What is wrong with children?

[goofysgirl]

Ok here is my two cents. From the time I am able to remember, my Mom and Dad would throw me and my two sisters in the car and we did road trips...all over New England, Florida you name it we did it. The adventure of packing and going was just too much fun!
Before our kids hubby and I traveled all over the Carribbean and said when we have kids it will be a Disney Vacation for us.
True to our words we own DVC at HH and OKW, and we have traveled to WDW countless times and 13 cruises on the Magic.
That being said I now have a 21 year old college senior working for Disney as a lifeguard and trainer, a 19 year old college sophomore working at the Magic Kingdom and a 15 year old who aspires to attend college in Florida and work as a Disney College rep in her spare time.
So we may have created little Disney monsters...but if I ask them where they way to vacation it is always DCL as they already know what type of quality and atmosphere to expect. I asked about the Oasis they turned it down and are waiting for the Dream.
Research both and then have them check out boards like these for both cruise lines, they may be attracted by the rock wall...but who wants to climb a wall in the middle of the ocean? My youngest told me it is windy enough on deck nine for her let alone on a rock wall!
Also the aquaduck looks soooo cool, and the pools are fresh water not sure what Oasis pool is, but that might also be a selling point.
Whatever you all decide go into it with a burning sense of adventure and you will have the time of your lives

 

[stsomewhere]

We have some friends that are booked on Oasis.

They are looking forward to the ship but, here are some of their concerns.

You need to make show reservations before you get on the ship otherwise you may not get in.
All specialty restaurants need to be booked in advance along with ziplining.
A lot of family avoid the open air areas because there are a lot of extra things to spend money on.

 

[Rogillio]

We have some friends that are booked on Oasis.

They are looking forward to the ship but, here are some of their concerns.

You need to make show reservations before you get on the ship otherwise you may not get in.
All specialty restaurants need to be booked in advance along with ziplining.
A lot of family avoid the open air areas because there are a lot of extra things to spend money on.

That is very true! It's hard to just look at the base cruise price and compare. When we sailed NCL, to eat at the specialty restaurants was gonna cost like $20 pp. For a family of 4, that's $80 (I did the math for ya). There are hidden costs on all cruiselines...but at least being an expience DCL cruise, I know the DCL costs.

 

[tvguy]

Just for grins, I checked:

7 day Oasis cruise, 18 Jul 2011, 2A/2C, balcony room: $6,565.44

5 day DCL, Dream, 18 Jul 2011, 2A/2C, balcony room: $5,224.68

I did Oasis first and DCL did not offer a 7 day Carribean for the same time period.

Obviously there are many variables that can drive the price up or down based on what is inclued in those prices, the number of days, time of year, etc....but I think your comment about DCL being 2x a DCL cruise is kind of a stretch.


~Mike

Historically, double has been dead on for a Disney cruise. Our Disney cruise was $1899 per adult (2) and $1699 per child for a grand total of $7186 before air fare, category 10, which is the published rate in the Disney catalog. And mind you, these are 2002 prices for a cruise taken over New Years 2003-04. Our next most expensive cruise was on HAL, 7 days to Alaska in peak season, $3590 total outside cabin (sorry I don't have the breakdown anymore)

 

[fito]

Here some pics at Nassau from our Disney Cruise in Dec... Oasis of the Sea just happen to stop there as well.... give you an idea of the size of the Oasis.... The Disney Wonder is the 3rd from left to right....
Our next cruise, will be with Disney Magic...... All though the Oasis of the Sea, was impressive to look at, no matter the size, its still not Disney...

 

[fito]

sorry, its not letting me upload the pictures....


that or I'm not doing something.........

 

[DLW8]

We saw the Oasis docked next to us in Nassau in December and it was HUGE. I had visions of the Wonder tipping to the side because so many cast & guests were checking it out (think of that coffee commercial from years ago).

It was incredible to look at, but to me, it was just too big. It would take you more than a 7 night cruise to just feel comfortable finding your way around! I also saw a TV special about it, and while they have lots of different things to offer, as others have said, many have an additional cost.

I had considered a different RCCL ship for our next cruise, but was able to book onboard the Wonder for a 7 night on the Magic for the same as I had gotten a quite for RCCL. I thought DH would want to go on the Oasis instead of Disney again, but he said it was too big as well, and it looked like a bunch of legos stacked up, unlike the design of the Wonder.

Sooo...while we may end up on RCCL as my kids get older, I love the decor and design of the Wonder & Magic.

You just have to figure out what makes the Oasis so entrancing to them and perhaps show them that Disney has lots to offer as well.

