Review: Allure verses Disney Fantasy

[iublondie25]

First of all both ships are very nice.,,,but Disney is definitely geared towards families.

 

I will have to say I enjoyed Allure so much more then the Fantasy.

I guess the main things to compare are the ships, food, cabins and kids clubs.

 

Ships:

Both ships are in fact amazing. New clean and pretty awesome! I liked the pool area on Allure more then Disney. The Allure has four pools which makes crowding less likely. But Disney has the little water park in the shade and THAT was awesome to let the kids play without being in the sun.

I found that Disney had more shaded areas around the sun decks and pools. Since we are not ones that likes massive amounts of sun exposure this was nice.

 

Allure just has SO MUCH MORE to look at and do. The aqua theater, flow riders...etc....

Disney was very expensive but it seemed to have less to participate in.

 

I would say the Allure wins.

 

Food:

Food was the same on both ships. Somethings are awesome....some not. It is hit or miss really.

The wait staff on the Allure was far superior then that on Disney.

But the dining concept on Disney was better then the Allure. I enjoyed the rotated dining rooms on Disney. Also a tip on Allure.....if you purchase a drink or soda package do it from your wait staff. Don't do it ahead of time. The wait staff actually gets "bonuses" for the amount they sell. I would be paying the same price no matter what.

Also on Disney coffee and soda are included and plentiful. Take a water bottle to fill up with.

Allure gave you special micro chipped cups to use at like TWO special soda machines. I wish they would have had them on each deck...or every other deck. Waiting for soda at the bar always took 15 times longer.

 

If I had to choose this...I would say Disney would win for the "free" soda and rotational dining.

 

Cabins:

On Disney we had an inside "magic" portal cabin and it was pretty cool. They also have curtains separating the parents beds from the "kids beds". That was helpful to help get the kids asleep while we stayed up and watched a movie.

On Allure we had three inside "Central Park" view. No balconies. I love these cabins the window seat was really great and added so much more space to sit, unpack, read or people watch. The view was awesome to have an inside cabin and see sunlight and trees. It was also very quiet. But they didn't have the curtain separation.

 

So for the cabins...Allure does win. The concept is outstanding.

 

 

Kids Clubs:

Okay this is the main reason why we cruise. I have 5 kids. Ages 2-15 now. Having "included" child care for vacation is a bonus to make sure the hubby and I get some time alone.

Let me break this into age groups.

Infant:

Disney and Allure for the infant programs were pretty much equal. Even though it was an extra cost and you were suppose to "reserve" time ahead most of the time they had drop off space. I have no complaints on the nursery.

 

4, 6, 7 yo:

The Disney facilities were much nicer! Check in and out went much smoother. They seemed to be open more hours. That being said....they didn't seem to have as many "organized" activities. Lot's of just sit down and watch a movie or play a video game. Also they had to wear these very bulky bracelets with a box on them. The kids were not thrilled with them. I hope they can start implementing the rubber bracelet technology they have at the park now.....anywho. After some whining, I told them it's the rules and you don't get to do anything but sit in the cabin unless you wear them. I also felt the staff was better trained to handle all kinds of kids and their personalities.

 

On RCCL the play are is smaller but it is also broken up into smaller age groups. Pick up and Drop off was done in a very cramped area. It was not convenient but eh.....a relatively small thing overall.

The staff didn't really help out with those kids there were reluctant to enter but would end up having fun once we dropped them off. You know the ones.....I call it "hug, drop, dodge and ditch" because sometimes you have to just leave the kids.....and they are fine once you are gone. The staff had said, "If he doesn't come in willingly we can't keep him here." Really? I mean you are a complete stranger and I know my kid. Once we are gone he will be fine. And if he isn't CALL ME ON THE STUPID phone. (I had one because we had an infant). Also I have one kid that has ODD/ADHD. We explained this to the staff.....there were a few situations where they would have a group activity and he didn't want to play it. He would want to sit in the corner and read a book. They would FORCE him to play which triggered him and set him off into a tantrum. Okay, I know he is "special needs" but I had stated this before the booking, at registration and to the staff....at every pick up and drop off. I didn't think letting him read in the corner quietly was a big deal. In the end there was an American staff member who understood him and we decided to just use the club when he was there. That made our "alone time" less but actually more enjoyable to NOT get a phone call in the middle of dinner or a show. (Have you even had to leave early in the middle of a comedy show? Ha ha ha)

 

So hum....if I had to choose......I would have to say.....Disney. But only because their area was much nicer and check in/out was so much easier.

