We just tried NCL… NEVER again.

[tinkerbell2023]

We have sailed both DCL and NCL, we like some things about DCL and some things about NCL. We have a 7 year old who likes both clubs for different reasons. You can't place a generalization about who will like what on which cruise line, you just have to sail them and decide for yourselves.

 

[DCLMP]

Lots of people do. On my first Celebrity cruise I met a couple that lived on the ship--the husband owned his own business and worked remotely during the day while the wife home-schooled their two elementary school-aged kids, then during the evening the husband played $3,000 per hand Blackjack (I think--it was whatever the table maximum was). They were comp'd 2-bedroom Penthouse Suites (or better) on every sailing. That's an extreme, but for ships that have casinos it's pretty rare that I'm on a semi-premium cruise line and don't see at least a few people playing $150+ per hand blackjack and $25+ per spin slots. But for many people, being up or down $5,000 at a time isn't really all that much money anyway. Aside from the occasional whale the casinos tend to be pretty full during the evenings (probably at least partially because a lot of cruise lines have dialed back on evening entertainment options).

Even so, I think DISers tend to overestimate the impact that the casino has on ship revenue. It's meaningful, but it's nowhere enough to justify the Disney price difference. (Not to mention that Disney has bingo, which is probably the biggest gambling rip-off of them all.)

I'm not surprised they are full when there are thousands on board and they are not very large. It's like the adult lounge on DCL when Bingo is going on. It's packed to the gills. I did see a little girl win 5k on Bingo. That was pretty cool. There's always going to be wealthy people and high rollers. Heck, some people will spend 30k on a DCL cruise without blinking an eye.

I get tired of the people who insinuate that other cruise lines are full of degenerate drunks and gamblers. That has not been my experience at all.

It would be nice to have an adult conversation about the pros and cons of other cruise lines because not all of us can afford DCL all of the time.

 

[Sykes]

I get tired of the people who insinuate that other cruise lines are full of degenerate drunks and gamblers. That has not been my experience at all.

Over dozens of cruises I've seen far more degenerate drunks (with truly bad behavior) on Disney than I have elsewhere. Some people really seem to indulge on those shorter 2-4 night cruises from Port Canaveral, and for some the price tag comes with an unearned sense of entitlement. Having said that, I don't think I've been on any cruise where drunks materially affected my own enjoyment of the cruise, nor have casinos been a problem as long as the smoking is reasonably well-contained (which is why I like Celebrity's non-smoking casinos).

 

[SMF_mom23]

Your sister spends thousands of dollars in casinos? That’s pretty sad.

Why is it "sad"? Presumably, she earned her money and if spending that money in the casino is part of how she enjoys vacationing that's her prerogative. It seems that you're assuming she's LOSING thousands of dollars every time she cruises because she's playing in the casino. Far more likely it is the more common "win some, lose some" scenario, or maybe she's a fantastic blackjack or poker player. Whatever the situation, it is HER money to spend however SHE wants to spend it. If time in the casino brings her joy? Get it, sister!

 

[AquaDame]

This thread has clearly run its course… clearing up some of the snipes at one another & closing.