Disney Fantasy Eastern or RCI Allure Western? First time cruisers need advice!

[Grenouille21]

I have no idea whether this is the right place for this, so I apologize if I am in the wrong place.

 

I want to go on a cruise for my 40th birthday, with my kids (will be 7 and 9 at the time of the cruise). I've read so many reports and reviews, and I've narrowed down our options to the Disney Fantasy Eastern or RCI Western, both of which sail during my birthday (I really don't want to be at home on my birthday!!!).

 

The overall on board experience sounds more appealing on DCL, as we are total Disney people and have pretty much only vacationed at Disney World and Disneyland. I am also on a vegan and gluten-free diet, and my daughter has food allergies, and I've heard DCL is very accommodating about food issues. Our experiences in the Disney parks has mostly been good, and the reviews I've read about DCL seem to indicate this would be a good choice. But the Eastern ports sound boring to me. We won't be shopping or sitting on a beach. I tend to get seasick on smaller boats, so I'm nervous about a St. John's excursion in St. Thomas. But I don't want to stay on the boat the whole time, either.

 

The ports on RCI sound more appealing to me. The ship (the Allure) sounds cool, and the Dreamworks and upcoming Barbie experience appeal to the kids. But no one seems to know whether a gluten-free vegan and child with food allergies will be able to eat anything other than fruit and salad on board. On the one hand I'll certainly not need to worry about weight gain! But on the other hand I don't want to starve!

 

The cost for a verandah room is roughly $500-$1000 difference. I feel like we need a verandah because 1) what if one of us gets sick and is room-bound? We need some outside space. 2) I am an introvert and if I feel burned out on being around people all.the.time on the public spaces I need my own space to refuel. 3) I get sea sick on smaller boats and am not sure what will happen on a big cruise ship.

 

Our additional expenses will be:

 

1) Wine for me. Can bring on board with both ships, right? But still might drink a glass or two at a bar just to be social.

 

2) Excursions. I like to see sights in local places, and would likely do some sort of tour at each port.

 

3) If on RCI, we would probably eat at the specialty restaurants because I've read they are more accommodating to special diets. Am I wrong here?

 

I won't be gambling, or shopping, other than a small souvenir from the ship and the ports. In other words, there will be no designer handbag and/or sunglasses purchased, no diamonds or other jewelry purchased, no clothing purchased, etc.

 

What would you do?

[gambit57]

I haven't been to the Eastern Carib, but I went on the W. Carib for my honeymoon. Didn't think much of the places to be honest. The pictures of E. Carib at least look prettier to me.

 

Disney will prolly always be my favorite, but RCI is a line I could definitely get behind.

 

Personally, balconies are nice but I don't think they're necessary. I've had both. The ships are HUGE. Plenty of places to go. And I get seasick on small boats to, but these ships are so big now, it's a floating resort. Unless you cross either the Pacific or Atlantic, you're unlikely to feel much of anything.

 

Since the lines are fairly close, I'd prolly try out the E. Carib simply because I really wasn't impressed with the W. Carib. On the other hand, Castaway Cay is freaking awesome. I mean, other lines have nice private islands, but the attention to detail and stuff that Disney has really puts them over the top, and that extends to their private island. The Aquaduck is neutralized by the great options RCI tends to have on their ships.

[Grenouille21]

I really appreciate your input!!

 

So, the Aquaduck is a really big draw to DCL, as are the kids' club and activities. Really, really big draw, as in I look at pictures of the Allure and am sure that we will be bored by the tiny pool.

 

But the Eastern port visits seem boring. St. Maarten and St. Thomas, what can we do there? We aren't interested in sitting on the beach, but we don't do thrills. We like culture and information. There are tours on Jamaica and Haiti and in Cozumel, but St. Maarten and St. Thomas seem to be lacking unless we want to shop (No!!!!!) or scuba/snorkel (No!!!!). Am I wrong?

 

Also, will we end up spending more on RCI? Are they able to accommodate dietary needs or will we need to pay a premium to dine in "specialty" dining rooms? And even then, will we be guaranteed safe meal options? People on the RCI board seem to feel that the RCI staff lies about the ingredients of their meals. Is that true?

[gambit57]

I really appreciate your input!!

