Elephant In the Room... But...

[71 Truck]

I think it more out of frustration and not as much about bashing Disney World or the Disney Cruise.
People get frustrated with change they do not like or do not except. They look for someplace to vent their frustration. Their family can only take so much of this so the internet becomes the place to vent . They look for other people that might be sympathetic to their situation and hope to find others in the same situation.
My wife and I started visiting Disney together almost 30 years ago. We moved to central Florida almost 20 years ago and have witnessed all the changes people on the boards talk about first hand. The biggest thing I hear people talk about are prices and crowds. Their are others but this is what stands out.

 

[jeepnjudy]

What's the difference whether there is a 'Carnival' thread on the DIS or a 'Universal Studios' thread on the DIS or an 'Other Parks in California' on the DIS? This is only my opinion for what it is worth but I think people come to the DIS because many feel they can safely post without feeling like they are being bullied. Some other forums we are all aware of do not feel welcoming so people opt to come to the DIS. Again, just my $.02!

 

[TestingH2O]

Honestly, I don't mind the people who compare DCL to other cruise lines. Nor do I have a problem with people explaining why they left.

What's much more annoying are the posters who have not sailed DCL for years and tell new cruisers information that is no longer accurate. These same posters don't admit that it has been 4+ years since they were on a DCL cruise so people assume that they are getting accurate information.

 

[cgolf]

Why do people come/stay on this board to either talk about other cruise lines or hate on Disney (i.e. DCL priced me out and DCL isn't all that)? I am truly curious as to why these folks would waste their time on the DCL forum when there have to be other forums that would bring them greater joy.

Because I don't hate DCL, and eventually want to sail them if the price is right. I also want to keep tabs on what is changing with DCL. in our 12 cruises on DCL we witnessed a lot of change with the product. When I talk about DCL I am real now about my observations, it isn't meant to be negative, but if some find that stating the itineraries not changing or the activities and shows not changing, then I am guilty of being negative.

Also if I can provide some insight to others that are moving on to other lines and not make it so stressful, then that is great too. I was a nervous wreck before our first cruise outside of DCL and I am lucky I am still married lol. It obviously worked out.

The flip side question, is why do people feel they have to defend Disney. If some of us leave or just lump Disney in with other lines when we make a choice what is wrong with that? Disboards is part of our research to whether Disney is a good value for us that year.

I find that very few on this board are truly negative about Disney, they just point out their perceived weaknesses of the line in comparison to others. For us, if it wasn't for Rob Sanders on the piano and Tangled, our last B2B on the Magic was a bit of a bore, but that happens when you do 12 cruises in 8ish years on one line.

 

[cgolf]

Honestly, I don't mind the people who compare DCL to other cruise lines. Nor do I have a problem with people explaining why they left.

What's much more annoying are the posters who have not sailed DCL for years and tell new cruisers information that is no longer accurate. These same posters don't admit that it has been 4+ years since they were on a DCL cruise so people assume that they are getting accurate information.

I would agree with this, which is why I don't jump in on the gluten free threads anymore, since we last cruised in 2016, I am sure it has changed a bit. Now I just look for trends and the changes they are making to help make a more informed decision. If there is an interesting thread where I can have an opinion on or question I will jump in of course, but that is pretty rare nowadays.

 

[KashasMom]

Why do people come/stay on this board to either talk about other cruise lines or hate on Disney (i.e. DCL priced me out and DCL isn't all that)? I am truly curious as to why these folks would waste their time on the DCL forum when there have to be other forums that would bring them greater joy.

Saying DCL priced me out isn't hating on Disney. Neither is saying you like another cruise line better. I have never seen anyone say that they hate Disney. And I have never seen anyone call anyone names.

People are still here because whether or not DCL is their #1 choice or whether or not they've even cruised DCL before, they can still offer valuable info such as excursion info, weather during a particular month, traveling with children of varying ages, dinner seatings, etc. I don't see any of that as wasting their time. I personally have learned a lot about other cruise lines from people here particularly newer Carnival ships, MSC, and even HA. I think those types of posts are very educational. I'm more surprised that there are actually still people that think every other cruise line caters to drunks and gamblers and people looking for X-rated entertainment! Having people with experience to refute those assumptions with first hand knowledge is great! It's helps everyone make informed decisions.

There's always room for improvement. Even on Disney. No one is right or wrong. We just have different opinions - and different wants/needs from our OWN cruise experience. That's the way it is in real life too!

