Should I switch to Disney?

[holula]

My husband and I love DCL. We have done all four ships. The Dream is our least favorite, especially the 3 day. It is rushed and every passenger is trying to do everything at once.

 

He boarded Enchantment today and so far has been really impressed. He is in love with the buffet and things the ship is beautiful and well maintained. I would stick with Royal.

 

 

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[nolesrule]

For me personally, a balcony and an extra day makes Enchantment a no-brainer. But that's just me. I find the 3 day to be almost too short.

[Irene7]

I responded to this question which you posted on the disney boards, but left something out. I think 3 night cruises are too short to do much, but I forgot that you would be going to Castaway Cays. I just adore that island, and going on a short cruise would be worth it, just to go there. Other than that, I love DCL, but 3 night cruises are just too short in general, IMO.

[webzila]

The 6 night Disney cruise that we have been on has been the best one hands down compared to others that we have been on Carnival, NCL, and RCL

 

Having said that, I would never go on a 3 day cruise on any line. By the time you get settled in and comfortable it will be time for you to pack up and leave...

 

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[orville99]

Putting aside the 4-night vs. 3-night; August vs. September; and balcony vs. non balcony components, and getting down to apples-vs-apples:

 

Castaway Cay is much nicer than Coco Cay - better food, better beaches, better amenities - and you dock rather than tender

 

Food - it can be a toss up, depending on your tastes. We found Disney food well prepared, but under seasoned. Disney has better snack/munchies venues. Enchantment has a better buffet, but Disney's buffet turns into a table service restaurant in the evening.

 

Public areas: We found Disney's a bit undersized for the number of passengers, and the pools were too small. Enchantment has a much better pool deck, and the public areas are generally a lot larger.

 

Weather - a real toss up (literally, since both august and September are peak hurricane season).

 

As for which you'd enjoy more, we were Disney fanatics until we started cruising on RCL, and we love both lines. We have cruises booked on both lines next year - the differences (overall) between the two are so minor that whichever one is going where we want to go when we want to go gets booked. Sometimes Disney is more $$, sometimes it isn't. In the end, the cost difference over the past 10 years has been pretty much a wash.

Edited April 4, 2014 by orville99

[graphicguy]

Andy.....I think it depends on the age of your children. My neighbor cruised Disney about 3 yeats ago with their 2 daughters, who were 9 and 10 at the time. They enjoyed it. Fast foward to today, they just returned from another Disney cruise and hated it for a variety of reasons. One of them was because their daughters were more grown up, and found the Disney experience no longer appealing (they said it's for kids...LOL!).

[wildcat46]

We have cruised DCL many times and have loved, loved, loved every one of them. Two things I would consiser.

 

First, DCL is great for younger kids. Ours would not leave the kid's clubs without a fight. Their programs were the best. But now that my kids are a little older (12 and 15), they like RCL better because there is more to do on deck (more pools, flo Rider, mini golf, rock climbing...). DCL's pool is very small and very over crowded because there is not much else to do on deck. However, they went to the kid's clubs on RCL for about an hour and never went back (said they were lame).

 

Second, our first cruise on DCL was a four night cruise and we said we would never do it again. Too short for all that is offered. We booked a 7 night cruise while still on board because we did not have time to do half of what we wanted to do while on the four night. So be prepared, if you do the three night cruise on DCL and you have small chiuldren, you are going to have to go back for a longer cruise.

 

As for your non-Disney friends, that would not concern me as much, because you can avoid all the princesses if you want... The shows are all pretty classic Disney type stuff, but they are so well done, I can't imagine anyone not enjoying them.

 

Good luck.

[debache]

Our first cruise was on Disney and we had a great time, I really enjoyed the rotating dining rooms, with that said our next cruise was RCI and as you can tell by my signature we loved it...My son actually enjoyed the children program on RCI better than Disney..and as he got older he and his father really enjoyed the sporting activities on RCi a million times more..We also like to gamble on the ships (only time we get to gamble) and we enjoy the more grown up shows on RCI...I can honestly say I would never go on a Disney Cruise again, but that does not mean the product is bad it is a wonderful product, just not for my family...You have mentioned that you are a Disney fanatic, so go on the Enchanment with your family and when you get back look for a deal and go on Disney, that is a win-win for you..enjoy

[Irene7]

My daughters are 23 and 19. They were 22 and 18 on our last Disney Cruise and they absolutely loved it.

[Shebbieal]

DCL and RCCL are more alike than they are different.

 

Both are a quality product.

 

Castaway Cay is better than Coco Cay or Labadee.

 

Food, service and ships are about the same!

 

I have done 5 Disney and 37 Royal Caribbean so I love them both!

 

Sherry

[kwazi07]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

[summersigh]

I am booked on Enchantment in August. Now, for a 3 night Disney cruise in September it is 100 dollars less. I love all things Disney, buy is 3 nights too short?.

