ChuckElias
Well-Known Member
If you plan to do this, contact your Congressperson to see if there are any free admission tickets available.
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To cruise or not to cruise…
- Thread starter happymom25
- Start date
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
DCL is really a fantastic experience that delivers in all categories. The last time I went it felt like a premium experience, more so than the theme parks have in recent years.
It's a far more relaxing experience than the hot and crowded theme parks.
Whether it's the better choice comes down to personal preference to a large degree, but the experience is recommended.
It's a far more relaxing experience than the hot and crowded theme parks.
Whether it's the better choice comes down to personal preference to a large degree, but the experience is recommended.
MaryJaneP
Well-Known Member
FYI
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
You have done a few trips to the parks. Do the cruise! The parks will always be there for your next vacation.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I was on a DCL cruise and during sail away the pool was a dingy grey and PACKED wall to wall with people. There was a kid in there with a swim mask. She dropped it and it was gone, never to be seen again. It was, honestly, unsafe. There was no way if some kid went under that they would be able to find them. With the crowds, noise, and murky water, they would be done.
flynnibus
Premium Member
??
Cruises are pretty much completely schedule free except for excursions and getting on/off the boat. Virtually everything else is 'if you want to' with the exception of operating hours. Dining has wide hours of operation with the exception of the sit down meals. To critique the cruises as too structured vs what the parks are doing is amusing.
Cruise Terminal experience is no different than an airport terminal these days. Security, go through a check-in person, wait for your group to be called - that's it.
@happymom25 - at your kid's age range, they will probably love the freedom more than anything. That's the advantage of cruises, being able to give the kids some freedom without a ton of concern. They can pick their activities, they can hang out on their own, make friends, etc. Eventually we got to a model where the kids just had obligations with us, and the rest of the time they did their own thing. Mom had requirements they get photos, and be there for dinner and our off-boat stuff.. beyond that, they were free.
Your younger ones will require an adult to deal with the clubs, but your mid-range kids you can setup to self-check in/out. My guess is your biggest issue is keeping track where everyone is! Letting the group break up gives everyone a chance to do what they want most.
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
We love the parks but prefer DCL, we feel it’s (currently) a better experience and much, much, more relaxing. We’re adults but we always tour the kids clubs on embarkation day and I’m always a little jealous of the kids, DCL provides a ton for kids to do, which should allow for some quiet adult time, something that’s hard to get while at the parks.
Personally I’d keep the cruise.
Personally I’d keep the cruise.
ChuckElias
Well-Known Member
Is the pool even open during sail away??? They're doing a show on the stage and the pool is usually covered so people can dance, isn't it? I have to admit that it's been a while since I've attended the sail away party, but I think I'm right about this.
Having said that, the family pool does get crowded. You really do need to stay with or very close to your kid. I think there was a child who got lost in the Fantasy's pool and suffered brain damage, but there have been similar, sad events on other cruise lines. (I can think of one specifically on Royal Caribbean).
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I think cruise terminals are MUCH faster and easier than an airport.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I am pretty sure it was on sail away. Maybe it was not the sail away party itself, but before the sail away party started? I have not cruised on DCL in about 10 years now, so maybe it changed.
All I remember is that I was a single parent back then, with two young children to watch. They want wanted to swim, so we went in the pool, but I quickly pulled them out. It was way too crowded and trying to keep eyes on two kids, with a packed pool, and zero visibility if one went under was just too risky. There was some sort of entertainment going on, maybe not the Sail Away event itself, but maybe just the Cruise Director and a dance team on stage. In fact, thinking about it, it had to be before Sail Away, since I distinctly remember getting food after I pulled them out of the pool, and they were wearing swimsuit covers because our room was not ready yet. By sail away, the rooms are usually ready, and we would not have ate lunch after sail away, as it would have been approaching dinner.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Yeah, I was kinda trying to lean on the 'self-service' aspect the terminal has moved to vs what it was 5+ years ago. No more huge lines, no more stressful paperwork, 'have your group together', etc. It's very much just going through security screening, then just waiting for boarding group... like anyone who has bag drop and phone based boarding passes for airlines now.
willtravel
Well-Known Member
I just saw this article. I have never been on a cruise so I cannot say if this is true or not.
www.marketwatch.com
Is a Disney cruise cheaper than a trip to Disney World? Sometimes, it is. Hereâs a breakdown.
