Disney vs Getaway?

[Carlisle14]

Been on Disney Dream, Magic, and Fantasy and loved each trip (5 cruises total). Disney has prices me out of future cruises though, as the fares are higher and sales are no longer. Looking at the Getaway in October or November for some amazing rates. Anyone out there with Disney cruise and Getaway cruise experience that can help me with a comparison? My kids are ages 8 and 5. Really interested in fun and engaging kids club activities. Hoping to find a new line that can have half the cost and almost the same level of entertainment. Is that NCL and the Getaway ship?

[txagfan]

Getaway/Escape/Breakaway all fit the bill IMO. Took my 8yo nephew who enjoyed the kids club and never bored as there was a lot to do.

[2ManyCruises]

We've done 4 Disneys. Took the kiddies on The Getaway last Thanks Giving and they absolutely loved it. Especially the water slides, rock wall and ropes course.

They loved the family comedy show, the arcade and the wide variety of restaurants. They were thrilled that they did not have get dressed up for formal night and were not locked into a specific time to eat. They like NCL better than any other cruise line. On NCL the kiddies feel free.

Edited March 31, 2016 by 2ManyCruises

[dexddd]

We've did BA and then 6 months later the Fantasy. The Fantasy blew the BA out of the water. We have done several DCL and NCL and go back and forth and still have had good enough times on NCL. We try not to compare each other as they are unique in their own way.

 

The DCL pricing went up about 25% after our last trip for the next season so it has kept us away. IMO try the Getaway as there are tons of things for you and kids of that age to do. The one good thing about NCL is you don't have the set times for dinner but others will say that on DCL that is a benefit so you get to know your servers but I don't like the set dining times.

[patsfantb12goat]

We just got off the Escape and we were DCL people with 7 cruises under our belts. We paid 3100 for a balcony for ourselves AND an ocean view for the 2 teen daughters. We LOVED NCL and the Escape. We will not go back to DCL for price alone. NCL Escape was beautiful, our rooms were just as great as DCL, the food was excellent, the service was great! So many areas of the ship to enjoy on sea days with lots to do. The "freestyle" concept is awesome! The entertainment was not as good as DCL but I think GA and BA have better entrainment than the Escape. I was nervous going NCL based on reviews, but our experience did not match any of the negative reviews at all. NCL has earned new customers with our family. Our kids loved it and can't wait to go back!

[Carlisle14]

Awesome insights. The week I am looking at in November I can get a balcony for $2200 on the getaway. Disney is almost $6000 for a balcony room. That is just insane. I think 2/3 vacations for the price of one Disney is something I can't ignore. Loved Disney but I just can't stomach the price tag anymore.

[KarimaJ]

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Awesome insights. The week I am looking at in November I can get a balcony for $2200 on the getaway. Disney is almost $6000 for a balcony room. That is just insane. I think 2/3 vacations for the price of one Disney is something I can't ignore. Loved Disney but I just can't stomach the price tag anymore.

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<P>Same reason we booked the Getaway for Thanksgiving week. We liked Disney but didn't feel the price was worth it for what you get. I felt like it was geared more towards little kids, not my tween. We did like the pirate party and fireworks on Disney though.</P>

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Our kids have grown up on the Disney ships and we love them but the prices right now are just crazy. We sailed the Getaway last summer and are sailing on her again next month.

 

Frankly, I was getting quite bored with the food on Disney, so really loved the variety of offerings on NCL and the freestyle concept. The kids especially liked the Illusionarium dinner show, the Teppanyaki hibachi restaurant and the Brazilian steak house. Sure, we didn't have the same waitstaff every night so our drinks weren't waiting for us at the table like on DCL, but everyone was very nice and accommodating.

 

My kids are older than yours (10,14,17 when we sailed last year) so can't really comment on the kids club activities for the younger kids, but my 10 year old enjoyed Splash Academy (He wasn't sure going into it as it isn't themed heavily like on DCL, but he still had a lot of fun) and the teens had fun in the teen club (though in the teen club on DCL, they did say the staff were more involved with the kids). The kids from Splash Academy put on a circus show in the theater at the end of the cruise. Unlike DCL where the kids clubs are open through to midnight, Splash Academy is closed for a couple of hours at lunch and dinner time on sea days, so plan accordingly. Also, after 10pm or so , there is an hourly charge if the kids want to stay late.

 

We didn't end up going to the major evening shows so can't comment on those but we did go to Howl at the Moon and the early comedy show which were both a lot of fun.

 

The Getaway has a ropes course (including a small low one for younger kids), zip line, bungee trampoline, spiderweb climber/slide, rock wall, sports court, mini golf, and small bowling area. Plenty to keep the kids busy!

 

The water slides were great and the kids pool was fine. I have seen people complaining about it here on the boards that it was too crowded but we never saw it as crowded as the DCL pools. There was also a splash area for younger kids. No lifeguards though but there was a crew member standing at the side of the pool keeping the kids in line.

 

We had an inside and a balcony room. The inside was much smaller than DCL's inside but was fine for my teens. The balcony room was slightly smaller than DCL and the balcony itself was much narrower. No split bathroom, but they were a decent size and I liked that the shower had a glass door rather than shower curtain. Also, our rooms didn't have tubs. The balcony room had a coffee maker and coffee, tea, etc. Both rooms had a stocked mini bar.

 

 

That's about all I can think of at the moment! Obviously, we enjoyed it enough to be going back - if you have any specific questions, let me know.

