1 and 3 yr old - RCI vs. Disney

Hi,

Has anyone taken toddlers on BOTH a RCI and a Disney cruise? If so, which did you like better? Thanks!

We did Disney with our older daughter when she was 2 and are doing Royal with our almost 1-year-old and 3-year old this coming week. I'll try to report back.

Because DD was 2 we only did the nursery and not the clubs on Disney. We did of to some family activities in the club which she loved (playtime with some characters) and we utilized the nursery - LOVED that you could pre-book online, made it much easier to plan specialty restaurants/excursions (slightly nervous about getting the times we need to accommodate things on Royal).

Just my opinion but I would wait on Disney until the children are a few years older.

Keith

Ok we are back... I'll attempt to compare concisely

Disney - we sailed when our older daughter was 2 (Dream). We didn't use the kids clubs, but did use the nursery - very nice facility, friendly staff and I like pre-booking hours. We also did a few family activities (kids club open house activities) that were fun. Rotational dining is a nice perk and the waiters seemed to go out of their way to keep the kids happy (we were seated with a family with a 4-year-old - they did magic tricks for the girls, cut meat, etc.). Shows are great for kids and adults-only areas are classy and fun. Castaway cay is great and the Dream is a very nice ship. Dd loved seeing the characters walking around.

Royal - sailed with a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old (Navigator).

Nursery was smaller than on Disney and less "themed" but had plenty of toys/things for the kids and the staff was great. I went as soon as they opened and was able to sign up for 20 hours and you could get more hours later in the week. They also had a few plAygroup type things and toys out for open play on seas days (a fun perk as our girls could play together).

Kids club - also smaller than Disney and less "exciting" of a room, but the counselors were very nice and always greeted our daughter by name. It was a holiday sailing, so there were lots of kids, but they seemed to handle it well (ratio was capped at 1:15 for the 3-5year olds which is similar to daycare ratios around here). Our 3yo had fun and would always ask to go back, so I take that as a good sign :). Hours are a bit more limited than on Disney but were adequate, we just made sure to schedule nursery time when the club was open.

Shows were somewhat entertaining for the 3yo, but the Disney shows were definitely more her thing. She did love the Circus parade on royal and I think she would have enjoyed the ice show (but she begged to go to kids club instead).

Dining - our waiters were very attentive and sweet with the girls. No magic tricks and they didn't cut up their food, but milk and fruit cups were at the table waiting and they always made the girls feel special. Both lines have good kids menus (including healthy options). DH and I both agree disney specialty restaurants are more upscale and seem to have better service than Royal's

Note - there is no splash park/pool for diapered babies (our little one doesn't know the difference, so it wasn't an issue for us, but with an older tot it could be an issue) on Navigator, some of huge larger ships have them and Disney has them.

DH and I compared the two lines a bit. Disney is great, but Royal has a pretty nice product for families too. If pricing were equivalent (or no object) or it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip I'd give Disney the nod, but for overall vacation value Royal won this time. Two connecting oceanview cabins over Thanksgiving for well over a thousand dollars LESS than one cabin on a non-holiday Disney cruise (next November, same itinerary). That price difference plus the ability to leverage holidays is substantial for us plus both lines provide a good product :)

Now once both girls are kids-club eligible we look forward to going back to Holland America or trying Celebrity/Princess, but with an under-3 in tow, I think Royal and Disney are likely your best bets

We did RCI when my son was not quite 2.5. He had a wonderful time and there was plenty for him to do. They had toddler play time every day with crafts and toys and books so he could play with other little ones.

We did Disney when he was 5. Disney lets kids in the kids room age 3 (and potty trained) up to 12 I think. Even at 5 and a super outgoing kid it was a lot of kids in there running around, I don't think I'd send a 3yr old without an older sibling to look out for them.

Given the choice, I would do RCI now, and wait until they are bit older for Disney, when they can appreciate the experience more and enjoy the activities more.

