So, I just priced out a 7 day Disney cruise for my kids next year and...

THe production shows on Celebrity and Princess were both disappointing. Celebrity was pretty awful. On the other hand, we saw the same magician team on Celebrity that we'd seen on DCL (daughter said I was wrong till I told her the assistant's name and I was right). Celebrity did have a great acapella quartet that did several "around the ship" performances. Princess shows were a little better, but not good. Again, they had some better "around the ship" and in the atrium entertainment.

I agree--DCL has spoiled us for production shows.

Fuzzy--$3000 for a 16 night vacation for 2 including air is darned good. I'd love to know how you got that rate. I'm guessing the cruise is not DCL as I'm not seeing a 10 day cruise in October.

THe production shows on Celebrity and Princess were both disappointing. Celebrity was pretty awful. On the other hand' date=' we saw the same magician team on Celebrity that we'd seen on DCL (daughter said I was wrong till I told her the assistant's name and I was right). Celebrity did have a great acapella quartet that did several "around the ship" performances. Princess shows were a little better, but not good. Again, they had some better "around the ship" and in the atrium entertainment.

 

I agree--DCL has spoiled us for production shows.

 

Fuzzy--$3000 for a 16 night vacation for 2 including air is darned good. I'd love to know how you got that rate. I'm guessing the cruise is not DCL as I'm not seeing a 10 day cruise in October.[/quote']

 

HEH HEH, no, its NOT DCL, I actually have been pricing DCL and there is no way I will pay that amount for just one part of my vacation. I have XX amount of $$ and it needs to cover all the necessary parts...air, hotel, cruise, hotel, air. So I need to find the cost worthy company to give my hard earned $$ to. I usually do the repositioning cruise, 10 night NY to FLL on Princess, 950 including taxes and insurance. 165 air RT, value hotel Disney 200, park tickets 225 total 1540 divided by 16 = 96.25 per day, per person.

We've Sailed on Disney 8 times and are looking to try other lines. Would you mind providing a short comparison between Disney and NCL and Princess? (besides the $$ savings). Please compare: food, crowds, staff, entertainment, kids activities, ship condition, etc. Thanks

Disney vs Princess

We did Royal Princess so comparable to Disney Fantasy in size.

So our take was Princess was better than Disney on food and food options. We the like menus, quality of food and availability of food and options of various restaurants better on Princess.

I would say both Princess and Disney ships are gorgeous. Royal Princess is like a Disney ship without the Mickey's. That's how my hubby and I described it.

Disney has a much younger crowd. Lots of families with young children.

Princess has an older crowd with more retirees but also with families with older children.

Entertainment is much better on DCL but we loved the Movies under the stars on Princess.

Disney wins stateroom size as it much bigger than Princess balcony room but we loved our room even though it was smaller than Disney balcony.

Service is amazing on both cruise lines.

DCL vs NCL

I would say I think the food options on NCL beat DCL. They have anytime dining which you can dine at like 3 MDRs, Buffet and specialty restaurants. The food was execellent on NCL so I would say NCL is better on food.After 12 DCL the MDR is boring and way too long and other options is disappointing when you know other cruise lines like have so many dinner dining options.

NCL lacks the entertainment pizzazz that DCL has but still have some good options. Our family was never bored on NCL. And NCL has ropes course and sports courts that our kids really liked.

NCL crowd is very different than DCL. It has a large amount of 20-30 yr party crowd vibe but it also has families with older kids and some older folks too. You rarely see strollers like you do DCL ships. In fact, I can't fathom a cruise on NCL would be fun for a young family with kids under 3 yrs. There just wouldn't be much for them and its a totally different vibe. We didn't mind it as our kids our pre-teen now and there is a ton for them to do on NCL.

NCL service is excellent. I wouldn't say it is amazing as DCL but it is good and we had some lovely interactions with the crew of both NCL ships we sailed.

HEH HEH, no, its NOT DCL, I actually have been pricing DCL and there is no way I will pay that amount for just one part of my vacation. I have XX amount of $$ and it needs to cover all the necessary parts...air, hotel, cruise, hotel, air. So I need to find the cost worthy company to give my hard earned $$ to. I usually do the repositioning cruise, 10 night NY to FLL on Princess, 950 including taxes and insurance. 165 air RT, value hotel Disney 200, park tickets 225 total 1540 divided by 16 = 96.25 per day, per person.

My only dispute is that in your original post, you said you have 4 nights at "Animal Kingdom." Since you also said 2 days of park tickets, I trusted that your hotel was Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is a deluxe resort, not the value resort you claim above at $100 per night. Not that it matters--we've stayed at value resorts and we've stayed at deluxe resorts, It's a matter of what you want!

We've Sailed on Disney 8 times and are looking to try other lines. Would you mind providing a short comparison between Disney and NCL and Princess? (besides the $$ savings). Please compare: food, crowds, staff, entertainment, kids activities, ship condition, etc. Thanks

I know you didn't ask me this question ;) but I figured I would answer with my thoughts. I personally appreciate many opinions...if you don't, then I apologize.

We cruised DCL twice, once on the Dream for 4 nights and once on the Fantasy. We loved every last minute of both cruises. That being said, when we decided to look for another cruise, DCL was so much more expensive that we opted to try a different line. After discussing with a friend who is a TA, we decided on NCL for a 7 night Western Caribbean on the Getaway.

We LOVED the Getaway and NCL. So much that we are headed to Bermuda on the Breakaway in 2 weeks. For comparisons, here are my thoughts:

Food: we thought the quality/taste was better on NCL. We felt the buffet had a better variety on NCL and the food overall was better on NCL. Disney did have a better variety on the kids menu but our kids just ordered off the regular menu on our NCL cruise. (They were 11 and 8) The one thing Disney does better than anyone is the wait staff moving with you. That being said, we hated having to be in the dining room at a particular time. This is something we loved about NCL. Freestyle dining really fit our needs. We loved that we didn't have to be back from port or the pool and in the dining room by 5.

Crowds: Similar. We have only been on the big ships. Pools are crazy on sea days regardless of what ship you are on. I will say, the kids pool was less crazy on NCL, but there were less kids. Crowds in the atrium on NCL for games/activities was worse than on Disney but we aren't a "joiner" family and don't participate in those activities so it didn't really affect us.

Staff: we felt the staff on both lines were really good. We had great room stewards and favorite bartenders/kids club staff on both.

Entertainment: I know everyone says that DCL has the best entertainment but I don't think it was superior to what we saw on NCL. The comedy club and dueling pianos bar on NCL were so much fun and the shows we saw were great. DCL had great entertainment as well but I don't think it was any better.

Kids activities: our girls liked the kids club on both lines. But when asked which they preferred they both said NCL. They went to separate rooms on NCL which at first we thought would be an issue but they both admitted to enjoying time to themselves and making their own friends. NCL does close their kids clubs certain hrs of the day but it never affected us so I can't speak to that. Both girls felt the NCL clubs were more fun bc they weren't all Disney all the time. Not to say Disney is bad, but they liked having activities without the Disney element.

Ship condition: Amazing on all 3. DCL and NCL both were very well maintained, very clean and very neat.

Overall, we liked NCL better bc there were more activities like the ropes course, rockwall, water slides that we felt were superior to DCL. And NCL is so much cheaper that we will stick with them unless DCL drastically drops prices.

To Klo0315 and sunny2runner:

Thanks for taking time to comment. I've come to the conclusion that every cruise line does something better than the other. When you look at all the categories (Kids club, shows, daily activities, food quality, food choices, cleanliness, friendliness, convenience, cabins, itinerary, cost, etc.), not every cruise line can be the tops in each category.

I'm getting the feeling we need to try NCL at least once.

Just as each line cannot be tops in everything, each line has different policies as to what costs extra and what you can bring on board. I do realize that the cost of a soda package does not explain the high fares on DCL, but you should look at what will cost extra on the various lines you are considering. For instance, Princess instituted a $3 charge for room service pizza in response to teens ordering and wasting large amounts of pizza. All other room service items are included in the cruise fare.

Some lines have a charge as high as $9 for room service. $8-9 per day for soda packages, very few included restaurants but lots of upcharge restaurants, etc. However, you can basically do every upcharge item on another line and not equal the DCL fare for a similar cruise. And of course, it is your choice whether you purchase those items or not.

Just as each line cannot be tops in everything' date=' each line has different policies as to what costs extra and what you can bring on board. I do realize that the cost of a soda package does not explain the high fares on DCL, but you should look at what will cost extra on the various lines you are considering.

Some lines have a charge as high as $9 for room service. $8-9 per day for soda packages, very few included restaurants but lots of upcharge restaurants, etc. However, you can basically do every upcharge item on another line and not equal the DCL fare for a similar cruise. And of course, it is your choice whether you purchase those items or not.[/quote']

This is true. I guess this is why we tend to gravitate towards DCL and higher end suites on other lines (more included for the price). I just don't want to deal with the decision of "do I want to pay for the cappuccino or not" or "should I buy the $5 beer or order a $12 martini". I don't need a 7 page shipboard charge bill at the end of my vacation.

