Disney vs. RCCL

[awatt]

The original reason that my DH and I chose Disney, was the fact that there was no casino on board and we thought that the enviorment would be more family oriented. I had never been on a cruise before but my DH had cruised on carnival. After listening to his stories of all of the drunks on board, I couldn't imagine exposing our two small kids to that.
I am interested in hearing from those of you who have sailed on other cruise lines. Is it really as bad as my DH makes it sound?
I would love to be able to cruise on a ship where I could afford a balcony (or even a window)!

Have not sailed Carnival, but have sailed RCCL,NCL,Celebrity, Princess and Regent. I have never experienced the drunken party ship atmosphere. There are always some individuals who are imbibing a little too much (and that includes DCL) but never felt it was out of hand.

 

[wdwluvrs]

we have canceled our may 09 dcl cruise and will not cruise again with dcl until the new ships come out we are hoping to make our first reservation with RCCL soon

 

[tchrmom]

I think......if you make it on one of their "Freedom" class ships, or newer.........You will be EXTREEMLY happy........especially if you don't have tiny ones who are there just to see Cinderella or Minnie Mouse.

 

[joksten2000]

We've been on ten DCL cruises and did RCCL Explorer of the Seas out of Cape Liberty NJ on 2/24/08. Going again on 11/09/08, 12 days for the two of us. $2,351. A real bargain and we love the 12 day cruise. Since 90% of our days are spent at the adult pool we always book an inside cabin. We love DCL when we're with the family as we have a young grandson, but the older kids had a great time on our Princess Cruise and the non smoking policy is great on both Princess and RCCL much better than DCL. The adult area on DCL is very very small. The one big surprise for us was how good the entertainment was on RCCL We'd heard bad stories so we were very surprised, loved the promenade area. WindJammer's is a lot nicer than TopSiders. The food in the dinning room was not up to DCL standards, We're hoping for a new chef this cruise. A B2B on DCL with airfare would be well over 6K We drive to Cape Liberty.

 

[Momfromva]

Thanks for the advice. I am looking forward to trying out RCCL in the future!

 

[cruisinmama06]

For anyone who has sailed Royal Carribean - how would you compare the Kids clubs security/check in out procedures, etc with Disney? I've always been very pleased and felt safe with Disney and wondered how Royal Carribean or any other cruise line for that matter compares?

I know you may be shocked but security on RCCL is tighter than Disney. I know, that's shocking but it's the truth.

On Disney, you can walk into the kids club to get your child.

On RCCL (and Carnival for that matter), you are not allowed past the front gate, period.

NO parents in the kids clubs. Even if your child is sleeping, they will hand them out to you. Now....you can see into every area of the club, so it's not like they are hiding something. It's just that they do not want adults walking through the clubs.

On Disney, I was kind of amazed that I could just walk around the club and even into the bathrooms to find my daughter...no one stopped me. It kind of skeeves me out that adults can wander into the kids bathrooms in the Disney clubs. All I had tro say is "I am here to pick up" and they let me in. So anyone could say that right? And walk right into the bathrooms?

On RCCL Freedom class ships, the 3-5 year olds wear electronic alarm braclets. They cannot be removed from the club area or an alarm will sound. They have to be logged out of the computer system for the braclet to disarm.

So IMO, Adventure Ocean and Camp Carnival have more security measures in place than Disney.

 

[MelissaE1]

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.

tchrmom, thanks so much for posting this. My family has cruised twice with DCL (three times for me) and we have another booked. We love the ships and the parks. My "tag" is no lie... I do truly believe in the Magic. At the parks, on the ships, it's there for me. I am a Disney girl through and through. However, the pricing on DCL has become too much for us, and I have the opportunity to change our DCL Western to a 4 day in November (resident rate) and cruise Freedom of the Seas next fall, and it will only cost me about $600 more. Yep, two cruises for barely more than one. I think we are going to go for it. My DS14 really wants to try RCCL and it's getting just too hard to take him out of school when the rates are low, so our Western will likely be the last week long cruise we do before he is out of HS, at least in the off season.

I was afraid to take the plunge as I thought I might be more bummed than excited looking toward a week on a non-Disney ship with my kids, but it sounds like I might just like it in spite of myself. My DD10 isn't sure she'll like anything like DCL, but she loves rock climbing and she's interested in ice skating, so maybe it will work for us.

Thanks again, you really made me feel better.

 

[tchrmom]

tchrmom, thanks so much for posting this.

