DCL vs. Royal Caribbean

[jimmymc]

I'm allergic to squash. I have no other allergy. No other concerns. I ordered in advance each time, picking meals that did not involve squash. I regularly didn't get what I ordered and I was served bread with pumpkin seeds (a squash) on it twice (both times at Arendelle).

For one lunch I order a burger and fries with ice cream sundae for dessert (no chance of squash!). I got a burger on a glutenfree bun, and burnt shoe string potatoes. It took 90 minutes. Every one else got thick steak fries. I asked for steak fries and was told they would be out soon. The rest of the table got and ate dessert. I asked for my dessert. 30 minutes went by, I flagged down the waiter who told me they couldn't make the fries and that there was no dessert available for me because the caramel on the ice cream sundae had corn syrup in it. (I'm not allergic to corn or gluten.)

For dinner at 1923 I ordered the Riverside Roasted Green Circle Chicken - Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Yukon Potato Fondant, Honeycrisp Apple Chutney, and Cabernet Sauvignon Reduction. Again, no squash! I got a plain grilled chicken breast and mashed potatoes. There was no explanation as to why apple chutney or a wine reduction sauce would have squash in them.

And so on. The most annoying part was that I was told I could *not* eat at any other restaurant, as someone with allergies my only option was sit down meals ordered in advance. We wasted 3 hours a day getting bad food when there's almost no chance that a hot dog by the pool has come in contact with squash (which wasn't served at any of the by the pool food stations).

Oof that is bad, really poor organization by Disney.

 

[DCLMP]

NCL does charge more for excursions than Disney. I've done the comparison, and the same exact excursions with the same tour operators cost more when booked directly through NCL than when booked directly through Disney. It makes sense, because NCL needs to make up the price difference somewhere, and excursion markup is one place to do that.

I've never been charged for standard coffee or hot cocoa on a cruise. I've been on some where they tried to charge me for hot tea in the main dining room, but it was included at the buffet.

I haven't cruised on NCL lately, but the OP was asking about Royal and DCL. I cruised on both of these lines in Europe this Summer and Excursion prices were similar, but if you really want to save money don't book through the cruise lines. You generally get cheaper and better tours booking directly through the tour providers.

I've never been charged for hot tea on any cruise line. I'm not sure why you were.

 

[DCLMP]

I am being accurate. The NCL ship that I'm sailing on next spring has two adults-only areas. One is loud and has music and videos playing all the time, plus some vents. The other one is quiet and requires you to purchase access. So, it's as I said. The adults-only quiet area costs extra.

I don't know about the regular bad coffee, but I know that other soft drinks aren't free on NCL. They charge more than $3 for a single soda, plus a mandatory gratuity. It's absurd.

I can't find where I saw the extra charge for steak and certain other entrees in the NCL MDRs, so maybe I misremember. Carnival definitely charges more for streak and some other entrees at the MDRs. I don't know what you mean by "regular steak", though.

OP was asking about Royal not NCL and specifically Mariner. Every ship is different. As an example the Wish adult area is crap. Some cruise lines charge more for better cuts of meat, but you can still get the same cheap cuts similar to DCL included.

Soft drinks are not free on any cruise line. They are included. You pay a premium on DCl for your "free soft drinks". Also soft drinks aren't free in the bars on DCL. If you buy one of the soda or drink packages on Royal. You get a nice cup, access to freestyle machines and sodas anywhere. I personally like the drink packages it makes budgeting easier.

 

[Kwami]

OP was asking about Royal not NCL and specifically Mariner. Every ship is different. As an example the Wish adult area is crap. Some cruise lines charge more for better cuts of meat, but you can still get the same cheap cuts similar to DCL included.

Soft drinks are not free on any cruise line. They are included. You pay a premium on DCl for your "free soft drinks". Also soft drinks aren't free in the bars on DCL. If you buy one of the soda or drink packages on Royal. You get a nice cup, access to freestyle machines and sodas anywhere. I personally like the drink packages it makes budgeting easier.

