Princess vs Disney Cruise line

[lbfluffy]

Yesterday on a tv show they were talking about the Disney Wonder and all the changes they did. My husband said we need to try a Disney Cruise one day since it combines my two favorite things, cruising and Disney. We try go to Disneyland one weekend a month. I browsed the prices and could not believe the price. I just can’t see spending that kind of money. But the show that talked about the Wonder peaked my interest,

.

I have adult kids, no grandchildren so it would just be my hubby and I.

 

I love Princess. For anyone that has been on Disney cruises what do you think?

 

I may ask this same question on the Disney boards, but I thought I’d start here.

[Shmoo here]

Yesterday on a tv show they were talking about the Disney Wonder and all the changes they did. My husband said we need to try a Disney Cruise one day since it combines my two favorite things, cruising and Disney. We try go to Disneyland one weekend a month. I browsed the prices and could not believe the price. I just can’t see spending that kind of money. But the show that talked about the Wonder peaked my interest,

.

I have adult kids, no grandchildren so it would just be my hubby and I.

 

I love Princess. For anyone that has been on Disney cruises what do you think?

 

I may ask this same question on the Disney boards, but I thought I’d start here.

We started cruising on Disney. We now also cruise on Princess & Holland America. Each is unique in it's style.

 

Yes, DCL is pretty highly priced (to the point of being TOO pricey at times), but offer a very good cruise experience with lots of Disney touches. Biggest issue, besides the prices, is DCL has very limited itineraries. Hopefully this will change in a few years with the addition of the 3 new ships.

 

And, it's only my husband and me cruising.

[Host CJSKIDS]

We started on Disney which was natural considering we were at Disney for at least a weekend every month. Living 3 hours from the parks and 4 hours to the port plus the Florida resident discount made Disney a very easy choice for us. Back then they only had the two ships and it was always incredible. Loved that not only were my kids happy but they had adult only spaces and were exceptional at keeping kids out of there. The service was as usual for Disney, exceptional.

 

Later on we moved to Princess because Disney was so limited. I was concerned how my kids would like it after being on the Disney ships and they loved it.

 

We always said that we would welcome a trip back on Disney even without the kids but as of yet, we haven’t done it. I always look, especially in the winter months when I see the Disney ship pull out of Port Miami. I just haven’t been able to justify the added expense of taking that over Princess so we have yet to cruise without children. I don’t mind paying for quality or experience, I do that all the time when I travel. Just not convinced that Disney can justify that at this point in time for me.

[mreasier]

We have done 2 one week cruises on the Disney Fantasy and many Princess cruises. We went with grandsons (and their parents). To our surprise, we met many couples on board who where there without kids.

 

Disney pluses:

• The cabins are gorgeous. We had a balcony which unlike Princess, included a sofa. Not sure about the Wonder, but the Fantasy had two bathrooms; one with a sink and a bathtub (not just a shower) and the other with a sink and a toilet.
  
• The lunch buffet was sumptuous and included a mountain of peal and eat shrimp each day
  
• The adult only areas really are. When in those areas, you would not know there were any kids on the ship
  
• You rotate to three totally different dining rooms. Your wait staff rotates with you. There is no anytime dining - just early and late seating. This might be a negative to some but not to us.
  

Disney minuses:

• Most on board activities have a Disney flavor. It can get to be a little too much. Perhaps not to you since you say you are Disney fans.
  
• No evening buffet. The only choice for dinner (except specialty restaurants) are the fixed seatings.
  
• The cost. In our opinion, not worth the additional expense unless traveling with little ones. Then seeing how happy they are is worth the cost.
  

[moki'smommy]

We have done 30 cruises on DCL, but in recent years have moved to other lines. In my experience, all cruise lines are more alike than different, but there are those differences. In the last 5 years, DCL prices have gone thru the roof to the point that now I need a reason to cruise DCL rather than having them as my first choice.

 

I agree with most of the above.

Cabins--the smallest cabin on the Wonder is the size of a mini-suite on Princess. The split bathroom described above is standard in all but the least expensive inside cabin category.

Entertainment--the best on any cruise line, although the shows on the Fantasy are weak.

 

Disagree with above--

Dining--it is true that there is no dinner buffet. But there is a "no reservation, cruise casual" sit down option. Cabanas, which is a buffet during the day, becomes a sit down, casual restaurant at dinner. It is essentially anytime dining in that you can walk in any time that it is open.

