Anyone else only sailed Disney, considered another cruise line

[Masonmj84]

to save money (or maybe for a better/different itinerary) but ultimitaly always stuck with Disney for fear of being let down?

And if you were like this but, at some point, took the plunge with another cruise line, what was your experience?

Here are some things we really like about Disney (that make us fearful of trying another line):

1. General cleanliness, upkeep, and theming of the ships
2. The family friendly atmosphere
3. Lack of a casino on board. Obviously, on other lines, we could simily choose to avoid this area but it's my understanding that most cruise lines put their casinos in pretty commonly traversed areas on their ships. In addition, we associate casinos with cigarette smoke, which we prefer to avoid as much as possible (and I've never smelled cigarette smoke in an indoor area on a Disney ship whereas I've been told that you can almost always smell it near casinos on other ships).
4. The service level and friendliness of the cast members. While it's my understanding that the service level across the cruise industry in general is quite a bit above average for the hospitality industry as a whole, I've also heard people say the service level and friendlness of Disney cruise cast members just goes a bit above and beyond most other cruise lines.
5. Consistency of the food. While I've heard that other cruise lines sometimes have better/more expensive food offerings (particularly during dinner service), I've also heard that the food consistency and overall quality control isn't generally as good as Disney's (unless you sail with a really premium line that's known for its food).
6. Stateroom size and layout. I've heard that the standard staterooms on other lines don't tend to be quite as large, nice, or as well designed as Disney's (granted, for the price difference, you could probably book a large concierge room on many lines for less than the price of a standard stateroom on Disney).
7. Castaway Cay. While most of the big lines have their own private islands, just about everyone seems to agree that Castaway Cay is the best.
8. We've had several people tell us that they've tried other lines but now only sail with Disney because it's so much better and, in their opinion, worth the price premium.

I'd be interested to hear others opinions on the accuracy of these generalizations.

 

[CarolynU]

Only ever sailed Disney and have been quite happy to do so. Then one eve a few weeks back I had a friend over for the eve. We ended up discussing the idea of going on a trip together this September. She only wanted to do Europe and we have both already been to a lot of places except for The Greek Isles.
So, unexpectedly we agreed to book a Greek Islands Cruise right on the spur of the moment.
Disney wasn’t an option for that cruise, so we are cruising with Princess . No idea what I’ll feel. Pros and cons I guess, but I’m keeping an open mind. I’ll report back once I’ve been.

 

[starvenger]

1. DCL does a really good job of ship upkeep. I haven't been on the older-skewing lines like Crystal or Cunard, but I'd imagine that they do a similar job. Royal's Oasis class does a pretty good job overall, not as good as DCL but it's not a huge gap.
2. It's doubtful that you'll find a cruise line that skews towards kids like DCL does. Royal does do a good job trying to be family friendly, and I've been wanting to try Princess again because they seem to have stepped up their family friendly game.
3. I'm not sure there are many other cruise lines that do away with casinos. With that said, Royal has does a decent job of keeping their casino out of the way on Oasis and Quantum class ships, as I don't believe there is any real need to go through them if you don't want to.
4. I've never had issues with service across Royal, Disney and Princess, I do think most staff members do their best, and on a ship getting a lemon of a staff member is the exception, not the rule.
5. Food is subjective. My least favourite meals on a cruise ship was on DCL. Others will have had their very best meals on DCL. You won't know for sure until you try.
6. Stateroom size on DCL is a bit bigger, but to be honest I don't stay in a stateroom enough for it to make an appreciable difference. Split bathrooms are cool though.
7. I'm going to Coco Cay next year, so curious to see what I get. Should be interesting. Labadee is fine for what it is. I think Castaway is very nice though.
8. Like 5, this is a subjective thing that only you can answer for yourself. For me, I did one cruise on Princess, did a couple Royal cruises, DCL then back to Royal. And hopefully Princess again in the near future. I'll never say never, but DCL is not really for me. I've no regrets about trying, because now I know.

 

[Marc D]

Last November, we were in California for a conference and used the opportunity to sail on Norwegian Bliss, in a Haven room with spa access.

