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Original poster

Disney or Celebrity Cruise

19 replies

TheVelvetiser · 05/05/2021 17:40

DH has suggested a cruise for next summer and teen DDs seem very keen. We'll be new to cruising and have all settled on a Baltic itinerary. We've narrowed it down to sailing with either Celebrity or Disney. Itineraries are very similar but the Celebrity cruise is cheaper and longer. DDs and DH are keen on Disney and I'll be so grateful for a holiday that I'd happily camp out in a dinghy! Has anyone experienced both cruise lines and got a preference?

OP posts:

SwimBaby · 05/05/2021 18:51

I’ve been on both and preferred Disney. They are both excellent cruise lines, the food on both is very good.
I’ve also been on a Baltic cruise with a different company and enjoyed it. It’s quite port intensive during the middle of the holiday and you lose an hour each night for a few nights so you need to pace yourself. I recommend Alla tours for St Petersburg, they are excellent. We did the two day tour with them and saw so much. It was like a city mini break in the middle of the cruise.

Original poster

TheVelvetiser · 05/05/2021 19:11

Thanks @SwimBaby, that's really helpful. Pacing ourselves sounds like a good tip and we would really want to get the most out of St Petersburg so I'll look into that.

I think in terms of the actual onboard experience our priorities are food, great service and a bit of luxury. Our girls are keen on the idea of the Disney shows.

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SwimBaby · 05/05/2021 19:29

The shows on Disney are really lovely. The evening shows on Celebrity were the one thing we weren’t so keen on. There were no big budget West End type of shows, it was more comedians, singing groups that don’t have musical instruments and that type of thing. I’m not sure if that’s standard with Celebrity. The food on both is good, Celebrity main dining room is was nice and the overall feel is elegant and also relaxed which we liked. The speciality restaurants which you can choose to dine in for a charge were excellent.
I went on a Med Disney cruise when my sons were about 10 and 12 and we all loved it. There is an adult only pool which I really enjoyed. Restaurant wise we ate in three and rotated round and the same waiting stuff were with us each evening. I’m not really into building a rapport with the staff but a lot of guests seemed to love it.
I think both companies would fit the bill for what you are after. How much longer is the Celebrity cruise?

SwimBaby · 05/05/2021 19:33

I slightly preferred the cabins on Disney but they were both good.
More soft drinks are provided on Disney.
The cocktails on Celebrity were really good and we had the drinks package which I thoroughly enjoyed.

osbertthesyrianhamster · 05/05/2021 19:39

I despise Disney so I'd go for Celebrity. Plus, Disney = more little kids. Mine are older now and I can't be doing with little kids.

teetrocks · 05/05/2021 19:45

Can't agree with that Osbert - mine are 17 & 20 and love Disney cruises. And you can stay away from the littlies quite well.

I've not been with Celebrity but interested in the responses. We love Disney cruises but other lines are so much cheaper- are they really that much worse?

osbertthesyrianhamster · 05/05/2021 19:48

@teetrocks

Can't agree with that Osbert - mine are 17 & 20 and love Disney cruises. And you can stay away from the littlies quite well.

I've not been with Celebrity but interested in the responses. We love Disney cruises but other lines are so much cheaper- are they really that much worse?

Yeah, but we all can't stand bloody Disney.

I've been on Celebrity a few times.

SwimBaby · 05/05/2021 19:53

teetrocks I’ve cruised with 7 different companies and no they aren’t ‘that much worse’. Disney was my favourite cruise but I’ve enjoyed others a good 9.5/10.

SwimBaby · 05/05/2021 19:55

teetrocks I agree they aren’t just for very young children.

Funf · 05/05/2021 19:56

Done a few cruses, never with Disney but three with Celebrity. I feel either would be fab. Check ports using Cruise critic forum, plan your own trips as its much cheaper

SwimBaby · 05/05/2021 19:59

One thing to bear in mind with Baltic cruises are the price of excursions. I know some people avoid them apart from St Petersburg. We booked lots and spent quite a bit so that’s something to consider when planning your holiday. I did mine about 7 years ago and I remember the two day St Petersburg trip was something like £800 for my family of four.

