Disney cruise... is it worth the price

[happycamper47]

I've only sailed with DCL so far. I've yet to be disappointed in any of my cruises. Some of them rank among my best vacations.

I've been dealing with an NCL cruise for the last year and well, pretty much everything about it has been a hassle and just felt... bad. The website is shady, the "free" offers are shady, getting my certificate to work was nearly impossible, they make you pay for port adventures way in advance, you can't easily link dining reservations to others. And, they changed 3/5 of our ports without any explanation well in advance of the cruise, but offered no compensation or refund.

So, we'll see how it goes when I finally sail in April, but so far, I'm with DCL all the way.

Like you we have yet to have a bad DCL cruise (19), but we enjoyed NCL and put them one down from DCL. with Princess as #3. Our experience with RCL was so so and HAL was mediocre at best and Carnival was, well never mind.

 

[71 Truck]

The answer to your question is subjective. A persons cost to value or hype is going to be different based on expectations.

Some will say a Disney cruise vs a Disney World vacation may be a better comparison.
Some will try to compare a Disney Cruise to other cruise lines.

I will say a Disney cruise vs a Disney World vacation is a better value for the money spent especially since both are some of the most expensive vacations a person can take without leaving the United States.

The one thing my wife and I have going for us is we have been Disney Vacation Club members' for 27 years.
We have used the club to not only vacation in Disney World but to use the club, back in the beginning, for Disney cruises.

To me a cruise is more relaxing while still being around everything Disney, if that is what you are looking for in a Disney vacation short of the rides.

My wife and I have been on 14 seven day Disney cruises.
We have also been on one each, seven day NCL and Princess cruises.
In my opinion, short of not having the characters we thought NCL was just as good in most areas for a lot less money.

Will we try others cruise lines for less money absolutely.

Will we go on other Disney cruises in the future, of course, unless Disney really out prices themselves like the parks have.

 

[Christinagizzy!]

Like you we have yet to have a bad DCL cruise (19), but we enjoyed NCL and put them one down from DCL. with Princess as #3. Our experience with RCL was so so and HAL was mediocre at best and Carnival was, well never mind.

Oh... I've heard stories about carnival lol. It's the Jerry springer of cruise from what we were told.

 

[Marthasor]

It depends on what you are looking for? Are you simply looking for a cruise or are you looking for a cruise that's immersed in Disney? If you don't care about the immersed-in-Disney part, you may be better off price shopping other cruise lines.

 

[jimmymc]

I think yes.

If you just do a comparison of what's included and put it against other cruiselines, they will usually end up cheaper. But the combination of themed dining, shows, characters, and activities all work together to create a fantastic atmosphere.

 

[Clarkson U]

This visit All very helpful. I really wanted to know as well.... how is the children vibe on disney cruise as well? Is there a timeshare there are less children on this cruise? How's the pool situation?

As you might already suspect - times when children are not in school are definitely the busiest on the ship and when there are the most kids. Think summer (June, July and early August), Winter/Holiday break, Spring Break, Easter.

Times when kiddos are in school K-12 and colleges are in session tend to have fewer kids, though, a good number of parents pull their kids out of school for a week on DCL.

 

[Flcruising]

We value the atmosphere and Disney brand. I have never been bothered by rowdy or drunken behavior as I have encountered elsewhere. But if you value cost more I understand picking another line. We have enjoyed several but keep coming back to DCL.

Frankly you can find several threads that discuss this topic.
First, your on a Disney cruise board so I suspect the opinions to be biased.
Secondly your asking for opinions presumably to help you make a decision. I think you would get more helpful information if you shared about yourself and what you want from a cruise. For example , are you big Disney fans? Or do you like more adult entertainment,? Are you looking for late night bars, drinking, entertainment, and dancing,,,,? Do you expect gourmet food every meal,? Are you looking for a casino,? Do you want to avoid certain types of atmospheres?
I could go on but I think the discussion could be more helpful and interesting if the original post was more focused on how you judge the value of a cruise. Then we could answer if the cost justifies what you are wanting. At this point we are just comparing what we expect and if DCL meets our expectations.

 

[Cheburashka]

This visit All very helpful. I really wanted to know as well.... how is the children vibe on disney cruise as well? Is there a timeshare there are less children on this cruise? How's the pool situation?

One of the nice things about DCL is the quiet, peaceful adult areas: adult pool deck, adult Rainforest spa, adult gym, adult nighttime entertainment, adult restaurants, and adult beach on Castaway Cay.

 

[auntlynne]

Are you trying to decide between Disney on land or Disney at sea

Or

Disney Cruise Line vs the rest of the cruise market?

 

[auntlynne]

(This is definitely opinion). Disney anything is not “worth” the extra cost from a financial perspective.

It comes down to what/ if you are willing to pay for the intangibles.

And everyone has their own set of attributes they are willing (or wish they could afford) to pay for.

 

[auntlynne]

When I choose a Disney cruise, I am going for the atmosphere.

I have never enjoyed the atmosphere of a bar nor large gathering with loud music or coerced enthusiasm.

I grew up with Disney entertainment.

I actually prefer to live in a G-rated world. It doesn’t exist. But you get closer to it on a Disney cruise than in many others.

Smoke (cigarette or the smell of marijuana) is very unpleasant to me.

I have enjoyed cruises with other companies, too. And that enjoyment is enhanced when I am able to get a better price than DCL - and different itineraries.

