MizDaisy

Was this an inside cabin on Infinity?

The oceanview and inside staterooms on the Infinity ARE quite a bit smaller than the ones on Disney. The inside staterooms on the Infinity are an average of 14 sq ft smaller, a standard balcony can be 60 sq ft smaller....BUT.......a family balcony stateroom on the Infinity is a whopping 209 sq ft larger than Disney's.....and isn't Disney supposed to be all about FAMILIES???? And I won't even begin to compare their (Celebrity) suites. Disney's are not even close.

Over the weekend I heard a news report of an E-cig catching fire on a plane at Logan Airport. It may just be a safety concern for the cruise line.

That was so recent, and the Feds are just now "thinking" about looking into it, it wouldn't have factored in to the cruise lines' decision to ban them on the balconies. They didn't ban them from use in public outdoor areas.

And....that was caused by the lithium-Ion batteries....which are in a lot of gadgets that people use every day, and bring onboard. If it becomes a battery issue, there will be a LOT more restrictions being put in place.:(

Grasping at straws, but like I say we can agree to disagree.

Trying to set a limit on comparisons is more desperate, especially when there weren't any limits set in the first place. It's not up to you to decide which cruise lines can and cannot be compared, just so you can get the result you want.

Looking at the OP's cruising history which includes Royal Caribbean and Carnival, I really don't think they were looking for a comparison of Disney to luxury lines like Regent, Silversea, Crystal, etc. It's not relevant as the two are nothing alike and frankly it would be a waste of time to try and list all the differences. I don't agree with your rationale but it's fine to disagree.

That would be like taking a public opinion poll and only allowing certain responses. Like trying to get an approval rating for the President, but only allowing Democrats to respond.

You aren't going to truly get an accurate result that way.

And there's no way I'm going to ASSUME the OP was only asking about certain cruise lines, based on what she or he may have listed as their cruising history. I don't have mine listed at all.

But..whatever....

I don't agree. Apples to oranges. Like comparing the Ritz Carlton to a Motel 6 or Emirates First Class to Southwest. It's just not a fair comparison nor is it really relevant.

 

Based on my experience DCL does things better than most other cruise lines in the same market-segment (I've sailed them all multiple times), therefore I would say DCL is superior in many ways. The downside is they cost more, sometimes substantially so. For many the additional cost is not worth the "Disney Difference" and that is fine. I don't sail on DCL for every cruise (I love variety), but I sure to enjoy them when I do.

Nope....still the same. What if the OP had said "What makes the Ritz Carlton superior to all other hotels?". Still not specifying how low grade a hotel/motel might or might not be.....

Or...."What makes Southwest Airlines superior to all other airlines?"......it's not specific enough to eliminate ALL OF THEM.

But I do agree with you....I've cruised several other lines also, and like I said before, Disney IS better at some things, but not better at ALL things.

You can't seriously be comparing a Disney cruise to Regent! One (Disney) is essentially mass-market large ship cruising, while the other (Regent) is a small-ship luxury experience. One is family oriented while the other is adults oriented. Apples to oranges. Night and day.

 

I've sailed on luxury lines such as Silversea and it's an awesome experience, but I can't compare it to Disney. They don't even remotely compete against one another.

The OP didn't specify WHICH other cruise lines. If it's an open-ended comparison, then all should apply.

All I'll say about the whole topic is that Disney is far better at some things, and then not so good at others. Which doesn't make them superior to anyone.

I would ahve no problem banning perfumes, colognes, etc. and enforcing a rule that requires at least one shower daily and the use of deodorant.

I wish they would, too. I gag when a woman with too much perfume walks past me....being in a small elevator, twice as bad. Being in an elevator with someone who just left the gym....ugh....poopy baby diaper....ugh.....

But I can't imagine anyone signing up for the job of "Stink Police".

I wondor if part of the issue, is that the vapor from these e-cigs can incorrectly set off smoke alarms in the staterooms and that could be the reason that they have been banned.

