Advice, please! DCL vs. RCI

[woody73]

With a $1500 price difference, I would choose Disney.

 

Disney excels in service and entertainment.

 

Woody

[TheYoungFamilyCruisers]

I just go off the Oasis and have been on 8 Disney cruises. It is difficult to compare because they are such different experiences. Here are my thoughts:

 

 

General feel

Disney - smaller, personable and great service

Oasis - larger, shiny, very much about the show - very good service but not the personable feel. Like they are polite and say all the right things but not really into it.

 

Kids club

Disney - great program, greater hours, no additional charges

Oasis - nice new rooms, smaller, less kids in the room - additional charges for later hours and additional charge to bring the kids to eat.

 

Disney - larger kids area, more items and more computers with chairs

Oasis - much smaller are per age group, only about 6 computers and all stand up - I visited a few times and never saw any kids on the computer.

 

Freedom

Disney - since it is smaller and more families than couples - I feel more comfortable allowing my 10 year old some freedom on certain decks.

Oasis - Would not allow my 10 year old any freedom. Very large ship with many people with different norms.

 

TEENS

From my minimal observation - it appear more teen activities or more teen involvement on the Oasis. On DCL I have never seen a lot of teens hanging together - on the Oasis it was standing room only in the teen area. It was a great area with different rooms inside and out available. There were many teens hanging together and doing organized activities.

 

My take on it - younger kids - up unit the teens - DCL - older kids that you can trust - Oasis - at least until we can see the activity on the Dream.

[lovethatmouse63]

We have cruised DCL 3 times..each one better than the next. When my dad turned 70 this year, instead of a party, he (and mom) are bring my family (husband and daughter) and my sister and nephew on a cruise. Of course I suggested DCL, but my mom and sister love to gamble, so RCI it is. We are a little disappointed, but also excited. I hope we aren't let down by not doing a DCL again. I think DCL is the best for kids, so I would go that route.

[dirtgirl]

I would pick the Wonder over the Rhapsody, for all of the above reasons that other posters have given, but also because cruising out of Vancouver is a nicer cruise.

 

The cruises out of Seattle sail on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, where you can see nothing, and the seas are rougher. Cruises out of Vancouver sail the TRUE Inside Passage, in-between Vancouver Island and the mainland of BC. There is land on both sides and the seas are calmer.

 

And NOTHING beats sailing out of Vancouver on a sunny day, with the mountains on one side and the city on the other.

 

Yes, I live here, so I'm biased. But I know Alaska cruises. ;)

[NancyIL]

I would pick the Wonder over the Rhapsody, for all of the above reasons that other posters have given, but also because cruising out of Vancouver is a nicer cruise.

 

The cruises out of Seattle sail on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, where you can see nothing, and the seas are rougher. Cruises out of Vancouver sail the TRUE Inside Passage, in-between Vancouver Island and the mainland of BC. There is land on both sides and the seas are calmer.

 

And NOTHING beats sailing out of Vancouver on a sunny day, with the mountains on one side and the city on the other.

 

Yes, I live here, so I'm biased. But I know Alaska cruises. ;)

 

It isn't a certainty that DCL will sail east of Vancouver Island! DCL's route map shows them sailing to the west as they leave Vancouver, and it stops at Ketchikan on the return:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/reservations/customize?execution=e1s4 (click on "itinerary")

[dirtgirl]

It isn't a certainty that DCL will sail east of Vancouver Island! DCL's route map shows them sailing to the west as they leave Vancouver, and it stops at Ketchikan on the return:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/reservations/customize?execution=e1s4 (click on "itinerary")

 

 

Their site is closed for maintenance right now, but our own site has them sailing in-between Vancouver Island and the mainland both directions.;)

[NancyIL]

Their site is closed for maintenance right now, but our own site has them sailing in-between Vancouver Island and the mainland both directions.;)

If that is true, DCL would relieve a lot of concerns if they would correct their map!

[ddgleason]

I think we are leaning toward DCL, and the info you guys gave really did help a lot. Now, I just have to convince DH that it will be worth the extra $. Of course, we do run the risk for being spoiled and never wanting to cruise anything but DCL! THen again, if we do the DCL, I KNOW we will do another one on RCI at some point simply because we still have that future cruise! Maybe I should just book the cruise and tell DH that I took care of it! Thanks again everyone for the great tips!!!!

[dirtgirl]

If that is true, DCL would relieve a lot of concerns if they would correct their map!

 

 

I see what you mean. I called Disney, but the agent really had no idea of the geography! Cruises to Alaska from Vancouver always go in-between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

 

The ship does go back to Vancouver - it doesn't end in Ketchikan, though that is what the map indicates.

 

I'll be looking into this further!

[NancyIL]

I see what you mean. I called Disney, but the agent really had no idea of the geography! Cruises to Alaska from Vancouver always go in-between Vancouver Island and the mainland.

 

The ship does go back to Vancouver - it doesn't end in Ketchikan, though that is what the map indicates.

 

I'll be looking into this further!

My guess is the map ends in Ketchikan because DCL isn't sure which route they'll take to return to Vancouver. The route map makes it clear that someone at DCL thinks the ship will travel on the west side of Vancouver Island at least one way.

[dirtgirl]

My guess is the map ends in Ketchikan because DCL isn't sure which route they'll take to return to Vancouver. The route map makes it clear that someone at DCL thinks the ship will travel on the west side of Vancouver Island at least one way.

 

 

I have asked the question - waiting for a response tomorrow, and will post it here.:)

[Mary09]

I've only cruised Carnival, Princess and Disney. I would pay 25% more for DCL but the fares seem to run 50-100% higher than those of other cruise lines. To me, DCL wasn't worth twice as much as another cruise. I have a 10 year old. I have a feeling that Castaway Cay is the best private island, though, and if you haven't seen it, it might be worth a lot more for you.

