Disney or RCL??

[Amy&Dan]

I need some expert advice!

We are a family of four and are wanting to cruise in October of 2009. We took a Disney Cruise (Eastern, 7 day) two years ago, it was probably the BEST vacation of our lives. We loved everything about that cruise.

But in checking some pricing today, I see that we can take another Eastern 7 day on Disney or go with Royal Caribbean for a seven day Western on Freedom of the Seas. On Disney, I would book a Deluxe Oceanview stateroom, we had that two years ago and were very happy with that. On RCL, I can book a balcony room, its a bit smaller than the Disney one but does have that balcony. For $1,100 less on RCL!

I am not sure about this Western route, it inludes Cozumel, Haiti, Jamaica and Grand Cayman. I am in particular wondering about Haiti and Jamaica.

We have two kids who will be 13 and 15 for this trip. How does Disney and RCL do with kids that age? Last time they were both pre teens, not sure how the teen clubs appeal and work on either line.

Can someone compare these two trips if they have taken them? Again, we love Disney, we are happy to repeat the same route and yet to do something different, have a balcony and save over a thousand dollars is very tempting!

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[saradela]

Well, i can´t tell you about the freedom of the seas, but i know is the newest of RCL, I read somewhere that it is a very nice ship, but there is a lot of people for everything, from buffets to the pools. My family and I went on december on The Lengend of the Seas, the food was excellent, and we were on a 3 nights cruise this August, 8 days ago on the Disney Wonder. To tell you the True, nothing compers to Disney. It was amazing, i have 2 daughters one 19, and one 11, both liked more the Disney hands down. What it makes it grate is the people who serve you, they make a beautifull atmosphere for everyone. Remember that Disney costs more because the ship doesn´t have a casino, and all ships earn money that way. But then, you can use the $1000 dollars to play at the casino, or buy gifts.It al depends of what your family enjoys more, if they don´t care about disney, then the RCL sound excellent

 

[Amy&Dan]

Well my family are die hard Disney lovers! In five years we have taken a total of 25 Disney trips (DL, WDW and one DCL). So as you can see, we are very loyal to Disney!

I just remember that even though the ship was smaller, only the Mickey pool ever felt crowded. The rest of the ship felt very manageable. And I loved the dining rotation of three restaurants. I also have to wonder if RCL has some hidden costs, like paying extra for meals (I know Palo is extra but that was it) and soda mugs.

I am really leaning towards just sticking with Disney. I liked the at sea days the best, and with this RCL cruise, we only get two. I would also miss Castaway Cay. But then again, that ship on RCL looks amazing and its cheaper! And it would be great to try those different ports.

We only have one week we can go during the kids fall break so I basically have these two itineraries to choose from.

 

[cruisinmama06]

Oh geesh, I know I am going to take a hit on what I am about to say...but...

GO ON FREEDOM!

For teens, there is NO comparison between a RCCL Freedom class ship and Disney Magic...none.

I'll compare them for you, I have been on both. And Freedom is hands down our FAVORITE ship ever. We are set to go on Independence in January. And the kids are dying in anticipation.

On Freedom -
--H20 Zone, Sports Pool and Adult Only Solarium
--ADULT ONLY Centilever hot tubs hanging off the side of the ship
--Kid/teen hot tubs in the H20 zone
--Ben & Jerrys, Sprinkles Ice Cream, Johnny Rockets, 3 tired dining room, windjammer cafe, Sorrento's Pizza, Cafe Promenade (subs, sandwiches and bakery), Jade Asian Buffet, Portofino and Chops Adult Dining Restaurants
--Ice Skating
--Rock Climbing
--SURFING on the Flowrider
--Teen only areas and dance clubs like the Living Room
--Boxing Ring
--Mini Golf
--Golf Simulator
--Parades through the Promenade (center of the ship)
--CASINO

Disney Magic
--Mickey/Goofy Pool, Adult only pool
--Rotating Dining rooms, Food available poolside
--Disney Entertainment
--Fireworks at the Goofy Pool Party

Both have great service. My kids get a little MORE attention on RCCL because there aren't kids with almost every family like on Disney.

I have the Teen Compasses for RCCL (and some other cruiselines) that I've collected from another cruise board that I belong too...feel free to look over the programs...just click on the link then click on the left for RCCL Adventure Ocean.

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb196/cruisinmama06/


Here are some of my pictures from Freedom of the Seas...and the picture of our balcony. We stayed in a Grand Suite on FOS for the SAME price that we paid for 7 days Magic Cat 6. And in the FOS grand suite, we got concierge level service that came with a whole bunch of perks.

 

[Mickey_loves_Minnie]

Disney costs more because it's Disney and people are willing to pay for the brand. There are other factors of course, like the huge kids' club, a private island for only two ships, the custom terminal at Port Canaveral for only two ships, etc all cost Disney a lot of money to create and maintain. Things like free soda and no casino factor in as well, but frankly you pay more in your DCL cruise fare than you would for soda or casino losses on Royal Caribbean.

I haven't done Royal Caribbean or the Magic (just a 4-day Wonder), so I can't really give you a comparison between the two cruise lines. Here you will find pro-DCL folks. Go to http://boards.cruisecritic.com/ for the pro-Royal Caribbean folks and see what they say.

