Royal Caribbean Cruiseline

[Feisty Fairy]

How all inclusive is a cruise on Royal Caribbean Cruiseline?

What extra fees are there besides shore excursions and spa?

I know sodas you have to get the package/card. How does this work and how much does it cost?

I was looking at prices today and they seem way cheaper than Disney which got me wondering how much extra do they add after you sail. Like about 1,300 cheaper.

It is just me and husband when we travel and we love Disney but we wanted to consider cheaper options.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

How all inclusive is a cruise on Royal Caribbean Cruiseline?

What extra fees are there besides shore excursions and spa?

I know sodas you have to get the package/card. How does this work and how much does it cost?

I was looking at prices today and they seem way cheaper than Disney which got me wondering how much extra do they add after you sail. Like about 1,300 cheaper.

It is just me and husband when we travel and we love Disney but we wanted to consider cheaper options.

You might try asking these questions over on Cruise Critic, Royal Caribbean board. You'll probably get better answers there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=83

 

[iloverags2]

Other than sodas, the additional fees on RCI are no different than Disney. Probably the biggest difference would be the limit of carry-on drinks you can take with on RCI (limited to a two bottles of wine and 12 sodas and/or water per stateroom). If you want to eat in any of the specialty restaurants, depending on which ship you sail with RCI, you may not be able to resist these. With RCI you have the temptation of not just one adult-oriented restaurant, but Johnny Rockets (all but Monarch of the Seas are outfitted with JR), the cupcakery, Italian offerings, etc. All for an added fee. And if you want a sweet treat where they specialty coffees are sold? Be prepared to pony up for a coffee in order to get a treat (unlike Cove Cafe on DCL).

Having said all that, we have thoroughly enjoyed sailing RCI with making just a small dent in our pockets. We love eating at the MDRs, so the specialty restaurants aren't a big pull for us. And as much as I love a good cupcake, I'll pass if it's not included in the fare!

 

[kcashner]

The biggest kicker on RCL is the specialty restaurants. Your little darlings want Johnny Rockets? Of course they can't go alone, so you end up paying the upcharge + the milkshake charge.

Reality though, their regular prices are a lot lower than regular prices on DCL. I don't know that I can say anything about how they compare to the current DCL specials that are available on many dates and don't know if there are any specials available on RC.

You can buy a ton of soda and specialty dining for the cost difference between RCL and DCL. I would caution you to do a start a booking on line and compare the final cost. When we did Celebrity, we found that they listed a much higher "taxes and fees" amount than DCL did...so that while the base room rate difference looked HUGE (Celeb $599 vs. DCL $1400), the final totals were not that big a difference. However, even after purchasing the soda package for those who wanted it, we found that our Celebrity cruise was just a bit over 1/2 of the cost of DCL for the same ports.

This difference is not consistent though...we looked at one for this summer and found that Celeb is about $1000 less on a $5000 cruise. Cheaper, yes. A lot--well, it isn't 1/2.

 

[woody73]

. . . they seem way cheaper than Disney

. . . 1,300 cheaper.

. . . It is just me and husband

With savings like that, you can easily afford the Johnny Rockets $4.95 cover charge.

Woody

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I find it annoying that you need to sign out pool towels and if they're not returned to the desk, your account is charged $20 per towel.
Believe me, I don't want their towel that's probably been in someone's crack, even if they were giving it away.


Also on our last RCCL cruise, it was a soda mug for sale that's refillable. Then you must deal with carrying the thing all over, making sure it's clean, confusing yours with someone else's, etc. From an infection control perspective, I'd rather just pay the $3.00 for a soda at the bar. It's still free with dinner in the MDR.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I find it annoying that you need to sign out pool towels and if they're not returned to the desk, your account is charged $20 per towel.
Believe me, I don't want their towel that's probably been in someone's crack, even if they were giving it away.


Also on our last RCCL cruise, it was a soda mug for sale that's refillable. Then you must deal with carrying the thing all over, making sure it's clean, confusing yours with someone else's, etc. From an infection control perspective, I'd rather just pay the $3.00 for a soda at the bar.

Very well said!

 

[LekiaHall]

This is the main reason why we're choosing RCI over DCL this summer. A difference of about $2k. Would love to experience DCL, but can't justify the extra cost. Just trying to find an affordable way to experience Disney for a family of our size.

 

[kcashner]

This is the main reason why we're choosing RCI over DCL this summer. A difference of about $2k. Would love to experience DCL, but can't justify the extra cost. Just trying to find an affordable way to experience Disney for a family of our size.

Choosing a date that offers kids sail free would help. You still have to pay for the first 2 people in each cabin though, and it looks like you are a 2 cabin family.

 

[LekiaHall]

Choosing a date that offers kids sail free would help. You still have to pay for the first 2 people in each cabin though, and it looks like you are a 2 cabin family.

Yep, 2-cabin family here (1 adult per room, although my teen girls would more than likely get their own room once we get on board). I wish that promo could work for us though!

Disney promos seem to work best for families with 1 or 2 children.

 

[emma'smom]

Dollars to dollars-- RCCI is definitely less expensive unless you find deals like KSF. That being said, we've done three DCL cruises and switched to RCCI to save money---and there's no comparison in quality! For us, DCL is a much more enjoyable experience! We just got back from a DCL cruise and commented over and over how much of a better experience we were having than on RCCI!

Granted, to each their own--that's just our family's opinion. However, I would gladly pay more for DCL over RCCI just to have a better quality experience! It's so much more family-friendly, service is much more attentive, entertainment much more plentiful and much classier! Just night and day for the things we value most in cruising!

