Disney Wonder vs NCL Gem

[William W]

Right now, I’m debating between a 7 days December Bahamas and Florida sailings on the Gem out of NY and a 7 days January sailing on a January Mexican Riviera sailing on the Disney Wonder out of LA. I was able to reserve a cabin on the Kids Sail Free promotion that is going on with Disney, the Disney cruise itself excluding airfare is priced approximately $200/more for the 3 of us. Though, airfare to LA as compare to flying to NY will probably be an additional $600.

We are a family of 3, myself and DW in our early 30s and DS is 3. We have never sailed on NCL or Disney, the last two cruises that we took were on Carnival Liberty and RCCL Liberty of the Seas. Our family really enjoyed the RCCL product but not so on the CCL product.

I understand that I’m comparing somewhat an Apple to an Orange here as they are for different itinerary, different ship, and different cruise line. But from Food, Service, Activities, and Kids Program perspective, which cruise would you recommend? Any inputs/opinions will be much appreciated.

I will also be cross posting this on the NCL board. Thanks

[stsomewhere]

I would choose the Mexican Riveria.

The weather from NY could be very cold for the first day or so. I have seen pics of crew shoveling snow from the deck.

 

You child is a great age for a Disney cruise. My kids love it they are 12 and 9 . It is their favorite line. We have sailed on Carnival, NCL, RC, HAl.

 

ETA: WE do not enjoy Carnival at all. We sailed with them about 15 yrs and 2 years ago.

The kids felt that the kids program treated them like babies.

 

I had to convince my husband to try DCL . It was more expensive than the other lines. But I wanted to do it before e the kids got too old. After the first night, my husband booked another cruise while we were on board. Normally, we look for deals.

On that cruise, he booked another for next year.

 

The service and staff were fantastic.

[chipmaster]

Money no concern then a no brainer Disney IMHO :D If you are a value person then maybe not so clear :confused:

 

No one else can articluate except you the experience. Disney when the kids are young is a timeless experience, pricey but timeless. Not sure if your 3 year old will remember anything but the pictures with characters and other stuff well worth it to some, less so to others.

 

Good luck planning

 

Right now, I’m debating between a 7 days December Bahamas and Florida sailings on the Gem out of NY and a 7 days January sailing on a January Mexican Riviera sailing on the Disney Wonder out of LA. I was able to reserve a cabin on the Kids Sail Free promotion that is going on with Disney, the Disney cruise itself excluding airfare is priced approximately $200/more for the 3 of us. Though, airfare to LA as compare to flying to NY will probably be an additional $600.

 

We are a family of 3, myself and DW in our early 30s and DS is 3. We have never sailed on NCL or Disney, the last two cruises that we took were on Carnival Liberty and RCCL Liberty of the Seas. Our family really enjoyed the RCCL product but not so on the CCL product.

 

I understand that I’m comparing somewhat an Apple to an Orange here as they are for different itinerary, different ship, and different cruise line. But from Food, Service, Activities, and Kids Program perspective, which cruise would you recommend? Any inputs/opinions will be much appreciated.

 

I will also be cross posting this on the NCL board. Thanks

[SallyUK]

I've cruised on both the Gem and Wonder's sister ship the Magic. I won't comment on the itinerary, but this is my perception ship vs ship:

 

Ship: Disney ships are older than the Gem, which is quite new, but the interiors are more classic on Disney and hides its age well. (My pref: draw, Gem is new but prefer the art deco styling of Disney to contemporary styling of Gem)

 

Staterooms: across all standard stateroom sizes they are much bigger on Disney than the GEM, with more storage. For example I'd struggle for space if I shared a balcony stateroom with 2 other people on the Gem (its ok for the two of us), but there was so much space on the Magic I could have got a family of four in no problem. (My pref: Disney)

 

Dining: two very different options. NCL you can eat wherever and whenever you want. I love this, you really can do whatever you like and there are plenty of different restaurants available at an upcharge. However the downside of this and where Disney wins out is that on Disney your dining team really gets to know you and your likes/dislikes. I don't drink alcohol so also like the fact that soft drinks are free on Disney (My pref: draw)

 

On board facilities: I like the cinema on Disney, but DH likes the rock climbing wall on the Gem. The kids facilities on Disney trump NCL hands down, but for adults, the spa on the Gem has been voted the best at sea and is wonderful. (My pref: draw).

