Disney vs. RCCL

[Laxmom]

We have also been contemplating a cruise on another line. Disney has gotten so expensive that if we want to continue to cruise, we may have to stray. We have looked at RCCL because we have a 17 yo. and think he would enjoy it.

I really appreciate your very comprehensive trip report, OP. Thanks for the comparison and the honesty. As much as I love DCL, it may be time for us to broaden our horizons and explore other possibilities.

 

[BelleEm2]

I don't know if this would have any kind of impact on the common cruiser, but I know of three DCL (or former) CM's, who I've met and kept in touch with over the years of cruising, who left Disney to go to work for RCCL. All three have jobs where they commonly interact with passengers. Two of the three have never been happier. In fact, I spoke to one the other night who just finished his second contract and is planning on renewing. One did a single contract on RCCL and missed Disney so much that he decided to return.

I'm not sure about salary or living conditions, but I hear that DCL's policies for crew are much more strict than RCCL's.

Could that impact service positively or negatively? Make of it what you wish.

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

I guess this is where I pipe in with my RCCL vs. DCL story...

In 2002 DH and I honeymooned on the Disney Magic. It was wonderful, my only complaint was that it was only 7 days long and we had to get off the ship!

One of the great things was that DCl had the foresight to seat us for dinner with 4 other honeymooning couples! 2 of the oither 4 couples were also from
MA! This made for some great fun! In fact, we became and have remained friends with one of the other couples.

In 2003, we, along with this other couple, decided to celebrate our shared anniversary with a RCCL cruise. At the time there was a $400+- price difference between RCCL and DCL and we chose to try RCCL. We sailed on the Explorer of the Seas.

Now, I must tell you that we have had other friends who have only been on RCCL and loved it... my only response to this (after our experience and trying not to sound like a snob) is that once you have stayed at the Ritz, you dont want to go to the Hampton Inn. There is nothing wrong with the Hampton Inn, however.... the Ritz....

Embarkation must have been uneventful because I cannot even seem to remember it (however, I remember all the fun in the port during embarkation on all 3 of my DCL crusies).

The first issue was with our rooms. They were not ready when they were supposed to be. Initially ~ not a big deal... probably not something I would have even remembered if everything else had goone smoothly... When we did get into our rooms... ours was fine, but our friends room which was connected to ours had a nasty disgusting cups of cigarette butts on the verandah along with chunks of half eaten food on the floor of their veranda.

Once our bags were delivered, I decided to change into a new pair of flip flops i bought... there was a tag digging into my toe and I asked the room attendant if he had a pair of scissors I could use. He told me that he had a pair but that I could not use them because he was afraid I would forget to give them back! But I could down down to guest services and they would let me borrow a pair. (A counter example of the excellent service on board the MAgic for my honeymoon was when I tried on a new dress I had bought (and with all the wedding stuff did not try on until the morning of the formal night) only to find that it was way to revealing of my cleavage. I found my room attendant, he took one look at it, and told me he would take care of it, to go and have a good time. When I got back to my room a hour later, it was not only sewed in the front ~ very nicely~ but had been steamed and was laying on our bed.)

The one bright spot on RCL was our dining room staff (they were incredible and very amusing)

However, the food.... not so much.

We had tomato soup one night that we began referring to as Chef Boyardee... another night there was a peach soup... it tasted like jarred baby food... there were nights when the food was salty and some night where it was just yuck. We ate at Jhnny Rockets quite a bit....


Oh yeah! and we would have had to pay for soda with our meals... ***??? Needless to say, I drank alot of water.

Our table in the dining room (one dining room, all week, with 1/2 the ship) was near the front door... there were people walking by and knocking our flatware off the table and sometimes the poor waitstaff couldnt get to us becasue people would congregate next to our table to wait for the rest of there party.

The second morning, we went to guest services to ask to have our table moved. We spoke with a very grumpy employee who took one look at us and told us the cruise was full and there was nothing they could do for us, when I went to ask another questions, she looked at me, looked closely at my DCL lanyard holding my water bottle and commented (sarcastically) that she was so sorry that they only had one restaurant to offer us but if we wanted we could eat every meal at their exclusive restaurant but we would have to pay the premium. We were floored.

