Why do YOU cruise with Disney?

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Why do you choose Disney?

I don't need convincing, we are die-hard Disney and DCL fanatics, just wondering what keeps you going back, even though other cruises are cheaper, different, some say better, better for adults, better for kids...you know you have heard it all!!


We choose it, because it truly feels *magical* there seems to just be a different feel on a Disney cruise, just like when you enter WDW, it's as though you have entered a bubble and nothing but good things can come of it!!

If you were to ask my husband though, he would say the food! LOL!

 

[Anna Chassereau]

I love how you described it and it's really true!! You definitely feel the magic there! We love WDW bc it truly feels like a happy place...and the same goes for DCL! We've cruised with other lines before and enjoyed our cruises but nothing like we did with DCL! All those little extra special touches DCL does really add up...Disney does it right! The shows blew us away too! I literally cried watching Believe on the Dream it was just so beautiful!

We can't wait for our 2nd Disney cruise on the Fantasy!! It's not until next December so we've got a long time to wait but still we're so pumped!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

The shows blew us away too! I literally cried watching Believe on the Dream it was just so beautiful!!

My husband and kids make fun of me every single time because I always cry at their shows, even if they are funny or cute, I'm crying because they are just so amazing! Disney gives me the feels! LOL

 

[clten]

We keep going back because of the crew. They really make you feel like part of a family. We've sailed with DCL so many times that some of the activities are "stale" to us and we don't always see all the shows (do like to see at least one of the stage productions each sailing) so there are times when we head into a cruise and wonder why we aren't going with a different cruise line to get a change of scenery (or at least new trivia questions). Then we are greeted by a crew member we had met briefly several sailings before and they remember you (I don't care if they remember because DCL provided a full dossier on us), they are warm and sincere when they welcome you back and reminisce. It makes for a great starting point to build more happy vacation memories!

 

[Anna Chassereau]

Haha I know my husband was looking at me like really?! when I was crying but I just couldn't help it!! I was blown away! The shows are one of the main things I'm looking forward to on our next cruise!!

 

[ludari]

I was always a Disney fan but never into cruising until a friend had mentioned a European trip with a WBTA Disney Cruise that she had planned with her family and suggested I go. I reviewed her planned and obviously booked my own flights and cruise (I was leaving from a different state than my friends). Since that cruise I was hooked and within the past six years I have been on 8 Disney Cruises. What keeps me coming back to DCL is the crew and how they make me feel welcomed.

 

[Ofinn]

I'm not a Disney person at all. I've tried sitting through a couple of shows onboard....walked out bored. I don't like Disney movies or the characters. The Disney Magic is lost on me. I don't feel what you guys feel. All that being said I have always liked the customer service and the family atmosphere. We also homeschool and I have never had to worry about other kids being on the ship in the offseason or my kids being bored. We have reached a point where we want to see new destinations that DCL does not offer or the price is just to high. Now that my kids are entering teenhood I think they will enjoy other cruiselines. We will still sail on DCL I just don't feel its the only option anymore.

 

[wcw57]

I have all this cash lying around and just don't know what to do with it.......

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I was always a Disney fan but never into cruising until a friend had mentioned a European trip with a WBTA Disney Cruise that she had planned with her family and suggested I go. I reviewed her planned and obviously booked my own flights and cruise (I was leaving from a different state than my friends). Since that cruise I was hooked and within the past six years I have been on 8 Disney Cruises. What keeps me coming back to DCL is the crew and how they make me feel welcomed.

How did you like the WBTA? We are booked on our first next year, it's a B2B with a Med cruise first and then the WBTA!

 

[Savikins]

I love imaginative, well-themed, luxurious spaces. Disney excels at creating such spaces, both on land and at sea. I've watched virtual tours of so many other ships, and you just don't get that sense of wonder from them. Are the other cruise ships nice? Yes, they're definitely nice, but they don't transport me to a different time and place like Disney ships. Other cruise ships just look like nice modern day hotels, while Disney ships look like fantasy versions of elegant ocean liners from the 1910's and 1920's.

I don't have kids and I never will have kids, and I'm not offended by foul language or adult themes, so the family-friendly atmosphere doesn't matter too much to me. The aesthetics, attention to detail, and amazing crew are what bring me onboard and keep me coming back.

 

[ludari]

How did you like the WBTA? We are booked on our first next year, it's a B2B with a Med cruise first and then the WBTA!

I really enjoyed the WBTA that I've done two of them (2010 & 2014). I just love the longer cruises and sea days are my favorite. On the longer cruises like the WBTA they host special events that they don't normally do on shorter cruises (like special tours around the ship). Doing a B2B Med and WBTA you'll definitely get to experience it all. Enjoy your cruise.

