Getting "conned" to go on a Disney Cruise

[djpolly]

Just a thought . . . You can decided you are going to have a bad time on Disney and you will have a bad time (and so will everyone traveling with you). It is a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

Or you can decide that this could be a great family trip with the kids and/or for the kids and you will all have a great time. Again a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

And you could even suggest that the grownups take a long weekend (later in the year or early next year) to a casino without the kids so you can have your fun vacation too. Plus, that way everyone gets the vacation they enjoy.

 

But honestly, if you are really against a Disney Cruise you will find something on board to hate. You will be looking for things to complain about and no amount of good food, good shows, and good service will measure up to your demands. If you can't go with the attitude that you ARE going to have fun, don't go. Now would be the time to start looking for an alternate vacation plan.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We took our first cruise this past June. Loved it so much we re-booked for the 12 night european cruise next June and got my dad (76) and sister (34) to join us. They thought they would be board on the cruise in June. Boy were they wrong.

 

Disney is a little more than other cruises we looked into, but we like the family friendly atmosphere on DCL better than the "party boats." .

 

Listening to your child's excitment would make it all worth it.

 

Think about it.

 

Happy Sailing.

 

what are party boats?

 

Bill

[rsinj]

Food changes all the time and the quality of it is highly subjective. That being said, I thought the food we had on Disney was good, but not exceptional. That was years ago, so that doesn't speak to how it is now. On our RCL cruise, the food was excellent - better than Disney - but again, a few years ago. Last summer, on NCL the food was acceptable, nothing more.

 

Now, as far as DCL and the experience, if you're doing it solely for the benefit of the 3 year old, I'm telling you right now, forget it. The kid is not going to remember it, and for you it is going to be extremely difficult. I was able to deal with the 4 day Disney cruise, but on the 7 day, the last few days were torture.

 

My suggestion, spend a few days at Disney on land, then cruise a non-DCL ship after. The kid/family will get their Disney fix, and you'll have a much more enjoyable cruise.

 

Don't get me wrong, our DCL cruises were nice, but in my mind, not worth the added expense. I did not enjoy it as much as our non-DCL cruises overall.

 

Howard

[angelsfort]

they have internet access on all ships... why not use THAT to do your "casino" stuff??? then your family can have their cruise, you can occasionally get your fix... all will be well.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

they have internet access on all ships... why not use THAT to do your "casino" stuff??? then your family can have their cruise, you can occasionally get your fix... all will be well.

 

I doubt you'd be able to play any casino games online with the ships connection.:eek:

 

Bill

[rsinj]

I doubt you'd be able to play any casino games online with the ships connection.:eek:

Additionally how much the internet charges would be.

 

Howard

[Maggie 3]

I think this is when you become the adult and put your child first. I like the casino on a cruise but I love my grandchildren they will only be little for a short time, make the most of it. My husband and I are going with our adult children and 3 grandchildren (age 8,5,2) in October. This trip is for the family so we can make memories. I know how fast time can go.

[rsinj]

I think this is when you become the adult and put your child first. I like the casino on a cruise but I love my grandchildren they will only be little for a short time, make the most of it. My husband and I are going with our adult children and 3 grandchildren (age 8,5,2) in October. This trip is for the family so we can make memories. I know how fast time can go.

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree.

 

The high probability is that the kids will never even remember the cruise. Come on - how many things do you honestly remember from when you were 2, 5, or 8 years old? You give the kids Mickey and Minnie anywhere and they'll be happy - it doesn't have to be on a ship where it's going to cost you multiple thousands of dollars.

 

Don't get me wrong, we are a Disney family, own DVC, have done the cruise, and visit Disney at least twice a year. However, we do cruises that the entire family will enjoy. Out of all the cruises we've been on, as far as fun for the entire family, RCL and NCL (Alaska) were one and two, and Disney would be third. Disney was nice, however, as a family, it did not match RCL and NCL. I was the one who didn't enjoy the Disney cruise - yet I enjoy our DVC. The four day cruise was enough for me, the seven day was bordering on torture at the end.

 

OP - if you can foresee that you might not be happy on the DCL cruise, then don't do it. You can very easily arrange your travel/vacation so everyone has a great time and probably save some money as well.

 

Howard

[akeogh]

I have cruised Disney 4 times, 3 of them with young children, all of the cruises either 3 or 4 nights.

 

I have cruised with children ages 6 months to 8 years old, and starting from the time they are almost three years old (and on up), they do remember the cruise, enjoy the cruise, and talk about the cruise for months afterwards. My youngest child, now 3 1/2, talks about going back (she calls it the Disney Cooz) -- on our last trip she was within a month of turning 3 and was allowed into the Kids Club. I think it was the Kids Club experience that really cemented the image in her little brain. Now, will she remember it in 10 years? Maybe not ... but we're almost a year out, and she still talks about it and remember specific things from it. She loved it!

