Port Canaveral - Disney v's other cruise lines?

[donnakirby]

Hello... thinking of booking a 3/4 night cruise from Port Canaveral... Has anyone had any experiences of Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises... Is there a big difference to a Disney Cruise from same Port.. they seem to be a lot cheaper. Thanks

[Omega1]

Disney is a unique product and as such commands a premium price. With other cruise lines prices seem to fluctuate more based on demand and some real bargains can be had.
Port Canaveral is one of the smaller ports therefore you have less choice of cruise lines and itineraries. If you look at Fort Lauderdale and Miami you will see far more choice which can at times lead to over capacity which in turn means you can get some great deals.
It’s almost impossible to compare Disney with other cruise lines £ for £ because you are not comparing apples with apples. Many will say the food and service on other cruise lines are just as good as Disney - it’s very subjective.

[margyloveswdw]

We've been on Carnival from Canaveral after 6 Disney cruises and we were apprehensive to say the least. It was good though; yes, it wasn't Disney but I would have no problem going with them again. The biggest thing for me was the smoking in the casino and the fact it drifted out into the area as you walked past. Something else I didn't like was that on formal night, we couldn't eat in the main dining room as we didn't dress up (didn't want to take extra clothes for the 1 night of a 3 week holiday!) so we just ate at the buffet. Although I agree it's good to dress up and certainly on all other cruises I've taken I always take nicer clothes for dinner including a nice dress for formal night, I did feel it was a little elitist (the same I felt on Cunard but that's waaaay too stuffy for me!)

We found the food and staterooms comparable (missed the split bathroom though!) and the staff were not Disney but still polite and friendly. The comedy entertainment was better!

My heart will always lie with Disney and they will always be my preferred cruise line who I will check first but I find that they are pricing us out now.

We are trying a Royal Caribbean Transatlantic in October - again due to price - I am worried that it's 2 weeks if we don't love it but on the other hand there's really no reason to worry I'm sure!

On a Disney Cruise we got chatting to an American couple who cruised frequently as they were from Tampa and lived near the port and they had been on many different cruise lines but in their words 'Disney just has something that pulls you back, that little something extra, but you pay a premium for it'!

[babycanaansmum]

Hi we have cruised with Disney and Royal Caribbean. We did Disney first - a transatlantic on the Disney Magic. Followed by a 7 night Eastern Caribbean on Freedom of the seas and then a 15 night transatlantic on Independence of the seas. We leave on a 14 night transatlantic on Sunday on the Navigator of the seas. We were apprehensive about trying Royal Caribbean after having a great time with DCL. We really enjoyed both and would go back on either. Overall experience is very similar but the pricing is often hugely different, we can get 3 Royal Caribbean cruises for the price of one Disney.

The cabins are very similar and both immaculately clean and similar size. Disney definitely had superior service although some of that could be down to it being a smaller ship and the staff getting to know you better, still all service across the board has been excellent. We felt like there was more to do on Royal Caribbean and more activities going on, however we missed the Frozen nights and the fireworks night that Disney did. My kids much preferred the kids clubs of Royal Caribbean, they often got bored at the Disney clubs but we couldn't get them to leave the one on Royal Caribbean. The food was very similar, both have been excellent. Free soda is a bonus on Disney but Royal sell drinks packages (including alcohol) which works out good value for money if you like a few cocktails.

I know people who have gone from Royal to Carnival and absolutely hated it and couldn't wait to get off, from what they have said its not for us, but some people love it.