Disney vs royal

[EbayCruiser]

Disney cruises are FANTASTIC - lots to do and Disney does it right!

 

You will get tired of the "when you wish upon a star" the cruise horn blows this before every announcement and there are lots of announcements.

 

Pirate night is fabulous - kids clubs are great!

 

One thing that I think has not been mentioned, is when you enter the promenade, an announcement is made "Ladies and Gentlemen welcome The "insert last name" Family. I thought that was a nice personal touch.

 

If you love the Magic Kingdom, you will LOVE a Disney Cruise!

[quirty30]

Interesting thread. I sailed on the Disney Fantasy 2 years ago with my then, 14 year old son and 11 year old daughter. They thoroughly enjoyed the kids/teen clubs, but the character experiences were lost on them (after more than 10 trips to Disney World, they are well beyond the intrigue of meeting characters.) I did take full advantage of bringing many bottles of wine (my adult beverage of choice) on board. We did not enjoy the shows (I know a lot of people rave about them, but I felt like I was at a high school V-show with a better budget.) Guess I'm just a Broadway production snob. I did visit Palo twice, once for brunch and once for dinner. Great meals. I would have gladly paid to go again, but not without my kids (Palo and Remy are both 18+ only.) I found the food on the regular dining room dinner rotation to be just okay. Right on par with lukewarm, mass produced wedding banquet fare. I enjoyed lunch in the MDR much more - piping hot and apparently cooked to order. Did not find the nightlife to be very popular - despite knowing many other adults from having joined a FB group a year before the cruise, I found there was not much going on after 11PM, and spent many evenings back reading in my cabin (which I prefer to only do during the day.)

 

Looking forward to our Oasis cruise next summer, but dreading our beverage bill. Still debating the packages. At least I'll have 2 bottles of wine to enjoy out on the balcony while I read. I think the shows will be more up our alley, and I think the kids, who will be 17 and 14, will enjoy all the activities the Oasis has to offer beyond the clubs. And I'm delighted that we can all enjoy dining options outside the MDR together (though I don't have high expectations for regular MDR meals in general.) I feel overall that the Oasis has more activities we can all enjoy together. I think DCL is more appealing to parents of young children who want to enjoy some quiet alone or couples time while the kids are at clubs. I honestly had more time to myself on the Fantasy than I would have liked.

Edited August 24, 2014 by quirty30

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

It's a cool idea, but the phones are old and beat up. They only operate in silent mode, and they only provide one charger though they provide two phones. They remind me of cellphones from about a decade ago. Neither water resistant nor shock resistant. If you damage or lose one I think the charge is $250 for the phone.

 

They have them set to vibrate because far too many people couldn't be bothered to silence them during the shows.

 

From what I understand they are changing them out for somewhat more updated phones, but they're never going to put this gen smart phones in the cabins as they know they'll never get them back.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Disney cruises are FANTASTIC - lots to do and Disney does it right!

 

You will get tired of the "when you wish upon a star" the cruise horn blows this before every announcement and there are lots of announcements.

 

Pirate night is fabulous - kids clubs are great!

 

One thing that I think has not been mentioned, is when you enter the promenade, an announcement is made "Ladies and Gentlemen welcome The "insert last name" Family. I thought that was a nice personal touch.

 

If you love the Magic Kingdom, you will LOVE a Disney Cruise!

 

Different strokes. :) I ADORE their chimes before the announcements. I know to listen then. I never did adjust to just a chime on Holland this summer. So boring! :P

 

And yes, I love being announced and applauded onto the ship (you board into the atrium). I also love that someone will greet you and direct you to locations for dining or how to get to the pools or whatever you need. I had to ask everyone I encountered when I boarded the Westerdam this summer for how to get to guest services ("What? Oh. You mean the front desk." Way to make someone feel welcome.) and then I stood at the elevator bank for over a minute until the CREW MEMEBER STANDING THERE bothered to tell me "They're not coming down to this deck right now." I'll take Disney's hospitality over Holland's any day. Hoping Royal will fall closer to the Disney side of the hospitality thing. :)

[Sitzmark]

Disney cruises are FANTASTIC - lots to do and Disney does it right!

 

You will get tired of the "when you wish upon a star" the cruise horn blows this before every announcement and there are lots of announcements.

 

Pirate night is fabulous - kids clubs are great!

 

One thing that I think has not been mentioned, is when you enter the promenade, an announcement is made "Ladies and Gentlemen welcome The "insert last name" Family. I thought that was a nice personal touch.

 

If you love the Magic Kingdom, you will LOVE a Disney Cruise!

 

On our cruise, they only blew the horn a couple times during the week, there is a musical chime that preceded announcements.

