Disney vs. Royal Caribbean - How To Decide What's Right for Us?

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I know this is the billion dollar question that everyone asks but I know everyone looks at different criteria when choosing cruises or vacations in general. Our next cruise we have decided will be just my fiance and myself, our past two only cruises have been on the Dream and Magic with our kids. We just returned home from our cruise on the Magic which we did not like as much as the Dream, it was just not as grand and awe inspiring as the Dream and didn't really like the set up of the pool areas. We also felt much more sea sick this time but we are not sure if it was because of the smaller ship or the bad weather. We have determined that we really want to sail on the Fantasy someday, not sure if we really want to do the Wonder being that it is also a smaller ship but we want to possibly do an Alaskan cruise. If we do the Fantasy we were thinking the Grand Cayman, Mexico and Jamaica itinerary. I will number my questions:

1. Will we feel the same kind of "Disney" service on a RCC as we do on DCL? The thing I love so much about Disney is that "Disney experience" and service.

2. Will we get "nickle and dimed" on RCL like I have heard. I like free room service, free ice cream, free drinks, etc. Are you stuck with bottom of the barrel food in the MDR unless you decide to up charge? What differences are there in extra costs not included in the actual cruise fare? I know soft drinks are not complementary but what else? What extra costs need to be factored in?

3. We most likely won't be taking kids next cruise but how to the kids programs differ? Are they included in the cruise price? Are there as many activities? I we brought kids would they enjoy themselves as much? If we didn't bring kids will there be more kids roaming the ship with no structured and supervised activity to keep them busy?

4. How about the rooms, what are the differences in size, comfort, quality, amenities? Looking at pics on the RCL website the rooms don't look so appealing.

5. How does the adult entertainment compare? We don't gamble so casinos aren't our thing at all.

6. If we do a Caribbean cruise will we be very sad we missed Castaway Cay... I mean heaven?

7. One big concern is not wanting to sail on a ship the size of the Wonder or Magic again because of motion sickness but we want to do a Alaska cruise someday, does RCL or another line have larger ships that sail to Alaska?

Any other info or suggestions would be great. I'm sure there are others with similar questions as mine so I hope others will add to the discussion as well. Thanks

 

[txga]

I'm interested in the answer to these questions too. Esp #2 and 4.
I've read that RCCL requires you to return your towel and get a receipt. Can you take towels with you off the ship for excursions? Is there ice cream available other than the upcharged Ben and Jerry's?

 

[dragonflymom]

We just got back from the Allure Christmas sailing (Eastern Carribean) and had an overall good time. We had an amazing time on Freedom of the Seas 2 years ago and had made a future cruise booking while onboard, which we turned into this Allure booking, so we had very high hopes, perhaps too high. Especially when our most recent sailing was on the Disney Fantasy this past April. We concluded that in the future we'll stick with Disney. We're a family of four, me, DH, teenage daugher (15) and son (10). To answer your questions:

1. Service - Disney wins. On a scale of 10, I would rate Disney service a 9 and RCCL a 7. RCCL service is uneven--we love the dining room service and because we had My Time Dining at different times every day, we were served by 5 different server teams and they all provided great service. Dinner at Chops Grille was excellent and the service wonderful. My beef is with Guest Services and our stateroom attendant. I went to Guest Services one time to find out where their Future Cruise desk is and another time to get a customer survey. There was just a smidge of impatience in their answers and in the first instance, I was made to feel rather stupid when he said "Didn't you check your Navigator, all the information is there!" Definitely not something I would encounter on Disney as I had felt that the DCL cast members were always eager to help. As for our stateroom attendant, we were generally good about putting out the "please make up room" sign except one morning we were in a hurry to make our excursion meet-up time and forgot to do that. Upon our return late afternoon, I got a mini lecture from our attendant, that she had to come check for the sign every 30 minutes to see if we had vacated our rooms. I apologized and said we'll definitely remember next time but she kept going on for another 5 minutes how we need to be considerate about her routine and her break. I know we were at fault, but still... again something I don't think I would have encountered on DCL.

2. "Nickle and dime" on RCCL. I thought I was prepared but couldn't help comparing with Disney while on board. Coffee at dinner is an add-on charge. I love taking coffee with my dessert but unwilling to pay extra. Spa services were more expensive on RCCL and due to illness, I had to cancel a massage appointment and was charged 50% of the massage. Also, we were quite disappointed that our Gold member loyalty gifts were cheaply made and didn't arrive until the last day instead of the Disney backpack received on the first day, which we fully made use of during our excursion. The RCCL gift was a drawstring nylon bag which fell apart when we used it to hold 2 umbrellas while at Disney World two days later.

