We always end up back with DCL

[beckicnm]

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.

That's interesting, I have been looking for a solo cruise for next year, and I haven't run across this at all. I see the solo IV as an option if they're available.

 

[kappaman14]

Anyone else who has gone on DCL having a hard time considering another cruise line such as Royal Caribbean? When we think about another cruise we end up back at DCL. Anyone else in the same boat?

This is something I’ve been grappling with recently. We just completed our 9th DCL cruise, and essentially they’re our only cruise experience. I posted something about this elsewhere, so the Cliff’s Notes version is I’m wondering if we’ve outgrown DCL. We no longer have an Oceaneer’s age child, and we’re not looking for a lot of character experiences. The weakness of adult programming, and the “same old, same old” ports & itineraries is really hard to look past. Plus they’re busy building more of the Wish, which respectfully was our least favorite of the five ships, so it’s hard to be excited for the Treasure/Destiny/TBD Japan.

I’m very interested in the Adventure, because it’s an entirely new location and I suspect the design of the ship will be unique to Disney. And we’re looking into a European sailing, because at least the destination is new to us (and the Dream is probably our favorite ship). Beyond that, I’ll be seeking suggestions for upscale competitors that are still family friendly but haven’t forgotten adults are on the boat (and are interested in sailing to new destinations).

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

we've done another cruise line - but DCL provides all the special touches needed to make this as relaxing, exciting, educational, etc. as you want it to be - just have a couple more itineraries to try - but we love the DCL service - and I never want to have to pay extra for a drink package for soda or a meal upgrade for a steak.

Well my have it all fare on hal including drinks, specialty dinners, wifi, crew appreciation and obc was still plenty cheaper than the fare on DCL so the real question is what is paying extra versus prepaid…
I def understand the appeal of dcl and tats the exact reason Im a pearl cruiser and still cruising with them but over the past couple of years things have gone downhill in their offerings while prices going up to the point it also is worth checking what other lines have to offer

 

[auntlynne]

This is something I’ve been grappling with recently. We just completed our 9th DCL cruise, and essentially they’re our only cruise experience. I posted something about this elsewhere, so the Cliff’s Notes version is I’m wondering if we’ve outgrown DCL. We no longer have an Oceaneer’s age child, and we’re not looking for a lot of character experiences. The weakness of adult programming, and the “same old, same old” ports & itineraries is really hard to look past. Plus they’re busy building more of the Wish, which respectfully was our least favorite of the five ships, so it’s hard to be excited for the Treasure/Destiny/TBD Japan.

I’m very interested in the Adventure, because it’s an entirely new location and I suspect the design of the ship will be unique to Disney. And we’re looking into a European sailing, because at least the destination is new to us (and the Dream is probably our favorite ship). Beyond that, I’ll be seeking suggestions for upscale competitors that are still family friendly but haven’t forgotten adults are on the boat (and are interested in sailing to new destinations).

By European, do you mean Med, or are you open to British Isles, Norway?

Are you limited by a school calendar?

 

[kappaman14]

By European, do you mean Med, or are you open to British Isles, Norway?

Are you limited by a school calendar?

I think we're primarily interested in Med, but I think we could certainly look at British Isles or Norway. And yes, we'd probably look for spring break timing (moves around, but late March), summer, or Christmas.

 

[auntlynne]

This video is from a YTube channel I follow

It was from this Spring 2024. Celebrity Cruises’ Infinity. It is a Greek area cruise. So a lot of history of the home of democracy, mathematics…. And it has an overnight in Athens at the end, so a chance to explore without paying for a hotel.

She points out the advantages of going off season, especially fewer tourists. Based on last Summer’s Med temperatures, I think heat would be a big factor.

It might be too long to fit into a Spring Break time limit. And it doesn’t really work with your original game plan. But I had ticked this into the back of my mind as a good option for a Med cruise (for me).

I did a DCL 11-night Med RT from Barcelona. Hit the Western Italy highlights, Tunisia, the French Riviera. It was late April, early May. Even then, Rome was hot.

The Infinity is a few years younger than Magic, built in 2001, without all the playground stuff on the outer deck.