The vapor isn't strong enough to set off the smoke alarm in a stateroom.....it doesn't set one off in a tiny airplane bathroom. It isn't even as much steam as a shower would make....not even close.

But that is a thought, though....

To help clarify....the first cake is the old, old one that you could get in your stateroom....and I don't remember if they charged for it or not...it was NOT part of a celebration package, tasted like it had been frozen for quite a while:

This second one is the one that used to come in the celebration package, but now can be ordered for $25....and again, it tasted icky to us:

And lastly, the wedding cake is an example of a "Specialty" cake. VERY very good, and freshly baked and decorated, either the same day or the day before....depending on when it's needed:

I'm not sure what you are talking about here. They used to do a small birthday/celebration cake that was "just ok." There was no charge. It was replaced several years ago with a mousse dessert which was no improvement over the cake. There also used to be a cake incuded if you purchased the birthday decoration package--this is no longer part of the package. I'm not aware of any cake for "minimal charge" ever on DCL.

Even without doing the whole birthday/anniversary package, we had the small celebration cakes....one for a birthday and one for an anniversary....in the room. I don't even remember if they charged us for them at all, but I thought I should say "minimal" because if I DID pay for it and didn't say so, someone here would have corrected that, too.

Sorry....I knew I should clarify. The 6" celebration cake that people can order to have in the room to celebrate a birthday or anniversary....$25....taste awful.

The "Specialty" cakes, like they do for weddings and vow renewals, are freshly made and very good.

I've had the white cake with strawberry mousse filling, buttercream icing and a marble cake with chocolate mousse filling, buttercream icing....among a couple of others that were pretty much the same. Haven't tried the carrot cake.

The specialty cakes are good, because they're made fresh. The tiny cakes that they'll bring to the dining room, either free or minimal charge, are frozen and don't taste very good.

I DO think it's fun and a nice touch, to have one at dinner for a celebration. I think it's worth it.

One of the things I would question is where there IS a "deserted beach" anywhere near Abaco. A boat sail around Abaco isn't anything special, trust me.... been there, done that.

Guess we'll have to wait until mid October to hear about these.

Interesting they'd have an excursion to another island/beach, when their big sell for Castaway Cay is how awesome it is. :confused:

I'm particularly interested in hearing about a new snorkel tour. The only one they have had all these years is the Seahorse Catamaran, and there are really only two reefs nearby. So it will be interesting to see where this new excursion will go.

It is determined by length of cruise only now. It used to be a combination of length of cruise an castaway club status' date=' but....alas, all good things come to an end. They just took everyone down to what had been the silver level--$100 for cruises less than 7 nights, $200 for 7 or more nights[/quote']

 

Well, still better than nothing, I guess.

 

I just canceled the NCL Getaway cruise we'd booked for next year....too much going on, a daughter getting married being the biggest thing....but it had included a rental car in Miami, two nights' hotel at a Marriott or better, all other ground transportation, $400 OBC and trip insurance, for a 7 night Eastern....cost for two adults in a family balcony stateroom, $2700. I HATED having to give that up. :(

Navigator Med Sundry docs 004 by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr

The onboard credit says "up to" $200.....how is the OBC determined?

Yes, but they do go down the closer to sailing time you get so they can fill up the ship. The best time is right after the final payments are due from people who book months is advance with just a deposit. Then, they have got to book those rooms and fill that ship!

On most cruise lines this is very true. It's rather rare for Disney cruises to go down. Usually they'll start by moving people from lower categories up to higher categories, and the only rooms left to fill are inside staterooms.

It's not very often that a Disney cruise isn't fully booked by final payment time.

The Florida residents rates will kick in, and maybe sometimes, a Kids Sail Free......but if you don't live in Florida, that's no help at all. And even if the cost does go down, if you don't live close enough to drive, the cost of last minute airfare (even within 2-3 months) is so high it doesn't make it worth it.

Castaway Club doesn't give any discounts for cruise fare. It offers a few little perks onboard, and that's all. A small stateroom gift, and then higher up in the level (10+ cruises or so) you get benefits like booking excursions early, etc.

