Comments from our Friends on the RCCL Board

[fascination 5/10]

Chris...

 

Thanks so much for your reply! Yes, while others are critical of the Fascination, my first cruise was also on her last year, and I can't wait to go again! And a real bargain for us too... including airfare via JetBlue, our trip is only $577 per person for an OV room on the upper deck!

I've been to Key West at least a dozen times... fun but not that thrilling, but this year I'm looking forward to renting a car and exploring Cozumel on our own. Last year we just shopped around the port, then took a cab into San Miguel, shopped some more and hit Carlos 'n Charlie's for a few rum concoctions! I speak Spanish and have no chance to use it here in VT, so I get a charge out of using it.

Please be sure to post lots of info after your Caribbean Princess cruise! I've read a few threads that talk about problems with room service and a few other things...just kinks I'm sure they'll work out as it' a brand new ship.

And you're dead on about having another trip to look forward to after debarking... November in Vermont is the nastiest month...cold, dark and wet... so a nice time to get away.

BTW... we had 2 inches of snow on the ground when we woke this AM...please .... get me south!!

 

Fascination 5/12/03

 

[dosi]

dsclark--in no way did I say you were a lousy customer, nor did I say EVERYONE that gets bad service is a bad customer. However being that you have worked in the industry I am sure you have encountered the type of folks that are impossible to please. You know the kind that want round icecubes instead of square ones, and a grilled bun instead of a toasted one. Those are the type of people I was talking about.

 

doris

 

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine"--Caskie Stinnett

 

Elation 10/20/02

Paradise 9/21/03

Star Princess 10/24/04

[onevacationlover]

I've cruised on RCCL and CCL, I enjoyed both. The Voyager was beautiful and course very expensive. Today, I booked with CCL, a balcony cabin on the Triumph and paid $200 less than what I would have paid for an inside on RCCL Navigator. I know I will enjoy the Truimph because I will definitely know where it will stop. The Navigator STILL hasn't determined what the option will be to replace Haiti for a june 5th cruise. The only option they may give on the Navigator is an additional stop to the Bahamams.... I KNOW I WILL get my money's worth from CCL...

 

6/1/03 - Voyager -

 

[jhale]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dsclark:4)Turning off the stabilizers to save fuel. That's a good one!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Seriously! We loved our cruise on the Rhapsody, but that ship was rocking any time we were in a forward motion! Other than that, I have never had a bad cruise on CCL, RCCL, or Princess.

 

jch

Fantasy 1995

Ecstacy 1996

Sea Princess 1999

Celebration 2000

Celebration 2002

Conquest 2003

Honeymoon on the Rhapsody of the Seas 2003

Ecstacy 2004

Until the Ecstacy

Until the Wedding

 

our "kids"

http://community.webshots.com/album/32677727SvUkJN

 

[fascination 5/10]

jemingway... I know what you're talking about. I used to work for KeyBank and they are very particular (albeit generous) about charitable causes they support. Choose not to be a co-contributor with a competitor as they wanted to gain full steam from their contributions. It makes good sense from a corporate perspective, but I'm glad (for a variety of reasons) I've left the Fortune 500 world behind! Though I did get 5 weeks of paid vacation...damn! Great cruising opps!

 

Fascination 5/12/03

 

[jemingway]

fasc. 5/10, I understand the motive, but I say hold the ketchup and arrogance. It seems to be an inferiority complex that is re-directed into a superior attitude. More importantly, I bet you do miss the 5 weeks paid vacation.

 

JV The 4 stages of cruising: planning, anticipation, experience and reflection.

[fascination 5/10]

Jemingway...

 

I agree totally vis-vis arrogance, and also the loss of my 5 wks vaca!

 

Fascination 5/12/03

 

[fascination 5/10]

meant to say vis-a-vis!

 

Fascination 5/12/03

 

[Cruising89143]

Fascination, I know how hard giving up those five weeks of vacation were. I get four and am still about two years away from that extra week.

 

Gordon

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/cruisingator

 

NCL Starward-86, Starship Atlantic-91, Caribe-92, Seabreeze-93, Fantasy-93, Norway-94, Celebration-94, Sensation-95, Imagination-96, Destiny-97, Celebration-98, Triumph-99, Victory-00, Majesty of the Seas-01, Fascination-01, Carnival Pride-02, Majesty of the Seas-02, Carnival Legend-02, Fantasy 7-03, Glory 9-03, Fantasy 11-03, Triumph 3/04.

 

9/02/2004 Fantasy

 

Navigator of the Seas 12/04/04

 

 

 

 

[CruiseFever]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> It would have been nice if our cabin boy... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

There's your problem

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Diamond Princess 12/22/04

Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

 

[mongo]

cruised both lines, and found em both a great time. all i missed with rccl was the kids and the old folks trying to run me down with their scooters.

 

1/12/02 Carnival Pride

2/22/04 Rhapsody of the Seas

[Cruising89143]

quote:

 

You need look no further

 

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would have been nice if our cabin boy...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

There's your problem

 

 

Chris, you are too funny but correct.

