Convince me to try RCI

[Cruising89143]

We are Diamond + on RCCL and just took our last cruise with them. As the ships get larger the food quality and service gets worse. We are looking at Princess and NCL. If you are happy with the other cruises you have taken I stay stick with them.

 

nm!

Edited October 25, 2013 by cruisingator2

[Cruising89143]

To the OP. Haven't tried Princess and so far they haven't shown me anything that would entice me to try it. I also am not a fan of anything Carnival owned. Just don't like the big guy up stairs.

 

For me RCI offers a lot. They along with Celebrity have outstanding ships. They are innovative, well designed and beautiful. We found the service on RCI to be consistently good. They have a very good past guest program. Not a lot of cruise lines offer free drinks in the evening to their valued past guests. Entertainment is very good on the newer larger ships. Oasis and Allure are in a class by themselves. We have no issues with the food but that is subjective.

 

In the end it's up to you to decide what you want in an overall cruise experience. IMHO RCI gives a very good experience. We also tried Celebrity this past March and found that they are like RCI but geared more for adults than families which is what we like.

 

Also RCI has recently tightened their smoking policy which IMHO is a GREAT change. ;) No smoking on the balconies.

Edited October 25, 2013 by cruisingator2

[tserface]

We have cruised 4 times, the first on Princess (my favorite) and then 3 on Carnival. We are looking to take another cruise. The cost of Princess, keeps us from choosing them again. This time it will just be 2 of us rather than traveling with our kids. RCI is more expensive especially since we don't get any past guest discounts, tell me why you pick RCI over other cruise lines.

 

Maybe you'll be convinced by all the incredibly friendly people chastising you for asking a simple question.

 

We like RCI because of the ships. The service and food on either RCI or Princess are good. RCI has better shows. Princess has better donuts. The people on RCI ships are much nicer than the ones on Cruise Critic! :)

 

Tom

[big al]

I did feel "WOWED" when I stepped aboard the Carnival Triumph, way back in 1999. It was my first cruise, and I didn't know one from another. In my opinion, the ship was opulent, food and entertainment great, and the cabin was tastfully appointed.

 

Looking forward to being WOWED on the Explorer next spring.

 

 

I was on the Triumph in '04..I suppose if you've NEVER been on a cruise ship, the Triumph would be Wow..a little too much neon & glitz for me...I thought RCI's cabins were alot nicer... Carnival's cabins are a nice size, but very plain in decor...food is pretty good...as others have said, I like "the feel" RCI ships have...Carnival ships are more Vegas on LSD, RCI ships are more like a caribbean island- soft colors, very easy on the eyes, salty warm breezes....I love the British Pub on the Royal Promenade, or Vintages for wine...make sure you go up to the Viking Crown Lounge on deck 14 for a quiet drink maybe some jazz or oldies...don't miss the ice-skating show, and the nautical Schooner Bar on deck 4 for piano sing-alongs & trivia contests..don't forget you have your own adult pool area, the Solarium, on deck 11..and NO D.J.'s here at the pool ( Thank God!!) like Carnival now uses instead of the Caribbean reggae bands...to me, a Caribbean band is a MUST for a Caribbean cruise- not some 18 yr.old kid playing hip- hop.....try the yummy finger sandwiches in the Cafe Promenade ( some are croissants w/ ham or tuna, or prosciutto!!) if you get hungry later in the evening....

 

Big Al

[north29]

Bad cruise, some are just better than others, some cruise lines fit your style better and only you know what you like. I like RC, I also like Costa, yes Costa, and have 2 X cruises coming up shortly, I sometimes do not like what I read on the the X ships CC forum, but we shall see how it goes, I have friends who prefer X but they are on the stuffy side and kinda old thinking.

Edited October 25, 2013 by north29

[BillOh]

Why do we have to convince you? if you think it's not for you, just skip it. After all it's your money.

