Could really use some opinions on DCL v Something like the Oasis OTS for ppl that have ONLY ever done Disney vacations.

[RACHEL_GB]

My family has only ever done Disney vacations since 1994. As you can see in my signature, it's to annual by any means, but we've never vacations anywhere else or with anyone else.

It's hard to even fathom a vacation without the Mouse, BUT, I have thoughts.
MY oldest will be 19 when we cruise next. He's autistic. The only thing he truly cares about is swimming and that kind of activity. Food won't interest him either. He eats very VERY little variety. We love characters but honestly, we never stand in lines for meet and greets and none of us care to go to the shows DCL offers. Mostly because the seats are too small, but our son won't sit for a show, let alone a movie. We don't do the spas either. My love is the ocean air and the love of Disney. My husband was on an aircraft carrier in the Navy and enjoys the hell out of the rocking of a ship and the water. And as I said, we still love Disney.

This will be our 3rd cruise or any kind. So, given that we don't care about shows, we HATE crowds, and honestly only care that our son is entertained and happy while we enjoy the food and ocean air, are we just holding on to nostalgia for Disney when we might perhaps enjoy another ship as much or more?

I'm really interested in opinions from other more frequent cruisers that clearly love Disney or they wouldn't be here.

I took my first non DCL cruise last year (I had done 3 so not super experienced, I am in Europe so there used to be less opportunities!). I went on Oasis of the Seas with my 13 year old son on a Mediterranean round trip.

I will try not to repeat the other pros cons, so my thoughts were:

• We had a huge room at the front (14126) and it was so nice to have the king bed split into two good size singles. We had room to play a large card game on the floor and my son really enjoyed spending time in the room. I think it was a standard outside cabin, we just got lucky.
• I think we slept a lot better on RCCL than on DCL because the beds were comfier, although there was more vibration on docking. Our bathroom was also a really good size.
• Getting on and off - so much more organised for RCCL - I couldn't believe the orderly embarkation/debarkation, I had been used to DCL scrum of people in the atrium at the end of the cruise, this seems a small thing but getting on and off the ship at all times was better and I felt calmer.
• I liked the evening buffet on RCCL, I miss Cabanas being open on DCL. My son is also a very bland eater and I feel like he ate better on RCCL
• As someone who doesn't drink, with a 13 year old, there wasn't that much we wanted to do in the evening on RCCL but we didn't feel it was too boozy/too adult an atmosphere. We did just play crazy golf every evening after dinner and then play card games so maybe we just avoided it.
• If it was itinerary led holiday I would do RCCL now. I did miss the DCL magic though, so for the right deal I would definitely go back.

 

[plutolovr]

On each Royal and Celebrity ship I've been on, the Casino is right off the main artium - not "out of the way".

No, it's not. On the Oasis Class ships the casino is down on Deck 4.

 

[emilymad]

We are currently on the Celebrity Ascent. The ship is beautiful but it definitely feels like a nice hotel versus a cruise ship. We love our Infinity Veranda but would kill for the Disney beds right now. Our backs are killing us.

Overall we feel that the food is way worse than Disney. Both in quality and quantity. We have left every dinner hungry. The buffet is also a step down from Disney except for the pizza which is excellent.

We have been finding very little to do at night if you don’t want to go to a bar. There are events for sure but not to our taste. Last night was a Cher look a like. Maybe it was great but not our interest. Obviously RCCL would be much better in this department.

We are in our mid 40s and the majority of people are 3 to 4 decades older than us. We knew this going in and it doesn’t bother us. What does is that the who ship seems to cater to that age group despite the all ages who are really onboard.

There is a shocking lack in enforcement of handwashing and sanitizing.

This cruise with all the extras you need is costing us the same as our Treasure cruise in May. We will be sticking with Disney for now. It took us trying something new to appreciate what we know.

 

[LAS2AMS]

There is a shocking lack in enforcement of handwashing and sanitizing.

This line is telling. When you have strong allegiances to a product or service, nothing will compare… regardless if its better.