Celebrity seems to be a favorite among Disney cruisers when they are ready for an adult ship. But not Virgin Voyages adult. Or HAL old adult.

 

[Dug720]

That's interesting, I have been looking for a solo cruise for next year, and I haven't run across this at all. I see the solo IV as an option if they're available.

They're perfectly fine. I'm just spoiled to Aqua Class.

 

[pangyal]

This is something I’ve been grappling with recently. We just completed our 9th DCL cruise, and essentially they’re our only cruise experience. I posted something about this elsewhere, so the Cliff’s Notes version is I’m wondering if we’ve outgrown DCL. We no longer have an Oceaneer’s age child, and we’re not looking for a lot of character experiences.

This part completely encapsulated how we feel about DCL. We are Platinum cruisers who have been on every ship except for Wonder. We’ve been doing B2B on the Wish since the ship came into service, and did a 4-night that we just completed. My son aged out of Edge as of last year, which he was unhappy about since he really loved it, and was not overly thrilled about Vibe. The counsellors were kind of rough in personality and seemed to focus more on monitoring conversation for “banned words” than creating fun programming. He made friends, but didn’t like any of the activities enough to look forward to them and by day 3 he stopped going to Vibe altogether. For myself, I found myself actually bored on a Disney cruise for the first time, and I fully appreciate that this is a highly subjective thing. I’ve seen the shows so many times. I don’t want to do bingo or trivia or crafts. The movies were only three that they rotated through the theatres (and of course the classics on Funnelvision). And, for the first time, we both found the food to be of lower quality across all areas. It was more dry and oversalted than either of us remembered it being.

We have two deposits on upcoming DCL cruises and honestly I am not sure when we are going to want to take them again. In contrast, we have been doing a Royal Caribbean cruise every winter as our February getaway and all three of us vastly prefer pretty much everything about the line. What we get with Royal far outweighs what we get from DCL at this point in terms of food, cabin space, and inclusions. We love the Oasis class ships and have never been bored because there are so many more physical activities- zip lining, waterslides, dry slides, and so on. Our son has never enjoyed the kids clubs on Royal but we are hoping that maybe if he feels he has aged out of the ones on DCL then he might be more into the ones on Royal.

Full disclosure- we do Concierge on DCL and Star Class on RCCL, so I am not comparing the base fares and upcharges. And, I love being on a Disney cruise for the atmosphere and quality programming- being on that gorgeous ship makes me feel “special”. But, I came off of this cruise thinking for the first time that I had way overpaid for what I actually got out of those four nights. So to sum up- yes, I think that we will come back to DCL, but it will be much more sparingly.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

The crew making you feel special is something I ve missed over the past few years. Before EVERYONE was being made feel special and I feel now you re more of a number and what used to be done for everyone is now pixiedust for happy few: cast and crew addressing you with your name, getting letters, special memories with characters that go beyond the hug and photo,…

 

[ShaneDJ]

We love the Oasis class ships…we do Concierge on DCL and Star Class on RCCL

Star Class on RCCL is amazing, especially with the Genie (butler) that they give you.

Concierge on DCL simply can’t compete with that level of elevated service.

The lower level of service on RCCL (Sky Class) matches more closely with DCL’s Concierge. Nice and efficient, usually. But does not compare with the Genie and extra Star Class benefits (specialty dining, etc.).

We still love DCL (even non-Concierge), but if I’m looking at taking a RCCL Star Class cruise versus DCL Concierge, I’m going with RCCL.

 

[holula]

The crew making you feel special is something I ve missed over the past few years. Before EVERYONE was being made feel special and I feel now you re more of a number and what used to be done for everyone is now pixiedust for happy few: cast and crew addressing you with your name, getting letters, special memories with characters that go beyond the hug and photo,…

I find this really depends on the ship. On the Wonder in September 2023 I did feel like you got to know the CMs by the end of the cruise and had great character interaction except for on Glacier day when it was super busy to start and then it rained. In the Dream in October 2023 I did not get anything close to this (except for Minnie.)

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I find this really depends on the ship. On the Wonder in September 2023 I did feel like you got to know the CMs by the end of the cruise and had great character interaction except for on Glacier day when it was super busy to start and then it rained. In the Dream in October 2023 I did not get anything close to this (except for Minnie.)

