If you think Disney is too expensive...

[amyh13]

I plan to write a review but I know there is a lot of discussion about the price premium of a Disney cruise. I feel like more people come to this section of the board for advice so I thought I would throw my opinion in.

 

I been on 6 cruises, 4 with kids, two without. 2 on Carnival, 1 RCCL, 1NCL, 1 Premier (yes I am old) and 1 Disney. One Alaska, the rest Caribbean. I love to cruise. Never met a cruise I didn't like. And my family can afford at least one pricey vacation a year, I am very lucky.

 

I have an 8 yo boy and 4 yo girl. After taking the Carnival Dream on the Eastern itinerary last year for spring break (kind of last minute in a suite) I thought "My kids would DIE over a Disney cruise!!"

 

Did lots of research, joined a fish extender group, took the kids to Disney World, surprised them on Christmas Day with a poem.

 

Mind you, I am not a big Disney fanatic. LOVE ALL Disney movies. My sister lives in Orlando and I have been to Disney World three times in 23 years.

 

And really, it was just "okay." We had some bad travel karma that was no one's fault (ER trip the night before leaving ATL, Me with Norovirus on the last night).

 

Kids club, hands down, nothing better. The Ship - BEAUTIFUL. The Service - Cabin Steward, nothing special. Dining Staff, EXTREMELY Friendly, but slow and inaccurate.

 

Found my bill from Carnival last year. 1/3 the price. They have "your time dining" which is FANTASTIC, show up when you get there. No wait and a table for two! With EXCELLENT service EVERY night. An awesome cabin steward.

 

Cooking is my hobby and I am an amateur foodie. Cabanas had shrimp and stone crab every day but for the most part, Carnival food was better.

 

Cruising is such a relaxing vacation. If your budget does not include Disney, there are plenty of other offerings. And if I were going for an all adult cruise, I would go for a Celebrity or Princess, not Disney.

[eboiowa12]

It must be all in the eye of the beholder.Our family just got back from a Royal C on the NOS out of Galveston

This was a Mess and the Food and Service Horrible

The ship looked great after the redo but way too many people pushing and shoving.I have never been a cruise were you can not even get your own coffee.We never saw the cabin Steward for seven days.Drinks were very good got the drink package and well worth it.I think Disney is pricey but they all smile and service is Number one.They have over 70 people working in their kids clubs ..On Royal we saw 3 total.To top off our experience saw a Waiter from the top sell Steak house use the Public Bathroom then exit without washing his hands. NOW THAT IS GROSS.

[Irene7]

I personally feel DCL is head and shoulders over the other lines. I have always had better service, food, entertainment on the disney ships, and my children are grown so we cruise with them as 4 adults.

 

Are they expensive? Yes, but for me they are worth every penny.

[PurpleRose23]

I agree that DCL is worth the money. My husband and I also agreed that DCL is a little heavy on our wallets. We took a 10 cruise on DCL Wonder a couple of years ago and our kids LOVED it. They had a "Kids Sail Free" promotion that made the cost fit within our budget. I really wanted to go to Alaska and were planning to do that through DCL. The food and the service we had on the Wonder was very memorable. We decided to try Princess and will be cruising Alaska this summer.

 

I think if we all had unlimited funds we would do our cruises differently in some fashion (more spa visits, have balconies or suites, etc....). We would definitely book again with DCL in a heartbeat. What it comes down to is having fun with what you can afford. For me it's all about spending time with my family. My husband can disconnect himself from his job and we create memories that our kids will remember for a lifetime.

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I agree there good but font say worth every penny or they will whack the prices up more.

 

 

Sent from my iPad.

[Irene7]

I agree there good but font say worth every penny or they will whack the prices up more.

 

 

Sent from my iPad.

 

LOL - a little bit of psychology there! :D

[Irene7]

I agree that DCL is worth the money. My husband and I also agreed that DCL is a little heavy on our wallets. We took a 10 cruise on DCL Wonder a couple of years ago and our kids LOVED it. They had a "Kids Sail Free" promotion that made the cost fit within our budget. I really wanted to go to Alaska and were planning to do that through DCL. The food and the service we had on the Wonder was very memorable. We decided to try Princess and will be cruising Alaska this summer.

