Disney Cruise Line vs Royal Caribbean
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- Опубліковано 20 жов 2024
- Trying to decide between Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line? They're more similar than different, but there is one GIANT difference between these family cruise lines that you should know about.
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Here are my thoughts. I have cruised both and will continue to cruise both. DIsney pros: Theming, food quality, alcohol cost, clientele, and level of service is why we will continue to sail Disney and that no other cruise line has matched. Royal is great and we love it too, but as a family of 4 with 2 small kids. Royal doesn't cater to kids as much as Disney does. My waiter on Royal does not take the time to play games with my kids, cut their steak for them, or make a small bed for them at the dinner table when they fall asleep. ALL ABOUT THE SMALL DETAILS. I am sailing on the Odyssey coming up and most of the activities on board my 4 year old will not be able to do, but the cost was much cheaper and we are getting to go to new ports that Disney does not sail to. So while my kids are young, we will continue to sail Disney. That may change when they get older. If you don't have young kids, I can see why you think sailing Disney is obsured. but for me it is all about their experience. When it is just my husband and I.... then yes Royal is all we sail :)
I agree about the small details….love DCL..planning on trying a RCC soon to compare but DCL is worth the price simply for the details.
I’ve only said Disney as my wife would say my side of the family is part of the “Disney cult” I want to try something new but cannot really tell or find what is included and not included. Do you have to pay extra for most thing onboard with RCC? Does the cost balance out anyway in terms of needing a drink package for RCC as Disney it’s just included?
The Pros sounds good, but still doesn't justify that double the cost of Royal. I guess if you have a lot of money, then it'll be worth it. Personally, for the cost, I'd rather go on two Royal cruises than 1 Disney if that's all I could afford. IMHO.
Sounds like you Mike Disney cruises for being a parent to your kids lol
@@cruising_with_melissa Right. So why get mad at me for making a comment about a video where he is comparing the 2 cruises lines? Take your anger up with the original post.
Been on 2 DCL and 1 Oasis of the Seas. One big difference is the feeling.
Disney brings back childhood memories, I literally cried during some shows. The entire feeling is magical.
Royal Caribbean had no feeling for me. Just a massive ship with over excess of everything.
So, if I had to choose, I'd choose Disney everytime. Even if it was 3x more. Just save up and go less frequently. But once you are there, you enjoy it so much more.
lol
So here's my thought...We took our daughter on the Disney Fantasy when she was 4. I wasn't ready to deal with the parks yet since she was so young. DCL was absolutely perfect! She got the Disney experience (characters, Disney shows, and princesses) without the stress of being in a park all day. The DCL kids club was magical and the characters did crafts at night with them. HOWEVER, now that my kiddo is 8 yo so we are moving on to other cruise lines. We are going on Oasis of the Seas in June 2022! Super excited.
Let me know what you think of Oasis!
If you go back to Disney, if we get off the craziness, perhaps try the Land/Sea. It was perfect for that age.
Enjoy Royal Caribbean. You'll love it.
What? Disney for that age is the best! My kids couldn't get enough of the kids clubs (FYI: I had one of each in the kids club, tween club and teen club) we barely saw them except for early in the morning and at dinner which was our rule .
Our first two cruises were on DCL and they were great, but expensive. DCL priced us out as our family grew. We tried carnival and had a horrible time. We found RCL and we’ve been loyal to royal ever since. RCL is more affordable and the ships have SO MUCH MORE to offer than DCL, and I don’t mean pools, bars, and kids area. RCL has flow riders, rock walls, ice skating, skydiving simulators, etc. A person needs to try really hard to be bored on RCL ships. Yes, we won’t see Disney characters, but the dream works characters are great. Hope to see them back on the ships soon. Bottom line, RCL has more too offer at an affordable price.
Just posted a new cruise ship Vlog :)
100% agree. We did love our Disney CL experience but one was plenty for us due to cost. $10k for 5 family members and we've paid half that for RCL and we felt there was much more offered with RCL.
Yeah, but are all of those free or yet another added expense? I heard RC tacks on extra charges for everything, right down to soda and room service which is free on Disney.
@@mindyschocolate at a potential 8k more, I'm pretty sure it's not free lol They just charge you for everything in one go
@@mindyschocolate I can answer based on my experience to some of the things he listed. flow riders - FREE, rock walls - FREE, ice skating - FREE, skydiving simulators _SHOCKED TO FIND THIS IS FREE, etc. also will throw in a few more things we experience on ships at RCL. Indoor Bumper cars - FREE, indoor roller rink - FREE
I completely agree with everything you stated in this video. I have been on all four of the Disney’s ships and have the new Disney Wish scheduled for September. There’s nothing special about that itinerary I am going solely because it is the new ship and honestly for the price I could’ve got a one week European cruise on RCI. I also have the Alaska cruise scheduled on RCI this coming May which I have already taken the same itinerary on with Disney 10 years ago. I’m a huge Disney fan and for me I just want one go on each one of their ships for the experience of that specific ship then I’m good. When it comes to cruising in general I’ll go with RCI or something comparable. But I am not much of a Carnival fan. Haha
Do you also like NCL?
@@roberthemsley2 I’ve never sailed on NCL.
The most fun I've had has been on carnival, I've been on NCL, Royal and carnival. And honestly I gotta say carnival is the most fun and has the best free food hands down. Carnival has really stepped up their food game far above the competition with guys fiery burger, Miami slice pizza, Shaqs chicken, and guys fiery BBQ. If you want a more relaxed cruise, I would say RCL. You want fun, and better food carnival.
I've done two DCL cruises and just went on our first RC cruise this past week on the Harmony. I have a larger family with 4 teenagers (2 staterooms) so we wanted to try RC because there were more activities for older kids such as the rock wall, flow rider, zip line, etc. At the end of the day, we spent about $2000 less on this cruise for the same cruise on DCL three years ago. And that was with spending money on the casino and the arcade that DCL does not have. I felt the food, drinks, pools, ping pong, running track, bingo, trivia, excursions, etc. were pretty much the same. But there were more offerings on RC for less money. And this may shock people - but our service was BETTER on RC than DCL. Yes, yes, I know. We had bad experience with our dining room waiter on DCL and actually had a phone conversation with a DCL manager when I got back. Basically the guy was not very friendly during our dinners and made my wife upset a couple of times with his somewhat curt attitude and then had the balls to ask us to give him 5 stars because his contract was up and he wanted to get renewed. On this RC cruise the staff was fantastic! The only thing is felt the staff and ship was way more laid back. If you have ever been to a Disney theme park, they are OBSESSED with herding the guests and telling everyone where to be and what to do. God forbid you ever have a toe in front of a yellow line. There's a cast member waiting to order you to get that toe back behind the line or be somewhere. As far as RC my only gripe - and it's a serious one for me because I love my Diet Coke - is I think it's bullshit to pay for sodas. I know this is small considering how much money I am saving and I wouldn't go on DCL just because of that. But come on RC. Charging for fountain drinks? Really? Also RC makes you check out your towels and return them else you pay a fee of $25 per towel. Feels a little nickel and diming. My verdict: I probably will go on RC again unless my kids just really want to do Disney for whatever reason. Ultimately it depends on what gives you the emotional satisfaction. Neither is a bad choice and if one makes you happier, by all means go for it.
