Only cruised Disney, what do I need to know on RC?

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I have only ever cruised on Disney. We will be sailing on our first RC cruise next month to Alaska. I'm just wondering what I should keep in mind that will be different. I know that soda is not unlimited and that there is just one main dining room. How about room service, is it complimentary? What kind of items are on the menu? Does housekeeping come to your room more than once during the day? Are your room hosts as friendly? Are the staff friendly in general? And any other comparisons that stand out in you mind so I know what to expect. Oh, and one final question. Food in the main dining and specialty, will they bring you more if you request or is there a limit. I got 3 different entrees once on Disney, yeah don't judge me :) Thanks!

[Clarea]

Room service is complimentary on all ships except Quantum and Anthem. There is a $4 charge per order between midnight and 5am.

 

Housekeeping cleans the room twice per day.

 

You can get multiple entrees in the Main Dining Room with no extra charge. Multiple entrees in a specialty restaurant will cost extra.

 

You can only bring on two bottles of wine per stateroom. No hard liquor or beer can be brought on. No hard liquor can be purchased on the ship for consumption onboard.

[DannyDisneyFreak]

You can only bring on two bottles of wine per stateroom. No hard liquor or beer can be brought on. No hard liquor can be purchased on the ship for consumption onboard.

I did hear this... It is a disappointment. Our last Disney cruise we brought 2 bottles of liquor on board and an 18 pack of beer. We aren't really wine drinkers. How would they know if you filled wine bottles with liquor? Way too much work for me but curious, I know people do all sorts of crazy things. We are considering an alcohol package.

[Clarea]

I did hear this... It is a disappointment. Our last Disney cruise we brought 2 bottles of liquor on board and an 18 pack of beer. We aren't really wine drinkers. How would they know if you filled wine bottles with liquor? Way too much work for me but curious, I know people do all sorts of crazy things. We are considering an alcohol package.

I've read that they sometimes examine the wine bottles to check for tampering with the seals.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I've read that they sometimes examine the wine bottles to check for tampering with the seals.

 

They carefully examined our wine bottles on our March 21 cruise. They even tipped the bottles back and forth to make sure it moved like wine. [not sure how you would tell] :confused:

[DannyDisneyFreak]

They carefully examined our wine bottles on our March 21 cruise. They even tipped the bottles back and forth to make sure it moved like wine. [not sure how you would tell] :confused:

They have sommeliers doing luggage inspections lol

[Retired LEO]

I've read that they sometimes examine the wine bottles to check for tampering with the seals.

 

Sometimes? With me it's all the time. I must look like a trouble maker. :D

[sjb317]

Sometimes? With me it's all the time. I must look like a trouble maker. :D

 

That must be true for you as no one has EVER checked our wine bottles! Or maybe I just look angelic?:D

 

Sherri:)

[bethc1952]

I've cruised with Disney 16 times, and 4 with Royal Caribbean. My fifth Royal cruise is coming up two weeks from tomorrow! We are an older couple and no longer travel with kids. Those days are finally done!;)

 

There are a few differences. The liquor has been mentioned. One thing that was very different for us is that you pay for your excursions at the time you book them on line. That works out well for us, because the "sticker shock" at the end of the cruise isn't quite so bad.

 

The rooms are a bit smaller on Royal ships, but it seems to us that there is more storage space on Royal. More closet space, more drawer space, and more storage space in the bathroom. There are no bathtubs in the rooms until you get to suites, but other than that the bathrooms are perfectly fine. Just like Disney, your room is made up in the morning and turned down again at night, and everything is kept clean and tidy for you. Towel animals aren't as frequent, but I don't consider that to be a deal-breaker.

 

We noticed absolutely no difference in the level of service between the two lines. We've had wonderful service on every cruise we've taken. Maybe we're just lucky?

 

The food is very similar also. In 20 cruises we've never had a meal where we couldn't find something that we would enjoy eating, and never had anything that we didn't like or had to send back because it wasn't prepared properly. We aren't really fussy eaters, and we aren't expecting five star dining. We know what we're going to get, and we're perfectly fine with that. We like the Windjammer (buffet) on the Royal ships better than the buffets on the Disney ships. There seems to be more variety, and they are open more hours, especially during the afternoon, when they serve lighter foods than at night, good for a nice snack or afternoon tea.

 

Royal Caribbean ships seem to have more places for people to sit and people watch, or to gather and chat. I've been on both classes of Disney ships (like the older ones better), and the Voyager and Freedom classes on Royal. Our upcoming cruise will be on Brilliance of The Seas, which is a Radiance class ship. The ship we liked least out of all of our cruises is Disney Dream. It just doesn't have the kind of "flow" that we like.