The line above is repeated perpetually by byDie hard DCL fans. There is ZERO enforcement of cleanliness/ hygiene standards on DCL, just like every other cruise line. And it’s completely foolish to suggest that DCL passengers take hygiene more seriously than other cruise lines.

You will see FAR more unaccompanied children at the buffet on DCL than any other cruise line. Nobody who took hygiene seriously would allow a 6yo to go up to the buffet unaccompanied. Employees on DCL are more likely to help the kids than to turn them away… even Carnival will always turn them away. (Helping just encourages them to come up alone again, and nobody may help them.)

 

[Grotto]

I think it is pretty obvious when you read all the different responses that different people have different ideas of what makes a great cruise ship and a great cruise vacation. I think you really need to consider the activities and itineraries that you and your family are interested in and choose accordingly.

I would consider our family moderate level Disney cruisers, currently gold level. We have done shorter and longer cruises and we have been on most of the ships at this point. I am the biggest Disney fanatic in the family and personally, it remains my favorite cruise line. It is hard for me to explain but something just feels a little bit different on the ships. When I am in port on a different cruise line and I walk by the Disney ship docked there, I always find myself longing to be on the Disney ship.

Although my wife enjoys the Disney cruises, it is not her favorite line. I think a few too many younger kids. She does miss the casino. Her main gripe, however, is the scheduled, rotational dining. We rarely eat in the main dining rooms on the other cruise lines we travel. She misses the flexibility and variety offered on some of the other ships. The food itself is typically fine on the Disney ships, but she does not enjoy the large dining room experience.

We have done a number of cruises on Norwegian. On almost all of those trips, we have stayed in their Haven section of the ship. On all of their newer, larger ships, it is a fairly sizable separate area available only to those guests. Cost wise, you can typically get a suite for similar price to a family balcony on Disney. It has its own restaurants, pools, and bars. Packages typically include drinks and access to the special dining. The Haven area is quiet with plenty of room, lounge chairs, hot tubs, etc. But then you still have access to a large ship with water slides, ropes courses, go-cart tracks and the like. I get the feeling if you are staying in a standard room on Norwegian, the service would not be nearly as good and you would feel nickel and dimed to no end.

We have only done 2 Royal Caribbean cruises. We had a customer service spat with them and my wife refused to cruise them for about 15 years. I am, however, looking forward to trying some of the newer ships which just to me look amazing. But I love big ships with a million things to do on them. Their private island looks amazing. I do not think I have enough experience for them to really compare adequately to Disney.

We have only done 1 Celebrity cruise and it was or least favorite by far. It was on the Apex. Beautiful ship. A lot of pretty areas to walk through and to look at. There were just not a lot of activities we were interested in. We were in our early 50s and I felt we were among the younger people on our trip. We did spend a lot of time in the casino. My daughter, who was 13 at the time, was bored silly. She just couldn't find a lot of other kids to connect with and their program for teenagers was limited at best. She spent most of the time in the room on her Nintendo switch (She has loved most of our Disney and NCL cruises). Food was good but I did not think significantly better than the other lines.

Not sure if any of this info will help. Good luck with planning your next trip!

 

[emilymad]

This line is telling. When you have strong allegiances to a product or service, nothing will compare… regardless if its better.

The line above is repeated perpetually by byDie hard DCL fans. There is ZERO enforcement of cleanliness/ hygiene standards on DCL, just like every other cruise line. And it’s completely foolish to suggest that DCL passengers take hygiene more seriously than other cruise lines.

You will see FAR more unaccompanied children at the buffet on DCL than any other cruise line. Nobody who took hygiene seriously would allow a 6yo to go up to the buffet unaccompanied. Employees on DCL are more likely to help the kids than to turn them away… even Carnival will always turn them away. (Helping just encourages them to come up alone again, and nobody may help them.)

I am not saying anything about passengers. I am saying in our experience DCL employees are ensuring passengers are washing their hands or using sanitizer. That is not happening here. Same with the cleanliness of public bathrooms, areas around the buffet, etc. These are facts.

In our opinion there are other issues with food, lack of things to do, etc but I will leave those to individual tastes.

