RCCL for last time now loyal to the wale tale!

[cbowls30]

Just got back from will be our last RCCL cruise. We only started cruising 5 years ago and tried NCL, RCCL and being from UK had not tried carnival until the launch of vista in Europe. We loved it, since then have done breeze and set to do magic this September and spirit in Australia. We've just returned from RCCL cruise and it just didn't compare interms of service and staff interraction amongst other things, we only saw and heard the CD once! So from now on we Carnival forever!! 😁

[Amadawn1]

I completely agree with you.  We just had the same experience with Holland America in late March.  We had sailed on Carnival Freedom late last year and had so much fun.  We were pretty bored on the HA Oosterdam.  Have no more booked with them, but several already booked with Carnival.  Choose Fun!!

[tandemcruzr]

Welcome Aboard  😁

[RWolver672]

Our first cruise was on Carnival.  Four cruises later we wanted to go to Aruba and Carnival wasn't going there so we went with Royal.  We did not enjoy it half as much as what we had on Carnival.  As the OP stated, the crew seemed distanced from the passengers.  On Carnival, even the crew cleaning the glass partitions, shining the hand rails, mopping the decks, all speak to you with a big smile.

 

Our next seven cruises have been on Carnival and that's what we'll stick with because we really enjoy the ships as much as the ports.  In fact, a lot of times, we don't even get off at the ports and just enjoy the ship with less people on it.

[evandbob]

I was "loyal"  to Carnival for several years back when a solo could sail for a 150% fare.  When that was raised to 200%, I began to look elsewhere.  

 

I've now sailed on MSC, NCL, Disney, Princess and Celebrity, and haven't had anything but good cruises.  When I'm on other lines, I don't miss Carnival's CDs endless announcements or its gaudy decor on its Conquest class and older ships.

 

I had no idea what I was missing on other lines until I tried them!  For example, now that I'm platinum on NCL, I get 2 free specialty dinners on every cruise.  On Carnival, I got a one time only steakhouse dinner when I turned diamond.

 

For me cruise line variety is important.  I have booked a Carnival casino cruise and  Carnival  Norway fiords sailing, a NCL Panama cruise and a NCL South American sailing, a southern Caribbean on Celebrity and a Symphony of the Seas.  Viva le difference!

Edited May 29, 2019 by evandbob

[sparks1093]

We've sailed Royal, Carnival and NCL and like all three just about equally so price is usually the deciding factor.

[Allura_317]

We enjoy Carnival, Royal, and NCL.  I do agree the CD has a larger presence on Carnival (which is something we enjoy).  But we still enjoy Royal and NCL as we enjoy their entertainment a lot better (especially as I work in the theatre) and their activities on their newer ships.  When deciding on a line for a cruise, we mainly look at price, itinerary, and what the ship has to offer for the week we are available.  

[TNcruising02]

While I enjoyed my cruises on other lines, I missed the constant comedy shows.  We really enjoy having a drink and watching comedy shows, so we choose Carnival more often.  Other lines will have a comedian for a night or two, but nothing like Carnival where we have watched as many as four different shows in one night.  Yeah, kind of crazy but it's what we like while on the ship.  A few other perks like FTTF, Guy's Burgers, and self service laundry (so we can travel light) really push us over to the Carnival side.

[JohnSpo]

I had cruised 14 times only on Carnival and each cruise was awesome.  Since my home port is New York City  and Carnival has limited seasonal sailings out of NYC, I ventured out and my 15th cruise was on RCL in March.  I thought RCL was great overall but Carnival just has more of the fun ship vibe that I do enjoy better.  So Carnival is still my go to cruise line but I will certainly cruise on RCL when the schedule and price are right.  😎

[purplephenom]

I've yet to book on anyone but Carnival, but I always price out several lines.  At this point in my cruising life, price is most important, and Carnival has won that battle so far- mainly because we don't add the drink package and usually book the cheapest  cabin (except for my next 2 cruises - those are in Havana), I think.  RC won the price battle once, and I had selected a room and was ready to book, only to realize we had a date conflict.  I hope to branch out at some point, just to try something, but we have so much fun on Carnival, I'm not complaining about staying put either  @evandbob the cruises you have planned sound great! 

