Just back from RCI...thoughts

[Angie_Ohio]

My husband and I cruised out of Tampa for a 5 day Western on RCI. We were on Jewel of the Seas. While we both enjoyed the vacation we have had some definite likes about Jewel and Disney Magic.

Both embarkation experiences have been smooth and easy. The atrium area on Jewel was my favorite part of the ship. I liked the way the decks above had little seating areas overlooking the bottom where live entertainment was held at various times of the day and evening. I liked the Solarium adult pool area for the cushy seating and quiet atmosphere. I liked the library even though I didn't borrow a book. I liked the large Safari club area and Schooner bar area used for music and group games.

My heart belongs to Disney. I was ready to accept a cousin in the cruise industry since my kids are in their teens. I found that even though everyone on Jewel was nice and helpful it was not the same VIBE as Disney. I actually feel that we are part of a big family on Disney. The attitude of everyone associated with the Disney Cruise Line is genuinely "happy to see me". It just feels different. I don't know if anyone knows what I mean. But anyway...
I like the food especially the buffet better on Disney. I liked the access to snack and fast food in the pool area on Disney. The entertainment was not even close. The movie theater is great on Disney including the variety of movie options. The bathrooms and especially the shower/tub is unmatched on Disney. We had a missle launch tube for a shower on Jewel.

I enjoyed 5 days away from work and worries. I would cruise with RCI again. But I'm glad I'll be on the Magic in June 2013 for my second Med. Cruise including Venice!!

 

[Sir William]

My heart belongs to Disney. I was ready to accept a cousin in the cruise industry since my kids are in their teens. I found that even though everyone on Jewel was nice and helpful it was not the same VIBE as Disney. I actually feel that we are part of a big family on Disney. The attitude of everyone associated with the Disney Cruise Line is genuinely "happy to see me". It just feels different. I don't know if anyone knows what I mean. But anyway...

I know exactly what you mean. We had a very nice cruise on Celebrity in August and had no real complaints about anything, but the VIBE, as you put it, was not there and we noticed it. The Celebrity crew was very attentive and friendly, the cabins were nice, the food and service was good, the shows entertaining, but there was that special something that was missing. I'll gladly sail on Celebrity again (we have another cruise booked already), but I have a slight preference for Disney.

 

[auntie]

Okay..I'm so glad to read this. We are going on our first cruise the end of the month. We are a couple in our early 50's. We are HUGE Disney fans. Vacationed many times in the WDW resorts with our family of 5 over the past 20 years.
I have had many people look at me with shocked expressions and ask "WHY in the world would you go on a Disney Cruise if it's just the two of you?"
All I can say is.."for the same reason we still visit Disney just the two of us".
We felt we wanted our first cruise experience to be with Disney because of the very reason you describe. That Disney "vibe".
I guess we'll see soon enough.

 

[woody73]

My husband and I cruised out of Tampa for a 5 day Western on RCI. We were on Jewel of the Seas. While we both enjoyed the vacation we have had some definite likes about Jewel and Disney Magic. . .

. . . I enjoyed 5 days away from work and worries. I would cruise with RCI again. But I'm glad I'll be on the Magic . . .

Thank you for a very fair comparison. We sailed on the Jewel of the Seas in Europe, and our experience was very similar to yours. We too enjoyed the Atrium (and the snacks at the coffee bar at the Atrium!).

I'm curious. How did the price of your cruise on the Jewel compare with DCL?

Woody

 

[Ziggette]

We were disappointed with our Disney Dream cruise in October 2011 so we decided to try Carnival. We took the cruise to decide if we could move onto a different cruise line. Last week, we were in a balcony room on the Carnival Magic for half the price of an inside on any Disney ship. The CCL Magic was a beautiful ship with amazing pool/water park areas and the shows were very good. We, and our 3yr and 6yr olds even liked the kids clubs better. But, there is a definite BETTER vibe as a whole on the Disney ships. In my opinion, Disney seems more Family oriented than what we experienced on CCL Magic. And, Disney has better food and food service than the Carnival Magic. So, we have decided to go on the FANTASY for fall break this year to see if the Dream cruise was just a fluke.

