Disney Fantasy Vs. Regal Princess

[Shoobie1124]

Hello CC friends! After 2 Disney Cruises, I just returned from a 12 day Mediterranean Cruise on Princess' newest/largest ship, The Regal.

 

I wanted to do a quick recap of the pros and cons in case other families were considering the differences between the two.

 

We LOVE DCL, and have only been on the Fantasy. We have traveled both with and without kids on Disney and have been blown away each time. We knew that this trip would be without kids, and Princess had an itinerary that worked best with our schedules and wish list.

 

The Ship

Both Ships are stunning. Although many people complain that Regal doesn't have one central grand staircase, the Piazza was beautiful and had a similar feel of Fantasy - Bright, Marble and Gold accents etc.

 

Pools

The larger of the main pools on Princess was around 7 feet deep, so not many kids played in there compared to the big pool on Fantasy where the kids bob around and watch movies. There is a smaller pool that is about 4.5 feet deep surrounded by wading pool area that is about 2 inches deep. That area was always packed. Although there were only 688 kids on board, the pools didn't seem as crowded as Fantasy - but the kids were MUCH more noticeable. I think its because no life guard to say no to horse play and parents were not as vigilant watching their kids. If you were seated ANYWhere around the main pools kids would be splashing you with cannonballs, running past you, bumping into you. I was amazed at how with so many LESS children how much more they were noticed.

 

Ditto for all of the 4 hot tubs in the main pool area, always PACKED with children.

 

The adult pool was lovely and Quiet and we really enjoyed that area - but missed satellite falls!

 

Dining-

We were overall VERY disappointed the entire cruise when it came to food. The premium restaurants (20$ per person) had the quality of DCL main dining rooms. And there was no place for a Remy or Palo type meal. Pool side grill was incredibly limited ( Burgers, Hotdogs, Pizza and Grilled chicken... no other options for the entire 12 days) We really missed having a main dining room option for breakfast or lunch. The buffet got very repetitive, and nothing was outstanding.

 

Service-

Dining room service was atrocious. We had anytime dining, which means we could go to one of 2 dining rooms anytime between 5 and 10 pm. We enjoyed the flexibility - but I think since the servers knew they would only see us once and were not needing to made a good impression for a tip - they really could care less about the service aspect. They were all pleasant, but lacked the personable touches Disney servers have. They almost seemed bored or sometimes annoyed to tell us that days specials etc. (Looking around instead of at us when explaining things etc, like they were looking for a clock when their shift was over!) Ditto for buffet servers. Again - nice, always said good morning, but not spectacular.

 

Entertainment

This is where Princess was heads and tails above DCL. Their stage shows were spectacular. I understand the audience demographic is different- but the shows were technically much better on Regal. Better dancing/singing/Music. The other AWESOME thing that Princess had was a "Live TV Station" where they had interactive game shows in the evening. Games like The 10,000 Pyramid, Jeopardy, Family Feud type shows w/ audience participation- even a murder mystery night! We enjoyed the newly wed game on DCL - but these were all so much fun. I want to write a letter to DCL and hope they add more!

 

Kids Activities -

Since we did not have children onboard I cannot give a first hand account, but I did visit during open house and talk to the kids club staff. we 100% will never be able to take our kids on anything other than Disney. The clubs were so boring! And everyone had to be doing the same thing. If it was craft time, everyone did the craft. The councilor said it was easier that way when they were "so busy" ( she said this when there were 9 kids in there!) They have 10 mins of free time between each organized activity. Our 8 year old DS would have been miserable. They had board games, a toddler sized playground outside ( that they used about 30 mins a day) and a few movie areas and small wii station that was available during the 10 min free time. I can't speak about the teen area, but I don't think they had their own hot tub or any "Chill out" area since they were all hanging out all over the ship.

 

The club hours wouldn't have been convenient for us either - I think it was 9-12, 1:20-4:30 and then 6:30 -10? or something like that?

 

Rooms

Obviously smaller than DCL and we really missed the split bath. The bed was very comfortable and our room steward was wonderful. I would have liked more drawer space- but the closet was very big and they supplied a lot of hangers so we just ended up hanging everything.

 

Extra expenses - The extra costs for soft drinks was frustrating. We ended up doing the soft drink package that was $8 a day per person. The full package was around $45 a day pp.

 

Overall - It was a pretty ship and a great itinerary. but lacked the attention to detail and personable touches that makes Disney spectacular. My only wish would be that DCL take some hints from Princess on the after dinner adult games that had a packed audience every night

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[CI66774]

Op - thanks for the comparison. I've been on the Fantasy and the Royal Princes (the identical twin to the Regal) and I'll also share my thoughts. Princess wins hands down on food - no comparison. Disney wins hands down on staterooms - the best in the industry. Disney and Princess tie on kid's clubs. Princess' programs are more individualized with more arts and crafts. Disney has the glitz, etc. Both are great for kids. Both ships are beautiful and classy. Customer service - Disney edges out Princess by a nose but both were outstanding. Entertainment - both ships had above average entertainment - but neither had anything spectacular. Adult activities - Princess wins by a landslide and Disney needs to improve in this area.

 

Both ships are wonderful. My daughter loved both equally. Disney may have an edge for her since she loves Minnie Mouse and Princess Aurora and was beside herself when she "met" them. For me, both were very enjoyable and I wouldn't hesitate to cruise again. In fact, we're cruising Disney and Princess again in the near future.:D

[STUR]

Thanks for the comparison We are long time Princess Cruisers and have seen Princess go down hill

We are booked on the Disney Fantasy July 26 the in Concierge one bedroom suite Cant wait

We did book another Princess Cruise in January 2016 as we had no choice we wonted to start and finish in LA b/4 or after January 19th as it will be my sons 50 birthday

 

Stur DAYTON,OHIO

[chamima]

Thanks for doing the review and the comparison.

We are long time Princess cruisers who will be sailing our first time (other than a family cruise on the Big Red Boat 22 years ago) on the Fantasy next year (with the "children" from that first cruise and their children).

 

I think you missed out on some positive experiences because of unfamiliarity with Princess. We always dine "traditional" so have always had fantastic waiter service but from reading these boards I know that MANY people that eat anytime choose a waiter and a table early on in the cruise and request that area every night, thus avoiding all the changes .

Once a waiter can become familiar with your habits they'll bend over backwards to please.

Also you wrote that you wished the MDR was open for breakfast and lunch.

IT IS! Actually, it's only open for lunch on sea days but is open for breakfast every day.

 

Sorry to hear about the lack of evening entertainment on Disney. However, there will be enough of us that we may make our own.