September 10, 2025 • 31 mins
Travel experts Julie and Ryan compare Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean's family offerings after experiencing both cruise lines with their families. This comprehensive head-to-head analysis covers everything parents need to know when choosing between these popular family cruise options.
Entertainment Comparison
- Royal Caribbean: More adult-only options, ice shows, water shows, Broadway productions, live music at bars/lounges
- Disney Cruise Line: Broadway-style Disney musicals (Aladdin, Lion King, Moana), dedicated movie theaters with all-day showings, pool deck movies
Daily Activities
- Royal Caribbean: Packed sports decks with Flow Rider, bumper cars, laser tag, rock walls (newer ships only)
- Disney: More frequent family activities, themed experiences like Olaf's Picnic, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Dining Experience
- Royal Caribbean: Excellent food quality on newer ships, extensive quick-service options, large main dining rooms
- Disney: Smaller themed restaurants, rotational dining with same servers, kid-friendly cups and service details
Staterooms & Accommodations
- Royal Caribbean: Limited family of 5+ options, tiny bathrooms, complex connecting room policies
- Disney: Better family room layouts, split bathrooms, easier connecting room bookings, bathtubs available
Pool Decks
- Royal Caribbean: Larger decks, Splash Away Bay waterpark, Perfect Storm slides, loud party atmosphere
- Disney: Smaller themed pools (Mickey-shaped), Nemo's Reef for toddlers, Disney movies playing
Kids Clubs
- Royal Caribbean: STEM/art focused activities, cool teen spaces
- Disney: Marvel/Star Wars themed clubs, character visits, phenomenal cast members
Key Takeaways
Choose Royal Caribbean if you want:
- Multi-generational travel options
- More thrilling activities for older kids/teens
- Louder, party atmosphere
- Newer ships with cutting-edge amenities
Choose Disney if you have:
- Children 8 and under
- Preference for family-appropriate content guaranteed
- Desire for immersive Disney theming
- Need for better stateroom layouts for families
Bottom Line
Both cruise lines offer excellent family experiences, but cater to different vibes. Disney provides peace of mind that all content is child-appropriate, while Royal Caribbean offers more variety for multi-generational groups and older children.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to All.
Thanks Travel.
Today we're covering a cruisetopic.
I get asked about at least oncea week, Caribbean versus Disney
cruise line, and which is betterfor families and why.
After experiencing both cruiselines recently with my family,
I'm excited to finally share mythoughts on both cruise lines,
(00:20):
and Ryan is here to chime inonce in a while.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (00:23):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and she's a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips, or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:45):
all things travel.
You know what?
I'll do a little more than chimein Julie.
'cause I've had experiencetraveling with kids on Royal, on
celebrity, on Disney.
I will say I have never cruisedwith kids your age.
my kids were definitely, juniorhigh-ish.
(01:05):
The first time we cruised.
so I haven't had your experiencewith it,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:11):
so the reason I want to talk about this
is because both of these cruiselines are heavily marketed as
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:18):
yes,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:18):
family cruise lines,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:20):
yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:20):
Yes.
And we obviously both had twovery different experiences on
our last Royal cruise.
yours is very, not only mine wasvery family friendly, so now my
family's done Royal.
We've done Disney.
And I'm excited to compare,contrast what's similar.
And I don't know that it'snecessarily like what's better,
but I hope that listeners couldgain what's better for their
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:43):
Yes.
I like the way you position thatbecause I don't think there's a
better, I think there's a betterfor you and what you're looking
for.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:52):
and
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:53):
what are the interests of your
family?
What are the must dos?
What are the must not dos?
because you're gonna find one ofthese cruise lines is perfect
for you.
absolutely.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:02):
mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (02:03):
we get into all of that, Julie, if you
have not gone back and listenedto last week's episode, we
concluded our off the BeatenPath series by talking about
five Caribbean locations thatyou may not have on your travel
radar screen.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:18):
Okay, so let's get into it.
Right off the bat, the firstkind of things we're gonna talk
about are those standoutdifferences and similarities.
we've done shows on DisneyCruise Line.
We've done shows just a coupleweeks ago about Utopia the Seas
and our
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (02:34):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:34):
there.
We've covered our cruise onFreedom of the Seas, but this is
gonna be like a head to head,various categories.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (02:41):
Great.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:42):
The first one I wanna talk about is
entertainment.
Both of these cruise lines offerfamily friendly and adult only
options.
I definitely think that Royal isgonna have a lot more adult only
options.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (02:54):
Sure.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:55):
I really thought the shows on Royal were
great, and thought they had morevariety in their entertainment,
right?
They had ice shows.
Water shows.
It wasn't just production styleshows.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:07):
Well, not even those, but at the
different, bars and lounges,having singers and bands, even
families could take advantage ofthat because it's out in the
open.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:17):
Correct.
Did you feel like, we went tothe ice show and my kids
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:21):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:22):
obsessed with it.
They loved it so much.
we did not make it to the watershow.
We had been on the boardwalk acouple of times in the evening
when the water show was startingand they were like, it's so
loud.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:33):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:33):
that just wasn't really gonna happen for
us.
But you thought that, I mean,it's would be family friendly
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:39):
Oh, absolutely.
Um, especially if your kidsenjoy watching.
I mean, my kids have alwaysgrown up watching theater.
and that would be right up theiralley, you know, going to stuff
like Cirque de Soleil
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:50):
right
ryan_2_08-15-2025_1405 (03:50):
musicals and things like that, they enjoy
all of that, especially mydaughter.
I know when cruising with thembefore even when they were
younger, we always attended allof the shows.
'cause that's something that ourfamily enjoys,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:03):
And what about the Broadway show?
did you feel like it childappropriate?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (04:06):
Yes, it was kind of a, rock anthem
show, like different vignettes.
if you knew the music, it wasgood, but it was also
interesting to watch.
I've also been on, both Royaland Disney, where they have more
of a musical, as the productionshow, and kids would obviously
enjoy that.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:24):
Yeah, I agree.
the one thing I noticed is Ididn't feel like there was a lot
of movies.
There wasn't a dedicated movietheater.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (04:31):
No.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:32):
a movie, it was on the pool deck, but
there was only one showing pernight.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (04:37):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:37):
and so that was definitely different
for me.
One thing with Disney is theyhave a significantly smaller
fleet of ships compared toRoyal, so you're bound to see
the same production shows.
there's no problem with that.
It's just, you know, you canprobably recite the Believe Show
by the time you've seen it forthe third, fourth, fifth time.
(04:58):
I will say their productionquality is outstanding.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (05:02):
very good.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:03):
yeah, the musicals, like the Broadway
Style Productions really, areBroadway style.
Productions and you know,they're Disney movies.
It's the Aladdin, the Lion KingsMoana.
Kids are gonna be excited aboutthat.
Whereas on Royal, I think thatthey enjoy it.
I think maybe not all kids, butmost especially little kids,
would be excited to go to theDisney shows.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (05:25):
I did see when I was on Icon, I saw
the Wizard of Oz and it wasabsolutely fantastic the way
that they did it.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:33):
And again, this is something I bring
in later.
the newer royal ships are a verydifferent recommendation than
the
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (05:39):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:39):
royal
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (05:40):
agreed.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:40):
speaking of movies, Disney has movie
theaters and they play moviesall day long, back to back.
I really enjoyed that because Ifyou needed to get away from the
crowds a little bit, you couldjust go to the movie theater and
wasn't always super popularmovies.
It was sometimes older movies,sometimes first run movies, you
just check the app to see whatwas playing.
(06:01):
They almost always had movies onthe pool deck, which was great.
When we were on the Disney Dreamrecently we got our breakfast
from Cabanas and sat on the pooldeck and watched, Mickey's once
upon a Christmas time that wasreally cool for my kids.
So, I think entertainment, Idon't think somebody, you know,
either one wins one or theother.
But if your are younger, I thinkDisney is gonna win on
(06:23):
entertainment value there.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (06:25):
Agreed,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (06:26):
really love that you can always go to
the movies.
