Disney Cruise Line v. Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas comparison

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Enjoying your review. We did the Serenade of the Seas a couple of years ago out of New Orleans and I think it was our worst cruise we've had. I think with RCI the ship makes much more of a difference than on DCL.

Outside of DCL, we prefer Princess and actually, we did a cruise on Carnival Sunshine a couple of years ago and preferred it to RCI, in fact, for comfort food, it may have been the best. (and Carnival is way cheaper than RCI).

I agree, the experience on DCL is pretty much the same no matter what the ship.
Which makes sense, they only have 4 and it's Disney.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

We sailed on an older Royal Caribbean ship out of Baltimore a few years ago. It did not even compare to Disney. However, my daughter much preferred the kids room on the Royal Caribbean cruise. She had a much easier time making friends because the counselors organized activities and everybody really did participate. The check in process was awful and the lines were super long. If you were a little bit late, you got fined by the minute. On that boat, the kids room was closed a lot more than it sounds like it was recently.

I really enjoyed your review to see how things were different between the two lines. I was so turned off by that other royal Caribbean cruise that I have been unwilling to take a cruise on anything but Disney since then. Reading your review, I think I may give Royal Caribbean another try on one of the newer larger ships.

Thanks! DCL sets our expectations very high, there is no doubt about that.
Whatever other ship you may consider, I found that doing some basic research helps. If I didn't do that my experience on Anthem of the Seas would possibly have been different. With DCL you can just "show up" and have an amazing time even as a first time cruiser.

 

[birdmom]

So.... what was your final conclusion? I am on pins and needles here.

 

[KashasMom]

It seems like the review is consistent with what others said, it's probably an equal experience between DCL and RCCL if you're an adult but perhaps for the kids it is an edge up if you are on DCL.

OP any thoughts on adult only sections of RCCL?

Just a general observation/comment on the concept of "Nickel and Diming" - so it does seem like you have to "pay" for a lot more on RCCL in terms of all of those different food choices and I can see how that would feel like being nickel and dimed however I suppose when you consider the price of the overall trip vs DCL, you probably end up still spending less $$ overall on the RCCL experience. So I suppose it would just have to be a change of mindset as one heads into RCCL. Just trying to begin to adjust my own thinking as I consider another line because personally I'd find it annoying to be constantly pulling out my wallet for the basics that you don't have to pull a wallet on when on DCL (I personally didn't like this when we were at WDW, I missed the "just grab it" environment on DCL).

This makes me crazy! There are a couple of good threads here about all the things you DO have to pay for on DCL. It's similar on ALL cruise lines. If you want something that costs extra, pay for it. If you don't want it, don't. Crew members are not up in your face all the time trying to sell you something. As far all those food choices...Disney charges for Remy/Palo. Same thing. Plenty of free food on RCI so if you don't want to pay, don't. But I will say...best meal on a cruise was on the Allure in 150 Central Park.

What is if that you think you'll have to pay for on RCI that you don't on Disney? Soda?

 

[KashasMom]

I haven't cruised on the Anthem yet but I made a table with all the dining info and here is what I have so far:

Included

4 dining rooms :"Grande" and "Chic" (MDR) and “American Icon” or “Silk” (YTD)

Sorrento’s (Pizza) open from 11:30 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Windjammer (Buffet)

SeaPlex Dog House (Hot Dogs)

Two70 (Sandwiches & Salades)

Café Promenade (Sandwiches)

Solarium Bistro (added after reading answer from OP)


Non-Included (extra)

La Pâtisserie

Michael’s

JohnnyRockets

Jamie’s Italian

Chop’s Grille

Izumi

Wonderland

Chef’s Table

Room Service - 24 hours a day (7,95$ per delivery, with the exception of continental breakfast, which remains free of charge)


*****

Is anything missing?

Johnny Rockets offers free breakfast on Oasis and Allure. I would think it's the same on the Anthem.

 

[KashasMom]

ROYAL CARIBBEAN'S CHILDRENS PROGAMMING

This will be probably long again as the kids clubs on DCL are the core of the company, so how does Royal compare?

