RC Ships .. Kinda Sorta All The Same ..

[Tagsalong]

Of the lines we have cruised, Royal Caribbean has the most variety and diversity. Princess ships are all almost identical, until they built the Royal and Regal. Even these are similar to the older ships and much more so than the difference between Radiance and Oasis. Celebrity only has two styles of ships. Holland America's are all the same, IMHO.

 

We have done many B2Bs where we change lines to get variety. Soon we will do two on the Vision, Aug 18 & 28 and then change to the Caribbean Princess on Sept 1 for two more sailings.

 

This is fairly easy to do out of Ft. Lauderdale without gaps between the sailings, not so much so at other ports.

[cruzincurt]

Fits like shoes you never get tired of wearing

Exactly, that's what we love about RCCL Its like coming home each time we board.

Edited August 2, 2014 by cruzincurt

[Paulette3028]

After exclusively sailing Royal, we recently cruised on Celebrity. It was a pleasant change, as the decor is entirely different.

 

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And so how did the décor impact your cruise? Did it cause you to enjoy it more?

[sillygirl777]

I agree with the OP completely

[cruzinlady1947]

I don't mind the ships being similar....I just wish they would change the welcome gift they give out at the Meet &Mingle. :rolleyes::p

 

 

Gwen :)

[oneputt18]

And so how did the décor impact your cruise? Did it cause you to enjoy it more?

Yes it did, we felt the Century had a lot of ambiance and a touch of class.

[Iluvcruising2]

Gives you a sense that you are home.

 

But the OP may want to try another cruise line to get some variety.

 

We tried Celebrity Silhouette, but I think I like Royal better. Nothing wrong with Celebrity.

 

Later this year, we're trying NCL.

[Big_G]

While Royal is our preferred line, we do need to change it up.

[dancinman66]

I have found most cruise lines have their ships similarly laid out with similar features

Gives a sense if home someone else suggested

I like royal as I like the way they are laid out

Like princess also

But really once the ships get real big they tend to all have some foes of similarity with certain differences per line

If they don't like always same then is time to try different lines and also the different classes within a line

 

 

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[jrljel]

I'm happy that everything is familiar to me and it's like I'm coming "Home!"

 

I look at it like hotel brands. I LOVE Grand Hyatts and I know what to expect when I book one vs. a Hampton. It is the brand that I love and I know what the level of service I am booking is. It's the same with ships. If I want my top of the line, I go with OA class, but if I'm in a ho hum state of mind or that's not available, I go with whatever class I can take.

 

However, I'm always happy when I get onboard that all of my old favorites including colors and décor are as they are. I don't want anything changed! I want my RCL brand in every ship!

[SPacificbound]

I agree, the familiarity is something we like. Different strokes for different folks. :)

[DarthGrady]

Not that I know for sure, but I'm getting the impression that Quantum class might look significantly different than the previous Royal ships.

 

^^^And with no VCL it's difficult to even consider them a part of the fleet. :D

 

OP: If you want a different/oddball experience on RCI, I think he's pointing you in the right direction.

[dorisis]

Exactly, that's what we love about RCCL Its like coming home each time we board.

 

Or like seeing old friends again. And RCCL is more innovative than most other lines. Who else has an Oasis or an Allure?

[NorbertsNiece]

I don't mind the ships being similar....I just wish they would change the welcome gift they give out at the Meet &Mingle. :rolleyes::p

 

 

Gwen :)

 

On Legend in June some of the roll call got T shirts, and not particularly smart ones, but most got nothing as there was only one size on offer...... no notepads.... missed the notepads!!

 

For me, when I hear that boarding 'ding!' I feel like I'm coming 'home' as other have said. The slight differences in each ship keep me on my toes especially as I room on different decks on different sides. Different crew. The 'new' menu is beginning to wear a bit thin now.... but as for the look and feel of the RCL product it works fine for me.... I'm there for the itinerary more than anything.

[SamFritz]

The brand has kept me loyal. I'm with those who like that no matter what ship you sail, it feels like it is our vacation home.

 

Having said that, the changes in the Oasis and Quantum Class ships are making it feel less like that, and are moving me to consider other lines for the first time in our ten year cruising history.

[jackaboo]

I think the familiarity is what makes the ship feel like "Home". Once you've done a couple of cruises, you settle in straight after embarkation every time.

 

I think whilst Oasis class does have a lot of the standard RCI features, it's extra venues and public spaces make a huge difference.

 

I agree with a previous post that the Quantam looks like its going to be totally different!

[CP3o]

I sort of agree. I'd like to see some more variety and think they have enough ships sailing to have some differences and still have economies of scale. Point taken that the latest two classes have many differences and WOWs but are out of range for many cruisers so some variety on the remaining 19 ships sailing would be nice.

 

I like some things being same, Diamond member perks should be the same and if pax like things like Freestyle machines and flowrider, why not put them on all ships you can, etc.

 

But maybe they could test new things on different ships more frequently and if come up with something good, could try incorporating it on half the ships. Say they came up with a different show to replace "love and marriage", maybe some ships could have the new version and when sailing that ship you'd feel like there was something "new".

 

Does the menu have to be so standardized too? Maybe they could come two sets and still have economies of scale and occasionally you sail with a different MDR set of menus.

 

Variety is a major appeal of trying different lines......... sometimes even if it's not better, sometimes 'different' is nice. If, costs equal, choosing between lobster dinner and a favorite fast food dinner, most - shellfish allergies aside- would choose lobster dinner. But say you had to make the same choice each day, at some point, maybe day 3 or 10 or 15, you're likely going to want to choose fast food dinner.

 

Ships having some differences is similar to wanting to go to new ports; I can see what the OP is saying.

[Paulette3028]

I don't mind the ships being similar....I just wish they would change the welcome gift they give out at the Meet &Mingle. :rolleyes::p

 

 

Gwen :)

 

Nice point -- and it would be such a small item, and affect only a few people. Not a real big financial issue in any way.

 

I already have plenty of note pads with pens.

[Paulxyz2004]

Nice point -- and it would be such a small item, and affect only a few people. Not a real big financial issue in any way.

 

I already have plenty of note pads with pens.

 

As it only affects a few People, there´s really no incentive for them to put any thought (Money) into.;)

[Paulette3028]

I sort of agree. I'd like to see some more variety and think they have enough ships sailing to have some differences and still have economies of scale. Point taken that the latest two classes have many differences and WOWs but are out of range for many cruisers so some variety on the remaining 19 ships sailing would be nice.

 

I like some things being same, Diamond member perks should be the same and if pax like things like Freestyle machines and flowrider, why not put them on all ships you can, etc.

 

But maybe they could test new things on different ships more frequently and if come up with something good, could try incorporating it on half the ships. Say they came up with a different show to replace "love and marriage", maybe some ships could have the new version and when sailing that ship you'd feel like there was something "new".

 

Does the menu have to be so standardized too? Maybe they could come two sets and still have economies of scale and occasionally you sail with a different MDR set of menus.

 

Variety is a major appeal of trying different lines......... sometimes even if it's not better, sometimes 'different' is nice. If, costs equal, choosing between lobster dinner and a favorite fast food dinner, most - shellfish allergies aside- would choose lobster dinner. But say you had to make the same choice each day, at some point, maybe day 3 or 10 or 15, you're likely going to want to choose fast food dinner.

 

Ships having some differences is similar to wanting to go to new ports; I can see what the OP is saying.

 

When you bring up that the two newest classes of ships have many WOW features that other ships don't and are priced out of the range of many cruisers and you would like to see some of those things on some of the other 19 ships.....I have to disagree. People can get some wonderful deals for Oasis and Allure (we did when we sailed on her recently) and Quantum will come down as well. Sometimes you can't change other ships to provide what these ships have on many of the other 19 ships. But prices fluctuate and people have talked about wonderful prices they have gotten.

 

As much as I love the 'love and marriage' game, it would be nice to have a new game show....maybe an short adult version of Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune.

 

When it comes to dinner menus, I have to believe it is more than just 'economies of scale' and 'bulk buying' -- it probably has to do with providing as 'consistent' a product for dinner as they can. It will always vary a little bit because the executive chef overseeing the food services is different on each ship, but if they varied the menus much, consistency of dinner would probably suffer.....and then they would have different complaints from cruisers.

