Tell me why Disney is better

[cruisegal96]

Just booked our 1st Disney cruise, 3 days on Dream. We've taken 10 past cruises on Rccl & Carnival. Anxious to find out what all the fuss is about with DCL & why the cost is so much more. Very excited!!!!

[Shmoo here]

Just booked our 1st Disney cruise, 3 days on Dream. We've taken 10 past cruises on Rccl & Carnival. Anxious to find out what all the fuss is about with DCL & why the cost is so much more. Very excited!!!!

 

Here's a thread that you may be interested in:

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1593642

[Friend100]

Disney is different. Whether it is "better" or not depends on individual's preference. The fact that it doesn't have casino, or that it has Disney characters throughout the ship can be the reason it is "better" to some people, but "worse" to others.

[moki'smommy]

A lot of attention to detail in theming the ships, etc. is part of it. There is more "included" with DCL (soda included at the beverage station and in dining rooms, most room service items included, all kid programming included), but adding up what you might spend on those things doesn't equal the cost difference. DCL has very little "upcharge dining" compared to other lines.

 

The absence of a casino (a big revenue source for other lines), and presence of a massive kid program account for some of the costs. If you are traveling without kids, part of that "first 2 persons" fare subsidizes the kid programs. Characters around the ship are another cost that many other lines don't have. We found the entertainment on main stage to be significantly better than the other lines we cruised, although we did like some of the variety acts and the "about the ship" entertainment on Celebrity (just not the main shows!).

 

Unfortunately, 3 nights doesn't really give you time to see a lot of what DCL is "all about." 2 1/2 days, no sea day...you'll barely get a taste of it. But a short cruise is better than no cruise. Have fun!

[xlxo]

Compared to my HAL and Princess trips for me....

• 24Mbps internet! I refuse to pay for slow, time based internet
  
• Better movies!
  
• more theatres!
  
• soda's!
  
• Photo packages!
  
• Yes... character meets!
  http://petapixel.com/2014/08/18/guy-proposes-every-princess-disney-world-set-fun-memorable-photos/
  
• Disney does not like powerbars
  

If you have young children.... they will love yah...

Edited January 15, 2015 by xlxo

[sippican]

I agree, it's different but not necessarily better.

There were many thing we loved about DCL, and just as many that left us disappointed. That disappointment may have even seemed a bit magnified because we felt we paid so much more than on other trips.

The "pixie dust factor" seems to be the major highlight. We prefer the parks for our dose of Dusney.

Castaway Cay is fantastic, the shows are excellent, the ships are beautiful, service is excellent.

The pool deck is a madhouse, the dining rooms are noisy and the food choices in the buffet are sub par to other lines we've traveled.

We had a great cruise, the kids were over the moon but we will probably look to other lines for future family cruises.

[LuCruise]

Disney caters to the kids first. Others cater to family as a whole (or singles or people without kids) On Disney all evening shows are for them. You'll find theming for kids, character meets, no casino (not appropariate for kids), daily activities, etc. We went through the decision of Disney and RCCL and decided on RCCL. If the cost was the same, we would have gone with DCL, but it was a $2000 price difference for similar experiences, so we went with RCCL. The ship is very kid friendly so we're not worried, but some shows may not be appropriate and daily activities. Dreamworks characters exist so they are offerred to. i think both are fantastic cruises.

One thing that I remember better about disney are the bathrooms. Very small on RCCL with a shower only as big as you are. On Disney, they have a separate tub area (correct me if I'm wrong as its been a few years...i just remember a bit more space overall)

Edited January 15, 2015 by LuCruise

[holula]

Disney isn't necessarily better. It is different. I've sailed on Freedom and Enchantment on Royal buy never sailed Carnival.

 

My thoughts:

 

Pro-Disney:

- Theming

- Characters

- Rotational dining is good with kids

- AquaDuck

- Larger staterooms if in an inside / oceanview

- Palo (up charge dining)

- No kids club charge

 

Pro-Royal:

- Better pool decks

- Freestyle soda machines even if you have to pay for them!

