Is DCL really WORTH the additional costs??

[stsomewhere]

Heck by 10am we are done with our first excursion and heading back for a snack. ;)

 

My kids are early risers, even on vacation.

 

My husband and kids would rather party all night. I prefer to get up early. They will get up if we have an excursion. DS went to a party on Carnival and they brought him back to the cabin at 330am. He had a blast.

[rebeccalouise]

Are you talking about a 7 or 9 year old staying up until 3:30AM? What party did they have on Carnival that ran that late?

 

Who bought your son back?

 

Am I misreading this?

[crusinmama06]

Are you talking about a 7 or 9 year old staying up until 3:30AM? What party did they have on Carnival that ran that late?

 

Who bought your son back?

 

Am I misreading this?

 

No you aren't misreading it. On some Carnival ships there is an "all night party". It lasts till 3:30am. It's $25. And they bring the child back to the cabin.

 

And no, we've never tried it...lol.

[stsomewhere]

Are you talking about a 7 or 9 year old staying up until 3:30AM? What party did they have on Carnival that ran that late?

 

Who bought your son back?

 

Am I misreading this?

 

No, one nigth 9-11 group had party until 3:30 in the morning. The youth staff brought them to your cabin, the who shout in the room to tell you they were back. My son loved it. They went to arcade(no extra cost) made pizzas, games. This is different than the babysitting

 

7 yr went until 1. She did not want to go.

[momof3cruisers]

I also love WDW. DD who is 11 has been there 9 times if that gives you an idea. Not as much as many, but we are pretty dedicated. We have gone on one DCL cruise and many others on other lines. We did not feel the price difference with Disney was even close to worth it. The service in the dining room was NOT impressive. At all. The cabin steward was okay but not nearly as fun as some we have had. The food was boring in our opinions.

 

As for the kids club, if your child does not like characters, they are NOT a good fit. Even if you have every intention of picking your child up before characters arrive, you might not be able to do it. They TELL the kids "Right after lunch,Captain Hook is coming" etc. Not good.

[Texas_firefighter]

They DO NOT charge you to take photos with the characters. Just FYI.

 

 

 

 

Hi Mary,I was reading along and saw your post. Just wondering if you are still with us on the Hawaii cruise ? If so, stop in again soon. :D

[Ellanora]

I've only sailed Carnival and Disney, and Disney was only once, a 3 night on Wonder a couple months ago. I want to sail both lines many more times.

 

Carnival is an amazing value, especially if you can go during the off season. Our Triumph cruise was $399 pp, for 7 nights inside stateroom on Deck 8. That was an incredible deal, and direct through Carnival.

 

On the other hand, while I paid just under the same for a 3 night on Disney, there were some compensations. No need to buy a soda card. No need to pay for after 10 PM kid activities. Complimentary pool and beach towels, as many as you wanted, no need to worry about losing your one and only beach towel and paying over $20 bucks for it. A much more extensive and adults only pool area than Carnival. Walking right off the ship to disembark, no need to wait on numbers or colors to be called. No need to tender to the private island, just walk off the ship when you're ready. No temptation to lose money in the casino (seriously, I think most people budget extra money to spend for the casino.) And so far, no fuel surcharge added to the price tag.

 

There were some things I liked better on Carnival. The pizza. The desserts. Free cappuchino after dinner. My son says the waterslide on Carnival is better. The outside grill (hamburgers, etc) is slightly better.

 

Anyway, I'm glad to see the OP will give Disney a try. Every cruiseline is not going to appeal to everyone, or be worth the money to every family, but you really have to try them to know for sure. One of these days, I'll get around to trying the Freedom class on RCCL. :)

[NewtoCruisewKids]

Yes.

 

RCCL is also nice but, it's not Disney.

 

My children will never set foot on a Carnival ship as long as I am paying for the cruise.

 

My $.02 Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide.

 

Why won't you let your kids sail on Carnival? You have two other cruises booked on Carnival. Are there horror stories for Carnival for kids?

[crusinmama06]

Why won't you let your kids sail on Carnival? You have two other cruises booked on Carnival. Are there horror stories for Carnival for kids?

 

Yeah I saw that too and have NO idea why she would be anti-Carnival for her kids but has two upcoming cruises booked with them.

 

I can tell you that as far as kids program, Carnival is top notch. I'm not a huge fan of their ships. But my kids LOVED camp carnival. I have no complaints about their staff there. They got the kids so excited about the camp events. They really truly liked the kids. :D

[LHP]

Why won't you let your kids sail on Carnival? You have two other cruises booked on Carnival. Are there horror stories for Carnival for kids?

 

I left you an answer to your post on the Carnival page. Hope the info helps!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=735497

[LHP]

Yeah I saw that too and have NO idea why she would be anti-Carnival for her kids but has two upcoming cruises booked with them.

 

I can tell you that as far as kids program, Carnival is top notch. I'm not a huge fan of their ships. But my kids LOVED camp carnival. I have no complaints about their staff there. They got the kids so excited about the camp events. They really truly liked the kids. :D

 

Perhaps she had a bad experience. As with anything in life, it can happen.

Thankfully with Carnival it is the exception and not the rule.

 

Our 16 year old son has Autism and is headed out on his 22nd Carnival Cruise in May. They have been wonderful with him since he was 5 years old!

(and I have a PHD in being overprotective!)

[flagger]

No I don't think Disney is worth the money. Disney cost me a little more on an older smaller ship than my cruise on the six month old Freedom of the Seas.

 

Here is a link to my review:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=35798

 

For the first time in five cruises, I did not book another cruise while on board. That should be indicative of my feeling about a Disney ship. I now have a total BTDT experience and see no reason to sail them again.