[Paulette3028]

As it only affects a few People, there´s really no incentive for them to put any thought (Money) into.;)

 

In this case, because it only affects a few people, it isn't the money....it purely is the 'thought' -- I realize that, totally.

[Paulxyz2004]

I sort of agree. I'd like to see some more variety and think they have enough ships sailing to have some differences and still have economies of scale. Point taken that the latest two classes have many differences and WOWs but are out of range for many cruisers so some variety on the remaining 19 ships sailing would be nice.

 

I like some things being same, Diamond member perks should be the same and if pax like things like Freestyle machines and flowrider, why not put them on all ships you can, etc.

 

But maybe they could test new things on different ships more frequently and if come up with something good, could try incorporating it on half the ships. Say they came up with a different show to replace "love and marriage", maybe some ships could have the new version and when sailing that ship you'd feel like there was something "new".

 

Does the menu have to be so standardized too? Maybe they could come two sets and still have economies of scale and occasionally you sail with a different MDR set of menus.

 

Variety is a major appeal of trying different lines......... sometimes even if it's not better, sometimes 'different' is nice. If, costs equal, choosing between lobster dinner and a favorite fast food dinner, most - shellfish allergies aside- would choose lobster dinner. But say you had to make the same choice each day, at some point, maybe day 3 or 10 or 15, you're likely going to want to choose fast food dinner.

 

Ships having some differences is similar to wanting to go to new ports; I can see what the OP is saying.

 

Sounds good on paper, but I doubt it´s that easy. I believe a menu Change is a Multi Million Dollar affair and having two menus fleetwide would not be economical. Chefs and galley Team move around ships just like every other crew and staff. They would Need to be trained the double amount being able to perform two sets of menus in a Quality Standard matching the entire fleet.

 

Next Thing is if they did this I can already see the gazikkion of CC Posts about how bad or nice this is and then all those coming up with "which menu will be on my cruise" - " oh no I don´t like that menu" - "I Need a cruise with the other set of menus"......

 

Now I know this is just the CC Folks that are so obsessed about everyhting and they are just a small fraction of the Overall cruising Population. But then if it´s just a small number worried about this, then it´s only a small number of cruisers being worried about a different menu as well and thus another reason not to even think about it.

[Paulxyz2004]

In this case, because it only affects a few people, it isn't the money....it purely is the 'thought' -- I realize that, totally.

 

 

The thought alone costs Money!

 

We are not talking about a small Business here. We are talking about a large corporation here. Changing even a small item like this will involve $$$.

 

Someone has to start thinking about a replacement, Options have to be Chosen, a Team will have to Review, they Need to find a Company providing the items in the Quality they Need, Prices have to be negotiated, Messages sent to every ship and everbody involved, etc.

 

All of this cost them Money. We all know Labor ain´t cheap. So all this Money for just a few People affected and not to Forget most likely as many of them will complain about the new GIFT as there are complaining about the old one.

[temple1]

I suppose a person's background also affects how they react to each ship and class. In my other life (the one that helps pay for cruises) I'm used to looking for the similarities and differences between properties. I notice pretty quick the different décor in each theater, mdr and even WJ. I've also noticed the different layouts of the Schooner Bar and Boleros. I also look at the artwork.

 

IMHO - Enchantment has the best art work, Monarch had the worst, Sovereign class ships had the best Schooner bar and Boleros, Freedom class the worst.

 

I don't look at the names for differences, that is branding, how they are actually decorated. I loved the new curtains on Enchantment, hope they are the new standard.

 

I will be able to report back on my opinion of Princess next spring.

[cruzincurt]

I know several people who have been on one cruise and don't intend to go again. So changes are of no value to that group.

 

I don't know the percentage of repeat cruisers, but we/they are the ones that complain about the same ports, same menu, same decor, same CD jokes. To most others, everything is "new". Seems there are plenty of first timers on my cruises, and many repeats.

 

I choose to repeat cruise in the Caribbean with the same ports, same ships, same decor, etc. We even look for the same Captains, I'm fine with it.