# Comparing Disney Cruise Line & Royal Caribbean



## cathie

Our family has been on 6 Disney Cruises & never on another cruise line. We're wondering what the big differences are (I know no characters & pixie dust) but in regards to food, staterooms etc. Any comments are greatly appreciated


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## holula

I sailed on Oasis a few weeks ago. There is a link in my signature to my comparison review.

Is there anything specific you wanted to know?


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## cathie

We were wondering about how the dining & staterooms were compared to Disney & are there any hidden fees we should know about..Thanks!


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## mcd2745

The biggest difference in dining rooms is on RCCL, you eat in the same place every night as opposed to the 3-restaurant rotation on DCL (assuming no specialty restaurants). As for the actual food, it's pretty comparrable. I would call it a draw. Staterooms are a little larger in general on DCL, but not enough to really matter. The split baths are a real plus though. Many RCCL  ships now do have characters - just not disney characters, of course. They are Dreamworks characters (Shrek & Fiona, Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, etc.). Not really a lot of hidden fees on RCCL...that's seems to be overblown. They do, however, constantly hawk merchandise. That's a little off-putting at times, bur of course you don't have to buy anything. One aspect where RCCL excels is that they seem to do a much better job designing their ships from a crowd flow standpoint. Even on their larger ships, with more people on board, you never get that overcrowded feeling like you do on DCL sometimes.


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## ldo

Been on 4 DCL and 4+ RCCL. We strongly prefer DCL, but are sailing on RCCL for spring break due to price (1/2 of DCL).
how many are in your family? If 4 and you want 1 room, RCCL will be a smaller room with either bunks over single beds (or you could have lower bed as 1 big bed, but it works much better to leave as 2 singles--much more space) or 2 singles (or big bed) and a double sleeper sofa. When our kids were younger, we preferred the sofabed, now as teens, we get bunks. If you have 5-6, you can book an oceanview family cabin. These are very nice with big bed, sofabed and an alcove with closet/dresser and 2 bunks with door or curtain (I would guess a 6x9 room size). 1 smallish bathroom.
For ages 5-11, the kids clubs were very good. My 5-9 yr olds did not want to come out of the kids club--we had to drag them out of the club on Coco Cay, as well. For 12+, there is no staffed teen place during the day, only in the evening. They do teen activities around the ship, but they seem sports/competitive oriented and my shy teen don't participate.
The biggest difference, other than the cabins for us are: DCL theater with first run movies, awesome family friendly shows (RCCL has some good show-like the ice skating show, Grease, Hairspay, etc. (I took my 12 yr old--went over her head, so I would say family friendly), better TV shows/movies, fun (and much better than RCCL MDR, IMHO) dining. RCCL MDR is perfectly edible, but like eating at Applebees. DCL is more like (but not quite) Bonefish grill (IMHO). Our next RCCL cruise, we will add at least 1 speciality restaurant.
On the ships we have been on, RCCL's outdoor movie screen played sports/poker during the day vs. family movies, and it was hard to hear/see the screen due to its location. They played 1-2 movies at night during a 5 day cruise, others have said on a week-long they play more.
We have sailed smaller ships and Freedom class, which has a rock climibing wall, flow rider, indoor promenade, and ice skating rink. Most Freedom class (and I would assume the mega ships) have Dreamworks characters and at least 1 3D movie in the big production theater during the cruise.
The newer mega ships might have different room configurations.
Bottom line--be prepared for a smaller cabin, and more mundane (but still nice) dining. One thing all RCCL ships have is a buffet at dinner also, which is good if you want to feed kids earlier. Kids clubs are usually closed from 5-7. RCCL also has family dining where kids get their meals ASAP and then kids club counselors pick them up in the dining room right before 7 to take them to the kids club.


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## wdw penny girl

I've been on both...3 DCL and 3 RC. Cabins are basically the same (split bath only real difference.) I like DCL food better...rotation dining to us feels like your going to a nice family restaurant....where as the Main dining room on RC feels like a mediocre banquet hall...the servers on Disney were also more personable and efficient (every evening our iced teas were at the table as soon as we were seated.) Of course the DC drink station is a wonderful plus....no extra fee, no annoying mug to carry around and easy to convenient stop by and get an early morning or late night tea. The shows are better on Disney and they have real movie theaters with first run movies  (on The Voyager class ships there's a screening room as big as a living room with theater seats and heads directly on front of you, they show movies that are out on DVD.) TV stations on Disney are better,,,yes Disney programming, but more variety. On RC a few real stations and those showed reruns....this past September the same "Castle" episode ran every night of our 9 night cruise...last year we saw the same episode of  the original "Who's line is it anyway." All the others ran RC infomercials. I'll go on RC again for convenience...but prefer DCL (but not their prices.)


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## ldo

no hidden fees. soda is extra, so decide in advance if you want to buy a soda package or just buy a soda as you want it. My kids drink little soda, so they do not miss it. DH and I get a diet coke or just drink free iced tea. our ending bill on RCCL is very similar to DCL--a few drinks, bottle of wine, souvenirs, usually under $200 for the week.
We also really like Princess. Ifyou have athletic/adventurous kids, then RCCL with rock climber/flo rider is a good choice. If your kids won't use those, then you might also consider Princess--a bit larger rooms, better MDR food. During EAster, they showed kids G movies in the AM at one of the pools and had a fun (clean) lip sing at the main pool during the day. They also show a movie outdoor every night--but the are PG-13/R usually. My teens liked Princess a lot. It is #2 after DCL for us now.


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## holula

cathie said:


> We were wondering about how the dining & staterooms were compared to Disney & are there any hidden fees we should know about..Thanks!


Staterooms are subjective. I found my balcony rooms on Royal a similar size to what we have sailed in on DCL previously. I find that the split bathroom on DCL takes up a lot of space, which makes the room size comparable. The inside rooms are generally smaller, but some of the ships also have larger inside staterooms. It is going to vary ship by ship also. Royal has floor plans of MOST of their staterooms on their website and you should be able to view them when you select one of their ships.