Daily activities.
Ryan, you thought there was alot going on in Utopia when we
were on there, right?
That calendar was pretty full,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (06:34):
yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (06:34):
yes,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (06:35):
I will say from my experience on Disney
cruise lines, that was also veryfull.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (06:41):
I really felt like when I was on Disney,
there was a lot more variety ofactivities going on and they
happened more frequently.
Whereas with Royal, it seemedlike a lot of the things that we
wanted to do that were termedfamily activities like family
bingo or family scavenger hunt.
They happened right around thetime of early dining, which
(07:03):
didn't make a lot of sense tome.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (07:05):
I remember you saying that is
really odd.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (07:08):
yeah.
that was a little bitfrustrating, if you had older
kids it would've been fine.
It just didn't work for ourfamily.
we tended to do the activitiesup on the sports deck.
the sports decks are verysimilar between Royal and
Disney.
They both have, mini golf andplaygrounds.
Royal does have a lot more forteens like the flow rider,
bumper cars, laser tag, rockwalls.
(07:30):
It's gonna vary from ship toship of what's on your, specific
ship.
And the older ships for Royalare not going to have those
activities.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (07:38):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (07:39):
So I feel like the indoor activities like
Disney kind of blows royal outtathe water for those family
friendly ones.
But as far as outdoor activitiesor teen activities, royal really
steps up their game with thoseimmersive activities they offer.
I remember on the Disney ship itfelt like there was a trivia
going on, every 30 minutes thatyou could go to
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:01):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (08:02):
I felt like the schedule was really
packed.
I also really liked on Disney.
Royal can't really do this, soit's kind of like an unfair
comparison.
But they had some really themedand immersive activities you
could go to.
Now they weren't included, theyweren't extra cost, but
activities like Olaf's Picnic,Royalty and Bippity, Boutique,
(08:25):
those are things you're notgonna find on
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:26):
Sure.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (08:27):
Sure.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:27):
I mean, that's the competitive
j_1_08-15-2025_140 (08:28):
Competitive.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140 (08:29):
advantage of Disney is part of why you're
paying the premium that you'repaying, is you have access to
that Disney theming and theDisney properties.
The Disney Magic.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (08:42):
Dining.
I felt like the food was reallygood
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:45):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_14052 (08:46):
especially when I'm comparing Utopia versus
the Disney Wish.
With both of those being reallynewer ships, I do think Disney
Edge is a little bit in theQuick Service department.
I don't remember when you wereon the dream.
That was the one you went on,the Disney
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:01):
Yes,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:03):
I'm trying to remember what that
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:04):
I remember, going to the buffet.
I remember doing some of thepickup.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:10):
but
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:11):
I would,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:12):
I,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:12):
I think the newer ships on Royal
were better than the dream, butI haven't been on the newer
Disney ships, especially withthe icon in Utopia,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:23):
mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:23):
quick service options are phenomenal.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:25):
They are really good.
I don't like how spread out theyare, but I do think that's just
Royal's style versus Disney'sstyle.
Royal has the neighborhood, sothere's kind of like a quick
service in each neighborhood.
whereas Disney, it's kind oflike a food court.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (09:40):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:41):
I really enjoyed the main dining room on
Royal Caribbean more than Ithought it would.
I thought the food was reallygood.
However, and this is a personalpreference I really liked the
smaller themed restaurantsbetter on Disney.
I thought for my kids to keepkids engaged.
With, being part of that dinnerexperience and that main dining
room, I kind of felt likethey're just floundering around,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:03):
It is, absolutely.
there is not that immersivetheming in the Royal Maine
dining Room that's absolutelytrue.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:09):
And the main dining room is three
stories
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:12):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:13):
if you're on a much smaller ship, but it's
still huge.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:16):
I.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:16):
so you just walk in and it's this
massive room.
Whereas on the Disney ships,it's like a regular sized
restaurant almost.
And you're just assigned one.
I do wish that you had a littlemore say in which one you went
to, which night on Disney.
'cause you don't know that untilyou show up,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:31):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:32):
That's when you find out which
restaurant you're going to,which evening.
the other thing is with going tothe different restaurants, yes,
Royal Caribbean offers differentmenus every night, but the kids'
menu stayed the same everynight.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:44):
That's a really good point.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:46):
for them.
Granted you could ordersomething for them from the
adults menu, but most of that isnot something that any kid is
going to eat.
Whereas I do think that Disney'skids' menu, if I remember
correctly, changed night tonight.
your kid might still orderchicken tenders every night, but
I
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:04):
Sure.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:04):
Any other thoughts on food, Ryan?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:06):
No, I've been impressed with both of
them, on my experience thefeedback that I get from my
clients.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:12):
Agreed.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:14):
I will say
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:15):
Go.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:15):
I remember dining with your family
and.
The anxiety that I had when theywould hand your mia just an open
cup of milk.
And I'm like, this doesn't makesense.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:30):
they
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:30):
she only spilled it once and it was
fine because that happens.
our server was phenomenal withthe kids, but there were just a
couple things like that whereI'm like.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:40):
where I'm like,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:41):
you're not paying attention to what the
kids need,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:45):
And really what
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:46):
and things like that.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:47):
I had to bring a sippy cup to dinner with
us
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:50):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:50):
her not a sippy cup, but like a cup of the
lid and a straw.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:54):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:54):
even like Luca, you know, he is four, but
they're giving them glasses ofmilk and glasses of water I kind
of completely forgot until youbrought that up.
But that was, just one of thosethings that's like, okay, now I
have to think about this.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:07):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:08):
cups with lids anywhere on the ship.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:10):
And I'm assuming on Disney Cruise
line, your daughter would'vebeen given a cup
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:15):
from what I remember, I don't remember
having that issue.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:19):
Okay.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:20):
on Disney cruise line, With the rotational
dining, you have those sameservers moving with you, In the
main dining room, we had thesame servers moving with us.
when we sat down at our table onDisney Cruise line, the kids'
drinks were there ready to gofor them.
The bread was there waiting forus before we even got to the
table.
Like things like that, they kindof pick up on a little bit
quicker saying, you know, knowthe kids are like, let's go,
(12:42):
let's get our stuff.
And they used to offer, and Ithink they're bringing it back a
program where if you're at earlyDining for Disney Cruise line.
let the servers know, what is itcalled?
dine and play or something
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140 (12:55):
something like that.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:56):
them to the kids
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:56):
Royal has done that in the past as
well, but I think that is alsopaused along with Disney's,
program
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:03):
Onto rooms, and
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (13:05):
okay.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:06):
I'm going with this.
We have a family of five androoms for families of five are
very limited on rural Caribbean.
You can't even search for a roomfor five online.
Now if you have family of four,great.
That's nice and easy.
Until you see the bathroom thatall four of your family is
supposed to share,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (13:26):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:27):
no bathtub for your kids.
It's a tiny stand in shower.
the other issue I have with therooms on a rail.
Now granted the room itself islovely, the bed area, the living
room, the balcony.
Lovely.
The bathroom is a problem.
also, I look for connectingrooms a lot for clients and they
are challenging,'cause Royal isvery specific on their capacity
(13:49):
restrictions.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (13:50):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:51):
a room for four might only connect to a
room for two, that doesn't meanthat if you have three you can
put them in that room for four.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:02):
Yes, you're absolutely right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:04):
So the rooms fit a set number, not
more, not less.
if you need, connecting roomsfor a family of five, there's
only a couple categories thatwe'll do a three and two
connecting.
Some of them are four, two, someof them are tutu, it always
takes me forever to findconnecting rooms, whereas on
Disney, it's kind of like.
(14:25):
The state room capacity is four.
The state room capacity is five.
Put up to that number you wantin there.
I could book my family a fiveinto a deluxe family room and I
could book my parents a party oftwo into a deluxe family room.