Those DCL lanyards got us into more trouble later on in the cruise when we were waiting to get on a tender boat and an employee said to us "so, how did you like the kiddie boat?" I, personally found this very unproffessional. IMHO, you do not disparage a competitor to a customer. It only makes you look bad.

Oh! how could i forget this: I was shopping in one of the stores (and buying a bunch of stuff) when my room key was declined. Embarassed I headed down to guest services... Turn out that because we were paying cash and did not place a credit card on our account - they had cut my card off... EVEN THOUGH WE HAD PLACED $500 ON OUR ACCOUNT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CRUISE... and our spending had not even touched that!!! They wouldn't allow me to use my room key until I placed a CC on my account... at the time DH and I didnt have CC's ... so our friends put down a card for us!!!!

There were billing errors to contend with...

and disembarkation was a disgusting mess... we waited over 3 hours to get off the ship and the only place on the ship we could be was in the main lobby like place... they woulsnt even fill the refillable cup i had purchased during the cruise because my cruise was technically over!!!!

I cannot see myself cruising with RCCL again in the future... I will save my pennies and go on less but better cruises.

***Disclaimer*** This is my opinion of my cruise. I know that there are people out there who have had wonderful RCCL cruises and that is great for them. I am just not one of them.

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

Something I forgot... Alot of people have asked me why I go on DCL if I do not have kids....

The fact is that we were more bothered my kids on RCCL than ever on DCL... The kids on RCCL seemed bored and caused quite a bit of problems... running in the hallways around midnight, being in the adult only areas, my poor poor DH came so close to being spit on by a kid on a higher deck of one the tender boats!!!!!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

This is a great report, but you cannot have a favored cruise line when you write these. You obviously enjoy RCCL better, and you review points this out very clearly.

i think she gave a pretty fair review...the title was Disney vs. RCCL...

The OP is my sister..she REALLY, REALLY, REALLY loves all things Disney and has been on a DCL cruise at least once a year for several years...she was truly worried that nothing would compare to DCL..I think a part of her is a little sad that she came back knowing that RCCL was better..she has bragged for years about DCL to everyone who would listen..her continued DCL propaganda was why I booked my first in 2005

I have been on 4 DCL cruises..just returned on Sunday..I haven't cruised on another line except once in 1995. With no other line to compare it to, I can tell you that DCL has declined in some of their points since 2005. My DD is still young enough to enjoy the Lab and the activites but I think when she reaches my neice and nephews age, she will want more.

 

[Laxmom]

I thought her review was very even handed. She made good/bad points about both. That is what I liked about it. I wanted an honest opinion while realizing that everyone has different tastes/likes and dislikes. With a 17 yo, we are always looking at options. We love crusing Disney and are hesitant to try another line but realize the day is coming. I found the OP's review very valuable.

 

[sharonmickey]

OP - I just wanted to say I appreciate your original review. I am definitely looking into RCCL if I cruise in the future. All cruise lines have people running in the halls, I know my last DCL I heard running in my hall at all hours which made sleeping difficult for me. In my experience DCL is not the same now as it was in 2005.
Even my DD, who said our 2005 cruise was her best vacation ever, told me if we cruise again it is time to try another cruise line. JMHO

 

[clori]

I've been on a 3 night Disney Magic honeymoon land/sea cruise and a 7 night Eastern Magic with 2 kids (4, 7 months) and I've been on two RCCL 7 night cruises on Advenuture of the Seas out of Puerto Rico both times with two kids. The most recent was in July. My RCCL cruises have been with extended family and my second Disney was with immediate family plus 1 adult friend.

I love both Disney and RCCL. We are doing a Disney 3 night Magic in January to end our Disney World trip since dd is now 4 and doesn't remember much from her trip at 1.5. We are waiting for more info to decide on our next week cruise on either a new Disney ship or perhaps Oasis of the Seas (though it sounds too big). We will also compare prices and islands visited.