We have never done a Disney Cruise; however, our daughter is 9 so we decided to book one for November just to give her the Disney (princess) experience. We have done several Royal Caribbean Cruises and have two booked for this year. The Disney Cruise is a 4 day cruise . We are in a balcony. The cost of that Disney balcony on a 4 day cruise in comparison to our 7 day on Anthem is $1,000 more. So I definitely agree with you. We have let our daughter know this is the one and only Disney Cruise we will be doing. 14 days til Wonder. Hope to see you there.
I have never taken a cruise but since I have found your channel and watching your videos I’m considering taking a cruise in the next 3-4 months. It’s very overwhelming being new to all of this with the options and packages that are offered. I’m just glad you have videos so I kinda have an idea what to look for
I've cruised RCL and Carnival in the past. I then tried Disney and haven't looked back. I like the setup of the rooms and the ships aren't too big. I'm not a fan of the mega ships
Just been to DCL May 2023 and RCL Dec 2022 with a 6 year old and here my 2 cents:
Cabin: DCL>RCL (DCL Cabinets r more spacious, feels cleaner and newer, the 2 bathroom setup on DCL is a huge plus if u have kids)
Dining: RCL>DCL (DCL has no buffet during dinner so that was a huge issue for us as it was hard to plan for different activities, flexibility is important for us. I see that many people say DCL food quality is better than RCL but I don’t agree with that, I think they are pretty even and maybe even a slight edge towards RCL)
Embarkation: RCL>DCL (Checkin was a lot quicker and more staffs working on site, the luggage drop off area was tiny @ Disney and staff forced us to give them tips)
Overall Entertainment: RCL>DCL (Unless u r really into Disney, the RCL entertainment choices are much greater than DCL. We find that the shows are activities are very limited on DCL. The ice show on RCL is amazing, it is no less spectacular than Disney on Ice! There r many shows throughout the day on RCL for people with all ages and u don’t get bored, we find very show choices on DCL. RCL also has Arcade and Casino which could be a plus for some people)
Family Entertainment: Even (Disney has better activities for younger kids but older kids will enjoy RCL more. Both lines have mini golf, basketball court, several kids clubs but RCL has an Arcade, a play structure which is a plus. DCL has better water structures)
Public Area: DCL>RCL (I find DCL focuses on quality and details more than RCL. The public spaces r always very clean and there r staffs cleaning everywhere literally 24/7)
Service: DCL>RCL (Staffs seem more friendly on DCL overall)
Private Island: Depending on your age (Coco Cay is much bigger Castaway Cay and with much more “intense” activities. For more adventurous person, RCL island would be much better. But the ocean water at Castaway is much cleaner and u can find a lot of fishes swimming by u as u swim in the ocean. I could be wrong but i didn’t find any pool @ Castaway Cay?)
Value for Money: RCL>DCL (I personally don’t think DCL is worth >2X what u will get on RCL which is the price u r probably gonna be paying. For younger kids I would say DCL is a better choice but I think >8 year old will find DCL boring unless they r Disney fans)
We go on our first RCL in April and honestly, I was just going because my in-laws wanted to go rather than DCL. DCL totally brings out my inner dork and it seemed like a better deal than going to Disney World. However, I’m really starting to warm up to RCL and these videos have been helping. And I like how you and many others were big fans of DCL too. Also how could one not love Disney when our very first cruise was Carnival😅
You’ll have a blast on royal! I grew up on disney and now that I’m an adult I’ve been cruising with royal! Biggest piece of advice is don’t compare the too! That’s one mistake I made on my first royal cruise.
You get what you pay for.... This comes into play when deciphering which line is best.
We have been doing DCL cruises for the last 10 years and have loved every one of them. We are now trying RCL for the first time, kids are now 9 and 15, and we think we’re ready to give something else a try. The price has everything to do with it, we could cruise almost twice as much on RCL so I hope we enjoy it just as much. I have to say I am apprehensive as I really have come to love our experiences with DCL and am hoping for a comparable trip. We have been watching this channel and it really has been helping with our preparations for May!
There are many former DCL cruisers who came to Royal and never looked back. I think you'll love it!
I honestly prefer the Disney Magic and Wonder ships because the ships are smaller and easier to navigate than RCL ships since a lot of the floors are not connected so you have to plan out exactly where you want to go, also for me, I mainly go for the characters since the meet and greet experiences are much better than at the Disney parks
When we disembarked from our first cruise(Disney) 5 years ago we were in tears. Best customer service ever, great food and a feeling that they catered to your every need. A year later while searching for another cruise I came across Royal Caribbean Blog. After listening to Matt being so excited I decided to give RCL a try. Terrified because I wanted that same Disney experience.
On DCL it was dead on the ship at 10 pm, I was shocked to see RCL was still going strong at 1 am.
There’s just something about Disney and the feeling you get being there but I got over that real quick after one RCL sailing. Never looked back😊
Glad you enjoyed the switch to Royal!
WE've been on like 10 DCL cruises, and are DVC members. Our first RCL cruise is in May, and the reason was that our son was finally too old for the teen area. He's autistic, and I felt that the DCL cast members went above and beyond trying to adapt to his needs. I've heard this from others on the DCL ships as well that compairing the two companies, that DCL was better with autistic/special need type kids. As the planner of the trip, I agree that RCL feels like they are nickel-and-diming you. Some of that is the lack of clarity from RCL on what drinks are free (thanks to these videos, we've figured most of that out). It is like 50% the cost of DCL, so I just keep reminding me of that. I think it's the nusance more than the cost. Just one more thing to figure out... On the up side, leaving from Baltimore saves 25 hours of driving (round trip)
Thank you for sharing this information. It’s extremely helpful! 🙂
I hope that if you/when you get a chance- update us on your experience with RCL. I also have an autistic son but he is on the young side and enjoyed the kids club at DCL a ton.
How did your RCL trip go? How did it compare to DCL?
