What all is free?

[djpolly]

Comparing RC Freedom of the Sea (depart Oct 9, 2011) to The Magic (depart Oct 8, 2011), Eastern Carribean.

Freedom Balcony = $2367

Magic Balcony = $3834 (both per travelocity)

 

We have done a 3 day Wonder cruise with balcony and fell in love; we have never sailed Royal. Our Daughter will be 8 in Oct so I do not think the kids activites will be that much different. She has been to WDW twice and DCL once so she has met the characters.

 

My questions is: does Royal really have $1500 in hidden costs? That kind of money could buy some really great excursions.

[jkrislc]

RCI does have more hidden costs, but not $1500 worth. The specialty restaurants are a little more expensive and soda is not included. In addition, if your child uses the kids club late at night (10-12 or so) expect to pay a "late night group babysitting" fee. There's also a service charge for late night room service (11 or 12 to about 5 am). I'm guessing you're looking at no more than $200-300 at the extreme.

 

What will be different is the entertainment. It's more Las Vegas review and not as entertaining to children. However, given your child's age and other amenities, I doubt this will be a problem.

 

We are doing Disney again instead of RCI in January, but that's because my son is three. I figure in a couple of years, we will be back to Royal working towards our diamond status

[dreaminofsun]

Well, I haven't been on RC (but want to some day) so I can't speak to that but I can tell you what is included on Disney that usually isn't on other lines

-Pop is free and unlimited at serve yourself drink stations

-kids club is open late (I think 2am) and through meals at no extra charge and kids get a T-shirt and hat at a graduation ceremony at the end of the cruise

-if you are a drinker you can BYOB on Disney which could potentally save a lot

-Castaway Cay is amazing and lunch is free on the island. This translates into a free beach day. No need to spend money on transportation, food, etc. They even provide towels. If you bring your own snorkle gear you can do that for free (or rent for a small fee). You can of course do excurtions but we spent the whole day there, didn't spend a cent and had a great time. They also have the kids club on the island if you want some adult time.

There is no casino on Disney so you won't be tempted to blow money there.

There is only one "for a fee" resteraunt (Palos) on Disney, all other food is free.

 

That's all I can think of for now, I'm sure others will chime in.

[dreaminofsun]

Just rememberd the movie theatre. It's free and they play new releases the same day they are released on land.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just rememberd the movie theatre. It's free and they play new releases the same day they are released on land.

 

as long as they are movies released by Disney.;)

 

Bill

[boulders]

There was no graduation or free t-shirt for ds4 on our Magic cruise last month. :confused:

 

I find the soda card on RCCL to be more user friendly than the "free" soda on DCL. With RCCL, you can get your soda at quite a few venues ie bars throughout the ship. With DCL, there was only one spot to get it.

 

DD11 has been on both RCCL and DCL. We started cruising when she was 8. She likes both lines about equally.

[papaoma]

There was no graduation or free t-shirt for ds4 on our Magic cruise last month. :confused:

 

I find the soda card on RCCL to be more user friendly than the "free" soda on DCL. With RCCL, you can get your soda at quite a few venues ie bars throughout the ship. With DCL, there was only one spot to get it.

 

DD11 has been on both RCCL and DCL. We started cruising when she was 8. She likes both lines about equally.

 

The point is that on DCL the pop is free, kids won't be bothered with the extra few steps to get their pop

[ducklite]

Comparing RC Freedom of the Sea (depart Oct 9, 2011) to The Magic (depart Oct 8, 2011), Eastern Carribean.

Freedom Balcony = $2367

Magic Balcony = $3834 (both per travelocity)

 

We have done a 3 day Wonder cruise with balcony and fell in love; we have never sailed Royal. Our Daughter will be 8 in Oct so I do not think the kids activites will be that much different. She has been to WDW twice and DCL once so she has met the characters.

 

My questions is: does Royal really have $1500 in hidden costs? That kind of money could buy some really great excursions.