They don't really care eitherway,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:40):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:41):
it's a lot easier to find those
connecting rooms.
the bathroom is that splitlayout,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:46):
Which makes a huge of course it is.
yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:50):
in some of the state rooms on Disney,
there's a bathtub.
It's not a big bathtub, it'slike a round circular bathtub
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:57):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:57):
of a rectangle bathtub, but it's a
bathtub, which is helpful if youhave really little ones.
Holding slippery babies inshowers is not fun.
So anywho, my rants on therooms.
That's kind of the one where Ido get a little ranty about.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:12):
Well, and I think Disney too, just
with their options for sleeping,you know, with the dropdown
birth and, different things likethat.
I think for smaller kids, theywin the state room conversation.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:24):
yeah, they have a dropdown, Is it the
Poolman?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:27):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:28):
They do
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:29):
upper birth.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:29):
when we were in the Deluxe Family Ocean
View balcony room, it also had aMurphy bed that came down, which
is a nice option if you don'twant a kid on the upper bunk
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:37):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:38):
All cruise ships have pool decks.
These pool decks are verydifferent.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (15:42):
They're not created equal.
Yes, that's true.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:45):
I'm not gonna say that one is better
than the other.
This is really what fits yourvibe Similarities, everyone had
life jackets, so that'simportant.
towels on rural Caribbean doneed to be checked out.
Sometimes people are a littlesurprised by that.
They scan your key card if youdon't.
Re-scan to return your towel,you are charged newer ships on
royal, this is where I alsothink the newer versus the older
(16:08):
ships on Royal comes into play.
If you have kids, there are alot of times I'll be working
with a family and they willbring a cruise to me and I will
say, I don't think this is agood fit.
this is a good price because theship is really old and I really
think your kids are gonna bebored.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (16:22):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (16:22):
They see Where, they've got all these
slides, all these great pools,and they don't quite realize
that the shit they're looking atis much older and has none of
those things.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (16:31):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (16:33):
So a lot of the newer ships are gonna
have Splash Away Bay, which isthe waterpark four.
I don't know, I would say ageslike four or you know, three
maybe through what, like 12 ishAnd then they're also gonna have
the perfect storm.
Those huge slides you see on theIcon class, they're also gonna
have Baby Bay, where toddlers inswim diapers can go.
(16:55):
I have seen so many differentversions of Baby Bay.
it terrified me before we wenton Utopia, that I like Rush
Potty, trained my 2-year-old sothat she could go into the
larger area.
I have seen on some older shipsI've toured literally no section
for toddlers with swim diapersat all, nothing.
And I've seen some that arelike.
(17:18):
A couple steps and then a slidedown with a little sprinkler,
maybe very, very small onUtopia.
I actually thought it was areally great sized section.
I would've been perfectly finewith her playing in that area.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:30):
Yeah,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:30):
with that.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:31):
I think you would've been blown
away by icon.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:34):
by their baby bay
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:35):
the whole family neighborhood I
think would've been so nice Foryour family.
Absolutely.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:40):
And that's where I kind of say every
newer class that comes out for aroyal, they are really upping
their game for families.
And I just want, listeners toknow the ships are not created
equal
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:51):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:52):
fleet.
And that's not a bad thing.
You just have to know whatyou're looking at and what
you're looking for.
Utopia also had three main poolsin the pool deck, and I did
appreciate that there was avariety between them.
One was quite a bit deeper andtwo were shallower.
I appreciated that variety.
as we mentioned on our utopiaepisode, the music on the pool
deck was so loud all day.
(18:14):
It was a party all day long.
And that's fine if you wouldlike to.
Go to a party all day long.
on Disney, the pool deck is muchsmaller because the ships are
smaller.
the newer Disney ships, I'llsay, have smaller multiple
pools.
they'll say like, oh, this isthe Mickey pool, and it's in the
shape of a Mickey head, but it'sactually three small pools,
(18:34):
which is nice because if anyonehas an accident in the pool,
they don't have to shut downlike every pool on the
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (18:40):
The entire pool.
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (18:42):
on some old cruise ships.
a lot of these are not deep.
They're like two to three feet,which shocked me when I first
went on my first cruise.
But it was actually really,really great for kids.
It's easy to sit on the side andinteract with them and feel
pretty safe They also have NemosReef or Toy Story splash zone
for kids under four, which is agreat option and that's where
(19:02):
your toddlers in swim diapersare gonna go.
It's very themed, reallyinteractive, really great.
There's also Disney moviesplaying all day long on the pool
deck, and I loved that.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:11):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:13):
Any thoughts on pools, Ryan, before
we scooch on?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:16):
no.
I think, honestly, the Disney,I'm thinking of when I traveled
with my kids.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:22):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:23):
and the weather.
it was Thanksgiving, Christmas,Alaska.
So the pool decks really did notplay that much other than, my
kids enjoyed.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:33):
with Disney.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:34):
I did it with celebrity, so I kind of
put royal, and I'm thinking ofwhen, yeah, when I traveled with
my kids.
the pool did not play that bigof a factor.
for us.
but man, there's just,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:45):
just,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (19:46):
there's nothing cooler than the pool
deck on Royal, Just for thevibe.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:50):
I think older teens, even like 10 and up
or eight
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:54):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:54):
I think it is great.
I mean, splash Away Bay isamazing.
I really love that option, butman, it is a big pool deck, so
just be
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (20:03):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (20:03):
for that.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (20:04):
there's no comparison in this next
category.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (20:07):
Kids clubs, so Royal Kids Club did
not have a lot of open housetime, but they did have an area
that you could go to any time ofthe day to hang out with your
kids.
It was just like a separatesection of the kids club.
my kids are not kids club kids.
They don't go to daycare.
They're not used to being
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (20:25):
And my kids are not either, so I don't
have a lot to add.
I've seen them.
Caleb certainly took advantageof the Disney one, but I have no
personal experience with thekids clubs.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (20:35):
Yeah, I do think that for the elementary
age on Royal, the activities arereally, Focus or really like
specific activities like a STEMactivity, an art activity, a
theater room, things like that.
I can really appreciate thatthey're trying to set up that
type of routine.
I also think the teen spaces onfoil are really cool, There's
(20:57):
like a social teen club.
That has a indoor section andthen like a patio section, and I
think that's really cool.
I can appreciate how fun thatwould be for older kids for that
elementary age crowd though, theDisney Kids clubs are top notch,
kids literally step into theworld of Marvel, star
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (21:16):
yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_14052 (21:17):
Characters are coming in, going throughout
the day.
There's dance parties, castmembers are.
Phenomenal.
you cannot believe your eyeswhen you see these kids clubs.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_1 (21:25):
Absolutely.
hundred percent.
And again, I think that's theDisney competitive advantage
that you're paying for is accessto all of those things.
and what kid would not want todo that during the cruise?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (21:37):
like I mentioned this briefly when I
talked about the Royal KidsClub, but Disney typically has
an open play hour or hour and ahalf, almost every morning of
the cruises I've been on, whichmeans you and your family can go
to different sections of thekids club, and parents can go
with their kids.
that's also like a nice activityto be able to build into your
day.
and just a way to spend sometime.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (21:58):
Okay, great.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (21:59):
And this last comparison can be a big
deal for some people Royal has acasino, Disney has characters.
This is a really big differencein the vibe it brings to your
ship.
I don't have a problem withcasinos.
What I don't like is that as ayoung family, you have to walk
through that casino to get tothe main dining room or to get
(22:20):
to one of the performance,studios depending on the layout
of the ship.
I don't love that,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:27):
I guess I don't feel that,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:28):
casino.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:29):
I always felt on the royal ships
I've been on that they were downbelow.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:35):
mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:36):
The promenade, so you can always
walk along the promenade to getto those places.
the only thing I'd say, at leaston our experience with Utopia
that you'd have to really,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:45):
really
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:46):
go through the casino to get to
studio b, the ice show for yourfamily.
Other than that, I, kind of feellike the casino was tucked away.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:55):
Yeah, it was more tucked away than what
it was on freedom.