- More activities that are not kid centered throughout the day

- Kids club open later if willing to pay

- Casino if you like that

 

Similar:

- Food

- Service

- Shows

 

For two adults (which is what we are) we will probably be sailing lines which have good deals in the future and not Disney because of the $$$.

 

 

 

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[Irene7]

I don't feel that you can really compare DCL to other cruise lines. They are an entirely different animal. I have cruised on other cruise lines as well as Disney and I have enjoyed them all. For me the service that we received from disney has not been matched, neither by NCL or RCCL. We feel that the service on disney to be head and shoulders above them in our experience. We love the entertainment but we also really enjoyed the entertainment on RCCL ships as well, it is just a different type of entertainment.

 

The disney ships are very classy and elegant with the ocean liner feel. Extremely clean. My family really likes the food on disney, however, since food is subjective I don't like to make food comparisons.

 

We love DCL and they are our favorite, but we are also a disney family. I hope you have a great time. Go not expecting to get blown away, but for a different type of cruise and enjoy. Castaway Cay is awesome!

Edited January 18, 2015 by Irene7

[BullDawg91]

It depends on the person. I love the elegance of the ships (despite the fact that I don't dress up!). I'd say you don't sail Disney for the destinations as much - for me the ship IS the destination.

 

If you don't really care about your accommodations as long as they're clean, DCL might be lost on you.

 

A warning: I did find the MDRs to be crowded and noisy on our Dream cruise. I decided if I cruise the Dream again, I might skip some nights in the MDRs. We had early dining.

 

On the Wonder, I enjoyed the MDRs. They were way less crowded and noisy. We also had late dining which might have played into it. The cruise may not have been as full.

 

One of the weird things we loved on both cruises was the movie theater. How weird to go sit in a movie theater when you could go at home, but we did, several times.

 

 

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[MCC retired]

Not better than the rest , just different .

Disney's version of cruising , unique.

 

 

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[Ex techie]

Just booked our 1st Disney cruise, 3 days on Dream. We've taken 10 past cruises on Rccl & Carnival. Anxious to find out what all the fuss is about with DCL & why the cost is so much more. Very excited!!!!

 

It is no way better. Just different.

 

If you want to see more characters around the ship and in every stage show, sail DCL.

If you want the split bathrooms, sail DCL.

If you want a constant theming thought the ship, sail DCL.

If you love Disney, sail DCL.

If you want great service, sail DCL or RCI or CCL.

If you want great not frozen burgers that are made to order, sail CCL.

If you want pizza 24/7, sail CCL.

If you want a great up charge steak house, sail CCL or RCI.

If you want a great restaurant that has a great chef to it's name, try DCL, RCI.

If you want robots to serve you drinks, bumper cars, sail RCI.

If you want fireworks at sea, sail DCL or NCL.

If you want great physical activities (ropes and walls) to experience, sail NCL.

If you want great thrilling rides, sail DCL Magic, or CCL, NCL or RCI.

If you want a signature horn when you leave port and that makes you feel extra special, sail DCL or Princess.

If you want a casino, don't sail DCL.

If you want more adult space than kid space, don't cruise DCL.

If you want a......... ;)

 

Horses for courses. Each has it's own merits.

 

Not one line is "better" than the other. They just all do things a little different, and your own appreciation of that will vary too much for ANYONE to be able to state one is better than the other.

 

ex techie

[moki'smommy]

We did some other lines before DCL existed. Then we did 10+ years of only DCL. When we finally "tried" other lines, I was more amazed at the similarities than the differences.

 

Each line has some things "better" and some things "worse." But even those things can be in the eye of the individual.

 

Since I won't bother with a casino, it doesn't matter to me whether the ship has one or not. BUT if it has one, I don't want it situated in such a way that I can't get from my cabin to wherever without walking thru the casino. And I want a smoking policy such that smoke from the casino doesn't flow into other non-smoking venues.