I think you can be happy and have a fabulous vacation on whatever cruise line you choose as long as you have a good attitude and plan ahead. I think some frequent Disney cruisers are disappointed when they switch lines because they are constantly comparing while on board and trying to make a non-disney cruise into a disney cruise. You have to go into it knowing it will be different and be willing to appreciate it for what it is.

I think you can be happy and have a fabulous vacation on whatever cruise line you choose as long as you have a good attitude and plan ahead. I think some frequent Disney cruisers are disappointed when they switch lines because they are constantly comparing while on board and trying to make a non-disney cruise into a disney cruise. You have to go into it knowing it will be different and be willing to appreciate it for what it is.

Very well put. Then again, I've been on cruises where I said: "I wish DCL would do this (or have that)".

We are gold members on Disney and yes, the prices have gone up. However in our experience nothing is like Disney. I've cruised NCL and Carnival, and remember virtually nothing of their entertainment, save for a comedy show. The food was okay. Food is okay on all the cruise ships and I might not put one over another, though the Carnival Sunshine had a great burger place and Tex Mex place--they had the best "non dining room" food but otherwise I thought they were pretty much the same.

What Disney does is service and showmanship and all the extra little things...you get new tubes of H20 bath products each day (no "dispensers"), their staterooms are not even comparable in size to those on other ships--Disney's regular sized rooms are "suites" on other ships. There is the split bathroom, which is convenient for all. The dining staff that travels with you. I still remember the dining hosts years later! The service is incomparable to NCL and Carnival as well.

Cleanliness? People are literally chasing you, waiting for you to make a mess! Nothing is ever your fault (this was not the case on NCL and Carnival). Everyone smiles, everyone seems to genuinely enjoy being around you. Disney must hire the best of the best where service is concerned, because I noticed the distinct difference between them and the other cruise lines.

There is no casino--this is a plus for me. Casino stuff everywhere on the other ships--even in a bowling alley. Of course there's smoking in there, which I don't like either. The bars are well away from the general congregation spaces--you don't immediately board into a bar and people trying to sell you gold chains. You board into a grand room with a staircase and perhaps there will be a princess or two there. I am not addicted to princesses but honestly, the entertainment level (including first run Disney movies in their huge theater) is off the charts.

We don't care about itineraries (though we love Castaway Cay). We care about being on the ship, enjoying the ship. So much so that my husband and I are going on a second honeymoon in January--three nights on the Dream. Including taxes for both of us it will be about $1800 for a room with a balcony. That's $300 per person per day. Yes, expensive. But worth it. I would not be into cruising if there was no Disney. I would be happy to cruise to nowhere with them. In fact, that would be ideal.

There's also not a constant stream of people trying to hawk stuff to you. No drunken young people barfing off the side of the boat. There are kids, and if you hate kids, go on Celebrity or Cunard. We will stick with Disney. We enjoy whatever they throw at us!

My friend who has cruised as well with Celebrity and RC as well as Carnival says Disney is in a whole other league. I believe her. We'll pay $300 a day for a Disney cruise because we think it's about 3x as good as a NCL cruise. We'll just cruise less.

When you pay for Disney, you pay for a "vibe". I can't explain it to you if you haven't experienced it. But we'll stick with Disney.

I totally agree that DCL and Carnival are not comparable. Carnival is the absolute lowest of the "family" cruise lines (yes, they are attempting to move from a drunk party to a family line and only partially succeeding), DCL is the highest. Not really a fair comparison. And I agree--a cruise to nowhere on DCL would be the best! That's part of why we like the TA cruises.

30 DCL cruises and I've never seen a princess in the atrium during embarkation. Maybe I haven't done the proper cruises for this, but normally the atrium is crowded and there are many guest services types welcoming and escorting people at that point.

I totally agree that DCL and Carnival are not comparable. Carnival is the absolute lowest of the "family" cruise lines (yes' date=' they are attempting to move from a drunk party to a family line and only partially succeeding), DCL is the highest. Not really a fair comparison. And I agree--a cruise to nowhere on DCL would be the best! That's part of why we like the TA cruises.

 

30 DCL cruises and I've never seen a princess in the atrium during embarkation. Maybe I haven't done the proper cruises for this, but normally the atrium is crowded and there are many guest services types welcoming and escorting people at that point.[/quote']I believe the princesses (as well as the other characters) have other duties on embarkation day.

