What makes Disney worth it?

[tvguy]

You are paying for, and getting Disney. I've been cruising since 1980 and the industry has changed vastly. Cruising in 1980 was more a "once in a lifetime" vacation. On these boards there are many who cruise multiple times a year. Cruising has gone mainstream. Food and entertainment are top notch, a matter of personal preference if Disney is as good or better, or below other lines.
But IMHO that doesn't measure up to the food on the first, second and third cruises. And shows on cruise ships, at least NCL, used to consist of the Broadway type shows Disney does, plus name entertainers. Folks you would see on the Tonight Show. Usually a musical act and comedian.
Is Disney worth it? It was worth it when I took my kids. It may be worth it in the future when my Granddaughter gets older. What makes it worth it, it's Disney. But my last cruise was in October 2019 on Celebrity. Not Disney, but a great vacation for thousands less.

 

[Travel60]

We started cruising DCL with kids (4th Magic cruise was our first) and continue DCL when they (now adult + grands) want to cruise. We've also done several Caribbean, just DH and I, on DCL because we like the level of service but honestly, found the kids to be getting wilder and wilder. Maybe we are just getting old. But, when it's just DH and I, we enjoy small ships (~100 cabins) better. We were booked on DCL's northern European this fall that didn't go; when we got ready to rebook, I decided I'd rather do that itinerary on a small ship. So, we used our rebooking for DCL's 2022 WBPC. We did do one "other" large ship line just because it sailed out of our home city. It was not a premium ship and, while it wasn't terrible, was just meh. Hated the casino which allowed smoking and was right in the middle of the ship so hard to avoid. Would not again.

 

[John VN]

You are paying for, and getting Disney...............................Is Disney worth it? It was worth it when I took my kids. It may be worth it in the future when my Granddaughter gets older. What makes it worth it, it's Disney. But my last cruise was in October 2019 on Celebrity. Not Disney, but a great vacation for thousands less.

Is not WORTH SUBJECTIVE? DCL was great many years ago but I think other lines learned and have stepped up their game.

Only DW and I cruising so the "Disney Factor" does not come into play. When we can have Concierge and Butler + our own restaurant + lounge + pool/deck area + outdoor grill + 2 beverage areas including all except for Premium wine/spirits + restocked in-cabin fridge +++ for less $$$ than a verandah, it makes little sense to spend more for far less of the important things to us.

 

[tinkerone]

My thoughts are very similar to @cgolf. We are platinum with DCL, we love Disney, however having said that, we decided several years ago to try another line. It took us YEARS to do it because we kept reading negative comments about other lines, how horrible they were, how we would regret it. Might as well stay with what we know. We prefer to do B2B's so DCL was not cheap at all. I decided at one point to focus on what else was out there. I landed on RCCL booking a sailing on the Oasis, the first sailing out of PC, it was eight days. I figured if we didn't like it we wouldn't be locked into something for 14 days yet it was better than a 7 day. My mistake, I should have booked a B2B. It was amazing. We sailed a B2B on Oasis the next time and have since been sailing on the Symphony of the Seas, doing our B2B's there.

DCL has the rotational dining and that is interesting however I have personally found the food over the years has gone down in quality. I'm not a fan of Palo, tried brunch and dinner a few times. Not tried Remy but I think that would be to 'fancy pants' for us. I'm not really interested. On Royal there are plenty of dinning options. The basic dinning room, the dinner buffet (once we discovered that it was a game changer, tons of options) and so many OOP restaurants. More choices than DCL for sure and they can be very adventurous. We loved Wonderland, went back several times. There is no need to pay for dinning, the dining room is perfectly lovely and we found the food equivalent to DCL. No better, no worse.

The adult only area on the Oasis class ships puts DCL's adult only area to shame. Their shows aren't Disney shows but some of them are Broadway Class. They have an aquatic show that is Cirque du Soleil ish, I would pay on land to go see them. They have night life which DCL doesn't have an abundance of. DH likes to go to bed early, I like to wonder around till much much later. I can entertain myself with RCCL, lots to do. Casino isn't for everyone but if you want it it is there. The shops on DCL are nicer but I think that is only because they sell Disney stuff and I'm much more interested in that then I am something with a RCCL symbol on it. JMO on that, others must love it because they seem to sell lots of it. I have not run into any more rude cast members on RCCL than I have on DCL. Yes, I have had bad service on DCL, shocking I know. Not often, not saying it's a thing.

