We always end up back with DCL

[auntlynne]

@Mousefan mom - I keep thinking I should add the disclaimer “I don’t cruise with any children” when I say I enjoy other cruiselines.

The youngest any of my nieces have been when cruising was 11. And she had her own built-in playmates in her siblings. They didn’t use the clubs on DCL. And I could only take them on a cruise if it was Disney. And I did take them every cruise for a long time.

By the time I tried another company, my traveling buddy was 19 and hung out with similar age cruisers we met on DCL.

So often, kids areas look like they are an afterthought, tucked down some corridor.

 

[CarolynU]

This was in 2018 well before Covid. I think it was more the waitstaff being lazy and not wanting to make two trips to get the food. They also told me that the only glasses available for my 5 and 7 year old was the big heavy goblets for water. In fact When we went o sit down lunch with random servers we had no problem with getting more kid friendly glasses, food served in a reasonable time etc.... We had a Jr. Suite and our room steward would leave couch as a bed all day unless we called and when we got back in the evening we would have to call to ask for it to be set up for bedtime, My parents on the opposite side of the ship had a wonderful cabin steward who they tipped extra the service was so good. My biggest issue was the service was inconsistent, 25% of the staff were awesome, 50% did an OK job and 25% were really bad at their jobs. When I have cruised DCL it has always been 80-90% of the staff are awesome and the rest do an OK job. I know DCL costs more (but not that much more when you are looking at comparable cabin size) but the service we have received on DCL makes it worth it for the extra cost for us.

Well your service clearly sucked hugely. I would have been very unhappy.
I didn’t think I’d ever enjoy any cruise as much as DCL but I did on Princess. Next year I’m trying Cunard and I’d also like to try a more upscale like Regent or maybe another line whose name escapes me!
Also next year apart from Cunard I’ve decided to just do a beach destination in Barbados because every time I go there from a ship I wish that I was staying longer, so next year I am. I just like to ring the changes really!

 

[o&smom]

We did a RCL last spring--and that was the stark contrast, if we had been w/out our kids (and they are teens now so I assumed they had "aged out" of Disney) it would have been absolutely fine--but the kids got very bored on the RCL (we were on a quantum class ship) and we found out very soon the teen clubs were jam packed and too small, much of the arcade was broken, they took out the sky jumps, and everything seemed to cost extra they would be interested in. They respectfully asked to stay home if we do another cruise.

Had it been just myself and my husband, a totally different story--we did save money, the service was just as good as I had experienced on Disney, the food was good after the first night (they seemed to have some organizational kinks the 1st night until people got their dining straightened out and it was a long wait, food a little cold, etc.).

With the costs of everything being what they are these days (we used to be able to go to WDW as a family 1-2 times a year, and now we are lucky if it is 1 every 3 years), we have had to adjust travel or not travel at all--and RCL was perfectly fine and enjoyable--but if I had kids, I might not cruise with them again but I'd try a non-disney (we are now considered adult only and looking at other lines like MSC, Celebrity, Carnival, etc.) adult cruise in a heartbeat. Be selective of the ship--especially with Carnival, and remember that the beauty and relaxation and being pampered feeling of a cruise DOES extend beyond DCL...I also don't love the limited itineraries of DCL (I am done with Nassau sailings) and unfortunately the new private island seems a huge disappointment to me--so other reasons to try other cruise lines! MSC ship docked next to ours seemed spectacular by the way--and my inlaws just went on MSC and loved it.

I am concerned teens and tweens may soon feel the same way on the Dream and Fantasy. They are combining both clubs into the space of the Vibe with the upcoming dry docks. DD is very unhappy about it.

 

[bakerworld]

We've only cruised DCL cause DH won't consider any other lines. I'd like to do a cruise up the New England coast and if we do that we'll have to try another line. We usually do the large aft verandas. We ramble around in port on our own and don't bother with spa services, drinking demos or Remy/Palo. We like the different themed lounges/bars on the ships. We enjoy talking with the bartenders and fellow cruisers. It does seem that DCL attracts a younger crowd of cruisers or maybe the oldies aren't at the bar. What I've read is other cruise lines, once all the upgrades are purchased, the price is the same and sometimes more than DCL. Has anyone experienced that?