 

[Mango7100]

We are currently on the Celebrity Ascent. The ship is beautiful but it definitely feels like a nice hotel versus a cruise ship. We love our Infinity Veranda but would kill for the Disney beds right now. Our backs are killing us.

Overall we feel that the food is way worse than Disney. Both in quality and quantity. We have left every dinner hungry. The buffet is also a step down from Disney except for the pizza which is excellent.

We have been finding very little to do at night if you don’t want to go to a bar. There are events for sure but not to our taste. Last night was a Cher look a like. Maybe it was great but not our interest. Obviously RCCL would be much better in this department.

We are in our mid 40s and the majority of people are 3 to 4 decades older than us. We knew this going in and it doesn’t bother us. What does is that the who ship seems to cater to that age group despite the all ages who are really onboard.

There is a shocking lack in enforcement of handwashing and sanitizing.

This cruise with all the extras you need is costing us the same as our Treasure cruise in May. We will be sticking with Disney for now. It took us trying something new to appreciate what we know.

What itinerary are you doing where the majority of people are in their mid 70s to 80s?
How is the ship catering to the 75 and up age group?

You must have gotten a bad deal on your cruise because we went on the Beyond for a week in July and with the WiFi and premium drink package included and 2 specialty dinners it was still 2k less than our Treasure cruise in March. We are looking to go back on Beyond this summer and it’s running 4-5k less than the Treasure for the same time frame.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I am not saying anything about passengers. I am saying in our experience DCL employees are ensuring passengers are washing their hands or using sanitizer. That is not happening here. Same with the cleanliness of public bathrooms, areas around the buffet, etc. These are facts.

In our opinion there are other issues with food, lack of things to do, etc but I will leave those to individual tastes.

I’m not singling you, just pointing out that that’s a common narrative on this fourm but it’s also one that’s manufactured. There’s zero enforcement of hand washing on Disney. On Disney, you walk past a few wash basins en route to the buffet. On Royal, you walk down a hall lined with wash basins while dedicated employees sing songs about hand washing. Common sense would tell you the latter will encourage more people to wash their hands but on these forums, nope - Royal people are so dirty and Disney people are clean.

Ultimately we all have preferences and we look for reasons to justify them. I’m sure that most of us either did or knew somebody at school or work that complained about their classmate or coworker… not because they were bad but because tjey wanted to be near their friend. It’s just life.

If being in the Disney Bubble important to you, than those frozen and fried chicken tenders willl taste much better than any meal a Michelin chef could scratch cook for you.

 

[Mango7100]

I’m not singling you, just pointing out that that’s a common narrative on this fourm but it’s also one that’s manufactured. There’s zero enforcement of hand washing on Disney. On Disney, you walk past a few wash basins en route to the buffet. On Royal, you walk down a hall lined with wash basins while dedicated employees sing songs about hand washing. Common sense would tell you the latter will encourage more people to wash their hands but on these forums, nope - Royal people are so dirty and Disney people are clean.

Ultimately we all have preferences and we look for reasons to justify them. I’m sure that most of us either did or knew somebody at school or work that complained about their classmate or coworker… not because they were bad but because tjey wanted to be near their friend. It’s just life.

If being in the Disney Bubble important to you, than those frozen and fried chicken tenders willl taste much better than any meal a Michelin chef could scratch cook for you.

Very true. I have been on DCL cruises where several people pass by the CM handing out wipes. Some take them, some don’t. Some take them and throw them away without using them (seen that several times as well). The CM never chases anyone down or denies entry to the dining room if you don’t wipe your hands. And those wipes do nothing for norovirus anyway. You have to wash with soap and water and obviously there are no sinks lining the MDRs on DCL ships.

 

[JM_97]

I'm actually considering a RCCL cruise for later this year. In a perfect world, I'd be on Disney but with a big group, Royal makes more sense for a number of different reasons.

A lot of helpful info and tips in here - so thank you!

 

[greeneyedchick]

I'm actually considering a RCCL cruise for later this year. In a perfect world, I'd be on Disney but with a big group, Royal makes more sense for a number of different reasons.

A lot of helpful info and tips in here - so thank you!

I was talking with someone today who just returned for a RCCL cruise. He said a few things that I wasn't aware of....He was on one of the smaller ships but he said that RCCL pairs a smaller ship with a bigger ship that will also arrive at the ports and Coco Cay together. Thought that that was good to know since I wouldn't like to think that the island would be less crowded if I chose a smaller ship.

He also said that the water park on Coco Cay is about $200 a person and isn't as nice as the water park on the ship. He said that if he went again, he and his family would stay on the ship during the Coco Cay day and enjoy lesser crowds on the ship's water park.

He thought the buffet food was better than the sit downs. He also felt that the restaurants that he had to pay extra for (I think it's an upgraded dining plan) were serving the same food, but would serve it in larger portions. Since he preferred the buffet over all of the sit downs, he said he wouldn't pay for the upgraded dining option if he went again.

 

[JM_97]

I was talking with someone today who just returned for a RCCL cruise. He said a few things that I wasn't aware of....He was on one of the smaller ships but he said that RCCL pairs a smaller ship with a bigger ship that will also arrive at the ports and Coco Cay together. Thought that that was good to know since I wouldn't like to think that the island would be less crowded if I chose a smaller ship.

He also said that the water park on Coco Cay is about $200 a person and isn't as nice as the water park on the ship. He said that if he went again, he and his family would stay on the ship during the Coco Cay day and enjoy lesser crowds on the ship's water park.

He thought the buffet food was better than the sit downs. He also felt that the restaurants that he had to pay extra for (I think it's an upgraded dining plan) were serving the same food, but would serve it in larger portions. Since he preferred the buffet over all of the sit downs, he said he wouldn't pay for the upgraded dining option if he went again.

Coco Cay looks awesome, but I don't see the point in paying for a water park. Obviously people do it (or else it wouldn't be an option), but if we end up going, we'll stick with the areas that don't require extra payment.

NCL had a similar approach when I sailed with them, The MDR's were fine, but they definitely wanted you to go to the premium dining rooms, which were a step up but far from gourmet overall. I get it from a business perspective, but it was a tad annoying especially since you already shelled out a lot of $ for the cruise already.

In a perfect world, we'd be on the Fantasy or Dream but logistically and financially, it doesn't make sense right now. Everyone I talk to overall loves RCCL though. One of my friends is a hard core cruiser and RCCL and DCL are their two favorites.

 

[Capt_BJ]

with a 19 yoa son who does not like the hustle and crowds and noise .... and with what you have been willing to pay DCL I'd suggest you take a look at Viking Ocean cruises. No kids under 18, no crowds EVER. No casino. And with under 1000 pass' the service is way up there. EDIT ,,, disregard ... altho I think the VO experience would be good they have NO 3 person or single person rooms ..... so unless willing to pay the 'single supplement' aka pay for a missing 4th ... V won't work for you .....

 

[LAS2AMS]

I was talking with someone today who just returned for a RCCL cruise. He said a few things that I wasn't aware of....He was on one of the smaller ships but he said that RCCL pairs a smaller ship with a bigger ship that will also arrive at the ports and Coco Cay together. Thought that that was good to know since I wouldn't like to think that the island would be less crowded if I chose a smaller ship.

He also said that the water park on Coco Cay is about $200 a person and isn't as nice as the water park on the ship. He said that if he went again, he and his family would stay on the ship during the Coco Cay day and enjoy lesser crowds on the ship's water park.

He thought the buffet food was better than the sit downs. He also felt that the restaurants that he had to pay extra for (I think it's an upgraded dining plan) were serving the same food, but would serve it in larger portions. Since he preferred the buffet over all of the sit downs, he said he wouldn't pay for the upgraded dining option if he went again.

The food that’s served in the upcharge restaurants is most definely not the same food served in the MDR. It’s scratch, cooked-to-order by a dedicated chef. Much of it is items you won’t find in the MDR, like jumbo shrimp, ahi tuna, scallops. The cuts are beef are premium and aged further, etc.

That said, we rarely eat in the upcharge restaurants but it’s hard to deny they offer a premium experience.

Price of the water park is dynamic. If it’s $200, that means demand is really high. It’s usually available for $60-$90, and as low as $30-$40. They limit attendance so people who pay enjoy it.

But it’s worth nothing that everything on CocaCay that’s an upcharge, is an upcharge or doesn’t existing with DCL. So no, you’re not paying for something included on DCL.

 

[ComeToSocialize]

I was talking with someone today who just returned for a RCCL cruise. He said a few things that I wasn't aware of....He was on one of the smaller ships but he said that RCCL pairs a smaller ship with a bigger ship that will also arrive at the ports and Coco Cay together. Thought that that was good to know since I wouldn't like to think that the island would be less crowded if I chose a smaller ship.

He also said that the water park on Coco Cay is about $200 a person and isn't as nice as the water park on the ship. He said that if he went again, he and his family would stay on the ship during the Coco Cay day and enjoy lesser crowds on the ship's water park.

He thought the buffet food was better than the sit downs. He also felt that the restaurants that he had to pay extra for (I think it's an upgraded dining plan) were serving the same food, but would serve it in larger portions. Since he preferred the buffet over all of the sit downs, he said he wouldn't pay for the upgraded dining option if he went again.

Coco cay is fantastic. We didnt do the waterpark which was $79 per person on our cruise ( a couple years ago to be fair). But we did use the massive free pool complex, the beach, etc. You can easily enjoy CocoCay without going to the waterpark, unless you really love waterslides.

 

[DisneyDad0315]

My family loves Disney Cruise Line and we own Disney Vacation Club at Aulani. I would call ourselves Disney fans and we have another cruise at the end of the month. My kids do not go to the kids clubs, even though I've heard awesome things about them. The kids and my wife love the theming and the characters. I love DCL for other reasons.

1. I do not drink and I am 11 years sober. There is no "all you can drink" package and I have never seen anyone belligerently drunk on DCL. No drink package keeps people from getting too drunk and that is a plus for me.

2. I can be whatever I want on a DCL cruise and on Disney property. I have been a pirate, Olaf, Stitch, and have made a bunch of personalized family attire. I am going to be Grumpy and my kid Snow White for our upcoming Disney World trip to cheer on the RunDisney people. We are not even running. No one cares what I do and people encourage it. I love the feeling and so does my family.

3. I also like that DCL does not nickel and dime me. It's expensive but I'm not paying for specialty dining or soda or treats for the most part.

Disney is not for everyone. If my extended family is going on a Family Reunion Cruise, we are not sailing DCL. We will go with a cruise line that is more cost effective like Carnival or Royal. Disney is worth the price for me and my immediate family and we will keep on going on a yearly basis.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I also like that DCL does not nickel and dime me. It's expensive but I'm not paying for specialty dining or soda or treats for the most part.

Sans soda and room service, you’re not getting anything more with DCL. Disney charges for speciality dining, just like everyone else. Most DCL cruisers have so little, if any, experience with other lines that they think the rotational dining is premium l, specialty food. It isn’t.

DCL’s dining options are pretty underwhelming.

 

[DisneyDad0315]

Sans soda and room service, you’re not getting anything more with DCL. Disney charges for speciality dining, just like everyone else. Most DCL cruisers have so little, if any, experience with other lines that they think the rotational dining is premium l, specialty food. It isn’t.

DCL’s dining options are pretty underwhelming.

I paid $50 per person for Palo Brunch and it was awesome. That's it. My kids love the rotational dining. The food is great for my family but the shows during dining are what is the best. My kids design a cartoon and it comes to life. That's an experience that they don't forget.

Carnival charges for lobsters. I can get as many as I want on DCL. My waiter brings me 2 right off the bat.

Royal and Carnival charge for snow crab legs. DCL does not charge and they have seafood at Cabanas buffet.

DCL is the best when it comes to food allergies or dietary restrictions like kosher food.

My family also enjoys the wait staff that rotates with us. It's nice to go to dinner and have our drinks and food preferences ready.

