Disney vs. RCCL

[DMMarla07860]

As I recall, you're a college student, right? If so, your friends probably have no money!

well it's not like they would have to pay, I would be taking them so they wouldn't have to pay. But it's all good, they don't like to travel, so I keep booking more when I go on Magic/Wonder and get to see friends who work there. Now when there comes and time when a friend or family member says yes to coming on vacation then I'll get to try RCCL and be excited about that

 

[DMMarla07860]

Choose your friends wisely.

Woody

yeah, haha if my friends picked a vacation place it would be a boring place like NYC, I only can go there anytime I want

 

[kaykels]

I'm nervous about my Oasis booking. I just read that they will have about 22 restaurants and 13 of them are an additional cost, including the buffet at night. I sailed NCL Pearl with a similar set up. I liked anytime dining and choosing what kind of food to eat, but I felt nickeled and dimed to death. Which, for NCL, wasn't so bad because it was so inexpensive to book. I paid 249.00 to sail 5 nights when it was brand new. My dad got a balcony jr. suite and only paid 799.00. And it was a 5 night cruise, so paying extra for some dinners wasn't a big deal.
Now I'm paying 900.00 each for Oasis, ocean view, and nervous about an extra 10.00 for this and an extra 15.00 for that. We are a family of 6 and that might get quite expensive!!!
I'm anxious to read the reviews once people sail Oasis.
That ship looks amazing, but I might be better off with Freedom class.

 

[Tneah]

I went on the RCCL Liberty of the Seas a few weeks ago. I loved it!!!!!! So, so much to do. Such a big ship.

In about hundred some days, we are going on a 3 day Disney cruise and then getting on The Freedom of the Seas right after.

I really like RCL Freedom class of ships! The restaurants are better, especially Portofino's.

 

[woody73]

I'm nervous about my Oasis booking. I just read that they will have about 22 restaurants and 13 of them are an additional cost, including the buffet at night.

That leaves 9 restaurants at no additional cost. Plenty of choices.

Woody

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

The OP is going on the Oasis next summer...she just got back from Freedom last week..so maybe she will update.

 

[disnutz]

Without having read this entire thread, I do have a question for the RCCLer's. How was your stateroom bill att he edn of the cruise vs. the bill on DCL?

I wonder because of a few things:

1. On DCL, we can take a bottle of wine and a few beers, and spend very little on a bar bill. But on RCCL I can;t take on, and I hear prices of drinks are VERY expensive.
2. Soda cards - I must have afew sodas a day, and so does DH. The kids may or may not, depending on whether the lemonade is nasty.
3. gambling - obviously this would be cash, but factors in.
4. johnny rockets/restaurants/ben & jerrys etc. All fo these are extra.

 

[Kurby]

that's a good question - people are always saying compare apples to apples so when you are comparing the price of cruises you need to add in not only the insurances but the cost of stuff that is free on dcl that you have to pay for on other cruises

obviously if you never drink pop it doesn't matter but it would be nice to know what the final totals are to compare

 

[aznaphrodite]

Without having read this entire thread, I do have a question for the RCCLer's. How was your stateroom bill att he edn of the cruise vs. the bill on DCL?

I wonder because of a few things:

1. On DCL, we can take a bottle of wine and a few beers, and spend very little on a bar bill. But on RCCL I can;t take on, and I hear prices of drinks are VERY expensive.
2. Soda cards - I must have afew sodas a day, and so does DH. The kids may or may not, depending on whether the lemonade is nasty.
3. gambling - obviously this would be cash, but factors in.
4. johnny rockets/restaurants/ben & jerrys etc. All fo these are extra.

I haven't sailed RCCL yet (will in Nov.) but these are definitely things to factor into the cost. RCCL has a STRICT policy against bringing alcohol onboard so if you drink and usually bring your own on DCL, you really do need to consider this. For the soda, I haven't heard of anyone with problems bringing their own soda onboard and even bringing a can to meals so if brining your own is something you're willing to do, you can save money by doing it this way instead of getting the soda card.

Another thing I found out yesterday is that you must pay for your shore excursions at the time of booking and your credit card will be charged immediately, not at time of sailing or later. I found that interesting since I was used excursions being on my onboard account, which made it easier to change excursions prior to sailing.

 

[TheWog]

Without having read this entire thread, I do have a question for the RCCLer's. How was your stateroom bill att he edn of the cruise vs. the bill on DCL?

I wonder because of a few things:

1. On DCL, we can take a bottle of wine and a few beers, and spend very little on a bar bill. But on RCCL I can;t take on, and I hear prices of drinks are VERY expensive.
2. Soda cards - I must have afew sodas a day, and so does DH. The kids may or may not, depending on whether the lemonade is nasty.
3. gambling - obviously this would be cash, but factors in.
4. johnny rockets/restaurants/ben & jerrys etc. All fo these are extra.

If you ask for a non-souvenier glass the drinks are comparable to any others. $5-7 range depending on what you order. The restaurants/Johnny Rockets are a choice like Palo to pay extra. JRs is $4 or $5. There is always the main dining room which is included in the fare. I thought B&J was included, but I could be wrong. It was not a part of the Enchantment when we sailed on her.