 

[elcuchio24]

Like RCL for the superships and what they bring to the table, other than that they dont get my vote in most other categories 

[dude_hdt]

Same here.  I love the layout of RC ships (Royal Promenade, free access to heli pad out front on Freedom class, and Royal Refreshment drink package).  Otherwise, I like everything else Carnival.

[tallnthensome]

We have sailed Carnival, Royal, NCL, MSC, Holland, Princess, and Celebrity to come next April. I have found that besides the size and coolness factor of the RCCL ships, they are almost our last choice as a family of four due to poor value. We find their pricing offering us the least value for what is included. That includes itinerary, food, cabin type, and number of days. Royal never leaves me with the feeling of getting a deal even when booking 2 years in advance. 

Edited May 29, 2019 by tallnthensome

[ray98]

I am not 'loyal' to any line, we have several on pretty much every mainstream line.  I am going to choose who gives me the best value for my money.

 

If you take the line specific cheerleaders out of play, the mainstream lines have more in common than they do differently.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

32 minutes ago, ray98 said:

I am not 'loyal' to any line, we have several on pretty much every mainstream line.  I am going to choose who gives me the best value for my money.

 

If you take the line specific cheerleaders out of play, the mainstream lines have more in common than they do differently.

I agree. We do the main 4. Carnival, Royal, Princess & Celebrity. Carnival always for Halloween. Owning the stock so getting the OBC on Carnival & Princess is great. However with Princess being a veteran I also get additional OBC. The bottom line price, perks and the dates are what we look for.

[Micahs Grandad]

Loyal to my wife and family and friends  not to a cruise line.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Micah's Grandad

[Illbcruzn4life]

21 hours ago, cbowls30 said:

Just got back from will be our last RCCL cruise. We only started cruising 5 years ago and tried NCL, RCCL and being from UK had not tried carnival until the launch of vista in Europe. We loved it, since then have done breeze and set to do magic this September and spirit in Australia. We've just returned from RCCL cruise and it just didn't compare interms of service and staff interraction amongst other things, we only saw and heard the CD once! So from now on we Carnival forever!! 😁

 

The less I hear the CD the better. That would be a big +1 for any cruiseline that has a quiet CD.🙂

 

21 hours ago, Amadawn1 said:

I completely agree with you.  We just had the same experience with Holland America in late March.  We had sailed on Carnival Freedom late last year and had so much fun.  We were pretty bored on the HA Oosterdam.  Have no more booked with them, but several already booked with Carnival.  Choose Fun!!

 

Going on HAL and expecting the same experience as Carnival is not something most people would do. Yes it is boring but with a little research that information is readily available.

[Amadawn1]

32 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Going on HAL and expecting the same experience as Carnival is not something most people would do. Yes it is boring but with a little research that information is readily available.

Yeah, well it was too late.  I had already booked and paid for HAL when I sailed on the Freedom.  I hadn't sailed with Carnival since 2014, and that was before the Magic received it's 2.0 upgrades. If you check my signature you'll see that this wasn't my first rodeo.....

[briternik]

I'm pretty open.  I have sailed RCCL, Celebrity, Disney, NCL, and Carnival.  I prefer the new ships.  I sailed on the NCL Jade and it was the worst cruise I have ever been on.  That being said, I am going to try the Bliss in September. 

 

I like RCCL for the stage shows, the aqua theater, the promenade, and the ice skating. 

 

I keep coming back to Carnival because it's just more FUN!  No one does the sail-away party like Carnival does.  What Carnival lacks in stage shows, it makes up for in Comedy shows, dive-in movies, and other fun stuff.  I will only ice skate once per cruise.  I will do the ropes course and sky ride at least twice each!  Give me a water slide over a rock wall any day!

