Jumping ship from Disney, what will I miss?

[BamaGuy44]

Ok my family and I have been on 4 cruises, all Disney. One on each ship (didn't plan it that way it just worked out)

We LOVE DCL and WDW, but now DS is 18, so the characters, kids clubs, Disney themed shows, etc are not important to us now like they were 5 or 7 years ago.

We went on the Fantasy last May and were planning to go again next May, but now I'm thinking the Oasis or Freedom would be a better fit for us at this stage. (being 25% cheaper for a balcony vs OceanView on Dis doesn't hurt either)

For people who have sailed both, here are a few things I think I will miss from the Disney ships, please tell me if I'm way off base:

1. Castaway Cay. This is a big one for me because that is probably my favorite place I have ever visited on vacation, even though on 3 of our 5 stops there the weather was lousy From everything I've read no other line has anything that touches it.

2. Palo brunch My wife and I love love love Palo brunch. Maybe there is something similar on the RCCL ships?

3. Smoke-free environment. I love being able to go to a bar or club and not have to worry about smoke. Is this the case on RCCL? If I stay out of the casino can I avoid people smoking like I can on Disney? Having to smell a lot of smoke around the ship would be an absolute deal breaker for me. I'm a laid back guy but I'm picky on that one.

4. Turn down service Am I correct that on RCCL they don't do a turndown service in the evening where they set up the sofa bed, etc?

5. Disney level customer service Maybe I'm wrong here, I hope the RCCL service is comparable.

Also, How does the Freedom compare to the Fantasy, size-wise? I know the measurements say the Freedom is slightly bigger. (And the Oasis is much much bigger of course)

Thanks for any advice!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Ok my family and I have been on 4 cruises, all Disney. One on each ship (didn't plan it that way it just worked out)

We LOVE DCL and WDW, but now DS is 18, so the characters, kids clubs, Disney themed shows, etc are not important to us now like they were 5 or 7 years ago.

We went on the Fantasy last May and were planning to go again next May, but now I'm thinking the Oasis or Freedom would be a better fit for us at this stage. (being 25% cheaper for a balcony vs OceanView on Dis doesn't hurt either)

For people who have sailed both, here are a few things I think I will miss from the Disney ships, please tell me if I'm way off base:

1. Castaway Cay. This is a big one for me because that is probably my favorite place I have ever visited on vacation, even though on 3 of our 5 stops there the weather was lousy From everything I've read no other line has anything that touches it.

2. Palo brunch My wife and I love love love Palo brunch. Maybe there is something similar on the RCCL ships?

3. Smoke-free environment. I love being able to go to a bar or club and not have to worry about smoke. Is this the case on RCCL? If I stay out of the casino can I avoid people smoking like I can on Disney? Having to smell a lot of smoke around the ship would be an absolute deal breaker for me. I'm a laid back guy but I'm picky on that one.

4. Turn down service Am I correct that on RCCL they don't do a turndown service in the evening where they set up the sofa bed, etc?

5. Disney level customer service Maybe I'm wrong here, I hope the RCCL service is comparable.

Also, How does the Freedom compare to the Fantasy, size-wise? I know the measurements say the Freedom is slightly bigger. (And the Oasis is much much bigger of course)

Thanks for any advice!

1 RCCL has an island I have no idea what it is like. But I have to say I think Castaway is nice but not that outstanding so..

2. Not a clue

3. Same smoking rules apply on RCCL as DCL. You won't notice smoke unless you go gamble.

4. We had three women in our cabin and they made the upper bunk for me every night and folded it up every morning.

5. My service on RCCL was SO much better then my service on the Dream (AKA Nightmare) it's hard to imagine. And it was just as good as my service on the Magic.


What you won't miss... you money!

 

[bumbershoot]

Ok my family and I have been on 4 cruises, all Disney. One on each ship (didn't plan it that way it just worked out)

We LOVE DCL and WDW, but now DS is 18, so the characters, kids clubs, Disney themed shows, etc are not important to us now like they were 5 or 7 years ago.