I had the worst experience on the Dream on the last night during Sea ya real soon. I al one of these people that goes through every line every day. If I miss something its cause there are too many simultaneous lines to make it.
Ta is a two week cruise so that means a lot of meets and Im totally aware that they try to see as many as guests as possible during Sea ya real soon. But when I saw Mickey it was just… eugh… he acted like he had never seen me before, no hug nothing. I have it on video and its literally 6 seconds me walking up photo me walking away again. I had some other issues that cruise (both character and non character related) and I was very hesitant to book a new cruise but then kinda thought I had to do it cause the longer I was’t gonna go the harder it gets to return so Im doing the other ta in October (its gonna be a different cast or I wouldnt have sone cause I dont want to go through that same stress again when seeing certain characters having to thing oh I hope its not that or that friend) anyways we ll see what happens in October but its sad that the things you love most gets taken away from you esp since my health doesnt allow me to travel to the parks anymore

 

[auntlynne]

I had the worst experience on the Dream on the last night during Sea ya real soon. I al one of these people that goes through every line every day. If I miss something its cause there are too many simultaneous lines to make it.
Ta is a two week cruise so that means a lot of meets and Im totally aware that they try to see as many as guests as possible during Sea ya real soon. But when I saw Mickey it was just… eugh… he acted like he had never seen me before, no hug nothing. I have it on video and its literally 6 seconds me walking up photo me walking away again. I had some other issues that cruise (both character and non character related) and I was very hesitant to book a new cruise but then kinda thought I had to do it cause the longer I was’t gonna go the harder it gets to return so Im doing the other ta in October (its gonna be a different cast or I wouldnt have sone cause I dont want to go through that same stress again when seeing certain characters having to thing oh I hope its not that or that friend) anyways we ll see what happens in October but its sad that the things you love most gets taken away from you esp since my health doesnt allow me to travel to the parks anymore

(Possible Spoiler Alert). Is it possible that the Crew Member inside Mickey was not the same human you had met earlier in the cruise? And had truly never met you? And was possibly an inexperienced character who hasn’t learned the skills of engaging with guests? I truly hope this doesn’t burst your bubble.

 

[pangyal]

Star Class on RCCL is amazing, especially with the Genie (butler) that they give you.

Concierge on DCL simply can’t compete with that level of elevated service.

The lower level of service on RCCL (Sky Class) matches more closely with DCL’s Concierge. Nice and efficient, usually. But does not compare with the Genie and extra Star Class benefits (specialty dining, etc.).

We still love DCL (even non-Concierge), but if I’m looking at taking a RCCL Star Class cruise versus DCL Concierge, I’m going with RCCL.

You’re totally right, but what sways us even more is that Star Class is cheaper than DCL Concierge 95% of the time. And, you get double the cabin space. I wouldn’t complain about service levels and such being better on one line if that line wasn’t actively charging less for more, if that makes sense.

 

[John VN]

.............................................
Full disclosure- we do Concierge on DCL and Star Class on RCCL, so I am not comparing the base fares and upcharges. And, I love being on a Disney cruise for the atmosphere and quality programming- being on that gorgeous ship makes me feel “special”. But, I came off of this cruise thinking for the first time that I had way overpaid for what I actually got out of those four nights. So to sum up- yes, I think that we will come back to DCL, but it will be much more sparingly.

Star Class on RCCL is amazing, especially with the Genie (butler) that they give you.

Concierge on DCL simply can’t compete with that level of elevated service.

The lower level of service on RCCL (Sky Class) matches more closely with DCL’s Concierge. Nice and efficient, usually. But does not compare with the Genie and extra Star Class benefits (specialty dining, etc.).

We still love DCL (even non-Concierge), but if I’m looking at taking a RCCL Star Class cruise versus DCL Concierge, I’m going with RCCL.

You’re totally right, but what sways us even more is that Star Class is cheaper than DCL Concierge 95% of the time. And, you get double the cabin space. I wouldn’t complain about service levels and such being better on one line if that line wasn’t actively charging less for more, if that makes sense.

