Princess & Disney Cruises

[B-Rizzle]

I'll take a cruise ANYWHERE at this point but especially love what I see on Disney. I'm watching the videos and am more and more like YES YES YES!<3

 

Although I must say things look very pretty on Princess too!! Right? And woohoo to the nice pools and fancy open space where the balloons get dropped at. Seriously the only problem with Disney is the PRICE $$$. For the money, it's not as good of value, in my opinion. But my goodness, Princess looks like not everyone is enjoying their cruise in these videos, and I don't know why we would pay all that money for these gorgeous ships and then not enjoy it!!!!

 

Maybe the Disney ships are just full of magic from the parks so it's easier to stay excited? Although I must say, we all have terrible energy sometimes, but vacation is where we NEED that higher level frequency. Time to stop and smell the roses and just have fun! :D:ship::tropical-drink:

[moki'smommy]

OK, we've done 30 cruises on DCL. We LOVE it, but at this point (kid grown, etc) I have a really hard time justifying the huge price increases over the last few years. Yes, the DCL product is superior to Princess, but I can get a far higher level cabin on Princess for half the price of DCL. DCL also markedly decreased their top level perks several years ago. While not the end all and be all, it did leave a rather bad taste. We've also seen a decrease in DCL food quality over the years. I've read that it has improved recently, but no personal experience as our last 3 cruises have been on Princess.

 

We decide what the cruise is about. If doing Alaska, Princess has the better itinerary. Alaska is about the scenery, not about the ship. We select our DCL cruises very carefully and there has to be a good reason for me to pay the extra bucks. It would typically be a longer cruise (14 days or more) which means far fewer unsupervised kids, and as good a price as DCL offers. And it would have to be one of the "classic" ships--Magic or Wonder. If I find a cruise that meets all my requirements, I'd go with DCL. But I can do twice as many cruises on Princess.

 

Example--we just did 14 nights in Alaska B2B on Princess. DCL for 7 nights was almost twice the price of 14 nights on Princess. I will confess to some nostalgia when we were sitting the the Crown Grill and watched the Wonder sail past going the other direction. On the other hand, you have to book a mini-suite on Princess to get the same cabin space as the smallest cabins on the Disney Magic, not counting the balcony. A balcony on DCL is the same size as a mini-suite with balcony on Princess.

 

We like the parks. We LOVE the ships.

Edited August 28, 2018 by moki'smommy

[shepp]

Maybe the Disney ships are just full of magic from the parks so it's easier to stay excited? Although I must say, we all have terrible energy sometimes, but vacation is where we NEED that higher level frequency. Time to stop and smell the roses and just have fun! :D:ship::tropical-drink:

 

Sounds to me like you'll be happier on DCL.

[kitkat343]

How old is your child? Are you sailing primarily for the itinerary or for the ship experience? We sail primarily for itinerary, and we've never yet been able to find a Disney ship that works for us (hopefully someday). We've been happy on almost all our cruises so I'd say its really about what matters most to you.

[B-Rizzle]

Sounds to me like you'll be happier on DCL.

 

Oh, yes, absolutely!

[B-Rizzle]

 

We like the parks. We LOVE the ships.

 

Yes! Seriously they are . . .wait, maybe this is cliche?? MAGICAL!! I just love the parks! I think that maybe someday we'll try a ship like the Wonder after we save up LOL! Thanks for the tips.

Edited August 28, 2018 by B-Rizzle

[B-Rizzle]

How old is your child? Are you sailing primarily for the itinerary or for the ship experience? We sail primarily for itinerary, and we've never yet been able to find a Disney ship that works for us (hopefully someday). We've been happy on almost all our cruises so I'd say its really about what matters most to you.

 

My son is 21 and moved out to TX for school. We're vacation club owners so He joins us in the summer which is a real treat!! Isn't it weird the first time they're old enough to order a drink with you? :loudcry:

 

My husband wants to try something new the rest of the year and cruising came to mind. Maybe we'll be more fans of different itineraries after we try it. My husband just wants somewhere warm and tropical :tropical-drink:. The first cruise has to be seriously amazing, right?!?

Edited August 28, 2018 by B-Rizzle

[moki'smommy]

Yes! Seriously they are . . .wait, maybe this is cliche?? MAGICAL!! I just love the parks! I think that maybe someday we'll try a ship like the Wonder after we save up LOL! Thanks for the tips.

