My family of five is looking forward to our 7th cruise on Disney Cruise Line early next year for a special Star Wars cruise. We are counting down the days until we sail away!
While I’m sure the cruise will be unbelievable, it’s hard to ignore the astronomical cost of Disney Cruise Line. For most of our previous cruises, we’ve pulled our kids out of school to cruise at cheaper times of the year. Since my oldest son is about to enter high school, traveling during the school year is no longer an option for us to save money on Disney Cruise Line.
I’ve thought about cheating on DCL and trying another cruise line in the past. In fact, my family even booked a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line, only to cancel it due to our hesitation about trying a new cruise line.
The other day, my 14-year-old reiterated to me how excited he is for our upcoming Disney cruise. I asked him what he was looking forward to the most. His answer? The unlimited ice cream machine! Wait a minute….that’s something we can get on another cruise line. My younger son is looking forward to the freedom that a cruise offers (he can pick and choose the activities he likes). Neither of them mentioned the Disney characters, the Disney shows or the special themed restaurants on DCL.
I finally got my husband on board to try another cruise line. We booked a 4-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas for Spring Break 2020. Undoubtedly, the initial price seems much cheaper than DCL. But will the price inch closer to DCL once we add in all the nickel-and-dime items on Royal Caribbean that are already included in the price of a Disney cruise?
Here is an apples to apples cost comparison of Disney Cruise Line vs. Royal Caribbean for a similar ship, itinerary and cabin.
Disney Dream 4-Night Cruise to Bahamas
The cost for my family of five (kids will be 9, 12 and 15) to share two balcony rooms on the Disney Dream on a 4-night cruise during our spring break in 2020 is $7575. Yowsa!
Making its debut in 2011, The Disney Dream is 1115 feet long and holds 4000 passengers. The 4-night Bahamas itinerary departs from Port Canaveral and includes a stop at Nassau, Bahamas as well as a day at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.
The Disney Dream features three themed main dining room restaurants, AquaDuck water coaster, Mid-Ship Detective Agency interactive mystery, Mickey Mouse slide and pool, miniature golf and a sports deck. The Oceaneer Club for kids features a Star Wars room, and Pirate Night includes a deck party with fireworks. Yes, fireworks at sea!
Of course, a cruise on the Dream offers many opportunities to meet Disney characters. The main characters make appearances throughout the cruise in different costumes, like beach wear, formal wear, pirate wear, etc. You can reserve a spot at the Princess Gathering to see up to five princesses at once, and your child can get a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas 4-Night Cruise to Bahamas
The cost for my family of five to share two balcony rooms on the Mariner of the Seas on a 4-night cruise during the same week is $3268.
Built in 2003, the Mariner of the Seas is 1020 feet long and holds 4000 passengers. The ship underwent a massive refurbishment in 2018. The cruise we booked departs from Port Canaveral and has a very similar itinerary to the Disney Dream. Mariner of the Seas stops at Nassau, Bahamas as well as RCCL’s private island, CocoCay.
Mariner of the Seas features a Flow Rider, SkyPad virtual reality trampoline, rock climbing wall, Perfect Storm waterslides, miniature golf, laser tag, ice skating and an escape room. Check out this video for a ship tour of the new features.
One of the main reasons we picked this ship and itinerary is the upcoming transformation of CocoCay. The island is currently going through a $200 million renovation to add a major water park with lagoon pools, a wave pool, 13 water slides, zip line, helium balloon ride, overwater cabanas and more. Check out this video for a sneak peek of the plans. It looks like it will be amazing!
Apples to Apples Cost Comparison
Disney Cruise Line: $7575
Royal Caribbean: $3268
At first glance, it appears that a cruise on Disney Cruise Line vs. Royal Caribbean is more than double the price. However, there are some features included in DCL’s price that cost extra on Royal Caribbean. In order to make a more accurate apples to apples cost comparison, let’s add in some of those extra expenses.
Soda: DCL includes unlimited soda from fountain machines and in restaurants. On Royal, we would need to pay approximately $10 per person per day for an extra $200.
Beach Umbrellas: DCL provides free beach umbrellas on Castaway Cay. On CocoCay, beach umbrellas cost $25 each. Assuming we rent two, add in $50.
Private Island Slides: Castaway Cay has two ocean waterslides and an obstacle course that are included. CocoCay will eventually have a huge waterpark for a fee, but right now it has some inflatable slides that cost $37 per person. To make my comparison equivalent, I’m adding in the cost of the current CocoCay slides for all three of my kids for an extra $111.
Galley Tour: On Disney, my husband took a tour of the galleys by stopping at Guest Services for a complimentary ticket. This tour was not advertised, but I read about it on DCL forums. On RCCL, a galley tour costs $35 per person. Assuming both my husband and I would take the galley tour, that’s an extra $70.
Room Service: On DCL, there is no room service delivery fee. Most items on the menu are free, although a few things (like cans of soda and candy bars) have an extra charge. On Royal, every room service order has a $7.95 delivery fee. Assuming we order room service once per day, that’s an extra $31.80.
