Comparing Disney Cruise Line & Royal Caribbean
- Thread starter cathie
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mcd2745
These Mickey pretzels are making me thirsty!
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2010
The biggest difference in dining rooms is on RCCL, you eat in the same place every night as opposed to the 3-restaurant rotation on DCL (assuming no specialty restaurants). As for the actual food, it's pretty comparrable. I would call it a draw. Staterooms are a little larger in general on DCL, but not enough to really matter. The split baths are a real plus though. Many RCCL ships now do have characters - just not disney characters, of course. They are Dreamworks characters (Shrek & Fiona, Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, etc.). Not really a lot of hidden fees on RCCL...that's seems to be overblown. They do, however, constantly hawk merchandise. That's a little off-putting at times, bur of course you don't have to buy anything. One aspect where RCCL excels is that they seem to do a much better job designing their ships from a crowd flow standpoint. Even on their larger ships, with more people on board, you never get that overcrowded feeling like you do on DCL sometimes.
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Been on 4 DCL and 4+ RCCL. We strongly prefer DCL, but are sailing on RCCL for spring break due to price (1/2 of DCL).
how many are in your family? If 4 and you want 1 room, RCCL will be a smaller room with either bunks over single beds (or you could have lower bed as 1 big bed, but it works much better to leave as 2 singles--much more space) or 2 singles (or big bed) and a double sleeper sofa. When our kids were younger, we preferred the sofabed, now as teens, we get bunks. If you have 5-6, you can book an oceanview family cabin. These are very nice with big bed, sofabed and an alcove with closet/dresser and 2 bunks with door or curtain (I would guess a 6x9 room size). 1 smallish bathroom.
For ages 5-11, the kids clubs were very good. My 5-9 yr olds did not want to come out of the kids club--we had to drag them out of the club on Coco Cay, as well. For 12+, there is no staffed teen place during the day, only in the evening. They do teen activities around the ship, but they seem sports/competitive oriented and my shy teen don't participate.
The biggest difference, other than the cabins for us are: DCL theater with first run movies, awesome family friendly shows (RCCL has some good show-like the ice skating show, Grease, Hairspay, etc. (I took my 12 yr old--went over her head, so I would say family friendly), better TV shows/movies, fun (and much better than RCCL MDR, IMHO) dining. RCCL MDR is perfectly edible, but like eating at Applebees. DCL is more like (but not quite) Bonefish grill (IMHO). Our next RCCL cruise, we will add at least 1 speciality restaurant.
On the ships we have been on, RCCL's outdoor movie screen played sports/poker during the day vs. family movies, and it was hard to hear/see the screen due to its location. They played 1-2 movies at night during a 5 day cruise, others have said on a week-long they play more.
We have sailed smaller ships and Freedom class, which has a rock climibing wall, flow rider, indoor promenade, and ice skating rink. Most Freedom class (and I would assume the mega ships) have Dreamworks characters and at least 1 3D movie in the big production theater during the cruise.
The newer mega ships might have different room configurations.
Bottom line--be prepared for a smaller cabin, and more mundane (but still nice) dining. One thing all RCCL ships have is a buffet at dinner also, which is good if you want to feed kids earlier. Kids clubs are usually closed from 5-7. RCCL also has family dining where kids get their meals ASAP and then kids club counselors pick them up in the dining room right before 7 to take them to the kids club.
how many are in your family? If 4 and you want 1 room, RCCL will be a smaller room with either bunks over single beds (or you could have lower bed as 1 big bed, but it works much better to leave as 2 singles--much more space) or 2 singles (or big bed) and a double sleeper sofa. When our kids were younger, we preferred the sofabed, now as teens, we get bunks. If you have 5-6, you can book an oceanview family cabin. These are very nice with big bed, sofabed and an alcove with closet/dresser and 2 bunks with door or curtain (I would guess a 6x9 room size). 1 smallish bathroom.
For ages 5-11, the kids clubs were very good. My 5-9 yr olds did not want to come out of the kids club--we had to drag them out of the club on Coco Cay, as well. For 12+, there is no staffed teen place during the day, only in the evening. They do teen activities around the ship, but they seem sports/competitive oriented and my shy teen don't participate.