I could go on and on but I won't. We sailed last on DCL, October 2019 to be exact. We had a B2B booked on the Symphony for which we had to cancel because of Covid. We were allowed to 'lift and shift' and not have to pay a dime more. So our next cruise is re-booked for October coming on Symphony, after that one we have a sailing on the Fantasy, March 2022. That will only be one week as we are taking our adult children and their families. That right there is going to be the cost of a new car, lol.

As for costs. Each of the Symphony sailings are $2350 CND, so about $1680 US per week. We booked a balcony Central Park view. Those cabins can be less than ocean view cabins but not always. We picked Central Park as we have been enjoying them. It's an experience of it's own, so relaxing. But back to costs. We purchased drink packages. I purchased the Deluxe Beverage Package with internet included for $88.50 Cnd per day ($63 US) and DH got the Refreshment Package for $28.24 Cnd per day ($20 US). DH has a medical issue and can not drink alcohol so I just phoned to RCCL and they sold the two different packages, no issues. We have always done this. We also purchased the Ultimate Dinning Plan for the first week of our sailings just to see if that would be better for us. I know we want to go back to Wonderland and Chops, I loved Jamie's so that's a must, it just seemed like it might work better. The cost of that was $238.07 Cnd ($170 US) each. That plan includes specialty dining for lunch on sea days as well, although I have read that it works for any lunches. As for the internet, it is added into my drink package and it is unlimited. Not everyone wants access on vacation but I like to stream movies, keep up with email, post a few things to social media. DCL cost for internet, well lets just say I don't bother, way to expensive to even open email.

All totaled for the first week, $2942.88 or approximately $2102 US. That's for both of us, total. They also gave me a $200 Cnd credit for each sailing which I did put toward the dining/drink package charge. I have not added in the tips yet but I will add that to my bill when I need to pay in full. You have to pay that on RCCL or DCL so I don't feel it's an issue. The items I booked were all on sale but they often go on sale. I have repriced them several times for more of a discount.
Do I feel nickel and dimed? Not at all.
We enjoy DCL but we get way more for our money on RCCL. I don't think one is 'better' than the other. JMO and not meant to change anyone's mind. I'm glad we spread our wings and tried something besides DCL. I got over my fear pretty fast.

 

[tvguy]

Is not WORTH SUBJECTIVE? DCL was great many years ago but I think other lines learned and have stepped up their game.

Only DW and I cruising so the "Disney Factor" does not come into play. When we can have Concierge and Butler + our own restaurant + lounge + pool/deck area + outdoor grill + 2 beverage areas including all except for Premium wine/spirits + restocked in-cabin fridge +++ for less $$$ than a verandah, it makes little sense to spend more for far less of the important things to us.

Yes, subjective. The OP's question "Is Disney worth it?" That is an intangible. The value of the Disney brand. It's pixie dust. The things you list that you and your wife feel are important are tangible, things that an approximate monetary value can been assigned to. Although judging from the e-mail offers I am getting to "book now" in the short term, even people booking the cheapest cabins are going to get alcohol for free.

 

[leannak]

It sure if this has been mentioned, but I like knowing that my kids won’t be exposed to as much (if any) inappropriate behavior, music, etc. A friend of mine has done several cruises and mentioned (on another cruise line) the inappropriate “family” comedy shows and picking up her kids from the childcare one day to find them dancing to music about being “sexy”. I haven’t seen that on Disney.

 

[tinkerone]

It sure if this has been mentioned, but I like knowing that my kids won’t be exposed to as much (if any) inappropriate behavior, music, etc. A friend of mine has done several cruises and mentioned (on another cruise line) the inappropriate “family” comedy shows and picking up her kids from the childcare one day to find them dancing to music about being “sexy”. I haven’t seen that on Disney.

This is something else I think has been overblown....note, please, I said 'I think' and it's JMO. I keep hearing about drunk adults but the worst I have seen has been at the adult pool on the Fantasy. That could be because the area is so small and there is a bar right there. It was a group of fall down drunk adults who really should have been cut off.