 

So, the Aquaduck is a really big draw to DCL, as are the kids' club and activities. Really, really big draw, as in I look at pictures of the Allure and am sure that we will be bored by the tiny pool.

 

But the Eastern port visits seem boring. St. Maarten and St. Thomas, what can we do there? We aren't interested in sitting on the beach, but we don't do thrills. We like culture and information. There are tours on Jamaica and Haiti and in Cozumel, but St. Maarten and St. Thomas seem to be lacking unless we want to shop (No!!!!!) or scuba/snorkel (No!!!!). Am I wrong?

 

Also, will we end up spending more on RCI? Are they able to accommodate dietary needs or will we need to pay a premium to dine in "specialty" dining rooms? And even then, will we be guaranteed safe meal options? People on the RCI board seem to feel that the RCI staff lies about the ingredients of their meals. Is that true?

 

Have you compared excursions offered from both ships? There's an excursion section on here I believe.

 

As for the food stuff on RCI, you gotta ask them. Disney folks aren't going to know about RCI, altho I highly doubt that paying for a specialty restaurant is gonna be any safer than the regular dining rooms.

 

If culture and info are what you're looking for, I'm not sure how the Western Carib would be any better. I'm not sure about Cozumel (skipped due to hurricane), but I didn't think there was much going on in the culture and info dept of the other islands. Disliked them a lot as a whole to be honest. Didn't go to Haiti (Grand Cayman instead) but just from my general geography knowledge, I don't see why Haiti would be better. Plus, aren't they still recovering?

 

I dunno, just doing a quick Wikipedia read and googling some images, the Eastern Carib seems like it'd be more your boat. Are there no tours for history and culture?

 

Just from my experience, I don't remember much culture and info being available for the Western Carib islands I visited. Much more touristy and active stuff. I really tried to like Jamaica in particular too cuz my boss at the time was from there. Really failed to impress me. I'll be honest. I'm a nerd. I like culture and all that too. However, particularly since I'm on the West Coast, I'm likely never going back to the W. Carib or Bahamas. Not when Hawaii is available. I'm willing to give the E. Carib a chance based on the pictures and stuff, but I've done the W. Carib and Bahamas and really failed to fall in love.

 

Remember tho, this is all just my personal tastes. I guess I can give a quickie background. I've been cruising since I was around 10. I'm now in my 30s with my own family, including small kids (but they haven't gone cruising yet). Work in legal.

[HappyAboard]

I've only been on a couple of cruise lines, but I honestly believe there is no other line that can compare to Disney. My first cruise was on Disney, and I was treated like a queen, then because of the high cost, my next cruise was on another line and I received good service, but it was not over the top like Disney.

 

It's like the difference between going to another theme park vs. going to a Disney theme park. The other theme parks might be fun, but the staff are never trained to make you feel special like the Disney staff are trained. I think the staff on the ship are even better than the parks because they get to know you. They realize that it is a once of a lifetime trip for many people, and they don't disappoint.

 

The Disney difference starts from the second you board the ship, and they announce your arrival and several ship staff stand around and clap as you make your first step onto the ship. (On the other ship we were just herded through the door.) When I was asked what I wanted for dessert the first night I said nothing thanks, and the waiter brought me a plate with the word nothing spelled on it with chocolate sauce. It was silly, but it entertained the

table, and showed that he was willing to do anything he could to please me. I could go on and on with Disney examples, but I don't have any similar examples from my other cruises. It's the small touches that make it a vacation to remember.

[Gatrcruzer]

Hi Grenouille,

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either ship. It is easier to get to the port from Ft. Lauderdale than Orlando - something to think about.

 

The pools on both ships are small, but both have splash and water features that are nice.

 

I saw in another post that you are looking at going in August. While hurricane season goes from June 1 - Nov. 30, it seems as though August-October are the times of heaviest activity for hurricanes, so I don't think I'd pick a cruise based on itinerary at that time of year. You just don't know what you are going to wind up with during hurricane season. Think of it more as a suggested itinerary! Your western could turn into an eastern, ports can be skipped, your 7 day could turn into a 4 day or an 8 day, etc. A lot of the cruises go as expected, but your chances of things turning out differently increase dramatically during hurricane season. Even if there is no hurricane during your trip, if a port was recently hit by a hurricane you might need to skip it. Something to consider.

