Has anyone else stopped recommending RCI to people?

[The Sunset Glow]

When people find out I cruise they usually ask me which cruise line I sail with or recommend. In the past I always said RCI (unless I thought another line wold suit their needs better). Up until now RCI has been the best overall with regards to price/value, ships, amenities, etc, to us.

 

But lately I've stopped recommending them as a first choice without pause. I say RCI has been our favorite but I can not, in all honesty, tell people to try RCI without doing your research because I no longer feel they are the best value in most cases. Now I tell people to compare a few lines with similar itineraries because in recent months many of RCI sailings have gone up so much in price, to me, they are no longer even close to a good value. This is my opinion, YMMV.

 

The BOGOHOAX sale that's been never ending since last may is a complete farce now. But I guess there must be tons of new cruisers out there that don't know that most of these prices are truly inflated, even from last year's prices, so the sale is working. Supply and demand I guess. I realize there's inflation but the cost increases are way more than that.

 

And now with the huge jump in drink prices....things are getting crazy at RCI. We have 3 cruises booked (booked them back in early May with BOGO, so we truly got sale prices) but unless I find some decent rates I don't see us booking any more RCI cruises.

 

I realize there are still some good rates to be had but they never seem to line up when we want/can to go.:mad:

 

RCI is still my favorite and I will continue to look for opportunities to sail with them but it's not the only line I am pricing now and cruising is not the only form of vacation we will consider. In fact, we are headed to Cuba in a couple of weeks - this is the first winter without a cruise in years - in the past few years we never even considered anything but a cruise. It's sad but it's reality. For me, the value has diminished substantially.:(

 

I know many of you will disagree and that's ok. We all have our opinions and what's a good value to some is not to others. I'm glad there are choices out there for all of us.:D But maybe there are others like me who have stepped off the Royal band wagon and looking at other options.

 

Happy travels:)

[cruisinfanatic]

When people find out I cruise they usually ask me which cruise line I sail with or recommend. In the past I always said RCI (unless I thought another line wold suit their needs better). Up until now RCI has been the best overall with regards to price/value, ships, amenities, etc, to us.

 

But lately I've stopped recommending them as a first choice without pause. I say RCI has been our favorite but I can not, in all honesty, tell people to try RCI without doing your research because I no longer feel they are the best value in most cases. Now I tell people to compare a few lines with similar itineraries because in recent months many of RCI sailings have gone up so much in price, to me, they are no longer even close to a good value. This is my opinion, YMMV.

 

The BOGOHOAX sale that's been never ending since last may is a complete farce now. But I guess there must be tons of new cruisers out there that don't know that most of these prices are truly inflated, even from last year's prices, so the sale is working. Supply and demand I guess. I realize there's inflation but the cost increases are way more than that.

 

And now with the huge jump in drink prices....things are getting crazy at RCI. We have 3 cruises booked (booked them back in early May with BOGO, so we truly got sale prices) but unless I find some decent rates I don't see us booking any more RCI cruises.

 

I realize there are still some good rates to be had but they never seem to line up when we want/can to go.:mad:

 

RCI is still my favorite and I will continue to look for opportunities to sail with them but it's not the only line I am pricing now and cruising is not the only form of vacation we will consider. In fact, we are headed to Cuba in a couple of weeks - this is the first winter without a cruise in years - in the past few years we never even considered anything but a cruise. It's sad but it's reality. For me, the value has diminished substantially.:(

 

I know many of you will disagree and that's ok. We all have our opinions and what's a good value to some is not to others. I'm glad there are choices out there for all of us.:D But maybe there are others like me who have stepped off the Royal band wagon and looking at other options.

 

Happy travels:)

You've got a better alternative, lets here it.

[Big_G]

Still recommending Royal as well as Celebrity and Princess. I would still put Royal first for families. Keep in mind I haven't sailed NCL or HAL yet. I won't recommend one until I've sailed a couple of times and Royal hasn't really done anything that would change my mind yet.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Big_G

[cot427]

When people find out I cruise they usually ask me which cruise line I sail with or recommend. In the past I always said RCI (unless I thought another line wold suit their needs better). Up until now RCI has been the best overall with regards to price/value, ships, amenities, etc, to us.

 

But lately I've stopped recommending them as a first choice without pause. I say RCI has been our favorite but I can not, in all honesty, tell people to try RCI without doing your research because I no longer feel they are the best value in most cases. Now I tell people to compare a few lines with similar itineraries because in recent months many of RCI sailings have gone up so much in price, to me, they are no longer even close to a good value. This is my opinion, YMMV.