Good luck with your planning. We do let the kids weigh in on vacation plans, but we give them choices of X and Y, and neither of those is something that we don't want to do.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

I don't know, I ask my kids too what they prefer but ultimately we get the final word. If my DD (9 years) complains, in the most loving way and with humor, I tell her if she thinks she'll be unhappy on the vacation, she's welcome to stay with her grandparents OR when she's payin' she gets to choose! They'll have a great time once there!

 

[Dianatlol]

My DD 9, always has input on vacation spots. We do it as a family. I doubt I will ever cruise anything other then Disney cruises! LOL

 

[MelissaE1]

I think getting your kids' input on vacations is great, as long as you are also happy with the outcome. We plan ours as a family as well. Still, if you really feel you won't be happy on the Oasis, I think the kids will recover much faster if you "make" them go on Disney (imagine that! ) than you will if you spend thousands to go on a ship you are not interested in.

While we are Disneyphiles, my kids are also very interested in the Oasis. I could never bring myself to cruise another line when they were little, but now as a preteen and teenager they want to try the additional things just like they love WDW but also love roller coaster parks. Not a replacement, but in addition to.

We are cruising the Oasis this November, and they are really looking forward to it, and I must say I am, too, for completely different reasons than Disney. Of course, we have the Dream booked for the next November, so I have my bases covered there, too.

Good luck, and enjoy your vacation!

 

[MelissaE1]

I'm with your kids, only because you probably can get 2 cruises on the Oasis for what 1 would cost on Disney.

I wish! I think Oasis is a completely different animal than the average "other line". Even booking two years in advance, we are paying well more than we have EVER paid to cruise on DCL for a week. And prices have since doubled for our dates!

 

[pluto1979]

Well, having sailed on the Freedom and Liberty - the Oasis just doesn't appeal to me. It's almost as if Disneyworld and Epcot and all the other parks joined up and made ONE park. I don't like the split of the upper pool deck. I've looked at many pictures - hundreds - and it looks like the upper deck space is cut in half. There is so much to do - why get off?

They are at the perfect age for Disney now. !!

When my kids pay rent, the can tell me where we vacation But...they are very excited no matter where we cruise. My DS20 just told me he wanted to go to our DCL Mex. Rivera cruise in 2011 !!! I just budgeted DH, DD12 and I because I didn't think he'd even be remotely interested in a Disney cruise after RCL. He was 13 on our first DCL cruise. He wants to go! See, they'll go anywhere

HAHA... I just love this!

 

[pluto1979]

Maybe if you allow your children to sit down and TELL them they are going on the Dream. Let them decide what yuo all do as a family like excursions and whatnot! It might be a lot of fun considering the extra teens areas setaside for them. and let them know that they might have more freedom on the Disney ship as opposed to the other cruise line. If you believe Disney is safe enough (and I do) then under propersupervision, they will be able to do more than anyother line.

They might like this better and feel better about cruising the Dream. I think you said the Dream right? Either way all Disney ships cater to teens and your adults as well as all Kids of every age. What a better way to have them show you how responsible they are which might help them after the cruise as well.

AS for the teen beach, let them know that they can go there without you, that is of course if they can while you go to Serenity bay! Give them more leway on the Disney ship and let them know this as it might be what makes them decide to sail with DCL.

Just my thoughts, hope they work. Either way have a MAGICal, WONDERful or DREAMy cruise if its on DCL!

 

[Edd]

If it is going to cause so much discussion in the family I would suggest a cruise on the Oasis or the Freedom. the Freedom docks right next to the Disney ship in Port Canaveral. I haven't cruised Oasis before, but have been on the Freedom. It is a completely different cruise in that there is a lot for the kids to do. The Freedom has the flow-rider which attracts kids attention and the Oasis has two of them. My 10 year old grandson, who has cruised the DCL 3.4 and 7 day cruises, spent a lot of the Freedom seven day cruise at the flow-rider. I think it may have been the main attraction for him. There are many other things for the older kids to do, 9 years and up. There is ice-skating, climbing wall, huge arcade, full size basketball court with dodge ball and soccer games all day. The water area for the kids, on the Freedom, is twice as big as the DCL water area. There is also free ice cream on the same deck. I can imagine what they have on the Oasis. The Kids clubs on the RC are equal to the DCL and are very popular with the kids who participate in the activities.

The shows are also well produced. On the Freedom they had a absolutely amazing magic allusion show and kids would definitely enjoy it. The second production show is based on a toy store theme with clowns, puppets and storyland characters. The first production show is based on Broadway and some kids might not like it. I don't know what they have on the Oasis. The shows and the parades in the Royal Promenade are also amazing. The circus parade kids would really enjoy. The are filled with huge balloon animals, beautiful costumes clowns and dancers. Check out the link I provided.

