What makes DCL better then other cruises?

[daisy112878]

Okay, My husband is not totally convinced he wants to go on a disney cruise. I keep telling him all the great things to do and that's it just not for kids. I need help convincing him to do on DCL.

So what makes DCL better then other cruises in yalls opinion?

Thanks

 

[ivanova]

First off, I'll admit we've never cruised anything but DCL. We were never interested in cruising other cruise lines before (unless it was Alaska, then we'd go in a canoe if necessary). An opportunity came up last year to cruise DCL, and DH wasn't interested until he found out we could use our HGVC timeshare points instead of cash. Then he was okay with it.

We're doing the samething again this Fall.

And DH was all over the Aug 2005 repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal.

He now LOVES cruising with DCL!!

The staterooms are GREAT (bigger than most cruise lines). The food is good, the spa treatments are "ok" (he compares them to Vegas spas, so the DCL spa loses in that comparison), the excursions & ports are fine (he opts for staying onboard versus leaving the ship ... except at Castaway Cay, he'll get off there in a heartbeat).

 

[videoman]

The Mouse.....of course!!!!

IMHO, nobody does it like Disney!!! And you pay for it too!!!

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

The ship was very nice, great public areas, well kept, but other than that, unless you need to spend your vacation seeing Disney characters, it's no different than any others. Well, all are different in some aspect. It's no better. Oh, Yeah, unless you are talking about the childrens programming, then maybe it has something more, We (2 adults, no kids) have had a much better time on other lines. I wouldn't suggest a Disney Cruise to a couple traveling alone to anyone.....unless they are obsessed with Disney. Take it from someone who has been on many cruises, unless you may want to look elsewhere, unless you have a Great reason to go DCL (points, Love of All things Disney, love of childrens activities, or need a split bathroom).

 

[DisneyJam]

Actually, depending on his likes, he may not enjoy a Disney cruise. The ship is unbelievable and has that Disney touch and Magic all around it, but if you are not a big Disney Fan that may not impress you.

The shows mostly revolve around the Disney theme and are wonderful, but again you have to really like Disney for that to mean anything to you.

I have cruised Disney twice and other cruise lines several times and there is just something Magical about a Disney cruise, but I am a Disney fan. It's great to walk the ship and run into characters everywhere!!

I beleive other cruise lines offer a little more in terms of activity on board. i.e RCCL's rock climbing wall, mini golf and ice skating rink etc. if that's the kind of stuff you DH may be looking for.

Also the night life on a Disney boat is a little dead. Once the shows are over (about 11:00pm), there is not much going on. While Rockin Bar D is open till 1:00, I found there are only a couple of people that stay around. And of course there is no casino on board. Now I am not a gambler, so that doesn't bother me, but it is another point that some adults want on a cruise.

I loved the last cruise we were on (May 1st Eastern), and can't wait to go again, but I wouldn't shut out the possiblities of cruising another line as well. Really it will depend on what kind person your DH is.

 

[daisy112878]

I'm totally for the disney cruise b/c I love disney. I would go all the time if we could. Dh on the other hand isn't as much a disney fan but puts up with me loving it so much. And he loves to see me happy at disney. So I know he'll go but I want him to have fun too.

 

[kamgen]

My dh and I do not have children and have been on 6 Disney cruise with two more booked. We LOVE DCL and would HIGHLY recommend it to people without children.
There are so many wonderful things about DCL, but the most important is the service. Disney service is worth the money and the wonderful people we have met have made all of our DCL trips incredibly memorable.
I recommend it!

As for the nightlife, we LOVE the nightlife. Sometimes there are less people who hang out late, but we have had cruises where there were tons of people in the bars till closing! The theme ngihts are fun and the clubs are good. And Diversions is a great place to hang out. To each his own I guess, but in our opinion, DCL is a blast!

 

[dclwdwlover]

I LOVE Disney, but sail DCL more for the Disney reputation, than Disney anything else (i.e. characters {hardly even notice them}, etc.).

The ship is extremely well kempt & gorgeous. I've cruised on two other lines prior to Disney & the staterooms are definitely larger, unless you pay for a very large stateroom on another line. The crew is 'Disney-friendly'. To me, it's a lot like how I feel about WDW - comparing a wonderful themepark to a regular amusement park.

I am willing to try another line like RCL - only the newest ships, though - but think I'll miss the special things that are important to ME:

1) Adults-only areas (pool, clubs, beach area, restaurant, etc.)
2) Fresh water pools
3) Rotating to three different restaurants
4) Nominal fee at Palo's - the ONLY restaurant that charges - not
a bunch of them & not $20.00/person
5) Free soda at meals
6) 'Clean' entertainment
7) Castaway Cay - It is beautiful & private
8) The ship's horn (O.k., THAT is Disney, but I would miss it!)
9) Feeling comfortable & safe with the kid's clubs
10) Wonderful shows/productions

There are other things, too, but those are the main ones. I sat down with a couple that just got off RCL Mariner last weekend & their cruise sounded wonderful & enticing, but when I weighed what's important to me, I realized that I will probably end up liking DCL better in the long run. I would still like to try RCL because it's something different & there will be a different itinerary & shows, but it didn't sound like it fit the bill for what's important to me. Plus, to get a newer ship, you have to sail for longer than the 4-days that we like to do.

Mainly, the biggest draw to trying something else seems to be the initial savings of money, but after I realized that we would have to spend $20.00 per person each time we wanted to try a different (& from what I hear, a MUCH better quality of food than the regular) restaurant on the ship AND that I'd have to pay for my sodas even at meals, I realized that the difference in the $$$ spent would be minimal.