Here are some points we noticed after having sailed on DCL 11 times, half of those in Concierge

- Embarkation in LA was a total mess. No signs, no employees to point you where to go, very few porters to grab the bags, people getting in the wrong lines that snaked around the buildings, piles of luggage left unattended. We sailed from PC, Galveston, Dover and Copenhagen on DCL and all the terminals were setup pretty much the same way and made everything pretty seamless.
- Concierge check-in was better than on DCL, where you get the same service as everyone else but in a separate zone. On NCL, a butler escorts you from the security checkpoint to a specific checkin zone with food and drinks and onboard the ship, sending you directly to the Haven.
- Bliss was beautiful and clean, but she was only a few months old at that point so it’s not a great indicator of the company’s standards.
- The atmosphere was definitely not kid-friendly. A quarter of the guests came from two singles travel agencies, and they were there to party and take full advantage of the drink package. I never thought I would see furries walking around a cruiseship, or naughty nurses costumes for the Halloween night.
- The casino and especially the never-ending ‘special deals’ on tobacco, gold chains, watches, alcohol and NCL-branded items take a lot of the premium space on the central decks. We actively chose to avoid them.
- The service in the Haven and in the room was very good but nothing exceptional, except for the bartender in the Haven lounge. You get much more personalized and efficient service in DCL Concierge. We asked the Haven host for restaurant reservations and more often than not, did not get feedback. In the specialty restaurants, including the really high end ones, and in the Haven restaurant, the service was slower and much less effective than in the DCL MDRs, and it was never close to what you get at Palo at a fraction of the price.
- The food was uninspired in all the restaurants except a few specialty ones and the Haven. We love cruise buffets, including Cabanas, and chose, after a few tries, to only eat at the Haven for breakfast and lunch. We also felt the portions were way too large.
- I can’t compare regular rooms, since we had a suite, but the amenities and room setup were excellent, much more modern than on DCL.
- It was a Mexico cruise, so the experience in the ports was the same as what you get with any cruise line.
- The onboard activities were much better than what you get on DCL. The trivias had visual supports, we did an escape room, a talk with the officers and did a backstage tour including the galley, costuming, the recycling room, the laundry room, etc (for a fee). We didn’t feel the cruise activities staff was any better than on DCL, but what was prepared for them was much more elaborate and interesting.

For us, the big letdown was the food. We really enjoy Cabana’s, the MDR’s and Palo. We will sail with Celebrity this summer and are hoping the food will be as good as we remember, having sailed with them multiple times in the past. For us, NCL is one-and-done, even in a Haven setting.

 

[johnnyblz20]

I tried to sail Royal but our cruise with Oasis of the Seas just got cancelled because a crane fell on it so we just went back to trusty Disney and leave this Saturday on the Fantasy!

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

We love DCL but also sail with others based on itinerary/ price.

1. General cleanliness, upkeep, and theming of the ships
Every ship we've sailed on has been just as clean as any on DCL, so this isn't a factor we consider.

2. The family friendly atmosphere
Every ship we've sailed on has been family friendly. The kid's programming on DCL is superior BUT it's been great on other ships as well (Norwegian is the one standout in terms of needing some work but I think that had more to do with the broader age groups they put kids into for our sailing).

3. Lack of a casino on board. Obviously, on other lines, we could simily choose to avoid this area but it's my understanding that most cruise lines put their casinos in pretty commonly traversed areas on their ships. In addition, we associate casinos with cigarette smoke, which we prefer to avoid as much as possible (and I've never smelled cigarette smoke in an indoor area on a Disney ship whereas I've been told that you can almost always smell it near casinos on other ships).
We haven't been on a ship where we've had to go anywhere near the casino to get where we wanted to go, nor close enough to one to notice cigarette smell.

4. The service level and friendliness of the cast members. While it's my understanding that the service level across the cruise industry in general is quite a bit above average for the hospitality industry as a whole, I've also heard people say the service level and friendlness of Disney cruise cast members just goes a bit above and beyond most other cruise lines.
This is what we expected but it hasn't been the case for us. Our room concierge doted on us on NCL far more than anyone on DCL ever has.

