Jumped ship and went RCL

[winniedapooh]

We did it. We cancelled our DCL trip in January and booked with RCL. We originally had 2 4B on the Fantasy and got a Royal Suite and are still saving $3000...I am more than a little nervous. My family, while they are all Disney nuts, are more than a lot excited! They want to try some different itineraries and something different. I was the lone holdout...I hope we made the right choice lol!

 

[Quellman]

People have great vacations on all sorts of cruiselines. I think that you have the potential for a great one too!

 

[mcd2745]

Which RC ship? We've been on Oasis of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas (twice - although the first one was a Nickelodeon cruise, so not a typical experience). While we consider DCL to be better overall and would choose them if prices were equal, RC cruises are excellent also. Can't argue with getting a suite and saving 3k. We recently did the same. We just got off Freedom 9 days ago. We were originally booked on the Fantasy for double what the Freedom cost us. There will be a couple of times where you feel yourself missing DCL, but not enough to justify the price difference.

 

[bumbershoot]

Fun! What itinerary and ship?

 

[Orukal]

Never cruised RCL, only Disney, but I would still think that there's nothing to be nervous about. Enjoy!

 

[tinkerone]

we have gone this way for 2016. i'm very excited about it. to me, saving money = more cruises. win, win.

 

[Bree]

I really like RCCL and have cruised on them a lot, but I haven't been on the Oasis or Quantum class yet. You will have a great time! I found more to do on their ships than I did with DCL. I have a cruise booked with them April 2016 and almost booked with them for December 2016. The itinerary with NCL won out though.

 

[KashasMom]

We just did both NCL Getaway and RCI Oasis last month. Don't worry....there is life after DCL! We found both of those ships had a lot to do for the kids in our group (ranged from 6 to 17). The Aqua and Ice Skating shows on Oasis were great. Enjoyed the food best on NCL (even over DCL). New itineraries are exciting too. Crew was great. Relax and enjoy!

 

[starvenger]

I'm sure the kids will enjoy it! I mean, Dreamworks and Barbie don't quite compare to the vast characters that Disney has, but they are fine as substitutes.

If you're on one of the newer ships, Adventure Ocean is great for the kids, and the specialty restaurants are reasonably priced for them as well.

 

[RebelHawk]

We canceled our place holder DCL cruise and booked a ABD Peru trip for 2016. We are then going to look at doing a RCL cruise in 2017 to try them out. 2018 will be another ABD TBD and then I think we will try Celebrity. A lot can happen in a few short years but we are DVC owners so we will always get our Disney fix it just will not be on DCL for long while.

 

[FloridaBabe]

I am sure there will be DCL comparisons when you are onboard but I would bet you find a lot of things you like too, it get's off to a great start with the saving! After our next DCL we have jumped ship to Celebrity.

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

We canceled our place holder DCL cruise and booked a ABD Peru trip for 2016. We are then going to look at doing a RCL cruise in 2017 to try them out. 2018 will be another ABD TBD and then I think we will try Celebrity. A lot can happen in a few short years but we are DVC owners so we will always get our Disney fix it just will not be on DCL for long while.

You will LOVE thr ABD Peru trip!! We went in April 2014.

 

[Frozen2014]

Which ship? We decided on an RCL cruise too for next year and are booked on Allure. It looks very kid friendly with tons to do. Have also heard that the kids club is great and even better than Disney. I like the fact that RCL is family centered as opposed to kid centered. Enjoy.

 

[starvenger]

Which ship? We decided on an RCL cruise too for next year and are booked on Allure. It looks very kid friendly with tons to do. Have also heard that the kids club is great and even better than Disney. I like the fact that RCL is family centered as opposed to kid centered. Enjoy.

I've been on the Allure twice. Kids program is very good. Giovanni's Table is the specialty restaurant I would recommend to go to, as well as Johnny Rocket's for a breakfast (no charge) on the Boardwalk.

 

[mcd2745]

Which ship? We decided on an RCL cruise too for next year and are booked on Allure. It looks very kid friendly with tons to do. Have also heard that the kids club is great and even better than Disney. I like the fact that RCL is family centered as opposed to kid centered. Enjoy.

