We just tried NCL… NEVER again.

[DCLMP]

Never understand on these boards why some people act like it’s a personal attack if other people post that they paid less on other cruise lines. They will argue that even if it is cheaper than DCL (sometimes by thousands of dollars) it’s really not because you don’t get free soda, it can’t be a good cruise, laundry costs more, Mickey Mouse isn’t there, etc. I think we can stop pretending that by paying $2k more for a cruise but getting free soda you are coming out ahead. I posted one time that our trip in the Haven was cheaper than the same week on the Fantasy and was told that can’t be true…um, I know what I paid.

Bottom line is DCL is usually more expensive than other cruise lines—sometimes not by much and sometimes by a lot. Everyone has to decide if it’s worth it to them. Sometimes it is to my family, but sometimes it’s not.

I think we are a lot alike in our approach to cruising. It's bizarre how defensive people get. As someone who has sailed on DCL 30 times I obviously, enjoy their product. I'm not oblivious to the fact that I'm paying more when I choose DCL. Sometimes paying more is worth it and sometimes it's not. It just depends on a lot of factors and how much more I'm paying.

I have enjoyed my cruises on other cruise lines. I like a change once in a while. I don't get on a Royal or a Carnival ship and spend the whole time comparing it to DCL. They are very different experiences, and you are right no amount of free soda makes up the price difference.

I posted an example of the Haven being less than a balcony on Disney. That surprised me.

Currently waiting to see what kind of discounts DCL offers in Europe and Alaska this Summer. If the prices come down to any number where I can justify the cost difference. I'll choose DCL.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Wow. Never had anything less than a fabulous time on NCL, even though the only daily cleaning service is taking some getting used to (but I've also traveled other lines since they all made that change). It sounds like you truly had a full cruise which was pushing the limits of capacity, but I've never traveled during a holiday week.

Just tried out the new ship Viva and it's a stunner. Beetlejuice musical is hilarious (but language is definitely PG-13 if not R), Press Your Luck game show was a good time, 90s party was a blast, and had some delicious dining in Specialty restaurants and the new food hall.

 

[Mango7100]

I think we are a lot alike in our approach to cruising. It's bizarre how defensive people get. As someone who has sailed on DCL 30 times I obviously, enjoy their product. I'm not oblivious to the fact that I'm paying more when I choose DCL. Sometimes paying more is worth it and sometimes it's not. It just depends on a lot of factors and how much more I'm paying.

I have enjoyed my cruises on other cruise lines. I like a change once in a while. I don't get on a Royal or a Carnival ship and spend the whole time comparing it to DCL. They are very different experiences, and you are right no amount of free soda makes up the price difference.

I posted an example of the Haven being less than a balcony on Disney. That surprised me.

Currently waiting to see what kind of discounts DCL offers in Europe and Alaska this Summer. If the prices come down to any number where I can justify the cost difference. I'll choose DCL.

we are looking for a Northern Europe for summer 2024 with my parents who are 78+. Currently looking at Celebrity and NCL. While the DCL to Northern Europe is appealing its so much more expensive than those other lines, and a port intensive cruise makes DCL less justifiable to me. The 11 day 2024 Northern Europe DCL in a forward verandah (246 sq ft) is $17357 for 3 of us. We can do an 11 day Northern Europe on the 2 year old Prima in the Haven in an 368-416 sq ft Penthouse Balcony for $14832 including the drink package (which is worth it to us since DH will have 3-4 drinks a day, I’ll have 1-2, and DD will get 1-2 virgin drinks). The Club Balcony Suite at 358-412 sq ft (not Haven) is $11312. It’s a no brainer…DCL won’t get my money for this situation.

We have a Caribbean DCL booked for summer 2024. I am more willing to pay DCL price for the Caribbean, especially since we are going to both Castaway and Lighthouse Point (or whatever they call it now). Also have a 2025 Treasure cruise.

 

[John VN]

.....................................................

I posted an example of the Haven being less than a balcony on Disney. That surprised me.

