Disney vs RCCL for 4 year old

[laurjohn]

Hi,

 

We have been on 20+ cruises, but have not cruised since our son was born. We are planning a cruise in January and actually have booked the Disney Magic. I've since had a friend come back from cruising on the Magic with her two young sons and she did not love it.

 

Now we are considering switching to the Oasis of the Seas or the Allure. I have heard that the RCCL kid's club has closer age ranges as well. Does anyone know the current age range on Disney?

 

My question is do we go for a better ship on RCCL or stay with the older Disney ship because it might be a better fit for our four year old?

 

Also, on the Disney cruise, I know we get to go to Castaway Cay which we have heard is very nice.

 

Thanks!

[Warm Breezes]

I haven't been on RCCL yet so I can't comment on that. I can say that I would not hesitate to take a 4 yo on DCL. My DD was 4 the first time we took her on DCL and it was, IMHO, perfect timing for her. She was in awe and amazed by everything Disney. I loved seeing it through her eyes. We also loved Castaway Cay... We sailed on Disney Wonder and then the Disney Magic when the kids were younger and I am very happy we did, their ages were what made it worth the money. I imagine our next DCL cruise will be with Grandchildren. Hopefully I have a few years too wait yet since the kids are now 14 and 17:D.

[boulders]

The age range for DCL is 3-10. Yep, all in one room (actually two rooms, but all ages together). The age range for RCCL is 3-5. RCCL has a much more structured program. DCL has planned activities, but the kids can basically do whatever they want. DCL is fine if the child is not shy. If they are shy, they could be overwhelmed.

 

Other things to consider:

 

DCL has Mickey and the gang. They're seen frequently on the ship. RCCL's Oasis has Dreamworks characters. They're not seen as frequently.

 

RCCL has a more elaborate pool area than DCL's Magic.

 

The food is better on DCL.

 

The overall service is better on DCL, but we had a rotten stateroom attendant on the Magic last year. RCCL's service has generally been good all around.

 

Oasis is a new ship while Magic is 13 years old. There's more of a WOW factor with Oasis. Oasis has the bells and whistles. Magic has Mickey.

 

Good luck in your decision.

 

Almost forgot to mention: DS6 was on Magic when he was 4 and RCCL ships when he was 3 and 5. We're now on a Princess cruise. He's loved every ship he's been on.

[chipmaster]

I'll probably offer the other side, the kids is 4, likely will not remember a thing. Pick the cruise you'll enjoy more, both ships/lines are good enough IMHO :D

[Warm Breezes]

I'll probably offer the other side, the kids is 4, likely will not remember a thing. Pick the cruise you'll enjoy more, both ships/lines are good enough IMHO :D

 

I couldn't care less if my kids remember at that age...But I remember how they reacted at the time and that was precious. FYI...DD is now 14 and she definately remembers moments from our DCL cruise when she was 4.

[Marie51]

When I took my 3 yr old grandson on Disney he was terrified of the characters, and since they were all over the place it made for an unpleasant experience. I realized the first day what a mistake I had made. After that we have had a much better time on Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

[alj1208]

We decided against Disney for our 4-year-old DS, because we felt it was over-priced. We also heard the kids' pools and kids' club was crowded. Our DS doesn't do well in crowded, noisy situations. But, we wanted something upscale, so we went with Celebrity. We loved it, but it might have been nice to have a little more action on the ship. Since RCCL is Celebrity's sister line, I would guess you'd be making a great decision in choosing Oasis or similar.

[Onessa]

I'll probably offer the other side, the kids is 4, likely will not remember a thing. Pick the cruise you'll enjoy more, both ships/lines are good enough IMHO :D

 

I couldn't care less if my kids remember at that age...But I remember how they reacted at the time and that was precious. FYI...DD is now 14 and she definately remembers moments from our DCL cruise when she was 4.

 

When our DD was younger we tried DCL - we normally did RCCI or Princess at that time.

 

DD at age 4 was completely unimpressed by the costumed characters - she (like Marie51's grandson) had been completely freaked out by costumed characters (other than one mall's Santa which she maintained was the "real" Santa) when she had been younger than 4.

 

There were lots of other things she did like about Disney, but she did prefer RCCI. Some of it just depends upon your kid.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Both are good

[laurjohn]

Thanks so much for all the replies! We decided to go with RCCL Allure of the Seas. The deciding factor for us was that we had sailed RCCL several times in the past and always loved it and the fact that we did not like that age range of 3-10 on Disney.

