RCCL newbie- please describe RCCL

[MISSSNOOPYGIRL]

Hello,

 

I am looking for one or a couple of words to sum up and describe Royal so I can get a feel for this line. For example I would describe Carnival as fun, down to Earth and not snobby, yet getting cheap with obvious cutbacks. For NCL I would describe as plain. Vanilla. Nothing stood out for me there.

[cb at sea]

Combine the two...and you've got RCI...prettier ships than the others...plenty to do...more and more "nickel and dimeing" than in the past.....they are all more alike than different.

[cruisingsince94]

Taking more and giving less. Giving you a lot less bang for your buck.

[CanadaRob]

'wow' factor with new ships and activities Oasis/Quantum and to some extent still Freedom Class

More of the similar issues with other ships in trying to do more with less

[njm5378]

A step up from Carnival, better food, cabins, less spring break party atmosphere. More traditional than NCL, more scheduled and structured. More youthful, laid back than Princess.

[paylady]

I think the feel of RCL is often dependent on the class of the ship.

 

If you are looking for the Wow factor it is quite evident on the Oasis and Quantum class ships.

 

If you are looking for a more laid back experience, you can't beat the Radiance class ships.

[DHADEN]

Hello,

 

I am looking for one or a couple of words to sum up and describe Royal so I can get a feel for this line. For example I would describe Carnival as fun, down to Earth and not snobby, yet getting cheap with obvious cutbacks. For NCL I would describe as plain. Vanilla. Nothing stood out for me there.

 

We LOVE RCI because of the Best and Most Friendly Service we get on every ship. RCI is also Fun & Down-to-Earth, but without being "cheap".

 

The ships are B - E - Utiful and elegant.

 

The only time we cruise other lines is because of ITINERARIES. RCI should really improve their Itineraries.

 

 

I think the feel of RCL is often dependent on the class of the ship.

If you are looking for the Wow factor it is quite evident on the Oasis and Quantum class ships.

If you are looking for a more laid back experience, you can't beat the Radiance class ships.

 

I agree with this. We don't care for the CROWDS on the larger ships. The Radiance Class ships are GREAT!

[Jimnbigd]

Two words? "Live music." RCI has better live music than Carnival.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Jimnbigd

[mcatmcat]

I always describe royal to an apple product. They are beautiful, innovative, original. We speculate about what will be new and sometimes we end up disappointed. When you finally buy your apple product and finally get back from vacation you ask the same question for both royal and apple. Is it really worth it those extra hundreds of dollar? And that when you will have 2 groups of people saying

 

Group 1= absolutely

Group 2= absolutely not

[MISSSNOOPYGIRL]

Thanks to all. Any more? I am giddy with anticipation of cruising on Jewel

[emory2001]

Beautiful: The multi-level main dining rooms are stunning (although Enchantment has a slight edge over Jewel for dining room magnificence; and I've heard the Oasis class dining rooms are not as elaborate?). The parade of flags is wonderful. Royal ships are prettier all-around than the Princess one I went on.

 

Activities: They are always adding activities to new ships and sometimes existing ships.

 

Itineraries: I don't know about Carnival, but Royal has better itineraries than some other lines.

 

Solarium: The adults-only pool.

 

You will enjoy Jewel. I loved the outdoor seating at Windjammer, which (I think) only the Radiance class has, and I liked the "day of the week" plates that were changed out in the elevators every day. We had a great comedian on Jewel too.

[Eriksgarden]

Clean, easily navigated ships with decor not so gawdy to make you ill. A wonderful crew that makes you feel welcome, part of a fun party, and go out of their way to entertain, feed, and exceed your expectations. It is a hotel that travels with you on your vacation journey.

[nomoreknothead]

I've talked cruising with lots of people, because they know I have been on a few. LOL!! When someone ask me why I like Royal Caribbean .... I simply say " It fits me!" This cruise line fit me & my husbands likes & dislikes We can PARTY if we want too or we can just RELAX !!!

[bumblebutter]

MISSSNOOPYGIRL I'm on the Jewel with you in a couple of weeks. If I run into you, I'll be very interested to see which the descriptions you agree with. Because there sure is a variety of pros and cons descriptions listed here so far.

