Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

3000 on Disney Magic or $3000 on Anthem of the seas

cocacola86

By cocacola86,
in Disney Cruise Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

cocacola86

cocacola86

Posted
Posted

If you had to choose between spending on Anthem or spending the money on Disney, Anthem is 8 days going from NJ to PC, coco cay, Nassau. Disney sails out of PC to Key West, GC, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay. I like Anthem, their features, Dining options, entertainment. Disney I like the dining options, entertainment which Disney is known for, the Aquaduck and the intenerary. So my question is do you go for the ship which has an ok inteneray or do you go for the cruise with Disney which I know we would have fun on,and Castaway Cay which I heard is one of the best private island.

 

 

 

BTW were in our 30s with no kids, I know most of you will probably say RC, but both of my me and my DW are big Disney fans so any insight would help, we've never sailed either Cruise line, only Carnival

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flhokie

flhokie

Posted
Posted (edited)

Personally, I'd probably go with Anthem...

 

- Disney service is outstanding, but RCCL service is very good too (& they tend to start their new ships with their best staff)

 

- Anthem is a brand new ship.

 

- Castaway Cay is wonderful, but CoCo Cay is very nice too (Disney & RCCl have the best private islands).

 

- RCCL tends to have more of a variety of activities & entertainment. The shows on Allure were awesome (Anthem should be similar).

 

- The Magic has AquaDunk, not AquaDuck. I loved Aqua Duck, but am not sure I'd do Aqua Dunk.

 

That being said, if the departure were during a time of possible cool weather, I may go Magic because of the sailing time from/to NJ might not allow for as much outdoor activity.

 

I'd definitely prefer the Magic itinerary, but now we pretty much use port days to enjoy an empty ship and Anthem would definitely have a lot go explore on those days.

Edited by flhokie
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mylolo1117

mylolo1117

Posted
Posted

My husband and I just faced this same dilemma-traveling adults only too. We could have a suite on one ship or a balcony on Disney for the same price. Disney is far superior to any cruise line we have cruised with. We ultimately decided on Disney, as everything is pristine, and enjoyable. We have cruised A LOT, and nothing has topped Disney, nothing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
moki'smommy

moki'smommy

Posted
Posted (edited)

When we've done other lines, it has confirmed that we like Disney best. Yes, I can make a list of things that were better on the other ships, but DCL came out ahead overall.

 

The funniest part was seeing variety acts on other ships that we'd already seen on DCL.

 

Also, remember that RCCL has a lot more things that have an extra charge while DCL is more all inclusive. Obviously that depends on what you want to eat/drink/do. And I fully agree that it takes a lot of extras to add up to the originally higher price of most DCL cruises.

Edited by moki'smommy
Link to comment
Share on other sites
trajan

trajan

Posted
Posted

We are considering a similar choice; 7 days Allure vs 5 days Magic in Nov. Of course I'm sure either one would be great but it's a tough choice. I don't see anything about either ship or itinerary that would be a deal breaker. I don't see any aspect that really puts one over the other. It will likely come down to who is simply offering the best deal. Have always wanted to try Disney cruise lines but we can use myvegas points to save some money on RC and they offer a very good exchange rate for Canadians so right now that is what we are leaning towards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MCC retired

MCC retired

Posted
Posted

Not that the Disney Magic itinerary is really great but The Anthem itinerary is kind of blah .

Of the 2 private islands , we prefer Castaway . Ship docks , no tendering, and

we like Castaway setup with the remote Adult area, just a bit more.

 

For the same total upfront price , I'd choose Disney.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BullDawg91

BullDawg91

Posted
Posted
We are considering a similar choice; 7 days Allure vs 5 days Magic in Nov. Of course I'm sure either one would be great but it's a tough choice. I don't see anything about either ship or itinerary that would be a deal breaker. I don't see any aspect that really puts one over the other. It will likely come down to who is simply offering the best deal. Have always wanted to try Disney cruise lines but we can use myvegas points to save some money on RC and they offer a very good exchange rate for Canadians so right now that is what we are leaning towards.

 

 

You are talking a huge size difference between ships. My spouse wanted to go on Allure or Oasis until I told him how many people they each held. Our last cruise was on the Wonder and we thought that size was perfect. He talked about all the things to do on Allure/Oasis and I pointed out how many people would be trying to do them! And you have to make reservations for shows and such. That's a drag for a vacation to me.

