What sets Disney cruises above other cruise lines?

[Ralphlaw]

One thing not mentioned is the debarkation. We've heard many times how poorly passengers are treated on other lines when it's time to leave. Once the tip envelopes are handed out, it's "Get outta here!" On Norwegian, we were dumped into a stuffy and hot lounge until we were finally cleared to go. All employees were ok beforehand, but that last morning we were treated like cattle.

Disney ships also carry that impression of something extra to the world that makes other people wish that they were onboard. We've been blessed to have gone on two European cruises, and people in the ports, and people from other boats, yearn to be on the Disney ship. It looks nicer, more fun, more artistic, and somehow more monumental than other ships in the harbor. We've even had salesclerks in Dubrovnik and St. Petersburg show off our Disney Credit Card to co-workers. Does that impression mean anything? I don't know, but if I were in port on another ship next to a Disney ship, I'd be jealous. You just have to think that something better is happening over on that ship that doesn't look like a tipped over milk carton.

 

[Phonedave]

One thing not mentioned is the debarkation. We've heard many times how poorly passengers are treated on other lines when it's time to leave. Once the tip envelopes are handed out, it's "Get outta here!" On Norwegian, we were dumped into a stuffy and hot lounge until we were finally cleared to go. All employees were ok beforehand, but that last morning we were treated like cattle.

Disney ships also carry that impression of something extra to the world that makes other people wish that they were onboard. We've been blessed to have gone on two European cruises, and people in the ports, and people from other boats, yearn to be on the Disney ship. It looks nicer, more fun, more artistic, and somehow more monumental than other ships in the harbor. We've even had salesclerks in Dubrovnik and St. Petersburg show off our Disney Credit Card to co-workers. Does that impression mean anything? I don't know, but if I were in port on another ship next to a Disney ship, I'd be jealous. You just have to think that something better is happening over on that ship that doesn't look like a tipped over milk carton.

I will say that the DCL ships are a lot more visualy appealing. They were designed to evoke the image of classic ocean liners (the false stack for example) and it does have an impact. I honestly don't like the look of many of the mega-liners either.

However, I will say, debarkation on Celebrity in Bayonne NJ was as plesant as the end of a cruise could be. Great service at the buffet breakfast. Guest were assigned debarkation numbers, and lounges to wait in. After breakfast, you went down to your assigned lounge, where there was a crew member if you had questions. All of the TV's showed what debarkation number was up. When yours was called, you walked off the ship, fount your luggage, and then cleared customs. Not bad at all.

-dave

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

DCL service is like WDW service used to be. It really is wonderful service. The ships are also immaculate, and the staterooms are bigger. I also have to give DCL points on the quality of their "main" entertainment (but not on the variety) - I am referring to the "big" shows each night, not lounge type acts.

There is plenty for adults without kids to do, unless you really want to gamble.

However, for me, I don't think the cost of DCL is justified. It's just not that much better. I would rather ruise with Celebrity, and be able to get a bigger/better stateroom, and still be less than DCL. DCL is better, but marginally so. Maybe I find some chipped paint on Celebrity, but its not as if the ship is in disrepair. Maybe Celebrity does not have musicals of the quality that DCL does, but they do have some good shows, and do mix them up every night. Maybe the Celebrity staff is not so insanely service oriented as DCL, but they are still wonderful. IF DCL was a little more money, then I would say it is worth it. But frankly, it is a lot more money.

And I do have pictures of the the missing light on my DCL balcony, with the wire sticking out of the hole where it should have been, with the lable in German (where the ship was built) stating in big letters "WARNING, ELECTROCUTION HAZARD!" on it. So, DCLs ships are not always "Ship shape" either.


-dave

Sounds like a passenger wanted a prize to take home, Yet one missing light fixture is far from unseaworthy or poorly maintained.

Now the poor condition shown below on the Carnival Valor......if they let things go that badly, with heavy rust and scale over large areas..........one has to wonder what else they let slide.