As for the comedy shows, yup, I was at one comedy show that was done 9:30 pm that I believe was listed as 'family' on RCCL that I thought was probably not appropriate however, having said that, I saw a family comedy show on DCL of The Black Street Boys that I also thought was questionable so there's that. Can't say about the childcare but I would have spoken to the staff if that happened. Not appropriate, don't want to see/hear it. I hope your friend spoke up.

 

[tvguy]

It sure if this has been mentioned, but I like knowing that my kids won’t be exposed to as much (if any) inappropriate behavior, music, etc. A friend of mine has done several cruises and mentioned (on another cruise line) the inappropriate “family” comedy shows and picking up her kids from the childcare one day to find them dancing to music about being “sexy”. I haven’t seen that on Disney.

I suspect you are 99+% correct. However, the comedian on our December 2003 Magic cruise was escorted off the ship at the next port after doing an inappropriate family show. HOWEVER I suspect there is more to the story. He apparently at the time was a popular regular on both the Magic and Wonder who just found out he was not going to be offered a new contract. And I will add the only drunk passenger in a public area I had ever seen was on the Magic.

 

[fredandkell]

If you’ve never cruised before book RCL. You’ll be delighted with any first cruise generally. Then you can try DCL and be even more impressed . But don’t start with DCL and try another line afterward because it’s all downhill from there

 

[Cheburashka]

It’s no secret DCL is a lot more expensive than other cruise line. In one case I found, one person on Disney costs as much as the total trip on Royal for a 2022 cruise to the Caribbean. Not counting a drink package on RC

Since a lot of y’all have more experience on DCL than I do, what makes Disney worth the extra money?

The price difference varies a lot depending on how many are in your party, and which rival ship you're referring to. RCL's prices vary greatly depending on whether you're looking at one of their older, simpler ships, or one of their newest ships with all the bells and whistles. Disney's older ships aren't discounted as they're kept up magnificently well. Other mass-market cruise lines often greatly discount children within an adult couple's stateroom, or even sail them for free. Disney hasn't offered that kind of discount for years- kids don't get a free ride on Disney cruises as they're the primary customer, in some ways. Plus, some people only want to sail concierge level, and DCL's concierge pricing is far more ludicrous than DCL's non-concierge pricing.

So if (like my son and I) you're a party of two looking to sail non-concierge on either DCL or one of RCL's best ships, yes, there's a price difference, but not nearly as drastic a difference as if you are a family of four wanting to sail concierge either on DCL or on one of RCL's older ships. For the more moderate price difference we pay, I'm willing to sail Disney because I like Disney theming, I love the ocean liner style of the ships, I like the spacious and attractive staterooms, I like walking the old-fashioned promenade deck that many other contemporary ships don't have, I like the wholesome environment that Disney creates, and I like Castaway Cay.

 

[tinkerone]

So if (like my son and I) you're a party of two looking to sail non-concierge on either DCL or one of RCL's best ships, yes, there's a price difference, but not nearly as drastic a difference as if you are a family of four wanting to sail concierge either on DCL or on one of RCL's older ships. For the more moderate price difference we pay, I'm willing to sail Disney because I like Disney theming, I love the ocean liner style of the ships, I like the spacious and attractive staterooms, I like walking the old-fashioned promenade deck that many other contemporary ships don't have, I like the wholesome environment that Disney creates, and I like Castaway Cay.

I'm going to disagree with this. The difference, in my experience is not moderate. Take for example a sailing I have booked with DCL for our family. We booked 2 Deluxe Family Ocean View cabins and one Balcony cabin. The Ocean view cabins were strictly because the child gong with us is 5 and the parents are a bit nervous, we decided to connect with them. Price of the three cabins is $16,217 US (approximately $$22,704 Cnd) and that is with 2 cabins having the OBB discount so there would be an extra $1000 or so in the cost. Looking at the very same date of sailing, early March, on one of the newest ships with RCCL, the Symphony, we can get 3 Balcony cabins for $13,139 Cnd. RCCL lets us book in Cnd so we never have to worry about the rate fluctuating. So, the difference between both sailings is about $9565 Cnd. Not exactly moderate in my mind. The only think we would have to add on to be pretty equivalent would be a soda package. The cost of that would easily be covered by the difference in pricing 2 OV cabins instead of 2 Balcony cabins with Royal.
Another example would be the sailing I listed above. App. $2102 US for a week on the Symphony, which includes drink packages and dining packages compared to DCL at $4342 US (app $6078 Cnd) with no specialty drink package and no dinning package.
I hear people say the differences are minimal but it has not been my experience. It's hard to compare apples to apples when you are using two different lines but I want to show what I find when I do searches....and I do lots of searches, lol.