@@btiller44 Since that initial post, we've done 2 cruises with our son on the Enchantment and Oasis. Both were very well appriciated. The Oasis was almost fully occupied when we sailed (6200 guests on that cruise), and the only "Autistic" problem we had was waiting for lunch at some of the spaces (he didn't plan when he was hungary). I thing the main dining room experience on DCL is better because of the rotational dining, but DCL is also geared a little more to the foodies. The staff in the dinning room on both lines is supurb, and always went out of thier way to address our needs. I miss the movie theater on DCL, but the entertainment options on RCL are top notch. I was woried about the crowds on Oasis, but we could always find a quiet spot. Coco Cay has several fresh water pool options, and that was VERY nice. I found that the ICON store, and RCL merch on the island to be very limited, and not a large size selection. This could have lead to an autistic moment but didn't. I think RCL misses an opportunity here. For us, with an older Autistic traveler, RCL has worked out very well. On the Oasis, don't miss Aqua80 and the escape room was a ton of fun. Cats was equal to the original Broadway production. Not one of my favorite shows, but very well done. In the state rooms, I miss the wierd DCL split bathrooms, and the curtain deviding the bed from the couch, but these are just different. We're looking at another cruise next May on RCL...
Loved the Disney Cruise I went on, but that huge jump in price for Alaska is why I'm gonna try another cruise line.
I totally agree with this review. We have been sailing since 2000 in most cruise lines including Disney. Disney is not considered luxury but is charging luxury prices with older smaller ships inferior private island costing 3x-5x more. If you want luxury cruises there are plenty of other choices but if you want main stream that's where I Cannot justify going on Disney cruise. RC CL is our preferred choice for many reasons
I think Disney is a cruise line everyone should try once just to say they experienced it. However for me personally the price is hard to justify for regular travel
I'm going in a few days just to experience it too. It was really hard for me to justify the price compared to RC, but like you said I really just wanted to experience it. It cost me almost 2.5 times more than RC. It is my kids first time cruising, so I wanted to treat them to Disney. I plan to return to RC after this.
@Miley Things Hello there! It went well. My 7 and 10 year liked it much better than I did. Nothing wrong in particular, but I didn't see much difference from the cruises I took with RC. I felt underwhelmed because of all the hype about DC. The kids looooved the kids club. They never wanted to leave. I don't have any experience with the kids club on RC since I never took the kids with me. I didn't like the food on this particular Disney cruise ( Disney Dream). Their food was severely flavorless. Overall a decent cruise but I don't get the hype.
I love DCL and the service we have had on the ships. Yes I do think they are a little overpriced but the experience is amazing and nothing beats DCL when it comes to accommodating kids
Both are great but there’s just something to Disney that makes it Disney. It’s an experience that doesn’t disappoint. Especially on their cruise line. The ships are smaller than most massive cruise ships out there but much less crowded with a more intimate atmosphere. Disney service is the pinnacle of the industry and there’s just no beating it. So in the end yes they are more expensive but if you love Disney and want excellent food, outstanding service, and an unforgettable family experience then Disney is worth the price. They set themselves apart from all others for these reasons.
Thank you for saying what had to be said Matt! We full heartedly agree! Even if folks love Disney, like we do,; even if you “have” the money, It is really hard to justify the price difference. Don’t believe me? Do what we did: “book” the same cruise through the Disney site and the Royal site. We were shocked! We could have gone on three RCC cruises for the price of one Disney cruise-no joke! OR upgraded to a grand suite on Royal for the price of an inside room on Disney?! Bottom line is: your dollar stretches further on Royal. That is why we switched too.
I love Disney too. I even went once without children, but it was only because I watch the prices and it was a last minute cruise at a very good price. We like the elegance of HAL and we took the family so many times that even our boys are 3 ⭐️ Mariners. Disney is just too expensive. If they get enough ships, their price will have to come down. I do think it is a nice touch that they announce your arrival when you first step on board.
@@mafp22w Our "kids" (now in their 20's and teens) still remember the guy that announced our name because he was also in the kids club as a cast member there ;-)
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You are soooo right.
I've sailed DCL in the past. But the last two times I was about to pull the trigger on Disney, I price checked Royal and ended up getting an Owner's Suite (Once on Liberty, Once on Odyssey) for less than balcony would've been on Disney. I can tell you, I enjoyed my Owner's Suite and perks much more than I missed the characters and free soda.
For 10% maybe even 20% I'd probably pick DCL at least half time, but for 250-350% more? No way.
I went on many Disney cruises when the grandkids were young but now go on Royal Caribbean. As you said price is a big incentive. I can usually take 2 Royal cruises for what one Disney cruise coat
For March of 2023. I booked an 8 night cruise on RCL Odyssey of the Seas ocean view balcony room for a family of 4 - 2800 dollars. A 7 night cruise on Disney with balcony room would have been over 8,000 dollars. Insane!
We have been on DCL twice and once on RC. We are not wealthy by any means. We have two girls who are now 10 and 8 but were younger when we first cruised... probably about 2 & 4. RC treated us like cattle!!. They didn't take the time to know us, serve us and they obviously didn't care about us! DCL, on the other hand, made sure that they got EVERY single little detail right! When we sailed with RC there was a huge and I mean more than 4 hour delay at the Miami port. No one apologized to us at all. We weren't even given water. snacks, nothing. This was way before COVID BTW. Both times on DCL were absolute magic! Our waiter as well as the person who cleaned our stateroom knew us all by name. Yes, DCL is way more expensive but it is definitely twice as magical. After traveling with RC we vowed to never use them again! And BTW, we did let them know how disappointed we were for several reasons, and no one EVER got back to us. DCL goes above and beyond to make sure its clients are happy. We cannot take vacations that often so when we do, we want them to be special and magical. To each their own I guess.
Sorry, I have to go with Disney.. I've been on 5 Disney cruises and ONE RC cruise (symphony of the seas) We enjoyed it, but to us..(my husband and I) we both prefer Disney. I found Disney to be more relaxing and I don't like having the Casino, so that's a plus for me on Disney and you compared the specialty restaurants on RC, but.... you have to pay extra for those... And Yes, at that time Soda was a big deal for me (I no longer drink it, so probably not a big deal) We purchased the drink package for me to get my soda and coffee, but I couldn't believe the lack of machines to dispense the soda on that huge ship. On Disney, there are a couple right on the pool deck on either end, so you just run up or down to it to get your soda, milk, tea and coffee. Very convenient. RC, you had to hike around and find one and only one person at a time could get a drink because it's Coke Freestyle machines and you had to wait in line. That was annoying. Also, I didn't like how all the clubs and bars were clumped together in the promenade. Too much activity all in one spot and crowds and of course, having the unlimited alcohol package makes it easier for unruly, tipsy people . The one thing I like better on RC is the internet. you pay per day and you just go about your business.. Disney charges by the usage and its expensive and gets eaten up quickly. I am also a huge Disney fan myself anyway (My husband, not so much, but even he preferred the Disney Cruise) So the ambiance and Disney Theme is worth it to us. We didn't start cruising until our kids were grown so we haven't gone with kids and had to pay for them. I'm sure that is another consideration. I wouldn't turn down a cruise on another line, but I prefer Disney if I"m paying for it.
