DCL only or should I expand my horizons?

[poohs4me]

Okay, I posted on the RCI board as well, but what I want to know is will I be disappointed if I try another cruise line. DBf has only sailed DCL and I have traveled DCL and the old Big Red Boat (Premier). We have always traveled with kids in the past, but this time we are going without kids but with another couple. History of the potential cruisers - I love Disney Dbf tolerates it. Other couple, The DH loves Disney, his wife tolerates it. Anyone out there is a situation similar to ours that has sailed both DCL and RCI? If so, what opinions do you have. Also, I should mention this is only for a 3 or 4 night cruise and we know about the differences in the stateroom sizes.

[RB Bonzo]

RCCL ships offer things that you won't find on DCL. On the other hand, in certain areas, you'll probably find that the level of service and quality will be very good, but perhpas not be quite as good as DCL.

 

Will that bother you, or are you the type that is going to compare everything and stew? If you are easy going, then you'll have a ball on RCCL. Personally, although I love DCL, I would not consider it for a trip w/out the kids. DW and I like Celebrity. For our next family cruise, though, we'll probably do RCCL, but I wouldn't be surprised if we do DCL again.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

RCCL ships offer things that you won't find on DCL. On the other hand, in certain areas, you'll probably find that the level of service and quality will be very good, but perhpas not be quite as good as DCL.

 

Will that bother you, or are you the type that is going to compare everything and stew? If you are easy going, then you'll have a ball on RCCL. Personally, although I love DCL, I would not consider it for a trip w/out the kids. DW and I like Celebrity. For our next family cruise, though, we'll probably do RCCL, but I wouldn't be surprised if we do DCL again.

 

what things will RCI offer that DCL doesn't have besides a casino?

 

Bill

[greatdanemom]

what things will RCI offer that DCL doesn't have besides a casino?

 

Bill

 

Depending on which RCCL ship you're talking about they offer libraries, much more varied itineraries, more choices in departure ports, more teen and adult activities, better shopping onboard, better prices, and fewer children :D . We've found booking excursions and making reservations for spa and specialty restaurants is much easier with RCCL.

 

To the OP:

 

DCL offers everything classically Disney - characters, shows, and decor. In our experience both lines had good food, clean and well maintained ships, and excellent service.

 

We love both lines but we choose DCL for cruising with pre-teen and younger kids. For us we've found RCCL provides a better adult and teen experience.

 

However....there are people who've cruised DCL who firmly believe it's the only way to cruise. As RB Bonzo said, if you're going to stew about every difference you encounter on RCCL you should stick with DCL. Some people go to the ice cream store and order the same flavor every time. Some of us go and try new things each time because we like the variety and change. Only you can decide which kind of vacationer you are. Good luck with your choice and have a wonderful cruise wherever you end up!

 

Cheryl

[cruisebugdave]

my wife and I are in our mid 40's....we have cruised on severa lines...each cruise line offers different experiences...we have cruised on holland america, celebrity, disney, rccl, radisson, crystal....and we enjoyed all of these lines...if you like the casino, disney is not the way to go..if you like good entertainment, disney is excellent..if you are traveling with kiddos, disney and rccl are excellent..if you a re looking for something a little more sohisticated for the two of you, raddison or crystal are a good choice...

[poohs4me]

I have been reading up on several items and am concerned that alot of the adult activities or alternate food items are going to cost more money. For example, the golf simulator or Johnny Rockets. I know DCL does not have these, but it is starting to seem like other cruise lines nickel and dime you for anything. Is this accurate?

[RB Bonzo]

RCCL markets to active adults, and their ships reflect that by including things like rock climbing walls, skating, golf simulators, etc., etc. Check out their website and look at how their ships are configured; many of them are MUCH bigger than the DCL ships, and they offer quite a bit that you won't find on a DCL cruise: http://www.rccl.com

 

Yeah, they may nickel and dime you a bit more than DCL; the same is true of most of the main cruise lines. The extra amenities on DCL are one of the reasons that it costs so much more.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

does RCI have rock climbing walls and such on the smaller ships doing the 3 - 4 day itineraries? I know they stretched one ship, really did a nice makeover on Sovereign of the Seas etc. Don't know if they added these features though.