Thanks again, you really made me feel better.

Thanks.............I know I was almost physically sick with worry. I KNEW nothing could compare to Disney! But, since my son is in high school, and my daughter is in middle school, we can no longer go during October...a much cheaper time, for Disney. I wanted someone....anyone's HONEST opinion before I got on that RCCL ship. I hope I have saved someone from being that worried!

 

[Mjasp]

we have canceled our may 09 dcl cruise and will not cruise again with dcl until the new ships come out we are hoping to make our first reservation with RCCL soon

You will not be sorry...I always say if you want to have FUN, then sail RCCL, WE LOVED IT!

 

[tammymacb]

We've taken DD on a cruise a year since she was 4. We've sailed CCL ( newest ships ) RCCL, Celebrity, NCL, and Disney. DD will be 12 in November.

The Magic is DD's 3rd favorite cruise after both RCCL and CCL.

When she heard me talking about booking the Magic for the Med in 2010, she asked if we could do another line. However, I still wanted to check the prices as I thought it would be a nice combo.

Well, with the ridiculous prices and DDs less than enthused mindset of sailing the Magic again, Disney made that choice easy.

We're sailing the Med on RCCL. 12 nights instead of 11, in a junior suite instead of a Cat 10 for less money.

Thanks Disney! I didn't even have to torture myself trying to make the right decision.

 

[wdwluvrs]

We are wondering if there is a board for RCCL like the disboards also if there is a guide out like the passporter for DCl the rates for May 2010 for RCCl are not out yet. we have decided on sailing out of port Canaveral 7 night western cruise going to ocho rios

 

[cruisinmama06]

We are wondering if there is a board for RCCL like the disboards also if there is a guide out like the passporter for DCl the rates for May 2010 for RCCl are not out yet. we have decided on sailing out of port Canaveral 7 night western cruise going to ocho rios

Yep, the most active RCCL community is at Cruise Critic.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

Be warned - sometimes people are not as nice as they are here.

 

[wdwluvrs]

are there navigators and menus available for rccl

 

[yazee1]

Yep, the most active RCCL community is at Cruise Critic.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

Be warned - sometimes people are not as nice as they are here.

Heading there now. Like most here, we love Disney Cruises, but every single one includes a costly trek to Florida whether we drive, take the Auto Train (with the kids free promotion) or fly. It would be great to embark from Philly or Baltimore. Even NJ or Virginia wouldn't be too bad.

 

[Mjasp]

Heading there now. Like most here, we love Disney Cruises, but every single one includes a costly trek to Florida whether we drive, take the Auto Train (with the kids free promotion) or fly. It would be great to embark from Philly or Baltimore. Even NJ or Virginia wouldn't be too bad.

You will LOVE RCCL...The only reason I am sailing again on Disney is because our close friends are going and I have to keep reminding myself of that, because when I think of entertainment RCCL wins hands down! Just the thought of seeing Disney Dreams again makes me think of "It's a small world" LOL

 

[cruisinmama06]

are there navigators and menus available for rccl

Yep...for the kids menus and kid compasses, I have them uploaded here...
Just click on RCCL Adventure Ocean
http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb196/cruisinmama06/

For the adult compasses, there are two different ways to see them...you can go here (they are older ones from 06-07)
http://www.cruisedailies.com/portal/tabid/213/Default.aspx

Or you can go to www.webshots.com and type in the name of the ship and the word "compass" and see if some pop up

 

[MaryKatesMom]

We've taken DD on a cruise a year since she was 4. We've sailed CCL ( newest ships ) RCCL, Celebrity, NCL, and Disney. DD will be 12 in November.

The Magic is DD's 3rd favorite cruise after both RCCL and CCL.

When she heard me talking about booking the Magic for the Med in 2010, she asked if we could do another line. However, I still wanted to check the prices as I thought it would be a nice combo.

Well, with the ridiculous prices and DDs less than enthused mindset of sailing the Magic again, Disney made that choice easy.

We're sailing the Med on RCCL. 12 nights instead of 11, in a junior suite instead of a Cat 10 for less money.

Thanks Disney! I didn't even have to torture myself trying to make the right decision.

I didn't think the rates were out for 2010 yet.

 

[tammymacb]

They aren't.

I checked against 2009 prices and added a few hundred for inflation.

I also called customer service to ask about the movement of ships. I was told that my choice, The Brilliance, will be in Europe for "a long time" and though cruises are planned for 2010 prices aren't firmed up yet.