I was looking for a comment like this.
My family of 4 (Parents, Me and Sister) just got off an RCC and honestly felt stressed out. My younger sister (14) has food allergies to fish and nuts so going to eat anywhere on RC she felt like starving herself then risking it. The whole family asked every breakfast/lunch about cross contamination and they point towards the food that THEY make in house and to stay clear of anything else because it was out sourced... THIS WAS 75% OF THE BUFFET AND MAIN DINING!!! Our dinner Servers and Manager were fantastic on giving her as many options as possible but ultimately turned it down because she simply didn't trust the kitchen. On the other hand the cooks at the buffet just sounded irritated whenever we asked them about the food.
For piece of mind Disney takes that trophy and runs with it.
Let’s talk about the internet on Disney. How can they charge soo much and cap your usage. At least royal offers unlimited internet.
So true! Disney's internet is incredibly slow and incredibly expensive.
You hit the nail on the nose, in that me and my bf are new cruisers and we love Disney. That’s why we went with a Disney Cruise. But next time I may try royal carribean too. Why not?
Haven’t cruised RCL yet, but I’m planning on making cruising my norm with my soon to be 4 year. I can’t afford a Disney cruise every year. But I can afford all the other options. Plus Disney stopped sailing from NY so that really makes a difference. But here is why I didn’t mind the cost. The look on my kids face when he saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale and not having to go to the parks plus free room service and the kids club experience. No other cruise line can give me that and I didn’t want to go to the amusement parks yet. The shows are great, we had an excellent time . But I will not be making that investment for awhile.
We are big Disney fans and our first family cruise was with DCL - and it was wonderful ... but really expensive. We were looking to book our next cruise and priced out (for a family of 5, so I know that limits rooms a bit), but we could do 7nights on the Symphony of the Seas for $500 more than 3 nights on the Disney Wish and $1,500 less than 4 nights. So we asked the kids which they would prefer and they all wanted to do 7 nights on RCL so that is what we have booked for next February. Very excited for it - especially the dining and for Perfect Day (kids are very excited for that!) ... I think 5-10 years ago you could definitely say DCL was better for kids but RCL seems to have put efforts in that area and especially as the kids get a bit older, harder to justify double the cost. I do think DCL offers an amazing experience, I get why it is more expensive ... but not *that* much more
"CRAZY, OUTRAGEOUS COST!!" Haha... I agree with you, Matt! I've been on two or three Disney Cruises (can't remember) and many more RCCL cruises. I do not see justifying the extra cost of a Disney Cruise. That being said, I was in Orlando for a week and had no interest in visiting Mickey... to each their own!
Working on RCCL ships right now and have some bts videos on my channel
Excellent comparison. As a fan of both, I think it depends on what you are looking for. Our best cruise ever was on the Disney Magic Marvel Day at Sea cruise. Our son was 4 and it was incredible. But he actually has more fun in Adventure Ocean than on the DCL kids clubs. If Disney characters and Disney entertainment aren’t important to you or your kids, Royal Caribbean is the way to go.
Completely agree. DCL is worth it for the character experience...but I think only when the kiddos are young
If there's anyone's opinion I care about on this topic, it's yours. Thanks Shannon!
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thanks Matt!
@@rjscrimo2627 only for kids mostly. Noob
i've sailed with DCL twice a few years back and going on my first RCL cruise in a few days. when i sailed DCL, i was still pretty little and i loved the experience. what i also really loved was how interactive the waiters were with the kids. now that i am older, DCL has lost a lot of the appeal that it once had. i am really excited to go on my fist RCL soon, especially now i am old enough to really cherrish the moment
We just came back from a Disney cruise with our children and grandchildren. We have been on 28 cruises, so I think we can offer a fair comparison. We felt it was best for very young children, still enamored with Micky and Goofy. Our teenage grands spent most of the cruise in the teen club, playing video games.(They didn't need to be on Disney to do this!) The food was no better than what we have had on Royal, Holland, and Princess. The price was way to much for what we felt we received.
Disney prices drove me to Universal Studios and Royal Caribbean, and I’m so glad they did! Our family’s vacation budget stretches much farther now and we still have great experiences with great service.
I agree with everything you said. I would love to cruise with Disney, but I just don’t see us spending all that money for one cruise.
I have to say I'm a DCL fan all the way. But this year due to our budget we are booking our first Royal Caribbean cruise. I'm very apprehensive, honestly without the theming of the entire cruise I don't really see the point. Am I just Overthinking it? Hopefully it'll be awesome, right?
I feel the same. How did the rcl cruise go compared to dcl?
Royal: we have 7 day cruise for about $3,500 😀
Disney: We have a 7 day cruise with cool characters for $8,000 😐
We had what is possibly the best family vacation ever on the Disney Fantasy back in 2012. For me, there is no question that DCL offers many things that make them unique from the others and like you mentioned they are very innovative when it comes to the industry. I would argue they have pressured RCI and Carnival to step up their game as a result since they can't compete with DCL in terms of branding, even when DCL is so much smaller. But you have hit the nail on the head. Price. I have no problem paying a bit more for a little "Disney magic", but for my family of 5, we have simply been priced out of their ships. I have priced comparable itineraries where I can take the RCI cruise 3 times over and still come up short on the Disney price. We just cannot swing it. I love both RCI and Disney but we just can't justify that big of a gap.
Love your videos! Thanks for the updates! First contract working on Royal is taking place now!!!! Big fan!!! I’ve started a few vlogs about life at sea too!
That is awesome!
7 day Disney Fantasy (Carib) ( Total $2471) VS. 7 day Harmony of the seas (Carib) $844 + 7 day Quantum of the seas (Alaska) $781 + 7 day Brilliance of the seas (Med) $779 (total $2404)..... for the same price.... I choose 21 days on RC in the Caribbean and Alaska and the Mediterranean
Me and my boyfriend went on a Disney cruise and I think we were the only young couple without kids but we had an amazing time! It was one of those things I did for my inner child, I had always wanted to go on one when I was a kid but my parents didn't want to. I freaking loved it because I'm a Disney fan but also really into history and vintage things so I loved the aesthetic and design of the ship. I think these new huge ships are so ugly lol. We want to go on another cruise but Disney is so expensive so I'm trying to find another one I might like.
You'll love Royal Caribbean.
Matt's comments at 9:41 describe me to a T. I didn't think DCL was all that expensive UNTIL I started looking at Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC etc. After a couple of years of only browsing Disney cruises, I finally pulled the trigger on a Royal Caribbean cruise that is a day longer and is half the price of a Disney cruise. As a Disney park fan, that was clouding my judgment from being open to going on a different cruise line, and I am so glad I found Royal Caribbean. Looking forward to my first cruise next March on Allure of the Seas!
