Is the disney cruise worth the $$$

We are thinking of taking our 3 kids on a cruise, However we are debating between the cruise lines Disney or RCCL....

Is the disney cruise worth the $$$?? Why or why not?

No matter which one we choose we will be doing Disneyworld as well...

At the time we are going our kids will be 11,7,6...

Totally if you enjoy disney you will totally love Disney. It is experience like no other. Any questions about it please ask

We did not think it was any where near worth the money we spent compared to what we paid on NCL, but your kids will have a great time. They really do all the different kids age groups very well. We thought the level of service and the quality of food to be very similar between Disney & NCL. The one major standout difference was the size of the cabin and the split bathroom. We had a great time, but unless they lower the prices, ya right, I don't see us sailing Disney ever again.

Disney is really a Mickey Mouse to the core company.:D

Totally if you enjoy disney you will totally love Disney. It is experience like no other. Any questions about it please ask

We do love Disney, both Disneyland and Disneyworld...I am just wanting to know why choose Disney over RCCL considering most of the ports of call are the same but the price is much more...The thought has crossed our mind do a week at Disneyworld and then a non disney cruise...

Is there any pointers you can give for the Disney cruise, things that are a must see...

We just did our first Disney cruise. 7 nights and then 10 days in Disney World. Our daughter was 10 and we loved it. Now we are looking at booking another cruise but a few things have us reconsidering Disney. We really did love it, but our daughter found the evening shows geared a bit more towards younger children. There were more toddlers then any other age of child on our cruise and sometimes it did get a little loud. So much was geared towards younger children that would be the determing factor for us. I wish we had taken her when she was a bit younger, I think she would of liked it all just a bit more. We have looked at Disney for this cruise but are thinking Royal Carribbean. We didn't really take advantage of the kids clubs. Our daughter did go a few times but certainly not enought to warrant the extra cost. We go on holidays together so that we can spend time as a family, not so we can ship her off. The pool area on the Disney Magic was great until we came back and started looking at what the other cruise lines offer. There is an age limit on the water slide and it's packed with toddlers. The other lines have amazing pool areas. Disney's was just a pool. It did have a big screen showing Disney movies by the family pool and we did love it. Consider what your children will love the most. If they still get a buzz seeing the characters and the shows then I say go for it. I would not go for it with teenagers, I just think they would be bored to be honest. In the end, we do not regret one dollar we spent with Disney and their private island, Castaway Cay was outstanding.

We do love Disney, both Disneyland and Disneyworld...I am just wanting to know why choose Disney over RCCL considering most of the ports of call are the same but the price is much more...The thought has crossed our mind do a week at Disneyworld and then a non disney cruise...

 

Is there any pointers you can give for the Disney cruise, things that are a must see...

The difference is the same as between Disneyland and Magic Mountain.

They are both amusement parks at the core but the differences are many and profound. Do you go to Walt Disney World just to go on a few rides or do you go to enjoy the atmosphere and attention to detail. Magic Mountain has taller, faster and more exciting coasters but somehow Disneyland draws many millions more guests per year.

I just returned from a RCI cruise on a ship the same size and age as the Disney Magic. It was a fine cruise and on paper the two compare well but the huge difference is that the RCI cruise was rather generic, it had no charm, no pixie dust. As we followed the Magic around Mexico, I'd see her and think every time that I was on the wrong ship.

The difference is the same as between Disneyland and Magic Mountain.

They are both amusement parks at the core but the differences are many and profound. Do you go to Walt Disney World just to go on a few rides or do you go to enjoy the atmosphere and attention to detail. Magic Mountain has taller, faster and more exciting coasters but somehow Disneyland draws many millions more guests per year.

I just returned from a RCI cruise on a ship the same size and age as the Disney Magic. It was a fine cruise and on paper the two compare well but the huge difference is that the RCI cruise was rather generic, it had no charm, no pixie dust. As we followed the Magic around Mexico, I'd see her and think every time that I was on the wrong ship.