We cruised with DS8 who is generally a very social and active kid. He loved Oceaners Club and Lab on DCL. He never once asked to be picked up early, and while the first 3 Disney cruises we couldn't get him out, on our last one (Fantasy last Fall) he was usually ready to do leave at pick-up. He still said he loved it though.

We didn't know what to expect on Royal Caribbean. Their kids program is called Adventure Ocean (AO)

Unlike DCL, there was no option to register your children in the kids programming prior to sailing.
During the boarding process DS was given a band which included our Muster Station information. We were told in case of emergency, youth staff will bring the children to our muster location.
We were also told that we can go and register DS at the Adventure Ocean upon embarkation, but they didn't open for care until 8 pm.
DCL also has an open house on the first day and you can check your kids into care at 6pm I believe.
On Anthem of the Seas Adventure Ocean is on deck 11 and 12 forward.
I made a comment to DH that unless you were looking for it, it wasn't a prominent, centrally located area like on DCL.
Registration was kind of old-school... When we got to Adventure Ocean we were given a registration form/waivers to complete. It was a bit more of a process compared to DCL, but all in all not painful.

Adventure Ocean is divided into these age groups:

Aquanauts 3-5 (Have to be toilet-trained same as DCL)
Explorers 6-8
Voyagers 9-11

Each age group has their own room equipped with various equipment, toys, crafts, balls, several Xboxes. Each room was much smaller than you have on DCL, with no real theme to it.
The area was clean and colourful though.
Most equipment and games etc is put away in cupboards. It's a very neat space.
There is also a Royal Babies and Tots Nursery for under 36 months, just like on DCL, I believe they charge $8/hr.

During our sailing they combined the Explorers (6-8) and Voyagers (9-11) due to low number of kids onboard.
During peak season there are a lot more kids we were told.

Every evening our stateroom attendant left a copy of the Adventure Ocean's Daily Planner during the nightly turn-down service. You can also find a copy by Guest Services.
Normally some of the activities differ between the 2 age groups, but because they combined the kids into one group, the activities listed were the same for both.

Hours:
There are some differences here from DCL, but we still found Adventure Ocean was open more often then not.
On both sea and port days, the morning session was from 9 am-Noon.
On a sea day, AO closed for lunch from Noon-2 pm.
If the ship was in port they actually didn't close at all. If your child remained in care at Noon, they were fed lunch.
Afternoon session was from 2-5 pm and at 5 pm they had "Adventure Dining".
If your child was in AO at 5 pm, they were taken to dinner at the Windjammer around 5:40. Following dinner the kids returned to AO for the evening. DS participated in Adventure Dining a couple of times and said they ate in a separate room off the Windjammer. Note, if your child was not in care prior to 5pm, but you wanted them to eat dinner with the kids club, you could just bring them to AO at 5.
The Evening Session in AO took place from 7-10 pm.
Therefore AO was basically open from 9 am to 10 pm each day, unless it was a sea day and they closed for lunch.
DCL has their kids clubs open from 8 am to midnight.
While Royals complimentary hours end at 10 pm, there is an option for the kids to participate in their Late Night Party Zone from 10 pm to 2 am at $7 per hour. They made this time extra fun for the kids, and if they wanted to sleep they could.

Activities - There was a very large variety and each session was themed. For example: Fairytale Morning, Chef School, and Dino Adventures for the 3-5 age group.
Medieval Times, Beat the Buzzer, Desert Island, for the older kids. PJ Movie night for both.
Each session had a craft and science component too. There was both free and structured play.
Example of a craft - Colour-in Adventure Ocean pillowcases. These were actually nice quality standard size pillowcases. Each day DS left the kids club with a "souvenir". For example, medal for wining/ participating in a competition of Gaga ball, a special bandana, the pillow case etc. It was all Royal Caribbean branded. I remember on one of our DCL sailings DS got a hat for winning something too, but there was more of this on Royal.

