Disney vs. RCL

[mnchec]

Yes, we could have a wonderful time on a Disney cruise, but it would cost twice as much as RCL. My question is whether or not it's worth the thousands extra it would cost. How does the RCL Children's program stack up next to Disney's?

[Liss68]

I'm very interested in the responses your get since I'm trying to make the same decision right now. I almost chocked at my desk when I got a quote for a land sea package (3 days on land and 4 days at sea) for $9,900 for a family of 4!

 

For that I could put 2/3 down on a Disney timeshare!!!

 

Alissa

[Girlsnightout]

and we were spoiled! Yes, Disney has, IMO, the BEST kids program, in fact, my children literally cried when we had to disembark.

 

But that cruise also got us hooked on cruising, and like you, we decided that we just didn't want to spend twice as much on Disney as the other lines, so we went with RCCL.

 

What a pleasant surprise! The kids had just as good a time on RCL as they did on Disney. The counselors were great, programs really fun, and it was a homerun. Keep in mind the facilities might not be as spectacular, but trust me, the kids will love RCL. We've sailed DCL, RCL, Celebrity and NCL, and the top 2, IMO, are DCL and RCL for kids, especially as they get older. In fact, with older children, RCL is probably preferable.

 

Go with RCL, you'll have a great time for a lot less money. I think Disney is worth trying at least once (and maybe even twice, my little nephews haven't been yet, so we may take them), but it's too costly to do on a regular basis, plus, they have limited itinerarys.

[jakie]

My son loved Disney when he was six -- and so did I! We went on Celebrity -- don't bother, their kid's program was deplorable. Then we went on Mariner (RCCL) and it was the greatest! My son didn't stay at the dinner table for dessert past the first night he was so anxious to get back to the Kids Club. (He was 9) I thought he would want to go on another RCCL crusie, but he surprised me this afternoon by asking if we could go on another Disney cruise becuase "He was older now and could do stuff in the Lab." I was very impressed with both programs -- the counselors were great and the games/activities were innovative and educational. Good luck!

The seven days on RCCL provided for some great shore excursions, too!

[sweet angel]

We did a 3-night Disney cruise in November (to get everyone's feet wet -- so to speak) with a 13 year old. We're doing the Navigator this November. I've heard great things about their kids programs, and like that they split up the teens 12-14 and 15-17, as opposed to Disney who lumps all teens together. Big difference between a 12 year old and a 17 year old.

[NCmom]

My DD enjoyed the kids club on RCCL when we did an Alaskan cruise--I felt that the supervision could be a little better, but she did enjoy it.

 

On DCL, the 12 year old aren't with the 17 years old, there with 10-12; the 13 year olds are with the 17, and I too think that is a big difference.

[sweet angel]

You're right. It's 13-17 on DCL. I got confused.

[glennjudy1]

We just went on our first cruise last year and it was on the Disney Magic. We have two girls (5 & 6 years old) and I have to say that Disney was totally worth the money. They give the parents a beeper so that the kids can be picked up when they want to leave. The beeper only went off 3 times on the entire 7 night cruise. We would sometime go and check on the kids and watch them and they were having a blast. In addition, Disney has their own island called Castaway Cay and that was the highlight of the trip. Imagine a tropical island waiting for only the one cruise ship to dock. Plenty of food, many activities, and even a supervised play area for kids if the adults want to do some stuff alone. We have a Princess cruise booked for this September (we're hooked on cruising now) but I know we will definitely go back to the Disney cruise in the future.

[dondiane]

Did Disney in Oct. with a 3yr old grandchild. The shows were excellent for children with exception of one that was a little to old for a 3/4 yr old.

The split bathrooms are an excellent idea for familys, the rooms are slightly larger in equal cat. sizes. The children's club/play area's look to be more nicely designed than some other I have seen. (however the 3yr old really didn't take part in the activities.) The private island was certainly "family' friendly.

 

Have done 12 other cruises on other lines. Saw children extremely happy on all lines. Nicely appointed childrens areas also, not quite as nice as Disney but certainly enough for all ages.

 

 

Did not like the changing dining rooms on Disney, thought their food in general was below par, found it awkward to have 1/3 of the ship dressed formally while the other 2/3 were casual.

 

Personally, I would rather cruise twice than once for the same amount of money. It all depends on how much of a Mouse fan you are

You could also opt for a few days at the Park then cruise one of the "other" lines.

 

Have fun, whatever you decide

[bplazo]

You didnt mention how old your children were. I took my daughter on Disney when she was 11. She loved it and was upset when we decided on our next cruise on the Voyager of the Sea. Now its RCCL or nothing.

 

I think for older children the Voyager class ships are wonderfull. They have the rock climbing wall, ice skating, roller skating and Johnny Rockets. I also believe that I heard RCCL has a fisher price class for real young children. I paid less for the seven day cruise on RCCL than four days on Disney.

 

I have to say that I loved the Disney Shows and that restraunt that changes color while you are eating. Being that Disney was my first cruise and I didnt know about these boards I probably missed out on alot of things.

[cali-croozer]

I am a BIG Disney fan, and I know their cruiseline is known for their wonderful service, but I just couldn't get myself to spend that much money on a cruise. We have been cruising Carnival with the kids since they were 11 and 13 and have always had a great time. As far as the kids club, I think you can't go wrong with RCCL either, from all of the positive posts.