Perhaps you are upset about your add-ons comments in the other thread and feel that you were treated unfairly? The OP of the thread honestly did not understand how people say that Disney prices are so out of line with other cruise lines. When some of us explained the differences and gave examples, she graciously came back to thank everyone and say that she now understands why what she was pricing was not that much different than DCL prices. There were many people on the thread that gave reasons why they won't/can't cruise with Disney. It evolved into discussions about land trips/ABD, recommendations for other cruise lines, etc. - all very civil. You came in to say that when you went to price an RCI cruise by the time you clicked through "everything" there was only a $100 price difference than a similar Disney cruise. You didn't take into account all of us who cruise with RCI and are frequently pricing cruises on their website. Because the only add on when booking is if you choose a specific section of the ship (i.e. MID if you're assigned AFT - and even at that - only if it's available). A bunch of people commented and you got a bit snarky and even ignored those who asked you to explain what add-ons you referred to. No one was asking for specific details - just what add-ons you encountered during the booking process that none of us have encountered. Seems like a fairly reasonable and harmless question based on your statement.

As far as people who are only loyal to Disney...there have been many of those here who have been...not-so-nice especially the ones who think that any line other than Disney is beneath them. You even went so far as to say that it wasn't a myth that "DCL has a higher quality of passengers". How insulting and elitist is THAT?!

Your option is to ignore threads that bother you. Just scroll on by!

 

[DCLPrincess]

Honestly, I don't mind the people who compare DCL to other cruise lines. Nor do I have a problem with people explaining why they left.

I completely agree with this. But I have seen threads where people can get a little nasty when others don't agree with them. We don't all have to agree but people should be civil.

 

[jrabbit]

We are thinking of doing this next summer! Please tell how it was. We are trying to figure out if it is $ comparable to a European Disney cruise. I've watched all of his shows and even got the full set for Xmas. If I ever grow up I want his job!

Sorry to hijack this thread.

We are doing a 14 day tour - a little over $8,000 for the two of us. This is NOT "all inclusive". This covers hotels, transportation between cities, and about half of meals (all breakfasts, and then some lunches and diners). NO tipping the tour guide, bus driver or local guides. There are guided tours in all cities and some "attraction specific" guided tours. If I remember the upcoming itinerary correctly, we have several half days on our own. The 3 days in Switzerland are 85% on our own (it's the vacation from the vacation). Regarding the bus: they use the 45-50 passenger buses, but limit the number of guests to 28, so there is plenty of room. And the accommodations are in the city centers - since they are smaller groups, so we will get to be IN the cities after the day trippers / large tour groups leave for the outskirts.

RE: Wanting his job ... well he's "Peter Pan" - he "never" grew up!! We were at his "test drive a tour guide" event last month and the final session was Rick talking for about 2.5 hours about how this all came about. It started with his father "dragging" the family to Europe one summer while he was in Junior High. Rick did NOT want to go. But once there he started noticing kids just a few years older, with backpacks and NOT a PARENT in sight. And, thus a European travel "empire" was born.

Love him! I had the opportunity to meet him once - totally star struck. I had no idea he had guided tours... must check them out!

I have attended some of weekend events in Edmonds WA over the past 5 years and he and his staff are awesome. Like someone else pointed out, he very infrequently leads a tour, and sometimes he takes a tour. I believe that last year they offered over 1,000 tours - so that makes it impossible for him to lead them all. But how COOL would that be!!

Have you watched his cruise special?

Not yet. I think that he has a "new one" that was just released in February. I think that he has had some segments in the past about cruising and visiting cities, but not a full blown show dedicated to "cruising through the back door" like this one is.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I don’t spend much time here on the DCL forum but I can see the OP’s point because I’ve seen it on other forums and sites.

It’s one thing to post about a negative experience, vent or to have a certain part of a hobby you just don’t like. But then there are those posters where you see they are the last one to post in a thread and you just know it’s going to be negative. Or someone will start a negative thread about a topic and you begin the countdown for when this certain other poster is going to show up to agree or they’ll post twenty times in one thread without adding much each time other than their negativity. It’s those extreme examples that make me wonder.

It’s no big deal for my personal enjoyment of a board because I can just use the ignore option if available. However, sometimes I am genuinely concerned for the well being of people who have such negative opinions on things and then use so much energy to share that negativity over and over. Perhaps it’s therapeutic but it just doesn’t seem healthy.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We love dcl but started to find it less pleasurable once it doubled in price over about a 4 year period. On our last dcl cruise 2 years ago I did not find as much joy just realizing how much we were paying per person per night. It didn't help that because of the information on these boards we had during that year tried 2 other cruise lines. We had previously thought of other lines as rubbish just because we were so wrapped up in Disney. Once we tried the other lines we became even less comfortable with DCL pricing. We still have a soft spot for dcl and we do have an upcoming booking (not sure if we will keep it) but we also have 3 other upcoming bookings on other lines. If anything, our discomfort with dcl has pushed us more towards the parks. Our love for disney has not changed. We just became new dvc owners a few months ago. I just think honest information is important and it was so, so helpful to me to read what other people had to say about other lines. It gave me the confidence to try them. I am forever grateful to dis posters who spoke positively about other lines. I am a bit ashamed to say that I was wrapped in a bubble and unable to see things clearly. It's like when the jimminy cricket in your head tries to get through but you won't listen. Dis boards posters helped JC get through. Lol