3. Kids programs. Sadly I can't comment as both my son and my daughter visited the respective venue for their age groups on embarkation day and neither had any desire to go back. They spent the whole time with us, which is fine as it was a family vacation anyway. I wasn't surprised that my daughter wasn't into the teen program/area, but I was shocked by my son having absolutely no interest since he never wanted to leave Oceaneer Lab while on Disney Fantasy and on the last night, I literally had to drag him away at midnight! There were a lot of kids out and about on the Allure but they were not misbehaving. Our biggest surprise was how rude many of the international (judging from the different languages spoken) adult guests were. There was a lot of pushing and shoving to get onto the elevator and saying "excuse me" made no difference as they would march right into us in the narrow hallway outside the staterooms since they had assumed we would make way for them. Since we're a "petite" family, we were resigned to always give the bigger, taller guests the right of way if we don't want to get jostled or bumped.

4. Rooms. We had connecting balcony staterooms Central Park view on the Allure and balcony ocean view room (obstructed) on Disney Fantasy. We were pleased with both rooms. No complaints with either.

5. Adult entertainment. The evening shows were awesome on the Allure and to me, that's the best thing we experienced on the Allure. We loved Chicago and ended up watching it twice. OceanAria was amazing. I liked Ice Games although my husband fell asleep (too much sun in St. Thomas). RCCL wins in this category overall. I did enjoy the hypnotist show on the Fantasy
and the many movie showings and wish RCCL would have more quality movie screenings especially on sea days and at more convenient times. In general, programming is very light on RCCL late mornings and early to mid afternoons and in three instances, we showed up at the event on time and there was no one there (Family Wii, teen volleyball tournament, Coach scarf tying seminar). If you love shopping, there is a ton of shopping on RCCL and they try to create a sale/bargain atmosphere by roping off the merchanise booths until the official start time of the $10 watch/handbag/Tshirt event when there's "rope drop." Since we don't gamble and don't like to shop, we had quite a lot of free time on our hands on sea days. Also, there seemed to be more activities that carried extra fees on RCCL compared to DCL, which bothered me a bit (in the nickel and dime category).

6. "If we do a Caribbean cruise will we be very sad we missed Castaway Cay... I mean heaven?" Yes, we all missed Castaway Cay!

7. "One big concern is not wanting to sail on a ship the size of the Wonder or Magic again because of motion sickness but we want to do a Alaska cruise someday, does RCL or another line have larger ships that sail to Alaska?" Sorry, can't answer as I have not looked into Alaska sailings.

I am very impressed with RCCL's embarkation and debarkation. Considering 6000+ passengers were involved, I marvelled at how smooth and efficient they handled everything. Kudos to the RCCL operations team.

Hope this helps.

 

[dragonflymom]

I'm interested in the answer to these questions too. Esp #2 and 4.
I've read that RCCL requires you to return your towel and get a receipt. Can you take towels with you off the ship for excursions? Is there ice cream available other than the upcharged Ben and Jerry's?

You can check out 2 towels per guest, for use both on board or off the ship for excursions. They scan your SeaPass card during both check-out and return. You get exchange dirty towels for clean ones without having to do an official return via the SeaPass scan. Each unreturned towel will cost $25.

There is free ice cream (flavor of the day plus vanilla, chocolate and strawberry) at dinner--the flavors of the day were yummy--butter pecan, coffee, pistachio, rainbow sherbert were our favorites). Also on the main pool deck (deck 15?) you can get self-serve frozen yogurt. The spot is a bit hidden so ask for directions.

 

[Donut23]

I know this is the billion dollar question that everyone asks but I know everyone looks at different criteria when choosing cruises or vacations in general. Our next cruise we have decided will be just my fiance and myself, our past two only cruises have been on the Dream and Magic with our kids. We just returned home from our cruise on the Magic which we did not like as much as the Dream, it was just not as grnand and awe inspiring as the Dream and didn't really like the set up of the pool areas. We also felt much more sea sick this time but we are not sure if it was because of the smaller ship or the bad weather. We have determined that we really want to sail on the Fantasy someday, not sure if we really want to do the Wonder being that it is also aka smaller ship but we want to possibly do an Alaskan cruise. If we do the Fantasy we were thinking the Grand Cayman, Mexico and Jamaica itinerary. I will number my questions:

1. Will we feel the same kind of "Disney" service on a RCC as we do on DCL? The thing I love so much about Disney is that "Disney experience" and service. N

2. Will we get "nickle and dimed" on RCL like I have heard. I like free room service, free ice cream, free drinks, etc. Are you stuck with bottom of the barrel food in the MDR unless you decide to up charge? What differences are there in extra costs not included in the actual cruise fare? I know soft drinks are not complementary but what else? What extra costs need to be factored in?

