Just got off Royal Caribbean, nothing compares to DCL!

I thought your comments were good. :thumbsup2 It's nice to hear about the differences.

The problem for me is spending $$$$ to find out that I don't like something...so I don't mind hearing about others' experiences to decide.

As a previous poster said, it is all opinion and what we like and don't like. For example, we spent a chunk on a Polynesian stay and we loved it, but I longed for the familiarity of Beach Club. I think there is something to be said about trying new things, but if you have limited opportunities to travel and you love DCL, then as they say, 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it'~ Maybe you can do a off season cruise on RC to try it, I would recommend the Oasis Allure family of ships or the next down that we sailed on this time, Liberty, Independence, and Freedom. We have sailed the class below this, the Adventure class, and really liked it as well, but they are getting older and I don't know what shape they are in. One thing to consider as well is itinerary. Try an itinerary on a different cruise line that really interests you, for us, it's the Eastern Caribbean and the Southern Caribbean. Our favorite itinerary on RC went out of San Juan to the Southern Caribbean - Aruba, Curacao, St. Marten, and St. Thomas - just gorgeous. Trying an itinerary that DCL doesn't offer may be a good reason to try something else.

It's kind of like trying Universal and Busch Gardens for us, we have had and will have fun there, but we will still be comparing to Disney, our favorite place to be!:wizard:
 
I am not bashing RC at all, as I stated there are pros and cons and I would recommend both for different reasons. I don't think anyone was bashing, we were just comparing and answering questions, providing helpful information for those people wanting to learn more about the offerings on both, it's a travel board, discussing travel. We have sailed RC many times and will do it again, but it is my opinion that DCL is a higher standard in the cruiseline industry, doesn't mean I am bashing RC to compliment DCL.:)

I appreciated reading your comments about RC and didn't interpret it as bashing at all. I had been thinking about trying a cruise on RC and was wondering about some of the things that you addressed. We'll give it a try one of these days but up next for us hopefully is a cruise on the Fantasy!
 
As a previous poster said, it is all opinion and what we like and don't like. For example, we spent a chunk on a Polynesian stay and we loved it, but I longed for the familiarity of Beach Club. I think there is something to be said about trying new things, but if you have limited opportunities to travel and you love DCL, then as they say, 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it'~ Maybe you can do a off season cruise on RC to try it, I would recommend the Oasis Allure family of ships or the next down that we sailed on this time, Liberty, Independence, and Freedom. We have sailed the class below this, the Adventure class, and really liked it as well, but they are getting older and I don't know what shape they are in. One thing to consider as well is itinerary. Try an itinerary on a different cruise line that really interests you, for us, it's the Eastern Caribbean and the Southern Caribbean. Our favorite itinerary on RC went out of San Juan to the Southern Caribbean - Aruba, Curacao, St. Marten, and St. Thomas - just gorgeous. Trying an itinerary that DCL doesn't offer may be a good reason to try something else.

It's kind of like trying Universal and Busch Gardens for us, we have had and will have fun there, but we will still be comparing to Disney, our favorite place to be!:wizard:
I appreciate your comments and we are in a situation where we do have limited time to cruise. Probably every two years at best so I hate to spend money on a cruise be disappointed then have to wait another two years to go back to DCL.Unless their is a big difference I'm not concerned about price. Unfortunately sometimes when you pay less you get what you pay for. DCL is offering more itineraries each year which is something to consider. Another consideration is my wife's celiac and GF food allergy, WDW was way ahead of this years before anyone else and DCL has picked it right up.I guess one thing we are thinking about are the adult activities and areas on other cruise lines like RCCL and Celebrity that much better then DCL. If not then we may not switch.Well we have a while to make up our minds so thanks again for the comments they helped a great deal. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to hear other comments.
 
We have cruised RC allure of the seas with our 5 year old last year and loved it!!! This will be our first disney cruise with both our kids.. Can't wait until September.. Fantasy here we come!!!
 


Just remember there is more -- a lot more -- to the realm of cruising than just DCL and RCI. Those who think DCL (or RCI) is the pinnacle would enjoy a revelation if they sampled the dining on Celebrity, experienced the level of service on Cunard or savored the live music entertainment on Princess. ;)
 
OrangeCountyCommuter said:
I hate to say this, but my reaction was the exact opposite. I got off the Dream and could not figure our how Disney continued to charge so much more for their product. Service was not good and ship had no charm.

