Magic vs. Mariner

[plutospup]

DD10, DW, and I would like to cruise the Western Caribbean. We're trying to decide between the Disney Magic and Royal Caribbean's Mariner. Help! What are your thoughts and/or suggestions?

 

[TMTIP]

We have sailed both ships several times. We loved both of them. The older my girls (12 & 10) get though the more they like the Mariner (more stuff to do for older kids). The rooms are bigger on the Magic but Pluto's Dog House can't be beat. As an adult I really loved the adult area (solarium) on the Mariner. I think that is one area where Disney could improve their ships, they need to enforce the adult pool area better. Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, cannot be beat, it is tops when it comes to private islands. Coco Cay is nice but not nearly as good as Castaway. Both are really great ships, I don't think you could go wrong with either. Nothing beats getting a Mickey Bar just about any time that you may want it though!

 

[PMDR59]

Well we are on the 10/28 Magic. Inside Stateroom Cat 11. Out of curiosity I price compared the Mariner. It leaves Port Canaveral 10/29 and also goes to St Maarten and St Thomas.
We could have had a Grand Suite with Conceirege service on the Mariner for what we are paying for the Cat 11 on Disney. We thought about it for a few seconds and just said "It's not Disney" We loved our western cruise last year so much that we wanted to do the Eastern with Disney also. Rooms really do not matter to much to me, since we are hardly ever in it. We were upgraded to an oceanview last year, and if I was in the room the curtain had to be CLOSED. I couldnt even look out the window without feeling queasy. So the inside room will do me just fine.
We will have to see what next year brings !!!!
We are considering RCCL for our next cruise, unless Disney gets some different itineries that will fit our budget/schedule. We dont like to vacation to the same places (except WDW of course) We like to try at least 1 new vacation destination each year.

 

[shrpgrl]

We too have done both. I really liked them both. I thought the food was more to my liking on the Mariner but I really loved the pizza and room service on Disney. I thought Castaway Cay was the best part and that is what would make me do Disney again in a heartbeat. Too bad DCL said there wasn't going to be any double dip cruises in 2007. If there was we would do it again next year. As it stands they have no plans to do it next year but suggested I book a 3 and 4 day cruise together. I think that is a little expensive so it looks like RCL for us next year.

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

PMDR59 - could you share where you found that great price for the Mariner's grand suite? I looked at both RCL's site and DCL's site and the price difference for 4 (2 A, 2 C) is about $1700 (greater for RCL). So I'd be interested in knowing which TA or site had the price similar. The prices I found were $3300 for 4 in a category 11 on DCL and $5055 on RCL for a Grand Suite.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[plutospup]

For those of you who have been on both ships...how is the smoking situation? Are there non-smoking cabins? I would imagine Mariner's casino would be a smoking area. How is the rest of the ship? (BTW We're non-smokers)

 

[MickeyD]

It depends on what entertainment your family desires. Mariner is more active, sports type activities, whereas Disney is more shows and seminars type entertainment. If you like skating, rock climbing, etc. Then I would recommend Mariner. It is a very nice ship, clean, service is good and it is a lot of fun. You will never do everything..or if you do you will be burnt out.

For us Disney just has better service and a more calming atmosphere. We are not sports type people (unless it is cheering on the Steelers! )

Whichever you choose, I am sure you will have a good time.

Lisa

 

[MickeyD]

For those of you who have been on both ships...how is the smoking situation? Are there non-smoking cabins? I would imagine Mariner's casino would be a smoking area. How is the rest of the ship? (BTW We're non-smokers)

We only noticed smoking on the Magic while on our veranda (unfortunately, our neighbors chose everytime we were outside to come out and smoke).
Mariner was bad in casino and lounges, but it never really bothered me since i didn't go there much. We never had a problem with our veranda neighbors on Mariner.

 

[familycruiser]

I just priced out Magic and Mariner for 12/2 and Magic is costing twice as much for the same room type (Cat 6 balcony room on magic and D1 balcony room on Mariner)! Both are going to Western Carribean, was surprised that Magic was twice as much!

Is it worth it?? I've heard great things about DCL (haven't been on either ship), but is it twice as good as Mariner? For those of you that have been on both, how would you compare the food, shows, kids programs, service and other activities, etc? Would love to try DCL but its hard to pass up going for half the price (being able to take 2 vacations for the price of 1 essentially)!

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

I'd say DCL is not twice as good. Since money is a factor for you and you have a 10 year old, I'd recommend the Mariner. We are doing the Disney Wonder and then will try RCCL when our kids are a little older. DCL isn't going anywhere. At a later date, you could try a shorter cruise on the Wonder, book well in advance and/or go during the off season.

 

[captaincrash]

Well we are on the 10/28 Magic. Inside Stateroom Cat 11. Out of curiosity I price compared the Mariner. It leaves Port Canaveral 10/29 and also goes to St Maarten and St Thomas.
We could have had a Grand Suite with Conceirege service on the Mariner for what we are paying for the Cat 11 on Disney. We thought about it for a few seconds and just said "It's not Disney" .....

