What's your breaking point?

[KayKayJS]

I am trying to decide whether to go with RCCL or DCL for our October 2018 anniversary trip, and I was able to book 7 nt Oasis of the Seas with a Boardwalk Verandah (and soda package) for $1750 total. We have never done the Fantasy, and I am dying to try it, but the same cruise in an 07A at rack is about $3692. Now I could probably get that down to about $2900 after OBB discounts, OBC, and gift card deals, which means Fantasy will cost me about $1150 more for a week and no St Maarten/Maho Beach. I could also move the cruise to another week to save a little bit more money, just won't be during our first wedding anniversary.

I am nervous we won't enjoy the Oasis as much as we are huge Disney fans. (we've only sailed Disney up until this point) At this point I'm thinking I should just apply my placeholder to the Fantasy and hold both cruises until we can decide.

Curious to hear other cruisers thoughts!!

 

[Quellman]

Maho beach is kinda over rated, especially since the 747 isn't flying there anymore. But I know that people all like different things.
But you can certainly read a few different DCL and RCCL comparison threads that are across the boards. What could you use that $1150 if you booked the other cruise ship? I think that for adults you can work both ships very well.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

$1750 for a verandah on the Oasis? Dang, best I've gotten with their current sale is 2300 or so. We did the Harmony earlier this year and liked it every bit as much as DCL. It's not DCL but it's good enough in it's own right that we will likely continue sailing RCCL.

 

[KayKayJS]

$1750 for a verandah on the Oasis? Dang, best I've gotten with their current sale is 2300 or so. We did the Harmony earlier this year and liked it every bit as much as DCL. It's not DCL but it's good enough in it's own right that we will likely continue sailing RCCL.

I'm not sure how I got the price I did (It's a verandah near the aquatheater with a view of the water as well, and with it being boardwalk we get the soda package for free, so that saves us $$)? I think maybe I got a little extra discount for being a FL resident?

 

[KayKayJS]

Maho beach is kinda over rated, especially since the 747 isn't flying there anymore. But I know that people all like different things.
But you can certainly read a few different DCL and RCCL comparison threads that are across the boards. What could you use that $1150 if you booked the other cruise ship? I think that for adults you can work both ships very well.

It's tough! $1150 is enough for a 3 day weekend at Vero Beach for us since we're local , that definitely puts it in a different perspective.

 

[bovioask1]

Welp, I am in a different boat here. My wife and I have done Celebration, Carnival 2x, Royal Caribbean 3x, and Norwegian since we've been together. All but 2 being 7 day cruises. If we did one Disney cruise with the kids...that would equal to about 3-4 of those cruises. But she is a huge Disney fan, as am I. So on our 5th anniversary I will most likely splurge and take her on a 7 day Disney Cruise. Any other time, I'd probably stick to Royal Caribbean and get annual passes to Disney for the family for the same price.

 

[bovioask1]

Oh and another note, Oasis of the Seas is wonderful. I do not think it will disappoint

 

[SteveMP]

.

I am nervous we won't enjoy the Oasis as much as we are huge Disney fans. (we've only sailed Disney up until this point) At this point I'm thinking I should just apply my placeholder to the Fantasy and hold both cruises until we can decide.

Curious to hear other cruisers thoughts!!

You will enjoy the Oasis. We are huge Disney fans and had only gone on DCL cruises before, but last year decided to try the Liberty of the Seas(not even as nice as Oasis). We were kind of nervous but we went in with open minds and had a blast. We all had mixed feelings, but my kids(teens) all liked it better due to all the activities, like the FLoRider, Ice Skating, rock climbing wall etc.
That said, here are some of my top pros and cons I noticed, at least IMO:

DCL:
Pros:
Better food, much nicer, personal, accommodating wait staff
That special Disney "magic", that "je ne sais quoi" that Disney has
Much more family/kid friendly
Entertainment- hands down WAY better all around, not just shows but the live music, bingo, etc.
Pirate night(and other theme nights if you get one of those)
Pin trading if you/kids are into that
MUCH better photographers and photo nights/options
MUCH better spa/massage

Cons:
Price


-----------------------------------------------

RCCL:
Pros:
Very nice modern impressive ships
Much more activities. Ours had FLoRider, Ice Skating, rock climbing wall, cupcake bakery the kids did a baking class, Ice cream shop, etc.
Johnny Rockets for a casual eating option
Concierge service was very nice if you have a suite
Shopping "mall" if you like that aspect

Cons:
The staff did not seem happy to be there, a few even seemed disgruntled.
Seem to nickel and dime you to death for every little thing
The food services are not set up well for the pool area, especially if you have kids
Entertainment was lacking
The photos were poor quality, seemed like they just handed whoever a camera and told them to take pictures those nights.
Seemed like the masseuses were just whatever random staff didn't have anything to do that day.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

DCL:
Pros:
MUCH better photographers and photo nights/options

RCCL:
The photos were poor quality, seemed like they just handed whoever a camera and told them to take pictures those nights.

