Well, we tried…

[MonaMN]

Just went on our first RCCL cruise after three DCL cruises. We were on Oasis of the Seas, cruising to Nassau, Falmouth and Coco Cay. My kid and I were traveling with friends who were first time cruisers, so we picked inside cabins to save money since it was only two of us in each stateroom.

It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t for us. Everything was so LOUD. Pool deck was blaring music that then drifted pretty much everywhere else outside. We only found a small handful of not that comfy chairs away from the noise (back of the ship behind the Aqua Theater). The Promenade felt a lot like being at the mall.

The two teenagers weren’t into the flashy stuff on the ship (ice skating, climbing wall, water slides, etc) and the other teenagers roaming around in a pack were pretty obnoxious. The evening shows were pretty good, especially Aqua 80.

We didn’t really get to give Coco Cay a real test - storm rolled in and rain poured down, but we had rented a beach bed in the South Beach area that was lovely for the short time we were there.

Overall, it was ok but definitely wasn’t our vibe. Lesson learned. If we veer away from DCL again, we will try Celebrity or Princess. Even a smaller RCCL ship might be better… but not sure I want to try again.

 

[Tripscarcare]

Thanks for the review, we have been kicking around trying out different lines. Our First cruise last year was on the Fantasy, we had a great time, and recently booked a cruise on the Destiny. But were curious to try another brand in between. We are a low key family and enjoy relaxing and not much into the "party" scene,

 

[CamColt]

Thanks for the review!

We sail the Magic next week, then "jump ship" for a 3 night on Utopia. I'm curious (and a little nervous) to see the comparison.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Can I ask what besides the music you didn’t like? I have been on several different cruise lines but not DCL. The lack of dining options, lack of port options, and price are why we have not sailed DCL. We are Disney people. I’m curious why you love DCL and didn’t like RC and probably wouldn’t try another cruise line. I’m trying to justify the cost lol.

 

[asgur5]

Can I ask what besides the music you didn’t like? I have been on several different cruise lines but not DCL. The lack of dining options, lack of port options, and price are why we have not sailed DCL. We are Disney people. I’m curious why you love DCL and didn’t like RC and probably wouldn’t try another cruise line. I’m trying to justify the cost lol.

There is no lack of dining options on dcl. Especially the newer ships. Dining is one of the best aspects. In fact their fine dining restaurants are as good as any fine dining you find on land.

Dcl costs is high but its a magical experience with the aesthetics of the ship and the disney classics playing throughout the hallways and characters and shows and the servers who make you feel special and important. Other cruise lines feel like a mall (prison) on water and completely lack any magic. There are no crappy chains like starbucks on dcl. On dcl its the ship you want to be on, not the ports.

 

[LoveDaisy]

There is no lack of dining options on dcl. Especially the newer ships. Dining is one of the best aspects. In fact their fine dining restaurants are as good as any fine dining you find on land.

Dcl costs is high but its a magical experience with the aesthetics of the ship and the disney classics playing throughout the hallways and characters and shows and the servers who make you feel special and important. Other cruise lines feel like a mall (prison) on water and completely lack any magic. There are no crappy chains like starbucks on dcl. On dcl its the ship you want to be on, not the ports.

Have you been on another cruise line? The prison comment is odd. Especially since cruise lines vary greatly.

 

[Disneyworldlocal]

Thanks for the review!

We sail the Magic next week, then "jump ship" for a 3 night on Utopia. I'm curious (and a little nervous) to see the comparison.

Please share how Utopia is. Been looking at that one but worried it might be too much of a party vibe

 

[DCLMP]

Have you been on another cruise line? The prison comment is odd. Especially since cruise lines vary greatly.

My thoughts exactly. Prison? What's wrong with Starbucks? Not only do cruise lines vary, but so do ships owned by the same cruise line. Not all Royal ships have a royal promenade{mall}. Just like not all Disney ships lack a running track.

 

[FrancisK7]

This week-end I saw a post about a glass waterslide that broke on Icon of the Seas, slicing open two people before they could stop more people from going through the slide. It's been sailing for less than 2 years. How is this possible?

I was already averse to the Icon class because 7,600 people on a ship sounds like a nightmare to me, stories like this just make me fear I'll regret trying another line even more.

