5 day DCL Magic questions

It’s not a huge deal breaker, is price from year to year comparable so if I look at this December should be around the same as next year. I’ve looked at various online TA and they all seem to be different in pricing for the same dates.

 

 

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Typically DCL prices have increased from year to year. Sometimes quite dramatically. In the recent past years, the increases have been quite big.

It’s not a huge deal breaker, is price from year to year comparable so if I look at this December should be around the same as next year. I’ve looked at various online TA and they all seem to be different in pricing for the same dates.

 

 

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You can get an idea by looking at the current year to predict the next. I'd expect an increase each year, but generally not a huge change. There have been years of very significant price changes, usually when something happened at DCL (new president of cruise line, new ship launched) or something happened in the US economy in general. DCL's computers are quite sophisticated in knowing how to maximize profit on each sailing.

DCL does not permit TAs to charge different prices. DCL sets the price and that is what it is at any given time, Prices do go up as the ship fills. What is happening on line is that web sites present things in different ways. Some sites list the total price, including ALL taxes and government fees. Other sites list the "cruise fare" portion of the ticket, but not those add on charges. I am familiar with a site that added a $50 charge my quote, claiming it was a tax. The "all inclusive" ones want to be honest and up front; the ones with the low charges are not being somewhat deceptive in not telling you the whole story initially. Also, DCL does not permit TAs to hoard cabins--they may do a 3 day hold to enable them to communicate with the client and secure the deposit, but any room that a TA removes from inventory must have a client name attached and can only be booked by that name. TAs can differ in the benefits they may give--some will give an onboard credit based on the cost of the trip or type of cabin booked, others will give a store gift card or other token of their appreciation. And the level of service you'll get can vary greatly!

Christmas is set up either immediately following the cruise that goes over Halloween, or there's a week gap. Generally the first week of November. You can find past Navigators by searching for "disney cruise line navigators" to get an idea of what sorts of activities there were on past Very MerryTime cruises.

I know this was 16 years ago and I know this have changed since then, but I remember sailing the Magic the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2001 and it was on our cruise that they started building this beautiful gingerbread house by the stairs between the atrium and the Promenade Lounge. By the time the cruise was over, the ship was transformed for Christmas. It was magical.

There is an attempt to have a rabbi on board at the appropriate time as well as a religious officiant on the Christmas cruise' date=' these cannot be guaranteed. They are the only religious part of the celebrations.[/quote']

 

I assume you mean for Hanukkah, since I've heard they've done that in the past. We'e saiing Magic WBTA over the High Holy Days next September and inquired about a Rabbi, but DCL said they wouldn't be providing one then. I assume the cost of transportation factors into that.

I know this was 16 years ago and I know this have changed since then, but I remember sailing the Magic the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2001 and it was on our cruise that they started building this beautiful gingerbread house by the stairs between the atrium and the Promenade Lounge. By the time the cruise was over, the ship was transformed for Christmas. It was magical.

Yes, they have changed the schedule. We also have done the cruise when the decorations were put up just in time for the Thanksgiving cruise. However, the marketing is now such that the "Merrytime" cruises start early in November and the decorating is largely done for the first one. The beautiful gingerbread house has been moved from the area near the Promenade Lounge (where most of the vandalism happened) to a spot near Guest Services (it could be watched better, but was harder to enjoy and in the way) to a space just to the side of the big entry doors in the atrium. After the first year when some people couldn't appreciate the "do not touch" signs, there was a rope of red ribbon around the house...unfortunately that didn't stop people determined to do damage. But, as you noted, if you are on the first Merrytime cruise, you'll be able to enjoy the construction process or at least seeing the changes each day. Most of the process happens late at night away from our eyes...so we think it is magic!

Any time there is a priest, rabbi, or protestant minister on board who volunteers to do services and provides appropriate proof of qualifications, DCL makes space available and places an announcement in the Navigator. Otherwise, they make space available for a "make your own service" with a tiny note. In the past, they have arranged a Roman Catholic priest at Christmas and a rabbi at Hanukkah, whether by paying for their services or providing a free cruise, I don't know. I do know there has been criticism from some guests who didn't find the Christmas choice to coincide with their preferred choice. We were delighted when we cruised over Hanukkah to find a notice in the Navigator specifically inviting non-Jewish guests to attend the lighting of the Menorah and also to an informal lecture with Q&A following that the rabbi offered.

