1st RCL after DCL - coming July

[mavdav]

we are doing our first RCL cruise this July. there will be 11 of us, and I am afraid that DCL has priced us out. I f I have to cruise RCL in order to cruise, I'll take it. its a shame that DCL is pricing them out for so many of us!

I was wondering about the door decorating. Do people decorate the door with RCL? Or is it just a DCL thing? If so, are there any good forums where I can find RCL magnets?

Also, does RCL do anything that is similar to FE?

 

[Nike4000]

@mavdav - we're in the same boat you are - Disney finally priced us out. It also helps that the kids have outgrown the Disney characters.

We're also trying Royal for the 1st time in July. Which ship, itinerary, dates, etc are you guys going?

I've posted the door decorating question already, so I'm eager to see the responses you receive. I've been told everything from "no, it's tacky" to "it's happening more often and looks cool." (not straight word for word quotes, but those are the impressions that were left). For our family, we've decided to lightly decorate our door. We'll put up just a few magnets to help us locate our stateroom quickly and leave the rest at home.

I did not think to ask about an FE group program. I assumed that was pretty much Disney only, so I'm extremely curious about the answers you receive to that question. I'll definitely be following this thread!

 

[ludari]

I tried RCL last year with some friends for the first time after 8 consecutive Disney Cruises and I have mixed feelings about RCL. I sailed on RCL because my friends wanted to try one of the newer ships (Anthem of the Seas). Although it' a beautiful ship with plenty of things for adults to do on that ship (bumper cars, roller skating, skydiving simulation, flowrider surfing, etc.) I found they fell short when it came to service and entertainment which are important to me. They did have all sorts of specialty dining options (for a fee) which I did try and enjoy but disliked the upcharges for simple things like the drink packages. I'm not a fan of the FE so I didn't check on that but I do believe there was a forum on cruise critic for my sailing. As far as door decorations I didn't see any on RCL.

 

[starvenger]

Royal has a "meet and mingle" run by cruise critic. You can find some information here: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/custo...ly_asked_questions&faqId=210&faqSubjectId=343. It's not exactly the FE, but I've heard that

I've seen door decorating on Royal, but I've not seen the level that is found on DCL. My thoughts are - if you like to do it, do it! But bear in mind that I also would not care if you wore shorts in the MDR, so my opinions might be suspect. Anyway, I will have some decorations (and probably a whiteboard) on my door when I go in August.

RCL-specific magnets are hard to find, but I'd look at what some of the DISigners on the board can do and see if they can tailor it to Royal instead of DCL. I don't think anyone will confiscate a Princess magnet, right?

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I tried RCL last year with some friends for the first time after 8 consecutive Disney Cruises and I have mixed feelings about RCL. I sailed on RCL because my friends wanted to try one of the newer ships (Anthem of the Seas). Although it' a beautiful ship with plenty of things for adults to do on that ship (bumper cars, roller skating, skydiving simulation, flowrider surfing, etc.) I found they fell short when it came to service and entertainment which are important to me. They did have all sorts of specialty dining options (for a fee) which I did try and enjoy but disliked the upcharges for simple things like the drink packages. I'm not a fan of the FE so I didn't check on that but I do believe there was a forum on cruise critic for my sailing. As far as door decorations I didn't see any on RCL.

I believe all cruise lines charge for drink packages (unless it's included as part of a deal) and Disney or not you are charged for drinks. Other than soda, that is included in Disney and you have to pay on Royal.
We are trying Royal in a few weeks, can't wait! Going with an open mind though, I'm not expecting Disney entertainment but at the same time I'll be happy to enjoy the ship without having to run to see characters and shows. Not as many anyway. I found it ate up a lot of our time on Disney cruise line.

 

[Disbug]

Definitely decorate your door! We do! I find it is a fun way to add some personality to your home away from home, and yes help you find your room in a sea of doors, lol! Our whole extended family does the same.

Drink packages allow the non-drinkers (of anything but water, tea, and lemonades) to keep their cruise price down, while allowing those who do to indulge. (Just close your eyes and pretend it was part of the original price you paid.) But I did gulp when I looked at what 2 of the Deluxe drink packages would cost! $793! Yowza! That is with a 20% discount and the 18% gratuity added in.... It can add up for the soda package with a family, for sure.