 

I think if we all had unlimited funds we would do our cruises differently in some fashion (more spa visits, have balconies or suites, etc....). We would definitely book again with DCL in a heartbeat. What it comes down to is having fun with what you can afford. For me it's all about spending time with my family. My husband can disconnect himself from his job and we create memories that our kids will remember for a lifetime.

 

 

Well said!

[Cruisin' Along]

Love DCL - we've done three cruises and had an incredible time on each one. But.....I'm also ready to try another cruise line for a different experience and lower prices. I'm seriously considering Princess for our next cruise.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Cruisin' Along

[Sue Do'nym]

Food is so subjective. I found the food on Carnival blah. I enjoyed the Disney main dining selections more. I enjoyed NCL main dining more-and their upcharge restaurants even more! A buffet is a buffet is a buffet. However, I liked the NCL buffet at breakfast/lunch best. Disney second. Then Carnival. But to each his own for food. For me the additional charge is worth it for the Disney magic, but if you are not a Disney fan-then you may enjoy a cruise with another line as much as or more than a Disney cruise. And yes, it will be cheaper. Find what works for you and your budget:D

[jhansla]

Been on Carnival, Royal, Princess and Disney all several times and Disney wins in pretty much every category hands down. Carnival has gone so down hill the past 10 years that I'll never sail on them again.

 

You get what you pay for

[fluffysue]

I love anything Disney, but would never have thought to go on a Disney cruise before because of the cost (plus i don't have kids)....going in August with family and the room on a 3 day cruise costs more than the 7-day cruise I just went on. Of course my nieces will LOVE it and that is why I am going. That and, i want to ride the Aquaduck. :D (Just saw it up close last week as the ship i was on happened to dock right next to the Dream in Nassau. :))

Really I have been very happy with the cruises I have been on and have no complaints about them, so i don't know how much better this one could be that it justifies the price difference...but the Disney factor should be fun.

 

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Edited May 16, 2014 by fluffysue

[Seatbelt_Bag_LOVE]

We loved our cruise on the Disney Fantasy in January 2013. We do have an extended balcony booked for next January on the Fantasy as well. However, we are cruising on Celebrity to Bermuda this summer, and we will switch our winter cruise to Celebrity if we like it. The cost is not that much cheaper, but they do have better perks such as the alcoholic drink package included. I really loved the whimsy of Disney, so I'm really hoping that Celebrity isn't too stuffy for us. We are an early 30s couple with no kids. We are very exited to try different lines, so we can judge for ourselves which is our favorite. Happy cruising!

 

 

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[mdvlprof]

LOVE, LOVE, DCL.

 

I don't cruise for the fine food. Never found MDR, [DCL or other cruiselines] and in most up-scale restaurants, to be more than 'meh, cruisefood'.

 

And I notice kids much less on DCL, because their activities keep them busy.

[c-cruise]

I think the question of is the cost worth it really depends on what you are looking for. The things that Disney does well, they do really well - far better than the rest IMHO. But, there are several things I feel that are just on par or even below par for what you will find on any other mass market cruise line.

 

I'm willing to pay somewhat of a premium for Disney, but nothing too crazy. We are booked on the Magic next April and it was actually less expensive for us than doing the Freedom OTS in comparable accommodations. Sure, I could have gone cheaper and booked the Carnival Sunshine, but that just didn't really appeal to us.

 

Now, looking at Alaska for 2015 the premium to do the Wonder is crazy high vs. other lines so we won't be doing Disney in that case.

[cruisinpips]

I too think that it all depends on what one is looking for in a cruise. We just took our first DCL cruise in March on the Fantasy, and we were not "wowed", like many said we would be. This was my 17th cruise overall, but first on DCL, and I can say unless it is a smoking deal (which wont happen), we will not cruise with them again. Food slection was below average, and availabilty was worse. Hated the sit down Cabanas at night. Need more options for eating if you do not feel like going to the dining room. We did not find the service in any area, other than the head waiter, to be better than any other cruise ship we have been on. We liked that we could carry our own drinks aboard, but given the price you pay, not really a savings. We are not big Disney fans anyway, but I am sure if you are a "Disney-phile", as a lot of people seemed to us, then DCL is enjoyable for you. :D:D

[NancyIL]

I have been on 25 cruises, and 5 of those were on Disney. I'd say each were worth what I paid, because I sailed during the off season. I had the most mediocre dining room servers on 2 of my 4-night Disney Bahamas cruises, so I don't agree that DCL's service is better than anyone else's. However, as a big Disney fan, I enjoy the Disney-ness of the ships the most. After sailing on 4 Transatlantic cruises on 4 different cruise lines, I also enjoyed Disney's sea day activities the most.

