If You've Cruised On Other Lines - What Makes Disney Better?

I have been on the Disney Fantasy and Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas....

Here is why I would choose Disney:

1. Staterooms are bigger. It is nice for two people to get ready at the same time. Having two sep. sink/mirror areas is awesome.

2. The service. Really, there is nothing those CMs will not do for you. Service, service, service! (We only ran into one snobby CM and she worked in the Spa)

3. Overall Theme - What I really liked about Disney is they do not overly do Disney on the boat. It is very elegant and subtle. It is very classy.

Now...to finish that cruise TR!!!

I haven't done a Disney Cruise yet, but I chose Disney for my October cruise because Disney does everything right! Every detail is carefully thought out and no one beats Disney in customer service. I'll check back in on this thread as soon as I get home from my October cruise, and I'm sure I'll have much more to add!

I've traveled on 3 different cruise lines: Holland America, Windstar and Disney. By far, Disney has the best staterooms! I actually thought the food was better on Holland America - but I'm not a foodie so it's no big deal. Disney's ships are more vibrant and feel more "alive" to me. Maybe it's because the average age isn't just north of 70 - like the Holland America cruise to Alaska....
I can't wait to travel on the Dream in December......I wonder how different it is from the Magic and Wonder...

#1 CMs and ships officers
#2 The level of Service
#3 good clean fun

My husband and I have been on two Disney cruises. The first was last November, when we were accompanied by our children and grandchildren on a 5-night Bahamas cruise on the Dream. It was amazing! The Dream is a beautiful ship. From the moment our names were announced as we entered the ship, to the time we disembarked (boo hoo!!) it was a magical voyage. The kids were in heaven. They loved the kids clubs and the Aqua Duck. We had a wonderful cabin host, as well as dining room servers. Truly a fantastic cruise. Our only other cruise experience had been over 30 years ago on HAL, and we didn't enjoy it enough to cruise again until last November.

The things that we thought were outstanding on the cruise were:

the lovely big stateroom

the split bathrooms

the great service

the spectacular entertainment

We were so pleased with our November 2012 cruise that we booked another cruise to Alaska on the Wonder that was completed just a couple of weeks ago. Because we wanted to see more of Alaska than the Disney cruise afforded, we decided to book a Princess cruise from Whittier AK to Vancouver BC. It arrived on Saturday, and we had until Monday to get our laundry done before we boarded the Wonder.

The Princess cruise was less money, and we held no expectation that it would live up to our Disney experience, but we were pleasantly surprised. The Sapphire Princess is an amazing ship.... more glitzy and sophisticated than either the Dream or Wonder. That's not surprising, since Disney is catering to families with young children, while Princess does not have that as their main focus. Our stateroom wasn't as large as on the Disney ships, but it was adequate. The service was every bit as wonderful as it was on the Disney ships. The food quality was on a par with Disney, but the variety was greater on the Princess ship. Again, that could be explained by the main focus not being families with young children. I did miss the 24-hour Beverage Station when we were on the Princess ship. But it was a small inconvenience.

We loved the Anytime Dining option on the Princess. We could choose between three restaurants and choose our dining companions each night or ask to be seated with someone new. We did both and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Princess cruise was much quieter and more relaxed, due to the fact that there was only a small number of children on it, compared to the Disney cruise. If peace and quiet is your goal, then Disney has the edge.

While Princess had yummy soft-serve, just like Disney, it was not self-serve. Small inconvenience, and I suppose it kept me from overindulging, lol. On the Disney ships I go to the Beverage Station for a disposable coffee cup and fill it with soft-serve so I can enjoy it with a spoon..... and more of it. If self-serve soft-serve is your forte than Disney definitely had the edge

Disney's stage shows are spectacular.... The Princess shows paled by comparison, but were still entertaining. If you want top-notch Broadway-style entertainment, sprinkled with Pixie Dust, Disney is for you.

We'll be cruising on the Disney Wonder again in September 2014 when we cruise through the Panama Canal. We booked early, so we got a good price. We're looking forward to another great cruise on the Wonder!

I'd be hard pressed to say which cruise line I preferred... Disney or Princess. It would depend on whether or not we were traveling with family or not. We loved Princess so much we booked another cruise for March 2014 to the Bahamas. The price for the 9-night cruise is $400 less than the 7-night Disney cruise we had already booked. The price of the Disney cruise has since risen $400 more, so the Princess cruise is now selling for $800 less for a balcony stateroom than we we're paying for the Princess balcony stateroom, and we're getting two extra nights to boot.

Bottom line.... it's hard to say one cruise line is better than another. At least for me it is. I loved both Princess and Disney. There are differences between them which might make one a better choice than another, depending on the circumstances.

Great review! Thanks!