Does RCL compare to Disney?

[mex25]

i'm wondering if on a Disney cruise if you would get bashed with a stroller as much as Disneyland;)

[logan1_2000]

Here's my 2 cents--I hope it will come across fair & balanced.

 

Our first cruise was on the old Empress, and we enjoyed it well enough, but it didn't blow us away (just DW and myself with another couple, we both left the children at home w/ relatives) but we figured at some point we'd cruise again. A year later my late DMIL took the extended family on a 4 night Wonder to celebrate her b'day, and we were WOW'd with the DCL experience and the ship and the entertainment and the dining room food quality (no Palo that cruise) and the service. DS was about 6, didn't care for the kids clubs he never liked any of the clubs on either ship, he was always hanging out by the sports areas looking to play basketball, ping pong, whatever. Then I did the paying for the next several DCL cruises, and by pulling DS out of elementary school the price differential when school was in session was not too bad, and we felt compensated by the Wow factor. I like the productions shows, and I frankly can't stand WDW because of the crowds. And I took advantage of the adult only areas.

 

A price fluke drew us back to RCI when we got on Radiance for the first time--that cruise was priced below everything--my TA was shocked by the low price, even compared to RCI Voyager class the same week. And an upgrade from GS to OS made it a special experience. DS by this time was going on 10, and he found RCI more active, whereas DCL for kids seemed to have many activities, but they seemed more sedate, story & drawing oriented, from the Disney catalog of stories and characters. We never found the RCI main dining room food quality or service to equal our DCL experiences in the rotational dining, but we found the WJ much better than the beach blanket buffet set up on DCL. We did try Chops and Portofino, and enjoyed both, though we have had some of our best specialty restaurant service at Palo. Admit that food is highly subjective, this is just our taste and experience. We now skip the dining room on RCI, and split a cruise 50% in chops or portofino and 50% in WJ casual dinner.

 

Eventually DS made it to Jr. High and we just couldn't pull him out to miss classes anymore, so pricing differential became huge, and on the last DCL cruise, at 11, even though DS said in advance he found the Radiance and DCL equal, he found he'd outgrown DCL.

 

There is an intangible feel to DCL, and I think especially if people have little girls then the DCL experience with all the princesses is something that will always be a treasured memory. But then to repeat, my budget brings me to RCI, and I know there are some little things I like better about DCL, but then there are some things about RCI I like better than DCL. I'll take castaway cay over coco cay any day, though I've enjoyed Coco (just, not as much...and yes, docking vs. tendering impacts the experience).

 

I think DCL can get away with their pricing because they are a global brand and just two ships provide the experience. Honestly, I think the ship innovations that RCI has made in the past decade is they type of stuff that I'd expect from a Disney imagineer. And I think the service,with a Disney touch, is easier to attain at DCL than across RCI because they only have to train 2 ships' worth of crew, not however many at RCI (what is it, 20 ships now?).

 

All that said, I could see DW and I, w/o DS, going back on DCL sometime when school is in session (this will be years from now, when Jr High and High School are over), just by ourselves. And if the economy and my business can recover, we'll get ourselves up to Alaska on the Radiance sometime. Variety of itineraries is obviously RCI's advantage, with 10 times as many ships. And DS loves the sports offerings and facilities to be active on RCI.

[g8rmomx2]

I really don't understand the need to ridicule all that is Disney. Seriously, you've got to look for the characters, they don't serve you breakfast. The daily navigator tells you where to find the characters for special visits with Princesses, Goofy, etc., and if you want to see them, you can. Some parents LIKE to vacation with their kids, and they keep them with them at the pools, etc., but there are three separate pools if you're looking for your own crowd- kid, family, adult. And, adult is enforced. Casino? Nope, and we really miss it when we cruise Disney. However, when we're on a 7 day RC cruise with a casino, that Disney cruise doesn't really turn out costing any more than the Royal Caribbean cruise. Your luck may vary. Soda is free on Disney(-$168 for our family of 4). I'm sure that some of you are just joking with each other; hit by strollers, kids all over the place. But really, I'd never try to talk someone out of a Disney or Royal Caribbean cruise because they are both fantastic. Sorry, this post has been brewing since way back when someone said that people who cruise Royal Caribbean are friendlier than the snobs that cruise Disney. :confused: Sail the ships that make your family happy, these memories are priceless.:)

