Disney vs. RCCL

[DMMarla07860]

OK Stupid question!

Which would you book? Carnival Dream (brand new ship coming out in 2009) RCI Freedom of the Seas or Oasis of the Seas...

DH and DD want Oasis and so do I, but I am thinking of price, Tomorrow is the day to book, DH said we have a year and a half to pay for it, just book the damn cruise on Oasis.

not that we are booking any other line yet 3 DCL cruises, but if we were going too, we actually would pick Carnival Dream over Oasis of the Seas, just because we like the look of Carnival more and think it might be less then Oasis. I don't know what you like but I'd say book Oasis if money is a problem because more time to save money and if money isn't I'd say sooner the better

 

[TinksDH]

Carnival definitely has the cost advantage. I looked at the date that we are on the Oasis (2/6/2010) and I can get a 7 night with 3 of us in a Suite and 2 in an inside stateroom for almost $1000 less than what we have now (Balcony and inside stateroom). A Balcony and inside would be $1600 less. Great deal!

I've never been on Carnival, so I can't speak from first-hand experience. It has a bit of a reputation as a "party boat", but I don't know if that is warranted. Hopefully Michele/cruisinmama06 will chime in as she's done DCL, RCI and Carnival...

 

[cruisinmama06]

OK Stupid question!

Which would you book? Carnival Dream (brand new ship coming out in 2009) RCI Freedom of the Seas or Oasis of the Seas...

DH and DD want Oasis and so do I, but I am thinking of price, Tomorrow is the day to book, DH said we have a year and a half to pay for it, just book the damn cruise on Oasis.

I would do Freedom and Oasis hands down over Dream. And I am.

Because of the ammenities on Freedom and Oasis, there are no ships that can compare. And dream has more passengers than a normal Carnival ship and less space per passenger. Which means one very crowded cruise.

I am not very fond of Carnival ships. My kids love camp carnival, but not enough to give up a RCCL ship.

As far as decor, from Disney to RCCL isn't a huge shock to the system because both ships have alot of glass, gold and wood. On Carnival, their decor is very Las Vegas neon. And I never thought I would be bothered by a purple ship until I was on one.

 

[CruiserMom]

We finally made the decision last night to jump ship...that is, jump OFF the Magic and jump ON the Freedom of the Seas! We cancelled our 9/12/09 Magic to Tortola, and are cruising on 9/13/09 on the Freedom to the Western Caribbean!

We also have the Oasis booked for 2010. We were thinking of trying the Carnival ship that comes out in 2009, but after what Michelle said, I think we will stick with RCCL for now.

We have just become bored with DCL; they don't change the shows very much, the kid's activities are the same every year, etc. Maybe we will be back to DCL when the new ships come out, unless we are just so happy with RCCL that we stay with them!

 

[Mjasp]

Michele...Whats the difference between a D1 and a D4 cabin besides the price?

 

[TinksDH]

Can I answer? D1 has a larger balcony (80 sq. ft.) and is in the center of the ship. D4 has the standard balcony (50 sq. ft.) and is nearer to the fore/aft portions of the ship.

 

[mkmommy]

We finally made the decision last night to jump ship...that is, jump OFF the Magic and jump ON the Freedom of the Seas! We cancelled our 9/12/09 Magic to Tortola, and are cruising on 9/13/09 on the Freedom to the Western Caribbean!

We also have the Oasis booked for 2010. We were thinking of trying the Carnival ship that comes out in 2009, but after what Michelle said, I think we will stick with RCCL for now.

We have just become bored with DCL; they don't change the shows very much, the kid's activities are the same every year, etc. Maybe we will be back to DCL when the new ships come out, unless we are just so happy with RCCL that we stay with them!

Don't you feel excited now

 

[Mjasp]

We finally made the decision last night to jump ship...that is, jump OFF the Magic and jump ON the Freedom of the Seas! We cancelled our 9/12/09 Magic to Tortola, and are cruising on 9/13/09 on the Freedom to the Western Caribbean!

We also have the Oasis booked for 2010. We were thinking of trying the Carnival ship that comes out in 2009, but after what Michelle said, I think we will stick with RCCL for now.

We have just become bored with DCL; they don't change the shows very much, the kid's activities are the same every year, etc. Maybe we will be back to DCL when the new ships come out, unless we are just so happy with RCCL that we stay with them!

AWESOME!!! Trust me you will NOT regret it!

 

[Mjasp]

Can I answer? D1 has a larger balcony (80 sq. ft.) and is in the center of the ship. D4 has the standard balcony (50 sq. ft.) and is nearer to the fore/aft portions of the ship.

THANKS! Are the D1's in the part of the ship that comes out?

 

[TinksDH]

THANKS! Are the D1's in the part of the ship that comes out?

You mean the "bump" cabins? Yes, the D1's are the forward "bump" cabins, while the rearward bump cabins are primarily suites. D1 rooms are the same size; the "bump" is in the balcony.

 

[Mjasp]

Now I'm on Cruise critic to see if they have lounge chairs on them or regular chairs.

Also, Check this out. RCCL is doing away with their fuel surcharge on reservation made after 11/10/08 but sail after 01/01/10

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=864773

 

[TinksDH]

I saw - I booked 3 days ago for 2/2010!

