Other/Cheaper Cruises...?

[tinkerone]

All the extras are optional. Soda, specialty restaurants, late night kids clubs, room service. I do none of these on DCL or Royal so it’s a non factor for me. There’s nothing on either cruise line that I have to spend extra on. I spend money on adult beverages, excursions and maybe a souvenir or two. Of course those are also all optional.

Oh, I know. I sail RCCL now, a lot. I was just wanting to know what Chicoswife was seeing because that has not been my experience however if they are going to mention it, it would be good to know what they mean by extras. She seemed to be talking about the time of booking and everything you listed is bought after booking. I would really like to know what she is talking about.

 

[Pens Fan]

The one thing I have always been baffled by is why do people feel they have to defend Disney? When we bring up alternatives for others that our looking for them, people run to Disney’s defense. I don’t see this kind of loyalty to other lines. I am also baffled by it, because Disney being a for profit business really doesn’t care a lot about loyalty, only making as much profit as the market will allow.

I am guessing there are a lot of people out there that look for a family cruise vacation and rule Disney out due to cost and some that try cruising just because of Disney alone. If people like Disney, great, if people want to try other lines, they should be able to take advantage of the knowledge of people on this board that have done DCL and other lines. A lot of pro Disney people on here have sailed other lines a fair bit.

Perhaps like the split off the RCCL board, maybe Dis could create a general cruising board where other options could be discussed and this board could stick more exclusively to all things DCL? I for one would have nbenifitted from a board like this back in 2016.

We recently booked our first ABD trip, so I've been reading over on that section of the Disboards. They have a great thread called Other Options where posters discuss alternatives to ABD. It's over 70 pages long and has been going on for several years. I haven't read all of it, but have scanned it a bit. What I have read is great information. It's filled with like minded vacationers sharing options and ideas and making comparisons to ABD. I'm sure there have been some exceptions in all of those posts, but from what I have read no one gets offended, and no one goes to ridiculous extremes to defend Disney. It's just a good discussion of vacation ideas and options.

It would really be nice if we could have something like that on the cruise boards where people who had actually sailed on other lines could share their experiences. I know when we first ventured away from Disney it was helpful reading things from the perspective of other Disney cruisers who tried something else. There is always Cruise Critic, and while it's a great tool I think (as someone mentioned on here a few days ago) that folks often take the "critic" part to the extreme on there. If you took even half of what people post on that site seriously, you'd never cruise again!

Unfortunately whenever these threads pop up on here, they usually end up in arguments and the mods have no choice but to shut them down. It's a shame. There is great information to be shared. A lot of families love DCL, but simply cannot afford it. Others are bored with it, or their children have outgrown it and they are looking for options. Having a place to share actual post Disney cruise information would really be helpful.

Edited to add: @mevelandry has done a great job keeping the Carnival thread alive, though she often has to get past the usual suspects trying to derail it and get it closed. I just wish we also had a general thread where folks could share info about all kinds of cruise lines.

 

[lilsonicfan]

so in an attempt to be more neutral on this, I will agree that there are extras, both tangible and intangible, that add value to DCL. Soda isn't the only thing. I agree that free room service has value. As does being able to bring beer on board. And not being charged for towels. Even character interaction has value. The question that originally prompted this thread was essentially, is it really possible to save 20-25% or more by cruising another line - and I would argue the answer is yes, even when you add back in those things that DCL offers. I could pay for room service every day on another line, for late night babysitting, for all of those extra things, and still come out ahead monetarily. So the answer to that specific question is still yes. But of course, any of us can be / has been / will be willing to spend the extra to sail on DCL. I myself chose to stick with Disney for the TA cruise rather than move to a cheaper line like NCL. I like sea days with Disney and this TA cruise has 6 or 7 days at sea!

I totally agree with @Pens Fan that it would be so great to be able to compare without discussions turning into arguments.

 

[ChicosWife]

Oh, I know. I sail RCCL now, a lot. I was just wanting to know what Chicoswife was seeing because that has not been my experience however if they are going to mention it, it would be good to know what they mean by extras. She seemed to be talking about the time of booking and everything you listed is bought after booking. I would really like to know what she is talking about.

