What makes DCL worth more money than other lines?

[petlover]

I really enjoyed reading all of this, it's a learning process for me. This cruise over Thanksgiving will be VERY $$ compared to what we're use to paying, so much to do with cruising Thanksgiving week.

 

We are well cruised, over 500 nights on an all inclusive line. I may miss the casino, always have fun there (and it is non smoking) but I'll adjust to that. I think the Disney shows sound fabulous! I think our biggest concern is LINES, lines to see characters, lines to get food, lines to talk to the guest service people, etc. We're spoiled in that regard preferring the smaller ships with just a few hundred people rather than thousands of passengers.

 

We are taking our 4 small grandchildren and their parents and I'm hoping that seeing their joy on their faces will make this very $$$ cruise worth every penny and then some.

 

Thanks for all the sharing you all have done for us newbies! You're a great group here. :)

[kurukthemal]

Here is my two cents and from reading your last post, I would only suggest going in with the right expectations. I took my three DD's on our first Disney Cruise last August and it was amazing. However, there absolutely were lines for most things, e.g. Aqua Ducks, Princess signatures, etc. The lines were bad and I would recommend looking at your Navigator and planning your day. We got to the Princess que about 30 minutes prior to its starting and were about 3rd in line. By the time we were finished, the line wrapped around and was quite big.

 

So, planning and setting the right expectations for yourself and your family will set you up for success. The ships are incredible, the service is top notch, the shows are great. Just expect a few people onboard with you. :-)

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I agree! Cue early at princess gatherings. But we met the nicest families and had a great time even hanging out in line, same on aquaduck. Nothing on the Disney Dream could compare with the lines on Carnival Dream! I waited my entire cruise in line on that ship. Even for checking out of the gift shop and for omelets and hotdogs, even self serve ice cream. Like WDW, lines may be a reality but they have done a great job with them. If your cruise is for the magical family memories, if its half as good as even our 3 day dream was for family magical memories, you will likely be rebooking! Hope the best for you. I went to WDW once over Tgiving and we decided never never again...

 

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Edited November 10, 2013 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[kcwiak]

I really want to do DCL instead of the park next September. I didn't realize that the non-alcoholic drinks were included. Is this everything, ie milk? Also, not having a casino is great as I end up spending way too much money in them.

 

What are the suites like?

[Irene7]

I am a woman and my hair was extremely long when I cruised on Carnival (just donated 14 inches of hair to locks of love last month) and I never had a problem with the showers on Carnival. No sticking shower curtains, no run-overs onto the shower floor. And I was travelling with a teenager for 2 weeks and we had plenty of luggage - and found space for everything.

 

And I'm not "kidding myself" either - just because my opinion differs from yours.

 

I've never had a cabin on DCL with the split bath or a tub (though most cabins do have these, I've never had one due to the HA cabins).

 

And on Carnival, our comforters were large, white and extremely fluffy. So I don't know what ship you were on where yours where you had a flat bed spread?

 

 

This is the thing, no one is saying you will not have a good time on a carnival cruise. But comparing carnival to disney is like comparing a budget hotel to an upscale hotel. They are like night and day. Like the other poster said, check out the CCL boards and see that their are a lot of complaints.

[Irene7]

I completely disagree. I think the food on RCCL is equal to Disney's. My cabins on RCCL have always been equally clean and in excellent condition. The concierge service on Disney is better then RCCL but worse than NCL. As far as nickeled and dimed the only thing I have found as an extra on RCCL is soda which is free on Disney. Other than that I have found the same things that cost extra on RCCL are also extra on Disney. Maybe its because I sail on the newer RCCL ships. I can also say that the Oasis and Allure ships have more restaurants, more night clubs, more shows and more shopping then any Disney ship. Of course they are almost double the size. The only reason we cruise Disney is because we love Cataway Cay and we have a 6 year old who loves everything Disney. If it was just the two of us I am guessing we would stick to RCCL for 80% of our cruise dollars. Still would do Disney once every few years just for Castaway Cay. But to answer the original question "what makes Disney worth the extra money" my answer is nothing makes it worth more. However to some people the excellence of the Disney brand and the Disney theme & characters give them the warm fuzzy feeling that is hard to put a price on. However Disney does put a premium price on it in the cruise business and it seems to be what the market will bear. I think most of their ships sail full.

