Is Royal the right line for our family

[cgolf1]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

[setsail]

Try the oasis class, 3 high energy ships with tons to do, with the harmony being brand new this year. You should book and make up your own mind

[bluebelt]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

- Free cooking demos are always fun

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

 

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

 

 

I have never been on DCL. There always seems to be a lot of activities going on during the day. I have never seen a golf chipping contest on a Royal ship. I have to say I love the pool/sun so during the day we usually do not participate in many of the activities so I can't comment. Their evening shows (especially on the Freedom and Oasis class ships) is phenomenal. On the Oasis I really disliked the buffet, but thought it was better on Freedom of the Seas. Oasis class ships do have the Park Cafe with sandwiches/salads (bagels in the morning) which is free. Royal does have alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink packages available for purchase. We always thought the MDR meals were good. The pay options we have been to (chops and Giovanni's table) are excellent if you decided to try one. Most of Royal's ships have a walk climbing wall. Many have an ice skating rink. Oasis has a zip line. Freedom/Oasis/and I believe Quantum classes all have the flowrider (which is a surf simulator). Liberty of the Seas is getting waterslides during dry dock this Feb. Harmony of the Seas will have waterslides when it debuts later this year. There is no shortage of activities on Royal ships, especially Freedom and Oasis classes.

[garnetpalmetto]

We are previous DCL cruisers looking to switch to another line due to the rising costs. I have to do this on the individual lines we are interested in because I didn't see a general thread where I could ask this.

 

My wife and I are late 30's early 40's with a college aged daughter. When we cruise our habits are as follows.

 

- Like trivia type events

Royal ships certainly have no shortage of trivia contests and things like that - crossword puzzle competitions, trivia, progressive trivia, and name that tune contests are usually to be had each day.

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

On larger ships,you'll sometimes see tournaments for basketball, soccer, and the like

- Free cooking demos are always fun

You'll sometimes see these. I believe we had them on Grandeur and Freedom but I'm not sure if I've just tuned them out, they haven't had them, or what. I can only assume the willingness of the ship's executive chef to participate in these type of events are the main driver as to whether or not they happen.

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

Plenty to do on Royal Caribbean! Even on the smaller ships there's plenty o fthings to do other than lay around and read. Full gyms, jogging tracks, climbing walls, trivia events, etc.

- Enjoy comedy acts and production shows. Quality of both matters, don't mind off color comedy as long as it is done well

Royal has both comedy acts and production shows ranging from your "typical cruise line" production shows to licensed productions of Broadway shows (CATS, Mamma Mia!, Grease, We Will Rock You) on some ships. The Oasis class also has a devoted comedy club venue.

- We really like to swim, if there was a pool you could do mini laps in that would be great

Offhand you may want to look at a Freedom or Oasis class ship as these ships have specific pools devoted to lap work.

- I love water slides, but only really do each one a few times a cruise

This is where Royal has historically been lacking as most ships haven't had waterslides. That will be changing though. The newest Oasis class ship, Harmony of the Seas, will have waterslides, as will Liberty of the Seas once she gets refit and, I believe Majesty of the Seas will as well.

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

Every ship has a climbing wall. Beyond that, it depends on what class of ship you are on. Some ships have mini golf courses, some have the Flowrider surf simulator, some have ice rinks (with production ice shows as well as being open for guests to skate on), some have the iFly skydiving simulator, some have ziplines, and one has a bungee trampoline, for instance. Generally speaking if you look at a cruise on a Voyager, Freedom, or Oasis class ship you'll have mini golf, ice rink, and Flowrider.

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

As I'm not gluten free, I can't answer this one specifically, but I have noted the MDR labels GF options on the menus.

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

The MDR menus can be found here. As with all food, it's personal preference, but my wife and I have never had huge complaints about the food on Royal. A dish here and there may be letdowns, but overall food's pretty darned good.

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

We usually opt for lunch or breakfast in the MDR or via room service but the times we've had lunch/breakfast at Windjammer we haven't been too disappointed. Usually a pretty good variety of food including your typical burgers and fries, some decent Indian dishes, etc.

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

Again, the general rule is the larger ships will have more/better options. On Oasis of the Seas, for instance there were several complementary venues (Sorrento's Pizza, Cafe Promenade, Park Cafe, Wipeout Cafe, Solarium Bistro, Johnny Rocket's for breakfast) whereas on smaller ships the only complementary venues are sometimes MDR, Windjammer, and maybe Park Cafe if there's one on the ship.

