2015 - What to do? NCL Dawn/DCL Wonder

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Hi, new to this board. Haven't personally experienced NCL (we aren't fans of anytime/your time/no fixed dining) but our friends mentioned that they might be going the last week of Feb on the Dawn to Roatan. We have been before (to Roatan) and we LOVE it. It's an itinerary I've already done, but on CCL. Kinda seriously over CCL, in fact, I thought I was over cruising altogether, but then a last minute family DCL 3 day reunion has renewed our obsession. Our time to board the 'new re-imagined' DCL Magic is only a month away! We can't wait!

 

So what does this have to do with NCL, you might ask? Well, I have been re-shopping my 'next' 2015 cruise in order to rebook a DCL while on board and get the 10% on board booking savings etc. I thought I had found it! My 3rd DCL, a 5 day Wonder, it's the cheapest DC listed for 2015 and goes to G Cayman & Castaway Cay (which is WONDERFUL). It's a 5 day and will be my longest DCL yet. And it happens to be 2 days before the above mentioned NCL Dawn our friends talked about... So we can't have it both ways. :(

 

I have a friend who has cruised CCL with me (also no longer interested in CCL) and cruises DCL (is on this next one too!) and she just got off of NCL POA in January and she really liked her NCL. I think she would definitely do an NCL over another CCL. The question is which of the late Feb cruises to book...

 

Believe it or not, we can actually cruise on the DCL Wonder for cheaper. (And because we have a Disney Visa that all the points go towards Disney including vacations - saving us over $800+ on this upcoming vacation in a year! :) ) it could actually be even CHEAPER cheaper than the NCL. From a cost perspective, we are looking interior and can get interior on the Wonder 5 Day for $517pp (assuming it doesn't change rates between now and when we get on board) and the 7 day NCL starts at $529pp or more. So from a cost perspective, they are pretty close. Just wanted to say that upfront before I get a lot of responses regarding DCL costing so much more.

 

DAWN

Pros I can see?:

7 Days

Leaves out of NOLA which is a 9 hr drive for us and very convenient.

Goes to Roatan

 

Minuses I can see?

Wasn't crazy about Belize.

Sorry if this is obvious, but it's not Disney... :(

We would be traveling with a group and assigned dinner has always helped us coordinate at night when we sometimes missed each other all day. Not sure it would even be worth joining them on the cruise if odds are they could go eat whenever without us because there is no set time, and they are the kind of people that go when they are ready...

 

WONDER

Pros I can see?:

Love the Disney brand

Castaway Cay is a GREAT destination and you don't have to book anything if you don't want, which makes the trip cheaper.

G Cayman is secure and beautiful and we love Royal Palm on 7 Mile Beach which is also just a few bucks to get in.

Rotational set dining means we get a new dining room almost every night but it is at a set time with set waiters, and the group that we cruise with is guaranteed to dine with us every night.

Soft Drinks are included and you can BYOWhatever drinks in whatever quantity to use in your room. So a lot of savings on beverages, adult or soda. (My honey does buy cokes even when he has to pay for them.)

 

Cons I can see?

5 days vs 7 (but my 3 day taught me that DCL can REALLY make a few days feel like a week!)

Have to fly to Miami

Goes to less ports

 

Have I missed anything? I think they both have great entertainment. I should say that I really appreciate friendly service. I'm friendly and outgoing and I love to chat with everyone! On my last CCL, I feel like there was hatred from the CMs that you could wipe out of the air, it was so thick. On my first DCL, everyone was smiley and chatty and for once, I didn't feel so guilty for being on a vacation in the first place, while their lives are 'miserable'. The dinner service was like cruising in the 90s, absolute service perfection. The dinner service I had on my last CCL was SO bad that I am so glad to be home and making and serving my own food. Service is part of the experience to us, going out to a nice dinner every night. I feel like CCL is getting worse and worse and that their Dream was the most unfriendly ship I've been on. When debarkation day came, I was happy to pack and leave the ship, and I don't want to look forward to a vacation and invest my hard earned $$ and very sparing time off just to want to be home. I'm not picky, I just enjoy having coffee, tea or water filled while in the dining rooms, having some GF options presented, and getting dessert before several hours. Not being sarcastic, that is what I look forward to for service. And getting what I ordered in the first place.

 

I'm sort of scared to try NCL because I wonder if the service can compare to DCL. Has anyone been on the Dawn AND the Wonder?

 

That would really help!

 

Also I should qualify that we have no kids, but we enjoy the Disney parks and cruises, family style entertainment (have seen some stuff on the big screens at deck parties on Carnival that should never be shown before 10, and the thongs on the dancefloor annoy me), so that's why I enjoy Disney staged shows. They may be kiddie plots, but the talent is stellar and everyone is covered up and no suggestive content. We also DO NOT gamble or play bingo and never will. We do not like having to walk through smokey casinos to get from one side of the ship to the other, and I"m not sure if NCL has you do that, but CCL sure does. But I also don't want to make the mistake of thinking that NCL is just like CCL, because I'm sure it's not.

 

I'll need to figure out which ship to book in a month, so that is why I'm asking for opinions.

 

Thank you in advance!

Edited April 3, 2014 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[darwinsrule]

Been on both. The Wonder was our first ever cruise in 2010. We will be back on board her in March 2015. Did the Dawn to Bermuda in 2012. If the Dawn was going to Bermuda it would win just for the destination. We have our 6th cruise coming up on Getaway and have yet to do a Western.