 

[Amy&Dan]

OMG Michele, that looks amazing! I need to check out those links! Thanks so much, I can tell this is going to be a very tough decision. But a fun one!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Did I say I was leaning towards Disney a few posts back (as in two minutes ago?) Maybe not!

 

[cruisinmama06]

HAHAHAHAHAHA I spend ALOT of time at cruise critic so maybe I am one of those "Pro RCCL" folks.

You asked about the private islands (coco Cay and Labadee), like Castaway Cay they are PRIVATE areas for RCCL ONLY. So you won't be sharing it with anyone else. My fav is Coco Cay, cause like Castaway it is just a Bahamian beauty.

Labadee is like a secluded mountain scene. The area is very green. Mountainous. The water is blue, but deep blue. There is a zipline there for RCCL guests. And I was worried when I first heard it was in "Haiti" but there was no problem. The RCCL area is actually a *****ula (HAHAHAHA edited to say, I guess you can't say a LONG piece of land)...you will have no contact to the outside world there (unless you walk into the small vendor area).

Here are some more of my pictures...and pictures of my cabin were done in 4 pics becaus it was too big to take in just one pic. The couch folded out into a queen sized bed for the kids. There is a privacy curtain between the two areas.


The Promenade (inside of the ship where there is a shopping area, Ben & Jerrys, Pizza Place and Cafe Promenade)

The 3 level dining room

My cabin - GS 1298

 

[RLccweems]

HAHAHAHAHAHA I spend ALOT of time at cruise critic so maybe I am one of those "Pro RCCL" folks.

You asked about the private islands (coco Cay and Labadee), like Castaway Cay they are PRIVATE areas for RCCL ONLY. So you won't be sharing it with anyone else. My fav is Coco Cay, cause like Castaway it is just a Bahamian beauty.

Labadee is like a secluded mountain scene. The area is very green. Mountainous. The water is blue, but deep blue. There is a zipline there for RCCL guests. And I was worried when I first heard it was in "Haiti" but there was no problem. The RCCL area is actually a *****ula (HAHAHAHA edited to say, I guess you can't say a LONG piece of land)...you will have no contact to the outside world there (unless you walk into the small vendor area).

Here are some more of my pictures...and pictures of my cabin were done in 4 pics becaus it was too big to take in just one pic. The couch folded out into a queen sized bed for the kids. There is a privacy curtain between the two areas.





OMG!!! It's so pretty....we keep playing with this idea of going on the RCCL. Thanks so much for your tips...we may actually book now.

 

[cruisinmama06]

OMG!!! It's so pretty....we keep playing with this idea of going on the RCCL. Thanks so much for your tips...we may actually book now.

And RCCL if you are reading this, you can make out my commission check to cruisinmama06....

I have the Freedom picture gallery saved in my favorites too...so if you want to see the rest of the ship it is here...

http://www.freedomoftheseasmedia.com/gallery.php

And this family has done many ships with reviews...they reviewed Freedom and posted the most pics I have ever seen of that ship - incredible!

http://www.thepreismans.com

Just click on link above, the Western Freedom

 

[slk]

Well there may be flames coming but...... when we went on our May '08
Disney western cruise we had a wonderful time - I can't really say anything
bad about it - it was great! And actually we rebooked for an eastern cruise
for next year that I had planned to change to spring '10. Shortly after we
got home a friend came back from doing a RC Freedom cruise and raved
on and on about and how my kids (teens) would love it. So.... after doing
some investigating and pricing we cancelled our Disney and booked on
the Freedom (there were 14 in our party on Disney - and they're all coming on the Freedom with us ) If you go on the Disney you'll have a great
time, but for us there's just alot of other options out there and for the teens
this might be a better fit for us. No matter what cruise line you chose
you'll have a blast!

 

[cruisinmama06]

Well there may be flames coming but...... when we went on our May '08

No flames so far so I think we're safe

So everyone is doing Freedom? Why not Liberty or Independence? Is it itinerary? Price? What is it?

I chose Independence because the itinerary is different (Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel) and the pools are HEATED

My 8 year old wants to know if the H20 zone is heated. She's funny.

Oh and for those who haven't been on Freedom yet, the pools, like Disney are fresh water, not salt water.

 

[slk]

No flames so far so I think we're safe

So everyone is doing Freedom? Why not Liberty or Independence? Is it itinerary? Price? What is it?

.

We went with the Freedom mainly for the date and itinerary. We would
have went on the others if they were doing easterns during the time
we were looking. I'm actually kinda curious to see pricing on the new
boat, Oasis. I'm sure it will be $$$$$. It looks HUGE, the Freedom will
be a lot bigger for me though!

 

[cruisinmama06]

We went with the Freedom mainly for the date and itinerary. We would
have went on the others if they were doing easterns during the time
we were looking. I'm actually kinda curious to see pricing on the new
boat, Oasis. I'm sure it will be $$$$$. It looks HUGE, the Freedom will
be a lot bigger for me though!

