giantwiant
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 13, 2018
We got great fares from NYC to Copenhagen so we are sticking with the August 10th. We've never been to Scandinavia, so we are happy with the new ports & the port adventures look great.
You will loveit if you have never been to Norway. Did you rebook with the lower fares?We got great fares from NYC to Copenhagen so we are sticking with the August 10th. We've never been to Scandinavia, so we are happy with the new ports & the port adventures look great.
Copenhagen itself is one of the best cities to visit in Scandinavia.We got great fares from NYC to Copenhagen so we are sticking with the August 10th. We've never been to Scandinavia, so we are happy with the new ports & the port adventures look great.
I don't think there are any drawbacks. It's just different. Booking this late you may have to do my time dining instead of having a set time. I did not find it a drawback at all you can eat when you want. The buffet is also open at night if you are not in the mood for a sit-down dinner.We are on the Aug 10 from Copenhagen. After the itinerary change, we are thinking of switching to the 11-day RCL sailing on the same day, with much better (IMHO) ports of call, and savings of $5,000. Never cruised on RCL. Can you someone offer (or point to a thread), with major drawback compared to DCL on what to expect at RCL? Thanks
Thanks for the detailed reply on this and the other thread. Definitively disappointed with the itinerary change and tempted to cancel and book on RCL as they have plenty of balcony cabins left.I don't think there are any drawbacks. It's just different. Booking this late you may have to do my time dining instead of having a set time. I did not find it a drawback at all you can eat when you want. The buffet is also open at night if you are not in the mood for a sit-down dinner.
On DCL dinner is an "event" so to speak on Royal it's just a meal. I thought the quality of food was comparable. Service was good, but not as personable as DCL. I prefer the dinner "event" on DCL, but there is nothing wrong with Royal.
As far as activities I think Royal offers more with things like laser tag, Ice skating, surfing. Some of these things may come at a cost, but again you are saving 5k.
I don't know what shows they are offering on that cruise, but we saw Mama Mia and Grease and they were both very good. I'm sick of DCL shows so it was a nice change.
Room host no difference in service.
No laundry room on Royal. This in my opinion is a drawback. I like to pack lite. They do have wash and fold specials. You stuff as much as can in a bag and they wash it for around 35.00 dollars. If you are saving 5k on the cruise then who cares how much you spend on laundry right?
My kids were teens when we sailed on Royal so I can't comment on the kid's clubs, but my kids liked the teen club. Not as much as they like the Vibe, but they liked it.
The adult area is better on Royal. I like the solarium it's covered and better for a potential cooler cruise like northern Europe.
I've only sailed Royal twice so I'm no expert. Hopefully, you'll get some more responses. I've looked at the cruise you are considering and that is a great itinerary. I also know they just did a 100 million dollar refurb on that ship. Good luck deciding.
Did you check out the Royal section? There’s a Royal vs Disney thread.Thanks for the detailed reply on this and the other thread. Definitively disappointed with the itinerary change and tempted to cancel and book on RCL as they have plenty of balcony cabins left.
We've been trying to rebook, but can't get through to DCL. I don't have 4+ hours to wait on hold. If they would let you cancel your reservation online, it would get rid of a chunk of their calls.You will loveit if you have never been to Norway. Did you rebook with the lower fares?
Try pushing 3 to book a new reservation. They’ll transfer the funds to the new res . You don’t need to wait for a refund.We've been trying to rebook, but can't get through to DCL. I don't have 4+ hours to wait on hold. If they would let you cancel your reservation online, it would get rid of a chunk of their calls.
I apologize for the dumb/rookie question. Why are you trying to rebook? Can you get a cheaper fare if you rebook on the same cruise you are already on?We've been trying to rebook, but can't get through to DCL. I don't have 4+ hours to wait on hold. If they would let you cancel your reservation online, it would get rid of a chunk of their calls.
They've discounted pretty much all of the European cruises by 30%. It's a guaranteed rate though and you can choose your room category, but not a specific room, therefore, you need to make a new reservation.I apologize for the dumb/rookie question. Why are you trying to rebook? Can you get a cheaper fare if you rebook on the same cruise you are already on?
TIA
Thanks again for the detailed response. Went back/forth on the matter multiple times, but we'll stick with DCL and the less than optimal destinations. What made us stick with DCL was the Covid testing requirements for RCL, as we'll be in Paris the week before, so arranging Covid testing looks like a hassle.I don't think there are any drawbacks. It's just different. Booking this late you may have to do my time dining instead of having a set time. I did not find it a drawback at all you can eat when you want. The buffet is also open at night if you are not in the mood for a sit-down dinner.
On DCL dinner is an "event" so to speak on Royal it's just a meal. I thought the quality of food was comparable. Service was good, but not as personable as DCL. I prefer the dinner "event" on DCL, but there is nothing wrong with Royal.
As far as activities I think Royal offers more with things like laser tag, Ice skating, surfing. Some of these things may come at a cost, but again you are saving 5k.
I don't know what shows they are offering on that cruise, but we saw Mama Mia and Grease and they were both very good. I'm sick of DCL shows so it was a nice change.
Room host no difference in service.
No laundry room on Royal. This in my opinion is a drawback. I like to pack lite. They do have wash and fold specials. You stuff as much as can in a bag and they wash it for around 35.00 dollars. If you are saving 5k on the cruise then who cares how much you spend on laundry right?
My kids were teens when we sailed on Royal so I can't comment on the kid's clubs, but my kids liked the teen club. Not as much as they like the Vibe, but they liked it.
The adult area is better on Royal. I like the solarium it's covered and better for a potential cooler cruise like northern Europe.
I've only sailed Royal twice so I'm no expert. Hopefully, you'll get some more responses. I've looked at the cruise you are considering and that is a great itinerary. I also know they just did a 100 million dollar refurb on that ship. Good luck deciding.
As long as you have a laptop you can grab tests through eMed before leaving and do the tests from your hotel room. It's super easy.What made us stick with DCL was the Covid testing requirements for RCL, as we'll be in Paris the week before, so arranging Covid testing looks like a hassle.
We have just booked that one as well. I have not found many people discussing recent European DCL cruises and wondering how the reviews are with the current situation. We've cruises 2 times in the last 6 months out of US ports and found it to be a good experience.We got great fares from NYC to Copenhagen so we are sticking with the August 10th. We've never been to Scandinavia, so we are happy with the new ports & the port adventures look great.
I'm on the Aug 10. I'm a little skeptical about the excursion list though, the Viking museum in Oslo is closed for years for renovations, yet they are selling a couple excursions for it.
Oh yeah- the booking window is open and the excursions with the museum are fully bookable, which is what I find suspicious. The museum is closed for like, 2 more years or something so it's not even questionable. I am just worried this excursion list hasn't been vetted or something and there could be others that won't happen or will be drastically changed.I'm on the September Norwegian Fjords. I found the list of excursions which were available to Platinum Castaway Club members on their booking day for my cruise. The list is about half for each port.
Is your booking window open yet? If not see if you can connect with higher Castaway Club members than you and ask them to tell you whats currently available.
Oh yeah- the booking window is open and the excursions with the museum are fully bookable, which is what I find suspicious. The museum is closed for like, 2 more years or something so it's not even questionable. I am just worried this excursion list hasn't been vetted or something and there could be others that won't happen or will be drastically changed.