Comparing Disney Cruise Line & Royal Caribbean

[tidefan]

I guess you never found the Park Café, which is open whenever the WJ is closed.

Oh, we found the Park Cafe, which was strange in that it was in the adult area. Quite honestly, it wasn't very good at all and had a very limited selection, usually some kind of sandwich and bags of potato chips.

Bottom line is that our cruise experience on Royal just wasn't very good, which surprised us considering how many fans there are it seems like on here. What surprised us even more was how much more we enjoyed Carnival...

Still prefer Disney or Princess over either, though...

Now, this is based on exactly 1 RCCL cruise and exactly 1
CCL cruise, so it's hard to compare lines based off of one individual sailing on each, but for those particular sailings, that was our opinion. YMMV....

 

[bumbershoot]

I wasn't excited by Park Cafe either. Nothing there for us.

Didn't bother me that it was in the Solarium (kids aren't allowed to be in the pool or poolside, but they are fine going into PC), but it just didn't have anything for us to eat.

 

[bumbershoot]

Coffee is my vice best coffee extra cost on either and worth it.

Same. And I agree.

Depends on the ship and the captain. Sometimes they stay on ships time, and sometimes they don't. It's the same for both cruise lines.

YES. Especially the "it's the same for both cruise lines" part.

Just b/c one has experienced it X way with Disney and Y with Royal doesn't mean it's always like that. It's always up to the captain.

 

[starvenger]

YES. Especially the "it's the same for both cruise lines" part.

Just b/c one has experienced it X way with Disney and Y with Royal doesn't mean it's always like that. It's always up to the captain.

It's weird that there is no standard and that it is at the whim of the captain. C'est la vie.

 

[bumbershoot]

It's weird that there is no standard and that it is at the whim of the captain. C'est la vie.

oui.

I agree. The whole thing is odd.

So we always have a plain old normal watch to set to ship's time (especially if traveling during a time that the ship might be on daylight savings but the country we're in isn't) shortly before we get off the ship! I don't want to trust a phone or even my running watch, just in case there's a floop and it sets itself to island time.

 

[MrsPete]

I've sailed both Disney and Royal Caribbean, though Disney was quite some time ago. Both are great products, and here's what I see as the big differences:

- Disney ships are smaller, perhaps more manageable for first-time cruisers or families with teens who'll be allowed "on their own" a bit. RC's ships offer more activities.
- I know most people love Disney's split bathrooms, but I don't. Both bathrooms are tiny-small. If you're sharing a cabin with a group, search the deck plans and choose a room near the gym (use their showers, no charge) or near a public bathroom.
- Disney ships have no casinos.
- Disney ships have the rotating dining rooms thing, which we enjoyed.
- Disney's kids' clubs were better, but RC's teen clubs beat them.
- Disney's private island is tremendously better.
- Disney has a water slide, but RC's pools are larger.
- Disney's movie theater is better.

And the biggie: You can almost take two RC cruises for the price of one Disney cruise.

 

[Jacden]

We love both. We cruise Disney for relaxation and RC for the many activities on the boat.

 

[DnA2010]

I wasn't excited by Park Cafe either. Nothing there for us.

.

Really? Park Cafe is my fav food facility on the 3 ships I have been on (DCL Fantasy, Oasis and Freedom) - the yummy panninis and wraps, the make your own salad- yum!! Everything there was so good

 

[ekatiel]

