What's your breaking point?

[Dug720]

I asked for a Carnival forum last year (like RCCL) but it did not happen, that is why we stick to the thread I created.

Anyway, I organized it so people can put comparison with other Carnival cruiseships in the same thread.

But I agree with you.

Yeah. I remember the response being pretty much "DU doesn't book them" at that time. But since they do now, that excuse holds no water.

 

[cruiser21]

So the excuse for "only" having the non-DCL forum RCCL is no longer valid... Maybe it's time to make it an "Other Cruiselines" forum finally. Just for the sake of clarity and keeping things in their place.

(And for the record, I have never said I won't sail another line. I HAVE sailed and enjoyed RCCL. I HAVE sailed and somewhat enjoyed fathom (loved the itineraries and the Impact Guides, didn't love the P&O ship or crew so much). I HAVE sailed and did NOT enjoy HAL. I do have cruises booked on Princess and Celebrity because they seem more my style. I've seen enough videos (no, NOT just by Spring Break people - by Sea Cruisers and others) to know that Carnival and NCL are not my style. So all the snark about "some people even have things booked on other cruise lines" can stop. Not referring to @mousefan73 with that. )

I'm sure your referring to me. You did "like"all the posts that were against these type threads. It wasn't snark as you put it. Just fact I also wasn't referring to you exclusively. There are many others that don't like these type threads.

 

[DCLDVC1]

They broke me with the last release.

 

[DnA2010]

To us double is a little money - we sail just two adults so the fare is easy to swallow. If we were paying for four or five I might feel differently, but my point is that even if it is half as much we did not enjoy our time on RCCL enough to want to do it again. Even if we were paying for a large family we'd just go less. We would rather not sail than have what was for us a mediocre vacation - way too many other things to see in the world! I went in thinking 'I would like to sail more! We can take two cruises for this price!' and came out thinking 'You know, actually I'm good. I don't want to do that again...!' Sadly we had to with my in-laws later that same year - we went in trying to be very positive, assuming it was a one off, and had a mediocre time again. My husband, who is NOT a Disney person, felt the same way. Despite our sour cruise experience with RCCL we were/are still excited to sail on DCL. The only way to know for sure if you'd like it though is to try it. Anecdotal evidence isn't good in this case, IMO.

Which ships did you sail on?
I don't know if I was too hyped from researching on here, but we were actually disappointed by our cruise on the Fantasy- we had sailed on Royal's Oasis and Freedom when we booked a VGT on the Fantasy- while we had a great cruise, some of the areas we expected to be blown away by we really weren't - our MDR server wasn't great (our servers on both RCL ships were way better) and the food was a bit bland, our room steward was just ok, our DD preferred the clubs on Royal (and I didn't like all the computers in the DCL ships) and we def noticed the lack of pools...we loved some of the Disney specific stuff- the FE, the shows, but missed live music/nightlife and other things noted...I hope to sail DCL again but I doubt it

 

[patmcnamar]

A lot of learning here - and I too appreciate posts like this. I would just like to point out that the OP said his RCCL Oasis Boardwalk room included a soda package, but I think some debate went on to price out soda packages. There is no question DCL carries a premium price tag, and for many that means they can maximize their limited vacation dollars on other cruise lines. It's not an insult to DCL in my opinion, they have far fewer cabins to sell than RCCL does and hit far fewer itineraries.

For my latest experience: I just came off a RCCL cruise last week on the Allure of the Seas (an Oasis class ship) and loved it. I never once felt the need to do an upcharge in the main dining room, I had free ice cream everyday either near the pool or in the dining room, and I had continental breakfast delivered to my room several mornings for no extra charge. Our ports were amazing, we saw Mamma Mia, Blue Planet, Ice Games, How to Train Your Dragon Ice Show, and several great comedians - there was so much going on each day that it actually was difficult to choose what to do and what to skip. The ship itself and and the staff were incredible. We did see events with Dreamworks characters many of our days. People can criticize upcharges on any cruise line and i understand that, but consider that DCL or other premium carriers might be including things in their base pricing that you may not want to pay for. When prices are that far apart, doing these comparisons is important.

To the OP's original question: since this is a 1st milestone anniversary and you and your spouse are huge Disney fans as you say, there may be little RCCL can offer that won't be worth the incremental $1,150 if you can afford it - especially if you run the risk of disappointment given your affinity of Disney and expectations set solely on DCL experience. You got a great deal on the Boardwalk room IMHO and hopefully there will be more of those in the future.