You are correct. It was at the time of booking. I can tell you from total price to total price, the difference was minimal. I was actually very surprised, given the multiple accounts on this thread of the tremendous price difference (which I believe also, especially during summer break, etc.). I even showed my husband to see if I was missing something. I wish I would have thought to screenshot both of the totals, so I could provide the "evidence" that everyone is looking for. I am not here to change anyone's minds, but I wanted to share my experience, in that it is possible to come closer than the $1,000+ difference many folks reference.

 

[Dug720]

We recently booked our first ABD trip, so I've been reading over on that section of the Disboards. They have a great thread called Other Options where posters discuss alternatives to ABD. It's over 70 pages long and has been going on for several years. I haven't read all of it, but have scanned it a bit. What I have read is great information. It's filled with like minded vacationers sharing options and ideas and making comparisons to ABD. I'm sure there have been some exceptions in all of those posts, but from what I have read no one gets offended, and no one goes to rediculous extremes to defend Disney. It's just a good discussion of vacation ideas and options.

It would really be nice if we could have something like that on the cruise boards where people who had actually sailed on other lines could share their experiences. I know when we first ventured away from Disney, it was helpful reading things from the perspective of other Disney cruisers who tried something else. There is always Cruise Critic, and while it's a great tool, I think (as someone mentioned on here a few days ago) that folks often take the "critic" part to the extreme on there. If you took even half of what people post on that site seriously, you'd never cruise again!

Unfortunately whenever these threads pop up on here, they usually end up in arguments and the mods have no choice but to shut them down. It's a shame. There is great information to be shared. A lot of families love DCL, but simply cannot afford it. Others are bored with it, or their children have outgrown it and they are looking for options. Having a place to share actual post Disney cruise information would really be helpful.

Edited to add: @mevelandry has done a great job keeping the Carnival thread alive, though she often has to get past the usual suspects trying to derail it and get it closed. I just wish we also had a general thread where folks could share info about all kinds of cruise lines.

We have tried and tried to get the mods to turn the Royal Caribbean sub forum into an "All Other Cruise Lines" sub forum, but they will not. The reason given is that Dreams doesn't book some of the other lines (maybe no other lines besides Disney and RCCL)...but since they allow that kind of discussion on here, it really doesn't make sense.

 

[Madame]

We have tried and tried to get the mods to turn the Royal Caribbean sub forum into an "All Other Cruise Lines" sub forum, but they will not. The reason given is that Dreams doesn't book some of the other lines (maybe no other lines besides Disney and RCCL)...but since they allow that kind of discussion on here, it really doesn't make sense.

I’m looking at NCL & googled Dreams & NCL and one Dreams agent’s name popped up at an NCL specialist.

I wish we had more info on other lines too as Disboards is, for me, my main source of trusted info. Doubly hard to branch out when both the line and sources are unfamiliar.

 

[Dug720]

I’m looking at NCL & googled Dreams & NCL and one Dreams agent’s name popped up at an NCL specialist.

I wish we had more info on other lines too as Disboards is, for me, my main source of trusted info. Doubly hard to branch out when both the line and sources are unfamiliar.

Like I said, that is just what we were told when we have asked about having the Royal Caribbean sub be converted to an "All Other Cruise Lines" thread.

 

[kaseyC]

We recently booked our first ABD trip, so I've been reading over on that section of the Disboards. They have a great thread called Other Options where posters discuss alternatives to ABD. It's over 70 pages long and has been going on for several years. I haven't read all of it, but have scanned it a bit. What I have read is great information. It's filled with like minded vacationers sharing options and ideas and making comparisons to ABD. I'm sure there have been some exceptions in all of those posts, but from what I have read no one gets offended, and no one goes to rediculous extremes to defend Disney. It's just a good discussion of vacation ideas and options.

I'm over there quite a bit too and have posted my experiences with Tauck Bridges on the "Other Options" thread. The folks on the ABD board are very open to sharing ideas and experiences with ABD as well as others escorted tour companies. We absolutely love Tauck Bridges but we have two ABD's booked - one short escape that starts on this Thursday before our Wonder cruise and we are also doing ABD China in July. These are itineraries that Tauck Bridges doesn't offer. I do have to add that the price of ABD's are starting to look like a better value compared to some of those rates posted for the 2020 European itineraries.

