Royal Caribbean anyone? Please help me decide...

[DISNEYFANRI]

I have never been on a cruise and lately I have the "vacation bug"....Life has been pretty stressful lately and I feel the need to do something fun so I have been considering taking the 3 night Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas with my DD for her 20th birthday. I think it being just the 2 of us owuld make it really special and since we both don't tolerate motion too well it would be a good test and we wouldn't ruin the vaca for DH and DS if we both got seasick.

I stopped in at a local travel agent last week and she gave me an estimate of $1800 which would include air fare (from Providence to Orlando) - for June or early July.

Here are my questions:

1. Have you been on this or other cruises with Royal Caribbean and did you like them?
2. Is this a fair estimate ?- being a first-timer I think I would prefer using a travel agent.
3. Any and all other tips and suggestions are welcome....

Thanks...

 

[KTSMOM]

I've been on a RC cruise to the Bahamas. I believe the ship was Soverign of the Seas. I can't remember how much it cost, but I do believe our rate was a bit lower, but then we went in Sept, not as busy a time for cruises.
We had a blast on the ship though. It was very nice. They have shows you can see and extra outings (that you have to pay for) but still worth the money. If you have AAA check the rates with them. Even if you don't have AAA you can see how they rate the cruises. I believe there is another website call Cruise Critic that also gives you a good idea about the ships.
Good luck!

 

[m&m's mom]

I have been on a couple of RCCL cruises and I LOVED them!
We went on newer ships (Adventure of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas).
They are great middle-of-the-road cruise lines.
Our experience is they are very clean, we saw someone cleaning constantly every day, and reliable.
I have been to the Caribbean and Alaska w/ them and had a ton of fun and no issues.
This is the only cruise line I have been on. On this board you might get a lot of comparisions to DCL but they are MUCH more expensive.
I used a TA as well.

 

[TimeforMe]

I haven't done an RCL cruise (only Disney), but I've heard really good things about the cruiseline. The price, to me, sounds a little high for 3 nights. Did you check out cruise critic or travelocity?

 

[stevenpensacola]

I can't help you on the pricing, but by all means GO! You'll have a great time.

You can find a lot of good tips on the cruising on the DIS boards cruise forum:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=9

Don't worry about the motion of the ship....if you're prone to motion sickness, there are many OTC and prescription drugs that can help you out.

 

[Hercules10]

Can I ask why you're not considering Disney Cruise Lines? Don't let the fact that it's Disney mean adults alone can't have a blast. My wife and I don't have kids and we've gone twice. The ships are well suited to handle a lot of adult only activities plus you get that all round Disney warm fuzzies.

 

[Brianne]

My parents just got back from a 7 day Bahamas cruise with Royal Carribbean & had a wonderful time. Loved the ship & everything about it. My mother said there is so much to do just on the ship that you couldn't possibly do it all.

As for the seasickness, I'm the worst when it comes to motion sickness & yet I've never had a problem on cruise ships. The stablizers they put on these ships are so good, you'd think you were on land. The only time I ever ran into a problem was on the very last day on a cruise to the Mexican Rivera; however, well over half of the passengers were in their staterooms with the same problem. DH said the ship was like a ghost town. The water was simply rougher than normal that day down there. As long as you're not sailing during hurricane season, you should be fine sailing around the Bahamas.

 

[marlasmom]

My DH and I are going to the Bahamas for a 4 night cruise on April 30. The price for both of us was $610.00. Granted we got Florida resident and senior discounts - but still a longer cruise and far far less than $1,800. I know a wonderful cruise specialist and I'd be happy to pm her info to you. Let me know.

 

[dcgrumpy]

It depends how much of that is the airfare. Is that the total cost including taxes, fees, port charges etc...


DH and I are going on a week long western caribbean cruise on Freedom of the Seas this summer for $1249 pp.

 

[LindaM]

My sister, mom and I went on a RC cruise in October. It was a first time for us, and we did the 4 night Mexican Baja. We thought the same thing a shorter cruise as we were unsure about getting sick. Happy to report not once did any of us feel sick. We booked through a TA, because this being a first time cruise we were unsure of what to expect. Not too sure about the price, as we flew from Canada to LAX, but with our flights and cruise we paid $800CDN in total, we also had 3 people in a room and the third person is always cheaper.

I can't say enough good things about RC, the staff was great, rooms were small which we expected but we basically only used it to sleep anyway. Food was fantastic. There was more activities on the ship, then we knew what to do...I'm sure we missed 1/2 of the activities as there was no way we could do it all. But if they have the chocolate buffet..don't miss it, I understand now why everyone was lining up hour before the buffet even opened...it was to die for.

We also did it for a special occasion, dsis turned 50 last year and I turned 40 this year, so it was just us gals and we had a blast.

You don't have to book your excursions right away, you can book while on the ship, if you book before hand your tickets will be waiting for you when you get to your room. Be prepared, they do take ALOT of pictures...which I bought all of

I say book it for you a dd, think of the memories the pair of you will have.