Texting Ability: Disney Cruise Line has complimentary wave phones so that family members can keep in touch on separate parts of the ship. In addition, DCL has an app that allows free texting to other guests without having to purchase an internet package. Most Royal ships do not have either option. For the Mariner of the Seas, if we want the ability to communicate with our kids on board, we would need to add the VOOM internet package for four of us. The cost is $11.99 per day per device, for a total of $191.84.
Kids’ Club Night Charges: On DCL, the clubs for kids over age 3 are included for all hours of day and night. The club usually stays open until midnight or 1 a.m. so that parents can participate in late-night entertainment. On Royal, there is an upcharge for kids who stay after 10 p.m. My daughter will be my only child in the kids’ club on this trip, as my sons will be in the tween and teen clubs. Assuming she stays an extra two hours each night, at $7 per hour over four nights that’s an extra $56.
Character Breakfast: Character breakfasts are included on longer Disney cruises. Although neither the Dream nor the Mariner of the Seas offer character breakfasts, it’s worth noting that Royal charges $10 per person to dine with the DreamWorks characters on select ships.
Total extra costs from Royal: $711, bringing the apples to apples comparison cost to $3979 Royal vs. $7575 Disney. RCCL is still way less expensive, even with all the additional costs. For DCL, even if we switched to the cheapest possible room to accommodate all five of us instead of two balcony rooms, the cost is still $6185, well over the price of Royal Caribbean.
Bottom Line
While cruising shouldn’t be just about getting the best deal, in our situation for a peak time trip I do believe trying Royal Caribbean is worth the risk. The pricing structure of Royal Caribbean is a better fit for our travel budget, and if we like the cruise line, we will be able to enjoy more cruises during school vacation weeks. If we hate it, we’re only on board for four days.
Will we miss the characters and entertainment on DCL? I’m sure we will, but less so than we would have when our kids were younger. Mariner of the Seas will still provide us with fun stuff to do on board, care-free meals and gorgeous beaches. Our kids will still have the freedom to choose activities and participate in clubs for their own age groups and yes, partake in unlimited ice cream.
Have you jumped ship from DCL to another cruise line? Or is the premium price of DCL worth it compared to other cruise lines? What has been your experience?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Not sure who you wanted the comparison from Jennifer, but I can tell you how we fared. In January 2019 we boarded the RCCL Mariner as a family with my hubby and three adult daughters. My oldest daughter is infatuated with Disney and still finds joy in the characters on board and the Disney movies and entertainment so she expressed the most disappointment as these are not offered on RCCL. However, she repeatedly told me that the food on RCCL beat out Disney, especially the French onion soup which she had three of at each dinner ????.
My other two daughters loved their RCCL trip and said they now don’t understand what all the Disney hype is about. Both stated that in the future they would only sail RCCL because they had so much more fun and felt the food, entertainment and activities far surpassed Disney and at a much cheaper price. One thing I will mention though. On the Mariner you must pass through a smoking section to get to their complimentary hot dog stand and that was not enticing. Also this ship had only one ice cream machine running. In the future we will sail only RCCL’s newest and biggest ships as they do have a more enjoyable experience in our opinions. Otherwise, it was another successful cruise and all were willing to return again! Good luck!
@Julie Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m glad to hear that your family liked RCCL. I’m sure I will miss the Disney shows, but I’m interested to see some different entertainment. And my kids are looking forward to all of the recreational activities on board.
@ Nancy We loved the laser tag on Mariner! RCCL has much more to offer in terms of activities whether it be the flow rider, laser tag etc. have fun!
Thank you guys for offering your thoughts. We have 3 kids (7, 14,15) and have been on Disney twice (recently during last Thanksgiving $$$$). That was enough memory making… we are going on RC Mariners next summer with booking 2 staterooms (which is first for us) . Looking forward to having that separation from the kids but still getting to enjoy the amenities the ship provides.
We (my hubby and I aren’t Disney fans, but going on the ship beats out going to the hot park and standing in long lines ANY DAY)!
I’m curious how the trip compared in the end. We’ve been on DCL twice, but keep hearing things about RCCL.
@Jennifer We’re going on Anthem of the Seas in a few weeks, and I’ll have a full report!
We have been on 2 Disney Cruises and I’m tempted to try Royal just because of the price, but don’t want to be slumming it like on Carnival. Disney does everything top notch and I can’t “imagine” another cruise line living up to that level of excellence. + This will be our 1st cruise as empty nesters and we love Disney enough to go without our kids! 🙂
I was very interested to read your post because I’ve been on so many cruises on many different cruise lines over the years and always just opted for the cheapest option available. However, in the past I’ve only ever gone with my husband or other adults. This past summer I took my 4 year old on a cruise to Alaska. I picked an Alaska cruise after hearing friends give the Alaskan Disney cruise rave reviews for their families, and yet when it was time for me to find my cruise I couldn’t bring myself to pay for such an expensive cruise in comparison to the other options. It turned out to be one of the worst travel decisions I’ve ever made. Maybe it was only a problem because we traveled in the off season, but without it being a peak time the cruise we were on (Princess Cruise Lines) was not ready to accommodate children (the kids centers / play areas were closed for the majority of the time and there were almost no activities for the kids). My child was miserable for most of the days at sea and I really wish I had just paid the money and gone on Disney. After we came back it seemed like so many friends went on the Disney cruise to Alaska this summer and that their kids (all around the same age as my daughter) had such a wonderful time. While these friends did end up going during a more peak time of year, I cannot imagine Disney would ever NOT provide enjoyment for a kid no matter what time of year it was.
