Royal Caribbean versus Disney: The Battle for the Best Family Cruise Line

The Fleets:

Every cruise line has something to offer families, but these two are the best of the best for family travel. Let’s break this down to discover why.

Royal Caribbean is best known for having a huge fleet of ships, including some of the largest cruise ships in the world. Icon of the Seas is currently the title holder for the largest cruise ship in the world. It weighs in at 250,800 tons and hosts 7,600 passengers. It is THE cruise for families! RCCL ships are packed with family-friendly attractions, from waterslides, splash parks, aqua and ice skating shows. They also boast huge kids' clubs and adults-only solariums and sun decks.

Total ships in the fleet: 29 ships and counting

The Disney fleet offers fewer ships, and are smaller than most RCCL ships. That is not a bad thing, though! Some people may be overwhelmed by the sheer size of some of RCCL’s more popular ships. If that's you, then Disney may be the perfect fit for your family. And of course, the character encounters cannot be found on any other cruise line, making them one of a kind. Disney Cruises aren’t just for annual park pass holders. Disney offers some of the best culinary options at sea, often compared to that of the Ritz's Yacht Collection of Silversea. The quality of entertainment and family-focused service you're used to in its parks and hotels carry over to its cruise ships.

Total ships in the fleet: 5 currently operating with 3 more coming soon!

WINNER: Royal Caribbean - they just can’t be beat in terms of the sheer variety of family-friendly activities and entertainment.

Staterooms:

Both cruise lines offer a wide range of staterooms suitable for families. Let’s talk about the different categories of rooms, amount of space, price points and layouts.

Most cruise lines separate their cabin offerings into different categories. There are windowless, inside cabins (both cruise lines have some ships with digital screens that simulate windows or balconies).

Ocean-view rooms have a porthole or picture windows, which do not open.

Balcony cabins have private verandas and suites with extra space and VIP amenities (including access to suite-only lounges, pools, deck space and concierge/butler services).

Here are some highlights about the cabins of Royal Caribbean. This is the cruise line of choice if you want over-the-top suites on the biggest ships. The collection offers stunning two-floor suites. They including the ultimate family townhouse and the ultimate family suite on Icon and Oasis Class ships. These majestic suites are a kid's dream accommodation. There is even a slide to get from the second floor to the first floor, a game room, stairs that play the piano upon touch and so much more.

Royal Caribbean also has some quirky cabins you might find fun for a more affordable price point. The ocean-view and balcony rooms look onto the open-air, interior "neighborhoods" on Oasis and Icon Class ships. Some of these neighborhoods include the fun-loving Boardwalk, leafy Central Park and kid-friendly Surfside.

Icon of the Seas has new infinite balcony cabins, which have extra interior space and a glass wall that rolls down halfway (like a car window) to bring fresh air into the room. Icon of the Seas also introduced the family cabins, which include split bathroom concepts (a staple of Disney ships, but more on that in a moment) and a separate kids room that has three twin bunk-beds.

Disney Cruise Line's cabins were designed with families in mind. Most have a split-bath design, with a sink and toilet in one room and a tub-shower combo and sink in another. They have room-dividing curtains and plenty of extra berths, with sofabeds and pulldown bunks (also available by request on RCCL).

WINNER: Royal Caribbean: again, the level of variety wins here.

Food & Beverage:

Most families don’t seek out a cruise for over-the-top, exceptional cuisine or culinary experiences. However, there are some really incredible dining options on both cruise lines. I think it is important to differentiate between the quality of food & service in the included dining spaces versus the added-cost specialty dining experiences on both fleets.

Royal Caribbean has two main complimentary dining options, which are the Main Dining Room and the Windjammer Buffet. The Windjammer is the casual dining self-serve buffet option onboard all RCCL ships. It is located near the pools and is a family favorite for quick and easy meals. The buffet has tons of dining options, including a variety of worldly flavors, daily rotating specialty item, and some staples (grilled cheese, chicken fingers, burgers, hot dogs, etc.). The food is good, but it is standard buffet food.

For many families, the Windjammer is great for its convenience of location, variety of options, its casual feel and freedom of timing. The Main Dining Room is the included upscale dining room. It's multi-storied and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You are pre-assigned a table which is your table throughout your entire voyage. This is wonderful for a few reasons. You immediately create a warm bond with the wait staff of that section. They are incredibly thoughtful, especially with families, and create a custom-tailored dining experience.

For example, my kids are fairly picky, and being toddlers, they have a hard time sitting still for long periods of time. Our wait staff, on Wonder of the Seas, would have mac and cheese, french fries, Caesar salads and Shirley Temples set on the table every evening. The boys could start nibbling the moment they sat down!

They would also engage with the kids if they were feeling squirmy. They often offered small toys, games and activities to keep them entertained at meal time. With all that said, the service is incredible. While it is an upscale dining space, the team provides a laid back, comfortable and fun dynamic.

