Navigator of the Seas or Disney Dream?

[amym2]

Looking into possible cruises after Christmas this year. It will be me, DH, DS13, DD10, my parents, and my sister and BIL if we go. Two possibilities are a 7day Caribbean cruise on RCCL's Navigator of the Seas out of Galveston or a 3day cruise on the Disney Dream out of Port Canaveral. We've done a Disney cruise (3 day on the Wonder in 2006, not able to get to Castaway Cay due to weather) but have never done RCCL. All costs, ports, driving distances, etc aside, which would you do and why? Our kids won't use kids' clubs (we've tried on multiple cruise lines) so that's not a factor. More interested in feedback on activities, restaurants, cabin comparisons, etc.

 

[txga]

I have not yet been on RCCL but have one booked out of Galveston. I can say that a 7 day is so much better than a 3 day. We did a 3 day on the dream and hated it - it was rushed, people were most stressed trying to do it all. lines, crowds, and never got to know our servers or room steward- just didn't enjoy it. Did a 7 day 2 years later on the Fantasy and the atmosphere was completely different. We vowed to never do less than 5 days again - thus our upcomnig 7 day reservation on the Navigator.

 

[HannaBelle]

I don't have anything to offer, but am I very interested in the answers!

DH and I are going on a 7 day Navigator of the Seas cruise this fall for our anniversary and looking at taking a Disney cruise next summer with my brother+family and my parents. Our "kids" were not interested in the teen clubs on our last cruise, but it was very port intensive and we did not have a lot of time on the ship. DD16 has already said she would not go to the teen club next year either. My kids are very intolerant of immaturity and stupid behavior. I think I "broke" them! It would be nice if they could just loosen up a bit.

OP, why do your kids not want to go to / use the kids clubs?

 

[amym2]

I have not yet been on RCCL but have one booked out of Galveston. I can say that a 7 day is so much better than a 3 day. We did a 3 day on the dream and hated it - it was rushed, people were most stressed trying to do it all. lines, crowds, and never got to know our servers or room steward- just didn't enjoy it. Did a 7 day 2 years later on the Fantasy and the atmosphere was completely different. We vowed to never do less than 5 days again - thus our upcomnig 7 day reservation on the Navigator.

That's definitely one of my concerns about the 3day cruise. When we did it on the Wonder, we stayed on the ship during the stop in Nassau and that was nice. Then the day in Castaway Cay the weather turned nasty and we weren't able to dock. So we did have enough time to enjoy the ship. I'd definitely prefer a 7 day but if we do Disney, I want another chance at CC and don't want to go on the Wonder again, so that limits our options, esp in December/January.

 

[amym2]

I don't have anything to offer, but am I very interested in the answers!

DH and I are going on a 7 day Navigator of the Seas cruise this fall for our anniversary and looking at taking a Disney cruise next summer with my brother+family and my parents. Our "kids" were not interested in the teen clubs on our last cruise, but it was very port intensive and we did not have a lot of time on the ship. DD16 has already said she would not go to the teen club next year either. My kids are very intolerant of immaturity and stupid behavior. I think I "broke" them! It would be nice if they could just loosen up a bit.

OP, why do your kids not want to go to / use the kids clubs?

Our kids did the Oceaneer Lab once on the Wonder when they were 5 and 7, but when we tried to get them to go back, DS said he'd rather take a nap. DD ended up going back for an hour and DS napped, but neither wanted to go back. I do think part of it is that they are bothered by the behavior of other kids. I was a stay at home mom, so they were never in day care or much organized play other than playgroups. Now that they are 10 and 12, they think they are too old for it. DS will be 13 and I know there's no way he'd hang out in the teen club by himself. DD would go to the kids' club with a friend but not alone. Neither would go to Aunty's at Aulani last October. I guess we should be glad they'd rather hang with us, because I know at some point they won't want to!!

Oh and we did a Holland America cruise to Alaska a couple of years ago and we made them go to the kids' club for the naturalist talk, but most of the kids were younger and they didn't like that. They're both pretty social kids (DD esp), and DD will make a friend at the pool, etc but doesn't like going into clubs where she doesn't know anyone.

 

[woody73]

. . . Two possibilities are a 7day Caribbean cruise on RCCL's Navigator of the Seas out of Galveston or a 3day cruise on the Disney Dream out of Port Canaveral.

. . . More interested in feedback on activities, restaurants, cabin comparisons, etc.

My DW and I (no kids) have sailed on the Navigator of the Seas and Disney Fantasy.

• Activities: Both ships have plenty of activities. We like ice skating and seeing the Ice Show on RCI. On DCL, we like the fireworks. RCI has more evening activities geared for adults, such as multiple live music venues.
• Restaurants: Dining room food is comparable. Only DCL has rotational dining and dinner entertainment.
• Cabin comparisons: DCL's split baths are a plus, as are movies on demand on TV. We typically get a balcony on RCI for the price of an ocean view on DCL.

Overall, both ships offer excellent cruise experiences. If I were to pick one, I'd take the 7-day cruise on the Navigator. I find longer cruises much more relaxing.

