kctwinmommy

Don't forget that you can still buy drinks without a package!

Yes I knew that... was just trying to figure if the packages are worth it for us. Not so much for me, but for my son. He drinks a lot during the day, but juice not soda.

The $26.00 refreshment package was just onsale today for my sailing for $18.00 a day

I'll keep my eyes open to see if they ever discount it. But even then, I'd have to still pause. I guess I'm used to the much cheaper prices on other lines. I'll just have to cut back on my soda, not a big deal.

You are correct that soda package ($8.50 per day plus 18%) does not include fresh squeezed juices.

 

The Refreshment package ($26 per day plus 18%) does include fresh squeezed juices.

 

However, juice concentrates (orange, apple) are available at breakfast for no extra charge, no package needed.

Thanks! I guess we won't be getting it for any of us then. That $30 package is ridiculous!

Sorry as I'm sure this is answered somewhere, but I don't seem to ever find things when I search. We're new to RCI for this upcoming cruise and wanted to confirm what I think is correct. On Carnival, we'd get my teenage son the soda package and with that he could get any sodas as well as juices. It was a good deal being less than $10/day. But if I'm reading things correctly, RCI has 2 different beverage packages. One would be for just sodas ($10/day), but if he wants to be able to get juice (since he doesn't really drink soda), we'd have to get the $30/day package. Am I reading that correctly? I won't do it if that's the case. I don't see any reason to spend $240 for him to have some juices on the ship then. Especially since we have 4 port days where we'll be gone for the entire day. Thanks for your help!

Last year by boys were 11 & 13 and the 11 year old was able to move up. The nice guy that ran the group said it based on how many kids they had on board and the maturity of the child. He gave him a one strike and your out rule. He did just fine:)

And that's another good point. It depends on the individual child. There are some 11 year old kids I've met that shouldn't be hanging with 13 year old kids! LOL! But the bigger reason I've seen is more the number of kids in the program.

Yes, you can't lie about it, they know your daughter's info. But, there are often times you can move kids around. It will depend on how many kids are registered in each camp. When we cruise on the November ones we've done, there aren't a lot of kids. So they have been allowed to move up to another level if there was a reason (i.e. friends or siblings in that group). But then over the summer, when we did Alaska, both groups were packed. So they didn't allow any changes.

My mistake. I thought that was the naturalist.

I thought so too! I think Jen did mention some things, but I was always hearing the naturalist. I know this because Jen has an accent and the naturalist on our ship was actually somewhat soft spoken, so sometimes hard to hear!

Yes, it's only for when you're on the ship. So we downloaded it while we were in port on embarkation day. Then like someone said, have it in airplane mode and you connect to the ship's WiFi. We didn't have internet, just the basic app and chat feature (which is $5). So we were able to message with our friends, since our bookings were connected by our PVP. And then we could see all the activities for the day, which was nice.

What are the symbols? Are they on the website?

Our last two cruises were on RCI (Independence and Radiance) but we've mostly done Carnival and HAL. It looks like you've booked Independence and unless they have changed it, you do not need reservations for the main theater shows - just show up 15-20 minutes early for decent seats. As someone mentioned the newer RCI ships (Oasis class, Quantum class) do require show reservations. The ice shows do distribute tickets the morning of the shows on a first come, first served basis and the location for that will be announced in the Cruise Compass.

Yes, on the Independence. And thanks for the info!

Been on 6 Carnival and 2 Royal (and a few others). Just off Liberty last week (as was someone else on here).

 

I agree with what's been said:

 

Carnival

Younger crowd

Extensive "free" food options that are excellent (Guys, the Tortilla/Taco place, Seafood etc). None of that on Royal

24 hour ice cream - kids loved that

Popcorn for the movies on deck

Much more daily activities during sea days

 

Royal

Nicer and more elegant ships

Older crowd

Good outdoor activities (Flowrider, rock wall)

 

 

Kids didn't go with us on Royal last week, but we are planning our next cruise for next Jan - kids are coming and we are planning Carnival. Would only take kids if we were going on Royal Harmony (just too expensive).

Thanks for the response. We don't usually do much on the sea days anyway, other than sitting around in the sun, reading, etc... So I'm OK with a little less daily activities. Sometimes I wish Carnival wouldn't be so loud on the Lido deck all day! LOL! I do like the different ship amenities though, so looking forward to that. As I said, this itinerary has 4 port days and 3 sea days, so we're really only on the ship for those 3 days. The port days are long.