 

I sailed on Celebrity earlier this year, and I have upcoming cruises on RCI (Baltic next month and Canada/New England in 2015), DCL (May 2015 Transatlantic), and Princess (Australia in 2016). I doubt I will book another Disney cruise for the latter half of 2015, and plan to cancel a late 2014 DCL Caribbean cruise because I'd rather spend the week at Disney World.

Edited May 17, 2014 by NancyIL

[rrkman]

I can only say from a single experience with each cruise line but I'd take disney at twice the price of celebrity. I thought I'd appreciate the adult mix of celebrity but I'll trade the bad service, bad food, and rude adults for great service and kids everywhere.

[NancyIL]

I can only say from a single experience with each cruise line but I'd take disney at twice the price of celebrity. I thought I'd appreciate the adult mix of celebrity but I'll trade the bad service, bad food, and rude adults for great service and kids everywhere.

 

My experience on 3 Celebrity cruises was great food and service, a few rude adults, and very few children. On DCL you get rude adults and kids.

[cruiserninja1]

I've sailed NCL and DCL. I enjoyed both and will sail both again. I am conscious that we pay extra for the Magic on DCL but if we have enough time to pay for it then we figure that it's okay to splurge every now and then.

[rrkman]

My experience on 3 Celebrity cruises was great food and service, a few rude adults, and very few children. On DCL you get rude adults and kids.

 

 

I guess we had very different experiences then. Glad you enjoyed Celebrity.

[ilovetexas]

My experience on 3 Celebrity cruises was great food and service, a few rude adults, and very few children. On DCL you get rude adults and kids.

 

That was my exact experience on my 2 Celebrity cruises.

 

I agree with the OP, DCL provides a great experience but they aren't the only (or even the best) player in the game. Next up...Norwegian Breakaway. Since DCL doesn't go to Bermuda, they weren't even a consideration.

[PhillyRomantic]

It really does depend on what works fir you and your pockets. We prefer DCL and are willing to pay the extra price. In my opinion, it is about quality, not quantity.

 

 

 

 

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[dulcemariamar]

I was very disappointed with the food on Disney Dream. I left the MDR hungry several nights. I think they tried to be too fancy and failed. Plus, I wasn't happy with the food stands that were opened during longer hours. The pizzas and hamburgers weren't that great. And the kid menus were embarrassedly unhealthy, corn dogs for dinner?

 

The shows were great. The service was good but I had the same level of service on CC. The serving staff was so slow. I think it took an 1.5 hr every night to get through dinner. That is a long time when you have a toddler.

 

Palo and Remys was great.

 

I would book DCL again if there was a decent deal but I will have lower expectations. I had better food and service and adult entertainment on CC.

[near the beach]

The cost of our 4 day cruise on Disney is more than our two 4 day cruises on Carnival and one 4 days cruise on Royal Caribbean combined.

 

We still have 40 days until we sail on the Dream. We are looking forward to our cruise and expect to have a good time.

 

I just keep thinking is 4 days on the Disney ship going to be better than 12 days on other ships?

[Guinness4me]

The cost of our 4 day cruise on Disney is more than our two 4 day cruises on Carnival and one 4 days cruise on Royal Caribbean combined.

 

We still have 40 days until we sail on the Dream. We are looking forward to our cruise and expect to have a good time.

 

I just keep thinking is 4 days on the Disney ship going to be better than 12 days on other ships?

 

Hate to disappoint ya, but you have siked yourself out by comparing DCL vs other crusie lines on number of nights vs. cost. It's like comparing apples to oranges.

 

We love Disney Cruise Line and got hooked on our first 4 night crusie on the Dream. We even decided to book a 7 night over Thanksgiving for 2015 for 6400 for 4. It is that nice for us.

 

I have a friend, she and her family and friends love Carnival and they sail them because the cruises are so cheap, I thought about trying to talk her into a Disney cruise, then I thought, she would hate DCL because she would walk around all day on the ship thinking, "why did I pay so much for a Disney Cruise, I could have sailed a 25 night cruise on Carnival for the same price!"

 

It's not about the price, its the experience and service for us. too bad it is too late to cancel.