I feel like on freedom, it wasthe same as the main dining room
from what I remember.
I just don't love that, thatlike becomes a part of the
cruise I didn't really.
Want to expose my kids to thatpart of the cruise because then
they're like, what's that?
They think they're arcade games
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:14):
Right,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:15):
They don't understand why they can't
play, and it's a smokingsection, which is different from
the rest of the ship.
So it's just a, an area I'drather not have to take
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:24):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:25):
kids through.
It just, felt kind of stressful.
other people probably feelcompletely different than me and
I'm probably just being weirdabout it.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:31):
I think you're saying this is what
works and doesn't work for myfamily.
those are the conversations wehave with clients every day.
So, no, I think it's,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:39):
think
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:39):
if it's one of those things where
your family,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:43):
is
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:43):
It's either, Cruise on a ship that
has that, or do you know youjust are gonna avoid that
section of the ship?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:49):
On the other hand if you're doing a big
multi-gen trip, that's where Isay that casino is nice because
the older adults, that reallygives them something to do if
they're into that.
Whereas maybe on a Disney ship,the older adults are like, what
am I gonna do?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (24:05):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (24:05):
and bingo every half hour.
Then on Disney you havecharacters a lot of people are
probably like, I do not wannasee characters, and a lot of
people are probably like, that'samazing, We saw characters every
single day on our Disneycruises, and sometimes they were
just walking around you couldkind of walk with them, but it
wasn't like a meet and greetsituation.
Other times it was a set meetand greet and you had to go and
(24:28):
form a line.
It did not feel obnoxious oroverwhelming though if you
didn't wanna part in thecharacters, you didn't have to
take part in the characters.
They were kind of there if youwanted them to be there.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (24:40):
Agreed.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (24:42):
but I know that that's a concern I get
sometimes.
Like, I don't wanna go on aDisney cruise'cause there's
gonna be Mickey Mouseeverywhere.
And I'm like, he is there.
He is there.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (24:50):
Yes, he is the you.
You will not avoid Disney bycruising on a Disney cruise line
ship, It really is, how much doyou want to get immersed by it?
And you can really control that.
Kind of like going to Alani.
Disney is there if you want it.
It definitely is there.
The theming is there.
If you really are not interestedin that aspect, there's plenty
(25:12):
that you can focus on thatdoesn't have to do with Disney.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (25:16):
We started this episode out by
saying which is the bettercruise line.
I'm not gonna really say like,one is better and one is worse.
let's talk about what vibe youwant on the ship.
I do think Royal is overall alouder vibe for the newer ships,
for the ships that we're gonnabe recommending for families.
I kind of keep coming back tothose newer ships because I'm
(25:36):
not gonna recommend my youngfamilies sail on the older ships
unless it is purely destinationfocused.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (25:44):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (25:44):
I do think Royal very clearly caters
to all ages and highlighted inour Utopia of the Seas episode
that I was just listening toearlier today.
Um, how Ryan had a completelydifferent cruise than my family
and we only saw each other atdinner.
That's A perfect example of whyRoyal Caribbean is great for
(26:04):
multi-generational travelbecause there is literally
something for everyone and thenyou all meet up at dinner.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:10):
And I do have to ask a question.
As I went back and listened tothat episode and you talked
about a multi-generationalexperience, were Jasmine and I,
the grandparents in thatexample, I kind of felt that way
as I was listening.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:25):
no, that's not at all my intention.
this is the first time that Ihave thought about it in that
context.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:31):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:32):
no, that was not my intention.
I'm just saying you could have acomplete adults only experience,
or you could have a complete.
Family experience, it's easy toalso do something in the middle
as when I deserted my childrenand left them at golf with you.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:45):
Yes,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:46):
Yes,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:46):
the invoice is in the mail.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:49):
Oh man.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:50):
when we went on Royal for the first
time, my daughter said, well Imiss Disney cruise line.
And I said, why?
And she couldn't articulate why,except she just likes Disney
stuff
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (27:03):
the vibe.
I think
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (27:04):
and,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (27:04):
about
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (27:05):
I understand that.
Now, I will say neither of mykids have been on a newer Royal
Caribbean ship, and I think theywould both be blown away by
that.
their favorite cruise line, atleast from the experience when
I've been with them, has beencelebrity.
And I put royal and celebritytogether, they're very, very
similar.
So I think for my kids now,Royal would win out even though
(27:26):
they're definitely Disney kids.
j_1_08-15-2025_1405 (27:28):
Absolutely.
I would agree with that.
So I really just think it's likeparental preference, and likely
depends on the ages of yourkids.
If royal is the better cruiseline for you.
this is the best way that I cansum up when clients come to me
and say, which is better forkids?
And with my clients, they'reusually talking about kids that
(27:48):
are like eight and under.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (27:50):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (27:50):
say as a parent, you board a Disney
cruise, You know that everythingon that ship is appropriate for
your child, and I can providecountless examples of this after
cruising on both.
You know that any movie playingon that pool deck is going to be
a kid friendly movie.
I don't really have that comfortnecessarily on the royal ships
(28:13):
of what movies they're playingin the evenings.
same with music.
I know any song that they everplay on a Disney cruise ship is
going to be a song that'sappropriate for my child.
Everyone probably feelsdifferently about that, and that
doesn't mean that the music I'mplaying in my car when I'm
riding around with my kids isthe most appropriate music for
my kid, but I don't necessarilywant it lasting all day on a
cruise ship.
whereas on a royal ship.
(28:34):
the soundtrack that they'replaying is not the soundtrack
that the Disney
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (28:37):
Perfect day.
Perfect day.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (28:41):
with that song.
I really enjoyed that.
Um, and I shared this experiencewith Ryan.
There was a time on the royalship where I wanted to check out
Central Park.
on Utopia of the Seas.
so, I wanna say it was our NASAall day, which was a day that a
lot of people stayed on theship.
we walked into Central Parkwhich I thought was gonna be
(29:01):
like this serene, lovelyexperience.
And we literally walked back outbecause the music from the pool
deck was overflowing intoCentral Park.
You could look up above you.
And there was some plexiglassthere, that was part of the pool
deck.
And there was like.
A large, like bachelor stylegroup just in Speedos and
(29:23):
dancing.
And I was kind of like, we'rejust gonna turn around and go.
You're not gonna see anythingremotely close to that on a
Disney cruise ship.
so again, parental preferenceand really, really, really
depends on ages of your kids ofwhich way you wanna go along
that line, like the smokingsection on a Disney cruise ship.
We're not a smoking family.
The smoking section on the RoyalCaribbean ship is In the middle
(29:46):
of the pool deck the Disneycruise ship.
I've never even seen the smokingsection.
It's there, but it's so tuckedaway that no one who's not going
to the smoking section is evergoing to see it.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (29:55):
so you've gotten back now, a couple
weeks after Royal, your family,has obviously done multiple
Disney cruises.
Feedback from your husbandSteven, or feedback from your
kids as far as how this stuffplays out.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (30:08):
my kids had an absolute blast on Royal
Caribbean,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (30:12):
Well, of course.
'cause they They had dinner withMr.
Ryan and Ms.
Jasmine.
I mean, how could you not?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (30:17):
they ask me about you all the time.
every vacation they're gonna belike, where's Mr.
Ryan and Mr.
Jasmine?
Why are they not here?
they had a blast.
But also remember they'relittle, they're 6 4 2.
So mom and dad are kind ofleading the charge of like,
well, we're not gonna go in that
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (30:31):
Right,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (30:31):
area for kids.
I don't really have to play thatlike gatekeeper on a Disney
cruise.
So the mental load for a parenton a Disney cruise is a little
bit better.
And I think that's kind of whereSteven sits.
we are gonna go on a royalcruise, hopefully just the two
of us in a couple of months.
we're really excited for theactivities offered when it's
just us and we don't have tothink about stuff for the kids.
they had a blast because theyloved Splash Way Bay.