 

Most helpful post ever! :rolleyes:

 

To the OP, I had RC chosen for me and haven't looked back. After you do try a cruise or two, let us know what you think. I read a lot of posts and learn from them and try not to post like this one.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I was on the Triumph in '04..I suppose if you've NEVER been on a cruise ship, the Triumph would be Wow..a little too much neon & glitz for me...I thought RCI's cabins were alot nicer... Carnival's cabins are a nice size, but very plain in decor...food is pretty good...as others have said, I like "the feel" RCI ships have...Carnival ships are more Vegas on LSD, RCI ships are more like a caribbean island- soft colors, very easy on the eyes, salty warm breezes....I love the British Pub on the Royal Promenade, or Vintages for wine...make sure you go up to the Viking Crown Lounge on deck 14 for a quiet drink maybe some jazz or oldies...don't miss the ice-skating show, and the nautical Schooner Bar on deck 4 for piano sing-alongs & trivia contests..don't forget you have your own adult pool area, the Solarium, on deck 11..and NO D.J.'s here at the pool ( Thank God!!) like Carnival now uses instead of the Caribbean reggae bands...to me, a Caribbean band is a MUST for a Caribbean cruise- not some 18 yr.old kid playing hip- hop.....try the yummy finger sandwiches in the Cafe Promenade ( some are croissants w/ ham or tuna, or prosciutto!!) if you get hungry later in the evening....

 

Big Al

 

Thanks Al,

 

I like the idea of no pool D.J., although DH and I do enjoy caribbean reggae /steel bands.

 

NCL constantly has loud music on the pool deck which can be annoying at times. We are fans of Jazz and oldlies as well, so I plan to visit Viking Crown Lounge, Schooner Bar and the Ice show.

 

Thanks for the great tips.

[vmom]

To the OP,

 

If you liked Princess you will like RCCL. I cruise both lines and I think the variety of cruising more than one cruise line makes it fun.

 

There are quite a few postings both on the RCCL board and the Princess board comparing the two lines.

 

I think if you are traveling with children or teens, then RCCL might be a better choice as there are more active type activities offered. For a couple traveling alone or with other adults, then either would be enjoyable.

 

A lot is just personal preference. As an example, many people love the Royal promenade on the Voyager and Freedom class ships. I find them at first a wow, but then I get claustrophobic with them. I prefer the open ocean feel of the Radiance class ships. That is personal opinion and one is not better than the other. I have not tried the Oasis/Alllure so can't comment about them, but hope to try one of the ships soon.

 

I'd suggest, cruise both lines and enjoy both.

Edited October 25, 2013 by vmom

[Retiringworkingstiff]

We have cruised 4 times, the first on Princess (my favorite) and then 3 on Carnival. We are looking to take another cruise. The cost of Princess, keeps us from choosing them again. This time it will just be 2 of us rather than traveling with our kids. RCI is more expensive especially since we don't get any past guest discounts, tell me why you pick RCI over other cruise lines.

We have only done 5 cruises, so not seasoned cruisers by any stretch of imagination.

 

Before of the our limited "sample size", we cannot really state, like some posters here, that one mass market line is better than another.

 

Of the 3 lines we have tried:

 

- Carnival, best value for the money.

- RCL, most innovative ship (if one is into that sort of thing, I think they even have face recognition of each passenger). We were on the Allure in 2012.

- Celebrity, we were on the Infinity a number of years ago, very elegant, nice and quiet, hardly any announcement from the PA system.

 

It all depends what you are looking for, like one poster indicated, your TA would be the best person to talk to about that.

 

Posters on CC tends to look down on people cruising with Carnival (in a general sense). We are going on the Carnival Breeze in 30 some days. We will do the Steakhouse a couple of times (definitely not lower end Outback like some poster said, not higher end Ruth Chris either), one thing I can say is the Steakhouse on our Carnival Valor May 2013 was much better than the Chops Grille on the Allure in 2012, again whether it is like that every day, I have no idea based on a sample size of 1. While on the Breeze, we will take out the Weekly Spa Package and will probably end up spending a fair bit of time there, reasonably nice and quiet from what I've been reading. Carnival, I agree people are a lot more in the partying mood, but didn't really see too many party animals. Yes, Carnival had this hairy chest contest, never paid attention to those. Some poster said that's low class, well on the Allure they had something called the Belly Flop, I think that's what's called, that wasn't too classy either, IMHO. Even if there are drunks on the Breeze or on any other line, they won't really bother us cause we are "on different schedule".

 

We are not loyal to any cruise line in particular, after the Breeze in December, who knows, could be the Radiance, Jewel or another RCL cruise. All depends on what we what at a certain point in time. I do feel a bit biased towards Celebrity but it's certainly not cast in stone.