[1sailatatime]

We sailed DCL March 2008, and RCL Jan 2009. Our kids now (16, 13, 9, 8) were far more entertained on RCL, then DCL. Yes, the quality of DCL when it comes to shows and family atmosphere is well worth it. The RCL are bigger in comparison, and therefore it's a bigger scale to compare. Just have to look at it, with different eyes. My kids were entertained well on RCL by what they did themselves, not how someone else entertained them on DCL.

Going to try RCL as an extended vacation this December.

[jetn007]

Having dropped about $60,000 on Disney vacations since my children's first breath , I can not bear to drop another penny on Goofey's ride or even pay for his girlfriend's condo.

I guess you can take a vote, see if the kids can come up with that extra $500 each and tell them they can't take the Sea Plane ride in Juneau. See what they say. I reccomend you try to sell them on the new Dream Works extravaganza and Go Royal. Please show that you are Loyal to Royal. I imagine RCCL has treated you well, therefore your Diamond Status. I am only Platinum, as Mickey took my $60 grand and lost it in Vegas. Otherwise, I would definately be Diamond Plus by now. I sailed the Vision to Alaska, it was spectacular.

May the Spirit of Walt Disney be banished from your Pocket Book.:p

 

Okay. Looking at booking our cruise next summer. We have already decided Alaska is our destination. We have a future cruise cert already with RCI (which means onboard credit when we book and we get diamond balcony discount). But as I was making dummy bookings to explore prices, here's what I found: We can go Disney on the Wonder for only 1500 more than RCI on the Rhapsody. We have 3 children (12, 10, and 7). We are big Disney fans but I have never felt justified spending what typically is almost double on a Disney cruise. But 1500 really isn't that much more when I think about it. But on the other hand, we do have the onboard credit and balcony discount. So, can anyone with experience on both DCL and RCI tell me how they stack up in comparison? Is 1500 more worth it for Disney?

[CP3o]

I reccomend you try to sell them on the new Dream Works extravaganza and Go Royal. Please show that you are Loyal to Royal. I imagine RCCL has treated you well, therefore your Diamond Status.:p

 

She has quantified the difference and while it doesn't include free soda, etc, I'm sure the balcony $225 discount goes into the $1500. This is not a comparison to newer RCCL ships but to a ship older and smaller than the Disney Wonder. And the Alaska experts seem to like the DCL itinerary on this one.

 

To the OP, when the RCCL board largely steers you to DCL, that's saying something.

[NancyIL]

And the Alaska experts seem to like the DCL itinerary on this one.

 

 

It's not that we like DCL's Alaska itinerary...it's just that Rhapsody's is worse!

[ddgleason]

 

To the OP, when the RCCL board largely steers you to DCL, that's saying something.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Most people here are saying go for Disney.

[ddgleason]

Having dropped about $60,000 on Disney vacations since my children's first breath , I can not bear to drop another penny on Goofey's ride or even pay for his girlfriend's condo.

 

I guess you can take a vote, see if the kids can come up with that extra $500 each and tell them they can't take the Sea Plane ride in Juneau. See what they say. I reccomend you try to sell them on the new Dream Works extravaganza and Go Royal. Please show that you are Loyal to Royal. I imagine RCCL has treated you well, therefore your Diamond Status. I am only Platinum, as Mickey took my $60 grand and lost it in Vegas. Otherwise, I would definately be Diamond Plus by now. I sailed the Vision to Alaska, it was spectacular.

 

May the Spirit of Walt Disney be banished from your Pocket Book.:p

 

We have annual passes for Disneyland so I don't see anything being banished from us for a while. I think I have shown my loyalty to RCI (despite the fact that they are pulling from the West coast) by my diamond status and the fact that we bought a next cruise cert. We bought that knowing that the Mariner was leaving CA. I think that proves that we like RCI's product. We can't really sell the kids on a Dreamworks experience that won't be on the ship we are looking at. And knowing my children as I do, IF I were to give them a vote (IF) they would hands down choose Disney over Dreamworks. In fact, I am pretty sure the younger ones would pick Disney over the sea plane. I am sorry you do not like Disney, but we are big fans of the park and the spirit that is there. I am a believer that if you dream it, you can achieve it. (Walt said that.) Nothing wrong with trying other lines and other vacations. That's what makes someone a good consumer. No harm, no foul.

[dirtgirl]

It's not that we like DCL's Alaska itinerary...it's just that Rhapsody's is worse!

 

 

That made me laugh! :D As far as round-trips go, the best itineraries are Holland America's out of Vancouver. They go to 2 glaciers.;)

 

I am still awaiting word on DCL's itinerary, but I have been told that they are looking into it.

[cruisinfreedom09]

We are BIG Disney fans.:D My kids have been going to the parks since they were babies. Because of this, I knew that when we decided to cruise I would not be happy unless our first cruise was on DCL. We did our first cruise with them when dks were 9 and 12. We had a wonderful time! The shows were awesome. We always cruise with friends and they convinced us to try Freedom of the Seas with RCCL for cruise#2. Our kids had a blast! They were then 12 and 15. Our next cruise is on FOS again next summer. My dks chose FOS hands down over DCL! I have to admit I liked it better too. I will return to DCL again in the future but with the ages of my kids RCCL is the way to go for us!

[funfamilyof6]

Disney ships are definitely for young children...in my opinion 7 and under. All of my kids loved the FOS. When we went on Disney only the youngest. We went on Disney for the second time only to go along with my husbands mother. My father in law had just passed away and her dream was to go on a Disney cruise but not by herself. We asked her how she liked it and she said she liked Carnival better...she said there was not enough activities on Disney...even for a 70 year old Disney lover. She was glad she did it though. :)