What makes castaway cay the best private island in Bahamas, and do you usually try and book ones that go there? What is there to do for Adults and if you buy a drink package does it carry on to the island

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Do you know if you can book in CDN

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What makes castaway cay the best private island in Bahamas, and do you usually try and book ones that go there? What is there to do for Adults and if you buy a drink package does it carry on to the island

 

 

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There are no "drink packages" on DCL as there are on other lines. There is the punch card for the Cove Cafe and the beer mug deal, but no "all inclusives." Castaway Cay works exactly as the ship in that things that are included on the ship (soft drinks from beverage stations, tea, coffee, etc) are included on the island and things you pay for on the ship (alcohol, soft drinks in cans, etc. ) are charged on the island.

Most of the Caribbean cruises go to Castaway Cay. While we don't specifically reject a cruise that doesn't stop there, it is a matter of what else is offered and what we want to do. CC is the easiest beach day you'll ever do, but the beach is more crowded than some on other islands. For instance, our Tortola day was at the baths--there were maybe 30 people,all from DCL, who chose to go to the side I was on! BUT the only things to do there were the baths and the beach. On St. Thomas, St. Maarten, etc. the beaches will be more crowded. On CC, if you walk a little farther down the beach, you'll encounter fewer guests.

At Castaway you'll have umbrellas, beach chairs, hammocks, towels, etc. all provided. There are "play" areas on land and in the water. Snorkeling is free if you bring your own equipment or you can save on luggage and rent it. Floats and bikes are a pretty minimal charge. The ships dock at the island (no tenders) so you can come and go from the ship as you please. The tram will take you to areas near the family beach and the adult beach. DCL leases the entire island, so it isn't a fenced off section of an occupied island like some lines have. And the island is maintained to DCL standards---it is very neat and clean. The food on the island is part of your cruise fare; no extra charge. Those are just some of the things that make it a great private island. I can't say that I've experienced all of the other islands used by other lines, but I can tell you that CC is the nicest, easiest beach day I've ever done.

Just outta curiosity what other cruises have you been on and would you say Disney is your favourite and what ships have you been on and what is the easiest port to sail out of?

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Just outta curiosity what other cruises have you been on and would you say Disney is your favourite and what ships have you been on and what is the easiest port to sail out of?

 

 

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We've been on Princess and Celebrity recently enough to compare to DCL. We've done other lines, but I don't think it is fair to compare something from 10+ years ago to something in the last year or two. We've found things we like about each line--things they do better and things DCL does best. We do have 30 cruises on DCL and over 300 nights on their ships. For a time, they were the only line we'd consider, but it isn't that way any more.

Of the 4 DCL ships, the Magic is our favorite. We like the smaller, more intimate size and we have many connections with CMs on the Magic. True, some of our favorites have moved to other ships, but the Magic always feels like we are coming home. The Wonder is largely the same ship, and that is our second choice. We are also very selective about which cruises we are on--the standard Eastern and Western are "been there, done that" to us, so we look for something unique and different. DCL has the most beautiful ships with the best entertainment.

Celebrity had the best food, but I've read some things recently that make me wonder if that is still true. Princess has the best ports and the most unique cruises. They also alter their food choices to reflect the location of the cruises. So while there are typical American choices on all their cruises, there were many Asian offerings when we did the Japanese cruise. Princess also had far more adult offerings and activities than the other lines. Their buffet changes throughout the day, but is always open except late at night...so the 2pm selections are more than burgers or pizza. And Princess does the best job with arranging ground transportation for my adult daughter who has a mobility impairment. The standard cabins on Princess and Celebrity are much smaller than DCL, but since we now require a HA cabin, the size we get is similar.

DCL's prices have become ridiculous. They need to offer something really special to get me to pay those rates, but when they do have a special cruise, they further inflate the rates.

Ports....that gets complicated. Many ports are an hour from the airport, but all you need to do is get on the cruise line's transportation and it really doesn't matter how long the ride is. Port Canaveral is definitely one of the easiest, particularly if using DCL transportation. Their luggage system is great. And it is by far the prettiest. Most ports look like warehouses. Dover is actually one of the friendliest and easiest ports we've done. That was on DCL, but we took a taxi from our hotel. Barcelona has varied--sometimes easy, sometimes the CMs didn't know what they were doing! And boarding there can be significantly later than other ports. Seattle was very easy and smooth (private transportation). Vancouver is easy. LA was a long time ago, and DCL didn't have their acts together yet--hopefully that has improved. Yokahama (the port for Tokyo) was easy, but was a serious amount of walking from "drop off" to the check in and waiting areas. So, I guess if I had to pick one, PC is my favorite departure port based on ease of transportation and check in.

