Other/Cheaper Cruises...?

[tidefan]

I was a bit worried about the laundry situation on our last NCL cruise as it was for 12 days and we were were spending 2 nights in Quebec City before hand. It turns out, I had no need to worry. They also offered a "fill the bag" special for only $19.99. They actually offered it twice during our cruise, and reading on Cruise Critic it seems to be a weekly thing. And, yes, you can cram a ton of clothes in that bag if you need to. They promised a two day turnaround, but we received ours back the same day - neatly folded in a wicker basket. That beats the heck out of schlepping clothes to the laundry room on vacation in my book!

We are taking a 14 nighter in October and will definitely make use the laundry service a couple of times. $40 well spent!! Especially when you consider our booking came with $300 OBC anyway. We honestly have trouble finding ways to spend our OBC on NCL because so much is paid ahead of time (we always prepay gratuities) or included in our booking perks.

Edited to Add: Here's a tip I read on CC. Most of the laundry bags they hand out for the Fill the Bag special are paper and can tear. Bring trash bags from home and line the bag with them. You can then cram even more stuff in there! The bags we received were a reinforced plastic, so I didn't have to do that. We were in a suite, so I don't know if that had anything to do with getting a better bag or not. I'm still going to throw a couple of trash bags in my suitcase for our next cruise, just in case.

On Princess, one of the Elite perks is free laundry. That is a great perk!

 

[Pens Fan]

On Princess, one of the Elite perks is free laundry. That is a great perk!

It is on NCL as well (well, one bag anyway) - you have to reach platinum status. I agree, that's a wonderful loyalty perk!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I've been cruising for 20 years and have sailed on Disney(3), Princess(3), Norwegian(4), Royal Caribbean(9) and Carnival(3). My favorite cruise line is Disney, but it's not the cruise line I've sailed on the most (maybe one day that will change!). One reason for this is because my family's annual cruise is over Christmas every year. While I would love to sail Disney over Christmas, I priced it out for last year and it would cost my family of four adults $12k to sail the week over Christmas in interior staterooms!! For half the cost, we sailed 10 days on Royal Caribbean in balcony staterooms. Another reason is variety - larger fleets simply have more options when it comes to itineraries during the year. The only time Disney sails the Panama Canal is when they need to move the ship from east coast to west coast. Princess sails the Panama Canal regularly. We've done both a roundtrip Panama Canal itinerary, and a west bound Panama Canal itinerary over Christmas on Princess.

That being said, my next cruise is a 7-night Mexican Riviera on Disney Wonder (my 4th Disney ship!), and I chose to sail with Disney over other, I'm certain cheaper (I didn't look!!!) cruise lines because I wanted the Disney product.

 

[ChicosWife]

Save your breath. Some people will defend Disney to the end even with evidence in their face! I've NEVER seen any cruise go up from add-ons where a $499 cruise comes to within $100 of Disney! Ridiculous.

I see that you choose to believe what you believe because you seem to prefer other cruise options, which is fine. But, don't portray your negativity towards those of us who prefer DCL. I did the comparison myself, so I know the prices I saw. It was a 4-day RCL MR cruise vs. a DCL 4-day with a similar itinerary. Up front, Disney looks to be so much more expensive, but I took the time to go through the RCL booking process and once you add in all the "extras" that are included in DCL, plus the taxes and fees, the prices were nearly the same.

 

[ChicosWife]

BTW, to those are comparing prices of DCL during non-school periods: The other cruise lines will almost always be cheaper. DCL caters to families and thus, those timeframes are way more expensive. If you want an apples to apples comparison, look at prices for off-peak times, for both cruise lines. That will give you a fair price comparison.

 

[cgolf]

I see that you choose to believe what you believe because you seem to prefer other cruise options, which is fine. But, don't portray your negativity towards those of us who prefer DCL. I did the comparison myself, so I know the prices I saw. It was a 4-day RCL MR cruise vs. a DCL 4-day with a similar itinerary. Up front, Disney looks to be so much more expensive, but I took the time to go through the RCL booking process and once you add in all the "extras" that are included in DCL, plus the taxes and fees, the prices were nearly the same.

I honestly don’t care which cruise line people prefer, if they like Disney, sail Disney by all means. We make cost based decisions for our family that keep us at the service level we expect. I just want others that have only sailed Disney that the other lines are better than they are portrayed.

