NCL or Disney for family with young kids?

[Icecoldcranberry]

Hi,

 

My dh and I just sailed with our two boys (2 and 4 yrs) on RCCL Allure and our kids LOVED it! We are now planning our next cruise for next year and are debating between NCL Epic, Breakaway and Disney Fantasy. The boys will be 3 and 5 at time of sailing. Which cruise line and ship have the best activities and kids clubs? Suggestions!

[Sauer-kraut]

Have you priced the Disney cruise? It all depends on what you want to do. Is free soft drinks a deciding factor? Do restaurant rotation schedules break your idea of dining, what happens when you get stuck with late dining and your children are hungry at 5;30 PM?

There are a lot of different factors to consider between Disney and Norwegian.

[Icecoldcranberry]

Am just starting to look into things. Free soft drinks not huge deal...lots of free food varieties available anytime is though. We just got back from the Allure of the Seas and didn't eat in the formal dining room once. We loved the variety of food available elsewhere...our kids are active so we need a ton of different activities for them, eg on the Allure they had the kids camp and play area, the mini golf, the merry go round, Central Park, the crafts, cupcake decorating, the kids pool and spray park, the character parades etc. Plus they loved the shows. We were thinking of trying a different line but might be spoiled by RCCL.

[3DBeach]

My boys (now 7 & 5) have been on 3 cruise in the last 2 years and we're about to sail again. First we took them on RCCL Freedom of the Seas. They loved the dreamworks charachters, aqua zone part and kiddie pool but that's about it (besides Sorrento's lol). They didn't care for the kids club and were too small to go on the flowrider. When we booked that one we were deciding between that and the Epic so for the next one we had booked Epic. They LOVED the slides and pool area and and seemed to enjoy the kids club a little more on NCL. They also enjoyed going to teppanyaki and Moderno (brazilian steakhouse) on NCL so we went on Epic again. In April we will be giving the Getaway a try but they have no idea...i can't wait to surprise them :D. We kicked around trying Disney and got a few prices and may consider them again in the future.

If you think they would enjoy the slides and aquapark on the Breakaway/Getaway i would suggest NCL. We tend to like the freestyle aspect and have been very happy so far. I think you'll be happy no matter which one you choose :)

[keichman]

We've done both NCL and DCL. Enjoyed both. But if you can swing the premium price for Disney, definitely go while your children are young, particularly if they enjoy the characters. The evening production shows are fabulous for kids, and there is just something magical and intimate about the character interaction. My daughter practically stalked Peter Pan on our one DCL cruise...and it was wonderful when the characters would remember her. And there was something special about walking down the hall and having Cinderella, Belle or Captain Hook walking to or from somewhere, and stopping in the hall to chat.

 

But definitely more structure to the main dining rooms, and a little more formal all around (not a lot, though).And as for late dining...we've always had the main dining time. Our first DCL cruise, I was concerned because we booked just a couple months before sailing and all that was left was late dining. Our TA put us on the waiting list for main dining, and we were notified within a few weeks that we were able to get main dining. (And this was an August cruise...not low season!) And we requested to sit at a table with just our family, and this request was granted both times. (I'm not a fan of rolling the dice on tablemates, when you are kind of "stuck" with them the entire cruise.) One major down side to DCL is the limited itineraries, with just 4 ships sailing.

[keichman]

Oh...forgot you asked about the kids' clubs. Easily, DCL was preferred by our daughter. Plus the hours were much more extensive on DCL, giving lots of freedom to choose when to go. Great activities on both DCL and NCL, but the interactive environments of the DCL Fantasy were just out of this world for younger kids.

[sacooper34]

[Icecoldcranberry]

Are there a lot of free food locations on both Disney and NCL besides the formal dining rooms? Maybe by next year my younger boy will have the patience to sit through a full meal but on the Allure I'd just pop into Sorrentos for a slice of pizza or head to the Windjammer for fries (or to Wioeput where they had both). He'd eat a few bites and be ready and anxious for the next activity!

[JYeagersGrl]

We haven't done a Disney cruise yet so I really can't give you any tips on that but out of all the cruises we've done by far hands down NCL has the best kids program.

[ColinIllinois]

Are there a lot of free food locations on both Disney and NCL besides the formal dining rooms? Maybe by next year my younger boy will have the patience to sit through a full meal but on the Allure I'd just pop into Sorrentos for a slice of pizza or head to the Windjammer for fries (or to Wioeput where they had both). He'd eat a few bites and be ready and anxious for the next activity!

 

 

All the dining options, complimentary and surcharge, are listed in the Freestyle Dining Guide.

