Gators77

How far in advance before the sailing does Disney announce which sailings of the Magic will have the Marvel at Sea Days?  For those sailings that do not have the Marvel at Sea days, do they have Marvel characters at all on the ships for the meet and greets, or just the standard Disney characters?

We've recently sailed the Fantasy, but are considering the Magic in 2021.  For those that have done the Magic(or both), did you feel like there was not as much to do when going from the Dream/Fantasy to the Magic?

Also, I know there's no minigolf, but I do see pictures of Ping Pong, and I did see a video showing a Foosball table.  Can anyone confirm if those items are on the Magic?

Typically what night is Pirate Night on the 5-day Magic Bahamian Cruise?

Has anyone done this itinerary recently? Pros/Cons?  Also trying to decide if starboard/portside room would offer better views at the different POC(Key West, Nassau, and CC).

Thanks!!!

For the first 3 nights where each restaurant has a diff menu item, if you want to get an item that you had a previous night for dinner because you don't really like any items on the current night's menu  is that an option?

On 12/13/2018 at 4:10 PM, BNBR said:

Was just at Playa Mia.  Service was very good.  Food was pretty bad.  The kids splash park is outstanding.  The beach is well kept and very nice.  The overall facilities are nice.  If you have kids, I would go here.  If you do not have kids, I would do Mr. Sanchos.

 

In either case, I'd book direct and not go through your cruise line.  It's SO much easier to just walk off the ship at YOUR timing, hop in a cab and head over.  Then when you are done, at YOUR leisure, you hop in a cab and go back.  Cabs are readily available and waiting outside all day.  We were there a good hour before the cruise passengers arrived, enjoying an empty beach, pool, etc... and we felt like going back earlier so we left when WE were ready.

 

There is no reason to do this through your cruise line.

What is the price for admission for adults and kids? 

12 minutes ago, JohninDC said:

If your kids were younger I would push you to Playa Mia for the kiddie water park.  With older kids I would choose Paradise Beach - great facilities, huge pool, nice Beach, etc. Both are a $17 can ride from the piers.

Now if we aren't interested in the AI option with food/drink, what is the additional charge for the use of the pools/facilities at each location?  One of my kids is under 48 inches and would enjoy the kiddie play area.  And all 3 would enjoy the 2 big slides at Playa Mia.  What does Paradise Beach have? Thanks for your help!

On 1/11/2019 at 7:41 AM, JohninDC said:

Paradise Beach!  $3 admission/chair rental, nice beach, HUGE pool, great facilities and good food/drinks/service.

How does Paradise Beach compare to Playa Mia?  We are just looking for a place to go for 2-3 hrs.  Deff not looking for an AI AYCE option.  I'll have a 5 and 12 year old.

Thanks!

Has anyone gone to just Adventure Falls?  Is that an option to do by itself?  I've only seen it offered as an excursion paired with river rafting or zipline adventure.  Is this a place worth going to alone?  Looking for something fun to do with a 5 and 12 year old.  

We've actually seen some of the same variety entertainers on Princess and DCL. The difference is that on Princess they are not required to be G rated. Some still keep it clean' date=' while others are definitely not kid appropriate. There are pools, Movies Under the Stars, crummy internet. In Alaska, the speakers are amazing (or at least one is), and they have activities like "Puppies in the Piazza" where there are sled dog pups on board to be cuddled and photographed...but the line can be long for this. And on Princess, kids with parents can use the fitness center. There is an age limit, I'm not sure what it was...10? or 12?

 

Alaska is all about Alaska. It isn't about Micky and Minnie in parkas. Our first "non DCL" cruise in modern times was Alaska because I couldn't see paying DCL prices when I'd have the same scenery and wildlife no matter what line we chose. Don't get me wrong; we like DCL. But this year we have booked 2 weeks in Alaska on Princess for $4000 less than a single week on DCL. I can use some of that money for great excursions! Tipping is also different on Princess. Bottom line, just pay the standard tip and don't worry about who gets what. If you want to give someone extra, do it in cash. Cabins are much larger on DCL; it takes a mini suite on Princess to approximate a normal cabin on DCL. And depending on your ship choice, price out a "Window Suite." Only a few ships have these, but they are sometimes less costly than a mini suite and include all the full suite benefits! Also look at connecting cabins--that might work well for 4. 4 people in a "normal" Princess cabin would be tight.