The question I have for you is what extras are needed? The only thing we needed to purchase from RCCL and Celebrity was the soda package to match the ‘cruise’ product we got from DCL. To be fair when we sailed DCL the only thing we bought onboard was a few adult beverages and gift shop items.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I see that you choose to believe what you believe because you seem to prefer other cruise options, which is fine. But, don't portray your negativity towards those of us who prefer DCL. I did the comparison myself, so I know the prices I saw. It was a 4-day RCL MR cruise vs. a DCL 4-day with a similar itinerary. Up front, Disney looks to be so much more expensive, but I took the time to go through the RCL booking process and once you add in all the "extras" that are included in DCL, plus the taxes and fees, the prices were nearly the same.

The only "extra" that is included on DCL is soda. That. Is. All.

 

[ChicosWife]

I just want others that have only sailed Disney that the other lines are better than they are portrayed.

People who have only sailed Disney go by others' reviews. The thing is, it depends on who they ask and what experience that person had on other lines. For example, you said it's better than it has been portrayed, but that is your opinion versus someone else who would disagree. It's all about perspective. Those that haven't sailed other lines will either have to be okay with sticking with what they KNOW they like and prefer or have to sail on other lines to HOPE for a similar or better experience. Again, it's preference and perspective.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

BTW, to those are comparing prices of DCL during non-school periods: The other cruise lines will almost always be cheaper. DCL caters to families and thus, those timeframes are way more expensive. If you want an apples to apples comparison, look at prices for off-peak times, for both cruise lines. That will give you a fair price comparison.

All cruise lines cater to families. I posted a comparison of my chosen cruise line and DCL and it was about $5000 difference for the same week in June. Now, I still have kids in school as most do on the board. My kids don't miss school to vacation so summer is the only time we travel. That is the only comparison I can make. Why would I compare during times that are not feasible for my family situation?

 

[ChicosWife]

The only "extra" that is included on DCL is soda. That. Is. All.

Agree to disagree.

 

[ChicosWife]

All cruise lines cater to families. I posted a comparison of my chosen cruise line and DCL and it was about $5000 difference for the same week in June. Now, I still have kids in school as most do on the board. My kids don't miss school to vacation so summer is the only time we travel. That is the only comparison I can make. Why would I compare during times that are not feasible for my family situation?

I understand. In your case, I guess you wouldn't make that comparison, as it would apply to when you choose to vacation.

 

[ChicosWife]

Oh so smart one what else is there?

Wow. Taking the high road, I see.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Wow. Taking the high road, I see.

Why won't you answer my question? I have researched nearly every cruise line and I can see nothing different between them other than the included soda.

 

[ChicosWife]

Why won't you answer my question? I have researched nearly every cruise line and I can see nothing different between them other than the included soda.

This comparison was done last year when I was curious to see what previous posters were referencing when they said DCL was thousands over the rest. Once I went through RCL's booking process, the total was $100 difference. Same room type (actually RCL's was smaller), same itinerary. I saw it for myself.

 

[tidefan]

Oh so smart one what else is there?

Here's a few:

- DCL lets you bring beer on board the ship and you can restock at each port (yes, it was MUCH better a few years ago when you could bring on liquor as well)

- DCL does not charge for the kids clubs at a certain time of the evening ("cough" RCCL "cough")

- DCL does not charge for room service (to be fair, neither does Princess)

- As of yet, there is no charge for the slides on Castaway Cay, unlike how RCCL will charge for use of the facilities at Coco Cay

- DCL extends the Kid's clubs to their private island

- DCL does not make you check out a towel (again, to be fair, Princess does not either)

- DCL provides a shower with tub in all stateroom types (note: with the exception of Handicap rooms)

- DCL has a dedicated Dolby Sound, 3D capable Movie Theater that shows first run movies (to me, this is BY FAR the best perk on DCL. If Star Wars comes out on land on Thursday at Midnight, it will premiere on the ship that same Thursday at Midnight)

 

[darnheather]

The only "extra" that is included on DCL is soda. That. Is. All.