 

http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-dining

[bear3412]

Commenting w/o reading the PP posts. :o

 

We struggled with this decision a few years back. I actually narrowed it down to NCL or DCL. I read 1/2 the forum threads for NCL and DCL. :eek:

 

Ultimately we decided on DCL. To narrow it down to a sentence, if possible, "The kids are only young once, it's only $$$."

 

Of course, that is easy to say now, as DCL has raised prices for peak summer, spring break, etc, sailings 20 - 60% since we first sailed DCL. If you can sail off peak, or slightly off peak, IMO, choose DCL. If off peak, and you are close to FL, and are flexible last minute, they do occasionally offer some last minute *GT rates that are tolerable, but they come with many restrictions. They will pick cabin is the deal killer for us. But we are anal regarding location. ;)

 

BTW, adult life/club activity can basically end at midnight fwiw. lol. Folks don't sail DCL for it's night life obviously.

 

My 2 cents.

 

Good Luck with your decision. Feel free to question further.

Oh, and the Fantasy rocks. We love this vessel.

Did you see this review? It's not the Fantasy, but her sister the Dream; and I will note the Fantasy has been tweaked for the better fwiw.

http://cruisewithgambee.com/disney-dream/

 

HTH

Edited February 2, 2014 by bear3412

[zoya19]

We just did an 11 night southern cruise and then 5 days in disney. We priced disney cruise and a 3 night disney cruise was going to cost us more than are 11 night. We lucked into kids sailing free with NCL. Then we did Disney on the way home for 5 days so we had a good mix of both. My kids have never been on a disney cruise so didn't know what they were missing. ;) We loved the anytime dining and the kids club.

[kurukthemal]

I would agree with the previous posts and it really depends on what your kids interests are. We did the Dream after a three day stint in WDW. On the Dream, we had more character interactions than I thought was possible. Additionally, the shows are very well done, but all Disney themed. The rotational dining (servers move with you each night) is pretty cool and you get to know them better. The ship was spotless and service impeccable. As others have said, the cost is higher. So, it depends about the amount of Disney "love" you have!

Edited February 7, 2014 by kurukthemal

[misand]

My children 8 and 12 at the time, HATED Disney kids club. They were just a number on that ship. Everything else about Disney was nice. My youngest went to the kids club 5 times and all 5 times we were paged to come get her. She was crying because she hated it. For instance, they put the 3 year olds in the same group and it was supposed to be a PJ dance party but instead they sat them down and read them a story.

 

On NCL the 3 times we have been we have had to pull our children out when we wanted to see them because they didn't want to leave. We really enjoy everything about NCL!

[Donna_In_India]

My daughter turned 3 on the Disney Magic, was 3 1/2 on the Epic, was 4 on the Breakaway, and 4 1/2 on the Disney Fantasy so we have a pretty good amount of experience with those you mention.

 

She loved, loved, loved the Princesses and character meetings/photos on DCL. The DCL/character shows are great for kids. The Fantasy has an excellent splash area (Nemo's Reef) much bigger than what was on the Magic and she spent most of her time there rather than in the pool (extremely crowded). She did well with our main seating dining and a plus was being seated with 2 twin girls her own age (on our Magic cruise we ate by ourselves which was not as much fun). The one thing that she didn't do on either DCL cruise was spend time in the kid's club!! Supposed to be the best at sea, and she wouldn't go in - the only line where she wouldn't. Soda is a big point for DCL fanatics :D because it's "free" but my daughter is not allowed to drink soda so it doesn't matter to us one way or the other. The one thing that I really didn't like on DCL was not having a buffet for dinner. We enjoy the flexibility of eating when we want -and for how long. Eating at 5:45 is a little early for us. That being said, your children will still be able to find something to eat...cookies and milk and Mickey Bars from service are delicious! Service in general is good on DCL and everyone from the top on down will greet you and smile. I think the best thing about DCL is something intangible. It really is magical - it's a feeling that you will compare every future cruise to. And corny as it might be one of my favorite cruise moments is when you enter the ship and your family is "announced" to applause by the cast members. Be sure to be announced as Prince xxx and Prince xxx and their parents. I would definitely suggest doing a DCL cruise at least once!

 

That being said, I loved both the Epic and the Breakaway (I'm a mega-ship fan). My daughter loved the kids clubs on both. We loved the dining options and food was good. She loved Spongebob and Dora - and the character breakfast and parties. The splash zone was great and we enjoyed the pool. Loved the live music on deck as well. If your sons loved the activities on RCCI they will enjoy the rock climbing wall and those kinds of activities. We found the crew/staff to be nice and friendly (I think you get back what you give on ANY cruiseline).

