Is a Disney cruise worth it?

[MaryJaneP]

It may be tres gauche, but what do they charge if the wine bottles you brought are screwtop cheapies?

 

[ChuckElias]

It may be tres gauche, but what do they charge if the wine bottles you brought are screwtop cheapies?

I'm sure it's the normal corkage fee. The fee is not because you're bringing cork into the dining room It's because you're bringing your own wine and not buying theirs.

 

[ChuckElias]

Quick story. Our first 7-night sailing was in January of 2003. My mom had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and this was an all-family trip basically to be with her, because her prognosis wasn't good. On that cruise, we found a wine that my mom really loved. After the cruise, she found that same wine in a local wine store and bought a bottle to open on our next cruise the following year.

Well, my mom didn't make it to that next cruise. But we brought her bottle with us to drink in her honor. Our Head Server noticed us "celebrating" my mom and asked what the special occasion was. We explained, and he promptly waived the corkage fee. Not a huge deal, but it was a very kind gesture.

 

[Ulysses McGill]

It may be tres gauche, but what do they charge if the wine bottles you brought are screwtop cheapies?

They're still going to charge the uncorking fee. The one and only time I've ever had the fee waived was on our one-year wedding anniversary cruise back in Jan. 2014. However, the bottle we brought was a Tattinger bought on the Disney Fantasy and branded with the Inaugural Sailings 2012-13. I wasn't sure if they waived it as "pixie dust" because of the special occasion, or the fact we brought an apparently semi-rare bottle from the other ship.

Either way, we were told that uncorking fee applies to any bottle you hand them to open that was not purchased in the dining room, during the meal.

And of course, that doesn't apply to any hard liquor or beer you bring on board in your carry-on, because all that is supposed to stay in your room.

 

[sullyinMT]

The only place where I feel they are a bit on the money grab side is with alcohol. I think the reason they do it is to discourage people from drinking to excess, which I believe is a good thing.

I am not normally a big drinker, but when I am on vacation, especially on a cruise, I enjoy an alcoholic beverage now and then. I may have a drink in the early afternoon poolside, a cocktail before dinner, wine with dinner, and perhaps a drink during the show. This is not everyday, but its not uncommon for me (again when on vacation). With other cruise lines that do beverage packages, you are paying one price. Disney charges you every time you turn around. The also sell the wine package, which gives me flashbacks of the Disney Dining Plan (that's not a good thing)

If you don't drink, or drink extremely limited amounts, then this is not an issue. Also, as I said, I don't think they are doing it to nickel and dime people, but it sure feels like it.

If I am on an all expense included vacation, I like to have all expenses included. Even if I have to pay extra for a drink plan, I like having it paid for (which is the opposite of my feelings of the DDP oddly enough)

The free soda on a DCL cruise does nothing for me either, I very very rarely drink soda. I know for some people that is a huge draw, but if I want something to drink that's non-alcoholic, I usually have water or I am at the bar ordering a seltzer or club soda with lime.

I think you hit the nail on the head with why they don't offer some type of drink package like the other major family lines. One of our favorite Carnival memories is hearing a mom cross the gangway onto the Liberty shouting "Momma needs a cocktail!" Now, to be fair, my wife has used the same line in jest during F&W since that sailing, so I won't pass too much judgement on our former shipmate . I wish DCL would offer some kind of drink package beyond the wine in the dining rooms, though. Like you, I just want to board and be done. Souvenirs and Bingo aside, I just want to have a good time with minimal impact to my statement once home. Even if they capped at a significantly lower limit that Carnival or NCL, say 5 drinks a day to include Frozone smoothies and a Cove Café coffe or something, you wouldn't get the level of "party vibe" present on other lines.


All that to say, we are DCL loyalists. We sail other lines to enjoy new itineraries, or to fit in a quick trip on a budget, but will return to Disney for years to come. Their level of detail and general "vibe" can't be met on another major family line.

 

[Phonedave]

It may be tres gauche, but what do they charge if the wine bottles you brought are screwtop cheapies?

Not all screwtops are "cheapies" anymore. Cork is not always easy to get, and as a natural product it can have defects, leading to corked wine.