 

I recently went on the Disney Dream and have written a review here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=111255

 

My daughter is in a different age bracket from your children, so a bit of a different experience, for sure. However, I have also sailed RCI and made a brief comparison.

 

If you can afford it, I'd go with Disney over RCI in this case, only because your family loves Disney. It's a great crusie for Disney fans. If you were only so so on Disney I might recommend RCI instead. That said, Allure is a great ship, and I'm sure you'd have a wonderful time on either ship. Good luck with choosing!

 

That said, I'm squarely with codex on this one: I much prefer the eastern itinerary. However, we do like beach, water activity, and maybe some touring. The Haiti stop on RCI is to Labadee, which is their private beach area that you pretty much stay in, which is probably for the best given how things are in Haiti right now.

[gambit57]

Hmm, if you're going in August, definitely prioritize the ship over the itinerary.

 

If I were you and had so many food issues, I'd definitely check what the RCI people say. If you've already gotten the hint that they aren't as good, just go with Disney then since they get such glowing reviews on this issue. I'm about to test that out myself as I have a recently discovered food allergy.

[Gon2hwe]

We are trying Disney for the first time on Dec 1st so I really can't say alot about them. We went on Allure last summer and it was amazing. I thought it would be crowded but it's divided up into so many different spaces it never felt that way. The pool areas were great and so much for kids to do. The ship is huge so you never feel any motion at all. I do remember seeing Gluten free foods on the buffet but can't remember on the DR menus. Now Eastern or western is subjective but I like Eastern better. Didn't care for Haiti at all and Jamacia even less but you won't know until you go. Besides once you go you'll be hooked and you can try the other one next. If you have a nine year old they won't be into Disney much longer so Concider that. Hope that helps some anyway. We always get a balcony, it's so relaxing and it seems to add space to your room. If you tend to et sea sick don't get an aft balcony. It's the only place I ever feel seasick. (Look for my review when I get back from Disney Dream.)

[mom x4,grandma x4]

With the age of your kids perhaps they would like going to the Butterfly farm? I think both islands have them. Just grab a taxi at the port if you dont see it on a DCL excursion. Just allow plenty of extra time to get back to the ship, traffic gets bad in the late afternoon.

I think it was St. Thomas where they had Fort St. Louis. Kids usually love the old forts. You can take a taxi there. Plus on St. Thomas there is a sky tram that goes up the hillside and at the top is a wild birds show and paths to walk around to see the view before riding the tram back down.

If you have no fear of heights its a great view. It was not too expensive as I can remember.

 

Also both islands have a bus tour with breath taking views and you get a real feel for the islands beauty. The ship has tours for this on both islands. Some say shopping too, but some times that is just an option where you can get let off for shopping and find your own way back by taxi while others stay with the tour and goes back to the ship.

 

St. Maartin shopping has a water taxi to get you there but you can get a cab right at the port to take you there or even walk but its is a long walk with kids. There are a few small shops at the port for small souvenirs like you described.

 

Are you tendering at St. Thomas?? Not sure if they still do that. But they use to do it some of the time. Its a short tender.

 

Most of the tours we have done were at St. Johns. But with your sea sicness you dont want to ride that ferry. I have been on it 4 or 5 times and it is very rough.

[OceanLiner]

We have been on both Eastern and the Western cruises, and the Eastern was far better for us. The ports and the overall atmosphere were excellent, the only thing that I wish was that Disney would add extra cruises to the far south eastern areas.

[LimmyL]

I have not been on Allure of the Seas, but I have been on Oasis of the Seas (Western) and Disney Fantasy (Eastern), and you can't go wrong with either choice. I have to admit that I do prefer Castaway Cay over Labadee, and I also enjoyed Remy more than 150 Central Park.

 

If there is still a concern with special dietary restrictions on Royal Caribbean, this video should put it to rest :-)

 

[will773]

I went on a Disney cruise when I was about 6 or 7. Couldn't tell you anything about it other than that I cried because I didn't want to leave. haha. Since then, it's been all Royal Caribbean and I love it even more! I went on the Allure Western trip last year, you can look at my review if you want:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439713

 

Either way, you'll have a great trip!

