Deciding between RC (Freedom) or Disney Magic? My Experience

[roxannex]

Hi!

I'm just back from a 7 day cruise on Freedom of the Seas with my husband, 4 year old, mom and grandma (who is almost 90). Last year around the same time we went on the Disney Magic so I wanted to give you my feelings about which cruise is better for multigenerational families, especially with small kids.

 

First, the reasons we didn't do a Disney cruise again were partly price and partly because we didn't think enough would have changed from last year. We thought we'd wait to do Disney again when the new ship was ready. We got a great deal on the Freedom.

 

I'd heard that the Freedom was really family friendly, and we did have a nice time, but IMO Disney was way superior for our family. If I had a teenager I think there would have been more for my kid to do, but Disney was hands down more fun for our son. Also, I felt that there were a lot more entire family activities on Disney--things that we could ALL enjoy together.

 

Right from the beginning of the Disney cruise at the sail away party, I felt like we were going on a grand adventure. I never had that feeling on the Freedom.

 

That's not to say we didn't have fun. I loved the live music on the Freedom. There was a lot. And I thought the food was better. The food on the Magic was pretty terrible, with the exception of Palo's. The service was great on both cruises. I actually thought our room on the Magic was kind of run down and we felt like the people next door were actually IN our room. Our Freedom room was very clean and nice and quiet.

 

But the entertainment on Disney was much better. We all loved the shows on the Magic. Castaway Cay is WAYYYYYY nicer than Labadee. We felt pretty nickel and dimed on the Freedom and constantly felt asked to thank the employees, which was kind of weird. I know they work very hard and we appreciate all their effort but we weren't given the cruise for free. We paid for it. It got weird and annoying after a while. The final show was a giant parade of the cruise staff and a plug to buy the "cruise in review."

 

The big thing was the kids club. I really thought Freedom was supposed to have a great kids club. But it's not nearly as good as the one on the Magic. It's tucked away in the back, not open all the time, and just not as inventive or fun as on Disney.

 

I'm happy to answer any questions. My memory is really fresh on the Freedom but I still remember a lot of things about the Magic.

 

Overall, we had fun. A cruise is a cruise! But I don't think we would do RC again, except maybeeeeeeee is Oasis prices came down. Even then I'm not sure. Also, I should admit that I do love Disney, so that might play into it, but I'm not a crazy fanatic....about Disney at least. :)

[QTMichele]

Thanks for posting your thoughts! We're getting ready to sail on Freedom, so this is perfect timing for my family. :) I have younger kids who love Disney, but we'll be going to to Disney World in October so didn't consider a Disney cruise this time around. Maybe we should consider one "soon" so they don't outgrow it??? Regardless, we'll be travelling with family from 14 months to 55 years old - I'm hoping the Freedom works well for us. :)

 

Thanks again for posting!!! :)

[crusinmama06]

Thanks for your review! I don't share the same opinion as you. I think our cruises on Freedom and Independence were far superior to Magic and Wonder. And my kids are as young as yours. ;)

 

But we all have different opinions and that's why its great that we have so many ships/cruiselines to choose from. :D

 

Welcome back and happy planning the next one! :)

[snorkelman]

I looked at a similar comparison in the past and recall that the Disney ship is older, smaller, and significantly more expensive (when you compare similar duration and sale dates). Sounds like nobody in your group appreciated the features that the disney ships don't have such as the rockwall, flowrider, ice rink.

 

If your sole concern was making this the most entertaining cruise for a 4 year-old, then I don't think that you will get much of an argument about Disney being top notch when it comes to entertaining children. That is their specialty. Is it worth the premium price for that?

 

See, I am also looking from it from the perspective that my kids go to the Disney parks in Orlando every few weeks since we are Florida residents and have the pass. It just isn't worth the extra money for a disney ship. IMO the disney ships' prices are out of whack because of the supply and demand. Sure, anyone with kids would love the disney characters on the ship, (I can't imagine anyone with kids challenging this) but since there are only a handful of disney ships worldwide, they charge a premium, but from what I can tell, that single factor is the sole benefit that is clearly better on a disney ship.

 

I am also guessing your cruise on the disney ship was your very first cruise...

[roxannex]

Hi,

I'm typing on my iPhone. Sorry if it's wonky! Nope. My husband and I were on the mariner 2 1/2 years ago but really didn't participate in the shows or activities. We also did a carnival cruise about 10 years ago and I was on a lot of cruises with my mom when I was a kid.

 

We did try the flowrider. Our son was too young. Mom and grandma too old. It was fun but there were always long lines. Once was enough. We were both too scared to do the rock wall. That thing was high! Again, our son was too little. We have tried ice skating at home and that didn't end well so we didn't do it on the ship, but even if we'd wanted to the hours were very limited.

 

I don't want to get in an argument. :) everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I was just presenting mine!

[Mack2]

I've appreciated both my two cruises aboard the Magic, and the many cruises I've sailed on aboard the various RCI ships.

 

I agree with Roxannex that Disney has a way of keeping younger children engaged with the activities aboard. RCI is fantastic for older kids.

Of course, Disney has a wonderful way to suck you into the deep dark depths of the Mickey fanatics.

 

Oh yes... I own some pins of my own. Yes.. I ... do.

I even have my one pin autographed by the captain... and I don't even remember his name.

 

Still... I found both lines to be enjoyable. Although, I wouldn't write one off over the other.

[roxannex]

Back home on my computer... :)

 

Yes, I think that older kids would have a lot more to do on the Freedom than the Magic. I could see teenagers or preteens loving the flowrider, rock wall, etc...

 

Ummm...maybe I got sucked into that Mickey vortex a little....LOL.

 

Snorkelman, I could definitely understand that if you go to Disney all the time, what's the appeal of a Disney cruise!

[lsmommy]

I agree with what you are saying, for a child your age, Disney is a great option. I do look forward to sailing on a Freedom class ship when they kids are older but not at this stage.

 

I think people would be surprised at the prices of DCL these days, there are some amazing deals. I compared the 4 day Wonder to 4 day RCCL Majesty for spring break and with the kids sail free deal that was out the Wonder was less expensive, and the Wonder has way better family shows for the kids than the Majesty, so that way an easy choice. We are doing an 8 day cruise out of Dover this summer and paying less than a 7 day cruise on NCL Gem, and that is in July another prime family vacation time, so for less money we get an extra day and get to sail on DCL where I know my kids will have a great time.