Is RCL actually cheaper than DCL?

[mamapenguin]

The Harmony is at the International pier here in Cozumel. I would rather be on that ship versus the Regal Princess that I'm currently on. I'd even go on the stupid purple slide.

We've also seen NCL Breakaway and Sky in other ports, and they look like a lot of fun!

But have you been on the purple slide? I’m still debating whether I am brave enough to try it. I still have a long time to decide.

 

[tidefan]

But have you been on the purple slide? I’m still debating whether I am brave enough to try it. I still have a long time to decide.

We did the one on Oasis and it really isn't that bad. That said, it was just a one and done for us.

 

[starvenger]

But have you been on the purple slide? I’m still debating whether I am brave enough to try it. I still have a long time to decide.

I have. It's a big metal tube and you should have short sleeves at a minimum in there - my shoulder rubbed against the side a couple of times and it would've been pretty nasty had I worn a tank instead of a tee.

At the end of the day I'd say that the waterslides are more fun.

 

[starvenger]

We were on Regal Princess this past May (British Isles) and the food was very good. Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t so much the ships themselves, but the suppliers. For instance, our butter on that voyage was definitely sourced in France and was really good (can’t believe I’m saying that about butter)…. But you get the idea…

That might be the case. But then we got some unevenly cut striploins and curiously sized dinner portions so I have no idea what is happening on my cruise.

 

[tidefan]

That might be the case. But then we got some unevenly cut striploins and curiously sized dinner portions so I have no idea what is happening on my cruise.

Just an aside... Did you know that they will custom cook you a steak in the Horizon Court? It's not really advertised, but they usually have the same entrees they have in the Dining room up there. We looked at some steaks in the pan up there one day and made a comment of "looks a bit old" and the guy behind the line heard us and said he'd be happy to cook us one to order. We did that more than once....

Of course, we were on a British Isles cruise, so we were out most all day and getting back onboard later, so we would go up there a bit, that's how we found that out...

 

[LoveDaisy]

My DH and I went in Royal in November. It was a 7 day cruise in a balcony room. All in it was $2800. The $2800 included the balcony room, deluxe drink package, unlimited dining package, internet, couple massage, gratuities, 2 tshirts and a sweatshirt, and a purse I bought at one of the ports. I could not find anything in that price range for a balcony room on DCL, even without adding internet, drinks, spa, specialty dining.

 

[starvenger]

Just an aside... Did you know that they will custom cook you a steak in the Horizon Court? It's not really advertised, but they usually have the same entrees they have in the Dining room up there. We looked at some steaks in the pan up there one day and made a comment of "looks a bit old" and the guy behind the line heard us and said he'd be happy to cook us one to order. We did that more than once....

Of course, we were on a British Isles cruise, so we were out most all day and getting back onboard later, so we would go up there a bit, that's how we found that out...

Good to know. But the tenderloin has usually been spot on so the steak/roast cravings have been satisfied.

That said, there have been times where I've gone up to the buffet to see what was there for dinner (and refill water bottles). I think the South Asian food variety has been good but otherwise, it's not been impressive at night. But I think they do a good job for breakfast and lunch, even if my attempts to make a poutine without cheese curds has failed (best result was a pulled pork not-exactly poutine).

 

[Lesverts]

We were on Regal Princess this past May (British Isles) and the food was very good. Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t so much the ships themselves, but the suppliers. For instance, our butter on that voyage was definitely sourced in France and was really good (can’t believe I’m saying that about butter)…. But you get the idea…

It is not weird at all. Butter is very different depending on the cream. I pay ridiculous amounts of money for French or Irish butter when I make sables/shortbread/other baked goods that need the good butter taste to stand out because of the simplicity of the recipe.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think that for short cruises to the Caribbean the price difference won't be as noticeable as, say, a 7 night cruise to Alaska, where for our family of 5, DCL pricing came in at 2.5-3X the price of RCL, HAL etc.

Look at post 9. Same departure date (don't remember), leaving from the same port (Canaveral), going to the same island (Bahamas), same duration (4 day), same type of room (balcony), same number of cruisers (2 adults, 1 child).
DCL (Wish): $6300
RCL (Allure): $3900

Seems pretty noticeable to me. Granted Wish is a newer ship, but enough to justify $2400? Not in my mind.

 

[tidefan]

Look at post 9. Same departure date (don't remember), leaving from the same port (Canaveral), going to the same island (Bahamas), same duration (4 day), same type of room (balcony), same number of cruisers (2 adults, 1 child).
DCL (Wish): $6300
RCL (Allure): $3900

Seems pretty noticeable to me. Granted Wish is a newer ship, but enough to justify $2400? Not in my mind.

