Disney vs RCL

We have cruised on both Allure and Oasis of the Seas. We are going on our first Disney cruise on Fantasy in November. I wanted to ask for comparison from these ships. Thank you.

We have cruised on both Allure and Oasis of the Seas. We are going on our first Disney cruise on Fantasy in November. I wanted to ask for comparison from these ships. Thank you.

I have a trip report in my signature line which did compare. Now it's subjective, but entertainment, service kids clubs, are better on DCL, the pools better on RCL, RCL nickel and dime you, your a wallet to them, and they take take take, like paying for soda, paying for orange juice, whipped away after breakfast, pay for upgraded steaks and coffee and poor cruise directors. Stateroom can be good on both, but I think Disney has better service. DCL has characters and fireworks RCI has ice skating shows.

As far as which your family will enjoy better, I think a big factor is are you bringing kids, and what age are the kids? Also, how much of a Disney fanatic are you, if you are traveling without kids?

I agree Disney probably has better service overall, although you will always have a CM here or there that is good or not good on any line. We probably had our best service on our cruises on the Disney Dream.

I thought Allure/Oasis really went above and beyond your typical cruise shows...you have your Broadway shows, movies, ice skating shows (several different ones on each cruise), and the Aqua Theater shows are just awesome. However, the shows on Disney were also really good...I loved them. Different than the other cruise lines, because they are Disney shows. I enjoyed them much more than I was expecting to.

Obviously Allure and Oasis have more dining options. However, dining on the Dream/Fantasy is great, too. The food is good, and I really enjoyed the rotating dining rooms. It was fun to go to different dining rooms, but keep your same server. We also tried Palo, which was great. People make a bigger deal out of free soda than they need to, but it is a nice perk...IMO, you pay for it with the price of the cruise.

The pool area on Allure, as far as size, can't be beat. The Disney pools get more crowded. But Disney does a great job keeping kids out of the adult area. And the Aquaduck is really fun. The smaller slide and Nemo's Reef are great for smaller kids, too. I think the water play areas on each ship probably balance out (Aqua Lab versus RCCL's splash area).

Allure/Oasis have more sports activities...flow rider (SO popular with kids), rock climbing wall, etc. This is where they win out in the tween/teen age group, IMO. However, I believe Disney has a separate pool for teens. I can't compare the kids clubs for the tween/teen group, but my kids (currently 8 and 9, and they were that age or younger when we sailed) had a great time in the kids clubs on both the Allure and the Disney Dream.

Allure/Oasis have the Boardwalk, Central Park and the Promenade, which the Fantasy don't have, but I really don't think you miss these areas when you're on a ship like the Fantasy.

RCCL and Disney both have characters. We did a character breakfast and pictures on the Allure and had plenty of opportunity to interact with the characters on that ship. There are even more photo ops on Disney.

Even if you aren't a huge Disney fan, it's nice to see that Disney touch everywhere. They just do a great job.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. My kids are currently 11yo & 9yo and we sailed Oasis and Allure, last year and the year before. I guess I wanted to compare the amount of 'open areas' (where RCCL has the Boardwalk and Central Park) Disney has. I enjoyed walking around the boat and people watching while kids were at their Camps. Do they also have activities for adults aside from lounging in the pool or going to the spa? I was looking at pictures of the pool deck and it does look like it could get crowded. My kids also enjoyed the shows and the character parades they had. But that said, I am very excited to go on a Disney cruise and November can't come fast enough!

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. My kids are currently 11yo & 9yo and we sailed Oasis and Allure, last year and the year before. I guess I wanted to compare the amount of 'open areas' (where RCCL has the Boardwalk and Central Park) Disney has. I enjoyed walking around the boat and people watching while kids were at their Camps. Do they also have activities for adults aside from lounging in the pool or going to the spa? I was looking at pictures of the pool deck and it does look like it could get crowded. My kids also enjoyed the shows and the character parades they had. But that said, I am very excited to go on a Disney cruise and November can't come fast enough!

There are activities on sea days for adults, some on deck some inside, the pool area may get busy on certain sea days. Children will enjoy the characters.

You know you will know for sure how they compare.

It's a different experience but each one has a lot of pluses.

Keith

Yes it is subjective, when we were on RCI lots of people were repeat cruisers and loved it. I do not think any of the people I met had been on DCL, they said, oh it's full of characters, well yes maybe not full. RCI is a big boy, it has the best ports of call with Princess they can buy in bulk and a disney has normally had to scrap around for port slots, say like La Spezia Italy, is far worse than Livirno, for Florence and Pisa, and docked not tender.

I thought however the cruise director spoilt it for us, he had such a big ego on himself how can you have a 20 min film in the evening show all about him! It was like something from the 70's with ladies wrapped around him all ship, I really didn't get it and on DCL that would be booed off.

Have you seen Gambee's review of the Dream on these boards? It is really good. He cruised without kids, and provides a nice review of the areas of the ship. Fantasy will be really similar, except with the addition of the Aqualab, and some of the clubs being different.

There is a sports deck area (for basketball, mini golf, etc.) But there isn't a comparable Central Park/Boardwalk area.

