Mediterranean Cruise (12-14 nights)?

[OurLaughingPlace]

We've done two Disney cruises - they were perfect! Western and Eastern Caribbean, one week each. We are planning on a cruise in August 2017 with a group of 16. DCL seems so much more expensive than Royal Caribbean, especially with the exchange on the Canadian dollar. Has anyone done a 12-14 night Mediterranean cruise with Royal Caribbean? Can you share your opinion? We loved the dining rotation / servers rotating with us and bringing alcohol on board - I know that this is different on Royal Caribbean. Any information is appreciated as we are in the early stages of planning. We will have children aged 18, 18, 15, 15, 9, 7, 5 - all girls. Also, is there an adult only area on RC? Can our 18 year olds join us there? TIA

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't mind being in one dining room, personally. The rotation of rooms on dcl seems unnecessary to me.

You might not be aware that DCL's alcohol policy has changed? It is still more generous than RCCL's but it's nothing like it was. 2 bottles of wine OR 6 12oz containers of beer per person (of drinkin age) at embarkation. Their wording says that you can bring more of the same onboard at each port but one of the first cruises after implementation wasn't allowing that to happen, it seems.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

I don't mind being in one dining room, personally. The rotation of rooms on dcl seems unnecessary to me.

You might not be aware that DCL's alcohol policy has changed? It is still more generous than RCCL's but it's nothing like it was. 2 bottles of wine OR 6 12oz containers of beer per person (of drinkin age) at embarkation. Their wording says that you can bring more of the same onboard at each port but one of the first cruises after implementation wasn't allowing that to happen, it seems.

Did not know about the alcohol policy change - that was a definite bonus of DCL. Thanks for heads up.
We are probably ok with one dining room, but was thinking that after 12-14 nights, variety would be nice. I need to research more with RCCL for sure. Thank you bumbershoot.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yes, 12-14 nights might get a little boring. I've actually heard that the Windjammer is rather decent for dinner, FWIW.

Did you see that costcotravel is now available for Canadians? Not sure if Royal is booking through them yet, but you might check it out. (of course, Dreams Unlimited, I assume, works with Canadians as well!) (for Americans, at least, Costco gives OBC for Royal bookings, and I like that)

 

[Dug720]

I can let you know after July 13! I'm doing the 12-night Med/Venice cruise July 1-13. Granted I'm not sure I'll be in the main dining room every night...

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

I can let you know after July 13! I'm doing the 12-night Med/Venice cruise July 1-13. Granted I'm not sure I'll be in the main dining room every night...

Fantastic! Thank you. Hope you have a great trip. We (I am main planner) are planning for 23 (10 family and 13 friends)- always have done DCL (and loved it), but with exchange, we feel like we need to try a more affordable cruise line. I have only ever done Disney, so I need to start researching RCCL. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[rlk]

I can't speak about RCCL, but my family went on a 12 night NCL Med cruise this past August. We had no time to be bored because the cruise was port intensive with only 2 sea days.

 

[Dug720]

Fantastic! Thank you. Hope you have a great trip. We (I am main planner) are planning for 23 (10 family and 13 friends)- always have done DCL (and loved it), but with exchange, we feel like we need to try a more affordable cruise line. I have only ever done Disney, so I need to start researching RCCL. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks! I'm super excited about it. I've only been on one RCCL cruise - the Radiance of the Seas to Alaska this past summer. I enjoyed it and found it much more similar to DCL than Holland America was last summer. Next summer is a big birthday for me, so I decided to splurge on a special trip and settled on this one primarily because of the overnight stay in Venice!! The little added perk is it's on the Brilliance of the Seas, which is a sister of the Radiance. I find this class much more similar to DCL's style as they are among the smaller ships in RCCL's fleet - so not all of the bells and whistles like flow riders and ice rinks, but I felt like I was on a ship when I was in Alaska, and that is why I cruise... to BE ON A SHIP!!! If I want the feel of a land-based resort, I'll stay at a land-based resort!