 

[mevelandry]

We love dcl but started to find it less pleasurable once it doubled in price over about a 4 year period. On our last dcl cruise 2 years ago I did not find as much joy just realizing how much we were paying per person per night. It didn't help that because of the information on these boards we had during that year tried 2 other cruise lines. We had previously thought of other lines as rubbish just because we were so wrapped up in Disney. Once we tried the other lines we became even less comfortable with DCL pricing. We still have a soft spot for dcl and we do have an upcoming booking (not sure if we will keep it) but we also have 3 other upcoming bookings on other lines. If anything, our discomfort with dcl has pushed us more towards the parks. Our love for disney has not changed. We just became new dvc owners a few months ago. I just think honest information is important and it was so, so helpful to me to read what other people had to say about other lines. It gave me the confidence to try them. I am forever grateful to dis posters who spoke positively about other lines. I am a bit ashamed to say that I was wrapped in a bubble and unable to see things clearly. It's like when the jimminy cricket in your head tries to get through but you won't listen. Dis boards posters helped JC get through. Lol

This was 100% me. When I started this thread... https://www.disboards.com/threads/we-chose-the-dark-side-carnival-vs-disney.3502886/ (the ancestor of the Carnival VS DCL thread) I was so grateful to have cruisers who enjoyed both cruise lines helping me planning my cruise! It really helped me figure out in advance how to "compensate" for the differences between the two lines/what I would not find on CCL that I liked on DCL.

 

[cgolf]

Glad I just saw one of the posts now lol.

So is it possible for me, and others, to be a troll when I have 12 cruises on DCL, my wife has 12 cruises on DCL, my daughter has 10 cruises on DCL, and my mom I believe has 6 or 7 with many pro DCL posts prior to 2016?

While some may not agree with my opinions or have experiences to match it, I feel some can learn something from others that have had to expand out from DCL too. I guess I haven't seen a lot of name calling on the board, so not sure when that happens. I have noticed a couple of pot stirrers are missing so maybe those are the people.

I do feel though that people that bring out a critical opinion of DCL, pricing or quality of service, do get taken to task by many people on the board (some may call it bullying, but I really haven't felt bullied). Heck at one point I was one of the DCL defenders.

I just hope that they do expand the RCCL sub forum to make this board better for some.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I completely agree with this. But I have seen threads where people can get a little nasty when others don't agree with them. We don't all have to agree but people should be civil.

It's worth noting some of those people are DCL die hards, who at once have never sailed another line (or did once, 10 yers ago) but can confidently say DCL is "best" at everything.

I think some people dig in to defend their worldview, or the idea that the Dis should be sunshine and sparkles for all things Disney.

 

[Magical2017]

I like how there is a forum for the Disney Resorts and then a separate forum for Orlando Hotels and Attractions. I agree that it would be nice to have a place to discuss different cruise lines (one for DCL and one for others), but did read that this may not be something the moderators want. For once we are planning ahead and looking at 2020, and still do not know if we are cruising or not, or even our destination-just pricing things out and seeing what interests everyone in the family. It's nice to know about more than just price. We have not cruised in 15 years (RCCL, NCL, Carnival), and as others have said, the comments on Cruise Critic are making us have second thoughts on a cruise.

 

[DCLDVC1]

Disney is not infallible and some people seem to believe that pointing out any flaws makes that poster a Disney hater.

This. I've sailed on DCL enough to know they're far from perfect. I really like when some of the negative experiences can be discussed and comparisons with other cruise lines can be made. I think Disboards does a good job of letting that happen compared to some of the FB groups I'm in and I appreciate it. Some groups don't let any other lines get mentioned and if anything negative obout DCL is posted, the "that's never happened to me" crowd comes to DCL's defense. Pixie Dust is some powerful stuff!

 

[Sanchez]

Why do people come/stay on this board to either talk about other cruise lines or hate on Disney (i.e. DCL priced me out and DCL isn't all that)? I am truly curious as to why these folks would waste their time on the DCL forum when there have to be other forums that would bring them greater joy.