(30:53):
the mini golf, the playgrounds,the carousel, the Ice show.
They had a great time.
if your kids are little andrural Caribbean is what works
for you, it works for yourdestination, your dates, your
budget.
You're not gonna have a badexperience.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14 (31:06):
Absolutely not.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (31:07):
I'm just saying there's two very
different vibes.
So think about what your familywould prefer
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (31:13):
The world is full of wonder and your
next vacation is waiting.
At Wonder and Beyond Travel, wework with you to create a one of
a kind journey, taking thestress off your plate so you can
focus on the joy of exploringand the memories That will stay
with you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or you just wanna dream
a little bigger, head on over toWonder and beyond travel.com.
(31:35):
We would love to help you getstarted.
We look forward to talking toyou next week on All Things
Travel.
When we pull back the curtain alittle bit and talk about our
jobs as travel advisors and whatthe heck do we do all day?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (31:48):
I wonder that about Ryan all the time.
Hello and welcome to All.
Thanks Travel.
Today we're covering a cruisetopic.
I get asked about at least oncea week, Caribbean versus Disney
cruise line, and which is betterfor families and why.
After experiencing both cruiselines recently with my family,
I'm excited to finally share mythoughts on both cruise lines,
(00:20):
and Ryan is here to chime inonce in a while.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (00:23):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and she's a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips, or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:45):
all things travel.
You know what?
I'll do a little more than chimein Julie.
'cause I've had experiencetraveling with kids on Royal, on
celebrity, on Disney.
I will say I have never cruisedwith kids your age.
my kids were definitely, juniorhigh-ish.
(01:05):
The first time we cruised.
so I haven't had your experiencewith it,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:11):
so the reason I want to talk about this
is because both of these cruiselines are heavily marketed as
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:18):
yes,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:18):
family cruise lines,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:20):
yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:20):
Yes.
And we obviously both had twovery different experiences on
our last Royal cruise.
yours is very, not only mine wasvery family friendly, so now my
family's done Royal.
We've done Disney.
And I'm excited to compare,contrast what's similar.
And I don't know that it'snecessarily like what's better,
but I hope that listeners couldgain what's better for their
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:43):
Yes.
I like the way you position thatbecause I don't think there's a
better, I think there's a betterfor you and what you're looking
for.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (01:52):
and
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (01:53):
what are the interests of your
family?
What are the must dos?
What are the must not dos?
because you're gonna find one ofthese cruise lines is perfect
for you.
absolutely.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:02):
mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (02:03):
we get into all of that, Julie, if you
have not gone back and listenedto last week's episode, we
concluded our off the BeatenPath series by talking about
five Caribbean locations thatyou may not have on your travel
radar screen.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:18):
Okay, so let's get into it.
Right off the bat, the firstkind of things we're gonna talk
about are those standoutdifferences and similarities.
we've done shows on DisneyCruise Line.
We've done shows just a coupleweeks ago about Utopia the Seas
and our
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (02:34):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:34):
there.
We've covered our cruise onFreedom of the Seas, but this is
gonna be like a head to head,various categories.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (02:41):
Great.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:42):
The first one I wanna talk about is
entertainment.
Both of these cruise lines offerfamily friendly and adult only
options.
I definitely think that Royal isgonna have a lot more adult only
options.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (02:54):
Sure.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (02:55):
I really thought the shows on Royal were
great, and thought they had morevariety in their entertainment,
right?
They had ice shows.
Water shows.
It wasn't just production styleshows.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:07):
Well, not even those, but at the
different, bars and lounges,having singers and bands, even
families could take advantage ofthat because it's out in the
open.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:17):
Correct.
Did you feel like, we went tothe ice show and my kids
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:21):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:22):
obsessed with it.
They loved it so much.
we did not make it to the watershow.
We had been on the boardwalk acouple of times in the evening
when the water show was startingand they were like, it's so
loud.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:33):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:33):
that just wasn't really gonna happen for
us.
But you thought that, I mean,it's would be family friendly
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (03:39):
Oh, absolutely.
Um, especially if your kidsenjoy watching.
I mean, my kids have alwaysgrown up watching theater.
and that would be right up theiralley, you know, going to stuff
like Cirque de Soleil
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (03:50):
right
ryan_2_08-15-2025_1405 (03:50):
musicals and things like that, they enjoy
all of that, especially mydaughter.
I know when cruising with thembefore even when they were
younger, we always attended allof the shows.
'cause that's something that ourfamily enjoys,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:03):
And what about the Broadway show?
did you feel like it childappropriate?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (04:06):
Yes, it was kind of a, rock anthem
show, like different vignettes.
if you knew the music, it wasgood, but it was also
interesting to watch.
I've also been on, both Royaland Disney, where they have more
of a musical, as the productionshow, and kids would obviously
enjoy that.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:24):
Yeah, I agree.
the one thing I noticed is Ididn't feel like there was a lot
of movies.
There wasn't a dedicated movietheater.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (04:31):
No.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:32):
a movie, it was on the pool deck, but
there was only one showing pernight.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (04:37):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (04:37):
and so that was definitely different
for me.
One thing with Disney is theyhave a significantly smaller
fleet of ships compared toRoyal, so you're bound to see
the same production shows.
there's no problem with that.
It's just, you know, you canprobably recite the Believe Show
by the time you've seen it forthe third, fourth, fifth time.
(04:58):
I will say their productionquality is outstanding.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (05:02):
very good.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:03):
yeah, the musicals, like the Broadway
Style Productions really, areBroadway style.
Productions and you know,they're Disney movies.
It's the Aladdin, the Lion KingsMoana.
Kids are gonna be excited aboutthat.
Whereas on Royal, I think thatthey enjoy it.
I think maybe not all kids, butmost especially little kids,
would be excited to go to theDisney shows.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (05:25):
I did see when I was on Icon, I saw
the Wizard of Oz and it wasabsolutely fantastic the way
that they did it.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:33):
And again, this is something I bring
in later.
the newer royal ships are a verydifferent recommendation than
the
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (05:39):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:39):
royal
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (05:40):
agreed.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (05:40):
speaking of movies, Disney has movie
theaters and they play moviesall day long, back to back.
I really enjoyed that because Ifyou needed to get away from the
crowds a little bit, you couldjust go to the movie theater and
wasn't always super popularmovies.
It was sometimes older movies,sometimes first run movies, you
just check the app to see whatwas playing.
(06:01):
They almost always had movies onthe pool deck, which was great.
When we were on the Disney Dreamrecently we got our breakfast
from Cabanas and sat on the pooldeck and watched, Mickey's once
upon a Christmas time that wasreally cool for my kids.
So, I think entertainment, Idon't think somebody, you know,
either one wins one or theother.
But if your are younger, I thinkDisney is gonna win on
(06:23):
entertainment value there.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (06:25):
Agreed,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (06:26):
really love that you can always go to
the movies.
Daily activities.
Ryan, you thought there was alot going on in Utopia when we
were on there, right?
That calendar was pretty full,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (06:34):
yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (06:34):
yes,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (06:35):
I will say from my experience on Disney
cruise lines, that was also veryfull.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (06:41):
I really felt like when I was on Disney,
there was a lot more variety ofactivities going on and they
happened more frequently.
Whereas with Royal, it seemedlike a lot of the things that we
wanted to do that were termedfamily activities like family
bingo or family scavenger hunt.
They happened right around thetime of early dining, which
(07:03):
didn't make a lot of sense tome.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (07:05):
I remember you saying that is
really odd.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (07:08):
yeah.
that was a little bitfrustrating, if you had older
kids it would've been fine.
It just didn't work for ourfamily.
we tended to do the activitiesup on the sports deck.
the sports decks are verysimilar between Royal and
Disney.
They both have, mini golf andplaygrounds.
Royal does have a lot more forteens like the flow rider,
bumper cars, laser tag, rockwalls.
(07:30):
It's gonna vary from ship toship of what's on your, specific
ship.