The biggest difference, other than the cabins for us are: DCL theater with first run movies, awesome family friendly shows (RCCL has some good show-like the ice skating show, Grease, Hairspay, etc. (I took my 12 yr old--went over her head, so I would say family friendly), better TV shows/movies, fun (and much better than RCCL MDR, IMHO) dining. RCCL MDR is perfectly edible, but like eating at Applebees. DCL is more like (but not quite) Bonefish grill (IMHO). Our next RCCL cruise, we will add at least 1 speciality restaurant.
On the ships we have been on, RCCL's outdoor movie screen played sports/poker during the day vs. family movies, and it was hard to hear/see the screen due to its location. They played 1-2 movies at night during a 5 day cruise, others have said on a week-long they play more.
We have sailed smaller ships and Freedom class, which has a rock climibing wall, flow rider, indoor promenade, and ice skating rink. Most Freedom class (and I would assume the mega ships) have Dreamworks characters and at least 1 3D movie in the big production theater during the cruise.
The newer mega ships might have different room configurations.
Bottom line--be prepared for a smaller cabin, and more mundane (but still nice) dining. One thing all RCCL ships have is a buffet at dinner also, which is good if you want to feed kids earlier. Kids clubs are usually closed from 5-7. RCCL also has family dining where kids get their meals ASAP and then kids club counselors pick them up in the dining room right before 7 to take them to the kids club.
wdw penny girl
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2015
I've been on both...3 DCL and 3 RC. Cabins are basically the same (split bath only real difference.) I like DCL food better...rotation dining to us feels like your going to a nice family restaurant....where as the Main dining room on RC feels like a mediocre banquet hall...the servers on Disney were also more personable and efficient (every evening our iced teas were at the table as soon as we were seated.) Of course the DC drink station is a wonderful plus....no extra fee, no annoying mug to carry around and easy to convenient stop by and get an early morning or late night tea. The shows are better on Disney and they have real movie theaters with first run movies (on The Voyager class ships there's a screening room as big as a living room with theater seats and heads directly on front of you, they show movies that are out on DVD.) TV stations on Disney are better,,,yes Disney programming, but more variety. On RC a few real stations and those showed reruns....this past September the same "Castle" episode ran every night of our 9 night cruise...last year we saw the same episode of the original "Who's line is it anyway." All the others ran RC infomercials. I'll go on RC again for convenience...but prefer DCL (but not their prices.)
no hidden fees. soda is extra, so decide in advance if you want to buy a soda package or just buy a soda as you want it. My kids drink little soda, so they do not miss it. DH and I get a diet coke or just drink free iced tea. our ending bill on RCCL is very similar to DCL--a few drinks, bottle of wine, souvenirs, usually under $200 for the week.
We also really like Princess. Ifyou have athletic/adventurous kids, then RCCL with rock climber/flo rider is a good choice. If your kids won't use those, then you might also consider Princess--a bit larger rooms, better MDR food. During EAster, they showed kids G movies in the AM at one of the pools and had a fun (clean) lip sing at the main pool during the day. They also show a movie outdoor every night--but the are PG-13/R usually. My teens liked Princess a lot. It is #2 after DCL for us now.
We also really like Princess. Ifyou have athletic/adventurous kids, then RCCL with rock climber/flo rider is a good choice. If your kids won't use those, then you might also consider Princess--a bit larger rooms, better MDR food. During EAster, they showed kids G movies in the AM at one of the pools and had a fun (clean) lip sing at the main pool during the day. They also show a movie outdoor every night--but the are PG-13/R usually. My teens liked Princess a lot. It is #2 after DCL for us now.
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Staterooms are subjective. I found my balcony rooms on Royal a similar size to what we have sailed in on DCL previously. I find that the split bathroom on DCL takes up a lot of space, which makes the room size comparable. The inside rooms are generally smaller, but some of the ships also have larger inside staterooms. It is going to vary ship by ship also. Royal has floor plans of MOST of their staterooms on their website and you should be able to view them when you select one of their ships.We were wondering about how the dining & staterooms were compared to Disney & are there any hidden fees we should know about..Thanks!