I think the differing opinions you're seeing here about RCI are mostly based on ship class. If you look at all the reviews above, people who sailed on RCI's larger ships (Voyager Class and above) tend to prefer RCI. People who have sailed on RCI's smaller ships, tend to prefer DCL. Royal's smaller ships tend to be older and not have as many kid-friendly amenities. It is the same with Carnival's ships-- the reviewer who sailed on the Sunshine (which is technically not a 100% new ship, but did receive such a huge refurbishment a few years ago that it was actually renamed) was surprised by that ship, as most people would be with Carnival's newer ships like the Magic or Breeze. When we sail with our kids, we try to make sure that we are on a ship with lots of kid-friendly activities. OP, I don't think you will be disappointed if you choose a larger Royal ship, and if characters are important to you, choose one with the Dreamworks Characters. RCI does a really good job with the Dreamworks characters, IMO. Thanksgiving of 2014, we were on Allure, and the Penguins of Madagascar movie premiered on the ship (complete with a red carpet and aforementioned penguins) the same day it premiered on land. Allure also had a How to Train Your Dragon Ice Show that was amazing, and a Madagascar Aqua Show that was equally cool. IF the price is right, we'll sail DCL again, but for now, we'll stick with RCI (and a Carnival cruise thrown in here and there).

 

[bumbershoot]

Really? Park Cafe is my fav food facility on the 3 ships I have been on (DCL Fantasy, Oasis and Freedom) - the yummy panninis and wraps, the make your own salad- yum!! Everything there was so good

We're vegetarian and I simply saw nothing there that wasn't meat.

 

[DnA2010]

The make your own salads were awesome?

 

[ICEMANPAD]

We were on the Oasis last week and found many vegetarian options at Park Cafe. The made to order salads, veggie quesadillas and veggie paninis were all excellent!

 

[JJsmama]

I am really getting sucked in by this thread and another on thr DCL forum. I have Eastern Magic booked for May. Only vacation without our kids. Am thinking of switching to Freedom OTS for the same week (eastern) and either save $1400 and book the same verandah stateroom, or spend the same money and book Grand Suite on RCCL. Not having to fight for a pool chair is what excites me the most about the Suite level. And priority tendering. What do you think?

Forgive me, i will also post this on the DCL board bc i think i have resurrected this one from the past.

 

[cdhheidi]

I have a question as well, if anyone can answer.... how good is RCCL at working with disabilities as compared with DCL? We last traveled DCL in 2008 and they were fantastic, and as we are planning a trip to Alaska in 2017 are trying to decide if it would be worth trying RCCL given the difference in cost. (and how are the Alaska RCCL ships as compared to Disney's? ). My son is a young adult so the kids clubs don't matter, but emotionally he is 10-12 ish, sometimes younger, sometimes older depending on the circumstances. And.. he DOES prefer Dreamworks over Disney when it comes to characters these days... (she says, shaking her head and sighing... where did I go wrong????)

Thanks! Heidi

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I know this tread is primarily about RCL vs DCL, but l have a RCL vs NCL vs DCL question. We currently have the Norwegisn epic booked for an Eastern Carribean cruise next Feb. We have only ever cruised DCL and frankly I am a little nervous, but we got unlimited alcohol and 4 specialty meals included for about $1400 less that the Fantasy the same week. I am now seeing the RCL has the oasis sailing a Western the same week, and it would be price comparable to NCL but no extras. Can anyone who has been on all 3 give an opinion? Epic goes to Tortola St Thomas and their island, oasis goes to Laberdee, Jamaica and Cozumel.

 

[LemonNeko]

I have a question as well, if anyone can answer.... how good is RCCL at working with disabilities as compared with DCL? We last traveled DCL in 2008 and they were fantastic, and as we are planning a trip to Alaska in 2017 are trying to decide if it would be worth trying RCCL given the difference in cost. (and how are the Alaska RCCL ships as compared to Disney's? ). My son is a young adult so the kids clubs don't matter, but emotionally he is 10-12 ish, sometimes younger, sometimes older depending on the circumstances. And.. he DOES prefer Dreamworks over Disney when it comes to characters these days... (she says, shaking her head and sighing... where did I go wrong????)

Thanks! Heidi

RCL has a special needs e-mail address special_needs@rccl.com that you can ask specific questions. My son is 4 and has some behavioral and dietary issues. They got back to me pretty fast with who I should speak with when we got on the ship. They also gave us priority boarding but he was okay when we arrived so we went through the regular line. I can't make a comparison to Disney as my son wasn't born when I went on DCL .