3. We most likely won't be taking kids next cruise but how to the kids programs differ? Are they included in the cruise price? Are there as many activities? I we brought kids would they enjoy themselves as much? If we didn't bring kids will there be more kids roaming the ship with no structured and supervised activity to keep them busy?

4. How about the rooms, what are the differences in size, comfort, quality, amenities? Looking at pics on the RCL website the rooms don't look so appealing.

5. How does the adult entertainment compare? We don't gamble so casinos aren't our thing at all.

6. If we do a Caribbean cruise will we be very sad we missed Castaway Cay... I mean heaven?

7. One big concern is not wanting to sail on a ship the size of the Wonder or Magic again because of motion sickness but we want to do a Alaska cruise someday, does RCL or another line have larger ships that sail to Alaska?

Any other info or suggestions would be great. I'm sure there are others with similar questions as mine so I hope others will add to the discussion as well. Thanks

I just left two long posts on the thread about the Radiance in Alaska. Finger is pooped on my cell phone here. Will try to do my best for you.

First let me qualify myself a little. Former top accounts travel agent for Disney (gosh all the way back to the beginning with the magic), Royal Caribbean and others. Out of the biz but continue the passion for travel. My husband, Jim, is a 35 year mgmt. CASTMEMBER who had seen lots of changes.

We can cruise on DCL for $45 p/psn-p/day in cat 3 (+ tax and port of course) but we now Prefer Royal Caribbean.

Not sure we will agree about everything ..... One thing we will eventually agree on, Alaska will change you forever. It is absolutely that special.

Ok, some answers.


Our last 3 or 4 Royal cruises we repeatly said regarding service ....... "This is how Disney used to be". Don't mean to offend, just our observation.

Nickle and Dimed? Perhaps but nobody had perfected separating you from your $$$$ better than Disney.

Many cruiselines have started this in order to keep catalog booking prices down. People complain about how expensive the cruise fare is on Disney. What's your choice? Pay $4,250 p /psn for your sailing or $1,890 p/psn. And the balance bit by bit onboard. I try to show mt guests it's often a "wash" in the end. Did that make sense?

Bringing liquor onboard. Royal has just changed it's policy to allow 2 bottles of wine p/psn-p/cabin. I also bring aboard my own bottled water.....by the case all taped so there is no question I'm not smuggling clear liquor. I also bring aboard diet ginger ale, allowed because it is not stocked.

Ok......that was a tangent, wasn't it!

Children are passengers and are priced as passengers. Often when you start seeing.......kids sail free.....they are struggling to fill ships. Nothing is ever free in the cruise business. That $499 passenger fare is simply squeezed in somewhere else......like an all new Princess program onboard. Lunch with the Princesses including dresses and your personalized photo with all the Princesses....only $499.


One of the things we LOVE about the Radiance class are cabins with never ending storage. We prefer longer trips.....13 nights on the Explorer, 12 nights on the Brilliance, back to back on the Jewell--14 nights. I love Jim dearly but his 2 cruise bags are llbean rolling duffels named Big Blue and Bumba. We prefer aft facing balconies (standard balcony cabin 215 sq ft with gagunda balcony). When they put our bags in the aft cabin, the bow lifts out of the water! Haha

Lots more storage than Disney cabins and many little brilliant design things you don't notice till you are there. Sitting at the dressing table the mirror in front of you reflects into the full length mirror behind so you can checkout your hair to be preciously adorable.

Down side----no split bathrooms and no tub till Jr. Suite level. We just put on our Grownup pants and deal with it.

Here is our cabin from the Canadian Maritimes. Not us in the video. I was in an accident in 2005 and struggling with a knee that teally needs replacement. no long wslks fir me.? I travel with a Pride Revo scooter which fit in the room alongside the sofa. We STILL had plenty of room to walk around.

Cabin 1104 aft-facing standard balcony cabin


http://youtu.be/zfqWFQ0tvFg

Bigger ships in Alaska, not all that easy. Season is short and the come from somewhere else often through through the Panama Canal. Royals Radiance if the Seas, princrss, holland, etc. are all Panamax ships.

