RCCL Allure versus Disney Dream

[Florida_cruisers]

Though I agree with everyone's comment on how great RCL has it for the Allure and Oasis, I do have to say that you are only a child once and that is the perfect age range to go on a Disney cruise if you only do it once. As a 8-16yr old, you can always do the Allure/Oasis later and still enjoy it.

 

We are going the Dream this year because my son is 5 and he loves Disney, but we might only do it once and then continue on with our cruises on RCL and maybe even Celebrity. My husband is dying to go on the Oasis and by then my son might be around 7 years old (we cruise every other year alternative between land based travels) and no longer into the fantasy of the characters. I am sure he would enjoy RCL a lot more by then and appreciate the water shows and everything else even more.

 

So there is no reason to just limit you to one or the other. Go on Disney now that your kids are little and then go on the Allure/Oasis later when they are a little older.

[Uri1961]

Florida Cruisers I could not have. Said it better myself!!

 

When the Disney Cruise Line came out my kids were too old and didn't want to go.

 

I have waited patiently for my grandson to turn 5 to take him and finally I am taking him on the Fantasy Junr 2012 and can't wait.

 

The children will remember a Disney cruise for a long time!!

[Friend100]

Florida Cruisers I could not have. Said it better myself!!

 

When the Disney Cruise Line came out my kids were too old and didn't want to go.

 

I have waited patiently for my grandson to turn 5 to take him and finally I am taking him on the Fantasy Junr 2012 and can't wait.

 

The children will remember a Disney cruise for a long time!!

 

Yes, and when they have a memorable one the parents will have a memorable one too. It doesn't mean that the children will not have a memorable one on Allure or any other ships. My DS was kidding that he prefer to spend 14 days on a "boring cruise" than only 3 days on a Disney cruise, lol

 

Disney is an entertainment company trying to do cruising. All others are cruising companies trying to add more entertainment. The world can't always be that perfect. I appreciate the choice that is available in cruising and my family and I continue to prefer cruising over other means of vacation. Childhood doesn't last long. I won't regret as I have done it already. But if the price/timing is right, I will do it again.

 

Some people don't like their product. We are sold on their "magic" "wonder" and "dream" factor.

 

Happy cruising.

 

edit: BTW, I have been waiting for the price of Oasis/Allure to come down a bit more ... and still waiting. :p

[gcv]

 

1: Disney does a FANTASTIC job of keeping the adult only areas exactly that. while the main pools are always crowded and noisy, the adult only one is always quiet and half empty. the Coffee bar in the adult area is peaceful and comfortable.

 

... when we attended a seminar billed as Adult only, people who brought children were reminded that they were not allowed.

 

we haven't doen RC yet, that is in about a year or so. But I found Disney to be VERY adult Friendly despite it's marketing as a Kid haven. even castaway Cay 's adult only area was grand. ( the BBQ there was apparently nicer than the main one with extra food choices)

 

 

The adult pool was HUGE and GORGEOUS, THE SPA and gym were immaculate and largely empty.

 

My kids did not like the kids clubs. They were dark interior rooms, the attendants were young and surly/impatient and all they had to do were video games/tv/computers and a few half-hearted activities; not much else.My 7 year old was put with preschoolers.

 

The two excellent features of the Disney line are the big cabins and Castaway Cay.

[kloud9kutie]

We just got off the Dream sailing a few days ago. The ship was BEAUTIFUL, the food was actually very good, and our servers were amazing. Everything about the ship was amazing except for the kids club!!!!!!! The kids club was one of the major reasons for trying out disney. I have heard nothing but good things from friends who sailed the wonder and magic.

I guess they decided to do Dream differently. Instead of separating kids by age...it was 3-10 year olds running between the Lab and the Club. There were ton of consolers, but they didn't engage children...they just did their little craft or game and never tried to INCLUDE those shy kids who were sitting on the side lines. it was horrible. My daughter is 5 and is not shy...however this place is VERY overwhelming for anyone! The club has 3 separate rooms to play in plus a main area...then there's a hallway which leads to the Lab. We dropped her off on the first night after playing with her in there and getting her into a duck duck goose game....we came back to get her for dinner an hour later....well no...we hunted for her....when you go to check them out...they will tell you if they are in the club or the lab....if they are in the club...you have to go search in the 3 rooms that make up the club (andys room, monster inc, or pixie hollow)...we found her in a nemo sub that is in teh main section of the club at a computer....she looked like she was having fun...until she turned to see us....she had a red little nose and puffy cheeks and tears. The counselor was right next to her and didn't even acknowledge us or the fact that she was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she just told me she didn't want to be there. we left and she spent the rest of the cruise with us and we had a blast :)

I had read reviews very similar to mine and disregarded them....figured they were just "over-reactors" :rolleyes:and that my little one would have a blast! those reviews were right unfortunately.:(

now for the 7-10 year olds....I could tell they were having a blast, that place was perfect for them!!! But younger kids I think feel more secure with someone with them, having structure. My daughter LOVED the carnival kids club as she was with kids her own age and had counselors with them the entire time.

disney made a boo-boo and i hope they change back to separate age groups soon.