We select our DCL cruises very carefully, in part to minimize kids. Long cruises have fewer and younger kids, which limits the unsupervised swarms. Many parents of tweens and teens do not supervise their children while on board; this is relatively rare on Princess.

 

I really have issues with the huge price increases in recent years. That, combined with no new itineraries, resulted in our cruising to Japan and Glacier Bay on Princess (which DCL doesn't do). They have 3 new ships in the pipeline, and are talking about new Florida terminals......so sad. I've written 2 long comparisons of DCL vs. Princess if you can find them on CC.

[merryjewelhound]

We sailed on the Magic last Dec with another family that had a young child. We each had a room with a window and the room was terrific. Sofa that made into a bed. Bathroom with a tub. Everything was clean and fresh looking. I think the ship condition was better than some of Princesses. Many activities for kids as it was Dec the Christmas decor was out and really beautiful. The dining room seemed VERY crowed. The staff were great. I didn't think the food was any better or worse than Princess. Now the reason that I probably will not cruise on DCL is the price. I could have almost gone on 2 Princess cruise for the price we paid. We are military and share holders with Princess plus we always buy future cruise credits. We also try to get a promo like the 3 for free. Disney had no discounts available for the cruise we took. Even though I had heard that they do offer military discounts on some of their cruises. I think some of Princess ships could do with a bit of freshening up. But that is a minor issue as I like the varied itinerary of the line. Plus the perks of building loyalty seems better with Princess.

[moki'smommy]

DCL does offer a 10% discount plus onboard credit based on status and length of cruise with a future cruise certificate. That is basically their only discount or deal. They offer gty bookings on cruises that are not selling well, military discounts, and FL resident discounts. These prices are typically about the same as the "day one" offerings when new cruises are announced, sometimes a little better. They do not offer the "sale of the month" or lots of ways to accrue OBC the way Princess does. They have a loyalty program, but it is not nearly as good as Princess has. In fact, DCL reduced the benefits of their loyalty program some years ago.

 

We initially cruised Princess when we, as new cruisers on Princess could do the same cruise for 1/4 the cost of doing it on DCL. Seriously, a balcony on Princess was 1/4 that of DCL, a balcony on Princess was 1/2 the cost of the inside that I'd booked on DCL (booked inside because of the high price of a balcony!). We canceled our DCL reservation. In fairness, a lot of other people must have felt the same way as that cruise on DCL went from "sold out" to "gty status" discounts right after the penalty date...meaning that a lot of people pulled out.

 

On our recent Princess cruise, I priced DCL for a similar trip. I got 2 weeks (B2B) on Princess for 40% less than a single week on DCL would have cost. Sorry, but with my kids grown, the DCL premium becomes a ridiculous amount. Yes, they operate a very costly kid program....but I don't need to underwrite the cost of that program.

[lbfluffy]

Thank you for your tips. When I saw the tv show about Disney, they showed a bit of the show Frozen. It looked great, but almost like what we saw at Disneyland.

I think our plan is to go to Disney World next year which will give me a different flavor than my normal Disneyland.

 

I just wish DCL would not be so expensive.

[minniem]

I love cruising Disney. The cabins are large, the food is good and there are adult only places if I want some quiet time. Mealtime is not just food but entertainment as well. Lots of fun. The shows are wonderful, full of Disney Magic. The adult area at night is great for us as we dance and there are no kids on the dance floor. But it is very expensive and for that reason it is not always possible to cruise with Mickey.

But certainly it is an experience that is unique and special.

[jovisoul]

We went on a Disney cruise last Feb. much to my surprise, the food and service were both awful.

Palo, the specialty Itlaian restaurant however was spectacular! We would have eaten there everynight if we had gone there sooner.

[AF-1]

Disney is way overpriced. Their parks are expensive; but they offer top quality customer service and complete vacation package. I have been to Disneyworld a dozen times with kids with grandkids. We always had fun. I have not been on their cruiseline. Looked at a cruise out of Port Canaveral but ended up choosing Royal Caribbean. We sailed in Owners suite plus three other cabins for seven days. It was $2000 less than a four day cruise on Disney. No way am I going to pay that just to say I sailed DCL. Have a great week

[Tak8]

I've been on several cruise lines. I prefer Princess and did 1 Disney on the Magic. Disney has a great cruise product, but the price is way above most mass cruise lines. I'm glad I took my then young son and I'd like to go again sometime, but I can do at least 1 and a half Princess cruise for the price of a Disney cruise.