The Wonder has Tiana's Place (restaurant) while the same restaurant on the Magic is a Tangled theme. But more importantly, the Magic has Marvel Academy. It is located in the Oceaneer's Club, but adults are welcome to use it during "open house" hours.They even had a special, adults only evening on the trans-Atlantic cruise. I've seen a lot of dads get really into Marvel Academy!

[B-Rizzle]

The Wonder has Tiana's Place (restaurant) while the same restaurant on the Magic is a Tangled theme. But more importantly' date=' the Magic has Marvel Academy. It is located in the Oceaneer's Club, but adults are welcome to use it during "open house" hours.They even had a special, adults only evening on the trans-Atlantic cruise. I've seen a lot of dads get really into Marvel Academy![/quote']

 

Tangled is one of those films that I always forget how much I love it until I see it!! When it comes to Marvel and super heroes, hubby would seriously be Down!

[mcrcruiser]

You may want to take a look at Celebrity cruise ships especially the brand new EDGE .She is really a exceptionally designed ship with large balcony staterooms & great entertainment :p

[mevs904]

Our opinion is very similar to Moki’s Mommy except that our favorite ship is the Fantasy. We love the Disney product (we are also DVC members) and we delight in all of the little magical extras that Disney puts into their ship’s design and the entertainment that they have onboard. We have sailed Disney both with and without our grandchildren and always have a wonderful time.

That being said we recognize the price difference in the two cruise lines and Princess is our next choice of lines. We completely agree that Princess is the better choice for Alaska and have thoroughly enjoyed our Princess Cruises in Alaska, the Panama Canal, and the Southern Caribbean. We currently have a St. Petersburg/Baltic cruise booked on Princess as well as an Eastern Caribbean that visits some ports that Disney doesn’t do.

Bottom line is that our heart is on Disney, but we continue to have excellent cruises on Princess. We’ll probably continue to do both in the future. You might think about trying a short (3 or 4 day cruise on the Disney Dream for the experience) and then think trying Princess for a longer cruise. Whatever you decide I’m sure that you will love cruising. Have fun!

[skennedy25]

We have done both and yes, there is a difference, but princess may get Disney on just a few things. Disney pricess have definately sky rocketed. The only way to try and get it cheap is to book it 12-18 mos ahead of time. I have the same feeling with Princess vs RCL. I can get a better cabin on Princess for 4 vs what RCL charges.. When it comes down to it, Princess has just about everybody beat when it comes to bread and pizza. Disney has alot and if you like to be around alot of kids, then that is the way to go. You get alot of extras you wont see on Princess, i.e free soda, shrimp and crab legs or claws on buffet everyday. My first choice is always Princess. If I am going to spend money, I would rather choose a cruiseline that I have sailed alot in the past so I keep building up my loyalty.

[moki'smommy]

If I am going to spend money, I would rather choose a cruiseline that I have sailed alot in the past so I keep building up my loyalty.

And the perks on Princess don't stop increasing...at least not at any number that I'm likely to attain. There are lots of ways to get OBC on Princess--shareholder, military, loyalty, etc. You become platinum, DCL's highest level, after 10 cruises. With the exception of a small statue given at 50 and 100 cruises, the benefits are the same at 50 cruises as at 11. There is no recognition for number of days, so my long cruises (300+ days/30cruises) gain the same benefits as someone who did 10 3 night cruises and has 30 nights. And, as I noted above, they seriously reduced the booking on board OBC and other platinum benefits several years ago. Basically, I get a comped dinner at Palo, the lower level adult only restaurant, and a small discount in the gift shop...which used to be a bigger discount.

 

I'm not griping--I was never promised any frequent cruiser benefits. My point is that they have a minimal loyalty program, but it is nothing like the Princess program where you get continuing increases in valuable benefits. (even if your coffee cards did turn into a coffee program!)

 

My big objection to DCL, other than literally hundreds of unsupervised children running around, is the crazy price increases and the limited itineraries. I can remember what I paid for a couple of specific cruises; those prices have increased 3-4 fold now, and that is based on "day 1" pricing, which is as good as it gets. I can decrease the kids with careful cruise selection, but I can't do anything about the prices. It will be interesting to see what happens when the three new ships come out, but since they have another Port Canaveral terminal in process, I don't see a lot of hope. Yes, it will be shared with NCL, but that still implies that they at least one of the new ships will not be doing anything new and adventurous. On the kid note, Princess does have fewer kids, but they also have many more kids with parents clearly in evidence. You don't see nearly as many unsupervised tweens and teens, and I've done 4 summer cruises on Princess!