It is interesting to me how you posit your question. It isn't a binary love/hate Disney issue. You have not been shy with your criticism of other lines and you have negatively characterized people who choose those lines. Denigrating one does not serve to raise the other. You are welcome to your opinion as much as anyone, though it would lead to more reasonable discussions if you had recent experience on lines other than DCL.

So many people on this thread and board enjoy DCL but have also found suitable alternatives as life changes. We had outstanding cruises with DCL when our boys were younger. When they were teens they preferred the RCCL Oasis class ships. For adult-only cruises we find little value with DCL.

I don't hate DCL. I still believe that DCL is the best cruise line for young children. If/when we have grandchildren we will undoubtedly be back on DCL. When researching cruises I always price out DCL but can't seem to find a suitable itinerary at a fair price. I do, however, think that the pricing is absurd and DCL continues to cut services and quality. There may have been a time where DCL ships were the best but other cruise lines have risen to the occasion and many now offer a comparable or superior product depending on individual tastes. I don't need to hug a character and DCL shows, in my opinion, are tedious. I am not getting what I pay for on DCL.

I guess there is hope that DCL will change the business model. Five or six years ago it wasn't difficult to find DCL cruises within 10-20% of comparable cruises. Perhaps future economic conditions will alter the DCL mindset.

 

[Chirple]

Going out on a limb here, but I have a feeling the OP started this thread because of a comment she received in the Other/Cheaper Cruises thread. I will agree that the comment was unnecessarily rude.

I love DCL, but I would love to branch out and try other lines (as I mentioned in the now-closed priced out thread) and new itineraries. I can easily avoid a casino on another cruise ship just as well as I avoid bingo on DCL. We infrequently drink alcohol, but my husband does like diet soda. We only take a verandah on DCL if we feel the price is reasonable (yes, I know that DCL and reasonable cost can be construed as an oxymoron by some). We do not have children so the kids clubs or activities geared towards kids have no place in our decisions.

In our 13 DCL cruises, we have repeated an itinerary twice. That was due to the convenience of leaving from NYC. Now when I see the prices of some of these new DCL itineraries I think that there has to be a better option out there.

 

[cgolf]

Going out on a limb here, but I have a feeling the OP started this thread because of a comment she received in the Other/Cheaper Cruises thread. I will agree that the comment was unnecessarily rude.

I love DCL, but I would love to branch out and try other lines (as I mentioned in the now-closed priced out thread) and new itineraries. I can easily avoid a casino on another cruise ship just as well as I avoid bingo on DCL. We infrequently drink alcohol, but my husband does like diet soda. We only take a verandah on DCL if we feel the price is reasonable (yes, I know that DCL and reasonable cost can be construed as an oxymoron by some). We do not have children so the kids clubs or activities geared towards kids have no place in our decisions.

In our 13 DCL cruises, we have repeated an itinerary twice. That was due to the convenience of leaving from NYC. Now when I see the prices of some of these new DCL itineraries I think that there has to be a better option out there.

I did go back and read, and it appears that a post was deleted but got caught in a quote and would agree the comment was unnecessary. The only thing some of us were hoping is the OP would clarify the extras comment during booking of an RCCL cruise, we have never seen any and were curious what it was. Of course there is stuff galore you can add post booking.

 

[lucyddr]

We left DCL for many years mainly out of itinerary boredom and scheduling issues. During that time, we were able to try Carnival and one small Royal Caribbean ship. I remember worrying myself sick that we would be miserable on Carnival, yet it was the only sail date and itinerary that worked around our wedding. Carnival was NOT Disney in any way, yet it was a fabulous experience for us! We have since been on many Carnival cruises and still love them, but are also coming back to DCL this fall to give our children a DCL experience. If we fall in love again, that's great! If not, no problem...we've given it a chance!

One key is realizing that we all have different budgets, different lifestyles, and different priorities. Cruise lines also tend to have stereotypes, which are very often not indicative of a family's personal experience. I have friends who are DCL diehards who resent paying for sodas, yet don't mind paying twice the price for the cruise! They also feel people who sail Carnival are "white trash" and "rednecks." If I am those things, then so be it. We love new experiences in our family and will travel the cruise line that allows for the experiences we seek and our budget.

Happy Sailing!

 

[jdb in AZ]

You are welcome to your opinion as much as anyone, though it would lead to more reasonable discussions if you had recent experience on lines other than DCL.

I guess there is hope that DCL will change the business model. Five or six years ago it wasn't difficult to find DCL cruises within 10-20% of comparable cruises. Perhaps future economic conditions will alter the DCL mindset.

It would be nice if DCL altered their mindset, but with three new ships to pay for, I expect future prices to be even further out of line to comparable cruises.