Do any of you have a lot of experience with the newer Royal Caribbean ships and with DCL? Can we do some compare/contrast?
I’m interested in Royal Caribbean because they have “Autism on the Seas” groups throughout the year, and for pretty good prices, that I’m interested in trying for DD23.
We’re going on our first Disney cruise on the Fantasy at the end of this month, and I’m pretty sure she is going to love it, since all things Disney is her special fascination. We went on Carnival Pride last February for her first cruise and while she enjoyed it, she enjoys going to WDW a whole lot more. She’s just not in very fit condition right now and I think a cruise vacation is more her pace. She just got sent home from summer camp after several days with heat exhaustion.
I’m a little hesitant to go on the super huge new RC ships which seem like a crowded floating city block to me, but I could be persuaded to try them pretty easily!
Thanks for any feedback especially relative to Disney-obsessed kids with autism! (I should note that DD is adult-aged at 23 with a child’s interests, so she can’t participate in actual children’s programming, but she can go into adults-only areas which we like.)
I’ve been on two cruises. RCCL Allure of the Seas, and Disney Fantasy.
I MUCH preferred Allure of the Seas. It felt far less crowded than the Disney Fantasy, despite having something like 3 times as many people! Of course, for kids, Allure isn’t necessarily the best choice, but the other Oasis class ships and the new Icon class ships would have much more to do. I can’t speak to Icon class, but I’ve heard good things.
I can compare the Dream to the Oasis or the Odyssey and I’d cruise Royal hands down. The Dream felt 1000% more crowded than either of those ships if that’s the question you are asking.
Which ship are you looking at? We sail on the Star next year and that is one of the “super huge new ones.”
You won’t get Disney on an RCL ship. You will get many things but the reason DCL can still charge their premium (which I do think is shrinking) is this. There’s no replicating it. So you do sort of have to decide how much that is worth or how much you’ll miss it. But otherwise, food, pools, ports, things to do, etc. are at the very least equivalent on Royal in my experience.
I don’t really care about ports/destinations all that much, since we probably will spend most of our time on the ship, aside from potentially doing excursions with the Autism group. I think we lean more toward more sedentary daytime shipboard activities like hot tubs, movies, bingo, etc. (which I will note Carnival offered very very little of, so DD was fairly bored on the Pride).
We sailed on the Disney Magic many years ago, 2005, as our first cruise. Our sons were teens. Ever since, we’ve only sailed on RCL (plus one on the Celebrity Solstice, a sister brand). We’ve been on all the sizes from Grandeur up. We love the Star. Did it last September and doing it again this September.
RCL has a good reputation for children’s programs, of all ages. The biggest ships (Icon class, which includes Star and Legend) have a very unique configuration that seemed to spread people out all over the ship, with multiple ways to get from one spot to another. You did not end up funneling through tight bottlenecks - at least to us.
I agree that the Oasis class also spreads people out around the ship, but Icon class does it even better!
I would do all of these with kids except the Liberty. (I have been on the Freedom.)
My DH and I go back and forth depending on the day whether we like Oasis or Odyssey best. Odyssey has the indoor plex which is really cool! But I love the Central Park/Boardwalk too.
I haven’t been on Star/Icon yet but CANNOT wait to try it! (I have had this booked since 2025!)
Yes, DD’s favorite thing in the whole world is meeting Disney characters, and the kindness of interactions with Disney-trained CMs, so I know nobody can replicate that – which is why we keep coming back to WDW!
As for me, I’m happy sitting on the balcony for a solid week and ordering room service.
I like all of these ships’ classes (Freedom, Odyssey, Oasis, and Icon) more than the smaller sizes (Vision, Voyager, and Radiance). I like them for their more places to be and eat, and more to do. I think the bigger sizes do help spread people around the ship, so not everyone is in the same place (except lunch in the Windjammer on boarding day!).
A few years ago, RCL partnered with DreamWorks and featured some of their characters on the ships. The characters were from Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar. They tried, but it wasn’t nearly as immersive as the Mouse.
We like to do a couple/few days at Disney before a cruise, to get our Disney fix. Then rest on the cruise!
Pretty sure I’ve done Liberty of the Seas and definitely did Navigator of the Seas and I HATE RCCL. HATE them. I love Disney, done all three classes of ships. I find the RCCL to be pushy with upselling, customer service ain’t great, I don’t like the main restaurant food, they aren’t as clean, the bathrooms stink (like in the rooms) and the halls stink like mold. Disney is in a class of its own. If the drinking adults like high quality liquor definitely choose Disney, RCCL is a giant frat party in my experience which is not my bag with only basic liquor.
