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.
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.