I Went On A Disney Cruise And A Royal Caribbean Cruise — Here's What I Liked Better

Buzz Feed

22-06-2025

Hi! After becoming a mom, I am now convinced cruises are the easiest vacation. Truly, everything is right there for you. You've got food, your room, and activities all within a staircase or two.
Planning a cruise can be slightly overwhelming, though, which is why I thought I'd compare my cruises on Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line. There's a lot you simply can't research.
Most recently, I was on the Disney Treasure on a three-day cruise that stopped on Castaway Cay, Disney's private island destination, and Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas, which is docked in Los Angeles for the summer for three-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico.
While BuzzFeed was provided these trips free of charge, we were under no obligation to give a positive review.
I live in Southern California, so the first big difference was traveling to the actual ship. Ovation of the Seas was docked at the Port of Los Angeles, which has a big ol' parking lot that I was able to drive to and leave my car at. The Disney Treasure was docked in Port Canaveral, which meant my family and I had to fly across the country, then take a bus from the airport to get to the ship.
Being able to drive from my house before sailing and to my house after sailing on Ovation was a huge perk. The jet lag to and from the Treasure was tough on us, and I felt like we spent a whole day recovering. I've also sailed on the Disney Wonder out of San Diego, and we drove to the port and had to fly back when the cruise ended in Vancouver, and I will say it wasn't hard on our bodies at all. I really think it's the time change.
The check-in process for both was incredibly easy. They each have apps that you load all of your information on prior to the trip, then you just show your passports and the barcode on the app to get on board both ships.
However, the port arrival times were a lot different. On the Disney Treasure, we were able to board at noon, but on Ovation of the Seas, we had to wait until 3 p.m. It was nice to board earlier on the Treasure and not have to worry about lunch plans.
The layout of the ships was totally different. The atrium of Ovation of the Seas was the hub on board. Bars, restaurants, and shops were all along the sides, and a casino was on the floor underneath. It felt like stepping into a high-end hotel in Las Vegas.
The atrium of the Disney Treasure, however, was more of a big open flex space with a stage and a check-in to the Oceaneer Club for the kids, as well as guest services and a balcony where characters wave hello to you.
The first place we went on both ships was the buffet. On the Treasure, it was Marceline Market. On Ovation, it was Windjammer. Marceline Market had two big, winding buffet lines. Windjammer had several "stations" you could go up to. Both buffets were included in the price of the cruise.
Now, I'm a vegetarian, and I felt like there was more I enjoyed at Marceline Market as opposed to Windjammer. That being said, I did enjoy eating at both; I just felt like there were more substantial options in the Treasure.
However, I did like the layout of Windjammer better. There's a very strange etiquette battle with one really long line, like in Marceline. You have people coming in with empty plates who are waiting to go down the line, but then you also have people who have already eaten and are coming back up for one specific thing. So what do they do? Cut in line to get that particular thing? Feels rude. Wait and go all the way back down the line again? Feels unnecessary. So it was a strange dance.
Windjammer also had longer hours than Marceline did, which was really nice because lunch time tends to be nap time for my 2-year-old, so we missed lunch a couple of times on the Treasure, so we had to go to one of the walk-up food places by the pool (which was still good).
Next, we hit the stateroom. On the Treasure, even though you're allowed to board earlier, staterooms aren't ready until 1:30. On Ovation, they're ready as soon as you're on board.
You can see the vibe of the stateroom floors is really different between the ships. Disney's Treasure feels very organic and magical while Royal Caribbean's feels like an upscale posh resort.
I had a balcony stateroom on both ships that slept four. On the Treasure, the stateroom had one queen, one fold-out sofa, and a twin that dropped from the ceiling to create a bunk-bed (deluxe balconies have a fourth Murphy bed).
On Ovation, the stateroom had two twins that converted to a king and a sofa that folded out into a full-size bed.
One cool thing about Ovation is that they have virtual windows for interior staterooms, which is a floor-to-ceiling screen that livestreams the view from outside.
On Ovation of the Seas, the bathroom was pretty spacious in my opinion, with a stand-in shower.
On the Treasure, the bathroom is split, so there is a separate bathroom for just the toilet and just for the shower.
The split bathrooms on the Treasure were smaller, but with my 2-year-old, it was nice when he needed to pee that we didn't have to wait for someone in the shower. If I was traveling with an older kid who was better at holding it or no kids at all, I definitely would've opted for one big bathroom like on Ovation.