 

The BOGOHOAX sale that's been never ending since last may is a complete farce now. But I guess there must be tons of new cruisers out there that don't know that most of these prices are truly inflated, even from last year's prices, so the sale is working. Supply and demand I guess. I realize there's inflation but the cost increases are way more than that.

 

And now with the huge jump in drink prices....things are getting crazy at RCI. We have 3 cruises booked (booked them back in early May with BOGO, so we truly got sale prices) but unless I find some decent rates I don't see us booking any more RCI cruises.

 

I realize there are still some good rates to be had but they never seem to line up when we want/can to go.:mad:

 

RCI is still my favorite and I will continue to look for opportunities to sail with them but it's not the only line I am pricing now and cruising is not the only form of vacation we will consider. In fact, we are headed to Cuba in a couple of weeks - this is the first winter without a cruise in years - in the past few years we never even considered anything but a cruise. It's sad but it's reality. For me, the value has diminished substantially.:(

 

I know many of you will disagree and that's ok. We all have our opinions and what's a good value to some is not to others. I'm glad there are choices out there for all of us.:D But maybe there are others like me who have stepped off the Royal band wagon and looking at other options.

 

Happy travels:)

 

I totally agree with you 100%. And it's very sad! I've been an RCI "cheerleader" for years and as you can see from my signature, primarily have cruised RCI. More recently, when you consider all things, I've found that the value isn't there anymore. Yes, the prices have went up. And of course I wouldn't mind paying them if the service/food on the ships hadn't decreased significantly. But I'm not willing to pay through crazy prices for a product that has been slowing deteriorating over the past few years.

 

I took a 2-night sampler on NCL back in January as a way to get hyped for my upcoming summer cruise and I have to say the service/food was much better, the entertainment was great, and the ship was great. There were certain things I missed having, but all in all I found it to be a better value.

 

I have a cruise on the Oasis booked in September because to be honest it was a fantastic deal...probably the best I've ever gotten from RCI. But new bookings now...they have to be kidding. I'm hoping it will be a good experience and will keep me coming back next year, however I definitely consider alternatives now.

[davekathy]

OP...agree with you about choices. A lot to select from. We've had friends tell us oh you've just got to book with...they are the best. Ok that's your opinion and we respect that. However we look at time of year, itinerary, Cruise line, ship and price that fits our liking. We aren’t loyal to any one Cruise line and would never book a Cruise or Cruise line based on someone else’s recommendation. Everyone has an opinion but that’s where we draw the line. We’ve had friends also ask us do we have a favorite Cruise line. Nope.

Edited March 13, 2015 by davekathy

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

Interesting question. I had no consciously thought about it, but yes I have been steering people to other lines lately. I have been on 20+ cruises and friends ask me about them frequently. If they are a family with young kids, I tell them to save up for Disney. If they are wanting a romantic/couples type cruise, I tell them Celebrity to Alaska is the way to go these days. If they are a family of older kids, I tell them Norwegian has been getting the highest reviews lately. The RCCL product has not decreased in my honest opinion. It is the same ships, same itineraries, same pretty much everything as it has been for years. What has changed is the price has gone up and the service has gone down which makes the entire experience less pleasant overall. I dont even think that last statement is even debatable. Simply look at the recent cruise critic awards that came out. RCCL ships were nowhere to be seen in the award lists. My family is sailing on the Independence in 75 days on a cruise booked a very long time ago and that is fully paid for. We are eagerly looking forward to the trip, but I fully expect it will be out last RCCL cruise for many years to come. There are just better values out there these days.

[George C]

I still think RCCL is best line overall , and would still recommend, but we have a open mind and have sailed most of the lines and with a couple of exceptions will cruise them again sooner or later

[OCruisers]

Yes, we still recommend RCCL sometimes.

When ask .... The cruise line we recommend all depends on the people who ask us and where they want to cruise and for how long. ;)

LuLu

Edited March 13, 2015 by OCruisers

[BND]

After just getting off Carnival Sunshine a few weeks ago, we are definitely recommending RCI. We used to say Carnival and RCI were more similar than not. Not anymore. It was an "okay" cruise and while cheaper, for the most part, you get what you pay for.