[CanadaRob]

MISSSNOOPYGIRL I'm on the Jewel with you in a couple of weeks. If I run into you, I'll be very interested to see which the descriptions you agree with. Because there sure is a variety of pros and cons descriptions listed here so far.

 

 

Would love to hear back-after the cruise for your impression of Jewel too.

Maybe just bump this thread when you get back?

[LisaAtlCruiser]

I cannot come up with a single word so let me share this. I have cruised Carnival and Holland America - I have nothing against either line. But when I cruised Royal a couple years ago I found myself loyal. Why? I really cannot put my finger on it. I am a solo woman that has somehow managed to become loyal to the "family friendly cruise line"! It makes no sense at all. All I know is that I really love Royal Caribbean and will be loyal to her for awhile (perhaps stepping up to Celebrity!).

 

Although I will say Princess has WAY better pizza ;)

[sandybeachlady]

Would love to hear back-after the cruise for your impression of Jewel too.

Maybe just bump this thread when you get back?

 

 

 

:) We are going on the Jewel as well,,,,, February 28th,,,, can't wait,,,, would love to hear some feedback from anyone sailing who has cruised on "Jewel"!!!

[Tapi]

Royal is still a mass market cruise line like its closest competitors, but it provides enough of a bump in the quality of their product to make them stand out. Ship design and decor, quality and professionalism of the entertainment, selection of stateroom categories, innovative activities, and overall feel, are just some of the things that they seem to do a bit better than other cruise lines we've sailed on.

 

But when I think of Royal, I think of consistency. From the Viking Serenade many years ago, to our honeymoon aboard the Empress, to our sailing on the biggest cruise ship on Earth (the Allure), to our most recent Bahamas getaway on the Enchantment, we ALWAYS return from our Royal cruises very satisfied. The distinct elements that we love about Royal can be found on all of their ships, no matter which one.

 

You mentioned Carnival. We've sailed many times on them (more than twice as many times as on Royal), and will continue doing so. However, we choose them mostly for convenience and price. Sometimes we return very satisfied, other times we return thinking that it will be our last cruise on them ever. The quality of the product seems to vary wildly from Dream class to Fantasy class, something that we haven't encountered on Royal.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Tapi

[NemoCrownie]

:) We are going on the Jewel as well,,,,, February 28th,,,, can't wait,,,, would love to hear some feedback from anyone sailing who has cruised on "Jewel"!!!

 

We did a B2B on the Jewel this past February. The ship is a little tired looking and doesn't have the WOW of the larger ships but it is still in excellent shape...we cancelled a booking on the Serenade to do another B2B on Jewel before refurbishment (and the addition of additional cabins/elimination of public space, the addition of the giant pool screen, more "for a fee" restaurants, etc.) We love the outdoor Windjammer seating and the staff was some of the best we have ever encountered, it was just an all around wonderful cruise. We had almost sworn off of Royal after our previous cruise but the Jewel reminded us of why we love cruising and why we like RCI. I hope you enjoy the ship and itinerary as much as we did.

[MISSSNOOPYGIRL]

MISSSNOOPYGIRL I'm on the Jewel with you in a couple of weeks. If I run into you, I'll be very interested to see which the descriptions you agree with. Because there sure is a variety of pros and cons descriptions listed here so far.

 

Thanks all. Yes, Bumble and I will have to get back on here post cruise and update you on our impressions. You all have me super excited for Jewel and Royal Caribbean!

[poutanen]

I can't compare them to other lines, as I've never cruised on anything else. That said, we leave for a B2B today... There's got to be a reason I keep spending my hard earned money with them!

 

Entertainment we've seen has been fantastic. The aqua show on Allure, comedians, piano players/singers, and the solo or duet acts played in "central park".

 

Staff has been great, we sailed on the Allure in March 2014, then again in Jan 2015 for a B2B. We recognized many crew members, who also recognized us and in many cases knew us by name. Maybe they're primed on this stuff before each week, but we actually felt like family with the crew. Some fantastic people (and others mediocre).

 

The ship has been great, much more comfortable bedding than I expected, much more to do than I expected, much shorter lines than I expected (based on the Oasis class cruise critic naysayers).

 

They seem very organized for herding 6500 cattle onto and off the ship, feeding them, entertaining them, cleaning up after them, etc. So I guess that's my overall impression of Royal...

 

Impressed. Relaxed. Welcomed. Fun.