Would you pay these prices? Help!

[JanDave]

A poster on this thread asked about MSC cruise line. Several friends of ours cruised last week on the Seaside, and most if not all are DCL platinums. After talking to/reading posts about the Seaside sailing, all were positive about their experiences. This line offers a 5% loyalty fare discount, other cruise line, hotel chain, etc.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

OP, I didn't read all 6 pages, but could you leave the toddler with grandma and the rest of you hop on a *GT rate?

 

[houseofduck]

We've been on both the MSC Divina and Seaside. Our family enjoyed both cruises. MSC is definitely different from Disney, but we liked the differences too. There is a much more diverse group of passengers on MSC, in our experiences. So, for the kids clubs, if you are traveling during off peak times (as we did), this diversity means that there may not be many kids in the clubs that speak English. Or, there may not be many children in the clubs at all. On the Divina, there were not many children on board when we traveled. For one activity (a pizza making activity), there were only three children participating. On the Seaside, we traveled during the same time of year and there were more children, but still not many that spoke English as a first language. This didn't stop them from having a good time or making new friends.

 

[KashasMom]

Still, I am curious.

Which Carnival cruiseship have you tried?

To me, it's not "opinions" but experiences. I've done 2 cruises on the Dream, 1 on the Wonder vs 2 cruises on the Victory and 1 on the Vista.

What I am saying is that if you strip DCL from all the theming, the ships are beautiful but the offerings regarding food and entertainment is a bit limited. While the Carnival ships can look a little more toned down when it comes to the looks, the offerings regarding food and entertainment is slightly or much more interesting (at least for adults) depending on which ship you chose to sail on. Which is the reason why I invite people to compare the Fantasy and Dream to the Vista and Horizon because to me, they are in the same category if you make abstraction of the mouse and focus on the "cruising part".

This is SO funny. It's no secret in my family that I am the most excited by the characters and to be very honest...if you took them away, there's no chance I'd cruise Disney.

 

[Frozen2014]

If I"m reading your post...a Disney 3 day cruise is $5000 (assuming USD)??? That's ridiculous...even if a family of 5!
As comparison, we are paying $1800 CAD for a 4 day cruise on Mariner for family of 4. Now yes, the four of us are staying i one stateroom...which i realize is not possible for 5 in a standard cabin...but I think when I looked it was maybe $500 more to get 2 staterooms (and note that I am quoting CAD). Royal's Mariner is getting a huge makeover right now with slides, laser tag, trampoline..and also has ice rink, rock wall, etc...so quite family friendly. It's what is worth to you...but definitely not worth to us. And actually a few years ago we selected Royal Allure over Disney for the price difference and had an amazing time.

Quoting my own post:
Very similar cruise....Disney Dream vs Royal Mariner....4 day Bahamas cruise both leaving same day in August. Only difference is Castaway Cay vs Coco Cay.

• Royal Mariner = $1800 CAD for a 4 day cruise, family of 4, interior room
• Disney Dream = $4243 USD for a 4 day cruise, family of 4, interior room = $5441 CAD

We love Disney but for apples to apples (both amazing ships and family friendly), Disney is not worth the extra $3561 CAD to us

 

[Lilsia]

2A, 2C Allure is $5,007
2A, 2C Fantasy is $9,892

Almost double...STILL not worth it.

And now you are qualifying by saying DCL is super inflated in the summer. But then - and school holidays - are when many people, including my family, can travel. So I don't need to see your spreadsheets because it seems you have more flexibility. When comparing holidays and summer, DCL pricing can be brutal (actually, ridiculous). BTW, in a previous life, I cruised plenty of times with 2A, 2C in an inside room and we didn't have any issues with lack of space. I think everyone just has different priorities or needs when they cruise.

These 2 rooms are both balcony rooms. I looked them up, the Allure room sleeps 2-4 with a king bed that can be separated, small sofa bed with a tiny bath with only a stand up shower, 182 sq ft. On the fantasy it is a split bath with a tub, the curtain that separates the areas(which is great with kids) nice queen bed, the sleeper sofa and pull down berth and is 268 sq ft. If you are comparing cruise lines, you definitely should factor in layout, sq footage, comfort, amenities, etc. NOT just the price of what you think is a comparable room. To me, those are NOT comparable.