 

I don't think you can go wrong no matter what you choose. We'll be back on the Fantasy in June 2015 (daughter's 6th) and will probably look for a last minute cruise on the Breakaway this summer - loved Bermuda. DCL is not known for their itineraries but their island, Castaway Cay is nice.

[Cruising4]

Do Disney while your kids are young. NCL, while not a bad fit for your family will still be a good choice in the years to come, DCL won't be.

 

We did two Disney cruises while the kids were younger but now cruise NCL. The kids programs/areas on DCL are top notch, plus the adults only areas on their ships and Castaway Cay can't be matched on NCL.

 

I think there is a height requirement/weight requirement for some of the NCL slides (DCL too perhaps).

[Donna_In_India]

I think there is a height requirement/weight requirement for some of the NCL slides (DCL too perhaps).

 

Definitely on DCL. The guy on the Fantasy was a little over the top with measuring. :rolleyes:

[LrgPizza]

We've only done one NCL cruise on the Spirit, but we've done 3 Disney cruises. My son did the kids club on both. Based on that, and also on the photos I've seen and info I've read about the kids clubs on other NCL ships, I'd say Disney wins hands down, especially for that age range. The entire ship, not just kids clubs, have so much going on for children - it's amazing. Even the evening entertainment and decor is appealing to children. I guarantee it would be an experience of a lifetime for children that age to experience a DCL cruise. NCL will still be here and still be awesome when they get older. Also, DCL lets the parents leave the ship while the kids are in the kids club. I don't think NCL does this. My son never wanted to leave the club.

Edited February 7, 2014 by LrgPizza

[lbt43]

Hi,

 

My dh and I just sailed with our two boys (2 and 4 yrs) on RCCL Allure and our kids LOVED it! We are now planning our next cruise for next year and are debating between NCL Epic, Breakaway and Disney Fantasy. The boys will be 3 and 5 at time of sailing. Which cruise line and ship have the best activities and kids clubs? Suggestions!

 

Do the Getaway! You and your kids will have an unforgettable time!

[RMcoolX]

Disney is price does not matter.

[dexddd]

Definitely on DCL. The guy on the Fantasy was a little over the top with measuring. :rolleyes:

 

When we were on DCL they would measure kids if they were close to the height requirement and then give them a band to wear so they only had to get measured once each day.

[dexddd]

Are there a lot of free food locations on both Disney and NCL besides the formal dining rooms? Maybe by next year my younger boy will have the patience to sit through a full meal but on the Allure I'd just pop into Sorrentos for a slice of pizza or head to the Windjammer for fries (or to Wioeput where they had both). He'd eat a few bites and be ready and anxious for the next activity!

 

DCL has several themed food venues around the pool. One is pizza, one has burgers/fries, hot dogs, chicken strips, etc. Another has salads, fresh fruit cups, wraps. The closing time varied a bit at night with the pizza place usually being open quite late into the evening.

[Mom2B&Z]

We have sailed NCL and DCL with our boys and we are heading back to NCL. I think there's a big difference between sailing DCL with girls vs boys, especially if the boys aren't big Disney fans. Mine aren't, so while the shows are spectacular, they didn't get all the references, and quite frankly the villains show scared them (they were 8 and 5 at the time). My boys also wouldn't go into the kids club, the staff didn't greet them by name or make any attempt to interact with them except to check in/out, on NCL staff have told me specific details about my boys which leads me to believe they actually talk and interact with them while I'm not watching ;).

Disney does have fantastic ships, the cabins are spacious and Castaway Cay is phenomenal. I don't think the price difference is worth it, we are sailing breakaway over the Canadian March break in a s6 suite for less than half of what DCL was charging for a balcony cabin.

So if money is no object, try DCL, but if it is then try the NCL suite life!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[katyjeka]

We've also traveled both lines, and prefer NCL. We had a nice time on the DCL, but everything felt so rushed and crowded. Our dd's love NCL, and liked the Magic. We are HUGE Disney fans, and try to get to WDW twice a year, but the cruise line just wasn't what we expected. We like NCL food better (Blue Lagoon, our kids favorite!!) You can travel the suite life on NCL, for a little less than a Disney cruise, and the experience is the best. Look at the pictures of the 2 bedroom family suite. The bathroom and the view is to die for.

[sdmike]

Disney if you can afford it. Once in a lifetime experience. We did it when our kids were small and will never do it again, but glad we did.