Which you wouldn't think would be the case since they are owned by the same parent company. Guess they need so many more for RCCL's larger fleet that they don't always take the best and brightest.

 

[OrcaPotter]

I was in the same boat as you (pun only half intended, hah!). We've done 5 DCL, only 2 of which were 7 nights due to cost. Every year DCL charges more and more for the exact same itineraries, and as a teacher I'm very limited to peak seasons. Spending 3k+ more for a basic Caribbean itinerary has become harder to justify. This is a big reason we're trying the Oasis (leaving Sunday, woohoo!). Now, with the additions (specialty dining, Internet, excursions) we are almost spending as much as Disney... but it's still cheaper. I'm approaching it as I do when I go to Universal Studios for the day. It'll still be a fun time, but different from Disney. It helps that I'm going on a Marvel Day at Sea next year, splitting cost with friends... and extended family finally want to give DCL a shot--but for that I'll need to take time off from work to afford the Fantasy because the school break prices are just too ridiculous.

I would say DCL is worth it at least once, but try to go when it's cheapest if at all possible with your schedule.

 

[SteveMP]

Which you wouldn't think would be the case since they are owned by the same parent company. Guess they need so many more for RCCL's larger fleet that they don't always take the best and brightest.

Well it was kind of interesting to us. I mean the picture quality is fine, you can give a trained monkey a decent camera from Costco and get clear, quality photos, but the 'framing" of the pictures was odd. I guess it also had to do with the setup for the picture locations. They had us take some on the staircase in the promenade, and you can see the line of people waiting in the background to take theirs, in other there are random people walking in the background. We were kind of laughing when we were trying to frame some, I though I would be able to crop some of the background stuff off, but then family members would be missing arms, legs, shoulders.

 

[cmwade77]

Here are some questions to ask about the RCCL cruise:

• Does the price you have from them include all taxes and fees? (They don't quote this up front like Disney does, you actually have to go all the way through the checkout process to get this number)
• How much are the gratuities on RCCL compared to Disney?
• How much will the Beverage package cost you on RCCL (Assuming you want anything besides water, iced tea or lemonade)
• Will you order room service? If so, how many times? Unless you are in a Grand Suite or above, there is a $7.95 fee per order.
• Look at the dinner menus, are there going to be items that you want to order with an upcharge? There are items on every night's menu that have upcharges on RCCL and if so, how much will this cost?
• Ice Cream - Soft Serve is available for free on all Disney Ships, if you are going to want it on RCCL it is going to cost you
• Alcohol - If you drink, Disney's prices are lower than RCCL, compare price lists. (We don't drink, so this doesn't affect us, but the same applies to specialty non-alcoholic drinks)
• Paid Classes - Pretty much all of the classes (except some tasting ones for Alcohol) are free on Disney, but you pay for some of them on RCCL, are you going to be spending money here?
• What other fees might you incur with RCCL that you wouldn't with Disney?
• Are you going to want to have breakfast with the Dreamworks characters? That is another $10 per person.
• How much value is there in having Disney Characters onboard and roaming around the ship vs. none on RCCL as far as I can see the only way you get Dreamworks is either the kids clubs or at breakfast and only on certain ships.

I just looked for us and as close as I could get to our upcoming cruise, when all of these factors are included, RCCL comes out about $50 higher than Disney for a week long cruise. Yes, the destinations are different and in this case I would also have to fly to RCCL, but I won't for Disney. RCCL just doesn't go to Mexico or leave out of San Diego, so it is hard to compare apples to apples, but it was the closest I could get.

And I am not saying this will be the case for everyone, but this is something that you should indeed watch and make sure that all of these things aren't adding up to be more expensive than a Disney Cruise.

There are sites that will tell you all of the "hidden fees" for each cruise line, just make sure the site is up to date.

 

[cadien]

Dreamworks characters do roam the ships. I've been reading dozens of trip reports to prepare for the cruise we booked with them and they show up in everyone's photos.

There were photos of free soft serve on the pool deck too. Not as many flavors, however.

