Ok, Disneyphiles. Can you offer reassurance that
DCL is worth the cost. My father-in-law is a veteran cruiser and he is treating our family of 4 (me, DH and DDs 11 and 8) to the 5-day Western Caribbean with MDAS on the Magic in Feb 2020. This is our first cruise and our first Disney experience. My kids are excited about the shows, movies, fancy dinners and princesses. DH and I are looking forward to all that, plus some quiet time if we can convince the girls to go to kids club.
I was so excited and really dove into the planning, but I see a bunch of so-so reviews on cruise critic and feel nervous. Ugh. Should I stick to this board and just ignore the Negative Nellies? Can anyone offer a pep talk?! We are not particularly picky people, but I know that emotions can be heightened when so much money and expectations are at play.
Thanks!
Just did this cruise in March and my son and I loved it. We always love DCL (we are going on our 12th cruise in September, and our 3rd this year), but the MDAS for us, as Marvel fans, was also fantastic. The Magic is my favorite of the DCL ships - it is smaller and has a couple less bells and whistles than the Dream or the Fantasy. If you love Tangled like I do, the show is so much fun, as is the theming in the restaurant as well as the Snuggly Duckling.
As a Mom what I love about cruising and DCl in particular is that you can relax - no cooking, cleaning, driving, planning (once you get on the ship); no arguing over where your going to eat - there is something for everyone either in the main dining rooms or the quick service food places or room service or Cabanas buffet. Just unpack, then start having fun with your kids, or your spouse, or by yourself. Lots to do and plenty "not to do" - like just sitting on your balcony, or walking around exploring the ship, trivia, drink tastings, movies, shows. Do NOT try and do everything - do a few things you really want, and chill out the rest of the time -take it as it comes.
On that last Magic cruise I was walking down the stairs, and I passed Belle, all by herself, no handler, walking up the stairs. We said hello, exchanged pleasantries, and just kept going on our way. Fantastic moment. When we posed for a picture with Black Panther and I told him we were from Raleigh he said his sister told him they had a good science school there with a great basketball team. My son loved it. Through a window we saw Minnie walking out on desk, no guests around, waving and interacting with a crew member who was painting and cleaning the deck. Spiderman waiving down to Star Lord and Gamorra and Groot, dancing on the balcony below in the atrium. Just some of the moments you take in and then go about your day with a smile on your face.
As for Cruise Critic - I get a lot of useful information on Cruise Critic, but boy, there is a lot of Disney bashing by people who are loyal to other lines. Which, I guess here there is "other lines" bashing too. I think in part this is because Disney IS about 20-50% higher, depending on when you cruise, than other lines (February is probably a pretty economical time to cruise on DCL actually). Many people who spend less to cruise on other lines bash Disney because they think it is elitist or snobby or overpriced.
But remember Disney is a very small cruise line - only 4 ships (Carnival and RCCL have over 25, I believe). It has a very recognizable and in demand product - especially for families. They leverage their entertainment catalog - characters, movies and songs - to add to the enjoyment on the cruise. Also, DCL ships don't have a casino, which is a revenue generator for all other cruise lines. They don't sell "all you can drink" packages like almost every other cruise line. These are some of the reasons it is more expensive than other cruise lines. But these things are also why many people love DCL - less boozy cruise, less gambling cruise, more family fun. The other thing about DCL that I love is the attention to detail and they way they have little hidden extras throughout the ship (take the ship tour on the first day where they point some of these things out).
The high price tag doesn't mean you wont have a great cruise (especially since you aren't paying). Of course, you may decide you don't want to spend the premium to cruise DCL in the future. But if you are like the majority of people on THESE boards, at least, you will become addicted - if not to just DCL then to cruising in general. And if you don't - no problem, you have fun, you move on.