I have been on two RC cruises and 2 Norwegian in addition to 6 across Disney (all 4 ships). Prefer Disney hands down. You pay a premium, but I feel the price difference is worth it. My husband and kids love movies and we watch a ton of them on Disney ships, both in rooms and in the theater. The theater shows in Disney are hands down better; much less cheesy, to use my husbands words. You may pay more up front for the cruise, but your dining options are wider. On the Norwegian Cruise I am on right now, we are basically limited to the buffet or one dining room for dinner (the other dining room has a dress code and my husband and teenage boys didn’t bring any long pants). There are many other dining rooms to chose from , but they all have an up charge. I miss the counter service options Disney has. Also, as a vegetarian, I am struggling with the buffet. I also miss the drink station on the deck. I know that even if I pay for the drinks, it is still less than Disney, but I don’t want to whip out my card all the time and wait for the waiter. I don’t want to buy a drink package and carry a cup all day either.
We don’t gamble and we really are not drinkers either. I hate walking through the casino and avoiding the people who are trying their best to get the most out of their drink package. Also, I don’t think it sets a good example for my kids when the cruise director and performers talk all the time about drinking and alcohol. I’ve always been bothered by that on our other cruises.
We did a sunrise tour in Haleakala last night and so decided to sleep after we got back to the boat and then just be mellow. There is nothing to do. We were able to find seats in the shade at the pool though!
My teenage sons love the teen rooms on Disney and have not enjoyed them on RC or Norwegian. Too little supervision and fewer planned group activities. My 10 year old daughter does not like the lab/club on Disney and is happier in the smaller rooms in the other lines. They may have more activities on the huge RC ships, but there are long lines and they are each offered for only a few hours a day.
On the other cruises, we have often found the comedian to be more entertaining because they aren’t shackled as much by the Disney sensors.
In the end, as other posters have said on other threads, it really is a personal choice. I find that the quality across the board is much higher on everything on Disney. I work hard and when I go on vacation I want to relax and be taken care of. I ALWAYS feel that way on Disney and not so on other lines. It is for that reason that I always book my next cruise on the ship. I’ve done suite level in the other lines and have not felt the same level of customer service I get on Disney.
On this current cruise for the itinerary-Hawaii.
