DCL cruisers tried Royal...

[ray3127]

We are 3-time Disney cruisers (Dream ’17, Fantasy ’19 & ’23), who just returned from 7 nights on Oasis of the Seas on Sunday. Wife and I are mid-30’s, two kids are 9 & 6. We had been wanting to try a different cruise line for a while, and my parents are big Royal fans. So we decided to give this one a shot. Stops were Nassau, Coco Cay, Labadee, and Falmouth.

Obviously, the price was less. $4,500 including gratuities for an oceanview balcony room on deck 12 (12590). Even with an OBB, I don’t think I could get under $7,000 for a week on DCL since we’ve been cruising.

But despite the cost savings, we are “one and done” on Royal.

Before the Cruise
The problems started before the cruise began. Booking add-ons was a chore. Maddeningly, the pricing for things we had booked constantly changed. We initially bought a couple soda packages, but as I checked back in the weeks ahead I noticed that the price would change. I could rebook the package at the lower price, but every time I had a refund and a new charge. Same goes for specialty dining and shore excursions on Labadee. Was it worth the trouble to save a few bucks? I guess. But playing these sorts of pricing games is not something I’m interested in.

Also, having to pay for soda was the first sign of the constant nickel-and-diming at every turn.

Embarkation
Embarkation was brutal. Miami traffic turned a 1-hour trip into 2 hours. We should have arrive around 12:00, but it ended up being 1:00. Drop-off was a crawl. There were lines, lines, and then more lines. First to show passports, then to get through security. We had only cruised from Canaveral before, and never had the delays we had in Miami.

Physically getting on the ship was not exciting at all. You walk directly onto the jogging track, then down a third of the length of the ship, and into a stairwell. It’s not exactly the hero’s welcome you get walking aboard DCL.

Food / Soda package
By the time we finally got on, we were very hungry. So we headed to Windjammer, and proceeded to have the most flavorless meal I’ve ever had in my life. I also asked a couple employees about the soda package before discovering that I had to leave the restaurant to retrieve the soda package cups.

Using the soda package was infuriating at times. There were limited access points (deck 5 Sorrento's, deck 14 El Loco Fresh, deck 15 Solarium, deck 16 WJ) ... and the last two were not always open. So you have a soda package that you paid for on a giant ship, and often had only two locations to use it. Also, the cups did not always work. And then the Freestyle machines themselves didn’t work at times. Getting ice was a pain. And of course, we had to carry the stupid cups around! Lastly, we felt pressured to drink more soda, to “get our money’s worth”.

Back to the food: Much of the food was flavorless, and just not very good, for the first part of the cruise. Even in the MDR, the food was subpar. The mashed potatoes were billed as "creamy", but tasted like boxed potatoes. El Loco Fresh was tasteless.

There were some better dishes a bit later on. Night 6/7 dinner was very good. Park Cafe lunch was better. We enjoyed the boardwalk brats/hot dogs. The two specialty lunches we did were better—but not really outstanding, or worth the cost. And Windjammer never really improved.

Kid's Club
On the first night, my son said "I don't want to go back." We tried again, and it did get better as the cruise went on. But it just didn't compare, and both kids agreed that DCL’s kids club is more enjoyable.

Other annoyances:
- The drop-off/pick-up area was tiny, with only one family allowed at a time. This led to serious backups at time.
- The hours were limited. On sea days it closed from 12-2 and 5-7; Port days it closed 5-7. And they closed at 10 every night, unless you paid an extra $10 per kid/hour.
- On Coco Cay day, we went to drop the kids off during open hours, and there was a sign that they were at the buffet and would return later. What???

Rooms
The rooms were smaller, though admittedly we’ve only stayed in the larger DCL rooms (Family Balcony & Family OV). But still, watching reviews of standard DCL balcony rooms, this was TIGHT. Outlets and storage were subpar. Obviously we knew about the single bathroom and no curtain separating the spaces, but didn’t realize how much we’d miss those.

Smoke smell
On Deck 4 near the casino, you smelled the smoke. There was no way around it.

But worse than that, a large area of the pool deck was downwind of smoking area. We couldn’t really believe this. It rendered a couple of the pools useless for us.

Simple conveniences
Checking towels in/out is a stupid hassle, including bringing them off the ship with you at Coco Cay and Labadee.

Eating on the pool deck was not nearly as convenient as DCL. There is no easy grab & go. Had to leave to go to the buffet, or elsewhere.

Nickel and Diming
There are SO MANY ADD-ONS. It constantly felt like we were being upsold, everywhere. The soda package. So many of the food options. Activities. High-end stores. Even on Labadee, the vendors were a little aggressive. It was ridiculous.

Staff
Most of the staff was excellent. They did seem to ensure guests were satisfied at all times.

I'm very cognizant of my surroundings, especially on vacation, and try to be considerate of others. Meaning I don't like 'being in the way', stopping in doorways, cutting people off, etc. DCL's staff seems to be trained on this, because they ALWAYS defer to the guests, letting them pass first. But not Royal. Though the staff was almost always friendly, they also frequently cut in front of guests at times, putting themselves first. Maybe this is nitpicky, but it's a difference that I definitely noticed. Still, these staff members were friendly and attentive.