With the dining, you will be in one dining room for the whole cruise. There isn't any rotational dining. You can choose between traditional seating which I believe is at 6pm and 8.30pm, and My Time Dining, where you walk up and get a table with no set time. There is also a buffet dinner served in the Windjammer. I found the food on par with Disney. I found the food on Princess and NCL to be better than them both.

There are no hidden fees. There are several upcharge restaurants on Royal but they aren't really hidden fees. Same with soda, since it's not included.

We have seen the shows on Disney so many times that we don't go to them anymore. As much as I LOVE Villains tonight, the rest of them I find watchable at best. On Oasis, Royal had a good VARYING selection of shows, which included an ice show, Broadway show, Aquatheater show, and then what seemed to be a Cirque du Soleil type event with lots of gymnastics. Royal has Dreamworks characters on their larger ships.

IMO:

Disney Pros - movie theatre, Aquaduck (Dream or Fantasy only), Animator's Palate, the horn, Palo, fireworks.

Royal Pros - overall ship design and layout, better pools/pool area, Flowrider (some ships only), more activities during sea days, their loyalty program.


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## LemonNeko

I've been on one DCL (Magic) and one Royal (Freedom of the Seas) so my comparison is based on one trip each. 

I had an inside on DCL and outside on Royal. It was nicer to have the outside so it's hard for me to compare the rooms. I did like the food on DCL better and the decor in the dining rooms. I loved Sabor on Royal but there was an upcharge for it. 

The pools were a lot nicer on Royal. We were on a full ship and they never felt over crowed even on sea days when the weather was amazing. 

My son who is 3 loved the kids club on Royal (he wasn't born when I went on DCL so can't compare). The kids club workers really interacted with the kids and I thought the activities they had were great. 

People complain about nickle and dimeing on Royal but I didn't find that I didn't spend much more than I did on DCL.


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## bobbiwoz

In the RCCL menu, they highlight a sample selected meal and it is  3 courses.  They lump all salads, appetizers and  soups together, so if you want appetizer and soup you are ordering two from the same list.  On DCL they have different categories for each.  It seems to me that Roysl prefers that you order the 3 courses, most of the time everyone at our table did.

The Windjammer had food throughout the day, more so than the buffets on DCL.

The adult pool on the Radiance of the Seas is 6 foot deep, a good size overall, but very overcrowded during the day.  My friends and I found it best to be at the pool in the early morning, 6 AM, but the pool experience for us is far superior on RCCL because of the size and depth of the solarium pool.  I wish DCL had something comparable!

It was not that easy to use My Time Dining on RCCL.  We had to check in the night before to ensure we would have the same time and same table.  On our 10 night cruise on around the 7th night, they told us we had the time, table slot.  So we did always have the same servers who were incredible.


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## eskimoinparadise

Comparing DCL to RCL is virtually impossible unless you know which ships you're comparing. DCL has 4, RCL has 25. Disney has nothing to compare against Freedom, Oasis, or Quantum class ships, so I toss those comps out whenever I see them. IMSO, DCL's Magic and Wonder are comparable to RCL's Radiance class (passenger capacity, tonnage, amenities). DCL's Fantasy and Dream are comparable to RCL's Voyager class. We're Platinum on DCL, and Diamond+ on RCL, and we've sailed every class except Quantum. If I had the choice between a Magic class ship and a Radiance class ship from RCL, the RCL ship would win on overall quality of the cruise experience every time. If I were choosing between Dream class and Voyager class, it would be a draw - itinerary would be the only swing vote. (I avoid doing any comparison on price - it wouldn't be a fair fight  )

Comparing to any other class is apples to aardvarks


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## mlayton14

eskimoinparadise said:


> Comparing DCL to RCL is virtually impossible unless you know which ships you're comparing. DCL has 4, RCL has 25. Disney has nothing to compare against Freedom, Oasis, or Quantum class ships, so I toss those comps out whenever I see them. IMSO, DCL's Magic and Wonder are comparable to RCL's Radiance class (passenger capacity, tonnage, amenities). DCL's Fantasy and Dream are comparable to RCL's Voyager class. We're Platinum on DCL, and Diamond+ on RCL, and we've sailed every class except Quantum. If I had the choice between a Magic class ship and a Radiance class ship from RCL, the RCL ship would win on overall quality of the cruise experience every time. If I were choosing between Dream class and Voyager class, it would be a draw - itinerary would be the only swing vote. (I avoid doing any comparison on price - it wouldn't be a fair fight  )
> 
> Comparing to any other class is apples to aardvarks



The thing that stops us from booking ROYAL cruise is the overall look and feel of the ships, it seems as though they are a cross between a las Vegas resort with lots of tacky neon lights, concrete flooring on the top decks to walk on / sit in a lounger, and a shopping mall feel inside. The MDR seems like a cavernous banquet hall . The number of activities seem like they would appeal to a larger cross section of people which is good but the ship's just seem tacky. Add events like hairy chest contest and belly flop contest in the pool area and that tells you abit more about the variety of clientele they cater to.  

If you haven't already done so I suggest the OP go on YouTube and check out the videos of the ship's before deciding if it's for you


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## Frozen2014

mlayton14 said:


> The thing that stops us from booking ROYAL cruise is the overall look and feel of the ships, it seems as though they are a cross between a las Vegas resort with lots of tacky neon lights, concrete flooring on the top decks to walk on / sit in a lounger, and a shopping mall feel inside. The MDR seems like a cavernous banquet hall . The number of activities seem like they would appeal to a larger cross section of people which is good but the ship's just seem tacky. Add events like hairy chest contest and belly flop contest in the pool area and that tells you abit more about the variety of clientele they cater to.
> 
> If you haven't already done so I suggest the OP go on YouTube and check out the videos of the ship's before deciding if it's for you



I'm surprised at this comment...but do know that everyone's tastes are different.  Personally I love the Royal feel.  Their ships are beautiful with marble areas, trimmings and just the general décor.  I've taken a look (online only) at others like Carnival, and it doesn't seem to have as good of a feel (i.e. not as pretty, an older more basic feeling).  I'm not a Vegas fan at all and would never compare their ships to looking or feeling like it.
We did go on the Magic.  The ship is great, and also nice.  Not the elegant feeling but some of the details, and of course kid centered things.

