Disney cruise... is it worth the price

[Christinagizzy!]

Is the high cost worth the hype?

 

[sparrow10_]

yes

 

[bobbiwoz]

We think so.

I think the main shows are the best! Seeing characters interact with guests is fun to watch. The room decor make other cruise line cabins seem boring to me, especially on the Wish.

 

[FreeTime]

No. We have enjoyed sailing on DCL but the only thing I think it has going for it are better shows. There are plenty of threads on here comparing cruise lines. Lots of research should go in to determine what is best for you.

 

[cedricandsophie]

It depends on what you are looking for? Character interactions and kids program? Drfiniteky Disney. Nightime adult activity? Not Disney. Choose your own restaurants every night? Not Disney. All inclusive drink packages? Not Disney. More spacious rooms? Split bathrooms? Disney.

 

[FreeTime]

Just a comment on the more spacious rooms with a split bath…our upcoming RCCL stateroom is a junior suite with a split bath. It is larger and cheaper than the split bath option on DCL.

I agree with the questions the PP says to ask yourself. Also, where do you want to go? You might want to start with that and then see what cruise lines sail in that region. Now, if you don’t care where you are going and planning on mostly ship time, weight the amenities on the ship higher.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Short answer: yes.

 

[Jlo85]

Is the high cost worth the hype?

Just got back and absolutely not. The experience was built up as super relaxing. It wasn’t relaxing at all. Packed pools, packed everything…. Never again. I prefer the resorts.

 

[pachy25]

All depends on what you want. We have been many times and find it much superior to some of the other cruise lines we have been on,

 

[John VN]

Short answer: yes.

Shorter answer: no

 

[bcwife76]

To us it is, yes. To others maybe not.

 

[Cheburashka]

It's worth it for me. When my son was little, the Disney aspect of it was paramount. Now I travel adults only, and while I like Disney, it's more about the overall quality of the cruise. (Note- I have not sailed the Wish which is very different in its design and offerings, so keep in mind that my comments are only for the original 4 ships.) I like the spacious and comfortable staterooms, the good service, the ocean liner design of the ships, the good theater shows and the many other entertainment options including family and adult game shows, as well as Disney on Demand on the stateroom TV, the rotational dinner service in the MDRs, the adult restaurants, the waterslides, the Rainforest Room spa on the Dream and Fantasy, the wraparound promenade that is a good walking track and provides a great view of the ocean, the Disney theming that is charming without being too overwhelming or childish, etc. And I really like Disney's peaceful private island, Castaway Cay.

 

[polynor]

Depends on the type of cruise you're looking for and your group. With small kids, Disney wins. Environment is great for them, activities and shows tend to be more inclusive for them. When we did a cruise on RCCL with inlaws, it was fine, but the kids got bored at dinner and the kids activities paled. The casino also took up space that disney puts to kids activities.
2nd scenario we're find Disney excels at is large groups. We did a large family reunion on Disney and because there was set dining, they were able to lump all 29 of us in two large tables and take care of us as a linked group (we also give a lot of kudos to our travel agent). This year, we're doing 32 people with Princess -- and it's been the most aggravating thing ever. We're having to do daisy chain restaurant reservations as we can't link our booking and there's no one to call to have us all together. We don't have high hopes on kids entertainment but there's enough cousins running around...

The other delta is the cabins. We've only done Oceanview -- the configuration beats RCCL handsdown. And looking at PRincess-- suspect the same. Just the layout is better with the Disney cabins.

 

[dkis4nu]

Shorter answer: no

 

[dkis4nu]

Shorter answer: no

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

dk

 

[cvjw]

We think it is and we sail as an adult couple or adult family. We’ve tried carnival and royal caribbean. We much prefer DCL. We don’t want a ship with a casino. We don’t want an all you can drink for free environment. We don’t want to be anywhere near some of the videos I have seen of fights and twerking on cruise ships. Until we move to Viking or regent, DCL is worth the extra money for us.

 

[FastPasser.]

Is the high cost worth the hype?

As this is a mostly pro-Disney Cruise Line forum, I suspect that most of the responses will be yes for various reasons.

 

[Clarkson U]

For our family of now 4 Adults it is worth it. We have tried other lines as have family members and folks frequently come back to the service. My cousin did say Haven on NCL beats DCL service so depending on cost there may be an option there.

For us it is service, service and then overall ambience. We love the fact that there are no casinos, no indoor smoking areas by the casino, no crazy number of pay restaurants for better meals, no worries about paying extra for room service or soda etc. not really people trying to Max out their “free” drink package and did I say service.

To our family , DCL is like crusing first class and we don’t even do concierge.

But it’s a highly personal decision based on needs and desires of you and your family and what you value vs what you don’t find value in.

we once met an older couple on a DCL ship who said they prefer RCCL and inside staterooms so they can go on maximum number of cruises in a year.

No right or wrong answer - just what is the best answer for you as you see fit.

Happy sailing whichever cruise line you choose.

 

[Kwami]

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.

 

[Christinagizzy!]

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?