Considering the jump to RCCL - RCCL fans step up!

[Sunshine2U]

We will be 6 adults (3 x Ocean Balconies) on a 2016 7-day Caribbean cruise - prefer Eastern. DH and I love DCL and originally planned the trip for just the two of us on Fantasy. I'm afraid of sticker shock for friends when May 2016 DCL prices are released. So I am looking at RCCL.
- We are in driving distance to PC so Fort Lauderdale adds $800(ish)/couple in flights. (We could drive to Tampa if worth it.)
- We are looking for a quality cruise on a nice ship.
- We are not big partiers, nor do we gamble.
- Would also not do rock climbing, surfing, golf, etc.
- For us the cruise is the destination, so excursions are just a bonus.
- Would like to have a step up from DCL MDR food but satisfied if same quality - no lower.
- I've seen a lot of posts that say RCCL is much less expensive. But the cruises I have compared are within the $800 flight cost. So that leaves DCL on top.

RCCL fans step up! What ships do I need to be looking at? How are you seeing cruises 1/2 price of DCL? Any other advice?

 

[bumbershoot]

Why would you fly to FLL if you're in driving distance to Port C? It's another 3 hours drive.

We loved our Eastern cruise on Freedom. We don't gamble (not until the casino is smoke-free, at least), we never got to the rock wall, we don't surf. Minigolf, however, is super-fun wherever you do it, and I highly recommend it even if you think you'll hate it. Our Eastern involved CocoCay, San Juan, and St Maarten. I believe that most Easterns have St Thomas instead of San Juan.

Since you're new to Royal, you might consider using a TA for this, one who might do more handholding. Although I have not used them, the sponsor/owner of the Dis is Dreams Unlimited, and they book Royal now.

 

[Frozen2014]

I have been on 2 RCL cruises and we're booked on Allure April 2016. We didn't like the $2000 more that DCL cost and Allure (Oasis ships) offered tons to do. With RCL in general, the ships and décor is beautiful with many different areas. And there are so many things to do, great pools, and show are first class. On some ships they have real Broadway like shows. Different ships have different features.

You say what you don't like to do, but what do you like? When we went out Disney Magic, DH and I were bored when our kids were occupied. On RCL, there are so many activities for adults (and kids too). You can try and do a search for a cruise compass to get an idea. Some ships even have a Central Park area and Boardwalk area and many have a Promenade area.

If considering RCL, you may want to do research on how meals work and your preference. Some have traditional, some My Time, some Dynamic Dining and they are offering Classic Dynamic Dining on Anthem.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

 

[Trekker]

To get a good comparison on pricing between DCL and RCCL I would look at the Freedom of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. The itineraries for the 7 days Caribbean cruise are nearly identical.

I've done one Freedom of the Seas cruise to kind of get a feel for it vs DCL and liked it. I'm taking my wife and 20 something kids and their significant others on Freedom in June because I'm sure they will enjoy it.

I found the food in the MDR to be comparable or even slightly better than DCL. I really enjoyed the food in Portofino - one of the up charge locations that I'm planning to enjoy for one night again.

 

[ldo]

We found MDR food on RCCL to be a step down, and stage entertainment a big step down. RCCL might have 1 major production show (we saw Ice Show and Sat Night Fever on the Liberty--very good, other night can't even remember what they were). Otherwise, RCCL is a good cruise. We would plan to pay for better dining at least every other night. MDR is OK, just not great--steaks are chain restaurant quality (IMH0), seafood is a bit better. But, for the price, we would sail again. Freedom (out of PT C) is the same ship as Liberty. It's a big, very nice ship. Really liked the promenade. If I were sailing with friends, I would do it if it was A LOT less than DCL. Also, be advised that RCCL missing Coco Cay a fair amount of the time.

 

[bumbershoot]

Reading the other replies, I remembered what I didn't put into my earlier reply.

We are vegetarian, and we cannot stand most of the veggie options on Disney. We CAN stand most of the veggie options on Royal. On both lines on the first night you can talk to servers about getting vegetarian Indian food, and from then on they will bring that to you. On DCL they've brought it out happily. On Royal they brought it out happily AND wanted us to order from the menu; it was like a banquet on Royal when we asked for Indian food. (both lines do vegetarian Indian food equally well)

We aren't show people, so the DCL offerings aren't something we go out of our way to see. DS and DH still go to see Villains, while I do other things. I nearly left the theater during the Golden Mickeys, so my guys won't even let me step foot in Believe, LOL. They fear the schmaltzy factor will cause a storming-the-stage-type of tantrum LOL. I exaggerate, but yeah, that stuff doesn't float my boat.

