Loyal to Royal, but would a one-off Disney be worthwhile?

[Tee & Chilli]

No characters as of last week and we’re almost in Summer.

[time4u2go]

2 minutes ago, Tee & Chilli said:

No characters as of last week and we’re almost in Summer.

You must not have been looking in the right place.  Characters have been back for nearly 2 months, and the Magic Kingdom parade for nearly 3 months.  This article was written on April 21:

 

https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2022/04/21/character-hugs-return-to-disney-world

 

"Among the character greets that no longer have physical distancing are Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater and Princess Fairytale Hall at Magic Kingdom, Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhus, Minnie Mouse at the World Showcase Gazebo at Epcot, and Disney Junior Pals in Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios."

 

"Last month, the Festival of Fantasy parade returned to Magic Kingdom alongside the new castle stage show, Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire."

[Tee & Chilli]

I’m very familiar with Disney as a former employee and very savvy with the app. No characters were at Animal Kingdom! Only flying animal kites. Magic kingdom was sold out so we did not visit.

 

OP, I suggest checking the know before you go page for the parks and the cruise. Also on cruises you can no longer leave items at guest services for the characters to sign.

[Mum2Mercury]

I've done Disney, and it's great:

- The bathrooms are "split", which is nice if you have more than two people in a cabin.  

- The kids' clubs are fantastic.  My girls really enjoyed them.  

- The private island is better than RC's private island.  

- I did not see a single character on our Disney cruise.  Maybe we weren't trying?  

- If you're going to do it, do it while the kids are very young -- maybe under 6 or 8.  After that, RC becomes the superior choice, as their kid-entertainment is better for tweens and teens.  

 

Really, though, I'd rather have three RC cruises than a single Disney cruise.  

[time4u2go]

1 minute ago, Tee & Chilli said:

I’m very familiar with Disney as a former employee and very savvy with the app. No characters were at Animal Kingdom! Only flying animal kites. Magic kingdom was sold out so we did not visit.

 

OP, I suggest checking the know before you go page for the parks and the cruise. Also on cruises you can no longer leave items at guest services for the characters to sign.

I didn't realize you were only talking about Animal Kingdom. 

[Tee & Chilli]

5 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I didn't realize you were only talking about Animal Kingdom. 

No harm done. I probably provided more information than the OP asked.

The Disney board also reports characters on cruises are roped off and must be viewed from a distance. I’m not sure if this has changed. 
 

We canceled our Disney cruise and went to the park. So much more activities and we also saw Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs.

 

OP…..Disney castaway cay is fabulous. Enjoy whichever you choose 

[pyrateslife4me84]

1 hour ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Are you aware Disney has stopped the characters at the park and possibly cruises also. You may want to do some research. I was at the parks last week. No characters, no parades, no fireworks. Fireworks on cruises 15 minutes max.

What? There most certainly are characters, fireworks, and parades at WDW and there are characters and fireworks on the cruises. 

[Lane Hog]

We used to like Disney before spending three days started to rival my mortgage payment...  Our kids grew up going to Knotts Berry Farm and Cedar Point... WDW wound up being more about our memories of going there as kids than it was for our own kids benefit.

If the cruise is really 2-3x more than Royal or Carnival, I think I'd pocket the difference and add a day at the park before or after the cruise.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Lane Hog

[rudeney]

It's been a while, but we did DCL before we became Loyal to Royal.  I find that the cabins on DCL are better than RCCL.  The split bathrooms are great for families - even on inside cabins.  We had a 1BR suite on DCL Wonder, and it was much more usable than a GS on RCCL with two bathrooms and the bedroom was separated from the living area with a wall and door, plus sleeping for 5.  I was also much more lavishly decorated with lots of small details, like books and knick-knacks on the shelves. 

 

We found the service on RCCL to be very much equal to DCL.  DCL's restaurant rotation is interesting, but I found the food no better than RCCL's MDR.  DCL's specialty restaurants (we only had Palo on DCL Wonder) are a step up from RCCL's.  Most everything on DCL is themed with Disney characters and intellectual property.  RCCL lacks any sort of theme, which makes it feel more mainstream.

 

The reality is that the grandkids are not going to remember this.  If you take them, it's going to be for you to enjoy their reactions.  We took out 11yo and she's now 27, but has very little recollection of the trip. My advice - save your money and stick to RCCL. 

[NancyIL]

My last cruise was a 5-night San Juan to New Orleans repo in Feb. 2020 on the Disney Wonder.  I thought it was a bargain (for Disney)  @ $750 pp in an inside. DCL’s Transatlantic cruises used to be the best bang for the buck, but they’ve gotten a lot more expensive. 
 

I think it’s worth doing at least one Disney cruise - even if you don’t cruise with young kids. However,  I’d try to go off-season and not during school breaks.

[joeyancho]

No way would I pay triple to be on a ship with hundreds of screaming hopped up kids.  It's just not for me.   Disney cruises, just like their parks,  are  way overpriced.  JMHO.  

[time4u2go]

9 hours ago, pyrateslife4me84 said:

What? There most certainly are characters, fireworks, and parades at WDW and there are characters and fireworks on the cruises. 

That's what I thought. 

[Cruise a holic]

15 hours ago, TBone2K said:

Done many RC cruises as you can see in my sig. Comparing RC vs Disney. Same dates, 4 nights, private island and a stop at Nassau. Balcony room. The mouse is 3x the price. Have the best and brightest here tried? For a six year old, is it worth paying the extra for a one-off Disney cruise?