 

In this world, there are the old rich and the new (or newer rich). Both have chauffeurs! Old rich, they sit at the front. The new or (newer) rich, they sit at the back and command the chauffeur to take them to a higher end clothing store, maxing out their credit card(s). The old rich would chat with the chauffeur like family and ask to be taken to the nearest Walmart. As an accountant (in Canada), I prefer to deal with the Old Rich.

 

Like I said, all depends on what you want, how you perceived life in general. Nothing is absolute!

 

Just me 2 cents!

Edited October 25, 2013 by Retiringworkingstiff

[big al]

Thanks Al,

 

I like the idea of no pool D.J., although DH and I do enjoy caribbean reggae /steel bands.

 

NCL constantly has loud music on the pool deck which can be annoying at times. We are fans of Jazz and oldlies as well, so I plan to visit Viking Crown Lounge, Schooner Bar and the Ice show.

 

Thanks for the great tips.

 

They sing alot of oldies in the British Pub...mostly 60's/70's and 80's...the guy usually starts at 9..check him out....

 

Big Al

[macleay]

We were totally loyal to Princess and have cruised several times with them. Our last cruise was with RCI because we got a $1000 gift certificate. We actually loved several things on RCI more than Princess:

 

Bathrooms--preferred RCI, size, set, etc.

Balcony--preferred RCI because the people above you weren't looking down at you

Food--preferred Princess, although RCI was good.

Entertainment--LOVED RCI way more than Princess

Shopping--liked the set-up and variety on Princess better

Staff--really great on both ships

Pool area--preferred RCI, seemed less crowded

 

I like the perks we get being Elite on Princess, but really liked RCI and will cruise either with no qualms based on price and itinerary.

[Little Buddy's Mom]

Any/Or....it's all good! Cruises on the mainstream lines are truly more alike than different...you'll have a great time! Go! Book it!

 

You're right.

 

We've cruised on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Carnival and NCL. It really irritates me when someone bad mouths a cruise line they've never sailed on. Especially, Carnival. We sailed on the Carnival Liberty for 28 days and it was one of the best cruises we ever took.

Sure, there were some things I didn't care for but no cruise line is perfect.

 

There are some things I don't like about Royal Caribbean but that doesn't stop me from cruising on that line. If, it's bad enough, I say something and it's usually corrected immediately.

 

We're so fortunate to have the choices we do.

[brenjmull2]

We too loved Princess but we want to try the Baltimore Port and that puts us on Rccl this time.. I am looking forward to trying the different cruise line.. We were on 2 Carnival and liked it also, it was a much different crowd then princess though.. On our Princess Cruise everyone is in bed by 11 pm..

[Big_G]

We are Diamond + on RCCL and just took our last cruise with them. As the ships get larger the food quality and service gets worse. We are looking at Princess and NCL. If you are happy with the other cruises you have taken I stay stick with them.

 

You probably shouldn't impose such ultimatums on yourself judging by the lines you're choosing as a replacement. Just sayin' :D

[DevonianCruiser]

I'd say go for it. I like RC along with NCL, X, Cunard and Princess to name a few. I'm always up for trying so etching new.

 

Variety is the spice of life as they say:D

 

If I was to gamble on it, I'd say you're more likely to regret not doing it, than doing it :cool:

[cruisinatdawn]

Thank you to those of you that told me what you did and didn't like about the different cruise lines, that is what I was looking for. Maybe I did word the question wrong in the first place, but I know a lot of people are loyal to one cruise line and I just wanted to know why you liked this one the best.

 

We usually go to the shows and we were blown away by the shows we saw on Princess, but usually disappointed by the entertainment on Carnival. Several people mentioned how much better the entertainment was on RC, so that may convince me to give it a try. I also appreciated the honesty about the food, we loved all the soufflés we had on Princess, and my husband loves his Chocolate Melting Cake.

[CruisesOnMyMind]

Thank you to those of you that told me what you did and didn't like about the different cruise lines, that is what I was looking for. Maybe I did word the question wrong in the first place, but I know a lot of people are loyal to one cruise line and I just wanted to know why you liked this one the best.

 

We usually go to the shows and we were blown away by the shows we saw on Princess, but usually disappointed by the entertainment on Carnival. Several people mentioned how much better the entertainment was on RC, so that may convince me to give it a try. I also appreciated the honesty about the food, we loved all the soufflés we had on Princess, and my husband loves his Chocolate Melting Cake.