Pootle40 · 05/05/2021 20:56

Been on numerous cruises - Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, NCL, P&O. Not been on Disney because so expensive. If was just adults I reckon I would go Celebrity every time - the food is the best and their specialty restaurants too (IMO). We did Celebrity Baltic cruise for 14 nights and was fantastic. Our son was 3 at the time - it was ok for kids but I'd never say Celebrity cater for kids - there is not so much 'fun' stuff. If kids only need a pool and kids club then you'll be fine but cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and NCL have high ropes, flowrider, dodgems, crazy golf, water slides etc etc

Original poster

TheVelvetiser · 05/05/2021 21:02

This is all really useful, thank you. The Disney shows are a big draw for our girls and I guess me too.

@SwimBaby the Celebrity cruise is only one night longer, so not much in it. Both leave from the UK but with Disney we would need to fly home from Copenhagen so that would bump up the cost but isn't a deal breaker. From everything I'm reading a guided tour sounds the best way forward for St Petersburg but how about Tallinn, Helsinki, Riga, Stockholm? DH has inherited some cash and after doing sensible stuff with most of it he wants to blow what's left on something really lavish and memorable before the girls decide they would prefer to do their own thing. So, I think we'd be happy to do excursions if that's going to help us get the most out of it.

And just one more question, is it worth paying the extra for a verandah?

OP posts:

Sushiqueen · 05/05/2021 21:29

We did the Baltic’s on Celebrity with our teenage dd. There weren’t a lot of teens on there but the ones that were tended to meet up so she didn’t bother with a lot of shows. She enjoyed it and we have cruised with them since and have another one booked with them. We tried to book some stuff in ports aimed at her in advance.
For the ports most you can do easily. Tallinn ignore the hop on hop off bus as it can’t go into the old town anyway. You can walk or get the little train into the market square (gives you a tour on the way) and then walk back.
Helsinki you can get a tram to and from the port. Just follow the line on the ground from the ship. There is also a tram from the main station that dies a figure of 8 and goes past the harbour, church and other main sites. We did kayaking there as well which was tiring but good fun. Booked in advance.
Stockholm it depends on where they dock. If you decide to get a taxi in then prebook as they are a lot cheaper that way. You have to pay by card for virtually everything in Stockholm. If you like ABBA the museum is well worth visiting- again prebook the tickets online.
If you join cruise critic and then join the roll call for your cruise you will find others who want to do similar excursions in small groups. Often a lot cheaper than the cruise line. You will also find if you book with one of the main companies in St Petersburg they will give you a discount for being in a cruise critic group. We used TJ Tours who were great but most of the main companies are pretty similar.
We loved the cruise and are hoping to do it again in a few years. Compare how long you get in port with each ship. We were in ports the same time as an NCL ship most of the time and often had a few hours longer than them each time.

Sushiqueen · 05/05/2021 21:32

We paid out for a balcony and used it all the time. We had fantastic weather though where the cruises before had a lot of rain.
Handy for breakfast when we had an early start so get room delivery( there is not a lot of room on most of the cabins).

Funf · 06/05/2021 05:41

SPB tours for St.Petersberg, Tallin is easy to walk around your self

MrsPatrickDempsey · 06/05/2021 06:05

I have any sailed with RCL so not answering your question directly but Baltic cruises are fabulous. All of the ports you mentioned were amazing. Do you do the overnight in Russia? We were totally mad and did the Moscow trip on the first day followed by St Petersburg on the second day. We were prepared to be knackered but the trip to Moscow was incredible - I mean a real life highlight. It is a long day and expensive but it was so worth it. We did an excursion in St Petersburg but at every other port did our own thing. It is quite easy to research and arrange the must sees.

AC12theletterofthelaw · 06/05/2021 07:29

Disney for me.

I’ve done Celebrity and didn’t overly like it. I know it’s a holiday but it was like an 18-30 holiday vibe when onboard.

SwimBaby · 06/05/2021 10:31

Having a balcony is lovely, for a first cruise you could possibly not get one if you wanted to save the money as you wouldn’t know what you are missing. Once you’ve had one it’s very hard to cruise again without one.

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