And the older ships for Royalare not going to have those
activities.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (07:38):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (07:39):
So I feel like the indoor activities like
Disney kind of blows royal outtathe water for those family
friendly ones.
But as far as outdoor activitiesor teen activities, royal really
steps up their game with thoseimmersive activities they offer.
I remember on the Disney ship itfelt like there was a trivia
going on, every 30 minutes thatyou could go to
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:01):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (08:02):
I felt like the schedule was really
packed.
I also really liked on Disney.
Royal can't really do this, soit's kind of like an unfair
comparison.
But they had some really themedand immersive activities you
could go to.
Now they weren't included, theyweren't extra cost, but
activities like Olaf's Picnic,Royalty and Bippity, Boutique,
(08:25):
those are things you're notgonna find on
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:26):
Sure.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (08:27):
Sure.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:27):
I mean, that's the competitive
j_1_08-15-2025_140 (08:28):
Competitive.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140 (08:29):
advantage of Disney is part of why you're
paying the premium that you'repaying, is you have access to
that Disney theming and theDisney properties.
The Disney Magic.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (08:42):
Dining.
I felt like the food was reallygood
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (08:45):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_14052 (08:46):
especially when I'm comparing Utopia versus
the Disney Wish.
With both of those being reallynewer ships, I do think Disney
Edge is a little bit in theQuick Service department.
I don't remember when you wereon the dream.
That was the one you went on,the Disney
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:01):
Yes,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:03):
I'm trying to remember what that
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:04):
I remember, going to the buffet.
I remember doing some of thepickup.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:10):
but
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:11):
I would,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:12):
I,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:12):
I think the newer ships on Royal
were better than the dream, butI haven't been on the newer
Disney ships, especially withthe icon in Utopia,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:23):
mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (09:23):
quick service options are phenomenal.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:25):
They are really good.
I don't like how spread out theyare, but I do think that's just
Royal's style versus Disney'sstyle.
Royal has the neighborhood, sothere's kind of like a quick
service in each neighborhood.
whereas Disney, it's kind oflike a food court.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (09:40):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (09:41):
I really enjoyed the main dining room on
Royal Caribbean more than Ithought it would.
I thought the food was reallygood.
However, and this is a personalpreference I really liked the
smaller themed restaurantsbetter on Disney.
I thought for my kids to keepkids engaged.
With, being part of that dinnerexperience and that main dining
room, I kind of felt likethey're just floundering around,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:03):
It is, absolutely.
there is not that immersivetheming in the Royal Maine
dining Room that's absolutelytrue.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:09):
And the main dining room is three
stories
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:12):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:13):
if you're on a much smaller ship, but it's
still huge.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:16):
I.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:16):
so you just walk in and it's this
massive room.
Whereas on the Disney ships,it's like a regular sized
restaurant almost.
And you're just assigned one.
I do wish that you had a littlemore say in which one you went
to, which night on Disney.
'cause you don't know that untilyou show up,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:31):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:32):
That's when you find out which
restaurant you're going to,which evening.
the other thing is with going tothe different restaurants, yes,
Royal Caribbean offers differentmenus every night, but the kids'
menu stayed the same everynight.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (10:44):
That's a really good point.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (10:46):
for them.
Granted you could ordersomething for them from the
adults menu, but most of that isnot something that any kid is
going to eat.
Whereas I do think that Disney'skids' menu, if I remember
correctly, changed night tonight.
your kid might still orderchicken tenders every night, but
I
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:04):
Sure.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:04):
Any other thoughts on food, Ryan?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:06):
No, I've been impressed with both of
them, on my experience thefeedback that I get from my
clients.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:12):
Agreed.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:14):
I will say
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:15):
Go.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:15):
I remember dining with your family
and.
The anxiety that I had when theywould hand your mia just an open
cup of milk.
And I'm like, this doesn't makesense.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:30):
they
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:30):
she only spilled it once and it was
fine because that happens.
our server was phenomenal withthe kids, but there were just a
couple things like that whereI'm like.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:40):
where I'm like,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:41):
you're not paying attention to what the
kids need,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:45):
And really what
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:46):
and things like that.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:47):
I had to bring a sippy cup to dinner with
us
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:50):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:50):
her not a sippy cup, but like a cup of the
lid and a straw.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (11:54):
Right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (11:54):
even like Luca, you know, he is four, but
they're giving them glasses ofmilk and glasses of water I kind
of completely forgot until youbrought that up.
But that was, just one of thosethings that's like, okay, now I
have to think about this.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:07):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:08):
cups with lids anywhere on the ship.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:10):
And I'm assuming on Disney Cruise
line, your daughter would'vebeen given a cup
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:15):
from what I remember, I don't remember
having that issue.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:19):
Okay.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:20):
on Disney cruise line, With the rotational
dining, you have those sameservers moving with you, In the
main dining room, we had thesame servers moving with us.
when we sat down at our table onDisney Cruise line, the kids'
drinks were there ready to gofor them.
The bread was there waiting forus before we even got to the
table.
Like things like that, they kindof pick up on a little bit
quicker saying, you know, knowthe kids are like, let's go,
(12:42):
let's get our stuff.
And they used to offer, and Ithink they're bringing it back a
program where if you're at earlyDining for Disney Cruise line.
let the servers know, what is itcalled?
dine and play or something
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140 (12:55):
something like that.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (12:56):
them to the kids
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (12:56):
Royal has done that in the past as
well, but I think that is alsopaused along with Disney's,
program
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:03):
Onto rooms, and
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (13:05):
okay.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:06):
I'm going with this.
We have a family of five androoms for families of five are
very limited on rural Caribbean.
You can't even search for a roomfor five online.
Now if you have family of four,great.
That's nice and easy.
Until you see the bathroom thatall four of your family is
supposed to share,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (13:26):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:27):
no bathtub for your kids.
It's a tiny stand in shower.
the other issue I have with therooms on a rail.
Now granted the room itself islovely, the bed area, the living
room, the balcony.
Lovely.
The bathroom is a problem.
also, I look for connectingrooms a lot for clients and they
are challenging,'cause Royal isvery specific on their capacity
(13:49):
restrictions.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (13:50):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (13:51):
a room for four might only connect to a
room for two, that doesn't meanthat if you have three you can
put them in that room for four.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:02):
Yes, you're absolutely right.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:04):
So the rooms fit a set number, not
more, not less.
if you need, connecting roomsfor a family of five, there's
only a couple categories thatwe'll do a three and two
connecting.
Some of them are four, two, someof them are tutu, it always
takes me forever to findconnecting rooms, whereas on
Disney, it's kind of like.
(14:25):
The state room capacity is four.
The state room capacity is five.
Put up to that number you wantin there.
I could book my family a fiveinto a deluxe family room and I
could book my parents a party oftwo into a deluxe family room.
They don't really care eitherway,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:40):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:41):
it's a lot easier to find those
connecting rooms.
the bathroom is that splitlayout,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:46):
Which makes a huge of course it is.
yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:50):
in some of the state rooms on Disney,
there's a bathtub.
It's not a big bathtub, it'slike a round circular bathtub
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (14:57):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (14:57):
of a rectangle bathtub, but it's a
bathtub, which is helpful if youhave really little ones.
Holding slippery babies inshowers is not fun.
So anywho, my rants on therooms.
That's kind of the one where Ido get a little ranty about.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:12):
Well, and I think Disney too, just
with their options for sleeping,you know, with the dropdown
birth and, different things likethat.
I think for smaller kids, theywin the state room conversation.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:24):
yeah, they have a dropdown, Is it the
Poolman?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:27):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:28):
They do
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:29):
upper birth.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:29):
when we were in the Deluxe Family Ocean
View balcony room, it also had aMurphy bed that came down, which
is a nice option if you don'twant a kid on the upper bunk
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (15:37):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:38):
All cruise ships have pool decks.
These pool decks are verydifferent.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (15:42):
They're not created equal.
Yes, that's true.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (15:45):
I'm not gonna say that one is better
than the other.