 

[DnA2010]

I am really getting sucked in by this thread and another on thr DCL forum. I have Eastern Magic booked for May. Only vacation without our kids. Am thinking of switching to Freedom OTS for the same week (eastern) and either save $1400 and book the same verandah stateroom, or spend the same money and book Grand Suite on RCCL. Not having to fight for a pool chair is what excites me the most about the Suite level. And priority tendering. What do you think?

Forgive me, i will also post this on the DCL board bc i think i have resurrected this one from the past.

DH and I did Freedom (eastern) without DD and had an outstanding time- there were lots of adult activities we enjoyed and enjoyed the adult area and pool a lot- I'm not sure I would pay the Disney premium without DD

 

[Frozen2014]

I think the differing opinions you're seeing here about RCI are mostly based on ship class. If you look at all the reviews above, people who sailed on RCI's larger ships (Voyager Class and above) tend to prefer RCI. People who have sailed on RCI's smaller ships, tend to prefer DCL. Royal's smaller ships tend to be older and not have as many kid-friendly amenities. It is the same with Carnival's ships-- the reviewer who sailed on the Sunshine (which is technically not a 100% new ship, but did receive such a huge refurbishment a few years ago that it was actually renamed) was surprised by that ship, as most people would be with Carnival's newer ships like the Magic or Breeze. When we sail with our kids, we try to make sure that we are on a ship with lots of kid-friendly activities. OP, I don't think you will be disappointed if you choose a larger Royal ship, and if characters are important to you, choose one with the Dreamworks Characters. RCI does a really good job with the Dreamworks characters, IMO. Thanksgiving of 2014, we were on Allure, and the Penguins of Madagascar movie premiered on the ship (complete with a red carpet and aforementioned penguins) the same day it premiered on land. Allure also had a How to Train Your Dragon Ice Show that was amazing, and a Madagascar Aqua Show that was equally cool. IF the price is right, we'll sail DCL again, but for now, we'll stick with RCI (and a Carnival cruise thrown in here and there).

Totally agree with this. Royal has so many classes/ships and they are meant to each be different (features, size, type of dining, etc). This allows cruisers to choice the type that works for them. The Freedom/Oasis/Quantum class seems to be the best suited for ones with kids. And I agree that for the most part on here, negative reviews are those that have been on smalelr or older ships.

We're taking our kids on Allure in april and so looking forward to everythign that you mentioned. I know they will love it.

 

[JJsmama]

I am still trying to weigh my options on choosing the Fantasy or Freedom of the seas for an Adults Only cruise. The rotational dining seems more interesting on DCL, but FOS does have the specialty restaurants. DH won't go to Muscial type shows, at which DCL excels, but might like comedy or a Cirque like show if another ship had it. We did enjoy the game shows on MAgic last time.
Still can't get a good feel for which ship would have a more pleasant Adult Pool area. Since Fantasy may not have as many adults without kids, is it less crowded? Or still more crowded bc FOS has 'better pools' from what I have read.

Does FOS feel like a shopping mall inside? I tried to watch a YouTube video of it (but I got sea sick (LOL!) with all the spinning around of the photograher. It did look very mallish to me.

A verandah room on FOS is at least $1000-1500 cheaper for the same itinerary, but the Fantasy is already booked and DH wonders why I can't just leave it alone.

 

[JJsmama]

DH and I did Freedom (eastern) without DD and had an outstanding time- there were lots of adult activities we enjoyed and enjoyed the adult area and pool a lot- I'm not sure I would pay the Disney premium without DD

DH and I did Freedom (eastern) without DD and had an outstanding time- there were lots of adult activities we enjoyed and enjoyed the adult area and pool a lot- I'm not sure I would pay the Disney premium without DD

Did you write a trip report, by any chance? Most DCL Trs focus on the kids, so it is hard to get a good feel on an adult DCL trip.