We now have cruised with both cruise lines and hopefully this review will provide information to those of you are who trying to decide whether to book DCL or RCCL.
We just got off the Voyager on Sunday. First off, we have been planning this cruise for over a year and were really looking forward to cruising for the first time on a mega ship. This is always a much anticipated vacation as once a year my mother takes my family (my dh, me and our 3 boys), my brother and his family (dw and dd) and herself on a family reunion vacation. This review may be helpful (or not) to those thinking of trying RCI.
Our vacation began at 3:00 am on Saturday, August 16. We booked the cruise, air and transfers through RCI and flew in the day before. We arrived at my Moms at 5:00 am where a shuttle was to pick us all up at 5:15am. We arrived at the airport, checked in and when I turned around a long line had formed. This was a good omen since our flights turned out to be wonderful. We flew on Continental and never having flown Continental before I have to say the flights and connections were flawless. We were served a light breakfast. Last year when we did the Disney cruise, we flew Delta and we were served drinks and pretzels for breakfast. Needless to say we were starving by the time we arrived in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Our former TA neglected to tell us that Delta was no longer serving food. We arrived in Houston early, got off at one gate only to find our connecting flight right next to us! We had about 30 minutes before we would leave for Miami. With Disney, the Delta connecting flights were always at gates a good distance away and we had longer layover times. We arrived in Miami about 5:25pm, proceeded to the baggage claim area and were met by RCI rep. We gathered our luggage (along with another family) and proceeded down to another baggage carousel where we met up with my brother and his family and some other Voyager passengers. We were then led to the transfer bus and our luggage loaded. There seemed to be a bit of confusion as another RCI rep announced we were waiting for two more passengers. After 25 minutes or so, I told my dh Go have a cigarette and just as he stepped off the bus to do so, the bus driver told him we were leaving the other people werent coming. We dropped off some passengers at a Hilton and then proceeded to the Miami Hyatt where we arrived about 7:20 pm.
The hotel was nice. The rooms were all right and appeared to have recently been redone. However, the lighting over the sink area was pretty bad. We had connecting rooms which were downright freezing. The air conditioning had been turned on to the coldest in each room so it took a while to warm up a bit. I have to say the beds were comfortable but the tiny little pillows were horrible. Oh, how I wished I had brought my own!! For the sake of convenience, we all decided to eat at the Riverwalk Café. The food was just okay and pretty expensive. Breakfast at the coffee counter was expensive as well. I would not recommend eating there. If you have the time to eat elsewhere by all means do it. After dinner we headed back up to the refrigerator to try to get some sleep. I was awakened about 4:00 am by a woman crying hysterically in the hallway but as I got to the door I heard a door open and close and didnt hear anything after that. I never got back to sleep after that. My mother went back to her room and was getting ready for bed when she heard the door being opened. A man who worked for the hotel came into her room, asked her in broken English if she was checking out and she responded No, please leave which he promptly did. I would suggest putting out the Do Not Disturb sign. I have to say the Orlando Hyatt at the Airport was a much better hotel all around.
We were on the first bus from the Hyatt. It was very exciting to see the Voyager docked at the pier. It is an extremely beautiful ship. Check-in was very easy and because we had a suite we were directed to a separate check-in line. RCI personnel were helpful and friendly.
We had the 2-bedroom suite (9394) aft. Very candidly -- it pales in comparison to Disney Magic's 2-bedroom suite. The décor is very plain and there were no pictures in the living room area. This is very surprising since RCI takes pride in the fact that they spent a lot of money on artwork and decorations for the ship. The sofa was as hard as a rock and very uncomfortable. Disney Magic has a nice bar area with a sink while this suite did not. The second bedroom can sleep up to four people (two twin beds and to upper pull-down bunks). There was a well-sized walk-in closet for the second bedroom right across from the bathroom. There was not a lot of storage in the second bedroom itself. The master bedroom had a queen-sized bed which was fairly comfortable and it did have ample storage. You can store your suitcases under the beds in both bedrooms. Both bathrooms had adequate storage. Master bath had a tub and the second bath had a shower. The lighting was bad in both bathrooms as well as in the vanity area in the master bedroom. While the aft balcony was very large we decided we probably wouldn't book an aft balcony again. When in port I prefer looking out into the town or down on the dock. I really didnt care for looking out at the water. This is just my personal opinion. Our room steward, Carlos, was mediocre at best. He never filled our ice bucket until the very last night.