 

The productions shows on Princess generally stink, although Voice of the Ocean was worth seeing. In fairness, I haven't been on a ship that had the newer shows. But don't expect DCL quality there. The buffet on Princess is open from early morning to late at night, and the Internal Cafe is open almost 24/7. Lots more options for a late snack than DCL. We tend to eat in the MDR.

 

I can't tell you which your kids would like better. But I've never heard a complaint about the programming. I've reached the point of using other lines for port intensive cruises--the ports are the same. The prices are better. DCL is best for cruises where you have lots of sea days to enjoy the special Disney touches.

 

Princess is in the process of upgrading internet on all ships and offering an "unlimited" package. On those ships not yet upgraded, the internet is expensive (by the minute) and awful. I've heard good things about the upgrade and prices are much more reasonable, but have no personal experience with it.[/quote']

 

Thank you for all your insight. I was thinking Princess would be a better option for an Alaska itinerary since you're not really there to see Mickey and Minnie. I'll have to check out the Window Suite option compared to maybe doing 2 connecting cabins with 2 in 1 room and 3 in the other. That's how we just did our RCI Harmony trip and it sure was nice to have 2 bathrooms. Is there a particular ship for Princess that you would recommend over the other for Alaska?

My daughter has aged out of the kid programming now' date=' but we were with friends who had kids and they LOVED it. My daughter went thru phases on DCL--she loved it when she was on the OC but really didn't like the lab age group (at that point they were separated). The teen group was really dependent on who was there. I think her issue with the lab was that she was in that group for many cruises. If she made a buddy in the first day or so, it was good. If not, it was not a hit.

 

Anyhow, the kids we were with were 8 and 13, and both loved the Princess program. The hours aren't quite as extensive as DCL, and you have to make a reservation in order to drop off while the ship is in port. There is no charge, but if no kids sign up, they'll close and give the staff some time off. We cruised over spring break, so there were a fair number of kids. What I liked was that it was a lot more calm and organized than DCL, and that you do have age groups....so no 12 year olds running over the 4 year olds. I was never told what was so good about the teen program, but the 13 year old wanted to go every day. They also have a policy that if there are fewer than 20 kids on board, they will cancel the kid program. We probably had about 400 on board on a ship that had 3000 passengers.[/quote']

 

Besides the kids clubs, is there much for them to do on a Princess ship? We were worried they would be bored, especially in the evenings. We were considering doing Princess over Disney for an Alaska itinerary.

My mom (54), aunt (59), and myself (28) are going on a cruise between March and May 2019... it is both of their first times and my third (Carnival and Norwegian). What would be the best royal Caribbean cruise for them and myself. We’d be together at ports but I want to enjoy myself (single) on the ship.

 

Thank you!!

 

 

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I'd pick itinerary over ship. Since you've don't have any kids traveling, Oasis class isn't a necessity. Their food is no better than the other ships. Also Oasis class limits your ability to see the ocean from most of the ship, not sure if that is important to you.

Princess. We've done several other Princess cruises where the food was OK' date=' not great. On our most recent, the food was the best I've had on any ship in the last 10+ years.

 

The thing about their kid programs is that there are a lot more organized activities and a lot less free play. Yes, a kid can just sit and color if they want...but DCL is so busy that if a kid is not participating, they are likely to be ignored. On Princess, if a kid wanted to sit and color, a youth worker would likely be there talking with them, etc. Also NO moving kids up in the age groups. If a kid "needs" to be with a sibling, the older child can move down...and suddenly they don't "need" to be together. DCL has tried everything under the sun and they still allow parents to move up kids who are younger than the stated age for the older programs.[/quote']

 

Did your kids like the Princess kids clubs better than Disney? We were worried there wouldn't be enough for our kids to do on Princess. They are 14,11, and 5. My 5yo loved the kids club on RCI, but hated Disney's when he was 4. Not sure if it was all age related but it's intimating in there with all those kids and mixing 10-12yo with 3-5yo IMO. Not sure why Disney does that.