That's the bad news.

The good news......do you have a chart of Canada and Alaska? Well, if you ever look at the cruising routes, most of Alaska is protected.

I am not a fan of RT itineraries like Disney and other ships do unless that is all you cal afford.

Let me ask, how many times will you visit Alaska?

If you CAN, and I will not think less of you if you cannot. If you can do a one-way and add time on land....The Kenai, up into Denali, I promise you. I promise you will never regret it. Alaska changes you..... Changes you for the better because you were there.


Two trouble sections for urppy seas.

1.). When you leave Vancouver heading North you will be cruising the inside passage.....some sections not as wide as the ship is long. Stunning. However, you squirt out of the inside passage and have about 1/2 day if open water until Ketchican.

2.). Afternoon and overnight heading north to Seward (Royal, holland, celebrity) or Whittier (princess). Gulf of Alaska.

Solutions?

Cruise with my husband- he has never seem rough water
Bonnine-before you get sick
Ginger snaps- I always bring a bag and take them home
Ginger Ale

Ginger naturally settles your tummy.

Go outside on your balcony on the fresh air if possible....you rarely know the weather is bad on an aft facing balcony because there is no impact from the wind.

Don't allow your tummy to become empty.

First day ask the cabin attendant to empty the fridge. Put in some bottled water and fruit from the Windjammer. Bring down some rolls and butter. Royal Caribbean has the best breads.

Stop your Atkins diet before your cruise.


Ok. Finger about to go on strike .

Between the three posts you should have a few questions answered.

Bye bye!

 

[LAMPSKIES]

We sailed DCL every year for 99-07 and loved it! in 07 our DDs were17/15 and also had a great time. They still talk about the "Disney experience" and yes, will sail DCL again.....but......weve sailed RCCL at least 5 times a year since. Yes, Disney is the best at separation you from your money...LOL MGM stands for "Mickeys got your money"! Last January RCCL introduced and all inclusive drink package. 45 for beer, wine pop etc and 55 to include the liquor package. That saved us a TON! Our oldest DD now 23 just got off RCCL last Monday on a short 4 nighter with her boyfriend.....449 for both total for the sailing. Being that she's Diamond 80+ days of sailing the got upgraded to verandah. I'm sorry but we prefer the quantity of sailings we can take with RCCL. Wehave been given a "personal travel advisor" from RCCL and we get "last minute" deals all the time. We have never had a bad server/room steward or any other complaints about staff. If you want a "once in a lifetime experience" sail DCL. If you want to get away a few times a year and receive great service sail RCCL. Oh ya, we have also sail Carnival.....ONCE! Enough sail LOL

 

[LAMPSKIES]

We sailed DCL every year for 99-07 and loved it! in 07 our DDs were17/15 and also had a great time. They still talk about the "Disney experience" and yes, will sail DCL again.....but......weve sailed RCCL at least 5 times a year since. Yes, Disney is the best at separation you from your money...LOL MGM stands for "Mickeys got your money"! Last January RCCL introduced and all inclusive drink package. 45 for beer, wine pop etc and 55 to include the liquor package. That saved us a TON! Our oldest DD now 23 just got off RCCL last Monday on a short 4 nighter with her boyfriend.....449 for both total for the sailing. Being that she's Diamond 80+ days of sailing the got upgraded to verandah. I'm sorry but we prefer the quantity of sailings we can take with RCCL. Wehave been given a "personal travel advisor" from RCCL and we get "last minute" deals all the time. We have never had a bad server/room steward or any other complaints about staff. If you want a "once in a lifetime experience" sail DCL. If you want to get away a few times a year and receive great service sail RCCL. Oh ya, we have also sail Carnival.....ONCE! Enough sail LOL

 

[emma'smom]

We have sailed RCL, NCL, and DCL....

1.Will we feel the same kind of "Disney" service on a RCC as we do on DCL? The thing I love so much about Disney is that "Disney experience" and service.

Nope-- DCL service is in its own class of awesome. The customer service always goes above and beyond. RCL was all over the place in terms of service. Dining service was fine, but not quite the level of DCL. Less effort to get to know you, entertain the kids, etc. It also lacked that "Disney" theming of course...


2. Will we get "nickle and dimed" on RCL like I have heard. I like free room service, free ice cream, free drinks, etc. Are you stuck with bottom of the barrel food in the MDR unless you decide to up charge? What differences are there in extra costs not included in the actual cruise fare? I know soft drinks are not complementary but what else? What extra costs need to be factored in?

