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

[engle]

Just off the 3 night monarch and I realize that a 3 night is different from a longer cruise, but here are my observations/comparisons. REMEMBER, this is my OPINION and you can disagree. Previously, I have only sailed on the Wonder...2 times on a 4 night and the 7 night Alaskan.

Embarkation. Monarch was a disaster. First, we stood outside for over 20 minutes in the blistering heat. And once inside, lined up for nearly 30 minutes to check in. For real. So, score ONE for DCL!!!

Muster Drill. Monarch again was disaster at sea. 45 minutes for this thing. It was SOOOO unorganized. What a mess....TWO for DCL!!

Stateroom. Or postage stamp...this thing was TINY!! Holy cow, this was a Deluxe Oceanview...really?? DH and I stumbled over each other and the bathroom, well, there was no comfortable shaving of the legs nor were there ANY decent ameneties...no name soap and the wall dispenser with whatever was in there!! And no fridge!!! Ahhhh!!!! Here we are DCL 3 - RCCL 0.

Dining. Monarch blew Wonder out of the water. The food was PHENOMENAL. The choices, the taste, the temperature, everything. The food was really really excellent. There was an Indian dish every night at dinner and the buffet equivalent to Beach Blanket was so huge with TONS more choices!!! So, RCCl has ONE.

Service. Dining room, awesome. Equally good to DCL. Stateroom, meh. Just okay. Guest Services...seriously?? Everytime I called and/or stopped by, they had NO idea how to answer my questions. Putting cash on my on board account took....33 minutes. Yes, I said 33 minutes. They put me on hold when I called about a debarkion question to go "find out". It was a really simple question. I also had an experience with the excursions desk. I went to book a cabana (more on that later!!) and they could not tell me what was included besides the cabana but they knew we got "some other stuff". Is this real?? Score another for DCL!!

Private Island. Cococay...not as pretty, not as big. Not nearly as clean. Literally the first ones there...beer cans, ketchup packets and glass on the beach. Beaches seemed really crowded. Another for DCL. DCL - 4, RCCL - 1.

Bar Service...better mixed drinks on Monarch, better wine selection on Wonder. I will now call this one a draw.

Entertainment. Sadly, RCCL had PHENOMENAL entertainment. Why DCL?? Your entertainment should be better. As a former entertainment professional, I have some experience in this department and the shows, bands, comedians were FAR superior and plentiful on RCCL than on DCL. Seems backward since Disney is in the entertainment business. So, another for RCCL.

Activities. RCCL has alot more of them but DCL has alot more organization. Bingo was a mess...started late, one person running it!!! So, I have to call this a draw too.

Debarkation. Draw again. Same thing, same ease.

Cannot comment on kids clubs as we do not have kids.

I do want to tell you about the private cabanas at Cococay. I never did one as Castaway Cay but this one was $100. Say what??? Yep!! $100. I got 4 upholstered loungers, 4 BIG bottles of water, a bottle of champagne, 2 floating mats ($12 each to rent), 2 sets of snorkle equip ($32 each to rent plus 2 $10 off certs for snorkle equip!!) and finally, we got our own bbq for the cabana people and it was less than 35 people in the cabanas. This was amazing and a great value!!!

So, we prefer DCL. However, I will need to try a longer cruise on another line to be sure.

 

[twindaddy]

Thanks for the comparisons!

I put this thread 50-50 getting shut down eventually. I read alot of old threds, dining attire threads run about 90% shut down rate, cruise line comparisons about 50%. I appreciate you taking the time to give us your observations!

 

[engle]

Thanks for the comparisons!

I put this thread 50-50 getting shut down eventually. I read alot of old threds, dining attire threads run about 90% shut down rate, cruise line comparisons about 50%. I appreciate you taking the time to give us your observations!

Huh, I didn't know it would cause controversy. Thanks...hope I don't cause probs. That wasn't my intention. I wished I had read some of these before I cruised another to get a better idea of what to expect. When you only cruise DCL and then go on another, it would be nice to know.

 

[twindaddy]

Huh, I didn't know it would cause controversy. Thanks...hope I don't cause probs. That wasn't my intention. I wished I had read some of these before I cruised another to get a better idea of what to expect. When you only cruise DCL and then go on another, it would be nice to know.

I appreciate it. Sometimes these threads get very heated, hopefully people are in a good mood today. I wouldnt NOT post a thread just because some people cant handle it. I have a feeling my family will be only on DCL for the next few years, probably because you will need the jaws of life to get my twins out of the kids club. We shall see!

 

[SlimKat]

Thanks for the info. I appreciate getting varied opinions on things. It helps give me another perspective. Eventually I would like to try a RCCL cruise, esp. the Oasis of the Seas so I found this helpful. Thanks.

 

[woody73]

So, we prefer DCL. However, I will need to try a longer cruise on another line to be sure.

Interesting comparison. Thanks for sharing.

We like both DCL (platinum) and RCCL (diamond), but have only sailed on RCCL's newer ships, and on much longer cruises.

Woody

 

[Cerberus9]

Huh, I didn't know it would cause controversy. Thanks...hope I don't cause probs. That wasn't my intention. I wished I had read some of these before I cruised another to get a better idea of what to expect. When you only cruise DCL and then go on another, it would be nice to know.

I've seen some people get *extremely* upset, offended, and defensive at the concept that some aspects of their chosen vacation may not be the absolute best in the world.

Great review. I'll gladly submit to horrible embarkation, debarkation, and muster drills in exchange for great dining and entertainment. Not sure about the stateroom though...

 

[sorul82?]

Thank you for the review.

