What hotel would DCL be?

[AdamEfimoff]

Name the hotel or type of hotel?
And can you compare to other cruises!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Comparing a ship to a hotel is comparing apples to oranges. Ship staterooms are very compact, almost like a motorhome. Hotel rooms don't rock you to sleep at night, or move you from one port to another.

DCL has top-notch entertainment. Their food is comparable to other cruise lines, tho that's subjective, and your opinion may vary. The DCL crew is very service oriented, and if you have a reasonable request they try to make it happen.

 

[rcchello]

All Cruise lines would be resort hotels like those found in Mexico or the islands that supply full board (restaurant meals that are already paid). The problem in comparing then is that most people would not understand a comparison by naming different hotels, comparing a to b in Cancun.

If you are looking at relative levels, cruise line a to b is like motel 6 to a Hyatt regency it gets very subjective and does not reflect the services and features of cruising.

 

[lorimay]

Hard to compare, but know your room will be very clean and it will be cleaned twice a day for you with fresh towels which I love.
I hate when you have to call for extra towels at a hotel.
I have walked into a DCL cabin 13 times and have never been disappointed by the appearance of the room.
While they are smaller than a hotel room, the upkeep makes up for that to me anyway.

Have fun!!

 

[RedSox68]

Hands down the one comparison that hotels do not provide is the split bathrooms! A bonus for sure. And, of course, hotels don't provide free room service, free movies or free soda.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I wouldn't say that DCL was like any hotel. It's more like a week at a spa retreat where everything is done for you. You just show up.

We stayed at the Contemporary after our cruise and, while beautiful, it still wasn't the same feeling of being taken care of. It's not supposed to be, though. I'm just saying that imagineering and story-telling are only part of the DCL experience.

 

[aprincessatlast]

Well I use to use this illustration when discussing room categories with friends who wanted to go. I would compare DCL with the Grand or Poly. Illustrating you could get Concierge, pool side, a villa, a standard but you are still staying at the same resort.

My first cruise was on RCL and we all kept remarking how it felt like an 80's Holiday Inn with all the brass etc.

Although remarkably different I do think it is fair to compare it to a resort. Granted with DCL price is inclusive and a resort is a la carte but as far as amenities available.....I would say the POLYNESIAN the most. Nice variety of restaurants. Fun pools with slides and splash area, Specialty bars with live evening entertainment, A luau show. Restaurants with entertainers, singers and characters. Evening tiki torch ceremony with fire dancer guy. Hula lessons, Spa services, Gym, Movies on the lawn, Pineapple Lanai (ice cream), nice shops, fireworks, and great ambiance! Most importantly.... the smell! They both have an amazing unique smell. lol

ETA: You also can get a split bathroom if you want at the POLY with a DVC room.

 

[RedSox68]

Well I use to use this illustration when discussing room categories with friends who wanted to go. I would compare DCL with the Grand or Poly. Illustrating you could get Concierge, pool side, a villa, a standard but you are still staying at the same resort.

My first cruise was on RCL and we all kept remarking how it felt like an 80's Holiday Inn with all the brass etc.

Although remarkably different I do think it is fair to compare it to a resort. Granted with DCL price is inclusive and a resort is a la carte but as far as amenities available.....I would say the POLYNESIAN the most. Nice variety of restaurants. Fun pools with slides and splash area, Specialty bars with live evening entertainment, A luau show. Restaurants with entertainers, singers and characters. Evening tiki torch ceremony with fire dancer guy. Hula lessons, Spa services, Gym, Movies on the lawn, Pineapple Lanai (ice cream), nice shops, fireworks, and great ambiance! Most importantly.... the smell! They both have an amazing unique smell. lol

ETA: You also can get a split bathroom if you want at the POLY with a DVC room.

Thanks. I will remember this when we rent through points next time. My next resort on the list was the Poly anyway.

 

[mevelandry]

The Yacht Club ... without the amazing pool. On the deluxe dining plan? Lol

 

[tnkrbell]

If you are talking Disney hotels I would

I wouldn't say that DCL was like any hotel. It's more like a week at a spa retreat where everything is done for you. You just show up.

We stayed at the Contemporary after our cruise and, while beautiful, it still wasn't the same feeling of being taken care of. It's not supposed to be, though. I'm just saying that imagineering and story-telling are only part of the DCL experience.

i agre

 

[tnkrbell]

If you are talking Disney hotels I would

i agre

Lol lol I didn't think I clicked post!!!
I wanted to say if comparing to a Disney world hotel I would say a deluxe!!!