You can bet that if the price is equal to or slightly higher on 11/10 I will be canceling and re-booking. I have $315 in surcharges, and frineds of ours traveling with us have $140.

 

[cruisinmama06]

Cruisermom - congrats...you will have an awesome time.

Mjasp - yes they are actually called "Hump" cabins. I don't know it they are big enough for the loungers. Some have told me yes, some have said no. It's where the hump comes off the ship in the deck plans.

TinksDH - Before I would cancel, I would call and demand to talk to a supervisor. I am going to sit back and see if the cruises I currently have booked get a refund on the fuel charges. It's not just "all cruises made after 11/10", it is ALSO for any 2009/2010 cruise, they are going to look at the fuel prices every quarter and refund them if the price per barrel of oil falls beneath a certain price ($65).

Here are the full details...

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Announces End To Fuel Supplement

Miami - October 24, 2008 - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. today announced that the company's fuel supplement will no longer apply to new Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises bookings made on or after November 10, 2008, anywhere in the world, for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2010.

This decision takes into consideration the recent reductions in global fuel prices. The company has also established specific guidelines that will determine whether fuel supplement refunds will be provided for sailings that begin in 2009 and later, which were booked prior to November 10, 2008, if fuel prices remain below a specific price threshold.

For 2009 sailings and 2010 sailings booked before November 10, 2008, the company will determine on a quarterly basis whether fuel supplements will be refunded. Refunds, in the form of an onboard credit, will be provided if the closing price of West Texas Intermediate fuel is $65 or less, at the closing time of the New York Mercantile Exchange, two weeks prior to the beginning of the upcoming calendar quarter. When those conditions are met, an onboard credit will be provided to all guests on sailings that begin during the upcoming calendar quarter.

The dates on which the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel will be measured, and the quarters during which refunds could apply are:

Fuel Price Determination Date
Quarter of Possible Fuel Supplement Refunds
December 18, 2008
First quarter 2009
March 18, 2009
Second quarter 2009
June 17, 2009
Third quarter 2009
September 17, 2009
Fourth quarter 2009
December 18, 2009
First quarter 2010
March 18, 2010
Second quarter 2010
June 17, 2010
Third quarter 2010
September 17, 2010
Fourth quarter 2010

The company will continue to closely monitor the movement of global fuel prices and recognize that an upturn in those prices could necessitate the reinstatement of a fuel supplement.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France. The company has a combined total of 38 ships in service and six under construction. It also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America

 

[TinksDH]

Before I would cancel, I would call and demand to talk to a supervisor.

Don't worry, I will. I already sent an email to Customer Service stating my intentions. I really DON'T want to cancel and rebook, and will try everything I can before hand. But if push comes to shove....

BTW - "bump' cabins, "hump" cabins - what's the difference...

 

[cruisinmama06]

Don't worry, I will. I already sent an email to Customer Service stating my intentions. I really DON'T want to cancel and rebook, and will try everything I can before hand. But if push comes to shove....

BTW - "bump' cabins, "hump" cabins - what's the difference...

Absolutely nothing.

 

[Tinkermom3]

Absolutely nothing.

Ok, you two are cracking me up!

I told DH (TinksDH is my DH) to hold off and wait and see what happens with the fuel charges but he is wanting to persue it. Whatever!

 

[wiggles]

Does anyone know when RCCL releases their 2010 dates? I am looking at the end of Sept. first of Oct out of PC on Freedom. But Oasis is tempting me!

 

[cruisinmama06]

Does anyone know when RCCL releases their 2010 dates? I am looking at the end of Sept. first of Oct out of PC on Freedom. But Oasis is tempting me!

I looked for an answer for you....based on previous years look for RCCL to release their Summer 2010 in April 09. And of course, Oasis is already released.

Anyone looking for last minute deals for Nov/Dec...here are the latest.
http://www.creative.rccl.com/sales/RCI_Sales_Event/rci_sales_event.pdf

 

[CruiserMom]

Don't you feel excited now

Why yes I do!

I knew right after we got off the Magic this past Sept, that I wanted to explore other options. We had bad weather (Tropical Storm Hanna), and really only had one good port day (Nassau day was rainy/windy, missed second CC day), so we ended up spending alot of time on the ship. It became very clear that we were bored with the "same old". DD didn't even spend much time in the lab, because this was her 3rd year with the same activities.

Once I had her talked into trying another cruiseline, we were ready to book! And with the Freedom coming to Port Canaveral next year, that made the decision even easier. I've never cruised on such a big ship (only DCL and a Carnival cruise a LONG time ago), so hopefully that won't be a turn off.

 

[natesmom]

I am currently booked for a Wonder 5 day sailing in Summer 2010, we went on our first Disney Cruise this summer (Mexican Rivera) and it was everything we expected and more. After reading through this I checked out Oasis for the same time period and can do 7 days with a balcony for 800 dollars LESS... but i still have a few questions?

Does Royal have a private island? Is it in Haiti? How does it compare to CC?

Besides soda and alchol what is extra? Like Ben and Jerrys and Johnny Rockets, etc

Other than closing at 10:00 are the kids clubs run very similar? ( my son will be 8)

Thank You so much for your help it is such a hard decision...