The RCL soda package was a racket... But we knew that going in. I didn't pay much attention to ice cream and I don't recall being charged for regular coffee at dinner like the PP. We did find it harder to find drinks (tea, flavored water) at times on RCL. Also the snacks were harder to come by-- no Goofy's Galley, etc...the room service had a fee after midnight on RCL too.

3. We most likely won't be taking kids next cruise but how to the kids programs differ? Are they included in the cruise price? Are there as many activities? I we brought kids would they enjoy themselves as much? If we didn't bring kids will there be more kids roaming the ship with no structured and supervised activity to keep them busy?


Kids programs were like a poorly run daycare-- even for older grade schoolers. I couldn't get my kids interested in them and they love DCL and NCL clubs. Not much hype and even the spaces were plain looking. Yes... Much more ship roaming...

4. How about the rooms, what are the differences in size, comfort, quality, amenities? Looking at pics on the RCL website the rooms don't look so appealing.

The rooms on RCL were ok. Bunk setup wasn't as practical for kids as DCL and a very small shower, but they weren't horrible.

5. How does the adult entertainment compare? We don't gamble so casinos aren't our thing at all.

About the same for major entertainment... A little more risqué, but it was also nice to not have the Disney productions for a change. The activities left a lit to be desired though. Not much going on at all for families to do together and most staff seemed to be going through the motions.

6. If we do a Caribbean cruise will we be very sad we missed Castaway Cay... I mean heaven?

We missed Castaway Cay.... The RCL stop in Haiti was a poor copy!

7. One big concern is not wanting to sail on a ship the size of the Wonder or Magic again because of motion sickness but we want to do a Alaska cruise someday, does RCL or another line have larger ships that sail to Alaska?

To get into some of the fjords, you'll likely be in a smaller ship whichever line you choose. Are u sure it was the ship size and not just a rough cruise? You'll be closer to shore in AK regardless. We did AK the Wonder and loved it.

 

[Marmarc]

I would chose Royal Caribbean. However, I would also visit the island by myself, I mean just me and my family spending quality time together during the summer holiday.

 

[Donut23]

I would chose Royal Caribbean. However, I would also visit the island by myself, I mean just me and my family spending quality time together during the summer holiday.

Nice thing about Alaska travel on your own.....it's all US. Currency, language, rental cars and hotels. It is VERY easy to build a personal tour and there are also many choices. Also easy if you are the leader pf your knitting group-----youngest is 67 years old and none used to travel.

The most important advice-----don't miss it. I am retired from sales.....pretty successful too. I STILL don't have the vocabulary to explain how different , rugged and beautiful Alaska is.

Soooooo much to offer.

There is an Alaska section here if you get stumped with land planning. We borrowed the idea to rent a car in Skagway and drive to Emerald Lake in the Yukon Territory on our Skagway stop (my 4th time to Skagway.)

Have fun planning!

Alaska is where God goes on vacation!!!

 

[ckelly14]

Currently planning an Alaska cruise for my family and I will say Alaska is an entirely different project. You will find very strong opinions about Alaska and the different ships/itineraries. Just be careful as many of the posters don't have kids and some of their suggestions just aren't practical for families with kids (not taking about anyone above, but other cruise boards). I think Alaska, more than any other destinations, should be researched thoroughly so you can decide for your family what is best.

The biggest ship that I found is the Celebrity Solstice that sails r/t out of Seattle, May be something to consider.

 

[Donut23]

Currently planning an Alaska cruise for my family and I will say Alaska is an entirely different project. You will find very strong opinions about Alaska and the different ships/itineraries. Just be careful as many of the posters don't have kids and some of their suggestions just aren't practical for families with kids (not taking about anyone above, but other cruise boards). I think Alaska, more than any other destinations, should be researched thoroughly so you can decide for your family what is best.

The biggest ship that I found is the Celebrity Solstice that sails r/t out of Seattle, May be something to consider.

Celebrity......excellent choice if you are limiting yourself to a. 7 night.

Celebrity and Chrystal probably have the best food cruising Alaska though I would enter our Chops and Chefs Table from the Radiance.

Not my first choice for children but they do have programs for them.

Service quality established by Royal Caribbean (owns Celebrity). No worries there. Excellent customer service is important and it shows. Celebrity is a touch more formal....white glove service.

Sadly, you have a 7 day round trip. You will limit your opportunities.

Land Travel North. What you see on the 7 night is truly awe inspiring. You will never be far from your camera and binoculars. Sad thing......it just gets better as you travel north . You will miss so much with this limitation.

