outDisney Cruise Vs. Regular Cruise

I've only been on Royal Carribean. It was a great experience and they had special areas and plenty of activities for kids and teens. In fact, I thought there were only a few children onboard until they came in and put on a show for us at dinner one night. There were probably a couple hundred kids. As far as Disney, I haven't been on a Disney cruise but I have done Disneyworld. My opinion: Go to Disneyworld if you want Disney, which by the way my 20 year old daughter wants to do again. Royal Carribean doesn't have the party reputation that Carnival does but I think the teens will enjoy it.

Hi!
We are avid 'cruisers' and have been on numberous cruises on quiet a few cruise lines, including Disney. From the moment we boarded the Disney ship it was truly 'magical'. We've been on 3 Disney cruises now and even without kids I would choose Disney over any of the other mega ship lines. Here's why....

Most and foremost, the ships are smaller. I can get from one end of the ship to the other in 15 minutes or less. There are less people which makes it seem like there is a larger staff to passenger ratio (and maybe there is-or maybe it just seems that way-or maybe the staff is trained to make you feel like you are the ONLY people on board). Whatever it is, you will feel like a rockstar as soon as you step onboard.

Secondly, the format of the ships activities are so "kid" that it's almost not "kid" at all. I know that sounds wierd, but let me explain. The children's areas/activites are set up so that parents can feel comfortable dropping off their kids. Therefore, during the cruise, I saw mostly adults in the hallways and around the adult congregating areas. The kids were so busy doing 'kid' things in another part of the ship that parents have time to actually enjoy the cruise too.

And last, but certainly not least, is that there are teen areas/activities and adult only activities. The excursions are fantastic and diverse so there is something for everyone. That is certainly not all the things I loved about the Disney cruise but it's the top 3 reasons.

Now, as a con..... I think most people would agree with me on this ..... and that is Disney cruises are more expensive than other cruises. That's is my one and only con I can think of right now.

The mega ship cruise lines such as Royal Carribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival etc. are all also fun too. I strongly encrouage you to check out the online forums or talk to a travel agent about the atmosphere of each line before choosing one. For example, Carnival is very much a party ship. Don't expect the royal treatment, quiet hallways or such. Think 'college drinking party' at sea. Royal Carribbean is more of an athletic type cruise, Princess typically has older passengers etc. Every line has a reputation. And from what I've seen, there's a reason for those reputations whether it's good or bad.

Ok, I think my post is quiet long enough. Maybe I've given you enough things to think about and consider. Have fun on your trip! Not all cruises are created equal. So with the proper investigation you should be able to find the perfect one for your family!!

I've only been on a Disney cruise, and while the Disney theme is pretty pervasive throughout, I really didn't feel like it was stuffed down our throats either. But we are big-time Disney fans and really appreciated some of the subtle touches, such as in the decorating. I can say that we went with my stepsons who were 16 and 17 at the time and everyone (boys included) had a phenomenal time. There are clubs for different age ranges of kids (including tween and teen) that are heavily monitored and chaperoned without it being stuffy or dull. My stepsons hung out at the teen club on board (we were on the Disney Dream) and really loved it plus made a lot of new friends.

Why not talk to the girls and see how they feel about it? They might like a Disney Cruise a lot more than you think! The private island they stop at for a day, Castaway Cay, is really nice too - my stepsons did an excursion there for teens only that consisted of kayaking, snorkling, and biking, then just got to hang out on the beach the rest of the day.

I don't think you are ever too old for Disney - but that's me!

I've only been on a Disney cruise (just this last year) but it was AMAZING!! I have two young girls, but there are plenty of adult only areas on the boat. Our room on the ship was bigger than our room at the Disney resort and it was NICE (not huge, but plenty of room for us - you don't spend a lot of time there). The only extras we paid for was alcohol and souvenirs. The private island was really nice b/c again, there were no extra charges (plus, it was just nice, beautiful beaches, etc). Lunch was included, fountain drinks were included - the only thing we had to pay for was the alcohol, which you can easily skip entirely. The food was fabulous. The shows were fantastic. I didn't feel overrun by Disney and I didn't feel overrun by other people's kids, not on the boat or on the private island. We went during the world series so my husband and friend's husband spent a lot of time in the sport's bar. The kids loved their area and "us girls" got some grown-up girl time, too. It wasn't cheap but it was worth every penny to me.