5. Consistency of the food. While I've heard that other cruise lines sometimes have better/more expensive food offerings (particularly during dinner service), I've also heard that the food consistency and overall quality control isn't generally as good as Disney's (unless you sail with a really premium line that's known for its food).
We've had consistently good, quality food on other cruise lines. I don't think the food is the all-star of any cruise line. Some of that is simply because they have to load it all on the ship, make use of as much of it as possible, and it's prepared in mess-hall fashion because they have to feed a lot of people all at the same time.

6. Stateroom size and layout. I've heard that the standard staterooms on other lines don't tend to be quite as large, nice, or as well designed as Disney's (granted, for the price difference, you could probably book a large concierge room on many lines for less than the price of a standard stateroom on Disney).
I have been able to book 2 rooms on another cruise line for less than 1 room on DCL before, so that takes care of the room layout for us. The split bathroom on DCL is nice, but so is having 2 bathrooms and more $$ in my pocket on other cruise lines.

7. Castaway Cay. While most of the big lines have their own private islands, just about everyone seems to agree that Castaway Cay is the best.
Castaway Cay is great. So are Half Moon Cay and Stirrup Cay.

8. We've had several people tell us that they've tried other lines but now only sail with Disney because it's so much better and, in their opinion, worth the price premium.
I used to be convinced of that. We've since sailed with NCL and Carnival and they've been great. It's no longer worth the premium to us to sail DCL when we are able to sail more often, or have 2 rooms (or a better room category) on another line. We still sail with DCL but the decision isn't based on family atmosphere, food, cleanliness, private island, room layout, or friendliness/ helpfulness of staff.

 

[cedricandsophie]

We’ve only sailed Disney with kids but have done silver sea and crystal on our own. They both have fantastic itineraries but nonexistent kids programs. The casinos are out of way but active, The food is excellent, the liquor is included, the shows are professional and fun, and there are multiple activities. Obviously the age skews older but active. It’s a great way to see new parts of the world. But when we bring our disabled adult daughter and her best friend there is nothing better than Disney. We are doing an AmawaterwAys tour/cruise next spring in Africa but as adults only. We try to do one adults only trip every other year.

 

[Amunet]

You will never know til you try

I started on another line, came to DCL and never looked back. To me, Disney is about the ship, not so much the destination. If you really want to go to certain places/itineraries, then ship won't matter too much since the ship is just a way to get there.
Casinos are the #1 reason why I don't do any other line. But, we've also found that the ship is our destination, much like WDW is on land

 

[squirk]

We’ve flirted with the idea of trying another line, and we may still do so in the future. However, after six cruises, DCL has become a childhood “thing” for our kids.

So, for now, we’re in no frame of mind to try switching gears on them.

 

[tidefan]

1. General cleanliness, upkeep, and theming of the ships

In addition to DCL, we've been on Princess, Royal, and Carnival. Princess is the closest to the "elegance" (not sure if that is the right term) of the DCL ships. Serenade of the Seas was not bad, and, quite honestly, neither was the Carnival Sunshine. Like some others have said, there can be a lot of variability even within a line. I much prefer the Royal class ships on Princess (Royal, Regal, and upcoming Sky) to the older Grand class ships. I haven't done one of the older Carnival ships, but I have seen enough to know that I wouldn't want to go on one that isn’t either the Dream class (Dream, Breeze, Magic) or newer or one of the refits (Sunshine, Sunrise). We were on the Serenade of the Seas, which I imagine does not compare to the Oasis/Quantum classes.

2. The family friendly atmosphere

All of the other cruise lines I've been on have all been family friendly, though a bit different. Carnival and Royal have a lot of "active" things (Ropes Courses, Rock Walls, Ice Rinks, Waterslides, etc.). Princess was a bit more subdued, but their new ships (and the old ones are being refitted) have a partnership with Discovery Channel which does a lot of cool stuff... My DD (15) loved Regal Princess...

3. Lack of a casino on board. Obviously, on other lines, we could simply choose to avoid this area but it's my understanding that most cruise lines put their casinos in pretty commonly traversed areas on their ships. In addition, we associate casinos with cigarette smoke, which we prefer to avoid as much as possible (and I've never smelled cigarette smoke in an indoor area on a Disney ship whereas I've been told that you can almost always smell it near casinos on other ships).