How did your cruise go? I hope you had fun and now you are a Royal Caribbean fan. I'd love to hear your feedback 😊
Our first 2 cruises were on DCL (and 3 of our first five) and they were wonderful. I thank them for turning our family on to cruising. That being said, I can’t imagine I’ll ever go on another DCL cruise just because the value is not there. The price gap is much wider now than when our kids were young. Even if the money is there, it is tough to justify the difference.
We’ve now been on 15 cruises as a family, with 10 being on Royal Caribbean. We just got off Independence otS this morning and we have 2 more planned this year. Those three (with one being an 8-day southern Caribbean) will total less than 1 Disney cruise.
I think where DCL really shines is the shows - they are awesome. But for the same price, you can take a cruise on another line, then fly to NYC and take in 2-3 real Broadway shows. It’s an easy call to me.
Yep!
Last 5 cruises have been on Disney. In 5 days we go on RCCL ... first time in 27 years! Disney advantage : photo opps with EVERY character, cool dining rooms and preteen/teen experiences. We are HUGE Dis ey fans ... But we miss the casino, adult comedy ... now the kids are in college, its time to save our money and cruise more often than spend the money on disney. Private island is better with Royal . Glad to be back!
Now I'm a Disney fan, have magic passes at DL and am a Disney vacation member, and when I looked up the prices for a Disney cruise, I was like HOLY HIGHWAY ROBBERY BATMAN!!! That mess is ridiculous, and I'm sorry, I refuse to shell out all those dollars for a Disney cruise. I'd have to win one before I'd be on one....
Disney is definitely more expensive, but you're paying for the experience. We've done 6 Disney cruises between cruising on RCL and it was the right choice for us at time.
Just a note - when we cruised Disney, Royal didn't have the level of kids activities and areas that they have now.
I think you're paying for the Disney characters and associated brands (Marvel, Star Wars, et al). I just don't know to justify that price because it's not an insignificant amount of money.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog I do believe part of the difference is crowd size. RCL has much larger ships. You did not include that in your comparison.
Completely agree. Its just not worth that price tag. I can do 2 or 3 cruises on RCCL.
So just got off my first DLC about 2 hours ago. It was on the Disney Dream for 4 nights to the Bahamas. I got a balcony room on the 7th floor. Room size was very decent for a cruise line. Before this cruise, I had heard about sooooo many wonderful things about DCL, and why the price was justified. Now, this is my kids first cruise, and they had a blast. They didn't want to get off the ship. The absolutely loved the kids club, and always wanted to be there. They are 7 ( boy) and 10 ( girl). They weren't interested in the character greeting or live shows such as Beauty and the beast, Believe, The Golden Mickeys. We went May 16 to May 20, 2022, so the ship didn't feel crowded as I imagine it would once kids are out of school.
As I have been on 2 RC cruises, and one Carnival cruise, I wasn't as impressed with DCL like I thought I would. Nothing wrong with the cruise at all, but I had so much higher expectations because all the Disney fanatics have hyped up Disney cruises like it were heaven on earth. I really didn't experience anything more fantastic than I remembered on RC. My RC cruises were taken without children, so maybe not a fair comparison. I'll be going to Alaska next year on RC Ovation of the seas, so I'll see how the kids like it.
Also, I didn't like the food in Disney at all. I tried different restaurants and dining rooms, and their food really lacks flavor. I was terribly disappointed with their food. Will I go on Disney again? Yes I will because my kids loved it. But is it the out of this world cruise that a lot of Disney fanatics describe? I didn't feel that way at all. After I take the kids on RC, I'll see how I feel about Disney then. As of now, it was just another cruise that I paid more than double for.
I believe this is a fair and balanced video. I have been on Disney twice and loved both cruises. We received excellent service, good food and fabulous entertainment. The "Disney" experience and the Disney shows were great. However, bang for buck, I'll take Royal Caribbean every time
Thanks Brandon!
As a man who married a woman who once worked at Disneyland in Anaheim and now has 2 daughters, there is no logical argument that can persuade them. Regardless of what the financials say, the Princesses win every time. If you know Disney lovers you know they can't be reasoned with.
Amen Brother!!! I've been saying this for years! I just don't get it. We are not poor by any stretch but I could just never justify paying double when you don't get double. What I did last time. Had a 1-week cruise on Independence of Seas and then did the Disney parks in Orlando the next week. What I saved on a DCL cruise I put toward the parks. We got 2 weeks of vacation and I still got a week of Disney "Magic". I like Disney, but it's like they have this cult-like following where people see those mouse ears and all sense of value goes out the door.
I've been on multiple DCL cruises...on every ship but the Magic. We've sailed just as husband and wife, but have also sailed with out daughter as she has grown up...and now we cruise with her and her husband. In fact, we're going on an Alaskan cruise (with my daughter and her husband) in May aboard the Wonder. We've never been disappointed on DCL, and have truly enjoyed every cruise we've taken with them. THAT SAID, my wife and I went on an RCL cruise last September (it was my first experience with RCL) aboard the Allure of the Seas. OMG. I had such a great time! The ship was gorgeous. The service was top notch. The dining was awesome. From what I understand, the internet is far less expensive on RCL, and I REALLY enjoyed having a drinks package. It's not that I drink a lot (well, on vacation...maybe more than usual)...but every time one purchases a drink on DCL it sort of takes you out of vacation mode as you begin to wonder how much of a bar tab you're running up. On RCL, I just ordered a drink and enjoyed myself...Red Bull in the morning at the gym, drinks throughout the day, it was great.
My wife loves Disney. LOVES Disney. I'm sort of over Disney. The parks have become so crowded and expensive that I just can't have a good time nor justify spending that kind of money for daily induced panic attacks from the crowds. I think my wife is coming around as well, just not as quickly/readily as myself. :-D
Finally, just one parting thought. My wife and I went on an Alaskan cruise back in 2019 on the Ruby Princess. That one experience aboard a Princess ship has convinced me to never step foot aboard one of their ships ever again. The ship was old and dirty. The staff at times were somewhat rude. The food was "meh". The drinks were not even "meh". The entertainment was sub par. It was just not what I would have expected from Princess Cruise Line. I mean, I got so bored with the ship that I wound up watching EVERY single episode of the Love Boat in my cabin to not have to go out onto the dirty ship. I would equate that cruise to a floating flea market. It was no bueno. But Alaska was awesome!
Love your assessment of the different cruise lines you've been on.