 

If I were you, I would go on no more than the 3 night cruise. I think, for you, 4 nights would feel too long. I would definitely go to Atlantis for the day (your other family members can go see the rest of the resort while you enjoy the casinos). As for food, DCL is very good, but definitely substitute one dinner (or more) in the Adult-only Palo's Restaurant. The food in Palo's is outstanding!! I would leave your dear child in the Kids Club. They will serve her dinner there, and she will have a great time. Don't feel guilty about that -- really, the kids love the kids club. Also, there is Bingo which is now electronic cards (64 cards), fast paced, and very much feels like gambling, to at least take the edge off. Don't forget about the adults-only pool, spa, and nightclubs. Also, there are adult-only activities during the day in Palo's, including a wonderful wine tasting that lasts an hour! Again, your child can be in the Kids Club, and happily so, while you are wine tasting. If you are turned off by Disney characters and themes, then I wouldn't go to every single nighttime show (or, maybe just go to the last show, Disney Dreams, to see their best one), but skip most of them so you don't feel intoxicated from the Disney pixie dust feeling.

 

I would not recommend more than 3 nights for you, but I do think that you would have a very nice time with your family.

 

Also, the person who suggested having you take the Carnival Fun Ship and meeting up in the Bahamas was spot on. As it turns out, on our last 3 night cruise, our babysitter just happened to be on the Carnival Ship. We docked next to each other and followed each other from port to port. This might be a clever way to go, and just do the reverse -- don't go to Atlantis, but instead, use the on-board Carnival casinos, and when you are docked together in Nassau, then make a point of spending the day together doing something child-friendly and do not go gambling. It might be exciting to meet up in Nassau, go to lunch, and talk about what you are experiencing on each of your ships. Very interesting way to go! Of course, the trade-off there is, you would only see your family in person for 8 hours of the trip.

[angelsfort]

I'm 38 years old and I still remember my very first trip to the beach... I was 4 years old at the time. I remember it fondly, although I don't remember every detail of our trip.

 

I think that whoever it was that said that the kids won't remember it anyways was WRONG! My two step children went on a Disney cruise when they were 4 and 6 years old... they are now 13 and 15 years old and still remember it quite well. It was their one and only cruise experience...

[donaldsc]

If an on-board casino is a make-or-break issue, I would suggest that you have a serious gambling problem.

 

DON

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

I hear NCL food is the pits. This doesn't speak well of Disney. Looks like one in the STAY OFF DISNEY cruises column box. :eek:

 

NCL has decent food...not great, but good (except their hamburgers...terrible...and I love a good burger). It's rare to find 'great food' though on a cruise ship. NCL does have amazing service in their suites though...top notch. Looking forward to my first Disney experience.

[powelweb]

We just returned from our 1st DCL cruise- 3 night on the Wonder that sailed 9/24 and we sail RCCL often (diamond in C&A club) with a couple X and a carnival thrown in.

 

We thought DCL and RCCL were more alike than different, although there were differences and preferences to be noted, but nothing that we would consider deal breakers.

 

Our DD who turned 6 onboard disney said she missed the mini-golf and ice skating rinks from Royal but loved playing foosball on disney. I thought the pool layout was better on Royal but loved the shows on disney hands down, and I usually go to all the shows on every ship- DH and DD stayed for every show on Disney and they usually leave after 5 minutes.

 

We missed the casino but the bingo did keep us occupied for those 30 minute sessions.

 

In terms of the food, DH raved about the food on Disney while I with my more simplier tastes had a hard time finding sometime I was in the mood for- Royal seemed to have a better variety with a better layout in the windjammer than the disney buffets.

 

Would we do disney again- absolutely- in fact, we rebooked onboard.

Hope this helps with your decision

[nuthut]

Better to be conned be a Disney cruise the the ultimate con job: A CASINO

[skoi13]

We've cruised Disney, RCCL, and Carnival. We all prefer Disney's food over the others, except the buffet, which was better on Royal. My daughter (15) and I sailed Carnival alone and both found the dinner selections to be boring, nothing we couldn't easily replicate at home. Same with RCCL. Disney seemed to have more variety/higher degree of difficulty in their dinner choices.

 

Service, especially in the dining room, was far better on Disney.

 

You do see the characters, sometimes they're in the atrium before dinner, or by the pool, but if we didn't have kids we'd just walk on by.

 

Also- the drink specials were cheaper on Disney than the other two lines, if that's a plus for you.

[Tak8]

Dinsey has a specialty restaurant, Palo's, which is the best cruiseline specialty place I have enjoyed at sea. No one under 18 is allowed, so you will need a babysitter for the young one, but excellent food. Overall, I found the food to be good to very good, but not excellent on board.

It is a lot more expensive, but you are paying for the Disney name and Disney knows how to do things well. That is also part of the problem I see for you. Most of the shows are Disney priented. It seems you don't really want that. Also since this is mainly a famly cruise except for time spent at the adults only pool, the pool areas are very crowded.

