Brancaneve
That means Snow White in another language.
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2006
I enjoy reading all the comparisons on this forum between Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International and was excited to experience the Freedom of the Seas for myself as we sailed the Western Caribbean as a group of 37 family and friends.
Our family of four has been on 5 Disney cruises and we have been on every ship, with the Wonder being repeated just last year in beautiful Alaska. As DVC members we have used our points to cover DH and myself, while paying cash for the kids. This has allowed us to travel on DCL in a more affordable way, and we were blessed to have enough points to also stay at a WDW resort either prior to, or after our cruise.
It is imperative that I mention that as I boarded the Freedom of the Seas, I boarded with an open mind and I tried very hard NOT to make instant comparisons between the two companies. I wanted to wait until the end of the trip to make any judgments or comparisons, and truly live in the moment.
However, during the cruise I truly missed features found on DCL. There were memories or feelings that popped into my mind and heart without provocation, while also experiencing new things on FOS that I truly enjoyed. Therefore, I am organizing my opinions in a "Miss" or "Don't Miss Out" format. "Miss" means the things I missed about sailing with DCL and "Miss Out" meaning the things one should not miss out on when cruising with RCCL. I hope it helps families who need to make a decision or who need assurance that the decision they made was the right one.
"Miss"
"Don't Miss Out"
If anyone has any questions, please ask! Our ports were Grand Cayman, Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. I loved all of our excursions (none were through RCCL) and am happy to share what we did if you are interested.
Our family of four has been on 5 Disney cruises and we have been on every ship, with the Wonder being repeated just last year in beautiful Alaska. As DVC members we have used our points to cover DH and myself, while paying cash for the kids. This has allowed us to travel on DCL in a more affordable way, and we were blessed to have enough points to also stay at a WDW resort either prior to, or after our cruise.
It is imperative that I mention that as I boarded the Freedom of the Seas, I boarded with an open mind and I tried very hard NOT to make instant comparisons between the two companies. I wanted to wait until the end of the trip to make any judgments or comparisons, and truly live in the moment.
However, during the cruise I truly missed features found on DCL. There were memories or feelings that popped into my mind and heart without provocation, while also experiencing new things on FOS that I truly enjoyed. Therefore, I am organizing my opinions in a "Miss" or "Don't Miss Out" format. "Miss" means the things I missed about sailing with DCL and "Miss Out" meaning the things one should not miss out on when cruising with RCCL. I hope it helps families who need to make a decision or who need assurance that the decision they made was the right one.
"Miss"
- As we got ready for dinner the first night I missed the split bathrooms as well as all the bathroom storage for toiletries.
- The decor in the staterooms is far superior on DCL with its vintage nautical vibe, while the FOS decor reminded me of a motel. The space planning in the staterooms was also better on DCL. Although bunk beds can be found on FOS, our stateroom (window view) had a couch that pulled into a full size bed that left little room to move around in the morning. This made getting ready a challenge and my son and daughter HATED sharing a bed. Also, I love how DCL beds are raised, allowing ample storage for luggage. We had to leave most of our luggage under the window and next to our bed as it did not all fit in the closet.
- The space planning on the FOS made for a lot of crowds and it was harder to move around. I have been on the Fantasy at the same time of year on a full ship and I only remember crowds on the first and last day. In between, everyone seemed to settle into their corners of the ship making getting from one place to another easy.
- The one stop drink station on DCL ships is pretty awesome. Although there were different locations for different beverages throughout the FOS, I wished it was just all in one easy to get to place. Although I don't drink a lot of soda, I missed it being included when I craved the carbonation.
- On our last DCL cruise to Alaska we loved the texting feature on the app as we could get in touch easily with other family members to meet up for movies, shows, activities, etc. I paid $30 per phone to use AT and T's cellular at sea which I must say worked most of the time. This was necessary as our son is diabetic and I wanted to give him some freedom while also being able to check in on him.
- I really missed the movie theater on DCL. It was great having one dedicated space besides the pool to show movies.
- The food options near the pool/drink station were definitely missed. On FOS, you have to go to one deck for a burger (and pay for it), one deck for a sandwich (and it's not great), another deck for the buffet. I loved having the hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, salads, fruit and sandwiches all together in one area.
- Castaway Cay..................sigh.
- I was also a bit bummed that our ship arrived very late for two ports: Roatan and Grand Cayman. We weren't let off board until 1:00 both days and had to be back on by 6:00 or 7:00. I don't think I experienced this with DCL as it seemed that we always had a full day at all of our spots.
- Edit.....forgot one important thing. We really missed the laundry rooms on the DCL ships. I know no one likes to do laundry while on vacation but we like to pack light. RCCL wanted $30 to wash a small bag of clothes and we didn't want to pay that!
"Don't Miss Out"
- I enjoy looking at art and I LOVED all the unique art installations throughout the FOS. From sculptures to Pop Art to photography, it was all very interesting and beautiful. The ship overall is lovely but lacks the details that Disney provides.
- The touch screens on each deck were great. I never had to carry around my Cruise Compass and the maps provided were especially helpful.
- As I mentioned earlier, we had a very large group. RCCL was fantastic in helping us organize our group from the very start , to where we wanted to sit for dining to disembarking the ship at the same time. Also this cruise line is at a better price point and was affordable for everyone with the current promotion plus the ship board credit. I don't think everyone in our group could have afforded DCL.
- Due to our large group we chose main dining. However, I thought the various dining options were fantastic and flexible. My Time Dining sounds like a winner, especially for those tiring and busy days at the ports.
- I thought the food in the main dining was on par or better than DCL. My tally of fantastic dishes was higher on RCCL than on DCL.
- The Promenade was fantastic! It was always full of life and I enjoyed sitting at the outside tables at the cafe or pub to people watch.
If anyone has any questions, please ask! Our ports were Grand Cayman, Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. I loved all of our excursions (none were through RCCL) and am happy to share what we did if you are interested.
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We are sailing on Liberty of the Seas in August. It's so hard to go into it with a completely open mind, but I am going to try and do the same thing and enjoy this cruise and then figure out what I like/don't like. 