 

Of course there are more restaurants, shops etc., because the Oasis class are mega ships so it stands to reason. But the food in the MDR is terrible and I feel forced to eat a the specialty restaurants. Orange juice is free in the MDR but not everywhere and the same for some other beverages. Cupcakes are extra too. I felt very nickel and dime'd. You also have to make reservations for all the shows. I find the service good but not as good as disney. Don't get me wrong, the Oasis is a good ship and fun, but I prefer Disney ships. On Disney the only things I paid extra for were excursions, alcohol, and usually one dinner at either Remy or Palo. I gladly pay more for Disney and feel they are worth the extra money.

[ducklite]

This is the thing, no one is saying you will not have a good time on a carnival cruise. But comparing carnival to disney is like comparing a budget hotel to an upscale hotel. They are like night and day. Like the other poster said, check out the CCL boards and see that their are a lot of complaints.

 

I would make the comparison as follows:

 

Mass market ships like Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, NCL are like the budget hotels anything from Motel 6 to Hampton, depending on the ship and cabin type.

 

Disney is a niche product. It is not luxury, and probably compares closest to the premium lines like Princess or X. A good comparison might be a stay at a Hilton, Marriott, or Hyatt.

 

The luxury lines would compare to anything from a Conrad or Inter-Continental to a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton. Having sailed DCL twice, both times in 1BR, I love their cabins, but they are not to the level of a luxury hotel in terms of service. They have stepped up the game in terms of in-cabin amenities in the suites, but until they step up service levels, and fix some of the issues (kids wandering through adult pool areas on the new ships is a prime example) they aren't luxury. When your cabin steward doesn't greet you by name on the second day of your cruise, it is not luxury level service. That's just one small example.

 

 

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[ducklite]

Of course there are more restaurants, shops etc., because the Oasis class are mega ships so it stands to reason. But the food in the MDR is terrible and I feel forced to eat a the specialty restaurants. Orange juice is free in the MDR but not everywhere and the same for some other beverages. Cupcakes are extra too. I felt very nickel and dime'd. You also have to make reservations for all the shows. I find the service good but not as good as disney. Don't get me wrong, the Oasis is a good ship and fun, but I prefer Disney ships. On Disney the only things I paid extra for were excursions, alcohol, and usually one dinner at either Remy or Palo. I gladly pay more for Disney and feel they are worth the extra money.

 

DCL is the only large ship line I would ever sail again. One of the reasons is the lack of nickel and diming. There are any number of others as well. I'd rather pay a slightly higher fare and not have to pull out my room key to get a cup of coffee or a pool towel.

 

That said, the people who sail some of the mass market lines with ridiculous policies on everything from pool towels to alcohol have only the,selves and their behavior to blame. There are only so many towels that can be taken home and so much food wasted and so many drunken brawls before a company sees that they have a serious problem and takes steps to fix it.

 

 

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[NancyIL]

I would make the comparison as follows:

 

Mass market ships like Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, NCL are like the budget hotels anything from Motel 6 to Hampton, depending on the ship and cabin type.

 

Disney is a niche product. It is not luxury, and probably compares closest to the premium lines like Princess or X. A good comparison might be a stay at a Hilton, Marriott, or Hyatt.

 

The luxury lines would compare to anything from a Conrad or Inter-Continental to a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton. Having sailed DCL twice, both times in 1BR, I love their cabins, but they are not to the level of a luxury hotel in terms of service. They have stepped up the game in terms of in-cabin amenities in the suites, but until they step up service levels, and fix some of the issues (kids wandering through adult pool areas on the new ships is a prime example) they aren't luxury. When your cabin steward doesn't greet you by name on the second day of your cruise, it is not luxury level service. That's just one small example.

 

 

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I would not put HAL in the same category as Carnival, NCL, or RCI. In my opinion, HAL is pretty comparable to Celebrity and Princess.

[ducklite]

I would not put HAL in the same category as Carnival, NCL, or RCI. In my opinion, HAL is pretty comparable to Celebrity and Princess.

 

I haven't sailed them. All I can say is everyone I've met who has would put them alongside the other three I mentioned, not into the premium category.

 

 

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[greenie082756]

Well this was enjoyable reading. My DH & I have sailed with Disney and with Princess. I actually asked him the other day what he thought of the food differences. He said they were about the same, however I thought Disney's was better in service, presentation and taste. So there you go, to each his own. Now he did agree that the bed was much more comfortable on Disney. Also we both loved Castaway Cay. We didn't have any children with us on either cruise but we did so enjoy watching others children and the happiness they were having on Disney. I think I was smiling more on Disney..yep..I was.:D Most likely we will again cruise with Disney.