Tracy Arm - everyone must see it once in your life. But it's honestly, a day trip glacier. There are 5 or 6 near Seward as beautiful but the sealife is more active up there -- whales, puffins, seals, otters....

The true mighty unfortegable glaciers are accessed on one-way trips. The ships simply don't have enough time to get up into Glacier Bay or up to Hubbard on a 7 day sailing. Fly all the way and cruise for days and miss that....so sad.

Besides......your train (or rental car) from Seward to Anchorage will seal the deal. You will go through the Kenai with her towering mountains and wildlife. There are actually so many glaciers in the Kenai, they aren't even all named yet!

Anyway, If you can, don't limit your Alaska discovery.

 

[ckelly14]

Not recommending the Solstice or saying that I was going to sail them, but the OP wanted a larger boat, so I made the suggestion,

I do think you proved my point exactly when you said that if you couldn't do a northbound one way trip with a land option it would be "sad". Unfortunately, I don't think that will work with our time/budget constraints. I guess I should just forget about Alaska?

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Currently planning an Alaska cruise for my family and I will say Alaska is an entirely different project. You will find very strong opinions about Alaska and the different ships/itineraries. Just be careful as many of the posters don't have kids and some of their suggestions just aren't practical for families with kids (not taking about anyone above, but other cruise boards). I think Alaska, more than any other destinations, should be researched thoroughly so you can decide for your family what is best. The biggest ship that I found is the Celebrity Solstice that sails r/t out of Seattle, May be something to consider.

Is Celebrity (or the other lines) more formal than Disney or RC? We don't like dressing up and "formal" night is ridiculous to us, no offense to anyone - to each is own, but we prefer comfort or formality. We don't want to be on a cruise that we have to dress up too much for dinner. From what I've read RC is more casual like DCL

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Currently planning an Alaska cruise for my family and I will say Alaska is an entirely different project. You will find very strong opinions about Alaska and the different ships/itineraries. Just be careful as many of the posters don't have kids and some of their suggestions just aren't practical for families with kids (not taking about anyone above, but other cruise boards). I think Alaska, more than any other destinations, should be researched thoroughly so you can decide for your family what is best. The biggest ship that I found is the Celebrity Solstice that sails r/t out of Seattle, May be something to consider.

Is Celebrity (or the other lines) more formal than Disney or RC? We don't like dressing up and "formal" night is ridiculous to us, no offense to anyone - to each is own, but we prefer comfort or formality. We don't want to be on a cruise that we have to dress up too much for dinner. From what I've read RC is more casual like DCL

 

[ckelly14]

Is Celebrity (or the other lines) more formal than Disney or RC? We don't like dressing up and "formal" night is ridiculous to us, no offense to anyone - to each is own, but we prefer comfort or formality. We don't want to be on a cruise that we have to dress up too much for dinner. From what I've read RC is more casual like DCL

I think you will see more ties and jackets in a Celebrity MDR then RCCL and Disney. However, we sometimes skip the formal night and do the buffet instead. There are always alternate options.

 

[elaine amj]

Not an experienced cruiser - but we sailed Freedom of the Seas and the following year sailed on the Disney Dream. We enjoyed RCCL - but really loved Disney (admittedly we are Disney freaks). Our close friends did the same 2 cruises with us. They are not Disney freaks. They preferred Disney because their children were happier so they found it much more relaxing. Their kids were bored on RCCL.

1. Will we feel the same kind of "Disney" service on a RCC as we do on DCL? The thing I love so much about Disney is that "Disney experience" and service.

Service was about the same on both lines - very good. The Disney touches can only be found on Disney. I loved finding hidden Mickeys, etc.

2. Will we get "nickle and dimed" on RCL like I have heard. I like free room service, free ice cream, free drinks, etc. Are you stuck with bottom of the barrel food in the MDR unless you decide to up charge? What differences are there in extra costs not included in the actual cruise fare? I know soft drinks are not complementary but what else? What extra costs need to be factored in?

Not an extra cost - but the towel thing is a little annoying on RCCL. Not a massive deal, but a long walk acrosss the ship sometimes to exchange for dry towels. We all drink water so didn't pay any attention to soft drinks/alcohol/coffee. Really liked the different "flavored" water in the RCCL cafe - some with mint, etc.

The food at RCCL and Disney were both great (in MDR and buffet). I preferred RCCL buffet - much, much, much more options. Disney was small in comparison. We enjoyed the fun themed MDRs on Disney - but I would say the edge for food itself goes to RCCL (IMO). The kids are to this day still raving about RCCL fries (apparently the absolute best in the world).