Look, my first post was about the reality that sometimes the cruise fares for DCL and other lines are similar. It was in response to some other posts that suggested such a thing wasn't possible. It doesn't matter if I used NCL as the example. RCL and NCL are similar companies doing similar things and competing for the same crowd.

The more specific details aren't important. I only posted about them because someone else told me that I was lying. I'm not going to keep responding to posts like this. I've explained my original post multiple times now.

 

[Mitura]

We are regular Disney cruisers, but this Thanksgiving we are trying Mariner of the Seas. We are trying to keep all of the YouTube videos, blogs, friend recommendations and internet comments in their appropriate context (positive and negative). I am following this tread to see what others with RCL experience are being said about Mariner.

That being said pricing our 5 day RCL is not 100% comparable to our preferred 7 day Fantasy cruise. So its not apples to apples comparison. But we did find at least $3000 in savings between Mariner and Fantasy for that week and we have 2 cabins on RCL vs 1 on Fantasy. Again this is Thanksgiving week. We haven't spent money on drink packages, excursions and upscale dining, for example, as it may impact the final cost. But we never did that stuff on the Fantasy. But, yes, I am hyper-aware of the potential upcharges.

Again I will probably reply after Thanksgiving with how it went for us, but we booked this cruise based on
1) it fit our budget
2) left Port Canaveral which we are very familiar with
3) fit in our time line.

Where as Fantasy couldn't fit in our cost and time bucket, unfortunately.

And this will be our, "Is Disney really worth the higher cruise price vs other cruise line?" experiment.

For the record we have been on 11 Disney cruises all Caribbean, and if money and time were no object we'd be on Disney right now.

 

[anricat]

We sailed on the Mariner. The top thing for us was Coco Cay. Otherwise, we definitely figured out that we are DCL people. I have a full trip report and comparison here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...er-and-a-finish-at-wdw.3756073/#post-60758614

If you want to skip right to the comparison entry it's here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...ter-and-a-finish-at-wdw.3756073/post-60798763

 

[tidefan]

We're doing a 7 night Western Caribbean in January on Harmony of the Seas (newer than the Mariner) from Galveston, Central Park Balcony, for close to $1500 less than Disney in the same timeframe from Orlando. We have additional savings as we can drive to Galveston and not have to fly to Orlando. As others have posted, comparing apples to apples there is no way the Mariner should even be close to Disney. If it truly is, then I'd do Disney. We have never had food issues on Disney, but to be fair we've not required any special meals.

@Memepoppy, did you give any thought to the new Carnival Jubilee out of Galveston? I know what you're saying "It's Carnival"... However, those new ships (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) are not "your father's Carnival". We took both Oasis of the Seas followed 2 months later by Mardi Gras last year and we both much preferred the Mardi Gras. The included food was way better on Carnival, IMHO.

 

[DCLMP]

We are regular Disney cruisers, but this Thanksgiving we are trying Mariner of the Seas. We are trying to keep all of the YouTube videos, blogs, friend recommendations and internet comments in their appropriate context (positive and negative). I am following this tread to see what others with RCL experience are being said about Mariner.

That being said pricing our 5 day RCL is not 100% comparable to our preferred 7 day Fantasy cruise. So its not apples to apples comparison. But we did find at least $3000 in savings between Mariner and Fantasy for that week and we have 2 cabins on RCL vs 1 on Fantasy. Again this is Thanksgiving week. We haven't spent money on drink packages, excursions and upscale dining, for example, as it may impact the final cost. But we never did that stuff on the Fantasy. But, yes, I am hyper-aware of the potential upcharges.

Again I will probably reply after Thanksgiving with how it went for us, but we booked this cruise based on
1) it fit our budget
2) left Port Canaveral which we are very familiar with
3) fit in our time line.

Where as Fantasy couldn't fit in our cost and time bucket, unfortunately.

And this will be our, "Is Disney really worth the higher cruise price vs other cruise line?" experiment.

For the record we have been on 11 Disney cruises all Caribbean, and if money and time were no object we'd be on Disney right now.

Drink prices will be similar. If you don’t buy a lot of drinks on DCL then budget about the same. If you need soda then the soda package might be worth it. Keep checking the website because they run deals on drinks packages and excursions.
Mariner is an old ship. I’m not sure how it will compare. I’ve only cruised on the newer ships. I saved 6k on our med cruise over the Dream and I came away very happy with my choice. The 6k allowed me to buy a drink package and spend more on excursions, and do more speciality dining therefore it was a better vacation.

 

[DCLMP]

Look, my first post was about the reality that sometimes the cruise fares for DCL and other lines are similar. It was in response to some other posts that suggested such a thing wasn't possible. It doesn't matter if I used NCL as the example. RCL and NCL are similar companies doing similar things and competing for the same crowd.

The more specific details aren't important. I only posted about them because someone else told me that I was lying. I'm not going to keep responding to posts like this. I've explained my original post multiple times now.

No one said you were lying. You just posted some inaccurate stuff that you heard somewhere.

 

[Kwami]

No one said you were lying. You just posted some inaccurate stuff that you heard somewhere.

Please point out the inaccurate things that I wrote. The only one that I'm aware of is NCL charging for steak in the MDRs, which I've already responded to with a correction that I was thinking of Carnival.

 

[Memepoppy]

@Memepoppy, did you give any thought to the new Carnival Jubilee out of Galveston? I know what you're saying "It's Carnival"... However, those new ships (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) are not "your father's Carnival". We took both Oasis of the Seas followed 2 months later by Mardi Gras last year and we both much preferred the Mardi Gras. The included food was way better on Carnival, IMHO.

To be honest, no, but I will. DW and I are taking this trip to scout out what RC has to offer for our grandkids. They range in age from 18 to 10 and have outgrown the Disney cuteness. One of the things that is of interest on the Oasis class ships is the ice rink and the free skating. 3 of the 6 grandkids are avid hockey players and would love to say they skated on a cruise ship. We will definitely look into the Carnival ship - if it doesn't work for the family cruise it could be a getaway option for the wife and I. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Memepoppy]

As an example of what I wrote previously, I looked up the 7-night "Western Caribbean" RCL cruise from Galveston in January. I chose the January 28 - February 4 cruise because RCL's website showed the cheapest rates for that one. An ocean view balcony for two people is $4,525.66. In comparison, a deluxe verandah on the Fantasy for the January 28 - February 5 cruise is $4,820.64. So, the price difference is just under $300, the DCL cruise has an additional stop (Castaway Cay), the DCL cruise actually goes to some Caribbean islands, and the DCL room is slightly larger.

I don't know enough about RCL's extra charges to compare them with Disney's.

(The other poster might still be saving $1500. RCL has balcony rooms that face inward for much less than the ocean-facing rooms. They also don't charge much for kids, unlike DCL.)

Our $1500 savings came primarily from early booking, over a year in advance. The savings was compared to Disney's sailing at same time, so their pricing was over a year in advance also. It is true that RCL does have inner (Boardwalk and Central Park) as well as ocean view balconies on Oasis class ships. The pricing difference between the 3 is usually less than $150 for the week, so I consider it apples to apples to compare any RCL balcony to a Disney balcony.

 

[DCLMP]

Please point out the inaccurate things that I wrote. The only one that I'm aware of is NCL charging for steak in the MDRs, which I've already responded to with a correction that I was thinking of Carnival.

You don’t have to pay 3 dollars for a soda every time. You can get an unlimited soda package which is very cheap. The adult areas are not always loud. Royal has the solarium which is very peaceful and relaxing. Carnival doesn’t charge for a basic steak either. There are options to upgrade your steak. DCL does not offer that. You have to dine in Palo for a decent steak.