You board into a grand room with a staircase and perhaps there will be a princess or two there.

The above is from the previous poster. That was my point--that I've never seen a princess in the atrium during embarkation time. This post seemed to imply that this poster had seen them and liked that part of DCL.

You board into a grand room with a staircase and perhaps there will be a princess or two there.

 

 

The above is from the previous poster. That was my point--that I've never seen a princess in the atrium during embarkation time. This post seemed to imply that this poster had seen them and liked that part of DCL.

I got it. I was just agreeing with you. Sort of round about, but agreeing, nontheless.

Maybe that poster just had the illusion that they saw princesses on embarkation day. They do appear there fairly frequently during the cruise.

It's $6,700 for the four of us and that's cruise only. We still have to fly out to Florida.

 

This cruise has Star Wars characters on it and my son loves Star Wars. So, my wife asked me to price out a cruise and see if's it's feasible. For $6,7000 and probably another $1,400 for flights...I think not...

Based on personal experience, I feel that if you booked the cruise in question you would definitely feel that you got your money’s worth. Prior to this past October (2016) I had never experienced a Disney Cruise, but since then I have been on three! I first cruised for 7 nights on the Disney Fantasy on their Eastern Caribbean itinerary for a Halloween on the High Seas Cruise in October, then for a second time for 4 nights on the Disney Dream on their Bahamas itinerary for a Very Merrytime Cruise in December, and then for a third time for a traditional (non-holiday themed) cruise in May. All three cruises were absolutely incredible. I have nothing but the highest praises to say about each experience. The ships are the most beautiful and clean in the world. The Cast Members are in a league of their own when it comes to their extremely high level of Guest Service and happiness. The private island, Disney Castaway Cay, is pure bliss. The rotational dining concept (where you rotate through each of the different restaurants each evening— your Serving team included) is incomparable, as is the cuisine. The Broadway-style shows are very high caliber and a lot of fun. The ships each have a beautiful movie theater on board that shows first run Disney films (including Marvel and Star Wars, of course). There is an actual water coaster (humorously named the Aqua Duck) onboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, in addition to several pools (including an area reserved exclusively for Guests 18+). The staterooms are stunning— they’re much larger than other cruise lines, they’re beautiful, and the majority of them have split bathrooms (a concept DCL pioneered where one bathroom door leads to the tub/shower and a sink, and a separate bathroom door leads to another sink and the toilet— absolutely amazing when getting ready alongside other members of your party), etc. I could go on and on, but the point is, even though Disney Cruise may cost more than another cruise line they are without-a-doubt the very best. ⚓️

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Based on personal experience, I feel that if you booked the cruise in question you would definitely feel that you got your money’s worth. Prior to this past October (2016) I had never experienced a Disney Cruise, but since then I have been on three! I first cruised for 7 nights on the Disney Fantasy on their Eastern Caribbean itinerary for a Halloween on the High Seas Cruise in October, then for a second time for 4 nights on the Disney Dream on their Bahamas itinerary for a Very Merrytime Cruise in December, and then for a third time for a traditional (non-holiday themed) cruise in May. All three cruises were absolutely incredible. I have nothing but the highest praises to say about each experience. The ships are the most beautiful and clean in the world. The Cast Members are in a league of their own when it comes to their extremely high level of Guest Service and happiness. The private island, Disney Castaway Cay, is pure bliss. The rotational dining concept (where you rotate through each of the different restaurants each evening— your Serving team included) is incomparable, as is the cuisine. The Broadway-style shows are very high caliber and a lot of fun. The ships each have a beautiful movie theater on board that shows first run Disney films (including Marvel and Star Wars, of course). There is an actual water coaster (humorously named the Aqua Duck) onboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, in addition to several pools (including an area reserved exclusively for Guests 18+). The staterooms are stunning— they’re much larger than other cruise lines, they’re beautiful, and the majority of them have split bathrooms (a concept DCL pioneered where one bathroom door leads to the tub/shower and a sink, and a separate bathroom door leads to another sink and the toilet— absolutely amazing when getting ready alongside other members of your party), etc. I could go on and on, but the point is, even though Disney Cruise may cost more than another cruise line they are without-a-doubt the very best. ⚓️

 

 

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What other cruise lines have you sailed? I also like Disney but I've also cruised on Carnival and RCL. All of the cruises were very good. Each had good and bad points for a number of reasons. I think the key is to research the ship you plan to sail. Disney may be the exception to this because all of their ships have a great reputation.