The Disney Visa offers a discount, but it's based on how much you charge on the card, so if you don't normally use a credit card a lot, then it isn't worth it.

Rates for Disney cruises are at their lowest when the bookings first open. After the first week or two of a new cruise being opened for booking, the cost usually just goes up and up.

NOT bashing Disney Cruise Line, just pointing out that I feel they could have done some things better, for what they charge, as far as staterooms for more than 2 people.

I can see by the posts that people feel other lines offer better options for 2 room and/or suites for families. That may be the case. But, DCL offers better rooms for the masses than other lines. That is what keeps me on DCL and off the others. We don't need the extra space of the suites for just the two of us. But unless you have the money to upgrade to suites on those lines, the standard rooms are much smaller, the showers are holes in the floors instead of bath tubs in just one bathroom area, over all far less space.

 

So even though we have no kids, we'll keep going on DCL. There is also something to be said for 4 ships with similar layouts. Its like going to your favorite hotel over and over.

See my previous post. Sizes are not all that different, and for the savings, it just doesn't make sense.

I NEVER use a bath tub in a hotel or on a ship. I just can't make myself sit down in a tub that thousands of other people have used, no matter how much I think it might be disinfected. In fact, the only thing we've ever used the tub for on a cruise is to rinse out our snorkel & dive gear.

And again, a suite or mini-suite, most of the time on another line is cheaper than a standard Cat 4 or 5 on Disney anyway.

Completely agree--a "normal" cabin on DCL is 30-50% larger than a similar category on the other lines we've cruised. Some of the other lines are playing catch up on their newer ships' date=' but standard cabins on their older ships are little more than holes in the wall. As above, the shower and split bath are another plus as is the quality of the lighting in the cabins. Yes, we definitely like the Disney standards for their cabins.

 

I think the concern on this thread is the two bedroom suites on the newer ships--they sleep fewer people and are just not as good a layout as on the "classic" ships. Of course, if we didn't know what was available on the classics, we'd probably all think the new suites are fine.[/quote']

 

 

 

There are no two bedroom suites on the newer ships. Only the Royal Suites and one bedrooms. And the Royals don't have a 2nd bedroom. So when comparing suites, the Dream and Fantasy suites are nowhere near as family friendly as the suites on NCL are. I truly believe Disney did this on purpose, to force families into getting two staterooms, where they could charge four adult rates, as opposed to only two adults + kids in a larger suite.

 

Our mini-suite on the (older) Norwegian Dawn last January was only 3 sq feet smaller than a standard Cat 4 on Disney. It had a bath tub and the toilet wasn't totally in its own room, but it did have a door. I can't imagine sharing a stateroom with someone, if you were too shy to have them be in the same general area in the bathroom. :confused: On the Dawn, I cruised with a female friend, and she could be taking a shower, brushing her teeth, whatever...if I was in the toilet area, and we couldn't see eachother. What I'm saying is that if we didn't feel comfortable enough with that situation, we wouldn't be sharing a stateroom in the first place.

I have asthma, so I sometimes have to leave the shows if there is too much of the smoke/fog, the same stuff that comes out of the e-cigs apparently (I know very little, so apologies if this is wrong). So as someone who has an underlying health concern, I am grateful for the policy.

No need to apologize......but they aren't the same.

Actually complaints about e-cigs are sort of "Goofy"! :D

LuLu

Funny!

No, it hasn't been changed from your knowledge I was referring to the four mid ship Cat Ts that have a triple extended verandah the only change is the verandah scan now be connected by unlocking a door.

Okay, thanks. That's good news. I like those rooms....even the ones that aren't midship, and the 2 bedrooms. I wish they'd put some of those on the new ships.

I didn't think you were. Each line meets different needs, and I have heard nothing but good things about Disney's customer service.

 

Do you have a review of your Alaska trip, I'd love to read it. I'd like to wait a couple more years to take the kids to Alaska, but there's no harm in a little research ;).

I didn't write a review, just took tons of pictures. We waited until our kids were older, too. And it was a good decision. If they'd been under the age of 10, I think they would have been bored.