[RoperDK]

We have more cruises with Carnival, but enjoy RCCL and Princess, too.  I had moved away from Carnival due to some lackluster ships and declining food quality.  However, our last cruise on the Breeze was fantastic!  I think we will keep to the newer Carnival ships now.  I still think the Carnival MDR experience and dinner buffet are not up to par.  However, I think lunch options are great and we just pick up deli or pizza for dinner.  It works for us.  Actually, we really like the flexibility of not being scheduled.  I agree that the fun Carnival vibe suits us.  We are probably unique as we only cruise in suites.  Didn't start out that way, but that is where we are now.  RCCL's Royal Suite Class cannot be beat.  We love the energy of the Oasis class ships, but being able to escape the crowds in the suite areas is a blessing and the private suite dining room is amazing.  I don't think the experience would be the same if we had to deal with the lines and crowds.  Princess is missing some of the fun, but itineraries and service are better.  I've been on NCL years ago and am tempted to try The Haven.  We will see.  We currently have 5 cruises booked (3 with Carnival, 1 with RCCL, 1 with Princess).  For us, the fun always wins out!   

[Palmetto Pilot]

7 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

We have sailed Carnival, Royal, NCL, MSC, Holland, Princess, and Celebrity to come next April. I have found that besides the size and coolness factor of the RCCL ships, they are almost our last choice as a family of four due to poor value. We find their pricing offering us the least value for what is included. That includes itinerary, food, cabin type, and number of days. Royal never leaves me with the feeling of getting a deal even when booking 2 years in advance. 

We feel the same way. I really do like RCCL better but Carnival is an amazing value and a good cruise. Carnival is out go to now because of the outstanding value. 

[cruisegal96]

We have the same feeling.   We've been cruising since 1997 & started on RCCL and currently Emerald loyalty level.  They were always our favorite for years, but the last few RCCL's we've taken, the food is not the quality is used to be, nor is the service.    In the past we didn't mind paying a little extra for a step up in our opinion on RCCL, but now Carnival  has come a long way with their ships, food & service.    We've loved all the Carnival cruise's we've been on in the past 10 years.    RCCL continues to put every bell & whistle on their ships & that has taken away from the great service they used to have.    Seems they are following DCL with some outrageous pricing now as well.     We'll continue to enjoy CCL.  

[bobbyandali]

I've done 4 on Carnival and on on the mouse ship... the Mouse ship was probably "the best" but it wasn't 2-3x better than Carnival, yet the price was...

We will be doing our first RCCL (Enchantment of the seas) out of Galveston in just over a month. Wanted to try something different. 

[Roscoe13]

On 5/29/2019 at 12:06 PM, Amadawn1 said:

Yeah, well it was too late.  I had already booked and paid for HAL when I sailed on the Freedom.  I hadn't sailed with Carnival since 2014, and that was before the Magic received it's 2.0 upgrades. If you check my signature you'll see that this wasn't my first rodeo.....

Many posters, myself included, have turned off signatures.  It makes reading the forum so much more streamlined and it loads quicker too.  Much better when browsing via phone/tablet.  So, directing a poster to your signature may not mean anything to many posters.

Just an FYI...

[scpirate]

On 5/29/2019 at 8:30 AM, evandbob said:

I was "loyal"  to Carnival for several years back when a solo could sail for a 150% fare.  When that was raised to 200%, I began to look elsewhere.  

 

I've now sailed on MSC, NCL, Disney, Princess and Celebrity, and haven't had anything but good cruises.  When I'm on other lines, I don't miss Carnival's CDs endless announcements or its gaudy decor on its Conquest class and older ships.

 

I had no idea what I was missing on other lines until I tried them!  For example, now that I'm platinum on NCL, I get 2 free specialty dinners on every cruise.  On Carnival, I got a one time only steakhouse dinner when I turned diamond.

 

For me cruise line variety is important.  I have booked a Carnival casino cruise and  Carnival  Norway fiords sailing, a NCL Panama cruise and a NCL South American sailing, a southern Caribbean on Celebrity and a Symphony of the Seas.  Viva le difference!

Me and you think a like after my third carnival I thought there had to be better.guess what there is.i hope carnival cruisers stay on carnival.you can always pick them out of the crowd.i do have one more carnival cruise coming but that was my wife's choice.but I'm back on msc after that.

Edited May 30, 2019 by scpirate
Wanted to add to it sorry