 

If I'm physically disabled or cruising with a guest who is, I care a lot less about the climbing walls and skating rinks. BUT I suddenly care a lot about location of elevators and that they are of sufficient size and number to handle the a wheelchair.

 

Techie has it right...it's a matter of what's right for you.

 

If you just don't "get" the Disney whimsy or seeing/hearing kids around all the time, you might want to explore other lines.

 

IMHO, DCL pushed the envelope, forcing other lines to upgrade their product of risk being out of the picture. The other lines we have cruised in the last 5 years are a vast improvement over the cruises we did "pre-DCL" in terms of service, cabin space, bathrooms, food availability (not necessarily quality, but what/where you can get stuff, after hours, etc).

Edited January 20, 2015 by moki'smommy

[gkbiiii]

Tell me why Disney is better: "Its all in the Magic"

[chictravel227]

Two Words - NO smoking

I could stop there, but there is more:

suites that are actual suites (here's looking at you Carnival)

no holes in your sheets (here's looking at Princess)

Beds that are comfy (as compared to the bricks Princess has on a few ships)

No smoking

character meets

staff that cares

correctly seasoned food

on-board entertainment that is not gambling

No smoking

pixie dust

staff that remember you from sailing to sailing

Palo

Remy

And I will mention again, no smoking.

 

On my Princess cruises, the smoke smell in one room was horrible, even after I had them deodorize it twice. On the next (and most likely final foray onto a Princess ship, unless someone else is paying for the whole thing, no, not even then) cruise, the smoke that filled the ship interior was so bad that I was using my inhaler every time I stepped out of my cabin. Did not help that the casino was mid ship and all entertainment venues were centered around it and the smoke filtered out to the common areas. I could not even go into the shops it was so bad. Food was just blah on both sailings, well the first everything was super salty so got sent back multiple times. I am not generally salt sensitive, so it was bad. Holes in sheets. Beds that were so uncomfortable, not just me, but my mom's, sisters and friends in separate rooms. Princesses response: you should have booked an egg crate. Don't get me started on this. Oh and the staff was just indifferent the entire time, no one cared if we ever sailed with them again. No sense of pride in who they are working for, first time I left only the absolute minimum in tip.

 

Carnival was better, but the suite we booked, was really just one big room. Only 1 bathroom. 2 twin beds. Not exactly luxury. At least there were no holes in the sheets and the room was not smokey.

 

Disney does have some issues. IMHO, the quality of the food has declined in the MDR's over the past 8 years. It used to be wonderful, now it is ok to good. Now Remy and Palo are different stories, IF you do not live in a big city, i.e. New York, LA, (pick a food city) etc. that has 5 star restaurants at your fingertips.

 

Princess does actually win a point in my book for the adult areas. They are better than DCL's adult areas, you know, kids don't have to walk through the adult areas to get to other areas of the ship. I think this is mainly a problem on the Magic. I did not notice it on Fantasy or Wonder. Also, the staff did kick kids out of the adult areas on Princess, on Disney, usually an adult has to ask the CM to take care of it.

 

Carnival has better itineraries than Disney. Disney has better staterooms, they are just bigger in general. I love that some staterooms on Disney have the 2 bathrooms. It is excellent.

 

Bottom line, after two disappointing sailings on Princess (thought maybe my expectations were too high after being on Disney for the first one, so on the second, I lowered them, still not worth it), I will most likely not sail with them again. We want to do Alaska again, but will either choose Holland or go with a smaller line. Would do Disney, but they don't have rights at Glacier Bay, so no go there, it was a highlight of our first trip!

 

I would go on Carnival again. At least the staff was pleasant and the food was decent, although trying to get more than a vegetable at dinner was interesting.

