Please Help Compare Royal Caribbean to DCL

[disneytim]

Compare Royal Caribbean to DCL

We loved our DCL land and sea in December 2002. Next year is our parents 50th and my siblings want to cruise. I think DCL is great but it was my only cruise. If you've been with Royal Caribbean I'd love to hear your comparisons.

It seems RC is substantially cheaper than DCL. I know you usually get what you pay for. I realize it won't be magical, but is it a good cruise?

Thanks, Tim

 

[iloverags2]

Although Disney is my favorite, RCCL is also worth it. Keep in mind the rooms are quite a bit smaller on RCCL, and not decorated as nice as Disney's. RCCL also has a casino, if anyone in your party is interested. One of our main preferences for Disney are the staterooms, but if you can get by with RCCL's size then it is worth it.

 

[MCazer]

I have been on 3 Royal Caribbean, 1 Princess Cruise, and 1 Disney Magic Cruise.

If you have kids, then Disney is the way to go.

Rooms are definately smaller on RCCL, Princess was a littler bigger, but Disney was the largest. This is going by rooms with verandahs.

I happen to like a casino. I also like the brass and glass and open centrum that RCCL and Princess offer. But, kids programs only run until 10:00 pm, then you have to pay for baby sitting services. This will actually make up for a good deal of difference between the two options, since we have 2 children. We often had the kids in the club until midnight. They loved it!

We also rebooked with the Castaway credit, and also some great rebates from Dreams. We are using frequent flyer miles for airfare and are renting a car instead of using disney transportation. We are staying at the Radisson at the port the night before with a great $99 rate (FALL) for a one bedroom!

 

[bkline]

I don't know if you will have children along on your trip, but there are differences between the two lines. Disney offers a wide variety of activities for the kids from morning to night. Kids can even eat with their friends for lunch and dinner. Royal does not offer this. Royal does a nice job on a small scale with their program. My DS was 5 when we went on Royal (Monarch). They did some things Disney can't because of the numbers. DS had his face painted for pirate night. They did a scavenger hunt throughout the ship. There were probably a total of 25 kids on our ship compared with 700-1000 on Disney. So part of the decision may be what would your child enjoy more.
From an adult standpoint, Disney has much bigger staterooms. Royal has a casino. Royal has 5 courses, so there are more choices at each meal. Dinner also tend to run a little longer on Royal.
I like both and would go on Royal again, but unless Royal went somewhere Disney didn't, I would cruise with Disney even it cost me a little more. I like the Disney extras.

 

[disneytim]

Thanks for responding. We are planning to not have children go with us. Everyone will be over 25.

I feel I'll be disappointed since DCL was my only cruise. Can anyone give me something to look forward to with RCI.

 

[Linda in sunny SC]

The food in the dinning room on RCL is much better than Disney's, in my opinion.

 

[inkkognito]

We have done 19 Disney cruises (#20 is coming up in a little less than 3 weeks) and 4 on RCCL (Sovereign, Viking Serenade, Voyager, and Radiance). Obviously Disney is our favorite, but RCCL was mostly a good experience too. They have a wider variety of food (I LOVE their soups), and the service was always good. The ice show on Voyager was AWESOME, and even on Viking Serenade, with a tiny stage, they did a surprisingly good job with the entertainment.
The things I did NOT like about RCCL were: The non-existent enforcement of the adults-only areas on Radiance and Voyager (personally, I think Disney offers a better experience for childless couples), the much-smaller staterooms, and the more liberal smoking policy (I have severe allergies, and I got quite sick on Sovereign). Also, their older ships are not very well maintained--Voyager and Radiance, being new, were both very nice.
Hubby and I are both Disney fanatics, and we love that extra pixie dust on the Magic and Wonder. But heck, ANY cruise is better than no cruise (unless it's on Premier's former little red barge, ha ha).
Hope this helps!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Sheree]

we've sailed on almost all the lines, I agree, the cabins on DCL are the nicest!

But, the ones on RCI are fine too. depends on the ship. If you go with the voyager, explorer series, the cabins are about 185sf outside, the balcony is nice.

the ship is incredible. so much to do. food choices were a bit better as well.

priciing is way less which means more money for stuff!

Go with one of the newer ships and you'll be fine