Was anything better?
Kind of.
- Coco Cay had some nice features. But also a lot of extra cost items. We had terrible windy weather that shut the island down at 1. Not RCCL's fault, but a bummer.
- Muster drill was much easier. But even then, I felt less prepared with their muster process than DCL.
- Laser tag was fun.
- Entertainment variety was great. The headliner, ice skating show, and aqua show were top notch. However, we enjoy the Disney entertainment just as much, so I'm not sure this was 'better.'
- We were looking forward to more pool space, the kids splash area, and slides. But we found that these were not as important as we thought. We were not able to relax on the pool deck like we could on Disney. With more people on board, it was difficult to find pool chairs. And the kids splash area was not operating at 100% capacity for most of the cruise (the water buckets were not operational). The last day, they were finally working. However, when we went to use them at 5PM, we were told the splash area was closed for the day! Of course.
- The different areas/neighborhoods of the ship are cool. It's a neat concept, and was fun to see. But I don't need to see it again. It's also just too big, with too many people.

I know this probably reads like we are negative and didn't give Royal a fair shot ... but we really, really did. We went in knowing it wouldn't be DCL. But you can't help but compare a new cruise line to the only one you've been on. And it was clear that while this cruise was cheaper, it was not a better value. I'd rather spend $7k on DCL than $4.5k on what we got last week. No question.

Bottom line: EVERYTHING on Royal was just a bigger hassle compared to DCL. Everything.

I often see questions on here asking for advice on trying a new cruise line, so I wanted to post this write-up as a reference. I know PLENTY of others enjoy Royal, and I'm not saying that any of you are wrong! I'm just saying that for my family, DCL is the only answer for the foreseeable future. So in a way, I'm glad we did this cruise--now we know.

359 days until the Treasure

 

[bobbiwoz]

We were on the Oasis in October, out of Bayonne, so a different experience, but I must say, I totally agree about the flavorless food. In MDR and Windjammer, I never had anything that caused me to say, I want more. I actually did like the food in the Park Cafe more.

We did enjoy the ice show. Was there one?

One very negative was at the terminal, only one elevator was available and even at that, the elevator was broken during embankment. For a ship so large, that seemed indefensible! It looks like there is another elevator, but that one never worked during either embarkation nor debarkation!

 

[brentm77]

We are 3-time Disney cruisers (Dream ’17, Fantasy ’19 & ’23), who just returned from 7 nights on Oasis of the Seas on Sunday. Wife and I are mid-30’s, two kids are 9 & 6. We had been wanting to try a different cruise line for a while, and my parents are big Royal fans. So we decided to give this one a shot. Stops were Nassau, Coco Cay, Labadee, and Falmouth.

Obviously, the price was less. $4,500 including gratuities for an oceanview balcony room on deck 12 (12590). Even with an OBB, I don’t think I could get under $7,000 for a week on DCL since we’ve been cruising.

But despite the cost savings, we are “one and done” on Royal.

Before the Cruise
The problems started before the cruise began. Booking add-ons was a chore. Maddeningly, the pricing for things we had booked constantly changed. We initially bought a couple soda packages, but as I checked back in the weeks ahead I noticed that the price would change. I could rebook the package at the lower price, but every time I had a refund and a new charge. Same goes for specialty dining and shore excursions on Labadee. Was it worth the trouble to save a few bucks? I guess. But playing these sorts of pricing games is not something I’m interested in.

Also, having to pay for soda was the first sign of the constant nickel-and-diming at every turn.

Embarkation
Embarkation was brutal. Miami traffic turned a 1-hour trip into 2 hours. We should have arrive around 12:00, but it ended up being 1:00. Drop-off was a crawl. There were lines, lines, and then more lines. First to show passports, then to get through security. We had only cruised from Canaveral before, and never had the delays we had in Miami.

Physically getting on the ship was not exciting at all. You walk directly onto the jogging track, then down a third of the length of the ship, and into a stairwell. It’s not exactly the hero’s welcome you get walking aboard DCL.

Food / Soda package
By the time we finally got on, we were very hungry. So we headed to Windjammer, and proceeded to have the most flavorless meal I’ve ever had in my life. I also asked a couple employees about the soda package before discovering that I had to leave the restaurant to retrieve the soda package cups.

Using the soda package was infuriating at times. There were limited access points (deck 5 Sorrento's, deck 14 El Loco Fresh, deck 15 Solarium, deck 16 WJ) ... and the last two were not always open. So you have a soda package that you paid for on a giant ship, and often had only two locations to use it. Also, the cups did not always work. And then the Freestyle machines themselves didn’t work at times. Getting ice was a pain. And of course, we had to carry the stupid cups around! Lastly, we felt pressured to drink more soda, to “get our money’s worth”.

Back to the food: Much of the food was flavorless, and just not very good, for the first part of the cruise. Even in the MDR, the food was subpar. The mashed potatoes were billed as "creamy", but tasted like boxed potatoes. El Loco Fresh was tasteless.