 

[rk03221]

All that to say, we are DCL loyalists.

Random question, but we are looking to sail in December of 2022 or January of 23. The prices for the cruises we want are really good…is there ever a chance the prices will raise or typically do they stay the same?

 

[ChuckElias]

Random question, but we are looking to sail in December of 2022 or January of 23. The prices for the cruises we want are really good…is there ever a chance the prices will raise or typically do they stay the same?

Hard to say in the Covid era. But in normal times, DCL prices typically go up as the ship starts to fill. If it doesn't fill, then sometimes there are last-minute Florida resident discounts. But usually, it gets more expensive as time goes by.

 

[Phonedave]

Hard to say in the Covid era. But in normal times, DCL prices typically go up as the ship starts to fill. If it doesn't fill, then sometimes there are last-minute Florida resident discounts. But usually, it gets more expensive as time goes by.

Yeah, with COVID all bets are off, but DCL usually works the opposite of all other cruise lines. Most cruises, the price drops as you get closer to sailing. DCL just keeps going up.

 

[rk03221]

Yeah, with COVID all bets are off, but DCL usually works the opposite of all other cruise lines. Most cruises, the price drops as you get closer to sailing. DCL just keeps going up.

Thank you both. Also, we are looking to sail in December 22-January 23. Just in your opinion, do you think covid restrictions will be gone/lax?

We are vaccinated but I really don’t want to be on vacation and have to deal with covid restrictions. I’m really hoping it’s okay by then when all age groups are vaccinated

 

[ChuckElias]

Thank you both. Also, we are looking to sail in December 22-January 23. Just in your opinion, do you think covid restrictions will be gone/lax?

We are vaccinated but I really don’t want to be on vacation and have to deal with covid restrictions. I’m really hoping it’s okay by then when all age groups are vaccinated

There's just no way to know what will be happening 15 months from now. It would be nice if masks were no longer required by the end of 2022, but honestly, nobody has any idea.

 

[Phonedave]

Thank you both. Also, we are looking to sail in December 22-January 23. Just in your opinion, do you think covid restrictions will be gone/lax?

We are vaccinated but I really don’t want to be on vacation and have to deal with covid restrictions. I’m really hoping it’s okay by then when all age groups are vaccinated

Put it this way. I am still attempting to go on a Celebrity cruise that I had booked for July of 2020, then July 2021, and now July 2022.

Who knows? There may be a flare up somewhere, there may be a case diagnosed on your ship, something may happen at one of your ports of call. Hopefully things will be much better in 13 months from now, but I don't think anybody can make any real predictions.

 

[lostpro9het]

Put it this way. I am still attempting to go on a Celebrity cruise that I had booked for July of 2020, then July 2021, and now July 2022.

Who knows? There may be a flare up somewhere, there may be a case diagnosed on your ship, something may happen at one of your ports of call. Hopefully things will be much better in 13 months from now, but I don't think anybody can make any real predictions.

As someone who just got off their first Celebrity cruise…DAYUM, Celebrity was ON POINT! We too had a few Celebrity and DCL itineraries canceled this past 18 months and we weren’t sure this trip was going down but so thankful this one happened.

 

[rk03221]

Put it this way. I am still attempting to go on a Celebrity cruise that I had booked for July of 2020, then July 2021, and now July 2022.

Who knows? There may be a flare up somewhere, there may be a case diagnosed on your ship, something may happen at one of your ports of call. Hopefully things will be much better in 13 months from now, but I don't think anybody can make any real predictions.

Sad to say but I don’t think we’ll go on a cruise until all the restrictions are lifted. The nursery isn’t open yet with no news in sight and we can’t take our little one off shore because he isn’t vaccinated yet (23 mo old at the time of cruise). I think we can do Disney adventures but it’s not the same. He also can’t do the pools unless he’s potty trained or the kids club because he’d have to be 3. We’d basically be stuck on the ship with him able to do practically nothing so we are going to wait until he’s a bit older

 

[RememberWhen]

Sad to say but I don’t think we’ll go on a cruise until all the restrictions are lifted. The nursery isn’t open yet with no news in sight and we can’t take our little one off shore because he isn’t vaccinated yet (23 mo old at the time of cruise). I think we can do Disney adventures but it’s not the same. He also can’t do the pools unless he’s potty trained or the kids club because he’d have to be 3. We’d basically be stuck on the ship with him able to do practically nothing so we are going to wait until he’s a bit older

Things can, and likely will, change before you were looking to cruise, but you’re not wrong.
I hope you’re able to make things work!