 

Which ship wins???????

 

So that is my little comparison review. If we sailed again we would actually sail on The Allure. I just didn't think we got the value out of Disney. I probably would never sail Disney again. (Although I LOVED Castaway Cay!) We also got the Norovirus on Disney. That totally sucked. We didn't get it on The Allure but I was MUCH MORE diligent about watching the kids. We would hit the pools first thing in the mornings to avoid the "germs" from the crowds. While the Allure had their pools open almost all the time...they would close them because of the water and have to "shock" them a lot. It isn't their fault.....it happens. But Disney actually had a schedule for their pools and I think that helped with keeping them cleaner? I don't know. But yeah that Norovirus is NO JOKE! :) Take lots of medicine, powered Gatorade and anti-diarrhea medicine!

 

Questions? Please just ask.

[STUR]

First of all both ships are very nice.,,,but Disney is definitely geared towards families.

 

I will have to say I enjoyed Allure so much more then the Fantasy.

I guess the main things to compare are the ships, food, cabins and kids clubs.

 

Ships:

Both ships are in fact amazing. New clean and pretty awesome! I liked the pool area on Allure more then Disney. The Allure has four pools which makes crowding less likely. But Disney has the little water park in the shade and THAT was awesome to let the kids play without being in the sun.

I found that Disney had more shaded areas around the sun decks and pools. Since we are not ones that likes massive amounts of sun exposure this was nice.

 

Allure just has SO MUCH MORE to look at and do. The aqua theater, flow riders...etc....

Disney was very expensive but it seemed to have less to participate in.

 

I would say the Allure wins.

 

Food:

Food was the same on both ships. Somethings are awesome....some not. It is hit or miss really.

The wait staff on the Allure was far superior then that on Disney.

But the dining concept on Disney was better then the Allure. I enjoyed the rotated dining rooms on Disney. Also a tip on Allure.....if you purchase a drink or soda package do it from your wait staff. Don't do it ahead of time. The wait staff actually gets "bonuses" for the amount they sell. I would be paying the same price no matter what.

Also on Disney coffee and soda are included and plentiful. Take a water bottle to fill up with.

Allure gave you special micro chipped cups to use at like TWO special soda machines. I wish they would have had them on each deck...or every other deck. Waiting for soda at the bar always took 15 times longer.

 

If I had to choose this...I would say Disney would win for the "free" soda and rotational dining.

 

Cabins:

On Disney we had an inside "magic" portal cabin and it was pretty cool. They also have curtains separating the parents beds from the "kids beds". That was helpful to help get the kids asleep while we stayed up and watched a movie.

On Allure we had three inside "Central Park" view. No balconies. I love these cabins the window seat was really great and added so much more space to sit, unpack, read or people watch. The view was awesome to have an inside cabin and see sunlight and trees. It was also very quiet. But they didn't have the curtain separation.

 

So for the cabins...Allure does win. The concept is outstanding.

 

 

Kids Clubs:

Okay this is the main reason why we cruise. I have 5 kids. Ages 2-15 now. Having "included" child care for vacation is a bonus to make sure the hubby and I get some time alone.

Let me break this into age groups.

Infant:

Disney and Allure for the infant programs were pretty much equal. Even though it was an extra cost and you were suppose to "reserve" time ahead most of the time they had drop off space. I have no complaints on the nursery.

 

4, 6, 7 yo:

The Disney facilities were much nicer! Check in and out went much smoother. They seemed to be open more hours. That being said....they didn't seem to have as many "organized" activities. Lot's of just sit down and watch a movie or play a video game. Also they had to wear these very bulky bracelets with a box on them. The kids were not thrilled with them. I hope they can start implementing the rubber bracelet technology they have at the park now.....anywho. After some whining, I told them it's the rules and you don't get to do anything but sit in the cabin unless you wear them. I also felt the staff was better trained to handle all kinds of kids and their personalities.

 

On RCCL the play are is smaller but it is also broken up into smaller age groups. Pick up and Drop off was done in a very cramped area. It was not convenient but eh.....a relatively small thing overall.