This morning I saw a photo of both Icon and Star of the Seas at port in Coco Cay. 14 000 people on a small island? Castaway Cay can feel crowded with 4000 people, and is bigger than Coco Cat. I cannot even imagine enjoying the island with an extra 10K people roaming around.

I am trying Seabourn next year, in Alaska. We'll see if I do end up with regrets.

 

[DCLMP]

There is no lack of dining options on dcl. Especially the newer ships. Dining is one of the best aspects. In fact their fine dining restaurants are as good as any fine dining you find on land.

Dcl costs is high but its a magical experience with the aesthetics of the ship and the disney classics playing throughout the hallways and characters and shows and the servers who make you feel special and important. Other cruise lines feel like a mall (prison) on water and completely lack any magic. There are no crappy chains like starbucks on dcl. On dcl its the ship you want to be on, not the ports.

Can I ask what besides the music you didn’t like? I have been on several different cruise lines but not DCL. The lack of dining options, lack of port options, and price are why we have not sailed DCL. We are Disney people. I’m curious why you love DCL and didn’t like RC and probably wouldn’t try another cruise line. I’m trying to justify the cost lol.

Disney can be magical if you are really into Disney. I'm pretty neutral on that, but it's great for the kids. I barely notice what music is playing. That's an individual preference.

The fine dining is good, but certainly nothing like a high end fine dining experience you can find on land. Disney does lack dining options compared to other cruise ships. Many ships have 5- 10 or more speciality venues. DCL has 1-2 depending on the ship. Food on any ship is subjective and can vary a lot from cruise to cruise.

Ports are important to a lot of cruisers and so it cost. If you are happy with RCCL I wouldn't stretch your budget to try DCL. If you are itching to try something new just set your expectations. I've cruised RCCL a couple of times and it's always exceeded my expectations. I think that's because in large part I was brainwashed into thinking DCL was head and shoulders ten times better than anyone else. I walked a way from those cruises thinking that was great different, but great. Even my Carnival cruise in the Med was great.

 

[Mango7100]

This week-end I saw a post about a glass waterslide that broke on Icon of the Seas, slicing open two people before they could stop more people from going through the slide. It's been sailing for less than 2 years. How is this possible?

I was already averse to the Icon class because 7,600 people on a ship sounds like a nightmare to me, stories like this just make me fear I'll regret trying another line even more.

This morning I saw a photo of both Icon and Star of the Seas at port in Coco Cay. 14 000 people on a small island? Castaway Cay can feel crowded with 4000 people, and is bigger than Coco Cat. I cannot even imagine enjoying the island with an extra 10K people roaming around.

I am trying Seabourn next year, in Alaska. We'll see if I do end up with regrets.

We just were at Coco Cay on Celebrity and we docked with Wonder of the Seas. Coco Cay does not feel like a small island at all. We went to South Beach and rented a day bed. We did take the tram to Chill island but we never even set foot by the pool, water park, adults only beach, beach club, or Breezy Bay. Cococay felt way less crowded with 9000+ between 2 ships there than Castaway with 4000.

 

[Mango7100]

There is no lack of dining options on dcl. Especially the newer ships. Dining is one of the best aspects. In fact their fine dining restaurants are as good as any fine dining you find on land.

Dcl costs is high but its a magical experience with the aesthetics of the ship and the disney classics playing throughout the hallways and characters and shows and the servers who make you feel special and important. Other cruise lines feel like a mall (prison) on water and completely lack any magic. There are no crappy chains like starbucks on dcl. On dcl its the ship you want to be on, not the ports.

No crappy chains on DCL but there is crappy food. We have been on Treasure, Wish, and Dream. In the MDR I cannot think of one meal where we have thought this meal is fantastic. Everything is fine, not bad but not great, it gets the job done to fill you up but nothing special. Palo is excellent but again not any better than the speciality restaurants on other lines.

 

[MonaMN]

Can I ask what besides the music you didn’t like? I have been on several different cruise lines but not DCL. The lack of dining options, lack of port options, and price are why we have not sailed DCL. We are Disney people. I’m curious why you love DCL and didn’t like RC and probably wouldn’t try another cruise line. I’m trying to justify the cost lol.