[princesskayla]

We are a DCL family (8 cruises in 4 years) going on our first NCL GA in May. As a family of 5 - it is getting way too expensive to cruise Disney, even though we LOVE it. I am super nervous about all the *nominal fees. I don't want to be nickle and dimed though out the cruise, although Disney is starting to venture into the extra fees model. I hate that I have to buy a soda package - that is my Achilles heel - and pay for text messaging services for each of our phones. I am going to keep a very detailed report on my *nominal charges and really see if going the NCL route is saving us money in the long run. I have a feeling those extra charges will add up very fast.

[Carlisle14]

We are a DCL family (8 cruises in 4 years) going on our first NCL GA in May. As a family of 5 - it is getting way too expensive to cruise Disney, even though we LOVE it. I am super nervous about all the *nominal fees. I don't want to be nickle and dimed though out the cruise, although Disney is starting to venture into the extra fees model. I hate that I have to buy a soda package - that is my Achilles heel - and pay for text messaging services for each of our phones. I am going to keep a very detailed report on my *nominal charges and really see if going the NCL route is saving us money in the long run. I have a feeling those extra charges will add up very fast.

 

I've noticed the fees, too. Soda. The magic show dinner. Dining package. Etc. but also know it takes a ton of fees before it gets close to the hyper inflated Disney fares.

[KarimaJ]

Yes please let me know. We have our first NOrwegian cruise in November and have done Disney and RC.

 

 

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[Regguy]

Can't speak to Getaway specifically, but our first few cruises were on Disney until it priced us out and we switched to NCL. Can't imagine going back. The DCL premium is not close to worth it for us.

[2ManyCruises]

Remember too that many families enjoy NCL without paying any additional fees except the daily service charge. The soda package, drink & dining package, illusion show are all optional. No one is required to purchase any of these.

[Shawnino]

Lots of stuff to do on Getaway.

Depends on how much the Actual-Disney-Part matters to you.

[sweetpea143]

We've been on 4 Disney cruises, on the Magic and Wonder and the newer ship, the Fantasy. We've been on 5 NCL cruises, but only on the Sky in the Bahamas and the Jade in the Mediterranean, and we've always had a suite with the butler and concierge services. So, we've never experienced non-suite food and service on NCL. We've never been on the Getaway, so we can't compare the Getaway to a Disney cruise. However, we've also been on 2 cruises on Holland America in a balcony cabin (Alaska and Caribbean), 1 cruise on Celebrity in a balcony cabin (Rome, Greek Isles and Turkey) and 1 Royal Caribbean cruise in a balcony cabin, to the Bahamas. We would select a Disney cruise over any other cruise line which we've been on, without question. Disney cruise line is far superior and incomparable to the other cruise lines we've been on. The food, service and quality excel. The cost is higher and you pay for what you get. When we've traveled on other cruise lines, it was itinerary driven, or schedule driven; otherwise, we would have chosen Disney. And, I should add that we first cruised Disney in 2001, when our son was 4 years old. Our last Disney cruise was in 2012, when he was 15, and he enjoyed the gatherings and amenities for his age group, as he had always done. Disney has adult only venues and it all comes with Disney service and quality. My recommendation is Disney.

[MandyGirl]

We are on the Escape in 12 days - sister ship to Getaway. We also have 66 nights on DCL - Magic, Wonder and Fantasy. Will be sure to give you some thoughts after finish the Escape [emoji106]

ETA we are also platinum on NCL - my signature has all our ships but kids are 9 and 5 and also enjoy NCL. Latest was the Dawn in March and Jade over thanksgiving for them... Hubby and I hopped on Sky in December and kids have also been on Star and Spirit overseas. Lower prices with NCL allow us to cruise more often :) Wonder was in January and they just weren't as thrilled with kids club on that one

Edited April 5, 2016 by MandyGirl

[OneWord]

We've been on 4 Disney cruises, on the Magic and Wonder and the newer ship, the Fantasy. We've been on 5 NCL cruises, but only on the Sky in the Bahamas and the Jade in the Mediterranean, and we've always had a suite with the butler and concierge services. So, we've never experienced non-suite food and service on NCL. We've never been on the Getaway, so we can't compare the Getaway to a Disney cruise. However, we've also been on 2 cruises on Holland America in a balcony cabin (Alaska and Caribbean), 1 cruise on Celebrity in a balcony cabin (Rome, Greek Isles and Turkey) and 1 Royal Caribbean cruise in a balcony cabin, to the Bahamas. We would select a Disney cruise over any other cruise line which we've been on, without question. Disney cruise line is far superior and incomparable to the other cruise lines we've been on. The food, service and quality excel. The cost is higher and you pay for what you get. When we've traveled on other cruise lines, it was itinerary driven, or schedule driven; otherwise, we would have chosen Disney. And, I should add that we first cruised Disney in 2001, when our son was 4 years old. Our last Disney cruise was in 2012, when he was 15, and he enjoyed the gatherings and amenities for his age group, as he had always done. Disney has adult only venues and it all comes with Disney service and quality. My recommendation is Disney.

 

Kool-aid.

[Stickboy3327]

We have been on the Fantasy as a family 3 times and our first NCL cruise on the Breakaway is coming up in May. When we go just as a family we do Disney Concierge. On this cruise, I am also taking along my in-laws so Disney was way out on price and even The Haven was out. My big worry is that we were spoiled by the Concierge on Fantasy and we are sailing non-Haven on NCL (darn in-laws!).

 

I plan to do a write-up when we return and let folks know what I saw as differences between the two cruise lines.

 

Thanks to all who have posted previously. It helps to know what to expect!