Currently waiting to see what kind of discounts DCL offers in Europe and Alaska this Summer. If the prices come down to any number where I can justify the cost difference. I'll choose DCL.

Just did a price check for a simple 4 Day cruise we are considering from PC for our then 52nd Anniversary with separate cabins for DD/DSIL and also DS alone or maybe not but all would be Concierge and on MSC the Royal for us.


May 26-30, 2025
--WISH Deluxe Family Verandah 284sq/ft AFT @ $4,791
--WISH Deluxe Family Verandah FORWARD @ $4,911
--WISH Concierge 296sq/ft @ $8,815

May 18-22, 2025
--MSC Seashore YC Deluxe Verandah 355sq/ft @ $3,418 +$200 taxes, fees and port expenses
--MSC Seashore YC Royal Suite 677sq/ft and Verandah 355sq/ft @ $6,078+ $200
June 1-5, 2025
--MSC Seashore YC Deluxe Verandah @ $3,638 + $200
--MSC Seashore YC Royal Suite 677sq/ft and Verandah 355sq/ft @ $6,298 + $200

p.s. of course MSC includes ALL DRINKS on entire ship, Private Restaurant, Lounge, Upper Deck Sun area, pool, hot tubs, bar, cabanas AND Private Area on Island with Private Restaurant + Bar and a Butler with Assistant

 

[DCLMP]

Just did a price check for a simple 4 Day cruise we are considering from PC for our then 52nd Anniversary with separate cabins for DD/DSIL and also DS alone or maybe not but all would be Concierge and on MSC the Royal for us.


May 26-30, 2025
--WISH Deluxe Family Verandah 284sq/ft AFT @ $4,791
--WISH Deluxe Family Verandah FORWARD @ $4,911
--WISH Concierge 296sq/ft @ $8,815

May 18-22, 2025
--MSC Seashore YC Deluxe Verandah 355sq/ft @ $3,418 +$200 taxes, fees and port expenses
--MSC Seashore YC Royal Suite 677sq/ft and Verandah 355sq/ft @ $6,078+ $200
June 1-5, 2025
--MSC Seashore YC Deluxe Verandah @ $3,638 + $200
--MSC Seashore YC Royal Suite 677sq/ft and Verandah 355sq/ft @ $6,298 + $200

p.s. of course MSC includes ALL DRINKS on entire ship, Private Restaurant, Lounge, Upper Deck Sun area, pool, hot tubs, bar, cabanas AND Private Area on Island with Private Restaurant + Bar and a Butler with Assistant

The 7 night one May 18 looks like a good deal. I’ve watched some good you tube reviews on the YC.

 

[DCLMP]

we are looking for a Northern Europe for summer 2024 with my parents who are 78+. Currently looking at Celebrity and NCL. While the DCL to Northern Europe is appealing its so much more expensive than those other lines, and a port intensive cruise makes DCL less justifiable to me. The 11 day 2024 Northern Europe DCL in a forward verandah (246 sq ft) is $17357 for 3 of us. We can do an 11 day Northern Europe on the 2 year old Prima in the Haven in an 368-416 sq ft Penthouse Balcony for $14832 including the drink package (which is worth it to us since DH will have 3-4 drinks a day, I’ll have 1-2, and DD will get 1-2 virgin drinks). The Club Balcony Suite at 358-412 sq ft (not Haven) is $11312. It’s a no brainer…DCL won’t get my money for this situation.

We have a Caribbean DCL booked for summer 2024. I am more willing to pay DCL price for the Caribbean, especially since we are going to both Castaway and Lighthouse Point (or whatever they call it now). Also have a 2025 Treasure cruise.

Do you mean the Iceland cruise? I don’t think there is a northern European next year.

My son had a really great time this Summer in the 1820 society on the Northern European cruise. That is why I’m holding out hope. They did offer GT rates this Summer on almost all European cruises. I’m not sure 35% off would cut it though the starting prices are really high, but we shall see. There are a lot of unsold rooms on the Iceland cruise.

