We love DCl but

[1disfan]

My wife and I love DCL but for 2 people not needing the children activities, the costs are just getting too high. I was looking for a 4 day cruise around the end of April and DCL is quoting $1960 for an oceanview room. I checked RCL's Sovereign of the Seas for the same date and their price is $578 for an oceanview room. Basically the same itinerary, Nassau, private island and day at sea. In some respects DCL is better and in others RCL is.

We still prefer DCL but not for nearly $1400 more for a 4 day cruise.

Magic- 2/24/01
Wonder- 5/10/01
Magic- 9/29/01
Wonder- 12/2/01
Wonder-4/7/02
Magic- 5/11/02
Wonder-7/28/02
Sovereign- 11/3/02
Wonder- 2/6/03

 

[bill kellum]

the wonder three day cruise on may eleven is approximatly the same cost as the seven day voyager of the seas sailing on the same day.

 

[inkkognito]

When we first started cruising Disney, we did Sovereign of the Seas to give us an "apples to apples" comparison. Sovereign was okay for a quickie budget trip, but whenever possible I'd rather pay the premium for Disney. Here are a few quickie comments:
Compared to the Magic and Wonder, Sovereign's staterooms are closet sized! The ship is also showing a lot of wear.
The food was excellent, as was the service. We really enjoyed Cocoa Cay. It was a lot different than Castaway Cay (i.e. not themed), and there is no adult beach, but I enjoyed its rustic-ness and it is large enough to allow you to get away from the crowds if you prefer.
Smoking is allowed in many more interior area on Sov than Disney, which really caused my respiratory problems to flare. You can also notice how yellowed this has made the walls over the years.
People who enjoy gambling with like the casino, but we are neutral on that because we live close to legalized casinos so we don't like to waste our precious vacation time doing something we can do at home.
Overall, it wasn't a bad time, but we were still homesick for Disney.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[trishy]

I really put some serious thought into what you said and honestly if it weren't for the kid programs (we've got 3 ankle-biters) we would most likely be sailing a different line based partially on cost. Yeah the rooms are a bit bigger on DCL, but there are more adult activities on some of the other lines. DCL really gears up for family type fun and it is pretty pricey. I think if I weren't travelling with my kids, I most likely would want a cruise line that didn't cater to approx. 900 of them at a time

 

[Bev J]

RCCL's Majesty of the Seas also sails the bahamas route. SOS is an older ship, but you can upgrade to a better catagory of cabin if size is important. I have never sailed this ship but have sailed 5 other RCL ships and had a great cruise on ever one. Great service, food, more adult activities. We cruised DCL and enjoyed it also, but the prices are too much compared RCL. We can easily sail for 7 days for less than we paid for 4 on the Wonder.Go on the cruise and enjoy don't spend time comparing just have fun and relax.

 

[Melrosgirl]

Although I agree with you, RCCL's ships for the 4 day cruises are very old. Something to keep in mind.

 

[Rhonda]

We just went on the Voyager 7 day cruise for the same reason. It was the same price as the 4-day cruise on Disney! We've been on DCL twice so we were nervous about switching cruiselines. But, we were pleasantly surprised! The food was much better (IMHO) and the service was as good, if not better than Disney! We will definitely cruise with RCCL again in the future!

But, that doesn't mean we're giving up DCL! No way! We have a 4-day cruise planned in December already! LOL!

 

[GOHoosiers]

My wife and I sailed SOS in January for a quickie 3 day without our daughter. It was about $200 less per person than the Wonder would have been. We chose SOS because a group of our friends went as well and many wanted the casino and the cheaper fare.

That being said, I would not go back on that ship for free. The ship is old and worn, the staff is unfriendly and the food was lousy. Also, if you are going with kids, there were very few on board. The private island is also not even close to comparable to Castaway Cay. You get what you pay for pretty much sums it up.

I would not hesitate to go on a RCCL Voyager class ship however. I have seen the Explorer in Nassau a few times and it looks fantastic.

 

[Buschfan]

Originally posted by Melrosgirl
Although I agree with you, RCCL's ships for the 4 day cruises are very old. Something to keep in mind.

That is changing. RCCL is replacing the Monarch with the 1997 built Enchantment for 4 and 5 night cruises starting this summer. The Monarch will be gutted inside before she moves to the west coast. The Enchantment is a beautiful vision-class ship.

NCL Sunward 1/92
NCL Norway 1/94
NCL Seaward 5/95
NCL Leeward 9/99
Disney Magic 9/00
Celebrity Zenith 1/02
Norwegian Majesty 1/03
Celebrity Century 9/03!!

 

[Jules1]

Consider trying Princess - we've had great experiences on them! We sailed two back to back 7-day cruises -14 days total (western and eastern caribbean) last summer for about the same price as a 7 day DCL cruise would have been. The food and activities were great!

 

[lbgraves]

When DH gave me a box of cruise info for Christmas I first wanted to go with DCL because of the kids programs. Ours will be 3 & 5 on our 1st cruise in November. I started pricing 3-4 day cruises & after getting upset about the cost, tried to look into other lines. DH had already found the best rates for DCL in the fall. We ended up with a 7 day Eastern for the same price as a 3-4 day in May or June. It was worth the wait for us to get more for our money...along with the fact that I REALLY want DD to be trained & 3 for the club.