Our first Disney cruise for our honeymoon was great. We were upgraded from Cat 12 to Cat 9. Our dining tablemates weren't what we expected. We were seated with a mom and her teenage son, and a grandfather, daughter and two young kids. It didn't matter to us and we all had fun. I didn't realize it at the time but the two little ones sort of ate and left though now I'm assuming they went to kids club. The grandfather waited to they left to have a drink and relax. The other mom had a terminal illness which was sad to see yet great to see how well she got along with her teen age son. I don't think he went to kids club since the trip was a special time for the two of them. The mom had to go to sleep relatively early and was nervous about the son being out and about alone. One evening he wanted to do some disney trivia so we said we would go with him so the 3 of us went then we walked him back to his cabin. On Castaway Key they provided us with snorkle equipment when they finished and we mailed them copies of the underwater pictures we took.

I love the free soda on Disney, the poolside food which you can grab in a wet bathing suit etc. For picky eaters like me the food on Disney is probably easier to get plain food but I didn't starve on RCCL. I liked the indoor cafe on RCCL and loved taking my daughter for a late night cookie/milk or grabbing pizza after an excursion. Dh isn't picky and liked food probably equally on both ships though remembers RCCL better since it was just a few weeks ago.

Kids Clubs - disney has more hours and no charge after 10pm. On RCCL kids club closes from 12-2 and 5-7 then from 10pm to 2am it is $5 an hour. My dd4 didn't enjoy kids club on RCCL but honestly would have been the same on Disney. She loved going ice skating, inline skating, mini golf. playing in the kids water area (mostly shaded and a separate deck from the main pool, included a water slide) called Adventure Beach but it was only open certain hours like 9-5 but the slide 3-5pm. On port days the kids club doesn't close from 12-2. The kids club had dinner 3 nights at Johhny Rockets but the other nights didn't offer kids dinner time. The age groups were 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, and 15-17. My nephew was 12. His group had plenty of scheduled evening activiites but mostly open time in the day time. Not many kids went so he was a bit bored. My 8 year old daughter would live at kids club if allowed.

Since I get sea sick I personally prefer more port days to sea days. Adventure had 5 ports last summer (Antiqua, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Thomas and St Maarten) and this year we did the alternate route which was (Aruba, Carosel, St. Thomas and St. Maarten). We did excursions or beaches at all but Antiqua. Dh and I had been on a land vacation to Antiqua so decided to just do shopping (for me) and let dd7 enjoy more kids club time.

I find the shows on Disney much more interesting and at times appropriate for kids but my dd4 came to the 9pm shows with me and enjoyed the singers, dancers and ice skaters until she fell asleep. We had a family member to leave her with if we did anything past the main show time. If you enjoy trivia it seemed like RCCL offfered at least 3 trivias a day and shows like family feud, finish the lyrics, love and marriage etc in addition to the main shows. My dh really enjoyed the behind the scenes back stage theatre tour. I did some scrapbooking sessions which were okay but nothing special. My 8 year old absolutely loved the climbing wall and did that over ice skating.

Occasionally kids club offered a performance to watch the kids in. My dd8 was in a circus and a talent show (which every one wins). There were also a few family times like family bingo and some sports. The first day there was an open house and a registration time but kids club itself doesn't start until day 2. Kids are given bracelets and parents fill out a registration form listing all people allowed to pick child up etc. Pagers are first given to 3 year olds and special needs then other ages can request one (I had one for my 4 year old). I believe they offer in cabin babysitting but no room like flounders.

I will definately cruise either ship again but haven't decided yet which to do. I honestly don't think of them as better/worse but each has areas they are better/worse in. Oh on RCCL we had a connecting rooms each which slept two. They were inside rooms and overlooked the promanade which is something Disney doesn't offer yet. The rooms by themselves were smaller than Disney 167sq feet but it was cheaper to get two rooms then 1 slighly larger room for 4 and a balcony isn't important to us plus we had access to one with other travelers in our party. We had a chocolate mint each night with turndown and various towel animals. We ate at Johnny Rockets once which is $3.95 but we had free coupons for being return passengers.