 

[ldo]

we took a smaller RRCL ship to the Baltics a few summers ago. It was very nice. The kids clubs for under 12 allow kids to stay until dinnertime if it is a port day, in case a younger child does not want to go on a long excursion. On sea days kids club is usually 9-12, 2-5, 7-10 with breaks for lunch/dinner. My kids enjoyed the ship. Because of the intensive port days, there is really not time to get bored on the ship. They have some good shows, like fake "Beatles" often on the European sailings and also native cultural entertainment (we had Finnish folk singers).

 

[Lisa Lisa]

We are also jumping ship to RCCL for the Med. We're booked on the Brilliance of the Seas for a 12-Night Med Greek Isles itinerary departing Barcelona on 6/19/16. I would have loved to sail DCL to the Med, but the price difference was out of control -- The DCL cruise (same length and almost identical itinerary) would have been $4000 more. And that isn't even comparing apples to apples because I priced a balcony room on RCCL and an oceanview on DCL! DH and I were on the Radiance of the Seas years ago, and it was a gorgeous ship. I've read that Brilliance is in great shape, and she was recently refurbished. There are a handful of specialty restaurants, and we're planning to hit a few of them to break up the monotony of the MDR. We got a bunch of OBC from Costco, so we'll put that toward the upcharges. I'm a little nervous since we're only sailed DCL in recent years, but as we get into the serious planning I'm getting more and more excited! I'll give a full report when we get back.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

We are also jumping ship to RCCL for the Med. We're booked on the Brilliance of the Seas for a 12-Night Med Greek Isles itinerary departing Barcelona on 6/19/16. I would have loved to sail DCL to the Med, but the price difference was out of control -- The DCL cruise (same length and almost identical itinerary) would have been $4000 more. And that isn't even comparing apples to apples because I priced a balcony room on RCCL and an oceanview on DCL! DH and I were on the Radiance of the Seas years ago, and it was a gorgeous ship. I've read that Brilliance is in great shape, and she was recently refurbished. There are a handful of specialty restaurants, and we're planning to hit a few of them to break up the monotony of the MDR. We got a bunch of OBC from Costco, so we'll put that toward the upcharges. I'm a little nervous since we're only sailed DCL in recent years, but as we get into the serious planning I'm getting more and more excited! I'll give a full report when we get back.

This is such good information! Thank you very much - it's just what I was looking for. We were pricing the DCL and it was ridiculous (made even worse by adding on the exchange from US/Canadian dollar right now). We are hoping to fly into Barcelona and it sounds like your itinerary is just what we are planning on doing. I guess I was nervous because it was so much cheaper to do RCCL than DCL (so I figured there must be a catch) but from what I'm hearing, RCCL is fantastic and DCL (which we love) is just so much more expensive. I would really appreciate it if you gave me a full report and any tips/advice after your trip. We are planning on all balcony rooms too (I figure it could be a once in a life time trip to the Mediterranean so we might as well get a balcony). Hope you have a great trip and thanks for your reply

 

[ldo]

there is no "catch." Sailing RCCL in Europe is an excellent choice for value and there are few noticeable differences b/c you are in port a lot of days and super tired from touring when you come back. Think of it more like a floating hotel where you are gone all day (like marathon WDW days) with some entertainment vs. a Carrib. cruise where it is more like an all inclusive resort where daily activities are more important. We definitely notice the difference in the Carrib. and really miss the theater with 1st run movies for our teens, shows, and the rotation (and better, IMHO) dining on DCL.
On RCCL, the entertainment shows do not compare with Broadway quality DCL, but who cares. Many nights we were too tired to even go--we just watched a movie on TV. RCCL also has better entertainment in Europe, as well--just not Broadway-typed shows (except on the bigger ships). We prefer DCL food, but if you commit to just pay extra for a few nights of specialty dining, that would be fine. RCCL MDR food is fine, just not memorable--reminds me of eating at Outback/Applebees. Standard RRCL rooms are smaller--but who cares. We sailed to the Baltics for less than 1/2 of the DCL price. That difference paid for us to stay for 1 week pre-cruise in Europe. I have also jumped ship to NCL (Epic) and although the bathrooms are weird on the Epic, that was also fine and 1/2 the price of DCL.
Interestingly, DCL for the Baltics and Norway next year were = or cheaper than other cruiselines for a family of 4--go figure.
I also suggest looking on trip reports here and on cruisecritic.com for the ports that you can DIY and save a lot of $$. Naples is one. It's easy (and safe, IMHO) to DIY from the port to Pompeii with a family of 4 for under $100 total with a little pre-research/planning.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