Your description of Disney parks is what I’ve experienced with Disney. I went to Disney world two years ago and was shocked at the prices. The food was gross and overpriced! The lines for the rides were two hours long like what kids want to wait that long to ride the tea cups 😢
Matt, agree with your reasoning 100%. I have sailed RCL and Carnival numerous times. I cannot justify paying double the price for Disney. For family of 4 on average on Disney for a 7 day runs 5-8000 for an inside. I can go on 2 or 3 RCL and get a balcony for that. No Thank you. If you got money to blow, go for it. To each their own
Cost is the issue 🙈😥. I agree that in terms of family features, yeah Disney is undoubtedly, but sadly is not affordable. Maybe in the future. For now i think Royal Caribbean will be my first experience and that is ok. There is a lot to do for kids too.
Things are changing. I never thought I could take my girls on a Disney Cruise but I just booked a 4 night Bahamas cruise in a Balcony room for a Family of 4, $2,600. And I know my girls are going to love this so much and create amazing memories due to the Disney experience
Well done, Matt. Mickey may take you off his Christmas Card list, but he'll get over it.
Disney is crazy expensive and in my opinion doesn’t offer enough.
While I respect your opinion I personally would like to differ. Disney Cruise Line, (DCL,) simply is a better line than royal.
For starters I've sailed on both lines so I'm not persuaded by any kind of biases.
From the moment you step onto both ships the overall experience is drastically different. Royal, you step onto the side deck where the life boats are and directly make your way to the mustard area which I think is a plus. However, this cannot compare to the exhilarating experience of stepping onboard a DCL ship! On DCL, you enter a beautiful grand Hall/lobby depending on the ship once after they announce your parties name. With a beautiful ambiance embedded in a vintage haul of a ship further enhances the overall experience. The closest thing Royal has that could be compared to Disney is the royal promenade, but still I prefer the grand hall since I prefer not to spend a BOAT load of money during my cruise. (LOL.. get it? BOAT load?)
Food wise, Disney all the way.
Royal's main dining was great, but the food court wasn't anything special. Mind you that to purchase any sort of food/drink on a Royal ship other than the two eating areas is not complimentary. Disney is almost completely complimentary minus a few bars.
The Royal main dining is great however, but the menu wasn't diverse with food and it got a little repetitive.
Rooms are also better on Disney than Royal, but I do like how Royal's suites aren't sky high compared to Disney. The experience in a Royal suite I think is much better than a normal room with no perks, but still can this even be compared to Disney?
The overall activities on Disney is FAR better than Royal's ships. (Of course depending on which ship you are on.) But kids clubs on Royal are not even comparable to Disney's... Disney just is better.
Royal's shows are no where near as good as Disney's. In fact, we left two of the show's from Royal. They tried, and the actors has potential, but wasn't too enthusing.
Something that I didn't like on Royal is the smoking policy. Throughout the ship we smelt smoke. A lot of it. (If this isn't an issue to you, then ignore this one.)
The Royal's island though is better than Disney's though. However, you do need to pay $100 to get into the parks on Royal's which is crazy.
Overall, both lines are great and are each a good choice. Royal is not as expensive as Disney, but Disney offers more than Royal, (and more upscale.) It just depends on what market you're looking for.
It goes without saying, you get what you pay for.
(This comment is not to hurt anyones feelings, and you have a great channel!)
We have been on 22 Disney Cruises. 4 more booked this year! Works for us!! 😉
Do you get some kind of discount or what? Or do you go off season?
@@Friends46488 We are Platinum Cruisers & buy a Placeholder to save 10% on a Future Cruise. We use the Target Debit Card to buy Disney Gift Cards. So $500.00 Disney Gift Card costs me $475.00. We just love Disney & are willing to pay more!
We are going to be booking our first Disney cruise in a couple days. My wife and had this really nice vacation planned to Disney World a couple years ago. We were all excited and then covid hit. So we were planning on trying to get that trip to Disney World this year. But then we started looking into a cruise instead. They seem to be more relaxing than trying to plan a Disney trip. We do realize that Disney cruises cost more than other cruise lines. But, doing a Disney cruise seems to combine the two. You have a cruise that has most of them magic that Disney offers.
I LOVED Disney cruises. I started off with Holland America, but it was forgettable. You will love Disney. They absolutely know how to get you in the feels. Don’t miss their musical productions!!!!
@@mindyschocolate we are really excited. We booked our cruise and flight. Now we just need transportation and a hotel room for the night before.
Go to Disney World then catch the line of your choice at the nearest port. (Port Canaveral or whatever the one is in LA) if you need a Disney fix. I'm over it. Just give me the cruise.
I went on a Disney cruise in Jan in 2020 and honestly was bored most of the time. My kid was too young to stay up for the stage shows so we couldn't go to those. There really wasn't much to do beside be sold DVC and take pictures with characters (if you live for that, that's cool). The pool was TINY and the slide was ok. The food was great, my kid loved the kids club, and bingo was fun. But, after that and seeing all RC has to offer, def believe it's the cruiseline for us. Cheaper and the private island looks way more fun too.
We have 3 kids and although I love Disney, we can not even close to afford a Disney cruise. I have cruised carnival as a single woman and although I loved it, I knew that I would never take my kids on that line as I didn’t feel it was family friendly. Royal Caribbean was my chosen line with kids. My husband and I are considering our first cruise on Royal to Alaska next year.
Going on my first DC in a few days with 2 kids, 10 and 7. Going to Bahamas. 4 nights. 4k. I'm looking to go to Alaska next year, and want a balcony. 16k on DCL, but $6500 on RC. Definitely going Royal on the Alaskan cruise. Can't justify the 10k difference.
Booked on Symphony for my birthday coming up in March! Can’t wait! It’s been way to long!
Just 0:58 into the video and I'm telling you right now, as a Platinum C&A member, we are taking our first Disney cruise this coming October, but fully plan on it being our one and only "we did it for the kids" cruise with them - the price difference is insane, as we can get a Grand Suite on any Oasis-class ship for the same price or less than a balcony on Disney. DCL doesn't have a casino, and that's a profit center other lines have that DCL lacks, so they have to make up for the shortfall in the fare.
Re-visiting - DCL was great, with that Disney "magic" everywhere and the ship was positively immaculate, but the food was merely so-so at best, certainly not better than RCI, and I can tell you right now we'll be going back to RCI for our future cruises as the value proposition just isn't there. Disney is just insanely overpriced for what you get.
I live in South Florida so the theme parks, which are only a few hours from me, are always in the news and conversations. Here, Universal gets almost as much press as Disney. They are clearly the closest competitor. The fact that Disney has such a strong cruise ship component to them while Comcast does not is still a gap in the marketplace that I don't think will last long. I know this has been discussed in the industry over the years. I'd like for Royal to team up with Comcast and offer Universal-themed cruises capitalizing on their properties. It might give Disney a run for the money.