 

[SamIAm21]

Honestly, the price seems a tad high. An inside cabin for a three day cruise should be about $800 - $900 for both of you. That leaves about $1,000 on airfare. Wheewww!! You might do better to book your cruise and air separately. I'm sure your TA will put you on United or American when you could easily fly for a lot less on SWA, Jet Blue or another carrier in your area.

RCL is a great cruise line and my only advice for motion sensitive people is to get a cabin that's on a lower-ish deck in the dead center of the ship if possible. You will feel very little to no movement that way. If the Sovereign is the ship you are looking at, she's a beauty! You will have a wonderful time.

 

[Tybug]

I'm sure the air included was cruise line air... in which case, it is priced at a premium. You can book the air seperately to save some funds. Can't comment on the price of the cruise without knowing the catagory, date and ship.

 

[DISNEYFANRI]

You guys rock! I knew I came to the right place for advice!!

KTSMOM - I don't have AAA but I will check Cruise Critic - thanks!

M&M's - glad to hear about the cleanliness - that's definitely a plus.

timeforme - I did check travelocity and the price was almost identical.

stevenpensacola - thanks for the link - I'll check it out

Hercules10 - a Disney cruise was my first thought but decided otherwise for budget reasons ....maybe I should reconsider??

Brianne - thanks for the tip about the stabalizers!

marlasmom - thanks so much - I'd appreciate the PM.

dcgrumpy - the travel agent estimated airfare at @ $420 per person - she said there were no specials yet.

LindaM - your trip sounds great - DD is turning 20 on June 5 - I think it will be a great gift!

SamIam - I never thought of looking at the airline - thanks !! I'm going to check the SW site.

 

[dcgrumpy]

$420 pp to FL?

 

[Chattyaholic]

DH and I took a 7-night Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas cruise, with his two sisters and their husbands, a year ago and we had the BEST cruise of all the ones we've done so far, including Disney.

Don't get me wrong, Disney was great and we LOVED our cruises with them, but they are quite a bit more expensive than other lines.

You can go to Royal Caribbean's web site and check their prices for the cruise you are going on.

I hope you have a great time on your cruise!! And yes, the Cruise Critic website is a great, informative site and there is a message board for each of the cruise lines. You should check it out.

 

[ducklite]

IMHO that rate seems high.

I've been on RCCL and was underwhelmed. Very unsatisfied. Wouldn't sail with them even after they offered us a huge discount to try them again due to the issues we had. It was too little too late, and I'm not giving them another dime to give them another chance.

Check out Regent Seven Seas cruises. If you go with one of thier specials and take into consideration their no tipping and "free alcohol" policies they are in line with RCCL, and everyone I've ever spoken two who ahs been on both lines says that Regent is like the Four Seasons compared to RCCL's Holiday Inn.

Anne

 

[of the seas]

Royal Caribbean is great!! Hence my user name! I would say the Bahamas is the perfect 1st cruise to go on! That's what we did. The Sovereign of the Seas was just rehabed.
I would say just to book on royalcaribbean.com . That's where I believe you find the best prices. The Bahamas cruise to me is very reasonable. You can also do your documents on their web site and make payments.
Have fun!!

 

[SandraVB79]

$420 pp to FL?

I am paying less than that from Belgium to Florida (and back home)!!!!

 

[WeirdEyes]

I have been on several RCI cruises. I went on the Sovereign of the Seas this past Aug....our first "small" ship cruise. It was really nice and the staff were excellent. I think since this will be your first cruise, it is perfect for "getting your feet wet." My favorite RCI ship is the Mariner of the Seas. Have a great time!

 

[DMickey28]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Royal Carribbean. We have been on three different lines aside from that and REFUSE to do anything other than Royal Carribbean now.

What kind of room is that for? I think it's a bit on the high side. You might be better off pricing out flights on your own and doing the cruise through a travel agent. I have a wonderful local agent that I have been working with for years. I can connect you with her if you wish ... they have a online website as well. www.mycheaptravel.com I have always paid less than the RCCL website and travelocity websites. We have cruised in the Fall and Spring, never summer though.

FYI ... I don't know how soon you are looking to book but Royal Carribbean puts out what they call "Happy Hour Specials" on Tuesdays for cruises in the near future. They are amazing deals and my travel agent is the one that told me about them ... you can book those deals through the agents on Tuesdays. Last April we got a Deluxe Balcony cabin 2 weeks before the cruise for $1600 for 7 days for the two of us on a Tuesday. The day before and the day after the same cabin was going for $3300 for two of us.

I can understand the wanting to do a 3 days just in case, however you can't beat the value of a 7 day cruise. I was afraid of motion sickness as well however in the Spring and Summer when the seas are fairly calm it was never an issue. A little Bonin (sp?) each day and I was fine ...