Overall food variety and availability was much better on RCCL. I liked the poolside options on Disney. Missed some of RCCL food options. They consistently had more choices at each food outlet.

Also RCCL had 24 hour food and late night entertainment while Disney shuts down at midnight. We decided to let my DD babysit all the kids so we could have an adult night. We put them all to bed and about midnight went in search of adult fun. Hit the nightclub, which was dead by then. So we said let's get some snacks only to discover everything closes at midnight. We finally ended up back in our cabins for room service - which we hadn't wanted to do (since the kids were sleeping there).

On RCCL, I was munching on delicious pizza at 3am (I'm the night owl in my family) and was able to wander the decks between 1am and 3am every night without feeling completely alone.

3. We most likely won't be taking kids next cruise but how to the kids programs differ? Are they included in the cruise price? Are there as many activities? I we brought kids would they enjoy themselves as much? If we didn't bring kids will there be more kids roaming the ship with no structured and supervised activity to keep them busy?

There are more activities that will interest older kids on RCCL. Our ship had a climbing wall, Flowrider, ice skating, table tennis, mini golf, and a multi sports court. Disney had fewer of these things in comparison. That said, all our kids preferred Disney kids clubs. The Dream had a ton of very cool activities and gadgets. My friend's kids like to wander at will and hate the structured full group activities so liked Disney's set up. My kids do good with both set ups. I was disappointed that although RCCL promised many cool programs - my kids basically played gaga ball (which they liked) and assorted typical group games most of the time they were there. I was annoyed there was no theatre program, DJ mixing, and other unique things. I could have sent them to the local YMCA daycamp and paid far less for the experience they got in the kids club.

I have to say the kids blacklight puppet show was very, very good on RCCL.

4. How about the rooms, what are the differences in size, comfort, quality, amenities? Looking at pics on the RCL website the rooms don't look so appealing.

Seemed about the same to me. I was happy with our RCCL cabin - and impressed how many empty drawers we had after I fully unpacked (family of 4 in an inside cabin!). My kids liked the bunk bed setup above the adult bed better. I preferred having the kids outside my sleeping area.


5. How does the adult entertainment compare? We don't gamble so casinos aren't our thing at all.

I don't gamble either. We liked the entertainment. The cirque type show was good. The musical (Saturday Night Fever was well done - not really appropriate for our kids though). We prefer the Disney shows by far.

6. If we do a Caribbean cruise will we be very sad we missed Castaway Cay... I mean heaven?

Castaway Cay was amazing. Labadee (RCCL's private beach) was also very good - just leacked the size and breadth of CC. The water in Labadee was much, much warmer than CC for the same week in March.

7. One big concern is not wanting to sail on a ship the size of the Wonder or Magic again because of motion sickness but we want to do a Alaska cruise someday, does RCL or another line have larger ships that sail to Alaska?

Not sure about this one.

I would prefer Disney in future but will sail RCCL if the price is right. I just felt what I paid for RCCL was a bit more than I personally felt it was worth. Then again. while we liked cruising, we prefer WDW

 

[Donut23]

Is Celebrity (or the other lines) more formal than Disney or RC? We don't like dressing up and "formal" night is ridiculous to us, no offense to anyone - to each is own, but we prefer comfort or formality. We don't want to be on a cruise that we have to dress up too much for dinner. From what I've read RC is more casual like DCL

You are spot on with Royal and Celebrity.

When I was in the biz I used to say different cruiselines had different personalities. I would not have done my job well if I pushed Cunard guests onto Carnival as an example.

I love the Celebrity product personally but my Jim feels more at home in Royal Caribbean. Both have great service both have the same ownership. Royal staff seems more approachable.

 

[tidefan]

You are spot on with Royal and Celebrity.

When I was in the biz I used to say different cruiselines had different personalities. I would not have done my job well if I pushed Cunard guests onto Carnival as an example.

I love the Celebrity product personally but my Jim feels more at home in Royal Caribbean. Both have great service both have the same ownership. Royal staff seems more approachable.

Agreed. Different cruise lines do seem to have different personalities, but then again, that does kind of differentiate them. I saw something once that kind of nailed it:

RCCL: Active
Carnival: Fun
HAL: Traditional
Princess: Relaxed, comfortable elegance
Celebrity: Sophisticated
NCL: Unconventional

They all have their strengths. We've been on Princess a number of times (loved every one of our 4 cruises - strangely enough, one of my favorite all-time cruise moments was our very first cruise on Dawn Princess when they played the "Love Boat" theme as we sailed away. Corny, yes, but I loved it...), but would also like to try RCCL at some time.