We did RCI when my son was not quite 2.5. He had a wonderful time and there was plenty for him to do. They had toddler play time every day with crafts and toys and books so he could play with other little ones.

 

 

We did Disney when he was 5. Disney lets kids in the kids room age 3 (and potty trained) up to 12 I think. Even at 5 and a super outgoing kid it was a lot of kids in there running around, I don't think I'd send a 3yr old without an older sibling to look out for them.

 

 

Given the choice, I would do RCI now, and wait until they are bit older for Disney, when they can appreciate the experience more and enjoy the activities more.

Thanks for mentioning the age brackets, I totally forgot about that. I really liked that my 3yo was only with 3-5s on Royal Caribbean. The idea of her being mixed with kids up to 11 (not sure of the exact cut off, but I think it's something in that area) makes me a bit nervous. The 3-5 range allows for good attention/age appropriate activities

Not sure when you plan to go. I'm taking our son who will be 19 months in January in Disney and then at 21 months on RCI's freedom (picked the class of ship for the little wading pool area for my diapered little one.) so in late March I can re port back and let you know. [and we are from michigan and I'm already cold so I had to plan 2 trips for this winter]

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We took our 6and 3 year olds on the EBPC on the Disney Wonder (14 nights) and then I took our 6 and 4 year olds on a RCI for a 4 nighter quick trip about 4 months later.

They were very different trips and I give my impression of the Disney product based on a ship that was 2/3 's full and had about 100 kids on board, so I'm not so sure how realistic my impression is for a "normal" sailing. We had great service, food, and by the end there were a few staff members that felt like part of the family. My kids enjoyed the kids club and they were never without something to do even after 8 days at sea. The ship was always clean and the crew was GREAT. The stateroom was bigger than I anticipated and we had plenty of room for 4 for the entire 2 weeks. The Disney ship was loud but a different, more kid friendly kind of loud.

On the RCI trip, I found several times the programing wasn't exactly family friendly. My kids listen to current music on the radio, but some of the selections on the pool deck were a little much, and it was REALLY LOUD. My kids didn't really need to see the sexiest man on board contest either. That said, there was a lot for my 6 year old to do. Bungee trampolines, the rock wall, and the coldest pool on the planet kept them busy. What the kids club lacked in space they more than made up for with a fantastic staff and programing. It was tough to get them to leave. I found the food to be pretty close on both lines. Maybe a little better on Disney, because the buffet on RCI was not overly kids friendly and I had to search and be really creative to find something for them to eat (but they are picky.) The state room was also REALLY small. I was glad it was just the boys and I as it would have been really tight if DH had been with us.

When we took the weekend trip on RCI I priced the comparable Disney sailing and it was 2-3 times the price. I do believe Disney has a better product for families but not a 3x's better product. I would pay about 30% more for a Disney cruise because I believe that is about how much better the overall product was for us.

If your kids are really into the Disney characters and stuff, Disney can be worth it. If they are blase' about the whole character thing (or freaked out by costumed characters) it can be a pricey cruise.

DD generally preferred our RCCI cruises to the Disney cruises as far as the kids club programming was concerned. At the time she was younger RCCI was running with four or five different age groupings in the kids club with activities for each group. Disney did not really have age distinctions in most of their activities -- that meant when she was young, the older kids were dominating many of the activities, and when she was older she was "stuck" with little kids. She particularly disliked that .

One comment about Disney...but I imagine the same is with all cruise lines, is that your kids won't be allowed in the pool unless they are toilet trained and out of diapers (but there is a splash area they can go in). Also, same for the kids club...except there will be designated times you can go with them. But I imagine with a 1 and 3 year old, you'd be with them anyways (there is a nursery if you want some adult time...but our DD wasn't happy there)

Disney is pricier so you may want to wait a bit on that cruise line for your kids to be able to appreciate it and join in more.

Have fun, whatever you decide.

(Going on first RCL with kids so can't comment yet)