OK, I'll agree with this about Carnival and Royal. In fact, one of our complaints about Serenade was that the Casino was off of the "Centrum" and it didn't circulate the smoke well. Our cabin was right off of here and we would get a whiff of it every now and then. On Princess, well, at least on the Regal, this was my favorite thing:


4. The service level and friendliness of the cast members. While it's my understanding that the service level across the cruise industry in general is quite a bit above average for the hospitality industry as a whole, I've also heard people say the service level and friendlness of Disney cruise cast members just goes a bit above and beyond most other cruise lines.

I find that all lines have great crewmembers. I will say that our favorite all-time (Mirka, our wonderful server!) is on DCL, but for the most part, they are all good!

5. Consistency of the food. While I've heard that other cruise lines sometimes have better/more expensive food offerings (particularly during dinner service), I've also heard that the food consistency and overall quality control isn't generally as good as Disney's (unless you sail with a really premium line that's known for its food).

Food, I would say, is similar. DCL food is pretty good, I will say, but others are good. RCCL food was fine. Carnival has great "comfort" food. If you want burgers/tacos, etc, they were awesome! Regal Princess, I would say, was a step up in food, especially in the buffet and the included alternative pizza/calzone place (Alfredo's - they also had really good pizza by the pool, but Alfredo's was really, really good...).

6. Stateroom size and layout. I've heard that the standard staterooms on other lines don't tend to be quite as large, nice, or as well designed as Disney's (granted, for the price difference, you could probably book a large concierge room on many lines for less than the price of a standard stateroom on Disney).

True. Standard staterooms on DCL are a bit larger and better laid out. That being said, you could get a nicer room (Jr. Suite on RCCL or Mini-suite on Princess) for less than what you pay for a regular room on DCL.

7. Castaway Cay. While most of the big lines have their own private islands, just about everyone seems to agree that Castaway Cay is the best.

Castaway Cay is much better than Princess Cays. There is no comparison. Have not been to others...

8. We've had several people tell us that they've tried other lines but now only sail with Disney because it's so much better and, in their opinion, worth the price premium.

We love DCL and can understand some of the premium. However, it is (well, it has been for awhile) getting price prohibitive. The other lines will be less, though it seems as though Royal has increased prices a good bit this year on the Oasis class.

 

[Pens Fan]

We have only sailed recently on DCL and NCL so I will limit my comparisons to that.

1. Disney goes above and beyond on the cleanliness scale. We've been on two NCL ships - one (the Sun) was totally fine from a cleanliness aspect, but Disney was a step above. But for the price difference it wouldn't sway me one way or another. Then we sailed on the NCL Gem last October and that ship pretty much blew us away from a cleanliness standpoint. It was equal (and dare I say, superior ???) to Disney.

2. For a family friendly atmosphere, you are not going to be beat Disney, IMHO. That is where they excel.

3. NCL does have a casino. We don't gamble, and we hate cigarette smoke. We have never found it difficult to avoid either . At all. Maybe it's the particular ships we've been on (the Sun and the Gem). But it has been a total non issue.

4. We have found the service on NCL to be equal to DCL. And dare I say, in some ways better (for us anyway). Everyone is different and they are looking for different things. We have found NCL to have fabulous service, but more understated - which we prefer. We aren't looking to become friends with our servers. We don't need magic tricks at dinner. And seriously, please don't cut up my meat for me!!! I am an adult. I think it just depends on what you want and expect. Disney service is (for me, anyway) kind of "in your face - over the top". A lot of people love that. I don't. It makes me uncomfortable at times. Just be efficient and kind and bring my food in a timely manner and I'm good. NCL does that. I'd rank this category equal as it depends on what you are looking for.

5. You are correct that no cruise line is going to give you 5 star food. They are serving several thousand people at once and it's just not possible. That being said, we prefer NCL food to DCL. I feel DCL aims to please their target audience which is families with small kids. There is nothing inherently wrong with that type of food, but it's not too exciting either. We prefer NCL's more adult oriented food. Others will disagree. Food is subjective. To each their own. At the end of the day, you aren't going to starve on any cruise line!!