OP, I re-read your post and you said no characters.  A lot of Royal's ships have DreamWorks characters...Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train your Dragon.  They have parades, sail away party , ice shows, character breakfast (at a small surcharge), meet and greets, etc.  Looks great for kids.  Just research what ships if this is an interest.  Offhand I know the are on Oasis class and Freedom class ships.

As for staterooms, it really depends as Royal offers such a variety of staterooms.  They do have things like family suites that might be a big bigger.  For our upcoming cruise on Allure, we selected a Promenade.  It has a bay window overlooking the Promenade.  Inside it has a bed for DH and I, and also a pull out sofa which holds 1 or 2 kids.  Our room also has a Pullman for an extra bed.  The Oasis class also offers different type rooms such as overlooking the Boardwalk and Central Park.  These look fun but might be a bit louder.


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## eskimoinparadise

mlayton14 said:


> The thing that stops us from booking ROYAL cruise is the overall look and feel of the ships, it seems as though they are a cross between a las Vegas resort with lots of tacky neon lights, concrete flooring on the top decks to walk on / sit in a lounger, and a shopping mall feel inside. The MDR seems like a cavernous banquet hall . The number of activities seem like they would appeal to a larger cross section of people which is good but the ship's just seem tacky. Add events like hairy chest contest and belly flop contest in the pool area and that tells you abit more about the variety of clientele they cater to.
> 
> 
> .


I'm really scratching my head on this one. I can only presume you've never actually been on an RCL ship. We've been on every class of RCL ship other than the new Quantum class, and I can't think of a single ship that comes even close to matching this description. If I didn't see your RCL reference, I'd swear you were describing Carnival. In 35+ cruises on RCL, we've never witnessed a "hairy Chest" contest; the pool decks are covered in a composite surface preferred by runners; the main dining rooms are better appointed than most 5-star land restaurants (and sure a heck of a lot better than the vinyl cafeteria chairs in Disney's Animators Palette. One thing I will say, I'm always amazed at the number of passengers we see on the pool deck with Castaway Cay beach bags 

Before you arbitrarily slam a competitor, at least have the decency to do it from even a modicum of experience actually cruising on the line.


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## eskimoinparadise

ldo said:


> no hidden fees. soda is extra, so decide in advance if you want to buy a soda package or just buy a soda as you want it. My kids drink little soda, so they do not miss it. DH and I get a diet coke or just drink free iced tea. our ending bill on RCCL is very similar to DCL--a few drinks, bottle of wine, souvenirs, usually under $200 for the week.
> We also really like Princess. Ifyou have athletic/adventurous kids, then RCCL with rock climber/flo rider is a good choice. If your kids won't use those, then you might also consider Princess--a bit larger rooms, better MDR food. During EAster, they showed kids G movies in the AM at one of the pools and had a fun (clean) lip sing at the main pool during the day. They also show a movie outdoor every night--but the are PG-13/R usually. My teens liked Princess a lot. It is #2 after DCL for us now.


Agree. If Princess would keep any of its ships in the Caribbean year round we'd probably sail them a lot more frequently than we do now.


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## holula

mlayton14 said:


> The thing that stops us from booking ROYAL cruise is the overall look and feel of the ships, it seems as though they are a cross between a las Vegas resort with lots of tacky neon lights, concrete flooring on the top decks to walk on / sit in a lounger, and a shopping mall feel inside. The MDR seems like a cavernous banquet hall . The number of activities seem like they would appeal to a larger cross section of people which is good but the ship's just seem tacky. Add events like hairy chest contest and belly flop contest in the pool area and that tells you abit more about the variety of clientele they cater to.
> 
> If you haven't already done so I suggest the OP go on YouTube and check out the videos of the ship's before deciding if it's for you


I've been on three Royal ships - three different classes of ship too - and didn't feel like this on any of them. The Promenade is a bit mall-ish at times but there are tons of activities and characters there and the characters are so much easier to meet than on Disney since the lines are so short. The ships themselves are actually beautiful inside and although they are differently themed than Disney it doesn't make them less gorgeous.

I also haven't seen a hairy chest contest on Royal. The belly flop is a ton of fun if you get the right people participating.

I sailed NCL Epic last year and the top deck of that could use a bit of help design and theming wise, but that was beautiful inside too!


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## starvenger

One comparison that appears to be missing is the free coffee - it's terrible on both!

Ive only been on Oasis class so my comparison might be skewed, but having just been on the fantasy I felt that there was more to do on the Royal ships, and activities feel more spread out as opposed to always being in e D lounge. 

yes there is a bit more of a hard sell for merch but at the same time they are pushing items at a discount. On DCL it seems the price is the price. 

Food wise I think it evens out. DCL the quality seemed to vary (AP was terrible and seemingly more gimmick-centric, other two were better) whereas Royal felt more consistent. But at the end of the day it's about banquet level quality for both. 

Soda/pop - yes it's included on DCL, but don't forget you're already paying a premium on the cruise line, so consider it a hidden fee. Royal has freestyle machines and a soda package. Tbh I can go without the carbonated stuff for a week. Iced tea, however, I prefer Royal. The Fuze on Disney tastes... off. 

Shows, Royal seems to have more variety and more available time slots. Production on the Disney theatre shows felt better though. And they did not feature an abba tribute band as a "headliner", so that's a plus. 

I cannot compare specialty restaurants since DCL is adults only, and I don't trust my kids eating on their own or with the kids club. 

Kids club - both are great. DCL is a more open area, Royal slots the kids by age a bit more. 

Pools - a bit unfair since Oasis class is so much bigger but the kids could swim in the Oasis pools. There was no room to do so on the Fantasy. 

Library - DCL has none, but it was a great place for us to play games (Settlers, Coup, Monopoly Deal etc) late at night. 

Characters - Disney > Dreamworks. Not a fair fight. 

Hope that helps.


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## eskimoinparadise

starvenger said:


> Pools - a bit unfair since Oasis class is so much bigger but the kids could swim in the Oasis pools. There was no room to do so on the Fantasy.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope that helps.


This one's easy - every pool on any RCL ship is bigger than any pool on any Disney ship


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## starvenger

eskimoinparadise said:


> This one's easy - every pool on any RCL ship is bigger than any pool on any Disney ship


I wasn't sure. my dad aka grandpa was really unhappy about it as well.


