New to RCCL

[luapgib]

So I consider myself a DCL expert but as this will be our first time on RCCL I have questions.
1) Is dining significantly different?
2) will there be lengthy waits for slides, flow rider, laser tag compared to the aqua duck?
3) I understand that on Cococay there are things not included. Will there still be slides and such for a 15 and 11 year old that are included? Should we pay for the waterpark?
I am sure I will have more questions but this should give me enough to think about for now.

 

[hdrolfe]

So I consider myself a DCL expert but as this will be our first time on RCCL I have questions.
1) Is dining significantly different?
2) will there be lengthy waits for slides, flow rider, laser tag compared to the aqua duck?
3) I understand that on Cococay there are things not included. Will there still be slides and such for a 15 and 11 year old that are included? Should we pay for the waterpark?
I am sure I will have more questions but this should give me enough to think about for now.

Can't answer all your questions as I have never been on DCL.

For dining - do you have set time or my time? If you have set time, you will be assigned a table and it doesn't change. There is one dining room (I understand on DCL it's more than one and you rotate). Depending on the size of your party you may be assigned a table with other families. If you have my time dining, you can book your reservations in advance, the day of or just show up. There may be a wait if you just show up. You are more likely to get a table on your own with my time dining. Food is subjective so I won't compare But I liked that there was always something on the menu I could try and of course if you get something you don't like, ask for something else. There is often similar food in the buffet to what is on the menu.

Which ship will you be on? There is generally a wait for things but not excessive in my experience. Check the times for things like flow rider. We have always been able to do the activities we are interested in without too much of a wait.

If you are going to Coco Cay after May when the updates are done, there will be a pay water park with slides. If you are going before then, that part is not open. There is one inflatable water slide but you have to pay for it, same as the inflatables in the water. I have been there once and we enjoyed the water, however my son (age 9) has seen pictures of what is to come with the water slides and I've been told he's doing that all day. The bbq set up on Coco Cay is included, and usually the same or similar food to what is on the ship.

 

[starvenger]

So as you're probably aware the RCI fleet is much larger and more varied than DCL. So if you can let us know what ship (or ship class) you're on we can probably give you a better idea of what to expect.

So I consider myself a DCL expert but as this will be our first time on RCCL I have questions.
1) Is dining significantly different?

Yes. There's no rotational dining for the MDR but there is My Time Dining, which allows you to set your own time to eat instead of having a fixed time. Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Food wise it's not that different. There is a different theme and different menu every night - but you don't have to change restaurants to experience it.

2) will there be lengthy waits for slides, flow rider, laser tag compared to the aqua duck?

Maybe. For Flow Rider I'd suggest going the first hour it's open, to minimize your wait. The slides vary. Traditional waterslides go pretty quickly. If there's a toilet bowl/funnel slide that goes slowly. Neither are as slow as Aqua Duck typically seems to be.

3) I understand that on Cococay there are things not included. Will there still be slides and such for a 15 and 11 year old that are included? Should we pay for the waterpark?

I am sure I will have more questions but this should give me enough to think about for now.[/QUOTE]
I haven't been to Coco Cay (hopefully in Jan 2020 though) so I can't answer this one. But I've generally treated Labadee and Castaway Cay as beach days, no more and no less. The waterpark is an intriguing option as there are likely to be less people there and thus more slide time vs a waterpark at a port stop, but I think that is best answered by your ship's itinerary and your plan at the port stops.

 

[luapgib]

We a doing a 4 day on the mariner of the seas

 

[mnkev]

I have an additional question. Is there a fee for My Time Dining?

 

[hdrolfe]

I have an additional question. Is there a fee for My Time Dining?

No.

 

[Laz]

I have found that the best times to enjoy what the ship has to offer (flow rider, slides, etc.) is when the ship is in port. Most people are off the ship.

 

[sam_gordon]

3) I understand that on Cococay there are things not included. Will there still be slides and such for a 15 and 11 year old that are included? Should we pay for the waterpark?