 

Disney does not have an interior promenade, it is a large reception room called the grand atrium. The announce everyone as they enter and they don't stop clapping for hours.

 

I do enjoy the Disneyworld parks except the animal kingdom, and while our Disney Fantasy cruise was ok, it wasn't good enough to convince us to do it again. I find the parks and the ship to be very different from each other.

[Sitzmark]

They have them set to vibrate because far too many people couldn't be bothered to silence them during the shows.

 

 

That is what we were told as well, it rendered them a lot less useful. That combined with missing buttons and spotty performance made it unimpressive.

[BullDawg91]

I haven't cruised RCCL, but I just find DCL to be a relaxed experience which is what I want. It feels classy and not gimmicky despite the characters. I could do things with my kids or without (they were always entertained).

 

The Wave phones were fabulous. My 11 yr old could do T3 texting like she was born to it. It allowed me to keep up with the kids. We watched first run movies. The kids went to a Frozen singalong showing at 11:00 one night with an 18 yr old cousin. The cabins are comfy and you really don't mind staying there. TV choices are very broad.

 

I did find dinner pretty so-so, but I enjoyed the buffets and counter service which includes healthy options in addition to the usual fried food and pizza. I enjoyed the rotation.

 

We did run into characters outside of meet-n-greets, multiple times.

 

The shows are way beyond high school productions. I can't imagine not being pleased, but to each his own...

 

The spa locker room and showers are available to anyone which was a nice bonus when 4 people are trying to get ready at once or when one is an early riser.

 

We really haven't experienced the nightlife because our kids were with us and we were usually ready for bed by 10:30-11:00 (we are early risers).

[connes1]

I have heard there is a laundry room on the wonder Is that true?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I have heard there is a laundry room on the wonder Is that true?

 

Yep. Three actually. Deck 2, 6, and 7.

[cruzincurt]

While sitting on my balcony on the Allure and looking down upon the Disney ship docked along side, the song "It's a small world..." kept going through my mind.

 

For us, no casino is a deal breaker.

[wayne_trisha]

We have been on DCL Fantasy twice, Allure Twice, Freedom class 5 times, and 8 other RCCL cruises and I would go right back to DCL if they were not so expensive. My wife and I usually cruise by ourselves or with our adult children, no grandkids yet. DCL is not afraid to enforce their rules. Kids are not allowed in the adult’s area. A lot to do on the ships and a smoke-filled casino is definitely not missed. Bring your own alcohol, frequent 2for1 sales on drinks, and plenty of bars. Rotating dining was fun, menus were much better, peel and eat shrimp on the lunch buffet, and Mickey bars for room service.

 

Also we were lucky enough to have XXXXXXX ‘s(Disney character) parents as our tablemates. XXXXXXXX sat beside me at dinner one night out of costume and it was interesting to hear about her life on board and the extensive training she went through.

 

With all that said, I still love cruising RCCL. You can’t go wrong with either line.

[tomatosauce]

A couple of other interesting things...

 

1. They often have fireworks whilst at sea.

 

2. There are a bunch of hidden Mickeys that you can try and find.

 

3. Much as I love cruising with RCI the Disney ships look stunning.

 

Duncan

[Clarea]

Don't know this from personal experience, but I've read that the Disney shows use pre-recorded music, whereas Royal uses a live orchestra.

[tinkr2]

We love RCCL but Disney is amazing. The shows are the best. Even my hubby will sit through them. We have gone with and with out children, either way is great. You rotate dining rooms which is so fun. We never missed the casino anf found enough to do at night. The piano bar is usually going until late. The service is lovely and you should experience it yourself.

[quirty30]

I have heard there is a laundry room on the wonder Is that true?

 

They had them on the Fantasy - I believe all the DCL ships have laundry rooms. I did actually use it, and I was a bit disappointed to see RCCL doesn't offer them. I'm trying to see this as a positive that I won't be stuck doing laundry when I could be lounging by the pool or getting a massage. I tend to overpack anyway. But I do think DCL has the edge on this one.

[big al]

We have cruised the Disney Wonder ( '06) and recently, the Disney Dream ( Nov.'13)..both were great, but the Dream is just amazing...we are Diamond on RCI, but Disney simply was awesome..best cabins ( most have 2 bathrooms- very convenient ) and both food in the MDR, as well as specialty restaurants was superb..shows were absolutely KILLER..and we are 60+ with NO kids!! Buffet has CRAB CAKES, shrimp cocktail, coconut fried shrimp, and even Eggs Benedict at breakfast, never found on any other mainstream cruise line except in the dining room...service exceptional...here is my review I wrote:

 

 

Read my review of the Dream here...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1942291

 

There is no casino on Disney, but the Dream or Fantasy have separate adult areas for nightlife, pool, and dining..the brunch in Palo's for $20 PP was THEE absolute most amazing meal we've ever had along with the best service..make sure you have good health coverage and bring some smelling salts...