This is true. I guess this is why we tend to gravitate towards DCL and higher end suites on other lines (more included for the price). I just don't want to deal with the decision of "do I want to pay for the cappuccino or not" or "should I buy the $5 beer or order a $12 martini". I don't need a 7 page shipboard charge bill at the end of my vacation.

Ummm, on DCL you still pay for the cappuccino and have to make the choice between the $5 beer or the $12 martini. Those things aren't included on a DCL cruise so you could still end up with a 7 page shipboard charge bill.

At least on other lines you can purchase an all inclusive package - pay one price ahead of time and you won't need to have a lengthy shipboard charge bill at all.

I've sailed on 4 different lines and I haven't found DCL to be that far above other lines when it comes to food, cabins or service. Thank you but until or unless DCL cruises come back into a more reasonable price range, I will be cruising other lines.

An accessible balcony cabin opened up for the DCL panama canal cruise next year - I could literally cruise on Celebrity in an oceanview cabin both ways (fort Lauderdale to San Diego; San Diego back to Fort Lauderdale) for the same cost. It's not a tough decision - 14 nights on DCL or 28 on Celebrity? I'll take Celebrity.

What other cruise lines have you sailed? I also like Disney but I've also cruised on Carnival and RCL. All of the cruises were very good. Each had good and bad points for a number of reasons. I think the key is to research the ship you plan to sail. Disney may be the exception to this because all of their ships have a great reputation.

I also have experience with Carnival and Royal Caribbean. You certainly said it best with your recommendation to do proper research before making a decision. Personally, I find that Disney Cruise Line offers the very best experience for me as a cruiser. ⚓️

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I got it. I was just agreeing with you. Sort of round about, but agreeing, nontheless.

 

Maybe that poster just had the illusion that they saw princesses on embarkation day. They do appear there fairly frequently during the cruise.

I see lots of princesses during embarkation. Usually they are 3 to 4 feet high and holding a adult's hand.

I also have experience with Carnival and Royal Caribbean. You certainly said it best with your recommendation to do proper research before making a decision. Personally, I find that Disney Cruise Line offers the very best experience for me as a cruiser. ⚓️

 

 

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My family likes Disney best overall too, almost to a fault. We have previously cruised on the Dream and Fantasy. However, the cost when compared to other lines that are almost as good can sometimes be obscene! Case in point, I'm booked on the Fantasy for the 22 Dec 2018 7-night sailing in a category 5C balcony. I booked over 18 months in advance, got an additional $600 discount off the list price because of travel credits and my cost per night, per person for my family of four is $404.28 each. The price includes trip insurance $392 (the good stuff, not Disney's), tips $336 and all other fees. It's been my family's dream to be on the ship for Christmas, so I'm sucking it up to grant their wish. If it were just me making the call, there is no way I can justify the premium for this cruise date. I could easily pay for 2 or even 3 other cruises for this price, but I'll suck it up to make them happy.

My family likes Disney best overall too, almost to a fault. We have previously cruised on the Dream and Fantasy. However, the cost when compared to other lines that are almost as good can sometimes be obscene! Case in point, I'm booked on the Fantasy for the 22 Dec 2018 7-night sailing in a category 5C balcony. I booked over 18 months in advance, got an additional $600 discount off the list price because of travel credits and my cost per night, per person for my family of four is $404.28 each. The price includes trip insurance $392 (the good stuff, not Disney's), tips $336 and all other fees. It's been my family's dream to be on the ship for Christmas, so I'm sucking it up to grant their wish. If it were just me making the call, there is no way I can justify the premium for this cruise date. I could easily pay for 2 or even 3 other cruises for this price, but I'll suck it up to make them happy.

You guys will surely have an amazing cruise on the Fantasy next December! I couldn’t get enough of the Christmas theming when I cruised this past December— it was incredible. The aroma you experience of the giant gingerbread house in the Lobby Atrium when you board is an incomparable way to begin a cruise. All the fun entertainment is like nothing else at sea, too. Santa visits, Elsa makes it snow, etc. Even Castaway Cay is decorated! Everything was top notch. ⚓️[emoji1392]🤶🏼[emoji319]

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When the Magic first launched' date=' the fares were very high--$6000+ for a week of 2 adults in a balcony cabin (on the cruise we did, you had to book a full week which included a 4 night cruise and 3 nights at WDW. There were no exceptions to this rule). After about a 18 months or so, prices dropped significantly. What happened? Well, the Wonder came out the following year and was basically doing the same 3/4 deal on different days. I think that they were not filling both ships. There were other cruise lines charging a whole lot less! About this same time, it was announced that the Magic would begin doing 7 night cruises, but it was quite some time between the announcement and the start of the 7 nighters.