There were some better dishes a bit later on. Night 6/7 dinner was very good. Park Cafe lunch was better. We enjoyed the boardwalk brats/hot dogs. The two specialty lunches we did were better—but not really outstanding, or worth the cost. And Windjammer never really improved.

Kid's Club
On the first night, my son said "I don't want to go back." We tried again, and it did get better as the cruise went on. But it just didn't compare, and both kids agreed that DCL’s kids club is more enjoyable.

Other annoyances:
- The drop-off/pick-up area was tiny, with only one family allowed at a time. This led to serious backups at time.
- The hours were limited. On sea days it closed from 12-2 and 5-7; Port days it closed 5-7. And they closed at 10 every night, unless you paid an extra $10 per kid/hour.
- On Coco Cay day, we went to drop the kids off during open hours, and there was a sign that they were at the buffet and would return later. What???

Rooms
The rooms were smaller, though admittedly we’ve only stayed in the larger DCL rooms (Family Balcony & Family OV). But still, watching reviews of standard DCL balcony rooms, this was TIGHT. Outlets and storage were subpar. Obviously we knew about the single bathroom and no curtain separating the spaces, but didn’t realize how much we’d miss those.

Smoke smell
On Deck 4 near the casino, you smelled the smoke. There was no way around it.

But worse than that, a large area of the pool deck was downwind of smoking area. We couldn’t really believe this. It rendered a couple of the pools useless for us.

Simple conveniences
Checking towels in/out is a stupid hassle, including bringing them off the ship with you at Coco Cay and Labadee.

Eating on the pool deck was not nearly as convenient as DCL. There is no easy grab & go. Had to leave to go to the buffet, or elsewhere.

Nickel and Diming
There are SO MANY ADD-ONS. It constantly felt like we were being upsold, everywhere. The soda package. So many of the food options. Activities. High-end stores. Even on Labadee, the vendors were a little aggressive. It was ridiculous.

Staff
Most of the staff was excellent. They did seem to ensure guests were satisfied at all times.

I'm very cognizant of my surroundings, especially on vacation, and try to be considerate of others. Meaning I don't like 'being in the way', stopping in doorways, cutting people off, etc. DCL's staff seems to be trained on this, because they ALWAYS defer to the guests, letting them pass first. But not Royal. Though the staff was almost always friendly, they also frequently cut in front of guests at times, putting themselves first. Maybe this is nitpicky, but it's a difference that I definitely noticed. Still, these staff members were friendly and attentive.

Was anything better?
Kind of.
- Coco Cay had some nice features. But also a lot of extra cost items. We had terrible windy weather that shut the island down at 1. Not RCCL's fault, but a bummer.
- Muster drill was much easier. But even then, I felt less prepared with their muster process than DCL.
- Laser tag was fun.
- Entertainment variety was great. The headliner, ice skating show, and aqua show were top notch. However, we enjoy the Disney entertainment just as much, so I'm not sure this was 'better.'
- We were looking forward to more pool space, the kids splash area, and slides. But we found that these were not as important as we thought. We were not able to relax on the pool deck like we could on Disney. With more people on board, it was difficult to find pool chairs. And the kids splash area was not operating at 100% capacity for most of the cruise (the water buckets were not operational). The last day, they were finally working. However, when we went to use them at 5PM, we were told the splash area was closed for the day! Of course.
- The different areas/neighborhoods of the ship are cool. It's a neat concept, and was fun to see. But I don't need to see it again. It's also just too big, with too many people.

I know this probably reads like we are negative and didn't give Royal a fair shot ... but we really, really did. We went in knowing it wouldn't be DCL. But you can't help but compare a new cruise line to the only one you've been on. And it was clear that while this cruise was cheaper, it was not a better value. I'd rather spend $7k on DCL than $4.5k on what we got last week. No question.

Bottom line: EVERYTHING on Royal was just a bigger hassle compared to DCL. Everything.

I often see questions on here asking for advice on trying a new cruise line, so I wanted to post this write-up as a reference. I know PLENTY of others enjoy Royal, and I'm not saying that any of you are wrong! I'm just saying that for my family, DCL is the only answer for the foreseeable future. So in a way, I'm glad we did this cruise--now we know.

359 days until the Treasure

Thanks for the detailed review.

One point - it isn't uncommon for Disney to board in a "boring" section of the ship outside of Canaveral too. For example, in Europe, we boarded in one of the lower areas where you leave for excursions (the small little un-themed space in deck 2, I think) and took an elevator up to from there, completely bypassing the lobby. I think the same thing happens in San Diego and several other non-Canaveral ports.

 

[MamaMermaid]

We are trying the Symphony of the Seas in May... and I'm nervous.

 

[DisneYE]

This is quite the damning report, and I appreciate you writing it. It is well written and to the point.
We never seriously considered sailing any other than DCL, but even if we did, Royal was a the bottom of our list, along with Carnival. Reading this, it's out of our list.

I didn't even go on that cruise but my blood started to boil reading some parts of your report.