 

Big Al

[time4u2go]

As others have said, the Disney shows are amazing. And the split bathrooms are fantastic. Also the décor of the ships is better, in my opinion.

[Klstaack]

We have strictly sailed Disney. In 6 days we are going to try something new and go on Allure.

 

We are two adults and we love Disney Cruise...and we live in Orlando and visit the parks often. Last time we went my mom and sister came with us so four adults...it was my moms first cruise. We had balcony rooms that connected. The Dream and Fantasy have a ton of connecting rooms for families.

 

I love the split bath. I think I am going to really miss this on Allure. It is nice to have two people getting ready at the same time.

 

The coffee table in the rooms open up. This is great for dirty laundry.

 

The food is good in the dining rooms....however, the food is AMAZING in Palo...I think we will be eating there multiple times on our trip in January.

 

The Disney ships are classy and elegant. It feels like you are floating around on an upscale hotel. No neon lights or loud colors anywhere. From pictures that I have seen of Allure I think I might feel like the decor on the ship is a little much.

 

The adult area (bars) is nice but as someone said there is never really anyone there. It can be nice because you get great service.

 

The adults area (pool/coffee shop/spa) is very nice...again never crowded.

 

The adults areas are never crowded because most adults are with there kids in the family areas.

 

Soda is included in the cost of your cruise. I also like that fact that you can bring on as much alcohol as you want. We save money by mixing our own drinks at the pool.

 

The service is great.

 

The shows are nice but I've seen them all multiple times now.

 

The movies are nice to have on board...we normally watch a few.

 

The characters are nice...but I don't really care about them. My sister had multiple pictures with characters...its best to get to them a few minutes before they say they will be out...that will give you the shortest wait time.

 

With all of that I'm excited to go on Allure...and I really hope we love it. I've been wanting to on the ship for years.

 

I think I'm going to enjoy the my time dining....I don't like have to chose early or late dining on Disney. We normally choose early but its filled with kids...in January we have late dining...I'm hoping for less kids.

 

The adults only area on Allure looks nice.

 

I like the options of having multiple specialty restaurants as opposed to just two.

 

I like how Allure has a table and chairs on the balcony that you could eat at if you wanted.

 

Everyone we know that normally sails Disney and has been on Allure/Oasis say its nice and they enjoy the ship.

 

Wish me luck and I hope as we pull up to ports and see the Disney ship we don't wish we were sailing with them this time.

[BullDawg91]

Don't know this from personal experience, but I've read that the Disney shows use pre-recorded music, whereas Royal uses a live orchestra.

 

Disney does use prerecorded music, but the shows are more like plays than variety shows. I don't really think live music would be any improvement. The special effects are amazing.

[BullDawg91]

They had them on the Fantasy - I believe all the DCL ships have laundry rooms. I did actually use it, and I was a bit disappointed to see RCCL doesn't offer them. I'm trying to see this as a positive that I won't be stuck doing laundry when I could be lounging by the pool or getting a massage. I tend to overpack anyway. But I do think DCL has the edge on this one.

 

I can't believe RCCL doesn't have self serve laundry. Even the ancient Carnival ship we went on years ago had laundry facilities. Do you have to send everything out to be ironed?

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Disney does use prerecorded music, but the shows are more like plays than variety shows. I don't really think live music would be any improvement. The special effects are amazing.

 

The vocals are live.

[Clarea]

I can't believe RCCL doesn't have self serve laundry. Even the ancient Carnival ship we went on years ago had laundry facilities. Do you have to send everything out to be ironed?

Yes, you can send things out to be dry cleaned, laundered, or pressed. We make good use of Downy Wrinkle Releaser.

[Folk Singer]

They have them set to vibrate because far too many people couldn't be bothered to silence them during the shows.

 

From what I understand they are changing them out for somewhat more updated phones, but they're never going to put this gen smart phones in the cabins as they know they'll never get them back.

 

 

neat idea.

[twiu]

I've cruise both and love both. We don't have kids yet still love cruising Disney. I always compare them to staying at a really nice Hilton and staying at the Ritz. Disney is def the Ritz - better service, better attention to detail. Not that RCCL isn't great, just not Ritz. The rooms at Disney seem bigger too and of course the split baths are wonderful (even with a room of 2 adults). I say try them both.

 

And the shows are def live singing (I have friends who work as performers on the Dream).

[shirleygallegos60]

Price!!!