I feel like Disney and Universal are catered towards slightly different people. Disney is more for the 6-11 (give or take a few years) range while Universal is more for the 13-17 (give or take a few years) range. Disney has more kid-themed parks like Toy Story, Disney Princesses, etc while Universal is more towards the teens with Harry Potter, Spiderman, etc. Of course, there is at least one overlap, adults who are desperately trying to regain some semblance of the youth they've lost over the years; that's probably where the competition gets really stiff.
@@josephdawson8073 Great points. Yes, I can definitely picture little kids begging their parents to take them on a Disney cruise vs. teens begging their parents to take them on a Universal cruise. The demographics of theme park attendance don't seem to fit that, though. Stats show that 60% of Disney theme park attendees have no children in their households. But I read a few analyses of the comparisons between the theme parks and you're correct that Universal relies more on movie franchises which appeal more to teens. The one thing that stands out in the research is Disney's reliance on nostalgia. I suspect a lot of the parents going on Disney cruises are doing it as much to bring back their youth as please their kids.
Would love a harry potter themed cruise !
My family and I took a Disney Mediterranean cruise after I graduated college, just to try something different. We’d been on 2 RCC before that. I won’t say the experience was bad. Far from it. What Disney does well, they do REALLY well, and it was definitely a great experience. But since I’m not a Disney mega-fan, I don’t see myself paying the premium for another Disney cruise in the future. I’ll stick with RCL for the time being. I do want to try Celebrity, Norwegian, and maybe Virgin sometime in the future though!
Agree with this video. When we took our first cruise in 2008 a 4 day DCL cruise was more expensive that a 7 RCL cruise
I've done a lot of research on cruise lines and been on a few major ones. The main thing that makes Dinsey Cruise Lines stand out to me over the other Cruise lines is their level of detail in every aspect of the cruise. To me, this is the seperator.
Also the food and shows on DCL are just amazing! The Disney theme is also wonderful and the crew is great.
My wife and I have gone on 2 DCL and loved it. The larger cruises with bigger ships have a more difficult time focusing the level of details in my opinion. The lines for the skydiving simulator, surfing, and rock climbing can sometimes be long, especially with the number of cruisers on board. At NCL they have a cool go-cart track and that’s pretty cool, too, but those activities would not be the difference maker for me to pick one Cruise over the other.
I will say that there is something for everyone and there are a lot of good things about RCL and NCL. Price is a huge factor when deciding what Cruise one should go on. So I can surely understand it from that perspective.
I haven't been on a CCL, but I've seen in Carnival Blogs that RC is 2 to 3X as much so they would rather cruise with Carnival because of what they get for the money. I honestly feel it really depends on the budget and what you are really looking forward to doing on the cruise.
Agree, very expensive on Disney. Did it once for my grandchildren. One and done. Not sure it was worth it even for them at ages 6 and 10. While they loved parks. Not so much on ship
As someone who cruised with disney every year from age 10-17, disney cruises were my favorite in my teenage years. Royal has been implementing things that disney does but it’s not the same experience.
Recently Disney started selling the cruise in Australia for first time and it is named Disney Magic at Sea. BUT! Disgustingly, the ship is Disney wonder and it’s hard to figure out until you receive the confirm email. I’m going to cancel my bookings, we can get much better ships with much lower price.
I know I am late to this video but I love cruising and I enjoy Disney in general. I’ve been on Carnival many times Royal once and Disney twice. I think it is safe to say I will not be taking another Disney cruise again because of the price difference unless there is a stop at Disney World like there was on my last Disney cruise. I was able to justify the inflated price of the trip because we left out of New York and the park passes were included with the price of the trip. It was an amazing trip but without park passes there isn’t any reason I could justify paying that much for a cruise again.
I definitely agree the price difference is crazy, but I've been wanting to try DCL for a while. I have a few friends that really enjoy DCL. So I'm going in Dec to see what all the hullabaloo is about. Might be a one and done but I'm a kid at heart and I love the idea of having this Disney experience everyday so we'll see. If anything I can say I've done it lol and while the kids are still young
Let me know your thoughts when you get back!
We like the split bathrooms that DCL offers. DCL includes room service. RCL charges a service fee. DCL has rotational dining. RCL keeps the same servers but doesn’t rotate restaurants. We like that people are not getting drunk because DCL does not have alcohol packages. And we do not like casinos , so we are fine without that amenity. The food is just as good on both. And the entertainment is awesome on both. DCL includes texting onboard with the app. RCL charges $1.99 per person per day to text others in your group using the app. DCL allows 5 in a cabin , that RCL only allows 4 , so with RCL we had to get 2 cabins. So once we added the app cost , the soda package cost & paying for 2 rooms versus 1 , it was only about a $600 difference. Customer service was great on both cruise lines.
Disney does have structured and unstructured time in the kids clubs. We found it worth the money when my daughter was young. It was wonderful to see her light up seeing the characters. It really was magic. We cruised only Disney when she was 3-11 years old and loved it. She’s now 11 and we are booked on Mariner for Spring Break. I really hope we love it since it’s more affordable and offers a larger itinerary.
I think she'll love what Mariner has to offer. I'd say you should do the Disney parks for the character stuff that she enjoys, but cruise with Royal. Seems like a fair trade.
HAPPY to pay for the Disney difference. Matter of fact, we're paid in full for an Alaska DCL cruise this July. But, to each their own.
I'm not sure it's like for like.. I'm looking at a Grand suite in RCL for a week long cruise around christmas and it's just under $7k. A similar room on DCL for a suite using "Prestiege" is $20k. I have no idea what Prestiege is and what I get? I'm sure RCL nickel and dimes you for all the child care stuff the dinning up charges, drinks ,etc... But it can't be $13k worth of difference.
What is included with RCC? Like do they balance out because you’re paying for food and a drink package? Is foods included? I only tracked Disney and the whole drink package throws me off. Are there food that you can get whatever you want?
I have only been on Disney and Norwegian, can't say anything about Royal Caribbean. Last Disney Cruise was in 2015, so safe to say my anecdote is irrelevant since that was a long time ago. I do remember the Fantasy cruise being amazing, everything from the food, rooms, guest services and themes were worth the money. Only negative was one stormy night, boat rocking back and forth gave me anxiety.
I've done both, Royal twice last year, Disney 4 times from 2015-2019. Though I do think Disney is cleaner, has better kids clubs, shows, staterooms, free food, free room service, soda and is of course Disney themed. But when I went on Royal Carribbean, I never thought of any characters, kids clubs, since I was 17, and the food is just ok. But the technology is really where Royal is great, florider, skypad, ifly, north star, rock climbing, ice skating. Disney Decor is classier and way more traditional and it feels like you are on a classic ship more.Though I do think Disney edges Royal for young families with children but if you have no children or older children and don't like Disney, go with Royal. Disney needs to lower prices too!