 

[Sytrace]

We keep coming back for the consistently good service and the fantastic crew members. We have had so many experiences with a cast member who were on our serving team (or host/hostess) on a prior cruise remembering us. Even a year or so down the way. It never ceases to delight and amaze me and it enhances our vacations to see familiar faces....and have them remember us.

One in particular comes to mind because it was just so incredible that this CM took the time to seek us out and talk to us in Cabanas a year after we first met him at the ice cream station on Fantasy.
He was keeping the ice cream station clean and cared for while I was sitting and reading a book one evening. The kids were off having fun and my husband was at a Cognac tasting. We started talking and I asked him about his backround and what he wanted to do going forward with Disney. He told me he was working toward the serving team in the MDRs but had just started...I think it was his second cruise.
Anyway, we ran into him a couple more times (okay, a LOT more times...we like ice cream) and he met Dan and the kids too.
A year goes by and we are having breakfast in Cabanas and he walks up to our table and greets us BY NAME! He asked about how the business was going...remembered the type of business and everything. Noted the kids had grown taller and remembered small details of our conversations. It blew my mind.
There were other instances as well, but that one just sticks out in my mind. He actually paid attention and remembered us.

We love the detail, the care and the imagination that is on the ships, the programs and the people. That to us is worth the higher price tag.

Thank you for this thread...it is really a positive one.

 

[DisneyWillow1975]

We are very loyal Disney cruisers, and just tried our first non-Disney cruise. We had learned our lesson by the 2nd day of the cruise- you get what you pay for. I have never been excited for a cruise to end, but we definitely were looking forward to that cruise ending. For us, it was a matter of service, attention to detail, programming for the entire family, and being made to feel welcome on the ship. The Disney magic is icing on the cake for us. On our cruise last week, we felt like second class citizens, encountered very poor service the majority of the cruise, and felt stressed the entire time.

 

[tink1970]

I don't want to be on a cruise ship with a casino. I do enjoy classic lines, friendly crew and good if not wonderful service.

 

[PlanoNana]

I guess it all comes down to attention to detail and Walt's idea of onstage and backstage. The day to day stuff about running the ship, the offices etc are "backstage" and out of sight which helps provide the Magical experience. FANTASTIC service from crew that demonstrate that they are striving to create an excellent experience for us. Clean humor and great stage shows. Even if we aren't thrilled with the story we're amazed at the production values. Adult only areas that are kept adult only. I've only been on one other cruise line and was really disappointed that the crew on that sailing didn't seem to aiming for excellence.

It's probably silly to compare but two things stand out. On DCL, I left my PJs thrown over a chair when hurrying to leave for a shore excursion. When we returned to the ship, our bed was made and my PJs were neatly folded on the end of the bed. On another cruise line, I did the same thing and came back to find my PJs still thrown on the chair. On DCL I saw crew members on the outside of the ship on port days cleaning the porthole windows on deck 1 so folks would have a clear view. We had a porthole room on another cruise line and the window got sea spray on it on Day 1 of the cruise. We stopped at three ports but the porthole stayed dirty the entire cruise. And the traffic pattern on that "other" ship included going through a smoky casino. Yuck!

 

[MunFam]

Well, we cruised because we liked being able to carry on our own alcohol. We also liked the club for our kiddo. But now that they changed the policy, I highly doubt we will sail with them again. We saw value in the BYOB...now they need to compete with every other line for our business and they lose on price. We are NOT Disney people though.

 

[jack87891]

My wife and I "discovered" Disney cruising as empty nesters. We immediately loved the sense of fun, the family feel and the amazing level of service. After our first cruise,we couldn't wait for the next one and decided to bring our adult son, daughter and son in law. They loved it as well. Now we basically alternate, one or two cruises with just us and one for the family. Both are great and we can't wait for the next one. Soon we'll be planning for cruises with a little grand daughter (our first is on the way)

 

[redsonja76]

Because every time I get on a cruise that isn't Disney I find myself saying "this is nice, but on Disney I like it better because they do it xyz". I don't mean to do it, I actively try not to do it. I decided to stop fighting it and just cruise disney because it makes me happy. DH says it's because Disney does customer service better than anyone and that is important to him. My kids (the adult and the kid ones) love Disney like no other.

 

[redsonja76]

On DCL I saw crew members on the outside of the ship on port days cleaning the porthole windows on deck 1 so folks would have a clear view. We had a porthole room on another cruise line and the window got sea spray on it on Day 1 of the cruise. We stopped at three ports but the porthole stayed dirty the entire cruise. And the traffic pattern on that "other" ship included going through a smoky casino. Yuck!

OMG THIS!!!!! We had two rooms on another ship with portholes, and after day one we couldn't see out of them. I remember being so disappointed in that!!!

 

[DCLDVC1]

My kids love the clubs.