 

We spent close to $1500 in "hidden costs" on RCCL that we wouldn't have had on DCL. most notably dining in the adults only restaurants several times (higher cost than DCL) because the food in the regular dining room was terrible, very high bar tab because we couldn't BYOB our wine and just pay a corkage, laundry costs because there is no self-service laundry onboard RCCL, soda, lunch at Johnny Rockets, the list goes on.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We spent close to $1500 in "hidden costs" on RCCL that we wouldn't have had on DCL. most notably dining in the adults only restaurants several times (higher cost than DCL) because the food in the regular dining room was terrible, very high bar tab because we couldn't BYOB our wine and just pay a corkage, laundry costs because there is no self-service laundry onboard RCCL, soda, lunch at Johnny Rockets, the list goes on.

 

Dining at DCL's specialty restaurant Palo is $15 pp. Dining at Chops or Portifino is $25 and $20 pp respectively.

 

If soda prices are a main concern for the OP then they could always get a soda sticker @ $42 pp plus 15% gratuity for a 7 day cruise.

 

There is no need to spend money at Johnny Rockets. They serve hot dogs and hamburgers in the Windjammer buffet.

 

If the op is a wine drinker then wine is usually 2 to 3 times more on a ship and could be a big factor if they drink expensive wines.

 

Bill

[dreaminofsun]

Lets do the math...I'll need others to help fill in the blanks here

pop sticker $42 pp + 15% = $144.90 (OP has 3 people in their party)

Chops $25 pp once during the cruise(x2? not sure if this is adult only) = $50

Portifino $20 pp once during the cruise(again x2? not sure if this is adult only) = $40

 

So far that is an extra $234.90.

Other things to consider

- alchohol since you can't BYOB

-after hours kids club fees (not sure how much they charge)

-blowing money in the casino

 

Anyone else have anything to add?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Lets do the math...I'll need others to help fill in the blanks here

pop sticker $42 pp + 15% = $144.90 (OP has 3 people in their party)

Chops $25 pp once during the cruise(x2? not sure if this is adult only) = $50

Portifino $20 pp once during the cruise(again x2? not sure if this is adult only) = $40

 

So far that is an extra $234.90.

Other things to consider

- alchohol since you can't BYOB

-after hours kids club fees (not sure how much they charge)

-blowing money in the casino

 

Anyone else have anything to add?

 

It's $234.90 extra on top of RCI's fare but only $174.90 more than you would be shelling out if you went on DCL, since 2 visits to the specialty reastaurants on DCL is $60.:)

 

Bill

[dreaminofsun]

It's $234.90 extra on top of RCI's fare but only $174.90 more than you would be shelling out if you went on DCL, since 2 visits to the specialty reastaurants on DCL is $60.:)

 

Bill

 

Well, Disney only has one specialty (for fee) resteraunt Palos. We thought the food as well as the ambiance in the main dining rooms was amazing so we didn't feel the need to go to Palos (although I hear it's excellent)

When we went on Disney the only money we spent onboard was on tips. I haven't been on RC but we did spend quite a bit on board our Carnival cruise.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Well, Disney only has one specialty (for fee) resteraunt Palos. We thought the food as well as the ambiance in the main dining rooms was amazing so we didn't feel the need to go to Palos (although I hear it's excellent)

When we went on Disney the only money we spent onboard was on tips. I haven't been on RC but we did spend quite a bit on board our Carnival cruise.

 

Oh OK you make it sound like since there are 2 specialty restaurants that the cruiser is obligated to go to both of them.

 

Trying to make a fair comparison since you have them eating in specialty restaurants 2 nights on RCI.

 

How about NCL? They have about 8-10 specialty restaurants?:eek:

 

Bill

[owensjro]

Comparing RC Freedom of the Sea (depart Oct 9, 2011) to The Magic (depart Oct 8, 2011), Eastern Carribean.

Freedom Balcony = $2367

Magic Balcony = $3834 (both per travelocity)

 

We have done a 3 day Wonder cruise with balcony and fell in love; we have never sailed Royal. Our Daughter will be 8 in Oct so I do not think the kids activites will be that much different. She has been to WDW twice and DCL once so she has met the characters.

 

My questions is: does Royal really have $1500 in hidden costs? That kind of money could buy some really great excursions.