The staff didn't really help out with those kids there were reluctant to enter but would end up having fun once we dropped them off. You know the ones.....I call it "hug, drop, dodge and ditch" because sometimes you have to just leave the kids.....and they are fine once you are gone. The staff had said, "If he doesn't come in willingly we can't keep him here." Really? I mean you are a complete stranger and I know my kid. Once we are gone he will be fine. And if he isn't CALL ME ON THE STUPID phone. (I had one because we had an infant). Also I have one kid that has ODD/ADHD. We explained this to the staff.....there were a few situations where they would have a group activity and he didn't want to play it. He would want to sit in the corner and read a book. They would FORCE him to play which triggered him and set him off into a tantrum. Okay, I know he is "special needs" but I had stated this before the booking, at registration and to the staff....at every pick up and drop off. I didn't think letting him read in the corner quietly was a big deal. In the end there was an American staff member who understood him and we decided to just use the club when he was there. That made our "alone time" less but actually more enjoyable to NOT get a phone call in the middle of dinner or a show. (Have you even had to leave early in the middle of a comedy show? Ha ha ha)

 

So hum....if I had to choose......I would have to say.....Disney. But only because their area was much nicer and check in/out was so much easier.

 

Which ship wins???????

 

So that is my little comparison review. If we sailed again we would actually sail on The Allure. I just didn't think we got the value out of Disney. I probably would never sail Disney again. (Although I LOVED Castaway Cay!) We also got the Norovirus on Disney. That totally sucked. We didn't get it on The Allure but I was MUCH MORE diligent about watching the kids. We would hit the pools first thing in the mornings to avoid the "germs" from the crowds. While the Allure had their pools open almost all the time...they would close them because of the water and have to "shock" them a lot. It isn't their fault.....it happens. But Disney actually had a schedule for their pools and I think that helped with keeping them cleaner? I don't know. But yeah that Norovirus is NO JOKE! :) Take lots of medicine, powered Gatorade and anti-diarrhea medicine!

 

Questions? Please just ask.

Remember when you compare these two Ships Royal Caribbean to Disney you are comparing Apples to Oranges not Apples to Apples

[iublondie25]

Remember when you compare these two Ships Royal Caribbean to Disney you are comparing Apples to Oranges not Apples to Apples

 

 

 

 

Yes you are completely correct but also since people do also cruise different lines I thought I would share.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

[Nirrakel]

That was a really informative comparison, thank you. I am desparate to sail Disney next year but we'll be on the Allure if the prices on Disney work out too expensive, seems like that might not be such a hardship!

[vacation_junkie]

First of all both ships are very nice.,,,but Disney is definitely geared towards families.

 

I will have to say I enjoyed Allure so much more then the Fantasy.

I guess the main things to compare are the ships, food, cabins and kids clubs.

 

Ships:

Both ships are in fact amazing. New clean and pretty awesome! I liked the pool area on Allure more then Disney. The Allure has four pools which makes crowding less likely. But Disney has the little water park in the shade and THAT was awesome to let the kids play without being in the sun.

I found that Disney had more shaded areas around the sun decks and pools. Since we are not ones that likes massive amounts of sun exposure this was nice.

 

Allure just has SO MUCH MORE to look at and do. The aqua theater, flow riders...etc....

Disney was very expensive but it seemed to have less to participate in.

 

I would say the Allure wins.

 

Food:

Food was the same on both ships. Somethings are awesome....some not. It is hit or miss really.

The wait staff on the Allure was far superior then that on Disney.

But the dining concept on Disney was better then the Allure. I enjoyed the rotated dining rooms on Disney. Also a tip on Allure.....if you purchase a drink or soda package do it from your wait staff. Don't do it ahead of time. The wait staff actually gets "bonuses" for the amount they sell. I would be paying the same price no matter what.

Also on Disney coffee and soda are included and plentiful. Take a water bottle to fill up with.

Allure gave you special micro chipped cups to use at like TWO special soda machines. I wish they would have had them on each deck...or every other deck. Waiting for soda at the bar always took 15 times longer.

 

If I had to choose this...I would say Disney would win for the "free" soda and rotational dining.

 

Cabins:

On Disney we had an inside "magic" portal cabin and it was pretty cool. They also have curtains separating the parents beds from the "kids beds". That was helpful to help get the kids asleep while we stayed up and watched a movie.

On Allure we had three inside "Central Park" view. No balconies. I love these cabins the window seat was really great and added so much more space to sit, unpack, read or people watch. The view was awesome to have an inside cabin and see sunlight and trees. It was also very quiet. But they didn't have the curtain separation.