[cruzincurt]

I have only been on the Magic and the Liberty does look beautiful, but in March the Magic was docked beside the Liberty in St Martin also, I was up on deck 10 and it was empty except for us and Stitch, he was entertaining a large crowd on the pool deck of the Liberty accross the pier, which kind of gave me the impression that all those people wished they were on the Magic.

 

Actually, I was in my robe on the Liberty of the Seas Deck 9 balcony shooting a moon to Minnie Mouse who was walking down the Magic promenade hugging kiddos. Looking at all the strollers rolling off the Magic gangway made me glad I wasn't on the Magic.

[grand isle joe]

Actually, I was in my robe on the Liberty of the Seas Deck 9 balcony shooting a moon to Minnie Mouse who was walking down the Magic promenade hugging kiddos. Looking at all the strollers rolling off the Magic gangway made me glad I wasn't on the Magic.

 

My family was glad you were not onboard too. Remember to each their own and there is no reason to denegrate someones choice.:(

[I'm on holiday]

Actually, I was in my robe on the Liberty of the Seas Deck 9 balcony shooting a moon to Minnie Mouse who was walking down the Magic promenade hugging kiddos.

 

:eek: LOL!

 

We've sailed both Disney and RCI. We were on Disney when our DD was 6, and it was great. Gotta love Castaway Cay! Now that she's 16 there is no way we'd do Disney again. Actually, after about the age of 10 or so, I think it's time to lose the Mouse. JMHO.

 

Oh, and I'd never sail Disney if I didn't have a young child in tow. :p Again, JMHO.

[kaylorcc]

I really don't understand the need to ridicule all that is Disney. Seriously, you've got to look for the characters, they don't serve you breakfast. The daily navigator tells you where to find the characters for special visits with Princesses, Goofy, etc., and if you want to see them, you can. Some parents LIKE to vacation with their kids, and they keep them with them at the pools, etc., but there are three separate pools if you're looking for your own crowd- kid, family, adult. And, adult is enforced. Casino? Nope, and we really miss it when we cruise Disney. However, when we're on a 7 day RC cruise with a casino, that Disney cruise doesn't really turn out costing any more than the Royal Caribbean cruise. Your luck may vary. Soda is free on Disney(-$168 for our family of 4). I'm sure that some of you are just joking with each other; hit by strollers, kids all over the place. But really, I'd never try to talk someone out of a Disney or Royal Caribbean cruise because they are both fantastic. Sorry, this post has been brewing since way back when someone said that people who cruise Royal Caribbean are friendlier than the snobs that cruise Disney. :confused: Sail the ships that make your family happy, these memories are priceless.:)

 

I agree. :) To me, saying that you'd never cruise Disney because of Mickey is like saying you'd never cruise RCI because of the climbing wall or the Flowrider.. it's not like you have to participate in these things. We've cruised RCI exclusively lately, but it's not because there's anything wrong with Disney. On the contrary, the quality of the ships, food, and entertainment slightly tops Royal (IMHO), and Disney know$ it.

[clochette]

Our first cruise was 3 night on DCL and we LOVED it, our kids were 5 and 7, we got hooked to cruises and went on 4 more disney cruise, as the kids got older and the prices on DCL kept going higher, I started looking at other options, we went on the Explorer last year and the Freedom this year, we LOVED them, the kids really enjoyed the climbing wall, and the flow rider, as well as the put-put golf and the pools. DCL was great when the kids were younger and now RCl is just what we need.

 

We can book a balcony state room and an inside room for the kids on RCL for the same price as an oceanview stateroom for 4 of us on DCl, and with 2 teenage girls, 2 room and 2 bathroom is great.