6. Well, you pretty much nailed my commentary on staterooms with your question. Yes, Disney has fabulous staterooms and if you compare category to category they are going to win. But if you compare $$ to $$, then that won't always be the case. We have always sailed in a regular balcony on DCL, but sail in suites on NCL - which rock!!! I will say this though. NCL suite prices have gone through the roof lately - at least during popular times. So the old "you can sail in a suite for the price of a balcony on DCL" doesn't necessarily hold true anymore. (which makes me sad)

7. I've never been to any private island other than Castaway Cay, so I can't make a comparison. I will say that while we enjoyed our time on Castaway Cay it didn't blow us away. The food is pretty bad, in our opinion - the worst food we've ever been offered on a cruise vacation. It's a beautiful beach, but at the end of the day it's just a beach. I would never book a cruise just to go to Castaway Cay. But I do recognize that a lot of people feel differently and think it's a magical place. Our family just doesn't get that vibe. To each their own.

8. Well, we tried NCL because they offered an itinerary we wanted that DCL didn't offer. We have since taken a second one and are sailing on our third this fall. Look - we love Disney. We were in WDW last December and just booked our first ABD trip. We are contemplating booking the DCL WBTA in 2020 (though looking at NCL's offerings as well). For us, branching off from DCL was eye opening. We discovered that while we thought we loved DCL, what we actually loved was just cruising. Others crave the character interactions and the in your face service that Disney provides, but we don't. We are all different. Only you can decide what is important to your family.

 

[DnA2010]

1. General cleanliness, upkeep, and theming of the ships

We’ve sailed on Royal, HAL, Princess and Disney- I would say I would put DCL, HAL, and Royal, with Princess slightly below…our Princess stateroom host wasn’t great and the ship could have used a bit of elbow grease, but it was fine. Disney obviously does theming very well. DH and I like meeting characters, Oasis had characters but I believe they have discontinued the Dreamworks relationship.

2. The family friendly atmosphere

We found Royal easily as family friendly as Disney, and DD liked the clubs more and loved the pools more. Princess was just my DH and I so I don’t know how the programming was, and HAL was a bit lacking. DD did find some friends to hang with later on in the cruise, but the clubs themselves were lacking and needed reno. My sister and I had the only 2 babies on the ship.

3. Lack of a casino on board. Obviously, on other lines, we could simply choose to avoid this area but it's my understanding that most cruise lines put their casinos in pretty commonly traversed areas on their ships. In addition, we associate casinos with cigarette smoke, which we prefer to avoid as much as possible (and I've never smelled cigarette smoke in an indoor area on a Disney ship whereas I've been told that you can almost always smell it near casinos on other ships).

Although the ships we were on had casinos, they were easy to avoid, and not memorable enough that I remember them, other than my sister and I going in to the one on HAL one night with a 20 each and coming out with like 150…neither one of us really gamble, we just wanted to play around on the slots a bit. I’ve never noticed any smoke smells or anything and I hate the smell of smoke.

4. The service level and friendliness of the cast members. While it's my understanding that the service level across the cruise industry in general is quite a bit above average for the hospitality industry as a whole, I've also heard people say the service level and friendliness of Disney cruise cast members just goes a bit above and beyond most other cruise lines.

Main dining room wise, our best servers were on Princess and Royal, then HAL and then Disney. I’m sure it was just because our server had a couple of very demanding tables, but we didn’t receive any of the special touches you read about on here ie having drinks on table when arrive, extra desserts etc. Overall though, the service overall was probably the best on Disney, but honestly, not I would say much above the others.

5. Consistency of the food. While I've heard that other cruise lines sometimes have better/more expensive food offerings (particularly during dinner service), I've also heard that the food consistency and overall quality control isn't generally as good as Disney's (unless you sail with a really premium line that's known for its food).
Food is super subjective, but the best food we had was on HAL- everything was a great quality, well made and made from scratch. While we liked the food on Disney, it didn’t really stand out for us, other than Palo (didn’t get a chance to try Remy) I actually got talking to the sous-chef on the HAL ship and he was telling me how he’d been on Disney and how he actually didn’t like it as a lot of the stuff was pre-made/packaged, and no creativity was allowed. I get that though, as Disney had a brand to maintain.

6. Stateroom size and layout. I've heard that the standard staterooms on other lines don't tend to be quite as large, nice, or as well designed as Disney's (granted, for the price difference, you could probably book a large concierge room on many lines for less than the price of a standard stateroom on Disney).

We are more of “a room is a room” sort of people so can’t really comment, other than our interior on HAL was much smaller than an interior we had on Royal. I think I preferred the balcony room on Disney to the one on Royal mainly due to the split bathroom.

7. Castaway Cay. While most of the big lines have their own private islands, just about everyone seems to agree that Castaway Cay is the best.

We’ve been to Labadee and Coco Cay, and loved them too, but I think Castaway is my fav in general, but we had an amazing time at Labadee due to the fantastic over the water cabana we managed to get

8. We've had several people tell us that they've tried other lines but now only sail with Disney because it's so much better and, in their opinion, worth the price premium.

While I don’t want to say we were one and done with Disney, we are right now. We just see so much value in other lines, and would rather get more vacation out of our dollars. We are also from Canada, and the exchange is killer on Disney’s already higher prices. I just can’t bring myself to spend at least double on a cruise, we’d rather do park trips and other cruise lines. We also figured out that we just love cruising.

When my smaller DD is older (currently 2) I hope we can snag another good GT rate again and cruise Disney as there is lots we loved, like characters, shows and Palo.

 

[mevelandry]

to save money (or maybe for a better/different itinerary) but ultimitaly always stuck with Disney for fear of being let down?

And if you were like this but, at some point, took the plunge with another cruise line, what was your experience?

Here are some things we really like about Disney (that make us fearful of trying another line):

1. General cleanliness, upkeep, and theming of the ships
2. The family friendly atmosphere
3. Lack of a casino on board. Obviously, on other lines, we could simily choose to avoid this area but it's my understanding that most cruise lines put their casinos in pretty commonly traversed areas on their ships. In addition, we associate casinos with cigarette smoke, which we prefer to avoid as much as possible (and I've never smelled cigarette smoke in an indoor area on a Disney ship whereas I've been told that you can almost always smell it near casinos on other ships).
4. The service level and friendliness of the cast members. While it's my understanding that the service level across the cruise industry in general is quite a bit above average for the hospitality industry as a whole, I've also heard people say the service level and friendlness of Disney cruise cast members just goes a bit above and beyond most other cruise lines.
5. Consistency of the food. While I've heard that other cruise lines sometimes have better/more expensive food offerings (particularly during dinner service), I've also heard that the food consistency and overall quality control isn't generally as good as Disney's (unless you sail with a really premium line that's known for its food).
6. Stateroom size and layout. I've heard that the standard staterooms on other lines don't tend to be quite as large, nice, or as well designed as Disney's (granted, for the price difference, you could probably book a large concierge room on many lines for less than the price of a standard stateroom on Disney).
7. Castaway Cay. While most of the big lines have their own private islands, just about everyone seems to agree that Castaway Cay is the best.
8. We've had several people tell us that they've tried other lines but now only sail with Disney because it's so much better and, in their opinion, worth the price premium.

I'd be interested to hear others opinions on the accuracy of these generalizations.

After two DCL cruises, we tried Carnival. Now, we alternate between DCL & Carnival ... and soon RCCL & Celebrity as well (if we end up liking them when we try them in 2019 and 2020).

Here is my experience:

1. May vary. I was surprised how the Carnival Vista was well taken care of when I sailed on her in 2017 (like a Disney ship basically) but it's not always the case with older ships (Carnival Sensation was so-so). Maybe they take better care of their new ships, I don't know. Cleanliness of the ships was excellent on most Carnival ships as well. That being said, I pretty much always recommend DCL lovers to sail on recent ships if they choose to branch out because I feel their experience will most likely be more on par with the DCL "feeling of novelty".

2. Tough one (because I don't have kids). I find DCL to be almost exclusively targeting children (they do have nice adults only sections though)... While Carnival was more "fun for everybody". Maybe a little bit more variety re adults activities. That being said, I find them family friendly enough.

3. It depends on the ship. On some ships you can avoid them 100%, on some others you can't. I heard some cruise lines are smoke free or semi-smoke free. I'm hoping all ships will be at least semi-smoke free some day.

4. I disagree. Can't say I have seen a difference between the two cruise lines.

5. I disagree (for the dining room). I've had hit or miss meals on both cruise lines. Specialty dining had similar quality on both lines. Other food counters were much much better on Carnival.