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## holula

eskimoinparadise said:


> This one's easy - every pool on any RCL ship is bigger than any pool on any Disney ship


Very true.


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## fredandkell

As others have said, hard to compare, but I will say that Disney is WORLDS better than RCL on cleanliness and ship appearance. I mean WORLDS. Also, Disney's private island has an actual dock, not a tender, so you have a much, much higher chance of actually getting to go to a private island with Disney. RCL has better food than Disney and better pools, but Disney has better water slides and WORLDS better kids' clubs. For us, we will probably stick with Disney in the future. (I just got off a RCL cruise yesterday, which was $1,600 cheaper than the same itinerary as Disney, and the husband and I both agreed that we wished we would have spent the extra $$.)


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## mlayton14

If you want actual data relating to people's opinions look no further than than cruise critic . Disney Fantasy received 94% LOVE IT , while both Allure and Oasis received 81% apiece . Forget the newer anthem class on royal, they are in the 50% range which is pretty bad.  This is based on hundreds of reviews . 

And no I haven't sailed Royal and the cheaper prices are awfully tempting , but I can see from YouTube videos what to expect, videos don't lie do they?


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## starvenger

fredandkell said:


> As others have said, hard to compare, but I will say that Disney is WORLDS better than RCL on cleanliness and ship appearance. I mean WORLDS. Also, Disney's private island has an actual dock, not a tender, so you have a much, much higher chance of actually getting to go to a private island with Disney. RCL has better food than Disney and better pools, but Disney has better water slides and WORLDS better kids' clubs. For us, we will probably stick with Disney in the future. (I just got off a RCL cruise yesterday, which was $1,600 cheaper than the same itinerary as Disney, and the husband and I both agreed that we wished we would have spent the extra $$.)


In terms of cleanliness, I'd agree that Disney is better. Can't agree that it is worlds better, but it is noticeably better. 

My kids actually liked the Royal kids club much better than Disney. And I preferred them as well since they're slotted into more specific age groups rather than the 3-12 that Disney does. 

Also, the Labadee private peninsula(?) has a dock, so if you go there it's similar to Castaway Cay. 

As for waterslides, i didn't see any on the Allure so I guess Disney is better there, but by that token Royal probably has better rock climbing walls, wave riders and zip lines. 

At the end of the day, we determined that Royal (and spiritually the Oasis class) was better for us.


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## eskimoinparadise

fredandkell said:


> As others have said, hard to compare, but I will say that Disney is WORLDS better than RCL on cleanliness and ship appearance. I mean WORLDS. Also, Disney's private island has an actual dock, not a tender, so you have a much, much higher chance of actually getting to go to a private island with Disney. RCL has better food than Disney and better pools, but Disney has better water slides and WORLDS better kids' clubs. For us, we will probably stick with Disney in the future. (I just got off a RCL cruise yesterday, which was $1,600 cheaper than the same itinerary as Disney, and the husband and I both agreed that we wished we would have spent the extra $$.)


 When comparing a five year old ship that holds ~4,000 pax with a 20 year old ship that holds ~2,400 pax, it's easy to get skewed opinions. However, if you were to compare Disney Dream with an RCL ship about the same age and with the same passenger capacity (i.e. Freedom Class) you'd be really hard-pressed to come out with the same assessment. Given the choice between Disney Fantasy and RCL's Freedom, I'd take Freedom every time in a heart beat (and we're Platinum on Disney).


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## bumbershoot

cathie said:


> (I know no characters & pixie dust)



As others have mentioned, there are super-fun Dreamworks cahracters on several of the ships.

One doesn't need "pixie dust" in order to have a nice time.  One can have extra-nice things happen without the specter of Tinkerbell.  It's not like DCL does amazing extra things for everyone, and it's just a total bore on every other line.  



cathie said:


> are there any hidden fees we should know about



I don't feel there are hidden fees on ANY cruiseline.  Things are really spelled out, IMO, on EVERY line.  I've never had a surprise, personally.



bobbiwoz said:


> It was not that easy to use My Time Dining on RCCL.



We didn't book anything until embarkation day on Vision (when we had MTD).  That day we booked our first night, then an hour later went back and booked the rest of the nights.  First night we ate at 6:30ish and the rest of the nights we were at 7, same seat for those nights (next to the table we had the first night), and with the same serving team.  EASY.



mlayton14 said:


> it seems as though they are a cross between a las Vegas resort with lots of tacky neon lights, concrete flooring on the top decks to walk on / sit in a lounger, and a shopping mall feel inside.



Hmm.  Not sure about neon?  Pretty lights, absolutely.  Pretty bright colors and nice things to look at.  Vs the Disney look of deep tones and darker public spaces.  I personally prefer the Royal look over Disney.  Disney is just like a shopping mall in their shopping district, too.  They all have shopping districts.

Don't know what you are talking about with concrete.



mlayton14 said:


> Add events like hairy chest contest and belly flop contest in the pool area and that tells you abit more about the variety of clientele they cater to.



Never saw a hairy chest contest.

DH participated in a belly flop contest.  He should have won, but flopped in his flop, and everyone was so sad.  It was a TON of fun for the people participating and watching.  IMO the only reason Disney doesn't have those contests is because of their tiny little pathetic pools.



eskimoinparadise said:


> the pool decks are covered in a composite surface preferred by runners



Yes.



starvenger said:


> One comparison that appears to be missing is the free coffee - it's terrible on both!



Never even tried the free stuff on Royal, after having such drastically awful coffee on DCL.



starvenger said:


> Soda/pop - yes it's included on DCL, but don't forget you're already paying a premium on the cruise line, so consider it a hidden fee.



YES.  And worse, we don't drink it, so we're helping to subsidize other peoples' "free" soda!



starvenger said:


> I wasn't sure. my dad aka grandpa was really unhappy about it as well.



What was he unhappy about regarding the pools?



fredandkell said:


> I will say that Disney is WORLDS better than RCL on cleanliness and ship appearance.