 

[mevelandry]

We recently booked our first ABD trip, so I've been reading over on that section of the Disboards. They have a great thread called Other Options where posters discuss alternatives to ABD. It's over 70 pages long and has been going on for several years. I haven't read all of it, but have scanned it a bit. What I have read is great information. It's filled with like minded vacationers sharing options and ideas and making comparisons to ABD. I'm sure there have been some exceptions in all of those posts, but from what I have read no one gets offended, and no one goes to ridiculous extremes to defend Disney. It's just a good discussion of vacation ideas and options.

It would really be nice if we could have something like that on the cruise boards where people who had actually sailed on other lines could share their experiences. I know when we first ventured away from Disney, it was helpful reading things from the perspective of other Disney cruisers who tried something else. There is always Cruise Critic, and while it's a great tool I think (as someone mentioned on here a few days ago) that folks often take the "critic" part to the extreme on there. If you took even half of what people post on that site seriously, you'd never cruise again!

Unfortunately whenever these threads pop up on here, they usually end up in arguments and the mods have no choice but to shut them down. It's a shame. There is great information to be shared. A lot of families love DCL, but simply cannot afford it. Others are bored with it, or their children have outgrown it and they are looking for options. Having a place to share actual post Disney cruise information would really be helpful.

Edited to add: @mevelandry has done a great job keeping the Carnival thread alive, though she often has to get past the usual suspects trying to derail it and get it closed. I just wish we also had a general thread where folks could share info about all kinds of cruise lines.

Thank you.

 

[KashasMom]

Dug720 said: ↑
We have tried and tried to get the mods to turn the Royal Caribbean sub forum into an "All Other Cruise Lines" sub forum, but they will not. The reason given is that Dreams doesn't book some of the other lines (maybe no other lines besides Disney and RCCL)...but since they allow that kind of discussion on here, it really doesn't make sense.


That would have been a great idea!

 

[KashasMom]

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.

Would love to hear all the details of your particular example. What specifically were the add-ons?

 

[smmco]

so in an attempt to be more neutral on this, I will agree that there are extras, both tangible and intangible, that add value to DCL. Soda isn't the only thing. I agree that free room service has value. As does being able to bring beer on board. And not being charged for towels. Even character interaction has value. The question that originally prompted this thread was essentially, is it really possible to save 20-25% or more by cruising another line - and I would argue the answer is yes, even when you add back in those things that DCL offers. I could pay for room service every day on another line, for late night babysitting, for all of those extra things, and still come out ahead monetarily. So the answer to that specific question is still yes. But of course, any of us can be / has been / will be willing to spend the extra to sail on DCL. I myself chose to stick with Disney for the TA cruise rather than move to a cheaper line like NCL. I like sea days with Disney and this TA cruise has 6 or 7 days at sea!

I totally agree with @Pens Fan that it would be so great to be able to compare without discussions turning into arguments.

I chose to stick with Disney for the TA because I figured my kids would be bored on a TA that's full of retired folks. It never crossed my mind to even look at another cruise line for a crossing. Honestly the TA's are one of the view good values on DCL.

 

[KashasMom]

I chose to stick with Disney for the TA because I figured my kids would be bored on a TA that's full of retired folks. It never crossed my mind to even look at another cruise line for a crossing. Honestly the TA's are one of the view good values on DCL.

I agree! I'd love to do one but we can't cruise at those times of year. :-(

 

[Pens Fan]

I chose to stick with Disney for the TA because I figured my kids would be bored on a TA that's full of retired folks. It never crossed my mind to even look at another cruise line for a crossing. Honestly the TA's are one of the view good values on DCL.

Totally agree with this. One thing we have discovered when venturing away from Disney is timing is everything if you have young kids. We sailed on NCL in the Summer and there were tons of families, maybe not as many as Disney, but plenty. I would not hesitate to recommend them to families during the Summer. When we sailed in October as a couple aged 55 and 60, we were among the youngest on the ship. That did not affect our enjoyment in any way, shape or form. It was a great cruise. But a family with small kids might have had a different experience.