Royal Caribbean has two private beaches Cocoa Cay and Labade. Cocoa Cay is beautiful but you have to tender to it. The DCL beach is beautiful and many things to do, but my first choise is the Labadie beach. It is hilly, beautiful and the RC ship docks allowing you to walk to the beach area. Check out this link.

http://ekorgan2.com/freedom_of_the_seas.htm

Two discussions I have seen on this thread. One is the price. The Oasis is more. I can find a 7 day cruise, during the off-season, for $484 per person not including the taxes and all the extras on the Freedom. During the same off-season week the lowest Oasis price I could find was $750. The cheapest I have found DCL during the same off season was $799. The second discussion I have found is the number of passengers aboard each ship. Disney puts 2800 aboard a 73,000 ton ship with slightly bigger rooms (Average 180 sqare feet to about !60 square feet for the Freedom) and the Freedom puts aboard 4000 passengers aboard a ship that is twice as big as the DCL at 154,000 tons. The Oasis is a 225,000 ton ship and puts aboard 6000 passengers. The Oasis is 3 times bigger than the DCL and the Freedom is twice as big as the DCL. So if you look at the density of the passengers and it actually favors the bigger ships. You can see it as you explore the ship and both the child and the adult water areas.

The drink situation is another matter of a lot of contention. You do pay for drinks on the RC and the Carnivals. It is a one stop price. Approximately $4.00 per day for children and $5.00 per day for adults. The thing about it is you can get that drink refilled at any drink station on the ships. On the RC you don't even have to have the refill cup. Just show your room key with the drink logo on it and they have extra cups they will put the drink in. I think it is the same way on the Carnivals. On the Disney you can get drinks all day long on the 9th floor drink station or the dining rooms if they are open. All the other locations will charge for the drinks. I personally think the argument between paying for a drink package and the free drinks, kind of neutralizes itself when the facts are noted.

I think you should take your kids on a ship that loads right next to the Disney ship. That is the Freedom. Let them gaze at the Disney ship as you load and sail away. It will bring back memories and maybe you can show the kids your decision may have been the right one. They got the Freedom, almost the Oasis, but left behind the DCL. The Freedom might satisfy their quest for bigger ships and cement their decision to go back to DCL for the next cruise and than the family will be back in agreement.

My grandson, when he goes with me and my son, gets to pick the ship he wants to sail on because I am completely happy sailing on any one of the cruise lines that sail out of Port Canaveral, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney. Actually I am happy any time I am away from work and home, just cruising. He has cruised on all three lines and is the one that benfits most from the cruise.

 

[lovethedream]

As for the Freedom of the seas. We tried it, and even with all of the "extras" we saw, we did not particularly care for the ship. I would go with what is best for your family, but for us, DCL it is! And it is our kids ship of choice!

 

[Tarabra]

When we did RCCL pre-kids, I really missed seeing the characters around the ship. They pop out when you least expect it. Oddly enough, I'm not a huge Disney fan either. Just something about that added feature of DCL that really sets it apart. That and the customer service.

 

[lovethedream]

One other thing you can do is head on over to youtube and search for videos taken by passengers on board the ships and see them through the eyes of a passenger. You can find most anything, the sail away party, the mall parades (on the freedom) even what happens when you do not make it back to the ship on time. Then discuss and decide!

 

[Edd]

On all the cruise ships, standard policy, if you are on a cruise line sponsored excursion and you don't make it back to the ship on time the ship will wait for you. If you take an excursion not sponsored by the cruise line the ship will leave at the advertised departing time. If you are just shopping and forget your time, any ship will leave the port on time because they can not predict when you will be able to come aboard. The key is know when your ship departs and be back there at boarding time.

The one thing that makes the Disney ship different is the Disney characters that are aboard the ship. That is why it is a great cruise for the smaller children. They see those characters on the screen. No other cruise line has that.

 

[lovethedream]

In our opinion, the Disney ships are fun for all ages. There are no age limits to the characters. On our last cruise, we had family from all ages on board and much fun was had by everybody! When I see video from youtube taken on board the ship, I see everybody having a great time. And there are several on these boards that travel without kids and have a wonderful time. I for one enjoy the characters and shows as much as the kids do!

 

[brucechase]

Well, my aunt and uncle make all the vacation decisions for their family. They always go camping in the mountains. The kids are 17 and 15 and have never been to Disney World, Six Flags, Busch Gardens, skiing, or the beach - ever.

It's not that they can't afford any of that, they make 4 to 5 times what I make. They just don't want to be around crowds of people (their words). Their kids have missed out on quite a lot in life. I think it is quite sad not to get input from the entire family for a vacation.