 

[Cheburashka]

I'm going to disagree with this. The difference, in my experience is not moderate. Take for example a sailing I have booked with DCL for our family. We booked 2 Deluxe Family Ocean View cabins and one Balcony cabin. The Ocean view cabins were strictly because the child gong with us is 5 and the parents are a bit nervous, we decided to connect with them. Price of the three cabins is $16,217 US (approximately $$22,704 Cnd) and that is with 2 cabins having the OBB discount so there would be an extra $1000 or so in the cost. Looking at the very same date of sailing, early March, on one of the newest ships with RCCL, the Symphony, we can get 3 Balcony cabins for $13,139 Cnd. RCCL lets us book in Cnd so we never have to worry about the rate fluctuating. So, the difference between both sailings is about $9565 Cnd. Not exactly moderate in my mind. The only think we would have to add on to be pretty equivalent would be a soda package. The cost of that would easily be covered by the difference in pricing 2 OV cabins instead of 2 Balcony cabins with Royal.
Another example would be the sailing I listed above. App. $2102 US for a week on the Symphony, which includes drink packages and dining packages compared to DCL at $4342 US (app $6078 Cnd) with no specialty drink package and no dinning package.
I hear people say the differences are minimal but it has not been my experience. It's hard to compare apples to apples when you are using two different lines but I want to show what I find when I do searches....and I do lots of searches, lol.

You've got a multiplier effect going because of the multiple cabins. The fact that we only cruise during school holidays might make the difference less, as well. I have priced out holiday cruises between non-concierge DCL & same-length top-tier non-concierge RCL cruises for just my son and me, and while DCL was higher, the difference wasn't extreme like what you quoted.

It's a bit like airline tickets. When my son and I fly domestically, it isn't too hard to book reasonably priced first-class tickets, because it's just the two of us. But for five people, the overall cost difference would be much greater and would become prohibitive.

 

[tinkerone]

You've got a multiplier effect going because of the multiple cabins. The fact that we only cruise during school holidays might make the difference less, as well. I have priced out holiday cruises between non-concierge DCL & same-length top-tier non-concierge RCL cruises for just my son and me, and while DCL was higher, the difference wasn't extreme.

It's a bit like airline tickets. When my son and I fly, it isn't too hard to book reasonably priced first-class tickets, because it's just the two of us. But for five people, the overall cost difference would be much greater and would become prohibitive.

Yes, I do have a multiplier effect however it's easy enough to figure out that $9000 divided by 3 cabins would be $3000 and that was at a minimum as DCL included OBB discounts and were booked opening day. RCCL has no OBB discounts included and are as of today, not opening day when they may have been less expensive.

I'm saying I have yet to see a close enough difference to say it's 'minimal'. Maybe an example would be good, could you come up with a few? I'd love to see where I could save on DCL.

 

[Cheburashka]

Yes, I do have a multiplier effect however it's easy enough to figure out that $9000 divided by 3 cabins would be $3000 and that was at a minimum as DCL included OBB discounts and were booked opening day. RCCL has no OBB discounts included and are as of today, not opening day when they may have been less expensive.

I'm saying I have yet to see a close enough difference to say it's 'minimal'. Maybe an example would be good, could you come up with a few? I'd love to see where I could save on DCL.

I looked at RCL to make a comparison, but since they're offering steep discounts right now (60% off for 2nd passenger included in the quoted fare), prices there are much lower than what I saw when pricing cruises last year. I was referring to pre-pandemic pricing.

 

[Karin1984]

I think what also helps for new cruisers is that people who are familiar with Disney through the parks know what they can expect. You know what kind of standards Disney has for his employees there, what kind of service, food, and entertainment they offer. That you are familiar with a brand helps for first-timers.

I am hesitant to try out different cruise lines because I cannot guess what I will get in return. Reviews can't tell you everything because everyone has different experiences.