 

Do what we did, for the same price of the Disney Land/Sea package. We cruised out of Tampa on Carnival's Inspiration (not one of their newer or largest ships) for 1 week, then rented a car and went to Disneyworld for one week, post cruise (stayed at a moderate hotel - Coronado Springs). 2 weeks for the price of one! Of course, you can substitute RCCL and other Florida ports. For Disneyworld discounts, check out mousesavers.com. More vacation for your money!:)

[bplazo]

I liked it when we boarded Disney they asked for your name and where you are from and then announced you. Then when you are leaving port they have workers waving you away with big mickey hands. Very impressive.

[MMsteffey]

You can pay extra for the Disney brand but may find similar services on a similar ship -- depending on the age of your kids. Plus Disney does discount. We paid $600 each for a 7 day Disney Cruise (cruise only) in 2001. I saw a flyer at a travel agency office.

 

We sailed the Star Princess for 14 days with our kids this summer -- the ship was built by the same yard (Fincantieri) and was almost identical to Disney's Magic and Wonder -- the biggest difference was that there is a casino on the Star where the Disney kids club is :D . The Star kids club is in the top back of the ship.

 

Our kids enjoyed the kids club on the Star Princess as much or more than Disney -- it was not as "showy" but had all the same functions-- The Star Princess has a "Lab" like Disney -- our 9 YO daughter dissected an octopus among other science projects on the Star. And the Star Princess gave out pagers to parents too.

 

The ratio of staff to kids was much lower on the Star Princess -- I thought the 3-5 yo's were particularly chaotic on Disney with far too many kids in an interior room with too few staff. 6-9 yo's were also crowded and not supervised enough (my daughter "downgraded" to the 3-5's to be with her little brother and to get away from some rough older kids that the staff was unable to control.) This will obviously vary with the season.

 

Disney's Castaway Cay is similar to other cruise lines' private islands. More than one other line has on-shore child care.

 

On the Disney ship each and every table at first seating had kids at it -- that's a lot of kids and a very noisy dining room. Adult food was the absolute worst of the 10 cruises we've been on. Service was OK but very kid oriented -- great if that's what you're seeking - (and many people are).

 

I'd say if you're big Mouse fans and/or are seeking unlimited Disney character exposure, hunt for a discounted Disney cruise. Otherwise you'll get a similar, maybe better, family cruise for a lot less money on another family oriented line -- take a good look at some Princess ships, Carnival, and RCCL.

 

Whatever you decide hope it's great.

[SusieQT]

We were just on Celebrity's Galaxy with a 3 1/2 year old. Interestingly, the youth program director was formerly the YP director on the Magic, and one other youth program staff had just come from Disney.

 

We cruised twice with Disney when our children were too young for the clubs, but we did use the nursery. DH prefers DCL overall, but the limited itineraries force you to make other choices sometimes.

 

Our daughter LOVED the Fun Factory on Galaxy. There were only 8 kids on the ship, so there was a ton of individual attention, something you don't find on DCL. Each day from 9am-10pm there are scheduled activities, but they were flexible enough to allow for individual choices. They have a neat science program that has a particular activity every day.

 

The Staff who were previously on DCL said that one of the problems with their kids porgram is that if your child doesn't adapt quickly, they typically don't want to return. And the number of children can be overwhelming for some kids.

 

The staff across the ship were child friendly and welcoming. Our children got a lot of attention during our cruise. Nearly all of the staff knew who they were, as well as all of the other children on board.

 

Also, the other passengers were welcoming of our children. So, if you read about all of Celebrity passengers who don't want kids on their cruise, ignore them! We were on a 12 night and the crowd was defintely older and we did not feel uncomfortable once. Some of the passengers said we encouraged them to cruise with their grandchildren. (We were a group of grandparents, parents, and children)

[mythreesons]

Glad to hear it. We went on a 7 day Disney cruise and our boys (then 4, 11 and 14). They loved it. So we were a bit apprehensive about RCCL. We thought the DCL cruise was wonderful but as our youngest hates the characters that was a bust. The older boys loved the teen stuff. Thought the child care was OUTSTANDING. Loved the beeper and we even left the youngest on board while we snorkled with stingrays. Can't wait to try RCCL. Will be on the Adventure 6/19.

[lynnber]

We've done both and they're both wonderful for the kids. I think if you have a smaller child - four and under, Disney beats it hands down. Some of the other lines won't even take the non-potty trained ones. But once you reach four or five years old, the programming on both RCCL and Disney (and Carnival and Princess for that matter) is wonderful.

 

There's other things to consider, though, besides the children's programming.

Disney doesn't have a casino, so if that's important to you, you might want to pick another line. Also, the shows, while very elaborate and wonderful, are also geared more towards families on Disney. On RCCL there weren't a lot of main shows that interested my kids. Most of the clubs are pretty empty in the wee hours on Disney, whereas on other lines you can literally 'dance all night.'

Just other things, besides price, to think about.

[Robin G]

We've been cruising since our daughter is 5 on Royal Caribbean. She enjoys it so much, I think when the time comes, we're going to have a difficult time getting her away from it. You didn't mention your kids' ages, but the RC Adventure Ocean is just wonderful. We have met people on cruises who have done both Disney and RC and said the kids' programs are equally wonderful, but the RC cruises are better for the grown-ups as far as the food, activities and $$. For ages 5 to maybe 11 or so, they have a talent show (everyone gets a gold medal), they have scavenger hunts, they have themed nights, they have an awesome Pirate Parade, I could go on and on. It's just the coolest program. She begs us to go the "kids room" -- all the kids do.

 

I would agree that if your kids are 3 or 4, they would go crazy seeing Mickey or Goofy here and there, but you need to decide if it's worth the extra thousands. Take the RC cruise and then take the kids to Disney World with the extra money!! That's my vote -- that way everyone wins!! :D