We, too have jumped ship for the most part, over to Royal Caribbean. At this stage, for us, it seems to provide a better value overall. Our cruises have all had wonderful service and entertainment and great food, so no complaints there. Any glitches were minor, as they don't come to mind. Definitely, try to join in on the Roll Call and go to the Meet and Mingle. You will enjoy chatting with and meeting your fellow cruisers!

 

[ludari]

I believe all cruise lines charge for drink packages (unless it's included as part of a deal) and Disney or not you are charged for drinks. Other than soda, that is included in Disney and you have to pay on Royal.
We are trying Royal in a few weeks, can't wait! Going with an open mind though, I'm not expecting Disney entertainment but at the same time I'll be happy to enjoy the ship without having to run to see characters and shows. Not as many anyway. I found it ate up a lot of our time on Disney cruise line.

I knew about the drink package cost before boarding RCL so it wasn't a surprise to me. It was just several things I didn't like that I was used to after having sailing on 8 consecutive Disney cruises in the last four years. I too went on the cruise with an open mind and had a great time and wouldn't mind sailing again on Royal but given a choice I would choose Disney.

 

[Mrsjvb]

we are doing our first RCL cruise this July. there will be 11 of us, and I am afraid that DCL has priced us out. I f I have to cruise RCL in order to cruise, I'll take it. its a shame that DCL is pricing them out for so many of us!

I was wondering about the door decorating. Do people decorate the door with RCL? Or is it just a DCL thing? If so, are there any good forums where I can find RCL magnets?

Also, does RCL do anything that is similar to FE?

Meh. some do. most do not

no. there is nothing like the Fishy outside your cabin door.

if you are not yet a member of cruise critic dot com, sign up. plenty of information about every cruise line there.

 

[moericus]

I sailed on RCL because my friends wanted to try one of the newer ships (Anthem of the Seas)

Honestly, I also felt like a little too much of New York's curt personality rubbed off on Anthem of the Seas when we cruised earlier this year. I'm too used to it living close to a big city myself to say it was negative. But their was a slightly different environment from your typical laid back Florida-based cruise.

But please reconsider RCCL on something other than a Quantum class ship if the tech-y aspects let you down. Anthem and Quantum are truly unique as far as Royal cruise ships go. I think they were built with Northern itineraries in mind. The small Voyager, medium Freedom, and the eventual supersized Oasis class ships are really just bigger slightly more efficient versions of the first Voyager. I liked Anthem a lot. I wanted to try it. 270 is probably the most amazing area on any cruise I've ever been on... but I'm definitely read to go back to the more classic style Royal ship.

 

[ludari]

Honestly, I also felt like a little too much of New York's curt personality rubbed off on Anthem of the Seas when we cruised earlier this year. I'm too used to it living close to a big city myself to say it was negative. But their was a slightly different environment from your typical laid back Florida-based cruise.

But please reconsider RCCL on something other than a Quantum class ship if the tech-y aspects let you down. Anthem and Quantum are truly unique as far as Royal cruise ships go. I think they were built with Northern itineraries in mind. The small Voyager, medium Freedom, and the eventual supersized Oasis class ships are really just bigger slightly more efficient versions of the first Voyager. I liked Anthem a lot. I wanted to try it. 270 is probably the most amazing area on any cruise I've ever been on... but I'm definitely read to go back to the more classic style Royal ship.[/QUOTEI agree that 270 was one of my favorite hang outs.

I from a big city plus I've never been to New York so visiting NY several days before my Anthem cruise was a lot of fun but I agree there was a different vibe sailing out of NY then Florida.

I'm sure I'll sail again on RCCL but my preference is DCL. The Quantum class ship was fine and I did enjoy all the tech stuff (I'm in that field) and I would admit that hanging out in 270 was probably one of my favorite things to do especially when it was nearly empty.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I knew about the drink package cost before boarding RCL so it wasn't a surprise to me. It was just several things I didn't like that I was used to after having sailing on 8 consecutive Disney cruises in the last four years. I too went on the cruise with an open mind and had a great time and wouldn't mind sailing again on Royal but given a choice I would choose Disney.

