two-foxes Posted November 12, 2021 Report Share Posted November 12, 2021 11 time Disney cruiser, and finally jumped ship to try RCCL. Our fam of 4 are incredibly excited to go on our first RCCL on Harmony on the June 5, 2022 cruise. While I know it is no secret, Disney prices have gotten absolutely insane - we were able to book 2 oceanview connecting staterooms on this 7 night for LESS than one balcony stateroom on a 4 night on the DCL Wish. Our boys are a bit older now (12, 14), so we are thinking the boys will be fine with the change, but I think the grown adults may have the biggest adjustment! If any former DCL cruisers have some tips and tricks we could find helpful in the transition, please let me know! teddy, cruisellama and KristiZ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted November 12, 2021 Report Share Posted November 12, 2021 Welcome to the Blog and to Royal Caribbean. I don't think you will be disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted November 12, 2021 Report Share Posted November 12, 2021 @Lovetocruise2002 is a Disney cruise convert but she is traveling at the moment. I'm sure she'll have some advice and thoughts when she can post. My last Disney cruise was from before they took pricing to infinity and beyond and I've sailed so many Royal cruises since I've all but forgotten what it was like. Here are some blog posts on the topic, some going back a few years though. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-244-royal-caribbean-versus-disney-cruise-line https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2014/12/22/first-time-cruisers-comparing-royal-caribbean-disney-cruise-line https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/09/18/5-ways-royal-caribbean-different-disney-cruise-line https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/04/14/royal-caribbean-primer-the-disney-cruise-line-fan-sticker-shock cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted November 12, 2021 Report Share Posted November 12, 2021 Welcome! You're one of many ex-DCL cruisers on this site who never looked back, and still has amazing cruises with more money left over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted November 14, 2021 Report Share Posted November 14, 2021 We started as Royal cruisers first, then made the switch to DCL when the kids were born. We took 3 DCL cruises with them and did not regret any of them. At the time, when the girls were 10 and under, that was the best choice for them. You cannot beat what DCL does for kids. As someone who is loyal to Royal, I would have to say that Adventure Ocean pales in comparison to Oceaneer Club and the rest of the onboard activities for younger kids. That being said, I personally think that is about the only thing that DCL does better, well maybe the shows too, although Royal's Oasis and Quantum class ships gives DCL shows a run for their money. I feel that their are more options for dining on Royal, which I like. And like it was already mentioned, it is hard to justify the cost of a DCL cruise when I can take that cost (for a balcony) and sail a suite on Royal. Once the girls turned 10, we switched back happily to Royal. The kids loved DCL but they got bored of it by the 3rd cruise. I think Harmony is a good choice for your family. It is one of Royal's larger ships and with so many activities, your teens will love it. My girls love the Oasis class ship. I don't see us cruising DCL again unless someone else is paying. Going to tag @Jaxas well. She and her family are former DCL cruisers too. Jax 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jax Posted November 15, 2021 Report Share Posted November 15, 2021 Welcome! Our story is similar to @Lovetocruise2002. We cruised DCL 3 times when our son was younger, always in concierge. Once our son turned 11ish DCL lost some of its magic and our son was willing to try another brand. Our first cruise with Royal was Christmas 2019 on Anthem in star class (Disney concierge doesn’t come close to matching star class amenities). The activities on quantum and oasis class ships surpass anything offered on Disney for pre teens/teens so your boys will have lots of options. Royal also wins on specialty dining and on overall dining selection. Our son was never interested in the kids program so I can’t comment on those. The area that Disney came out ahead on was in the exceptional way the concierge and dining staff connected with us. That was the most noticeable thing I missed when we switched to Royal. We have our second star class cruise coming soon so we may feel differently this time around. But even if we don’t, we would not go back to Disney. Honestly I think you will love what Royal has to offer and never look back. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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