AKK

 

[ChuckElias]

Sounds like a passenger wanted a prize to take home, Yet one missing light fixture is far from unseaworthy or poorly maintained.

AKK

Dave's light was missing on an inaugural voyage because it hadn't been installed prior to sailing from Meyer Werft.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Dave's light was missing on an inaugural voyage because it hadn't been installed prior to sailing from Meyer Werft.

Hi Chuck.......

OK...........its not indicated in his post...my error.. However one missing light fixture still doesn't mean the ship is unseaworthy or not ship shape.

The DCL vessel are noted as having twice the lighting as other cruise vessels, another reason they stand out so nicely at night.

AKK

 

[Phonedave]

Hi Chuck.......

OK...........its not indicated in his post...my error.. However one missing light fixture still doesn't mean the ship is unseaworthy or not ship shape.

The DCL vessel are noted as having twice the lighting as other cruise vessels, another reason they stand out so nicely at night.

AKK

It was was not an inaugral voyage. It was on a mid-July 2011 sailing of the Wonder - so the ship had been sailing regular cruises for a bit more than 6 months at that point.

I never said it was not sea worthy. It was just an example that DCL is not perfect - they make mistakes, just like other cruise lines do. People seem to get hung up on a rust spot or a carpet stain on other cruise lines, and they claim it would never happen on DCL, because of DCL's attention to detail. Well if they can overlook a entire missing light fixture for 6 months, I submit that this whole "attention to detail that DCL has, is not without its flaws. I think people just overlook small issues on DCL because they want to, and they pick out little issues on other lines.

It was really easy to see - if you looked at it. All you had to do was stand on the balcony, turn around, and look up. There were two wires about 8" long sticking out of the wall, with a big red sticker on around the ends of them. Anybody who was cleaning the balcony (cleaning it well) should have seen it at least sometime during the 6 months.

We had some other issues on that cruise (the club below us was insanely loud) and a crew member came by the stateroom to talk to us. She asked us if there were any other issues, and I said "well, its not a big deal, but you may want to look at this" and I showed her the bacony light fixture. Her jaw dropped and she was visibly upset about it. It was not resolved the next day when we disembarked, so apparently is was not THAT big of a deal.

-dave

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

It was was not an inaugral voyage. It was on a mid-July 2011 sailing of the Wonder - so the ship had been sailing regular cruises for a bit more than 6 months at that point.

I never said it was not sea worthy. It was just an example that DCL is not perfect - they make mistakes, just like other cruise lines do. People seem to get hung up on a rust spot or a carpet stain on other cruise lines, and they claim it would never happen on DCL, because of DCL's attention to detail. Well if they can overlook a entire missing light fixture for 6 months, I submit that this whole "attention to detail that DCL has, is not without its flaws. I think people just overlook small issues on DCL because they want to, and they pick out little issues on other lines.

It was really easy to see - if you looked at it. All you had to do was stand on the balcony, turn around, and look up. There were two wires about 8" long sticking out of the wall, with a big red sticker on around the ends of them. Anybody who was cleaning the balcony (cleaning it well) should have seen it at least sometime during the 6 months.

We had some other issues on that cruise (the club below us was insanely loud) and a crew member came by the stateroom to talk to us. She asked us if there were any other issues, and I said "well, its not a big deal, but you may want to look at this" and I showed her the bacony light fixture. Her jaw dropped and she was visibly upset about it. It was not resolved the next day when we disembarked, so apparently is was not THAT big of a deal.

-dave

Hi Dave,,,,,,,

No line is perfect............none............my point was originally that 1 light after new construction, is not a *not ship shape* issue. You saw the light, but no other passengers seemed to have found it. I would guess they needed the yard to send a unit out to the ship. It is not the kind of thing they would carry and the wires were capped over.

New construction always has things that need to be done after sailing. You are likely to find yard personal making things right for a year.