 

[mousefan73]

We are new to cruising and have never cruised. what got us thinking about a cruise was DCL. After doing some research online and found that there were many other options offering almost the same and in some cases more for a lot less. Disboards is known to me and I like the set up, the people therefore I asked for comparisons to DCL as this was my base for comparison. there is a breaking point for many people. I came here to ask and compare to give myself a little bit of peace of mind. I found the carnival comparison thread great with feedback giving me peace of mind.

 

[Mrs. W]

I am trying to decide whether to go with RCCL or DCL for our October 2018 anniversary trip, and I was able to book 7 nt Oasis of the Seas with a Boardwalk Verandah (and soda package) for $1750 total. We have never done the Fantasy, and I am dying to try it, but the same cruise in an 07A at rack is about $3692. Now I could probably get that down to about $2900 after OBB discounts, OBC, and gift card deals, which means Fantasy will cost me about $1150 more for a week and no St Maarten/Maho Beach. I could also move the cruise to another week to save a little bit more money, just won't be during our first wedding anniversary.

I am nervous we won't enjoy the Oasis as much as we are huge Disney fans. (we've only sailed Disney up until this point) At this point I'm thinking I should just apply my placeholder to the Fantasy and hold both cruises until we can decide.

Curious to hear other cruisers thoughts!!

I LOVE a good deal and have found other cruise lines to be great in terms of cost savings and value. I'm not brand loyal at all, haha. That Oasis deal sounds amazing! However, I will say that my husband and I splurged on our last cruise on the Fantasy and it was worth every penny! We had an INCREDIBLE time!

In your OP, it seems like you really want to try the Fantasy. I say do it. It's for your first wedding anniversary! If you can comfortably afford it, I say splurge. You'll have another opportunity to save money on a future cruise, and you can sail with a different line next time. Just reading your OP, the only pro you had for sailing with RCCL was the cost. It's just my opinion of course, but again, if you can afford the cost without breaking the bank, sail with DCL - the line you and your spouse both know and love already. First anniversaries don't come around every year!

 

[cruiser21]

What's my breaking point? I think I've reached my breaking point with all four of us sailing. If I'm just taking one kid and it's a unique non-peak season itinerary I'm still ok with DCL pricing. We're going to cut down on cruising in general. We're pretty much done with the Caribbean. I plan on limiting our cruises to once a year. If that's DCL great if not that's ok. After 20 cruises itinerary will be the deciding factor. We'd also like to spend some time touring the US which is can't be done on a cruise ship. It dawned on me that my kids have seen more of Europe then they have of the United States. I'd like to change that. I keep hoping DCL will come out with a cruise up the East Coast stopping at major cities, but nothing so far.

 

[AquaDame]

Which ships did you sail on?
I don't know if I was too hyped from researching on here, but we were actually disappointed by our cruise on the Fantasy- we had sailed on Royal's Oasis and Freedom when we booked a VGT on the Fantasy- while we had a great cruise, some of the areas we expected to be blown away by we really weren't - our MDR server wasn't great (our servers on both RCL ships were way better) and the food was a bit bland, our room steward was just ok, our DD preferred the clubs on Royal (and I didn't like all the computers in the DCL ships) and we def noticed the lack of pools...we loved some of the Disney specific stuff- the FE, the shows, but missed live music/nightlife and other things noted...I hope to sail DCL again but I doubt it

Older ones which I mentioned... the first was Jewel of the Seas for a southern itinerary and then Radiance of the Seas in Alaska. Our servers were awful and they insisted we come at 5:45pm instead of 6:30 even though we had 'my time' and scheduled times in advance - that night they just skipped our bread and first course to catch us up with people who had come earlier. They 'forgot' drinks and some items for our party frequently on both cruises and we did not like the food as much. The 'adult' pool ended up being a kid pool all day in Alaska because it was covered so there wasn't anywhere for us to swim or enjoy a hot tub before 10pm or so (by then we were heading to bed). The comedic shows were terrible - both we saw made fun of women and other cultures which I didn't appreciate... the music shows were fine. There were a couple rounds of trivia we went to but other than that there wasn't much programming for us... we aren't big drinkers (maybe 1-2 a day on vacation) and it seemed like mostly it was live music around the ship in bars which gets old fast. We don't gamble so we steered clear of the casinos but couldn't get away from all the smoke in the old ships - the air flow through the doors pushed it through the atrium and into the stateroom hallways. I don't need anything from my stateroom host other than a clean room... ours on RCCL was frequently on his phone in the hallways adding minutes or talking to people and it didn't bug us. He thanked us for 'giving him the night off' all week since we didn't need or want a turn down. This last trip on the Magic was actually the first time a host made a point of stopping whenever he saw us to chat about various things - it was nice, but really not necessary as I know they work so hard and have so much to do!