 

[Mango7100]

I paid $50 per person for Palo Brunch and it was awesome. That's it. My kids love the rotational dining. The food is great for my family but the shows during dining are what is the best. My kids design a cartoon and it comes to life. That's an experience that they don't forget.

Carnival charges for lobsters. I can get as many as I want on DCL. My waiter brings me 2 right off the bat.

Royal and Carnival charge for snow crab legs. DCL does not charge and they have seafood at Cabanas buffet.

DCL is the best when it comes to food allergies or dietary restrictions like kosher food.

My family also enjoys the wait staff that rotates with us. It's nice to go to dinner and have our drinks and food preferences ready.

Obviously you can like whatever cruise line you like and spend your money however you like. But some of your points to justify why DCL is better are a bit disingenuous…

You paid $50 for Palo and it was awesome. OK, I paid $50 for speciality dining on another line and it was also awesome. When we sailed NCL we didn’t even pay for specialty dining because we didn’t feel the need to. We were in the Haven and the upscale restaurant, but the Haven cruise was cheaper for our family of 3 compared to the week long Fantasy cruise in a regular verandah over the same week.

I have absolutely seen people on DCL fall down drunk and over served. I’ve seen it on other cruise lines too. It can happen on any ship, DCL is not immune to bad guest behavior. Not offering a drink package does not stop people from getting drunk. I’ve seen more bad behavior from kids on DCL compared to other cruise lines.

You can get as many lobster tails as you want on DCL? Does DCL offer lobster every night in the MDR? I have been on 4 DCL cruises and do not remember this being offered. Are steamed crab legs available for dinner on DCL or are they only available chilled at Cabanas? I have never seen them at dinner…

For your family the rotational dining and shows are worth it and that’s cool. But some people hate the shows and would prefer to have a sit down dinner without a show blaring at them. But other than grabbing a pizza slice/room service or paying for Palo every night (hello nickel and diming if you pay for Palo every night), people have no choice but to do MDR if they want to eat dinner. Some people don’t like having a set dining time and don’t like sharing tables with other families. Those things make DCL different but for some not necessarily better. For others it does.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I paid $50 per person for Palo Brunch and it was awesome. That's it. My kids love the rotational dining. The food is great for my family but the shows during dining are what is the best. My kids design a cartoon and it comes to life. That's an experience that they don't forget.

Carnival charges for lobsters. I can get as many as I want on DCL. My waiter brings me 2 right off the bat.

Royal and Carnival charge for snow crab legs. DCL does not charge and they have seafood at Cabanas buffet.

DCL is the best when it comes to food allergies or dietary restrictions like kosher food.

My family also enjoys the wait staff that rotates with us. It's nice to go to dinner and have our drinks and food preferences ready.

Not accurate. Carnival offers lobster on 6+ night cruises. DCL offers them on 7+. Carnival allows two lobsters per person, Disney only one. As you encountered, many servers will ignore the policy but as it’s written, Carnival is more generous. Only 1-in-5 cruises on Disney were 7+ nights last year, so most people didn’t get lobster.

Yes, Disney offers crab on its buffet - sometimes daily, sometimes levers-other-day, But overall, Carnival, Royal, etc. have far more dining options on their newer ships. A handful of newer Carnival ships have a premium BBQ buffet. There’s always going to be trade offs between lines.

But I was addressing your point that other cruises “nickels and dome” whereas DCL does not, which isn’t true. The only true inclusion on DCL is soda. Room service is free but the menu is so limited few people prefer it - if they had a buffet, I’d take it back to my balcony instead. The entertainment at rotational dining is nice, but the food is the same as you’d get on other lines. These are not premium, specialty restaurants.

Everyone brings up Disney and food allergies, but every line does the same thing. Carnival has a dedicated desk that’s open most of the day that you can inquire abou the food and if necessary, they’ll have a chef prepare you something. Cruise lines really don’t want people dying on their ships…

Ultimately DCL is a horrible financial value, you’re paying for the Disney ambiance and if that’s what you find value in, that’s fine.