Considering DCL Cruise

[Darcy03231]

I'm considering a DCL cruise for the fall of 2008 (3 day). I've cruised before on both Carnival and RCCL and have throughly enjoyed all of my cruises (10 to date). In looking at the pricing DCL is about $150/pp more than the other two lines for the same time frame. Would someone who has cruised either Carnival or RCCL let me know if they felt the extra $$ for DCL was worth it? I've looked at other threads that talk about things being included on DCL that you have to pay for on other lines, but there really isn't any mention of what those things are, other than soda. Since we're not soda drinkers I'd like to know what else is included that's not on Carnival or RCCL. We don't tend to buy much on board and I'm not a drinker. Last cruise (7 days) for three people with tips my bill at the end of the cruise was about $275. Traveling would be me (45 - lover of all things Disney), DD (16) and DS (14).

[reigle4]

I have cruised carnival but not RCCL my son cruised RCCl and said it was about the same as Carnival. I just took my DH and DGD on our first Disney cruise and will now probably never cruise any other line again (unless it is free of course) Anyway, Disney is a step above the others and offers the best service. The food is about the same as Carnival in my opinion. The sodas on Disney are free but are not on Carnival. Carnival has a movie theater showing Disney first run movies and once again, in my opinion, the shows were much better on Disney. We are taking the whole family (19 in all) on a Disney cruise Dec 2008 for their Christmas present. That is how much we liked it. Also if you book your next crusie while on your cruise you will save 10%. Disney sure knows how to make the magic. Oh and Castaway Cay (Disney's private island) is much nicer than the bahamas and alot more fun. Hope this helps

[Magic3forme]

For my husband, it is all about disembarkation, where else can you be off the boat in 15 minutes? ( we left our room, ate breakfast and then walked off the ship.) No one else does that.

 

Fireworks in the middle of the ocean are way cool!! :) Pirates night and themed dinners.

 

Docking at your own private island is awesome too. No tenders!! Castaway Cay is the perfect day. We like this part so much, we stop twice on our next cruise.

 

We went on Princess in 05, the ship was prettier, but the shows were lacking as well as the activities. Disney offers too many. :) Many times we divided so the kids could see different things. and their kids programs rock! Disneys are open all day long, the others close for lunch and dinner . and then you have to pay after 10:00. That is savings alone!!

 

No one can make the decision for you, but you are not making any mistakes choosing Disney!

[IAO]

For my husband, it is all about disembarkation, where else can you be off the boat in 15 minutes? ( we left our room, ate breakfast and then walked off the ship.) No one else does that.

 

Fireworks in the middle of the ocean are way cool!! :) Pirates night and themed dinners.

 

Docking at your own private island is awesome too. No tenders!! Castaway Cay is the perfect day. We like this part so much, we stop twice on our next cruise.

 

We went on Princess in 05, the ship was prettier, but the shows were lacking as well as the activities. Disney offers too many. :) Many times we divided so the kids could see different things. and their kids programs rock! Disneys are open all day long, the others close for lunch and dinner . and then you have to pay after 10:00. That is savings alone!!

 

No one can make the decision for you, but you are not making any mistakes choosing Disney!

 

All so true. We took our first Disney cruise in November and we are so completely spoiled by it. For us, it was the things you mentioned, as well as just the Disney service and magic. It was just special from the moment we walked on board and they announced our name. And seriously, nothing can beat Castaway Cay.

[Darcy03231]

Well, I thought I responded earlier, but I guess it went into cyberspace.

 

 

Thanks for the info everyone. Its still on the list as a possibility. I do, eventually, want to try a cruise on every line, just to see what each is like. The budget person in me is just having a hard time with the extra $450. I keep thinking its $450 toward another cruise!

[poncho1973]

If your bottomline is money... you're not going to justify it without having tried it. If you can only think how that extra money would go to another cruise... put DCL as the last cruise you try, because you will probably disappointed.

[PoohkinandPiglet]

We always book our trips 18-24 months in advance to get the best possible price. We love the whole Disney cruising experience and even though it's pricey IMO it's worth it.

[Host Mick]

The problem is that you're trying to compare tangibles but the difference between the two is non-tangible.

Disney had pixie dust and lots of it. It gets into your head and into your soul and improves the quality of your cruise and of your life.

Carnival doesn't have pixie dust, it had Funship Freddie who scares the cheese out of me. I'd pay extra to stay away from Funship Freddie.

[cnc123]

Hang on a sec....you don't have to pay extra after 10:00 on the Disney ships for the kids programs?!?!

[Host Mick]

Hang on a sec....you don't have to pay extra after 10:00 on the Disney ships for the kids programs?!?!

Nope, The kids clubs are all included in your fare. They don't nickle-and-dime you. You do have to pay for babysitting at Flounder's nursery though.

[rsinj]

Thanks for the info everyone. Its still on the list as a possibility. I do, eventually, want to try a cruise on every line, just to see what each is like. The budget person in me is just having a hard time with the extra $450. I keep thinking its $450 toward another cruise!

 

Having cruised with DCL and the others, if you are budget-minded, I would go with Royal Caribbean if that is on your list and the price is right.

 

As a family, we had the most enjoyment of all our cruises with RCCL. The price was right, the cabin was much better than DCL, kids program was great, and there was plenty to do for the entire family.

 

We get plenty of pixie dust from Disney - we don't have any additional necessity to get it on our cruise. However, for a family that has never been on DCL, it is something to do once - even if for only a short cruise.

 

Also, I cannot believe how many people make such a big issue out of free soda. No matter what cruiseline you go on, there are free beverages all day long - whether juices, iced tea, even water. So no soda - this is such a big issue? People cannot survive a week without soda? Maybe some people have addictions to it, but, it wouldn't be something I even consider as a deciding factor whether to choose one cruise over another.

 

 

Howard

[greatdanemom]

...Also, I cannot believe how many people make such a big issue out of free soda...

 

Howard

 

Howard, you crack me up! I, too, am surprised how often this is cited as a cost savings on Disney. Disney is more expensive than the other lines no matter how I crunch the numbers.

 

To the OP...We cruise Disney because we enjoy their characters and shows. Otherwise we find them pretty comparable to RCCL. We find the service, food and staterooms to be similar. The difference in square footage that people cite is not important to me because we spend so little time in the stateroom. When we want cool itinieraries we go RCCL, when we want Disney pixie dust we go DCL. Both are great fun!

 

Cheryl

[mahealani]

Consider the fact that DCL doesn't have gambling which does bring in considerable income for the other cruise lines.

[Host Mick]

Consider the fact that DCL doesn't have gambling which does bring in considerable income for the other cruise lines.

Disney has their gift shops though and nobody loves their merchandise like a Disney fan. When was the last time that you saw a Royal Caribbean t-shirt?

[poncho1973]

Hey Mick... I have a RCCL shirt! hahaha Of course it was $3 at their deck sale and I needed a extra shirt that I didn't care about for one of our excursions in the mud.

[NJBill]

IMO it is worth it. Been on Disney 2x rcl 2x ncl 1x.....

[NancyIL]

I am an RCI fan who went on my first 4-day Disney cruise 2 weeks ago. As a big Disney theme park fan, I wanted to finally cruise with DCL. My first impression about the Disney cruise was...LOTS OF KIDS! I loved the shows, loved the service in the dining room, loved all the Disney touches. I think it's a great cruiseline for families with young kids, but I prefer to cruise with fewer kids.

 

By the way, I don't drink pop - so it's no big deal to me that it's "free" on DCL. Don't kid yourselves - we ALL pay for it instead of just the pop drinkers!