Ooh I have to disagree there.



fredandkell said:


> RCL has better food than Disney and better pools



Yes.



fredandkell said:


> WORLDS better kids' clubs



Disagreeing again.  DS has been 9 and 10 on royal, and LOVED the kid's clubs on Freedom and Vision.  He thought he enjoyed the club/lab on Disney, but once he really saw what the Royal clubs are like, he prefers them.



eskimoinparadise said:


> Given the choice between Disney Fantasy and RCL's Freedom, I'd take Freedom every time in a heart beat



SAME.  (though we've only been on Dream, not Fantasy)

And we are doing so this March!


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## starvenger

bumbershoot said:


> As others have mentioned, there are super-fun Dreamworks cahracters on several of the ships.
> What was he unhappy about regarding the pools?


The main pools were way too small.  And way too crowded.  And of course he could have gone to the adult pool, but the whole idea was that he could get into the pool and swim with the kids, and that just wasn't gonna happen.


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## sam_gordon

fredandkell said:


> Also, Disney's private island has an actual dock, not a tender, so you have a much, much higher chance of actually getting to go to a private island with Disney.


RCL has two private islands... Coco Cay, which is used on Eastern Caribbean itineraries, uses tenders.  Labadee, on the Western Caribbean itinerary, has a dock.  I've never heard of a cruise skipping Labadee.


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## Frozen2014

starvenger said:


> My kids actually liked the Royal kids club much better than Disney. And I preferred them as well since they're slotted into more specific age groups rather than the 3-12 that Disney does.
> 
> As for waterslides, i didn't see any on the Allure so I guess Disney is better there, but by that token Royal probably has better rock climbing walls, wave riders and zip lines.
> 
> At the end of the day, we determined that Royal (and spiritually the Oasis class) was better for us.



We have yet to experience the kids club on Royal, but I've heard many comments that many like it more as its organized activities.  I also like how they are age specific (although my DS10 and DD6 will be in different groups).

Waterslides are coming to Oasis and Allure, but no set date.  They are first going on the new Harmony (new Oasis class) and Liberty. There is currently H20 zone (but I know this doesn't match up to waterslides)

Us too...we selected Allure as it's a better fit for us and the extra Disney cost wasn't worth it for us.  But I don't think you can go wrong with either.


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## eskimoinparadise

fredandkell said:


> Also, Disney's private island has an actual dock, not a tender, so you have a much, much higher chance of actually getting to go to a private island with Disney.


And yet we've missed Disney's island twice due to high winds and rough seas. We've missed Coco Cay three times.


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## LemonNeko

starvenger said:


> One comparison that appears to be missing is the free coffee - it's terrible on both!



Yes, I told the guy at Cafe Promenade I think they make the coffee terrible so people will pay extra for Starbucks. 


I missed getting to go to Castaway Cay and Coco Cay. I need to book again to see if I get to see one.


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## starvenger

LemonNeko said:


> Yes, I told the guy at Cafe Promenade I think they make the coffee terrible so people will pay extra for Starbucks.


It's at the point where I buy Starbucks VIA singles to use when I get the urge to have some decent - albeit instant - coffee (as I don't want to bring my French press + ground coffee onboard).

My thing is that it IS only a week so I can deal.  I've suffered through worse before (i.e. gas station coffee circa 2000).


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## plutolovr

starvenger said:


> The main pools were way too small.  And way too crowded.  And of course he could have gone to the adult pool, but the whole idea was that he could get into the pool and swim with the kids, and that just wasn't gonna happen.



The older ships all have smaller pools. The large Royal ships have larger and more pools per ship. The biggest complaint on the Disney ships, especially the Fantasy and Dream are that the pools are way too small and these are newer ships.


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## starvenger

Especially considering the number of kids on the ship, you'd think that the kids pool would be bigger.


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## tidefan

eskimoinparadise said:


> If I had the choice between a Magic class ship and a Radiance class ship from RCL, the RCL ship would win on overall quality of the cruise experience every time.


Oh, I have to really disagree with this. We took Serenade of the Seas last year on Thanksgiving out of New Orleans and we all consider that to be the worst ship we've ever been on out of our 14 cruises.  The Windjammer wasn't very good, and because they closed it everyday at 2:30, there wasn't a place to get food between 2:30 and 6:00.  It was also the only ship I've ever been on without a poolside grill or pizza place (you had to go to the Windjammer for those).

The Magic is right behind the Fantasy as our favorite ship and I would put Princess right there with them. In fact, this year our group went on the Carnival Sunshine (our first time on CCL), and as much as CCL is lambasted, we felt that CCL was great and all thought the Sunshine was a much better cruise than the Serenade, though still below DCL and Princess. I will say though, that the "comfort food" (Guy's burgers, Blue Iguana, Mongolian Wok, etc.) on CCL is amazing AND it's not extra charge...


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## IamTinkerbell

First it depends which DCL ship you have sailed on and which RCCL ship you plan on sailing on. First the crew international same on both, friendly same on both, more time to chat DCL, pushy with drinks RCCL. Food about the same quality. Easier choices for me (picky eater) on RCCL. More show types and some ships have shows in the main atrium RCCL. The pools on Oasis of the Seas wow pools, Rhapsody and Vision of the Seas bigger. I have cruised DCL Fantasy and Wonder. Royal Rhapsody, Vision, Oasis scheduled on Enchantment. No kids however we did see a movie in the kids club on the Oasis. We also had a 2 am trip to the hot tub. On the giant Oasis of the seas I did not leave any extra tips absolutely no special or personalized service assigned showtimes preplanned and very expensive cocktails $14 each. The drink cup package worked ok.. I did Alaska on Rhapsody and Wonder 1 year apart. Rccl much longer shore times. Spa is same company. I choose to have fun and make do. DCL water to room 16 oz about $2 per bottle (4 at the bar). Rccl liter bottles. I bring Mio and the like and flavor away. Coffee is my vice best coffee extra cost on either and worth it.


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## starvenger

I remembered another difference on the ships - DCL adheres to time zone changes while RCCL uses "ships time". Which to be honest is a bit strange in the Caribbean, because we ended up gaining an hour of sleep only to lose it three nights later. Minor thing though.