[crusinmama06]

Thanks so much for all the replies! We decided to go with RCCL Allure of the Seas. The deciding factor for us was that we had sailed RCCL several times in the past and always loved it and the fact that we did not like that age range of 3-10 on Disney.

 

Good choice. ;)

 

If you look at my signature, my kids have been on DCL Magic and Wonder and they are Royal Caribbean Diamond members. There is another family board member here, Rolloman, who has a child who cruises just as much and has the same opinion about the Disney ships.

 

When our kids were on Disney, they were treated like they were 1 of a 1,000 kids. Just another face in the crowd of Disney kids. The main goofy pool on the Magic is a floating lobster tank (filled elbow to elbow). Literally. And we went on off times. I can't even imagine it during Summer or holiday sailings.

 

When my kids are on RCI ships, they are known by their name. I don't know how, and it goes from our cabin attendant to the cabin attendant UP THE HALL, to the waiter, the assistant waiters - and my youngest (6 at the time) had her "own bartender" who kept calling out her name telling her to come over for "cokes with cherries on a sword" - she didn't have a COKE CARD. My husband and I did. Yet, EVERYTIME this bartender saw my youngest, he YELLED her name and said "hey, you come over for a coke!"

 

We were on CocoCay - RCI Private Island in the Bahamas and he yelled for her to "Come get your coke!"

 

I looked at her and said "WHO IS THAT?" and she said "Oh that is my bartender" ;):p

 

(I guess my husband went to get a drink at the pool bar with his coke card on the first day of the cruise and the bartender asked for her name and he remembered her for the REST of the cruise :eek:)

 

We had two cabin attendants making towel animals for us on one ship. Our cabin attendant and the cabin attendant UP the hallway because the girls "High 5'd" him every night on the way to dinner. So he started making them towel animals. We had a whole darn zoo.

 

You are not going to be sorry with your choice.

[Sunshine424]

I'll probably offer the other side, the kids is 4, likely will not remember a thing. Pick the cruise you'll enjoy more, both ships/lines are good enough IMHO :D

 

Really? We took my girls to WDW for DD#1's second trip about a month before she turned 3 (May of 2010). To this day- she still talks about where she met Mary Poppins (in front of the carousel), having dinner with the princesses at EPCOT, and can name almost all the characters she met and what rides she rode on. Kids remember a lot more than you give them credit for. Besides a lot of parents honestly just enjoy spending time with their children and as long as my children have a good time - that to me is more important than if they remember every specific trip that we take or whether we got to do some adult activity. Sometimes part of the fun of the trip is to see your child all excited and having just as much fun as you are.

 

To the OP they both sound fabulous - either way have a great trip!

[Julienatul]

I would pick RCCL if I were you. We tried Disney and hated it as well. It was too much like being at Disney world or chuck e cheese 24/7 straight. It was all "kid oriented" all the time with kids everywhere running, screaming, spilling ice cream etc. For us adults it just wasn't very "relaxing" as we felt there was no down time, quiet time. We Love Carnival because there is a nice mix of adult and kid time. My DD age 4 at the time hated the kids club and kept calling us to come get her. They combine the age groups now so it is all ages together. There are like 300-400 kids aged 3 -12 all running around the same room with 4-5 different activities happening. It was too overwhelming for her. Its so busy the kids wear GPS bracelets that are scanned in and out so the can keep track. My kids enjoy the smaller more intimate setting of Camp carnival where the counselors know you kids by name. She has never once called to get her on a Carnival ship and she has sailed 12 times. The shows on Disney are awesome, top notch and the cabins are spacious but otherwise I would choose another line over Disney any day.

[Friend100]

To the OP, I don't think you can go wrong with either one, but if all things (including price) are comparable, I personally go choose DCL with kids but Oasis without kids.

[southern cruising couple]

We were on CocoCay - RCI Private Island in the Bahamas and he yelled for her to "Come get your coke!"

 

I looked at her and said "WHO IS THAT?" and she said "Oh that is my bartender" ;):p

 

(I guess my husband went to get a drink at the pool bar with his coke card on the first day of the cruise and the bartender asked for her name and he remembered her for the REST of the cruise :eek:)

 

Too cute! :D

[rolloman]

I couldn't care less if my kids remember at that age...But I remember how they reacted at the time and that was precious. FYI...DD is now 14 and she definately remembers moments from our DCL cruise when she was 4.

Well said.....I made a video of one of our Disney Dream cruises and watching my little one on DVD with all the princess characters puts water in my eyes everytime I view it. So to me, that is a special keepsake that will last forever.

