RCCL vs Disney

[sbrownell]

We have been on a Disney cruise and loved it. Our kids ages 10 & 11 loved the freedom they had and really enjoyed the private island, movies, etc on the Wonder. We went to book a cruise for this summer for 4 days and the 4 day cruise cost was as much as the cost of our entire 7 day land and sea package was for last year and we have on less person going on the cruise. So we opted to take the RCCL 4 day cruise instead (Save $2500). Anyone ever been on this ship. We are booked in a Category C which is similar size stateroom as a Category 6 on Disney. How is Coco Cay in comparison to Castaway Cay?

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Señor Ferrari]

Which Royal Caribbean ship will you be on?

 

[sbrownell]

Sovereign of the Seas

 

[Señor Ferrari]

Well, I haven't been on Sovereign, but I do know that it was the largest passenger ship in the world when it was launched in 1988. I've also never been to Coco Cay. All of my RCCL cruises called at Labadee if there was a private island stop.

Is Coco Cay also known as Princess Cays when a Princess ship stops there? I know there is (or was) a Bahamian island which is shared by two cruise lines, each with its own name for the island. I can't remember which lines were involved, though.

Sorry I can't be of any actual help. Hopefully someone else will be....

 

[pal2pluto]

Coco Cay is nice.....if Castaway Cay is a 10, I'd put Coco Cay around 7.5 or 8. You will enjoy it.

One of the downers is that you must tender to the island rather than dock right at it. The snorkeling is very nice there. It's a large area with much more to look at than DCL in my opinion. More fish, less sand, more reefs.....it doesn't get murky by noontime like DCL. If you swim out to the life guard stands, ask the attendants to throw out fish food and then go under the water.......we were swarmed by the most amazing fish...it's one of the most memorable things we did.

You'll notice a tide that comes in as the day wears on, which doesn't happen w/DCL. It comes in quite a ways, we had to move twice.


There is no tram to take you to the quieter beach, and it is not designated an "adult beach", but it's fairly empty....no chairs, though, so it is a nice walk down a deserted beach.

The last time we were there, there were several stands of native souveniers....not like the DCL merchandise.

Food was good.....remember to explore a bit.....I don't remember receiving a map, like at DCL.

Enjoy........you'll have fun!!

 

[Bev J]

Do a search and you will find lots of info on RCI VS DCL. Go to www.cruisecritic.com and read the royal caribbean boards and you will get lots of answers about the SOS.
Cocoa Cay is only for Royal Caribbean visitors, princess cays is a different island.
We enjoy both of the private islands of RCI, prefer Labadee, but cocoa cay has great snorkeling. There is an airplane that is sunk that will swarm with fish and we saw lots of sting rays when we snorkeled. Great BBQ Lunch and a yummy drink called a cocoa-loco that will make you loco if you drink too many ! You can explore the whole island in a day. Hair braiding, native crafts and a RCI store are there. You will have a great day here.

 

[tenna45]

I was on Soveriegn of the Seas in 93, it was still fairly new then. I thought it was a nice ship, but that was ten years ago. My how time flies it doesn't seem that long ago.

 

[inkkognito]

When we first started sailing on Disney, we took a 3-day cruise on Sovereign so we could compare apples to apples. The food was delicious and the service was top-notch, but the staterooms were broom closet sized compared to DCL. The ship was showing its age, and we really missed having adults only areas (even though there are less children, they are more underfoot). Smoking is allowed almost everywhere except the theater and restaurants, so I wound up with constant allergies and eventually a sinus infection.
We really enjoyed Coco Cay. It was much different than Castaway Cay (i.e. not themed), but I loved its rusticness. I went for a long walk down the beach and was easily able to find peaceful deserted areas. I met a family that had docked their sailboat at the far end of the beach...they were doing a tour of the islands. We spent some very pleasant time chatting.
All in all, SOS was okay, but I much prefer Disney. As far as RCCL goes, Sov. can't even begin to compare to the newer ships like Radiance and Voyager. They are like floating cities!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com