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Your favorite thing on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Cafedumonde
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Clarea

Clarea

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Why don't you choose the newest and most feature filled, that way you won't be missing much. Try everything and see what you like the best. Symphony is the newest Oasis class ship and Anthem is the newest Quantum class ship based in the US.

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tortoisegirl

tortoisegirl

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My favorite things are more about cruising in general - being able to wake up in new places but have a home base and only have to unpack/repack once, getting away from everything (we don't get the internet package), spending quality chill time together, not having to cook or clean, meeting new people from all over the country or even world, etc.

 

We keep coming back to Royal more for the level of service, food quality & selection, friendly staff, and nice ships/rooms more for the actual activities. So far we prefer them over Princess and NCL. We haven't done Oasis or Quantum class yet, but have Ovation (a Quantum class) booked, and would like to do an Oasis class eventually (we're in WA though).

 

Without kids and being in our 30s we're not as into the latest greatest adventurous thing they are offering on the new ships and are perfectly happy with the Voyager and Freedom class ships (which are all we've done so far). The port stops keep us busy enough, and on sea days we're perfectly happy not doing much all day. We do the dining room for most meals so that takes up some time, and in between we'll just relax and take in the ocean, take a nap, read, attend some of the activities, take a dip in the pool or spa, etc.

 

The ice shows on Voyager and Freedom class ships are a standout, as are some of the special performers they bring on (like magic or comedy). My husband loves the free skate time (although at least on our last cruise it was only on 1 sea day the entire cruise, even though we had 2 sea days and some other days we weren't in port the entire day).

 

Choosing a ship/class is all about what options you want to have, itinerary / departure port, and budget. The newer ships have more limitations in itinerary due to size (especially Oasis class), and cost more, but give you way more options.

 

Without much info and not knowing where you want to cruise to, I'd recommend Voyager or Freedom class to start. They are the mid size ships, with plenty to do, but not the most. It'll give you a very good feel for what size ship you'll prefer in the future. There are a lot of ships in those two classes too, so lots of itinerary options. Although they are older, they aren't the oldest by far, and they are kept up very well, adding new stuff.

 

Some folks say the newer ships are a bit overwhelming with all the people (although with the huge ship, they are said to feel even less crowded), all the options, and having to book meals and shows in advance to ensure you get what you want (booking shows isn't available for other ship classes).

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2013cruisecouple

2013cruisecouple

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As young cruisers (both early 20's) we love the mix of fun & formality with Royal Caribbean;

 

Formal:

 

 

- Captain's Reception (formal wear & champagne)

- MDR & Speciality Dining (the latter is great for date nights!)

- Art Gallery (really nice to spend some time here on sea days- just another 'thing to do' & some gorgeous paintings for sale)

 

 

Fun:

 

 

-Activities: FlowRider, Escape Room, Slides, Cinema, etc. (RC are great for providing a range of things to do onboard; even smaller ships have some of these things, plus more & more are being added with refurbs.

- MINI GOLF!!! (a personal favourite, we love spending a couple of hours with a putt!)

- Evening entertainment (there are a range of shows, live music, etc. & we love finishing a night in the dedicated late night venue- on the ships we've been on, it tends to be the Viking Crown Lounge, where you can dance & drink to the early hours.

 

 

Not to stereotype, but whilst many people our age just want an intense party holiday, we love RC because it offers a mix; we can be dressed up to the 9's sipping champagne one night, & enjoying live music & shots the next :')

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jcc1025

jcc1025

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We are loyal to Royal and have sailed every class, they all have their own unique elements, but have to say when we went on our first Oasis class cruise we were hooked on that class. We also love the specialty restaurants, especially 150 Central Park on Oasis class. We are sailing on Liberty in three weeks, love that ship and since we live on the west coast its a little easier for us and the Galveston cruises have a little better value. We really love almost everything about these ships and once we finish a cruise we start thinking about when we are going to take the next one.

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jcc1025

jcc1025

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As young cruisers (both early 20's) we love the mix of fun & formality with Royal Caribbean;

 

Formal:

 

 

- Captain's Reception (formal wear & champagne)

- MDR & Speciality Dining (the latter is great for date nights!)

- Art Gallery (really nice to spend some time here on sea days- just another 'thing to do' & some gorgeous paintings for sale)

 

 

Fun:

 

 

-Activities: FlowRider, Escape Room, Slides, Cinema, etc. (RC are great for providing a range of things to do onboard; even smaller ships have some of these things, plus more & more are being added with refurbs.

- MINI GOLF!!! (a personal favourite, we love spending a couple of hours with a putt!)

- Evening entertainment (there are a range of shows, live music, etc. & we love finishing a night in the dedicated late night venue- on the ships we've been on, it tends to be the Viking Crown Lounge, where you can dance & drink to the early hours.

 

 

Not to stereotype, but whilst many people our age just want an intense party holiday, we love RC because it offers a mix; we can be dressed up to the 9's sipping champagne one night, & enjoying live music & shots the next :')

 

While we started at this age, we agree totally with their comments, we are now well over 30 and still find all the things they said correct. We like the variety of the passenger mix and all the different things these ships offer.

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Cafedumonde

Cafedumonde

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Thanks to everyone! I really appreciate the feedback. I love all of the ideas and have written them down in the RC folder! Yesterday, we narrowed it down to Liberty western out of Galveston and Symphony Eastern out of Miami. This morning we decided on Symphony. Galveston is closer for us, but ultimately the Eastern itinerary won. We have a teen and a 10 and 11 year old at time of sailing, so I am sure they will be blown away by all of the things on that ship. I think I prefer smaller ships generally, but the large Royal ships look amazing, real feats of human ingenuity.

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