 

[Mousefan mom]

I am concerned teens and tweens may soon feel the same way on the Dream and Fantasy. They are combining both clubs into the space of the Vibe with the upcoming dry docks. DD is very unhappy about it.

I agree--and honestly, when we cruised DCL, my kids were just younger and younger kids are much easier to wow, IMO than teens and young adults. My big takeaway from this trip (and we are a pretty happy, everyone gets a long solid family) is the kids are at an age stage where renting a house on the beach might be the better vacation for them than the parks/cruise type of vacation.

I will say one thing we all observed (and this could just be the ship we were on in the RCL--Odyessy of the Seas) is there was just more of an air of pretentiousness, if that makes sense. Our family can best be described as upper middle class, educated, lean more toward geeks/nerds (bookish, computer geek, music/theatre kids, etc.), so this vibe was unexpected/surprised us since DCL is significantly more expensive---but if you didn't know that, you would expect the opposite. The kids in the kids club looked like what one would think of as a stereotype of the "popular" kids at HS--jocks, cheerleaders, etc. and in the adults we saw a lot of cosmetically enhanced bodies, a lot more string bikinis and appearances were important. The shops on board were for very expensive upscale stores (jewelry, couture, etc.) that our middle class family would never be drawn too...My son's sun glasses broke and we wanted to buy him another pair--but the least expensive I could find were designer ones that cost hundreds of dollars. No one was rude to us, folks were nice, etc...just a different vibe. The dress up nights in the dining room (even though they say anything goes nowadays) were significantly more formal, and we did feel out of place in just collared shirt and khaki shorts--sundress and sandals, etc. It wasn't casual at all, and on DCL we felt casual--for me, I dress up for my job each day so when I am on vacation, I like to relax in vacation clothing.

 

[dreamer17555]

I am concerned teens and tweens may soon feel the same way on the Dream and Fantasy. They are combining both clubs into the space of the Vibe with the upcoming dry docks. DD is very unhappy about it.

I am really sad they are doing this on the Dream. However does anyone know when the Fantasy's next drydock is? Might get a bit more time with the better teen club on that ship at least.

 

[shoes99]

We favor Disney, we are Pearl. We originally booked the Eastern European Capitals cruise
with Disney 7 years ago. Princess was $2000 cheaper with the same itinerary. We moved to Princess and
surprisingly were upgraded to a suite. Most tours especially Berlin were full, but on DisBoards there was a
group that were renting a private tour to Berlin. We had a minivan with 8 cruisers. They also booked the Jewish Heritage Museum
One of the children had a Stitch doll with her, so we borrowed Stitch to sit on Catherine The Greats Chair. Fun Trip.
Going back to Wannamunde we hit traffic on the Autobaun. We were 1 hour late getting back but the ship was held because
all DCL tours were also stuck on the Autobaun. When we got to the pier the German Driver yelled RUN FAST. W went straight to our assigned dining room and it was open seating because everyone was late. In about 1/2 hour the ship pulled away and the town folks were lined up at the dock waving goodbye.
With 30+ cruises the Eastern European Capitals was our very favorite.

 

[PAGA2003]

What I've read is other cruise lines, once all the upgrades are purchased, the price is the same and sometimes more than DCL. Has anyone experienced that?

I'm sure that could happen in some instances but in my experience it did not. My husband and I just sailed with Celebrity to Bermuda in a Concierge Verandah (Concierge on Celebrity offers much less than on Disney-Celebrity Retreat is the equivalent to Disney Concierge) and our 7 night sailing cost $2100 plus we spent another $600ish onboard for specialty dining/drinks/photos/room service. I don't believe DCL has ever done a 7 night Bermuda for an exact comparison but I do know that any any 7 night Caribbean sailing during the summer comes in at a higher price than that just for an Inside.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

I am really sad they are doing this on the Dream. However does anyone know when the Fantasy's next drydock is? Might get a bit more time with the better teen club on that ship at least.