I agree. I love to see the water when I’m walking through the ship. On Oasis, you can’t see the water except from your balcony and a limited number of other locations.

 

When Oasis first came out, they used to advertise “you won’t feel like you’re on a cruise”. When I’m on a cruise, I want to feel like I’m on a cruise.

We just got off the Harmony and that was the one thing we noticed was other than our balcony or when we were on the pool deck, we never saw the ocean! I couldn't imagine how the people who didn't have an oceanview balcony felt. I'm not sure about food and entertainment on Adventure, but Harmony was nothing to write home about.

I completely agree. No way to make a fair comparison Disney to RC.

I completely agree. What shocked me was how much it was for a family of 5 to go on the Harmony and stay in an oceanview balcony his past summer. It was only about $2000 more for us than last summer when we sailed the Fantasy. And after going on both ships we came to the conclusion that the $2000 is money well spent.

I've been on three other cruise lines' date=' and wouldn't say that any of the ships I've been on were comparable to the Fantasy.

Fantasy had:

bigger cabins (except when we got a suite on another line)

better entertainment (even though the Fantasy's shows are my least favorite on DCL)

Better decor

Better use of color, imagination, whimsy, etc.

soda included in cruise fare

 

Other lines had better food and surprisingly better kid programs (smaller, more organized), fewer kids running around unsupervised throughout the ship

 

But it is possible that I just haven't explored the "right" ships to find one comparable to the Fantasy.[/quote']

 

What cruise line did you go on that had better food and kid programs? We just got off the Harmony/RCI and the food was horrible compared to Disney(and I didn't think Disney had the greatest food last year on the Fantasy either). My 5yo son absolutely loved their kids club tho!

Do you remember if the kids club was crowded on those cruises? My friend was on a cruise last August and they wouldn’t let her 12 year old go down. Kids club was pretty crowded though.

No issues of crowding in kids clubs during the middle of summer on Harmony 6/23-30.

I have never seen 2 rooms on Royal be cheaper than 1 room, nor would that make sense!

 

When I was doing my price comparisons, I did a balcony room for 4 on Fantasy vs a balcony room for 4 on Oasis, and Oasis was MUCH cheaper. I could have also booked 2 balcony rooms on Oasis for and still be considerably cheaper, and for slightly cheaper we were able to book Sky Class Crown Loft suite! Which is 100 times better than a balcony on Fantasy. As much as I love Disney I couldn't justify it :(

For an oceanview balcony room on Harmony, if you want the room to sleep 5, it's one of the "larger" rooms at the aft of the ship. That one room is more money than two oceanview balcony rooms. At least it was for us based on the offers available for our 6/23 sailing we just got back from.

For those who have both sailed the Fantasy and a different cruise line/ship, which would you say was most comparable to the Fantasy?

DCL will make changes any time weather' date=' political situation, or whatever requires it. They announce these as soon as a decision is made, which can be months or days before a cruise....or even during a cruise. We've had cruises re-routed due to hurricanes or tropical storms at the last minute and ports altered months in advance due to political unrest and state department warnings.

 

Bottom line--DCL will not put their ships or passengers at risk, and they will attempt to give you the best trip possible.

 

And Tortola is great! Good to hear that they'll be returning soon.[/quote']

 

I know Tortola was hurt bad by the storm, St Maarten had damage too. We went to Tortola last year before the storm on the Fantasy. We were just got back from a RCI cruise that went to St Maarten. Tortola's Beaches >>>> St Maarten's. And it's not even close! Do not go to Mullet or Maho if you have kids under 12. Tortola and St Thomas were two of the nicest beaches and we loved those stops on the Fantasy last year.

I don't think you can compare 2 rooms on Royal to 1 room on Disney. That isn't a fair comparison. 2 rooms gives you an extra bathroom which is a huge benefit.

 

We love Disney and went on one 3 day cruise on the dream. We desperately wanted to go on the Fantasy, but we could literally get a Sky Level Crown Loft Suite on Oasis for CHEAPER than a balcony room on the Fantasy. I just could not justify the high cost on Disney, even though we loved our 3 day cruise and everything Disney. Had we not splurged on the Crown Loft Suite, we probably could have gone on Oasis twice or close to it.