The one thing I am happy to see is a good magician or comedian, though I didn't realize that until we saw such people on DCL. I'll give those shows extra thought on Royal next; as it has been, the only show we saw on Freedom was the ice show, which was amazing. Then on two separate days after that, we went ice skating, and had FUN, and realized how hard it is to even stay on your feet when skating on a moving ship, let alone trying to do a choreographed show!

Since CocoCay is a port you have to tender for, rocky seas can make getting to it difficult. But...Castaway doesn't have a perfect record, either. Either way, don't set your heart 100% on being there; don't build it up so much that you can't handle it if you don't make it. Both are great; Coco has good parts that Castaway doesn't, and Coco has bad parts that Castaway doesn't. They are different but both very nice. But if you don't make it, ships are nice, too.

 

[Sunshine2U]

Thanks y'all, this is a great start. I so much appreciate you taking time to answer. I have been off reading up on RCCL - Freedom and I'm honing in on just what it is we like about cruising. So I'll probably come back tomorrow with some more specific questions.

 

[Laz]

DW and I have been cruising since the early 80s. We have been on 5 different cruise lines including DCL and have enjoyed them all. One thing I would suggest is to try not to make direct comparisons. You will always find one thing or more that is better on one cruise line over another. If you are going on a cruise looking for problems, you will probably find them. If you cruise looking for a great time, you will find a great vacation. Our child is grown, we do not drink much, we don't gamble much, and the rock wall makes me dizzy just looking at it, but I loved my last RC cruise!

 

[mcd2745]

All things equal (or really just price being equal), we would probably choose DCL over RCCL. However, it is always far from equal. As an example, this August, a 7-nt Eastern on the Fantasy for 2A, 2C in an inside stateroom is a ludicrous $7,000+ !!! The same basic itinerary (exchanging out each line's private island), on Freedom of the Seas, one week later (both out of PC) will cost you $3,300 for 2A2C in an interior room. Less than half. Just about every time I've done a comparison, DCL is literally double or more what RCCL is - just like in this example. We love Disney & DCL, and IMO the two biggest things they have over RCCL are Castaway Cay vs. Royal's private islands and the nightly shows (since they are more family-friendly). Other than that, most things are pretty equal (although I actually do enjoy the casino a few nights, so for me, that's a plus in RCCL's side of the ledger).

 

[Frozen2014]

RCCL is amazing and has so many features. Give it a try. If you want characters, then look for ships with Dreamworks. If you want bigger ships, then look at Allure, Oasis, Quantum. But really, you can't go wrong with any. Amazing cruises, beautiful ships, fantastic entertainment and activities. And lots of variety with food.

 

[Phrog]

My wife and I are seriously considering a 12 night transatlantic on the Allure. We've already booked a DCL within the year but the price difference has us looking at RCCL for a follow-up. Have any Of you taken a longer or transatlantic cruise with Royal Caribbean?

My girls would be 3 and 5 around that time, and given that Disney cruises are so centered around kids my only concern about differences would be the experiences they would have on Caribbean. Can anyone speak on that age range?

Maybe I should make a new thread just about that....

 

[SevenWonkas]

I've never been on a cruise longer than 7 days, but my concern is that there wouldn't be a lot of kids on a transatlantic on Royal Caribbean. I know I've read reviews of transatlantics (which I'm sure you can find on here), and they said there weren't a whole lot of kids. Great if you want an adults only cruise, not so much if you have kids who want to make friends.

 

[Phrog]

Well and I'm not even tied to the longer trip, I'm mostly curious about the young children experience.

 

[ldo]

we have not done TA, but have done several RCCL when our kids were those ages. We also did a Baltic at age 9 when there were fewer than 50 kids onboard. With fewer kids, they combined 6-9 and 9-11 age group. My kids really liked RCCL kids clubs, more so than DCL. At 3 and 5 with not many kids, they should get a lot of personalized attention. RCCL is more structured--a set activity at a set time, but they are fun for kids--coloring, painting, simple games, easy crafts, etc. The Allure will also have lots of other diversions. I would only sail a bigger ship TA that had lots to offer. I would also recommend NCL Epic. We liked the entertainment a lot.