[micheecruise]

Also I have never seen a cruise where the waiters cut up the steaks for the kids. This happened on both Disney cruises, and I saw them doing it for most of the kids with steak.

 

We had an awesome server on the Carnival Glory who cut our daughters' steak!! One evening my daughter was sitting there after her dinner was served and not touching her food, I asked her if everything was okay, she said "Yes, I am just waiting for them to come and cut my steak for me". LOL.

Edited November 22, 2013 by micheecruise

[Tara619]

We had an awesome server on the Carnival Glory who cut our daughters' steak!! One evening my daughter was sitting there after her dinner was served and not touching her food, I asked her if everything was okay, she said "Yes, I am just waiting for them to come and cut my steak for me". LOL.

 

Our waiter on the Fantasy this summer cut up MY food! I am in my early 30s but have an arthritis like disease that has wreaked havoc on my hands. He saw me struggling or asking DH to help and he swooped right in and cut my food every night-steak, pasta, shrimp, whatever. He was awesome, as was every other single CM we encountered.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Tara619

[Brad1185]

DCL is the only large ship line I would ever sail again. One of the reasons is the lack of nickel and diming. There are any number of others as well. I'd rather pay a slightly higher fare and not have to pull out my room key to get a cup of coffee or a pool towel.

 

That said, the people who sail some of the mass market lines with ridiculous policies on everything from pool towels to alcohol have only the,selves and their behavior to blame. There are only so many towels that can be taken home and so much food wasted and so many drunken brawls before a company sees that they have a serious problem and takes steps to fix

 

Royal Tea on the High Seas

 

Lady Chamomile and Chef Brule play host to Disney Cruise Line's new Royal Court Royal Tea Party, a regal affair for kids of all ages, complete with tea sandwiches, pastries, cupcakes and, of course, tea. Available to young "princes and princesses" ages 3 and older on any seven-night Disney Fantasy itinerary, the cost is $279 for one adult and one child, with an additional child from $210 and a $69 charge for an additional adult. The event includes character visits from Disney princesses with a meet-and-greet and photo, sing-alongs and gifts.

[meatloafsfan]

Our waiter on the Fantasy this summer cut up MY food! I am in my early 30s but have an arthritis like disease that has wreaked havoc on my hands. He saw me struggling or asking DH to help and he swooped right in and cut my food every night-steak, pasta, shrimp, whatever. He was awesome, as was every other single CM we encountered.

 

On our first Disney cruise, our assistant server cut up my mother's food (she has the use of only 1 hand due to her stroke).

 

On the 4 subsequent cruises, none of our assistant servers did so or made the offer.

 

On our RCL cruise, the head waiter was right there to shell my lobster tail for me, on our last DCL cruise, the head waiter didn't make it over to my side of the table before moving onto another table (but he did shell the tails of the people on the other end of my table of 8).

[mshe]

I just got off a Disney cruise and was very happy with the kids programming. The shows were very good, although perhaps a little too heavy on the Disney "princess" theme. Thankfully Disney now has some new IP including Marvel / Star Wars perhaps they can start incorporating those properties into their shows in the future.

 

The cabin was fantastic and definitely defined for a family in mind, especially the split bathroom and separable sleeping areas.

 

Food was mediocre for the most part, not comparable to the food options of previous cruises I've been on. Edible, family restaurant grade.

 

I liked how Disney has a lot of characters for photo opportunities - much better than lining up in the heat at WDW.

 

For a young family I think DCL is great choice but families with older kids or more sophisticated tastes may want to consider another cruise line first.

Edited November 26, 2013 by mshe

[GatorMomInNC]

Our waiter on the Fantasy this summer cut up MY food! I am in my early 30s but have an arthritis like disease that has wreaked havoc on my hands. He saw me struggling or asking DH to help and he swooped right in and cut my food every night-steak, pasta, shrimp, whatever. He was awesome, as was every other single CM we encountered.

 

Love this!

[e2011]

Anyone?

Nothing unless you love Disney and Mickey Mouse!

[ducklite]

Nothing unless you love Disney and Mickey Mouse!