This is why I'd love for a non-confrontational forum on here to discuss the pros and cons (and timing) of other options.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Real life example of 2 cruises I had booked and cruise in January 2019:

Base prices:
Carnival Sunshine - 13 night cruise - aft extended balcony - $4300
Disney Fantasy - 7 night cruise - side balcony deck 8 - $5800

Extras:
Carnival - 60 sodas, 36 bottled water, cookies and a cake from the fun shop - $200
- Jiji's specialty restaurant x 2 (so, so good - best meal ever on a cruise ship) for 3 people with extra tip - $110
- Steakhouse dinner with extra tip $140
total extras not covered - $450
total Carnival cost $4750

Extras on Disney:
24 Bottled water - $55

total Disney cost - $5850

I paid $1000 more for DCL than Carnival and cruised for only about half the time.

While Star Wars day at sea was awesome (and it was), the cruise wasn't worth so much more for so much less time away for us.

 

[smmco]

Totally agree with this. One thing we have discovered when venturing away from Disney is timing is everything if you have young kids. We sailed on NCL in the Summer and there were tons of families, maybe not as many as Disney, but plenty. I would not hesitate to recommend them to families during the Summer. When we sailed in October as a couple aged 55 and 60, we were among the youngest on the ship. That did not affect our enjoyment in any way, shape or form. It was a great cruise. But a family with small kids might have had a different experience.

This is why I'd love for a non-confrontational forum on here to discuss the pros and cons (and timing) of other options.

Mine aren't young. They're almost adults. It's even worse because the social aspect of cruising is so important to high school kids. The last thing you want to do take a 10 day cruise that's mostly sea days with a couple of bored teenagers.

The first thing they asked me when I booked the Carnival Baltic cruise next Summer is if there would be kids on board. I'm assuming there will be, but it's a very port intensive cruise. It would be great if the teen clubs closed a little earlier then Disney.

The Vibe is open until 2am and then some of the kids go to the family lounge and hang out even later. At this hour they have the ship to themselves. Then the next day the room host gets annoyed because he can't clean the room until noon. I always tell them it's not my fault tell Disney to close the teen clubs earlier. It's funny how on Disney the only people up past 11pm are the teenagers on Royal it's a different story.

 

[NancyIL]

Regarding the Toyota vs. Cadillac comparison - is DCL supposed to be Cadillac and everyone else is Toyota? Frankly - I'd rather have a Toyota!

I have been a BIG Disney fan since I was a little kid, and my first Disney theme park visit was to Disneyland in 1966. However, my first cruise wasn't until 2004, and it was on Holland America with my mother. It was an okay cruise and I wanted to cruise again - but I swore I wouldn't sail on HAL or with my mother ever again! My 2nd cruise was on Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas a year later, and I loved everything about that cruise. I sailed twice more with RCI before cruising to Alaska on Princess in 2007. I even gave HAL one more try on an Alaska cruise in 2008, and it was a great cruise. I've also cruised with Celebrity, and would sail on any of those 4 cruise lines for the right itinerary and price.

I finally gave DCL a try in 2008...with my mother! Three subsequent Disney cruises were with a college friend, and they were fun. However, it wasn't until I sailed on my first Disney Transatlantic cruise in May 2013 that I realized how much more I enjoyed the sea days on DCL compared to the sea days on other cruise lines. Sometimes I just want to sail on a Disney ship, and so I look for a decent value - like the 5-night San Juan to New Orleans cruise in Feb. 2020. I didn't compare it to 5-night cruises on other cruise lines, because I wasn't looking for the best price; I just wanted a Disney cruise. However, when I'm looking for a cruise with a great itinerary that doesn't break the bank - I generally book other cruise lines.

 

[bbel]

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)

Royal you can carry on wine and other alcohol too

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

Royal charges after 10pm, but they are open till 2am which Disney aren't. They also offer age appropriate groups with age appropriate activities do your 3yo isn't going to be hit in the face with a ball when the older kids play a decent game of gaga ball.
Royal also employ qualified youth staff, which Disney dont!

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

No charge for breakfast. There's also the buffet option in the evening which Disney dont have. Pick exactly what you want and go back to the room. Plus, I think on all lines they charge its per order not item, so if theres a lot of you it can be made to work.

- 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

Ah, but some royal ships have more 'included' slides on one ship then Disney does in the fleet. Along with 'free' rock walls, zip lines, laser tag, sky pad, ice skating, flowriders, kiddie climbers, archery, Dodgems...