 

No, there isn't $1500 in hidden costs. As others have said a few hundred maybe, but certainly not that much. DCL is usually priced a bit higher than the larger lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Some say it's because of the service or the shows but I think it's simple economics. With only 2 ships they a) can charge more since cruises are usually sold out and demand is high and b) need to charge more to turn a decent profit with so few ships.

 

Also you may want to look at a category 6A which is a bit less...$3674.81. Every bit helps, right? :)

 

Jim

[Host Mick]

If money is your most important issue then by all means, go on RCI. Keep in mind though that there's a lot more that separates DCL from RCI than the fare.

[ducklite]

Dining at DCL's specialty restaurant Palo is $15 pp. Dining at Chops or Portifino is $25 and $20 pp respectively.

 

If soda prices are a main concern for the OP then they could always get a soda sticker @ $42 pp plus 15% gratuity for a 7 day cruise.

 

There is no need to spend money at Johnny Rockets. They serve hot dogs and hamburgers in the Windjammer buffet.

 

If the op is a wine drinker then wine is usually 2 to 3 times more on a ship and could be a big factor if they drink expensive wines.

 

Bill

 

We ate at Palo once, cost for two adults $30. We ate at the alternate restaurants on RCCL three times due to the subpar food in the dining room, total cost for two adults, $140. And the "extra hidden cost" there was the extra tip we always leave at the alternate restaurants, $30 x 1 at Palo, $30 x 3 at RCCL, and we're still tippping the dining room servers full tips even though we aren't eating there.

 

The Windjammer is only open for limited times during the day, so if you miss it and want lunch, you have your choice of spending money at Johnny Rockets or the coffee bar in the Promenade, or choosing from the very limited room service menu (and tipping for delivery.) Unlike DCL where there is a snack bar with a decent selection open at the pool pretty much all day, and the lunch hours are longer. We spent around $100 for three adults to eat twice at Johnny Rockets. Also you need to pay for ice cream on RCCL, it's free for the asking on DCL.

 

Soda cards for three people on RCCL will run $145. That's pretty significant for $5 worth of soda.

 

You don't even need to drink expensive wines to have a high bar tab on RCCL. A bottle that costs you $9 in the grocery store will be at least $30 onboard. Multiply $30 plus the gratuity (works out to about $35) times seven nights, and you are up to $245. And that's for low quality wine. Something that is simply serviceable will run $60 a bottle, plus gratuity, bringing the wine tab to just shy of $500 for the week, and that's if you don't want Champagne in your room as an aperitif before dinner each evening. And forget trying to buy a "great" bottle of wine at any price, they just don't exist onboard either ship. So if you like world-class wines, you are out of luck on RCCL, on DCL you are welcome to BYOB and pay what most agree is a reasonable corkage. (Although if you want Riedel or similar, you'll need to bring your own.) It's not even an economics issue, but rather being able to drink something nicer than what they sell in the grocery store. It simply can't be done on RCCL, at any price.

 

And then there is laundry. Cost to do a couple loads and press some shirts on DCL, $10. Cost to send things out for laundering/pressing on RCCL, $100.

[ducklite]

Oh OK you make it sound like since there are 2 specialty restaurants that the cruiser is obligated to go to both of them.

 

Trying to make a fair comparison since you have them eating in specialty restaurants 2 nights on RCI.

 

How about NCL? They have about 8-10 specialty restaurants?:eek:

 

Bill

 

I'm not sure why NCL was brought up, the OP asked about RCCL and DCL.

 

And for the record, the Dream will have two alternative adult only resturants.

[forecruiser]

While we are HUGE Disney fans, it is hard for us to justify the additional cost at this time on DCL. Our kids loved the Disney kids club, but they really love the Adventure Ocean programs on RCCL. Absent the characters and free soda, we think RCCL is just fine for us. We have not yet cruised on a Freedom class on RCCL, but have been on the Navigator (Voyager Class) and it was perfect!

 

Please don't get me wrong, Disney is wonderful and first class all the way (in our opinion), but RCCL is absolutly wonderful and you can't go wrong saving the extra money and choosing the Freedom of the Seas.