 

[iloverags2]

Sounds like you still had a nice time on Monarch! While DCL is my cruise line of choice, I do love Monarch of the Seas. Yes, she is the oldest in RCI's fleet, but she is also the most charming and has the best staff! I'm sorry guest services wasn't up to par for you. On our girls sailing this past Jan/Feb we had good interactions here (although we just stopped by twice).

We arrived at the port relatively early, just as it opened, so no waiting outside and walked right up to the counter for check-in. Of course, we had to wait to embark, but at least there are chairs for this!

I have to agree on those staterooms...oy! I just cannot handle the staterooms on any other cruise line. LOL! But for a shorter cruise, I just remind myself I won't be spending much time in there.

I wish we would have known about the cabanas! Wow, sounds like a great deal! We walked a bit further on the beach to a quiet area, which did indeed appear much cleaner than locations closer to the tender area.

Since you were on a 3-night, I'm guessing you did not have the video scavenger hunt activity? It was on our day-at-sea...a total hoot! Probably the best part of our cruise!

Agreed on the mixed drinks, but *cough cough* the cost of them on RCI! Oy!

Thanks for your review! I'm glad someone else enjoyed their Monarch cruise!

 

[luvdamouse91]

Great review. We are sailing RCL for the first time in Oct, and your observations and comments are much appreciated.

 

[Tolson70]

Go post this thread in the RCCL forum at Cruisecritic.com and see how quick the masses jump on you. A large majority of the RCCL posters there are die hard and RCCL can do no wrong.

I've cruised on three lines, my favs from best to worst:

Disney - #1 in my book
RCCL - #2, step down in service,
Carnival - #3, HUGE step down in everything

 

[Dizzyworld]

I do want to tell you about the private cabanas at Cococay. I never did one as Castaway Cay but this one was $100. Say what??? Yep!! $100. I got 4 upholstered loungers, 4 BIG bottles of water, a bottle of champagne, 2 floating mats ($12 each to rent), 2 sets of snorkle equip ($32 each to rent plus 2 $10 off certs for snorkle equip!!) and finally, we got our own bbq for the cabana people and it was less than 35 people in the cabanas. This was amazing and a great value!!!

Wow! Sounds great. I'd love to see what they look like. Maybe I'll go look online. But I guess since DCL keeps filling the ones on CC we will never see a price drop.

Thanks for the review.

 

[MagicMe]

Thanks for the review. I've mostly read reviews on the bigger RCL ships so it's interesting to read something in a comparable size.

I'm a DCL cruiser and prefer to cruise DCL. However, my next couple of cruises will be interesting since they take place after the movement of existing and hiring of new people. I hope service doesn't disappoint.

I do recommend RCL for people that want the late night entertainment and for people with older children. Especially where price is a factor. I know plenty of people that have cruised RCL and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now haven't gotten the same reviews for Carnival. I usually get that they liked it but preferred RCL.

Thanks again!

 

[auntyjenn]

I am glad you posted this. On my next cruise i am picking completely on dining. i want some fancy and super awesome food! Norweigian was so so.

 

[sssteele]

I appreciate the information you've shared here. DH and I are booked for our 1st RCI cruise in October. Would have done Disney, but the timing wasn't right.

I've heard and read lots about the "naughty room" on RCI ships. You get called down there if they find you have taken any alcohol aboard. They do confiscate it, and don't return it at the end of the cruise. Doesn't sound like fun to me. I like that Disney allows us to have a bottle of wine with us when we board. I also think Disney's laundry rooms and wonderful. No such thing on RCI cruises.

 

[woody73]

. . . DH and I are booked for our 1st RCI cruise in October.

. . . I like that Disney allows us to have a bottle of wine with us when we board. I also think Disney's laundry rooms and wonderful. No such thing on RCI cruises.

I think we're on the same October cruise.

From the RCCL cruises we have taken, I like that RCCL is priced approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a Disney cruise.

YMMV.

Woody

 

[Cerberus9]

I think we're on the same October cruise.

From the RCCL cruises we have taken, I like that RCCL is priced approximately 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a Disney cruise.

YMMV.

Woody

Wow really? That much cheaper? That's a lot of bottles of wine!

 

[woody73]

Wow really? That much cheaper? That's a lot of bottles of wine!

Yes, that much cheaper. But no free soda.

Woody

 

[maria-fan-22]

Thanks for the review! That last time I was on a RCCL chip was in 2002 I think. I was 8 at the time and so I don't remember much. May I ask what the entertainment was? I always assumed that Disney would be best and was confirmed with that when I went on Holland America in march and was shocked to see that you preferred RCCL! So could you do a quick re-cap of the entertainment you got? Thanks!

 

[engle]

Thanks for the review! That last time I was on a RCCL chip was in 2002 I think. I was 8 at the time and so I don't remember much. May I ask what the entertainment was? I always assumed that Disney would be best and was confirmed with that when I went on Holland America in march and was shocked to see that you preferred RCCL! So could you do a quick re-cap of the entertainment you got? Thanks!

First night show included the ship singer/dancers and comedian Steve Couette. He was AWESOME. He did a full show on final night. Amazing. SUPER funny.

There was also a juggler/comedian that I didn't see but 2 others with me did and they gave it 2 thumbs up as well.

Last night also had a FULL musical review - about an hour long - with EXCELLENT singing (I would give this an ALMOST Broadway caliber review!!) and dancing. The choreography and costumes were amazing.

Besides that, there was a string duet, a pianist, a singer/pianist, several bands (on board and on Cococay)...the bands were FANTASTIC!! The singers and musicians were excellent. I found the singers and bands on board the Wonder to be quite sub par.