 

We're actually headed out of CCL Breeze to give something different a try.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cocacola86

cocacola86

Posted
  • Author
Posted

When you first booked your Disney Cruise as just two adults, was your spouse onboard at first, cause my DW is that way only because she thinks it would be only kids. What is all included on your Disney cruise? RC I know you have to pay for a beverage package, specialty restaurants, but is there enough to do onboard and on castaway cay. We've been on 3 Carnival Cruises, Breeze, Conquest and the Valor. Food wad outstanding in the MDR, food in the buffet ok, service excellent, entertainment was better on the non 2.0, so it brings up the question how was the food in the MDR and is the buffets food the same every day or do they change it daily.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flhokie

flhokie

Posted
Posted

Having sailed the Allure and the Fantasy, I can say we all felt much more crowded on the Fantasy. The only time we really felt crowded on Allure was after the emergency drill when everyone was trying to get somewhere at the same time. That being said, the Magic holds significantly fewer passengers than Allure/Anthem or Fantasy.

 

On RCCL you'd have to pay for soda and/or adult beverage packages (you pay for adult beverages on Disney). On Disney you can carry on a "reasonable" amount of alcohol and on RCCL you can carry on 2 bottles of wine per cabin. On RCCL I believe there is a nominal fee for room service during the overnight hours (free 24 hours on Disney).

 

All the sports activities except simulators are included on both lines. On Disney that's pools & waterslide and miniature golf on some ships. On RCCL (Oasis Class) that's pools, miniature golf, rock climbing wall, zip line, flow rider, ice skating and carousel rides).

 

Specialty restaurants are additional on both lines ($25 - $75 per person depending on restaurant). I'd say I'd say that in the dining rooms food was about equal (Disney had some more unique offerings, but quality was about the same). I'd give the buffet edge slightly to Disney because of the daily seafood bar at lunch.

 

Other things like Bingo, wine tasting, etc are extra on both lines. RCCL has a casino and Disney does not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ex techie

Ex techie

Posted
Posted
When you first booked your Disney Cruise as just two adults, was your spouse onboard at first, cause my DW is that way only because she thinks it would be only kids. What is all included on your Disney cruise? RC I know you have to pay for a beverage package, specialty restaurants, but is there enough to do onboard and on castaway cay. We've been on 3 Carnival Cruises, Breeze, Conquest and the Valor. Food wad outstanding in the MDR, food in the buffet ok, service excellent, entertainment was better on the non 2.0, so it brings up the question how was the food in the MDR and is the buffets food the same every day or do they change it daily.

 

I guess I'm a bit confused by your question (again) about what you want.

You've asked these questions before and people have told you what is or isn't included, given experiences of what there is to do onboard.

 

The reason I ask this is because above you say the food was outstanding in the MDR's above, but little over a month ago you said it was just OK and left you missing.

 

We love WDW, just the whole atmosphere and it feels magical. We did 3 carnival cruises, entertainment lousy, food ok in the MDR and it left us missing. Not enough pools, no pools in the serenity, found not enough activitys, we don't drink only pop. And my DW loves the turkey legs.

 

Your feelings about your previous cruises really need to be rationalised and consistent if anyone can offer you an opinion that will be of value to you.

 

ex techie

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ex techie

Ex techie

Posted
Posted

I honestly hope you do not take my comments in a negative way.

I know you and your wife are struggling with Bi-Polar disorder and it is a terrible affliction for both of you. I appreciate that and understand to an extent what it must be like.

 

But maybe the way for both of you to make a decision on RCI or DCL or back to Carnival is to sit down with a travel agent and discuss the options available to both of you and make a decision on the spot rather than mulling things over and memories of things being skewed by your feelings at this moment?

 

ex techie

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cocacola86

cocacola86

Posted
  • Author
Posted

We've always booked our cruises on our own, I don't know if it's because we think that we can do it on or own that we don't need help, that because we have our issues that we can still do somethings, her sister is a TA but won't take us because sometimes we change our minds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ex techie

Ex techie

Posted
Posted
It's a good thought, we tried that and it didn't work out so well.

 

Transfer the money to your wife's sister for the cruise fund to take care of it for you.

Otherwise I have no idea how you can manage it, and understand your wife's sisters frustration.

 

 

 

ex techie

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ex techie

Ex techie

Posted
Posted
How far out do you book your cruises and does Disney ever have deals?

 

Some book on the day the cruises are released for a lower price (so you cannot do that as they are over a year in advance)

 

Some book in-between the time of the release date (so you could within 6 months)

 

And they do last minute deals, know as GTY (guarantee for a Inside, Ocean View or Balcony) depending on how the cruise is selling.

 

Also Florida resident rates and Military rates at the last minute.

 

ex techie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...