 

 

Sorry to say you will not find the CMCake on Royal. That has to be one of my all time favorite desserts. Oh I can taste it now.

[medic123]

You probably shouldn't impose such ultimatums on yourself judging by the lines you're choosing as a replacement. Just sayin' :D

 

We have got to start somewhere. I am not saying these are better, just where we are starting to look. :)

[John Reid]

Thank you to those of you that told me what you did and didn't like about the different cruise lines, that is what I was looking for. Maybe I did word the question wrong in the first place, but I know a lot of people are loyal to one cruise line and I just wanted to know why you liked this one the best.

 

We usually go to the shows and we were blown away by the shows we saw on Princess, but usually disappointed by the entertainment on Carnival. Several people mentioned how much better the entertainment was on RC, so that may convince me to give it a try. I also appreciated the honesty about the food, we loved all the soufflés we had on Princess, and my husband loves his Chocolate Melting Cake.

 

By indicating some things that are important to you, it helps when giving feedback. We have cruised Princess, HAL, Carnival, and RCI. No matter which ship we were on in a particular fleet, across the board we found the most limited entertainment on Carnival and the best entertainment on RCI. For dining, we would give a nod to Princess over RCI, but the RCI dining rooms were nicer. Princess had a better Lido/buffet dining experience over RCI.

 

We found the Princess experience fairly standard from ship to ship. The three we sailed were quite similar. For you to make a comparison with RCI, you will need to consider the specific ship class you may sail.

[Leafpeeper]

We like variety so we prefer to sail on many lines and Try different ships. Sometimes we just want a quick inexpensive getaway so we book a short Cruz inside cabin. Other times we want a longer cruise and upgrade to a balcony.

 

There are things we like on Carnival Princess NCL and RCCL. Each ship is different. DH likes NCL for all it's different types of restaurants. I like RCCL for perks now that we r Diamond. The decor on RCCL ships is very nice as is Princess. Live bands great. Lunch is terrific in the dining room.

I love the ships with adult pools with retractable roofs for rainy days like the Jewel of the Seas and Brillance more than the mega ships.

 

What we like most is seeing a different production show on other lines. We cruise a lot so we get bored with the same shows. Try it for something different like you try a new resort or a new restaurant. Enjoy the change. You can always go back to your favorite ship! Of course if people don't try different ships, they wud never find a new fav ship.

[Hstergo]

Let's see compared to Carnival. RCI has nicer ships, better food, better show, and more activities other then that they about the same lol

 

 

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[Little Buddy's Mom]

Let's see compared to Carnival. RCI has nicer ships, better food, better show, and more activities other then that they about the same lol

 

 

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Have you ever sailed on Carnival, or are you just another person basing your opinion on what you've heard and not on actual experience? :rolleyes:

 

Maybe, you've taken more cruises then you've listed in your signature?

[Hstergo]

Have you ever sailed on Carnival' date=' or are you just another person basing your opinion on what you've heard and not on actual experience? :rolleyes:

 

Maybe, you've taken more cruises then you've listed in your signature?[/quote']

 

Yes I have sailed on Carnival. How would I know RCI is better if I never was on a Carnival ship ?

The novelty of adding every cruise I have taken to my signature wore off quite quickly.

 

 

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[Georgiagolfer]

Thank you to those of you that told me what you did and didn't like about the different cruise lines, that is what I was looking for. Maybe I did word the question wrong in the first place, but I know a lot of people are loyal to one cruise line and I just wanted to know why you liked this one the best.

 

We usually go to the shows and we were blown away by the shows we saw on Princess, but usually disappointed by the entertainment on Carnival. Several people mentioned how much better the entertainment was on RC, so that may convince me to give it a try. I also appreciated the honesty about the food, we loved all the soufflés we had on Princess, and my husband loves his Chocolate Melting Cake.

 

I agree with many who post that you have to decide which line to cruise. With many people having a favorite line (loyalist), you will only get their biased opinion. Personally, I don't understand fully understand brand loyalty for all cruises. I'm loyal to my God, my Country, and my family. A cruise line is a business, not my friend.

[shaunap999]

What a thing to say! Im loyal to those who are loyal to me, friends, god, partner, cruise line, business associate, its about us as people and why you do what you do, along with what or who influences your human decisions!

Probably time to wrap up this thread now before it goes totally bonkers! I think the author has gained from it all they need. An understanding of LOYALTY from honourable worldwide cruisers