Disney offers more than one way to enjoy its trademark magic. We compared two types of Disney vacations to see which is more affordable.
www.marketwatch.com
Casinos hold no appeal for me, and the classic nautical vibe is strong with DCL. The Dream is my second-favorite of the DCL ships. Great kid and teen areas, great adult areas, great family areas.
I think you're all going to love it.
Vegas Disney Fan
Well-Known Member
I just saw this article. I have never been on a cruise so I cannot say if this is true or not.
Is a Disney cruise cheaper than a trip to Disney World? Sometimes, it is. Hereâs a breakdown.
Disney offers more than one way to enjoy its trademark magic. We compared two types of Disney vacations to see which is more affordable.
They’re definitely in the same ballpark, a DCL cruise is $1000 a day on average for the 2 of us, between park tickets ($300 for 2), a moderate hotel ($300 a night), and a couple hundred dollars a day in food and snacks it’s nearly a wash for us.
Cruising on Disney probably ends up being a bit more expensive but we find it’s worth it.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I hear about this "classical nautical vibe" quite often. Yes, the look of the DCL ships has the silhouette of older ocean liners, but other than that they are just as much a modern cruise ship as any other. There is no smoking lounge, library, salon, or promenade deck to bring that "ocean liner vibe". Gone are most of the formal dining nights as well.
I also don't get this obsession with a casino (or lack of one). They are a small part of most ships, and unless you actually go into it, you would not notice it.
ChuckElias
Well-Known Member
I'm going to disagree with this last point. On some ships, the casino is open to the atrium or to other parts of the ship. On the NCL Breakaway, we had a hard time dealing with cigarette smoke at the noodle restaurant next to the casino, and could even smell it on other decks, since the casino is open to the middle of the ship.
On other ships, the casino is smack-dab in the middle of the main deck. This is true on the Celebrity Summit, which I just sailed on. 90% of the public spaces are on Decks 4 and 5 and the casino is right in the middle of Deck 4. So you are probably going through the casino multiple times per day: from a lounge to dinner; from dinner to the evening show, etc.
I know that there are some ships where the casino is hidden on a lower deck, but I don't think that's the norm.
flynnibus
Premium Member
I think a big variance is dates. Travel dates (seasons) are even more important on cruises vs WDW and not everyone has the flexibility (or willingness) to cruise when it's cheaper.
I even tried to price shop my last cruise (NYE Cruise) vs other brands and found the DCL premium to be small enough to not even sweat it. And this is after our cruises have significantly increased since we started. Bottom line as you said... I still feel its worth it.
Meanwhile if someone said 'pay $700/night to stay at the poly' - I'd be walking away
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
That is what I meant. Unless you go into it, you do not notice it (at least on the Summit where there is no smoking). Yes, if you want to traverse deck 4 you do have to walk through it. But unless you do that it is not as if the entire ship is a floating casino. When you do walk through it (again, on Celebrity) it is pretty low key unless there is some sort of event going on. Most of the time is just a bunch of older people sitting at slot machines. I just don't understand the whole "I would never go on a ship with a casino" rule some people have (unless of course you have a gambling problem.
ChuckElias
Well-Known Member
The slot machine tournaments on the Summit were LOUD. Very distracting while I was at the poker table.
For me it’s the aesthetics of the entire ship and the spaces inside, including the staterooms. I’m sure that not every other ship looks this way…but the pictures I’ve seen of some other cruise lines give me tacky neon Vegas vibes. Disney cruise ships look more classic inside and out. (deck 4 with those wooden loungers!
) Even their choice of colors are classic nautical colors, excluding the Wish, which doesn’t appeal to me. This is, of course, all a matter of opinion. I never wanted to go on a cruise until I started looking at DCL. I don’t want a casino onboard mostly because I’m not utilizing it, and because of noise and smoke. I have no idea where they are placed in all cruise ships, but from the few times I’ve been through them in Vegas to get to restaurants or AC to get to shopping, they design the buildings so it’s easiest to pass through them, not go around them, even if you are going to a different destination. This is obviously intentional. I would be surprised if a cruise ship doesn’t employ similar tactics to make more money.