The vibe is just very different. Like the first thing we experienced when we got on the Oasis was the Promenade. You are just dropped in the middle of a very busy spot that felt so overwhelming. Staff trying to upsell all the packages (dining, beverage, internet), people everywhere… it felt like going from being a Target shopper to a Walmart for me. When we weren’t at ports, that area was full of kiosks selling shirts, jewelry, trinkets… it was weird.

We also really enjoy trivia and karaoke and there was only once during the sailing where those weren’t mobbed (standing room only and people sitting on the floor) and that was when we were in Jamaica (had to cancel our excursion so the ship was quiet).

Again, I get that some people maybe like the energy… it was just sensory overload nearly all the time. I missed the classic ship design and I don’t need specialty dining or alcohol all day long.

I do think Celebrity or Princess might be a better fit… so maybe we will still consider those at some point.

 

[MonaMN]

We just were at Coco Cay on Celebrity and we docked with Wonder of the Seas. Coco Cay does not feel like a small island at all. We went to South Beach and rented a day bed. We did take the tram to Chill island but we never even set foot by the pool, water park, adults only beach, beach club, or Breezy Bay. Cococay felt way less crowded with 9000+ between 2 ships there than Castaway with 4000.

We also rented a bed at South Beach and for the short time we were there, it was lovely. Mostly quiet and not crowded. I would love for Disney to add more options like that - not as expensive as a full cabana but a place to call “home” for the day.

Unfortunately for us, a storm popped up and it started raining pretty hard… at which point the entire population of the Oasis and Icon were all trying to make it back to the ships!

 

[MonaMN]

This week-end I saw a post about a glass waterslide that broke on Icon of the Seas, slicing open two people before they could stop more people from going through the slide. It's been sailing for less than 2 years. How is this possible?

I was already averse to the Icon class because 7,600 people on a ship sounds like a nightmare to me, stories like this just make me fear I'll regret trying another line even more.

This morning I saw a photo of both Icon and Star of the Seas at port in Coco Cay. 14 000 people on a small island? Castaway Cay can feel crowded with 4000 people, and is bigger than Coco Cat. I cannot even imagine enjoying the island with an extra 10K people roaming around.

I am trying Seabourn next year, in Alaska. We'll see if I do end up with regrets.

To be fair, the Star docked at Coco Cay as we left, so it had been the Icon and Oasis there until mid-afternoon. Because it started raining pretty hard, I didn’t get a chance to venture beyond our spot at South Beach so I don’t know if the other parts of the island felt crowded, but the Oasis has a lot of passengers too.

 

[Moonspinner]

There is no lack of dining options on dcl. Especially the newer ships. Dining is one of the best aspects. In fact their fine dining restaurants are as good as any fine dining you find on land.

Dcl costs is high but it’s a magical experience with the aesthetics of the ship and the disney classics playing throughout the hallways and characters and shows and the servers who make you feel special and important. Other cruise lines feel like a mall (prison) on water and completely lack any magic. There are no crappy chains like starbucks on dcl. On dcl it’s the ship you want to be on, not the ports.

Funny you should say prison… our eldest son said he felt like a prison inmate on our last princess cruise.

 

[asgur5]

Disney can be magical if you are really into Disney. I'm pretty neutral on that, but it's great for the kids. I barely notice what music is playing. That's an individual preference.

The fine dining is good, but certainly nothing like a high end fine dining experience you can find on land. Disney does lack dining options compared to other cruise ships. Many ships have 5- 10 or more speciality venues. DCL has 1-2 depending on the ship. Food on any ship is subjective and can vary a lot from cruise to cruise.

Ports are important to a lot of cruisers and so it cost. If you are happy with RCCL I wouldn't stretch your budget to try DCL. If you are itching to try something new just set your expectations. I've cruised RCCL a couple of times and it's always exceeded my expectations. I think that's because in large part I was brainwashed into thinking DCL was head and shoulders ten times better than anyone else. I walked a way from those cruises thinking that was great different, but great. Even my Carnival cruise in the Med was great.

I disagree on the fine dining comment. Ive been to multiple 3 michlin star restsurants in paris, london and vegas and countless 2 star michelin restaurants across the world and remys and enchante is right up there with them. Is it the absolute best? No. But its at worst middle of the road along side them. Had a number of worse 3 star michelins before (yes paris im talking about you). Palo is also excellent for non degustion type high end restaurants on land and very different to remys/enchante giving a great deal of high end variety.