Francois Roux is the ships Concierge. The difference between RCI and Disney concierge was vastly different. With RCI, if you needed anything you had to call or go to the concierge lounge. With Disney, you get a daily phone message and the concierge team stopped by daily. With both you are able to check out movies (Disney: video tapes; RCI: DVDs). RCI also had magazines to check out. While Francois was pleasant and did make our Portofino reservations and got our ice skating show tickets, I think the concierge service on the Disney Magic is far superior. The concierge team would stop by daily (sometimes twice) to inquire whether you had a need for anything. They were quite obliging and willing to go to great lengths regardless of what your request was. I didnt get this feeling from RCI. Francois commented to my dh that our cruise was very slow in terms of people actually using the concierge lounge which was nice. He said there seemed to be more families than couples and singles. My guess that the lounge was slower than usual is probably due to the fact that no children under 18 are allowed in the lounge after 5:00pm. Apparently RCI had to change their policy due to some unruly behavior on the part of prior passengers kids. However, on one occasion a woman brought her two sons in and she was told they were not allowed in the next time. You are not allowed to bring in other family members unless they are booked in a Cat. B or higher. My brother and his family had a Cat. C stateroom (9284) and it was lovely. I would consider booking two of these rooms over the suite. Our Mom had Cat. H stateroom (3616). I never saw it but she commented on how nice it was and how quiet it was even though it was a connecting stateroom. She was a bit leery since she had a connecting stateroom on Disney Magic and she could hear everything in the cabin next door. She gave this connecting stateroom a two-thumbs up.
We thought food was good but not great. We had table 296 in the Carmen dining room (deck 3). The dining room is on three levels and is absolutely beautiful. While we would have preferred a table not so tucked away in the corner we did have a wonderful waiter (Glen from India) and assistant waiter (Nengah from Indonesia) who made up for our table location. The food in the Windjammer/Island Grill seemed to always be lukewarm and never hot. I have to say that Cheryl the "Good morning, good morning" girl started to grate on my nerves after a day or so and I certainly didn't want to hear it on the last morning! We did eat in Portofino on the second formal night (Thursday). The food was very good. However, we thought that $20 was a little steep compared to the $5 they charge for dining in Palo on Disney Magic. The food served in Palo is far superior. We did eat in Johnny Rockets. You must wait in line and while the line can be long it does move quickly even though we thought the service was a bit on the slow side. They bring you French fries and onion rings right off the bat and both are very good. The milkshakes are to die for!!! We thought the hamburgers were nothing special and were cold. We purchased soda cards for the kids. Definitely worth it!!! We did not purchase the wine package simply because the varieties to choose from were rather limited.
I cant comment on the kids clubs since our kids did not participate in any of the activities either on the Voyager or on Disney. However, last year my 14yo went to Common Ground on the Disney Magic. He had the time of his life and was out until 1 or 2 in the morning. We hardly ever saw him! He went to Teen Optix on the Voyager but really didnt meet anyone to hang out with. I think he thought it would be more like Disney. He was pretty disappointed. The ages of kids seemed to be 12 and under and 17 and over.
The ice skating show is spectacular and not to be missed!!! We happened to be in one of the shops after dinner on the first night and saw the Bon Voyage Parade. It was lots of fun and those people who have atrium rooms would have a spectacular view! Never saw any other shows as we had late seating and shows for us were at 10:45pm. I do like the way Disney does their shows. If you have first seating you go after you eat and if you have second seating you go before you eat. With RCI, the shows are seen after you eat and we usually did not get out of the dining room until 10:00pm. We find it difficult to stay up late anymore and then get up early to go on excursions!!
I did not book any spa treatments. I had a facial on a Princess cruise several years ago and while it was lovely I did not enjoy the product pushing afterward. My sister-in-law did book a massage which she said was very nice.
RCI has interactive TVs in the room. You can check your SeaPass balance, order movies ($9.95), watch taped shows from the night before, book excursions, etc. This was a nice feature especially if you are concerned about your kids charging things.