Some families will forego their assigned dining time and table to do Your-Time dining. This means that you can go to the MDR on your own time. But you would lose the benefit of having the same time/service team throughout your cruise. The quality of food in the MDR is, I am sad to say, sub-par. There are other complimentary dining options, including Sorrento’s Pizza and El Loco Fresh (our personal favorite meal on the entire ship!).

There are also Royal Caribbean’s specialty dining options. If you're willing to pay, you'll find nearly everything you could wish for. There is sushi and hibachi, steak, seafood, Italian, Southern, Johnny Rockets, pub fare and inventive dishes created using molecular gastronomy.

Suite Class guests have access to an elevated, intimate dining room called Coastal Kitchen. The quantity of specialty restaurants on RCCL ships is appealing to those who want to experience a variety of culinary delights. If that is you, then Royal wins in terms of food & beverage. However, for included dining options, I have to give Disney the winning trophy. Here’s why…..

Disney Cruise Line takes a completely different approach to dining. Each ship features three included sit-down restaurants. Passengers are given a schedule of which venue to visit on which night. Your servers rotate through the dining rooms with you, so they can get to know your preferences. The eateries are often themed to Disney movies or characters and might have a stage show or other entertainment as part of the fun. In addition, a buffet is open for breakfast and lunch, along with all-day dining at poolside, grab-n-go venues for things like pizza, burgers and sandwiches. Adults can seek a quieter, more romantic meal in Disney's various adults-only, extra-fee restaurants, including the Italian Palo and the French Remy or Enchante. At $50 per person, Palo is a great value for brunch and dinner with all-you-can-eat options from an extensive and high-quality menu. On the flip-side, Remy and Enchante are among the most expensive specialty restaurants at sea, but offer Michelin-level cuisine, experience & service.

Something else worth noting: Both cruise lines offer room service, but Disney's is included in the fare, while you have to pay extra on Royal Caribbean.

WINNER: Disney

Kids Activities:

Both cruise lines excel at kids/family entertainment (especially on Royal Caribbean's bigger and newer ships), but each one takes different approaches. Both Disney and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines have large kids clubs on their ships. There separate spaces for younger kids and teens, as well as extra-fee nurseries for the littlest cruisers.

On Royal Caribbean ships, teens and tweens share a hangout. Kids still congregate in Adventure Ocean, with multipurpose spaces for sports, games, crafts and plenty of high-tech entertainment. Newer ships have separate artist's studios, theaters, science labs and game space.

Disney's Oceaneer Club and Lab are expansive play spaces themed to Disney, Pixar and "Star Wars" characters. You can play in Andy's Room from Toy Story or fly the Millennium Falcon in a Star Wars simulation. Activities range from arts and crafts and science experiments, to playing video games or digital entertainment on the Magic Play Floor. Tweens and teens each have separate hangouts with lots of games and hangout space.

Both cruise lines offer planned kid and family activities around the ship throughout the sailing, outside of the drop-off kids programming in the clubs. On Disney, families can take photos with their favorite characters and princesses, experience the staple “Bippity, Bobbity, Boop” salon, enjoy family trivia and karaoke and attend events like a Pirate Night deck show or dance parties in the main atrium. Some sailings on DCL are Pixar or Marvel themed where there are special character meet & greets. They also have special shows (think Marvel Universe) and other themed activities. Royal Caribbean offers a family festival sail-away party with games and face painting as well as scavenger hunts and other family-oriented activities.

WINNER: Disney

Onboard Attractions:

While Disney takes the cake for family attractions and activities at their parks on land, nothing beats Royal Caribbean's attractions on the high seas. Its biggest and newest ships have wow-factor family attractions. There's a FlowRider surf simulator, waterslides (including a six-slide water park on Icon of the Seas) and giant dry slides. Not to mention, escape rooms, ice skating rinks, laser tag pop-ups, bumper cars (on Quantum Class ships), zip lines, rock climbing walls, aqua shows, playgrounds, splash parks and sky diving simulators.

The kicker with Royal ships is that the amount and level of attractions greatly depends on the class of ship you travel on. Its Vision and Radiance Class ships take a more traditional, pared-down approach to onboard attractions. These ships focus on pools and hot tubs, the casino and spa. Freedom class ships, much smaller than the newer ships, still offer a great variety of the above-mentioned amenities. Choose your ship carefully on Royal if you have certain whiz-bang attractions on your to-do list (especially if wanting to keep children engaged & busy!).

Disney’s selling points with cruise attractions are really more of the intimate character experiences they provide rather than a variety of attractions like Royal. They have pools, one or two waterslides, a small toddler water play area and movies by the pool. Overall, they are not eager to be the biggest or best in terms of variety or grandeur in terms of onboard attractions. For families who plan to have their children spend most of their time in the kids club, Disney is nice for relaxing by the pool. If the extreme, thrill-seeking, busy vacation is your vibe (with many opportunities for relaxation too!), Royal takes the cake.