One thing I liked about the Treasure was that there was a curtain divider in the room, so when my son fell asleep, I felt like I could close the curtain and turn on the light on the other side. We would order room service and watch TV after my son went to bed.
Another big difference was our room attendant. On the Treasure, our room attendant stopped by twice: at lunchtime and at dinner time. This was excellent because we almost always came back to a clean room with beds made for nap time and bedtime. On Ovation, our room attendant only stopped by once a day, midday. That meant our fold-out was never put away, just remade for the night, which made the room feel a little smaller.
OK, now let's visit the top deck: the pools. The Treasure has several pools, as well as an adult-only pool and a Toy Story splash pad.
Ovation also has several pools, both indoor and outdoor, as well as a splash zone.
My son doesn't like water being dumped on his head, so he spent more time in the splash zone on the Treasure. It was also windy on Ovation, and the splash pad wasn't far from the smoking area on the top deck, so sometimes the smell wafted.
However, my favorite top-deck place between the two ships was the enclosed solarium on Ovation. It got cool at night on both ships, and the solarium was a really great space to hang out and swim without worrying we'd be frigid getting out. There was a shallow pool there where my son could hang out, and two hot tubs where the adults could swim. It was really great!
A little note: Kids aren't allowed in pools on either ship unless they're potty-trained. We potty-trained between the cruises, and while there would've been more pools my son was eligible to go in on the Treasure than Ovation, the pools on the Treasure were kinda crowded and in direct sun, so I'm not sure we would've done them anyway. He liked the splash pad, though!
My sister is the first one to admit she has "granny hobbies," but as a teenager, it felt like there was more for her to do on Ovation than the Treasure.
The sports deck on Ovation has a basketball court that also turns into a roller rink and a bumper car arena that she took full use of (she was too socially awkward, I think, to bump her bumper car into strangers, so I watched her artfully avoid them, which was kind of hilarious).
It also has several game consoles, ping pong tables, foosball, and air hockey tables. The air hockey tables you had to pay for, though. It also had a little hot dog stand and bar in the sports deck, which I thought was nice. It felt really comfortable, like you could spend the day in there!
In contrast, the Treasure's sports deck also had a basketball court, foosball, air hockey, and ping pong. While there wasn't bumper cars or roller skating, sometimes the Treasure would wheel out this giant Incredibles-themed obstacle course for the whole family to race in, which was really fun. The only downside was we had to pay attention to the times it came out on the app because it was only for a few hours a day.
Both ships have a kids' club with secured programming, meaning you leave the kids there for them to have fun, and you can pick them up later. We didn't do this at either place because ours is too young, but there were open house hours when anyone could come in and play (including parents). Adventure Ocean on Ovation of the Seas had a play area with a tunnel, slide, and toys. The Treasure had the Oceaneer Club, with a couple themed areas after Imagineers, Disney Princesses, Star Wars, Marvel, and Mickey and Minnie that were open during "open house" hours.
Both also had a nursery. We didn't do either because my toddler is the human version of velcro.
Aside from the clubs, sports deck, and pools, the Treasure also has a waterslide called the Aquamouse. The story of the Aquamouse changes, too, so there are different experiences you can come back to have depending on when you ride it.
Ovation has North Star, an observation crane that takes visitors 300 feet above the top deck for a bird's eye view.
Ovation also has a rock wall and Waverider. The Waverider takes a little bit of practice, but my sister had a fun time trying to stand up on the boogie board. She also said she was really sore afterwards.
There is also an iFly indoor skydiving experience on Ovation, which is included in the fare of the cruise while the ship is in port.
Each ship also has, what my sister likes to refer to as "granny hobbies," including trivia, crafts, game shows, and karaoke.
There isn't enough liquor in the world to get me to do karaoke, but I do love trivia and crafts. I didn't win any Disney trivia (shameful), but I did win a scavenger hunt on Ovation and got a cool highlighter.
Most of the crafts and trivia on the Treasure are Disney-themed, so if you aren't a Disney person, I could see how it would feel a little branded. Ovation had a little bit of everything including Star Wars and Friends trivia, and make your own pop-up cards.
OK, now let's talk about dining. The ships vary GREATLY when it comes to dining. Let's start with Ovation.