With the dining, you will be in one dining room for the whole cruise. There isn't any rotational dining. You can choose between traditional seating which I believe is at 6pm and 8.30pm, and My Time Dining, where you walk up and get a table with no set time. There is also a buffet dinner served in the Windjammer. I found the food on par with Disney. I found the food on Princess and NCL to be better than them both.
There are no hidden fees. There are several upcharge restaurants on Royal but they aren't really hidden fees. Same with soda, since it's not included.
We have seen the shows on Disney so many times that we don't go to them anymore. As much as I LOVE Villains tonight, the rest of them I find watchable at best. On Oasis, Royal had a good VARYING selection of shows, which included an ice show, Broadway show, Aquatheater show, and then what seemed to be a Cirque du Soleil type event with lots of gymnastics. Royal has Dreamworks characters on their larger ships.
IMO:
Disney Pros - movie theatre, Aquaduck (Dream or Fantasy only), Animator's Palate, the horn, Palo, fireworks.
Royal Pros - overall ship design and layout, better pools/pool area, Flowrider (some ships only), more activities during sea days, their loyalty program.
LemonNeko
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2014
I've been on one DCL (Magic) and one Royal (Freedom of the Seas) so my comparison is based on one trip each.
I had an inside on DCL and outside on Royal. It was nicer to have the outside so it's hard for me to compare the rooms. I did like the food on DCL better and the decor in the dining rooms. I loved Sabor on Royal but there was an upcharge for it.
The pools were a lot nicer on Royal. We were on a full ship and they never felt over crowed even on sea days when the weather was amazing.
My son who is 3 loved the kids club on Royal (he wasn't born when I went on DCL so can't compare). The kids club workers really interacted with the kids and I thought the activities they had were great.
People complain about nickle and dimeing on Royal but I didn't find that I didn't spend much more than I did on DCL.
I had an inside on DCL and outside on Royal. It was nicer to have the outside so it's hard for me to compare the rooms. I did like the food on DCL better and the decor in the dining rooms. I loved Sabor on Royal but there was an upcharge for it.
The pools were a lot nicer on Royal. We were on a full ship and they never felt over crowed even on sea days when the weather was amazing.
My son who is 3 loved the kids club on Royal (he wasn't born when I went on DCL so can't compare). The kids club workers really interacted with the kids and I thought the activities they had were great.
People complain about nickle and dimeing on Royal but I didn't find that I didn't spend much more than I did on DCL.
bobbiwoz
I'm happy to dance with you!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2003
In the RCCL menu, they highlight a sample selected meal and it is 3 courses. They lump all salads, appetizers and soups together, so if you want appetizer and soup you are ordering two from the same list. On DCL they have different categories for each. It seems to me that Roysl prefers that you order the 3 courses, most of the time everyone at our table did.
The Windjammer had food throughout the day, more so than the buffets on DCL.
The adult pool on the Radiance of the Seas is 6 foot deep, a good size overall, but very overcrowded during the day. My friends and I found it best to be at the pool in the early morning, 6 AM, but the pool experience for us is far superior on RCCL because of the size and depth of the solarium pool. I wish DCL had something comparable!
It was not that easy to use My Time Dining on RCCL. We had to check in the night before to ensure we would have the same time and same table. On our 10 night cruise on around the 7th night, they told us we had the time, table slot. So we did always have the same servers who were incredible.
The Windjammer had food throughout the day, more so than the buffets on DCL.
The adult pool on the Radiance of the Seas is 6 foot deep, a good size overall, but very overcrowded during the day. My friends and I found it best to be at the pool in the early morning, 6 AM, but the pool experience for us is far superior on RCCL because of the size and depth of the solarium pool. I wish DCL had something comparable!