I think Disney does a better job of keeping the kids, family, and adult areas separate. If you are an adult on a Disney cruise, you can more easily have “adult time”. I just recently went on Odyssey of the Seas and kids were everywhere…it was hard to find adult-only time. So many times…kids got into the elevators and pushed each floor button. Kids were almost overrunning the ship. Even though there are likely an equivalent number of kids on a Disney ship…it does not feel as if the kids are taking over the ship.
Woah, Woah.. Older?! Disney takes pride in their vessels, they paint their vessels every single day, and I haven't seen a bit of rust on them, all of the ships are beautiful and are based on what cruises Walt would take, which is like Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, etc.
Honestly… The difference between Disney and Royal it’s just if you want to see the little Disney characters and it’s Disney theme. Or do you just want to go on a regular cruise ship. It’s honestly the same thing it’s just Disney they have Disney characters smiling at you all the time that’s it. But I don’t think the prices are worth for all that. That’s why we just go to Disneyland LMFAO..
I agree with you 100%. I have cruised on both lines and I can't justify the cost of another Disney cruise. #RoyalCarribean
i was so okay with going on royal caribbean cruise instead of disney because of your channel, but then I went to go to book a cruise and it only allowed me to book up to four guest. This was a blow back as I am a family of 5 I have two twin son ages 4 and a 2 year old daughter. The regular 3-4 interior room was going for $637. . and then when I chose the Spacious Interior to accommodate all 5 its drastically shifted to $1,067 per person , and my daughter still have been added yet the total cost of the 4 guest without taxes came up to $4,268 . . for my disney cruise cart with one less day and all 5 guess it came up to $3,045 after taxes -_- . . .
Totally agree
When Walt died. Disney lost what he had in mind. growing up in So Cal I had a lot of fun at Disneyland and many of my friends worked there as staff and Characters, But to much has changed over the years.
Personally, I think Disney lost its way once Eisner was forced out.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Me going on Disney Magic in 2 days- I'll get to see symphony of the seas in Miami. I did one RCCL and Two DCL- I gotta say it's funny because we got a junior suite on a 7-Night President Cruise aboard Harmony Of The Seas for the same price as a 7-Night on Disney Fantasy in a verandah. (The Junior Suite was twice the size) I'll be honest- I love Disney and there paint scheme- but Royal felt like it had more to do- Ice Skating, Shows, Aqua Theater, TONS OF POOL SPACE,- Disney needs to improve that, Three good water slides.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Personally, I think Disney lost its way once Eisner arrived at the company.
I go on my first Disney cruise in April and for us the cost made since because we don’t want to go to the parks but we still want to give our 5 yo the Disney experience.
Thats really interesting I just compared similar rooms and dates and got equal pricing if not RC cost me more for what I'm looking for.
Great video, Matt. Any chance you will start a series comparing RC to various other cruise lines? I would be very interested to see that.
Possibly!
Working on ships rn and posted a few videos about life at sea
You’re videos have been great! But did I miss the memo of how to say perfect day at coco cay? I always thought it was supposed to rhyme with day. So perfect day at coco K. It seems to sound more catchy 🤷🏼♂️
With Emma's and Tony's and Shannon's reviews recently I think Matt feels left out LOL. In the end I can't argue with your review. We've done both, starting on Disney. Officially moved to RCL maybe 7 years ago. We were about to book a 7 day Disney cruise and RCL had the Freedom going out Port Canaveral. exact same week, leaving the same day, visiting the same ports on the same days (outside of them both visiting their private islands). At the time it was about a $3000 difference in price
The price difference is significant to say the least. There are things that DCL does well. I always hear that DCL includes soda, but for the price difference on RCL I can get the soda package for the kids, drink package for me and the wife, specialty dining package and a couple for trips to the spa for the wife. Alternatively as we tend to enjoys the RCL mega ships, you can get into a sky class suite (depending on when you go). Bringing the cost in line by doing that I think your exceeding your DCL experience
I think if you have young kids and it's a one time thing, I could say it might be worth doing a DCL 4 night one to experience it (assuming they like Disney).
This video and all the comments have been great! Our family of 4 are huge Disney fans and our boys are 4 and 7. I’ve been looking at literally the cheapest Caribbean DCL cruise for this Sept as Disney parks have effectively priced us out 😭. I haven’t purchased because of the prices. But honestly the other ships full of stuff actually seems very unappealing to me, idk why but it does. Maybe it just seems too overwhelming and with my kids at 4 and 7 it doesn’t seem like there is actually much for them to do. Also I feel like those huge ships have a mall or airport feel to them. But do I want to pay more for the more streamlined esthetic, Disney theme, and knowing my kids have an awesome Disney experience. I don’t know! Also I want to know that if I’m paying a lot of money (which it is for any cruise line) I want to know I’m not going to be eating only ok food which seems to be the case for other cruise lines unless you get a reservation at a pay extra restaurant. Sorry this is my daily internal dialogue/struggle of what to do, if anything, for cruising. Also just a general vax question, do the other lines require vax for 12 and under like DCL?
Are you still looking for info when in comes to cruising?
I agree. The Disney cruises are cost prohibitive. I find their theme parks cost prohibitive as well.
We just did our first Disney cruise in October 2021 and we have been on Oasis and Harmony previously. I think the only perk Disney has over Royal is the ages of the kids club. Disney will allow kids 3-12 years old in the same area. Royal (and all the other lines) is strict about their age break downs that make it so my kids can’t be in the clubs together. My boys are much more likely to enjoy the club and be eager to go if they can be together. That helps me have a nicer time. I would never cruise just my husband and I on Disney (although not sure I’d cruise on Royal without kids either - I’d probably pick Celebrity). Another thing to consider is Royal rarely has shorter itineraries on their nicest ships. Disney has lots of short itineraries and their newest ship is all 3-4 night itineraries for now. Not every family wants to cruise for a week.
My first cruise was Disney, then Royal then Celebrity. I personally liked Celebrity the most overall. Service in DCL was better than RCL but nothing major, however, I didn't think they have enough activities compared to RCL. Mostly, I didn't care to stay in line to take pictures with Disney characters. My daughter didn't last more than 30min in the daycare center on DCL while she did great on RCL so we didn't use much of the daycare service they offered on DCL.
Not a fan of Disney ether but I kind of feel like you'd say this about ANY other cruise line.
I think every cruise line has its pros and cons, but I can at least understand the rationale for sailing Carnival or NCL instead. DCL's prices are just lunacy.
My 3 year old is watching this with me and gasps every time she sees the Disney cruise.
Thank You. You said my exact thoughts about DCL. Free sodas are not worth twice the price. On our most recent RCL cruise, we got 2 separate rooms for less than the price of sharing 1 room on dcl for a similar itinerary.