On Ovation, you have the option to go to the buffet (which has different offerings for each lunch and dinner), you can go to My Time Dining, which is a complimentary sit-down with a waitstaff and full-course menu, or you can book a reservation, and for an added cost, you can eat at one of their premium restaurants, which includes Wonderland, a topsy-turvy kinda restaurant with things like "Reconstructed Caprese with liquid olive oil, ricotta powder, and basil" and "Mad Hatter's Crispy Potted Shrimp with crispy crumb and scotch bonnet"...
...Chops Grille, which has premium cuts and wine pairings...
Izumi Sushi, which has rolls, bowls, sushi, and sashimi...
...and Jamie's Italian by Jamie Oliver, which has inventive Italian favorites like Eggplant Parmigiana and Prawn Linguine. All of these restaurants are an additional charge if you want to dine at them.
The restaurants looked good, but we actually opted for eating at the buffet each night. We probably would've eaten at one of the specialty restaurants, but they were all booked up by the time we got on board.
The Disney Treasure has rotational dining. You are assigned a table, a time, and a waitstaff that are the same every night, just the restaurant changes, so people have the opportunity to dine at all three restaurants on board (this is included in the cruise fare).
The Treasure has World's of Marvel, a Marvel-themed restaurant with a Marvel-themed menu serving things like Rosemary Roasted Beef Tenderloin and Ricotta Gnocchi...
...1923, an upscale restaurant inspired by Walt Disney Studios serving dishes like Italian Flat Parsley and Rosemary-crusted Rack of Lamb and Double-Baked Three Cheese Soufflé...
...and Plaza de Coco, a Coco-themed dinner show serving elevated Mexican foods like a stuffed Poblano Blistered Pepper and Ernesto de la Cruz's Grilled Seafood and Tomato Rice.
I REALLY liked having the same waitstaff follow us. Since we have dietary restrictions and allergies, they knew exactly what to recommend. My son had a kids' menu, crayons, a cool glittery cup with a lid, and a booster seat waiting for him, too. They were calling us by name, checking in on how our day was going, and remembering things about us. It made us feel really special!
However, it was kind of freeing going to Windjammer on Ovation and not having a set time to eat. We found that we really had to do more planning when we had an assigned dinner time on the Treasure.
Every night on the Treasure, there was a Broadway-style show. The first night was Seas the Adventure, which followed Goofy through several Disney movies as he tried to navigate the ship. It has classic Disney songs, and my son loved the mice in it.
The second night was The Tale of Moana, which kind of knocked everyone's socks off. I would have paid money to see it again (all of the shows are included in the fare).
The third night was Beauty and the Beast, which I actually didn't see because my son was fussy.
Each show had two performances each night, which ran opposite each dining time, so if you had the early dining time, you could go to the later show, and vice versa.
On Ovation, there were also three shows, but in different parts of the ship, meaning the shows had performances on multiple nights, which was nice if you missed one. The first was Spectra's Cabaret, a kind-of sci-fi futuristic disco spectacular with lots of singing and dancing.
The second was Live. Love. Legs., a cabaret-style show, which I've heard is exceptional. We didn't go see this as we were confused you needed tickets/reservations, and we didn't, but found out the second night you could book them through the app (which were free and included, just needed to be done prior to showtime).
The other show on board was The Beautiful Dream, which was more of a steampunk Broadway-style show with a really high production value. All of these had multiple showings on multiple days so you had several chances to see them.
There's also atmospheric entertainment on both ships, including dance parties, contests, and live musicians.
My mom and I love a good themed bar. On the Disney Treasure, there are a handful of places to get a good cocktail.
The one that's been my mom's favorite across all ships is the Haunted Mansion bar on the Disney Treasure. The theming of the bar is superb, with great hidden details for superfans. The drinks didn't have our favorite spirits, but we enjoyed them and their presentation, and had fun just soaking the bar in. The bar was only open in the afternoons and was 18+ at night, so it was pretty crowded whenever we went in.
The other places on board to grab a drink were the Skipper Society, themed after the Jungle Cruise, and the Scat Cat Lounge, themed after The Aristocats. Scat Cat was a piano bar with a French flair, and Skipper Society had tons of Jungle Cruise references for eagle-eyed fans.
In addition, there are two specialty coffee places on board: The HeiHei Cafe and the Lucky Cricket. Both are specialty coffee bars in the morning, and cocktail bars in the afternoon. This is where I got my cold brews each morning.
On Ovation, there were a lot of places to get a drink. My favorite drink on Ovation was a lavender daiquiri at the Schooner Bar, which is nautical-themed. There's also a British pub called the Amber & Oak, and a Cuban music lounge called Boleros. There are three bars on the pool deck, one bar in the Music Hall, a bar in the Solarium, and a wine bar called Vintages.