Have sailed multiple times- pre crazy pricing on Disney.  IMO not worth it. Only one sp restaurant- no casino if you enjoy it, and the entertainment good- but Royal with an Aqua show and Ice show now have them beat.  If you have a small child- who loves disney characters, perhaps once in a lifetime worth it-  I would prefer 2-3 Oasis or Freedom class  royal cruises.  Coco Cay the Royal island beats the disney island castaway cay 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Cruise a holic

[TBone2K]

15 hours ago, pyrateslife4me84 said:

With a six-year old, I think it’s worth it. Is that on the Wish? We are doing a 4-night on the Wish later this year. 

Yes, it's the Wish. We are going to be in Florida in the summer anyway, so were thinking of adding a cruise on, so has to be this specific week and it's like $6,000.

Our 6 year old knows the main characters, but is more into the Disney and Pixar movies. Cars is a favourite. We already have booked to visit Disney World while we are down to visit family at Christmas. So that may be enough.

My own observation from watching people's Disney cruise vacation videos on Youtube is it feels very much the same, but with Disney Characters.

[Dewaldcruiser]

When my children were younger(8 & 6), we did a combo 3 night Disney World, 4 nights Disney cruise.  When the trip was finished, my children asked if the next time we could skip the cruise and only do Disney World.  That was the first and last timing cruising with Disney.

[lovescats5]

For us it would be a definate NO.  My granddaughter has never been a Disney fan so it would be a waste of time for us.  But she has a blast on Royal.  Also, we had looked into a Disney cruise but could get a Star Class suite for less than the Disney cruise.  

 

[jrapps]

Obviously a lot of opinions all over the map here. For us, we love Disney and cruise it almost as much as Royal. Yes it is more expensive, but it is hard to compare apples to apples, it really is a different experience. My kids happen to love all things Disney and the kids club is amazing. We also think the food on Disney is FAR superior to Royal.

 

Now all that said, I never pay 3x the rate for Disney. Maybe I go on more off-peak times than you are looking. When we look for cruises and compare Royal to Disney, we usually see about a 50% premium for the Disney one. Once I factor in that I almost always buy the unlimited Dining plan and a soda package on Royal, that difference becomes a lot closer. If you are looking at the Wish, keep in mind  that is their BRAND NEW ship, hasn't even had it's maiden voyage yet so yes you will be paying a premium for that. Nothing wrong with the Dream or Fantasy and the prices will be a lot closer to what you are seeing for Royal.

[Tee & Chilli]

Straight from the website know before you go 

 

Character Interactions
Guests can enjoy some of their favorite Disney Characters from a safe distance in new and entertaining ways; however, close-up encounters and autographs have been temporarily paused. 

[pyrateslife4me84]

27 minutes ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Straight from the website know before you go 

 

Character Interactions
Guests can enjoy some of their favorite Disney Characters from a safe distance in new and entertaining ways; however, close-up encounters and autographs have been temporarily paused. 

And yet, here are my kids in April:

Edited June 14, 2022 by pyrateslife4me84

[sha259]

I literally was having this discussion with myself because I had originally planned to do a 4 night Disney cruise and the. Do 7 nights at Disney next spring. After how much fun my son had on our Adventure of the Seas cruise to Bermuda and how we have done Disney previously, I’ve decided to do the 4 night cruise on Royal, end our vacation at WDW. And then take my son on a European cruise that July. From what I’ve heard, Disney cruises are so much better than other cruises that it makes it worth the crazy cost considering what I can do with that money for our family international travel.

[dodgestang]

Can't gamble on the mouse....so why gamble with the mouse?

[flhokie]

We went on Disney Fantasy when DD was 4. We got a good deal and decided to go for it. It was a very nice cruise and service was great, but DD Hated the children's program. It was pretty much a free for all for kids 3-12, with a few planned/supervised activities. After going to an open house, we convinced her to try the program and got her excited for it. Unfortunately, after 1 visit, she begged to not go back. We found an organized activity and convinced her to go back. After the activity was over in 30 minutes, she was back in the middle of the free for all and crying by the time we got there to pick her up. She was a very social child who went to preschool and loved the children's program on Royal Caribbean. It may have been different if she had another child she knew--my friend's kids love it, but they go together. 

 

[baelor]

On 6/13/2022 at 1:59 PM, TBone2K said:

Have the best and brightest here tried? For a six year old, is it worth paying the extra for a one-off Disney cruise?

Has the 6-year-old been to Disney World or Land?

[FamilyCruiserUK]

I dont think loyalty comes in to it. At  the end of the day you need to decide what would be better and the enrichment you and a 6 year old would get out of each cruise. Sometimes its worth spending a little extra to see the excitment and enjoyment with family. 

 

We can go on a P&O. Cruise from Southampton for two weeks to the med and back for the same price as 1 week on symphony from Barcelona (including flights). However we know our 9 year old will enjoy royal more. Not out of loyalty or price but we know what she will enjoy more.

 

As for loyalty with royal, i personally think their crown and anchor rewards suck. For example checked a cruise this morning, our C&A discount matches the OBC non C&A people get. And we dont get both. So whats the point of C&A for loyal to royal?.

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I dont think loyalty comes in to it. At  the end of the day you need to decide what would be better and the enrichment you and a 6 year old would get out of each cruise. Sometimes its worth spending a little extra to see the excitment and enjoyment with family. 

 

We can go on a P&O. Cruise from Southampton for two weeks to the med and back for the same price as 1 week on symphony from Barcelona (including flights). However we know our 9 year old will enjoy royal more. Not out of loyalty or price but we know what she will enjoy more.

 

As for loyalty with royal, i personally think their crown and anchor rewards suck. For example checked a cruise this morning, our C&A discount matches the OBC non C&A people get. And we dont get both. So whats the point of C&A for loyal to royal?.

Completely agree.  Other than when you get to a free drinks level, the "awards" are nothing you won't miss.  "Discount on photo packages"...  oooh sign me up.  "Recognition event"...  other than the free drinks, nothing.