 

Disney wins hands down on almost everything and with their excellent itineraries in Europe that are pretty unique, they have a few more years with us until we get bored and stray elsewhere. Then again, there will always be Adventures by Disney. I may sail on different lines if the smoking policies come in line with Disney, I recognize this is a personal health issue for me, but since it is my health, no really worth jeopardizing it just to go on a ship.

[BullDawg91]

By the way, when people refer to theming, characters are not in your face constantly. The style is pretty consistent throughout the public areas though and even the public bathrooms area elegant. It's either Art Deco or Art Nouveau depending on which ship.

 

Frankly, I don't recall noticing whether Disney music was playing everywhere or not. If it is, it is not obtrusive.

 

 

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[moki'smommy]

The ship is divided into zones for the music, and each zone can have different music or have it turned off. Most of the time it is orchestral arrangements of Disney songs played softly If you pay attention, you can tell when you move from one zone to another as the music changes.

[ma_t_gus]

YES they are:D

[Maleeni]

Just booked our 1st Disney cruise, 3 days on Dream. We've taken 10 past cruises on Rccl & Carnival. Anxious to find out what all the fuss is about with DCL & why the cost is so much more. Very excited!!!!

 

When we finally tried Disney, it was part of a land sea package, without food on the land portion.

 

What stuck us first was the ease we encountered checking is to the land, as well as the transport and embarkation at the port.

 

And walking onto that ship, being announced, with visual beauty all around. Making our way to the stateroom, we were thrilled with our accommodations.

 

The service all around was unmatched to what we had ever had on our previous cruises. The only let down was the food, basically the choices. It wasn't that it was bad or anything, it was just that we expected more.

 

Repeated the same thing about 18 months later, and it was simply more of the same, so we felt we had been there done that, except with a group we had brought along.

[dkjretired]

Two Words - NO smoking

I could stop there, but there is more:

suites that are actual suites (here's looking at you Carnival)

no holes in your sheets (here's looking at Princess)

Beds that are comfy (as compared to the bricks Princess has on a few ships)

No smoking

character meets

staff that cares

correctly seasoned food

on-board entertainment that is not gambling

No smoking

pixie dust

staff that remember you from sailing to sailing

Palo

Remy

And I will mention again, no smoking.

 

On my Princess cruises, the smoke smell in one room was horrible, even after I had them deodorize it twice. On the next (and most likely final foray onto a Princess ship, unless someone else is paying for the whole thing, no, not even then) cruise, the smoke that filled the ship interior was so bad that I was using my inhaler every time I stepped out of my cabin. Did not help that the casino was mid ship and all entertainment venues were centered around it and the smoke filtered out to the common areas. I could not even go into the shops it was so bad. Food was just blah on both sailings, well the first everything was super salty so got sent back multiple times. I am not generally salt sensitive, so it was bad. Holes in sheets. Beds that were so uncomfortable, not just me, but my mom's, sisters and friends in separate rooms. Princesses response: you should have booked an egg crate. Don't get me started on this. Oh and the staff was just indifferent the entire time, no one cared if we ever sailed with them again. No sense of pride in who they are working for, first time I left only the absolute minimum in tip.

 

Carnival was better, but the suite we booked, was really just one big room. Only 1 bathroom. 2 twin beds. Not exactly luxury. At least there were no holes in the sheets and the room was not smokey.

 

Disney does have some issues. IMHO, the quality of the food has declined in the MDR's over the past 8 years. It used to be wonderful, now it is ok to good. Now Remy and Palo are different stories, IF you do not live in a big city, i.e. New York, LA, (pick a food city) etc. that has 5 star restaurants at your fingertips.

 

Princess does actually win a point in my book for the adult areas. They are better than DCL's adult areas, you know, kids don't have to walk through the adult areas to get to other areas of the ship. I think this is mainly a problem on the Magic. I did not notice it on Fantasy or Wonder. Also, the staff did kick kids out of the adult areas on Princess, on Disney, usually an adult has to ask the CM to take care of it.