However, one place that absolutely captivated me on Ovation was the Bionic Bar, which was unlike anything I've ever seen. The spirits are mounted upside-down on the ceiling, and there are no bartenders, just robot arms making drinks. You order on an iPad from either pre-created cocktails or you can build your own. Then, the screen tells you how long it'll take and whose drink the arms are making. It was so fun to watch!
Also, we ordered a margarita from the Bionic Bar and the pool bar, and they tasted the same!
When the robot arm is done making your drink, they set it down and then you tap your SeaPass card, and it automatically unlocks your drink and slides it down a little conveyor belt for you. I'm not going to lie, it's really cool.
As far as specialty coffee goes, it was a little harder to find on Ovation. They had one spot called La Patisserie, which was selling specialty coffee beverages, macarons, and humongous croissants, but from what I could find, that was the only spot on board, so it got busy in the mornings.
Lastly, I wanted to touch on the atmosphere, which is totally different between the ships.
One thing I love about cruises is because it's the same cast of passengers and crew on board, you really do end up feeling like a big family. You see the same people the same day, and a lot of passengers bring little gifts and treats to hand out to others. For example, we've found rubber ducks that other passengers have hidden around the ship with notes to keep or rehide. People also make their own door magnets to decorate their door AND put on doors they like to compliment them, like "We like your door" or "best on the floor." On Disney, I've even seen guests hang little mailboxes outside their door where other guests will drop off stickers, crafts, pencils, etc. It's like a big elementary school Valentine's party. We look forward to being a part of this subculture whenever we cruise.
Ovation of the Seas comes alive at night. Each club, bar, and restaurant has its own separate experience. Everyone dresses up in their nice clothes and goes to soak in live music, take in a show, go to a '70s dance party, watch a full-ceiling balloon drop, or hit up the casino.
The Treasure has parties where characters come out and dance, including, of course, fireworks at sea set to the Pirates of the Caribbean score, but it definitely feels like it winds down at night, save the lounges on board (which were open as late as 1 a.m. and were poppin' until then).
Now, let's talk prices. Both cruises include the room, most dining experiences, shows, programming like kids' clubs, and activities like trivia, crafts, and classes.
The Treasure has one restaurant that has an additional fee, Enchanté, which requires a reservation and is 18+. Ovation has a handful of restaurants that have an additional fee and require a reservation, but ultimately, there are more dining options on Ovation.
Additionally, if you purchase a deluxe drink package, alcoholic drinks are included on Ovation. All alcoholic drinks cost extra on the Treasure. In comparison, all of the signature restaurants are included on the Treasure, while all of the signature restaurants on Ovation cost extra.
A three-night cruise on Ovation of the Seas for a balcony room for four people starts at $1,626 (that's the total for all people).
I can't actually give you a price for a three-night cruise on the Treasure because the Treasure now only does seven-night cruises. I will say a three-night cruise for four people on the balcony of the Disney Wish (which is the same ship class as the Treasure) starts at $2,875 total.
FWIW, a seven-night cruise in a balcony suite for the Treasure for a family of four starts at $7,244.
Overall, if you are a Disney person, and the price difference is doable, go on a Disney cruise. I am a Disney person, and I liked the structure of the cruise, the fact that I didn't have to make reservations, and the room attendant coming twice. It felt easier than most vacations I've gone on as a mom, and the staff and service was phenomenal.
There is more to do for teens and young adults on Ovation of the Seas. If I were on my honeymoon or with a group of friends, I think I'd like the more vibrant and celebratory atmosphere of the Royal Caribbean cruise. Ovation of the Seas appealed to the extroverted side of me.
Since we're Disney people, we really liked all of the theming, the shows, and the character experiences. Disney appealed to the introverted side of me.
If you are a Disney person and want a themed, family-friendly, hands-off vacation where the dining staff remembers you, you don't have to make reservations, the room attendant cleans your room twice a day, and you don't mind the price, do it! If you prefer nightlife, unique experiences like the Waverunner and North Star Observation crane, want lots of places to get a drink, and love unique dining options, Royal Caribbean is for you. Both offer totally different experiences and vibes, but you can't go wrong with either!
Have you sailed with Disney Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean? Do you have an opinion on the best ship or any cruise hacks? Tell us in the comments below!