I know they are renovating Cococay, but don't know when it's supposed to be complete. I'm pretty sure there are no slides available for free. We did the waterpark at Labadee and my 13 year old really enjoyed it. You do have to have some decent arm strength for some of the slides to pull yourself out of the water.

 

[Hrhpd]

So I consider myself a DCL expert but as this will be our first time on RCCL I have questions.
1) Is dining significantly different?
2) will there be lengthy waits for slides, flow rider, laser tag compared to the aqua duck?
3) I understand that on Cococay there are things not included. Will there still be slides and such for a 15 and 11 year old that are included? Should we pay for the waterpark?
I am sure I will have more questions but this should give me enough to think about for now.

If your kids are really looking forward to time on the Flowrider or other activities, you can always purchase "The Key" if it is available on your cruise.

Key holders get exclusive, dedicated access to the flowrider and the other activities. It is on sale right now and includes Voom Surf and Stream, so the extra perks are not that much more if you were planning to purchase internet access anyway. (Not worth it if you are a suite guest or not purchasing internet.) Some of the other perks are priority check-in and boarding, embarkation lunch at Chops, priority debarkation on tenders, The Key breakfast on last day, and the one that sold us, reserved seats at shows with no reservations required. This was a big, big perk for us since one of the things I hate about Disney is having to plan so much and make reservations months in advance. This way, if we feel like going to a show, we just show up and have great seats one row behind the suite guests.

It is new and on a trial right now, so not available on all cruises. But if your kids really want additional access to the Flowrider without lines (only available to first 100 people or 100 cabins depending on who you read) and you are willing to pay for exclusive access, it might be something to look into. It is kind of like a Fast Pass to the activities and shows with some additional perks.

 

[dmanwi]

We are deciding what to do in Nassau if anything. What are other peoples experiences? We don't want to shop or necessarily eat off-ship. We are considering a snorkeling excursion. Are the beaches nearby and nice? Or should we stay on-ship that day and enjoy our beach day at Cocoa Cay?

 

[starvenger]

Junkanoo Beach is about a 10-15 minute walk from the pier and is free. Is it nice? From what I understand, it pretty much looks like a public beach with all the warts that entails.

Might be a nicer free beach near Atlantis? Have not been there so I don't know for sure.

 

[mevelandry]

We are deciding what to do in Nassau if anything. What are other peoples experiences? We don't want to shop or necessarily eat off-ship. We are considering a snorkeling excursion. Are the beaches nearby and nice? Or should we stay on-ship that day and enjoy our beach day at Cocoa Cay?

Blue Lagoon is very nice and I heard some people enjoy a Balmoral Island Beach Day... We booked Pearl Island for our cruise in October but it's a bit more expensive than the previous two.

 

[ZerasPride]

DH and I enjoyed a day at Graycliff's chocolate factory when we got to see chocolate being made and make our own chocolate creations. It was so much fun! And it was one of the cheaper excursions offered through DCL which is the ship we were on at the time. I understand you can book it independently as well. Here is a link if you are interested.

http://www.graycliff.com/graycliff-chocolatier/

 

[Mrsjvb]

So I consider myself a DCL expert but as this will be our first time on RCCL I have questions.
1) Is dining significantly different?
2) will there be lengthy waits for slides, flow rider, laser tag compared to the aqua duck?
3) I understand that on Cococay there are things not included. Will there still be slides and such for a 15 and 11 year old that are included? Should we pay for the waterpark?
I am sure I will have more questions but this should give me enough to think about for now.

1: yes. One MDR. depending on which you choose( traditional or My Time). You will be one one floor. With MTD you can get the same waitstaff and dining time, with a little pre planning. Otherwise you show up whenever. No rotation

2: maybe. Flow rider is extremely popular and on occasion they limit it to say the teen crowd or for private or group lessons. Sea days the slides will be very busy. N and sea about laser tag

3: never actually gotten to CCC so can’t help there either.