Thanks for writing it and sharing it here

 

[RysMomma]

We took a Royal cruise over Christmas (Anthem of the Seas) and we are 5 time DCL cruisers. That being said, we felt basically the same way. We felt that there was a lot of upselling on the cruise. During the time that we were planning, I was constantly watching the prices of the excursions and refreshment packages go up and down and trying to find the best time to buy. It's just really not my style. I like to get my price, pay it, then not think about it for several months!

Our Coco Cay Day was nasty too. We were bummed because it was the only place we got off the ship and it was my son's 16th Birthday. But, not RC's fault at alI, just a crummy day. We did like the huge pool on Coco Cay and they had a lot of places to eat, but that didn't really win it over for me vs. Castaway.

I did think that there were a lot more other areas where you can get food than what Disney offers. They had the buffet, the hot dog place, pizza restaurant, and different places throughout the ship. That was nice. We didn't mind the food, we thought it was decent. I also thought there were some cool activities. My kids did roller skate, played ping pong, did the indoor skydiving. Those activities were cool. The bumper cars were a bit much-we were waiting for a while and got there 30 minutes earlier than the time they were called for. It was a minute and a half ride and we decided to get off line because the seas were pretty rough and we were getting sick standing around.

I didn't personally go to any shows but my kids and husband went to one and they said it was "Ok." We also didn't do any of kids clubs because my kids are both teenagers and they just hung out with us or together. Pools were nicer as they were bigger and had an indoor and an outdoor pool. That was cool! Room was definitely tight for the four of us and the split bathroom on DCL was much nicer.

All in all, we didn't have a bad time-we enjoyed it. We are trying to figure out what we want to do for our 2025 Alaska cruise. We're waiting for the prices for DCL to see what we want to do. We could probably do two rooms on an RCL cruise and only one on a DCL. We have a lot of decisions to make. My kids are 16 and 13 and they totally preferred their DCL cruises more, though.

 

[kteach]

I'm going to admit I haven't been on a disney cruise since 2011, but I'm going on one next week (Dream) and very excited about it! That being said I've cruised royal at least 4 times (also NCL a few times), and everyone on my family has always enjoyed it! The self muster drill is awesome, I love the kids pool area on the bigger ships (symphony, oasis, etc.), I don't think buckets not pouring water counts for non operational. The shows on Symphony were awesome (Hairspray and Flight). I could see disney shows being better for younger kids, but for almost everyone else I think the broadway shows on bigger RCL ships are awesome. The aqua shows are also great, as are the ice shows. My kids loved the kids club, and I do think there are a lot more things to do on RCL family ships (zipline, dryslide, boogie boarding, more water slides, carousel). I don't go to the casinos, and never notice them on any ship I've been on. I'm very much looking forward to my disney cruise on the Dream, and think my family and I will enjoy it a ton, but I really think Royal Caribbean's big ships are awesome for families, especially as kids get older and you don't feel you always need the disney stuff! As for food, we are not super picky but I've always found something good to eat on every ship I've ever been on! I've been on both CoCoCay and Castaway both are beautiful! I will say, Cococay has a lot more for families to do, including an awesome free kids water park that is like an extra large version of what is on the ships. But I would honestly say both are really nice private islands! We've also gone on Anthem which is slightly different, I didn't like it as much for kids, but still very nice! We've never had any issues with embarkation and we travel only during school holidays. Honestly, I think the OP is very biased towards Disney, and I understand that being that's what they are used to. But the larger, newer ships are definitely worth a try for families! And I'm looking forward to trying Disney again too!

 

[jack87891]

We are 3-time Disney cruisers (Dream ’17, Fantasy ’19 & ’23), who just returned from 7 nights on Oasis of the Seas on Sunday. Wife and I are mid-30’s, two kids are 9 & 6. We had been wanting to try a different cruise line for a while, and my parents are big Royal fans. So we decided to give this one a shot. Stops were Nassau, Coco Cay, Labadee, and Falmouth.

Obviously, the price was less. $4,500 including gratuities for an oceanview balcony room on deck 12 (12590). Even with an OBB, I don’t think I could get under $7,000 for a week on DCL since we’ve been cruising.

But despite the cost savings, we are “one and done” on Royal.

Before the Cruise
The problems started before the cruise began. Booking add-ons was a chore. Maddeningly, the pricing for things we had booked constantly changed. We initially bought a couple soda packages, but as I checked back in the weeks ahead I noticed that the price would change. I could rebook the package at the lower price, but every time I had a refund and a new charge. Same goes for specialty dining and shore excursions on Labadee. Was it worth the trouble to save a few bucks? I guess. But playing these sorts of pricing games is not something I’m interested in.

Also, having to pay for soda was the first sign of the constant nickel-and-diming at every turn.

Embarkation
Embarkation was brutal. Miami traffic turned a 1-hour trip into 2 hours. We should have arrive around 12:00, but it ended up being 1:00. Drop-off was a crawl. There were lines, lines, and then more lines. First to show passports, then to get through security. We had only cruised from Canaveral before, and never had the delays we had in Miami.