We got off the Independence of the Seas 3 days ago and we had My Time Dining. The 1st night we went down to the dining room at 6:30 and were told that they were full and to come back at 8:00 pm. When we tried to make reservations for 6:00 we were told that the 6:00 slot was full for the remainder of the cruise, so we made reservations for 8:00. The next night we showed up at 5:45 to see if we could get in without a reservation, we had no issue getting a table. Basically, we were told that the reservations are held for 15 minutes and then marked as a no show, which then opens up the table. They will give out the pagers when needed.

 

We loved the ice show and Grease. We didn't need reservations for the shows, we would get there at least 15 minutes early, usually 30 minutes though. We thought that the entertainment and food was better than Carnival.

Perfect! Thanks! At least it's something we'll be sure to check on.

Legend is probably our least favorite ship so far....just the decor. It has the old Vegas black and gold with tons of mirrors look. Just not my thing.

 

Other than that....it is fantastic. We loved the cruise to Alaska. We had Jen Baxter as our CD (had her on Freedom before) and she was actually better than we expected. When she was on the Freedom we didn't like her insane over-the-top Brit humor. On Legend, she was more subdued and likeable.

 

Food.... really the same as every other ship. Yes, lines were long at peak hours.

Entertainment....was really good, other than the fact all the bands and singers had the same playlist of songs...got old. Playlist Performers were very good, especially Epic Rock, of course. Comedy, very good.

 

the big thing about Alaska.... it is all about the ports, and whale watching on the top deck...listening for the Naturalist to make announcements telling you what she sees and what side of the ship. It was funny to even see the staff on the Lido go running to the railings and windows to look when she saw something. LOL

 

Loved the cruise....ready to go back.

Yeah, good way to describe the ship! And yes, Jen Baxter was her name. We didn't care for her at all. We just felt that she was always trying to be someone/something she wasn't. Hard to explain, just didn't care for her.

But you're right, it's all about the scenery. We would just sit on our balcony at times, bundled up in jeans, sweatshirts, and the bathrobe on top to watch for whales and such. My son is the one who spotted the Mola Mola in my trip report!

Although you mention the staff going to look, and that was a problem, IMO. We were at the big deck sail on the Lido deck and the lines were ridiculously long. And to top it off, one of the women checking people out went running over to look out the windows.

Make reservations for every single thing you can online beforehand. IF you don't get a spot for a show you want ask where the entertainment booth is right when you board and you can make reservations then. Reserve your anytime dining times for every night online as soon as you can. The good times fill up and the line for those with no reservation each night is ridiculously long. It's ok if you don't show up to something you reserved.

So you have to make a reservation to go to the shows??

We've cruised on the Jewel. We enjoyed the cruise, but found things that we missed from CCL.

 

We missed 24 hour froyo. We don't eat it every night, but it's nice to have as a snack if you want it. It's only open for short periods of time. Their 24 hour food offerings were lacking. Food overall was OK though.

 

We didn't like that they closed the Windjammer and you couldn't even walk through there. This made getting to the water/ice a pain as it is behind the Windjammer. We had to go up one deck, then back down to get water. Or you could get water from the solarium or from the area right next to the Windjammer (by the ping pong tables), but they were dispensers that had to be refilled by hand. So when they were empty, you had to find someone still. Might not be an issue on bigger ships.

 

The drinks were more expensive and not very good (but that varies bartender to bartender of course).

 

I loved the glass elevators looking out at the water. The weather wasn't great for swimming, but I enjoyed sitting on deck 4 reading.

 

The staff were great, with the exception of some of the bar staff.

 

Overall we had a great cruise, but we just missed some of the smaller things that we are used to on CCL (and DCL for that matter).

Thanks for the info! It's good to know these little things before cruising, just so we're a little prepared. And I agree, sometimes, walking around, I'd grab a cup of ice cream just as a little pick me up!

I don't drink alcohol, so that's not a problem for me.

A 12oz can of soda is up to $3.84 including gratuity.

 

Fresh squeezed OJ is around $4.

 

Juice concentrates are available at breakfast and are included in the basic cruise fare.

:eek: :eek: :eek: Wow! That is a lot more than Carnival, good to know. Then we'll probably both do the basic soda package. Thank you!

The biggest difference between RCI and Carnival to us is that...

 

-there is no 24 hour froyo

-the buffet has odd hours and they close it when it's not open so you can't go in there and just sit.

-depending on what ship you're on, the pizza shop is a part of the promenade cafe, which is like a snack bar with mini-sandwiches, pizza, light desserts, tea, water, coffee, and the specialty coffee shop all in one place. I don't think there's a separate deli either.