 

Would we go back on the Dawn? Yes for the right itinerary. Youngest DD asks when we can go back on her. Of course she is also pushing to go back on the Disney Fantasy. I am expecting Getaway to be even better than the Dawn however.

 

Haven't cruised Carnival so can't speak on it. Really like freestyle. You are on vacation so it will be good regardless. Part of it is attitude. One thing to be aware of is that since you are looking at inside cabins, there is a major difference in the size with the cabin on Wonder being a lot bigger. From what I hear, sometimes, size matters :D

Edited April 3, 2014 by darwinsrule

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Thank you SO much for this reply! It's exactly what I was looking for. It seems like Disney in general offers less (in most cases, and certainly for 'budget' deal cruises for them) less exciting itineraries because their ships and activities are like the destination (minus the new Baltic and Norwegian itineraries that just came out). Sounds like the Dawn is more like a good way to get to a great itinerary. The fact that are you are booked again on the Wonder makes me think the Wonder for these reasons:

 

I have already done both itineraries before, but I know DCL has the ship activities that we love.

 

I can actually cruise Disney for less (even if it is 2 less days.)

 

We shall see what the husband has to say! :D

 

Thanks again!

Edited April 4, 2014 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[allshookup]

We've been on the Disney Magic 3 times and the Disney Fantasy once and we've been on the Dawn 3 times. We've also cruised RCCL but never CCL and so far we've liked every cruise we've ever taken. My opinion on DCL & NCL....

 

Disney Pros: Classic décor, unbeatable service, good food, as you mentioned you can bring alcohol, private island is really a paradise, rotational dining with same wait staff so they KNOW what you like, family type atmosphere people aren't usually too rowdy.

 

Cons: No casino (could be a pro for some), Disney based theater shows (which is great for kids but our kids are older teens and it's starting to get old), night life in the clubs dies after midnight, no real discounts to be found, no late night food except room service and there are kids everywhere, even walking through the adult pool area.

 

NCL Pros: Casino, tropical décor, decent service, good food, offer military, aarp, etc. discounts, freestyle dining means no set time that you have to rush to get to, excellent theater shows, all night café, more night life.

 

Cons: Can only bring 1 bottle of wine on board, Freestyle dining means you don't have the same wait staff so they don't really get to know you, private island is nice but it doesn't compare to Castaway Cay.

[Va. Plumber]

"Cons: Can only bring 1 bottle of wine on board"

 

Absolutely wrong! You can bring as many bottles of wine onbard as you are willing to pay the $15.00 corkage fee.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Va. Plumber

[allshookup]

"Cons: Can only bring 1 bottle of wine on board"

 

Absolutely wrong! You can bring as many bottles of wine onbard as you are willing to pay the $15.00 corkage fee.

 

Sorry RCCL allows one bottle of wine for free, got them mixed up.

 

In any case, DCL allows you to bring any drinks you can carry for free.

Edited April 4, 2014 by allshookup

[Irene7]

The Wonder is the least expensive of the Disney ships because she has not been refit yet, so grabbing a good deal to sail Disney would be my first thought and you get Castaway Cay which IMO is unbeatable.

 

With that said, I can also see trying other lines. We love DCL and will sail with them again, but have sailed other lines as well. Our upcoming 2 cruise's are on the Explorer of the Seas to Bermuda (have never been there, and can't wait), followed by the Norwegian Gem on an 8 night cruise to the Bahamas. Been there before, but we are planning to spend the day before the cruise in NYC and spend the day at Disney World during the stop at Port Canaveral from 7:30am to 9:30pm.

[PCLMassachusetts]

You have tried CCL and DCL. Why not try NCL, you may find that you like it too. If not, then you know to stick with DCL in the future. And to be honest, I don't get the cost of DCL being cheaper "cost perspective" than NCL. The DCL is 2 days less. That is like saying buying a slice of bread is "cost perspective" cheaper than buying the loaf. The NCL cruise is 2 days longer for 12 bucks more per person.

Edited April 4, 2014 by PCLMassachusetts

[logan25]

I have sailed NCL Star (sister to Dawn) and Disney Wonder. Like both.

 

IMO MDR food on Disney is better. That being said, Disney does not offer a blue lagoon (24 hour) option. (My husband does love his hot wings and fish and chips.) But both offer room service.

 

Also, when comparing cruise cost, the comparison is not apples to apples if you do not account for airfare vs. driving. Thus, if I were having to spend $500 extra for airfare for a shorter cruise, that would weigh heavily in my decision.

[shelly11]

I've never been on DCL, but I have been on the cruise you are looking at. I have a review in my signature.

 

I love NCL's freestyle dining. You and your group can pick a time and go, just coordinate.

 

In Belize we took a tour of the ruins and really enjoyed it. I highly recommend booking Maya Chan in Costa Maya.

[anne.brumlevestaley]

Just got off of the Wonder three weeks ago. We preferred it to the Fantasy.

My husband and I are both teachers, so we can only travel during peak times. To rebook the same cruise for 2015 was going to cost twice what we paid for 2014, which is ridiculous, IMO. We really enjoyed the Wonder (phenomenal service), but 5 nights was not long enough for us.

We're booking a suite on the Dawn for next spring break for 2K less than 5 nights on the Wonder.

I'm excited to try a new line.

 

 

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