It sounds like some of the appeal here is the Caribbean and warm weather. Has anybody done or considered the Northern Europe Disney cruises?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have been on 5 cruises, 3 with kids (1 was Disney). I would say with your age kids, pick Royal Caribbean over Disney. The markup for Disney is not worth the jacked up price. Pick a ship with the rock wall and surfing thing, and the kids will be happy enough.

OP here. Thanks, that's helpful. My kids don't care too much about Disney characters and they are pretty active so I think things like the pool and rock wall would be more of a draw than Disney specifically.

Is there a way to sort out which cruise lines have the best amenities? Is Royal Caribbean generally considered one of the best ones?

I am the 5 cruise person. We have also done Princess and I would say Royal and Princess are comparable. The shows are best on Disney, no doubt. Princess shows were the worst of the three. That being said, we still went to a few with a 7 year old and they were fine. SOmetimes we would just go in the hot tub after dinner. Occasionally the kids went to the Teen/kids club. I would not pick Disney solely for the shows/evening entertainment unless you have unlimited funds!

NP here. I have been on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Disney. Disney is not just entertainment. The whole cruise and experience is geared towards kids. Kids club is SIGNIFICANTLY better than others. Of course if it comes down to no cruise or inferior cruise line, you should go Royal Caribbean but Disney was much much better and I thought it was worth every penny. Castaway Cay in it of itself was worth it. So much fun.

I hate the beach and even I liked Castaway Cay. It is really nicely done. I want on NCL twice and really liked it but there were no kids on the ship (or very few) when I went (prekids). My kids weren't thrilled with the kids club. Staff were nice and helpful. They'd only go for an hour or two a day. It just seemed like a big computer/electronics land. Sometimes one of the staff would engage the kids in games but it was very crowded. I thought there would be more climbing structures and other activities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have been on 5 cruises, 3 with kids (1 was Disney). I would say with your age kids, pick Royal Caribbean over Disney. The markup for Disney is not worth the jacked up price. Pick a ship with the rock wall and surfing thing, and the kids will be happy enough.

OP here. Thanks, that's helpful. My kids don't care too much about Disney characters and they are pretty active so I think things like the pool and rock wall would be more of a draw than Disney specifically.

Is there a way to sort out which cruise lines have the best amenities? Is Royal Caribbean generally considered one of the best ones?

I am the 5 cruise person. We have also done Princess and I would say Royal and Princess are comparable. The shows are best on Disney, no doubt. Princess shows were the worst of the three. That being said, we still went to a few with a 7 year old and they were fine. SOmetimes we would just go in the hot tub after dinner. Occasionally the kids went to the Teen/kids club. I would not pick Disney solely for the shows/evening entertainment unless you have unlimited funds!

NP here. I have been on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Disney. Disney is not just entertainment. The whole cruise and experience is geared towards kids. Kids club is SIGNIFICANTLY better than others. Of course if it comes down to no cruise or inferior cruise line, you should go Royal Caribbean but Disney was much much better and I thought it was worth every penny. Castaway Cay in it of itself was worth it. So much fun.

Anonymous wrote:Ah, the fantasy. That's one of the bigger ships, so perhaps they aren't as accommodating? We've cruised wonder (smaller ship) and they were very accommodating. I've heard that the staff on wonder is much better since they've worked together for so many years (many have worked there for over a decade).

The staff were very nice and tried. But, I was surprised (and at Disney World too) they refused several requests (basic stuff like a grilled cheese or mac and cheese). We also had a few issues with food allergies. We ended up finding work arounds like ordering room service instead. The ship was very clean.

I agree the pools were overcrowded. The lines for the characters were very long (except a rare occasion). We avoided them. I thought the restaurant were fine in terms of crowd but we had the late seating and sitting next to another family with young kids who could not handle dinner that late (I don't know why they didn't give them snacks earlier, which we always did) and the little one was constantly screaming and the parents just ignored it like it was ok.

It is great for your first cruise. If you are into characters its worth it. Our child wasn't. So, if the price is right, I'd do it again, but if not, I'd look at other cruise lines. We liked the bigger ship as it had more activities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the Concierge level worth it, if you've done both? It is crazy expensive.

We've never done it, but I can't imagine that it would be worth the extra money. Even the cheapest cabins are expensive, so concierge is outrageously priced IMHO.

What's the appeal of concierge?

I'm a PP and I agree. I mean, if you are just made of money I guess its worth it. I certainly wouldn't do it because it would eat too much into the rest of my vacation budget.