I normally tell folks it is a great cruiseline to take the kids that will enjoy the Disney elements. I'm glad I took my son once, but for the money I could take close to 2 cruises on another line for what Disney will charge me. When I'm shopping for another cruise, I always check Disney out, but end up on Princess mainly. We really enjoy that line at this stage.

[HomeMadePizza]

I am accustomed to fine dining on a regular basis, and I just got back from a cruise on the Magic, and I found the food to be of very high quality. It was perfectly passable, though I would agree that it rarely "wowed" me.

 

Obviously there is some wiggle room for personal taste here, as well as being wise/experienced enough to know what NOT to order. For example if you order scrambled eggs, you will get a scoop of powdered eggs, but if you order two eggs over medium, you'll get two fresh eggs cooked perfectly.

 

I did not use the buffet for dinner or breakfast, as I prefer a sit-down meal. However when I went at lunch, Topsider's buffet far exceeded my expectations. So did Goofy's wraps and fruit, and frankly, even Pinocchio's pizza was a lot better than some of the reviews I'd read. (Baking pizza and keeping it at an edible texture in 95% humidity at sea level is no mean feat.)

 

The sit-down meals were perfectly pleasing. The fruits and vegetables were always impeccably fresh, and you can always order more than one item (from any course, appetizer, salad, or entree) if you're doubtful which one will prove tastier. Not a dinner passed me by when I didn't at least order two appetizers so that I could taste them both. In particular, the lamb and beef dishes were consistently great. The one time I branched out and tried a fish course (I love seafood), I wished I hadn't, as it was a tad dry for my taste. However, we sat with a couple who were on their second week of back-to-back weeks on the Disney Magic, and they ordered the fish frequently, occasionally re-ordering something they had enjoyed the previous week, so I assume I just hit the chef on a bad night.

 

My one real complaint about the food is that the desserts left a lot to be desired, as they re-use the same basic dessert components throughout the week, with little variety other than different names and different presentations for the same basic ingredients. They were "ok" but not truly great.

 

Here is my impression of the "activities and entertainment" scene on the Magic, for adults: If you like the bar/club/danceparty scene, you're in luck. If you like lounging around doing nothing (either in your stateroom or at a pool), you're in luck. If you like catching an hour-long heartwarming theater show once per day, you're in luck. Otherwise, you will be bored to tears. There really was not a lot to do onboard that did not fit into one of those three categories.

 

I am not a big casino-lover. However I will say that as an adult couple with no kids, I was a tad bored by day 7 of my cruise. I probably would not cruise Disney again until my wife and I have kids who are old enough to appreciate it (read: when our youngest reaches age 5 or so.)

 

Just my opinions; add them to the mix and I hope you make a good decision for you and your family. Cheers.

[calmpets]

Here is my impression of the "activities and entertainment" scene on the Magic, for adults: If you like the bar/club/danceparty scene, you're in luck. If you like lounging around doing nothing (either in your stateroom or at a pool), you're in luck. If you like catching an hour-long heartwarming theater show once per day, you're in luck. Otherwise, you will be bored to tears. There really was not a lot to do onboard that did not fit into one of those three categories.

 

I wanted to add a few things to the list of adult entertainment. First - never forget the spa. It's pricey, but wonderful. Second, DCL does offer adults only activities, which fall under basically three main categories: 1) The Art of Entertaining, which includes cooking demos, liquor tastings, etc, 2) The Art of the Show, which includes backstage tours, etc, & 3) The Art of Navigation, which covers ship tours and talks from engineers and such. The do offer Bingo, if that's your thing, as well as an Art Auction (not sure if that's on the shorter sailings or just 7 night plus). In addition to the big stage shows they also offer cabaret-style shows with comedians, magicians, etc. First run movies are available in their theater, as well as on the giant screen over the Goofy Pool. Major sports events are usually aired in Diversions on the big screen. In my six sailings I only traveled with kids once, and they rest of the time my party was adults only. I was bored for about two hours on a seven-night sailing once because the activities I wanted to do had a weird gap in between them, but that's it, and I'm fidgety by nature and require fairly constant entertainment. If you want to have a great time, ample options are available for you to try out.

[NancyIL]

Well I must say some really nice responses here. They are indeed helping. Greatly appreciate it.

 

As for where I didn't get the best food. I just got off the Liberty of the Seas. It was just "okay." Sigh. I remember the days when cruise food was AWESOME!

 

Can Disney provide this?

 

I found DCL's food to be comparable to Royal Caribbean's. If you didn't think Liberty of the Sea's was anything special - you probably won't think any better of Disney's.

[metrowon]

Do a veranda, bring your own personal stash of your favorite beverage, and enjoy the night. Disney is one of the very few lines that let you bring alcohol on board. You'll have plenty of time to do Atlantis, however it's not a typical casino. Very dark atomosphere, lot's of employees who don't look real Friendly either. The Disney ships are pretty quiet after about 11:30pm. Most families are exhausted, and asleep. You can still have a Wonderful time though. OPEN YOUR MIND UP, Just a WEE bit..........Hell, act like a Pirate for 4 day's and just do RUM! Metrowon