 

So for the cabins...Allure does win. The concept is outstanding.

 

 

Kids Clubs:

Okay this is the main reason why we cruise. I have 5 kids. Ages 2-15 now. Having "included" child care for vacation is a bonus to make sure the hubby and I get some time alone.

Let me break this into age groups.

Infant:

Disney and Allure for the infant programs were pretty much equal. Even though it was an extra cost and you were suppose to "reserve" time ahead most of the time they had drop off space. I have no complaints on the nursery.

 

4, 6, 7 yo:

The Disney facilities were much nicer! Check in and out went much smoother. They seemed to be open more hours. That being said....they didn't seem to have as many "organized" activities. Lot's of just sit down and watch a movie or play a video game. Also they had to wear these very bulky bracelets with a box on them. The kids were not thrilled with them. I hope they can start implementing the rubber bracelet technology they have at the park now.....anywho. After some whining, I told them it's the rules and you don't get to do anything but sit in the cabin unless you wear them. I also felt the staff was better trained to handle all kinds of kids and their personalities.

 

On RCCL the play are is smaller but it is also broken up into smaller age groups. Pick up and Drop off was done in a very cramped area. It was not convenient but eh.....a relatively small thing overall.

The staff didn't really help out with those kids there were reluctant to enter but would end up having fun once we dropped them off. You know the ones.....I call it "hug, drop, dodge and ditch" because sometimes you have to just leave the kids.....and they are fine once you are gone. The staff had said, "If he doesn't come in willingly we can't keep him here." Really? I mean you are a complete stranger and I know my kid. Once we are gone he will be fine. And if he isn't CALL ME ON THE STUPID phone. (I had one because we had an infant). Also I have one kid that has ODD/ADHD. We explained this to the staff.....there were a few situations where they would have a group activity and he didn't want to play it. He would want to sit in the corner and read a book. They would FORCE him to play which triggered him and set him off into a tantrum. Okay, I know he is "special needs" but I had stated this before the booking, at registration and to the staff....at every pick up and drop off. I didn't think letting him read in the corner quietly was a big deal. In the end there was an American staff member who understood him and we decided to just use the club when he was there. That made our "alone time" less but actually more enjoyable to NOT get a phone call in the middle of dinner or a show. (Have you even had to leave early in the middle of a comedy show? Ha ha ha)

 

So hum....if I had to choose......I would have to say.....Disney. But only because their area was much nicer and check in/out was so much easier.

 

Which ship wins???????

 

So that is my little comparison review. If we sailed again we would actually sail on The Allure. I just didn't think we got the value out of Disney. I probably would never sail Disney again. (Although I LOVED Castaway Cay!) We also got the Norovirus on Disney. That totally sucked. We didn't get it on The Allure but I was MUCH MORE diligent about watching the kids. We would hit the pools first thing in the mornings to avoid the "germs" from the crowds. While the Allure had their pools open almost all the time...they would close them because of the water and have to "shock" them a lot. It isn't their fault.....it happens. But Disney actually had a schedule for their pools and I think that helped with keeping them cleaner? I don't know. But yeah that Norovirus is NO JOKE! :) Take lots of medicine, powered Gatorade and anti-diarrhea medicine!

 

Questions? Please just ask.

 

 

Thanks for the review. We sailed DCL in January. we planned on rebooking on board. We had a less then Magical Cruise and changed our mind and booked the Allure when we arrived back home.

 

Of the 6 lines that we've sailed. Our last Disney Cruise was by far the least enjoyable one we've taken.

[DahliaRW]

I don't know when you last sailed Disney, but this past January they had the rubber bands for the kids clubs that were just like the magic bands. My kids did not complain about them at all.

[iublondie25]

I don't know when you last sailed Disney, but this past January they had the rubber bands for the kids clubs that were just like the magic bands. My kids did not complain about them at all.

 

 

That is awesome news. Good to hear it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

[iublondie25]

Thanks for the review. We sailed DCL in January. we planned on rebooking on board. We had a less then Magical Cruise and changed our mind and booked the Allure when we arrived back home.

 

 

 

Of the 6 lines that we've sailed. Our last Disney Cruise was by far the least enjoyable one we've taken.

 

 

 

I would love to hear why it was less then magical.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

[vacation_junkie]

I would love to hear why it was less then magical.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

 

We are thankful to be able to cruise as much as we do. None of these things ruined our cruise but it didnt make us want to sail DCL again.