Physically getting on the ship was not exciting at all. You walk directly onto the jogging track, then down a third of the length of the ship, and into a stairwell. It’s not exactly the hero’s welcome you get walking aboard DCL.

Food / Soda package
By the time we finally got on, we were very hungry. So we headed to Windjammer, and proceeded to have the most flavorless meal I’ve ever had in my life. I also asked a couple employees about the soda package before discovering that I had to leave the restaurant to retrieve the soda package cups.

Using the soda package was infuriating at times. There were limited access points (deck 5 Sorrento's, deck 14 El Loco Fresh, deck 15 Solarium, deck 16 WJ) ... and the last two were not always open. So you have a soda package that you paid for on a giant ship, and often had only two locations to use it. Also, the cups did not always work. And then the Freestyle machines themselves didn’t work at times. Getting ice was a pain. And of course, we had to carry the stupid cups around! Lastly, we felt pressured to drink more soda, to “get our money’s worth”.

Back to the food: Much of the food was flavorless, and just not very good, for the first part of the cruise. Even in the MDR, the food was subpar. The mashed potatoes were billed as "creamy", but tasted like boxed potatoes. El Loco Fresh was tasteless.

There were some better dishes a bit later on. Night 6/7 dinner was very good. Park Cafe lunch was better. We enjoyed the boardwalk brats/hot dogs. The two specialty lunches we did were better—but not really outstanding, or worth the cost. And Windjammer never really improved.

Kid's Club
On the first night, my son said "I don't want to go back." We tried again, and it did get better as the cruise went on. But it just didn't compare, and both kids agreed that DCL’s kids club is more enjoyable.

Other annoyances:
- The drop-off/pick-up area was tiny, with only one family allowed at a time. This led to serious backups at time.
- The hours were limited. On sea days it closed from 12-2 and 5-7; Port days it closed 5-7. And they closed at 10 every night, unless you paid an extra $10 per kid/hour.
- On Coco Cay day, we went to drop the kids off during open hours, and there was a sign that they were at the buffet and would return later. What???

Rooms
The rooms were smaller, though admittedly we’ve only stayed in the larger DCL rooms (Family Balcony & Family OV). But still, watching reviews of standard DCL balcony rooms, this was TIGHT. Outlets and storage were subpar. Obviously we knew about the single bathroom and no curtain separating the spaces, but didn’t realize how much we’d miss those.

Smoke smell
On Deck 4 near the casino, you smelled the smoke. There was no way around it.

But worse than that, a large area of the pool deck was downwind of smoking area. We couldn’t really believe this. It rendered a couple of the pools useless for us.

Simple conveniences
Checking towels in/out is a stupid hassle, including bringing them off the ship with you at Coco Cay and Labadee.

Eating on the pool deck was not nearly as convenient as DCL. There is no easy grab & go. Had to leave to go to the buffet, or elsewhere.

Nickel and Diming
There are SO MANY ADD-ONS. It constantly felt like we were being upsold, everywhere. The soda package. So many of the food options. Activities. High-end stores. Even on Labadee, the vendors were a little aggressive. It was ridiculous.

Staff
Most of the staff was excellent. They did seem to ensure guests were satisfied at all times.

I'm very cognizant of my surroundings, especially on vacation, and try to be considerate of others. Meaning I don't like 'being in the way', stopping in doorways, cutting people off, etc. DCL's staff seems to be trained on this, because they ALWAYS defer to the guests, letting them pass first. But not Royal. Though the staff was almost always friendly, they also frequently cut in front of guests at times, putting themselves first. Maybe this is nitpicky, but it's a difference that I definitely noticed. Still, these staff members were friendly and attentive.

Was anything better?
Kind of.
- Coco Cay had some nice features. But also a lot of extra cost items. We had terrible windy weather that shut the island down at 1. Not RCCL's fault, but a bummer.
- Muster drill was much easier. But even then, I felt less prepared with their muster process than DCL.
- Laser tag was fun.
- Entertainment variety was great. The headliner, ice skating show, and aqua show were top notch. However, we enjoy the Disney entertainment just as much, so I'm not sure this was 'better.'
- We were looking forward to more pool space, the kids splash area, and slides. But we found that these were not as important as we thought. We were not able to relax on the pool deck like we could on Disney. With more people on board, it was difficult to find pool chairs. And the kids splash area was not operating at 100% capacity for most of the cruise (the water buckets were not operational). The last day, they were finally working. However, when we went to use them at 5PM, we were told the splash area was closed for the day! Of course.
- The different areas/neighborhoods of the ship are cool. It's a neat concept, and was fun to see. But I don't need to see it again. It's also just too big, with too many people.

I know this probably reads like we are negative and didn't give Royal a fair shot ... but we really, really did. We went in knowing it wouldn't be DCL. But you can't help but compare a new cruise line to the only one you've been on. And it was clear that while this cruise was cheaper, it was not a better value. I'd rather spend $7k on DCL than $4.5k on what we got last week. No question.

Bottom line: EVERYTHING on Royal was just a bigger hassle compared to DCL. Everything.