You come across as very negative about other cruise lines without actually ever trying them. Hopefully someday you’ll try Royal and keep an open mind. If the price gap is closing it’s because people like Royal. Demand is what drives price. The same can be said for Carnival and their new ships. There may come a time when the price gap is smaller across all lines especially with DCL stale itinerary’s and their disappointing new ships.

Many of the up charges on other cruise lines such as bumber cars, laser tags , ice skating, parachuting, are things that DCL does not have. If you purchase all those extras then yeah it’s going to add up. It’s something that you should budget for and decide if all those extras enhance your vacation. I don’t always cruise another line to save money sometimes I just want to get more out of my vacation such as better excursions and more speciality dining. In my opinion food and service in the MDR is the same.

One area DCL excels at is entertainment, but then again once you’ve done a dozen or so cruises you’ve seen the plays multiple times. They are good at finding some talented acts on their longer cruises.

 

[DCLMP]

Our $1500 savings came primarily from early booking, over a year in advance. The savings was compared to Disney's sailing at same time, so their pricing was over a year in advance also. It is true that RCL does have inner (Boardwalk and Central Park) as well as ocean view balconies on Oasis class ships. The pricing difference between the 3 is usually less than $150 for the week, so I consider it apples to apples to compare any RCL balcony to a Disney balcony.

When we cruised Allure in February I really enjoyed our Central Park balcony. The biggest reason was no wind. It can be windy and sometimes a little chilly out on you balcony in the winter Months.

There is not as much competition out of Galveston it could be why the price is on the higher side. The price differences are most noticeable when you add a third or fourth person in the room. For two people it’s negligible.

 

[Ariel 2021]

We did Royal Caribbean to Alaska this year due to cost (2 connecting balcony rooms for $6000 versus 1 balcony for 4 people for $14,000 with Disney). I have done many cost comparisons and when comparing apples to apples Royal has always been much cheaper. I have heard to avoid weekend cruises on RC due to the party crowd but don’t have experience with that.

I was nervous because people said it wasn’t as good as Disney but it was amazing and now I have another RC cruise booked. The food was pretty bad in the MDR (we didn’t like Disney much either) but they have their buffet open for dinner every night and the food there was good. The buffet has a whole gluten free section and the fresh cooked pasta or stir fry bars at the buffet had gluten free options too. The ship was very clean and the staff was amazing and seemed more natural/relaxed than at Disney, service was excellent. The main shows were BAD but there were lots of musical performances in lounges/bars that were great. We LOVED the buffet option at dinner and we LOVED having more activities on board (flow rider, I-Fly, rock climbing, roller skating, etc.) since there isn’t always a lot to do on sea days at Disney. I do wonder if Alaska on a newer ship was more of a premium experience for RC and therefore nicer.

Editing to add: I still want to go on Disney again to Castaway Cay as we haven’t been. And the only up charge we paid on RC was for drinks (cocktails and specialty coffee), which we would have paid on Disney anyways.

 

[tidefan]

To be honest, no, but I will. DW and I are taking this trip to scout out what RC has to offer for our grandkids. They range in age from 18 to 10 and have outgrown the Disney cuteness. One of the things that is of interest on the Oasis class ships is the ice rink and the free skating. 3 of the 6 grandkids are avid hockey players and would love to say they skated on a cruise ship. We will definitely look into the Carnival ship - if it doesn't work for the family cruise it could be a getaway option for the wife and I. Thanks for the heads-up.

Well, there is not an ice-skating rink, but there is a roller coaster, a ropes course, a water park, mini-golf, etc...

 

[happycamper47]

Well, there is not an ice-skating rink, but there is a roller coaster, a ropes course, a water park, mini-golf, etc...

Yes there is,
All ships in the Voyager, Freedom and Oasis classes have rinks. The ice skating rinks are used for Royal Caribbean's ice shows, as well as being open to the public for recreational skating.