6. Depends on the cruise lines ... and the ships! When it comes to decor: while DCL cabins have excellent decor, I have to admit that I was recently showed cabins from Celebrity, Royal Caribbean ...and most recently Carnival Mardi Gras, that are even more to my taste. But it's just decor, you know. It doesn't make or break my cruises. And so far, I've never had a "bad cabin".

7. Castaway Cay had better food at the Serenity BBQ and self-serve ice cream but other than that, if you ask me which one I prefer between Castaway Cay and Half Moon Cay... I'm going to have a hard time picking one over the other. And I'll try Princess Cays next week. Can't wait. I'll also try CocoCay (with the waterpark) later this year.

8. It's highly possible. Everybody is different. As I was saying on another thread yesterday: my husband and I always cruise together but if you ask for reviews, you'll be under the impression that we did not sail together (and he prefers Carnival over DCL, but for me, it's a tie!)... LOL

All I can say is that I'm happy I have tried another cruise line, not only because it opened my mind to other experiences but also because I got to know myself even better as a cruiser.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

1. It's true - when it comes to upkeep, Disney sets the standard. However, other cruise lines aren't complete trash dumps. If you're sailing on a 3-day cruise to Mexico out of Long Beach or Miami (either coast), it's not going to be a wonderfully upkept ship. However, most ships I've sailed on are clean and well-maintained... just not to Disney Standard. A good way to have an understanding of what you're getting yourself into when looking at a specific ship is to read trip reports and reviews and find Vlogs. Do some research, and you'll know what to expect.

2. With other cruise lines, this really depends on itinerary. For those shorter 3-days I've mentioned above, expect a rowdier "party" crowd. For longer itineraries (over a week) and smaller ships, expect a more mature crowd. I would describe 7-day Eastern/Western Caribbean cruises on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian as "family-friendly."

3. Newer ships across most lines have casinos positioned so that you don't have to walk through them unless you want to. The only time I've noticed an issue with cigarette smoke was on the Norwegian Epic (when it was in Europe - so many more smokers in Europe) when you could smell the rising smoke from the casino on the floor below.

4. Disney has really great service. I've also had really great service on other cruise lines. The first time we sailed Disney, we actually weren't blown away by service - then we went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise and were wowed by service. So experiences differ, and it doesn't depend solely on the cruise line.

5. Everybody has a different opinion on food. A lot of people hate Disney's food. I personally enjoy it. It's nice to be able to eat chicken fingers at almost any time of the day. My last cruise was on Royal Caribbean, and I was very disappointed by the menu and the buffet everyday. I think I've actually enjoyed my food the most on Carnival.

6. No, they aren't as large or as well-designed as Disney's. But, you could potentially book two adjoining balcony staterooms on another cruise line at the cost of one verandah stateroom on Disney. That was the case for us once, so that's why I'm throwing that example out there. It depends on your itinerary and the time of year you sail.

7. It's true. Castaway Cay is the best private island. I don't think the others compare. But, personally I don't want to spend the rest of my life sailing 7-day Caribbean Cruises. I like variety - Panama Canal, Mediterranean, Alaska.... those itineraries are much more accessible on other cruise lines (more ships, so more variety when it comes to itinerary), and those itineraries don't give any cruise line the advantage of having the best private island.

8. I've sailed other cruise lines and will continue to sail other cruise lines. I will also continue to sail Disney. As far as "worth the premium," how much I want to spend on a vacation really varies based on what time of year I'm cruising, where I'm going, and what the occasion is. The answer isn't always Disney, but I'm happy when it is. My upcoming cruise is Disney Wonder Mexican Riviera. I didn't even price out other cruises. I saw a good price on Disney and that's ultimately what even made me consider the vacation.... what's the point of then going and price comparing with Princess (I think they're running a similar 7-day Mexican Riviera itinerary at that time)?

My two cents.....

If you're considering another cruise line because you're interested in their itinerary, you should strongly consider, and probably give it a try. If Disney can't offer you a product that you're interested in, then that's a great reason to try something new. Now, if you just want to sail 7 days in the Caribbean (no shade - I, myself, love a good 7-day Caribbean Cruise and have been on many... that's the itinerary that really feels like "cruising" to me) but are interested in saving money.... hmmmm.... you'd have to ask yourself whether you love cruising and the Caribbean, or if you love Disney Cruising and the Caribbean. And you might not know until you try. But you also don't need to try something new if you don't really want to.

