DCL vs Royal Caribbean for Adults only

[Littled7287]

We experienced our first cruise ever on the Dream last month and loved it! Took our boys for Christmas and it was truly a magical time for our family. Would like to surprise my husband with a cruise for his birthday in March with just him and I going. Found a great deal on a DCL cruise with military rates but got to wondering about other cruise lines and was looking at Royal Caribbean and floored by how much cheaper it was. Would love to hear any feedback on which is more enjoyable when it’s just adults in your travel party, I realize they have significantly different offerings but was hoping for some firsthand feedback! Thanks!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What did you like about DCL? That's going to be pretty key.

 

[Littled7287]

What did you like about DCL? That's going to be pretty key.

Everything

We loved the overall atmosphere and that it wasn’t a party boat. Absolutely loved Castaway - was the most magical part bc we scored a cabana, the shows and the adult areas. Kids loved the Oceaneer Club and everything they could do.

Didn’t love all the food, some of it was a little bland but some was really tasty! The cast members were so helpful and friendly in every way. Our room was great too. Really no complaints!

 

[John VN]

DW and I have done DCL - Concierge and Royal - Sky, preference is Royal = in our opinion it is more bang for the buck$.

 

[Littled7287]

DW and I have done DCL - Concierge and Royal - Sky, preference is Royal = in our opinion it is more bang for the buck$.

Did you feel like you had to pay for more extras on Royal? I was reading that is one of the drawbacks vs DCL but when you compare base cruise price and add in extras you pay for on other lines that DCL includes I wonder if DCL is actually pretty comparable?

 

[OKW Lover]

Based on your answers above I think you'll be happy with RCL. We are older adults and love Disney. But we long ago realized that we could get an equivalent cruise on RCL for less money.

We aren't party people but do enjoy good dining, wine and shows. On RCL you have a wide variety of dining options (at extra cost) as well as the main dining room. You'll find the MDR experience on Royal to be less entertaining, but the food quality/quantity is very good. The uncharge restaurants on Royal are very good and I'd rate them at least as good as Palo.

Stage shows are good on RCL. Obviously you won't get a Disney story, but you we've seen Mama Mia on board and it was wonderful. The bigger RCL ships also have an ice skating rink where you can watch an ice show or skate yourself (not at the same time) They also have an aqua theater with water shows during your cruise.

Biggest difference is that RCL has a casino while DCL doesn't.

 

[OKW Lover]

Did you feel like you had to pay for more extras on Royal? I was reading that is one of the drawbacks vs DCL but when you compare base cruise price and add in extras you pay for on other lines that DCL includes I wonder if DCL is actually pretty comparable?

No, the price difference really never gets made up in the RCL extras.

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

We just got back from our first Royal Caribbean cruise last month.
We're an adults-only family and we've cruised with DCL 7 times, and have #8 and #9 booked. We love DCL!.

We really enjoyed RC; good food and great service... different but equal to DCL. The same thing with their private island, very different but just as wonderful in its own way. There was plenty to do on the ship throughout the day, and we had a great time.

DCL takes better care of the staterooms of their old ships. Other cruise lines put millions into upgrading their public areas but nothing into their old and worn-down staterooms. That was an issue for us, but of course that's only a problem with older cruise ships.
Entertainment was alright; better than Celebrity and Holland America, but nowhere near DCL's.

 

[KashasMom]

Did you feel like you had to pay for more extras on Royal? I was reading that is one of the drawbacks vs DCL but when you compare base cruise price and add in extras you pay for on other lines that DCL includes I wonder if DCL is actually pretty comparable?

That is the biggest myth. I'm pretty sure the ONLY thing "free" on Disney that is not free on other lines is soda. You still pay for specialty dining, alcohol, spa services, salon services, etc., etc.

We have done RC as a family and love the Oasis class ships. So much to do - and fun things! Obviously, there are more adult things to do on RC.

 

[SnappySerape]

I've done both several times and RC is a great choice for the money. RC has great live music choices, great looking ships (Odyssey is one of my favorites), good shows and decent ship activities (bumper cars, ice skating, Flow Rider, Ultimate Abyss). The specialty dining is varied on RC and I love that. The crew have been great on both. I love that RC has Coke freestyle machines. The internet package on RC has been good. I loved how Odyssey will let you stream Netflix on your phone straight to your stateroom TV via built in Chromecast (not every ship will have this).

There are things I miss when I'm on RC. One is that it seems like Disney is ALWAYS doing movies on Funnel Vision and the Buena Vista theater but RC doesn't play nearly as many movies in general. They do show a couple here and there but they aren't rolling all day most days like Disney and I really enjoyed sitting by the pool watching movies on FV. I also miss the arts and craft type stuff Disney does during the day. RC has a good bit of trivia during the day but I don't find it has as many other activities. Crosswords, word searches and the like were few and far between imo. There were several game shows on my last Odyssey sailing which were fantastic but my last Symphony sailing had maybe two the whole 7 days? Also, I find the beds on non-Grand Suite rooms to be WAY too hard for me (I'm a 6'3'' 250lb guy who sleeps exclusively on my side). I think your mileage may vary by ship, personal preference and such. For me personally, I find the Oasis class to be a bit too big for my tastes. I prefer Quantum class ships. Oasis ships are great to experience at least once though.