The main room dining is well poor food wise. But no different to other cruise lines. Its the atmosphere/shows that makes main room dining worth it (and the magic tricks for the kids and the fact you can order extra meals and desserts for no cost).

And whats wrong with starbucks? Well i dont even know where to start. Coffee that tastes like dust. The horrible mall like sign. The horrible mall like decor.

Other cruise ships look like malls cos they literally look like malls. All white with occassional pot plants, chained shops, cafes, restaurants that look like they belong in a mall, crappy music playing in elevators. My idea of hell.

 

[Moonspinner]

We like trying other lines But DCL is our favorite. We are “boring” and like less drinking, less noise. That’s why we are attracted to DCL. We don’t care about the trivia, activities, or shows. We just like the toned down atmosphere.

The big differences for us/why we like dcl:
1) our kids prefer the kids clubs
2) no casino
3) no drink package
4) cleanest ships: no trays of food in the hallway or sitting in odd places
5) we do find DCL cruisers more polite and friendly in general. I know that’s a huge generalization.

 

[DCLMP]

I disagree on the fine dining comment. Ive been to multiple 3 michlin star restsurants in paris, london and vegas and countless 2 star michelin restaurants across the world and remys and enchante is right up there with them. Is it the absolute best? No. But its at worst middle of the road along side them. Had a number of worse 3 star michelins before (yes paris im talking about you). Palo is also excellent for non degustion type high end restaurants on land and very different to remys/enchante giving a great deal of high end variety.

The main room dining is well poor food wise. But no different to other cruise lines. Its the atmosphere/shows that makes main room dining worth it (and the magic tricks for the kids and the fact you can order extra meals and desserts for no cost).

And whats wrong with starbucks? Well i dont even know where to start. Coffee that tastes like dust. The horrible mall like sign. The horrible mall like decor.

Other cruise ships look like malls cos they literally look like malls. All white with occassional pot plants, chained shops, cafes, restaurants that look like they belong in a mall, crappy music playing in elevators. My idea of hell.

You also sail concierge on DCL right? I can’t afford that and can get more for my money on another cruises line. If I choose to do that. Sometimes an inside room on DCL is fine.
It’s nice you eat at Michelin restaurants across the globe I’m not sure how that’s relevant. We have some non Michelin Italian restaurants in my home town that are better than Palo. I enjoy my free meal at Palo, but it’s not the be all end all. It’s just Italian food. I make pretty good pasta myself.

Millions of people across the globe enjoy Starbucks. Enough said on that.

Honestly how do know what music plays in the elevator on every cruise line on every ship? Maybe take the stairs?

You sound really defensive and for the life of me I can’t figure out why. No one said anything negative about DCL. Why the need to put down ships you’ve never sailed on?

I’m curious have you ever cruised another cruise line? How many DCL cruises have you done?

 

[DCLMP]

The vibe is just very different. Like the first thing we experienced when we got on the Oasis was the Promenade. You are just dropped in the middle of a very busy spot that felt so overwhelming. Staff trying to upsell all the packages (dining, beverage, internet), people everywhere… it felt like going from being a Target shopper to a Walmart for me. When we weren’t at ports, that area was full of kiosks selling shirts, jewelry, trinkets… it was weird.

We also really enjoy trivia and karaoke and there was only once during the sailing where those weren’t mobbed (standing room only and people sitting on the floor) and that was when we were in Jamaica (had to cancel our excursion so the ship was quiet).

Again, I get that some people maybe like the energy… it was just sensory overload nearly all the time. I missed the classic ship design and I don’t need specialty dining or alcohol all day long.

I do think Celebrity or Princess might be a better fit… so maybe we will still consider those at some point.

I did 12 day day on Odyssey of the seas. It’s completely different layout. New ship 2021 I believe. A little smaller than the Dream. No promenade mall.. Fantastic Gym. Fun bars, Decent food. Overall well designed ship and great size. My favourite ship by far. To be fair we sailed on this ship after the Wish and that might be the reason I thought it was so well designed.

I think the vibe on a ship has a lot to do with itinerary.l and time of year. We cruised carnival in the Med and it was a snoozer. Same thing with Royal in Europe. Older crowd. My son was bored but did love the ports. Those were both offseason May and October. I’m sure in June an July there would be lots of kids.