Oh the return passenger gift for people whocruises one to four times before was a RCCL logo hat for me and dh and the kids each got crayola twistables. My 12 year old nephew received some sort of bag. Each person gets there own gift verses one stateroom gift. My 19 year old niece was in a room with an 18 year old (first cruise) and both received hats. However I think the one gift on Disney is a nicer gift. Last year when we rebooked onboard we got $100 shipboard credit per room and 10% off or something like that. RCCL has fuel surcharges but we were grandfathered in. On our Disney 7 night we stayed in a sph room which we have again for our 3 night.

 

[tchrmom]

OP - I just wanted to say I appreciate your original review. I am definitely looking into RCCL if I cruise in the future. All cruise lines have people running in the halls, I know my last DCL I heard running in my hall at all hours which made sleeping difficult for me. In my experience DCL is not the same now as it was in 2005.
Even my DD, who said our 2005 cruise was her best vacation ever, told me if we cruise again it is time to try another cruise line. JMHO

Thanks, sharonmickey......

As I said in my original post....it was with a VERY heavy heart that we booked RCCL..........I was pleased and surprised that I could be happy on another cruise line that I could afford.
BUT.......My heart belongs to Mickey......I still eat off my Mickey dishes, use Mickey silverware, tell time off my Mickey watch......wear my Mickey Crocs and have the Magic as my wallpaper on my cell phone.

 

[mmackeymouse]

This is nothing against the OP, not saying that she was lying or flaming or whatever.

But, if you have not been on a Disney Cruise and are thinking about it, don't read this thread!

It about scared me off. It took a lot of trip report reading to get me back in the mood.

I would probably go RCCL at some point and not think a thing about it. But, I would like my first cruise experience to be Disney. The way I look at it, if I only do one cruise my entire life, I want it to be Disney. If decide to do more cruises down the road, I would likely look at other options.

 

[sharonmickey]

tchrmom - we must be kindred spirits! More than half my tee shirts are Disney. I have a Mickey watch I wear most days, Mickey earrings, drink out of my Disney mug or glass, and take my Disney bag to school everyday. The students at school all know that I wear something Disney everyday, it's a running joke. From your name I am assuming you are a teacher also.

Again, thanks for the review.

 

[tchrmom]

This is nothing against the OP, not saying that she was lying or flaming or whatever.

But, if you have not been on a Disney Cruise and are thinking about it, don't read this thread!

It about scared me off. It took a lot of trip report reading to get me back in the mood.

I would probably go RCCL at some point and not think a thing about it. But, I would like my first cruise experience to be Disney. The way I look at it, if I only do one cruise my entire life, I want it to be Disney. If decide to do more cruises down the road, I would likely look at other options.

mmackeymouse.......Don't be scrared! Disny Cruise Line puts out an excellent product! But now that my children are teenagers.....that forced us to cruise in the summer. Disney is just too rich for our blood now......But with 9 Disney cruises, one of which was last summer...WITHOUT THE KIDS.....I can hardly say they don't have a good product. For your first cruise.......do Disney!!!!

 

[tchrmom]

From your name I am assuming you are a teacher also.

Again, thanks for the review.

And I have more Mickey coffee mugs, pins, and beach towels than you can guess!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

don't forget the mickey sink stopper!

 

[joksten2000]

NANCYIL--- Let me know how you Canada cruise goes, we are interested in doing it in 2009 or 2010 I think we're going to Hawaii next Oct on the Radiance, wish they had a bigger ship out there. Thinking about driving out and taking 10 days to see the country. We've done that before and had a great time, but usually flew out to Denver and rented a car. Would like to do the white water rafting in Peach Springs again. 16 days and we leave for California!!!

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

She loved going ice skating ... We ate at Johnny Rockets once which is $3.95 ...

That was another bummer about RCCL - the ice rink was only open once all week... we never got a chance to go... I was real bummed about that...

Johnny Rockets... 3.95??? I dont remember there being a charge... Do you know if that is new?

My friends got hit with that fuel surcharge recently... They had thought they had paid it off and would not be subject to it but their TA has messed up and there was like $200 left as a balance so RCCL hit them with the chargo... after they called to explain it, RCCL agreen to absorb half the charge and their TA absorbed the other half.

