Will we be disappointed if we don't cruise DCL in Europe?

I totally agree there is a big difference between a DCL And Epic cruise on either a Med Or on a TA. I have probably done a half dozen DCL TA’s and if the $ is not a hindrance no question which one I would choose. The DCL ship made our cruise.
TA's and maybe the first and last couple cruises of the season are the only DCL European cruises in my budget. I would never spend 12k on one cruise much less 12k more on one cruise. It's a nice problem to have for those that have it.
 
Thanks for sharing! Are the quotes prices online per stateroom basis or per person basis? TIA!
Not sure. The two times we sailed Ponant we were part of larger groups planned and guided by a tour operator (alumni trip). We paid one lump sum for cruise, all excursions, English-speaking guides, admittances to museums, etc. It was pricey but not outrageous for all we got.
 
Not sure. The two times we sailed Ponant we were part of larger groups planned and guided by a tour operator (alumni trip). We paid one lump sum for cruise, all excursions, English-speaking guides, admittances to museums, etc. It was pricey but not outrageous for all we got.

:thanks:
 
Honestly I am not sure about this. We thought about it and chose to book with DCL. But not at 12K over the competition. For that difference in price it would be hard to pass up the deal and use that money for another trip. Having said that, after cruising DCL in Alaska and being told the ship wouldn't matter we realized we feel the opposite - we really enjoyed the ship. I don't have small kids, either, so clubs aren't a factor. For us, we are happy to sail DCL in a regular cabin (non-suite, non-concierge), but if you want that type of room I'd look elsewhere - the upcharge for our cruise to a one bedroom suite was well over that 12K and not worth it for us.
 


I just made reservations on the Magic for August of 2019. We used a placeholder discount and will get money back from Costco (both are great!). We have been on 4 Disney cruises and all were fabulous. However, we are a family of 6. I just checked Norwegian for a similar itinerary and the cost difference is over $12,000! I LOVE Disney, but I don't know if I can justify it. My kids will be 21, 21, 20 and 18, so the kids clubs aren't an issue. Any experiences on DCL or Norwegian would be helpful to me. I'm not very flexible on dates because of college and work schedules for the girls. Thanks for any insight!

I didn't read all the replies, but I think it would be up to you whether you'd be disappointed. If you go having realistic expectations, then I don't think you'll be disappointed either way.

I'm not one to be able to compare the two since I've only cruised on Norwegian once and that's in the Caribbean. Norwegian Escape was a nice ship and I came in without expecting DCL and I was fine with it. I didn't love the ship and likely won't go on another Norwegian cruise, but it was good to try.

I think if you're considering it, then the itinerary may help you to decide. I love DCL, but I know that some cruiselines have much better itineraries.
 
I just did a DCL Med cruise. It was definitely the right choice for us. But, our circumstances were different. There are only 2 of us travelling, we did an inside stateroom, and my daughter is only 11. (With just the two of us and an inside stateroom the price was not all that expensive). We did not do super port intensive days. We only did one full day. All the other ports, we did half days. I think my daughter would have hated this trip had we not done DCL. She was happy to go wander around Europe a bit knowing that she could return to the familiarity and comfort of the ship each day and have access to kid activities and other kids to play with. At the end of our trip we stayed 3 days in Rome and she really missed the ship.
 
happy to sail DCL in a regular cabin (non-suite, non-concierge), but if you want that type of room I'd look elsewhere - the upcharge for our cruise to a one bedroom suite was well over that 12K and not worth it for us.

But for us, the cost of concierge on MSC was still HALF of what non-concierge on DCL was. It wasn't a question of wanting concierge, but of wanting to save more than $10K. If we'd wanted to do non-concierge on MSC, it probably would have been more like 1/4 of the DCL cost. We are a family of 6 and need two rooms, so that makes some difference. Both were verandah rooms.
 
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We just did the 7-night from Barcelona to Rome and afterwards decided to do our Baltic cruise next summer on Royal Caribbean. Because of the long port days, we didn't spend much time on the ship (only one sea day). Because we had been on the Wonder in 2017 and the Magic in 2016, the shows were all repeats for us so we ended up not seeing most of them. The food in the MDR was just okay for us. We'll save DCL for cruises where we spend more time on the ship and save money using RCCL as a 'hotel' for the Baltic.
 
DCL has lost my patronage. I can sail on Viking for the same price and get way better perks (all rooms have balconies, free included excursions, free specialty dining, anytime dining. wine and beer free at meal times). It isn't for families, however, but I do recommend that adults check it out.
 
DCL has lost my patronage. I can sail on Viking for the same price and get way better perks (all rooms have balconies, free included excursions, free specialty dining, anytime dining. wine and beer free at meal times). It isn't for families, however, but I do recommend that adults check it out.

Thanks for sharing your experience with Viking. I have been researching on them.
 
But for us, the cost of concierge on MSC was still HALF of what non-concierge on DCL was. It wasn't a question of wanting concierge, but of wanting to save more than $10K. If we'd wanted to do non-concierge on MSC, it probably would have been more like 1/4 of the DCL cost. We are a family of 6 and need two rooms, so that makes some difference. Both were verandah rooms.

I was just looking at MSC yesterday. Prices are crazy inexpensive and kids are free! I'll be researching a little more. A couple of their ships look really cool.

We just did the 7-night from Barcelona to Rome and afterwards decided to do our Baltic cruise next summer on Royal Caribbean. Because of the long port days, we didn't spend much time on the ship (only one sea day). Because we had been on the Wonder in 2017 and the Magic in 2016, the shows were all repeats for us so we ended up not seeing most of them. The food in the MDR was just okay for us. We'll save DCL for cruises where we spend more time on the ship and save money using RCCL as a 'hotel' for the Baltic.

Our Baltic cruise on Serenade of the Seas was our best cruise ever! It was a 13 night (3 full days in St. Petersburg!) and we only had 1 sea day. We were hardly on the ship. Let me know if you want any (private) excursion recommendations.
 
We've sailed DCL, MSC and NCL, all under different circumstances that ended up making each experience the perfect cruise.

DCL - we sail with children and now grandchildren under 10. Nothing could be better.
NCL - we sailed Escape with 3 couples. Loved the bars and anytime dining for this group experience.
MSC - sailed in the Yacht Club with just DH and me. Truly a pampering experience and one we intend to repeat.

I would not pay $12K premium for Disney when traveling with (semi) adults on a port intensive cruise. NCL and their anytime dining options may be worth a good look for your group.
 
But for us, the cost of concierge on MSC was still HALF of what non-concierge on DCL was. It wasn't a question of wanting concierge, but of wanting to save more than $10K. If we'd wanted to do non-concierge on MSC, it probably would have been more like 1/4 of the DCL cost. We are a family of 6 and need two rooms, so that makes some difference. Both were verandah rooms.

aggiedog thanks so much for this post - i just booked a YC room on MSC for a mediterranean cruise and indeed the cost is half (actually a little less than half) of what DCL would charge for a family verandah (non-concierge).
 
You're welcome! You'll love the YC. The lounge was a peaceful, cool oasis of happiness after long hot days in port. The service was very good, and I have no idea why they get away with being so much cheaper, but bonus for us! Enjoy!
 

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