A word about the kids clubs...Oceaneer's Club/Lab are designed for kids 3-12 and Edge for 11-14. There is a bit of overlap in the ages. I remember taking our kids when they were 6 and 7 on the Dream and thinking that they would never want to go in those upper age ranges. Oceaneer's Club is a very cool area, and they have a lot of activities, but also computer games if they just want to do that. I can't imagine your 11 year old will want to do anything but go to Edge...

Have you seen Gambee's review of the Dream on these boards? It is really good. He cruised without kids, and provides a nice review of the areas of the ship. Fantasy will be really similar, except with the addition of the Aqualab, and some of the clubs being different.

 

There is a sports deck area (for basketball, mini golf, etc.) But there isn't a comparable Central Park/Boardwalk area.

 

A word about the kids clubs...Oceaneer's Club/Lab are designed for kids 3-12 and Edge for 11-14. There is a bit of overlap in the ages. I remember taking our kids when they were 6 and 7 on the Dream and thinking that they would never want to go in those upper age ranges. Oceaneer's Club is a very cool area, and they have a lot of activities, but also computer games if they just want to do that. I can't imagine your 11 year old will want to do anything but go to Edge...

Just to add I have been on the Fantasy for 14 nights back to back, details and loads of photos in the link in my signature line.

RC will have more "add ons" that will pick your pocket! DCL has very few--adult dining and "tastings" are about it...and bingo.

Yes, there are adult activities on sea days. There are "Art of Entertainment" classes )free) which include things like cooking demos with recipes given out, napkin/towel folding, and sometimes special lectures. There used to be other series, but I haven't seen them recently.

As to where 11 year old kids go--some parents are not comfortable giving their kids the run of the ship. To go to the Edge, a child must be able to come and go as he/she pleases. If the parent wants a secure system with sign in/sign out, that is available in the Lab.

Comparison--I'll borrow the line that I saw elsewhere. It's like different flavors of ice cream. Both have their strong points and their weaker points. I do find it funny when people who have never cruised DCL feel they are in a position to evaluate/criticize it.

I guess I am going against the grain here but I loved my Oasis cruise much more than the Disney cruise. Kids loved it more, hubby thought it was awesome and my mother enjoyed it as well. We didn't think they nickled and dimed so much. You can still enjoy your trip without paying for anything extra. Also, there are no other ships in the world like the Oasis class. All of the varying neighborhoods and restaurants are amazing.

We travelled on the Magic in October of 2011 with my three sons (then they were 6, 6 and 3) in a two bedroom suite with all of the perks. And I still enjoyed/loved my cruise on the Oasis even without all of the extras. By the way, we sailed on the Oasis this past spring in connecting promenade rooms without any perks. Our dinner servers were great, room attendant fantastic and the CD was outstanding. He truly made the cruise and ship more energetic and exciting for us. Would book another ship with him on it in an instant.

Hopefully on my next Disney voyage the comparisons will even up since I will be comparing a new ship with another new ship. Who knows? In any case, we loved RCL so much that we also booked on the Quantum of the Seas next November.

Regardless, I am sure you will have a fantastic time. Cruising is a wonderful way to see the world. Enjoy!

Magic as it (was) cannot really be compared to Oasis class, so I'm not surprised you liked Oasis better. Dream and Fantasy are so new and technologically driven. Magic is getting reimagineered right now and is going to be more cutting edge for sure. I haven't sailed RCI Oasis class ships, but I've been on 3 or 4 RCCL ships and the cruises were OK but the Dream blew us away. (Similar to your comparing the older Magic with brand new Oasis.) I have a feeling if all you were on was a 15 yr old ship, than no it probably can't compare to the bells and whistles of Oasis. I'd be interested to see what you thought of the Fantasy to compare it too...

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Magic as it (was) cannot really be compared to Oasis class, so I'm not surprised you liked Oasis better. Dream and Fantasy are so new and technologically driven. Magic is getting reimagineered right now and is going to be more cutting edge for sure. I haven't sailed RCI Oasis class ships, but I've been on 3 or 4 RCCL ships and the cruises were OK but the Dream blew us away. (Similar to your comparing the older Magic with brand new Oasis.) I have a feeling if all you were on was a 15 yr old ship, than no it probably can't compare to the bells and whistles of Oasis. I'd be interested to see what you thought of the Fantasy to compare it too...

 

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I'd be interested to see what you thought of the Oasis if you went on it as well. Even the other RCI ships can't compare because they don't have the neighborhoods, etc. Blew us away.

But even more than the physical structure of the ship, we enjoyed the activities more. Loved Bolero's and the salsa dancing every night. Loved the fact that we didn't have to wait on line for everything 45 minutes before it is scheduled to open or start. Loved the amount of photographers and characters that were available all the time all over the ship. In that aspect, Disney can definitely learn something from RCI.

We might try it in a few yrs but not before we get our DCL fix first. We liked DCL enough to get the Rewards and are loving it. And with only a 3 day DCL, I have a lot more to dip my toes into!