 

Carnival has better itineraries than Disney. Disney has better staterooms, they are just bigger in general. I love that some staterooms on Disney have the 2 bathrooms. It is excellent.

 

Bottom line, after two disappointing sailings on Princess (thought maybe my expectations were too high after being on Disney for the first one, so on the second, I lowered them, still not worth it), I will most likely not sail with them again. We want to do Alaska again, but will either choose Holland or go with a smaller line. Would do Disney, but they don't have rights at Glacier Bay, so no go there, it was a highlight of our first trip!

 

I would go on Carnival again. At least the staff was pleasant and the food was decent, although trying to get more than a vegetable at dinner was interesting.

 

Disney wins hands down on almost everything and with their excellent itineraries in Europe that are pretty unique, they have a few more years with us until we get bored and stray elsewhere. Then again, there will always be Adventures by Disney. I may sail on different lines if the smoking policies come in line with Disney, I recognize this is a personal health issue for me, but since it is my health, no really worth jeopardizing it just to go on a ship.

 

Celebrity has a more strict smoking policy that most of the main stream lines and has for several years. They had no smoking in cabins and verandas long before Disney. No smoking allowed anywhere inside the ships including the casinos and it has been that way for several years. Only about three smoking areas on the ship and they are not large areas. Most of the cruise lines followed Celebrity's poliicies including Disney.

[moki'smommy]

Celebrity has a more strict smoking policy that most of the main stream lines and has for several years. They had no smoking in cabins and verandas long before Disney. No smoking allowed anywhere inside the ships including the casinos and it has been that way for several years. Only about three smoking areas on the ship and they are not large areas. Most of the cruise lines followed Celebrity's poliicies including Disney.

 

DCL started out with limited smoking areas and has been steadily reducing them over the years to the point that now there are no indoor smoking areas. Whether that is a response to customer feedback or copying another line, I don't know. It is certainly much nicer than 15 years ago.

[Ex techie]

Celebrity has a more strict smoking policy that most of the main stream lines and has for several years. They had no smoking in cabins and verandas long before Disney. No smoking allowed anywhere inside the ships including the casinos and it has been that way for several years. Only about three smoking areas on the ship and they are not large areas. Most of the cruise lines followed Celebrity's poliicies including Disney.

 

To be fair, Disney has NEVER allowed smoking inside of their Staterooms.

 

They were late to the game with the no smoking on the verandahs, but thats just Disney bureaucracy and wanting everyone to be happy.

 

ex techie

[dkjretired]

DCL started out with limited smoking areas and has been steadily reducing them over the years to the point that now there are no indoor smoking areas. Whether that is a response to customer feedback or copying another line' date=' I don't know. It is certainly much nicer than 15 years ago.[/quote']

 

You mentioned about walking through the casino to get to other areas and the casinos being smoking causing a problem. Celebrity's last five new builds had a major shopping area that went around the casino leading to theater in the front of the ship, didn't have to go through the casino. Ironically, by the time they were launched they had the no smoking indoors in place.

[moki'smommy]

You mentioned about walking through the casino to get to other areas and the casinos being smoking causing a problem. Celebrity's last five new builds had a major shopping area that went around the casino leading to theater in the front of the ship, didn't have to go through the casino. Ironically, by the time they were launched they had the no smoking indoors in place.

 

That's great! There were many things I liked about Celebrity; going thru the casino was not one of them. I found myself going to other decks to avoid the casino on the Infinity. I do realize that this is not one of the newer ships; it is about the same age as the Magic.

 

I'm delighted that many lines are decreasing smoking areas on board. I remember the days when I wouldn't go to Sessions because the Magic allowed smoking there and the area of hallway outside the club was nasty as well!

[tweenie123]

We've cruised RCCL three times and have taken four DCL but we're back on the Dream in July. I actually like the casino and our son will be 19 so the kids activities are no longer an issue but for us DCL is the favourite.

 

We've enjoyed RCCL but we love the level of service on Disney and the whole feel of the ship.