 

[Sunshine2U]

Seriously think we may choose new NCL Escape over RCCL. Can't see being in the Caribbean and spending time in the atrium. Maybe it is a case of stellar marketing but I love the outdoor adult spaces shown on NCL.

 

[Laz]

Seriously think we may choose new NCL Escape over RCCL. Can't see being in the Caribbean and spending time in the atrium. Maybe it is a case of stellar marketing but I love the outdoor adult spaces shown on NCL.

Be careful what a cruise line calls "adult." RCCL adult atriums allow anyone over 16 years of age.

 

[holula]

I really like the larger ships on both RCCL and NCL. I've been on Freedom and Epic. I've also been on Enchantment of the Seas which I did not love because it was just way too smoky for me.

Freedom was just a beautiful ship. Yes, the promenade is inside. But she is so well laid out and I actually LOVE the promenade. The solarium has the best hot sandwiches ever. So yummy. The ice show is a lot of fun (on the newer Royal ships), the entertainment was good and the nightly shows are definitely more themed towards the adults on board. The Dreamworks experience was fun, because there were no character lines at all. Service was excellent overall. Royal has the choice between My Time Dining and Traditional Dining so you can keep the same servers every night. I thought food was slightly better than DCL - the buffet was similar (but oh, the garlic fried rice was amazing) and the MDR was a little better.

The Epic was a VERY insular ship. Unless you were on the top deck there were very few places to sit and watch the ocean. I know they have corrected this on their newest class of ships. The inside staterooms are smaller but fine for two people. We are booked on Escape but will probably have to move the booking to 2016. I found that the service was generally great on Epic. The servers were not as personable, as you have different servers each night, but they were good overall and the rest of the ship had fantastic service. Lots of fun and great entertainment. The buffet is actually amazing and far better than DCL's. MDR food was on par with DCL. Cagney's is just so good, and the rest of the specialty dining was excellent also. One of the best steaks I have eaten ever, and I am fussy about my steak. Right now NCL has a great promotion going on so I would recommend booking now if you are going to take the plunge.

We just had to cancel our EBTA on DCL and looked at moving it to the Fantasy and then I had sticker shock. So, we will probably just move our NCL cruise to 2016 instead.

 

[Sunshine2U]

Right now NCL has a great promotion going on

Thanks! I was away for a while. We ended up booking NCL Escape for May 2016 - with the free beverage package. We're excited! We'll probably end up spending $800 more for specialty restaurants, travel to Miami, etc. But we saved a lot more that that on the booking, and the drinks on top of that are a bonus.

 

[BethC1952]

My wife and I are seriously considering a 12 night transatlantic on the Allure. We've already booked a DCL within the year but the price difference has us looking at RCCL for a follow-up. Have any Of you taken a longer or transatlantic cruise with Royal Caribbean?

My girls would be 3 and 5 around that time, and given that Disney cruises are so centered around kids my only concern about differences would be the experiences they would have on Caribbean. Can anyone speak on that age range?

Maybe I should make a new thread just about that....

We will be taking our third transatlantic in two years with Royal Caribbean in May. We have sailed from San Juan to Southampton, UK on Adventure, from Southampton, UK to Miami on Independence, and in May we will be sailing from Tampa to Harwich, UK on Brilliance (a smaller ship). We don't travel with kids--our kid is 40 years old LOL!!! There were very few kids on either of the TA's, but they were all having a wonderful time, and the staff seemed as attentive to them as they are on DCL. I have cruised with DCL 16 times, and with Royal four times, and have enjoyed every cruise. The two lines are very similar in quality of service and food. The only real disappointment for us was the stage shows on Royal, but their guest performers have been great.

Beth

 

[MinMou]

I have never cruised Disney, so I can't speak to the level of service, but I have found that Royal has something for everyone. I am not into all the exercise equipment available on Royal Caribbean, but it is nice that it is there. Royal really excels at entertainment. They have Broadway quality shows, and the ice skating performances on the larger ships are top notch. The big thing that I notice on Royal Caribbean is the friendliness of the staff.

I recommend you talk to travel agent to discuss itineraries and cost; you don't pay extra and a good TA will work very hard to make sure you get the right vacation for you and your group. I know people who go directly through the cruise line, but if something goes wrong, it's great to have someone with a direct line to the home office who will go to bat for you. Also, a TA will check if prices go down and get you the lower price if possible, where as someone at the cruiseline is less motivated to do so.