How do Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean stack up against each other, and which cruise line is best for you?
It can be hard to choose which cruise line suits you and your family best. This is especially true knowing that you’re spending your hard-earned money on a big vacation. You want your decision – and your money – to be worthwhile. But with both Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises offering a variety of amenities, which suites you best?
Read on for our breakdown of each cruise line to make your decision a piece of cake.
Comparing Price: Disney Tends to Cost More – a lot More
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Let’s get this 1st point out of the way: Disney vacations on-the-surface have high dollar-costs associated with them, but for good reason.
Take for example a 3-night Bahamian cruise on Royal Caribbean that can cost well under $1,000 for 2 people. Compare this to a 3-night Bahamian cruise that can start at around $2,000. That’s a massive difference in price.
However, you need to consider what’s included in your Disney Cruise Line fare: soft drinks, late-night babysitting, 24hr room service, and of course, the unmatched Disney service. Disney Cruise Line also tends to have more activities that are covered with your fare compared to Royal Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean, while priced lower, offers more extra-fee activities and attractions such as casinos and a wider variety of extra-fee restaurants. And since Royal Caribbean has the biggest fleet of ships in the world, it can afford to sell cruise fares for much less. It’s important to note, however, that newer ships tend to be priced much higher than older ships.
- Choose Disney if: you’re familiar with Disney’s unmatched elevated service and high-quality amenities
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you’re looking for a more cost-effective cruise line experience but are okay with spending more money on additional experiences
Comparing the Fleet: Royal Caribbean Has More Ship Options
This is the biggest and most obvious difference between the two cruise lines.
Royal Caribbean currently boasts 28 ships, each with different attractions, amenities, and sizes. This number towers over Disney’s current count of 5 ships (with a 6th ship scheduled to sail in late 2024). Because Royal Caribbean has been in the cruising business for much longer, not only has it been able to make more ships. By default, it also offers more destinations, including the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, South America, and the South Pacific.
While Disney Cruise Line also travels to many of these destinations, due to its smaller fleet, it simply cannot travel to a large of a variety of destinations.
Royal Caribbean also has much larger ships, with its largest, Icon of the Seas, having a capacity of over 5,600 guests. This allows for more space to explore the ship and more activities to enjoy. Compare this to the Disney Wish – Disney’s largest ship – which can only hold around 4,00 passengers.
- Choose Disney if: you are familiar with Disney through its theme parks and want the top-notch Disney experience
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you want more ship and destination choices
Comparing the Staterooms: Disney Has More Family-Friendly Rooms
When it comes to type of staterooms offered, both Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean offer the same basic categories: inside cabins, oceanview rooms, balcony cabins, and larger suites. Both cruise lines also offer inside cabins with virtual views.
The difference between the 2 cruise lines comes in family-friendly accommodations.
All Disney cruise ship rooms accommodate at least 3 guests. Some staterooms even offer split bathrooms and curtained room dividers, making getting ready much easier for families. The icing on the cake comes with fun Disney character murals above the bunk beds!
On the other hand, Royal Caribbean offers more suite choices for families. These range from Junior Suites with large balconies to the Ultimate Family Suite with multiple bathrooms, bedrooms, and balconies and the Ultimate Family Townhouse, complete with a home theater and 2-level slide. For solo travelers, Royal Caribbean offers solo cabins. They also offer cabins with views of Central Park, the Boardwalk, and Promenade.
- Choose Disney if: you want more family-friendly accommodations
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you want more variety of stateroom and suite choices
Comparing the Dining: Royal Caribbean Gives More Dining Flexibility, but at a Price
When it comes to dining, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are very different.
On the surface, both cruise lines offer main dining venues and buffets that are covered in your fare as well as restaurants that come with an extra cost. Both cruise lines offer beverage packages and kids’ menus.
But that’s where the similarities end.
Much like the Disney theme parks, Disney dining involves your favorite Disney characters to interact with as well as fun dinner shows to experience. Disney Cruise Line’s rotational dining system also allows you to stay with the same server and tablemates throughout your cruise on a pre-set schedule. Your fare also includes 24hr room service.
On the other hand, Royal Caribbean offers “My Time Dining,” giving you the choice of traditional dining (same time, same table) or flexible dining (you choose when and who to dine with). “My Time Family” dining also ensures that children 3-11 years receive their meals within 45 minutes of sitting down, keeping the kiddos busy. Royal Caribbean also charges a fee for all room service orders except continental breakfast.
- Choose Disney if: you want a set-dining schedule with more fun for the kiddos
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you want more variety of food choices, easy-to-find snack options, and a lot more upscale restaurant options
Comparing the Entertainment: Disney Has Broadway-Level Shows with Disney Flair
Another major difference between Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean is their type of entertainment.