 

The family entertainment on Disney is definitely much better. However, the entertainment on Royal Caribbean has been excellent too. We've seen all kinds of shows, including a truly amazing flute player on our last cruise. While that sounds really dull, she was terrific, and played all kinds of music from John Phillips Sousa marches to rock 'n' roll to classical, and she was very funny too. There are casinos on Royal Caribbean ships, along with Bingo, art auctions, and all sorts of retail sales.

 

As of right now, our cruise line of choice is Royal Caribbean. Disney prices have gone crazy, and, at least for us, the "Disney Difference" is definitely not worth that kind of price. Even though you pay for soda and liquor on Royal Caribbean, the price difference between the lines is still substantial.

 

Beth

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Thank you so much Beth for that thoughtful post :)

[BekkaW]

Royal Caribbean ships have a casino! On sea days they often host blackjack tournaments with a $20 buy in, for which you get $500 worth of chips.

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Royal Caribbean ships have a casino! On sea days they often host blackjack tournaments with a $20 buy in, for which you get $500 worth of chips.

 

 

Wow. I'm not much of a gambler but how much can you win?

[tillydog]

Wow. I'm not much of a gambler but how much can you win?

 

My hubby won US$260 and a trophy in a poker tournament on our last cruise on Voyager of the Seas.

Edited April 20, 2015 by tillydog

[dinkydee718]

My comments are based on the fact that the only RCI cruise I have been on is Quantum, and many who were on the same cruise have agreed that much of the crew appeared to be miserable. Dh and I commented on more than one occasion to each other that a particular crew member, "Would never be allowed to work on DCL." I found Disney's crew/staff to be 100x friendlier than RCI's.

 

I don't agree that the level of service is comparable on the two lines. I think Disney goes out of their way to make sure their passengers feel appreciated and that their needs are met, and I did not find that to be the case on RCI at all. I also think DCL's food is far superior to RCIs. I don't know if you have children that will travel with you, but if so, just know that the kids' clubs on RCI (and probably any other line) are nothing like DCL'S. There is one activity at a time going on the kids' clubs and ages are split up completely. That said, we pay nearly double for DCL, so we should expect more from them.

 

RCI has some complementary drinks, though, as you said, soda is not one of them.

 

I never saw any of the Dreamworks characters inboard, though I wasn't exactly looking. On DCL I saw the Disney characters every so often.

 

In general, I felt that DCL has more activities for people. As noted, RCI does have a casino, though I never went. RCI, or at least Quantum was light years ahead of Disney in its Internet capabilities.

[BekkaW]

Wow. I'm not much of a gambler but how much can you win?

 

It depends on how many people take part, the more people the bigger the prize pool :) it's usually a few hundred dollars for first, also a second and third prize. You get a trophy and a t shirt too. My best finish is second. My SIL won one day on our Radiance cruise and it paid for her drinks bill for the cruise!

 

Edited to add: the best part is that even if you lose it's only $20 invested so no big deal, just a bit of fun. We always make friends too as many of the same people play each sea day.

Edited April 20, 2015 by BekkaW

[lalenalei]

We have been on five DCL cruises (all 7 nights or longer, and all on the classics -- I prefer the ship size and itineraries, no interest in the ports for the Fantasy and Dream), and two on RCI, both on the Mariner. One without kids in 2009, and just got back from a Japan cruise that embarked in Shanghai.

 

DCL and RCI are great for different reasons. DCL (to me) means I will get Disney service in the dining rooms, buffet, entertainment, and activities. I feel that the CMs treat my kids with a little extra flair, they are happy to be there, and the vibe is just more over the top. I've had good service on RCI, but the overall mentality is not Disney. There are many unhappy crew members on the China sailings (totally don't blame them), and the quality of the experience was just not there. I don't imagine that you will have the same challenges in Alaska, but we've been on the DCL Alaska sailing and it was magical as always.

 

Three things: 1) I love alcohol, and always bring (a lot of) vodka on board on DCL. We didn't on RCI, but the Ultimate package was so affordable (only $42/day in China), that it didn't matter. Being able to get a cappuccino every morning was a plus as well. 2) The activities were very different, but I think it had a lot to do with our region. I really missed bingo and the evening adult activities and the entertainers on DCL. My sons really enjoyed ice skating, mini golf, and rock climbing on RCI, though. 3) I think the food was way better on DCL (MDR, speciality, buffet, on deck, room service), but again, that may be due to the region and not applicable to Alaska.