We went on a 12-night British Isles cruise this past Summer on Regal Princess (fantastic cruise, BTW) with 4 of us and with their 3/4 sail free, all 4 of us went for $4,400. This INCLUDED the Princess Plus package for all 4 people, which included alcoholic drinks, wifi, and gratuities...

I believe that a 10 night British Isles for 4 people on DCL was in the $15,000 neighborhood...

 

[NicoleLarson]

Yes, DCL is more expensive but in our opinion it's not an apples to apples comparison. We were just off the Allure and didnt like it at all. The food was terrible, choices were lacking if you didn't do the speciality dining. The shows were good but the times were very wonky. You would have times when 10 things were going on then multiple hours in the day when all there was to do was sit in a bar. No trivia or game shows, just literally nothing on the schedule. You can only zip line or rock climb so many times and even then those were closed in the evenings. RCL was a one and done for us, we just felt nickeled and dimed to death. We will either be on DCL or the new Carnival ships Mardi gras or Celebration, I have nothing but glowing reviews for those ships. But to each his own, if you love RCL, great, it just wasn't for us.

 

[starvenger]

It is always good to try different cruises.

Yes, there's some level of uncertainty. Yes, there will be things that you don't care for, or perceive to be better on another cruise line. But I'm of the belief that, unless there's some exceptional circumstance, you will find a way to enjoy yourself. Because it's a fricking cruise, and being on a cruise beats not being on one.

 

[kathy884]

This was in February FYI and out of Port Canaveral a few years back and pre-Covid, so obviously pricing is old. On RCCL I was able to get a mid ship balcony room (real ocean - not one of the inside rooms) seven night cruise on the ginormous amenity filled ship, Harmony of the Seas. On Disney for the same price I could get a four night inside room with a magic window.

My son had always wanted to do a Disney cruise, so I gave him the choice between the two and he went for the longer vacation (an extra three days with the balcony) despite his love for Disney. He thinks a longer cruise is better than a shorter cruise and loves a balcony (sitting out and looking at the ocean).

When I've done the math, Disney cruises have proved to be super pricey.

Disney doesn't do this itinerary now and this is way back too (2014) but we did a five day cruise from New York (summer cruise) with stops in Halifax and St. John. Disney and Carnival were doing the exact five day itinerary. The Carnival cruise ship from Vacations to Go was given a 4 star rating while the Disney ship from Vacations to Go had a 4 and a 1/2 star rating, so the Disney ship was considered to be a little nicer. And many people love a Disney ship more than other ships that have the same or a higher rating too. On both for the same summer week (kids out of school) I priced a midship balcony room for three. The Carnival cruise we took had a total price that was just 1/3rd of what the Disney cruise price was. So this Disney cruise was three times as expensive as the Carnival cruise (again that was going for a midship balcony room). We also although we are a Disney loving family didn't have any little kids, weren't looking for a great kids club or anything like that. With my bean counter personality, taking the Carnival cruise instead was a no-brainer.

It is nice IMHO though that the Disney cruises don't do gambling, but that means that's not a revenue stream for them. Also, I know some adults who say that Disney is better than any other line at keeping kids out of adult areas.

I doubt due to pricing (and I'm just not that big on cruises either - so probably won't do another cruise vacation period) that I will ever do a Disney cruise, but there are many people that despite the pricing differential swear by the Disney line. People I personally know who did the Disney cruises regularly had little kids who loved the kid's clubs and did that to have a vacation with some alone mom and dad time. We were never looking for that, but on vacations sort of got some of the same benefits my bringing grandma and grandpa on vacations with us. "Why don't you guys go out for dinner on your own and we'll do ... ". My mom and dad didn't live in the same city we did and loved spending one on one time with our son and would encourage us to do a few things on our own and then they would have some one on one bonding time with their grandchild (win - win for everyone). We, of course, all did tons of stuff all together too.

Some people too aren't all that price sensitive.