I have no doubts it will be great for my ADD husband, (married 10 yrs, no kids) LOVED the Dream. I'm sure he will love all the bells and whistles on Oasis class too. Jury is out for me with regard to ice rinks and central parks. I really LOVE the high liner nautical look and feel of the Disney ships, rather than bringing all the rock climbing and parades from land to sea. At the moment, I don't find it appealing but i haven't tried it to be sure so maybe 2015. I also find the concept of paying for a hamburger or a cupcake on a cruise distasteful. Optional, I know, but I grew up on cruises being all you can eat, so I am cruise old fashioned and just think the food and product should be good and not have to pay for lunch... (And from what I understand, you don't even get milk shakes with the cover charge.)

I also remember the days of RCI having totally fun 50s parties theme nights. Now you have to pay cover charges for theme parties or mystery dinners. Its just that the Oasis fees are similar to DC rates and yet not very inclusive.

These are why DC is winning my vacation budget (and then some!) for the nearest foreseeable cruise future...

I would definitely book RCI before CCL tho! But I think that now goes without saying....

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I have not been on DCL, but I have been on CCL, RCL, and NCL. I would say that Disney beats Ncl, but out of these three lines above, Carnival is the best, and from what I hear, Carnival competes with Disney in many areas and outperforms Disney in other ways. When you go on a Carnival cruise, you do so to have FUN! That is what Carnival does best! You should give it a try, you won't be disappointed. I promise :)

I have not been on DCL, but I have been on CCL, RCL, and NCL. I would say that Disney beats Ncl, but out of these three lines above, Carnival is the best, and from what I hear, Carnival competes with Disney in many areas and outperforms Disney in other ways. When you go on a Carnival cruise, you do so to have FUN! That is what Carnival does best! You should give it a try, you won't be disappointed. I promise :)

The question is why are Carnivals cruises the cheapest of all cruise lines with low booking , clearly the public do not like carnival for some reason and demand is low. Recent high profile incidents have damaged the brand and people currently do not trust them.

The question is why are Carnivals cruises the cheapest of all cruise lines with low booking , clearly the public do not like carnival for some reason and demand is low. Recent high profile incidents have damaged the brand and people currently do not trust them.

Have you tried a Carnival cruise? If not, I invite you to try one. Your expectations for a Carnival cruise seem fairly low, and the FUN ships are oh so much more. :)

Have you tried a Carnival cruise? If not, I invite you to try one. Your expectations for a Carnival cruise seem fairly low, and the FUN ships are oh so much more. :)

Due to there track record on safety I would not even consider it.

Worth looking at the graph here showing the current prices for all cruise lines.

Due to there track record on safety I would not even consider it.

 

 

 

 

Worth looking at the graph here showing the current prices for all cruise lines.

All I can say is that Royal used to be my favorite line until I tried Carnival. There is nothing better than a Carnival Cruise! It is ultimately your decision whether to try it or not, but I sincerely hope you are able to join the Carnival family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJgU2FhZtEI

As said in prior posts RCI is hit and miss, they have great ships, well laid out, but then do not come up to expectations on food, entertainment or service, I think a lot comes down from the cruise director and we were unlucky on RCI to have a bad one.

As said in prior posts RCI is hit and miss, they have great ships, well laid out, but then do not come up to expectations on food, entertainment or service, I think a lot comes down from the cruise director and we were unlucky on RCI to have a bad one.

The cruise director has nothing to do with food or service.

All I can say is that Royal used to be my favorite line until I tried Carnival. There is nothing better than a Carnival Cruise! It is ultimately your decision whether to try it or not, but I sincerely hope you are able to join the Carnival family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJgU2FhZtEI

Is the Carnival "family" sinking?

I have cruised Carnival. However I would only sail on the Magic, Dream, or Breeze because they are the newer ships. The decor on Carnival is well gaudy IMO. DCL is more in line with old luxury liners, classic. As for entertainment, DCL blows CCL away, but that is what Disney does. Food was equally comparable, edible with an occasional good thrown in. Swimming and onboard activities, CCL has great stuff for activities on the newer ships, while DCL pools are nothing short of human soup bowls. My kids don't use the clubs so I cannot compare.

The reasons I would choose CCL over DCL...stateroom. I can get a stateroom on CCL with a huge vista balcony that goes from the back of the ship and curves around the side for the same price as the cheapest inside stateroom on DCL. Ports of call. CCL has better itineraries with varying ports. Being one cruise shy of platinum on DCL, I have been to all of their go-to ports multiple times.

Calling the problems CCL has had with their ships isn't an issue. It can and does happen to any cruiseline. When you have a larger fleet, you are going to have more problems.

Is CCL my favorite, no, DCL still has that place. However, as the PP stated, there is something to be said for CCL over DCL in some areas. Looking to try the Allure or Oasis, but don't know if I am up for the large size!

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Have you tried a Carnival cruise? If not, I invite you to try one. Your expectations for a Carnival cruise seem fairly low, and the FUN ships are oh so much more. :)

A person should have low expectations on a Carnival cruise so they will not be so disappointed and realize how much money they have wasted.

Is the Carnival "family" sinking?

Seriously? Did you notice the huge turn the ship was making?

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