Wonder of the Seas has one as well.

 

[tidefan]

Yes there is,
All ships in the Voyager, Freedom and Oasis classes have rinks. The ice skating rinks are used for Royal Caribbean's ice shows, as well as being open to the public for recreational skating.

Wonder of the Seas has one as well.

@happycamper47 , yes, I am well-aware of that! I was replying to a post asking about the Carnival Jubilee, which is what my post was in reference too.

 

[happycamper47]

@happycamper47 , yes, I am well-aware of that! I was replying to a post asking about the Carnival Jubilee, which is what my post was in reference too.

Misread both posts... OOPS..

 

[Kwami]

The pricing difference between the 3 is usually less than $150 for the week, so I consider it apples to apples to compare any RCL balcony to a Disney balcony.

I was actually surprised at the price difference between an ocean-view balcony and an interior-view balcony. The verandah with a view of "Central Park" is only $998 per person, but the ocean view verandah is $2,124 per person! I went with the ocean-view verandah in my comparison because that's the most similar to Disney's verandah rooms.

You don’t have to pay 3 dollars for a soda every time. You can get an unlimited soda package which is very cheap. The adult areas are not always loud. Royal has the solarium which is very peaceful and relaxing. Carnival doesn’t charge for a basic steak either. There are options to upgrade your steak. DCL does not offer that. You have to dine in Palo for a decent steak.

I'm writing about NCL because I'm more familiar with their policies. The soda package is $9.95 per person per day, plus a 20% gratuity. In total, that's $11.40 per person per day. I would have to drink four sodas every day to break even on that package. And, I have to purchase it for everyone in my stateroom, so we would each have to drink four sodas every day to save any money vs. just paying $3.20 for a soda. So, no, it isn't very cheap.

As for the adults-only area, NCL has Spice H2O for free and Vibe for quite a lot extra. NCL says of Spice H2O:

"The idea behind Spice H20 is based on a typical adults-only beach party in Ibiza, Spain. In other words, you can party it up here until your heart's content. The outdoor Spice H20 venue on Deck 17 comes complete with tiered lounging areas, hot tubs for relaxing and unwinding, and water features for cooling off. What's the bonus here? Without any kids, Spice H20 is a calming choice over the busy pool deck. At night, this transformative space becomes one of the trendiest nightclubs on the Norwegian Bliss where you can dance underneath the stars while watching the giant video screen."

So, sure, it's quiet for part of the day. Reviews say that it's always crowded, that there's very little shade, that it's sometimes hard to get a chair, that the chairs aren't padded, and that smoking is allowed on one side of the area, which tends to drift over the rest of it. Also, it's loud at night because it turns into an outdoor nightclub. Or, you can pay extra for something more similar to Quiet Cove.

Here is Carnival's example dinner menu: https://www.carnival.com/-/media/images/explore/dining/menus/dining-room-dinner-menu.pdf

Notice that the only steak options cost $23 extra. There is no free steak on that menu. A filet costs $23. Even strip steak costs $23. So does lobster. All of those options are free on Disney cruises.

Maybe RCL is better. I never said anything otherwise. I made it very clear that I was talking about NCL (and later Carnival) when I made my initial comments about price differences.

You come across as very negative about other cruise lines without actually ever trying them. Hopefully someday you’ll try Royal and keep an open mind.

I've mentioned before that I have an upcoming cruise on NCL in the spring. I'm trying to look forward to it. I really am. If nothing else, I'll at least enjoy the night in NYC before the cruise!

One area DCL excels at is entertainment, but then again once you’ve done a dozen or so cruises you’ve seen the plays multiple times. They are good at finding some talented acts on their longer cruises.

Yeah... NCL has one "Broadway-style show" and a 30-minute dance show. RCL seems to also have one "Broadway-style" show on their cruises. Nothing like Disney's 2-3 shows plus variety acts.