I will take a look at the Prima.

 

[Mango7100]

Do you mean the Iceland cruise? I don’t think there is a northern European next year.

My son had a really great time this Summer in the 1820 society on the Northern European cruise. That is why I’m holding out hope. They did offer GT rates this Summer on almost all European cruises. I’m not sure 35% off would cut it though the starting prices are really high, but we shall see. There are a lot of unsold rooms on the Iceland cruise.

I will take a look at the Prima.

Yes the Norway/Iceland leaving July 24. We have been to Iceland once but would love to go back. The Prima is also a Norway/Iceland but also has a stop in Bruges I believe.

 

[DCLMP]

Yes the Norway/Iceland leaving July 24. We have been to Iceland once but would love to go back. The Prima is also a Norway/Iceland but also has a stop in Bruges I believe.

Same. We went to Iceland in 2016. I’d like to go back and take my 19 year old. He was 11 the first time. Not super appreciative of traveling at that age, but he is now. Prices start at 11k for an inside room. That is pretty unrealistic.

 

[Anna131517]

We love NCL and have sailed on the Sun, Gem, Jade and Joy and had fantastic cruises. We've always said it's a different experience than DCL, but we enjoy both equally for different reasons.

However, we just got off Pride of America's Hawaiian cruise on 11/12. Oh boy - I don't even know where to start but let's just say there was no wildcat strike and the cruise still sucked. If that had been our first NCL cruise not only would I never sail on them again, I'd tell everyone that would listen to stay away. So I completely get where you are coming from. We were in a suite, and NCL does know how to take care of their suite passengers (the Haven is incredible!) but even that service was a step back from our other suite / Haven experiences. But away from the suite team? Service and food were mostly terrible - some meals were barely edible. Crew members were friendly but it was apparent they were severely understaffed. I'm pretty sure I got food poisoning halfway through the cruise and then our toilet quit working the last two days (thank goodness those things did not coincide ). Apparently an entire block of cabins were malfunctioning and they never did get them all back and working. The whole cruise was a disaster.

Still, I'd urge you not to judge NCL as a whole on that ship. We were warned ahead of time that it's a different animal, but even then we were shocked at how bad it was. Due to several things that happened to us and the help of the concierge, we did each get generous future cruise credits - totaling almost $2000. But I'm not ready to pull the trigger on booking another one just yet. We probably will, as we do love the other ships and especially the Haven, but need to think about it some more. Our TA is also a personal friend so I trust her completely and she assures me that outside of POA she still gets good reviews from her NCL clients. So we'll see.

But I can 100% understand you not wanting to sail them again. My PSA for today - avoid the NCL Pride of America (it's nothing to be proud about .)

That’s such a shame because we sailed Pride of America back in 2008 or 2009 and it was a fabulous cruise. We’ve also sailed NCL many times in the Caribbean but I just feel they’ve gone downhill since the pandemic. Our service on the Alaska cruise in particular was abysmal. It’s like they didn’t even bother to train their servers. We could never even get all our orders right at meals.

 

[dwg]

I am not trying to compare cruise lines regarding which is the best value for the money but when having conversations about comparing prices of a DCL cruise compared to most other cruise lines for similar itineraries regardless of what might be included on DCL that might not be included on the other lines to justify the price difference, the discussion always seems to forget that unlike most cruise lines DCL does not have casinos. Casinos are a huge profit center for the cruise lines and is one reason that they are able to keep their fare prices lower.

That said I think the best cruise line for vacationers is the one that the vacationer feels offers substantially the type of cruise vacation they would enjoy at a price they are willing to pay. I know from my own experience with family and friends everyone who cruises has their own preference of which cruise line that they prefer. I can tell you that some family/friends would never try a Disney cruise because of the cost or I always hear them say I don't want to be around all those children. Personally the children have never bothered us even though we do not have young children ourselves.

