Disney vs. Royal Caribbean

[Captain Wildcat]

We trying to decide between the Disney Western Cruise vs. Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas Western Caribbean itinerary. I realize Castaway Cay is a destination in itself. But can anyone else give their thoughts on one line vs. the other. We will be travelling with two children, daughter-16 and son -11.

Thanks for your help

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

You're probably asking the wrong group that question!

 

[Captain Wildcat]

Yes, I know!
I guess I'm looking for those that have done both.

 

[Mjasp]

Try www.cruisecritic.com and check out what people say about Royal Caribbean.

 

[KeenHo]

Captain Wildcat -

I have not taken the RCCL Western, but I have taken the Celebrity Western and DCL's Western. DCL offers far better entertainment for families and adults going by themselves too. Celebrity does really well and I would certainly recommend them for the Western. Of course, DCL with the dining rotation is nicer, on Celebrity you eat at the same table all week (no variety). The food is excellent on both but I would give the edge to Celebrity.

Although I have booked DCL Western (again) for April 2004, with plans to move it to June 2004, I welcome comment on RCCL. We may be switching our booking in the not too distant future. Good Luck!

Howard

 

[JLSE50]

We took a four night cruise on RCCL MAJESTY in 2001 and did the 4 night DCL MAGIC in 1999. We also did the 7 night Eastern Caribbean on the MAGIC in 2000.

We rate the MAJESTY a 7 and the MAGIC a 10.
This is based on several categories:

Our room on the RCCL MAJESTY was smaller for a comparable level of cabin. In addition to the bed (which had space on three sides in the DCL MAGIC and was accessible only on one side on the RCCL MAJESTY) there was a couch with coffee table in the DCL MAGIC and a stool at the vanity-desk. In the MAJESTY there was ONE STRAIGHT CHAIR and the TV was situated so that the other one of us had to sit on the bed at right angles to it to see. If we tried to prop up on pillows while lying on the bed, the pillows fell down the crack at the foot of the bed. It was a poorly arranged room.

We asked for no potatoes, rice, etc at our meals. On the DCL MAGIC that was respected and our plates came with only meat and veggies. On the RCCL MAJESTY the starch came on the plate. That meant no one else could eat it, it was wasted. Seemed unnecessary to me.

My door key card was printed upside down on RCCL. I was told to ask the purser to fix it. He acted as if it was an imposition to do so.

When walking around the RCCL MAJESTY we never had any staff greet us. When walking around the DCL MAGIC everyone from officers to maintenance crew greeted us. We even had the girl polishing the banisters say hello and ask how our day was going.

And--"polishing banisters" reminds me that we saw a lot of cleaning, polishing, and painting going on while we were on the DCL MAGIC and nothing while on the RCCL MAJESTY -- it just did not seem as clean or well kept.

I stuck my head in the children's programming rooms on both ships. DCL has WAY MORE SPACE that RCCL. While on RCCL we saw more kids walking around in bunches, unsupervised. On DCL the kids had young adult leaders with them.

The sound system, quality, quantity and variety of entertainment was better on the DCL than on the RCCL.

The seas were too rough for the tender boats to take us to the RCCL island, so we cannot compare it to Castaway Cay. But that in itself is something. If they had had a dock for the ship, we could have gone to the island. The ship did not seem disturbed by the waves, only the tender boats. The DCL ships can DOCK AT CASTAWAY CAY. It would have to be pretty rough waters to prevent a Castaway Cay day. I understand it happens, but the tender boat is not a factor.

On the DCL MAGIC when someone smoked in a non-smoking area a cast member politely pointed out the sign and invited them to move. On the RCCL MAJESTY no one did anything. Smokers abounded and were inconsiderate of non-smokers.

While mixed drinks are available from roving waiters on both ships, it seemed to me that on the RCCL there were more of them and they asked more often if you wanted a drink. They did not just ask those who already had glasses, but they asked everyone. It seemed pushy to me.

Our stateroom steward on RCCL was glum most of the time. He did a fine job, but only smiled on the last day (when tips are given out...) Our room stewards on DCL were smily and friendly. They kept ice in the bucket at all times--we are great ice water drinkers so we appreciated that. On RCCL we had to ask for ice and I even went looking carrying the bucket one time.

Having had two cruises on the DCL MAGIC with a dining rotation, we found it tedious to sit at the same restaurant each night on the RCCL. We tried a different restaurant one day for lunch and were amazed at how much it resembled the one we were assigned to. The variety on the DCL MAGIC was delightful.

The RCCL had two pools. One was sea water and one filtered water. Both were cold. Children were in the hot tubs even though there was an age limit and they were too young. No one asked them to move. We did not get to use the hot tubs the whole cruise. On the DCL MAGIC there was a separate adult pool area so the children could not hog the adult hot tubs. The water in the pool seemed warmer. I do not know if it is heated, but it was fresh water and seemed warm. When someone with children tried to use the adult pool a cast member invited them to go to the family pool or the kiddie pool.

We are cruising again--guess which ship??
Yes, the MAGIC!! It wins, hands down!

Jan

 

[MFan]

I have never sailed with RCCL, but from every cruise travel book (Frommer's & Fodor's) that I read, RCCL generally had smaller cabins than most other mainstream cruiselines for comparable categories. DCL was usually at the top or near the top.

 

[liza]

I have not cruised RCI and have cruised only the 7-night Magic, but I also thought about switching just to try something new and because I also kept hearing how much more expensive Disney is than the other mass-market cruise lines like RCI. I booked a Magic cabin for next spring, then did research on RCI and got some good input, and here are my conclusions:

The size of the stateroom does matter to me, because we are a family of 4. I was satisfied with the size of the Magic room. We like a verandah stateroom. A fairly comparable room on RCI (which I think was called class C) does NOT cost less, or much less, than a balcony cabin on the Magic. In fact, since I booked early for the next Magic cruise next spring break, I could not find anyone offering a price on the RCI cruise we wanted, for the stateroom class we wanted, that was less than our Disney price. I checked the usual sources, like buycruises.com, etc. and talked with many of them. Perhaps the prices go down as sailing approaches, unlike on Disney, but also perhaps availability decreases, and I need to be able to plan ahead. I will watch prices and will check again closer to spring to see if the prices on RCI do, in fact, go down, because I am curious.

Itineraries mattered to me, as I enjoy the islands and ports of call (I don't understand the people who don't get off the ship at the ports, but that's fine). They had similar itineraries and I would have been happy with either. We did the eastern Caribbean last time and will be on the western next year.

People drinking does not bother me, so that isn't a factor for me. Dining rotation or lack thereof isn't a major factor for me, either. I was unimpressed by the Disney food, but I didn't have high expectations and wouldn't expect much from any mass-market cruise line. If I cruised Crystal or another premier line I would expect superior food, but not on Disney or RCI. I do appreciate the service on Disney, which I found good.

The kids' program is one of the most important things for me, and that was the decisive factor. My children are 8 and 4 (7 and 3 when we last cruised), and from all of my research it was clear Disney is the best line for them, at their ages. Given our satisfaction with our past cruise and the good price we got for booking early, I decided to stick with Disney for the next cruise.

However, I'll tell you frankly that if my children were older, I would be trying RCI. I got many rave reviews and comments about the RCI ships like "Voyager of the Seas" from families with older children, and if my children were of an age at which getting a photo made with Minnie Mouse or Cinderella were no longer the highlight of the trip, I'd be on RCI. My 8-year-old son has heard about some of the new RCI ships (not from me) and knows about the rock-climbing walls, the miniature golf course, etc. and has been asking to go on one of those ships. He would love it, but because his sister is so young, Disney is the better choice for us now.

Good luck, with whatever you decide!

 

[DCL-Fan]

We have sailed 4 times on Disney and 2 times on RCCL with our children..Our children enjoyed the RCCL cruises better and the children's activities on the RCCL ship better...We have only sailed the Voyager class ship on RCCL and have another planned for next year..As much as we enjoy a Disney cruise I also enjoy the RCCL one more.. The only plus for Disney is Castaway Cay IMHO..

 

[DVC Minnie]

We have two older DSs and would to try other cruise lines but some of the major reasons that we have cruised with DCL is the non-smoking staterooms and the non-smoking policy for some of the common areas of ships.

We have two older DSs and would like to try other cruise lines.

Are there non-smoking staterooms on the RCI Voyager class ships? If you are sensitive to smoke and had a stateroom which smoking was allowed, did the air quality bother you or your family? What about smoke in other areas of the ship?

 

[lsmac]

We have sailed most of the major mass market lines, but always come back to Disney. Why? Because the service has always been excellent, the embarkation and debarkation can't be beat, and the adult only areas are enforced. I have a 12 yo ds and he LOVES the Dis ships! That said, he also loved the Voyager class ships with RCL, but he is allowed more freedom on the Dis ship since we feel more comfortable on it. On the Voyager of the Seas, I felt it was waaaay too big, too impersonal, and the service spotty.
The staterooms on Dis are bigger and nicer, and the cost was comparable.
It all boils down to: What are the things that you simply can't live without on a cruise? The things for me that are the deciding factor are: ease of getting on and off the ship, service with a smile, not being nickled and dimed to death, and a comfortable cabin. Disney meets all these and exceeds at most. Not to mention that Castaway Cay IS worth the trip itself!
Lisa