For DW and I, Star and DCL Concierge are priced out of our comfort zones and when comparing Sky to Yacht Club, considering more comes with YC for fewer $$$$, we still can't return to Royal

some comparisons -- 4 night

3/2/26 Utopia
Verandah @ $2,200
Jr. Suite Sky @ $4,200 ***
Aqua 2 Br. Star @ $8,400 *****

3/2/26 WISH
Verandah @ $4,000
Concierge @ $9,300 **

3/8/26 MSC Seashore
Verandah @ $1,260
Aurea 2 Bedroom/2 Bathroom @ $2,800
Yacht Club @ $3,700 ****

 

[pangyal]

For DW and I, Star and DCL Concierge are priced out of our comfort zones and when comparing Sky to Yacht Club, considering more comes with YC for fewer $$$$, we still can't return to Royal

some comparisons -- 4 night

3/2/26 Utopia
Verandah @ $2,200
Jr. Suite Sky @ $4,200 ***
Aqua 2 Br. Star @ $8,400 *****

3/2/26 WISH
Verandah @ $4,000
Concierge @ $9,300 **

3/8/26 MSC Seashore
Verandah @ $1,260
Aurea 2 Bedroom/2 Bathroom @ $2,800
Yacht Club @ $3,700 ****

Thank you for putting the bug in my ear about MSC having a two-bedroom option!

 

[ShaneDJ]

Thank you for putting the bug in my ear about MSC having a two-bedroom option!

Agreed. Thanks @John VN for those pricing comparisons. 2-bed/2-bath is interesting.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

(Possible Spoiler Alert). Is it possible that the Crew Member inside Mickey was not the same human you had met earlier in the cruise? And had truly never met you? And was possibly an inexperienced character who hasn’t learned the skills of engaging with guests? I truly hope this doesn’t burst your bubble.

Nope, thats not how things on DCL work and I dont want to go into detail here on a oublic board by some other things that happened on those last few days with a couple of the character friends but to me it was pretty unseen for DCL

 

[LAS2AMS]

Nope, thats not how things on DCL work and I dont want to go into detail here on a oublic board by some other things that happened on those last few days with a couple of the character friends but to me it was pretty unseen for DCL

That hurts to even read but I’d give the performers the benefit of the doubt and write their behavior off as being exhausted. The lion’s share of the passengers on this cruise were adult DCL veterans many (most?) of whom regularly travel the the Transatlantics. I even talked with a couple who are traveling with the Wonder for 26-days from Vancouver to Sydney, flying to London, and immediately getting on the 13-day WBTA!

I’m certain you remember the beautiful young Japanese lady and her elaborate Disney-inspired outfits. She attempted to meet every character and turned each session into a photo op. Alternatively, there was the young man who didn’t bother to changes his clothes thought the entire cruise. The stench was noticeable and toward the end of the cruise, it was obvious the characters and their handlers were trying to avoid him.

Ultimately, just a bunch of adults needier than children and I think it wore the cast out. I wouldn’t take it personally .

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

That hurts to even read but I’d give the performers the benefit of the doubt and write their behavior off as being exhausted. The lion’s share of the passengers on this cruise were adult DCL veterans many (most?) of whom regularly travel the the Transatlantics. I even talked with a couple who are traveling with the Wonder for 26-days from Vancouver to Sydney, flying to London, and immediately getting on the 13-day WBTA!

I’m certain you remember the beautiful young Japanese lady and her elaborate Disney-inspired outfits. She attempted to meet every character and turned each session into a photo op. Alternatively, there was the young man who didn’t bother to changes his clothes thought the entire cruise. The stench was noticeable and toward the end of the cruise, it was obvious the characters and their handlers were trying to avoid him.

Ultimately, just a bunch of adults needier than children and I think it wore the cast out. I wouldn’t take it personally .

I wasnt talking about the wbta though, but the May EBTA of this year. It fell very personal because the same character would be nice to others. But where the personal approach used to be DCLs strengrh for many years it feels like now its becoming its weakness. I ve never experienced the -picking favorites- pre Covid (may be in their heads and backstage but it was never visible, everyone was treated to a fair share of magic.)