- on the RC ships we have sailed on, the promenade cafe is the only food available 24 hours.

- there is a charge for room service after a certain hour

- drinks cost more

- more specialty dining options

- better selection of shops

- more traditional decor

Perfect! Thanks for the info! My son was like "Aww.... :(" When I told him no 24 hour ice cream though! LOL! We don't do room service usually except for breakfast when we need to get moving early. Sounds like the Promenade is the happening place!

We sailed on it last summer to Alaska... I assume that's also where you're going?! It's a decent ship, smaller for sure. But I'm not on it for fancy, I'm there to see Alaska. We really enjoyed it! You can see my trip report in my signature. Oh and I agree, didn't care for the CD either. I keep forgetting her name, older British woman with red hair.

Can anyone tell me about how much a soda or juice costs? In the past, we've done the soda package for myself and our son. I don't drink alcohol, so it was pretty much worth it for me, and definitely for our son. I know it's cheaper for kids on Carnival, but it appears RC considers him an adult at 13. :( But I'm just wondering how much an individual soda is to see if it's worth the cost of the regular soda package. I know I read somewhere else too that people had asked about the Freestyle machines, but that Independence didn't have them. I assume that is still accurate? On Carnival, we have to go to any of the bars to get a soda, or just order it in the MDR when eating.

Also, if anyone has info on the teens club that they have. As I said, he's 13, he'll be just a few weeks shy of 14 when we cruise. But on all of his cruises he's hung out at the teen club, he enjoys it. Of course, just like Alaska, we've told him it's only going to be on the days we're at sea anyway, since port days are so long.

Freedom class ships are very nice! There is a true "wow" factor to them the minute you step onboard, especially if youve never seen it in person. Pics cannot do them justice.

 

Everything else is pretty equal in my book. They are more alike than different to me. I like Royals ships better but Carnivals food better. Carnivals drinks are a lot cheaper too. Service is a draw.

Yeah, looking forward to seeing one in person. It is the 10th largest ship in the world right now! :eek: I remember we went on a cruise in 2005 on the Carnival Fantasy and we spent a day in Port Canaveral afterwards, taking a small boat cruise there in the channels. We saw the Mariner of Seas that time and couldn't get over how huge it was! And now, it's #22 on the list! LOL!

They'll post the time in the newsletter (forget what RC calls theirs). There were 2 parades on our 7 day cruise. We were 1 deck above for one of them and got a different view, but I liked being on the same deck better.

Cool! Thanks!

Our experience has been that the ice show is performed 3 or 4 times, with some performances in the afternoon.

Oh good! Thanks! At least we're not going to have to try and make it to a show they only do once. We can plan a little bit.

We have mostly cruised Carnival as well, but went on RCI this past summer. Check on your anytime dining when you got on the ship. On our Freedom of the Seas cruise, we basically had to make a reservation for every night when we boarded. It wasn't like Carnival's anytime dining. However, I believe this varies ship to ship on RCI.

I did see something about making a reservation, which is fine too. I just didn't want to be locked in to a specific time every night. Thanks!

We've done a couple of RC cruises and enjoyed them. I think you'll find the two lines more similar than different. Don't miss the parade on the Promenade deck - get there a few minutes early to get a good spot to see everything. I liked the big open inside Promenade deck. I think the food was better on Carnival, shows were better on RC, just my opinion tho. We go on any cruise expecting to have a good time, and we do - even with all the itinerary changes that have been thrown at us through the years.

Thanks! Yeah, the reason we chose this is to see these places. That's the most important part to us. We're not big on needing fancy dinners, just good food. A little entertainment is nice too.

When do they do this parade you're talking about?

We took a cheap RC cruise last minute out of New Orleans a few years ago. It was nice, quaint listening to the guitar solo guy at a bar and the parade was amazing! What we didn't like is that everything appeared to close around 9 pm. On our cruise anyhow it was a much older crowd that didn't socialize and party very late at night. That was a stark difference between RC and carnival. I wouldn't mind checking out other cruise lines but my bride wants to stick with Carnival (at least till we get much older). Don't get me wrong, it still was fun....better than the best day of work! Enjoy your cruise, it definitely is what you make of it.

Thanks for the info. We're "older" LOL! Not really, 40's & 50's, but we don't do the bars and parties. We like sitting on the deck watching the movies and such, but we don't need much of a nightlife vibe. But it's good to know that things wind down a little earlier. Our 13 year old son (well he'll be almost 14 then! :eek:) is usually out at the kids club later than we're out! LOL!