 

[tinkerone]

I looked at RCL to make a comparison, but since they're offering steep discounts right now (60% off for 2nd passenger included in the quoted fare), prices there are much lower than what I saw when pricing cruises last year. I was referring to pre-pandemic pricing.

Just as an FYI, RCCL often has 60% off second passenger. I have used this before, pre-pandemic. I have had many cruises repriced as they often go up and down. That's another bonus with RCCL, the ability to reprice. I'm still surprised they allow this.
Anyways, if you do ever see a small price difference it would be good to post. I'm not being *****y with this, I truly would like to know, but it has yet to be my experience and I have not seen anyone be able to show it. I don't want those new to cruising to not do research because of something they read. That was our original mistake. Might have been a good mistake because we may never have tried DCL being the higher cost. DCL is a good cruise line. It's just not the only cruise line.

 

[Cheburashka]

DCL is a good cruise line. It's just not the only cruise line.

Agree completely and I'm not one of those "all other lines suck" people. I just stated my experience with looking at different prices and why we find DCL to be worth it for us. We like it a lot but it isn't for everyone and the prices are high. I'm glad you also enjoy cruising on other lines that are more reasonably priced!

 

[tinkerone]

I am hesitant to try out different cruise lines because I cannot guess what I will get in return. Reviews can't tell you everything because everyone has different experiences.

This is exactly what kept us with DCL for so long. Reading about how we would be sorry if we tried something else. You are so right, everyone has different experiences. Why rock the boat so to speak. I will tell you that when we took our first steps onto the Oasis I looked at my husband and said, 'we have made a mistake'. An hour later I looked at my husband and said, 'why did we wait so long to try this?'.
BUT it's definitely all personal and all what you are comfortable with. We don't regret DCL at all but we mostly sail RCCL now because we don't regret that either. They are both great products with different offerings. We can afford either so that is never a problem. It's just nice that we can sail, be happy and save money all at the same time.

 

[disneyholic family]

we've sailed Disney and Royal.
Both have good products, and there's plenty to enjoy on both...
Each person is different.
One man's junk is another man's treasure.
I would suggest trying both and decide for yourself.

as for us, our first choice is Disney.
The two times we sailed Royal Caribbean were special cases.
the first time was on Allure of the Seas, as i was interested in that particular ship.
And the second time, on the Radiance of the Seas southbound cruise from Seward Alaska to Vancouver.
In that case, we wanted a one way Alaska cruise which wasn't available on Disney.

But as i said, our first choice is Disney, whether it's an adults only cruise or the whole extended family, including grandkids.

We've found the service on Disney to be outstanding.
We also very much enjoy the food in the main dining rooms (something that definitely isn't true on royal).
And of course, the kids clubs are unbelievable on disney.
Our most recent disney cruise was summer 2019 on the Disney Magic in Europe.
We had the entire family, so had the opportunity to experience the kids clubs for the first time in many years.
Wow, we were impressed. The staff was outstanding and the activities were incredible.
On one of the port days, i was in the club with my grandkids during open house.
one of the staff started a story time.
There were only about 6 or 7 kids in there at the time (the rest must have been ashore in portugal with their parents).
so this guy was telling the story of the princess and the frog.
at a certain point in the story, in walked tiana - all decked out in her beautiful princess gown..
and she proceeded to sit down with the 7 children and tell the story.
and sing songs with them, and dance with them
It was incredible.
I was enthralled, as were the kids.

Later i asked the staff if that happens often and they said yes, it definitely does, both during open houses and when the clubs are only for kids.

During another open house, we were in there building racecars..
it was an organized activity.......
so our two grandkids each worked on a mickey racecar...
and at the end, what happened?
in walked the big cheese himself to see the kids racing their cars..
and he played one on one with each child and their racecar...
we had no idea mickey was going to show up..
and again, there were only about 6 kids in the activity....

that's pretty cool..

anyway, we enjoy DCL..

but in truth, i think you can't go wrong either way...

on every cruise i've ever been on, both DCL and Royal Caribbean, i cry as i'm leaving the ship at the end of the cruise...
full on crying......so when will we all be sailing again???

 

[Chemist]

I’d ask if Disneyland is worth it compared to our local 6 flags park. Six flags is cheaper and has lots of great things. We go and have a good time.

yet we also go to Disneyland on vacation even though it costs a fortune. Why? Because it’s fun.