Comparing 3 Cruise Lines for Thanksgiving Cruise

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A friend recently asked me for advice on planning a cruise out of Galveston during Thanksgiving week. Our school district gets the entire week off, and it’s a great opportunity for a getaway. (Of course, any time is a great time to travel!)

Unfortunately, cruise prices during holiday weeks are usually fairly expensive, and Thanksgiving week is no exception. My friend was blown away by the quote for a Disney cruise out of Galveston. Let’s take a look other options. Note: For comparison purposes, we are looking for 5- to 7- night cruise in a balcony cabin on a newer ship for a family of four with two teenagers.

Disney Cruise Line

Ah, DCL, the creme de la creme of cruise lines. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that my family is a big fan of DCL. I’ve sailed on DCL nine times. Our early cruises on DCL were lifesavers for my sanity due to the included kids’ clubs.

For Thanksgiving week, the Disney Magic has a 5-night cruise out of Galveston. The itinerary includes Progresso and Cozumel.

The Disney Magic is the original and oldest Disney Cruise Line ship, but it was reimagined in 2013 and 2018. On-board entertainment includes a fireworks show, Broadway shows, AquaDunk water slide and Disney characters.

The price for this cruise in a balcony cabin is $7832.16.

The DCL price includes unlimited kids’ club hours and soda, which are extra on other cruise lines.

Royal Caribbean

Allure of the Seas sails a 7-night cruise out of Galveston. The itinerary includes Costa Maya, Roatan and Cozumel.

Allure of the Seas is the only Oasis-class ship that has not been recently refurbished. However, it has a lot of bells and whistles including Mama Mia stage show, Aqua Theatre, ice skating rink, Flow Rider, zip line, rock climbing wall and more.

The cost for a family of four in a balcony cabin is $4913.96. Soda and late-night hours at the kids’ club are not included in this price.

Carnival

Carnival has a reputation as an adult party ship. However, in the past few years, the cruise line has debuted some new ships with family-friendly features.

Carnival Vista has a 7-night cruise out of Galveston. The itinerary includes Mohogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel.

Carnival Vista launched in 2015. Highlights of the ship include SkyRide flying bicycles, WaterWorks water slides, and IMAX theatre.

The price for a balcony cabin for 4 is $3707.44. Soda and late-night kids’ club are not included in the price.

My Advice

For a family with two teenagers, I don’t think the premium price for Disney Cruise Line is worth it, especially since the cruise is two days less than the other lines. If a family has very young children and has never sailed on DCL or been to Disney World, then maybe.

In this case, I recommend Allure of the Seas. It’s a good middle ground price-wise among all three cruise lines, and it offers a ton of activities for teenagers. My boys loved our Royal Caribbean cruise in 2019, and we are looking forward to cruising on Royal again next month.

I have never been on Carnival, so I can’t speak to it yet. My family is hoping to sail on the Carnival Celebration (new ship launching in November) next year. My kids want to experience the Bolt roller coaster at sea.

Which cruise would you choose? Is Disney always worth the premium price for your family?

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