We really liked Labadee in spite of the fact that it was very hot. We decided that this would be just a beach day since we would be doing excursions in the rest of the ports. The best beach was the second one to the left as you got off the tender. I can't find my map to see what the name of the beach is. The beach barbecue was very good.
In Ocho Rios, we did Dunn's River Falls with Peat Taylor http://www.geocities.com/peattaylor/island_tour.html. We missed his first bus to the Falls (driven by Marvin) and luckily we got Peat. He took us on a little tour to Fern Gully and pointed out highlights. Peat really does a nice job of explaining about Jamaica. The falls were a lot of fun but crowded and were even more crowded as we left. I posted a question on cruise critic inquiring whether it was safe for my Mom who is 76 and has had 2 hip replacements to go. Most replies said she should be fine. After having been there and even though she walks daily and is in pretty good shape for her age the falls would definitely have been difficult for her. I read on cruise critic that you should exit where you enter the Falls. However, security diverted everyone through the market place. The vendors are persistent and really want to sell their goods. You have to be firm and just say no, keep your eyes down and walk straight through. Beware as the vendors will ask you or your children what your name is. Do not give vendors any information. If you give them your name they will write it on an item and then try to get you to buy it.
In Grand Cayman, we did the RCI excursion Stingray City/Snorkeling Combo at 8:30am. We debated between going with RCI or Captain Marvin. RCI was excursion was great. I worried a little about the complaints about so many people on the RCI Stingray City excursions. We didn't find this to be a problem. We went to Stingray City first and as we were leaving it was becoming extremely crowded. Be sure to take the first excursion with whoever you choose!! We then proceeded to "The Aquarium" the snorkeling was beautiful!!
In Cozumel, we did the Jungle Jeep tour http://www.travelnotes.cc/cozumel/links/todoreviews/jeep.html. We met Richard (the owner) and Susan at the No Name Bar and we were the only ones on the tour. It was the five of us and my brother. We had two jeeps and Susan was our guide. She was excellent. This turned out to be our own personal tour and the best thing we did overall! We passed by the cruise ship jeep excursion. There had to be at least 15 jeeps. Ride was extremely bumpy in spots. We visited two Mayan ruins and had lunch on a beautiful beach. We had the entire beach to ourselves! Dh, my oldest ds, my brother and Susan went snorkeling. They all said how beautiful it was and it was great snorkeling. I stayed on the beach with two youngest kids. Lunch of chicken, rice, tortillas, marinated onions, salsa, soda, beer and water was provided. The chicken was excellent!!
We spent our last day at sea by the pool. I thought pool area was great. Had to get used to salt water since Disney pools are fresh water. There are 2 pools and 4 hot tubs. Two of the hot tubs are covered which is very nice. I have to say I prefer Voyager pool area over Disneys family pool. We didnt encounter any chair hogging. The pool attendants were quick to gather up any towels left on loungers that appeared to be abandoned. This is the pool area where they have live music, the horseracing, sexy legs contest, etc. While we didnt go to the adult pool I did go over to check it out. It is very nice and you cannot hear anything from the other pool area. The kids pool (Adventure Beach) was great because it was shaded yet there are areas in the sun to sit also. They also have kid-sized chairs and loungers very cute!! Youngest ds loved the slide. I took him on the first sea day but when my dh took him back later that afternoon the slide was closed due to a step being broken. I don't know if it was fixed during the cruise or not since ds didn't go back. He had more fun at the regular pools.
RCI did well in getting passengers off and on in the ports but debarkation was a nightmare!!! The speaker system was not working in many of the common areas so you never knew when your "color" was being called. We found it very odd that my Mom had "blue" and we had "gray" tags in spite of the fact that we were flying together. She did wait with us to debark. "Grays" were scheduled to debark between 9:30-10:30am. I think we actually stepped off the ship at 10:45 but proceeded to a rather long immigration line. We didn't leave the pier until 11:10am. RCI really needs to improve in this area. We barely made it to the airport in time and our flight was almost boarded as we got up to the gate. Disneys debarkation was efficient and went very smoothly.
We all had a great time but our kids said that they had a better time on our Disney cruise last year and since we are going back on the Disney Magic next year I will be anxious to see what they say after that cruise. I do have to agree with my kids -- I had a better time on the Disney Magic too but this doesnt mean that I wouldnt book another RCI cruise again. RCI does have some great itineraries and I would like to see some of their other ships.
