Best Disney cruise alternative

[Anonymous]

I’d like to do a 3-6 day cruise with my 8yo child out of NY or Boston. Disney doesn’t cruise from those ports. What is a good option for a cruise line that sails from the Northeast?

Never cruised before and only know to avoid the janky lines like Celebrity. Price not an issue. No preference on destination, even the ones that are at sea with one or two port days would work.

Note: I know nothing will be similar to a Disney cruise except a Disney cruise. And no need to say just go to Florida for a Disney cruise as I’m looking for options only out of NY or Boston. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Disney used to go out of NY. NCL/Royal Caribbean are my go to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: And no need to say just go to Florida for a Disney cruise as I’m looking for options only out of NY or Boston. Thanks!

Just go to Florida. The ships that sail from the NE ports tend to be older with fewer amenities.

[Anonymous]

I think you mean to avoid Carnival. Celebrity is pretty nice.
I’d do a suite on Norwegian if price is no issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disney used to go out of NY. NCL/Royal Caribbean are my go to.

+1 to NCL or Royal Caribbean. Perfect for a child that age. Avoid Carnival (cheap and attracts partiers) and adult lines like Virgin and holland America. What month are you going? NCL’s aqua is a brand new ship and goes out of NY but your options will depend on when you are going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disney used to go out of NY. NCL/Royal Caribbean are my go to.

+1 to NCL or Royal Caribbean. Perfect for a child that age. Avoid Carnival (cheap and attracts partiers) and adult lines like Virgin and holland America. What month are you going? NCL’s aqua is a brand new ship and goes out of NY but your options will depend on when you are going.

Carnival is known for party ships but they also have questionable safety records.

[Anonymous]

Just do Royal Caribbean. Disney costs a huge premium because .. Disney.
RC is so family friendly and feels magical in a non Disney magic way.

[Anonymous]

I would do MSC Meragivila from Brooklyn or RC Symphony/Liberty the Seas out of Bayonne.

[Anonymous]

Be aware that the options will be much worse than what you’d get from flordia.
But if you must….i guess I’d do Royal carribean and consider upgrading to their concierge level of money is really no object.
And bring Bonine.

[Anonymous]

From NY or Boston you spend so much of your time at sea. Curious why this is a must for you? You say it’s not a price issue.

[Anonymous]

Agreed, Royal Caribbean.

[Anonymous]

The options aren't worse, but the ships are much smaller. We've done Disney and I forget if it was NCL or Rpyal Carribean. We only did Disney as we got a huge military discount. I wouldn't go again. It was nice but nothing special except if you like disney shows. My kid didn't like disney shows or characters so they had no clue who they were. I cannot imagine paying full price. Tons of kids with checked out parents who expected staff to manage the kids. Some kids were downright obnoxious and others should have been in bed for the late dinner and the table next to us had tantruming kids so the staff catered to the kids, including cutting food as the parents just ignored it so we got bad slow service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From NY or Boston you spend so much of your time at sea. Curious why this is a must for you? You say it’s not a price issue.

I honestly wouldn’t mind a cruise with more days at sea. I feel like I never fully enjoy the ship because of port days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From NY or Boston you spend so much of your time at sea. Curious why this is a must for you? You say it’s not a price issue.

I honestly wouldn’t mind a cruise with more days at sea. I feel like I never fully enjoy the ship because of port days.

The issue is the cruises get so crowded when out at sea. We did the NCL Joy out of New York and the pool and activities were packed at sea days. So much better if you just skip ports you aren’t interested in and let some of the ship get cleared out and stay on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The options aren't worse, but the ships are much smaller. We've done Disney and I forget if it was NCL or Rpyal Carribean. We only did Disney as we got a huge military discount. I wouldn't go again. It was nice but nothing special except if you like disney shows. My kid didn't like disney shows or characters so they had no clue who they were. I cannot imagine paying full price. Tons of kids with checked out parents who expected staff to manage the kids. Some kids were downright obnoxious and others should have been in bed for the late dinner and the table next to us had tantruming kids so the staff catered to the kids, including cutting food as the parents just ignored it so we got bad slow service.

The ships are not smaller if you go with Royal. They sail out of Cape Liberty (Bayonne, NJ) and have both Oasis and Quantum class ships. The Oasis class ships were the largest cruise ships in the world until Royal introduced the Icon class. Quantum class are no joke either.

To the OP, you need to do more research before taking a cruise. There are plenty of forums dedicated to cruising (not on DCUM) where you can learn more, especially for first timers.

What age are your kids? Royal has different activities based on age range. There is ice skating, rock climbing, simulated surfing, zip lines, laser tag, bumper cars, and more. It all depends on the ship.

As another poster said, if price is no option, then consider getting a Star Class room. For suites on Royal, they have three levels, Sea, Sky, and Star. Star are the priciest and often are already booked out far in advance. However, it is an entirely different experience to be Star Class.

The main negative I would caution you on - if you're traveling with kids, don't go when every other family also has to fit in their vacation. In other words, don't go for spring break or similar timeframes. Royal has almost been too successful in marketing to families, thus the ships can be really crowded during certain times.

You can also look into Celebrity. Celebrity is Royal's upbrand (think Toyota versus Lexus). They have a Solstice class ship that goes out of NY and Boston, but their itineraries are more limited. Celebrity tends to skew more adult and less kids and has doesn't have the same kid friendly amenities.