 

Also, my limited experience with RCI was that the PAT, embarkation and disembarkation were much much much more disorganized. It was nothing remotely close to the flow and well-oiled machine I am used to with DCL.

 

When we've had issues on DCL, they have been accommodated above and beyond what we've experienced on RCI.

 

As for housekeeping, our first DCL cruise was in Alaska and we had Vikash on the Wonder. He set the bar so high, we have never seen anything remotely like his level of care in all of our cruises. Folding our kids clothes they had left on the floor, winding my flat iron cord like it came out of the box, etc etc etc.

 

Have a great time! You will love Alaska!

[notsomadhatter]

I've cruised with Disney 16 times, and 4 with Royal Caribbean. My fifth Royal cruise is coming up two weeks from tomorrow!

 

My experiences pretty much mirror Beth's, except I am 29 and have no kids ;). I have 90+ days at sea with Disney and only 20 with Royal. I have also sailed on Royal's sister line Celebrity, and would say that it is my current line of choice. We have received equal service on Royal and Disney (Disney's has plummeted lately in our experience) while Celebrity is ahead of both.

 

Another thing you will find different with Disney that has not been mentioned: smoking. Smoking is allowed in the casino. Depending on the ship and your sensitivity you may or may not experience issues with this. It's a big negative for us and we make a significant amount of effort to avoid it.

 

Royal is better at having decently tasty vegetarian options. Disney's are a snooze and usually done poorly.

 

The buffet has longer hours and is more accommodating than Cabanas. I've always found Disney's non-pool-deck-chicken-finger hours to be a bit limiting.

 

Enjoy Alaska! I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

P.S. Beth - the Dream is also my least favorite DCL ship. Actually it might be my least favorite ship I've sailed, period.

Edited April 20, 2015 by notsomadhatter

[COCKYMARK]

RCL has way more amenities and activities...especially the larger ships.

[notsomadhatter]

RCL has way more amenities and activities...especially the larger ships.

 

They're sailing to Alaska... not going to be a Voyager/Freedom/Oasis/Quantum class ship there in that time frame. Although Explorer is going next year.

 

I'd say RC has more "active" activities on the larger ships. Less hosted stuff than Disney and more physical activities such as Flowrider, ice skating, and rock walls.

[lmp29]

bethc1952 said many of the same things I would say as a person that has sailed with both cruise lines.

 

I do think that there is something about the way that Disney staff interact with people that is different. They seem to project a sincerity that they like that they are there, serving you, instead of being paid to do it...I won't say that I have had bad experiences with RCC staff, it's more of a vibe, and probably not worth mentioning at all!

 

I prefer the drink station option on Disney, just think that fountain soda is cheap enough that they could offer it on an unlimited-basis to passengers as part of their fare, but then the Disney fare certainly is more per person than the price of the soda package.

 

Ultimately, as bethc1952 mentioned, I feel the overall product isn't so much better for the differential in increased prices.

 

You should have a wonderful cruise and will certainly be happy with RCC!

[bethc1952]

notsomadhatter said the things in black and I responded in red:

 

Another thing you will find different with Disney that has not been mentioned: smoking. Smoking is allowed in the casino. Depending on the ship and your sensitivity you may or may not experience issues with this. It's a big negative for us and we make a significant amount of effort to avoid it. I had forgotten about the smoking. We're non-smokers (never even tried it), and we don't use the casino on board the Royal ships because of the smoking. I look at it this way--the smokers who gamble are subsidizing part of the cost of my cruise LOL!!!

 

Royal is better at having decently tasty vegetarian options. Disney's are a snooze and usually done poorly. Royal also does a wonderful job with Indian food, which seems to be available every day at lunch and dinner in the Windjammer, and many nights there's an Indian option on the dining room menu. We're not vegetarians, but aren't big meat eaters either. It's nice to have choices. My only complaint about the MDR food on Royal is that many nights I couldn't order dessert from the menu because it was all some kind of chocolate and I'm allergic:(. I suspect that isn't a problem for most people.

 

The buffet has longer hours and is more accommodating than Cabanas. I've always found Disney's non-pool-deck-chicken-finger hours to be a bit limiting.

 

Enjoy Alaska! I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

P.S. Beth - the Dream is also my least favorite DCL ship. Actually it might be my least favorite ship I've sailed, period.

I agree. It's a very nice ship. I just didn't like it as much as any other ship I've been on so far!

 

Beth

Edited April 20, 2015 by bethc1952