My Disney cruises are all going to be on the older ships. If I want a megaship experience I can get the same or better for less on RCL

I have been on all 4 DCL ships and I put the Dream at the bottom as well. However, I feel like the Fantasy is vastly better.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards
 
My very good friend said the same about RCI. She has not been on DCL, but has been on HAL, NCL, Princess & Carnival. She felt that Princess was classiest/nicest/best service, and nice food presentation, but that Carnival has the best food so far. Food is subjective. However, she did not care for her RCI cruise. She felt the up charges are ridiculous. $3.95 for a glass of fresh squeezed OJ. She was shocked that there were up charges in the main dining rooms. She felt that every where she turned around, they were charging you for something. She said the service was 'meh.' She is a super easy to please person. She was not pleased with her 5-night cruise with RCI.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards
 


OP: I read your post with interest, having recently sailed myself on both the Liberty of the Seas and Disney Fantasy. While I had a very positive experience on the Liberty, I respect that your experience was different. As they say, YMMV.

. . . We have cruised RC 6 other times
It sounds like you are on your way to reaching Crown & Anchor Club "Diamond" status (75 nights onboard). Good for you!

You said RCI does not allow BYOB. That's correct. But once you reach the Diamond level, that becomes a non-issue since Diamond members can attend each evening the private Diamond Lounge which has an open bar. When I was on the Liberty, the Diamond Lounge had a full open bar (soft drinks, beer, wine, champagne, mixed drinks, martinis, scotch, and much more), waitstaff, hot and cold appetizers (from buffalo chicken wings to chocolate covered strawberries), and live music (different performers rotated nightly). It's too bad DCL didn't do something like this for it's Platinum members.

While my DW and my favorite cruise line is DCL, we like to mix it up. In a 12-month period, we will have sailed DCL, RCI, Celebrity, Princess, HAL and NCL. And, like children, none of them is perfect, each has it's strength, and we love them all.

I choose my cruises by itinerary first, and price second. As for prices, we sailed on the Liberty in a balcony cabin for one half of what we paid to sail on the Fantasy in an ocean view on a per person/per night basis.

YMMV

Woody
 
Love other perspectives. I happen to like the shows on the Freedom better than what they had on the Wonder but DW sailed the Dream in January and thought those shows were better than on the Wonder too. Royal uses live orchestra for their shows and to me, that sets them apart in a good way. Both have some of the best talent you can find for a cruise ship and neither require thir cast to perform crew duties.
 
I do think that RCCL takes better care of their repeat customers! I've enough backpacks!

Bobbi:goodvibes
 
Just remember there is more -- a lot more -- to the realm of cruising than just DCL and RCI. Those who think DCL (or RCI) is the pinnacle would enjoy a revelation if they sampled the dining on Celebrity, experienced the level of service on Cunard or savored the live music entertainment on Princess. ;)

I have heard that Celebrity had fabulous food.

OP: I read your post with interest, having recently sailed myself on both the Liberty of the Seas and Disney Fantasy. While I had a very positive experience on the Liberty, I respect that your experience was different. As they say, YMMV.


It sounds like you are on your way to reaching Crown & Anchor Club "Diamond" status (75 nights onboard). Good for you!

You said RCI does not allow BYOB. That's correct. But once you reach the Diamond level, that becomes a non-issue since Diamond members can attend each evening the private Diamond Lounge which has an open bar. When I was on the Liberty, the Diamond Lounge had a full open bar (soft drinks, beer, wine, champagne, mixed drinks, martinis, scotch, and much more), waitstaff, hot and cold appetizers (from buffalo chicken wings to chocolate covered strawberries), and live music (different performers rotated nightly). It's too bad DCL didn't do something like this for it's Platinum members.

While my DW and my favorite cruise line is DCL, we like to mix it up. In a 12-month period, we will have sailed DCL, RCI, Celebrity, Princess, HAL and NCL. And, like children, none of them is perfect, each has it's strength, and we love them all.

I choose my cruises by itinerary first, and price second. As for prices, we sailed on the Liberty in a balcony cabin for one half of what we paid to sail on the Fantasy in an ocean view on a per person/per night basis.

YMMV

Woody

We did have a great time, just a few differences from our other RC cruises. We just reached Diamond with this cruise so next time we will see you in the lounge!

Love other perspectives. I happen to like the shows on the Freedom better than what they had on the Wonder but DW sailed the Dream in January and thought those shows were better than on the Wonder too. Royal uses live orchestra for their shows and to me, that sets them apart in a good way. Both have some of the best talent you can find for a cruise ship and neither require thir cast to perform crew duties.

The live music on RC is excellent!!! We love it!
 
OP: I read your post with interest, having recently sailed myself on both the Liberty of the Seas and Disney Fantasy. While I had a very positive experience on the Liberty, I respect that your experience was different. As they say, YMMV.


It sounds like you are on your way to reaching Crown & Anchor Club "Diamond" status (75 nights onboard). Good for you!