- We casually drink on the ship, but don't plant in a bar for a night, so would be curious about the drink packages. Going without soda probably wouldn't work for me

Info on drink packages can be found here. It sounds like the Select, Royal Replenish, or Royal Refreshment packages may be up your alley. The last two don't cover alcohol, but given what you've said you may be alright paying for those by the drink.

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

We've never had any real problems with the customer service on Royal. We've had great waitstaffs in MDR, have made friends with members of the Activities staff, and have had some very good cabin stewards. We've never had unfriendly or just outright bad service. At the very worst we've had "average."

Any insight on if we would be a good fit for this line would be appreciated.

 

My responses are above in red. I hope this helps you and if I can provide any more answers with regards to specific ships, I'd be glad to.

Edited January 17, 2016 by garnetpalmetto

[George C]

Liberty is adding a water slide next month, not sure of any other ships have them

[hansolosmom]

We love DCL but like you travel on other lines due to cost.

 

We have sailed several times on Royal. I'd look at Freedom class or above for great activities. My dh loves trivia and goes to every session. Not sure about golf, but all ships have sports areas and a rock wall (or at least almost all of the ships). We have gone to cooking demos, origami class, dance classes etc on ships. I think they have a really nice variety of activities available.

No slides, but they have the Flowrider which is fun! I've seen people swim laps in the pool early in the morning, but never during the day due to crowding.

 

The food is pretty good, we usually only do MDR although we did Chef's Table which was awesome.

 

We have seen some good shows on Royal, although I think entertinment is so variable from trip to trip. One of our favorite things to do is listen to the piano player in the evening.

 

I'd definitely suggest Royal or another to consider is Celebrity which is also nice but a little more "grown up" for lack of a better word.

[cgolf1]

My responses are above in red. I hope this helps you and if I can provide any more answers with regards to specific ships, I'd be glad to.

 

 

It does thanks. I especially like the lap pool option on some of their ships, need to work off that food somehow.

[impatientlywaiting]

We cruise on the Radiance & Vision class ships on RCI (the "smaller" ships). There are activities all day long and lots to do during the evenings. We eat in the MDR at night and the buffet for breakfast (the egg bar is great - eggs the way you want hot out of the skillet while you wait) and lunch (we like to eat light for lunch so sandwich fixings work for us). The food in the MDR is excellent.

[Summerknight]

We are taking 4 generations on an RCI cruise next winter. There is something for everyone to do. Many activities all day and night. I say give Royal a try. You should have a great time.

[mxylpic]

Much, much to do on RCI ships regardless of size, though the larger ships have more options, ie Ice show on Voyager class and larger. There will be as much or as little to do as you like. Come on in, the Cruisn's fine. :)

[garnetpalmetto]

Much, much to do on RCI ships regardless of size, though the larger ships have more options, ie Ice show on Voyager class and larger. There will be as much or as little to do as you like. Come on in, the Cruisn's fine. :)

 

Except the Quantums. Those would fall under "and larger" but lack an ice rink.

[MOcruiserman]

Absolutely, Royal is excellent for families with kids, especially the newer ships - Anthem, Harmony, Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Liberty and Independence. Excellent food, tons of activities and shows, many things kids would love. Also, Royal's prices are usually very reasonable.

[UCF_Knight]

- I am gluten free, so they need to handle that well and easily, DCL does great with this.

 

Gluten free by choice or by necessity?

 

If you have Celiac you are best to try to stay in the main dining room for breakfast and dinner as well as lunch on sea days (dining room is closed for lunch on port days). The dining room can safely accommodate gluten free meals. For breakfast they'll do pancakes and waffles. The dinner menu (and lunch menu when open for lunch) is clearly marked with which selections can be made gluten free. They also have a gluten free bread they'll bring out to the table each night (sometime a few varieties depending on the ship). After the first night you will order your dinner for the next night. They'll bring out the next night's menu towards the end of dinner so you can make your selections and they'll make sure it is ready and safe for you. There will sometimes be items they can make gluten free which aren't listed as such on the menu, so be sure to ask if you want to try something. You always want to place your dining room order with the Head Waiter. They are the ones who will give your order to the chefs in the kitchen.

 

On ships with a pizza restaurant they can usually make a gluten free pizza for you.

 

There will usually be a snack bar which will have prepackaged gluten free cookies and occasionally some fresh mini cupcakes.