Until I quit cruising or quit Disney cruising (or the desire to), I guess I do consider it worth it to me. Not “worth it,” but a price I am willing to pay.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Worth it? To whom? You or me? All very subjective. And what its worth is to one, may not be to another. We started cruising with DCL due to our kids. Now as two adults with two young adults, we cruise just the two of us. It is comfortable to us, the service is excellent. We enjoy the family vibe even without our kids with us. I thought we might be ready to go the Viking route, but after reading some reviews, it sounds lovely, but not for us just yet. You need to find your people/cruiseline. It maybe more than one, or for us, right now, we have plenty left to explore with DCL. And when we don't, we will venture on, surely to return every so often to a place that feels comfortable to us.

 

[John VN]

Honest question-if a Disneycruise is not worth it, why are you on the Disboards? It doesn’t make sense.

dk

r.e. bold I enjoy visiting/reading, occasionally replying or questioning

Is the high cost worth the hype?

r.e. bold DW and I once looked forward to experiencing the *Disney Magic* hype on a DCL cruise while absorbing the higher cost of said Disney Vacation so yes we felt it was worth the $$$$ but now as we are approaching 3/4's of a Century in AGE, we find that the MAGIC (hype) is actually providing a lesser return on the dollars spent for cruising. Being able to cruise at a level that is much higher than DCL Concierge for fewer $$$$'s, (some times even at DCL Verandah pricing) that once perceived DCL hype is simply a cherished distant memory.

 

[bakerworld]

My sisters have been on NCL, RCL, Holland and weren't wowed. We've only cruised Disney. We don't do much except hang in the adult areas and on our balcony so you would think we would look for a cheaper cruise but we haven't. We're not big on food. We drink a bit. We like 4 day cruises and our expenses usually run about $120/d, which is less expensive that WDW. Cruising DCL isn't a much different vacation for us than WDW, as we're not big park goers and eat mainly in our room, but our expenses at WDW run about $220/d. We don't buy much except beverages.

For us vacations are about relaxing, conversing with people and taking in an occasional movie, show or bingo game and walking. We see less kids and adverse adult interactions by cruising.

 

[RivShore]

Being able to cruise at a level that is much higher than DCL Concierge for fewer $$$$'s, (some times even at DCL Verandah pricing)

What lines do you like that are priced like that? We really don't need a casino or drinking packages, and the issues that go along with them. That's why we tend to drift back to dcl.

 

[WinterSolider]

The other cruises that I would do are also priced like Disney.

The cruises that are significantly cheaper than Disney are not ones I would enjoy.

 

[LAS2AMS]

The other cruises that I would do are also priced like Disney.

The cruises that are significantly cheaper than Disney are not ones I would enjoy.

Interesting thought process given Disney often prices itself similar to the niche luxury cruise lines, even though its product is on par with that of Carnival, Royal and Norwegian.

Princess has downgraded its product in recent years (although some cutbacks are being reversed) but still offers far more premium meat and seafood options at dinner than Disney. Of course, even if they were personally prepared by a Michelin chef, Disney fanatics would say its inedible .

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the “Disney Magic” and ambiance and occasionally take a Disney cruise, but I’m a money man by trade the value proposition is poor.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Oh... I've heard stories about carnival lol. It's the Jerry springer of cruise from what we were told.

Carnival is the overall price leader so naturally it’s going to draw a lower demographic. But it still offers an excellent product that’s well-reviewed. I’ve taken too many Carnival cruises to count and have never encountered a problem. Keep in mind many of these cruises are on 3-night weekend “booze cruises.” I’m sure they exist but we mind our own business.

OTOH, I’ve been on Disney cruises where parents misbehaved in front of plenty of children, especially around character meet and greets where they’re desperate to get pics. You can’t avoid these since they happen during prominent events…

 

[WinterSolider]

Interesting thought process given Disney often prices itself similar to the niche luxury cruise lines, even though its product is on par with that of Carnival, Royal and Norwegian.

I'm not sure how you can say the Disney product is on par with Carnival, Royal, and Norwegian when Carnival, Royal, and Norwegian aren't really on par with one another to begin with.

Princess has downgraded its product in recent years (although some cutbacks are being reversed) but still offers far more premium meat and seafood options at dinner than Disney. Of course, even if they were personally prepared by a Michelin chef, Disney fanatics would say its inedible .

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the “Disney Magic” and ambiance and occasionally take a Disney cruise, but I’m a money man by trade the value proposition is poor.

The comps I'm using would be things like Viking Ocean and Silversea.

I 100% recognize that my preference here is not based on any objective measurement of quality or value. But I place a high premium on ships not taken over by drunks and gambling addicts.

OTOH, I’ve been on Disney cruises where parents misbehaved in front of plenty of children, especially around character meet and greets where they’re desperate to get pics. You can’t avoid these since they happen during prominent events…

A lesson I've learned is to avoid the signature events. No tree lightings, no deck parties. And for the love of God, I'll never set foot on a Halloween sailing again. Halloween people are insane and I've never seen more obnoxious people than the grown adults obsessed with M&Ging Sally and Jack from Nightmare over and over and over again.

 

[Travel60]

As others have said, it depends on what you want.

Would I pay $300 for a pair of jeans with a designer label on my backside? Not likely, but some would. Now if those jeans made my backside look 15 years younger and 15 pounds lighter..... I'd think hard about it.

Part of the premium you pay for DCL is the Disney Label and part is the Disney Experience. Comparably priced (I e. expensive) cruise lines may offer an elegance or service level that Disney doesn't, but they can't offer the Disney experience. We like Ponant--small ship, elegant service. Grandkids (and maybe kids) would be bored. So we said DCL with them.