Considering DCL

[TheFarmersWife]

DH and I are cruising Alaska in June with Royal Caribbean, without the kids. I would really like to book a cruise with the kids sometime early next year. DCL is more expensive than the others , so I'm wondering if everything on DCL is worth the extra $$ ? I'm trying to weigh my options before they throw any deals at us when we cruise in June.

[moki'smommy]

If you do a search, there are several long recent posts on the subject. DCL's rates have increased greatly in the last few years....and "worth it" is always a personal issue. DCL is great at family entertainment, characters, princesses, kid programming, and Castaway Cay. And they have the prettiest ships. They are not so good at food quality, adult activities, and costs.

 

If your kids are young and into Disney, it might be worth it for you. When they hit the teen years, other ships may have more of interest to older kids although DCL has programming thru age 17.

 

For us...no, not worth the extra dollars, but my kid is not a kid any more.

[xlxo]

Did DCL and HAL to Alaska... Thoughts....

• do a price comparison for the SAME week. On my trip.... DCL was TRIPLE! The kids were snorting so much pixie dust, they did not care about the credit card bill. Were they worth it? For family time.... yes... would I do it again... no.
  
• DCL does not offer Glacier Bay. As a glacier seeker.... this was a weakness for me.
  
• love the DCL Deck 2 portholes. love the internet, love the movies.
  

[cyclenut]

I think you will have a great time if you decide to try DCL for the family. You didn't mention the age of your kids. All ages tend to really love DCL, but pre-teen seems to love them the most. A few things I've observed over my past sailings.

 

1) The larger ships (Dream and Fantasy) have a lot more to do for adults and kids alike. It isn't just bigger for more passengers. The smaller ships have more charm. They really feel like that classic ocean liner. There is still plenty to do, but not as many places to go or things to do in the evenings.

2) How much you enjoy the cruise depends in part on how much you enjoy Disney. The cruise ships are more of the classy side to Disney, but it is definitely Disney.

3) The rotational dining concept ensures your family stays entertained, even during dinner time. No other cruise line has even attempted to replicate this experience. It makes dinner something to look forward to, and not just for the food.

4) There are a lot of little Disney touches everywhere you go that help make it smooth sailing for families. The way they gather for excursions on the ship, the laundry facilities on board and the way they welcome you to the ship.

5) The staterooms are geared toward families. They have bathtubs instead of just showers, there are plenty of Deluxe staterooms that have a split bathroom and the beds are set up for your luggage to slide underneath.

 

Those are just a few of the touches that make DCL different, in a good way. Your mileage may vary. Not everyone loves Disney or the Disney brand, but if you do, a Disney cruise really is a must do.

[bcakes]

I agree with the suggestion to price the trip you are considering on both DCL and RCL so that you can get a better idea of whether the price premium will be worth it for you. I haven't sailed RCL, so I can't help with that comparison.

 

But, compared to my experience on NCL, I found the service, food and experience on DCL in a regular ocean view cabin to be better than what I experienced in a suite on NCL. As long as a DCL standard cabin is roughly the same as one of the smaller suites on NCL, I will choose DCL.

[moki'smommy]

We have cruised DCL MANY times. I had 2 cruises booked on DCL for spring 2016. Due to the high cost, I had booked an inside cabin. While doing a little research, I found that I could get a deluxe balcony cabin on Princess for half the cost of an inside cabin on DCL for essentially the same cruise. We did a "trial run" on a Princess cruise on the same ship as the spring B2B we were considering. I did a rebooking on board (buy future cruise certificates) on Princess, came home and canceled the DCL.

 

Even considering the cost of our 7 night "try out" on Princess, we come out far ahead and we have a balcony cabin. Again, there are things that DCL does better...but there are things that other lines do better as well. We will miss our favorite CMs on the Magic, but we will enjoy our balcony on Princess. And the cost difference will pay for our excursions, airfare, tips, etc.

[TheFarmersWife]

Our boys will be 12 and 9. I'm looking at going sometime between Jan-March. My husband farms, so our vacations usually have to be during the cold months. I only planned the June cruise this year because it's on his bucket list and we haven't had a real vacation in 5 years.

[moki'smommy]

Good ages, and Jan-March tends to be less costly, especially Jan and the first half of Feb. Only you can decide the "worth it" part though. Yes, at that age, I think they will enjoy DCL more than other lines. You can save money by going with an inside cabin. If you go on one of the newer ships, the virtual portholes in the inside cabins are fun.

[GatorMomInNC]

Our boys will be 12 and 9. I'm looking at going sometime between Jan-March. My husband farms, so our vacations usually have to be during the cold months. I only planned the June cruise this year because it's on his bucket list and we haven't had a real vacation in 5 years.

 

Your kids are very close in age to my 2 boys. They still love DCL. March will be much more expensive than jan and Feb. if the cruise your looking at has been designated a Star Wars Day at Sea" cruise it will also be more $.

 

For me the thing that sets Disney apart from other cruise lines is that they are family oriented... Meaning, they have lots of activities for the family to do together, AND lots of opportunities to keep your kids occupied if you want to do your own thing. I always look forward to dinner and shows as a family on DCL, as I know they are for all ages.