You said RCI does not allow BYOB. That's correct. But once you reach the Diamond level, that becomes a non-issue since Diamond members can attend each evening the private Diamond Lounge which has an open bar. When I was on the Liberty, the Diamond Lounge had a full open bar (soft drinks, beer, wine, champagne, mixed drinks, martinis, scotch, and much more), waitstaff, hot and cold appetizers (from buffalo chicken wings to chocolate covered strawberries), and live music (different performers rotated nightly). It's too bad DCL didn't do something like this for it's Platinum members.

While my DW and my favorite cruise line is DCL, we like to mix it up. In a 12-month period, we will have sailed DCL, RCI, Celebrity, Princess, HAL and NCL. And, like children, none of them is perfect, each has it's strength, and we love them all.

I choose my cruises by itinerary first, and price second. As for prices, we sailed on the Liberty in a balcony cabin for one half of what we paid to sail on the Fantasy in an ocean view on a per person/per night basis.

YMMV

Woody

Thanks for the perspective!!
 
I have heard that Celebrity had fabulous food.

We did have a great time, just a few differences from our other RC cruises. We just reached Diamond with this cruise so next time we will see you in the lounge!

The live music on RC is excellent!!! We love it!

Another nice thing about being Diamond on Royal Caribbean is that you get Elite status on Celebrity. As far as smoking goes, Celebrity has one of the strictest policies of any cruise line. It's pretty much confined to the outdoor decks on the port side of the ship, and there is no smoking on verandas or in the casino.
 
Another nice thing about being Diamond on Royal Caribbean is that you get Elite status on Celebrity. As far as smoking goes, Celebrity has one of the strictest policies of any cruise line. It's pretty much confined to the outdoor decks on the port side of the ship, and there is no smoking on verandas or in the casino.

Wow - I did not know that about the Elite status on Celebrity! Very interesting, we have Celebrity on our radar for our next cruise (without kids, we already have our next kid cruise booked on DCL), we have heard so many good things about them! Thanks for the tip!:cheer2:

We tried Princess and it was just an ok experience, we prefer RC over Princess. But as others have mentioned, you can't base your opinions on just one experience, if that was the case I would have a rough time getting back on DCL - we sailed through hurricane Sandy on our last 2 days and it wasn't fun - but that is ANOTHER topic and that thread got REALLY ugly:scared1:, so suffice to say, we still had a great cruise despite the weather!
 
Another nice thing about being Diamond on Royal Caribbean is that you get Elite status on Celebrity. . .

Wow - I did not know that about the Elite status on Celebrity! Very interesting, we have Celebrity on our radar for our next cruise . . .
Wait, there's more. If you have a RCI "placeholder" onboard booking, you can apply it to a Celebrity cruise to get a SBC.

So on your FIRST Celebrity cruise, you can can get a SBC for OBB, have Elite status with access to the Elite Lounge in the morning (free specialty coffees, such as expresso), nightly Elite Lounge (free drinks), free dry cleaning (1 item), free garment pressing (2 items), free 90-minute internet package, invitation to the Senior Officer's Cocktail Party, invitation to the Elegant Tea Service event, and more.

YMMV

Woody
 
This is a great informative positive thread, thank you! DH and I have been on 3 cruises with DCL and we just love it so much! We are thinking of RCI or Celebrity but I MUST experience the Fantasy first lol!! I am loving hearing all of the opinions! :thumbsup2
 
Classic vs New - I think it has to do with which one you did first.

We did the Dream first and then the Wonder. And all preferred the Dream. By a close margin, but still preferred the newer. And everyone knows that the staff in the Dream are not the best as it's often used for training.

The staff we had at the Dream was all under a year experience with DCL. But at the wonder, they all had 5+ years..

My .02...
 
su_A_ve said:
Classic vs New - I think it has to do with which one you did first.

It definitely varies. I rank them :

1.) Magic
2.) Fantasy
3.) Wonder
4.) Dream

So for me, we did the Wonder twice, then the Magic twice, then the Dream, then the Fantasy twice.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards
 
Wait, there's more. If you have a RCI "placeholder" onboard booking, you can apply it to a Celebrity cruise to get a SBC.

So on your FIRST Celebrity cruise, you can can get a SBC for OBB, have Elite status with access to the Elite Lounge in the morning (free specialty coffees, such as expresso), nightly Elite Lounge (free drinks), free dry cleaning (1 item), free garment pressing (2 items), free 90-minute internet package, invitation to the Senior Officer's Cocktail Party, invitation to the Elegant Tea Service event, and more.

YMMV

Woody

LOL - but wait there is more - sounds like an infomercial! But with real benefits! That is so awesome! My DH will be all over the internet and free pressing! Thanks!
 

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