Beg to differ but you don't get this on other lines.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

If I booked 2 adults today for September 21 or 22 7 night sailing (kids in school, not Fall Break so off-peak) includes port fees, taxes but not gratuities:

DCL Fantasy Deck 7 Aft Verandah 3893.04
Carnival Breeze Deck 7 aft Balcony 1945.54
RCCL Harmony of the Seas Deck 6 Aft Oceanview Balcony 2453.66
NCL Breakaway Deck 8 Aft Balcony 2677.44

There is a considerable price difference even over Royal and NCL.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Here's a few:

- DCL lets you bring beer on board the ship and you can restock at each port (yes, it was MUCH better a few years ago when you could bring on liquor as well) - Carnival lets you bring a 12 pack of soda and bottle of wine per person

- DCL does not charge for the kids clubs at a certain time of the evening ("cough" RCCL "cough") - Carnival only charges for late night babysitting, as is their right, why should they be open 24/7

- DCL does not charge for room service (to be fair, neither does Princess) - Do you really need to eat in your room? You can just as easily walk to get food from some other place. Breakfast is free on Carnival but they have a small charge if you are too lazy to get out of bed for other items.

- As of yet, there is no charge for the slides on Castaway Cay, unlike how RCCL will charge for use of the facilities at Coco Cay -

- DCL extends the Kid's clubs to their private island - If you are on a family vacation why can't you spend time with your kids.

- DCL does not make you check out a towel (again, to be fair, Princess does not either) - Carnival provides towels in your stateroom. You can take this to the pool or choose to check on out. Not that difficult.

- DCL provides a shower with tub in all stateroom types (note: with the exception of Handicap rooms) - Deluxe OV rooms on the newer Carnival ships have a tub. A tub is not a requirement to bath your kid. I bathed mine a sink when only a shower was available

- DCL has a dedicated Dolby Sound, 3D capable Movie Theater that shows first run movies (to me, this is BY FAR the best perk on DCL. If Star Wars comes out on land on Thursday at Midnight, it will premiere on the ship that same Thursday at Midnight) - So you would pay thousands of dollars to see a movie on opening day? I can see the same moviir for $12 at my local theatre.

I'm sorry but none of the things you have listed is something that is actually required to cruise. Every other cruise line provides these things. You may not like how it is done but it does not make the value of them on DCL more. Personally the lack of included dining locations is a turnoff to me as is the regimented MDR for dinner.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

BTW, to those are comparing prices of DCL during non-school periods: The other cruise lines will almost always be cheaper. DCL caters to families and thus, those timeframes are way more expensive. If you want an apples to apples comparison, look at prices for off-peak times, for both cruise lines. That will give you a fair price comparison.

It's not really apples to apples though if you can only cruise during peak times. I LOVE Disney cruising. I have one scheduled for next January that I can't wait for. But after that cruise we have to stick to school vacation weeks.

We're thinking of booking a cruise in 2021 during February break. 4 people, verandah stateroom. If I were to book today, a RCI 7 night Western Caribbean on Harmony of the Seas in an oceanview balcony with soda package for 2 adults = $4010. On DCL, a 7 night Western on the Fantasy in a regular veranda = $8759. If we go with undersize balcony it's then lowered to $8311. That twice as much to sail DCL. As I said, I love Disney. I love the staterooms (which I think are superior to RCI), I love the entertainment, I love the lack of a casino and how much less smoking there is on board than other ships. I'm happy to pay a premium to sail Disney. But I am starting to question if I love Disney literally twice as much.

However, I do think arguing over this is silly. Book the cruise line you want. If you want to spent however many thousand of dollars on a vacation that's your business and no one else's.

 

[cgolf]

People who have only sailed Disney go by others' reviews. The thing is, it depends on who they ask and what experience that person had on other lines. For example, you said it's better than it has been portrayed, but that is your opinion versus someone else who would disagree. It's all about perspective. Those that haven't sailed other lines will either have to be okay with sticking with what they KNOW they like and prefer or have to sail on other lines to HOPE for a similar or better experience. Again, it's preference and perspective.

Yes it is our perspective, but I went to other lines with a negative opinion based on what I read on these boards. People that have only sailed DCL badmouthed other lines service without experiencing it and I believed them, we found out differently. I haven’t said DCL service is bad, just that we have experienced similar service on other mass market lines. I just want to share our experiences to make others that are leaving DCL for the first time feel better about their choice.

I will say reading the Celebrity forum on CC I see a marked difference from here, lots of line bashing there vs those that defend their line of choice here.

I am curious though what extras your family needed on another line to match DCL? For us it was only the soda, curious what it is for others.

My goal is to be as straight up as possible in these discussions, I am a cheerleader for cruising, not any particular line, our loyalty days are long gone