I do not mean to attempt to talk or sway anyone away from a RCCL cruise... what happened to me may have just been a fluke thing... I just cant,m personally go back on their ships... once the two crew memebrs of RCCL blatantly insulted DCL to my face because of my lanyard... I decided right there that these people were unprofessional and I did not want to be around them....

To each their own, just have fun and be safe no matter which ship you find yiourself on...

 

[pfp258]

Does anyone know if all the pools on RC ships are salt water? I remember reading somewhere that they were.

 

[Im_A_Princess]

Fran: Thanks so much for your opinion and review. It always helps to know about other good options besides DCL.

 

[clori]

The charge for Johnny Rockets is sort of new. I know it was free at one point but last summer on our first RCCL cruise it was $3.95. It covers food but not drinks or shakes. It included fries/rings, unlimited main meal and an oreo ice cream sundae or apple pie. The soda card was accepted but this time just for coke, diet coke or sprite. When kids club goes there is it completely free.

I think ice skating was offered a few sessions a day on two or three days and some sessions were advanced skating only. Skates started at size 9 which my 4 year old wore. I couldn't get adult size 8 so wore 9s. Honestly I can do basic skating but found it hard on the ship but easier this year. I'm not sure if it is the rental skates or type of ice etc that makes it harder to move.

I believe most RCCL pools are salt water but I think the Freedom class (with flow rider) has fresh water and not sure about the brand new ship. One thing that was nice on RCCL was that the main pool didn't seem to close for special activities which is one area I'm hoping Disney improves with the new ships.

 

[tinytink]

We did a 3 day Disney cruise in 04 & a 10 day RCCL in 05 with my son's (5 & 7 in '04) we were on the Grandeur of the Seas which is one of their smaller ships, so it was pretty comparable to the Wonder in terms of size & extra's on-board. We all had a great time, the service was excellent & the kids loved the pool & hot tub. We didn't really do the kid's programs on either trip.
I will say that the rooms we definitely smaller on the Granduer (we had oceanview's on both)

This Aug we're traveling on the RCCL's Freedom of the seas (sister of Liberty), it's a trip that's sponsored by Nickelodeon so it'll be interesting to see how "Nick" the cruise is. We're all interested in seeing the florider, mini-golf & ice rink. I know this trip will be much more 'action-y' as my 10yo says.

That being said however, I also booked us on a 7 day Western Carribean on DCL's Wonder next April. I did it mostly because I thought it would be one last fling before the kids are 'too old' for Mickey. But the programs they offer for kids are cool & both of them (now 10 & 12) are super excited about the Oceaneer's lab & the fact they can be together. Yes price played into it, we're getting an inside cabin due to cost, but that wasn't everything I took into consideration before booking the trip.

omg, I have a different view of the GOS. We did not enjoy it 1/10 of it as we ejoyed our Disney cruises. It did not help that we sailed during college spring break so there were a lot of kids onboard. The rooms were old and dirty, our bathroom smelled like a urinal and I could see pee stains on the walls, there were dust monsters in the bedside lamps, the mirrors were starting to warp(like turning black in the corners). Dining was blah, service was slow, the buffet was the same and there was hardly any seafood, although I was able to snag one shrimp they had used for garnish, no midnight buffets like disney, no fresh fruit or sammies. Our pool/beach towels were rolled up and placed under the sink very close to the trash can. No self laundry machines on board, not many activities except the rock climbing wall which I did twice and the casino which DH visited many times. The shows are not as good but this IMO. No H2O soaps/shampoos they had a dispenser in the shower for shampoo. I saw our room steward maybe 2 times and we had to put little tabs in our door lock to let them know to make up the room or not. Free kids programs ended at 10pm then you had to pay more$$, what gives?

My DH and I said we were not going to compare but it was such a let down we couldn't wait to get off the ship and go home or jump ship to Disney. Needless to say if we do RCI again it would be on the Freedom or one of the larger ships not such an old one like the Grandeur and since my DSIL booked this trip for our family(19 people total) we could not offend her and complain about it too much be in the privacy of our nasty stateroom we sure did complain to ourselves or I should say I had nightmares about it while my darling DH was letting it ride in the casino.