 

Stateroom

Stateroom condition was poor.

Light fixtures falling apart.

Carpet trim falling off the wall.

Cracked mouldy tiles in the bathtub area

Air conditioner broke twice had to call maintenance in at 2am and disrupt the cabin the one night. It was way too hot to sleep in the room so we couldn't wait until morning.

Toilet didn't flush more times then it did.

 

 

Room Service

We never got 1 order right. I'd ask for tea. I'd get the mug and water but no tea bags or tea bags and a mug and no water. Orders were never right always missing the fruit or cookies or the milk.

 

Dining room

Dirty water glasses on more then one occasion.

Server rarely asked if we wanted another drink or filled our water without us asking

Atleast one of our entrees were cold each night

Veggies were way undercooked.

 

and I could go on...

 

 

But there are several things that DCL does better then other cruise lines we sail as well. That balanced it out enough to enjoy our sailing but it didn't make us want to come back for more ;)

Edited March 9, 2014 by vacation_junkie

[iublondie25]

Thank you! I like to hear the good, bad and ugly on all ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

[moki'smommy]

August 2013 Magic

Leak in ceiling resulted in soaked carpet. Host put fan in room to try to dry it, which was a major obstruction to entering/leaving room and getting into bathroom.

 

Stateroom host went into backpack to get sunglasses for towel animal AFTER being asked to not touch glasses! Sorry--it is one thing to use an item that is sitting out, but his going into back pack was creepy and was reported.

 

New cabin--keys had to be "fixed" 3 times

cabin had sewer issue--took 4 or 5 days and MANY phone calls before it was finally fixed.

 

Cold food, less quality than previously.

Shabby carpet in stateroom and public areas

Needed serious painting

Discolored, broken tiles in bathroom

 

I took it that a lot of the maintenance stuff in the cabin was being saved till the dry dock. Reports I've seen since then would imply that issues were not fixed.

[iublondie25]

Ugh

How horrible. Did they compensate you in anyway!?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

[moki'smommy]

Ugh

How horrible. Did they compensate you in anyway!?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

I will give credit to our second stateroom hostess. She did a "deep clean" twice (not realizing that no amount of cleaning will fix a leak), and housekeeping floor supervisor came by and promised action. The issue was that it was a plumbing problem, not a housekeeping one. It didn't get fixed till I called GS and told them that housekeeping tried unsuccessfully--I wanted an engineer or someone who knew what they were doing. We showered in the spa for the first 4 or 5 days!

No, they didn't "compensate" us. The second leg cabin (the one with the sewer problem) was an upgrade....if a sewer problem can be called an upgrade. We had a great cruise and honestly were fine after the sewer leak was fixed. It took maybe 10 minutes once we got the right guy there. He looked at it, told me what it was and that he'd be back in 5 minutes with some equipment. Did his thing (5 minutes) and told us to not run water for 20 minutes. Gave me his direct number and said call if not fixed. It was fine.

[iublondie25]

Well at least it got fixed. But some sort of OMC would be nice. Sorry!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

[moki'smommy]

Well at least it got fixed. But some sort of OMC would be nice. Sorry!

 

On the one hand, it would be a nice gesture. On the other hand, not everything in the world can be fixed with OBC. We felt that we were owed a fix, not $.

[CC Help Jenn]

I have a different type of question.... On board spending ....do you feel you spent more being on Allure as compared to Disney ... a cupcake here, a dinner there etc I am always worried I will come away spending more on RCI because there is more opportunity to do so on the ship. It wouldn't stop me from sailing them, but I would want to account for it up front :)

[moki'smommy]

I have a different type of question.... On board spending ....do you feel you spent more being on Allure as compared to Disney ... a cupcake here, a dinner there etc I am always worried I will come away spending more on RCI because there is more opportunity to do so on the ship. It wouldn't stop me from sailing them, but I would want to account for it up front :)

 

As you noted, you have to account for it up front. Our experience with this company was that the cruise price was several hundred dollars less than the same ports on DCL. Part of that savings was use up by purchase of soda card, upcharged restaurants, etc....but still didn't approach the cost of the same booking on DCL.

 

The other thing we noted though--on various web sites, the price of DCL included almost all the cost. There was a $47 tax additional. On other lines, there was over $200 in charges added to their "listed" price. I can't account for the difference by port taxes or government fees as the cruises had exactly the same ports. Again, this "ate" a lot of what looked like HUGE savings in advance.

