Disney versus RCI versus Carnival

[cmp03]

So this got a little long - feel free to read and give opinion, I read a few months back to see other peoples opinions of their experience and put together my own comparison:

 

I have narrowed it down between the Disney Fantasy, RCI Allure or Oasis of the Sea's, and the Carnival Dream but I just can't figure out which one would be best. My kid will be 6 years old. We have taken her on a Disney cruise and she absolutely LOVED it so we rebooked while on board. Husband and I have been on Disney cruises without her and Carnival without her.

 

Price difference for same week including payment discounts for each boat is $2750 for Disney (plus have $200 OBC), $2300 for RCI, and $1650 for Carnival. They are all the same week and go to the similar ports (two are the same on all three ships but Disney goes to Castaway Cay, RCI to their private island, and Carnival to Nassau).

 

We can hitch a free ride to Port Canaveral but would have to pay gas, parking and possible hotel for RCI.

 

It appears the Disney probably has the best kids program, followed by RCI, then Carnival. RCI and Disney seem to have similar shows. RCI looks like it have 'more' to do on the boat (but is it more stuff the 6 year old would be able to do).

 

A plus is that the Disney kids program is open for such long hours but the con is that its open so long, child wanted to spend more time there then with us.

 

Carnival is cheapest, but you get what you pay for (Castaway Cay is 1000 times nicer then Nassau - so there is some monetary benefit to Disney for that). I would almost rate RCI and Disney equal. Once you add parking, gas, soda's, some glasses of wine or beer that we can carry onto/get free from Disney - they would probably be equal in cost.

 

I will admit that compared to the Disney boat, RCI looks like it some pretty amazing stuff to do on the boat.

 

So, which would you pick?? Go the cheaper route and do Carnival (cause lets face it, the 6 year old would love any boat they go one) or spend a little more for a slightly better boat?

 

I want to add that my child has grown up going to Disney parks almost every weekend so seeing Mickey or the other Characters and princesses are no big deal to her.

 

And thanks for any opinions I get back :) I would love to hear other peoples opinions. I figure I am best off booking another ship sooner since you get discounts to book early and put down non-refundable deposit.

[Keith1010]

In the end it is a personal decision and a lot of it comes down to what you want to spend and your overall financial situation.

 

You really have written this up nicely. RCI ships do have a lot to do and they do have a solid program.

 

I am sure you and your child would have a very nice time on say RCI, but just know it is not Disney in terms of their program. So, if you take the RCI cruise don't spend time comparing the two while on board because if you do you will not have as good a time. There is no question that Disney does have the far better of the two programs.

 

If your budget permits then I would do Disney. I say this because there will come a time when your daughter is grown (trust me it goes in a blink of an eye) and say in high school she likely will not want to do Disney anymore and there is also a time (varies by child) when at a certain age it's no longer cool to be in the children's programs. So, that is why I say Disney.

 

But if this puts a stress on the budget then children are very adaptable and most ones would still have a great time just being in a children's program on another cruise line.

 

In the end, you know best what your child likes.

 

On another note, at sometime take a look at Princess. It's not Disney but they have a wonderful children's program which some don't always consider as they are looking at cruises for their family.

 

Keith

[Marie51]

Keith.....for those of us with children/grandchildren in school going in the summer months is the only option. Princess does not sail the Caribbean in the summer which is unfortunate. I wish they did.

 

To the OP....we have had a good time with the kids on both RC and Carnival, although of those 2 choices RC will always be 1st choice.

[Friend100]

We also had a similar decision between Allure/Oasis and Disney's. I think if I were you in your situation (and I assume the price you've listed there are for the same category cabin), I will prefer the Disney Fantasy, for the reason that Keith has mentioned and the overall DCL product.

[crusinmama06]

I have posted it a million times here - my kids prefer to go to WDW for their Disney fix pre-cruise and then jump on a RCI ship. We did Magic and Wonder, neither impressed them (or us) much. I know Fantasy will have much more - but I would be willing to give it up for Oasis/Allure. My kids have been begging me for Oasis/Allure since Oasis was called GENESIS.