We just got off the Voyager on Sunday. First off, we have been planning this cruise for over a year and were really looking forward to cruising for the first time on a mega ship. This is always a much anticipated vacation as once a year my mother takes my family (my dh, me and our 3 boys), my brother and his family (dw and dd) and herself on a family reunion vacation. This review may be helpful (or not) to those thinking of trying RCI.
Our vacation began at 3:00 am on Saturday, August 16. We booked the cruise, air and transfers through RCI and flew in the day before. We arrived at my Moms at 5:00 am where a shuttle was to pick us all up at 5:15am. We arrived at the airport, checked in and when I turned around a long line had formed. This was a good omen since our flights turned out to be wonderful. We flew on Continental and never having flown Continental before I have to say the flights and connections were flawless. We were served a light breakfast. Last year when we did the Disney cruise, we flew Delta and we were served drinks and pretzels for breakfast. Needless to say we were starving by the time we arrived in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Our former TA neglected to tell us that Delta was no longer serving food. We arrived in Houston early, got off at one gate only to find our connecting flight right next to us! We had about 30 minutes before we would leave for Miami. With Disney, the Delta connecting flights were always at gates a good distance away and we had longer layover times. We arrived in Miami about 5:25pm, proceeded to the baggage claim area and were met by RCI rep. We gathered our luggage (along with another family) and proceeded down to another baggage carousel where we met up with my brother and his family and some other Voyager passengers. We were then led to the transfer bus and our luggage loaded. There seemed to be a bit of confusion as another RCI rep announced we were waiting for two more passengers. After 25 minutes or so, I told my dh Go have a cigarette and just as he stepped off the bus to do so, the bus driver told him we were leaving the other people werent coming. We dropped off some passengers at a Hilton and then proceeded to the Miami Hyatt where we arrived about 7:20 pm.
The hotel was nice. The rooms were all right and appeared to have recently been redone. However, the lighting over the sink area was pretty bad. We had connecting rooms which were downright freezing. The air conditioning had been turned on to the coldest in each room so it took a while to warm up a bit. I have to say the beds were comfortable but the tiny little pillows were horrible. Oh, how I wished I had brought my own!! For the sake of convenience, we all decided to eat at the Riverwalk Café. The food was just okay and pretty expensive. Breakfast at the coffee counter was expensive as well. I would not recommend eating there. If you have the time to eat elsewhere by all means do it. After dinner we headed back up to the refrigerator to try to get some sleep. I was awakened about 4:00 am by a woman crying hysterically in the hallway but as I got to the door I heard a door open and close and didnt hear anything after that. I never got back to sleep after that. My mother went back to her room and was getting ready for bed when she heard the door being opened. A man who worked for the hotel came into her room, asked her in broken English if she was checking out and she responded No, please leave which he promptly did. I would suggest putting out the Do Not Disturb sign. I have to say the Orlando Hyatt at the Airport was a much better hotel all around.
We were on the first bus from the Hyatt. It was very exciting to see the Voyager docked at the pier. It is an extremely beautiful ship. Check-in was very easy and because we had a suite we were directed to a separate check-in line. RCI personnel were helpful and friendly.
We had the 2-bedroom suite (9394) aft. Very candidly -- it pales in comparison to Disney Magic's 2-bedroom suite. The décor is very plain and there were no pictures in the living room area. This is very surprising since RCI takes pride in the fact that they spent a lot of money on artwork and decorations for the ship. The sofa was as hard as a rock and very uncomfortable. Disney Magic has a nice bar area with a sink while this suite did not. The second bedroom can sleep up to four people (two twin beds and to upper pull-down bunks). There was a well-sized walk-in closet for the second bedroom right across from the bathroom. There was not a lot of storage in the second bedroom itself. The master bedroom had a queen-sized bed which was fairly comfortable and it did have ample storage. You can store your suitcases under the beds in both bedrooms. Both bathrooms had adequate storage. Master bath had a tub and the second bath had a shower. The lighting was bad in both bathrooms as well as in the vanity area in the master bedroom. While the aft balcony was very large we decided we probably wouldn't book an aft balcony again. When in port I prefer looking out into the town or down on the dock. I really didnt care for looking out at the water. This is just my personal opinion. Our room steward, Carlos, was mediocre at best. He never filled our ice bucket until the very last night.