 

OK, we started with over $700 per person difference between lines. The taxes added to the listed cost took about $200. The soda card, another $50. (but that was only for one member of the group). Upcharged restaurants, etc. Your choice. We still came out $300-400 per person less than DCL.

[iublondie25]

I have a different type of question.... On board spending ....do you feel you spent more being on Allure as compared to Disney ... a cupcake here, a dinner there etc I am always worried I will come away spending more on RCI because there is more opportunity to do so on the ship. It wouldn't stop me from sailing them, but I would want to account for it up front :)

 

 

We didn't do any special dining on Allure. We did Remy on Disney. I just chose not to buy all the extra crap. LOL. I always get two coffee mugs and a Christmas Ornament on all are trips...cruising or not. But those are usually the only "things" I buy. You don't have to do the extras. It was a little harder for us because of the kids...but we try to limit sugar (otherwise they act like monkey's on speed) and they really wanted ice cream instead of cupcakes. So that helped a bunch!

[vacation_junkie]

Thank you! I like to hear the good, bad and ugly on all ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Marcie and Jay

Five kiddos ages 2-15

Grand Rapids,

Michigan

 

Carnival fascination 2001

Disney fantasy 2011

RCCL Allure of the Seas 2013

 

The good..

LOVED Cabana's breakfast buffet. Best buffet we've had at sea in a long time.

 

Also LOVED how they pushed sanitization. Couldn't go in any "food" venue without taking one of those wet wipes from the host at the door.

 

Also arriving at the terminal with PAT time instead of it being a free for all was great.

 

While our room service experience sucked the menu was again on the best we've seen in a while on a ship.

[STUR]

We are thankful to be able to cruise as much as we do. None of these things ruined our cruise but it didnt make us want to sail DCL again.

 

Stateroom

Stateroom condition was poor.

Light fixtures falling apart.

Carpet trim falling off the wall.

Cracked mouldy tiles in the bathtub area

Air conditioner broke twice had to call maintenance in at 2am and disrupt the cabin the one night. It was way too hot to sleep in the room so we couldn't wait until morning.

Toilet didn't flush more times then it did.

 

 

Room Service

We never got 1 order right. I'd ask for tea. I'd get the mug and water but no tea bags or tea bags and a mug and no water. Orders were never right always missing the fruit or cookies or the milk.

 

Dining room

Dirty water glasses on more then one occasion.

Server rarely asked if we wanted another drink or filled our water without us asking

Atleast one of our entrees were cold each night

Veggies were way undercooked.

 

and I could go on...

 

 

But there are several things that DCL does better then other cruise lines we sail as well. That balanced it out enough to enjoy our sailing but it didn't make us want to come back for more ;)

Vacation Junkie

 

Hard to believe all your dissatisfaction as the Fantasy is only 2 years old

Sounds like the ship is falling apart

This year it was awarded the best cruise Ship

[DahliaRW]

Vacation Junkie

 

Hard to believe all your dissatisfaction as the Fantasy is only 2 years old

Sounds like the ship is falling apart

This year it was awarded the best cruise Ship

 

We cruised the Fantasy this past January and had none of those issues. The ship was pristine. I'm guessing you tend to hear more about atypical negative experiences than the everyday positive ones.

[vacation_junkie]

Vacation Junkie

 

Hard to believe all your dissatisfaction as the Fantasy is only 2 years old

Sounds like the ship is falling apart

This year it was awarded the best cruise Ship

 

I never once stated that I sailed the Fantasy.

We were on the Magic.

I was simply stating our last Disney Cruise wasn't up to par and turned us off sailing Disney again.

[moki'smommy]

I never once stated that I sailed the Fantasy.

We were on the Magic.

I was simply stating our last Disney Cruise wasn't up to par and turned us off sailing Disney again.

 

It was clear to me that this poster was talking about a cruise on the Magic after the big dry dock. I tried to be clear that my comments referred to an August, 2013 cruise on the Magic (before dry dock.)

[big al]

First of all both ships are very nice.,,,but Disney is definitely geared towards families.

 

I will have to say I enjoyed Allure so much more then the Fantasy.

I guess the main things to compare are the ships, food, cabins and kids clubs.

 

Ships:

Both ships are in fact amazing. New clean and pretty awesome! I liked the pool area on Allure more then Disney. The Allure has four pools which makes crowding less likely. But Disney has the little water park in the shade and THAT was awesome to let the kids play without being in the sun.