 

[DCLMP]

I am not trying to compare cruise lines regarding which is the best value for the money but when having conversations about comparing prices of a DCL cruise compared to most other cruise lines for similar itineraries regardless of what might be included on DCL that might not be included on the other lines to justify the price difference, the discussion always seems to forget that unlike most cruise lines DCL does not have casinos. Casinos are a huge profit center for the cruise lines and is one reason that they are able to keep their fare prices lower.

That said I think the best cruise line for vacationers is the one that the vacationer feels offers substantially the type of cruise vacation they would enjoy at a price they are willing to pay. I know from my own experience with family and friends everyone who cruises has their own preference of which cruise line that they prefer. I can tell you that some family/friends would never try a Disney cruise because of the cost or I always hear them say I don't want to be around all those children. Personally the children have never bothered us even though we do not have young children ourselves.

Disney has bingo which generates a lot of money. A lot of people show up for that. I don't go to the casinos on other ships. I can't say how crowded they are. I'm not sure that's the reason for the price difference.

The Disney brand has always been expensive. There's nothing wrong with that. People are willing to pay it and companies will charge whatever people are willing to pay. That's capitalism.

 

[mlayton14]

I am not trying to compare cruise lines regarding which is the best value for the money but when having conversations about comparing prices of a DCL cruise compared to most other cruise lines for similar itineraries regardless of what might be included on DCL that might not be included on the other lines to justify the price difference, the discussion always seems to forget that unlike most cruise lines DCL does not have casinos. Casinos are a huge profit center for the cruise lines and is one reason that they are able to keep their fare prices lower.

That said I think the best cruise line for vacationers is the one that the vacationer feels offers substantially the type of cruise vacation they would enjoy at a price they are willing to pay. I know from my own experience with family and friends everyone who cruises has their own preference of which cruise line that they prefer. I can tell you that some family/friends would never try a Disney cruise because of the cost or I always hear them say I don't want to be around all those children. Personally the children have never bothered us even though we do not have young children ourselves.

Yes exactly, most of the other lines offer “Las Vegas at sea” between the casinos , the 20 bars , and entertainment that would fit in perfectly fit in a casino environment. They can put all the lipstick they want on it like bumper cars and surf simulators , but that’s what they are. And that’s fine. We will pay the premium for Disney, or just find something else rather than a cruise vacation.

 

[scroogie]

Yes exactly, most of the other lines offer “Las Vegas at sea” between the casinos , the 20 bars , and entertainment that would fit in perfectly fit in a casino environment. They can put all the lipstick they want on it like bumper cars and surf simulators , but that’s what they are. And that’s fine. We will pay the premium for Disney, or just find something else rather than a cruise vacation.

As someone that has sailed other lines in addition to DCL, and as someone that has been to Vegas many times, this is such a poor generalisation. If you actively avoid the casino area, I can't say I have ever vaguely felt as if I was in Vegas when on a non-DCL ship.

 

[mlayton14]

As someone that has sailed other lines in addition to DCL, and as someone that has been to Vegas many times, this is such a poor generalisation. If you actively avoid the casino area, I can't say I have ever vaguely felt as if I was in Vegas when on a non-DCL ship.

Where does carnival, Royal, and NCL make their money? Please don’t say cruise fares

 

[Mango7100]

As someone that has sailed other lines in addition to DCL, and as someone that has been to Vegas many times, this is such a poor generalisation. If you actively avoid the casino area, I can't say I have ever vaguely felt as if I was in Vegas when on a non-DCL ship.

100% agree. We have been to Vegas so many times and have cruised on 5 different lines. I have never been on a ship and thought “you know what? This is like being in Las Vegas but on the ocean.” Maybe if you sit on a cruise ship casino for hours at a time, but that is not what everyone does. Just because a cruise ship has a casino doesn’t mean everyone is into gambling—many of the casinos are kind of small with maybe 6 tables. DH and I play poker and other table games, but on a cruise ship we rarely set foot in the casino.