 

Gordon

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/cruisingator

 

NCL Starward-86, Starship Atlantic-91, Caribe-92, Seabreeze-93, Fantasy-93, Norway-94, Celebration-94, Sensation-95, Imagination-96, Destiny-97, Celebration-98, Triumph-99, Victory-00, Majesty of the Seas-01, Fascination-01, Carnival Pride-02, Majesty of the Seas-02, Carnival Legend-02, Fantasy 7-03, Glory 9-03, Fantasy 11-03, Triumph 3/04.

 

9/02/2004 Fantasy

 

Navigator of the Seas 12/04/04

 

 

 

 

[fascination 5/10]

Gordon...

 

I'm going back to 3 weeks va-ca! Ouch! Used to be a struggle to take it all off...somehow not a problem anymore!

 

Fascination 5/12/03

 

[Cruising89143]

I know that all too well. I used to be the same way. Now, I take it even if it is a day here and there. Makes for nice long weekends every once in a while.

 

Gordon

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/cruisingator

 

NCL Starward-86, Starship Atlantic-91, Caribe-92, Seabreeze-93, Fantasy-93, Norway-94, Celebration-94, Sensation-95, Imagination-96, Destiny-97, Celebration-98, Triumph-99, Victory-00, Majesty of the Seas-01, Fascination-01, Carnival Pride-02, Majesty of the Seas-02, Carnival Legend-02, Fantasy 7-03, Glory 9-03, Fantasy 11-03, Triumph 3/04.

 

9/02/2004 Fantasy

 

Navigator of the Seas 12/04/04

 

 

 

 

[Mar]

No contest, ALL lines are SUPER in some area and less than perfect in another. Had a ton of anxiety on our first Carnival cruise-kept hearing how awful it would be-but it wasn't! Loved it and the following cruises on RCI, Princess, Celebrity and NCL and a return to Carnival-good/great and no so on ALL! Who cares-book the best deal, the best ports, the best ship and you will have FUN IF you want to!

[fascination 5/10]

Right on, Gordon....

Long weekends are great, but to fly to a port and cruise from way up north, I need more days in a row!
That Fortune 500 Stuff spoils you!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00bfff&cdt=2004;5;10;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Fascination 5/12/03

[momofmeg]

Well I have been on two RCCL cruises and could see very little difference from Carnival. My bad expereinces with hard partiers were actually on RCCL Sovereign. I did not find the food better or worse but pretty much the same. My one Princess cruise was an older ship but the food, service and entertainment was top notch and if the other newer Princess ships are half as nice then I would say that is the best line. I recently went on Miracle and everything was tops there-it was every bit as good as my one Princess cruise. I have not sailed on a RCCL voyager class ship-now they might be better. I would think they would be as the voyager ships are newer and nicer but whether they are nicer then Carnival's Miracle or not would be hard to believe.

Carnival Tropicale 10/15/98 Western Caribbean
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/22/99 Bahamas
Carnival Fascination 09/23/00 Southern caribbean
HAL Statendam 05/20/01 Alaska
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 11/08/01 Bahamas
Pacific Princess 09/29/02 Bermuda
Carnival Inspiration 12/14/03 Western caribbean
Carnival Miracle 04/09/04 Bahamas

[Cyt4SoreEyes]

HaHaHa I am one of those Wild partiersssss..but never out of control..And who pays for food on a cruise that threw me...And the Conquest is far from being guady or garish..it was Beautiful..think they might have had to much to drink when giving that assessment of the ship..hehehe!! This is toooooo funny..got a laugh!! thanks

Cyt

Atlantic
Oceanic
Norway
Enchantment of the Seas
Destiny
Voyager of the Seas
Conquest March 30th 2003
Glory May 29th 2004

[cantwait2cruise]

momofmeg~

Me too...had the wild partier experience on Sovereign last summer. There were about 4 40 year old couples drinking buckets of beer and then stacking them up by the pool like they were at a frat party and they were taking lewd and provacative pictures during their drunken stupor. I was not amused at all!!! And right off the bat during the muster drill my mom and I were entertained by a drunk twenty-something who had been on the Bachelor with Andrew Firestone and had been kicked off the first round. There were way less partiers on our HM cruise on Carnival that was over a college spring break week! Fun ship does not necessarily equal a bunch of wild drunken idiots...but that's the line "they" always use!

Bottom line for me is I am willing to try most any cruiseline. For me it has less to do with the cruiseline than with the ship itself, the crew, the other passengers on board, the itinerary, and the length of the cruise. All of these factors weigh more heavily on your cruise experience than whether it is Carnival or RC or Celebrity or whatever.

HM on Inspiration 3/9/03
Sovereign of the Seas 8/17/03 (Just Mom and I)
Imagination 6/17/04 (w/ the Inlaws!)

[douglinc@msn.com]

We have sailed both Carnival and Royal Caribbean and don't see much difference in the two. I give a slight edge to Carnival on food and entertainment. The service has been about the same. I give a slight edge to Royal Caribbean in the appearance of the ships. R.C. seems to be a little more elegant than bright and flashy.
Would sail either again at any time!
Doug

Doug & Pat
Wichita Falls, Tex.
Celebration 11-28-97
Celebration 10-02-98
Enchanted Capri 7-23-99
Enchanted Capri 3-12-00
Celebration 11-11-00
Inspiration 9-09-01
Celebration 4-13-02
Rhapsody of the Seas 9-15-02
Splendour of the Seas 4-7-03
Elation 10-5-03
Rhapsody of the Seas 1-04-04
Elation 2-29-04

[LCSherwin]

Hi,

Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in.