I have heard a lot of people who do cruises say that Disney has the smallest rooms because they want their guests to not want to stay in the rooms. They want them out doing stuff and having fun.

Here's what I would do that would decide for me. Narrow it down to two cruises. Where are they going? Same place? That might make the choice for me, I have no interest going to Nassau, I think that Freeport would be much more enjoyable because I would enjoy the abandoned forts and the pirate atmosphere much more than shopping in the straw market.

I also would not enjoy spending a day on the cruise ships privately owned island. The charges can add up quickly when you get extra's.

I would also see what shows are playing/being performed during the time frame I am going.

If the Disney ship was doing the Lion King and the other ship was having a comedy performer I can pretty much say I would choose the live show instead. If it was a hobby or lifestyle cruise on the other I might really want to go on the other one instead. I love formal nights on the ship, dressing up and eating at a more formal setting is so much fun to me...I know, weird...

My brother and his ex wife are avid square dancers, they love to go when it is square dance week on a ship. They also have those that are for certain performers, like Donnie and Marie or some impersonators, maybe the Beatles week or Elvis.

Those would decide the trip for me. I think the venue, the shows or lack of them, the child care situation, like what kind of kids club is it, when the trip is, what if the weather is rainy, etc....there are a lot of options that would decide it for me.

If

No one loves Disney more than me, I'm a 41 year old Disneyworld fanatic! However, for our first family cruise coming up this summer (kids ages 12 and 10) we did NOT choose a Disney cruise. Main reason is price. Disney cruises are FAR more expensive than other cruise lines. And my DH is not the huge Disney fan that I am. I much as I know we would love it, we have to travel during peak season, and it just doesn't make financial sense. I have friends with older kids, and they only do Disney cruises, they sound just wonderful. If money wasn't an issue, I'd do Disney.

We have never cruised but we are going next January. We put the deposit down last week. We looked at the Disney cruise closely (kids will be 5, 7, and 9), but opted for a longer cruise for the same price, visiting more destinations.

Our kids will go to San Juan, St. Thomas, Grand Turks, and Nassau (or Freeport - I don't remember which one right now). I think the experience of those places tops Mickey. We have done Disney and are highly considering going in April for a few nights.

I think with your kids being older, they may not appreciate the Disney cruise as much, but on the flip side, I've heard nothing beats it!

Disney cruises will be full of little kids. Regular cruises have teen clubs so your kids can hang out there if they want. Both will be fun, but the Disney cruise will feel juvenile

I have been on both..disney and princess cruise lines. Disney is great, we didn't have kids at the time and it was very classy and lots of adult only places. If you like Disney you will enjoy this cruise. It didn't make us all Mickey Mouse crazy. We've done princess many times now and its' just as good. Lots of stuff for kids to do and adult only areas. I'd sit down with the kids and discuss it. Make it a joint decision. Everyone that I've talked to who went on Disney cruises loved them. My friend did a family reunion of 20 last year. She said there was plenty to do for all 20. 14 of the 20 was kids of all ages.

we did RC Oasis of the Seas last year, without our kids, (20th Anniversary) but we would LOVE to take them back, we checked out all the kids activities each day to see what our kids would enjoy and I think it would be great fun to take them on a cruise (they are 6, 10, 11) I think they would each enjoy the RC Oasis of the Seas or Allure of the Seas ships, (both very kid friendly). both ships have a lot of activities for all, flow rider, rock climbing, Ice skating, zip lining, swimming basketball volley ball and miniature golf, to name a few. That being said, I've heard there is nothing like a Disney Cruise at ay age. I don't think you could go wrong either way.