there is no "catch." Sailing RCCL in Europe is an excellent choice for value and there are few noticeable differences b/c you are in port a lot of days and super tired from touring when you come back. Think of it more like a floating hotel where you are gone all day (like marathon WDW days) with some entertainment vs. a Carrib. cruise where it is more like an all inclusive resort where daily activities are more important. We definitely notice the difference in the Carrib. and really miss the theater with 1st run movies for our teens, shows, and the rotation (and better, IMHO) dining on DCL.
On RCCL, the entertainment shows do not compare with Broadway quality DCL, but who cares. Many nights we were too tired to even go--we just watched a movie on TV. RCCL also has better entertainment in Europe, as well--just not Broadway-typed shows (except on the bigger ships). We prefer DCL food, but if you commit to just pay extra for a few nights of specialty dining, that would be fine. RCCL MDR food is fine, just not memorable--reminds me of eating at Outback/Applebees. Standard RRCL rooms are smaller--but who cares. We sailed to the Baltics for less than 1/2 of the DCL price. That difference paid for us to stay for 1 week pre-cruise in Europe. I have also jumped ship to NCL (Epic) and although the bathrooms are weird on the Epic, that was also fine and 1/2 the price of DCL.
Interestingly, DCL for the Baltics and Norway next year were = or cheaper than other cruiselines for a family of 4--go figure.
I also suggest looking on trip reports here and on cruisecritic.com for the ports that you can DIY and save a lot of $$. Naples is one. It's easy (and safe, IMHO) to DIY from the port to Pompeii with a family of 4 for under $100 total with a little pre-research/planning.

Fantastic help. I appreciate the dinner suggestions, entertainment opinions and DIY excursion ideas. I will definitely check out cruisecritic.com. The more I hear, the more I think that RCCL will be perfect for our group. Thank you very much for your time and review.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Thanks! I'm super excited about it. I've only been on one RCCL cruise - the Radiance of the Seas to Alaska this past summer. I enjoyed it and found it much more similar to DCL than Holland America was last summer. Next summer is a big birthday for me, so I decided to splurge on a special trip and settled on this one primarily because of the overnight stay in Venice!! The little added perk is it's on the Brilliance of the Seas, which is a sister of the Radiance. I find this class much more similar to DCL's style as they are among the smaller ships in RCCL's fleet - so not all of the bells and whistles like flow riders and ice rinks, but I felt like I was on a ship when I was in Alaska, and that is why I cruise... to BE ON A SHIP!!! If I want the feel of a land-based resort, I'll stay at a land-based resort!

Also booked the 12 night BOS cruise but we are going in September 2016!! I am glad to read positive comments on here about BOS, as I was worried about her age.

I had a 7 night DCL Med cruise booked for 5k for OV, 2A2C; to add my mom the price would have been around 8k for family balcony. I ended up with an OV family room for all 5 of us, on a 12 night on BOS, for 6k. The main thing I wanted was the longer cruise. The downside is I was going to do b2b on DCL with the WBTA and I can't do that with BOS. I haven't cancelled my WBTA yet, as I need to see what is going on with my husband's job before we can firm up our plans and I'm hedging my bets

I briefly booked a 10 night on Carnival's new ship, the Vista, and was going to cancel BOS and go with the brand new Vista with all the bells and whistles. But then I was looking at the size of the Vista-- she is a HUGE ship, and I really prefer smaller ships. Plus my mom has never been to Venice and wanted that stop. So instead I cancelled Carnival and stuck with BOS. It will be the first RCCL cruise for our kids (9 and 12 by then).

We also strayed from DCL and did Celebrity to Alaska this summer and the kids LOVED the kids club. Celebrity had a package you could pay where the kids could stay in the kids club all the extra hours for the length of the cruise. Does anyone know if RCCL has the same?