This is really what fits yourvibe Similarities, everyone had
life jackets, so that'simportant.
towels on rural Caribbean doneed to be checked out.
Sometimes people are a littlesurprised by that.
They scan your key card if youdon't.
Re-scan to return your towel,you are charged newer ships on
royal, this is where I alsothink the newer versus the older
(16:08):
ships on Royal comes into play.
If you have kids, there are alot of times I'll be working
with a family and they willbring a cruise to me and I will
say, I don't think this is agood fit.
this is a good price because theship is really old and I really
think your kids are gonna bebored.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (16:22):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (16:22):
They see Where, they've got all these
slides, all these great pools,and they don't quite realize
that the shit they're looking atis much older and has none of
those things.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (16:31):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (16:33):
So a lot of the newer ships are gonna
have Splash Away Bay, which isthe waterpark four.
I don't know, I would say ageslike four or you know, three
maybe through what, like 12 ishAnd then they're also gonna have
the perfect storm.
Those huge slides you see on theIcon class, they're also gonna
have Baby Bay, where toddlers inswim diapers can go.
(16:55):
I have seen so many differentversions of Baby Bay.
it terrified me before we wenton Utopia, that I like Rush
Potty, trained my 2-year-old sothat she could go into the
larger area.
I have seen on some older shipsI've toured literally no section
for toddlers with swim diapersat all, nothing.
And I've seen some that arelike.
(17:18):
A couple steps and then a slidedown with a little sprinkler,
maybe very, very small onUtopia.
I actually thought it was areally great sized section.
I would've been perfectly finewith her playing in that area.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:30):
Yeah,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:30):
with that.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:31):
I think you would've been blown
away by icon.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:34):
by their baby bay
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:35):
the whole family neighborhood I
think would've been so nice Foryour family.
Absolutely.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:40):
And that's where I kind of say every
newer class that comes out for aroyal, they are really upping
their game for families.
And I just want, listeners toknow the ships are not created
equal
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (17:51):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (17:52):
fleet.
And that's not a bad thing.
You just have to know whatyou're looking at and what
you're looking for.
Utopia also had three main poolsin the pool deck, and I did
appreciate that there was avariety between them.
One was quite a bit deeper andtwo were shallower.
I appreciated that variety.
as we mentioned on our utopiaepisode, the music on the pool
deck was so loud all day.
(18:14):
It was a party all day long.
And that's fine if you wouldlike to.
Go to a party all day long.
on Disney, the pool deck is muchsmaller because the ships are
smaller.
the newer Disney ships, I'llsay, have smaller multiple
pools.
they'll say like, oh, this isthe Mickey pool, and it's in the
shape of a Mickey head, but it'sactually three small pools,
(18:34):
which is nice because if anyonehas an accident in the pool,
they don't have to shut downlike every pool on the
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (18:40):
The entire pool.
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (18:42):
on some old cruise ships.
a lot of these are not deep.
They're like two to three feet,which shocked me when I first
went on my first cruise.
But it was actually really,really great for kids.
It's easy to sit on the side andinteract with them and feel
pretty safe They also have NemosReef or Toy Story splash zone
for kids under four, which is agreat option and that's where
(19:02):
your toddlers in swim diapersare gonna go.
It's very themed, reallyinteractive, really great.
There's also Disney moviesplaying all day long on the pool
deck, and I loved that.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:11):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:13):
Any thoughts on pools, Ryan, before
we scooch on?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:16):
no.
I think, honestly, the Disney,I'm thinking of when I traveled
with my kids.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:22):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:23):
and the weather.
it was Thanksgiving, Christmas,Alaska.
So the pool decks really did notplay that much other than, my
kids enjoyed.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:33):
with Disney.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:34):
I did it with celebrity, so I kind of
put royal, and I'm thinking ofwhen, yeah, when I traveled with
my kids.
the pool did not play that bigof a factor.
for us.
but man, there's just,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:45):
just,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (19:46):
there's nothing cooler than the pool
deck on Royal, Just for thevibe.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:50):
I think older teens, even like 10 and up
or eight
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (19:54):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (19:54):
I think it is great.
I mean, splash Away Bay isamazing.
I really love that option, butman, it is a big pool deck, so
just be
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (20:03):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (20:03):
for that.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (20:04):
there's no comparison in this next
category.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (20:07):
Kids clubs, so Royal Kids Club did
not have a lot of open housetime, but they did have an area
that you could go to any time ofthe day to hang out with your
kids.
It was just like a separatesection of the kids club.
my kids are not kids club kids.
They don't go to daycare.
They're not used to being
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (20:25):
And my kids are not either, so I don't
have a lot to add.
I've seen them.
Caleb certainly took advantageof the Disney one, but I have no
personal experience with thekids clubs.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (20:35):
Yeah, I do think that for the elementary
age on Royal, the activities arereally, Focus or really like
specific activities like a STEMactivity, an art activity, a
theater room, things like that.
I can really appreciate thatthey're trying to set up that
type of routine.
I also think the teen spaces onfoil are really cool, There's
(20:57):
like a social teen club.
That has a indoor section andthen like a patio section, and I
think that's really cool.
I can appreciate how fun thatwould be for older kids for that
elementary age crowd though, theDisney Kids clubs are top notch,
kids literally step into theworld of Marvel, star
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (21:16):
yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_14052 (21:17):
Characters are coming in, going throughout
the day.
There's dance parties, castmembers are.
Phenomenal.
you cannot believe your eyeswhen you see these kids clubs.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_1 (21:25):
Absolutely.
hundred percent.
And again, I think that's theDisney competitive advantage
that you're paying for is accessto all of those things.
and what kid would not want todo that during the cruise?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (21:37):
like I mentioned this briefly when I
talked about the Royal KidsClub, but Disney typically has
an open play hour or hour and ahalf, almost every morning of
the cruises I've been on, whichmeans you and your family can go
to different sections of thekids club, and parents can go
with their kids.
that's also like a nice activityto be able to build into your
day.
and just a way to spend sometime.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (21:58):
Okay, great.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (21:59):
And this last comparison can be a big
deal for some people Royal has acasino, Disney has characters.
This is a really big differencein the vibe it brings to your
ship.
I don't have a problem withcasinos.
What I don't like is that as ayoung family, you have to walk
through that casino to get tothe main dining room or to get
(22:20):
to one of the performance,studios depending on the layout
of the ship.
I don't love that,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:27):
I guess I don't feel that,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:28):
casino.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:29):
I always felt on the royal ships
I've been on that they were downbelow.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:35):
mm-hmm.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:36):
The promenade, so you can always
walk along the promenade to getto those places.
the only thing I'd say, at leaston our experience with Utopia
that you'd have to really,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:45):
really
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (22:46):
go through the casino to get to
studio b, the ice show for yourfamily.
Other than that, I, kind of feellike the casino was tucked away.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (22:55):
Yeah, it was more tucked away than what
it was on freedom.
I feel like on freedom, it wasthe same as the main dining room
from what I remember.
I just don't love that, thatlike becomes a part of the
cruise I didn't really.
Want to expose my kids to thatpart of the cruise because then
they're like, what's that?
They think they're arcade games
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:14):
Right,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:15):
They don't understand why they can't
play, and it's a smokingsection, which is different from
the rest of the ship.
So it's just a, an area I'drather not have to take
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:24):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:25):
kids through.
It just, felt kind of stressful.
other people probably feelcompletely different than me and
I'm probably just being weirdabout it.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:31):
I think you're saying this is what
works and doesn't work for myfamily.
those are the conversations wehave with clients every day.
So, no, I think it's,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:39):
think
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:39):
if it's one of those things where
your family,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:43):
is
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (23:43):
It's either, Cruise on a ship that
has that, or do you know youjust are gonna avoid that
section of the ship?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (23:49):
On the other hand if you're doing a big
multi-gen trip, that's where Isay that casino is nice because
the older adults, that reallygives them something to do if
they're into that.
