Differences - PCL & DCL

[sunshineminnie]

Hi everyone!

 

We have finally booked a November cruise on the Grand and are so psyched! I will be traveling with my best friend from high school and we are excited about diving, relaxing, checking out the spa and eating!

 

My one and only cruise has been on Disney with my family. We had a wonderful time.

 

I know that the ships and cruise experience will be very different. I would just kind of like to be prepared for the major differences so that I'm not doing one of those "that's not like Disney". Because I will drive both myself and my friend nuts!:D

 

So, can anyone give me the heads up?

 

Also, do they have something like the Navigators that tell you what the activities are? If so, is there a place I can check them out?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Delta0413]

DW and I love DCL and PCL, but for different reasons. We have sailed on Disney 3 times with our kids (DD17 & DD12) and Princess 6 times without them (we are booked for our 7th Princess cruise on the May 6th sailing on the Caribbean Princess.) Whenever we talk about our cruising addiction and are asked about our favorite cruise line, our answer is always the same. Disney is our favorite with the kids and Princess is our favorite when it's just the two of us.

 

As for the differences, IMHO the kids activities on Disney are second to none. Even my 17 year old daughter loves it and as those who have teenagers can attest to, teenagers usually don't admit to liking anything the parents want them to ;-). Disney tries hard to make it fun for the adults too, but I have found that it is more of an effort to get the adults to participate in the adults only areas. We always do, but most everyone else seem so subdued.

 

We find that we are MUCH more relaxed on Princess. I know that this is probably due to the fact that we aren't worrying about the kids.

 

As for the differences:

 

Casino on Princess, not on Disney.

The shows on Princess are geared towards adults.

The kids programs on Disney are simply the best

On Princess there are fewer kids running up and down the hallways making noise

The service is ever so slightly better on Disney... we have had great service on both. We were on the Magic in October 06 and had the best waiter we have ever had on any of our 15+ cruises.

The food is about the same

 

I know my comments have been pretty general. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have since we have been on the Grand and both Disney ships.

 

BTW... our first 7 night cruise was in February 2002 on the Grand. We were absolutely hooked from the first day.

 

The Princess version of the Navigator is called the Princess Patter and it is delivered to your stateroom in the evening for the next day just like on Disney.

 

Let me know if you'd like more info.

 

Enjoy!!!

Lou

[Julia’s Journey’s]

DW and I love DCL and PCL, but for different reasons. We have sailed on Disney 3 times with our kids (DD17 & DD12) and Princess 6 times without them (we are booked for our 7th Princess cruise on the May 6th sailing on the Caribbean Princess.) Whenever we talk about our cruising addiction and are asked about our favorite cruise line, our answer is always the same. Disney is our favorite with the kids and Princess is our favorite when it's just the two of us.

 

As for the differences, IMHO the kids activities on Disney are second to none. Even my 17 year old daughter loves it and as those who have teenagers can attest to, teenagers usually don't admit to liking anything the parents want them to ;-). Disney tries hard to make it fun for the adults too, but I have found that it is more of an effort to get the adults to participate in the adults only areas. We always do, but most everyone else seem so subdued.

 

We find that we are MUCH more relaxed on Princess. I know that this is probably due to the fact that we aren't worrying about the kids.

 

As for the differences:

 

Casino on Princess, not on Disney.

The shows on Princess are geared towards adults.

The kids programs on Disney are simply the best

On Princess there are fewer kids running up and down the hallways making noise

The service is ever so slightly better on Disney... we have had great service on both. We were on the Magic in October 06 and had the best waiter we have ever had on any of our 15+ cruises.

The food is about the same

 

I know my comments have been pretty general. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have since we have been on the Grand and both Disney ships.

 

BTW... our first 7 night cruise was in February 2002 on the Grand. We were absolutely hooked from the first day.

 

The Princess version of the Navigator is called the Princess Patter and it is delivered to your stateroom in the evening for the next day just like on Disney.

 

Let me know if you'd like more info.

 

Enjoy!!!

Lou

 

I agree with everything you have said, DCL and PCL are our 2 favorites of the 3 we have sailed with, we love the fresh water pools on both lines.

Service and food on both we find very comparable with DCL having the slight edge and Palo's our favorite on both land or sea.