Francois Roux is the ships Concierge. The difference between RCI and Disney concierge was vastly different. With RCI, if you needed anything you had to call or go to the concierge lounge. With Disney, you get a daily phone message and the concierge team stopped by daily. With both you are able to check out movies (Disney: video tapes; RCI: DVDs). RCI also had magazines to check out. While Francois was pleasant and did make our Portofino reservations and got our ice skating show tickets, I think the concierge service on the Disney Magic is far superior. The concierge team would stop by daily (sometimes twice) to inquire whether you had a need for anything. They were quite obliging and willing to go to great lengths regardless of what your request was. I didnt get this feeling from RCI. Francois commented to my dh that our cruise was very slow in terms of people actually using the concierge lounge which was nice. He said there seemed to be more families than couples and singles. My guess that the lounge was slower than usual is probably due to the fact that no children under 18 are allowed in the lounge after 5:00pm. Apparently RCI had to change their policy due to some unruly behavior on the part of prior passengers kids. However, on one occasion a woman brought her two sons in and she was told they were not allowed in the next time. You are not allowed to bring in other family members unless they are booked in a Cat. B or higher. My brother and his family had a Cat. C stateroom (9284) and it was lovely. I would consider booking two of these rooms over the suite. Our Mom had Cat. H stateroom (3616). I never saw it but she commented on how nice it was and how quiet it was even though it was a connecting stateroom. She was a bit leery since she had a connecting stateroom on Disney Magic and she could hear everything in the cabin next door. She gave this connecting stateroom a two-thumbs up.
We thought food was good but not great. We had table 296 in the Carmen dining room (deck 3). The dining room is on three levels and is absolutely beautiful. While we would have preferred a table not so tucked away in the corner we did have a wonderful waiter (Glen from India) and assistant waiter (Nengah from Indonesia) who made up for our table location. The food in the Windjammer/Island Grill seemed to always be lukewarm and never hot. I have to say that Cheryl the "Good morning, good morning" girl started to grate on my nerves after a day or so and I certainly didn't want to hear it on the last morning! We did eat in Portofino on the second formal night (Thursday). The food was very good. However, we thought that $20 was a little steep compared to the $5 they charge for dining in Palo on Disney Magic. The food served in Palo is far superior. We did eat in Johnny Rockets. You must wait in line and while the line can be long it does move quickly even though we thought the service was a bit on the slow side. They bring you French fries and onion rings right off the bat and both are very good. The milkshakes are to die for!!! We thought the hamburgers were nothing special and were cold. We purchased soda cards for the kids. Definitely worth it!!! We did not purchase the wine package simply because the varieties to choose from were rather limited.
I cant comment on the kids clubs since our kids did not participate in any of the activities either on the Voyager or on Disney. However, last year my 14yo went to Common Ground on the Disney Magic. He had the time of his life and was out until 1 or 2 in the morning. We hardly ever saw him! He went to Teen Optix on the Voyager but really didnt meet anyone to hang out with. I think he thought it would be more like Disney. He was pretty disappointed. The ages of kids seemed to be 12 and under and 17 and over.
The ice skating show is spectacular and not to be missed!!! We happened to be in one of the shops after dinner on the first night and saw the Bon Voyage Parade. It was lots of fun and those people who have atrium rooms would have a spectacular view! Never saw any other shows as we had late seating and shows for us were at 10:45pm. I do like the way Disney does their shows. If you have first seating you go after you eat and if you have second seating you go before you eat. With RCI, the shows are seen after you eat and we usually did not get out of the dining room until 10:00pm. We find it difficult to stay up late anymore and then get up early to go on excursions!!
I did not book any spa treatments. I had a facial on a Princess cruise several years ago and while it was lovely I did not enjoy the product pushing afterward. My sister-in-law did book a massage which she said was very nice.
RCI has interactive TVs in the room. You can check your SeaPass balance, order movies ($9.95), watch taped shows from the night before, book excursions, etc. This was a nice feature especially if you are concerned about your kids charging things.
We really liked Labadee in spite of the fact that it was very hot. We decided that this would be just a beach day since we would be doing excursions in the rest of the ports. The best beach was the second one to the left as you got off the tender. I can't find my map to see what the name of the beach is. The beach barbecue was very good.