I often see questions on here asking for advice on trying a new cruise line, so I wanted to post this write-up as a reference. I know PLENTY of others enjoy Royal, and I'm not saying that any of you are wrong! I'm just saying that for my family, DCL is the only answer for the foreseeable future. So in a way, I'm glad we did this cruise--now we know.

359 days until the Treasure

Thanks so much. We have cruised DCL 16 times and wondered if we were missing anything by doing just them. We are in our early 60’s and just enjoy dcl so much even though we aren’t big disney fans. Your review is just a good reminder

 

[mjkacmom]

We were on the Oasis in October, out of Bayonne, so a different experience, but I must say, I totally agree about the flavorless food. In MDR and Windjammer, I never had anything that caused me to say, I want more. I actually did like the food in the Park Cafe more.

We did enjoy the ice show. Was there one?

One very negative was at the terminal, only one elevator was available and even at that, the elevator was broken during embankment. For a ship so large, that seemed indefensible! It looks like there is another elevator, but that one never worked during either embarkation nor debarkation!

Same with Miami, the port is not controlled by the cruise lines, and has their own employees. In crowded cities like Miami or the NYC ports, you get what you get.

 

[kteach]

We are trying the Symphony of the Seas in May... and I'm nervous.

I went on Symphony last year...it was awesome!! Nothing to be nervous about! Have fun!!

 

[soniam]

The add-ons on Celebrity fluctuated a lot in price. I joined some message boards and usually got informed there that they had changed or when the sales would happen. I did like that you could book excursions and specialty dining as soon as you booked, but you did have to pay for it right then too.

 

[ray3127]

We were on the Oasis in October, out of Bayonne, so a different experience, but I must say, I totally agree about the flavorless food. In MDR and Windjammer, I never had anything that caused me to say, I want more. I actually did like the food in the Park Cafe more.

We did enjoy the ice show. Was there one?

Once we figured out to add salt & pepper to just about everything, it wasn't as bad. But still seriously lacking.

Yes, there was an ice show. It was very good! The ice show and Aqua show were impressive. We are just a Disney family, and prefer to feel some magic every now and again.

One point - it isn't uncommon for Disney to board in a "boring" section of the ship outside of Canaveral too. For example, in Europe, we boarded in one of the lower areas where you leave for excursions (the small little un-themed space in deck 2, I think) and took an elevator up to from there, completely bypassing the lobby. I think the same thing happens in San Diego and several other non-Canaveral ports.

This is good to know--thank you!

We are trying the Symphony of the Seas in May... and I'm nervous.

I didn't mean to spoil anybody's anticipation! While onboard my parents booked another Royal cruise for October, so they clearly like it. It just didn't fit our style.

This is quite the damning report, and I appreciate you writing it. It is well written and to the point.
We never seriously considered sailing any other than DCL, but even if we did, Royal was a the bottom of our list, along with Carnival. Reading this, it's out of our list.

I didn't even go on that cruise but my blood started to boil reading some parts of your report.

Thanks for writing it and sharing it here

Glad it helped!

Our Coco Cay Day was nasty too. I did like the huge pool on Coco Cay and they had a lot of places to eat, but that didn't really win it over for me vs. Castaway.

Agreed! We were able to find some cover from the wind back at this pool. We really did like this! There was a lot to do at Coco Cay that we just didn't get to .... however, we were there long enough to get a feel/vibe for the place. And like you, we still prefer Castaway.

I'm going to admit I haven't been on a disney cruise since 2011, but I'm going on one next week (Dream) and very excited about it! That being said I've cruised royal at least 4 times (also NCL a few times), and everyone on my family has always enjoyed it! The self muster drill is awesome, I love the kids pool area on the bigger ships (symphony, oasis, etc.), I don't think buckets not pouring water counts for non operational. The shows on Symphony were awesome (Hairspray and Flight). I could see disney shows being better for younger kids, but for almost everyone else I think the broadway shows on bigger RCL ships are awesome. The aqua shows are also great, as are the ice shows. My kids loved the kids club, and I do think there are a lot more things to do on RCL family ships (zipline, dryslide, boogie boarding, more water slides, carousel). I don't go to the casinos, and never notice them on any ship I've been on. I'm very much looking forward to my disney cruise on the Dream, and think my family and I will enjoy it a ton, but I really think Royal Caribbean's big ships are awesome for families, especially as kids get older and you don't feel you always need the disney stuff! As for food, we are not super picky but I've always found something good to eat on every ship I've ever been on! I've been on both CoCoCay and Castaway both are beautiful! I will say, Cococay has a lot more for families to do, including an awesome free kids water park that is like an extra large version of what is on the ships. But I would honestly say both are really nice private islands! We've also gone on Anthem which is slightly different, I didn't like it as much for kids, but still very nice! We've never had any issues with embarkation and we travel only during school holidays. Honestly, I think the OP is very biased towards Disney, and I understand that being that's what they are used to. But the larger, newer ships are definitely worth a try for families! And I'm looking forward to trying Disney again too!