 

[Lilsia]

I would also like to say that I like the DCL for the atmosphere on the ships. I have sailed on a Celebrity ship and, besides the ship being a dirty, the atmosphere was much different. They, like most cruise lines, sell the drink packages. Most people headed straight for the bars upon boarding. By the time we had our safety drill almost everyone was toasted already. The crew could not get people to shut up and pay attention, they just gave up. I am allergic to cigarette smoke(plus I don't want my kids around it), it is very easy to avoid the area on the DCL that allows smoking, not so much on the other ship since they did allow smoking in the casino and smoke travels. I also found the food in the main dining that is included to be below what you get on the DCL. There is no filet or lobster, etc. If you want that, you upgrade to a pay restaurant. As a family we like the self serve drinks, not having to wait in line at the bar where people are able to smoke to get a drink for my kids is priceless to us. So there are many factors that people look at when booking a cruise not just price. I think people get sticker shock and that is all they end up seeing and not really comparing the details of the cruises.

 

[keaster]

These 2 rooms are both balcony rooms. I looked them up, the Allure room sleeps 2-4 with a king bed that can be separated, small sofa bed with a tiny bath with only a stand up shower, 182 sq ft. On the fantasy it is a split bath with a tub, the curtain that separates the areas(which is great with kids) nice queen bed, the sleeper sofa and pull down berth and is 268 sq ft. If you are comparing cruise lines, you definitely should factor in layout, sq footage, comfort, amenities, etc. NOT just the price of what you think is a comparable room. To me, those are NOT comparable.

Please keep in mind the Fantasy square footage includes the balcony while the Allure does not.

 

[jenf22]

These 2 rooms are both balcony rooms. I looked them up, the Allure room sleeps 2-4 with a king bed that can be separated, small sofa bed with a tiny bath with only a stand up shower, 182 sq ft. On the fantasy it is a split bath with a tub, the curtain that separates the areas(which is great with kids) nice queen bed, the sleeper sofa and pull down berth and is 268 sq ft. If you are comparing cruise lines, you definitely should factor in layout, sq footage, comfort, amenities, etc. NOT just the price of what you think is a comparable room. To me, those are NOT comparable.

Couple of things - Royal's 182 sq ft does not include the balcony, Disney's 268 sq ft does. The Royal balcony is 50 sq ft, so the comparison is really 232 vs 268. Also as others have mentioned, if you were to find a cruise that was half the cost of DCL, you could get 2 connecting rooms (assuming 2A, 2C) with 2 full bathrooms. And there are room types on the other lines that also have a tub, you just have to do a little research to find them. Everyone uses different criteria to book a cruise. For example, you seem to place more weight on the "nice queen bed" vs the "king bed that can be separated". My husband and I would pay MORE for a king bed over a queen. But that's just us. And while you don't see those rooms as comparable, you have to weight the $4800 savings over the amenities you feel you're missing. For us, I'd rather take a cruise in spring and fall vs just the one. We're also trying not to repeat itineraries. So 2 cruises let us see 2 different parts of the world.

 

[Shanti]

These 2 rooms are both balcony rooms. I looked them up, the Allure room sleeps 2-4 with a king bed that can be separated, small sofa bed with a tiny bath with only a stand up shower, 182 sq ft. On the fantasy it is a split bath with a tub, the curtain that separates the areas(which is great with kids) nice queen bed, the sleeper sofa and pull down berth and is 268 sq ft. If you are comparing cruise lines, you definitely should factor in layout, sq footage, comfort, amenities, etc. NOT just the price of what you think is a comparable room. To me, those are NOT comparable.

I agree. I hate the idea of sleeping on two twins put together: just not as comfortable as a real queen mattress. Also, the staterooms on the cheaper lines I've looked at don't look nearly as attractive as Disney's. And yes, that makes a difference to our enjoyment of the cruise experience. When you add ship-wide differences in family atmosphere & entertainment, etc., then no, I do not consider the cruises on other lines to be comparable. Yes, they cost less, but you also get a very different experience that is not what all DCL cruisers are looking for.

At the end of the day, it's all about different strokes. The price of DCL is worth it to some & not others. Nothing for anyone to get upset or nasty about, but as this thread indicates, some people do, anyway.

 

[Lilsia]

Couple of things - Royal's 182 sq ft does not include the balcony, Disney's 268 sq ft does. The Royal balcony is 50 sq ft, so the comparison is really 232 vs 268. Also as others have mentioned, if you were to find a cruise that was half the cost of DCL, you could get 2 connecting rooms (assuming 2A, 2C) with 2 full bathrooms. And there are room types on the other lines that also have a tub, you just have to do a little research to find them. Everyone uses different criteria to book a cruise. For example, you seem to place more weight on the "nice queen bed" vs the "king bed that can be separated". My husband and I would pay MORE for a king bed over a queen. But that's just us. And while you don't see those rooms as comparable, you have to weight the $4800 savings over the amenities you feel you're missing. For us, I'd rather take a cruise in spring and fall vs just the one. We're also trying not to repeat itineraries. So 2 cruises let us see 2 different parts of the world.

That was my point. These cruise lines are so different that a person really can not compare them. You should go with what you feel is acceptable to you and your family. Some of these details are more important to other families then they might be to yours. I do not understand the DCL bashing at all. They provide a different kind of experience and atmosphere then other ships. Just like Carnival is more know for the younger crowd that like to party and Holland America is more know for the senior crowd, etc. Some people think the price of a DCL is worth it for their family. That does not mean they should be attacked for it and called idiots for spending the money on it. I personally would never sail a Carnival ship, especially with all of the issues with them now. But IDC if you go, it does not affect me at all. And I would pay more for a king bed over a queen normally too, just not one that separates in the middle. I don't like the bump.

 

[mevelandry]

We've been on both the MSC Divina and Seaside. Our family enjoyed both cruises. MSC is definitely different from Disney, but we liked the differences too. There is a much more diverse group of passengers on MSC, in our experiences. So, for the kids clubs, if you are traveling during off peak times (as we did), this diversity means that there may not be many kids in the clubs that speak English. Or, there may not be many children in the clubs at all. On the Divina, there were not many children on board when we traveled. For one activity (a pizza making activity), there were only three children participating. On the Seaside, we traveled during the same time of year and there were more children, but still not many that spoke English as a first language. This didn't stop them from having a good time or making new friends.

Kids are amazing like that.

I remember when I was a kid, as a french canadian I only knew french but each year, we would vacation in Wasaga Beach (Ontario) where I made friends anyway. We found ways to communicate.

 

[mevelandry]

This is SO funny. It's no secret in my family that I am the most excited by the characters and to be very honest...if you took them away, there's no chance I'd cruise Disney.

Me and my friends talk about the day we'll have enough money so we can go the Mickey's Ver Merry Christmas Party together, followed by a short Disney cruise, sharing the same cabin and taking pictures with all the characters.

I get it.

 

[jenf22]

That was my point. These cruise lines are so different that a person really can not compare them. You should go with what you feel is acceptable to you and your family. Some of these details are more important to other families then they might be to yours. I do not understand the DCL bashing at all. They provide a different kind of experience and atmosphere then other ships. Just like Carnival is more know for the younger crowd that like to party and Holland America is more know for the senior crowd, etc. Some people think the price of a DCL is worth it for their family. That does not mean they should be attacked for it and called idiots for spending the money on it. I personally would never sail a Carnival ship, especially with all of the issues with them now. But IDC if you go, it does not affect me at all. And I would pay more for a king bed over a queen normally too, just not one that separates in the middle. I don't like the bump.

I don't think anyone was calling anyone names. Our neighbors, and friends, are off on a DCL cruise this summer. If I only got a week or 2 vacation a year, I might use the money on a Disney cruise. Right now, I get 4 weeks vacation and am looking to spread my vacation allowance as far as I can. I think the reason people like us post is there is so much misinformation out there. People read about other lines giving you a drink package and assume everyone is drunk. Um, no. Maybe on some shorter Caribbean cruises, but when we've sailed Europe (twice) on a ship where lots of people had the drink package we never saw a single person drunk. Honestly, 17 days and not 1 drunk. And the cigarette smoke - I have asthma and can not stand it, but you can avoid it on the other lines. You just have to do a little research first. We think the food we've had on the other lines was better than DCL. No one needs to justify their vacations to anyone else. I just want everyone to realize there are options. We did our first 3 cruises on DCL because we figured we had a kid and we had to. Once we got brave enough to try something new it felt like a whole new world of possibilities opened up. I still check DCL prices all the time. Maybe we'll sail them again someday.

I guess we don't notice the king/2 twin thing anymore. If you go to Europe, that's all there is. It's pretty difficult to find rooms that will even hold more than 2. When you go it's always 2 twins pushed together to make a king.