We've cruised four times, and all four have been on RCCL. We ended up on RCCL because our travel agent recommended them and we didn't know better. We stayed with them because of their childrens program, and because of what a great time we had. Our daughter was 3 1/2 years old on our first cruise. With the kids program it was a second honeymoon.

My wife and I would both love to try different lines, and probably will on our next cruise. The Carnival Legend class ship looks amazing. As was mentioned here, I have heard the food is better on Carnival then RCCL. This is not to say the food wasn't good on RCCL, I think it was above average (based on restaraunts).

We would also like to try celebrity. I guess the food and atmosphere is "better" on celebrity. Honestly, it sounds a little stuffy for me, but my wife wants to try them so... [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

I had heard the criticisms about Carnival being party boats. Well, it sure seems like that is ancient history. RCCL is not immune, especially with cruise prices being as low as they are. We did a short four night western caribbean on a whim. There was a significant white trash contingent. Not enough to disrupt our cruise, but enough to notice.

In short, I'm a RCCL guy who is dying to try your new ships. They look awesome.

[mrsbooger]

I don't understand the 'bashing' of different cruise lines. I have been on CCL, RCCL, and NCL. I'll be adding HAL in December. I've NEVER been on a bad cruise.
There have been some things that disappointed me or didn't live up to my expectations, but that was with ALL lines. A cruise is what you make it and mine are always fun. I was just off the Sensation today. There was partying but then there was just as much on Sovereign of the Seas last year too. There are rude people on every ship and there are bad employees on every ship. There is bad food on every ship. These are all exceptions though! If you come across one of these bad experiences, don't let it ruin your trip just move on. Life and cruising are what you make it so you might as well make it fun and overlook the bad stuff!
Instead of bashing different cruise lines, I'd rather spend my time researching my next cruise!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;05;06;5;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Days To Go Until The Sensation!

<center>
<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">

[rhertz]

I have just sailed on Carnival for the first time and we had a very good time. Not a fantastic time, but a very good one. (I know, it's my fault, blah blah blah). This is in comparison to several prior RCL cruises, but we haven't sailed RCL in several years so it is hard to actually compare.

It is impossible to generalize an experience on ONE ship during ONE week w/r/t another ship another week. Buit - here is my synopsis -

Carnival had more food choices (fish n chips, sushi, etc.) but not necessarily better quality food. The service I had on RCCL blew away the service we had on the Glory, but that just may have been our luck of the draw. The activities on Carnival are a bit silly, but that didn't really bother me. The shows on Carnival were lame compared to the ones I have seen on RCCL. My kids had a good time in Camp Carnival, but they had a great time in Adventure Ocean (but now they are older, expectations change, etc.) The Glory was actually a very impressive ship, and the online pics do not do it justice.

Bottom line - I would look at the itinerary specifics in choosing a cruise from now on. For example, I prefer the AOS itinerary to Carnival's Southern route, so that's what I will sail when the time comes.

One thing I have noticed is that the Carnival threads overwhlemingly obsess about getting a free upgrade ("OOH OOH, the upgrade fairy came!!!!!!!" - give me a break), smuggling booze onboard so they can save $20, getting a free deck of cards, buying tuxes for their kids for $40 on ebay, etc. It doesn't help the stereotype.

In closing, I will say this - the Carnival people are just SO defensive about this "Carnival vs. RCCL" issue, while the RCCL people really don't spend much time worrying about it. If you really don't care, why spend so much time obsessing over it? Just move on.

[JETninja]

My first impression of RCCL was formed in '95. The wife and I celebrating out 10th Anv on the "Sensation" (our 1st cruise)....in San Juan Port...Midnight, departing soon. The top deck is happening! Limbo contest going, music, people watching, eating, etc...

Next to us was a RCCL ship....a few dozen folks on it all on the rails watching us! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Their ship was dark and dead. We kept on partying as we made our way to our next port of call.

Our second cruise was 2 years ago...with John Heald! Tell me RCCL can match that! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] It was perfect.

I was checking them out as they are sweet looking ships and I have a friend that works for them (and offers me a great price) but Carnival is known to us. We are very comfortable with them. And I see all ages on them, no matter what the stereotypes say. We're always the middle aged group at our dinner table of 3 couples.

And the penny pinching comment....give me a break. I'm sure there are many like me just trying to make ends meet (and raise 4 boys!) and have the occasional time just for the wife and I without the kids. It's not easy! (I'd love to find $40 tux's though! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] )

[B]JET[/B]

Sensation 95
Victory 02

[LCSherwin]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JETninja:
Carnival is known to us. We are very comfortable with them. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think that is the key. Same reason we've done four RCCL cruises.

I do have to disagree with you about the ships being dead. The ones we were on had a ton of partying going on.