Rust and scale....over most of lower part of the stbd side... is not just a spot of rust.......
My point with the valor is that if they are willing to ignore heavy rust and scale over the lower length of the hull for a extended time (and yes that kind of rust takes time to grow that bad).........they are likely to let other things go as well........IE their fire, accident and incident history.......and one of the reasons I wont risk my family and friends by sailing on Carnival.

No problem though, it would not be any fun on forums if we all agreed.all the time

AKK

 

[21stamps]

Hi Dave,,,,,,,

No line is perfect............none............my point was originally that 1 light after new construction, is not a *not ship shape* issue. You saw the light, but no other passengers seemed to have found it. I would guess they needed the yard to send a unit out to the ship. It is not the kind of thing they would carry and the wires were capped over.

New construction always has things that need to be done after sailing. You are likely to find yard personal making things right for a year.

Rust and scale....over most of lower part of the stbd side... is not just a spot of rust.......
My point with the valor is that if they are willing to ignore heavy rust and scale over the lower length of the hull for a extended time (and yes that kind of rust takes time to grow that bad).........they are likely to let other things go as well........IE their fire, accident and incident history.......and one of the reasons I wont risk my family and friends by sailing on Carnival.

No problem though, it would not be any fun on forums if we all agreed.all the time

AKK

On that note.. I was just checking pricing on the Vista next summer. They're almost sold out!!! I was shocked. That ship has got to be the best thing that has happened to Carnival in maybe forever lol

 

[ChuckElias]

It was was not an inaugral voyage. It was on a mid-July 2011 sailing of the Wonder - so the ship had been sailing regular cruises for a bit more than 6 months at that point.

Jeez, I'm sorry, Dave. I must have gotten the story mixed up with somebody else. I know there was someone here who had issues on an inaugural that should've been dealt with before the ship left the yard.

My apologies for muddying the waters with my bad memory.

 

[EOD K9]

On that note.. I was just checking pricing on the Vista next summer. They're almost sold out!!! I was shocked. That ship has got to be the best thing that has happened to Carnival in maybe forever lol

Serious question, what is the big to do over the Vista? Also, rust is more like to be seen against a white hull as opposed to the dark blue of the DCL ships. However, every time we were off the ship, we saw personnel working on the hull to either scrape, clean, or paint it. Operation Main Street goes a long way!!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Serious question, what is the big to do over the Vista? Also, rust is more like to be seen against a white hull as opposed to the dark blue of the DCL ships. However, every time we were off the ship, we saw personnel working on the hull to either scrape, clean, or paint it. Operation Main Street goes a long way!!

Morning EOD.

You are right rust/ this heavy scale, shows more on a white hull, however I have seen many well kept and painted white hull and you as you mentioned, saw the solution..DCL maintenance. That amount of rust and scale is not only lack of maintenance, it is more They didn't give a dam.

AKK

 

[ScoutN]

Morning EOD.

You are right rust/ this heavy scale, shows more on a white hull, however I have seen many well kept and painted white hull and you as you mentioned, saw the solution..DCL maintenance. That amount of rust and scale is not only lack of maintenance, it is more They didn't give a dam.

AKK

Exactly! Rust will happen on these vessels, it is inevitable. Working in the Maritime Industry I spend time on our cruises looking at the upkeep, especially at waterlines, to see where each is standing. That is a large influence on who we cruise with. It is nothing to look at the dark color of DCL ships and see just how well they maintain it even whilst in water.

We had a group of 30 on one of our DCL trips in May. More than 75% of the group were first timers on DCL. All of them were blown away by the upkeep as most of them have been on the other big two. After we all got back onboard at Nassau each of them were flabbergasted at how rusted up the RCCL vessel that pulled in beside us was.

Coworkers who took Carnival out of Norfolk a couple of months ago came back to work talking about how good the Disney ship looked in Nassau vs what they were on. I work with ships to prevent disrepair, I would never PAY to go on VACATION on something that is the exact opposite of what I strive to achieve on a daily basis.