 

[DL1957]

Okay..I'm so glad to read this. We are going on our first cruise the end of the month. We are a couple in our early 50's. We are HUGE Disney fans. Vacationed many times in the WDW resorts with our family of 5 over the past 20 years.
I have had many people look at me with shocked expressions and ask "WHY in the world would you go on a Disney Cruise if it's just the two of you?"
All I can say is.."for the same reason we still visit Disney just the two of us".
We felt we wanted our first cruise experience to be with Disney because of the very reason you describe. That Disney "vibe".
I guess we'll see soon enough.

DH and I felt the same way about first cruise on Disney and that is what we did in 1999 and have never looked back! We have #10 and #11 booked. We would rather wait save up the extra $$ than book anything else.

 

[NancyIL]

I was on a Jewel Baltic cruise in 2005, and I'm really looking forward to sailing on sister ship Brilliance in June! I agree that Jewel's atrium is especially lovely, whereas I thought the Wonder's atrium was rather dark. On the other hand, the much larger Dream atrium is beautiful.

My heart isn't attached to any one cruise line, so I will continue to choose most of my cruises by itinerary and price, and occasionally by ship (i.e., the Fantasy), and I'll enjoy them all.

 

[justmestace]

We were disappointed with our Disney Dream cruise in October 2011 so we decided to try Carnival. We took the cruise to decide if we could move onto a different cruise line. Last week, we were in a balcony room on the Carnival Magic for half the price of an inside on any Disney ship. The CCL Magic was a beautiful ship with amazing pool/water park areas and the shows were very good. We, and our 3yr and 6yr olds even liked the kids clubs better. But, there is a definite BETTER vibe as a whole on the Disney ships. In my opinion, Disney seems more Family oriented than what we experienced on CCL Magic. And, Disney has better food and food service than the Carnival Magic. So, we have decided to go on the FANTASY for fall break this year to see if the Dream cruise was just a fluke.

We're cruising on the CCL Magic at the end of May, with 2 graduating senior boys. Two rooms, standard aft balcony for the boys, wrap-around corner aft balcony for us. MUCH cheaper than any of our 13 Disney cruises......
I hope we aren't disappointed in the food. The other Carnival cruises I've been on, I really liked the food.....a lot more choices than Disney, even on the menus in the main dining rooms.

I wasn't at all happy with the Disney Dream, the change in the dining rooms, the layout of the ship....a lot of things. We canceled a Fantasy cruise for the CCL Magic....I hope we didn't make a mistake.

In the last few years, I haven't gotten that "warm fuzzy" feeling from DCL. I can't put my finger on the reason.....it just seems to have changed.

 

[U2FanHfx]

We have now tried Celebrity, RCI and Carnival since our Dream cruise. We found the Dream layout wasn't as nice as the classic ships, especially the adult areas. This kinda enticed us to try other lines. What I will say is that RCI and Carnival are great lines. Carnival would rank the lowest of them all with RCI next. We enjoyed both of them, especially the entertainment on RCI. Celebrity was the most "upscale" ship we have ever been on. The crew there is almost as good as Disney in attentiveness. The only complaint we had was the entertainment. Food was OK on Carnival and Celebrity and best on RCI.

That being said, we still feel Disney is #1 for us. However, we can go on nearly 2 trips for the price of 1 on Disney on the other lines. We are now alternating. I think this is the best approach for us.

Our upcoming cruise on the Fantasy in October will probably determine if we will increase the rotation of the alternative lines versus Disney. Time will tell.

CJM

 

[likescarrots]

My husband and I are also recently back from RCI (Serenade of the Seas), after 2 cruises on the Disney Magic- Western Caribbean and 10 night Med, and I agree 100% about the 'vibe' - it's just different, hard to explain. One thing I remember is asking (not even exaggerating) 10 different staff on the Serenade where a water fountain was, not a single one could tell me. We managed to find 3 water fountains on our own... but I was really surprised how unaware of their own ship the staff was.

Another major complaint I had about the Serenade was that the outside deck areas were FILTHY. The metal parts of the ship that were holding the railings up were coated in grime, They were not washed once the week I was on the ship (and who knows how long before that). There was even a small piece of garbage (looked like one of those silica packets for moisture) that sat on the ledge of a window the entire trip. Considering the Magic is an older ship, it seems much better cleaned, and much better maintained. There also just wasn't maintenance being done the way there was on the magic both times we sailed - minimal stuff like rust spots being taken care of immediately, light fixtures being cleaned and lightbulbs being changed, things being hosed down and cleaned, etc.

