Theme parks reign supreme in Orlando, but cruise ships aren’t far behind. Most major cruise lines depart from Port Canaveral (also known as the Orlando Port due to its proximity). With the cruise port being only about 1 hour from the parks or Orlando International Airport, many travelers wrap a cruise trip and theme parks visit together in the same vacation. What a dream to end a hustling theme park visit with a relaxing cruise!
As the snow finally begins to fall at my home this December, after weeks of rain and prolonged grey skies, I can’t help but daydream myself back onboard a cruise ship eating the day away. I have only been on a couple over the course of my life, both on Royal Caribbean, but long to sail again. I often find myself procrastinating my daily workload and searching for cruises even when I have no vacations planned.
Being ever the Disney fan, I long to sail on one of their ships… but I am always deterred by the cost. Disney is known for their high level service, but is it really that much better to justify the cost? Let’s dive in to a little comparison between the two cruise lines.
I compared costs by finding as identical itineraries as I could:
- Sailing Dates: One During Summer and One During the School Year
- Length of trip: 4 Nights
- Departure Port: Port Canaveral (Orlando)
- Similar Itineraries: Caribbean & Stop to Respective Private Island
- Similar Cabin Type (When Available): Interior
 |  |
 |  |
The cost difference between the two cruise lines was much more than I anticipated. An $1800 difference in the summer, and an almost $1400 difference in the fall?! To be fair, Royal often has various promotional offers and sales, like BOGO 60% off or Kids Sail Free, while Disney does not. But….?
Comparing the two cruise lines on cost alone isn’t really fair. The pros and cons of each company can vary wildly from person to person. For me, I’m far more a food fan than I am an alcohol fan. Does that put me in the Disney Cruise camp? We’re also a small family; are there more options for us on Disney? Would my daughter be more comfortable participating alone on Disney Cruise Line activities? Then again, if we chose Royal, the cost difference would allow us to comfortably plan a theme park visit around our cruise dates.
In the end, I am unsure if there’s a definitive answer in how to choose what cruise to sail on next; I just need to make the leap and choose. I would love to hear the thought process of other travelers on this topic!
For now, back to my 3 C’s for this winter: Cold, Coffee, and Crochet