 

[Phonedave]

As someone who just got off their first Celebrity cruise…DAYUM, Celebrity was ON POINT! We too had a few Celebrity and DCL itineraries canceled this past 18 months and we weren’t sure this trip was going down but so thankful this one happened.

I'm interested in your take on Celebrity compared to DCL

I feel the DCL is *slightly* better in some aspects, while Celebrity is better in others, but once you take into account the cost difference, it is no contest (again, unless you have kids)

 

[Haymarket]

A possibly minor point, but it matters to me: while it has room for improvement, Disney Cruise Line has the best environmental record of any major cruise line, and the Disney Wish is going to use liquified natural gas, leading to greatly reduced emissions vs. the existing fleet.

To me, that's worth the premium and waiting for the Wish.

 

[rk03221]

A possibly minor point, but it matters to me: while it has room for improvement, Disney Cruise Line has the best environmental record of any major cruise line, and the Disney Wish is going to use liquified natural gas, leading to greatly reduced emissions vs. the existing fleet.

To me, that's worth the premium and waiting for the Wish.

I absolutely agree. I am aware of the shady and bad practices of other cruise lines and will only sail with Disney.

 

[imahistorygeek]

I'm interested in your take on Celebrity compared to DCL

I feel the DCL is *slightly* better in some aspects, while Celebrity is better in others, but once you take into account the cost difference, it is no contest (again, unless you have kids)

Since I was on the Celebrity cruise with @lostpro9het, I'll give you my take.

DCL has better entertainment, hands down. Celebrity's scripted shows just weren't that good, but their live acts were very good to excellent. We also enjoy rotational dining on DCL and getting to know our servers. This just doesn't happen on Celebrity, at least not in our experience. The staterooms are definitely nicer on Edge class ships.

Celebrity edges out in food. The food is better in the main dining rooms and a lot better than Cabanas on DCL. There's a lot of live music on board and it's really good. There are 2 pools and one in a solarium. There are a lot of places to hang out on the ship and I really liked all of the art on the the ship. The app worked like a dream.

 

[Phonedave]

Since I was on the Celebrity cruise with @lostpro9het, I'll give you my take.

DCL has better entertainment, hands down. Celebrity's scripted shows just weren't that good, but their live acts were very good to excellent.

This is a toss up for me. DCL has three shows, so once you see all three, you are watching repeats if you are on a longer cruise. Celebrity has something different each night, but some of those nights are a little lacking (but some are excellent)

We also enjoy rotational dining on DCL and getting to know our servers. This just doesn't happen on Celebrity, at least not in our experience.

If you stay in the main dining room (or in Blu if you are in Aqua class) you have the same server team each night. If you go to Qsine or that Tuscan Place (the name escapes me) then you do have different servers. On both DCL and Celebrity my servers got to know us and our preferences.

The staterooms are definitely nicer on Edge class ships.

DCL rooms are a little bigger - but not so much so that it matters - it still feels like a stateroom and not a hotel room.

Celebrity edges out in food. The food is better in the main dining rooms and a lot better than Cabanas on DCL.

I agree. DCL food is good, but I think Celebrity does a better job. I toured the kitchen on Celebrity and it was impressive - especially that they have an entirely separate kitchen for cooked and raw foods (like salads) to avoid any cross contamination (that may be standard on cruise ships for all I know)

There's a lot of live music on board and it's really good.

I agree, there is a lot of entertainment on Celebrity

There are 2 pools and one in a solarium. There are a lot of places to hang out on the ship and I really liked all of the art on the the ship. The app worked like a dream.

The art is cool. The solarium / thalassotherapy pool is awesome, and the butlers that are in that area actively remove items from people who are saving chairs, and also are on top of keeping out kids. We spend a lot of time in that area.

Thanks for your insights.