 

The real way to see the true cost is to divide the $$ cost for each cruise by the number of days. The Disney may be "$100 less" but the actual overall cost per day may be higher.

[LisaT91403]

Hi Andy:

We did a 3-night Disney on the Dream with our granddaughter in January - it was "all about the princesses" and that was our purpose. If you're all about Disney, I'd say "try it" There is a lot for adults and the adults only areas were just that, if you choose. Food was great, cabins were awesome, the staff was superb, entertainment was all DISNEY and totally enjoyable and Castaway Cay was a delight. All things considered, if it's time and $$ and if you are saving, I'd say go for Disney - it's an experience you won't regret trying at least once. Yet here my husband and I are off on a 4-night RCCL Liberty of the Seas cruise to Cozumel in a few weeks, could we have done a Disney, sure, but we're on RCCL for just the two of us. Now when the little baby sister turns 4 - we'll be back on Disney for Princesses ACT II!

Good luck with your decision - either way - GO CRUISING!

 

Not to highjack the thread, but I am wondering what the weather was like on Castaway Cay in January. Was the water too cold to swim in?

[Merion_Mom]

Not to highjack the thread, but I am wondering what the weather was like on Castaway Cay in January. Was the water too cold to swim in?

 

Start a new thread.

 

New topic, new thread.

 

And I suggest posting your question on the Disney board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=167

 

Or better yet, look in the Ports of Call Forum, in the Private Islands Forum:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=406

[Plymouthmerlin67]

We are in the same dilemma. Just got back off our first cruise on Independence and were blown away with it all. Next year we are doing a big family holiday that has been in the planning stage for a few years (granddad promised when he first held his granddaughters after birth, that one day he would take them to see a certain mouse in Florida). We were planning to do a Disney cruise, but now after Independence, we know the granddaughters would love that size of ship. Hence, we are now looking at Freedom as a follow on from Orlando. One of the reasons, we are now looking at the cruise as a holiday to get over the first holiday. Also, Freedom is 7-8 days where Disney is 4-5 days.

[Clarea]

Not to highjack the thread, but I am wondering what the weather was like on Castaway Cay in January. Was the water too cold to swim in?

Probably 75 to 80 F. We swim at Coco Cay in January.

[big al]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. How is Castaway Cay compared to Coco Cay?

 

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NO comparison here...Castaway Cay IMO, is THEE best private island BY FAR..certainly Coco Cay is NOT in that league...IMO, Castaway Cay is a destination by itself with 3 separate beaches including Serenity Beach, a private adults only beach that is heaven...hammocks under trees, your OWN buffet ( best beach buffet I've had in 29 cruises), your OWN restrooms all for adults only..and kids & families have amazing areas with water trampolines, water gun machines, all kinds of goodies..it would be like comparing a Holiday Inn ( decent) to a Grand Hyatt ( WOW!!)...go on YouTube and search for Castaway Cay..breathtaking!!

 

Big Al

[big al]

I am booked on Enchantment in August. Now, for a 3 night Disney cruise in September it is 100 dollars less. I love all things Disney, buy is 3 nights too short?

 

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If you just compare the Enchantment to the Disney ships, there is NO comparison IMO...my wife & I were on the Disney Dream 4 nighter last Nov., and also have done the Enchantment 5 nighter a few years back...the Dream blew the EOS away in every area- food ( much better MDR food & best buffet ever- shrimp cocktail,crab claws & coconut fried shrimp at the LUNCH buffet! Eggs benedict at the breakfast buffet..none of these items on RCI!!) shows ( amazing!) service, cabins ( bigger & 2 bathrooms!!) , private island Castaway Cay is by far the best & nicest private island ( HAL's Half Moon Cay 2nd also very nice!!)...the newly re-done Magic is very nice I hear & the Wonder is still a nice ship, but the Dream was IMO, spectacular- pirate show with fireworks, the Aquaduck water slides ( very cool), all 4 shows at night simply phenomenal..on the Enchantment, shows were mediocre & other than the Schooner Bar, we were both pretty bored..nice ship & we had a nice 5 days, but NOT in the same league as the Dream,sorry...all things being equal, I'd cruise the Dream ANY TIME over the EOS..BUT, if $$ is an issue & 3 days IS kinda short, you need to decide..if children are involved, Disney will be soooo much better...I would do the Liberty Of The Seas 4 or 5 nighter instead of the EOS for a short cruise- much better than the Enchantment for families...

 

Big Al

[debbs0723]

Not to highjack the thread, but I am wondering what the weather was like on Castaway Cay in January. Was the water too cold to swim in?

 

 

I have been to Castaway Cay in January. My youngest daughter is super sensitive to cold and didn't spend that much time in the water. However she was about 5. We live in Houston and she gets cold here during the summer,so I would not judge anything by her. My older daughter who was 8 and my husband and I had no problems at all with the water. Felt it was perfect.