That's all I've heard for years: "it's worth a try." Well, I tried it, and didn't care for it that much. So I'm reporting my findings.

Sure, we're biased towards Disney. We are DVC owners after all. But as we've tried other vacations, we always seem to come back to Disney. As this is a Disney Cruise Line board, I gather most people here are biased towards Disney. So, I figured they'd be interested in my report.

Regarding all the "things to do" .... for us, they were one and done.
- The zipline is 8 seconds (I just checked the video on my phone. 8 seconds). And a considerable wait.
- The Flowrider had huge lines, followed by short times on it, the entire time. We watched, but didn't try. Largely because we didn't want to be on display for dozens of other people.
- Ice skating was fun, but seriously, you're on a cruise ship. And we only ended up with 14 minutes on the ice.
- Abyss slide was cool ... but again, long wait, short ride, then what?
- Carousel ... sure, my 6-year old loved it. It's a carousel.
- Water slides ... daughter was too short, and my son rode each one once and was finished.

On the kids waterpark, I said "not 100% operational". Those giant buckets are kind of a big deal. And once they were fixed, they abruptly closed at 5PM so we couldn't use them. So I think this is a legitimate disappointment.

The widespread assumption that "as kids get older, they don't need the Disney stuff" is an interesting one. For some this is true, for others, not so much. My wife and I are Disney adults, after all.

I'm glad you've had a good experience on Royal. Different strokes for different folks. Like I said, my parents prefer Royal to Disney. But I disagree that the larger, newer ships are "definitely" worth a try for families, especially if they are happy with Disney and hesitant to branch out. I'd encourage them to do their homework.

I hope you enjoy your cruise on the Dream.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The widespread assumption that "as kids get older, they don't need the Disney stuff" is an interesting one. For some this is true, for others, not so much. My wife and I are Disney adults, after all.

I took it to mean when you're on a Disney ship you're in deep in Disney stuff when family friendly activities and things built on ships meant for families can be found elsewhere. So really if your kids still enjoy Disney as a theme itself go for it but otherwise you don't have to take a Disney cruise in order to get ships/activities/ambience kids are into. I *think* that's all they were meaning.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Also, having to pay for soda was the first sign of the constant nickel-and-diming at every turn.

I think is just because you're used to DCL but many cruise lines charge for pop and it isn't to do with nickel and diming. DCL doesn't have alcohol packages, instead because they are more geared towards kids pop is their main focus.

Really, TBH health-wise that's kinda bad to include pop especially for being a kid-centric cruise line where pop is not a good drink for kids (even though all of us likely grew up on it lol) but that's besides the point regarding your complaint.

Also DCL often charges quite a high premium simply because they can being Disney. I have shocked more than one person telling them how our ultra-luxury cruise cost about the same as DCL can depending on the specific cruise (not many will be about the same as DCL but there absolutely can be) for a verandah and it came with everything included aside from excursions. So while you feel nickeled and dimed off of paying for pop you're also often paying more on average than other cruise lines out there as part of your base fare with DCL. That should be kept in mind.

We had been wanting to try a different cruise line for a while,

I think you need to ask yourself if you actually were ready to do this. Obviously this is a Disney Board and you're trying to give comparisons for people but I also sense that your heart seemed to lie more with DCL and if things were done differently, charged differently, or procedures done differently than DCL it gave you an icky feeling. That's totally okay to feel like you're more comfortable with how DCL does it!

 

[MamaMermaid]

I went on Symphony last year...it was awesome!! Nothing to be nervous about! Have fun!!

Glad to hear it!!!

 

[ray3127]

I think is just because you're used to DCL but many cruise lines charge for pop and it isn't to do with nickel and diming. DCL doesn't have alcohol packages, instead because they are more geared towards kids pop is their main focus.

Really, TBH health-wise that's kinda bad to include pop especially for being a kid-centric cruise line where pop is not a good drink for kids (even though all of us likely grew up on it lol) but that's besides the point regarding your complaint.

Also DCL often charges quite a high premium simply because they can being Disney. I have shocked more than one person telling them how our ultra-luxury cruise cost about the same as DCL can depending on the specific cruise (not many will be about the same as DCL but there absolutely can be) for a verandah and it came with everything included aside from excursions. So while you feel nickeled and dimed off of paying for pop you're also often paying more on average than other cruise lines out there as part of your base fare with DCL. That should be kept in mind.


I think you need to ask yourself if you actually were ready to do this. Obviously this is a Disney Board and you're trying to give comparisons for people but I also sense that your heart seemed to lie more with DCL and if things were done differently, charged differently, or procedures done differently than DCL it gave you an icky feeling. That's totally okay to feel like you're more comfortable with how DCL does it!

I tried to take care and say that we really gave Royal a fair shot. I guess I can't really convince anybody of that, but we really wanted to try one. Maybe a Freedom class ship would suit us better? I don't know.

At the same time, I think highlighting the differences between DCL and Royal is more than fair. Because if it's really just Disney charging more "because they can", then why on earth would we pay more for the same experience? That would be a total waste. So I tried to highlight how the experiences were different. While it may seem like my heart was with DCL, I really wanted to like Royal more! It would mean saving serious $$ in the future.