I chose Brilliance ( btw ) because it's a bit smaller and can get into the smaller ports. It doesn't have the ice skating ring ( no biggie ) the rollerblade ring ( didn't use last time ) or the prominade. But, most other areas are similar, and quite frankly, most of the time, we'll be off the boat.

I'm open to booking anytime in the summer. So, we'll hit the Med from June - Aug depending on when my Med/Greek Isles cruise departs.

BTW ( again ) when I compared, I compared against July which seems to be about the most expensive time to cruise the Med.

 

[Tinkermom3]

tchrmom - Thanks so much for all of your info!

Ok, so here is our situation. We are a Disney family and love all things Disney. We are currently booked on an October 2009 7 night cruise on DCL (our second cruise). We are a family of 5 and are booked in a Cat 4 which we got for $5200 when we rebooked on our first DCL cruise in February 2008. This a pretty awesome price. We also have $400 OBC between the OBC we got from DCL and the OBC we got when we moved our reservation to Dreams Unlimited. Friends of ours also decided to cruise with us. They have NEVER cruised before. They are an older couple and are like grandparents to our kids. When we booked the 10/09 cruise we thought we were booking during the week of parent-teacher conferences and the kids would only miss 3 days of school PLUS they would be off the Friday before the cruise which allowed us that as a travel day without taking them out of school. Well, the district pushed this week to one week later. By the time we found out the cruise for the following week in 10/09 was $2000 more than what we paid and DH said no way. So, we wanted to look into a February 2010 cruise during parent-teacher conference week instead. This was the same week we cruised in Feb '08. Well, when prices came out last week this cruise was $9200 for one Cat 4!!!! Obviously DH said no way! We looked at 2 cabins (we really want a verandah- we were spoiled!) and one inside stateroom and one verandah room was only a few hundred less.

A little more info - our kids ages at time of cruise if we go 2/10 - DS 15, DS 13, DD8. Our kids all LOVE the look of RCCL's OASIS of the Seas (we have been looking online). The boys really like the FlowRider and the rock wall. DD8 is still into princesses and really enjoyed the family dances and such on DCL. She also loved all of the meet and greets with the characters. Our boys did also but I know they would not miss it either, DD might. I do think DD would love the boardwalk area on the Oasis as well as the H2O ZONE.

Soooo...we are now looking at RCCL's new ship Oasis of the Seas for February 2010. We can get one balcony room plus one inside stateroom for just a few hundred more than our current 10/09 DCL cruise. Here are the things that bother me though-

- We would lose our OBC that we currently have for DCL
- We have a great price for 10/09 but kids would miss 4 days of school instead of 3 and we do not have Friday as a travel day unless we leave in the evening after school.
- Would our friends like RCCL as much as DCL? Like I said they are older and not into the club scene.
- We LOVED our first DCL cruise in Feb '08, do I really want to give that up?

Specific RCCL questions:

- How long are the lines for the FlowRider?
- How crowded is the H2O ZONE? Is it as crowded as the Mickey Pool (which DD LOVED but DH and I found too crowded!)
- What is there for teens specifically our 13 and 15 year olds? Oldest DS was 13 when we cruised on the Magic and loved the Stack. Our other DS was 11 and he felt like there was not enough for his age (he did not like Ocean Quest), he would have preferred to be in the Stack just hanging out.
- Are there any evening FAMILY activities? We especially enjoyed the family dance parties on DCL. DD who was 6 at the time loved the Promenade Lounge with Chuy and Danielle. There were several little girls who would get up and dance and Danielle would sometimes invite them up on stage with her. DD ate that up!
- What are the kids clubs like? DD did not especially enjoy the kids clubs on the Magic. She says they were "boring". She liked being with us but we did insist a few times that she go in so we could have some adult time. SHe especially liked the Mickey Pool and made several little friends that she would play with everyday at the pool.
- Is there a place to get food during the day out by the pools like on DCL? We really liked the fresh fruit, salads, paninis, hot dogs, fries, etc that we could get on DCL while hanging by the pool.

** I really like the "dec" phones mentioned that RCCL has!!! I hated that there was no way to communicate with older kids on DCL. Do these work well everywhere on the ship??

 

[itutorfortravel]

tchrmom - Thanks so much for all of your info!