 

[hmsTigger]

For us booking an RCCL cruise brought so many unknowns when you are so familiar with DCL.
I am not familiar with the terms used on RCCL and have been reading blogs and RCCL site on DIS for over a week to educate myself. The RCCL web site was difficult to find available cabins and they were aware of that when I called.
No info on excursions from Europe ports and pricing until after you book and not many blogs covered excursions or reviews. It would be nice to know in advance.
Not as concerned about ship amentities as we are port intensive cruises.
Questions I have are whether to use their travel insurance, why pricing on a larger balcony is so high,
transportation from airport to cruise ship availability? I have had to call them several times due to receiving conflicting information. We want to try another cruise line as comparison but it gives you pause. RCCL does offer more nights travel and better port selections especially for their European cruises. If you are flying that distance it's nice to take a longer cruise.

 

[FastPasser.]

My dilemma is that as a retiree of an un-named company, other major cruise lines cost more than DCL. We’ve moved on anyway because at the DCL CC Platinum level we’ve out grown DCL.

We did RCCL’s Wonder of the Seas last year and really enjoyed it. We would definitely do it again and are planning to do the Icon of the Seas once prices level off.

 

[starvenger]

For us booking an RCCL cruise brought so many unknowns when you are so familiar with DCL.
I am not familiar with the terms used on RCCL and have been reading blogs and RCCL site on DIS for over a week to educate myself. The RCCL web site was difficult to find available cabins and they were aware of that when I called.

I don't find it particularly difficult but then again I spend way too much time sifting through various travel websites looking for deals and stuff, so I've negotiated a lot worse user interfaces. You should check out Princess.com to see a real exercise in futility.

Typically I'll look through the cruise site with cruisedeckplans open in another window so I can get an idea of where everything is spatially, plus look at some room photos if there are any. Once I've got my mise en place, I call a travel agent to do the booking. Because as much as I love DIY travel, cruise companies can be a massive headache if there are issues, and if someone is willing to shoulder that burden in my place, they're more than welcome to do it.

Case in point - the October cruise I booked with Royal was originally a 7 night sailing out of Ravenna to Barcelona. Well, for reasons Royal changed their October itinerary and cancelled our cruise with a few options, but the upshot is that we wanted to rebook to a 6 night sailing out of Athens to Barcelona. Basically same dates with some of the same ports. Calling Royal to rebook would be a (pardon the pun) royal pain, but I had booked through Costco Travel, they talked with Royal and got me switched over in 30 min, which is not bad.

No info on excursions from Europe ports and pricing until after you book and not many blogs covered excursions or reviews. It would be nice to know in advance.

I would say that on Royal, Carnival and NCL people are more inclined to go their own way, so would agree that finding blogs or videos of ship excursions can be difficult. With that said, their excursions won't be significantly different from what DCL offers, so if you can see what is there, you'll get an idea of what's on offer. You may also want to check viator and getyourguide as they will also have similar excursions.

For Europe specifically, I'll watch vlogs of ports irrespective of whether they are cruise specific or not. I find people that do a "24h in..." type vlogs (proper vlogs, not tiktok-style posts) give you an idea of what is and is not possible to do at each port.

Questions I have are whether to use their travel insurance, why pricing on a larger balcony is so high,
transportation from airport to cruise ship availability?

- I would shop around for travel insurance.
- The larger balcony cost, it depends on the ship and the balcony location. I think the older ships have less large balconies, so that might drive up the price.
- Transportation to cruise ship likely depends on the port. But in a lot of the cities, it's pretty convenient to take the Metro or get a taxi/timeshare. You just have to be vigilant against pickpockets.

 

[hmsTigger]

Thanks @starvenger This was extremely helpful!
I was sent the excursions today and will compare to excursions I can set up on my own.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We LOVE DCL but have been priced out. Went on our first RCL cruise last month and just booked another one for next March.

DCL - $9000+
RCL - $5300

Same week. Similar itineraries. Both verandah.

Sadly I cannot justify (or afford) the difference of going with Disney so RCL it is. It's not Disney but, we had a great first cruise and am hoping our second one is wonderful too!

 

[tidefan]

We LOVE DCL but have been priced out. Went on our first RCL cruise last month and just booked another one for next March.

DCL - $9000+
RCL - $5300

Same week. Similar itineraries. Both verandah.

Sadly I cannot justify (or afford) the difference of going with Disney so RCL it is. It's not Disney but, we had a great first cruise and am hoping our second one is wonderful too!

Both of those seem high to me...

Not sure what week you are going, but we are on Carnival Mardi Gras (2 ppl) for Spring Break in an extended balcony for 7-nights for $2,200.

 

[hmsTigger]

Both of those seem high to me...

Not sure what week you are going, but we are on Carnival Mardi Gras (2 ppl) for Spring Break in an extended balcony for 7-nights for $2,200.

Wow! Excellent price. Enjoy.