As it is, our verandah room (not the oversized "family" one) is costing $5100, booked more than 1 year in advance, going during one of the cheapest times of year, late January. Same room, same cruise itinerary during spring break or summer was $9k. These are all non-concierge prices.

How long is your cruise? We are going MLK weekend in an oversized concierge room and we didn't pay that much.

7 nights on the Fantasy. Eastern Caribbean. Obviously the military discount is way less but we aren't military. According to the disboards price tracker, we paid within $500 of the lowest offered price. (Which doesn't count the people with onboard booking discounts, military, or FL residents.)

Fantasy and dream are the larger ships---twice as many passengers as the smaller ships wonder and magic. We prefer the smaller ships because they feel less crowded.

We hated it.
Way too crowded - pool and restaurants packed to the gills.
We were on the fantasy.

Best family vacation to date. I don't like cruises normally but it was awesome.

Ah, the fantasy. That's one of the bigger ships, so perhaps they aren't as accommodating? We've cruised wonder (smaller ship) and they were very accommodating. I've heard that the staff on wonder is much better since they've worked together for so many years (many have worked there for over a decade).

Anonymous wrote:They had mac n cheese and plain noodles available every night in the restaurants on both Disney cruises I went on. In fact, both were on the actual menu (and didn't require a special request).

Your kids can also opt to order off the adult menu.

And, since the restaurants share a kitchen, you can essentially order off of any of the menus.

Two nights they didn't have it and several days they didn't have it for sit down lunches. Your kids can opt to order off the adult menu but my child wouldn't eat much on it. One day at the sit down they did get some from another section and bring it to us. We were on the Fantasy a few weeks ago.

Anonymous wrote:We've done regular and concierge (we upgraded at the port so didn't pay the full concierge fare). While we enjoyed the perks -- boarding early and having the ship to ourselves for a while, free coffee/drinks, a place to hang out away from the crowds--I wouldn't do it again. It's so much more expensive and you don't get all that much more. Disney's appeal is that they treat everyone on the trip like they're special. Which is why it costs so much.

What is the price difference?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have been on 5 cruises, 3 with kids (1 was Disney). I would say with your age kids, pick Royal Caribbean over Disney. The markup for Disney is not worth the jacked up price. Pick a ship with the rock wall and surfing thing, and the kids will be happy enough.

OP here. Thanks, that's helpful. My kids don't care too much about Disney characters and they are pretty active so I think things like the pool and rock wall would be more of a draw than Disney specifically.

Is there a way to sort out which cruise lines have the best amenities? Is Royal Caribbean generally considered one of the best ones?

I am the 5 cruise person. We have also done Princess and I would say Royal and Princess are comparable. The shows are best on Disney, no doubt. Princess shows were the worst of the three. That being said, we still went to a few with a 7 year old and they were fine. SOmetimes we would just go in the hot tub after dinner. Occasionally the kids went to the Teen/kids club. I would not pick Disney solely for the shows/evening entertainment unless you have unlimited funds!

Me again. Holland America is generally older, as is Celebrity. Carnival is not as good though may be the cheapest option. Stick with Royal or Princess.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have been on 5 cruises, 3 with kids (1 was Disney). I would say with your age kids, pick Royal Caribbean over Disney. The markup for Disney is not worth the jacked up price. Pick a ship with the rock wall and surfing thing, and the kids will be happy enough.

OP here. Thanks, that's helpful. My kids don't care too much about Disney characters and they are pretty active so I think things like the pool and rock wall would be more of a draw than Disney specifically.

Is there a way to sort out which cruise lines have the best amenities? Is Royal Caribbean generally considered one of the best ones?

I am the 5 cruise person. We have also done Princess and I would say Royal and Princess are comparable. The shows are best on Disney, no doubt. Princess shows were the worst of the three. That being said, we still went to a few with a 7 year old and they were fine. SOmetimes we would just go in the hot tub after dinner. Occasionally the kids went to the Teen/kids club. I would not pick Disney solely for the shows/evening entertainment unless you have unlimited funds!

Anonymous wrote:Best vacations! Have been on 3 Caribbean and are now interested in the European cruises. Great food, customer service, clean rooms and common areas and the shows - the shows are awesome!

We've also done three. My kids are asking for a fourth cruise! It's the best vacation we've had with the kids.

Best vacations! Have been on 3 Caribbean and are now interested in the European cruises. Great food, customer service, clean rooms and common areas and the shows - the shows are awesome!