 

Bill

[Majesty Fan]

After 22 cruises with RCIwe did a DCL on the Magic. We really enjoyed it. We liked the fresh water pools, the really adult only area but we also enjoyed the charachters the shows. The shows Disney is top. We loved being able to dock at CC verses tendering. The tendering is fabulous with Disney very organized. For active adults and teens there would be more to do on RCI. I loved the drink station on the other lines the bar waiters seem to not want to refill your cup but at Dsiney you can go refill it yourself! The food was either really good or not so good in the dinning room. I hope it was just an off time. We liked having the different areas to eat like Goofy's galley, Pluto's and Pinchio's, and Topsiders was good too but they rarely had SF desserts out. You had to ask for them. The food on RCI is good and lots of extra items to choose from every night like Cesar salad, steak chicken breast. Maybe you could have gotten these but it did not say this on the menu. We liked Disney and like the fact that it is 5 hours closer than Miami! We plan to do both lines but they need to add another ship and broaden thier ports not just once a year! The Western is a great Itin, but would like to see more ports offered, East Coast, Bermuda, Aruba, San Juan, Canada NE. Offer more than just the Bahamas on the 4 night cruise maybe KW or Charleston. We plan to do at least one DCL cruise every year. We are going next month with DCL and on RCI to Hawaii in Sept. We may choose to do DCL for Mexico next year.

Lexi

[California Mrs]

I would suspect one of the biggest reasons DCL is much more is because they do not have a casino onboard. My understanding from those in the industry is a HUGE moneymaker for the cruise lines.

[nlcentralchmps03]

does RCI have rock climbing walls and such on the smaller ships doing the 3 - 4 day itineraries? I know they stretched one ship, really did a nice makeover on Sovereign of the Seas etc. Don't know if they added these features though.

 

Bill

Yes.

 

They added a Johnny Rockets to the Sovereign and other new amenities.

[nlcentralchmps03]

Yes.

 

They added a Johnny Rockets to the Sovereign and other new amenities.

To the OP,

 

I have cruise both DCL and RCI.

DCL is top of the line. However, I feel that Royal is not far behind. I tried the Mariner of the Seas for the first time last summer, and found it to be everything we thought, AND better.

 

If you are looking into RCI, I say go for the Voyager or Freedom Class ships. These ships even have a "shopping mall" in them.

[Host Mick]

I would suspect one of the biggest reasons DCL is much more is because they do not have a casino onboard. My understanding from those in the industry is a HUGE moneymaker for the cruise lines.

 

DCL might not have a casino but they have their other big money maker, the gift shop. Nobody loves their merchandise more than Disney fans. Just look around. How often do you see a crise line logo compared to a Disney charachter or logo on something? The Disney ships' gift shops are much busier that the gift shops on other ships.

[Muushka]

Expand your horizons!

 

We did our first 2 cruises with DCL. We wanted to try another cruise line, so we went with Celebrity 5 day this past Dec. Celebrity did not dissapoint. Leaving the ship I remember thinking how surprised I was that I enjoyed that cruise as much as DCL (and more because we do not have kids and honestly, it was nice having mostly adults).

 

Plus, it was roughly 1/2 the price of DCL for a longer cruise.

[KKB]

Especially considering your potential "others"

 

DH & I LOVED our first cruise on Princess (alone).

Really enjoyed DCL w/ family...

 

BUT agree that from an adult view, the 2 are nearly identical as far as service, amenities, etc. are concerned. Pros/cons to each, but basically a wash when it comes down to it.

 

So while we think DCL really has the kid thing down (and will likely cruise them again w/ the kids), we see no reason to pay 30% more for very similar cruise.

[mruhaak]

We had a wonderful cruise without our kids on RCCL's Voyager of the Seas. The adult pool area (solarium) is beautiful. It was a much more relaxing vacation!

 

We're taking our two young children on Disney next year, but if I was going adults-only (or if I had older children) I would go RCCL. Unless, of course, you are a Disney-fanatic and then go Disney and enjoy!