I found that Disney had more shaded areas around the sun decks and pools. Since we are not ones that likes massive amounts of sun exposure this was nice.

 

Allure just has SO MUCH MORE to look at and do. The aqua theater, flow riders...etc....

Disney was very expensive but it seemed to have less to participate in.

 

I would say the Allure wins.

 

Food:

Food was the same on both ships. Somethings are awesome....some not. It is hit or miss really.

The wait staff on the Allure was far superior then that on Disney.

But the dining concept on Disney was better then the Allure. I enjoyed the rotated dining rooms on Disney. Also a tip on Allure.....if you purchase a drink or soda package do it from your wait staff. Don't do it ahead of time. The wait staff actually gets "bonuses" for the amount they sell. I would be paying the same price no matter what.

Also on Disney coffee and soda are included and plentiful. Take a water bottle to fill up with.

Allure gave you special micro chipped cups to use at like TWO special soda machines. I wish they would have had them on each deck...or every other deck. Waiting for soda at the bar always took 15 times longer.

 

If I had to choose this...I would say Disney would win for the "free" soda and rotational dining.

 

Cabins:

On Disney we had an inside "magic" portal cabin and it was pretty cool. They also have curtains separating the parents beds from the "kids beds". That was helpful to help get the kids asleep while we stayed up and watched a movie.

On Allure we had three inside "Central Park" view. No balconies. I love these cabins the window seat was really great and added so much more space to sit, unpack, read or people watch. The view was awesome to have an inside cabin and see sunlight and trees. It was also very quiet. But they didn't have the curtain separation.

 

So for the cabins...Allure does win. The concept is outstanding.

 

 

Kids Clubs:

Okay this is the main reason why we cruise. I have 5 kids. Ages 2-15 now. Having "included" child care for vacation is a bonus to make sure the hubby and I get some time alone.

Let me break this into age groups.

Infant:

Disney and Allure for the infant programs were pretty much equal. Even though it was an extra cost and you were suppose to "reserve" time ahead most of the time they had drop off space. I have no complaints on the nursery.

 

4, 6, 7 yo:

The Disney facilities were much nicer! Check in and out went much smoother. They seemed to be open more hours. That being said....they didn't seem to have as many "organized" activities. Lot's of just sit down and watch a movie or play a video game. Also they had to wear these very bulky bracelets with a box on them. The kids were not thrilled with them. I hope they can start implementing the rubber bracelet technology they have at the park now.....anywho. After some whining, I told them it's the rules and you don't get to do anything but sit in the cabin unless you wear them. I also felt the staff was better trained to handle all kinds of kids and their personalities.

 

On RCCL the play are is smaller but it is also broken up into smaller age groups. Pick up and Drop off was done in a very cramped area. It was not convenient but eh.....a relatively small thing overall.

The staff didn't really help out with those kids there were reluctant to enter but would end up having fun once we dropped them off. You know the ones.....I call it "hug, drop, dodge and ditch" because sometimes you have to just leave the kids.....and they are fine once you are gone. The staff had said, "If he doesn't come in willingly we can't keep him here." Really? I mean you are a complete stranger and I know my kid. Once we are gone he will be fine. And if he isn't CALL ME ON THE STUPID phone. (I had one because we had an infant). Also I have one kid that has ODD/ADHD. We explained this to the staff.....there were a few situations where they would have a group activity and he didn't want to play it. He would want to sit in the corner and read a book. They would FORCE him to play which triggered him and set him off into a tantrum. Okay, I know he is "special needs" but I had stated this before the booking, at registration and to the staff....at every pick up and drop off. I didn't think letting him read in the corner quietly was a big deal. In the end there was an American staff member who understood him and we decided to just use the club when he was there. That made our "alone time" less but actually more enjoyable to NOT get a phone call in the middle of dinner or a show. (Have you even had to leave early in the middle of a comedy show? Ha ha ha)

 

So hum....if I had to choose......I would have to say.....Disney. But only because their area was much nicer and check in/out was so much easier.

 

Which ship wins???????