 

The Windjammer buffet is obviously a cross-contamination nightmare and I wouldn't eat anything from the buffet line. They do have fresh fruit in bowls which is about the only thing I'll eat after washing them thoroughly. You can sometimes get a chef there to go back to the kitchen and prepare something fresh which is gluten free, but that is hit or miss. If you don't have Celiac and cross contamination isn't an issue for you, just ask a chef who will lead you through the line and point out the gluten free items.

 

I haven't sailed Disney Cruise Line in many years so I can't compare how well they currently handle gluten free, but if it is anything like how Walt Disney World handles things I'm sure they are top notch. Royal Caribbean is maybe a notch below that, but still good.

 

We always bring a duffle bag of gluten free snack foods and cereal onboard with us so my daughter (who also has Celiac) and I are assured of having something safe to eat especially for when the dining room is closed for lunch.

[melinda0222]

I am a mother of 3 boys age 11 and under. We have cruised on DCL 3 times in last few years, NCL last year, and will be on Independence in 3 weeks. My previous experience with RCL was 2003. We have also done celebrity and carnival at some point in time. I can't compare DCL to RCL yet, but will be doing that when we come back. I can compare DCL to NCL which might help you a little. We have also strayed from DCL due to rising cost. I will tell you there are a few things DCL does better than most. The biggest is service. DCL just seems to know how to do customer service. It isn't that NCL is bad, they extra steps just aren't there. The other thing has to do with young kids and parents. DCL does a better job at helping parents relax by taking care of their kids. This doesn't apply to you so probably doesn't matter. I will say that as much as we enjoyed the Dream the NCL Getaway was a way better ship with more activities especially for adults and older children. I am guessing that RCL is the same. I will say we went on Celebrity a long time ago and it is the closest cruise line to DCL as far as customer service. I think you find some things you like more on RCL and some things you miss from DCL. I can't imagine you having a bad time at all. The only cruise line we would not go back on is Carnival. Just didn't like the experience, the ship, the people. Hope this helps.

[cgolf1]

Gluten free by choice or by necessity?

 

If you have Celiac you are best to try to stay in the main dining room for breakfast and dinner as well as lunch on sea days (dining room is closed for lunch on port days). The dining room can safely accommodate gluten free meals. For breakfast they'll do pancakes and waffles. The dinner menu (and lunch menu when open for lunch) is clearly marked with which selections can be made gluten free. They also have a gluten free bread they'll bring out to the table each night (sometime a few varieties depending on the ship). After the first night you will order your dinner for the next night. They'll bring out the next night's menu towards the end of dinner so you can make your selections and they'll make sure it is ready and safe for you. There will sometimes be items they can make gluten free which aren't listed as such on the menu, so be sure to ask if you want to try something. You always want to place your dining room order with the Head Waiter. They are the ones who will give your order to the chefs in the kitchen.

 

On ships with a pizza restaurant they can usually make a gluten free pizza for you.

 

There will usually be a snack bar which will have prepackaged gluten free cookies and occasionally some fresh mini cupcakes.

 

The Windjammer buffet is obviously a cross-contamination nightmare and I wouldn't eat anything from the buffet line. They do have fresh fruit in bowls which is about the only thing I'll eat after washing them thoroughly. You can sometimes get a chef there to go back to the kitchen and prepare something fresh which is gluten free, but that is hit or miss. If you don't have Celiac and cross contamination isn't an issue for you, just ask a chef who will lead you through the line and point out the gluten free items.

 

I haven't sailed Disney Cruise Line in many years so I can't compare how well they currently handle gluten free, but if it is anything like how Walt Disney World handles things I'm sure they are top notch. Royal Caribbean is maybe a notch below that, but still good.

 

We always bring a duffle bag of gluten free snack foods and cereal onboard with us so my daughter (who also has Celiac) and I are assured of having something safe to eat especially for when the dining room is closed for lunch.

 

As for my Gluten free diet, it isn't by choice, but I haven't had the biopsy for the full test yet. They are planning to do one next week so we will find out once and for all. I do know that if I eat foods that contain gluten I can end up in a lot of pain, so I have just stayed away from it for about 6 years now. I really am hoping that they find out it is some other minor issue, I really do miss the craft beers that I used to enjoy. My guess is it is a bad case of gluten sensitivity, not celiac. Thanks for the reply

[Coastalrap]

We’ve sailed both but it’s been a while since we were on DCL. Coming from Disney you will notice a difference, Disney does earn their higher rates.