[tserface]

Based on several posts I've read here lately I went over to NCL and checked out a few cruises for next year. I've always been reticent to change because we are Elite on Celebrity and Diamond on RCI and we enjoy the benefits. But, with NCL's lower prices and current sale that gives you a free drink package the few Diamond drinks don't seem as important any longer so we're considering giving NCL a try for next year. It looks like we can save a lot of $$$ and get to try something totally knew. It's a tough decision because we really love RCI, but it's just getting so expensive in comparison.

 

It's scary thinking of trying something different, but also a little exciting... sort of like cruising for the first time.

 

I'm having more trouble recommending RCI for first time cruises since there a lot of less expensive alternatives now.

 

I guess time will tell. Obviously, someone is still booking RCI since the higher prices seem to be holding and rising all the time.

 

Tom

[The Sunset Glow]

I guess my original title is not completely accurate....I tried to condense it but now I realize it comes across the wrong way.

 

It's not that I don't think RCI is still a great cruise line and it is still my favorite but I feel the value is diminished with the higher prices on fares and on board expenses like drinks while the service and food quality has gone down.

 

I still recommend RCI but only if they find it a good value comparably. A year ago I would have recommended RCI without comparison - That's the difference.

 

Hope that makes sense.:cool:

[pinkrosesdeb]

I did not find NCL prices to be lower. Maybe it is the date

[north29]

My D+ perks, but if another cruise line offer something similar at a lower price I would be happy to try them.

I still recommend RC, A or X to many people, I still think they are tops in most departments for basic cruise lines, except for rather generic itineraries.

[arkking]

We too have enjoyed RCL, but we found our BB cruise this winter on Oasis was somewhat of a disappointment. We were really looking forward to it, too. On good days it wasn't too bad but when weather was cool and everyone was inside it was really crowded. You can only spend so much time in room even with balcony. I think too many people for the ship. I also feel that the

food has diminished in quality the last couple of years. We are not usually that finicky, but they didn't even have a good salad during lunch. What they did have was a dab here and a dab all throughout the whole buffet. In Windjammer mostly pasta with red sauce or hamburger on Oasis. I didn't loose any weight, but I didn't gain any weight either. I would compare food with that on NCL a few years ago.

Wouldn't go onOasis again, and I am still unsure about the other ships. I will still try at least once more but wouldn't give recommendation to others for RCL.

 

 

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[bouhunter]

Interesting question. I had no consciously thought about it, but yes I have been steering people to other lines lately. I have been on 20+ cruises and friends ask me about them frequently. If they are a family with young kids, I tell them to save up for Disney. If they are wanting a romantic/couples type cruise, I tell them Celebrity to Alaska is the way to go these days. If they are a family of older kids, I tell them Norwegian has been getting the highest reviews lately. The RCCL product has not decreased in my honest opinion. It is the same ships, same itineraries, same pretty much everything as it has been for years. What has changed is the price has gone up and the service has gone down which makes the entire experience less pleasant overall. I dont even think that last statement is even debatable. Simply look at the recent cruise critic awards that came out. RCCL ships were nowhere to be seen in the award lists. My family is sailing on the Independence in 75 days on a cruise booked a very long time ago and that is fully paid for. We are eagerly looking forward to the trip, but I fully expect it will be out last RCCL cruise for many years to come. There are just better values out there these days.

 

All our cruises have been on RCCL (10 in 10 years). I would agree with the statement highlighted above. We got lucky and found a good deal out of SJU for March 16 (booked 5-6 months ago). But I agree prices overall at RCCL are getting out of hand. On our last cruise with them a year ago the overall service was NOTICEABLE poorer. It was so obvious they have cut back on staff. Next cruise is in two weeks and it isn't on RCCL for the first time - trying Celebrity.

[DonnaK]

We are no longer RCI cheerleaders.

 

It's because cruises that we are looking at (we can only cruise during prime times) are priced outrageously high so they are no longer a good value compared to other lines. For example, comparable cabins for the same week in August cost more than double on RCI versus NCL or Celebrity

Edited March 13, 2015 by DonnaK

[MR LED]

I could not agree more with the OP. I would always tell anyone who asked to sail RCCL. But after looking for a cruise to do this year I cannot believe the price increase. This BOGO “sale” should be called the BOGUS SALE. I sailed the Oasis last May in a D3 balcony for $1825. If I was to book the same cruise for the same week this May it would cost $3080. I understand they need to increase prices from year to year but a 69% increase is crazy. Sorry RCCL you have a good product but NCL is catching up fast for less. I started cruising because the value it had over a land only vacation. Hawaii looks like a bargain now.