Minor differences (I wouldn't call them complaints, just things that DCL seems to do better) -

The lounge chairs on the promenade deck and adult pool area (the single and double person wood furniture) is much nicer and in much better condition on the Magic.

The dining room food on the Magic was higher quality, though the buffet selection on the Serenade was better (more room for more stuff, also opened at better hours so if you want lunch at 2:30 there is a huge selection).

The movie premieres in the Disney Magic theaters were great(and generally more entertainment that I am interested in - not necessarily the same for other's tastes).

One surprising thing was that the Serenade stateroom still had a CRT TV (not flat panel) - surprising because they weigh so much, they could probably save on fuel by switching these out.

Despite all of this, it was still a great cruise. For the price (399 per person!), and itinerary (Peurto Rico, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia, St Croix, St Thomas), DCL couldn't really touch this cruise, and I would do another on RCL if the price was similar and the itinerary was interesting.

(sorry to hijack the thread!)

 

[woody73]

. . . Despite all of this, it was still a great cruise. For the price (399 per person!), and itinerary (Peurto Rico, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia, St Croix, St Thomas), DCL couldn't really touch this cruise, and I would do another on RCL if the price was similar and the itinerary was interesting.

$399 -- isn't that the cost of DCL's CD photo package at Shutters?

Woody

 

[Ziggette]

We're cruising on the CCL Magic at the end of May, with 2 graduating senior boys. Two rooms, standard aft balcony for the boys, wrap-around corner aft balcony for us. MUCH cheaper than any of our 13 Disney cruises......
I hope we aren't disappointed in the food. The other Carnival cruises I've been on, I really liked the food.....a lot more choices than Disney, even on the menus in the main dining rooms.

I wasn't at all happy with the Disney Dream, the change in the dining rooms, the layout of the ship....a lot of things. We canceled a Fantasy cruise for the CCL Magic....I hope we didn't make a mistake.

In the last few years, I haven't gotten that "warm fuzzy" feeling from DCL. I can't put my finger on the reason.....it just seems to have changed.

I think you will enjoy CCL Magic. It wasn't that the food was bad, we just felt overall Disney's was better. Disney seemed to have better beef dishes while CCL and Disney were even on seafood dishes. CCL Magic's soups and desserts were exceptional for cruise food. One piece of advice, CCL Magic doesn't quite have the concept on My time dining worked out so I would highly recommend choosing early or late. Let me know if you would like more info...

 

[NancyIL]

My husband and I are also recently back from RCI (Serenade of the Seas), after 2 cruises on the Disney Magic- Western Caribbean and 10 night Med, and I agree 100% about the 'vibe' - it's just different, hard to explain. One thing I remember is asking (not even exaggerating) 10 different staff on the Serenade where a water fountain was, not a single one could tell me. We managed to find 3 water fountains on our own... but I was really surprised how unaware of their own ship the staff was.

Another major complaint I had about the Serenade was that the outside deck areas were FILTHY. The metal parts of the ship that were holding the railings up were coated in grime, They were not washed once the week I was on the ship (and who knows how long before that). There was even a small piece of garbage (looked like one of those silica packets for moisture) that sat on the ledge of a window the entire trip. Considering the Magic is an older ship, it seems much better cleaned, and much better maintained. There also just wasn't maintenance being done the way there was on the magic both times we sailed - minimal stuff like rust spots being taken care of immediately, light fixtures being cleaned and lightbulbs being changed, things being hosed down and cleaned, etc.

Minor differences (I wouldn't call them complaints, just things that DCL seems to do better) -

The lounge chairs on the promenade deck and adult pool area (the single and double person wood furniture) is much nicer and in much better condition on the Magic.

The dining room food on the Magic was higher quality, though the buffet selection on the Serenade was better (more room for more stuff, also opened at better hours so if you want lunch at 2:30 there is a huge selection).

The movie premieres in the Disney Magic theaters were great(and generally more entertainment that I am interested in - not necessarily the same for other's tastes).

One surprising thing was that the Serenade stateroom still had a CRT TV (not flat panel) - surprising because they weigh so much, they could probably save on fuel by switching these out.