 

We have cruised both lines. I was on Enchantment many years ago before any refurbs and have been on Disney Wonder. As my kids were 5 and 8 during Disney Wonder (4 night) they loved it. They are 10 and 13 now and much more WOWed by Royal. Of course they have only been on the Navigator and have an upcoming Allure trip. When they where on Disney they loved the kids clubs. They aren't as into the kids clubs on RCL but I think that has more to do with age vs line. I will say that I am hands down a Royal fan over Disney but not die hard on any cruise line. I was bored on Disney but it was a different ship. My kids would be bored on the Magic or Wonder if we went again but we haven't done the Dream.

 

As far as food I think food has gone a little downhill on all cruise lines so I wasn't that impressed with Disney either other than the buffet lunch the first day.

 

I don't think I caught how many kids and what ages they would be on this trip but 3 days is short… way to short for me. I tend to agree with the other poster above. Since you are already considering switching cruises I might be looking at deals for 5 nights or something like that on Liberty or Indy just to see if either of those are options. I'm sorry that I could not be more help but it is going to be tough to get a really definitive answer due to the fact that you are losing an entire day. Yes, Castaway Cay is very nice. My question is this. Would the fact that Castaway Cay is nicer than Cococay (sp?) make up for the entire port day you are losing? That port might very well have another beautiful beach.

 

 

Debbie

Edited July 17, 2014 by debbs0723

[CP3o]

Thanks! I have lots of friends who love Disney and I could go with them. How does Disney compare to Royal?

 

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You can find a deal on Enchantment anytime, if you've found a reasonable fare on DCL and are a Disney fan, you owe it to yourself to do once for the shows alone. You may not want the same shows next year but any Disney fan should try it once especially if it's not that much more money.

 

3 days is fine, no other line do you GET to try out their latest/greatest ship for a short sailing. Treat Nassau as an at sea day and enjoy a less crowded ship.

[Trekker954]

We took the Disney Dream 3 nighter in February. Yes the water was too cold for swimming. We braved the water slide on board and even that was cold but a must do. We are two adult women, Royal loyals. We even got noro virus on board the Dream therefore our day three was confined to our room and missed the best restaurant. Therefore, were we turned off, absolutely not. We will do it again at some point and we've already said, a month when we can enjoy Castaway Cay. The island seems to be awesome, we were getting sick at that point and it was windy and too cool. I'd love to rent a bike and ride around.

 

The Disney staff is wonderful, the amenities are great, the food much better. I really wouldn't want to have a child with me. The lines to see the characters were crazy long. The shows were great also.

 

Disney is much more expensive but we waited for last minute Florida discount and we WANTED an inside cabin for the virtual porthole which was very cool.

[kwazi07]

It's 19 days from my sailing so I can't switch haha. My next dilemma is - should I book another Royal cruise on the ship if we love it, or save money for a Disney Cruise? The 7 nights are not possible for our fam of five, so we might do the 4 night but use Nassau as a sea day.

 

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[orville99]

It's 19 days from my sailing so I can't switch haha. My next dilemma is - should I book another Royal cruise on the ship if we love it, or save money for a Disney Cruise? The 7 nights are not possible for our fam of five, so we might do the 4 night but use Nassau as a sea day.

 

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If you really like RCL, you can purchase an Open Booking certificate ($100 - you only need to put one name on it) that you can turn into a firm reservation anytime (they don't expire).

 

If you want to try a bit longer Disney cruise, Magic is doing a 5-night (Key West, Castaway Cay, Nassau and a sea day) next May before she repos to Europe. If you want to try a bit longer RCL cruise, Explorer is wintering in Port Canaveral through next spring, and they have a 5-night cruise that does Nassau and Cozumel with two sea days.

[kwazi07]

If you really like RCL, you can purchase an Open Booking certificate ($100 - you only need to put one name on it) that you can turn into a firm reservation anytime (they don't expire).

 

If you want to try a bit longer Disney cruise, Magic is doing a 5-night (Key West, Castaway Cay, Nassau and a sea day) next May before she repos to Europe. If you want to try a bit longer RCL cruise, Explorer is wintering in Port Canaveral through next spring, and they have a 5-night cruise that does Nassau and Cozumel with two sea days.

From what I read on my Guest Ticket Booklet you get fewer benefits versus booking a firm cruise on the ship. Also, thanks for the info on the Magic cruise, that sounds wonderful!

 

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[dixielady]

I am conflicted because we would give up a balcony and a sea day. I am the black sheep in my fam-I love Disney while others are so so. I heard the service is better on Disney. I am reading my DCL guide and am regretting my choice for RCl. Will a Disney lover enjoy RCI?

 

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Well only you can make that descision, however, I am a huge Disney person, I actually cancelled a Disney cruise to do my frist Royal cruise...and I am kinda of nervous about sailing on Royal. Disney has the best service and perks....even sailing without kids. I hope that a Disney lover will enjoy RCI....I did the switch because of the itinerary and traveling with family members....but going to miss the free sodas... But whatever you decide have a great cruise. :)