 

[KashasMom]

These 2 rooms are both balcony rooms. I looked them up, the Allure room sleeps 2-4 with a king bed that can be separated, small sofa bed with a tiny bath with only a stand up shower, 182 sq ft. On the fantasy it is a split bath with a tub, the curtain that separates the areas(which is great with kids) nice queen bed, the sleeper sofa and pull down berth and is 268 sq ft. If you are comparing cruise lines, you definitely should factor in layout, sq footage, comfort, amenities, etc. NOT just the price of what you think is a comparable room. To me, those are NOT comparable.

Again most of the things you mention are just NOT important to us. The Allure has so much more to offer our family than the Fantasy and we had no problem with the comfort or amenities on her. IMO the Allure is NOT comparable to the Fantasy; it's better!

 

[KashasMom]

Please keep in mind the Fantasy square footage includes the balcony while the Allure does not.

Thanks for that info. Didn't even realize that. It's never something I consider when booking.

 

[KashasMom]

That was my point. These cruise lines are so different that a person really can not compare them. You should go with what you feel is acceptable to you and your family. Some of these details are more important to other families then they might be to yours. I do not understand the DCL bashing at all. They provide a different kind of experience and atmosphere then other ships. Just like Carnival is more know for the younger crowd that like to party and Holland America is more know for the senior crowd, etc. Some people think the price of a DCL is worth it for their family. That does not mean they should be attacked for it and called idiots for spending the money on it. I personally would never sail a Carnival ship, especially with all of the issues with them now. But IDC if you go, it does not affect me at all. And I would pay more for a king bed over a queen normally too, just not one that separates in the middle. I don't like the bump.

This is part of the problem. Most of the people who make generalizations and look down on other lines have NEVER even sailed on another line! Your comment about Carnival is the old reputation. They are very much changing - just look at their new ships - they are very family friendly and some of their new rooms/suites look WOW! No one is bashing DCL. Some of us have cruised other lines and found them to be equal or better than DCL. Nothing wrong with that. I personally don't care what line people cruise. I feel very fortunate to be able to vacation the way I do. Apparently, I just don't put so much emphasis on things others do and vice versa. Again...we're all lucky that there are so many options to keep us all happy!

 

[KashasMom]

I don't think anyone was calling anyone names. Our neighbors, and friends, are off on a DCL cruise this summer. If I only got a week or 2 vacation a year, I might use the money on a Disney cruise. Right now, I get 4 weeks vacation and am looking to spread my vacation allowance as far as I can. I think the reason people like us post is there is so much misinformation out there. People read about other lines giving you a drink package and assume everyone is drunk. Um, no. Maybe on some shorter Caribbean cruises, but when we've sailed Europe (twice) on a ship where lots of people had the drink package we never saw a single person drunk. Honestly, 17 days and not 1 drunk. And the cigarette smoke - I have asthma and can not stand it, but you can avoid it on the other lines. You just have to do a little research first. We think the food we've had on the other lines was better than DCL. No one needs to justify their vacations to anyone else. I just want everyone to realize there are options. We did our first 3 cruises on DCL because we figured we had a kid and we had to. Once we got brave enough to try something new it felt like a whole new world of possibilities opened up. I still check DCL prices all the time. Maybe we'll sail them again someday.

I guess we don't notice the king/2 twin thing anymore. If you go to Europe, that's all there is. It's pretty difficult to find rooms that will even hold more than 2. When you go it's always 2 twins pushed together to make a king.

ALL of this is very true!

 

[cadien]

There was one drive by name calling post but most has been civil.

That’s a good example on king beds as another crucial factor for some people but not everyone. In hotels, that’s always worth the upcharge for my husband.

 

[mevelandry]

I agree. I hate the idea of sleeping on two twins put together: just not as comfortable as a real queen mattress. Also, the staterooms on the cheaper lines I've looked at don't look nearly as attractive as Disney's. And yes, that makes a difference to our enjoyment of the cruise experience. When you add ship-wide differences in family atmosphere & entertainment, etc., then no, I do not consider the cruises on other lines to be comparable. Yes, they cost less, but you also get a very different experience that is not what all DCL cruisers are looking for.

At the end of the day, it's all about different strokes. The price of DCL is worth it to some & not others. Nothing for anyone to get upset or nasty about, but as this thread indicates, some people do, anyway.

Two twin beds put together... When each stay on their side, we don't feel the difference.

I booked the Anthem if the Seas once (unfortunately had to cancel). The cabins look very luxurious... Especially the bathroom.