Are you a fan of Cruising or of Disney Cruising?

[miguelgar83]

Curious: how many of you would consider yourselves fans of cruising in general, vs. how many enjoy cruising on DCL exclusively? If one or the other, can you tell us why?

 

[bethy]

Regrettably we are thinking we are only fans of Disney Cruising. We tried one other line and really disliked it. For me Disney is about escape, fantasy and immersion. And DCL accomplishes that even better than the parks (which we also love). For other travel I think we'll stick with going by land.

We are young though and I could see that changing as we get much older.

 

[Annabell]

We are more fan of cruising, I think. We started with Disney but we have also sailed with other cruiselines, like NCL and RCCL. They are different but also very enjoyable.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Curious: how many of you would consider yourselves fans of cruising in general, vs. how many enjoy cruising on DCL exclusively? If one or the other, can you tell us why?

We prefer cruising in general. As we tend to take cruises that go places we haven't been before, cruising DCL is low on the list in that field, now that we've been on all 4 ships. But, we also prefer DCL over the others (most of the time) regarding service and activities onboard.

 

[KashasMom]

Definitely fans of cruising. I think we've been on all the major lines except HAL. Not a fan of NCL, love RC Oasis class. Had great cruises on Princess and Celebrity. For our family Disney lacks pools (both size and number of), dinner buffet, (every) nightly family-friendly shows, and since our daughter doesn't go in the kids clubs, she misses "active activities". Additionally, Disney's concierge doesn't measure up to the equivalent on other lines. We don't like that we can't take our daughter into Disney's specialty restaurants or that there aren't even more specialty restaurants. IMO quality of food on Disney has gone down over the years - and the same old menus are so boring. A HUGE downside is the lack of inspired itineraries on Disney. Hopefully, that will change as they launch more ships. The kids in our group love character interactions and we really love the Merrytime Cruises (and Mickey Bars!) but our upcoming Disney cruise will likely be our last. We're having just too much fun on land trips.

 

[braysmommy]

I think a fan of Disney but we did sail WBTA on Carnival Horizon and had a great time. Their customer service was excellent when we had an issue with our cabin and they went above and beyond what I expected. The only time we might venture away from Disney again would be in for a port intensive European cruise.

 

[Smalerie]

I've only been on two cruises. One on Royal Caribbean and one on DCL. The Royal ship was very crowded and I wasn't able to do all the things I wanted. However, the ship was newer and didn't have some of the upkeep problems the Disney ship had (we were on the Magic). On DCL, I got to do all the things I wanted and even found myself getting in some extras that I didn't expect.

I'm booked for 2 more DCL trips, but would consider a different line if the prices were good enough.

 

[Cheburashka]

I'm a fan of Disney cruising. I'm very big on the aesthetic aspect of the ships, enjoy the theming, love the classic ocean liner look, and find the staterooms to be spacious and pleasantly designed. When I've looked at photos of other lines' staterooms in particular, but also some of the common areas, I'm not as impressed.

I also like that DCL is family-oriented and pretty-much everything is G or PG rated. That just makes it more of an escape from real life.

And most of all, I like Castaway Cay and how peaceful, convenient and beautiful it is. I never sail non-Castaway tropical cruises on DCL, and wouldn't be interested in a tropical cruise on another line for that reason.

If another good line had a convenient sailing to some European ports I really wanted to see, I would do it. But that would be cruising for the ports & using the ship as a floating hotel/transportation source. When I cruise DCL, the ship itself is one of the destinations.

 

[88golf88]

I think we are to afraid to find out! We love DCL and its the only line I have been on, my wife was on RCCL when younger but doesnt remember it. We are tempted to try something else to see if the cost of DCL is justified or not. I don't see us trying anyone else with our kids, but we may venture out for an adults only voyage

 

[randumb0]

I am a fan of cruising that prefers Disney. I have no problem with sailing on a different cruise line

 

[belle032]

We are fans of cruising. We love Disney in general, but find more overall value and the vacation experience we prefer on other lines. And with the current pricing and lack of any new or exciting itineraries, I unfortunately don't see us booking another DCL anytime soon.

 

[jenushkask8s]

We've only cruised with Disney so far but we have our first non-DCL cruise in November (RCCL) so we'll find out soon!

 

[allaboutthemouse]

I think we are to afraid to find out! We love DCL and its the only line I have been on, my wife was on RCCL when younger but doesnt remember it. We are tempted to try something else to see if the cost of DCL is justified or not. I don't see us trying anyone else with our kids, but we may venture out for an adults only voyage

Try Virgin Voyages for your adult only cruise! I will be DCL Platinum this summer, only having sailed Disney except for a two-night Carnival cruise to nowhere a way way long time ago that I don’t remember. I was drawn to Virgin because Tom McAlpin, former president of DCL, is president of VV, so it had to be good, right?! And I appreciate their commitment to being as environmentally friendly as possible, size of the ship (not super huge - Wonder/Magic size). The cruise was awesome, service great, food so good! I felt like they treated their crew very well, they all just seemed really happy. And in speaking to the guy that booked another cruise for us at Sailor Services, they have A LOT of former DCL crew. Best thing, I didn’t feel guilty about leaving the kids home, cause they weren’t allowed to come anyway! I really did feel like I was on a DCL cruise, just without kids everywhere.
I love just being on the open ocean, and I would try another line, but I would do a lot of research first. I am also one that has to like the looks of the ship and feel comfortable calling it “home.” I am not the person that says, it’s just a room and I’m only sleeping in it. I have to like the decor to enjoy it. I like the style of DCL, and virgin. They are completely different, though!

 

[pjacobi]

I am a fan of traveling. Sometimes a cruise is my method of travel. Sometimes it is on DCL. It all depends on where I am traveling.


-Paul

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

I'm a cruising fan and a Disney fan. This makes cruising with Disney extra special, but one or the other is great too.

 

[jujubiee4]

At first only DCL. Although lately i'm now willing to branch out to other lines because some
have interesting itineraries.

 

[AquaDame]

I don't know anymore.

We like sailing with DCL, but hated sailing with RCCL (we tried twice). I don't think there is a big difference between RCCL and other "big" ships but I will likely try another line at some point, as we still want to sail Glacier Bay in the future and Disney doesn't go there.

I also loved sailing on a small expedition ship a couple of weeks ago, and had just as if not a better time than on DCL, and I love being on catamarans and on the water in general. We have a sailing with ABD on Ponant coming up in '23 and our first river cruise as well, and I expect I'll enjoy both.

 

[LambertLion]

We are fans of cruising, but prefer Disney. We have done 2 Royal cruises (one just this past New Years), Princess and Disney. We had a great time especially on the Royal cruises more than Princess, but Disney has just been the best. We’ll cruise more Royal and eventually some other lines too.

 

[CamColt]

I've only done 3 non DCL cruises, with 1 more booked for this summer. I guess I would say I'm a fan of cruising, but mostly choose DCL for what I know and love.

 

[gatordoc]

DCL only. Thought Princess was OK, but not enough to ever cruise with them again. Had terrible experiences with Carnival, Royal, and Celebrity, the last of which convinced us that we should quit trying other lines and stick to what we love.