3 times DCL..1 time RCCL...a comparison

[jrbdad]

Thanks for the post -- great information. Only taken two cruises - Wonder & Dream, so nothing else to compare. I really appreciate this.

 

[BealsRwe]

Thanks so much for your comparisons. We are platinum on DCL, and we are booked on our 1st RCCL on the Monarch in August. I will have to make sure we take advantage of the entertainment...after all, I know our inside stateroom is just a little larger than a shoebox, but it's only a 3 night cruise.

Oh, a few years back we cruised Carnival Fascination 4 night to Key West and Cozumel...wasn't DCL, but we went in with the knowledge that we spent $625 for 3 of us for the 4 night cruise...it was worth every penny we spent! We had a great time. Our DD loved Funship Freddy. My only complaint was the salt water pools, and smoking was more rampant throughout the ship...but the food was good, and we had a great time!

 

[Rogillio]

I did a side-by side comparison, and those cruise prices sure can vary!

We were interested in going on a DCL 2010 Baltics cruise. That is, until we saw the prices for a Cat. 9 the day DCL released them.

So I checked with RCCL, The price for the same room category (an oceanview), with nearly identical ports, leaving one week later, was 1/3 the cost of DCL.

The port we were most interested in was St Petersburg. We liked that RCCL had better port times than DCL: RCCL arrived at St Petersburg at 7:00 am, while DCL arrived in the afternoon.

YMMV

Woody

We were on the maiden DCL Baltic cruise and had the time of our lives! We spent from noon till about 11 pm the first day in St Petersburg and from 7 am till about 7 pm the following day. We we totally spent and had more than enough shore time.

I'm sure we could have cruised cheaper with either NCL or RCCL but it's not all about the money. We feel 'at home' on the Magic. I'm sure that makes no sense to most people.....but some folks know what I mean.

 

[Popovich]

Thank you for posting this unbiased comparison. I found it very helpful and interesting.

We have only sailed on DCL (Gold), and we have loved each and every trip! The cabins are spacious and comfortable and It's especially nice to be able to bring on your own alcohol!

However, we would consider trying another cruise line if the ports and timing worked. We were hoping to do a med cruise in 2012 so maybe that wil be our year!

Thanks again!

 

[woody73]

I thought DCL had THE most outrageous prices for their 2010 Baltic cruises - starting at $3469 (or $3649 - I don't remember now) per person for a category 11 inside! . . .

And a Cat. 9 was MUCH more. When I first saw DCL's prices for their 2010 Baltic cruises, I thought. "They must be joking!" But they weren't.

. . . I had already been on a wonderful 12-night Baltic cruise on Jewel of the Seas in 2005, so I had no trouble dismissing those cruises.

We thoroughly enjoyed our RCCL Baltics/Russia cruise on the Jewel of the Seas -- the same ship you sailed.

. . . On the other hand, DCL had some excellent prices on their 2010 April Transatlantic and April and May Med cruises. Had I not already booked a British Isles cruise on Princess (which was great, by the way) - I would've been very tempted by DCL.

I agree, the DCL 2010 eastbound Transatlantic had some attractive prices. We enjoyed that cruise, as well as the 2010 WBTA. But unfortunately for us, we booked those cruises at DCL's higher rates before they released the bargain rates.

By they time DCL lowered the prices on their April and May Med. cruises, we had already booked our 12-night RCCL Eastern Med cruise to Egypt, Turkey and Greece (which was terrific). But as it turns out, I'm glad we went to Cairo and Athens in 2010 -- before the current protests.

Woody

 

[MrsScooby]

Thanks to the OP for the review
DH and I intend to try RCCL sometime in the future.

I did a side-by side comparison, and those cruise prices sure can vary!

We were interested in going on a DCL 2010 Baltics cruise. That is, until we saw the prices for a Cat. 9 the day DCL released them.

So I checked with RCCL, The price for the same room category (an oceanview), with nearly identical ports, leaving one week later, was 1/3 the cost of DCL.

The port we were most interested in was St Petersburg. We liked that RCCL had better port times than DCL: RCCL arrived at St Petersburg at 7:00 am, while DCL arrived in the afternoon.

YMMV

Woody

Woody, my DH and I tried to do a side-by-side comparison but went by room size rather than room catagory. Plus taking into consideration our 10% discount (plus onboard credit) transfering a dummy cruise to the Baltic cruise...we found DCL's Baltic to be comparable price-wise to other cruiselines sailing the Baltic at the same time

PLus we liked the size of the DCL ship and the fact that we knew where things were and knew we could count on DCL service to be of a certain standard.

We had a great time in St P and the DCL port times were sufficient for us
Plus, DCL wound up arriving at St P early for our cruise anyway.

We were on the maiden DCL Baltic cruise and had the time of our lives! We spent from noon till about 11 pm the first day in St Petersburg and from 7 am till about 7 pm the following day. We we totally spent and had more than enough shore time.

I'm sure we could have cruised cheaper with either NCL or RCCL but it's not all about the money. We feel 'at home' on the Magic. I'm sure that makes no sense to most people.....but some folks know what I mean.

We had a blast too. We were on the last Baltic cruise.

 

[woody73]

Woody, my DH and I tried to do a side-by-side comparison but went by room size rather than room catagory. Plus taking into consideration our 10% discount (plus onboard credit) transfering a dummy cruise to the Baltic cruise...we found DCL's Baltic to be comparable price-wise to other cruiselines sailing the Baltic at the same time

PLus we liked the size of the DCL ship and the fact that we knew where things were and knew we could count on DCL service to be of a certain standard.