[racingfandj]

We loved the Eastern itinerary this summer and didn't do any shopping or lying around on beaches. In St. Maarten we had a private tour with Capt. Bob and also went zip lining at Loterie Farm. In St. Thomas, we had tickets to the skytram and Butterfly World. We walked to Butterfly World which is right outside the dock gates (behind Senor Frogs). They have a neat bird show that DD (5) really enjoyed. We were waiting on DH and DD to get back from an excursion and by the time they did, the skytram line was outrageously long so we skipped it.

 

If you are wanting something more cultural, I would make inquiries to tour operators like Capt. Bob or Bernard's Tours. Capt. Bob had his standard offering, which was water based, but when we said we wanted land, he drafted an itinerary and sent to me.

[ThorCruiser]

Have sailed both Disney and RCI. Disney wins hands down for food quality, entertainment (shows) quality, and customer service, plus their kids program is awesome. But RCI is a close second, especially on such a big boat with so much to do. It's a tough decision - but what decision to have to make!

[xrae]

As to your question about bringing drinks on board, you can bring alcohol, soft drinks, water, whatever, on board the Disney ships in a carry on. Not sure what restrictions RCI has.

 

One thing that's great about Disney cruise dining is you'll have the same serving team for all your evening meals, so they'll be aware of your special food needs from Day 1. So they'll work with you every day to meet your needs. And if you go to a sit-down restaurant for breakfast or lunch, the first question you'll be asked when seated is if anyone at your table has a food allergy. Buffets will work with you, too.

 

From everything you've said, go with Disney. You already love the Disney parks, you love the Disney characters, do the Disney cruise!

[ThorCruiser]

If you're still trying to decide between cruise lines, I found this article about the customer service on Royal Caribbean vs. Disney. Hope it helps!

 

http://www.sigmazone.com/Articles_KanosModel.htm

[stsomewhere]

On Allure, you will need to make reservations for all your specialty dining and shows before you board. There were some shows that my son was not able to get tickets to.

[Xewrsw]

I had cruised numerous times with my son and then, Whamo, he was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. (He was 12 at the time) I was in a panic about our cruise plans for the future. RCCL/Oasis was amazing. ( I've been told that Oasis and her sister ship Allure are pretty much identical.) I registered his need with the reservation. Then once on board I spoke with the Dining Manager. I had to go to each venue and speak with each head chef. In the buffet, the head chef came out and walked me through entire buffet pointing out what he could eat.(it was very busy on embarkation day so I was impressed by him.) The whole walk through thing at each food venue is exhausting with many saying," sorry." At dinner we would pick out want he wanted for the next day to include any meals in the dining room...not other venues. That said..I felt that outside of the dining room it was very slim pickings. He was with his buddies so he only ate in the dining room for dinner. Basically there are no GF desserts except ice cream. This is a huge ship and I joined him in eating gluten free to see how he would fare. That said, by the time we disembarked I was starving! It's such a huge ship and I did a lot of walking. Our room was in the front & all of his activities, pool, flow riders were in the back. (We bring GF crackers, pretzels and grab some fruit from the buffet for excursions off the ship.)

You are an adult so you can find food that will satisfy you on the Allure and they are very accommodating. However, I've heard nothing but rave reviews from Disney and feel that they would be the same if not better than RCCL. They are good in the parks.

I was surprised that I could feel the rocking on the Oasis. And we had calm seas!

These mega ships have center promenades with no exterior windows in these public rooms and corridors.(the balcony rooms are covering the outside of the ship.)Strangely this bothered me. I don't get sea sick, I just like to see out like you can on the typical ships. This could be a plus or minus for you. I don't know the layout of the Fantasy. We're going in 2014.

As far as the ports of call...I hear you. I am sooo tired of St. Thomas and St. Martin. I wanted to do Barbados but no good ships at my time.

One of my favorite things to do though is stay on board when all the passengers get off. Just me, my beverage and my i-book with some music. It's very relaxing. And a chair and location of my first choice! I've read that some of the best times for the awesome slide and pool on the Fantasy are when in port, if the kids stay on too. I would check on that to make sure though. Other cruise lines shut things down in port.

Btw...I'm not sure that RCCL let's you bring alcohol on board?..... and their beverage cards are a nuisance. Two nice things about Disney-the carry on alcohol and the included beverages.

I feel your frustration and I wish you the best in your decision and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

[xcell]

I vote for Eastern on any ship...