The procedures/charges/etc. that Royal does differently made my vacation more difficult/aggravating. Across the board. We kept trying to find something that we liked better, and we couldn't. I'm not locked into the DCL way; I just didn't think that Royal did much of anything better.

This led to our conclusion that the value per dollar paid on Royal was less than the value we've received on DCL. Obviously, DCL costs more (as you pointed out). But we felt like the total experience on DCL was worth the extra cost.

And I agree about soda; it's not a good drink for anybody (especially kids)! But the ease/convenience of soda on DCL is indisputable. The soda package on Royal is a PITA by comparison. And it costs extra, which is my definition of nickel-and-diming. The fact that other lines charge extra is irrelevant when I'm comparing Royal to DCL. That would be a mark against any of those other cruise lines in my book.

I actually rarely drink soda at home. Like, almost never. And when I do, it's usually with some Crown... but on vacation, I'll splurge (on the calories) a bit. This is why we got a couple of the soda packages, but they proved difficult to actually use. It's just one (of many) little conveniences that was made more difficult on Royal.

I know it reads like we had a miserable time. We didn't. We enjoyed ourselves, and built some solid family memories. We just learned that we prefer Disney cruising.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I guess I can't really convince anybody of that,

See below

I think highlighting the differences between DCL and Royal is more than fair.

100% yes, but it was how you were highlighting the difference as in tone, wordage, etc that made it seem more like if it wasn't the way DCL did it..etc. FWIW this happens a lot too when people who are very big Disney Parks fans and they try to go over to Universal. There's def. a way that Universal gets talked about compared to someone who is more even-keeled on their theme park interests.

I do appreciate your review, I've thought about Royal in the past and I enjoy hearing how people felt especially with those big ships!

And it costs extra, which is my definition of nickel-and-diming. The fact that other lines charge extra is irrelevant when I'm comparing Royal to DCL. That would be a mark against any of those other cruise lines in my book.

In fairness I don't think people would use charging for pop, when it's standard to do so on most other cruise lines, as nickel and diming. That's part of the reason I mentioned what I did about your heart seemingly lying in DCL. You're going to be hard pressed to find non-luxury lines that don't charge for it. Some will offer packages including "free" deals but yeah DCL is abnormal in that they don't but it's only because of who their target audience is.

I don't know about you but Disney charges some absolutely crazy high pricing for some of their specialty dining, Enchante being $80 per person just for brunch! One could say that's nickel and diming but well specialty dining for a cost is now standard on cruise lines.

I'm glad you figured out what didn't work for you, you don't get to know unless you try it right?

 

[Nike4000]

When our kids got to be teens, packing the 4 of us into a DCL stateroom for a week became challenging. It was at that point that we discovered that we could purchase two cabins on Royal for nearly the same price (and in some cases less than) a Disney cruise. Plus, being able to take Royal out of Galveston instead of flying to Florida was a huge bonus. For our mental health (and wallets) we made the switch.

We didn't really care about any of the add-ons from Royal, we can survive a week without them. Our main focus was on spending quality time together as a family and doing it in a way that kept everyone happy. Having your teenagers in a different, but nearby (i.e. across the hall or connected) room makes for a much more relaxing and enjoyable cruise.

Is Royal different from Disney? Most definitely. We've had fantastic experiences on our Royal cruises (Carnival too). We go in knowing that they'll be different from Disney, but there is still plenty of fun to be had.

 

[CamColt]

Thanks for he review. It was an interesting read.

 

[TeamRiley]

We have been on lots of cruises on multiple cruise lines. We always have fun and we always enjoy ourselves. That being said, we prefer Disney. Some small reasons why:

1. The food is genuinely better. No cruise food is great, unless you target the true foody cruises which we don't. Using RC as an example, I would rate their food (on all parts of the ships for our entire cruise history) as ranking between 3 and 7 on a scale of 1-10. Disney food would be 5 to 8. The night to night diversity is low on RC and much higher on Disney.

2. No casino, not much booze.

3. The rooms in general are nicer and a bit larger.

4. This is an odd one, but on RC, the sports court is always doing something different. Its seems great, until your boys want to go play basketball and they can't. Never occured to me that would be an issue, but it can be.

5. Disney ships are smaller. There are two benefits to this for us. Less people, and more space. When I say more space, I mean if you calculate the amount of open deck space per passenger, it is actually higher on some of the smaller ships. Ships that can carry 1.5 times the passengers as a Disney ship do not have 1.5 times the deck space open to the sun.

6. Since most passengers on Disney are more focused on being 'family oriented', they are genuinely a bit nicer. Same as in the parks.

I could go on and on, but like I said, we always have fun, but given the choice, we would pick Disney. They are just more relaxing for us.

The cost for us is not as huge a hurdle as it might seem. A cruise on RC that seems to cost 60% of what a Disney cruise costs, ends up being more like only 80 to 85% of the total cost once you add in air fair, hotel at both ends, transportation etc.