Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean are widely considered the best cruise lines for families. Both offer family-friendly staterooms and a variety of onboard activities and entertainment geared toward families and young cruisers from toddlers to teens.
In both cases, most family activities are included in your cruise fare when you sail with either of these family cruise lines.
Related: 3 popular amenities you won’t find on a Disney Cruise Lines ship
Kid-friendly waterslides, pools, and water play areas are common across both cruise lines’ fleets. Many Royal Caribbean ships also include a FlowRider surfing simulator and an ice skating rink too. Live Disney shows, deck parties with Disney characters, and fireworks at sea add to the magic for families sailing on Disney cruise ships.
On each of their private island destinations, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have family-friendly beach activities and water play areas where kids can splash around. For an additional charge, families sailing to Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay can also enjoy a thrilling waterpark, zip line, and helium balloon attraction.
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Perfect Day at CocoCay has many free and some added-fee attractions.
Image source: Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWithMe
Disney Cruise Line’s ships are designed specifically for families
While adults sailing without kids are welcome on Disney cruises, Disney Cruise Line is all about families, and its ships are designed specifically with families in mind. Disney cruise ship staterooms stand out as more spacious and more thoughtfully equipped for families than other cruise lines.
Dining on Disney Cruise Line ranks high with families for its food quality and magically themed dining rooms with family entertainment and interactive touches. Families also love Disney cruises for the quality of the Broadway-style live shows that present fan-favorite Disney stories as well as its character experiences and movie theatres showing first-run and classic Disney movies.
Disney Cruise Line’s kids’ club, the Oceaneer Club, is popular for its immersive and interactive themed play spaces like Marvel Super Hero Academy and Andy’s Room from the “Toy Story” movies. The kids’ club is included with your cruise fare and is usually open until midnight.
Disney’s Oceaneer Club includes character experiences, storytelling sessions, and a variety of activities for kids ages three to 10. Dedicated spaces for tweens and teens to hang out in their own hip lounges are available on Disney cruise ships too.
Royal Caribbean boasts a highly-rated kids’ club
Royal Caribbean’s kids’ club, Adventure Ocean, is highly regarded for its activities and adventure-themed educational programs for kids ages three to 17. Teens have their own dedicated teen-only lounges where they have the freedom to come and go as they please.
Kids ages three to 11 can have dinner at their own dedicated early dining time for families before leaving their parents behind to head off to Adventure Ocean for the evening. Royal Caribbean’s My Family Time Dining is offered for the first seating time in the main dining room.
Related: First cruise with kids? Here are 4 things to bring
The cruise line’s Adventure Ocean and teen-only spaces are open into the late evening hours so adults can enjoy a night out while kids hang out with new cruise friends. While Royal Caribbean’s kids’ programs and teen clubs are included with your cruise fare, keep in mind that an hourly rate applies after 10 p.m. for late-night group babysitting for kids ages three to 11 available in the Adventure Ocean center.
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Prices between the top family cruise lines vary significantly
Beyond family amenities, how do prices between these top family cruise lines compare? Let’s look at a four-night Bahamian cruise from Fort Lauderdale for a family of four on both cruise lines sailing in November 2024.
For a four-night Disney cruise for a family of four sailing from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas, stopping in Nassau and Disney’s Castaway Cay private island, prices start at $3,504.16.
For a four-night Royal Caribbean cruise for a family of four sailing from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas, stopping in Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay, prices start at $915.68 for an interior stateroom. This price reflects a savings of $871.00 available through a sale on bookings made in September that includes a Kids Sail Free offer.
ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
Royal Caribbean often runs Kids Sail Free promotions that allow kids ages 12 and younger to receive a free a cruise fare. This can provide significant savings and add to the value this cruise line offers for families.
Prices for Royal Caribbean cruises on Icon of the Seas, the cruise line’s largest ship, which sails 7-day itineraries out of Miami can be higher than many Disney cruises. In a broad sense, however, Royal Caribbean offers much lower prices.
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