 

Prices did drift up a little from the "bottom," but not much.

 

[b']In spring, 2009 prices dropped tremendously. I have no explanation for this, but we cruised in March and again in May. We paid (no kidding) $599 per person for an inside cabin on the Magic and were then able to do an upgrade at the port to a balcony for very little. This was March. On the May cruise, I probably should have done the upgrade to concierge--it would have added $1900 to go to a one bedroom concierge suite! I didn't do it because we were with a group and had cabins next to each other. We'd already gotten a complimentary upgrade. And because, frankly, it was daughter's graduation cruise and I wasn't into paying more money for a bunch of kids. In addition, Southwest was looking for people to bump on the way home, so we got $600 in airline credits!

 

Best deal I ever got (don't remember the year) was $699 per person in an inside on a 14 night TransAtlantic. It had been $799, and a few days before the penalty date, DCL dropped the price by $100--I called my TA and they got it for me! That was in the "old days" when a TA would typically have 200 kids on board, lots of 2 person cabins, and lots of 1 person cabins. The TAs stayed low for a long time, only increasing a lot in the last 4 years or so....[/b]

What happened to cruise pricing in 2009 was the US economy tanking in the fall of 2008. I booked a really cheap Princess Alaska cruise in January 2009 for late May 2009.

I remember being surprised at how absurdly high DCL's first 12-night Baltic cruises for 2010 were priced when first released in the fall of 2008 - starting at $3,649 pp (I think) plus taxes for an INSIDE cabin! :eek: I already had a Princess British Isles cruise booked for June 2010, so I wasn't interested in DCL's offerings. However, 2010 was also when DCL had the inexpensive Transatlantic cruise (that departed early in April, I think), and they did eventually drop the price of the first Baltic cruise to reasonable levels - after the paid-in-full date. I think 2010 may also have been the year of the really inexpensive (~ $999 pp + taxes) early (late April) 10 and 11-night Med cruises.

I booked the May 2018 Panama Canal cruise on Day 1. The taxes on that cruise are really high (over $400 pp) - but it was pretty competitively priced when first available to book. I normally don't sail with DCL because of their high prices, but their Transatlantic and Panama Canal cruises give the best bang for the buck.

To Klo0315 and sunny2runner:

Thanks for taking time to comment. I've come to the conclusion that every cruise line does something better than the other. When you look at all the categories (Kids club, shows, daily activities, food quality, food choices, cleanliness, friendliness, convenience, cabins, itinerary, cost, etc.), not every cruise line can be the tops in each category.

I'm getting the feeling we need to try NCL at least once.

Its a pleasure to share our experience!

I think that if you go into NCL with an open attitude you will be very happy with NCL.:cool: It literally is half the cost of Disney. NCL usually has promos where you can choose a free drink package when you book so most people on the NCL cruises have what they call the UBP (ultimate drink package) which is probably why this cruise line attracts that younger crowd. Lots of drinking going on :cool: and the bartenders on NCL are not as friendly as on DCL because the drink packages have them slammed most of the time. That was our experience and take. Although not to worry on the drinking, we never experienced as a family an environment that made us uncomfortable. One day we passed by the pool on a sea day and it did look like a spring break type party going on. hehe

We still want to do one more Disney cruise before our kids really grow out of it all. Also we are platinum on DCL so it is fun to get those VIP perks so we keep our eyes open on prices and last minute GTY deals.

Sunny has it right. If you go to another line with the logic that it is going to be different but equally good, you'll have a great time. If you go into it with the idea of comparing everything to DCL, the first line you cruised, or whatever, you'll likely be disappointed.

I do find the attitude toward DCL voiced by cruisers on other lines to be interesting--they usually don't have any experience with it, but have a very negative opinion. Once in a while someone says that they want to try Disney. I guess a lot of that is the "no casino" attitude, which is one of the things we like. The other is the attitude that it is a "kid ship." Another fun thing is to wear a Disney shirt in port and watch the comments--almost universally positive, and lots of people will ask questions.

And you'll store up fun memories even when amusingly sad. The character costumes on Celebrity in Alaska--they were so bad that they were funny. But years later, all one of us has to say is, "Do you remember the bear on Celebrity?" and it brings back memories of a great cruise...despite awful characters.