 

I’m not sure if it was the cruise we were just on or if it’s becoming a trend but our Explorer cruise we were on last week was the worst RCL cruise we’ve been on. We have another RCL cruise already booked for June on a different ship and expecting it will be much better.

 

First the RCL website is terrible!! We could not make our specialty restaurant reservations or cruise check in properly and had to call and have them do it. In the case of the check in, their system would not allow us to put in our real flight time for disembarkation and we were told to just put in 1PM then change it when we get on board.

 

The on board service was very inconsistent. We usually do My Time Dining and the first two nights, service was pretty bad with two different serving teams. On the 3rd night we struck gold and found a great team and requested them for the rest of our cruise. We did a pasta making demonstration at Giovanni's Table that included lunch and a galley tour. It was fantastic! We went back for dinner and it was just the opposite, won’t go back. Dining room breakfast service was almost always poor.

 

The first few days the weather was bad and the pools were closed. The kids program must have been pretty bad because that left the kids with having much more fun running up and down halls and playing in the elevators all day. There are usually quite a few kids on Disney cruises but they were kept so busy I didn’t see them. When the pools were open on the Explorer, the kids took over again and were in ALL the pools, even the adult ones. Something else we never found on Disney. I don’t mind kids on a cruise, I just would like them kept happy with activities that they can have fun with, safe and not bothering other cruisers. Disney seems to do that great!

 

Again, our last experience has not been typical on RCL and I’ve always thought they were a great value. I hope this was the exception but if not, we will have to look for other options.

[holden0301]

We've alway enjoyed our RCCL cruises, however DCL (we've done a few of those) beats RCCL when it comes to food and service.

 

RCCL shines in its Oasis class ships and activities. Swimming is tight on DCL. RCCL does that better too.

 

I'd say try RC. I think you'll enjoy it, but you will miss the service and food.

Edited January 19, 2016 by holden0301

[Beardface]

Highly suggest you check out the Oasis and Quantum class ships. They sound like they would be right up your alley.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

OP: I think you'd enjoy Royal. Since it seems you like lots of activities, I'd stick with Voyager, Freedom, Oasis, or Quantum Classes.

 

Liberty is adding a water slide next month, not sure of any other ships have them

 

Liberty is actually getting 3 watersides. Harmony of the Seas, when she debuts, will also have 3 waterslides, as well as the 10-story Ultimate Abyss dry slide. Someone mentioned Majesty getting a slide - Nope. Royal changed plans, and is no longer adding the slide.

Edited January 19, 2016 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[keggy]

I am platinum on both Disney and Royal. I think you will enjoy Royal for what you are looking for. IMO Royal offers more activities than DCL, especially for your age group. I would suggest Freedom class and higher.

[cgolf1]

Want to thank everyone for the help with our decision. It was a difficult one ultimately between Celebrity and Royal, and it came down to how the dining times worked out. We really felt we couldn't go wrong with either, each checked different things off our list. We will be sailing on the Freedom of the Seas and we are super excited to go:)

[Club Disney Chandler]

Want to thank everyone for the help with our decision. It was a difficult one ultimately between Celebrity and Royal, and it came down to how the dining times worked out. We really felt we couldn't go wrong with either, each checked different things off our list. We will be sailing on the Freedom of the Seas and we are super excited to go:)

 

 

I can hardly wait to hear about it when you get back. Please do a thorough comparison.

[Wildcatfish]

After 4 DCL cruises, our last five have been on Royal. I think your family will very much enjoy the Freedom or Oasis class ships. There are lots of activities, and quality shows. Trivia, scavenger hunts, mini golf, ping pong, rock climbing walls, flowrider, and more.

 

Although the pools are not large (not 25 meters) you can do lap swims in the morning. Most mornings I'm the only person doing laps in the pool. The running/walking track is another great place to start your day if your looking for exercise. Warm up on the track, then a few laps in the pool! ...followed by some quality time relaxing in the hot tub:D

 

Have a great time!

[Another-Adventure]

We had our first Royal cruise last fall (9 day New England/Canada) on Liberty. Beautiful ship! We are going on Grandeur in July. Our switch from DCL was for almost the same reasons you stated; however, I don't believe we will EVER find a line that meets or exceeds the DCL standard! I think you can definitely find positive aspects on your upcoming trip, but I will caution you......be prepared for the initial let down from that DCL standard. They are THAT much better, but usually double the $$$!

 

 

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