Woody

 

[drb116]

I have been on several Disney and RCCL cruises and I would say that the three day option does feel rushed. That aside, I would say that we prefer Disney because of the family activities. Both ships offer lots of things to do, but we found that RCCL tends to have activities for adults and activities for kids, but not nearly as many activities for the whole family together compared to Disney.

 

[holula]

I've not been on RCCL but 3 days on DCL is way too short. It is rushed. It is really only 2.5 days and all the passengers feel the need to rush to see everything. I would pick Navigator.

 

[HannaBelle]

I guess we should be glad they'd rather hang with us, because I know at some point they won't want to!!

Don't bet on it! DS20 and DD16 are homebodies and rarely go out. In HS, I went out with friends every night possible or they came to my house. But things are so different now with all of the technology, my kids don't have to leave their room to chat/hang with friends. DS20 skypes/video chats with friends from all over. Some days it is good, some days I would prefer some alone time.

I did find your comment about being a stay at home mom very interesting. I was not really a stay at home mom, but I was a teacher for a few years and my kids did not spend a lot of time in daycare. They hated it. When I left teaching and I started working PT in an office setting, I went to great lengths to avoid daycare in the summers.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

That's definitely one of my concerns about the 3day cruise. When we did it on the Wonder, we stayed on the ship during the stop in Nassau and that was nice. Then the day in Castaway Cay the weather turned nasty and we weren't able to dock. So we did have enough time to enjoy the ship. I'd definitely prefer a 7 day but if we do Disney, I want another chance at CC and don't want to go on the Wonder again, so that limits our options, esp in December/January.

I may be reading your last sentence wrong but you can do a 7 day on the Fantasy in dec/jan with a stop at CC. We've done both Dream and Fantasy and the Fantasy is better than amazing. We've only done inside cabins but with magic porthole it's like having an oceanview. I'd look into doing that before making a decision

 

[amym2]

I may be reading your last sentence wrong but you can do a 7 day on the Fantasy in dec/jan with a stop at CC. We've done both Dream and Fantasy and the Fantasy is better than amazing. We've only done inside cabins but with magic porthole it's like having an oceanview. I'd look into doing that before making a decision

True...but it's more than $10,000 for the 4 of us for a standard inside cabin!!! Just can't see paying $1400 per night, no matter how amazing it is!

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

Have been on both the Disney Dream and Fantasy plus RCCL Voyager of the Seas (same class as Navigator.) I would go for the 7 day, no question. The Disney ships are new and gorgeous. Our Voyager cabin was clean, but pretty well worn. Disney has split bathrooms, which really win over RCCL. However, the rest of the Voyager was very nice. Activities were fun on both and we actually liked the food much better on RCCL than Disney. Both were great, as was our service, but our servers on the Voyager were absolutely amazing, beyond our very good ones on The Fantasy and average ones on the Dream. We were on the Voyager over Christmas and it was a blast. I am a lover of Disney, but would definitely take a 7 day over 3 in this situation.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

A few more points: Disney's shows were much better, but we loved the live bands in various lounges on the Voyager. Plus the "adult daycare" in the Irish bar (basically adult karaoke) was so funny. Pools are better on RCCL too. Both are great cruises!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

True...but it's more than $10,000 for the 4 of us for a standard inside cabin!!! Just can't see paying $1400 per night, no matter how amazing it is!

Holy cow, that's crazy expensive. I've never done done RCCL but I'd go for the 7 day with them. Good luck with the decision.

 

[linseystuckey]

It's funny that you posted this question because we have both of these cruises booked within the next few months.

If this is your first time cruising with Disney, definitely save your money for the 7 night cruise. There is SO much to do and see on Disney and you'll find yourself frustrated going the first time with just three nights. We went on the Fantasy last year and LOVED it!!! Even with 7 nights, we still didn't have

The newly refurbished Navigator of the Seas is supposed to be amazing!! I would do that and book Disney next year. With Disney, you need to book well over a year in advance to get a decent rate. For example, when we went on the Fantasy the prices showed $10k for five of us to go in June for a balcony. If we waited a year and went during spring break, the price dropped to just over $5k for five of us in a balcony.

I hope this helps!!!! Disney is AMAZING, but it's hard to do it all in three nights. Maybe four nights would be a little better, but even then I would take advantage of the ship while in the ports.

Linsey

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

We're about to cruise on Navigator next month, I'm pretty excited to see the updates (we cruised the Adventure last summer).

One note, if you're looking at a balcony stateroom, that class of ship doesn't have any that have 3 beds unless you split the king/queen. We found that out the hard way, our DD (12) and DS (10) had to share the double sized sofa bed, that wasn't ideal, so on this cruise, we're booked in an oceanview.

I'd definitely go for the 7 day cruise though, anything less than that is too short to me.

 

[ScottJayhawk]

Not to over simplify but 7 is way more than 3.

If it were 7 vs 7 I'd say DCL every time, no question, not even close.

Disney is a better experience IMO, but not 4 less days for the same price better.