Whereas maybe on a Disney ship,the older adults are like, what
am I gonna do?
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (24:05):
Yes.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (24:05):
and bingo every half hour.
Then on Disney you havecharacters a lot of people are
probably like, I do not wannasee characters, and a lot of
people are probably like, that'samazing, We saw characters every
single day on our Disneycruises, and sometimes they were
just walking around you couldkind of walk with them, but it
wasn't like a meet and greetsituation.
Other times it was a set meetand greet and you had to go and
(24:28):
form a line.
It did not feel obnoxious oroverwhelming though if you
didn't wanna part in thecharacters, you didn't have to
take part in the characters.
They were kind of there if youwanted them to be there.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (24:40):
Agreed.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (24:42):
but I know that that's a concern I get
sometimes.
Like, I don't wanna go on aDisney cruise'cause there's
gonna be Mickey Mouseeverywhere.
And I'm like, he is there.
He is there.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (24:50):
Yes, he is the you.
You will not avoid Disney bycruising on a Disney cruise line
ship, It really is, how much doyou want to get immersed by it?
And you can really control that.
Kind of like going to Alani.
Disney is there if you want it.
It definitely is there.
The theming is there.
If you really are not interestedin that aspect, there's plenty
(25:12):
that you can focus on thatdoesn't have to do with Disney.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (25:16):
We started this episode out by
saying which is the bettercruise line.
I'm not gonna really say like,one is better and one is worse.
let's talk about what vibe youwant on the ship.
I do think Royal is overall alouder vibe for the newer ships,
for the ships that we're gonnabe recommending for families.
I kind of keep coming back tothose newer ships because I'm
(25:36):
not gonna recommend my youngfamilies sail on the older ships
unless it is purely destinationfocused.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (25:44):
Yep.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (25:44):
I do think Royal very clearly caters
to all ages and highlighted inour Utopia of the Seas episode
that I was just listening toearlier today.
Um, how Ryan had a completelydifferent cruise than my family
and we only saw each other atdinner.
That's A perfect example of whyRoyal Caribbean is great for
(26:04):
multi-generational travelbecause there is literally
something for everyone and thenyou all meet up at dinner.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:10):
And I do have to ask a question.
As I went back and listened tothat episode and you talked
about a multi-generationalexperience, were Jasmine and I,
the grandparents in thatexample, I kind of felt that way
as I was listening.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:25):
no, that's not at all my intention.
this is the first time that Ihave thought about it in that
context.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:31):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:32):
no, that was not my intention.
I'm just saying you could have acomplete adults only experience,
or you could have a complete.
Family experience, it's easy toalso do something in the middle
as when I deserted my childrenand left them at golf with you.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:45):
Yes,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:46):
Yes,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:46):
the invoice is in the mail.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (26:49):
Oh man.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (26:50):
when we went on Royal for the first
time, my daughter said, well Imiss Disney cruise line.
And I said, why?
And she couldn't articulate why,except she just likes Disney
stuff
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (27:03):
the vibe.
I think
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (27:04):
and,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (27:04):
about
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (27:05):
I understand that.
Now, I will say neither of mykids have been on a newer Royal
Caribbean ship, and I think theywould both be blown away by
that.
their favorite cruise line, atleast from the experience when
I've been with them, has beencelebrity.
And I put royal and celebritytogether, they're very, very
similar.
So I think for my kids now,Royal would win out even though
(27:26):
they're definitely Disney kids.
j_1_08-15-2025_1405 (27:28):
Absolutely.
I would agree with that.
So I really just think it's likeparental preference, and likely
depends on the ages of yourkids.
If royal is the better cruiseline for you.
this is the best way that I cansum up when clients come to me
and say, which is better forkids?
And with my clients, they'reusually talking about kids that
(27:48):
are like eight and under.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (27:50):
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (27:50):
say as a parent, you board a Disney
cruise, You know that everythingon that ship is appropriate for
your child, and I can providecountless examples of this after
cruising on both.
You know that any movie playingon that pool deck is going to be
a kid friendly movie.
I don't really have that comfortnecessarily on the royal ships
(28:13):
of what movies they're playingin the evenings.
same with music.
I know any song that they everplay on a Disney cruise ship is
going to be a song that'sappropriate for my child.
Everyone probably feelsdifferently about that, and that
doesn't mean that the music I'mplaying in my car when I'm
riding around with my kids isthe most appropriate music for
my kid, but I don't necessarilywant it lasting all day on a
cruise ship.
whereas on a royal ship.
(28:34):
the soundtrack that they'replaying is not the soundtrack
that the Disney
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14052 (28:37):
Perfect day.
Perfect day.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (28:41):
with that song.
I really enjoyed that.
Um, and I shared this experiencewith Ryan.
There was a time on the royalship where I wanted to check out
Central Park.
on Utopia of the Seas.
so, I wanna say it was our NASAall day, which was a day that a
lot of people stayed on theship.
we walked into Central Parkwhich I thought was gonna be
(29:01):
like this serene, lovelyexperience.
And we literally walked back outbecause the music from the pool
deck was overflowing intoCentral Park.
You could look up above you.
And there was some plexiglassthere, that was part of the pool
deck.
And there was like.
A large, like bachelor stylegroup just in Speedos and
(29:23):
dancing.
And I was kind of like, we'rejust gonna turn around and go.
You're not gonna see anythingremotely close to that on a
Disney cruise ship.
so again, parental preferenceand really, really, really
depends on ages of your kids ofwhich way you wanna go along
that line, like the smokingsection on a Disney cruise ship.
We're not a smoking family.
The smoking section on the RoyalCaribbean ship is In the middle
(29:46):
of the pool deck the Disneycruise ship.
I've never even seen the smokingsection.
It's there, but it's so tuckedaway that no one who's not going
to the smoking section is evergoing to see it.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (29:55):
so you've gotten back now, a couple
weeks after Royal, your family,has obviously done multiple
Disney cruises.
Feedback from your husbandSteven, or feedback from your
kids as far as how this stuffplays out.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (30:08):
my kids had an absolute blast on Royal
Caribbean,
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (30:12):
Well, of course.
'cause they They had dinner withMr.
Ryan and Ms.
Jasmine.
I mean, how could you not?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (30:17):
they ask me about you all the time.
every vacation they're gonna belike, where's Mr.
Ryan and Mr.
Jasmine?
Why are they not here?
they had a blast.
But also remember they'relittle, they're 6 4 2.
So mom and dad are kind ofleading the charge of like,
well, we're not gonna go in that
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (30:31):
Right,
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (30:31):
area for kids.
I don't really have to play thatlike gatekeeper on a Disney
cruise.
So the mental load for a parenton a Disney cruise is a little
bit better.
And I think that's kind of whereSteven sits.
we are gonna go on a royalcruise, hopefully just the two
of us in a couple of months.
we're really excited for theactivities offered when it's
just us and we don't have tothink about stuff for the kids.
they had a blast because theyloved Splash Way Bay.
(30:53):
the mini golf, the playgrounds,the carousel, the Ice show.
They had a great time.
if your kids are little andrural Caribbean is what works
for you, it works for yourdestination, your dates, your
budget.
You're not gonna have a badexperience.
ryan_2_08-15-2025_14 (31:06):
Absolutely not.
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (31:07):
I'm just saying there's two very
different vibes.
So think about what your familywould prefer
ryan_2_08-15-2025_140521 (31:13):
The world is full of wonder and your
next vacation is waiting.
At Wonder and Beyond Travel, wework with you to create a one of
a kind journey, taking thestress off your plate so you can
focus on the joy of exploringand the memories That will stay
with you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or you just wanna dream
a little bigger, head on over toWonder and beyond travel.com.
(31:35):
We would love to help you getstarted.
We look forward to talking toyou next week on All Things
Travel.
When we pull back the curtain alittle bit and talk about our
jobs as travel advisors and whatthe heck do we do all day?
j_1_08-15-2025_140521 (31:48):
I wonder that about Ryan all the time.
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