Despite all of this, it was still a great cruise. For the price (399 per person!), and itinerary (Peurto Rico, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia, St Croix, St Thomas), DCL couldn't really touch this cruise, and I would do another on RCL if the price was similar and the itinerary was interesting.

(sorry to hijack the thread!)

Welcome to the DIS! Serenade of the Seas will be going through a major dry dock next fall, and I'm sure it will get flat panel TVs then. You can read about what was done to Radiance of the Seas last May on RCI's web site: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/finda...de=RD&shipName=Radiance+Of+The+Seas++++++++++

$399 -- isn't that the cost of DCL's CD photo package at Shutters?

Woody

Too funny!

 

[DVCTigger]

Okay..I'm so glad to read this. We are going on our first cruise the end of the month. We are a couple in our early 50's. We are HUGE Disney fans. Vacationed many times in the WDW resorts with our family of 5 over the past 20 years.
I have had many people look at me with shocked expressions and ask "WHY in the world would you go on a Disney Cruise if it's just the two of you?"
All I can say is.."for the same reason we still visit Disney just the two of us".
We felt we wanted our first cruise experience to be with Disney because of the very reason you describe. That Disney "vibe".
I guess we'll see soon enough.

We are right there with you! DH and I are same age as yourselves, I will be going on my 10th DCL with my DD21 for her college graduation, her 5th DCL. So I have been on six disney cruises without kids, and 11-13 booked! Hope you have a great cruise!

 

[nextcruz]

We were on this same cruise as the OP. 4 time DCL , 1st RCL.
We missed the DCL entertainment but loved the food on RCL and our server and stateroom host on RCL were the BEST we have ever had!!

Loved the solarium pool - so much better than the adult pool on the Dream. My teens missed the dining options around the pool decks but loved the rock wall and 70s night. Also, embarkation was SO much easier on RCL! At 11:45 am arrived at port, onboard before noon!!!

I agree that "something" was missing. But would we cruise RCL again- absolutely!!! Especially for the price. She was a very nice ship.

 

[NancyIL]

We were on this same cruise as the OP. 4 time DCL , 1st RCL.
We missed the DCL entertainment but loved the food on RCL and our server and stateroom host on RCL were the BEST we have ever had!!

Loved the solarium pool - so much better than the adult pool on the Dream. My teens missed the dining options around the pool decks but loved the rock wall and 70s night. Also, embarkation was SO much easier on RCL! At 11:45 am arrived at port, onboard before noon!!!

I agree that "something" was missing. But would we cruise RCL again- absolutely!!! Especially for the price. She was a very nice ship.

DCL has beautiful ships, but their service was sub-par on 2 out of 3 of my Bahamas cruises. The two best servers I've ever had were on my first Wonder cruise in Jan. 2008 and on Adventure of the Seas in March 2008. Unfortunately, the dining room servers on my next 2 Disney cruises (Wonder in Dec. 2009 and Dream in Feb. 2011) were the worst I've ever had. I hope that by the time my Dec. 2012 Fantasy cruise rolls around - the new servers will have gotten their act together.

 

[indychristine]

I have sailed on 4 DCL cruises with another booked in 35 days on the Fantasy.
Other cruise lines I have sailed are NCL and RCL.
Unfortunately the RCL ship that I sailed on was the Monarch of The Seas this past July. Even though I had a few complaints about my DCL Dream cruise in Feb 2011, I would rather have been on it then on the Monarch.

Having said that , (and I know I did not say much but I do not want to sit and list out all of my complaints, I would just rather say I was not pleased and leave it at that) I was happy to be on a cruise! I did have fun

I am not tied to Disney, but I will say whenever we cruise elsewhere we are always happy to come back. There is a special *vibe* on DCL that other cruise lines do not have. If it matters we travel sans children!

**OH and do not even get me started on RCL's CocaCay!! LOL

 

[Brtz]

We've cruised DCL, RCI and Carnival. We started on DCL and say we worked our way DOWN the food chain to Carnival last November. Headed out in May for our fifth DCL and looking forward to better food, service, easier boarding process ... and so on... and on.

 

[cheryllarsen]

I've wondered about the RCI and also the hotel options.

 

[cheryllarsen]

sounds like fun