 

[ScoutN]

I want to try a bigger ship of RCL, but I am happy with the quality I have received on DCL. While expensive, I feel the experience is worth it.

My wife thought the same when she had to fill in for her step-dad in Oasis in January. She was happier when the cruise was over.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

On that note.. I was just checking pricing on the Vista next summer. They're almost sold out!!! I was shocked. That ship has got to be the best thing that has happened to Carnival in maybe forever lol

The Vista is of course brand new............she better be sailing almost full or Carnival has another problem.

 

[21stamps]

The Vista is of course brand new............she better be sailing almost full or Carnival has another problem.

I was just surprised that it's nearly full over a year before sailing. That has to be rare for a carnival ship.

Serious question, what is the big to do over the Vista? Also, rust is more like to be seen against a white hull as opposed to the dark blue of the DCL ships. However, every time we were off the ship, we saw personnel working on the hull to either scrape, clean, or paint it. Operation Main Street goes a long way!!

It's the first Carnival ship that I've ever wanted to go on! The amenities looks amazing. The ship looks beautiful. So much to do for adults and kids in that "7 and over" age bracket that I was talking about. I think Carnival is going to gain a lot new travelers as a result of the Vista. I don't know if you watched the walk thru or looked at pics, but it's surprisingly very impressive.

My wife thought the same when she had to fill in for her step-dad in Oasis in January. She was happier when the cruise was over.

Just curious, what didn't she like about the Oasis?

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

delete

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I was just surprised that it's nearly full over a year before sailing. That has to be rare for a carnival ship.

Except, the Vista has been sailing for a few months.

 

[21stamps]

Exactly, and it's getting great reviews. I just have never seen a lot of excitement over Carbival before...or their ships so booked this far in advance. But people seem to be excited for this ship. I'm not looking at it for a Europe itininerary, but have been trying to figure out if I could squeeze a Southern Caribbean on it sometime next year.

I get an 8 night "complimentary" Carnival cruise every 6 months. I check the ships/itineraries all the time. In 3 years I have yet to take advantage of the "free" (cough cough- I use this term very loosely bc it isn't free lol) cruise and instead am paying a lot more for DCL and MSC coming up. If I can find time I will try out the Vista next year.. But that's a big if. I would have to cancel the Wonder out of SD that I have booked for October 2017.

 

[Phonedave]

Hi Dave,,,,,,,

No line is perfect............none............my point was originally that 1 light after new construction, is not a *not ship shape* issue. You saw the light, but no other passengers seemed to have found it. I would guess they needed the yard to send a unit out to the ship. It is not the kind of thing they would carry and the wires were capped over.

New construction always has things that need to be done after sailing. You are likely to find yard personal making things right for a year.

Rust and scale....over most of lower part of the stbd side... is not just a spot of rust.......
My point with the valor is that if they are willing to ignore heavy rust and scale over the lower length of the hull for a extended time (and yes that kind of rust takes time to grow that bad).........they are likely to let other things go as well........IE their fire, accident and incident history.......and one of the reasons I wont risk my family and friends by sailing on Carnival.

No problem though, it would not be any fun on forums if we all agreed.all the time

AKK

I think we do agree.

I dont think DCL was not "ship shape" becuase of the light. Just as I don't feet that Celebrity was not "ship shape" because I could spot dime sized rust spot on a cleat, or a small stain on a hallway carpet. My point about the light was that people tend to point out the small issues (if you can even call them issues) with other lines, and claim that DCL is perfect - the light cleary shows the DCL is not perfect. They miss small stuff too - just like everyone.

As far as the Carnival Valor is concerned, that is just shameful. For a vessel to get into that state, you have to wonder what other basic maintence was not performed.

-dave

 

[21stamps]

@Tonka's Skipper @EOD K9 This is what I'm talking about. I have never ever seen such little availability this far out. It can't be only the regular Carnival travelers who are booking this ship. Midship and Forward are completely sold out in this category.