Dream drydock after summer 2024 European season, followed by the WBTA. Fantasy goes to Europe for the summer 2025 season, so drydock at the end of the season, prior to the WBTA.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I just returned from a 12-day MSC cruise in the Caribbean and Mexico. I've done Carnival, Celebrity and NCL over the past several decades. MSC's private island, Ocean Cay, is jaw-dropping beautiful.

MSC tops them all. The food, service, music and shows were all exceptional.

But MSC in Europe is a whoooole different story

 

[Mousefan mom]

But MSC in Europe is a whoooole different story

I really didn't know much about cruise lines and am hearing more and more about this one--as ship docked next to us looked absolutely amazing! I hope to learn more about it and we are considering it for a future adults only sailing.

 

[Mango7100]

We've only cruised DCL cause DH won't consider any other lines. I'd like to do a cruise up the New England coast and if we do that we'll have to try another line. We usually do the large aft verandas. We ramble around in port on our own and don't bother with spa services, drinking demos or Remy/Palo. We like the different themed lounges/bars on the ships. We enjoy talking with the bartenders and fellow cruisers. It does seem that DCL attracts a younger crowd of cruisers or maybe the oldies aren't at the bar. What I've read is other cruise lines, once all the upgrades are purchased, the price is the same and sometimes more than DCL. Has anyone experienced that?

In my experience no. I’m sure there are some situations where this can happen. We did a 7 night Eastern Caribbean in summer 2022 in the Haven on NCL Getaway. Haven is DCL Concierge but on steroids. Butler, private restaurant, 450 sq foot room, private pool, private bar, all drinks, 2 specialty dinners, Wi-Fi for 2 devices. Our price was about 6k. I have never seen a 7 night DCL Concierge for less than 6k. We are going on 8 night Celebrity Beyond (built in 2022) to the ABC islands soon in a concierge room. We prepurchased the premium beverage package and premium Wifi. Our total is 6800 including the drinks and WiFi. Our cruise March 2025 on the Treasure for a verandah room is 7900. I know that it’s not an apples to apples comparison since the Treasure will be newer compared to a 2022 ship. But we are doing a slightly longer cruise with all drinks and WiFi for 1100 cheaper. Both cruises are in peak travel time.

 

[LadyGrace]

Husband and I went on Princess last year and I can safely say we will be an exclusively Disney cruise family. You really get what you pay for in terms of service and it's painfully obvious. The only thing i've noticed that other cruises have a bit of an edge on is itineraries.

 

[auntlynne]

… We are going on 8 night Celebrity Beyond (built in 2022) to the ABC islands soon in a concierge room. We prepurchased the premium beverage package and premium Wifi. Our total is 6800 including the drinks and WiFi. …

I followed (Celebrity’s) Captain Kate’s vlogs that included those ABC cruises - such a nice itinerary. It would actually be fun on Disney for those who want the DCL option: RT Ft Lauderdale. Two Sea Days down. Aruba - Bonaire - Curaçao. Two Sea Days back. Until then - Celebrity.

(I’m not telling you anything you don’t know , but thought I’d throw it out there for people looking for a different itinerary - and are willing to try something new).

 

[auntlynne]

I really didn't know much about cruise lines and am hearing more and more about this one--as ship docked next to us looked absolutely amazing! I hope to learn more about it and we are considering it for a future adults only sailing.

If you want to learn a little now, my opinion from a mostly Disney cruiser, with experience on Princess, NCL, Carnival (once) and -

I have done two cruises on MSC Seashore from Miami (Eastern Caribbean).