Anyway TLDR, everyone should try other lines at least once if they are inclined and I need to try a newer/larger ship sometime that isn't Disney.

 

[WishingMom]

I have RCCL Oasis booked for next April (Western Caribbean) in a boardwalk balcony for 2A1C for $2800 Canadian, same itinerary, leaving a day earlier on the Fantasy in a balcony stateroom would cost me $6511 US... yeah, it's not disney, but we enjoyed our last RCCL cruise and for that price difference...what we're saving is almost a 7 day trip to WDW for us (exclusive of airfare)

 

[apathetic]

I guess people could skip over the threads if they had a title like, "I compared 2 out of the thousand possible cruises and here is my price comparison." But they don't do that. The title of this is, "What's your breaking point." That could mean a lot of things so people click on it only to feel like they were spammed by a travel agent comparing 2 random cruises. Personally, I have no problem with threads comparing experiences on different cruise lines. I read them and they are educational and useful to many. But the threads that compares a single cruise price is pointless. We know, it is cheaper. So what? Should every person just create a thread to compare the prices of every cruise they considered? I can start 15 threads now comparing the different options I considered. It's almost like the groups on a well known social media site (name censored) where people join the group and immediately start trying to generate customers for their business.

 

[KayKayJS]

... I have avoided commenting on this but you really have too much time on your hands if you just want to complain on people's threads about how you wish it was combined with another thread. If the mods want to do that, that's up to them to decide.I personally don't like mega threads and if I see a post on this board about something I've read about before and don't want to read again, I skip it. People are so touchy, geez.

I was curious what $$ amount is the breaking point for other DCL fans (which is why I posted on the DCL board.) What's the amount you will pay for Disney Magic? For everyone it's different, and I've appreciated the different opinions on what others find worth it. I think we will likely fall into the $500-$1000 difference group, based on what I've read from some of the other people who seem to have similar travel values to mine.

For what it's worth, we also are going on the Disney Dream in January, regardless of what we do for the 7 day, so no one is hating on DCL, either.

 

[apathetic]

I have avoided commenting on this but you really have too much time on your hands if you just want to complain on people's threads

I assume this was directed at me. Fine, I posted here 3 times in like 3 days, took me all of about 5 minutes. Not sure if that constitutes "too much time on my hands." I apologize, your thread was a bit hijacked and I'm probably responsible. Your original post wasn't about the Magic, but it was somewhat DCL related. I won't post here again. Good luck on RCCL, maybe you can do a thread on the difference in experience from DCL. I do enjoy reading those.

 

[KayKayJS]

I assume this was directed at me. Fine, I posted here 3 times in like 3 days, took me all of about 5 minutes. Not sure if that constitutes "too much time on my hands." I apologize, your thread was a bit hijacked and I'm probably responsible. Your original post wasn't about the Magic, but it was somewhat DCL related. I won't post here again. Good luck on RCCL, maybe you can do a thread on the difference in experience from DCL. I do enjoy reading those.

I'm sorry my post didn't say "What is your breaking point $$$ wise for Disney Magic" even if that's essentially what I was asking.

I come on the disboards to chat with other people who love Disney and vacationing, not to argue minutia.

 

[DCLDVC1]

Which ships did you sail on?
I don't know if I was too hyped from researching on here, but we were actually disappointed by our cruise on the Fantasy- we had sailed on Royal's Oasis and Freedom when we booked a VGT on the Fantasy- while we had a great cruise, some of the areas we expected to be blown away by we really weren't - our MDR server wasn't great (our servers on both RCL ships were way better) and the food was a bit bland, our room steward was just ok, our DD preferred the clubs on Royal (and I didn't like all the computers in the DCL ships) and we def noticed the lack of pools...we loved some of the Disney specific stuff- the FE, the shows, but missed live music/nightlife and other things noted...I hope to sail DCL again but I doubt it

I think that happens a lot. The Pixie Dust is blinding on many social media sites and most everything is so over the top positive. If someone says they had a less than excellent experience, the "that's never happened to me" crowd appears.

