For those that have cruised with multiple cruise lines, is this true? I am hoping to take my first cruise in the next couple of years and am wondering if Disney Cruise Line is really not that much more, cost wise.
It's not true at all. RC, Carnaval, MSC, even Celebrity, are all cheaper than DCL, even with the add-ons. For comparison:
In Feb 2023, I did a 3 night DCL in the Bahamas. It stopped at Nassau and Castaway Cay. It cost $2500 for an ocean-view family suite. We spent about $500 on board.
In Feb 2024, I did a 3 night MSC in the Bahamas. It stopped at Nassau and Ocean Cay (MSC private island). It cost $1k for a balcony suite, drink package, and internet. We spent about $80 on board.
The MSC cruise beat Disney at just about everything except food and the nightly stage shows. MSC's stage shows were excellent, don't get me wrong, but Disney's are like Broadway caliber quality. But T+J never go to the shows because they can't film them, so you'd never know.
We're doing a 5 night Virgin cruise in May and that cost about the same as the Disney cruise for a verandah suite. Their verandah suites have HAMMOCKS on the verandah. The food is way better than on Disney and there's no children running around ruining everything (and I LIKE kids).
T+J just won't do a different cruise line because they can't be bothered to learn anything new. They actually enjoy being stagnant and boring. They also think they have status on DCL, but I can just imagine how badly they "DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM" to everyone on board.