 

Also, since someone else mentioned NCL, I must chime in. We took the NCL Pearl to Alaska (and had a great time!), but it in NO WAY compares to DCL and RCCL. We do not like the freestyle concept and will probably not cruise with them again for a while.

[orville99]

Time for a bit of sanity...

 

You can do either cruise and not spend an extra dime on either. Or, you can blow your kid's inheritence on either, but...the line isn't hiding any gotcha charges.

 

As for extras, it takes a lot of a lot of extras to run up a $1,500 shipboard account.

 

At the end of the day, both lines are, in reality, floating resort hotels, and both have a REVPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) number that they have to hit to be profitable. Disney doesn't have a casino, nowhere near as many bars and nightclubs, and virtually no onboard shopping compared to its competitors. In short, it doesn't have access to most of the secondary revenue generators of other lines, so, it has to build more of its REVPAR # in up front.

 

As for bar tabs, if you have one on Disney, it will end up virtually the same as on any other line.

 

Specialty restaurants - the cover charge includes the tip, so if you're tipping on top of that, you'd probably do the same thing on any cruise.

 

Neither line charges anything for ANY of the entertainment options, so I'm not at all sure what the point about movies was all about.

[ducklite]

As for bar tabs, if you have one on Disney, it will end up virtually the same as on any other line.

 

WRONG!! If you like good wine with your dinner, it will cost you a LOT more to drink on RCCL than DCL. For $57 (gratuity inclusive) I get a mediocre $13 bottle of NV Domain [sic] Chandon sparkling wine on RCCL. (We use this for Mimoasa--not for sipping--at home.)

 

For the same $57 I can bring along a nice bottle of vintage Schramsberg Brut and cover the corkage fee on DCL. Or for $15 less (including the corkage), I can bring along a good vintage Domaine Carneros Ultra Brut. That's just one example.

 

If you want to drink good wine with dinner, you'll save a boatload of money on DCL. If you want to drink GREAT wine with dinner, BYOB on DCL is the only option, because RCCL won't allow you to BYOB and they simply have NOTHING on their wine list (even the reserve lists in the alternate restaurants) that could be called a "great" bottle of wine.

 

Of course if you're happy drinking Beringer White Zinfandel by the glass, knock yourself out.

[orville99]

WRONG!! If you like good wine with your dinner, it will cost you a LOT more to drink on RCCL than DCL. For $57 (gratuity inclusive) I get a mediocre $13 bottle of NV Domain [sic] Chandon sparkling wine on RCCL. (We use this for Mimoasa--not for sipping--at home.)

 

For the same $57 I can bring along a nice bottle of vintage Schramsberg Brut and cover the corkage fee on DCL. Or for $15 less (including the corkage), I can bring along a good vintage Domaine Carneros Ultra Brut. That's just one example.

 

If you want to drink good wine with dinner, you'll save a boatload of money on DCL. If you want to drink GREAT wine with dinner, BYOB on DCL is the only option, because RCCL won't allow you to BYOB and they simply have NOTHING on their wine list (even the reserve lists in the alternate restaurants) that could be called a "great" bottle of wine.

 

Of course if you're happy drinking Beringer White Zinfandel by the glass, knock yourself out.

 

 

Sorry, should have been more specific. Don't consider wine with a meal as a "bar" tab, and not being a wine snob, I have no idea whether any of the hoity-toity brand names you're tossing around mean anything. If I want a glass of wine at Palo, or a glass of wine at Chops, it's going to cost me the same $14++. If I walk into either one carrying a glass of wine (regardless of how I acquired it), it's gong to cost me exactly nada, to drink it with my meal. BTW, try shipping that wine in your airline luggage, and let me know how that works out for you:rolleyes:

[ducklite]

Sorry, should have been more specific. Don't consider wine with a meal as a "bar" tab, and not being a wine snob, I have no idea whether any of the hoity-toity brand names you're tossing around mean anything. If I want a glass of wine at Palo, or a glass of wine at Chops, it's going to cost me the same $14++. If I walk into either one carrying a glass of wine (regardless of how I acquired it), it's gong to cost me exactly nada, to drink it with my meal. BTW, try shipping that wine in your airline luggage, and let me know how that works out for you:rolleyes:

 

LOL! Those were hardly "hoity-toity" names, pretty run-of-the-mill stuff you can buy in most wine shops to be honest. My husband and I drink a bottle of wine with dinner every night. Just "carrying in a glass" isn't going to cut it for us--it would be gone with the appetizers.