 

[disneycruisedreams]

My breaking point is $300 per person per day. We try to stay around $250 but it's hard since we are a family of 4 and we can only travel during school vacations. Airfare is another factor since it's ridiculous during those times.

I hope there will be more actual answers to this specific question because I'm interested in other responses.

I've only sailed the Dream and Fantasy but breaking point is the same. I'd just like to be on any of the ships.

 

[cruiser21]

My breaking point is $300 per person per day. We try to stay around $250 but it's hard since we are a family of 4 and we can only travel during school vacations. Airfare is another factor since it's ridiculous during those times.

I hope there will be more actual answers to this specific question because I'm interested in other responses.

I've only sailed the Dream and Fantasy but breaking point is the same. I'd just like to be on any of the ships.

That's very generous. You shouldn't have a problem sticking with DCL. That would put you at over 8k for a 7 night cruise. I guess my limit would depend on itinerary. 150 pp max for a Caribbean cruise. Europe 200.00. Now if there's only two of us I'll go up to 300.00 pp. A lot of cruise lines offer 3rd and 4th passenger free or close to free. That's where the real difference comes in. Like I said in early post I'm pretty much priced out of DCL for the 4 of us.

 

[disneycruisedreams]

Oops. Should've mentioned we usually add an OBB. I try to stay under $1000 per day but it's VERY hard!

 

[Geomom]

Oops. Should've mentioned we usually add an OBB. I try to stay under $1000 per day but it's VERY hard!

That is my limit as well, $1000/day for a family of 4 for the more unique itineraries, in an oceanview on deck 2! First cruise in 2016 was Alaska at $900/day. Next year is Northern European at $1028/day WITH OBB. Disney is what is actually getting us ON a ship as we weren't cruise people, but we want the more unique itineraries, so we're paying for them!

 

[KashasMom]

You will enjoy the Oasis. We are huge Disney fans and had only gone on DCL cruises before, but last year decided to try the Liberty of the Seas(not even as nice as Oasis). We were kind of nervous but we went in with open minds and had a blast. We all had mixed feelings, but my kids(teens) all liked it better due to all the activities, like the FLoRider, Ice Skating, rock climbing wall etc.
That said, here are some of my top pros and cons I noticed, at least IMO:

DCL:
Pros:
Better food, much nicer, personal, accommodating wait staff
That special Disney "magic", that "je ne sais quoi" that Disney has
Much more family/kid friendly
Entertainment- hands down WAY better all around, not just shows but the live music, bingo, etc.
Pirate night(and other theme nights if you get one of those)
Pin trading if you/kids are into that
MUCH better photographers and photo nights/options
MUCH better spa/massage

Cons:
Price


-----------------------------------------------

RCCL:
Pros:
Very nice modern impressive ships
Much more activities. Ours had FLoRider, Ice Skating, rock climbing wall, cupcake bakery the kids did a baking class, Ice cream shop, etc.
Johnny Rockets for a casual eating option
Concierge service was very nice if you have a suite
Shopping "mall" if you like that aspect

Cons:
The staff did not seem happy to be there, a few even seemed disgruntled.
Seem to nickel and dime you to death for every little thing
The food services are not set up well for the pool area, especially if you have kids
Entertainment was lacking
The photos were poor quality, seemed like they just handed whoever a camera and told them to take pictures those nights.
Seemed like the masseuses were just whatever random staff didn't have anything to do that day.

I think if you'd gone on one of the Oasis class cruises you'd have a much different opinion. We are hooked on them! Food was excellent, love that they have a FULL dinner buffet - and so many other choices. Service was just as good as on DCL. So many more activities for kids 7/8+. THREE big pools. Lots of family friendly shows - all very good. Our room on the Allure had so much space/storage space we couldn't even use it all.

You can avoid the promenade if malls bother you. And what was the nickel and diming? This is a typical (usually unfounded) complaint by DCLers. The only thing that is "free" on DCL that is not on other cruise lines is soda.