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I ask this question because I heard this is a mainstream cruise . And I also see people value the money they earn (I do too) So I am asking is it a high end or low end experience. And I think it is fair to compare cruises to hotel as they are when all said and done accomodation

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

It's definitely a higher end experience. Maybe not quite the fanciest of high end hotels, but above and beyond anything in the budget/value category. I know plenty of people try to compare DCL with other cruise lines, but that never really washes with me. I think the best way to look at the pricing is by comparing the Disney cruise with an equivalent stay at WDW. So DCL would be like staying at one of the better Disney resorts, with park access every day, and the deluxe dining plan.

 

[OKW Lover]

I think it is fair to compare cruises to hotel as they are when all said and done accomodation

I guess that depends on how we define "accommodation". If that just means the cabin, and perhaps the lobby areas, then no I'd say it isn't fair to compare cruises to hotels. A cruise is much more than just a place to stay.

 

[cyclenut]

There are a lot of similarities between a DCL room and a resort hotel room, but due to the size restrictions of a cruise ship, you would need to think in relative terms. For example, the split bath is nice, but the total size of both bathrooms is the size of one of those large luxury showers. Yes, I've seen showers with more space that both bathrooms combined.

So, size aside, the overall look and feel as well as the service, is more comparable to an above average hotel at an above average resort. I wouldn't go as high as luxury, but you have to account for room service, room steward that includes turn down service, in room safe, name brand bath products and in room movies. If you choose a verandah room, all the better since most hotel rooms on land don't have a balcony at all.

I'm not going to include price in the comparison as that is very subjective. Once outside the room, everything changes as well.

 

[cruiser21]

Hands down the one comparison that hotels do not provide is the split bathrooms! A bonus for sure. And, of course, hotels don't provide free room service, free movies or free soda.

That free room service, soda and free movies sure does cost a lot.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I ask this question because I heard this is a mainstream cruise . And I also see people value the money they earn (I do too) So I am asking is it a high end or low end experience. And I think it is fair to compare cruises to hotel as they are when all said and done accomodation

I've been on all 4 Disney ships, 2 NCL, & 2 RCI in the past 6 years. The oldest ships I've ever sailed on are Disney's.

In terms of ship quality, upkeep, service, food, etc. I can honestly say overall all 3 cruise lines have been very similar. They're different, each with pros & cons, but as a complete overall I'd say they're all on the same level. Worst overall cruise I ever had was a Disney cruise (gasp! Blasphemy on a Disney fan board but TRUE in my experiences). None of the 3 cruise lines are categorized as luxury cruise lines. They're not value level but not luxury either.

Comparing those cruiseline levels to Disney resort levels isn't really fair, though. I'd say DCL, NCL, & RCI (the ships I've been on) are comparable overall to Disney's deluxe level resorts. Your luxury lines will be definitely above & beyond what Disney's resorts are.

Food is similar to WDW to me. It's nice to not get presented with the crazy bill at the end, tho.

DCL feels like an almost-all-inclusive. "Almost" because true all-inclusives include unlimited alcohol. You can't even purchase that option with Disney (unlike the others). Big point of contention for me personally.

Comparing the 3 cruise lines, the big overall difference (aside from cost - haha!) to me is theme. On Disney you get Disney: branding, characters, nostalgia, etc. On the others you get just as nice a cruise just without Disney theming. Like shows. On Disney you get great Disney productions. On the others you get great productions but more varied.

Disclaimer: I've never had small children in youth programming on any of the cruises I've done. Mine were older teens when we started cruising and have both been aged-out of programming for a couple years. I've heard people say their kids liked Disney better and I've heard people say their kids liked the others better. I can honestly say I've not heard 1 favored more than the other. It's a pretty even split. I've been in the kids clubs on Disney & Royal. Royal appeared more bare bones in decor but I hear they're more organized group activity driven.

No matter what, cruising is a wonderful vacation. Disney does it on-par with their flare. I grew up a Disney kid so that's why I cruise Disney. It's just *in* me.

 

[DLgal]

Hands down the one comparison that hotels do not provide is the split bathrooms! A bonus for sure. And, of course, hotels don't provide free room service, free movies or free soda.

Cabana Bay has split bathrooms! And so do the new Poly studio villas, I think.

But on the other stuff, nope.

I would say a DCL ship is comparable to a Hyatt Regency or Omni in terms of rooms. It's comparable to a Four Seasons/Ritz Carlton in the public spaces. I'm speaking about the quality of the finishes, furniture, linens, etc.

I would put RCCL, Princess, and Celebrity at a nice Hilton or Marriott level. I would classify Carnival and NCL as Sheraton level.

 

[sdjen]

I would agree with the above that the fairest comparison would be to price against a WDW stay. When you add the tickets, deluxe dining and room cost for us the cruise is cheaper. I would also say that the room would compare to maybe even club level since you have 24 hour access to drinks and snacks on the cruise. Of course the rooms are smaller but the furnishings are very nice and the room steward spoils you with twice a day service!