Please let us know if you have any specific questions but I think you will be happy with Princess when comparing to DCL.

[sunshineminnie]

A big, sigh of relief! Thanks for answering!

 

Is there a place that some of the old Princess Patter's are posted so that I could check them out?

 

When you say the programs are more geared towards adults, what did you mean? More Vegas night club as opposed to Broadway type show?

 

I loved the rotational dining on DCL. Which would be better the Anytime or Traditional dining.

 

Are there adult only areas (pools and such) or are there just not enough kiddos to bother?

 

We have a balcony. Are the rooms a lot smaller? Are the balconies comparable?

 

Thanks again!

[Delta0413]

A big, sigh of relief! Thanks for answering!

 

Is there a place that some of the old Princess Patter's are posted so that I could check them out?

 

When you say the programs are more geared towards adults, what did you mean? More Vegas night club as opposed to Broadway type show?

 

I loved the rotational dining on DCL. Which would be better the Anytime or Traditional dining.

 

Are there adult only areas (pools and such) or are there just not enough kiddos to bother?

 

We have a balcony. Are the rooms a lot smaller? Are the balconies comparable?

 

Thanks again!

 

The shows are more Broadway in nature, whereas on Disney they are kid themed. The comedians and other performers on Princess who use humor in their shows gear their material for adults, but I have never been offended (then again, I am not easily offended).

 

We too love the rotational dining on Disney and unfortunately there is nothing else like it on any cruise line that I am aware of. We have done both traditional and anytime dining. While everyone's preference is very subjective, we lean towards traditional dining and here's why. First, even when we did anytime dining, we always eat at the same time. Traditional seating guarantees that we can do so without a wait. Also, we are very sociable people and like the opportunity to meet and get to know other people. We have met many wonderful people on our cruises and are still friends with 2 couples that we have met while dining. The downside to this is the off chance that you end up with obnoxious table partners, but there's a solution for that too. We also like getting to know our servers. It's so nice having them know your likes and dislikes.

 

There is an adults only pool at the front of the Sun Deck however we have never felt that there were so many kids on board that we needed it. Then again, we have never sailed on Princess when kids were on a school break.

 

We have had private balcony rooms on the Grand on the Aloha deck and the Baja deck on one of its sister ships. The balconies on the Grand class ships are about the same as those on Disney. The cabins however are a little smaller. This is another area that Disney gets the nod. The Disney cabins are a little bigger than the standard balcony cabins on Princess. The bathroom is the other area that Disney has a MAJOR advantage. Whoever came up with the bath-and-a-half concept at Disney deserves a major promotion. All that said, the cabins on the Grand are certainly acceptable and we never felt claustrophobic (sp?).

 

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask as many questions as you wish.

 

Lou

[howard6933]

If you want to look at some of the old Princess Patters, log on to

http://www.cruiseclues.com and click on "Daily Programs". You can look at the programs from many ships and get on idea of the daily activities. ;)

[Host CJSKIDS]

My teenagers have been on 5 Disney cruises and are about to go on their 3rd Princess cruise, they actually prefer cruising on Princess at this point and think that the teen clubs are much better. They did a Princess cruise in March 06 and a Disney cruise in July 06 so they were able to compare them once again and still vote for Princess.

 

The balcony cabin on Princess will be a bit smaller and there won't be a sofa in it like on Disney. I found the balconies to be muchm much bigger on Princess, but then again I've always stayed on either the Caribe deck or Dolphin deck. We always stayed on deck 5 on the Disney ships and our balconies were tiny.

 

I prefer the anytime dining on Princess over the set dining on Disney. The food is about the same but Palo's and the buffet breakfast just can't be beat.

[boxerrescuemom]

A big, sigh of relief! Thanks for answering!

 

Is there a place that some of the old Princess Patter's are posted so that I could check them out?

 

When you say the programs are more geared towards adults, what did you mean? More Vegas night club as opposed to Broadway type show?

 

I loved the rotational dining on DCL. Which would be better the Anytime or Traditional dining.

 

Are there adult only areas (pools and such) or are there just not enough kiddos to bother?

 

We have a balcony. Are the rooms a lot smaller? Are the balconies comparable?

 

Thanks again!

