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If you’ve decided your next family vacation should be a cruise, narrowing down the cruise line can almost immediately turn into another research project.
Disney Cruise Line people will tell you Disney is absolutely worth the extra money. Royal Caribbean people will show you a ship with waterslides, rock climbing, surf simulators and enough restaurants to make you wonder if you accidentally booked a floating city.
And both groups can be right.
I plan Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean vacations, and I don’t think one is automatically better than the other. I think they create different kinds of vacations.
The question I would rather answer is: Which one makes more sense for your family?
Here are seven differences I would look at before booking.
1. How Much Does Disney Matter to Your Family?
This one sounds obvious, but it matters more than people think.
Disney Cruise Line isn’t simply a cruise where Mickey happens to show up occasionally. Disney storytelling is built throughout the vacation. You’ll find characters, Disney entertainment, themed kids spaces, restaurants connected to Disney stories and Broadway-style shows.
For a family that loves Disney, that can be a huge part of why the cruise feels special.
But not every family wants Disney involved in every part of the trip.
Royal Caribbean feels much more like a large family resort at sea. The focus is less on one entertainment brand and more on having a huge variety of things to do.
If someone in your family would happily spend part of every day meeting characters or watching Disney shows, Disney Cruise Line deserves serious consideration.
If your kids would walk straight past Mickey to get to a waterslide, keep reading.
2. Look at the Ages of Your Kids, Especially the Teens
Both cruise lines are designed for families, but the ages and personalities of your kids can change my recommendation.
Disney does an excellent job creating dedicated spaces for kids, tweens and teens. Younger Disney fans can disappear into highly themed spaces that feel like part of the Disney experience rather than simply childcare.
Royal Caribbean also has supervised youth programs, but on many of its larger ships, the bigger draw for older kids and teenagers is everything happening outside of the kids club.
Depending on the ship, that can mean waterslides, FlowRider surf simulators, rock climbing, sports, mini golf, bumper cars and other activities.
Having traveled with my own kids from the baby stage through teenagers and adulthood, I can tell you that the vacation changes.
The things that delighted them at seven aren’t necessarily the things that get them out of bed at sixteen.
That doesn’t automatically make Royal Caribbean the teenage winner. Plenty of teenagers love Disney Cruise Line.
It just means I would pay much more attention to the actual kids we’re planning for than a generic list of “best family cruise lines.”
3. Disney Includes More of the Little Things in the Cruise Fare
This is one place where comparing the sticker price alone can be misleading.
On Disney Cruise Line, your regular dining, entertainment, youth clubs and many onboard activities are included. Soft drinks, coffee and tea are also available at meals and beverage stations without purchasing a soda package.
Royal Caribbean also includes your stateroom, main dining, buffet and a number of casual dining options, entertainment and many activities. Basic beverages such as water, tea, select juices and regular coffee are included as well.
But Royal Caribbean gives you more opportunities to add things.
Specialty dining. Beverage packages. Certain attractions or experiences. Upgraded private-island options.
That isn’t necessarily bad.
Sometimes I’d rather pay less for the base cruise and choose which extras matter to us.
Other families love knowing that more of what they expect to use is already included.
This is why I don’t like comparing cruise prices without asking what you’re actually planning to buy once you’re onboard.
4. Dining Feels Very Different
Disney Cruise Line uses rotational dining.
Instead of eating in the same main dining room each night, your family rotates through three themed restaurants, and your serving team rotates with you.
I really like this for families because dinner becomes part of the entertainment rather than simply the place you go to eat.
Royal Caribbean gives you a different kind of variety.
You’ll have included main dining and casual choices, while larger ships can have a much broader collection of specialty restaurants and casual venues available.
Which system is better?
There isn’t one answer.
If you love the idea of Disney storytelling continuing through dinner and having the same servers learn your family’s preferences, Disney’s rotational dining is a big plus.
If you would rather have lots of restaurants and the ability to build more variety into the week, Royal Caribbean may appeal more.
5. The Ship Itself May Matter More on Royal Caribbean
This is probably one of the biggest differences in how I would plan the two cruise lines.
With Disney, of course the ship matters. Each ship has its own restaurants, entertainment and personality.
But when I’m helping someone choose a Royal Caribbean cruise, I pay even more attention to the individual ship.
Royal Caribbean’s fleet includes ships with very different combinations of attractions and amenities.
That means saying, “We’re taking a Royal Caribbean cruise” doesn’t tell me enough.
Which ship?
What does that ship have?
Are those things your family will actually use?
A family choosing Royal specifically because their teenagers want certain attractions should make sure those attractions are actually on the ship they’re booking.
The biggest ship isn’t automatically the best ship either.
There’s that word again: best.
Best for whom?
6. Their Private-Island Experiences Have Different Personalities
This is another area where both cruise lines have excellent options, but they don’t feel exactly the same.
Many Disney Bahamian and Caribbean itineraries visit Disney Castaway Cay or Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
These stops fit naturally into the Disney vacation. You get beaches, food, family activities and adult areas without suddenly leaving the Disney experience behind.
Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay takes a different approach.
You can absolutely have a low-key beach day there. There are complimentary beach areas, a large freshwater pool and included food.
But you can also turn the day into a much bigger attraction experience by adding things like Thrill Waterpark or upgraded beach areas.
This is another example of why knowing your family matters.
Some families want the private-island day to be the day everyone finally stops moving.
Others hear “water park on a private island” and start grabbing their swimsuits.
Neither family is doing it wrong.
7. Price Matters, but Value Matters More
Disney Cruise Line frequently comes with a higher starting price than comparable mainstream cruise options.
That means I never tell someone, “Disney is better, so spend the money.”
I want to know whether the things creating that price difference matter to your family.
Will you take advantage of the Disney entertainment?
Do your kids care about characters?
Does rotational dining sound like a highlight?
Would you value having soda included rather than buying a package?
Would the Disney kids spaces be part of the reason you’re cruising?
If the answer to most of those questions is yes, the higher price may make perfect sense.
But if what your family really wants is a huge ship, lots of activities, multiple restaurant choices and a vacation where Disney isn’t the focus, paying extra simply because Disney Cruise Line has the Disney name doesn’t automatically create a better trip.
Sometimes Royal Caribbean is exactly where I would tell a family to spend their vacation money.
So, Disney Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean?
Here’s the simplified version.
I tend to lean Disney Cruise Line for families who want Disney to be part of the vacation itself, appreciate strong family entertainment, love the idea of rotational dining and character experiences, and want a lot included without constantly deciding whether to add another package.
I tend to look harder at Royal Caribbean for families who are especially interested in large ships, lots of onboard activities, older kids and teens looking for more physical or thrill-based entertainment, and families who don’t necessarily need Disney to make the vacation feel special.
But those aren’t rules.
I’ve planned enough family travel to know there will always be a six-year-old who couldn’t care less about characters and a seventeen-year-old who wants to meet Stitch.
That is exactly why I start with the family.
If you’re looking at a cruise and have reached the point where you have six ships, twelve dates and 47 browser tabs open, you do not need to keep researching until one option somehow declares itself the winner.
Tell me who’s traveling, your dates, your budget and what your family actually enjoys.
We’ll narrow it down from there.
Ready to compare cruise options for your family? Start your trip request at lindseypierce.com/quote.