[rolloman]

Hi,

 

We have been on 20+ cruises, but have not cruised since our son was born. We are planning a cruise in January and actually have booked the Disney Magic. I've since had a friend come back from cruising on the Magic with her two young sons and she did not love it.

 

Now we are considering switching to the Oasis of the Seas or the Allure. I have heard that the RCCL kid's club has closer age ranges as well. Does anyone know the current age range on Disney?

 

My question is do we go for a better ship on RCCL or stay with the older Disney ship because it might be a better fit for our four year old?

 

Also, on the Disney cruise, I know we get to go to Castaway Cay which we have heard is very nice.

 

Thanks!

It is hard to beat the Oasis for a family. Magic versus Oasis, well Oasis wins big time but Oasis versus Disney Dream especially f you have a child that is really into Disney...well I say Dream wins that one.

[rolloman]

Good choice. ;)

 

 

I looked at her and said "WHO IS THAT?" and she said "Oh that is my bartender" ;):p

 

That might be one of the funniest things I have ever read on here....lol still smiling.....

[NanciRDH]

We've done both Dream and Allure in the past year, and for our family RCI wins hands down for just the reasons Cruisingmama06 said...our DD was just a face in the crowd. On RCI not only did they know her name, there was several AO councellors in both the younger area and teens that were on Serenade in the summer for our Alaska cruise that remembered my kids 6 months later on the Oasis inaugural. That totally amazed me! Our kids are Diamond cruisers in their own right, and as a result have an opinion on cruises they've done,lol. DCL wasn't a favorite, and our 6yo was quite vocal about it, she said it was too crazy in there and not as fun. On RCI she would give up pool time to stay in AO, but non DCL she'd rather swim, which surprised me because the pools were ridiculous crowded too. We will give them a bonus for Castaway Cay, that island does have Labadee and Coco Cay beat on amenities and activites. DH has said he won't do DCL again, and the kids agree. I'm booked again with my friends because they're huge WDW fans, and want to try the cruise.

[spcopps]

Just my opinion but if you want to see Mickey just go to Disney World. If you want a nice cruise for entire family do RCCL. I am not saying a Disney cruise wouldn't be nice BUT when we took our kids (ages 3, 3 and 6 at the time) they were also scared of the big cheese. A big price factor on the Disney Cruise is being able to see and meet the characters, but if the little ones are afraid of them then the cost wasn't worth it IMO. I think Royal does a good job with the dreamworks and if they don't like the characters they are easily missed (may not even see them if not looking for them except the parade and ice show). I just think for a "cruising" option that RCCL has more to offer and don't forget how much larger the rooms are for the same price or less ;). We LOVE disney world for a land based vacation but would go with RCCL for cruise. We will take another Disney when our boys are older so we can make sure they won't be afraid and DD will still be able to feel like a princess dressed for dinner.

[rolloman]

I just think for a "cruising" option that RCCL has more to offer and don't forget how much larger the rooms are for the same price or less ;).

 

Sorry but this is just not true. Disney cabins are larger in all categories. Disney cabin design with split bathroom and are ranked consistantly as one of best in the industry. Example: Dream ocean view category 204 sq feet and Oasis 179 sq ft.

 

I will state once again, if your child is really into Disney, a Disney cruise is an awesome experience and in my opinion an even greater experience than going to the park. Now if your child is not familiar with Disney and is the type that won't sit on Santas lap....I say forget about a Disney cruise and choose something else.

[momof3cruisers]

When I took my 3 yr old grandson on Disney he was terrified of the characters, and since they were all over the place it made for an unpleasant experience. I realized the first day what a mistake I had made. After that we have had a much better time on Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

 

My son too. We knew when Capt Hook was scheduled to come to the kid's club and planned to pick him up LONG before that. Never occurred to us that they would start hyping up him coming two hours before he was scheduled. Our three yo started to cry and wanted us. After that he refused to go back to the kid's club.

[momof3cruisers]

 

 

We were on CocoCay - RCI Private Island in the Bahamas and he yelled for her to "Come get your coke!"

 

I looked at her and said "WHO IS THAT?" and she said "Oh that is my bartender" ;):p

 

 

 

You are not going to be sorry with your choice.

 

Too funny. We cruised RCI When our oldest was two. At the buffet the second day of the cruise, a waiter walked up to her and said, "I hear you like chocolate milk" and gave her a glass. She was in awe and asked him how he knew that. He said it was because she was famous. We found out that night that he and our dining room waiter were roommates. She never knew it though and wheneverwesaw that buffet waiter she would say, " there's my friend!"