 

 

I have never cruised Disney. I love Princess. Here is a website where you can check out the Princess Patters. They are listed by ships. There are also menus, pictures of rooms, a whole lot of helpful information.

 

http://cruiseclues.com/activities.htm

 

I hope it helps.

 

What I love about Princess is that there are not a lot of children. When we cruise with our kids we cruise Carnival. Their choice. They are late teens and early 20s. When it is just us we do Princess.

 

I know you will enjoy whatever cruise line you choose.

Barbara

[KKB]

So much so that we would never pay the 30% more to do DCL w/o the kids.

 

Our observations:

DCL has nicer nightclub/sports bar facilities, but no one is there. :( Those places on Princess were much busier--therefore, more fun.

 

FOOD: Buffet: DCL slight edge

Burgers/pizza by pool: it's a wash

Dining room: Princess wins

Specialty dining: haven't tried Princess yet, but PALO on DCL is the best 3 meals I have EVER had in my life!

 

Beds: DCL wins by a landslide

 

All other amenities we found to nealry identical.

[Tak8]

I love both lines. I would travel Disney more, but the price difference is too much especially with my son being a teenager now. Food: Princess has a few more choices on their dinner menu than Disney. Disney has the best specialty buffets and Palo's is the best restaurant I have ever eaten ate on a cruise ship. Sabatini's on Princess is a wonderful experience.

Recreation: Princess has more pools and seem larger to me. It may just be less kids on board. Princess has mini-golf and paddle tennis available.

Shows: Both put on good productions, although Disney's shows are more family oriented.

Cabins: I like the split bathroom on Disney. Unless you are going for a suite, you won't get that on Princess.

Enjoy your Princess cruise.

[KKB]

I actually did NOT like the split bath...I would have MUCH preferred having all that space as one bathroom. They are tiny enough without adding an extra sink & splitting things in 2! Now, if I had teenagers, I might feel different...

 

I forgot the obvious difference...DCL, FULL of kids. Princess, not so many.

For that reason, obviously we prefer Princess as a couple and DCL for the family! (I agree w/ above poster regarding crowds & pools)

[sunshineminnie]

Hi there. Just thought of a couple of more questions.

 

Do they leave towel animals?

 

How does Princess Cays compare to Disney's?

 

Although we loved rotational dining (I realize this is not an option), I'm not sure which dining option to choose. My buddy has never cruised before so she thought that she would like to experience the traditional. We have the late. After reading many reviews, it sounds like people really like the anytime. We will probably hit a few shows. Would we miss them if we have late traditional. We will go on a few shore excursions (diving). I can't imagine feeling rushed for the late dining.

 

Any opinions are welcome!

[Casshew]

You won't find any mice on the Grand Princess :D

[sunshineminnie]

You won't find any mice on the Grand Princess :D

 

LOL! Cute!

[KKB]

Hi there. Just thought of a couple of more questions.

 

Do they leave towel animals?

 

How does Princess Cays compare to Disney's?

 

Although we loved rotational dining (I realize this is not an option), I'm not sure which dining option to choose. My buddy has never cruised before so she thought that she would like to experience the traditional. We have the late. After reading many reviews, it sounds like people really like the anytime. We will probably hit a few shows. Would we miss them if we have late traditional. We will go on a few shore excursions (diving). I can't imagine feeling rushed for the late dining.

 

Any opinions are welcome!

 

Honestly I don't remember towel animals on Princess, but not sure.

 

We missed PC...have heard it is fairly comparable.

 

We had late traditional dining on Princess and LOVED it...got to know our wonderful servers & tablemates. They do 2 shows...one early and one late. BUT sometimes you have to skip dessert to catch that late show! If there is a show you want to be sure not to miss, let your servers know!

 

I think you will find a mixed review for anytime dining...some LOVE it, others not so much...guess we will know after this cruise which we like better!

[sunshineminnie]

No towel animals??? Awww. Say it isn't so!:eek:

[bovs]

No towel animals??? Awww. Say it isn't so!:eek:

 

Depends on whether you have small kids in your cabin or not.......

[sunshineminnie]

Depends on whether you have small kids in your cabin or not.......

 

Really??? I still love em! Who wouldn't love em?

 

Have fun on your cruise. It's almost here1:D