Stateroom bill was similar to that of our DCL cruise, but for different reasons. On DCL we had our son with us and lots of "goodies". On RCI it was just us and another couple, so we participated in adult drinks a bit more. So it would be hard to compare the two for us.

 

[triplefigs]

We just booked Freedom of the Seas for an Eastern June 6, 2010. Got connecting ocean view on Deck 2. We will move our DCL Dec 2010 cruise to summer 2011 when the dates are released. It will be my trios 10th b'day, and I am sure we will love it. We signed up for My Time Dining. Anyone know a good TA to transfer the ressie to for OBC? Does DU give RCI OBC? Thanks!

 

[aznaphrodite]

Stateroom bill was similar to that of our DCL cruise, but for different reasons. On DCL we had our son with us and lots of "goodies".

I expect my RCCL bill to be much lower than our DCL bill. We spent at least $200 on Disney merchandise and I'm sure RCCL merchandise will be much less enticing!

We just booked Freedom of the Seas for an Eastern June 6, 2010. Got connecting ocean view on Deck 2. We will move our DCL Dec 2010 cruise to summer 2011 when the dates are released. It will be my trios 10th b'day, and I am sure we will love it. We signed up for My Time Dining. Anyone know a good TA to transfer the ressie to for OBC? Does DU give RCI OBC? Thanks!

I'll PM you my TA's info!

 

[woody73]

. . . How was your stateroom bill att he edn of the cruise vs. the bill on DCL?

We were on the Mariner of the Seas. Our stateroom bill was less than on Disney.

1. On DCL, we can take a bottle of wine and a few beers, and spend very little on a bar bill. But on RCCL I can;t take on, and I hear prices of drinks are VERY expensive.

The drink prices were comparable to Disney.

2. Soda cards - I must have afew sodas a day, and so does DH. The kids may or may not, depending on whether the lemonade is nasty.

You can bring soda onboard.

3. gambling - obviously this would be cash, but factors in.

We did not gamble. Gambling is optional, just like bingo, spa treatments, art auctions, wine tasting, and so on.

4. johnny rockets/restaurants/ben & jerrys etc. All fo these are extra.

We paid $3.95 for Johnny Rockets, and it was well worth it. You can order as much food as you like (burgers, hot dogs, chili, fries, onion rings, sundaes) all made to order. Plus, the waitstaff will start dancing and you can join them. It was lots of fun. The two of us had the best burger lunch we've ever had on a cruise ship -- all for about the cost of a single Disney pin.

There were two upcharge restaurants. Portofino is an Italian retaurant, and Chops is a steakhouse. Both restaurants are elegantly decorated and have their own kitchen. We went to Portofino on Valentines Day, and the food and service were both excellent. Unlike DCL's Palo, RCI does not expect you to tip anything above the booking fee.

Ben & Jerrys is available, but there is also free soft serve near the pool.

You could spend your entire RCI cruise without paying any extra for food, just as you could on DCL. But you're on vacation, and might like to try something new or different.

Overall, our bill on RCI was less than DCL. On Disney, we spend more, particularly on pins and other souvenirs, photos, and tips at Palo.

If you approach sailing on other cruise lines with an open mind, you'll have a great time. But if you only concentrate on making comparisons, you might be better off just sticking with Disney.

Oh, I should mention:

-- the Mariner has an ice skating rink, a rock climbing wall, miniature golf, and inline skating.

-- one night, the main stageshow was a Beatles tribute band, and they were excellent. They first came out dressed as the early Beatles in suits, then changed to the colorful Sgt. Peppers outfits, and finally did solo work (John Lennon in a white suit). They had the entire audience on their feet.

-- we were able to go on a private bridge tour while at sea, and even sit in the captain's chair.

YMMV.

Woody

 

[aznaphrodite]

-- we were able to go on a private bridge tour while at sea, and even sit in the captain's chair.

YMMV.

Woody

I'd like to do the bridge tour when we sail on Voyager of the Seas. Do we need to reserve tickets, like DCL's galley tour? Or will it just be on the schedule and you show up?

 

[Tneah]

Without having read this entire thread, I do have a question for the RCCLer's. How was your stateroom bill att he edn of the cruise vs. the bill on DCL?

I wonder because of a few things:

1. On DCL, we can take a bottle of wine and a few beers, and spend very little on a bar bill. But on RCCL I can;t take on, and I hear prices of drinks are VERY expensive. The drinks prices are the same as Disney. The price you pay to cruise on Disney is much higher than most other cruise lines. I believe that your cruise price on Disney already includes a per person drink tab as well as the soda tab. It may feel free, but I'm sure you're paying for it one way or another.
2. Soda cards - I must have afew sodas a day, and so does DH. The kids may or may not, depending on whether the lemonade is nasty. If you drink more than 4 sodas a day than get yourself a soda card, but if it's less than buy by the can. It's something like $2.50 with gratuity and tax. You can bring your own soda and water.
3. gambling - obviously this would be cash, but factors in. Not my thing, but my sister sure did.
4. johnny rockets/restaurants/ben & jerrys etc. All fo these are extra.Yes, these are extras, but just like Palo. The food in Portifinos and Chops is much better. B&J is extra, unless you book the suite that is above the B&J store. You get whatever you want. Also, there is free soft serve on the pool deck.