I guess than again we go on Carnival and they have lots of kids, we liked the food but want to try something different but we don’t want to seem like weirdos if you know what I mean

 

 

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weirdos because you'd be adults only?

there are always some adults only couples traveling on DCL ships..

on our disney cruise this past august, we were two adult couples (one couple aged 62, the other couple aged 32)...

we didn't feel weird at all..

yes there were lots of kids on board, but there were also adults only guests on board..

we had a wonderful time!!

and on my daughter's DCL cruise in the Mediterranean, it was just her and her husband...

and there were many other adults only couples on board...

they didn't feel weird at all....nor would they on a disney ship...for us it's all about disney :)

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I’ve always been into Disney, read books on him, love all the movies going to WDW, and when I was a kid I wrote Michael Eisner on ideas that they could use, than I got a letter back. Even though I’m gonna be 39 New Year’s Day, it’s a way of being a kid w/o being a kid if you know what I mean. We don’t make a lot of money, but we save for our trips almost a year in advance. Almost thought of doing a couple days at WDW and a cruise, wanna check out the new Star Wars land.

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Do you know any personal vacation planner at DCL you can recommend

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Do you know any personal vacation planner at DCL you can recommend

 

 

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A "Personal Vacation Planner" is nothing more than a travel agent who works at DCL who provides you with their phone number so that IF they happen to be working when you decide to call, they will be the one to talk with you.

Sorry, but I don't use them. I use a travel agent who works both on line and in a "bricks and mortar" office. The agent gives me great service and the agency provides an on board credit as a "thanks for booking" gift. Cruise Critic does not allow us to name agents or agencies.

So what don’t you like about Disney

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So what don’t you like about Disney

 

 

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The prices, the boring, repeat itineraries, the unsupervised kids (primarily tweens) running around, particularly in adult areas. Very noisy dining rooms (they could have used sound absorbing materials in the walls and ceilings!)

How we deal with that--we choose primarily longer cruises (12+ days) which usually means fewer school age kids. These also tend to be different, more unique cruises. Unfortunately, these are often priced thru the roof.

You’ve been on Celebrity and princess right I think, how do you think they all compare between one another to say something like RC or Carnival the big three

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So would you say that something like Celebrity or Princess would be better, I’m not sure how old you are.

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There is one other cruise I have in mind and that is a Pacific Coastal cruise

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You’ve been on Celebrity and princess right I think, how do you think they all compare between one another to say something like RC or Carnival the big three

 

 

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My experience with Carnival is that it was nothing but a booze cruise. It was the low end, cheap line with tacky entertainment, tacky behavior from guests, etc. Sorry, I was never a party animal in my younger years. I know they have made a serious effort to get rid of this image and become more family oriented, especially on their longer cruises. I put them in the "you only get one chance to make a bad impression" category. In fact, I worried a bit about Princess since it is owned by CCL--my fears were unfounded.

Royal is the other kid oriented line, probably the one that compares most to DCL. I don't like things like having kid oriented upcharge restaurants, but guess they need to compensate for their lower base price. Frankly, I don't like that they've added a "pay extra" ice cream and dessert location on some of the DCL ships.

Celebrity and Princess are definitely more adult oriented, although they do have kid programs which were well received by people on our cruises. We most recently did a summer cruise on Princess, so there were more kids on that one--they seemed to be occupied most of the time. We've found all the lines to be more alike than different! Celebrity had really good food including a "healthy food" outlet where they would grill salmon while you waited and super good munchies in an outlet similar to the Cove Cafe on DCL. Both Celebrity and Princess have small standard cabins compared to DCL, but as I noted earlier, we require the HA cabins, and those are comparable. I would not put more than 2 people in a normal cabin on either line, even though they can be booked for 3 or 4. You have to get a mini-suite to have space similar to DCL. The food on Princess is comparable to DCL in most respects. The decor on Princess is boring and ugly; I think they believe it is classy. it is shades of browns and beiges. The main stage entertainment was sad on both although they did have live orchestras while DCL uses tracks. The variety acts were similar; some were even the same acts we'd seen on DCL!

One interesting note--DCL's HA cabins are at the far forward and far aft of the ship. This gives them interesting shapes and good space, but also means that you have to manipulate a wheelchair or walker thru halls which can be filled with host carts, strollers (which shouldn't be there), etc. Princess locates their HA cabins near the forward and aft elevators which technically categorizes them as midship cabins and makes them not available in the lower ranges for that cabin type (a midship balcony costs more than a forward or aft balcony cabin). However, it is a better location as you leave your cabin and are right at the elevators.

I was looking at DCL, for Christmas Royal Princess and Celebrity Eclipse for PC with an O/N stay in San Francisco. Don’t get me wrong I love kids and I’m a kid at heart but it’s so hard to decide do I go for WDW and a cruise or just a seven day cruise I know I can only decide that

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