My daughter loves the clubs on both DCL & RCCL. She wants to be in there all day, every day on both lines. Just some things to note about the kids clubs if you've never been on RCCL...

- they are not open on embarkation day except to register children. not sure why that is. we didn't realize that when we went on Oasis 2 years ago. we made reservations to see "Hairspray" the first night, but missed it because we couldn't drop DD off at the kids club.

- there is a charge of $7 per hour per child from 10pm - 2am (what they call the "late night party zone").

- they are not always open continuously all day, especially on sea days. they'll be open from 9am - noon, close for 2 hours and reopen from 2pm-5pm, close again, and then re-open at 6:45 or 7pm for the remainder of the night.

 

[winniedapooh]

We are booked onto the Freedom of the Seas in a Royal Suite. I can't believe I am saving 3K with this. There will be 7 of us. DH, myself, DD 25, DS 20, DD 18, DGF 18, and DD 8. I think the toughest will be for 8 yo special needs DD who would spend her entire vacation in the kids club if we let her, lol. I am hoping she likes this as much. We will be going to Labadee, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. It is really me that is nervous, DCherubs and DH think I am nuts and it will be fine, lol!

 

[mcd2745]

We are booked onto the Freedom of the Seas in a Royal Suite. I can't believe I am saving 3K with this. There will be 7 of us. DH, myself, DD 25, DS 20, DD 18, DGF 18, and DD 8. I think the toughest will be for 8 yo special needs DD who would spend her entire vacation in the kids club if we let her, lol. I am hoping she likes this as much. We will be going to Labadee, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. It is really me that is nervous, DCherubs and DH think I am nuts and it will be fine, lol!

We just got off the Freedom (exact same itinerary) 10 days ago. You'll be fine and will enjoy it. That said, it's inevitable that you will make comparisons to DCL and there will be moments where you say "I miss DCL" or "DCL does this better" - but not enough to justify the extra 3K. Most things, such as the food, are just as good

The biggest "turn-off" if you will, for me, is the relentless hawking of merchandise on FoS. This is mainly in the Royal Promenade and can be avoided for the most part. Also, take note of the things I mentioned about the kids club a few posts back for the 8-yr old.

Fire away if you have any questions.

 

[holula]

We just did both NCL Getaway and RCI Oasis last month. Don't worry....there is life after DCL! We found both of those ships had a lot to do for the kids in our group (ranged from 6 to 17). The Aqua and Ice Skating shows on Oasis were great. Enjoyed the food best on NCL (even over DCL). New itineraries are exciting too. Crew was great. Relax and enjoy!

I loved NCL Epic, and Freedom and Oasis of the Seas. All three of them are so much fun. I agree that NCL had the best food especially the buffet. Freedom is a beautiful ship with tons of stuff to do. I do miss DCL occasionally - I miss the horn, the sail away party, and the welcome onboard - but DCL has outpriced me when I can do an eight night on Freedom for less than $1600 for two. Labadee is absolutely wonderful. Suite guests also have their own beach that they share with the people who rent cabanas and the water is so clear and lovely and calm.

 

[bumbershoot]

My son likes the club on Dream, but really likes the experience of the club on Royal's ships. They are smaller and more simple, but the counselors really get to know the kids, and interact MUCH more than the Disney counselors. That makes all the difference for my son.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

I am sure there will be DCL comparisons when you are onboard but I would bet you find a lot of things you like too, it get's off to a great start with the saving! After our next DCL we have jumped ship to Celebrity.

Amen...Every time we get on an RCL ship we find something that evokes a "this is what Disney needs to do" comparison, and every time we get on a Disney ship we find something that evokes a "this is what RCL needs to do" comparison. Comparisons are inevitable. The good news is that after about five minutes, you either run out of things to compare or your brain shifts firmly into "we're on a cruise, I'm shutting down now. Wake me when you get off the ship" mode and you stop comparing and start enjoying.