Disney plusses: adults only areas including a nice restaurant, Disney themed shows, rotating amongst restaurants.

[greenie082756]

Because of Disney Cruise Lines is why we started cruising. I wanted to go to Disneyworld or take a cruise so, we took a Disney cruise for 5 days.

 

It was wonderful. It was just my DH and I but we had so much fun watching happy children and families. We had a balcony room with their special 1 1/2 bathrooms. The service was very good, the ship was immaculate (so Disney) and the dining rooms were entertaining to say the least. They had us sitting with 4 other couples in the same age group and we all got along just fine. I would love to do another Disney cruise but like everyone else stated, its expensive and we get better comps with Princess. Someday I would love to take my grandson on a Disney cruise :D

[nonadagoof]

Hello

Disney is fun, but they are very expensive know days. You can take a 2-week cruise with Princess and still have money left. we been on 2 Disney but way back when it was cheaper, Disneyland has really gotten expensive. i cannot afford the 120 to get in anymore. I am a disney (goofy) nut but can not afford it any more

[DnA2010]

We’ve done one Disney cruise- it was a VGT on the Fantasy- even at that rate it was still double the cost of our cruise on RCL’s Oasis.

While we LOVED the cruise (we try to go to Disney as much as we can although are from BC Canada) I doubt we will cruise Disney again as we’d rather do more cruises are say a week at Disney and a cruise

[LewesBeach]

Disney is first class but you pay for it. I was on the Wonder w/ family and it beats Princess hands down for everything, & there are plenty of Adult Only areas. If I had the money and didn’t mind children around, it would be Disney for me every time!

[akaCruiser]

Yesterday on a tv show they were talking about the Disney Wonder and all the changes they did. My husband said we need to try a Disney Cruise one day since it combines my two favorite things, cruising and Disney. We try go to Disneyland one weekend a month. I browsed the prices and could not believe the price. I just can’t see spending that kind of money. But the show that talked about the Wonder peaked my interest,

.

I have adult kids, no grandchildren so it would just be my hubby and I.

 

I love Princess. For anyone that has been on Disney cruises what do you think?

 

I may ask this same question on the Disney boards, but I thought I’d start here.

 

Having cruised on both lines, it really depends on what you are interested in doing, as most people have already outlined the differences between the two cruise lines. In summary, I would look at Disney is great for families with children, wanting to be immersed into the Disney "world" 24x7, enjoying watching Disney related entertainment (first run movies from Marvel and Star Wars, and of course Disney movies), and having a bit bigger cabins with half tubs instead of showers. If you are on a Caribbean cruise you also get to go to Castaway Cays.

 

On the princess side, you will have less kids onboard, more mature theme experiences and less family inclusive like activities. The pace is slower and the dinning more typical cruise like than the Disney themed dinner rotation system.

 

The biggest factor, has most have pointed out is the fact that DCL during the peak seasons fares are at premium pricing and are typically 20 to 30% higher than most other cruise fares. They do include free soft drinks as part of their pricing.

 

Hope that helps in determining which line to take on your next cruise.

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

I've done both, and we prefer Princess even though we have children that we cruise with. Disney is very expensive but the service is incredible. The food is better on Princess. It's just mediocre on Disney. My kids prefer the Kid Clubs on Princess, believe it or not! I was shocked by that, but I think that they like how the staff interact with them and they feel more special. My daughter even got to sing on stage on Christmas Day with the cruise staff on Princess! Less children means more fun for the ones who are on board. Princess Cay is much better than Castaway Cay. The sand on Castaway is rocky and uncomfortable, and Princess Cay is really like your own private island with blue water and nice sand. I would say try Disney, and see how you like it. There are many great things about it. But once we went Princess, we never went back!

[tanyaewa]

Definitely worth it to do Disney someday. Outside of school holidays the masses of kids are minimal and there are plenty of adults cruising without kids.

It’s extraordinary.