My take: large ship. New ship. Easy enough to navigate. Decor is somewhat 1980s Las Vegas. Not cheap looking. A bit over the top compared to Disney. On this ship class, they have an outside “boardwalk,” for lack of better word. Uncovered, with some tables and chairs and a very nice rectangular infinity hot tub that holds many people (never saw it overly crowded or too hot). It actually is a great place to enjoy deeper water.

Overall, it is a very lively ship. A multi-story atrium has live music much of the day. The pool deck has Trivia and games. There is also an indoor pool. There is an adult pool area with infinity pools.

The cabins are roomy. Bathrooms have shower doors, not curtains, which is a + to me. And no tub wall to step over.

The first cruise was Fall 2021. (Capacity capped at 30-50%.). We were the first sailing from Miami. In a temporary terminal. It was a mess - long waits. Even long processing time, unlike Disney’s show your passport and boarding pass and move on. Next time, still a mess. They had improved the actual processing procedure, but poor communication and crowd handling. We used my priority boarding (from loyalty status - see below).

They have a reputation for poor Customer Service and poor IT (it is possibly worse than DCL). I might have to agree with the reputation.

MDR servers were similar to any cruise I have been on. I would describe the food as not as good as DCL.

The buffet on the full cruise was too busy. So many guests. Lots of square footage, but difficult to find a table near food. Norwegian CL’s large ships didn’t seem to have this problem.

They don’t know how to do trivia. Everyone else seems to know how. I had a hard time finding activities. Their production shows tend to have no talking. Singing would be modern songs in English. This is to accommodate guests of many languages. I saw some well done acrobatics. Drinking and music seem to be primary activities. But not Carnival style.

They have an excellent steak house.

If you have higher loyalty on a cruise line, they will Status Match to their program. My DCL Platinum (before Pearl existed) matched to MSC’s top tier. So a free specialty dinner for cabin.

First cruise was heavily Columbians and another Caribbean basin country. Very much extended families traveling together. They know how to dress for dinner! The next cruise was more Americans, so more cruise casual.

We stopped at their private island. Lots of separate beach areas. A reclaimed industrial site, it is in the process of growing foliage. It is an attractive destination, with jet skis and small craft adventures at reasonable prices. But umbrellas are extra charge and there is essentially no palm trees to use for shade. We had overnight stays, allowing guests to enjoy sunsets on the beach.

The price is such a drawing card. My sister and I had connecting balcony cabins for ~ $1K each (solo) for 7 nights. Fare & taxes. I got a non-alcoholic drinks package. As we were in separate rooms, it wasn’t required that we both purchase.

 

[Dug720]

I'd honestly been pretty committed to Celebrity going forward, but it seems that on their Edge-class ships they don't want solo cruisers in anything but their solo cabins - which is a problem when you've gotten spoiled to their Aqua Class. So...it's back to pondering DCL for me.

 

[tidefan]

Husband and I went on Princess last year and I can safely say we will be an exclusively Disney cruise family. You really get what you pay for in terms of service and it's painfully obvious. The only thing i've noticed that other cruises have a bit of an edge on is itineraries.

I think that one of the big differences between Disney and other lines is that with Disney, the choice of ship really doesn't matter. You'll get a similar experience on any of the 5 ships (yes, the Wish is a bit different).

However, with other lines, I find that the choice of ship makes a huge difference. For instance, with Princess, there is a significant difference between the Royal/Sphere Class ships and the Grand class ships, with Celebrity, there is a big difference between Edge class ships and the older ships, for Royal, it goes without saying that Icon/Oasis class ships are going to be different than say Grandeur OTS, and most strikingly, for Carnival, going on one of the new 3 ships (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) is almost like going on a different cruise line than other Carnival ships.

I will say that the one other line I find is very consistent, similar to Disney, is Virgin Voyages. All 3 ships are amazing.

 

[Dug720]

I'd honestly been pretty committed to Celebrity going forward, but it seems that on their Edge-class ships they don't want solo cruisers in anything but their solo cabins - which is a problem when you've gotten spoiled to their Aqua Class. So...it's back to pondering DCL for me.