 

[DCLMP]

Where does carnival, Royal, and NCL make their money? Please don’t say cruise fares

A quick google search and a better understanding of economics and how corporations work would give you that answer.

 

[DCLMP]

100% agree. We have been to Vegas so many times and have cruised on 5 different lines. I have never been on a ship and thought “you know what? This is like being in Las Vegas but on the ocean.” Maybe if you sit on a cruise ship casino for hours at a time, but that is not what everyone does. Just because a cruise ship has a casino doesn’t mean everyone is into gambling—many of the casinos are kind of small with maybe 6 tables. DH and I play poker and other table games, but on a cruise ship we rarely set foot in the casino.

The funny thing is the only time I've ever gambled on a cruise was on DCL. I've done the bingo a few times and lost my money. It was fun, but kicked myself for doing it. I'm just not a gambler. The times I've walked through the Casinos on Carnival and Royal they were pretty empty.
The pools were packed on Carnival and Royal. If you want to complain about something it should be packed pools. and chair hogs, but that's pretty much every cruise line I've been on DCL included.

 

[Lesverts]

Disney has bingo which generates a lot of money. A lot of people show up for that. I don't go to the casinos on other ships. I can't say how crowded they are. I'm not sure that's the reason for the price difference.

The Disney brand has always been expensive. There's nothing wrong with that. People are willing to pay it and companies will charge whatever people are willing to pay. That's capitalism.

I know a dealer that has worked on ships. She tells stories of people spending 20k or more on a seven night cruise. The casino's take during a typical cruise probably works out to at least a couple hundred dollars per passenger. Disney's whole game is to get the money upfront through fares. Onboard spending is secondary.

Where does carnival, Royal, and NCL make their money? Please don’t say cruise fares

Packages for dining, alcohol. Gambling, shore excursions. Most cruise lines are looking for 400-800 dollars additional spending onboard per person to make a profit.

A general statement about casinos. The ship needs to have a much Anglophone passenger list for the casino to start making a meaningful difference. If you are on a ship that is even under 2/3s Anglophone, you will start seeing the sales, discounts and promotions to get people to spend something/anything.

 

[DCLMP]

I know a dealer that has worked on ships. She tells stories of people spending 20k or more on a seven night cruise. The casino's take during a typical cruise probably works out to at least a couple hundred dollars per passenger. Disney's whole game is to get the money upfront through fares. Onboard spending is secondary.



Packages for dining, alcohol. Gambling, shore excursions. Most cruise lines are looking for 400-800 dollars additional spending onboard per person to make a profit.

A general statement about casinos. The ship needs to have a much Anglophone passenger list for the casino to start making a meaningful difference. If you are on a ship that is even under 2/3s Anglophone, you will start seeing the sales, discounts and promotions to get people to spend something/anything.

I frequent other cruise forums and I don't see a huge gambling population. Those of us on this forum have stated that we don't spend a lot of money on gambling. So there are always going to be anecdotal stories.

I had to google Anglophone.....Good grief and OMG. Did it occur to some of you that Disney will charge more because people will pay it?

 

[Lesverts]

I frequent other cruise forums and I don't see a huge gambling population. Those of us on this forum have stated that we don't spend a lot of money on gambling. So there are always going to be anecdotal stories.

I had to google Anglophone.....Good grief and OMG. Did it occur to some of you that Disney will charge more because people will pay it?

People will pay it but it doesn't change the fact that Disney uses a pricing model that is different to the mass market lines. Disney doesn't have nearly the options to spend on board that the other lines have. Because Disney is already leaving port at a profit. Whereas other lines sometimes don't. Carnival especially is known to sail away at a loss and come back with a profit. Onboard spending is a major difference and where the other lines make their money. Disney uses the ultra-luxury pricing model. High upfront cost, lower to no onboard spend.

The casinos wouldn't be on board if they are not taking 100k or more a night. Dealers are expensive, the additional security and government issues is expensive. The major lines wouldn't be giving out 'free' cruises to known gamblers if it wasn't profitable to do so.