zalansky
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- Joined
- Sep 17, 2003
For those who may be considering these two lines...
This was my 7th cruise....the past two were Disney and this last one was RCCL's Mariner of the Seas. We have a 14 month old baby and sailed the Wonder with him last September. It was hard because we had alot of gear to bring for him (formula, food, etc)...but since Disney has a nursery on board and they cater to kids of all ages, we still had a good time since we did utilize the nursery. We felt confident he was safe and happy there.
My first issue with RCCL was that they charged us FULL CHILDS FARE in the amount of $499.00 plus tax and port charges for a baby who did not use the facilities and who did not eat any of their food! (except Cheerios LOL ) Disney charges port fees only for kids under 2. Since this was a family cruise with my sisters & their older teens, I agreed to RCCL and to pay the money to make everyone happy. I should have listened to my gut feelings....
There is no nursey on RCCL, the kids clubs start for ages 3 + up if they are potty trained. If you want a babysitter, they only offer a very few for $10 per hour, in-room only! So, they get you again for more money on top of what we paid for his fare...but that wouldn't matter. I would never have left him behind closed doors with a stranger with no pager...he is in the heightened state of stranger anxiety right now. The kids who we saw in the clubs seemed to enjoy it and we heard good things about it. There were only about 12 kids in the 3-5 age group which is much different than Disney. There is nowhere for a baby to get wet, no Mickey Ear...
I have heard people complain the food on Disney was "lackluster"...we have always enjoyed the food on Disney very much. The food on RCCL was bland in the dining room and flat out horrible in their buffet restuarant called the Windjammer. We skipped the meals in the dining room 2 nights because the food was so boring and took so long. They had two "upscale" restaurants on board similar to Palo, but they charge $20 additional per person for both of those. There is a Johnny Rockets on board which was pretty good...but there seemed to be a wait when we'd go so we always got takeout. They have a Ben & Jerrys but it costs $ too. To sum up the food experience, I didn't gain an ounce this cruise!
The ship itself was incredible and definitely the nicest we have ever been on. Standing on the top deck and looking down at the Wonder was pretty wierd. The spa and gym were incredible. Everything was immaculate, with the ship being so new. Our room was unreal, a family oceanview stateroom at the front of the ship with 2 portholes, we could watch ourselves pull into port every morning. We had to be back on board earlier than cruises in the past. Two ports we had to be back or on the last tender at 3:30pm which didn't leave much time for exploring. My sisters didn't like that one bit, this being their 1st cruise. The staff were nice enough, just not magical like on Disney!
The casino and bars were nice, but we are not big gamblers and drinkers, maybe that is part of the problem!
My only other gripe would be, and many others sailing agreed that we spoke to, was that RCCL seems to nickel and dime you for every little thing. There are no ironing or laundry facilities on board. If you need something pressed, you've got to send it to their service, which costs $3 per piece and up. We went wrinkled. The debarkation was a virtual nightmare. We were out of the rooms by 8am and were not called to get off until 10:30am with a baby. Then, we go to get our luggage, and it is on turnstiles like at the airport, coming through piece by piece. It took us an hour to gather our bags and get to the car. Anyone who has sailed Disney knows how great their debarking system is.
Thats it...for now. I know some people on these boards were considering the two lines and I hope that I didn't come across as terribly picky because really, I am not! I swear! I think it was two things that messed up my week:
1) I should have known better than to travel with a 14 month old after our cruise last year. It was more work than relaxation working around his well deserved needs and schedule. But, I wanted to spend QT with my sisters and family I dodn't ever get to see because they live 2500 miles away.
2) I am spoiled. I have been on Disney twice now and I know how good it can really be. I never have considered myself to be a Disney freak, all things Disney...but maybe I was wrong. There is nothing like Disney's deck party, dancing with Mickey and the gang and hearing Disney tunes wherever you go. Seeing Mickey hands wave goodbye. Watching Disney Dreams instead of a cheesy comedian. My husband and I both agreed, from now on its Disney or nothing! We totally feel the magic on Disney and just didn't feel that on RCCL.
I will say, that the teens I was with, stated this was the BEST vacation of their entire (albiet short) lives! Maybe we'll try them again in 15 years? Nah...not as long as Mickey is around...
**DISCLAIMER**
These thoughts are strictly my opinion and are meant to be a trip report of sorts for those who PM'd me and asked me to let me know how our Mariner Trip went. HTH.