 

Entertainment: The shows on NCL are good. I've heard many people say that they are the second best shows at sea after Disney, though I do find the ones by the Jean-Ann Ryan company (not always on the Gem) better than those by other companies. However Disney is in a different league. Some entertainment options on the Gem can come across as a bit nickel and diming, which isn't the same on Disney as more is included. I also love seeing the characters about the ship (My pref: Disney).

 

Port tours: I haven't been to any of the places you are going, but having compared both I found that NCL often offered a wider variety of tours and they could be cancelled sooner than Disney, however Disney do some really unusual options that nobody else has. I found tours on Disney cheaper for like for like options than NCL by between 10-15%. (My pref: Disney).

 

Overall cost: here's the rub. I can almost always cruise NCL cheaper than Disney, so its down to what premium you put on the experience. FWIW my favourite cruise ever was with Disney.

[William W]

Thanks for all the feedback and opinions so far, please keep them coming as I will have to make a decision in a couple of days, when I have to leave a deposit for the Disney cruise.

 

I think I'm leaning toward going on the Wonder over the Gem. What's holding me back is I live on the East Coast, and there is no direct flight to LA, so the flight including connection is 8+ hours. I am just somewhat concerned how would the little one handle the flight and the wait time at the airport.

 

Ideally speaking it would be awesome if Disney will later offer a Kids Sail Free option for cruises out of Florida like they did last year. Though, Dream being a new ship, I doubt that would happen. Any guess as to whether they will do such type promotion on the 7 nights Magic cruise?

 

Are there penalties if I were to booked the Wonder and switch my booking to the Magic if they indeed offer a Kids Sail Free program for cruises out of FL if the promo comes out prior to final payments?

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

For the situation you describe, I would choose Disney. Disney is just a step above in every category. If you were sailing in a suite, it would be NCL hands down, but for this trip, including the air, it's well worth the difference...make sure you fly in a day early though.

[chachi]

I would never sail out of New York in December, it is just way too cold.

[newmommy2]

You may want to think about how much the extra dining costs will be with NCL, that might tip the budget one way or the other. We loved our cruise on the Wonder last year (we have 2 girls 5 years of age at the time). There is nothing like seeing the joy on their little faces when they see Cinderella for the first time!

 

Good luck with your decision!

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Have you made your decision? After thinking about this a little more, DCL is your best bet. The only recommendation I would make is to not have a cabin directly below the pool. We had two deluxe family balconies under the pool deck. The location was nice, but you could hear the pitter/patter from above. That being said, the shows on DCL were priceless...in my review I stated that I would have paid to see them...that still holds true...truly first class. I also liked that you could help yourself to soda at any time...and you could bring any adult beverage that you wanted on board without question which made for some great cabin cocktails. Did not like the regimented dining, but for a family I could see this as being a benefit as the concept was well designed with the rotation. BUT...if you seek peace and relaxation...wrong cruise line IMO. Active, active, active with something going on all the time. Enjoy whatever you decide.

[William W]

Thanks for the feedback. I have left a deposit with DCL on the Wonder cruise. Though, I haven't cancelled my cruise on the NCL Gem either. But based on what everyone said, I'm definitely leaning toward going on the Wonder and will be cancelling my cruise on the GEM soon.

 

Any suggestion as to which LA airport is closest to the port and I should be looking at when I book my flight?

[lolakat]

I think you made the right choice. I haven't sailed DCL yet but I've been on NCL several times. I've been disappointed with their kids program which I why I've decided to try DCL next year now that my DD is old enought to enjoy it. I've sailed out of NYC in the winter and it is COLD for the first day and a half. On some of our sailings it has been cold in the caribbean too. The main concern would be cost so if you can swing it I would go DCL all the way.

[dkjretired]

I've cruised on both the Gem and Wonder's sister ship the Magic. I won't comment on the itinerary, but this is my perception ship vs ship:

 

Ship: Disney ships are older than the Gem, which is quite new, but the interiors are more classic on Disney and hides its age well. (My pref: draw, Gem is new but prefer the art deco styling of Disney to contemporary styling of Gem)

 

Staterooms: across all standard stateroom sizes they are much bigger on Disney than the GEM, with more storage. For example I'd struggle for space if I shared a balcony stateroom with 2 other people on the Gem (its ok for the two of us), but there was so much space on the Magic I could have got a family of four in no problem. (My pref: Disney)

 

Dining: two very different options. NCL you can eat wherever and whenever you want. I love this, you really can do whatever you like and there are plenty of different restaurants available at an upcharge. However the downside of this and where Disney wins out is that on Disney your dining team really gets to know you and your likes/dislikes. I don't drink alcohol so also like the fact that soft drinks are free on Disney (My pref: draw)

 

On board facilities: I like the cinema on Disney, but DH likes the rock climbing wall on the Gem. The kids facilities on Disney trump NCL hands down, but for adults, the spa on the Gem has been voted the best at sea and is wonderful. (My pref: draw).