That is a great comparasion.

We just got back from a 3 day on the Wonder and have booked a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the Magic. If you understand the state of relaxation and the break from the grind that going to WDW can provide while playing with your kids, then just imagine it at sea while going to visit new places, see new things and meeting many new people. The very young to the very old all seemed happy and content on our cruise including the teenagers! Our kids have been on HAL and loved club HAL, they really loved the Oceaneers Club/Lab on the Wonder even though they only were there for a couple of hours on any given day. They are boys - 7 & 5.

Either way you go, I'm sure you will have a great vacation. Disney just has a way of bringing out the inner child in most people which means a letting go of worry and being happy - hakuna matata. That is worth every penny IMHO :D

The difference is the same as between Disneyland and Magic Mountain.

They are both amusement parks at the core but the differences are many and profound. Do you go to Walt Disney World just to go on a few rides or do you go to enjoy the atmosphere and attention to detail. Magic Mountain has taller, faster and more exciting coasters but somehow Disneyland draws many millions more guests per year.

I just returned from a RCI cruise on a ship the same size and age as the Disney Magic. It was a fine cruise and on paper the two compare well but the huge difference is that the RCI cruise was rather generic, it had no charm, no pixie dust. As we followed the Magic around Mexico, I'd see her and think every time that I was on the wrong ship.

That is an excellent analogy. We just finished our 6th Disney Cruise, 4th without kids. Even the two cruises with kids started when our youngest was already 13-years old. To take Mick's analogy a step further, it is the same difference as staying offsite at Disneyworld as compared to staying on site. There is a certain Magic that the Disney company is known for, that you will not see anywhere else. And there are aspects of a Disney cruise that differs from other cruise lines, from the rotational dining, to the Broadway quality shows and ending with Disney's own island, Castaway Cay (the most popular cruises are the double dip ones; two stops at Cataway Cay). And I beg to differ with the poster that thought the shows were for younger kids. To call Disney's shows kiddie shows is doing it great injustice. These are truly Broadway quality shows that appeal to all ages.

And for adults traveling alone, there are enough adult only areas to satisfy as well, from Beat Street (Magic)/Route 66 (Wonder) the adult only club area, to Palo, an adult only restaurant that charges a small fee to enjoy to Seredity Bay, the adult only beach on Castaway Cay.

Is it pricey? I'll take off my Pixie Dust coated glasses and admit, that you can get similar itineraries at better prices, but as far as value goes - you are definitely getting your money's worth. . . and more.

We do love Disney, both Disneyland and Disneyworld...I am just wanting to know why choose Disney over RCCL considering most of the ports of call are the same but the price is much more...The thought has crossed our mind do a week at Disneyworld and then a non disney cruise...

 

Is there any pointers you can give for the Disney cruise, things that are a must see...

Like others have posted, it is the attention to detail and the energy that is displayed. You could spend hours just looking at the decore and trying to find all of the resemblences to Mickey Mouse. The food, service, and entertainment is better on Disney than RCCL. Cruising is just like the slogan, you get what you pay for. Yes, RCCL has the florider and the rock wall and ice rink, but your not getting the quality or matnence. Now I totally forgot if you wanted a 3 or 4 day or a 7 day. Once again, I would go for the 7 day even though we love the Wonder and its crew (CLAYTON!!!) a week long just lets you go into vacation mood that much longer. But by all means, 3 and 4 days are a total blast, especially for your first cruise???. Also, unlike RCCL, Disney has its own adults only area which is good for not only you but your family since there isnt any smoke around the public areas. And don't forget the rotational dining and the larger staterooms. Either way you will have a great vacation and I might go off on RCCL or Princess soon, don't know which one yet. So a cruise is a cruise and youll have a blast, but Disney is better:D

certainly worth the experience at least once...we went for our first cruise and loved it. We have continued to cruise but on different lines b/c we get a bit better value from RC and Princess