 

Back to the original topic, thanks for letting us know kids can move up! My 11.5 year old really wants to be with her sister who is almost 14.

2 rooms on Royal to sleep 5 is cheaper than 1 room on Royal to sleep 5. So if we priced our Royal in 1 room to sleep 5 it actually makes the price difference even closer when comparing the cost for a family of 5 on the Harmony vs the Fantasy.

Hmmm, that cruise is $11500 for 2 cabins. You must get really special deals

Disney offers a family oceanview balcony cabin that sleeps 5. RCI does not offer this specific cabin type. So only 1 cabin is needed on Disney. Also Disney is very different than most other cruise lines in that their cheapest price is the day you can start booking, prices continue to go up from there. Whereas Carnival and RCI the prices will fluctuate til the sail date. We saved close to $1500 with RCI by checking the prices periodically from the time we booked til the time we actually sailed.

I was also on this sailing and agree with OP about service in general. We did not eat in MD as we had jr suite and ate in coastal kitchen 3 nights and ate in chops 2x, Wonderland and 150 Park. Ate lunch in Jamie's on embarkation day and service was so horrible (were there for 1hr 45 minutes and passed on dessert so we could get to cabin, waiter extremely slow to take our order then got it wrong). We took a catamaran to Mullet Bay-confirm that waves were high and there was a very very steep hill to get from beach to water. I'm only chiming in because it seems when anyone posts their experience there are about 10 others stating it wasn't the same experience for them on another day.

The worst for us were the kids running down the halls at all hours of day and night, including 2 am. Also, we ordered a photo on Thursday morning that was supposed to be ready Friday afternoon- we went back multiple times only to be promised the worker would bring it to our cabin and put it outside by midnight. DH had to stand in another long line at 6:30 am disembarkation morning to finally get photo.

At least future cruisers can't say they weren't warned, I wish someone had warned me but nobody posted any truthful reviews apparently. Anyone who thinks Mullet Bay did not have bad waves or a steep incline is living a dream. Deff not a beach for young kids. Save your time and money!

Was the second formal night day 5 or day 6? Getting conflicting information on this bit of information.

Second formal night was night 5, lobster! Night 6 was not but was one of the better MDR menus for the entire cruise.

There is no kids sail free during spring break or for the symphony. Symphony is an exclusion, Everyone that says KSF is smoke and mirrors never pays attention to if it as actual date that it would apply. I have been on both the Disney Fantasy and wonder and to say the amenities are only comparable to Oasis class ships is questionable. While Disney has an awesome kids club and top rate production shows the rate productions shows and better maintenance, ship amenities tend to be better on RCI Voyager class and above. I’ve skating, roller skating, bumper cars, flow riders, Central Park, Carousels, aqua theater, etc. this list goes on and on.

 

Also, it is a little unfair to compare a 10 percent off future cruise deposit price for Disney vs standard RCI. In that case I will add the stockholder credit, diamond balcony discount, motherboard current RCI OBC offer off the week, and my improved OBC by going RCI from my TA. (My ta gives much more OBC for RCI than Disney)

 

Last month A friend just moved their Feb 10 Fantasy Cruise to Feb 10 Oasis during the KSF offer in May because we were cruising then. They paid 2100 with refundable deposit for Oasis. The Fantasy was going to be $5400 with the 10% discount applied.

 

Without ksf it would be $2800 when we checked in June. KSF is back and back down to $2100

Someone with all those perks with RCI is a lifer and no brainer to sail RCI every time. But someone who doesn't have any of those perks or even the 10% discount with Disney. The Fantasy sailing is only about $1100 more than the Symphony. That's where it's up to each family to decide if the extra $157 a day is worth it to them.

It has been a few years since we were on Oasis but at Sorrentos you could order a deep dish pizza with what you wanted on it. Can you do this on Allure?

No, it's only the same crust(thin) pizza that is served in the Windjammer buffet. It was very disappointing to us too that you actually think you can something special or different there.