DISNEY WONDER vs RUBY PRINCESS--Which would you choose??

[umieesa]

The more I read the more confused I am :confused:

 

Thanks to everyone for all your advice, and for putting up with me :o

 

I think I should make a list of pros and cons...

[CruisinEars]

My 2 cents: I would choose Princess and the Caribbean. I have sailed the Disney Magic and I have sailed the MR route. I think the ports and the water is much better in the Caribbean. The MR is a route that is barely surviving so they are discounting heavily. If you were to sail DCL, and I think you should at some point, choose the Caribbean with a stop at their Castaway Cay. We adored our DCL cruise, but our Princess cruises have been just as good and less expensive.

[JimmyVWine]

My 2 cents: I would choose Princess and the Caribbean. I have sailed the Disney Magic and I have sailed the MR route. I think the ports and the water is much better in the Caribbean. The MR is a route that is barely surviving so they are discounting heavily. If you were to sail DCL, and I think you should at some point, choose the Caribbean with a stop at their Castaway Cay. We adored our DCL cruise, but our Princess cruises have been just as good and less expensive.

 

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the above. The Wonder's MR itinerary simply isn't very exciting. It's not an "old school" MR trip that takes you to Cabo, Puerta Vallarta, Ensenada, Mazatlan, etc.. You would essentially be spending a lot of money to fly all the way out to California just to go to Cabo. You can do that on a land-based trip for less. Sounds like you are more jazzed about the Caribbean itinerary, and your kids would enjoy the snorkeling far more there. And you will all enjoy the food more on the Ruby. There a lots of good reasons to try DCL and they have many terrific itineraries. But this isn't one of them.

[Dead-metal]

Disney, hands down!

 

With children you cannot beat DCL. We have done both DCL and Princess and both the adults and children prefer Disney. The kids clubs on DCL are far superior. Princess kids clubs are more of an after thought.

[CruzinNoony]

I would choose the Ruby (beautiful ship!) and the Caribbean itinerary over ANY ship sailing in the Mexican Riviera. We have been to the MR probably 7 times only because we live on the west coast and we can drive to the pier. I hate to throw another wrench in the pot, but have you given any thought about the Allure of the Seas?? :rolleyes:

[PhylSam]

Just did Ruby and I have done both Wonder and Magic. Hands down-DISNEY!!! My experience with treasured family vacations are the moments that we have all had together, not the destination. When they were little it was about the time we shared together and no one provides that family magical experience like Disney. I loved the time when my daughters sat with Wendy having tea in the dining room, the shows that we could all attend together, the dining experiences as the room turned from b/w into a swirl of colors. Their faces during the cruise, the perfection of the room set-up (2 rooms next to each other with a door in between that could make our room into a suite), the companionship of other families, the parties on deck in true Disney style -- all of this was more important to us then the destination.

 

We loved our experience on the Ruby but the girls are now teenagers and we choose a Med cruise for the itinerary. It was during the summer and the ship was filled with teens. The ship was lovely but it was a struggle to find family things to do on board. The facility was not oriented towards families and to be honest, we found a lot of resentment towards the children that were on board. There were always complaints at the pool, dining rooms, shows, elevators. There were organized activities on board but the facility NO WHERE NEARS the Disney ship.

 

If you are looking for a Caribbean cruise with Disney, keep shopping. You might find an option if you are willing to change your date preference. I never hesitated to take grade school kids out of school.

 

Have a wonderful trip whatever you decide. Cruising is just a wonderful way to spend time with your family. You could consider Royal Caribbean, their ships are family filled and activity ladden.

[vakamalua]

Totally different experiences!

 

Have done DCL and Princess with and without kids. Enjoyed both; depending on their ages, kids probably would enjoy DCL more. The food is NOT great on either.

 

I have cruised all over the world. The ONLY time I ever got seasick was on a Mexican coast cruise. If you avoid hurricane season, the Caribbean seas should be calm.

[umieesa]

Thanks for everyone's advice. I think I'm going to stick with the Ruby mainly because I don't want any risk of getting seasick :eek: and I prefer the Caribbean itinerary. I agree that if it was a Disney ship on a Caribbean itinerary I think I would be more inclined to switch, but I'll have to save Disney for next time ;)

[FF Woman]

While I haven't sailed Princess yet (first time coming up Feb '12) I have sailed Disney, RCI and NCL. I thought Disney's food was great and loved Palo's and consider it the best specialty restaurant I've tried so far of the three lines. One thing I really liked about Disney was that there were always poolside chairs available at the adults only pool. And best of all, if you go to their private island, there is an adults only area on the beach way at the end that is quiet and beautiful. They have the kids club activities on the island also so you can leave them there for part of the day and enjoy the adults only beach. Pros and cons for both but if I could get Disney for the same price and had kids, I'd definitely go for Disney and enjoy the adults only areas too.

[Esjohnso]

My husband and I don't have kids, but we already booked a Disney cruise for Dec. 2012, Mexican Riviera. When we saw we could get a Disney cruise for about the price of Princess, we jumped on it! We have done both, and we usually do Princess because of the lower prices/better value. I love both lines, but Disney is better in many ways that are important to us. I thought the food in the dining room was better on Princess, but the buffets were better on Disney. My hubby and I love the elegant decor on Princess, but the subtle theming on Disney kept us smiling. The service on Disney was wonderful, while on Princess it is just good. I like to nap on vacation, so the divided/curtained cabin on Disney was wonderful, my husband could come and go without disturbing me. I thought the entertainment on Disney was a mile above Princess, but only if you like Disney characters and such. For us, there was no question: Disney! I probably just made your decision harder, not easier, didn't I?:rolleyes: