disney and not what we would recommend for families.

 

[Gigi22]

We did DCL Alaska in May, June and July each several years apart and we had the best weather in May with the best scenery since the mountains still had snow. June and July had rain numerous days on each cruise and the itineraries were the same no matter which month.

We’ll have to agree to differ on that. May is considered “shoulder” season for tourism, so if you do go then there should be some savings.

 

[happycamper47]

We’ll have to agree to differ on that. May is considered “shoulder” season for tourism, so if you do go then there should be some savings.

DIffer on what? I based my statement on actual facts of what we experienced. All three cruises had exactly the same ports of call and the same shore excursions were available with the exception of the sea planes due to the crashes in 2019.

 

[Starwind]

You can go to the DCL website and use their tool to book a cruise to see the itineraries available in the months you are looking at. You can price the cost out too, playing around with different stateroom options, etc. You do not actually have to book or even log in to get this information.

The DCL website has a lot of information about their various ships, including different stateroom types, floorplans, pictures, activities, etc.

I also recommend watching videos of vloggers for the various ships you would be considering, both for DCL and for RCl. In Youtube, for example, you can search for Disney Dream ship tour and you should get some good hits. Note that some vloggers are better than others, so you may have to watch a few to get a really good one. But they will give you a good idea of the look and feel of the ship itself. I have found doing this helpful myself -- a couple of the vloggers I follow do a good job of showing the ship in their vlogs and from some of theirs on some other cruise lines I have been able to determine that I would NOT sail on certain cruise lines just from how the ship looks [note: while the vloggers loved the ship, so everyone has their own tastes!! YMMV].

Some of the multi-day trip reports that vloggers post to Youtube I also find helpful, though again it is a matter of finding the "right" vloggers to get the kind of info out of them that you are interested in. People will do stateroom tours, too, so you can search by ship name and room # or stateroom type and find various walkthroughs of the staterooms. Again, some more detailed than others so watch more than one.

I have found these types of videos to be much like walk-through videos of WDW hotels, or of the parks, and to be quite helpful for our planning and deciding.

 

[MomOTwins]

DIffer on what? I based my statement on actual facts of what we experienced. All three cruises had exactly the same ports of call and the same shore excursions were available with the exception of the sea planes due to the crashes in 2019.

With staffing shortages being so ubiquitous, IF Alaska cruises happen this year, I do think it is a fair concern that not all excursions may be up and running in May before peak Alasla season.

 

[nlenguyen]

We did DCL Alaska in May, June and July each several years apart and we had the best weather in May with the best scenery since the mountains still had snow. June and July had rain numerous days on each cruise and the itineraries were the same no matter which month.

How late would you say to do Alaska? On their website it says September, but would you say everything is done by then?

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

For Alaska, I would go with RC; Disney charges crazy prices for their Alaska cruises.
From Florida, I would cruise Disney for the Disney experience. Worth it!

 

[Colo17]

How late would you say to do Alaska? On their website it says September, but would you say everything is done by then?

All four of our cruises were in mid to late September. Locals were dying with 72 degrees in Fairbanks on one. Shops in ports and on cruise tour routes are closing down for the season and can have some incredible deals. Bears are very active. But the humpback whales are mostly gone at this time of year. Mostly just orca...

 

[auntlynne]

How late would you say to do Alaska? On their website it says September, but would you say everything is done by then?

I sailed Alaska Sep 4-11, 2021 from Seattle. Very nice weather - from cold to cool. Most of the usual shore excursions were running.

In past years, it seems that most ships finished the AK season by Sep 15. I don’t know if I would risk going later than that, but I did see reviews with positive reports from late Sep/ early October 2021.

Alaska is my favorite cruise. I have done five different itineraries on Disney, Princess x3, and Most recently, NCL. Always some cold days, some rainy days or hours, but never unbearably cold.

 

[auntlynne]

Alaska would be a nice break from AZ temperatures in May (if you are from Phoenix; lived there, done that). The air is so crisp and cool and the scenery is so nicely green.

AK cruising is largely about the scenery and activities. I agree that you can try a different cruise line for this destination (at about half the price). Celebrity (upscale Royal C) has some good prices now that include gratuities and other perks.

Norwegian sails from Seattle and has ships (Bliss, Encore) that are purpose-built for viewing Alaska. There is a lovely, large enclosed section that is wonderful for family gatherings, without the loud noise found in an atrium.

If you can push off your trip until next year, you might get a more normal cruise experience, but may see rising prices and increased numbers of passengers onboard (currently, many ships feel very empty).

Check out the private islands for Disney (Castaway Cay) and Royal C (Coco Cay?), as they offer different experiences. Disney’s is very low-key, simple, but beautiful and private. Royal’s is more like a water park. There are plenty of videos online.

The Oasis-class ships on Royal C are very popular. (Oasis, Allure, and more). The Water Theater is a fun and unique offering. They also have ice skating (and shows), rock climbing walls, and surfing simulators. More for-fee Specialty restaurants.

Disney has excellent stage shows, classically lovely ships, a movie theater with a few current-run movies (Disney, Marvel, whatever the company owns).

Florida WDW hotels - $$. And port is an hour away from WDW.

 

[Cheburashka]

A little bit of background is the first cruise I went on was about 10 years ago. We went to Ensenada on a Carnival cruise. Fast forward to today and me and my family are thinking about doing another cruise. We probably would like to do another port besides Ensenada to see more places. I know that the two cruise lines we are thinking about are RCL and DCL. We are really big Disney fans, but the cost of RCL is very tempting. We either would do a Caribbean, Bahamas or Alaska cruise, but know that Alaska cruise will be a longer trip. We do not need anything extravagant but would like good entertainment. Family does not drink so having access to bars/lounges is not a big deal either. My dad is retiring this year and would be nice to do something for him.
What are some of your suggestions for cruising? Dates would be within the following months: May 2022, Dec 2022, Jan 2023 or Mar 2023 which is a wide range but I know that various itineraries are in these dates. Is it a good time to cruise? We are in Arizona and can go to either coast. If we do Florida, we probably would stay in WDW for a night before and after the cruise. If we do Vancouver, we have family in Seattle.
Thank you for any ideas

January would be the most cost-effective time to cruise. It's also great to escape the winter weather. If you can comfortably afford DCL, then I can endorse DCL as a great cruise option for either a tropical or Alaskan itinerary (I've sailed both on DCL). DCL in Alaska is very special, with the characters in their Alaskan gear, the beautiful sights, etc., but imo a tropical cruise is the best way to get to know DCL because it's easier to enjoy the pools, the hot tubs, etc, in warm weather. Castaway Cay, DCL's private island in the Bahamas, is a highlight & part of what makes DCL worth a higher price. If you go there, be sure to rent bikes to ride along the island paths.

I haven't sailed RCL so have no opinion on that line.