 

 

 

we are planning for Allure in 2012...yay

[Jnoel]

Kloud9Kutie, I have the Dream booked for October but am seriously considering switching to RCL. Let me preface this by saying I LOVE Disney. We all do. We've been on the Magic twice and had a great time. My question is does the ship feel crowded? I've heard the pools are small and on sea days the crowds are bad. I never felt this way on the Magic. I also don't like the shorter cruises and could happily skip Nassau. My dd is 14 and is the child pushing for the Dream. My other children are 3 boys ages 13, 2 and 5 months. The little kids won't remember this cruise. We'll do Disney again when the baby is a bit older and dd will be able to enjoy it still (the princess that she is :rolleyes:). I truly think the big kids will love Oasis/Allure or Freedom. Still torn but would love to hear how you felt about the length of your cruise and the crowds. Thanks

[CariBear]

We just got off the Dream sailing a few days ago. The ship was BEAUTIFUL, the food was actually very good, and our servers were amazing. Everything about the ship was amazing except for the kids club!!!!!!! The kids club was one of the major reasons for trying out disney. I have heard nothing but good things from friends who sailed the wonder and magic.

 

 

I guess they decided to do Dream differently. Instead of separating kids by age...it was 3-10 year olds running between the Lab and the Club. There were ton of consolers, but they didn't engage children...they just did their little craft or game and never tried to INCLUDE those shy kids who were sitting on the side lines. it was horrible. My daughter is 5 and is not shy...however this place is VERY overwhelming for anyone! The club has 3 separate rooms to play in plus a main area...then there's a hallway which leads to the Lab. We dropped her off on the first night after playing with her in there and getting her into a duck duck goose game....we came back to get her for dinner an hour later....well no...we hunted for her....when you go to check them out...they will tell you if they are in the club or the lab....if they are in the club...you have to go search in the 3 rooms that make up the club (andys room, monster inc, or pixie hollow)...we found her in a nemo sub that is in teh main section of the club at a computer....she looked like she was having fun...until she turned to see us....she had a red little nose and puffy cheeks and tears. The counselor was right next to her and didn't even acknowledge us or the fact that she was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she just told me she didn't want to be there. we left and she spent the rest of the cruise with us and we had a blast :)

 

 

 

I had read reviews very similar to mine and disregarded them....figured they were just "over-reactors" :rolleyes:and that my little one would have a blast! those reviews were right unfortunately.:(

 

 

 

now for the 7-10 year olds....I could tell they were having a blast, that place was perfect for them!!! But younger kids I think feel more secure with someone with them, having structure. My daughter LOVED the carnival kids club as she was with kids her own age and had counselors with them the entire time.

 

 

 

disney made a boo-boo and i hope they change back to separate age groups soon.

 

 

 

we are planning for Allure in 2012...yay

 

I had posted earlier in your thread with the same type of experience on the Disney ships. They have combined the age groups on all of their ships...I believe this happened about 2 years ago..maybe a little less.

 

My 3 year old would be crying if we were to drop him off into the mayhem of the Disney clubs.....on the other hand my 8 year old would have a blast running around without much authority.

 

Sounds like you still had a great cruise on the Dream...with the great food and outstanding service that Disney is known for. I think your daughter will have a much more pleasant experience in Adventure Ocean on Allure next year!!!

[chef_christoph]

I haven't been on Disney Dream so I can't contribute anything of use but I remembered CC member 'GMoney' posted a comparison of Oasis/Allure vs Disney Dream that I thought might interest the OP.

 

You can find it here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1372199

[kloud9kutie]

Kloud9Kutie, I have the Dream booked for October but am seriously considering switching to RCL. Let me preface this by saying I LOVE Disney. We all do. We've been on the Magic twice and had a great time. My question is does the ship feel crowded? I've heard the pools are small and on sea days the crowds are bad. I never felt this way on the Magic. I also don't like the shorter cruises and could happily skip Nassau. My dd is 14 and is the child pushing for the Dream. My other children are 3 boys ages 13, 2 and 5 months. The little kids won't remember this cruise. We'll do Disney again when the baby is a bit older and dd will be able to enjoy it still (the princess that she is :rolleyes:). I truly think the big kids will love Oasis/Allure or Freedom. Still torn but would love to hear how you felt about the length of your cruise and the crowds. Thanks

 

 

We did a 4 night-er and I feel like our cruise was at capacity...can't say for sure as i never inquired or heard what the capacity was....but it was busy LOL The only issue with the crowds i noticed was during sea days at the pools. chair hog central!!! But we still managed to finds seats, so its manageable...and the pools also get very crowded...i have a pic I'll have to post to show you...but at the same time, didn't bother my 5 year old..she was in there with the other kiddos having a blast and they have seating all around the pool so you can sit with your feet in the water and watch them if there are no chairs open around the pool. I also noticed if kids were getting to rowdy, lifeguards or just other crew members did step in to address the problem.