I sailed Disney Treasure last October (my first Disney ship) and I’ve sailed twice on Oasis (sister to Symphony) and once on Star (sister to Icon). (Star was in May so I have a pretty recent experience with both lines.)
Some pros and cons for you from my family’s perspective.
Pros for Disney: Disney has the Disney touch. There are good quality character meet and greets and some really cute shows/entertainment. The kids played duck duck goose with Rapunzel one day and there was a cute dance party with Mickey, etc. There are some sedentary activities like drawing lessons and trivia. There are some musical bands. There are indoor theaters for movies and outdoor movies on the pool deck. Also free Disney movies on demand in your room. Food is good and the dinners are entertaining. Theater shows are excellent. Disney really wants guests to do “dinner and a show” each night as highlights of the cruise.
Cons for Disney: There are no hot tubs. Pools are small and overcrowded. There are fewer activities and less space overall. Treasure felt far more crowded to me than either Star or Oasis. I didn’t like having to wait in line early to get a great seat for shows. Also the dining (which great food) is traditional - you go to the restaurant, you sit for 3 courses. The only alternative option was room service (or pizza).
Pros for Royal: The layout of the ships and the scheduling of activities breaks up the crowds. There are always boisterous areas and quiet areas. Central Park is an absolute gem on the ships and has soft classical music many evenings. We love the live music options. There are many hot tubs. There are many activities - no drawing, but plenty of trivia, bingo, towel folding, etc. Search for cruise compasses on google and you can get a schedule from a previous cruise listing all the activities. One big pro for us was that there is space to roam and play. When my daughter was small, there was space for her to run around a bit without disrupting other cruisers. We didn’t really find this on Treasure, and honestly the kids from ages 4-12 got bored by the end of the week on Disney. Another big pro for us is the dining options. The food was perhaps a notch below Disney in the dining room but we often opted to eat at other (free/included) venues. This is much appreciated when we’re tired from a long day and don’t want to spend 2 hours at dinner. Entertainment on Royal is also fantastic, although obviously not Disney-oriented. Customer service was excellent on both lines, in my experience.
Cons for Royal: It was be a bit overwhelming in some areas of the ship due to the abundance of live music, deck parties, etc. We avoid these areas when we’re not feeling it. Pools are also busy but there are multiple options. There are movies but fewer of them and no dedicated movie theater. Obviously no Disney characters and no special moments there.
I don’t think you can go wrong either way personally, but I love cruises. I can say that for my immediate family, we are already looking at booking Icon for next year and are not considering Disney for our next cruise. Treasure was fantastic in spots but for value and our limited vacation time, we would rather have our Disney in the parks and other options on the ocean.
I’m pretty sure there are hot tubs in the adult only sections which your DD would be allowed in since she is 23. But they do get pretty crowded. There’s also the Rainforest Room spa area which is great for relaxing and has saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs.
When did you go on Navigator and Liberty? I ask only because both are older ships and have been refurbished.
I definitely lean toward newer ships on any line. They tend to get the best crew as well as newer amenities, etc. Longer cruises and “off season” cruises also tend to be less party atmosphere.
I have been on 11 cruises on five different lines and all of them were great vacations.
I say try it. It won’t be horrible and you just can’t know til you try it yourself.
There are so many nuances. I contend you can be on the same ship with the same itinerary and have completely different experiences. It’s like park days, etc.
On your list I have been on Liberty a number of times (just back in service after being amplified) and I am going on Independence in two weeks. I have also been on Anthem, which is a Quantum class ship.
I am loyal to Royal. I have sailed on the Dream in 2019 and I don’t think I will ever go on another Disney cruise. I had been told the stateroom would be larger than RC, and the food and service would be better. None of this was true. The speciality dining on the Dream was better, it also cost significantly more than any RC extra dining.
I love the equity of access on Royal. I can book anything I want a year out if I want. I don’t have to worry about an activity not being available to me because it is all booked by higher status cruisers. On RC status is more focused on discounts or “extras” on the ship such as lounge access or free drinks. On RC I can also prepay for everything months before my cruise. I cannot stand a $1000 bill on top of a more expensive cruise booking.
I will say, although we love the trivia and live music on RC, we did love all the adult only areas of the Disney ship. I think Disney did these areas great on the Dream. I think we did everything and had some great connections.