 

[GeneralTso]

I have no interest in another line. If I did try another it would be Royal Caribbean. I'd try their Concierge level.

 

[smmco]

Yes, we started with DCL. We've been very happy with Royal and are trying Carnival next year. At some point we'll try NCL. I'm not the type person to stay loyal to one company. I'm going to do what benefits me. If DCL wants loyalty from me they're going to have to give me more then just an overpriced dinner at Palo.

 

[pixiedustedme]

When my son is grown, I might try a solo or couples cruise on Crystal. As long as my son is with me, we'll cruise DCL, which we both enjoy.

 

[tidefan]

One quick thing to reiterate about other lines:

Unlike DCL, the ship itself will make more of a difference on other lines.

On Royal, An Oasis class ship will be much different than say Rhapsody or Grandeur of the Seas

On Carnval, A Dream/Horizon class ship (or refit) will be much different than say the Fantasy/Sensation/Elation, etc. or even the Triumph/Conquest, etc.

On Princess, The Royal Class will be very different (especially in the buffet) from the Grand Class or Sun Class...

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We are gold CC on DCL, but have sailed other lines when DCL doesn't suit a particular goal for any given cruise. For example, our very first cruise was on the Dream when my DS was 3 1/2. He was on complete sensory overload on the trip and really didn't enjoy it. He would not go into the kids club on his own and, though I felt the ship was beautiful (I'm the biggest Disney fan in the family), it just wasn't worth paying that much for a cruise when DS was completely out of sorts. We switched to NCL for a couple cruises after that. While I definitely preferred the Dream over any of the NCL ships, for the price point, NCL provided what we needed and my DS was a little more comfortable in their kids club as it was smaller. We then switched back to DCL when DS was 6 years old and did 5 more cruises - he loved the kids club at that point, so they were much more enjoyable trips, though DH and I really wanted more "adult" things to do and the DCL adult clubs weren't doing that for us, plus DH wasn't really into the DCL shows. We then also realized, we were a bit tired of the same DCL Caribbean itineraries and, though, we had done B2B European cruises on the Magic, they kind of broke the bank and when DS turned 10, we decided to try a Europe land tour which he did well with. We also wanted to sail through French Polynesia which DCL doesn't offer, so we opted for Paul Gauguin for that trip (amazing and best kids program EVER if your children are into marine biology). We also just sailed on Celebrity for the first time in December and really enjoyed it - it's super low key and the kids club is much smaller than DCL which my DS enjoyed. We are doing a Lindblad Expedition to the Galapagos this summer. All in all, I would say DCL still has the most beautiful ships of the lines we've gone on and the best service (and shows!), but if you want a bigger variety of itineraries, a lower price point and still an enjoyable cruise, there are lines that can accommodate. That being said, if we go back to a "family" line, it will always be DCL. NCL was a little tacky and I have zero interest in the gigantic RCCL ships. So, perhaps I should rephrase it. If you are looking for a more "sophisticated", lower key cruise line that still has some activities for children, they are out there, but DCL is still best-of-the-best in family cruising IMHO.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I think sailing with DCL is very safe. For the most part it's the known quantity - everything is going to be generally consistent, the food is generally good (IMO all cruise MDR food is a version of good/fine/acceptable - rare for it to be amazing given how many people are being fed at once), the service is great, the private island is excellent. I see a lot of people who gravitate back to DCL time and again because it is the safe choice - similarly many people also choose the ship's excursions because they feel safer that way. I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all. It's not that important to me, though.

I didn't start out sailing on DCL so I'm probably not the right one to answer. But what I will say is that I *love* cruising, and not just cruising on DCL. I love the "turn off my brain" aspect, the relaxing atmosphere, watching the ocean go by, knowing I don't have to worry about finding a place to eat that night, being able to find something to do if I want, etc. I also love the ability to get places I might not otherwise have been to. I agree with others that the ships widely vary on other lines, so a DCL-to-other-line comparison can be difficult sometimes.