The problem with dcl is 200% the price for comparable product.

That means if you've been on anything other than disney...your mind picks apart every aspect of it while youre on it. That is a deal breaker for me.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

The problem with dcl is 200% the price for comparable product.

That means if you've been on anything other than disney...your mind picks apart every aspect of it while youre on it. That is a deal breaker for me.

200% at least. The Western Caribbean cruise i was planning out DCL was almost triple.

The Royal Caribbean Blog podcast has a great episode about this topic. They break down "apples to apples" pricing and amenities.

My suggestion and views.

Disney charges high end prices for mid-quality cruises, because they can get away with it. Most people who swear by DCL haven't been on other cruises, or have been on a budget cruise line and think everything non-Disney is crap.

With RCL, you only pay for what you want.

DINING Yes, the base level main dining room food is lower quality than main dining on DCL, but if's more than adequate for most people. If you would prefer a higher quality, you can pay extra for better dining. A dining package can get you into specialty restaurants for as little as $25/person. The quality of the specialty dining is on par with Palo if not better.

Entertainment The movies and plays on Disney cruises are great, as are the shows on RCL. Same quality, but RCL has much more variety per ship.

Recreation DCL has the basics, but again, RCL having larger ships have more variety.

It really depends on what's important for you in order for you to have a good time. Fior us, we'll never do DCL again. it's just not twice as good.

 

[gumbypee]

I decorated my door and only had compliments (if there were naysayers then I didn't know about them)

I was on smaller ship Rhapsody out of Tampa. I wrote a review on here

 

[mevelandry]

200% at least. The Western Caribbean cruise i was planning out DCL was almost triple.

The Royal Caribbean Blog podcast has a great episode about this topic. They break down "apples to apples" pricing and amenities.

Do you have the link for that podcast? I would be very interested in listening to it!

 

[mevelandry]

I decorated my door and only had compliments (if there were naysayers then I didn't know about them)

I was on smaller ship Rhapsody out of Tampa. I wrote a review on here

Do you have the link to your review?

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Do you have the link for that podcast? I would be very interested in listening to it!

I did a search on their site and there were actually several links.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/search/node/disney cruise

 

[mevelandry]

I did a search on their site and there were actually several links.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/search/node/disney cruise

Thank you very much!

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Thank you very much!

No problem. It's actually quite a good blog and podcast.

 

[gumbypee]

Do you have the link to your review?

https://www.disboards.com/threads/trip-report-rhapsody-of-the-seas-tampa-january-14-2017.3573761/

I bumped it up too

 

[lockedoutlogic]

200% at least. The Western Caribbean cruise i was planning out DCL was almost triple.

The Royal Caribbean Blog podcast has a great episode about this topic. They break down "apples to apples" pricing and amenities.

My suggestion and views.

Disney charges high end prices for mid-quality cruises, because they can get away with it. Most people who swear by DCL haven't been on other cruises, or have been on a budget cruise line and think everything non-Disney is crap.

With RCL, you only pay for what you want.

DINING Yes, the base level main dining room food is lower quality than main dining on DCL, but if's more than adequate for most people. If you would prefer a higher quality, you can pay extra for better dining. A dining package can get you into specialty restaurants for as little as $25/person. The quality of the specialty dining is on par with Palo if not better.

Entertainment The movies and plays on Disney cruises are great, as are the shows on RCL. Same quality, but RCL has much more variety per ship.

Recreation DCL has the basics, but again, RCL having larger ships have more variety.

It really depends on what's important for you in order for you to have a good time. Fior us, we'll never do DCL again. it's just not twice as good.

I agree...the other thing is (unpopular opinion)...is the food on dcl isn't that good.

I'm sorry, less than wdw caliber, and that's a problem on a cruise ship.

Most of people that I've seen/heard say the food was "amazing" on dcl have a common trait:
They've never been on another cruise line...or it's been many years.

The last dcl on the Dream was just not good. Not the service or the decor, the actual oversalted mess or lack of quality options.