[lbfluffy]

Thank you for your input. Right now we have three cruises booked in the next year and a half. Two on Princess and a short on on RCCL. We will be visiting DisneyWorld next year.

 

Jessica

[moki'smommy]

Definitely worth it to do Disney someday. Outside of school holidays the masses of kids are minimal and there are plenty of adults cruising without kids.

It’s extraordinary.

We intentionally cruise "off season. There are still plenty of kids on DCL. The difference is that ages of the majority of kids. If you go when traditional schools are in session, you'll find lots of pre-school kids. These are no problem as they are either in the programming or with parents. It is the masses of tweens and teens that are a pain at times. Seriously, you'd never know that there are 1000 kids on board during the off seasons.

 

Would that it were only 20% more than other mid range lines....we've found it 100%-400% more than Princess!

[cruisingrob21]

I have a few blog posts about our experience on the Wonder here, compared to Princess/HAL...

http://cruisingrobsblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/disney-wonder-coastal-post-trip-reivew.html

http://cruisingrobsblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/continued-disney-wonder-review-casual.html

http://cruisingrobsblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/continued-disney-wonder-review-formal.html

 

 

I was disappointed in the lack of viewing areas that were protected from the elements - for instance, the buffett was actually closed between meal service - you couldn't sit there to watch the scenery. The staff was a bit better, but the food was about the same. The dining room entertainment was nice, but not every night. The rest of the entertainment was kind of lacking in our opinion. Overall, I actually found it to be worth less than what we pay for a typical Princess cruise. While our kids had a great time, I found the lines to be annoying, the organization sometimes lacking, and the activities for people who arent big disney fans to be lackluster. The adult area was pretty regularly deserted meaning some of the shows and games didn't work very well. The best thing on the whole voyage for us was how the disembarkation worked, where you have breakfast in the dining room at your table taking some of the madness out of the last morning of a cruise, however this wasn't enough to get me to pay the prices for Disney Cruises again.

[shepp]

Two reasons DCL cruises are relatively expensive is because there are no casinos onboard and 8-year-old Princesses tend not to drink much booze. Two big revenue sources that underwrite Princess' lowish fares gone or reduced.

[cruisingrob21]

Two reasons DCL cruises are relatively expensive is because there are no casinos onboard and 8-year-old Princesses tend not to drink much booze. Two big revenue sources that underwrite Princess' lowish fares gone or reduced.

.

 

Of course, but also due to the demand... Disney name commands a premium

[moki'smommy]

Two reasons DCL cruises are relatively expensive is because there are no casinos onboard and 8-year-old Princesses tend not to drink much booze. Two big revenue sources that underwrite Princess' lowish fares gone or reduced.

The biggest reason for the price premium is that DCL can charge it and still fill ships. They used to have much more reasonable fares, and still made a profit. True that they have no casino and the amount of alcohol consumed on DCL is far less than on Princess, just by our casual observation, but that didn't stop them from making a profit when their fares were much more comparable to other mid-range lines. I think they have found that there are enough people who will pay the high fares that they can charge them. And as long as they continue to motivate those people to book cruises, they'll continue to charge outrageous fares.

 

In many cases, the fares only scratch the surface. For example, there is the "Royal Tea," which starts at a mere $279 for a child with one parent. Additional kids are $210, additional adults are $69. Granted, they go back to the room with a substantial collection of Disney stuff, but the food is apple juice and cookies...and quality time with people dressed up to look like movie characters. The Bippidy Boppidy Boutique starts at $65 and can go as high as $600 for 3 visits and 3 costumes. A 'fairy godmother in training" will turn your little one into a princess, a pirate, or a star wars character. And there is a separate teen spa on the larger ships, still operated by Steiner and charging the same sort of spa prices as you see on Princess. These things sell out on each cruise!

 

The suites on DCL are far nicer than on Princess. But 7 nights in a one bedroom suite can set you back $14K for a family of 4, $10K for two people. Increase that to a 2 bedroom suite and it is $29K. These are real prices OFF SEASON in October. Do it the week before Christmas, and that 2 bedroom suite goes for $37K, The cheapest interior cabin on the ship will cost you over 6K for 2 people. Off season, that is $3700. And there are very few ways to get OBC or other discounts.

 

Nuff said. We loved DCL. We'd like to cruise again. But it will be either a very special cruise or the prices will need to drop significantly.