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## sam_gordon

starvenger said:


> I remembered another difference on the ships - *DCL adheres to time zone changes while RCCL uses "ships time"*. Which to be honest is a bit strange in the Caribbean, because we ended up gaining an hour of sleep only to lose it three nights later. Minor thing though.


DCL would also be using "ship's time", it's just they change the time of the ship to match local.  I know there's no guarantee that Royal will stay on the embarkation port's time.  Some ships do, some change.


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## starvenger

Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks!


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## eskimoinparadise

starvenger said:


> I remembered another difference on the ships - DCL adheres to time zone changes while RCCL uses "ships time". Which to be honest is a bit strange in the Caribbean, because we ended up gaining an hour of sleep only to lose it three nights later. Minor thing though.


Depends on the ship and the captain. Sometimes they stay on ships time, and sometimes they don't. It's the same for both cruise lines.


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## eskimoinparadise

tidefan said:


> Oh, I have to really disagree with this. We took Serenade of the Seas last year on Thanksgiving out of New Orleans and we all consider that to be the worst ship we've ever been on out of our 14 cruises.  The Windjammer wasn't very good, and because they closed it everyday at 2:30, there wasn't a place to get food between 2:30 and 6:00.  It was also the only ship I've ever been on without a poolside grill or pizza place (you had to go to the Windjammer for those).
> 
> The Magic is right behind the Fantasy as our favorite ship and I would put Princess right there with them. In fact, this year our group went on the Carnival Sunshine (our first time on CCL), and as much as CCL is lambasted, we felt that CCL was great and all thought the Sunshine was a much better cruise than the Serenade, though still below DCL and Princess. I will say though, that the "comfort food" (Guy's burgers, Blue Iguana, Mongolian Wok, etc.) on CCL is amazing AND it's not extra charge...


I guess you never found the Park Café, which is open whenever the WJ is closed.


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## tidefan

eskimoinparadise said:


> I guess you never found the Park Café, which is open whenever the WJ is closed.


Oh, we found the Park Cafe, which was strange in that it was in the adult area. Quite honestly, it wasn't very good at all and had a very limited selection, usually some kind of sandwich and bags of potato chips.

Bottom line is that our cruise experience on Royal just wasn't very good, which surprised us considering how many fans there are it seems like on here. What surprised us even more was how much more we enjoyed Carnival...

Still prefer Disney or Princess over either, though...

Now, this is based on exactly 1 RCCL cruise and exactly 1
CCL cruise, so it's hard to compare lines based off of one individual sailing on each, but for those particular sailings, that was our opinion. YMMV....


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## bumbershoot

I wasn't excited by Park Cafe either.  Nothing there for us.

Didn't bother me that it was in the Solarium (kids aren't allowed to be in the pool or poolside, but they are fine going into PC), but it just didn't have anything for us to eat.


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## bumbershoot

IamTinkerbell said:


> Coffee is my vice best coffee extra cost on either and worth it.



Same.  And I agree.



eskimoinparadise said:


> Depends on the ship and the captain. Sometimes they stay on ships time, and sometimes they don't. It's the same for both cruise lines.



YES.  Especially the "it's the same for both cruise lines" part.

Just b/c one has experienced it X way with Disney and Y with Royal doesn't mean it's always like that.  It's always up to the captain.


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## starvenger

bumbershoot said:


> YES.  Especially the "it's the same for both cruise lines" part.
> 
> Just b/c one has experienced it X way with Disney and Y with Royal doesn't mean it's always like that.  It's always up to the captain.


It's weird that there is no standard and that it is at the whim of the captain.  C'est la vie.


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## bumbershoot

starvenger said:


> It's weird that there is no standard and that it is at the whim of the captain.  C'est la vie.



oui.

I agree.  The whole thing is odd.

So we always have a plain old normal watch to set to ship's time (especially if traveling during a time that the ship might be on daylight savings but the country we're in isn't) shortly before we get off the ship!  I don't want to trust a phone or even my running watch, just in case there's a floop and it sets itself to island time.


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## MrsPete

I've sailed both Disney and Royal Caribbean, though Disney was quite some time ago.  Both are great products, and here's what I see as the big differences:

- Disney ships are smaller, perhaps more manageable for first-time cruisers or families with teens who'll be allowed "on their own" a bit.  RC's ships offer more activities.
- I know most people love Disney's split bathrooms, but I don't.  Both bathrooms are tiny-small.  If you're sharing a cabin with a group, search the deck plans and choose a room near the gym (use their showers, no charge) or near a public bathroom.
- Disney ships have no casinos.
- Disney ships have the rotating dining rooms thing, which we enjoyed.
- Disney's kids' clubs were better, but RC's teen clubs beat them.
- Disney's private island is tremendously better. 
- Disney has a water slide, but RC's pools are larger. 
- Disney's movie theater is better.

And the biggie:  You can _almost_ take two RC cruises for the price of one Disney cruise.


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## Jacden

We love both. We cruise Disney for relaxation and RC for the many activities on the boat.


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## DnA2010

bumbershoot said:


> I wasn't excited by Park Cafe either.  Nothing there for us.
> 
> .



Really? Park Cafe is my fav food facility on the 3 ships I have been on (DCL Fantasy, Oasis and Freedom) - the yummy panninis and wraps, the make your own salad- yum!! Everything there was so good


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## ekatiel

I think the differing opinions you're seeing here about RCI are mostly based on ship class.  If you look at all the reviews above, people who sailed on RCI's larger ships (Voyager Class and above) tend to prefer RCI.  People who have sailed on RCI's smaller ships, tend to prefer DCL.  Royal's smaller ships tend to be older and not have as many kid-friendly amenities.  It is the same with Carnival's ships-- the reviewer who sailed on the Sunshine (which is technically not a 100% new ship, but did receive such a huge refurbishment a few years ago that it was actually renamed) was surprised by that ship, as most people would be with Carnival's newer ships like the Magic or Breeze.  When we sail with our kids, we try to make sure that we are on a ship with lots of kid-friendly activities.  OP, I don't think you will be disappointed if you choose a larger Royal ship, and if characters are important to you, choose one with the Dreamworks Characters.  RCI does a really good job with the Dreamworks characters, IMO.  Thanksgiving of 2014, we were on Allure, and the Penguins of Madagascar movie premiered on the ship (complete with a red carpet and aforementioned penguins) the same day it premiered on land. Allure also had a How to Train Your Dragon Ice Show that was amazing, and a Madagascar Aqua Show that was equally cool.  IF the price is right, we'll sail DCL again, but for now, we'll stick with RCI (and a Carnival cruise thrown in here and there).