 

[LemonNeko]

This is such good information! Thank you very much - it's just what I was looking for. We were pricing the DCL and it was ridiculous (made even worse by adding on the exchange from US/Canadian dollar right now). We are hoping to fly into Barcelona and it sounds like your itinerary is just what we are planning on doing. I guess I was nervous because it was so much cheaper to do RCCL than DCL (so I figured there must be a catch) but from what I'm hearing, RCCL is fantastic and DCL (which we love) is just so much more expensive. I would really appreciate it if you gave me a full report and any tips/advice after your trip. We are planning on all balcony rooms too (I figure it could be a once in a life time trip to the Mediterranean so we might as well get a balcony). Hope you have a great trip and thanks for your reply

Not sure if you have seen this posted but you can get OBC with Royal with a 10% exchange rate as long as you booked in CAN $. This was a super savings for us. The kids clubs on Royal aren't as flashy as DCL but my son loved it. He wasn't born when I went on DCL so I can't compare how much he would like it. I've read not having a casino costs DCL a lot and that is part of the reason they charge more but the real reason is likely "that they can". The charge for the kids club after 10:00pm was $5/hr (this was on Freedom). I didn't see anything were you can buy for the entire cruise.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

Not sure if you have seen this posted but you can get OBC with Royal with a 10% exchange rate as long as you booked in CAN $. This was a super savings for us. The kids clubs on Royal aren't as flashy as DCL but my son loved it. He wasn't born when I went on DCL so I can't compare how much he would like it. I've read not having a casino costs DCL a lot and that is part of the reason they charge more but the real reason is likely "that they can". The charge for the kids club after 10:00pm was $5/hr (this was on Freedom). I didn't see anything were you can buy for the entire cruise.

With exchange rates the way they are (with no end in sight) the 10% exchange is fantastic to know about. Thank you for getting me this information.

 

[Dug720]

Also booked the 12 night BOS cruise but we are going in September 2016!! I am glad to read positive comments on here about BOS, as I was worried about her age.

I had a 7 night DCL Med cruise booked for 5k for OV, 2A2C; to add my mom the price would have been around 8k for family balcony. I ended up with an OV family room for all 5 of us, on a 12 night on BOS, for 6k. The main thing I wanted was the longer cruise. The downside is I was going to do b2b on DCL with the WBTA and I can't do that with BOS. I haven't cancelled my WBTA yet, as I need to see what is going on with my husband's job before we can firm up our plans and I'm hedging my bets

I briefly booked a 10 night on Carnival's new ship, the Vista, and was going to cancel BOS and go with the brand new Vista with all the bells and whistles. But then I was looking at the size of the Vista-- she is a HUGE ship, and I really prefer smaller ships. Plus my mom has never been to Venice and wanted that stop. So instead I cancelled Carnival and stuck with BOS. It will be the first RCCL cruise for our kids (9 and 12 by then).

We also strayed from DCL and did Celebrity to Alaska this summer and the kids LOVED the kids club. Celebrity had a package you could pay where the kids could stay in the kids club all the extra hours for the length of the cruise. Does anyone know if RCCL has the same?

I can't comment on Brilliance, but this summer I went to Alaska on Radiance (Brilliance's older sister) and found her in excellent shape. I'm expecting nothing less on Brilliance. It is really hard to beat all the glass and views on the Radiance class ships!!

 

[Denise W]

I can't comment on Brilliance, but this summer I went to Alaska on Radiance (Brilliance's older sister) and found her in excellent shape. I'm expecting nothing less on Brilliance. It is really hard to beat all the glass and views on the Radiance class ships!!

We just got off the Brilliance repo cruise (13 days Boston to Tampa). We found the ship beautiful, in fantastic shape, and spotless. On board we booked the Anthem 12 day cruise from NJ for late October next year. We had a great time and highly recommend Royal (and we have done 7 Disney cruises).
Denise

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Thanks for the info on BOS! I feel very good about my choice now. Let's just hope we can swing it financially.

 

[Dug720]

We just got off the Brilliance repo cruise (13 days Boston to Tampa). We found the ship beautiful, in fantastic shape, and spotless. On board we booked the Anthem 12 day cruise from NJ for late October next year. We had a great time and highly recommend Royal (and we have done 7 Disney cruises).
Denise

Awesome! Thanks for the info! I know that the destination (Italy) is really the star of the show for my cruise, but it's nice that my home away from home will be shining as well!

Can you comment on what kinds of fitness things were offered? Example, was there yoga? And was it at an additional cost? Thanks!