I never thought I would say this, but DS actually preferred Adventure Ocean to DCL's kids clubs.
He wanted to go all the time.
I kept asking DS why he loved it so much? From what he was able to explain, the staff got the kids involved and it was a lot of fun, organized activities. They went around the ship for scavenger hunts.
During our first day in Bermuda, DS begged us to let him stay in Adventure Ocean.
We had to alter our plans anyway because of the weather (moved our beach day to day 2) so we let him stay. As we disembarked the ship they asked us where DS was, we said in Adventure Ocean, and they made a note of that.
I said before that DS loved DCL's clubs as well, but again to our surprise he said he prefers Royal Caribbean's. He said not by that much, but we could tell he absolutely loved it.
The clubs on DCL are beautiful in theming. They make ME want to go play in them. They have lots of activities too, but often times when I asked DS (on DCL) if he did some activity that was listed in the Navigator, he said no. I believe on DCL the kids are encouraged to participate, but not really encouraged if you know what I mean. On DCL we often found him playing video games because the staff would let the kids be. Which is fine and I suppose if your child doesn't like organized and staff-led activities, then they may not like AO on Royal. I want to be clear Royal does have a lot of free play too but overall we found it a lot more structured than DCL.
The other parents we talked to on Anthem also said their kids loved it though. The kids often saw each other outside of the kids club, and they would make plans to meet later in AO. I think because there are less kids, it's easier for them to make friends.
If I was to look at DCL's theming in their youth clubs, they win for sure.
Ultimately though it's not only about the looks. Of course Royal's youth counsellors have a lot less kids to deal with, and so it's easier for them to get to know each child on more of an individual level and give more personal attention. All the staff members were super nice and "cool".
Personally I think DCL is still superior in kids areas, but they have way more kids under their care. It's very chaotic on DCL compared to Royal.
Our DS is pretty easy going, so I knew he's going to like Adventure Ocean, but I was NOT expecting him to like it more than Disney's Oceaners Lab & Club. Dare I say I was a little disappointed at first? I love Disney! Come on kid!
DH has an opinion that Disney's clubs appeal more to kids under 7, and kids over 7 may prefer Royal's kids programming. Maybe, I don't know how the 3-5 age group felt as they were separated. On that note, I think it's a good idea to have 3 year olds and 11 year olds in separate areas.
On the other hand, having kids in one big 3-11 group like on DCL means sibblings don't get separated. I know that's important to some.
Ultimately I believe that whether or not your child likes DCL or Royal better, will depend on their personality.
Most kids should like both like my DS.
There is more of the "let them roam" attitude on DCL. Kids on Royal don't have nearly the same amount of space to explore as on DCL.

I will post pics of one day's kids daily planner's below. These are not scanned in, just took photos of the pages.
If you are interesting in me scanning them in, I can do that on Monday.

Few random notes about Adventure Ocean:

- At drop-off and pick-up, you gave your room #, they scanned your SeaPass and just like on DCL everyone's photos were pulled up.
- When you filled out the registration forms you could authorize others to pick-up hour child.
- There are no passwords like on DCL, and kids don't wear magic-type bands that track where your child is located within the club. Trust me though, you will be able to see your kid. Parents don't come in to retrieve the child, the youth counsellor calls them up as you wait
- Kids wash their hands upon entering and take off their shoes. Unless they leave the club to go for a walk or to eat, the shoes stay off.
- No wave phones like DCL.. supposedly there are beepers but we never got one.
- If it's something minor they will call your room. Yes I know what if you are not in it...In case of a real emergency they use ship's PA system. (Never happened). You can also call AO yourself to check on your child.
- They supposedly have beepers, but we never got them. Didn't need them, but maybe parents of younger ones get them?
- All the youth staff give themselves funny names that are easy for kids to remember
- All youth staff must have university degrees in education or recreation and several years experience working with children. I believe this is similar on DCL.
- There are times throughout the day the whole family can participate in an activity, usually in the science lab.
- They have special "autism-friendly" programming offering appropriate movies, activities, and autism-friendly toy lending bags.
- My time family dining is available but only during the early dinner. Adventure Ocean staff collect kids outside dining room at 6:40pm. DCL has this too, but it's for families with late dining.
- There are screens outside Adventure Ocean telling you what is currently going on inside
- There is a play area open all day if you want to come play with your kids

Please ask if you have any specific questions, or there is something I forgot.

View attachment 241759 View attachment 241760 View attachment 241761 View attachment 241762 View attachment 241763 View attachment 241764

I absolutely hate the 3-11 on DCL. My daughter had one bad experience in a Disney club and she won't go back. She'll have a friend with her on our upcoming Fantasy cruise so I'm hoping she'll give it another shot. She has been fine in clubs on RCI and NCL. One thing you confirm is that the kids are really encouraged to participate and there seems to be more structured activities. My daughter very much likes structure. I think the staff to kids ratio is much better than on DCL as well and the staff and kids really get to know each other. There are just SO many kids on DCL. I think that makes it harder for kids who may be a bit shy to make friends. You kind of see kids wandering aimlessly.

 

[KashasMom]

Amazing all of the praise for Royal , on cruise critic 89% of reviewers "Loved" the Disney fantasy , while a whopping 54% "Loved" Anthem of the Seas. Hundreds of reviews. This from a non-Disney website no less. The tone of the review smells a little suspicious

This is an excellent, non-biased, very detailed review. Everyone has different experiences and expectations and two people on the same cruise may have VERY different experience.

P.S. Our family loves RCI!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

This makes me crazy! There are a couple of good threads here about all the things you DO have to pay for on DCL. It's similar on ALL cruise lines. If you want something that costs extra, pay for it. If you don't want it, don't. Crew members are not up in your face all the time trying to sell you something. As far all those food choices...Disney charges for Remy/Palo. Same thing. Plenty of free food on RCI so if you don't want to pay, don't. But I will say...best meal on a cruise was on the Allure in 150 Central Park.

What is if that you think you'll have to pay for on RCI that you don't on Disney? Soda?

Many will probably say that their best meal on DCL was Palo or Remy. Their best cup of coffee from Cove Cafe.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Johnny Rockets offers free breakfast on Oasis and Allure. I would think it's the same on the Anthem.

Honestly, I don't know... it wasn't listed under breakfast options in the Cruise Compass, is it advertised on Allure?
Johnnycake Rockets on Anthem is outside by the main pool, so my guess is no ... but I really don't know if it's the same. I heard someone say that the other ships have one cover charge at JR, whereas on Anthem it was per item.

 

[KashasMom]

Many will probably say that their best meal on DCL was Palo or Remy. Their best cup of coffee from Cove Cafe.

Mine was best meal EVER on any cruise line. Not so much a fan of DCL food.

 

[KashasMom]

I agree, the experience on DCL is pretty much the same no matter what the ship.
Which makes sense, they only have 4 and it's Disney.

We much prefer the Fantasy over the Magic. Definitely NOT a fan of the Magic, which has turned me off of sailing on the Wonder.

 

[mevelandry]

Amazing all of the praise for Royal , on cruise critic 89% of reviewers "Loved" the Disney fantasy , while a whopping 54% "Loved" Anthem of the Seas. Hundreds of reviews. This from a non-Disney website no less. The tone of the review smells a little suspicious

To me Cruise Critic is a bit like Trip Advisors. Unfortunately, you will find people giving just one star to a hotel because they were not upgraded (even though they are triple-platinum-diamond and think they deserve a royal suite everywhere they go) or just because they did not receive free newspapers in the morning.

I noticed that the notes can be very bad sometimes and some people might be influenced by them when it comes to chosing their next cruise... But seeing how we loved the Carnival Victory (which had a note of 63% at the time), I find pictures, videos and vlogs about the ships to be more reliable.

 

[angelinaxox]

Amazing all of the praise for Royal , on cruise critic 89% of reviewers "Loved" the Disney fantasy , while a whopping 54% "Loved" Anthem of the Seas. Hundreds of reviews. This from a non-Disney website no less. The tone of the review smells a little suspicious

This is an excellent, non-biased, very detailed review. Everyone has different experiences and expectations and two people on the same cruise may have VERY different experience.

P.S. Our family loves RCI!

No review can be completely non-biased. It is based on one's experiences and expectations. That doesn't mean it isn't a great review. As someone who is going on the Anthem, I read all reviews to help me have the best cruise possible.

This review is written by a first time RCCL cruiser with Disney cruise experience. Many of the reviews on the Anthem on CC were written from long time "Loyal to Royal" cruisers who love other classes of Royal ships and didn't like the Anthem especially when it first came out with its dynamic dining (which has since been discontinued due to too many complaints).

So many of the reviews from CC are written from a different perspective. Doesn't make any review less valid. It is important to read all types of reviews and decide what is important to you in picking the right cruise. There is no "one size fits all".

More recent reviews have been more favorable on the Anthem. Although my favorite Loyal to Royal trip report person just did the Anthem followed by the NCL Escape and seems to have preferred the Escape. So he has me seriously thinking about an NCL cruise for the first time in years.

As another long time cruiser who has done multiple cruises on other lines as well, and reads all the cruise line boards, I come from the perspective the "grass isn't always greener on the other side". There are lots of complaints and many come from long time cruisers of a particular line who don't like the changes that their favorite cruise line is initiating and are ready for a new line. This is not unique to DCL. I have read the exact same complaints leveled against Disney said about the other lines. I have also experienced them on other lines.

No two cruise experiences will be the same even on the same ship. There are so many more choices today than there were years ago. Since everyone is different, what may be the best line or the best ship for one person may not be the best fit for someone else. And what is the best for you today, may not be the best fit for you tomorrow.

Thanks! DCL sets our expectations very high, there is no doubt about that.
Whatever other ship you may consider, I found that doing some basic research helps. If I didn't do that my experience on Anthem of the Seas would possibly have been different. With DCL you can just "show up" and have an amazing time even as a first time cruiser.

Thank you so much for your review. It was very thorough and well done. I enjoyed reading about your experience on the Anthem and am looking forwards to my cruise.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

We much prefer the Fantasy over the Magic. Definitely NOT a fan of the Magic, which has turned me off of sailing on the Wonder.

I prefer one of the DCL ships too, but overall service, entertainment, and children's programming is more uniform across their fleet in my opinion. I love the Fantasy. I used to prefer the Magic, but after sailing Fantasy for the second time last October, I realized Fantasy is my fav. I would go on any of them though

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

No review can be completely non-biased. It is based on one's experiences and expectations. That doesn't mean it isn't a great review. As someone who is going on the Anthem, I read all reviews to help me have the best cruise possible.

This review is written by a first time RCCL cruiser with Disney cruise experience. Many of the reviews on the Anthem on CC were written from long time "Loyal to Royal" cruisers who love other classes of Royal ships and didn't like the Anthem especially when it first came out with its dynamic dining (which has since been discontinued due to too many complaints).

So many of the reviews from CC are written from a different perspective. Doesn't make any review less valid. It is important to read all types of reviews and decide what is important to you in picking the right cruise. There is no "one size fits all".

More recent reviews have been more favorable on the Anthem. Although my favorite Loyal to Royal trip report person just did the Anthem followed by the NCL Escape and seems to have preferred the Escape. So he has me seriously thinking about an NCL cruise for the first time in years.

As another long time cruiser who has done multiple cruises on other lines as well, and reads all the cruise line boards, I come from the perspective the "grass isn't always greener on the other side". There are lots of complaints and many come from long time cruisers of a particular line who don't like the changes that their favorite cruise line is initiating and are ready for a new line. This is not unique to DCL. I have read the exact same complaints leveled against Disney said about the other lines. I have also experienced them on other lines.

No two cruise experiences will be the same even on the same ship. There are so many more choices today than there were years ago. Since everyone is different, what may be the best line or the best ship for one person may not be the best fit for someone else. And what is the best for you today, may not be the best fit for you tomorrow.



Thank you so much for your review. It was very thorough and well done. I enjoyed reading about your experience on the Anthem and am looking forwards to my cruise.

Thank you and I wrote pretty much the same thing as you about Cruise Critic a few posts ago. I did read them, made note of what was complained about and decided most I won't have a problem with. Everyone has to make that decision for themselves, that's why I hope that my experience on Anthem will help someone considering it.

 

[angelinaxox]

Thank you and I wrote pretty much the same thing as you about Cruise Critic a few posts ago. I did read them, made note of what was complained about and decided most I won't have a problem with. Everyone has to make that decision for themselves, that's why I hope that my experience on Anthem will help someone considering it.

Must have missed that post. Completely agree. I do that for every cruise too. I definitely believe your review will help others and I know it has helped me. Once again, great job.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Don't want to get into a debate for sure, but what "tone" are you referring to exactly? I am not saying Anthem is better. I wanted to simply compare the 2 from a point of view of someone that has only cruised on DCL AND loves everything Disney. If you read it, you will notice that I address things I didn't like on Anthem such as food in the main dining rooms. DS loved Adventure Ocean more than DCL's clubs, but what is suspicious about that? I also said he loved Disney too.
And again... I am not finished and so you don't actually know what I prefer at this point.
As for the cruise critic reviews... yes I was worried about Anthem's prior to sailing. But if you read them a lot have to do with the fact that Anthem is a different ship than what a lot of Royal Caribbean veterans are used to. They don't like Anthem's reservation system for things like North Star or iFly or certain shows. I guess it's not what happens on the older Royal ships. A lot of the negative reviews are from an older demographic too that say they prefer the classic, smaller Royal ships. Also, Anthem was initially trying new concepts like Dynamic Dining which didn't go over too well.
I also read a lot of Disney Fantasy reviews and a good chunk is from first time cruisers.
I can tell you that you can find something to complain about if you are looking really hard.

Must have missed that post. Completely agree. I do that for every cruise too. I definitely believe your review will help others and I know it has helped me. Once again, great job.

This was in response to someone saying that the tone of my review smells fishy, and that Anthem only has a 56% rating on CC, while Fantasy has 94% or something.
My answer about CC is pretty much the same as yours

 

[KashasMom]

No review can be completely non-biased. It is based on one's experiences and expectations. That doesn't mean it isn't a great review. As someone who is going on the Anthem, I read all reviews to help me have the best cruise possible.

More recent reviews have been more favorable on the Anthem. Although my favorite Loyal to Royal trip report person just did the Anthem followed by the NCL Escape and seems to have preferred the Escape. So he has me seriously thinking about an NCL cruise for the first time in years.

Yes, that is true. I think I meant that almost all of the DCL reviews are so positive (at least from what I read) and too many people drank the Kool Aid - and cannot even fathom that there is life outside of Disney. I honestly do not find those lala fluff reviews helpful at all. No cruise/cruise line is 100% perfect.

You must be talking about Yorkvillan....

 

[BCV23]

angelinaxox, great post.

HappilyEverAfter80, thanks for such a detailed review. Like others, I am eager to read your conclusion. For my family and our needs/preferences, your review has helped me reach the conclusion that DCL works better for us than RCI. Won't bother posting the reasons lest I infuriate other posters but I really appreciate your thorough and balanced review.

 

[tinkerone]

angelinaxox, grea post.

HappilyEverAfter80, thanks for such a detailed review. Like others, I am eager to read your conclusion. For my family and our needs/preferences, your review has helped me reach the conclusion that DCL works better for us than RCI. Won't bother posting the reasons lest I infuriate other posters but I really appreciate your thorough and balanced review.

That's why I love this type of thread. As I said earlier, cruising is not one size fits all and to be able to see the differences, the things, that matter to us on a personal level is so helpful. Please enjoy your DCL cruises as that's the direction that fits your family best.