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## bumbershoot

DnA2010 said:


> Really? Park Cafe is my fav food facility on the 3 ships I have been on (DCL Fantasy, Oasis and Freedom) - the yummy panninis and wraps, the make your own salad- yum!! Everything there was so good



We're vegetarian and I simply saw nothing there that wasn't meat.


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## DnA2010

The make your own salads were awesome?


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## ICEMANPAD

We were on the Oasis last week and found many vegetarian options at Park Cafe.  The made to order salads, veggie quesadillas and veggie paninis were all excellent!


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## JJsmama

I am really getting sucked in by this thread and another on thr DCL forum.  I have Eastern Magic booked for May.  Only vacation without our kids.  Am thinking of switching to Freedom  OTS for the same week (eastern) and either save $1400 and book the same verandah stateroom, or spend the same money and book Grand Suite on RCCL.  Not having to fight for a pool chair is what excites me the most about the Suite level.  And priority tendering.  What do you think?

Forgive me, i will also post this on the DCL board bc i think i have resurrected this one from the past.


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## cdhheidi

I have a question as well, if anyone can answer....  how good is RCCL at working with disabilities as compared with DCL? We last traveled DCL in 2008 and they were fantastic, and as we are planning a trip to Alaska in 2017 are trying to decide if it would be worth trying RCCL given the difference in cost.  (and how are the Alaska RCCL ships as compared to Disney's? ).  My son is a young adult so the kids clubs don't matter, but emotionally he is 10-12 ish, sometimes younger, sometimes older depending on the circumstances.  And..  he DOES prefer Dreamworks over Disney when it comes to characters these days...  (she says, shaking her head and sighing...  where did I go wrong????)   

Thanks!  Heidi


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## eeyoreandtink

I know this tread is primarily about RCL vs DCL, but l have a RCL vs NCL vs DCL question. We currently have the Norwegisn epic booked for an Eastern Carribean cruise next Feb. We have only ever cruised DCL and frankly I am a little nervous, but we got unlimited alcohol and 4 specialty meals included for about $1400 less that the Fantasy the same week. I am now seeing the RCL has the oasis sailing a Western the same week, and it would be price comparable to NCL but no extras. Can anyone who has been on all 3 give an opinion? Epic goes to Tortola St Thomas and their island, oasis goes to Laberdee, Jamaica and Cozumel.


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## LemonNeko

cdhheidi said:


> I have a question as well, if anyone can answer....  how good is RCCL at working with disabilities as compared with DCL? We last traveled DCL in 2008 and they were fantastic, and as we are planning a trip to Alaska in 2017 are trying to decide if it would be worth trying RCCL given the difference in cost.  (and how are the Alaska RCCL ships as compared to Disney's? ).  My son is a young adult so the kids clubs don't matter, but emotionally he is 10-12 ish, sometimes younger, sometimes older depending on the circumstances.  And..  he DOES prefer Dreamworks over Disney when it comes to characters these days...  (she says, shaking her head and sighing...  where did I go wrong????)
> 
> Thanks!  Heidi


  RCL has a special needs e-mail address *special*_*needs*@rccl.com that you can ask specific questions. My son is 4 and has some behavioral and dietary issues. They got back to me pretty fast with who I should speak with when we got on the ship. They also gave us priority boarding but he was okay when we arrived so we went through the regular line. I can't make a comparison to Disney as my son wasn't born when I went on DCL .


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## DnA2010

JJsmama said:


> I am really getting sucked in by this thread and another on thr DCL forum.  I have Eastern Magic booked for May.  Only vacation without our kids.  Am thinking of switching to Freedom  OTS for the same week (eastern) and either save $1400 and book the same verandah stateroom, or spend the same money and book Grand Suite on RCCL.  Not having to fight for a pool chair is what excites me the most about the Suite level.  And priority tendering.  What do you think?
> 
> Forgive me, i will also post this on the DCL board bc i think i have resurrected this one from the past.


 

DH and I did Freedom (eastern) without DD and had an outstanding time- there were lots of adult activities we enjoyed and enjoyed the adult area and pool a lot- I'm not sure I would pay the Disney premium without DD


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## Frozen2014

ekatiel said:


> I think the differing opinions you're seeing here about RCI are mostly based on ship class.  If you look at all the reviews above, people who sailed on RCI's larger ships (Voyager Class and above) tend to prefer RCI.  People who have sailed on RCI's smaller ships, tend to prefer DCL.  Royal's smaller ships tend to be older and not have as many kid-friendly amenities.  It is the same with Carnival's ships-- the reviewer who sailed on the Sunshine (which is technically not a 100% new ship, but did receive such a huge refurbishment a few years ago that it was actually renamed) was surprised by that ship, as most people would be with Carnival's newer ships like the Magic or Breeze.  When we sail with our kids, we try to make sure that we are on a ship with lots of kid-friendly activities.  OP, I don't think you will be disappointed if you choose a larger Royal ship, and if characters are important to you, choose one with the Dreamworks Characters.  RCI does a really good job with the Dreamworks characters, IMO.  Thanksgiving of 2014, we were on Allure, and the Penguins of Madagascar movie premiered on the ship (complete with a red carpet and aforementioned penguins) the same day it premiered on land. Allure also had a How to Train Your Dragon Ice Show that was amazing, and a Madagascar Aqua Show that was equally cool.  IF the price is right, we'll sail DCL again, but for now, we'll stick with RCI (and a Carnival cruise thrown in here and there).


 
Totally agree with this.  Royal has so many classes/ships and they are meant to each be different (features, size, type of dining, etc).  This allows cruisers to choice the type that works for them.  The Freedom/Oasis/Quantum class seems to be the best suited for ones with kids.  And I agree that for the most part on here, negative reviews are those that have been on smalelr or older ships.

We're taking our kids on Allure in april and so looking forward to everythign that you mentioned.  I know they will love it.