 

My kids never really enjoyed the kids club so I cannot really comment on those.

 

I do think that both lines offer a great product, and that you need to see what fit your needs.

[Sandy Sails]

Disney allows you to bring your own alchohol. So with the free soda, you can actually make your own rum & coke - for free. So I hear.

 

But this is coming from somebody with no kids, looking forward to her very first Disney cruise (50+ years old), so take it for what it's worth. :D

[bmr12]

Done four on RCCL (Monarch--in So Cal, Radiance in Alaska, Voyager in Western Carib., and Enchantment in New England) and one on Disney (Magic--in the Med). They both target a very similar demographic--that of families, with lots of family-oriented activities and entertainment.

 

Our trip on the Magic in the Mediterranean was great. The service, especially those toward the kids, is exceptional. Every time my daughter would have a meltdown of some sort, a cast member would run over and ask her what was wrong, help her with some ideas, and in general turn her around. She lost a trading pin one night in the cabin--the next day the steward left two for her to make up for it. And so on--RCCL staff is good, but not like that. We found the entertainment to be top-notch in the evenings, and it was fun to have our daughter with us instead of off in the kids' club some evenings. Certainly having the characters around makes it more fun for the kids as well. Even the shore excursions organized by Disney were top-notch, with little snacks and extras that I haven't found on RCCL.

 

But RCCL is very competitive in this space. My daughter has loved Adventure Ocean over the years, and loves the rock wall, bungee jumping (Enchantment only), and Ice Skating. I like the selection of food choices on RCCL better than Disney--felt like Disney was a little too bland and dumbed down to me compared to RCCL, both in the dining room and buffet area. The entertainment isn't quite as good, but there are adult-oriented choices which help make up for it.

 

Having said all that, the biggest difference is clearly price. Disney commands a pricing premium which is truly amazing. Here are three very comparable data points. We took our Magic cruise in 2007. For the 3 of us, our Cat 6 room (equivalent to a D1 balcony) was $11K for 11 nights. In June, we are taking a 12 night Baltic cruise on the Jewel for $7K. A comparable 12 night Baltic capitals cruise in June, 2010 on the Magic is currently pricing out at $13.4K for a Cat 6! :eek::eek::eek: All three in June. Disney is great, but I can't quite justify the doubling of price--even with the free pop and bring-your-own booze policies, which I like :rolleyes:. So our DCL days are probably over, sadly, as my daughter gets older and the vacation savings will help pay for her college tuition.

[Heard02]

I really don't understand the need to ridicule all that is Disney. Seriously, you've got to look for the characters, they don't serve you breakfast. The daily navigator tells you where to find the characters for special visits with Princesses, Goofy, etc., and if you want to see them, you can. Some parents LIKE to vacation with their kids, and they keep them with them at the pools, etc., but there are three separate pools if you're looking for your own crowd- kid, family, adult. And, adult is enforced. Casino? Nope, and we really miss it when we cruise Disney. However, when we're on a 7 day RC cruise with a casino, that Disney cruise doesn't really turn out costing any more than the Royal Caribbean cruise. Your luck may vary. Soda is free on Disney(-$168 for our family of 4). I'm sure that some of you are just joking with each other; hit by strollers, kids all over the place. But really, I'd never try to talk someone out of a Disney or Royal Caribbean cruise because they are both fantastic. Sorry, this post has been brewing since way back when someone said that people who cruise Royal Caribbean are friendlier than the snobs that cruise Disney. :confused: Sail the ships that make your family happy, these memories are priceless.:)

 

 

Couldn't agree with you more.....sail what makes you happy!

We are HUGE DCL fans. Love it! Worth every single penny.

I've never sailed Royal but I will next week and very anxious to report back if they are comparable or not.

[I'm on holiday]

Couldn't agree with you more.....sail what makes you happy!

We are HUGE DCL fans. Love it! Worth every single penny.

I've never sailed Royal but I will next week and very anxious to report back if they are comparable or not.

 

Don't think an older, smaller RCI ship will be a valid comparison. :confused: