My husband and I have sailed on Utopia of the Seas and Star of the Seas (sister ship to Icon). We’ve sailed
DCL a bunch with our kids.
I think Icon would be great for your family, but I’d definitely want two staterooms. Royal staterooms are just not set up for families the way DCL is … no split bath and the sofa converts to one bed for the 3rd and 4th passengers on Icon (it varies by ship). They also only service the rooms once a day and my understanding is that they just leave the sofa made up like a bed for the duration of the cruise if you have more than 2 passengers. The plus side over DCL is that the king bed splits into two twins on Royal, so if you get two rooms, each kid would have their own nice bed.
IMO, the biggest difference between Royal and DCL is the overall vibe and the amount of catering DCL does to families with young children. Royal definitely has a drinking culture (so many bars everywhere and multiple servers running drinks during the shows - I never had any issues with drunk passengers or anything, but it just speaks to its adult focused atmosphere vs. DCL) and the entertainment is geared more towards adult than kids. Royal would not be my first choice as a family cruise with kids … but with older teens or young adults, I think it’s a good choice unless you have absolute Disney fanatics that would be sad it they weren’t on a Disney vacation (I think my college kids would enjoy it and they are Disney fans, but also appreciate other types of vacations).
DCL is so well themed and has a more elegant feel than Royal. Royal ships feel more like a nice Marriott and the dining rooms have a generic wedding venue feel - they are nice, but there is no real theming. That really stuck out to me on our first Royal cruise … by the second, I was used to it and it didn’t phase me … but after 20 years of cruising only with DCL, it was a little jarring not to be surrounded by Disney artwork and Disney touches everywhere. Disney ships are truly elegant and have an overall classier feel than Royal.
Royal main dining was not great on Utopia, but it was really good on Star. I don’t know if that was the difference between a 4 night and a 7 night sailing or what, but the food and service was on par with DCL on Star. We had MyTime dining on Star and I really liked it - we were able to making dining reservation on the app ahead of time and ate at 6:45 or 7:00pm every night - which I much preferred to the early or late options on DCL. Royal has more food choices than DCL - more quick type service places, the buffet is open for dinner and they have specialty restaurants for an additional charge (you definitely don’t need to pay for specialty dining … we paid for one specialty dinner and one lunch on our week long cruise and it was nice, but definitely not a must do). Royal also has the free soft serve … just vanilla and chocolate.
Soda is not included on Royal, but they have a soda package where you can get a refillable mug and use the Freestyle machines. I think it was $10.99/day per person if you wanted the soda package. They also allow you to carryon a 12 pack of soda (I think it’s technically per room, but people do it per person). They have water, tea (iced and hot), coffee, fruit juice (at breakfast), white milk, chocolate milk and a bunch of fruit flavored drinks (fruit punch, lemon lime, strawberry kiwi, etc. … usually 3-4 selections at each machine) that are included. You can also buy individual sodas if you have a hankering for one, but don’t want a package.
Entertainment on the newer ships is actually pretty impressive. It’s different than Disney, so you aren’t getting Disney shows … but they have a water show and ice skating show that are both not to be missed. They also had a Broadway production (Back to the Future on Star) and some shorter stage shows as well as comedians, trivia, game shows, karaoke, etc. I thought it was a nice change of pace from DCL. You make reservations for each show in advance (they also take walk ins, but reservations are recommended).
Coco Cay is more built up than either of Disney’s private islands, with a lot more added fee offerings … but it’s also very easy to just get off the ship and find a chair with an umbrella at no additional charge. Their on island buffet has more offerings than DCL’s islands.
You do have to check out pool towels on Royal. They have stations everywhere and you just give them your room key and tell them how many towels you want … then you have to check them back in or you get charged. I prefer just grabbing towels on DCL … but it definitely keeps used towel clutter down.
Royal embarkation, disembarkation and muster drill were more streamlined and more efficient than DCL. Royal walk in showers are better than DCL tub showers (for adult only parties) and the ocean view balconies on Star and Utopia both had footstools for the chairs.
IDK. If you want a
Disney cruise, but are “settling” for Royal because of price, I think there’s a good chance you’ll be disappointed. If you want a family vacation with your young adult children and are interested in trying something other than Disney, I think Icon would be a good choice.