 

[kcashner]

Yep, 2-cabin family here (1 adult per room, although my teen girls would more than likely get their own room once we get on board). I wish that promo could work for us though!

Disney promos seem to work best for families with 1 or 2 children.

There are the *GT promos that work for anyone.

As a single mom of 1 kiddo....yeah, the 2 adults rule hurts when your number 2 is a 4 year old. On the other hand, the 200% single supplement is a bigger "Ouch." We could never use KSF...nice to have some other options now in the bargains.

 

[LekiaHall]

There are the *GT promos that work for anyone.

As a single mom of 1 kiddo....yeah, the 2 adults rule hurts when your number 2 is a 4 year old. On the other hand, the 200% single supplement is a bigger "Ouch." We could never use KSF...nice to have some other options now in the bargains.

What does GT and VGT mean? Sorry, new to the DCL side of things and trying to learn these acronyms.

 

[kcashner]

What does GT and VGT mean? Sorry, new to the DCL side of things and trying to learn these acronyms.

The *GTs are iIGT (inside guarantee), OGT (oceanview guarantee) and VGT (verandah guarantee). These are restricted bookings offered when the cruise is not filling the way DCL might like. You must pay in full at the time of booking, no changes are allowed. You do not get to choose a stateroom or category, only type of room. The rates are seriously discounted; the amount of the discount varies from one cruise to another.

 

[LekiaHall]

The *GTs are iIGT (inside guarantee), OGT (oceanview guarantee) and VGT (verandah guarantee). These are restricted bookings offered when the cruise is not filling the way DCL might like. You must pay in full at the time of booking, no changes are allowed. You do not get to choose a stateroom or category, only type of room. The rates are seriously discounted; the amount of the discount varies from one cruise to another.

Thanks for the explanation. Sadly, it sounds like this wouldn't work for my family either.

 

[lanejudy]

Thanks for the explanation. Sadly, it sounds like this wouldn't work for my family either.

*GT rates may provide considerable savings for your family, though you would still need 2 staterooms. However, they usually aren't offered until after the PIF date so you would need be planning somewhat last minute, which might be challenging with the kids schedules. And you couldn't guarantee connecting rooms. But if your older kids are old enough to be somewhat on their own, it could save.

 

[LekiaHall]

*GT rates may provide considerable savings for your family, though you would still need 2 staterooms. However, they usually aren't offered until after the PIF date so you would need be planning somewhat last minute, which might be challenging with the kids schedules. And you couldn't guarantee connecting rooms. But if your older kids are old enough to be somewhat on their own, it could save.

I will definitely look into this option. We hope to cruise in late June, so it's probably unlikely Disney will offer discounts during the summer season, but you never know. Will keep my eyes peeled on the forum to see what pops up!

 

[sarbah77]

Also on our last RCCL cruise, it was a soda mug for sale that's refillable. Then you must deal with carrying the thing all over, making sure it's clean, confusing yours with someone else's, etc. From an infection control perspective, I'd rather just pay the $3.00 for a soda at the bar. It's still free with dinner in the MDR.

Yeah, but the mug isn't a requirement. We had a sticker on our card that showed we had the soda package.

In fact, we went on a cruise that was 2 cruises post-noro outbreak and the crew wasn't even allowed to touch them. I can't blame them even a little.

To the OP, our two favorite cruise lines are RCI and Disney. I'm a little more flexible than my husband, but that's what he prefers. We've had fabulous cruises on both and our next two cruises will be RCI.

But. We originally had an Eastern Caribbean booked on the Oasis. I couldn't get over the ports. They looked terrible. Nassau on a Sunday, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Aforementioned husband is not a water sports guy, so we were really limited. I looked at the Fantasy's Eastern - St. Thomas, ok, San Juan?! Yes, please! Castaway Cay! Absolutely. It was about the same price for a bigger room and bigger balcony, so we made the switch.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

I find it annoying that you need to sign out pool towels and if they're not returned to the desk, your account is charged $20 per towel.
Believe me, I don't want their towel that's probably been in someone's crack, even if they were giving it away.


Also on our last RCCL cruise, it was a soda mug for sale that's refillable. Then you must deal with carrying the thing all over, making sure it's clean, confusing yours with someone else's, etc. From an infection control perspective, I'd rather just pay the $3.00 for a soda at the bar. It's still free with dinner in the MDR.

While you get a nice cooling mug with a soda package (that you have to keep clean), you can also go to any bar or restaurant, show your soda sticker and get one (in a glass). The mugs are just nice by the pool since your drinks stay cool. Pool bar waiters will also refill for you with the soda package. The checking in and out of towls is not a big deal. We would check out clean ones the night before an excursion to have them ready for the next day. You also just put them in a big bin and tell them how many you are returning. So, if you lost one, it is not hard to say 5 when you really return 4. Not a big deal.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

[QUOTE="Cinder" Ella's Mom;47198732]While you get a nice cooling mug with a soda package (that you have to keep clean), you can also go to any bar or restaurant, show your soda sticker and get one (in a glass). The mugs are just nice by the pool since your drinks stay cool. Pool bar waiters will also refill for you with the soda package. The checking in and out of towls is not a big deal. We would check out clean ones the night before an excursion to have them ready for the next day. You also just put them in a big bin and tell them how many you are returning. So, if you lost one, it is not hard to say 5 when you really return 4. Not a big deal.[/QUOTE]

My boys were leaving their towels everywhere so I felt like a nag to keep reminding them to keep an eye on their towels. It just made me miss DCL more.