It was not that easy to use My Time Dining on RCCL. We had to check in the night before to ensure we would have the same time and same table. On our 10 night cruise on around the 7th night, they told us we had the time, table slot. So we did always have the same servers who were incredible.
eskimoinparadise
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2009
Comparing DCL to RCL is virtually impossible unless you know which ships you're comparing. DCL has 4, RCL has 25. Disney has nothing to compare against Freedom, Oasis, or Quantum class ships, so I toss those comps out whenever I see them. IMSO, DCL's Magic and Wonder are comparable to RCL's Radiance class (passenger capacity, tonnage, amenities). DCL's Fantasy and Dream are comparable to RCL's Voyager class. We're Platinum on DCL, and Diamond+ on RCL, and we've sailed every class except Quantum. If I had the choice between a Magic class ship and a Radiance class ship from RCL, the RCL ship would win on overall quality of the cruise experience every time. If I were choosing between Dream class and Voyager class, it would be a draw - itinerary would be the only swing vote. (I avoid doing any comparison on price - it wouldn't be a fair fight 
)
Comparing to any other class is apples to aardvarks
)Comparing to any other class is apples to aardvarks
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Comparing DCL to RCL is virtually impossible unless you know which ships you're comparing. DCL has 4, RCL has 25. Disney has nothing to compare against Freedom, Oasis, or Quantum class ships, so I toss those comps out whenever I see them. IMSO, DCL's Magic and Wonder are comparable to RCL's Radiance class (passenger capacity, tonnage, amenities). DCL's Fantasy and Dream are comparable to RCL's Voyager class. We're Platinum on DCL, and Diamond+ on RCL, and we've sailed every class except Quantum. If I had the choice between a Magic class ship and a Radiance class ship from RCL, the RCL ship would win on overall quality of the cruise experience every time. If I were choosing between Dream class and Voyager class, it would be a draw - itinerary would be the only swing vote. (I avoid doing any comparison on price - it wouldn't be a fair fight
Comparing to any other class is apples to aardvarks
The thing that stops us from booking ROYAL cruise is the overall look and feel of the ships, it seems as though they are a cross between a las Vegas resort with lots of tacky neon lights, concrete flooring on the top decks to walk on / sit in a lounger, and a shopping mall feel inside. The MDR seems like a cavernous banquet hall . The number of activities seem like they would appeal to a larger cross section of people which is good but the ship's just seem tacky. Add events like hairy chest contest and belly flop contest in the pool area and that tells you abit more about the variety of clientele they cater to.
If you haven't already done so I suggest the OP go on YouTube and check out the videos of the ship's before deciding if it's for you
Frozen2014
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2014
I'm surprised at this comment...but do know that everyone's tastes are different. Personally I love the Royal feel. Their ships are beautiful with marble areas, trimmings and just the general décor. I've taken a look (online only) at others like Carnival, and it doesn't seem to have as good of a feel (i.e. not as pretty, an older more basic feeling). I'm not a Vegas fan at all and would never compare their ships to looking or feeling like it.
We did go on the Magic. The ship is great, and also nice. Not the elegant feeling but some of the details, and of course kid centered things.
OP, I re-read your post and you said no characters. A lot of Royal's ships have DreamWorks characters...Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train your Dragon. They have parades, sail away party , ice shows, character breakfast (at a small surcharge), meet and greets, etc. Looks great for kids. Just research what ships if this is an interest. Offhand I know the are on Oasis class and Freedom class ships.
As for staterooms, it really depends as Royal offers such a variety of staterooms. They do have things like family suites that might be a big bigger. For our upcoming cruise on Allure, we selected a Promenade. It has a bay window overlooking the Promenade. Inside it has a bed for DH and I, and also a pull out sofa which holds 1 or 2 kids. Our room also has a Pullman for an extra bed. The Oasis class also offers different type rooms such as overlooking the Boardwalk and Central Park. These look fun but might be a bit louder.
eskimoinparadise
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2009
I'm really scratching my head on this one. I can only presume you've never actually been on an RCL ship. We've been on every class of RCL ship other than the new Quantum class, and I can't think of a single ship that comes even close to matching this description. If I didn't see your RCL reference, I'd swear you were describing Carnival. In 35+ cruises on RCL, we've never witnessed a "hairy Chest" contest; the pool decks are covered in a composite surface preferred by runners; the main dining rooms are better appointed than most 5-star land restaurants (and sure a heck of a lot better than the vinyl cafeteria chairs in Disney's Animators Palette. One thing I will say, I'm always amazed at the number of passengers we see on the pool deck with Castaway Cay beach bags
Before you arbitrarily slam a competitor, at least have the decency to do it from even a modicum of experience actually cruising on the line.
eskimoinparadise
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2009
I've been on three Royal ships - three different classes of ship too - and didn't feel like this on any of them. The Promenade is a bit mall-ish at times but there are tons of activities and characters there and the characters are so much easier to meet than on Disney since the lines are so short. The ships themselves are actually beautiful inside and although they are differently themed than Disney it doesn't make them less gorgeous.