Have a MAGICAL and WONDERFUL day!
This was my 7th cruise....the past two were Disney and this last one was RCCL's Mariner of the Seas. We have a 14 month old baby and sailed the Wonder with him last September. It was hard because we had alot of gear to bring for him (formula, food, etc)...but since Disney has a nursery on board and they cater to kids of all ages, we still had a good time since we did utilize the nursery. We felt confident he was safe and happy there.
My first issue with RCCL was that they charged us FULL CHILDS FARE in the amount of $499.00 plus tax and port charges for a baby who did not use the facilities and who did not eat any of their food! (except Cheerios LOL ) Disney charges port fees only for kids under 2. Since this was a family cruise with my sisters & their older teens, I agreed to RCCL and to pay the money to make everyone happy. I should have listened to my gut feelings....
There is no nursey on RCCL, the kids clubs start for ages 3 + up if they are potty trained. If you want a babysitter, they only offer a very few for $10 per hour, in-room only! So, they get you again for more money on top of what we paid for his fare...but that wouldn't matter. I would never have left him behind closed doors with a stranger with no pager...he is in the heightened state of stranger anxiety right now. The kids who we saw in the clubs seemed to enjoy it and we heard good things about it. There were only about 12 kids in the 3-5 age group which is much different than Disney. There is nowhere for a baby to get wet, no Mickey Ear...
I have heard people complain the food on Disney was "lackluster"...we have always enjoyed the food on Disney very much. The food on RCCL was bland in the dining room and flat out horrible in their buffet restuarant called the Windjammer. We skipped the meals in the dining room 2 nights because the food was so boring and took so long. They had two "upscale" restaurants on board similar to Palo, but they charge $20 additional per person for both of those. There is a Johnny Rockets on board which was pretty good...but there seemed to be a wait when we'd go so we always got takeout. They have a Ben & Jerrys but it costs $ too. To sum up the food experience, I didn't gain an ounce this cruise!
The ship itself was incredible and definitely the nicest we have ever been on. Standing on the top deck and looking down at the Wonder was pretty wierd. The spa and gym were incredible. Everything was immaculate, with the ship being so new. Our room was unreal, a family oceanview stateroom at the front of the ship with 2 portholes, we could watch ourselves pull into port every morning. We had to be back on board earlier than cruises in the past. Two ports we had to be back or on the last tender at 3:30pm which didn't leave much time for exploring. My sisters didn't like that one bit, this being their 1st cruise. The staff were nice enough, just not magical like on Disney!
The casino and bars were nice, but we are not big gamblers and drinkers, maybe that is part of the problem!
My only other gripe would be, and many others sailing agreed that we spoke to, was that RCCL seems to nickel and dime you for every little thing. There are no ironing or laundry facilities on board. If you need something pressed, you've got to send it to their service, which costs $3 per piece and up. We went wrinkled. The debarkation was a virtual nightmare. We were out of the rooms by 8am and were not called to get off until 10:30am with a baby. Then, we go to get our luggage, and it is on turnstiles like at the airport, coming through piece by piece. It took us an hour to gather our bags and get to the car. Anyone who has sailed Disney knows how great their debarking system is.
Thats it...for now. I know some people on these boards were considering the two lines and I hope that I didn't come across as terribly picky because really, I am not! I swear! I think it was two things that messed up my week:
1) I should have known better than to travel with a 14 month old after our cruise last year. It was more work than relaxation working around his well deserved needs and schedule. But, I wanted to spend QT with my sisters and family I dodn't ever get to see because they live 2500 miles away.
2) I am spoiled. I have been on Disney twice now and I know how good it can really be. I never have considered myself to be a Disney freak, all things Disney...but maybe I was wrong. There is nothing like Disney's deck party, dancing with Mickey and the gang and hearing Disney tunes wherever you go. Seeing Mickey hands wave goodbye. Watching Disney Dreams instead of a cheesy comedian. My husband and I both agreed, from now on its Disney or nothing! We totally feel the magic on Disney and just didn't feel that on RCCL.
I will say, that the teens I was with, stated this was the BEST vacation of their entire (albiet short) lives! Maybe we'll try them again in 15 years? Nah...not as long as Mickey is around...
**DISCLAIMER**
These thoughts are strictly my opinion and are meant to be a trip report of sorts for those who PM'd me and asked me to let me know how our Mariner Trip went. HTH.
Have a MAGICAL and WONDERFUL day!