WINNER: Royal Caribbean

Entertainment:

Royal Caribbean & Disney both excel in the entertainment category. Both lines offer Broadway-style musicals and shows, with incredible levels of production and talent. Let’s break down what they each have to offer:

Royal Caribbean gets high marks for its stage shows, which range from shortened versions of Broadway musicals to original song-and-dance revues. Some ships have comedy venues and original Ice Capades-style shows. The best cruise show I've ever seen was the AquaTheater's innovative acrobatic-diving-dancing performances. Of course, they offer smaller-scale (but equally fun) entertainment options such as dueling piano shows, karaoke, midnight ball drops, jazz performances and more.

It will come as no surprise that it is hard to beat the full-scale shows on Disney. Of course, they are chalked full of your Disney favorites - Tangled, Beauty & the Beast and more. Each ship offers three original Broadway-style musicals in its onboard theater. Another DCL staple experience is its Pirate Night, complete with fireworks, rappelling pirates, Mickey & Friends dressed to impress in their pirate best, and more. They also run Disney movies on their poolside screens, as well as in their indoor movie theaters. There are plenty of entertainment options for adults. There are interactive game shows, karaoke, live music or even a solo show from a cast member.

WINNER: Tie!

Private Islands:

For those who do not know, both Disney & Royal Caribbean have private islands for their cruise guests to enjoy. Of course, not all sailings will include these ports, but if you are planning a trip that does include them, let’s talk about the difference between the two.

Royal Caribbean (Perfect Day at Coco Cay):

One of the centerpieces of Perfect Day at CocoCay is the extra-charge Thrill Waterpark. Here, cruisers can ride 13 water slides - including the tallest in North America, Daredevil’s Peak. Splash in the largest wave pool in the Bahamas, swim in the adventure pool, and relax in a private cabana. Outside of the waterpark, the freshwater Oasis Lagoon and Beach offers a swim-up bar and underwater music. Chill Island Beach includes loungers, umbrellas, and swimming coves.

The new Coco Beach Club adds luxurious private cabanas, an infinity pool and a private beach. The overwater floating cabanas in this area are the first of its kind in the Bahamas. Also new, the activity-focused South Beach offers volleyball, beachside basketball and more. There is the opportunity to rent glass bottom kayaks, snorkeling gear, and other fun beach gear.

Perfect Day at CocoCay offers the Splashaway Bay kid’s water area and Captain Jill’s Galleon for water fun and exploration. Both are located outside of the Thrill Waterpark, so there’s no extra charge. There are no supervised child-care options, so parents will have to stay with younger kids during their visit. Responsible teens should be able to explore on their own. Perfect Day at CocoCay features three beach barbecue-style dining facilities, two of which are open to all passengers and one is exclusively to ticketed Thrill Waterpark guests. As a welcome feature to many passengers, the ship’s ultimate drink packages will also work on CocoCay.

Disney (Castaway Cay):

Castaway Cay offers separate adult, family and sports-focused beaches for sunbathing and activities. Pelican Plunge, a floating water play platform, features two water slides that deposit riders right into the lagoon, and a “bucket dump” that cools down cruisers with hundreds of gallons of water every few minutes.

The Spring-a-Leak water play area lets kids explore the remnants of a washed-away beach dwelling with leaking pipes. At the boat rental shack, water lovers can rent kayaks, paddle boats, paddle boards and aqua trikes. The Snorkeling Lagoon offers exciting underwater exploration for novices and experts alike.

Castaway Cay also features Scuttle’s Cove - a kid’s club offering supervised activities, including water play areas, a wet deck and Monstro’s Point - a whalebone exploration site. For older kids, the Teen Hideout accommodates 14 to 17-year-olds with their own space to lounge, relax and socialize. Of course, if you are sailing with Disney, there’s sure to be several opportunities for kids (and the young at heart) to meet with their favorite costumed characters.

When you are ready for a snack or lunch, Castaway Cay offers three barbecue-oriented, complimentary dining facilities. Two are open to all visitors, and one in the adults-only area. There’s at least one dedicated bar in each of the island’s areas. Olaf's Summertime Freeze, serving up frosty concoctions, is a particular standout. Soft drinks are free on Castaway Cay, as they are on all Disney ships (not true for Royal Caribbean).

WINNER: Royal Caribbean

Bottom line:

You will not be disappointed with either cruise line. Both are stocked full of incredible experiences, activities and opportunities for families. That said, for us, Royal Caribbean takes the cake. The sheer cost of Disney sailings makes it a hard sell, whereas Royal has a much wider price range of trips available, due to the expansive fleet and itineraries. It’s also very clear that Royal offers significantly more in terms of amenities and fun features than Disney. The Disney ships are smaller, and more bare-boned regarding attractions. For us, the answer is simple, if you want a family-friendly cruise, Royal is the easy choice. For land-based family trips, Disney is a shoo-in. While you get the Disney experience at sea with DCL, it’s nothing compared to that of the parks.

Happy Cruising!