 

I have shipped wine with my luggage--many times. I put it into a 12 bottle styropack shipper (made specifically for shipping wine via an airline, Fed Ex, or UPS) and checked it. $25 for the checked "bag" because it weighs between 32-35 pounds fully packed. I'll be bringing wine back from Napa as checked baggage again this fall, it's cheaper than shipping it Fed Ex or UPS.

 

If you are leaving wine out of it, then I agree the "bar tab" will be about the same on either line.

[livingis2me]

We spent close to $1500 in "hidden costs" on RCCL that we wouldn't have had on DCL. most notably dining in the adults only restaurants several times (higher cost than DCL) because the food in the regular dining room was terrible, very high bar tab because we couldn't BYOB our wine and just pay a corkage, laundry costs because there is no self-service laundry onboard RCCL, soda, lunch at Johnny Rockets, the list goes on.

I noticed that you have your last Disney cruise listed as 8/02 and your last RCCL listed in 2005. Sometime in 2007 or 2008 Disney went way downhill with their food quality in both the rotational resturants and Palo.

 

We have been on both lines within the last 2 years and find the food about the same on both lines. I wouldn't call it bad food, but not excellent either. It's all a matter of taste. But be aware on your next DCL cruise if you are expecting food as good as in 2002 you'll most likely be disappointed. I've cruised DCL both before and after their slide in quality and was disappointed. RCCL was not neccessarilly better, but also not worse.

 

I don't think wine is a big deal for most passengers. I know a lot of people enjoy their wine, but not most. So this wouldn't be an "extra" for most people. Besides most people, including wine drinkers, don't even BYOB. The average cruiser just isn't aware of this as being an option so it's a draw eiter way for most.

 

As for the laundry. I just can't relate. I'm pretty sure a majority of DCL passengers don't bother to go to the laundromat during their cruise. I personally have never used any laundry service on any ship. I don't think this would be an "extra" for most cruisers.

 

I enjoy both cruise lines. There is just so much more to enjoy on Freedom and Oasis class ships compared to DCL.

 

Ron

[livingis2me]

FYI- for soda drinkers such as myself. You can bring your own on RCCL. I brought on a case of coke zero.:cool:

[livingis2me]

The Windjammer is only open for limited times during the day, so if you miss it and want lunch, you have your choice of spending money at Johnny Rockets or the coffee bar in the Promenade, or choosing from the very limited room service menu (and tipping for delivery.) Unlike DCL where there is a snack bar with a decent selection open at the pool pretty much all day, and the lunch hours are longer. We spent around $100 for three adults to eat twice at Johnny Rockets. Also you need to pay for ice cream on RCCL, it's free for the asking on DCL.

 

We were on a Freedom class ship and ice cream is free on the pool deck (Sprinkles) just like DCL (Scoops). Both are soft serve.

 

The Windjammer was not very limited when we were onboard. The main selection of food was closed at 4pm, however there were hot dogs, hamburgers, taco bar, etc... available in windjammer from 4 until dinner. However on DCL Topsiders closed at 3. The hot dog, hamburger type food was available on the pool deck after 3. However they did close those options around 5 pm through the dinner hours.

 

Pizza in Sorrentos is also available for free on RCCL Freedom class ships. I believe that is 24-7 (if not, very early until very late).

 

If you have the desire to enjoy both specialty resturants on RCCL along with Johnny Rockets, you'll have to pay more. (DUH!) But same goes for DCL if you want Palo dinner, brunch and high tea.

 

There is always a decent selection of "cruise fare included" food on either line 24/7.

 

Bottom line is food shouldn't cost anymore on one line or the other and the food quality is about the same.:D