 

So that is my little comparison review. If we sailed again we would actually sail on The Allure. I just didn't think we got the value out of Disney. I probably would never sail Disney again. (Although I LOVED Castaway Cay!) We also got the Norovirus on Disney. That totally sucked. We didn't get it on The Allure but I was MUCH MORE diligent about watching the kids. We would hit the pools first thing in the mornings to avoid the "germs" from the crowds. While the Allure had their pools open almost all the time...they would close them because of the water and have to "shock" them a lot. It isn't their fault.....it happens. But Disney actually had a schedule for their pools and I think that helped with keeping them cleaner? I don't know. But yeah that Norovirus is NO JOKE! :) Take lots of medicine, powered Gatorade and anti-diarrhea medicine!

 

Questions? Please just ask.

 

We have not cruised the Fantasy ( although she is THEE highest rated cruise ship in the world here on CC at 98%) ,but we sailed the Dream, her sister in Nov.I also cruised both the Oasis & Allure. You can find my comparison on the Disney thread called "Big Al's Dream review" a few pages back..I found some opposites from you & your experience..our cabin ( cat 4A) was the best cabin for standard non-suite cabins we've ever had- first, the 2 bathrooms concept is fantastic...shower area was by FAR the best on any of our 29 cruises..that rain shower was awesome..my wife & I fought to stay in there as long as possible..also the sitting area to shave her legs she loved...and the shower itself was 50% bigger than most others I've experienced...great cabin, far better than the Allure standard D1 ( Allure 180 SF, Dream was 299 SF)..

 

Next we also loved the rotation dining , but I thought the food overall was much better on the Dream than the MDR food on the Allure.Food is very subjective, but I feel 90% of MDR food is like catered food..our Chops meal on Allure was great, best crab cakes ever...our Palo meal on the Dream was equally good, and our brunch in Palo was simply SPECTACULAR! We've never had anything like that ever on all our cruises...I should've had a medic standing by, as I lost consciousness several times, LOL....

 

In your review, you didn't mention entertainment, a strong point for both ships...All 4 production shows on the Dream were fantastic, and I especially loved "Villains"...the singers & dancers were top notch, IMO...the water diving show on Oasis & Allure is not to be missed- best non-production show on the 7 seas. Shows on both ships were the best ever on any cruise we've done...on Allure, there's also the ice-skating shows, and certainly overall, there's more to do for adults on the Allure/ Oasis ships..BUT, as others have said, you are comparing apples to oranges here...first, the Fantasy is a mere 130,000 tons almost a full 100,000 tons smaller than the Allure...if anything,you should compare the Fantasy to the 140,000 Voyager class ships...

 

I thought the buffet in Cabanas BLEW away the Windjammer on RCI...shrimp cocktail? Crab claws? Coconut Shrimp? all at lunch? We very impressed by the buffet on the Dream...eggs benedict at breakfast? On RCI, you have to go to the dining room at breakfast for my favorite morning dish......

 

I agree Castaway Cay is wonderful...we have been to all private islands: Castaway Cay, Coco Cay & Labadee ( RCI), Half Moon Cay ( my 2nd fav from HAL ), Great Stirrup Cay ( NCL ) , and Princess Cay ( Princess)...Castaway Cay, IMO is by far the best with HMC not far behind..Labadee is very big but the first 2, IMO, are the nicest for beach & fun...

 

I thought service on both ships was good, but Disney's was exceptional in our experience..our favorite dining venue is Animator's Palate..wow, that was amazing! Seeing Crush the turtle come to life as we dined was so much fun even for a senior like me, with no kids..the MDR on other ships are OK, a bit boring, nothing like the rotation dining on Disney..

 

Another nice thing about the Dream is the OUTSIDE promenade on deck 4, where you can still take a walk around the ship & see the sea & the stars and sky.And that area on Disney ships is all beautiful, with wood floors and real deep ( about 15 feet)..it is one of the biggest complaints on the Oasis class ships I've read & heard from a lot of cruisers- no place to see the sea..you must go up to decks 15 & 16 and that is not quiet & intimate...the adult pool areas on both ships were nice- Allure wins hands down for the infinity canti-levered hot tubs and pools in the Solarium ( although it gets waaayyy too hot in there from May- Oct)...I loved the water spray mist around the little pool on the Dream to keep ypu cool..very nice touch...

 

It's amazing how people have different takes on similar cruise ships ....we want to try the new reinvented Magic..next up the 5 night Halloween cruise on the Oasis in October...

 

Big Al

[Irene7]

Remember when you compare these two Ships Royal Caribbean to Disney you are comparing Apples to Oranges not Apples to Apples

 

So true! Also if the Fantasy were 225,000 GT's, there would be more room for even more activities.