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## JJsmama

I am still trying to weigh my options on choosing the Fantasy or Freedom of the seas for an Adults Only cruise.  The rotational dining seems more interesting on DCL, but FOS does have the specialty restaurants.  DH won't go to Muscial type shows, at which DCL excels, but might like comedy or a Cirque like show if another ship had it.  We did enjoy the game shows on MAgic last time.
Still can't get a good feel for which ship would have a more pleasant Adult Pool area.  Since Fantasy may not have as many adults without kids, is it less crowded? Or still more crowded bc FOS has 'better pools' from what I have read.

Does FOS feel like a shopping mall inside?  I tried to watch a YouTube video of it (but I got sea sick (LOL!) with all the spinning around of the photograher.  It did look very mallish to me.

A verandah room on FOS is at least $1000-1500 cheaper for the same itinerary, but the Fantasy is already booked and DH wonders why I can't just leave it alone.


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## JJsmama

DnA2010 said:


> DH and I did Freedom (eastern) without DD and had an outstanding time- there were lots of adult activities we enjoyed and enjoyed the adult area and pool a lot- I'm not sure I would pay the Disney premium without DD





DnA2010 said:


> DH and I did Freedom (eastern) without DD and had an outstanding time- there were lots of adult activities we enjoyed and enjoyed the adult area and pool a lot- I'm not sure I would pay the Disney premium without DD




Did you write a trip report, by any chance?  Most DCL Trs focus on the kids, so it is hard to get a good feel on an adult DCL trip.


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## ldo

I have been on Epic, Liberty (sister ship of Freedom) and Fantasy. I strongly prefer DCL (we love the dedicated movie theater with movies all day, movies at the pool, great dining (A), staterooms, private island and overall ambience of DCL). But, when there is a big price difference we sail others. We usually get an OV room, will pay only slightly more for a balcony.
Epic pros--nice ship, fun bowl type slide, good entertainment, fun pub, fun bowling alley, MDR food was good (B+).  cons--weird cabin layout, pool area congested and seems confined, lack of outdoor space, no movies played during the day except once in Atrium, poor use of outdoor movie screen even at night (this was in Europe, so Carib might be different).
Liberty/Freedom--MDR food is just OK (B-), no daytime outdoor movies (poker and sports) and hard to hear movie screen.  We liked the mall area, pizza parlor, flowrider, putt-putt, climbing wall. Entertainment is decent--ice show and 1 Broadway style show, other shows were just OK. The mall area is more like an enclosed "street" with café areas with some stores. You have a pub, pizza parlor (with fruit and anti-pasta), coffee shop with seating around/outside the areas, not like a mall with store after store. I enjoyed getting coffee/snack and people watching for a while. The pizza parlor is also a fun environment.
Prior to sailing with DCL, we sailed many times on RCCL (older ships) and always had an excellent cruise. We feel food in MDR has slipped some with cost cutting, but other than that, RCCL is still a good cruise and excellent value, IMHO. We are now just spoiled by DCL.


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## DnA2010

JJsmama said:


> I am still trying to weigh my options on choosing the Fantasy or Freedom of the seas for an Adults Only cruise.  The rotational dining seems more interesting on DCL, but FOS does have the specialty restaurants.  DH won't go to Muscial type shows, at which DCL excels, but might like comedy or a Cirque like show if another ship had it.  We did enjoy the game shows on MAgic last time.
> Still can't get a good feel for which ship would have a more pleasant Adult Pool area.  Since Fantasy may not have as many adults without kids, is it less crowded? Or still more crowded bc FOS has 'better pools' from what I have read.
> 
> Does FOS feel like a shopping mall inside?  I tried to watch a YouTube video of it (but I got sea sick (LOL!) with all the spinning around of the photograher.  It did look very mallish to me.
> 
> A verandah room on FOS is at least $1000-1500 cheaper for the same itinerary, but the Fantasy is already booked and DH wonders why I can't just leave it alone.




I think I would say that the adult areas and our experience at both were similar. We drank more on Freedom (DH got a drink package) so we had a nice time getting to know the bartender. Liked the pool more on Freedom. I think the Fantasy would have been a bit less crowded perhaps.

As far as shows, I will have to see if I did my travel journal for the cruise but I know there were broadway types, comedians (2 different ones- both which we really enjoyed) the ice show which we liked. 
We didn't see any movies on board so can't really comment in that area. When we were on the Fantasy, DH did see Avengers but that's about the extent of our movie viewing on our 3 cruises. 

I guess the promenade would be kinda mall like, I honestly can't remember- what I do remember is that we spent a lot of time at the outside table of the British pub people watching and also at the champagne bar at the other end. We enjoyed the variety of live music. 

Dining- we found the main dining room (we were on the flexible dining so always had our own table when we went down) just fine. For the two of us, we found the private dining nice, and we still had the same servers, just not always the same table. I actually preferred the food, as I found the food on the Fantasy a bit bland/boring. 


You can get some pretty good excursions for $1000-1500.

We didn't do any planning (and I love planning) for the cruise as it was booked totally last minute- we were suppose to go to Hawaii and our flight was cancelled, so aeroplan let us re-book to wherever I could get flights- Orlando it was and a last minute cruise on the Freedom. We were even in an inside room and didn't mind at all as we were rarely in our room


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## krisinparis

ldo said:


> no hidden fees. soda is extra, so decide in advance if you want to buy a soda package or just buy a soda as you want it. My kids drink little soda, so they do not miss it. DH and I get a diet coke or just drink free iced tea. our ending bill on RCCL is very similar to DCL--a few drinks, bottle of wine, souvenirs, usually under $200 for the week.
> We also really like Princess. Ifyou have athletic/adventurous kids, then RCCL with rock climber/flo rider is a good choice. If your kids won't use those, then you might also consider Princess--a bit larger rooms, better MDR food. During EAster, they showed kids G movies in the AM at one of the pools and had a fun (clean) lip sing at the main pool during the day. They also show a movie outdoor every night--but the are PG-13/R usually. My teens liked Princess a lot. It is #2 after DCL for us now.



I agree about the food, it's much better on Princess!  (We still like DCL best, but Princess is our #2 also).


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