We went on the Fantasy last May and were planning to go again next May, but now I'm thinking the Oasis or Freedom would be a better fit for us at this stage. (being 25% cheaper for a balcony vs OceanView on Dis doesn't hurt either)

For people who have sailed both, here are a few things I think I will miss from the Disney ships, please tell me if I'm way off base:

1. Castaway Cay. This is a big one for me because that is probably my favorite place I have ever visited on vacation, even though on 3 of our 5 stops there the weather was lousy From everything I've read no other line has anything that touches it.

I thought Cococay was terrific. Sand from the moment you get off the tender, vs cement. Small inlets of beach areas, vs one big long beach (OK Castaway has more than that, but we've never even been to the Pelican plunge area and just stay on that big long first beach you see). The exact same level of relaxation on a beach chair. No 5K, but that's OK.


2. Palo brunch My wife and I love love love Palo brunch. Maybe there is something similar on the RCCL ships?

There are plenty of extra-pay restaurants. Not sure about brunch.

3. Smoke-free environment. I love being able to go to a bar or club and not have to worry about smoke. Is this the case on RCCL? If I stay out of the casino can I avoid people smoking like I can on Disney? Having to smell a lot of smoke around the ship would be an absolute deal breaker for me. I'm a laid back guy but I'm picky on that one.


Smoking is only allowed in the casino and smoking sections outside. I am incredibly sensitive and was able to smell it tremendously in Schooner Bar on Freedom, and walking through the casino is something I did only ONE time. Not everyone is as sensitive as I am.

4. Turn down service Am I correct that on RCCL they don't do a turndown service in the evening where they set up the sofa bed, etc?

Of course they do.

5. Disney level customer service Maybe I'm wrong here, I hope the RCCL service is comparable.

I found the employees on Freedom to be just as good as the employees on Dream.

Have a good cruise!

 

[SevenWonkas]

1. Castaway Cay. This is a big one for me because that is probably my favorite place I have ever visited on vacation, even though on 3 of our 5 stops there the weather was lousy From everything I've read no other line has anything that touches it.

Depending on your route, you may get the chance to go to Labadee (RCCL's private beach on Haiti), or CocoCay (their private island in the Bahamas). I've never been to CocoCay, but Labadee is quite lovely!It's quite large, with several different beaches where you can relax/explore. If privacy is your thing, the cabanas on Labadee are much cheaper than on Castay Cay.

2. Palo brunch My wife and I love love love Palo brunch. Maybe there is something similar on the RCCL ships?

All RCCL ships have extra fee specialty restaurants. I think most are open only for dinner but Giovanni's is open for lunch, I believe. (Giovanni's is quite tasty!) We sailed on Allure last month and due to a VERY large onboard credit decided to try every single speciality restaurant they had, except for Chef's Table (we don't drink). Our favorite was 150 Central Park, followed by Chops.

3. Smoke-free environment. I love being able to go to a bar or club and not have to worry about smoke. Is this the case on RCCL? If I stay out of the casino can I avoid people smoking like I can on Disney? Having to smell a lot of smoke around the ship would be an absolute deal breaker for me. I'm a laid back guy but I'm picky on that one.

RCCL is now non-smoking except in designated areas on the ship. On Allure last month, it did seem that you could smell more smoke when standing in areas near the Casino entrances. (We figured that more people are smoking in the casino because they can't smoke in their rooms now. I know several people complained, so hopefully they will improve the system to remove smoke from the air. Our dining room entrance was outside the casino, and the whole area smelled. (not the dining room though -- there is a long hallway from the entrance to the actual tables)

4. Turn down service Am I correct that on RCCL they don't do a turndown service in the evening where they set up the sofa bed, etc?

Yes, they do. You just don't get chocolates anymore.

5. Disney level customer service Maybe I'm wrong here, I hope the RCCL service is comparable.

Also, How does the Freedom compare to the Fantasy, size-wise? I know the measurements say the Freedom is slightly bigger. (And the Oasis is much much bigger of course)

No clue about the size difference, but I'd like to say that the Oasis class ships are absolutely incredible. It'll be hard to go back to a "normal" ship!

I think service can be variable on any ship and any cruise line. We've loved all our RCCL cruises (we've been on 8), but there was one two years ago that was slightly sub-par in terms of service. If it was our first RCCL cruise, we may not have returned. Of course, if it was our first cruise we wouldn't have known the difference, so we may just be getting picky... haha! After sailing DCL last year, my husband said he liked RCCL better still. I thought they were pretty equal.