 

I have to get on the ball and make time to squeeze them in.

[cmp03]

Thanks everyone!

 

I think that Keith made a good point about how she might only be willing/wanting to do the Disney Cruise while she is younger. She really did seem to have so much fun participating in all the activities in the two kids clubs and at this point, it really is all about her :).

 

I think I am going to leave the Disney one booked, just keep making payments on it month by month and if I notice that RCI runs a great promo for the Oasis or Allure boat, then cancel the Disney one and book it instead, lol. Too bad I can't just talk the husband (and the budget) into just doing both, ;)

[dc-snoopy]

It's a very personal decision, but we have found that we don't like the atmosphere on Carnival. We've been on two Carnival cruises and they were more like college frat parties. Loud, the passengers were almost always in party-hearty mode. We didn't enjoy those cruises nearly as much as our RCI cruises. And based on the noise levels, we definitely do not want to cruise while we have infant twins. It could be very difficult to get them to nap as there always seemed to be noise on the Carnival ship. We sometimes like to have our balcony door open during the day but that just allowed more noise to come in. We found the RCI cruises to be much more peaceful.

 

Although I have not tried them (we haven't been on a cruise since our twins were born), I have heard excellent things about the RCCL Nursery program. One thing that is frequently mentioned is that the security for the RCCL program is better than the Disney nursery program. Since we are thinking of going on a cruise with the kids next year, I've been looking into this here on the CC boards and it's been mentioned that on Disney, they are sometimes lax about who comes in and picks up children and monitoring people coming in and out of the nursery cabins. RCCL is very strict about anyone coming in and only those people listed being able to check out children. That, plus how much we've enjoyed our previous RCI cruises, means that we're likely to go on RCI for our next cruise.

[Tapi]

We did Allure of the Seas and Carnival Dream this year (as well as a Disney land vacation). Here are my thoughts:

 

- Allure: Absolutely amazing. There's truly NOTHING out there like it. Facilities and activities are phenomenal. There's SO much to do for the little ones, that they'll probably be busier than you. The Dreamworks Experience, with parades, shows, character appearances and breakfasts (Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar) make the cruise feel a bit "Disneyish". There's a dedicated Adventure Ocean TV channel which helps keep the kids entertained while in the cabin. There are 24 different eating options from the very casual to elegant and polished. We paid more for this cruise then any previous cruise, but it was worth every single penny.

 

- Carnival Dream was an enjoyable cruise. The ship is also new, so its decor is nicer and more modern than other Carnival ships. Camp Carnival facilities are wonderful (in fact my wife thought they were a bit nicer looking than the Allure's Adventure Ocean facilities). You pay less because you get less. While the Dream is probably the best Carnival has to offer, it pales in comparison to Royal Caribbean. It's not a bad experience, just more budget minded, If money is a consideration, rest assured that you'll still have a nice family vacation on the Dream.

 

- We still haven't cruised on Disney (we are considering it for an upcoming Alaska cruise though), but we have done Disney land vacations (in fact we just returned yesterday from Disney). There's no denying the magic and wonder of a Disney vacation, but they leave me feeling a bit ripped off. I do recognize that the look of amazement in a child's eyes is priceless, but I wish Disney was a bit fairer with their pricing. That's what's been holding me back from booking a Disney cruise.

[momof3cruisers]

For me, Nassau vs a private island takes Carnival out of the running. Allure/oasis are sooo big. But I think the price jump to DCL is a lot. However, if that is what you have liked before, I would go with what you have booked.

 

Most of all, have a great time!

[Ggdean]

I am not a fan off the disney cruise. Yes they have a lot of stuff for the kids but there are way too many kids. I also think that because the activities are so geared to the kids that the kids would want to spend more time in camp than with mom and dad which is not the point of the family vacation. And that is why the price is so high is that they literally will watch your kids all day every day and if I am not going to take advantage of that I am certainly not going to pay for that.

 

I would rather go on 2 carnivals for the price of the 1 disney. (LOL).