To explain this... On many of the Edge-class ship (what is referenced above as Apex class. Edge was the first ship of the class, so they are actually Edge-class.) itineraries, you can see prices for all categories UNTIL you go to book and put in 1 person at which point ONLY the solo IV cabins show available and all other categories show "Sold Out". But if you put in 2 there are suddenly MANY cabins available. Yes, you could book for 2 and have 1 be a "no show" and get the taxes and port fees back for that one, but we shouldn't have to cheat the system.

 

[o&smom]

I agree--and honestly, when we cruised DCL, my kids were just younger and younger kids are much easier to wow, IMO than teens and young adults. My big takeaway from this trip (and we are a pretty happy, everyone gets a long solid family) is the kids are at an age stage where renting a house on the beach might be the better vacation for them than the parks/cruise type of vacation.

I will say one thing we all observed (and this could just be the ship we were on in the RCL--Odyessy of the Seas) is there was just more of an air of pretentiousness, if that makes sense. Our family can best be described as upper middle class, educated, lean more toward geeks/nerds (bookish, computer geek, music/theatre kids, etc.), so this vibe was unexpected/surprised us since DCL is significantly more expensive---but if you didn't know that, you would expect the opposite. The kids in the kids club looked like what one would think of as a stereotype of the "popular" kids at HS--jocks, cheerleaders, etc. and in the adults we saw a lot of cosmetically enhanced bodies, a lot more string bikinis and appearances were important. The shops on board were for very expensive upscale stores (jewelry, couture, etc.) that our middle class family would never be drawn too...My son's sun glasses broke and we wanted to buy him another pair--but the least expensive I could find were designer ones that cost hundreds of dollars. No one was rude to us, folks were nice, etc...just a different vibe. The dress up nights in the dining room (even though they say anything goes nowadays) were significantly more formal, and we did feel out of place in just collared shirt and khaki shorts--sundress and sandals, etc. It wasn't casual at all, and on DCL we felt casual--for me, I dress up for my job each day so when I am on vacation, I like to relax in vacation clothing.

That is so crazy about the people. I would have been shocked by this as well.

 

[71 Truck]

My wife and I (we never had children) started cruising with Disney way back in 2001. Since then we have been on fourteen, seven day Disney cruises.
We have also been on one Princess and one NCL seven cruise.
All of the cruises have been to the Caribbean.

For me it has always been a little difficult looking at other cruise lines.

Some people sail because of the destinations visited, some sail because of the cruise ship and crew and some sail for both. I like Disney for both reasons. Over the years we have met several of the same crew members and they remember us.

We are also long time Disney Vacation Club members and used to use the DVC points for Disney cruises a long time ago.

Back in 2006 my parents took my wife and I on a Princess cruise for our anniversary. Did we have a great time, absolutely. Did we spend a good part of the time trying to compare Princess to Disney, yes. Was it the same as Disney, no.

Back in February 2020 my wife and I tried a NCL cruise, again did we have a great time, of course, however we also decided we were not going to try to compare NCL to Disney this time.

This was the picture from the NCL Breakaway in 2020.


Did I wish we were on the Fantasy, at the time of course. Did we have a really good time on NCL, yes we did. Did we find NCL did some thing different than Disney that we liked, yes.

We also found out a few weeks before we sailed that people we knew were on the Fantasy and it would have been nice to sail with them.

This was also two weeks before all cruise lines shut down for the next, almost two years and we did not cruise again till November 2022, on you guessed it, Disney.

With all of that said my wife and I are huge Disney Cruise fans. At one point over the last few years we were doing two, seven day cruises a year with Disney.

We have now gotten to the point where we will explore other cruise lines and try different ports we have never been to that Disney does not sail to.

At the same time we will also be watching Disney during certain times of the year( we don't cruise during hurricane season) to continue our Disney cruising habit.

So in the long run will we be back on Disney (not that we really left them), of course we will.