 

Entertainment: The shows on NCL are good. I've heard many people say that they are the second best shows at sea after Disney, though I do find the ones by the Jean-Ann Ryan company (not always on the Gem) better than those by other companies. However Disney is in a different league. Some entertainment options on the Gem can come across as a bit nickel and diming, which isn't the same on Disney as more is included. I also love seeing the characters about the ship (My pref: Disney).

 

Port tours: I haven't been to any of the places you are going, but having compared both I found that NCL often offered a wider variety of tours and they could be cancelled sooner than Disney, however Disney do some really unusual options that nobody else has. I found tours on Disney cheaper for like for like options than NCL by between 10-15%. (My pref: Disney).

 

Overall cost: here's the rub. I can almost always cruise NCL cheaper than Disney, so its down to what premium you put on the experience. FWIW my favourite cruise ever was with Disney.

 

Sally:

 

Enjoyed the Jean Ann Ryan shows very much but was told they will be leaving NCL at the end of September.

[calmpets]

Ideally speaking it would be awesome if Disney will later offer a Kids Sail Free option for cruises out of Florida like they did last year. Though, Dream being a new ship, I doubt that would happen. Any guess as to whether they will do such type promotion on the 7 nights Magic cruise?

 

Are there penalties if I were to booked the Wonder and switch my booking to the Magic if they indeed offer a Kids Sail Free program for cruises out of FL if the promo comes out prior to final payments?

 

The don't offer the Kids Sail Free sale very often, but if they offer it on the Magic you can switch with no penalty as long as it's before final payment. My personal suggestion would be to go with DCL, since you've managed to cash in on such a spectacular deal. NCL will cost you around the same in the future, but deals on DCL are few and far between.

[jkrislc]

We really lie NCL for its freestyle concept and we can usually book a suite with plenty of added perks for a few hundred dollars more. We also found ourselves in a similar situation as you as we had a deposit with both NCL and DCL as I couldn't decide between the two. In the end, we opted for Disney after having sailed the Magic in January. We really enjoyed the shows and the movie theater and the kids club was second to none for our DS who is 3. The downside is that you share a table with others at dinner, which wouldn't be so bad had we had better table mates, although we did like the rotational dining.

[CaseyJr]

Thanks for the feedback. I have left a deposit with DCL on the Wonder cruise. Though, I haven't cancelled my cruise on the NCL Gem either. But based on what everyone said, I'm definitely leaning toward going on the Wonder and will be cancelling my cruise on the GEM soon.

 

Any suggestion as to which LA airport is closest to the port and I should be looking at when I book my flight?

 

 

Long Beach airport is closest to the port (which is in San Pedro). It sounds like flights are going to be difficult for you to book so you might not have the option to fly to LB. The next closest airport is LAX (Los Angeles). It is a 30-45 minute drive, depending on traffic. You would have to take a Super Shuttle or arrange for other transport to San Pedro as Enterprise is the only rental car company that services San Pedro (and they charge a lot for one way rentals).

 

John Wayne Airport in Orange County is also an option. It is further away but smaller and easier to navigate than LAX. If you plan on going to Disneyland before or after your cruise, John Wayne is the closest airport.

 

There are a few threads on this topic on another board devoted to Disney cruises. I live relatively close to the port so can answer any questions you might have.

[calmpets]

The downside is that you share a table with others at dinner, which wouldn't be so bad had we had better table mates, although we did like the rotational dining.

 

You can request a private table - they will usually accommodate your request.

[Host Mick]

Thanks for the feedback. I have left a deposit with DCL on the Wonder cruise. Though, I haven't cancelled my cruise on the NCL Gem either. But based on what everyone said, I'm definitely leaning toward going on the Wonder and will be cancelling my cruise on the GEM soon.

 

Any suggestion as to which LA airport is closest to the port and I should be looking at when I book my flight?

 

Cruise Critic's West Coast Departures board has lots of help for you.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413