What's everyone's favorite ship & why

[southernshug]

Looking to take my whole family, myself (55), hubby (62), Daughter (30) and her hubby (35), son (26) and his wife (24) on a Caribbean vacation. Hubby and I have only been one 1 cruise, celebrity reflection but this will be the 1st for everyone else. So I'm curious.......what do u like, dislike about Royal Caribbeans ships? How's the food? How crowded do those mega ships get? Lol

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

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[matj2000]

Your asking very generalized questions that will have bias answers.

Your best bet is to go read member reviews(on this site)of the ships you are interested in.

This will give a ton of insight from different sources.

That should help you a tremendously, much better than asking everyone to tell you things.

[southernshug]

Your asking very generalized questions that will have bias answers.

Your best bet is to go read member reviews(on this site)of the ships you are interested in.

This will give a ton of insight from different sources.

That should help you a tremendously, much better than asking everyone to tell you things.

I'm sorry. I just thought it would be fun to hear others opinions. Thank you

 

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[martyap]

I'm sorry. I just thought it would be fun to hear others opinions. Thank you

 

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Nothing wrong with your question. After sailing on smaller ships we tried the Allure last April and loved it. Central Park, The Promenade, flow rider, rock climbing, Boardwalk....lots of eating choices both free and specialty......great entertainment.....and we never felt overwhelmed sailing with so many others. We are going on the Allure this June and the Symphony in October.

[southernshug]

Nothing wrong with your question. After sailing on smaller ships we tried the Allure last April and loved it. Central Park, The Promenade, flow rider, rock climbing, Boardwalk....lots of eating choices both free and specialty......great entertainment.....and we never felt overwhelmed sailing with so many others. We are going on the Allure this June and the Symphony in October.

Thank you Martyap! 😊

 

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[Tee & Chilli]

What's your top three important items - itinerary, ship, entertainment, departure port, departure day (Saturday or Sunday), food, etc

 

This will help others provide recommendations

[Tee & Chilli]

Here's a few recent threads

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2450060&highlight=favorite

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2475924&highlight=favorite

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2464515&highlight=favorite

[southernshug]

Here's a few recent threads

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2450060&highlight=favorite

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2475924&highlight=favorite

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2464515&highlight=favorite

Very nice. Ty for sharing!

 

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[voyager70]

I'd recommend any Oasis, Freedom or Quantum class ship.

[Clarea]

We like Vison class best, smaller, nice pool deck, covered Solarium.

[2chiefs]

We like Voyager and Freedom class the best. Just like to hang in the promenade and just like the general layout.

(There are no bad ones).

Another consideration is the crew. What might have once been a favorite turns out to not be so nice when the crew has significantly turned over for instance.

[southernshug]

We like Voyager and Freedom class the best. Just like to hang in the promenade and just like the general layout.

(There are no bad ones).

Another consideration is the crew. What might have once been a favorite turns out to not be so nice when the crew has significantly turned over for instance.

Interesting......i never thought of that before bit I can see where it would make a difference, thank you

 

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[2chiefs]

Interesting......i never thought of that before bit I can see where it would make a difference, thank you

 

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Yeah, I guess a lot of people don't cruise the same ship over and over again but when we lived in the Houston area it was handy to drive to Galveston so we took many Voyager and Mariner cruises. You could tell the difference in crew and customer service from one cruise to the next. I guess everything is variable though. You can have bad and good waiters on the same ship for instance. Some bad customer service might skew your optics on the entire crew as well.

[southernshug]

Yeah, I guess a lot of people don't cruise the same ship over and over again but when we lived in the Houston area it was handy to drive to Galveston so we took many Voyager and Mariner cruises. You could tell the difference in crew and customer service from one cruise to the next. I guess everything is variable though. You can have bad and good waiters on the same ship for instance. Some bad customer service might skew your optics on the entire crew as well.

I figure everyone is entitled to a bad day once in awhile! Lord knows I've had more than my fair share, lol. Personally, after dealing with some of the patrons on those cruise ships, I think they're all saints!!! 😉

 

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[SET TO SAIL]

We’ve been on 8 different RCCL Ships, the smallest being Serenade up to all three of the Oasis Class. There are things to love about all of them. If you’re the kind of folks that like to keep busy and have a wide variety of entertainment and activities, one of the Oasis Class would be my pick. Don’t let the number of passengers scare you. There are only a few times over the course of the cruise when it really feels crowded. Our favorite is Allure only because it leaves from Ft Lauderdale (for now, anyway), has a pool in the Solarium (Harmony only has hot tubs), and has the Samba Grill restaurant.

[southernshug]

We’ve been on 8 different RCCL Ships, the smallest being Serenade up to all three of the Oasis Class. There are things to love about all of them. If you’re the kind of folks that like to keep busy and have a wide variety of entertainment and activities, one of the Oasis Class would be my pick. Don’t let the number of passengers scare you. There are only a few times over the course of the cruise when it really feels crowded. Our favorite is Allure only because it leaves from Ft Lauderdale (for now, anyway), has a pool in the Solarium (Harmony only has hot tubs), and has the Samba Grill restaurant.

I admit, the big ones do make me nervous, lol

 

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[twinmommy08]

I liked the Serenade because of the large windows and glass like feel. The Freedom class is the right size for our needs. Not too big and not too small. The Enchantment is special- our first cruise and our first suite. My pre-teens like the bells and whistles but think the mega ships are too big. Lots of walking and long lines.

 

 

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[John&LaLa]

I admit, the big ones do make me nervous, lol

 

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Oasis, but folks will say I have a bias.

 

Beach Pool

Aqua Theater

Ice Show with Sand Artist

Comedy Club

Jazz Club

Coastal Kitchen when booking a Junior Suite or better

Central Park restaurants

Johnny Rockets breakfast

Zip Line

Two FlowRiders

Two rock walls

Carousel (it's just not for kids)

Dawg House

Wipe Out Café

CATS, I like it. ;)

Large casino helps dissipate smoke

Champagne Bar is huge

Rising Tide

Great Promenade events

Did I mention Beach Pool? :halo:

Great Solarium

Solarium Bistro at night

Lots of shopping

Most times it totally absorbs 6,000 passengers

Hump balconies are huge

Loft Suites and Star class for those that can afford it

Izumi Hibachi experience

Lots of bars

she never tenders

[tugboat]

We like Vison class best, smaller, nice pool deck, covered Solarium.

Same here Bob

[Clarea]

Same here Bob

I should have also added "no kiddie pool area".:)

[holden0301]

I was impressed with Anthem. It's a big ship without being too big. Love the activities it offers - IFLY, bumper cars, rock wall, circus school, escape room, etc. Sailing out of NJ is also very convenient for us - no flying.

[John&LaLa]

I should have also added "no kiddie pool area".:)

 

Doesn't Enchantment have one?

[Clarea]

Doesn't Enchantment have one?

Yes, I think that was added during the stretch. Still, since it was added as part of the stretch, it does not make the main pool area smaller, as on Radiance Class.

[CanadaRob]

I like the Radiance class(Jewel) similar to Vision in size and also in the Caribbean will get to the further southern ports and as mentioned in another thread the glass makes you feel like you're on the ocean from just about anywhere and love the outdoor seating in WJ, I also like Quantum/Anthem for the same reason. (Outdoor seating)

Breakfast is a big deal for me and if I can sit down and have the sun on me and have the neverending bacon only a few steps away its always a win!

[lenquixote66]

We like the Grandeur because you are almost guaranteed to see people more than once.