Yeah I plan on doing Oasis as soon as it comes out. I was planning to do the inaugural, but then the more I thought about it, the more I was asking myself if it would be worth paying $2k more JUST to be on the inaugural.

They are having the inaugural on Dec 12, 2009. Then, 2 holiday sailings which I'm sure will be outrageous in price. So I am thinking January will be a better time for us.

Oasis bookings open in 2 weeks, so you'll see the exact date added to my signature soon.

 

[4cogscruzin]

Hi Michelle! We are going on the Independence in Nov We have sailed the Magic twice and had an awesome time!!!! But our boys are now 13 & 16 and are sooo looking forward to the Flowrider. I am excited about the adult areas and the adult dining. I am sure we will all have a great time I would not trade our Disney times for the world though. Just thankful to be able to try something new!

 

[cruisinmama06]

Hi Michelle! We are going on the Independence in Nov We have sailed the Magic twice and had an awesome time!!!! But our boys are now 13 & 16 and are sooo looking forward to the Flowrider. I am excited about the adult areas and the adult dining. I am sure we will all have a great time I would not trade our Disney times for the world though. Just thankful to be able to try something new!

Keep her clean for us ok.

Just ONE warning about the flowrider. It can cause injury. Since I am on CC, I see some pretty heavy injuries come through the boards. One hubby broke an ankle on the last day, yet he said he "wouldn't trade the experience for the world"

I think the body boarding is much safer than the stand up surfing, less height to fall from.

And women need to wear t-shirts cause it can be a revealing experience if you know what I mean.

I am just getting up the guts to do the zipline on Oasis. By the time it sails, I should be ok. I think.

 

[MaryJPixie]

HAHAHAHAHAHA I spend ALOT of time at cruise critic so maybe I am one of those "Pro RCCL" folks.

You asked about the private islands (coco Cay and Labadee), like Castaway Cay they are PRIVATE areas for RCCL ONLY. So you won't be sharing it with anyone else. My fav is Coco Cay, cause like Castaway it is just a Bahamian beauty.

Labadee is like a secluded mountain scene. The area is very green. Mountainous. The water is blue, but deep blue. There is a zipline there for RCCL guests. And I was worried when I first heard it was in "Haiti" but there was no problem. The RCCL area is actually a *****ula (HAHAHAHA edited to say, I guess you can't say a LONG piece of land)...you will have no contact to the outside world there (unless you walk into the small vendor area).

Here are some more of my pictures...and pictures of my cabin were done in 4 pics becaus it was too big to take in just one pic. The couch folded out into a queen sized bed for the kids. There is a privacy curtain between the two areas.


The Promenade (inside of the ship where there is a shopping area, Ben & Jerrys, Pizza Place and Cafe Promenade)

The 3 level dining room

My cabin - GS 1298

THAT LOOKS AWESOME!!!!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I am really leaning towards RCL. It has to be Freedom because we have only one week in October that this works. I don't recall seeing any other ships for that timeframe.

We love Disney, we own DVC so I know we'll always be going to Disney forever. But the price of their cruises is just sort of outrageous. And the week we can go, it would be the exact same itinerary we did in 2006. I think it would be nice to branch out. We'll probably take (gasp, no flames please) our kids out of school for two days and that way we could do the parks for three days before we sail (we'll have AP's that will still have some days left on them) so we can get our Disney fix, just not on the cruise!

So how does the food, dining compare? We thought the food on Disney was excellent and I enjoyed the three dining rooms. I'd sort of miss that. But that ship looks amazing!

Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate your insight and honesty!

 

[BabyFavorite]

WOW, that looks amazing!!! I showed my kids and their jaws dropped!

It is refreshing to not see anyone bashing RCCL. They are both amazing cruise ships. My husband and I went on a 'cheapy' RCCL 4-day cruise a few years ago and were very impressed with their service. And the cost was no comparison!

We just splurged on a 7-day Disney cruise, and although it was wonderful, I think I expected even more 'magic' for the price. I think I set my expectations way too high; I thought it would FAR surpass RCCL, and frankly, it didn't. It was very crowded; so much so, that it seemed like there was a 10-minute wait every time we took the elevator (stairs weren't an option with my husband's back), and we couldn't see any of the pirates show or the fireworks, what with our late dining rotation. I mean, we were out there, but could we see it? Barely. I ended up watching it overhead on the Ariel screen from a distance. It was quite disappointing. I had such big expectations, you know? Maybe it was my own fault.

Anyway, next time we are going with a more affordable ship that's better in line with our incomes. We just don't have $7k to blow on a vacation every year or two! We don't make that kind of money. One for half the cost would be much more manageable and, frankly, more enjoyable because I don't have the high expectations and the guilt of spending so darned much.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Amy&Dan]

That is exactly us as well. If we do Disney only (as far as cruises go), we'll be lucky to go over four years. By saving some money with a different line, we can go maybe every other year.

I loved our experience on the Magic but we went Labor Day week and it was dirt cheap. My kids no longer do year round schooling so off season trips basically come down to one week a year, their fall break. This itinerary thru RCCL looks amazing as does the ship.

And I am now talking to my inlaws to see if they would like to join us which would make the experience even better!