In Ocho Rios, we did Dunn's River Falls with Peat Taylor http://www.geocities.com/peattaylor/island_tour.html. We missed his first bus to the Falls (driven by Marvin) and luckily we got Peat. He took us on a little tour to Fern Gully and pointed out highlights. Peat really does a nice job of explaining about Jamaica. The falls were a lot of fun but crowded and were even more crowded as we left. I posted a question on cruise critic inquiring whether it was safe for my Mom who is 76 and has had 2 hip replacements to go. Most replies said she should be fine. After having been there and even though she walks daily and is in pretty good shape for her age the falls would definitely have been difficult for her. I read on cruise critic that you should exit where you enter the Falls. However, security diverted everyone through the market place. The vendors are persistent and really want to sell their goods. You have to be firm and just say no, keep your eyes down and walk straight through. Beware as the vendors will ask you or your children what your name is. Do not give vendors any information. If you give them your name they will write it on an item and then try to get you to buy it.
In Grand Cayman, we did the RCI excursion Stingray City/Snorkeling Combo at 8:30am. We debated between going with RCI or Captain Marvin. RCI was excursion was great. I worried a little about the complaints about so many people on the RCI Stingray City excursions. We didn't find this to be a problem. We went to Stingray City first and as we were leaving it was becoming extremely crowded. Be sure to take the first excursion with whoever you choose!! We then proceeded to "The Aquarium" the snorkeling was beautiful!!
In Cozumel, we did the Jungle Jeep tour http://www.travelnotes.cc/cozumel/links/todoreviews/jeep.html. We met Richard (the owner) and Susan at the No Name Bar and we were the only ones on the tour. It was the five of us and my brother. We had two jeeps and Susan was our guide. She was excellent. This turned out to be our own personal tour and the best thing we did overall! We passed by the cruise ship jeep excursion. There had to be at least 15 jeeps. Ride was extremely bumpy in spots. We visited two Mayan ruins and had lunch on a beautiful beach. We had the entire beach to ourselves! Dh, my oldest ds, my brother and Susan went snorkeling. They all said how beautiful it was and it was great snorkeling. I stayed on the beach with two youngest kids. Lunch of chicken, rice, tortillas, marinated onions, salsa, soda, beer and water was provided. The chicken was excellent!!
We spent our last day at sea by the pool. I thought pool area was great. Had to get used to salt water since Disney pools are fresh water. There are 2 pools and 4 hot tubs. Two of the hot tubs are covered which is very nice. I have to say I prefer Voyager pool area over Disneys family pool. We didnt encounter any chair hogging. The pool attendants were quick to gather up any towels left on loungers that appeared to be abandoned. This is the pool area where they have live music, the horseracing, sexy legs contest, etc. While we didnt go to the adult pool I did go over to check it out. It is very nice and you cannot hear anything from the other pool area. The kids pool (Adventure Beach) was great because it was shaded yet there are areas in the sun to sit also. They also have kid-sized chairs and loungers very cute!! Youngest ds loved the slide. I took him on the first sea day but when my dh took him back later that afternoon the slide was closed due to a step being broken. I don't know if it was fixed during the cruise or not since ds didn't go back. He had more fun at the regular pools.
RCI did well in getting passengers off and on in the ports but debarkation was a nightmare!!! The speaker system was not working in many of the common areas so you never knew when your "color" was being called. We found it very odd that my Mom had "blue" and we had "gray" tags in spite of the fact that we were flying together. She did wait with us to debark. "Grays" were scheduled to debark between 9:30-10:30am. I think we actually stepped off the ship at 10:45 but proceeded to a rather long immigration line. We didn't leave the pier until 11:10am. RCI really needs to improve in this area. We barely made it to the airport in time and our flight was almost boarded as we got up to the gate. Disneys debarkation was efficient and went very smoothly.
We all had a great time but our kids said that they had a better time on our Disney cruise last year and since we are going back on the Disney Magic next year I will be anxious to see what they say after that cruise. I do have to agree with my kids -- I had a better time on the Disney Magic too but this doesnt mean that I wouldnt book another RCI cruise again. RCI does have some great itineraries and I would like to see some of their other ships.