 

[isabellea]

For an adult-only cruise, also check Celebrity. I currently have a DCL booked on October for DH and I but I’m seriously considering switching to Celebrity (Edge or Apex).

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The shows on RCCL will be a downgrade. While you will have to pay for soda or a soda package, if your veins are flowing with diet Coke the soda package per day cost won't approach the price difference to DCL.

We were able to book a suite on RCCL for lots less than what an inside stateroom would have cost us on DCL. The private island is fine, the dining is good. To be honest, save for there being no Stitch, my kids would choose RCCL over DCL.

For adults, it sounds like you would be fine on RCCL.

 

[Littled7287]

The shows on RCCL will be a downgrade. While you will have to pay for soda or a soda package, if your veins are flowing with diet Coke the soda package per day cost won't approach the price difference to DCL.

We were able to book a suite on RCCL for lots less than what an inside stateroom would have cost us on DCL. The private island is fine, the dining is good. To be honest, save for there being no Stitch, my kids would choose RCCL over DCL.

For adults, it sounds like you would be fine on RCCL.

We definitely aren’t big soda drinkers so it’s not a draw for us. We went DCL for our first cruise because it was a Christmas themed cruise and we had our boys (7 and 9) with us. Also we’re Florida raised so Disney is in our blood and a comfort zone

Going to research some more about Royal for the two of us tonight!

 

[John VN]

Did you feel like you had to pay for more extras on Royal? I was reading that is one of the drawbacks vs DCL but when you compare base cruise price and add in extras you pay for on other lines that DCL includes I wonder if DCL is actually pretty comparable?

DW paid for soda and that's all. We are low maintenance and require very little extra and actually DW doesn't even drink soda now.

BTW, we are MSC YACHT CLUB CRUISERS, it is beyond DCL Concierge and also le$$ that Royal's STAR . We should be on Meraviglia as I type but chose to cancel last Friday and book instead for our 49th Anniversary a 7 Night Western that would be over $5,000 more for a DCL Concierge and still not have the PERKS.

 

[OKW Lover]

We were able to book a suite on RCCL for lots less than what an inside stateroom would have cost us on DCL.

This is so true. We regularly sail in a suite on RCL because we love the extra features. Comparing the price of our RCL suites to DCL concierge, for essentially the same itinerary the price difference is huge.

 

[martikus]

We only cruise Disney with kids. Much prefer the shows, variety and price of royal. We’ve done waaayy more royal cruises. Also enjoyed norweigen (not 3/4 day) but did find they didn’t have quite as much outdoor space as royal.

I assume we’d also like celebrity or princess we just haven’t had time. I’ve heard their shows aren’t as good as royal.

I actually can’t imagine Disney without kids. No desire to see their shows Without a kid.

for us we love trying new ships So that is fun. We actually thought Disney has the worst food.

 

[sethschroeder]

Honestly take a look at The Haven on NCL but make sure to do it in their Breakaway class of ships. The Haven is amazing for a couple, you can get a room with a hot tub looking at the Ocean, has a private area, exclusive pool (with retractable roof), exclusive hot tubs, and a exclusive dining area where the food is amazing (think to the level of Palo but for ever meal and its included). Oh and you can get unlimited drinks included where in The Haven you have the best bartenders on the ship who know all sorts of crazy drinks.

For Adults only cruises that is top notch and honestly in line with what the cost is of a DCL verandah room is maybe a tad more.

 

[Colo17]

For an adult-only cruise, also check Celebrity. I currently have a DCL booked on October for DH and I but I’m seriously considering switching to Celebrity (Edge or Apex).

Good point. We are Diamond Plus on Royal and got equivalent status on Celebrity so thought we would try it. Prices were good so we booked Celebrity Equinox 12 night for less than 7 on our Fantasy cruise. Included drinks, internet and gratuities plus NO MASKS ONBOARD. Since it was so cheap I bid on a suite and won a Celebrity Suite. Half the cost of Concierge on Disney, dedicated suite restaurant where you could order anything off the dining room menu on top of the Luminae menu, a 400 sq ft cabin with sectional sofa and separate bedroom and huge balcony. Secret door from suite lounge to gangway - they escort you off when you want to go. No shade in the suite deck area but we had plenty elsewhere.

 

[anjuan]

For me it is all about customer service. I just got off a RC Christmas cruise on Allure of the Seas where my daughter tested positive for COVID and we were quarantined halfway through the cruise. The medical staff was great, and things started out ok however, the customer service went downhill every day we were quarantined. Each day it took longer to get ahold of customer service and to get through to room service for our food (as well as the delivery time lengthened). They contacted me three times asking me the same question about our decision for handling quarantine after the cruise. Then from that point on they gave us no information about procedures when we were getting off the ship. I called GS twice, they told me they would call me back and I never received a call back. At 9:45 pm the night before we got of the ship we were given luggage tags but they still couldn't give us even an estimate of when we would get off the ship. It was extremely frustrating being required to be in a room for days with little to no communication. I do have to give them credit for reimbursing us for things while we finished our quarantine in Florida. But it made my daughter and I appreciate DCL even more.

 

[hrhdhd]

Note that Celebrity is now requiring masks indoors.