 

[pittcrew]

I think the service we received from DCL was exceptional. We sailed on a Princess cruise 12 years ago for our honeymoon. While it was good, the service is not something I will remember. We sailed with DCL 2 years ago with 2 other couples (left all the kids at home) and absolutely loved it. Our servers, Liam and Adrienne, became dear friends to us, and we will never forget them, or the level of service they provided. \

For adults traveling w/out children, they are so many things to do. And with the adult only areas, you can be child free while vacationing. If you are traveling with children, the kids club are wonderful as well as the family activities.

 

[epjenk]

We have been on DCL last May and again this May. We are booked on the 2 week reposition cruise for next year and can't wait! But- we have a four year old, a two year old, and are expecting another in October. I love DCL as a family cruise with great kids activities. However, when our kids get to early teens, I can't really see us doing DCL over one of the more active cruise lines. If DH and I were going alone I don't think DCL would even make the contenders list for a vacation. We love the Disney family magic, but it just wouldn't be our choice for just the two of us.

 

[chrisn]

It's ALL about the atmosphere! It crackles with excitement. It's truly magical.

There are other beautiful wonderful ships out there with great staterooms and awesome spas and fun shows and better food and IMHO even BETTER kids clubs but....

They aren't Disney and they don't have "THAT" feeling. If you have disneyitis like we do, you'll understand. And I think that feeling is what it's all about. There is nothing like it!

 

[RSJC]

if you have kids, I was made a believer last week. They have so much for the kids to do all day and they beg to go.

 

[CM_Mom]

I'm slightly prejudiced since DD works on the Magic.

However, I would second the comment about CLEAN entertainment. What passes for Adult entertainment in many other places just seems trashy to me so I really enjoy knowing that the "tone" of the entertainment is family friendly. We took my 80 something mom and aunt with us in May and didn't worry that they would be embarassed by the jokes or other entertainment.

I liked the fact that the ADULT areas: Adult pool, Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay, Cove Cafe, etc, were really adult areas and we could be in areas that were kid free if we wished.

The most impressive was the friendliness and the service. Every crew member we saw was smiling and the service was simply outstanding. I can understand why my DD is in love with her job.

 

[Hygiene99]

Disney Stands for Quality.... and that is what they strive for weather it is Cruise or the parks or resorts....

When u purchase Disney u Purchase a HIGH Quality Vacation....

With Standards Second to None...

six cruises with no Kids 7 & 8 Booked.................

There is just something Magicial When u Board the Ship

and A Real Escape From The Real World , and After all is that not what a vacation Should Be....

Go try it if u donot like it , then the worst that can happen is u will of had one Heck of a vacation...................


I also Feel that the show Disney Dreams Will leave anyone in AWE...

See Page 51 of this Months Disney Magazine...

For Jennifer''s Quote....

lol


Peter

 

[copper0426]

Simply put QUALITY, as always there is that Disney touch

 

[kimtenn]

If you and your husband are not especially BIG lovers of Disney, you may prefer one of the other lines because you have to buy into the Disney Magic to appreciate a Disney cruise. It's truly all about the magic, which we love so much. In fact, we'll probably never go on any other cruise line. Part of the Disney Magic is:

- Friendly Disney park-like staff who really try hard to please
- Fun Disney characters all over the place
- Excellent Disney themed shows
- Large, beautiful state rooms with split baths (a unique Disney feature!)
- Free soda (new -- not just in the dining room!) and freshly brewed iced tea in the dining rooms
- Elegant ships with tons of activities for adults
- If you want to be away from the kids, you can truly be away from the kids! Seriously -- they work hard to segregate the children so they're not bothering adults. At dinner, if you're travelling without kids, you will be seated with other couples without kids.

Good luck in your choices. I've heard Royal Carribbean is an excellent alternative to Disney, but DH and I will probably never find out -- we're too much into Disney!

 

[MariettaC]

Magic and pixie dust!

 

[tde1969]

Yes I love Disney. I've done three other cruise lines but to me nothing compares to Disney. The staterooms are larger and the shows are by far the best.

But i love the people that you meet on Disney. Everyone seems so friendly and ready to make new friends. Maybe we have some chemical imbalance that joins us all, but in my experience people that choose a disney cruise are the best.

 

[randytenn]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and slightly disagree with my darling wife above (and risk sleeping on the couch )

I don't think you have to love Disney to love a Disney cruise. Just the same that you don't have to be a huge Disney fan to enjoy Walt Disney World. Sure, there are Disney things to do, but there are tons of non-Disney things to do as well (swimming in the pool, shore excursions, dinner, classes, tours, get togethers, beer, etc., are all non-Disney related activites that take place on every cruiseline.) WDW is visited by millions of people, and they all are not Disneyphiles. They are simply there because it is one of the best destinations for a worry free vacation. Same with DCL.

However, if the sight of The Mouse irritates or enrages you, you might not enjoy the cruise.

The reason I believe that DCL has such a loyal following is because your vacation is going to be almost perfect.

Think about it this way, if Disney had lousy servers, dirty facilities, bad food, etc., all the costumed characters in the world wouldn't keep the cruise line in business.

First and foremost, DCL provides excellent service and facilities (the reason we have never cruised elsewhere was less about Disney and more about the worry that we wouldn't get the kind of service DCL provides). As a bonus to all that, we Disneyphiles get to bask in all that is The Mouse. Even if that doesn't matter to you, you are going to get a fantastic vacation.

 

[RickW]

Originally posted by randytenn
Think about it this way, if Disney had lousy servers, dirty facilities, bad food, etc., all the costumed characters in the world wouldn't keep the cruise line in business.

Isn't that what happened to the Big Red Boat?

Disclaimer: I have no personal experience with the BRB, so I apologize if there are any BRB fans out there.