If you’ve been to the Disney theme parks or watched a Disney Broadway show, you’re familiar with Disney’s show style: high-quality performances with a mix of classic animated Disney movies brought to life and original stories that cleverly include classic Disney music and characters. These shows are perfect for the kiddos and Disney adults alike.
Royal Caribbean on the other hand features full-length Broadway musicals, including “Hairspary,” “Mama Mia!”, and “Grease.” They also feature original productions with world-class performers. As a leader in innovation, Royal Caribbean even offers its AquaTheater on its Oasis- and Icon-class ships, a water-based stage showcasing dive spectaculars. Royal Caribbean even offers the venue Two70 on its Quantum-class ships, with technology that isn’t seen on any other cruise ship.
- Choose Disney if: you and/or your kiddos love shows with Disney songs and characters
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you want more traditional Broadway-style shows and highly innovative shows
Comparing Outdoor and Indoor Activities: Royal Caribbean Keeps the Adults in Mind
Both cruise lines offer many of the same activities, including pools with poolside movie screens, an adult-only sun deck, kids’ water play areas, and sport areas with basketball courts and mini-golf.
However, each cruise line caters to different types of guests.
Disney Cruise Line goes all-in with its water attractions, including splash zones for toddlers, shallow pools and junior water slides for kids, regular pools for the entire family, and water rides. And of course, you can’t have a Disney vacation without your favorite character meet-and-greets. Disney also offers Special Days at Sea, including Marvel Day at Sea, Halloween on the High Seas, and Very Merrytime Cruises.
Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, goes all-in with its thrill attractions. This includes rock climbing walls, the FlowRider surf simulator, RipCord by iFLY skydiving simulator, and zip lining. It also has the tallest viewing deck on a cruise ship: an observation capsule that takes you over 300 feet above sea level. Oh, did I forget to mention the Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea, which takes you down 10 stories?
- Choose Disney if: you’re looking for fun that your kiddos can truly enjoy, especially during the holidays
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you’re an adrenaline junky or you’re looking for a variety of adult-friendly activities
Comparing the Kids’ Clubs: Royal Caribbean Has More Age Groups in Mind
Simply put, Royal Caribbean divides their kids’ clubs into smaller age groups.
Royal Caribbean has 5 groups: Royal Babies & Tots (6-36 months), Aquanauts (3-5 years), Explorers (6-8 years), Voyagers (9-11 years), Tweens (12-14 years), and Teens (15-17 years). Each group has separate play areas and programming. More importantly, children must stay within their age group and cannot move between groups. And as a side-note, while these clubs are complimentary for most of the day, babysitting comes at an additional cost after 10pm.
Disney Cruise Line, on the other hand, has 4 groups: “it’s a small world” Nursery (up to 3 years), Kid’s Clubs (3-12 years), Tween Clubs (11-14 years), and Teen Clubs (14-17 years). More specifically, games and programming are specific to certain age groups, but kiddos of a wider age group are grouped together. And in true Disney fashion, each kid’s club has incredible theming, immersing everyone in the world of Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.
- Choose Disney if: you prefer your kiddos (especially with bigger age gaps) to stay together and your kiddos love the Disney theming
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you prefer your kiddos to be with other kiddos closer in age
Comparing Private Islands: Disney’s Private Island is More Laid-Back
While both Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have their own private islands with many of the same amenities, Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, gives families a more laid-back experience.
Activities at Castaway Cay include snorkeling, In Da Shade Game Pavilion with table tennis, foosball, basketball, and more, a Teen Hideout (14-17 years), and of course, character meet-and-greets. Disney also offers Pelican Plunge consisting of 2 twisting water slides – a relatively tame water attraction.
On the other hand, Perfect Day at CocoCay literally takes Royal Caribbean’s thrills from its ship directly onto the island. This private island contains Thrill Waterpark, full of 14 waterslides and the largest wave pool in the Caribbean. It also offers a helium balloon ride and ziplining for an additional fee.
- Choose Disney if: you prefer a more laid-back, traditional family beach day
- Choose Royal Caribbean if: you prefer more thrills for you and your family
So, in the end, which cruise line is best for you?
In short, it depends on your preferences. If you’re looking for a more cost-effective vacation with more thrilling experiences, Royal Caribbean might better suit you. If you’ve experienced the unmatched Disney service and love Disney’s theming, it’s a no-brainer to choose Disney Cruise Line.
Whatever your preference, this guide will make your decision-making process much easier so you and your family can have a wonderful time on your next cruise.
And when you’re ready to book your next cruise vacation, reach out to any one of our trusted travel advisors at Love of the Magic Vacations!