Disney Cruise Lines - Your impressions...

[eagle4life69]

Has anyone gone on the DCL? It looks cool but whats the real feed back

[pgreger]

Sockfire has! I'm sure he'll post about it soon. I think he's also gonna take the cruise when it comes to the West Coast in 2005.

All the feedback I heard from him on it was good... great even! Although, it was their honeymoon so his impressions might be biased!!! 8)

[sockfire]

Disney Cruise Line.... ahh, the memories...

That was my first cruise, my honeymoon with my wife in the summer of 1999. We did the land and sea variant where you spend 4 days at the parks and 3 days on the boat.

For anyone who has never been to WDW or Florida, it is highly recommended. Anyone who has easy access to WDW would probably prefer just taking a 3, 4 or 7 day cruise. The ship is amazing, the service is top notch. The entertainment is very Disney, the food is your average cruise fare (which means it was equal to mid to high end restaurants).

Book early to get a discount and a good cabin location. We booked about a year in advance and got upgraded right before departing.

It is true, we booked the special West Coast cruise for the week leading up to the 50th, July 9th-16th, as our anniversary falls on July 10th. When we get back we're heading to the park. Altogether, it's a big wad of money, but how often does Disneyland turn 50?

1 time. And I want to be there. 8)

[trekkiedad]

We were on the Disney Magic with our teenage sons in 2000. We extended the WDW portion to a week, so our trip was 10 nights (3 on the Magic). From the choices given, we stayed at the Beach Club. I loved being close to Epcot.

The cruise itself was filled with magic touches, from the ship's horn that played "When you wish upon a star" to the towel "animal" we'd find in our stateroom after it had been cleaned. (The animal was in a different place each day, and it would be wearing my son's sunglasses.)

The "show" was always going. Dinner at the Animator's Pallette was especially memorable, and I remember one of the stage shows made chills go up my spine.

The other thing that impressed me was the attention we received from the time we were greeted at the airport. Baggage claim? No worry, your luggage will be delivered to your room later today. On the day you transfer to the ship, it will be picked up from your hotel room and delivered to your state room shortly after you board. When it was time to fly home, the airlines checked us in dockside, right after we cleared customs.

My sons didn't seem to have any problems keeping themselves entertained. The 15yo was into golf, and when he went to play, the bell desk at the Beach Club would hire a cab to take him to the golf course. The cab rides were always complimentary. My wife would go along to drive the cart and take photos. On the ship, they loved being able to go upstairs for pizza at midnight.

My wife and I plan to do it again--in about two years.

[rdeacon]

I was on the DCL 2 yrs ago.

My wife and I did a 3 day cruise. We have been on several other cruiselines, and Disney trumps them all.
Here's a rundown of Pros and Cons -

Pros:
1. Service is far superior on DCL then any cruiseline i've been on
2. Food is excellent with a good amount of variety ( esp Palo)
3. Good for kids and adults.. if you are a couple you don't have issues where kis run amuck.. like you do on on other cruiselines
4. Shows are better then the other crusielines
5. Private island is awesome - the adult beach is like a Corona commerical
6. staterooms are beautiful...

Cons:
1.There is only one draw back to the DCL, no gambling. Although my wife and I really didn't miss it. ( you can always gamble in Nassau)
2. Price - DCL is pricey

I would recommend DCL to anyone. If you have any specific questions let me know.

Rich

[AKLRULZ]

2. Price - DCL is pricey

The quote we just received for my family of 5 was just over $12K (Spring Break '06). Not sue I want to fork over quite that much for a week!

[QuickGold]

I went last November and it was great. It was my first cruise and couldn't be happier with it. Really alot of fun. Castaway Cay is heaven on earth

[AKLRULZ]

So I just got a quote for January 2006 considering Spring Break is peak time and it's still going to cost me $7K! Royal Caribbean will be just a little more than half that cost for equivalent staterooms. Think DCL is really worth twice as much as other luxury lines?

[sockfire]

My wife and I are going on a Disney Cruise for a second time this July. We'll be on the West Coast cruise from July 9th-16th, back just in time for the real 50th. Also, July 10th is our 6th anniversary. Very excited about the whole thing! 8)

I'll take a Subsonic Radio shirt and wear it to the pool.

[AKLRULZ]

My wife and I are going on a Disney Cruise for a second time this July. We'll be on the West Coast cruise from July 9th-16th, back just in time for the real 50th. Also, July 10th is our 6th anniversary. Very excited about the whole thing! 8)

Totally jealous - sounds amazing.

[SpringheeledJack]

I'm a huge fan of DCL (We're going again on a seven day next year, and possibly a three day this year... hard to tell, since one of the ships is on the West Coast and is making it difficult to find any openings). Having been on a several ships, I can say that it's easily the best cruises I've been on. For families, especially, since you get your own tables for dining.

The shows are fantastic, there's a lot more to do for both adults and children, and the fact that there's no casino helps keep the smokers at a minimum... and those who do like to smoke are much better about only smoking in designated areas.

There's always characters running around the ship, and unlike character meals at the park you get to spend a lot of time talking and playing with them.

The stops are much better, too, and they change the itenerary by what their visitors seem to like the most. For example, we were forced to go to Costa Maya instead of Castaway Cay because a hurricane last year. People were grumbling and whining over the change (already annoyed that their trip was cut short by two days and had to go three hours out of their way for a new port) but it was such a great port, and the people were so nice that everyone who visited came back raving about the place (including us). Turns out that they had so many compliments on the stopover that they added it as a regular stop.

And now that I'm rambling, I'll stop. But I definitely can't say enough good things about the trip. Especially if you like Disney, there's really no way you'll walk away unimpressed.

[sockfire]

My wife and I are going on a Disney Cruise for a second time this July. We'll be on the West Coast cruise from July 9th-16th, back just in time for the real 50th. Also, July 10th is our 6th anniversary. Very excited about the whole thing! 8)

I'll take a Subsonic Radio shirt and wear it to the pool.

Well, I'm all packed and ready to head down to the port. I have my shirt in my suitcase and do intend to wear it up to the pool.

I'll be back and in the park on July 17th for the real 50th. 8) Hope to see you all there!

[Fantasrick]

What's the least expensive package that the DCL offers?

[sockfire]

Just got back. Had a blast 8)

I'll try to post a full report later.