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

But dont offer it on the ship on private island days which royal do. They used to offer it on the island, but it wasn't utilised and people used the one on the ship more.

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

I mean, it's a towel. It takes 2 seconds to scan your card where you pick them up and drop them off...

- 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)

 

[tidefan]

- 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)

Royal you can carry on wine and other alcohol too

Royal lets you take beer onboard and consume it in your stateroom? We didn't experience that on the Serenade...

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

Royal charges after 10pm, but they are open till 2am which Disney aren't. They also offer age appropriate groups with age appropriate activities do your 3yo isn't going to be hit in the face with a ball when the older kids play a decent game of gaga ball.
Royal also employ qualified youth staff, which Disney dont!

Our DD has been on 2 RCCL cruises. The Serenade and the Majesty to Cuba. She hated them. Said that all they did on the Serenade was play gaga ball (ETA: I have no idea what gaga ball is). She actually much prefers the Teen centers on Princess...

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

No charge for breakfast. There's also the buffet option in the evening which Disney dont have. Pick exactly what you want and go back to the room. Plus, I think on all lines they charge its per order not item, so if theres a lot of you it can be made to work.

Disney has cook to order in Cabanas at night, which, if you play it right like order a cook to order Ribeye, is very good. Point is, it's not like it's not open. Now, back on our Serenade cruise, they didn't have a poolside grill or poolside pizza. The buffet (Windjammer) was closed each day from 2-5. The only available food at that time was the Park Cafe in the adult area.

- 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

Ah, but some royal ships have more 'included' slides on one ship then Disney does in the fleet. Along with 'free' rock walls, zip lines, laser tag, sky pad, ice skating, flowriders, kiddie climbers, archery, Dodgems...

These may be nice, but I think that the Ropes courses on Carnival and NCL are the best added entertainment like that. Again, thinking back to our Serenade cruise, the Rock wall was open exactly 1 of the 7 days of the cruise. I'm also not much of a waterslide fan, though I think that at best, you'd push with the AquaDuck. I also think Carnival probably wins the waterslide derby as well...

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

But dont offer it on the ship on private island days which royal do. They used to offer it on the island, but it wasn't utilised and people used the one on the ship more.

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

I mean, it's a towel. It takes 2 seconds to scan your card where you pick them up and drop them off...

Still a pain though... Why can't RCCL be like Carnival and Princess and just let you have them?

- 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)

Look, I like all cruise lines. What I find funny about all of these posts is that people make all kinds of fuss about people enjoying Disney, but, say one bad thing about RCCL and you'll have a riot on your hands...

 

[tidefan]

It seems like the Harmony prices are going up when they move to Port Canaveral. They can raise the rates and still come in less then DCL. Carnival will be home porting a new ship in pc in 2020. It will be interesting to see how they are all priced. Maybe Disney will have to come down a little to compete.

I agree about the Oasis class pricing. Royal is definitely pricing it way above other comparable lines AND their other ship classes. We'd actually love to try an Oasis class ship as my (and DD and DW's 2) RCCL experience was very subpar, however, I think that had mostly to do with the ship.

I do think that Mardi Gras will be a bit of a game changer to compete in that Mega ship class. Ought to be interesting to see how it goes. It looks great (other than the smallish for CCL interior cabins), but we'll see how the ship actually is when it sails. I do have high hopes though. We've done 1 CCL cruise on the Sunshine and were very pleasantly surprised. However, I'd be pressed to go on a ship older than the Dream class unless it was a total makeover like the Sunshine/Sunrise.

For us, the sweet spot has been Princess. We find pricing to be very competitive, usually beating RCCL on similar itineraries. However, I will say that if you cruise Princess on a 10+ day cruise or an off-season cruise out of FLL, you'll likely be on a ship that skews older. If you go in-season (Summer, breaks, etc.), I don't really notice much of an age difference. However, we are not big waterslide/ice skating/rock wall/Go Kart people. Even on DCL, we don't really ride the AquaDuck. If you need those things, Princess likely won't fit your bill. However, it does provide an excellent cruise experience, great food (I could write a whole thread about the buffet on the Regal Princess - and I'm not really a buffet person...), and it's what I call "sneaky fun" in that they do a lot of little things that add up.