 

Disagree. We've also sailed RCCL. The two were night and day in terms of food, service, cabin quality, and on RCCL we were nickel and dimed for pretty much everything except the air. We booked the Royal Suite and had plumbing and electrical problems, a concierge team who couldn't get anything right--to the point that it would have been better for them to just say sorry but they couldn't help, and were spoken to very, very rudely by the Captain due to the incompetence of the concierge staff. (I had it I writing what we were told to do that got the Captain all beside himself, so it wasn't our misunderstanding!)

 

We had very little Disney on our last DCL cruise, never saw characters or shows or anything--by our choice. That's the beauty of DCL, you can get as much or as little Disney as you want.

 

 

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[Gardeneroflove]

Disagree. We've also sailed RCCL. The two were night and day in terms of food, service, cabin quality, and on RCCL we were nickel and dimed for pretty much everything except the air. We booked the Royal Suite and had plumbing and electrical problems, a concierge team who couldn't get anything right--to the point that it would have been better for them to just say sorry but they couldn't help, and were spoken to very, very rudely by the Captain due to the incompetence of the concierge staff. (I had it I writing what we were told to do that got the Captain all beside himself, so it wasn't our misunderstanding!)

 

We had very little Disney on our last DCL cruise, never saw characters or shows or anything--by our choice. That's the beauty of DCL, you can get as much or as little Disney as you want.

 

 

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THAT's where the extra comes in! Great service (though, no one cut up my kid's food,) no nickel and diming, The only extra we were asked about was wine the first night and the tinkerbell cup on pirate night.

 

We're in a way not looking forward to going back to the other lines for that reason.

[TheYearofMe]

Adam Carolla was on your cruise? It looks like he made Admiral.

 

 

 

Now THAT is funny! Ha! Adam Carolla. lol

[e2011]

Disagree. We've also sailed RCCL. The two were night and day in terms of food, service, cabin quality, and on RCCL we were nickel and dimed for pretty much everything except the air. We booked the Royal Suite and had plumbing and electrical problems, a concierge team who couldn't get anything right--to the point that it would have been better for them to just say sorry but they couldn't help, and were spoken to very, very rudely by the Captain due to the incompetence of the concierge staff. (I had it I writing what we were told to do that got the Captain all beside himself, so it wasn't our misunderstanding!)

 

We had very little Disney on our last DCL cruise, never saw characters or shows or anything--by our choice. That's the beauty of DCL, you can get as much or as little Disney as you want.

 

 

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Fortunately we have never had an experience like that on Rccl, NCL or Disney.

[mejiace]

Our first three cruises were on the Magic and then we hit a dry spell in the recession. We decided to try another cruise line, a very nice cruise line, well-known. What was missing for us was the happiness and the good vibes. We have a daughter, and of course we like the programming, but really there's a specialness to a Disney cruise and we'll never waste money on another cruise line again.

 

...the double bathroom also helps!

 

Cynthia M.

[MizDaisy]

Nothing bothers me more than to hear people complain about the "nickel and diming" on other cruise lines.

 

First of all.....you don't HAVE to buy anything you don't want to. No one forces people to buy a soda card or a wine package.

 

If you want a soda in one of the clubs or bars on Disney, you'll pay for that, just the way you'll pay for it on another cruise. Telling people it's "FREE" everywhere is irresponsible.

 

Secondly.....if you take a Disney cruise and pay $1000 more for it, than what you would on another line, that "Free" soda isn't really free now, is it???

 

Trust me, Disney is NOT giving anything away for "FREE".

 

Food is subjective....not many people will like the same thing, so in my mind, discussing food is a waste of time.

 

But as far as nice, clean rooms, and activities, and amenities, I've found NCL and the NEWER Carnival ships to not only be "just as good as" Disney, but some of them even better. Especially for teens and adults.

 

Ugh.....sorry, I walked away earlier and was going to stop reading, but the nickel and dime thing is just so ridiculous.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Well I appreciate that they don't have desperate sales techniques. I agree that the buying is optional but it degrades the relaxed sailing experience by a lot when you have high pressure photographers heckling you "let me take your photo!" when you are late for dinner. And bar servers asking constantly "what can I get you" and don't even get me started on the "get there early for a seat at the theater and lookie, a bingo game while you wait." Those are classic CCL experiences. Other lines up charge for cupcakes, hamburgers, and theme dinner parties. Disney is more, but they include much more. Besides, you can get deals if you look and you can have the more inclusive experience AND less desperate buy this or that... That's how I personally feel though.

 

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Edited December 10, 2013 by TwinPrincessMermaids