We had a great time in St P and the DCL port times were sufficient for us.
Plus, DCL wound up arriving at St P early for our cruise anyway.

Laurie, I'm glad you enjoyed your Baltic cruise.

We found the Baltic ports and St Petersburg to be truly spectacular.

Woody

 

[NancyIL]

 

[papa]

We have done 7 Disney cruises 7 days or longer. We have done 2, 7 day cruises on RCCL. One on Mariner of the seas and the last on Freedom of the seas. Freedom holds 4, 000 passengers. We enjoy Disney, but for a while they had priced themselves out of our budget. We have a cruise booked on the Fantasy for May of 2012 and we are looking forward to it. The RCCL cruise that we did to the eastern caribbean was $1,000 dollars cheaper on RCCL than on Disney. I found the Freedom of the seas to be a very nice ship and when it was launched in 2006 it was the largest cruise ship in the world. Just my 2 cents. Enjoy your various cruises and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[Traveling Tinkerbell]

I thought DCL had THE most outrageous prices for their 2010 Baltic cruises - starting at $3469 (or $3649 - I don't remember now) per person for a category 11 inside! I had already been on a wonderful 12-night Baltic cruise on Jewel of the Seas in 2005, so I had no trouble dismissing those cruises. On the other hand, DCL had some excellent prices on their 2010 April Transatlantic and April and May Med cruises. Had I not already booked a British Isles cruise on Princess (which was great, by the way) - I would've been very tempted by DCL.

We loved the DCL Baltic last year but I am looking at the Princess British Isles cruise for next year - it looks about the same price as DCL. I have 2 teens - will they like this cruise? We have sailed on the Magic (9x) but need different ports than what DCL offers.

 

[nhdisnut]

The Monarch was our first ever cruise (last summer) and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Yes, the cabins were small, but we found them to be comfortable and more than adequate for our 4-night trip. We all enjoyed the food and our kids loved the teen program. Cocoa Cay was wonderful as well. That experience turned us on to the world of cruising....and in just a few weeks we will be able to make the comparison with the Dream!!!

We are very much looking forward to experiencing all that DCL has to offer. While we probably can't help comparing the cruise experiences (much like we always compare one DVC resort to another), so much of a vacation is what you make of it....and nothing will diminish the family fun we had on the Monarch. That said, being the Disney fans we are, I am certain we will love the Dream!!

 

[NancyIL]

We loved the DCL Baltic last year but I am looking at the Princess British Isles cruise for next year - it looks about the same price as DCL. I have 2 teens - will they like this cruise? We have sailed on the Magic (9x) but need different ports than what DCL offers.

My Crown Princess British Isles cruise last summer was with my 22 and 25-year-old daughters. I loved the cruise because it had a great, port-intensive itinerary, and I really like Princess. My daughters enjoyed it as well.

There weren't many people my daughters' ages on the ship, and I couldn't tell you how many teens were onboard. I don't know if your teens would like it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I personally like Coco Cay and the "any time" dining we have on the Monarch. We're doing our second RCCL 3 night cruise in September. We've never been on a cruise we didn't like. The inside cabins on the Monarch are small, tiny, but it's only DH and I and we manage.

 

[woody73]

I think some RCI cruise prices are loss leaders, but they hope to make up the difference in alcohol sales, excursions booked, the casino, and merchandise purchased.

I agree, and I have yet to see a cruise line that did not offer, at one time or another, loss leader cruise fares.

DCL occasionally offers them -- Florida resident rates, kids sail free, free gratuities, $999 pp (or less!) for an inside cabin on Transatlantic cruises.

I just received a sales brochure from Holland America offering 50% off select cruise fares. On the radio, NCL is offering up to a four category upgrade for select sailings.

Across the board, each cruise ship has a target occupancy rate to be profitable. Plus, the cruise lines have an obligation to those crewmenbers who rely on gratuities for their remuneration.

Woody

 

[engle]

I do want to add that I didn't originally say in my OP....I missed the elegance of DCL. I missed the characters and the constant smiles and happy hellos from DCL crew members. While there were MANY very friendly crew on RCCL, it just wasn't the same. I also did not like that there were 2 areas inside to smoke...one bar and the casino. I hate it...but that's just me so that is why....

We DO prefer DCL but I don't want to always sail it as it does have limited itineraries and only 4 ships soon.

I also did not mention that there was a HUGE fight on the pool deck on the last night. There were punching, stomping, etc....terrible. And it took security a good 3 minutes to get there. Scary. I won't say any more about that.

 

[1153rsmith]

We are sailing the Freedom of the Seas in 3 weeks and the Disney Dream in 2 months. I can't wait to add our 2 cents to this thread. I hope I can say it was a draw, because I want to completely enjoy both experiences.

 

[MrsScooby]

Laurie, I'm glad you enjoyed your Baltic cruise.

We found the Baltic ports and St Petersburg to be truly spectacular.

Woody

Just saying the other day that we would love to do the ports again sometime. Our favorite port was actually Germany as we took a private tour with Berlinwalks. We actually wound up having a heat wave while we were there so would love to go back when not so hot. Would definitely consider another cruiseline second time around

Just my 2 cents. Enjoy your various cruises and don't sweat the small stuff.

I agree

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I personally like Coco Cay and the "any time" dining we have on the Monarch. We're doing our second RCCL 3 night cruise in September. We've never been on a cruise we didn't like. The inside cabins on the Monarch are small, tiny, but it's only DH and I and we manage.

I went on a 3 night girls only with my bff on the Monarch last August. We got it for next to nothing...$169/pp outside room! It was fine for a getaway, but not a "vacation" in my books. I wouldn't take my kids on it.
I really loved the "my time" dining as well!!