I also haven't seen a hairy chest contest on Royal. The belly flop is a ton of fun if you get the right people participating.
I sailed NCL Epic last year and the top deck of that could use a bit of help design and theming wise, but that was beautiful inside too!
starvenger
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2015
One comparison that appears to be missing is the free coffee - it's terrible on both!
Ive only been on Oasis class so my comparison might be skewed, but having just been on the fantasy I felt that there was more to do on the Royal ships, and activities feel more spread out as opposed to always being in e D lounge.
yes there is a bit more of a hard sell for merch but at the same time they are pushing items at a discount. On DCL it seems the price is the price.
Food wise I think it evens out. DCL the quality seemed to vary (AP was terrible and seemingly more gimmick-centric, other two were better) whereas Royal felt more consistent. But at the end of the day it's about banquet level quality for both.
Soda/pop - yes it's included on DCL, but don't forget you're already paying a premium on the cruise line, so consider it a hidden fee. Royal has freestyle machines and a soda package. Tbh I can go without the carbonated stuff for a week. Iced tea, however, I prefer Royal. The Fuze on Disney tastes... off.
Shows, Royal seems to have more variety and more available time slots. Production on the Disney theatre shows felt better though. And they did not feature an abba tribute band as a "headliner", so that's a plus.
I cannot compare specialty restaurants since DCL is adults only, and I don't trust my kids eating on their own or with the kids club.
Kids club - both are great. DCL is a more open area, Royal slots the kids by age a bit more.
Pools - a bit unfair since Oasis class is so much bigger but the kids could swim in the Oasis pools. There was no room to do so on the Fantasy.
Library - DCL has none, but it was a great place for us to play games (Settlers, Coup, Monopoly Deal etc) late at night.
Characters - Disney > Dreamworks. Not a fair fight.
Hope that helps.
Ive only been on Oasis class so my comparison might be skewed, but having just been on the fantasy I felt that there was more to do on the Royal ships, and activities feel more spread out as opposed to always being in e D lounge.
yes there is a bit more of a hard sell for merch but at the same time they are pushing items at a discount. On DCL it seems the price is the price.
Food wise I think it evens out. DCL the quality seemed to vary (AP was terrible and seemingly more gimmick-centric, other two were better) whereas Royal felt more consistent. But at the end of the day it's about banquet level quality for both.
Soda/pop - yes it's included on DCL, but don't forget you're already paying a premium on the cruise line, so consider it a hidden fee. Royal has freestyle machines and a soda package. Tbh I can go without the carbonated stuff for a week. Iced tea, however, I prefer Royal. The Fuze on Disney tastes... off.
Shows, Royal seems to have more variety and more available time slots. Production on the Disney theatre shows felt better though. And they did not feature an abba tribute band as a "headliner", so that's a plus.
I cannot compare specialty restaurants since DCL is adults only, and I don't trust my kids eating on their own or with the kids club.
Kids club - both are great. DCL is a more open area, Royal slots the kids by age a bit more.
Pools - a bit unfair since Oasis class is so much bigger but the kids could swim in the Oasis pools. There was no room to do so on the Fantasy.
Library - DCL has none, but it was a great place for us to play games (Settlers, Coup, Monopoly Deal etc) late at night.
Characters - Disney > Dreamworks. Not a fair fight.
Hope that helps.
eskimoinparadise
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2009
This one's easy - every pool on any RCL ship is bigger than any pool on any Disney ship
starvenger
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2015
I wasn't sure. my dad aka grandpa was really unhappy about it as well.This one's easy - every pool on any RCL ship is bigger than any pool on any Disney ship
Very true.This one's easy - every pool on any RCL ship is bigger than any pool on any Disney ship
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