There is food available just about anytime. A pizza place (Sorrentos) stays open until 3am in the morning. There's an afternoon tea, which is basically setup like another meal and so far from a light menu. It was filled with an assortmant of food. The buffet on Rccl is much better than on Disney. There is a salad bar area, an antipasta area, soup, Asain, Indian, fast foods, pasta, dessert, carving station and much more.

One night the chefs come out and prepare a feast on the royal promenade. It's a festival of food and entertainment.

Bingo is cheaper to play on Rccl than Disney. Wine and Martini tasting are cheaper, too.

I spent $700.00 on my 4 day on DCL, but on 7 RCCL day less than $300.00. Both includes wine packages. On Disney, I brought my own, but bought the wine package because I found it a hassle to get my own the stuff when I wanted it. I always felt I had to go back to the room to get it.

Another thing on Rccl I have two rooms and on Disney I had one. On Disney I had a category 12 (bumped to an 11) with 4 people in it.

CC is better than their island, but it's nice, too. Better activities and events on CC. However, better events and activities on RCCL ship.

 

[Dizzyworld]

We have a reservation for the Oasis of the Sea next summer. I'm waiting to see if I keep it.

My concerns so far:
- you will need to book many of the shows ahead of time.
- even if you pay for the cover charge for say Johnny Rockets, if you want perhaps a second appetizer (I'm thinking of my teenage son), you will now pay extra.

I don't want to be nickled and dimes to death. Nor do I want to plan my days with lots of details. I like the go with the flow of cruising. We did two RCL cruises before kids and have a wonderful experience.

The new ship looks like a lot of fun. My family wants to go scuba diving next year which leaves DCL in the Med. out. I don't want to do another short cruise which leaves the Wonder out. And with my kids getting older, they are wanting to try something new.

Does anyone know where there is a forum with just facts like the sticky the DIS boards have at the to of the page?

 

[tchrmom]

Just got back from Freedom of the Seas on Sunday. As for our stateroom bill.....it was $22.26. BUT! Let me explain...............

We had 2 rooms, each with a $100.00 onboard credit.
We had a RCCL Visa (yes, we "converted" from our Disney one last year, when I realized that I could be happy on another cruise line) I use that Visa for EVERYTHING. However, I use it like a debit card. For example, when I buy groceries for say, $100.00....I use the Visa. Then I go home and deduct $100.00 from my check register. I do this all month long. When the Visa bill comes in, all deductions have been made, and the bill is paid in full. I never carry a balance. Doing this allows me to earn "points". All year long, I saved my points. Converted them in May into onboard credit of $300.00.

So.......I had a $500.00 credit on my account.

We did book Chops this time. That was $25.00 for each of us.

DH and DS did an excursion in Labadee that was $76.00.

We went with another family, and met each night for drinks before dinner....each taking a turn at buying a round of drinks. (Olive and Twist is a great bar to do this in!)

I won't say how.......but I brought on 2 bottles of wine and DH brought on coke and Crown Royal to make drinks for us each night while we got ready for dinner.

Drinks in the bar usually ran between 7.00 to 8.00.....depending on if you specify brand for your drink. (gray goose vs. house vodka)

My son who is 17 likes a "sunburst" cocktail each night with us (Pineapple and O.J.....with a splash of grenadine)

We also bought both kids soda packages......it is their vacation, and if I can spend $8.00 on drinks for myself, what do I care if they drink soad all week.

There are some gift shop charges........some Ben and Jerry's..........Some Johnny Rockets...........But a great time was had by all!

 

[triplefigs]

Is the extra charge at JR per person, per table/group, or per stateroom?

 

[aznaphrodite]

Is the extra charge at JR per person, per table/group, or per stateroom?

Per person and it includes a fixed meal. If you want more than what it comes with, you have to pay extra.

 

[ToonFamily]

Last year, we cruised on the Wonder. Less than one month later, my wife took our daughter (who was unable to join us on DCL) on a 4-day RCCL cruise. She was anxious to compare the two and found that Disney, in her opinion, was a greater bargain. The RCCL ship was much older, the rooms were much smaller (and we had the cheapest rooms available on DCL ), sodas were very difficult to get even with the extra soda package, and all of the Disney extra touches were obviously lacking. That's not to say that the RCCL cruise was horrible - some of the pluses include: the shows were Vegas-style shows and very enjoyable for the two adults, the food was slightly better overall, and the activities available for her age group were excellent.

If given the choice, DCL would likely be the choice of the two, but we have 4 kids - 3 of whom are younger than 10.

Funny aside, the cruddy old dilapidated ship that she sailed on with RCCL was brand spanking new when we sailed on it for our honeymoon Either we're getting very old or things have really improved over the years, lol. We were stunned by its beauty in 1992. Now it's relegated to 3 and 4 day trips.