[julesbeara]

I got a birthday card while on board from the Stateroom Attendant from our previous cruise on the Jewel. Our waiter asked what we wanted for dessert for the next night and he had ready at the end of our meal. It was a bread pudding, creme brulee, and souffle cruise.

Edited March 13, 2015 by julesbeara

[karena1]

Based on several posts I've read here lately I went over to NCL and checked out a few cruises for next year. I've always been reticent to change because we are Elite on Celebrity and Diamond on RCI and we enjoy the benefits. But, with NCL's lower prices and current sale that gives you a free drink package the few Diamond drinks don't seem as important any longer so we're considering giving NCL a try for next year. It looks like we can save a lot of $$$ and get to try something totally knew. It's a tough decision because we really love RCI, but it's just getting so expensive in comparison.

 

It's scary thinking of trying something different, but also a little exciting... sort of like cruising for the first time.

 

I'm having more trouble recommending RCI for first time cruises since there a lot of less expensive alternatives now.

 

I guess time will tell. Obviously, someone is still booking RCI since the higher prices seem to be holding and rising all the time.

 

Tom

 

we are doing the same. Would have never thought to try NCL b/c of the perks we get on Royal/Celebrity/Princess. However, for the same weekend, 3 night cruise, same price, we both get the free bev pkg on NCL. So for a 3 night cruise on Sky, we figured it was worth trying. Still not sure I would do anything longer on another line, but for 3 nights, it cannot go that wrong. We sit at CocoCay many times wondering what NCL's island is like, so we will finally find out

 

Since we booked the NCL a couple days ago, Royal has gone up about $40 pp, so glad we made the leap and trying NCL. If we like it, then more choices for our quick weekend getaways

 

I also always recommended Royal. But with the crazy prices now, I tell everyone the same. Let's look at prices/itins etc and see what works best.

[ehfl]

Looking more at Celebrity and NCL.

 

The false pricing on the web site, as well as the nonsensical "sales" have discouraged us a bit. Our next cruise is booked on Celebrity. We'd like to book another RCL cruise but are not able to find out what the price will be, at least not using their web site.

[yolanda1]

We have never been totally loyal to Royal, and always liked the variety of cruising with different lines, from the quality of Crystal to cheaper, but fun ones like Thomsons. In the mid range mass market, we have in the past had a preference for Royal. We do like their ships, but we haven't felt the 'wow' in recent times.

 

We don't feel that they live up to their reputation now though, and wouldn't recommend them particularly over most of the other lines we have sailed with. Too much cost cutting, price increases, cutbacks, and charges for everything. I'd just advise people to explore all options,including but not restricted to Royal. There are many as good as, and better.

 

I think they have shot themselves in the foot and lost their way a bit. We have booked our next 2 cruises with competitors, and will continue to do so until we feel they match what we are looking for again. We will always consider them, but don't feel we can recommend them just now.

 

.

[krisko]

I used to recommend Royal but now I tell people to go for price first and ship second. There just isn't that much difference anymore.

[Topo Gigio]

The only thing I can tell you about the drink prices, it's just a matter of time before it goes up on other cruise lines as well. You remember about smoking on the ship?

[tserface]

Of course, by then it may go up even more on RCI. Who knows the future. But, if we can gauge by the past...

 

Tom

 

The only thing I can tell you about the drink prices, it's just a matter of time before it goes up on other cruise lines as well. You remember about smoking on the ship?

[Desertbelle]

We've dabbled in a few different cruise lines and keep coming back to RCI or Celebrity. They suit our needs and we think they are a good choice for most people. They would still be our number one recommendation to anyone who asked.

 

NCL almost caused us to stop cruising it was so horrible, can't imagine cruising with them again, nor would I recommend NCL to anyone. We cruised with them early in our cruising history and we almost didn't go back to try cruising again.

 

Carnival is fine, nothing special, food was good, wouldn't refuse a booking with Carnival if we were invited to cruise with family or friends who prefer Carnival. I wouldn't discourage anyone from a Carnival cruise.

 

I wouldn't cruise on Princess again if it was the last cruise line on Earth. We had a run in with Princess that was never resolved and I will, and do, speak badly about Princess whenever I have a chance. They lied, cheated, keep the truth about something serious from us until just after we made final payment and they gave us the worse cruise of our lives. I feel they stole from me and my family. Never, ever, would I recommend Princess.