[skennedy25]

And the perks on Princess don't stop increasing...at least not at any number that I'm likely to attain. There are lots of ways to get OBC on Princess--shareholder' date=' military, loyalty, etc. You become platinum, DCL's highest level, after 10 cruises. With the exception of a small statue given at 50 and 100 cruises, the benefits are the same at 50 cruises as at 11. There is no recognition for number of days, so my long cruises (300+ days/30cruises) gain the same benefits as someone who did 10 3 night cruises and has 30 nights. And, as I noted above, they seriously reduced the booking on board OBC and other platinum benefits several years ago. Basically, I get a comped dinner at Palo, the lower level adult only restaurant, and a small discount in the gift shop...which used to be a bigger discount.

 

I'm not griping--I was never promised any frequent cruiser benefits. My point is that they have a minimal loyalty program, but it is nothing like the Princess program where you get continuing increases in valuable benefits. (even if your coffee cards did turn into a coffee program!)

 

My big objection to DCL, other than literally hundreds of unsupervised children running around, is the crazy price increases and the limited itineraries. I can remember what I paid for a couple of specific cruises; those prices have increased 3-4 fold now, and that is based on "day 1" pricing, which is as good as it gets. I can decrease the kids with careful cruise selection, but I can't do anything about the prices. It will be interesting to see what happens when the three new ships come out, but since they have another Port Canaveral terminal in process, I don't see a lot of hope. Yes, it will be shared with NCL, but that still implies that they at least one of the new ships will not be doing anything new and adventurous. On the kid note, Princess does have fewer kids, but they also have many more kids with parents clearly in evidence. You don't see nearly as many unsupervised tweens and teens, and I've done 4 summer cruises on Princess![/quote']

 

 

I agree. Around 4 years ago, I was able to get a 4 day for under 2000, for 4 people. Today, you would be lucky to get it under $3000

[A&Jfamily]

Personally, I will not consider a Disney cruise until I have young grandkids and am retired and looking for a multi-generational family vacation. Our boys are 14 and 20 and we can take extra vacations by not throwing our money at the name brand. Don't get me wrong - we like Disney and have done it multiple times with the boys - it's just not "worth it" price wise for the cruise.

 

We like Princess because it lives up to it's marketing tag phrase - relax, come back new. We don't need or miss any "wow" factor and have taken 2 great cruises to Alaska and Southern Caribbean with them. For us, we get our "wow" from relaxing on our balcony, enjoying family dinners with good food we didn't have to prepare, and from the destinations we visit. We are happy to watch MUTS, listen to music or have an adult beverage.

 

It's all about what is important to you...

[PoohUnderstands]

Personally, I will not consider a Disney cruise until I have young grandkids and am retired and looking for a multi-generational family vacation. Our boys are 14 and 20 and we can take extra vacations by not throwing our money at the name brand. Don't get me wrong - we like Disney and have done it multiple times with the boys - it's just not "worth it" price wise for the cruise.

 

We like Princess because it lives up to it's marketing tag phrase - relax, come back new. We don't need or miss any "wow" factor and have taken 2 great cruises to Alaska and Southern Caribbean with them. For us, we get our "wow" from relaxing on our balcony, enjoying family dinners with good food we didn't have to prepare, and from the destinations we visit. We are happy to watch MUTS, listen to music or have an adult beverage.

 

It's all about what is important to you...

 

Agree with your thoughts entirely! That is why we are taking our first and only DCL cruise May, 2019, with my DH, my daughter and her husband and two grandboys, 8 & 3. Hope it really lives up to the hype because the pricing is different I will say that!!

 

Pooh

[JupiterTwo]

My last cruise was on the Island Princess on July 4 from Whittier Alaska (my first Princess cruise). We loved it, as we paired a 4-day land package before the cruise.

 

We sailed on the Disney Wonder in 2015 from Galveston, and we just booked the Wonder again for the day after Thanksgiving, again from Galveston.

 

Disney has been running the Wonder out of Galveston from late November through early January at about half the price they normally charge. My wife and I have a verandah balcony stateroom for a 7-night Caribbean cruise to Key West, Nassau, and Castaway Key for about $4,000.

 

I'm not sure for how much longer Disney will continue to do this.

 

Steve