"It's not Disney"​

This sez it all...

Sail with the Mouse unless you're sure your kids are not of the same mind as we are with "the Mouse". For us we've sailed lots of other lines and we like the balance DCL has struck - plus we "fit" with more of the patrons who frequent DCL and the DIS. For now... DCL is olur 2nd "home away from home" at sea for us!

 

[jodifla]

I just priced out Magic and Mariner for 12/2 and Magic is costing twice as much for the same room type (Cat 6 balcony room on magic and D1 balcony room on Mariner)! Both are going to Western Carribean, was surprised that Magic was twice as much!

Is it worth it?? I've heard great things about DCL (haven't been on either ship), but is it twice as good as Mariner? For those of you that have been on both, how would you compare the food, shows, kids programs, service and other activities, etc? Would love to try DCL but its hard to pass up going for half the price (being able to take 2 vacations for the price of 1 essentially)!

Depends on how old your kids are. With younger, Disney is probably better. With preteens on up, RCCL is probably better for the price.

 

[Soccermom-Cheri]

From what I've heard, the suites on RCCL are comparable to DCL's cat. 5's. in sq ft. Can anyone confirm that? If I'm going to compare prices, I want to compare apples to apples.

 

[hank56]

From what I've heard, the suites on RCCL are comparable to DCL's cat. 5's. in sq ft. Can anyone confirm that? If I'm going to compare prices, I want to compare apples to apples.

On Grandeur of the seas the Junior Suite is same approx. as DCL cat 5, Grand Suites are set up different than the DCL cat 4 but approx.10sf larger. The owners suites are approx. same square footage as cat 3 not a separate bedroom though. and the royal suite is same approx. square footage as Cat 1
I can't speak for any of the other ships, but the RCCL website gives the square feet of all rooms throughout the fleet I belive, suites on different ships vary in size.

 

[PMDR59]

I found the price on the RCCL website itself. It was several months ago. Currently with airfare and insurance on DCL we are paying 4000 something. RCCL was $200 dollars more, including the airfare and insurance as well. I didnt price it as cruise only, so I dont know if RCCL gets a better deal on airfare than DCL because they have such a larger customer base or what. I just remember that the overall price was $200 more than my total DCL bill.

 

[plutospup]

Thanks for all of the replies! It certainly gives us something to think about. In the meantime, any other opinions out there?

 

[TiggerKing]

I just priced out Magic and Mariner for 12/2 and Magic is costing twice as much for the same room type (Cat 6 balcony room on magic and D1 balcony room on Mariner)! Both are going to Western Carribean, was surprised that Magic was twice as much!

Is it worth it?? I've heard great things about DCL (haven't been on either ship), but is it twice as good as Mariner? For those of you that have been on both, how would you compare the food, shows, kids programs, service and other activities, etc? Would love to try DCL but its hard to pass up going for half the price (being able to take 2 vacations for the price of 1 essentially)!

There is a dangerous factor in your comparison, and that is the timing. If you are talking about the 12/2/06 cruise, then the price is going to be extremely high for DCL because their prices typically increase as it gets closer to the cruise. RCCL typically stays the same, or decreases in order to fill the ship (not a problem for DCL). As an example, I booked our cat 7 for the 11/25/06 Eastern 1 year ago and paid just under $2,500 for two people, no kids. The same room now is approximately $1,200 more. If you want to get a true feel for pricing, look at the prices on a cruise that is twelve months out and you will get a better pricing comparison. You may still find that DCL is higher, but not double.

 

[plutospup]

I was price comparing next year's western Caribbean the week of 11/3/07 (Magic vs Mariner). I was quite surprised. Disney was more expensive, but not by much. I was expecting to see a significant difference (>$200 pp) but it wasn't so.

 

[laurenk]

We just went on the Mariner at the end of August. Prior to that we were die hard DCL fans. We were in a Grand Suite and paid $700 less then the category 5 I had booked for the same week. We had booked the cat. 5 on the August repo cruise. We were VERY nervous about trying it, but it was GREAT!! My kids are 12 and want only to go on RCL now. My husband too. I thought it was just a notch below Disney. We thought the food was better at the buffets on RCL, but sit down was better on DCL. Shows better on DCL, but much more to do on RCL. They have immigration down to an AMAZING science at St. Thomas, and they know how to tender you to the ports. The staff was GREAT and just as attentive as the CM's on DCL. The size of the ship was also a concern, but we hardly felt the crowds. Only on formal nights. And that was only if you were waiting in line to get your portrait done. With careful planning my kids were able to ice skate 4 times, do the rock wall a million times, play mini golf, bingo, teen club etc. For the price difference, RCL is worth a try. We are looking into the Freedom next. We can only go at peak times now, and DCL is getting too pricy for us. We also LOVED our cabin, and having concierge service.

 

[bonnielynn]

I have never cruised, but wondered if anyone thought that Disney was a safer cruise for an "active" 9 yrs old.. I was just thinking that since Disney cruises were built with children in mind, if it was the better bet?

Also I hear that disney has longer camp hours than RCL with pagers? anyone find this a problem on RCL?