Ok, so here is our situation. We are a Disney family and love all things Disney. We are currently booked on an October 2009 7 night cruise on DCL (our second cruise). We are a family of 5 and are booked in a Cat 4 which we got for $5200 when we rebooked on our first DCL cruise in February 2008. This a pretty awesome price. We also have $400 OBC between the OBC we got from DCL and the OBC we got when we moved our reservation to Dreams Unlimited. Friends of ours also decided to cruise with us. They have NEVER cruised before. They are an older couple and are like grandparents to our kids. When we booked the 10/09 cruise we thought we were booking during the week of parent-teacher conferences and the kids would only miss 3 days of school PLUS they would be off the Friday before the cruise which allowed us that as a travel day without taking them out of school. Well, the district pushed this week to one week later. By the time we found out the cruise for the following week in 10/09 was $2000 more than what we paid and DH said no way. So, we wanted to look into a February 2010 cruise during parent-teacher conference week instead. This was the same week we cruised in Feb '08. Well, when prices came out last week this cruise was $9200 for one Cat 4!!!! Obviously DH said no way! We looked at 2 cabins (we really want a verandah- we were spoiled!) and one inside stateroom and one verandah room was only a few hundred less.

A little more info - our kids ages at time of cruise if we go 2/10 - DS 15, DS 13, DD8. Our kids all LOVE the look of RCCL's OASIS of the Seas (we have been looking online). The boys really like the FlowRider and the rock wall. DD8 is still into princesses and really enjoyed the family dances and such on DCL. She also loved all of the meet and greets with the characters. Our boys did also but I know they would not miss it either, DD might. I do think DD would love the boardwalk area on the Oasis as well as the H2O ZONE.

Soooo...we are now looking at RCCL's new ship Oasis of the Seas for February 2010. We can get one balcony room plus one inside stateroom for just a few hundred more than our current 10/09 DCL cruise. Here are the things that bother me though-

- We would lose our OBC that we currently have for DCL
- We have a great price for 10/09 but kids would miss 4 days of school instead of 3 and we do not have Friday as a travel day unless we leave in the evening after school.
- Would our friends like RCCL as much as DCL? Like I said they are older and not into the club scene.
- We LOVED our first DCL cruise in Feb '08, do I really want to give that up?

Specific RCCL questions:

- How long are the lines for the FlowRider?
- How crowded is the H2O ZONE? Is it as crowded as the Mickey Pool (which DD LOVED but DH and I found too crowded!)
- What is there for teens specifically our 13 and 15 year olds? Oldest DS was 13 when we cruised on the Magic and loved the Stack. Our other DS was 11 and he felt like there was not enough for his age (he did not like Ocean Quest), he would have preferred to be in the Stack just hanging out.
- Are there any evening FAMILY activities? We especially enjoyed the family dance parties on DCL. DD who was 6 at the time loved the Promenade Lounge with Chuy and Danielle. There were several little girls who would get up and dance and Danielle would sometimes invite them up on stage with her. DD ate that up!
- What are the kids clubs like? DD did not especially enjoy the kids clubs on the Magic. She says they were "boring". She liked being with us but we did insist a few times that she go in so we could have some adult time. SHe especially liked the Mickey Pool and made several little friends that she would play with everyday at the pool.
- Is there a place to get food during the day out by the pools like on DCL? We really liked the fresh fruit, salads, paninis, hot dogs, fries, etc that we could get on DCL while hanging by the pool.

** I really like the "dec" phones mentioned that RCCL has!!! I hated that there was no way to communicate with older kids on DCL. Do these work well everywhere on the ship??

if it were me, i'd take my kids out of school for the 4 days and go on the dcl cruise...chances are you won't see a fare that good again with disney! i didn't pay attention to your location, but we have also thought about leaving from school the day before the cruise in order to save the extra absence. it's like 9 hours from here to PC. actually, in our schools if the child attends until 11 am, they are not counted absent, so our plan was to check dd out at 11 o'clock and leave then...working the system i know, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

the only hesitation i'd have about taking the kids out of school for 4 days would be their ages...our dd is in 1st grade and we've said we will take her out if we want to until she hits 3rd grade, which is a testing year but probably won't take her out much if at all after that point. but if your kids are good students and the school doesn't pitch a hissy fit about it, i say go for it. personally, the disney cruise we have booked will likely be our first (and las) because of the horrendous price increases...so if you are like us and thinking you aren't willing to pay the hefty fares of cruises in 2010, i'd grab the opportunity to go on a fabulous trip for a fabulous price...just my 2 cents...