@Hawaii Girl Travels I’m sorry that your son was miserable and that the kids clubs weren’t open! DCL’s price for Alaska is steep, but the other cruise lines don’t seem to have as much going on for kids on their Alaska ships. The ships that go to the Caribbean on other lines offer much more entertainment, so I feel more comfortable branching out there. But, my husband and I still have some doubts about our choice. This past weekend, we went to a flashy restaurant in Dallas that is supposed to be great for kids. We found it to be way overrated, the food was horrible and service wasn’t that great. Basically, the restaurant looked way better on paper than it was in reality and it was such a letdown. On the way home, we looked at each other and said that we hope we don’t feel the same way on our Royal Caribbean cruise.
We have done several DCL cruises throughout our children’s life cycles and all were an enjoyable experience. Hubby and I recently tried RCC Harmony in 2017 for a 7 day and had a fabulous time. We found it to be very comparable to DCL. In a few short weeks we’ll board RCC Mariner with our now adult daughters for their first RCC experience. I’m hoping they find RCC to be similar to DCL as we did. RCC has plenty to entertain children and adults alike and we found the food to be literally the same on both lines. Never fear saving a few dollars by going with RCC. Trust me you will not be disappointed.
@Julie I’m glad to see you enjoyed Harmony of the Seas and that you found RCCL to be very similar to DCL. Have a great time on Mariner!
I appreciate the cost comparison, but as you laid out no amount of nickel and diming with come anywhere close to a cruise that is double the cost. And half of the items like unlimited soda, galley tours, texting (I’m on vacation… I’m off the grid!) I wouldn’t bother with anyway.
I remember when I was pricing out week long cruises during spring break for an interior stateroom… RCCL was around $3,200 for our family of 5 on a 6-night cruise. Disney wanted more than $10k on a similar 7-night itinerary. That’s simply insane… and on RCCL we got two connecting staterooms instead of one.
I’ve never tried a Disney cruise and probably never will. And we love going to Disney World!
@projectx Yep, spring break prices on DCL are pretty high. And you’re right, some of those included things on DCL I probably won’t bother with on RCCL, but some we will.
It’s hard to explain the magic of a Disney Cruise, and I know that’s why people keep paying the high prices. The cruise just has an upscale, pampered feel to it with a touch of magic on top. I know we won’t experience the same exact feeling on RCCL, but if we can get 80% of the experience with paying 50% of the price, we should consider it.
How does the quality of the food compare between the two?
@Hodor That’s a great question, and unfortunately I’m not qualified to answer that. I’ve looked on various cruise forums, and the answer seems mixed with some folks saying DCL has better food and some say RCCL is better. One thing I will miss on RCCL is an adults-only dining experience. My husband and I love Palo on DCL, but I noticed on Mariner of the Seas that all of the specialty restaurants allow kids. That’s fine, and we have three kids, but sometimes we like to have a quieter dining experience.
@Hodor I can’t speak for Disney cruise line food, though one of our readers wasn’t overly impressed with it. She compared it to “Cheesecake factory” https://milesforfamily.com/2017/05/12/cruise-toddler-disney-magic-good-bad-magical/
I think it really depends on your taste and preferences. I have cruised on Royal Caribbean and enjoyed the food. However, I’m also somewhat easy to please. I will say, the best cruise line food we’ve had by far was on Holland America. If that’s the determining factor for you, I recommend you look into it. It’s a lot cheaper than Disney line, though usually costs a bit more than Royal Caribbean.
@Leana I’ve also heard good things about the food on Holland America, but I found it interesting that an off-season cruise on Holland America for my family of 5 this October was significantly more expensive than an off-season cruise on Disney Cruise Line! I was shocked. It might be because Holland America has no rooms for 5 people.
@Nancy That is strange! I guess there is an exception to every rule. I’m sure not every Holland America cruise is a bargain but in general, I found the value to be excellent. Then again, value is in the eye of the beholder. At the end of the day, it’s hard to put a price on what exactly makes Disney cruises so special. Yet clearly, they are doing something right since the sailings sell out and rates keep going up. The principle of supply vs demand is hard to argue with. My kids would love Disney Cruise, but since neither me or my husband are huge Disney fans, I just can’t justify the premium. But I don’t fault those who feel differently.
@Leana For this recent early 2020 release on DCL, two cruises completely sold out during the Platinum and Gold pre-booking timing before the cruises were even available to the public (tomorrow). Crazy!
Timely, as I’ve been looking at 2020 itineraries released this week (but I’m not seeing the prices?) Is that because I’m a first timer?
@Kacie Yes, Castaway Club members (previous cruisers) can see itineraries now but first-timers will see info online tomorrow. Apparently one of the Hawaii cruises is already sold out.