DCL will always remain our first love, but the other lines are great too!

 

[bumbershoot]

1. Will we feel the same kind of "Disney" service on a RCC as we do on DCL? The thing I love so much about Disney is that "Disney experience" and service.

We just got AMAZING service on Freedom of the Seas. I could only compare our service there to the concierge service we got on the Dream on our first Disney cruise. The service we got on our second Disney cruise, where we didn't have concierge, was not as good as what we just experienced.

2. Will we get "nickle and dimed" on RCL like I have heard. I like free room service, free ice cream, free drinks, etc. Are you stuck with bottom of the barrel food in the MDR unless you decide to up charge? What differences are there in extra costs not included in the actual cruise fare? I know soft drinks are not complementary but what else? What extra costs need to be factored in?

There's a small room service charge IF you order in the middle of the night on RCCL. The food in the MDR was perfectly good. One of our tablemates is an aspiring chef, and he was VERY impressed. We bought the Replenish package which gave us espresso drinks at Cafe Promenade and 500mL bottles of water (some ships give Evian, but we got Crystal Geyser...both are actual and proper spring water, not municipal water, so that was fine, but I'll admit I would have preferred the fanciness of Evian), fresh squeezed orange juice...if I'd remembered, it would have included 350mL bottles of sparkling water...and various other things. We did NOT meet the amount that we paid for the package so I wish we had paid one drink at a time, but hey, lesson learned. Still, I didn't feel nickel and dimed at all.


3. We most likely won't be taking kids next cruise but how to the kids programs differ? Are they included in the cruise price? Are there as many activities? I we brought kids would they enjoy themselves as much? If we didn't bring kids will there be more kids roaming the ship with no structured and supervised activity to keep them busy?

DS does like the Dream's program better, but he had a great time anyway on Freedom. On Freedom it was basically one big room, no different areas, but they had activities throughout each session that engaged most of the kids in there. The checkin/out process was WAY easier and nicer for the parents (and kids) than the stuff on Dream. As a parent who dislikes bad communication, I cannot stand the process on the Dream. It was all just as secure on Freedom, but easier. They do take breaks, and the late night program costs money.


4. How about the rooms, what are the differences in size, comfort, quality, amenities? Looking at pics on the RCL website the rooms don't look so appealing.

I agree that pictures of many RCCL ships aren't as great. And the prettiness of our first Dream concierge room was a much higher level than our recent Freedom room. But ultimately does that REALLY matter during a cruise? Not really sure.

5. How does the adult entertainment compare? We don't gamble so casinos aren't our thing at all.

I don't know. I didn't go to a single show on Freedom, same as our very first cruise on Radiance. Didn't go to the shows on Dream, either, the first time. And I seriously disliked the shows on our second Dream cruise (omg Golden Mickeys...just kill me now, I nearly left...with Villains I just didn't know who most of the characters were so it was all over my head, and I skipped Believe after all of that). We chose to wander the ship, meet people and talk with them, make friends, etc.

6. If we do a Caribbean cruise will we be very sad we missed Castaway Cay... I mean heaven?

I quite liked CocoCay. It's different than Castaway, but not in bad ways. When we've been at Castaway the sand is rather rough and painful. At Coco, it was soft. The lounger situation is nice at Castaway because of all the little inlets of beaches, places to be, and ability to move chairs around. Taking the tender from the ship was a bore, but once you were on the island it was all sand and walkable. No big long asphalt walkway. And there was natural vegetatation, including trees, all around. It was lovely. Not to mention the cat we saw and the chickens and roosters we saw (and heard!). Honestly I think the only thing I missed about Castaway was the 5K, but we were so tired that first full cruise day anyway we didn't even leave the ship until after 10 anyway.

7. One big concern is not wanting to sail on a ship the size of the Wonder or Magic again because of motion sickness but we want to do a Alaska cruise someday, does RCL or another line have larger ships that sail to Alaska?

Any other info or suggestions would be great. I'm sure there are others with similar questions as mine so I hope others will add to the discussion as well. Thanks

Can't help with the motion sickness part. Only time I felt sick, I was also brand newly pregnant, so I just don't experience that. I would highly recommend one of the few Radiance cruises for Alaska because that's what we were on, but I don't know how that compares to Magic/Wonder.