 

[SteveMP]

Dreamworks characters do roam the ships. I've been reading dozens of trip reports to prepare for the cruise we booked with them and they show up in everyone's photos.

There were photos of free soft serve on the pool deck too. Not as many flavors, however.

They have free soft server, just not 24/7, daytime hours(maybe 10-8 or 9?). I told my kids they could either keep track of the hours and get it while its open or use their own money at Ben and Jerrys, so that part was fine for us.

 

[mevelandry]

After seeing videos from the Oasis, that's the one I would pick, even if money was no object.

 

[cmwade77]

They have free soft server, just not 24/7, daytime hours(maybe 10-8 or 9?). I told my kids they could either keep track of the hours and get it while its open or use their own money at Ben and Jerrys, so that part was fine for us.

Ok, admittedly, my research was very quick, but really watch out for the hidden fees overall, they can add up. For some they may not be an issue, but for others they may be.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ice Cream - Soft Serve is available for free on all Disney Ships, if you are going to want it on RCCL it is going to cost you

Not even true.

Gotta get on my computer to look at the rest of your list but that one is simply not true.

And Disney just copied Royal by adding vanellopes. They saw the Ben and Jerrys model working so well and decided to get in on it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ok, admittedly, my research was very quick, but really watch out for the hidden fees overall, they can add up. For some they may not be an issue, but for others they may be.

There are no "hidden" fees. All fees are right out there in the open.

 

[mevelandry]

Here are some questions to ask about the RCCL cruise:

• Does the price you have from them include all taxes and fees? (They don't quote this up front like Disney does, you actually have to go all the way through the checkout process to get this number)
• How much are the gratuities on RCCL compared to Disney?
• How much will the Beverage package cost you on RCCL (Assuming you want anything besides water, iced tea or lemonade)
• Will you order room service? If so, how many times? Unless you are in a Grand Suite or above, there is a $7.95 fee per order.
• Look at the dinner menus, are there going to be items that you want to order with an upcharge? There are items on every night's menu that have upcharges on RCCL and if so, how much will this cost?
• Ice Cream - Soft Serve is available for free on all Disney Ships, if you are going to want it on RCCL it is going to cost you
• Alcohol - If you drink, Disney's prices are lower than RCCL, compare price lists. (We don't drink, so this doesn't affect us, but the same applies to specialty non-alcoholic drinks)
• Paid Classes - Pretty much all of the classes (except some tasting ones for Alcohol) are free on Disney, but you pay for some of them on RCCL, are you going to be spending money here?
• What other fees might you incur with RCCL that you wouldn't with Disney?
• Are you going to want to have breakfast with the Dreamworks characters? That is another $10 per person.
• How much value is there in having Disney Characters onboard and roaming around the ship vs. none on RCCL as far as I can see the only way you get Dreamworks is either the kids clubs or at breakfast and only on certain ships.

I just looked for us and as close as I could get to our upcoming cruise, when all of these factors are included, RCCL comes out about $50 higher than Disney for a week long cruise. Yes, the destinations are different and in this case I would also have to fly to RCCL, but I won't for Disney. RCCL just doesn't go to Mexico or leave out of San Diego, so it is hard to compare apples to apples, but it was the closest I could get.

And I am not saying this will be the case for everyone, but this is something that you should indeed watch and make sure that all of these things aren't adding up to be more expensive than a Disney Cruise.

There are sites that will tell you all of the "hidden fees" for each cruise line, just make sure the site is up to date.

I'm pretty sure there is free self-serve ice cream on all RCCL ships... I had a booking once on the Brilliance (cancelled it) but had that in my list and it's the same for the Anthem.

Also, they are not "hidden fees" and you may end up saving a lot of money. It really depends on what you want to do.

We booked the Anthem departing from NYC to the Bermuda. I compared the price with DCL for a similar cruise... We are going to be saving over a thousand dollars and the activities are much much more interesting on RCCL for us.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Dreamworks characters do roam the ships. I've been reading dozens of trip reports to prepare for the cruise we booked with them and they show up in everyone's photos.

The characters are not nearly as common as they would be on DCL but they are there. There would usually be 1 character, or sometimes 2 like Puss n Shrek or Shrek n Fiona, appearance every couple of hours on sea days and in the evenings on port days. They were also usually at very awkward times like when there were shows or dinner. Even the Character Breakfast you pay for only had 3. We never really saw them wandering the ship like you will sometimes see on DCL. They'd pop out of a crew only area and proceed directly to their appearance spot and reverse it at the end.