 

OHH DUHHH the aquaduck line..almost forgot LOL....there were times where there was NOONE in line...and times, like during 1pm on the sea day where it was 35-40 mins. always not fun to wait in it...but we managed to ride it a lot regardless LoL :cool: Best time to go on it was when we were in port at nassua. (I am not sure if its on the entire time at port...as we got off for a few hours, then once we got back on the ship we started riding it:confused:)

 

 

Other than being on deck for the pools on the sea day, the crowds were never really a problem. Cabanas where the buffet is does get crowded, but they have the hostesses there to help you find a seat and if they say there no seats, they will direct you outside...this just happened once and we said okay...got our food and just found a table ourselves inside lol They have 2 sides of buffet open, tons of drink stations on both sides...we never had a problem or felt like we were waiting to get food. i was very impressed.

 

The shows were also not that big of a problem either, another surprise....we still got there 20-25 mins early to make sure we snagged 3rd or 4th row seats...but i never saw the theater full.

 

Castway also didn't feel TOO crowded with the extra passengers. and the buffet there was a breeze, so many lines open.

 

 

Another issue we had with the crowds ( i guess) was embarkation...we got there around 10:50am...but got group 16 to board and we were not on the ship till around 1:30:eek: Check in was a breeze....but we had to sit forever to get our boarding number called....but you can take pics with characters and sign the kids up for the lab/club too while you wait.

 

 

Only problem with the short cruises is once you get into the groove of things, its time to pack back up :(

 

 

SORRY FOR WRITING A BOOK LOL

[Babyberger]

We just got off the Dream sailing a few days ago. The ship was BEAUTIFUL, the food was actually very good, and our servers were amazing. Everything about the ship was amazing except for the kids club!!!!!!! The kids club was one of the major reasons for trying out disney. I have heard nothing but good things from friends who sailed the wonder and magic.

 

I guess they decided to do Dream differently. Instead of separating kids by age...it was 3-10 year olds running between the Lab and the Club. There were ton of consolers, but they didn't engage children...they just did their little craft or game and never tried to INCLUDE those shy kids who were sitting on the side lines. it was horrible. My daughter is 5 and is not shy...however this place is VERY overwhelming for anyone! The club has 3 separate rooms to play in plus a main area...then there's a hallway which leads to the Lab. We dropped her off on the first night after playing with her in there and getting her into a duck duck goose game....we came back to get her for dinner an hour later....well no...we hunted for her....when you go to check them out...they will tell you if they are in the club or the lab....if they are in the club...you have to go search in the 3 rooms that make up the club (andys room, monster inc, or pixie hollow)...we found her in a nemo sub that is in teh main section of the club at a computer....she looked like she was having fun...until she turned to see us....she had a red little nose and puffy cheeks and tears. The counselor was right next to her and didn't even acknowledge us or the fact that she was crying. I asked her what was wrong and she just told me she didn't want to be there. we left and she spent the rest of the cruise with us and we had a blast :)

 

I had read reviews very similar to mine and disregarded them....figured they were just "over-reactors" :rolleyes:and that my little one would have a blast! those reviews were right unfortunately.:(

 

now for the 7-10 year olds....I could tell they were having a blast, that place was perfect for them!!! But younger kids I think feel more secure with someone with them, having structure. My daughter LOVED the carnival kids club as she was with kids her own age and had counselors with them the entire time.

 

disney made a boo-boo and i hope they change back to separate age groups soon.

 

we are planning for Allure in 2012...yay

 

 

We are looking ahead to November 2012 and impatiently waiting for the allure prices to be released. So in the meantime I started doing some research on the Disney Dream, as we will have sailed on Freedom, Oasis, and Allure and thought maybe we should branch out. We love Disney as a family and have annual passes to Disney World, so I know the kids would love a Disney cruise. But after reading this and other reviews I think I will just stick with Allure for 2 years in a row. I asked my kids today what they loved most about Oasis and are looking forward to on Allure, and their answers were: the carousel, mini-golf, lots of pools and ice-skating....seeing as Disney is missing those things, I guess my decision is made and I will sit and wait patiently for the Allure schedule to be released.