Would loyal hal fans sail on rci if price was right?

[kryos]

I don't know much about RCCI, but I don't think that ordinarily I'd be willing to sail them. However, that said, they have had a small ship making Bermuda sailings out of Philadelphia in the past ... during the warmer weather months ... and if the situation were right, just for the convenience I might be talked into sailing them. NCL has the Majesty sailing out of Philly too, and while I wouldn't normally be an NCL sort of person, if I had a friend or relative interested in going (neither NCL nor RCCI offer any breaks on single supplements), I might be talked into a seven-day Bermuda or Canada/New England sailing with them as well. After all, how convenient can it get? One short cab ride and I'm at the pier. No flights, no hotel stays. It would be almost perfect ... perfect would be HAL doing sailings from Philly ... but it's doubtful I'm gonna get that.

 

But in either of those cases, the NCL or RCCI ship, I would have an entirely different set of expectations for the cruise than I have on a HAL one. Basically the boat would be transportation and little more.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[wdw1972]

Oh gosh - no way in hell! I've seen the RCI ships, and they scream tacky, tacky to me based on the nasty plastic slatted chairs in the pool area, lack of a promenade deck, no teak lounge chairs on their faux promenade. I'd spend the whole week bitching about the many ways it sucks compared to HAL. Sorry for the lousy language in this post - that's what the thought of RCI does to me <g>.

 

I'll stick with HAL - I know what to expect, and I like what they offer. Any other line is compared to them, and most fall short in one or many ways.

 

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 2/08/09

[kryos]

Oh gosh - no way in hell! I've seen the RCI ships, and they scream tacky, tacky to me based on the nasty plastic slatted chairs in the pool area, lack of a promenade deck, no teak lounge chairs on their faux promenade. I'd spend the whole week bitching about the many ways it sucks compared to HAL.

I was under the impression, though, that some of the smaller/older RCCI ships weren't that bad. They don't even have the trademark rock walls and thus are not a magnet for all the kiddies. :)

 

You might be able to have at least a decent experience with them.

 

Like I said, if I ever did an RCCI sailing, it would surely be on one of these smaller ships since the big boys can't get into the pier here in Philly. The water is too shallow. I guess the motivation for taking the RCCI ship would be the cruise destination, not the ship ... where with HAL it's definitely a combination of both.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Cruzin is me]

HAL is my favorite above all, but RCCL comes a very close second, far in front of NCL and Princess.

 

Since I frequently sail solo (often of necessity), price does matter and I'll take ANY cruise I can afford over NO cruise waiting for a HAL sailing in my range. This became even more of an issue for me when HAL pulled Noordam out of the NY market, cancelling a cherished booking of mine a year in advance. Adding the cost of airfare to a single supplement cruise --- :eek:!

 

As for "big" RCCL ships, I LOVED Explorer as much as Grandeur, and would sail on a Voyager-class ship any time. Onboard, the bigness just seems to be handled well, and I was impressed with their people space management that never left you feeling that you were on a behemoth. An example: the buffet is divided into 4 separate serving and seating areas, all with the same offerings, so you are never in a cavernous space. Dining rooms are 3-levels so they, too, are not armory-like. And the artworks onboard, while different than those found on HAL ships, were just spectacular.

 

So my answer to OP, yeah, sure.

BTW, I think there are actually more discounts offered on HAL sailings these days than on those of RCCL, making RCCL more expensive!

[kathki]

I think a lot of it comes down to personal preference. We have sailed many times on both and like different things about each. Suffice it to say we would do both as we are on Eurodam in March and on the Oasis o/t Seas innaugeral in December. Lets face it, any day on a cruise has got to be pretty good doesn't it??? Especially since it is minus 25c tonight here in Canada!!!!

[KimberleyFL]

I just got back from the Grandeur of the Seas on Saturday, and had a blast. The ship was beautiful and had enormous glass windows that let in impressive views of the ocean from every public room. I found the food to be good to very good, and actually liked the buffet better on RCI than HAL - more variety and better design. No lines and plenty of seating available.

 

Atomica,

I'm glad to see that maybe it was a fluke bad experience on the Grandeur of the Seas. It (food, service, cleanliness of buffet area, announcements) was horrible when I went last spring. Maybe it was due to the time of the year - around the end of spring break. I used to love RCCL. I agree that it is a beautiful ship.

[Atomica]

Atomica,

I'm glad to see that maybe it was a fluke bad experience on the Grandeur of the Seas. It (food, service, cleanliness of buffet area, announcements) was horrible when I went last spring. Maybe it was due to the time of the year - around the end of spring break. I used to love RCCL. I agree that it is a beautiful ship.

 

It must have been (or it has changed for the better since) - plates in the windjammer that people were done with were swooped up and cleaned promptly, and staff were always there to greet you and help with anything you needed. I was very impressed, as I thought the staff onboard the Grandeur were easily as good as those on HAL. Never met a staff member who didn't have a smile and a quick hello, and the bar stewards were quick to remember my not just my favorite drink, but also took the nuts off the table when I sat down (I'm allergic to them).

 

There were some grumblings among certain passengers about the lack of pillow chocolates in the evenings (which didn't bother me), but overall the entire cruise far exceeded my expectations.

[hammybee]

I have and probably will again. We have friends who will sail only on RCL and only on the older ships, pre all the gimicks. The ships are just fine.

[leoandhugh]

Sure we would and have sailed on RCI cruises as well as HAL and several other lines. Loyalty is fine, but since the OP said if the price was right, and that is even more of an inducement in this economy than it used to be. We don't nickpick about what kind of chairs around the pool or whether the promenade deck goes all the way around the ship; we look at itinerary and price and then make an informed decision:)

[gizmo]

I seriously doubt I would pay to sail on RCI. I have no interest in those monsters of the sea or the rock climbing walls etc.

 

Even at a good price, I would keep looking until I found something on Hal.

 

I would consider Princess for the right price. ;)

[GmaPajama]

No. Our first cruise was with RCL and we nearly didn't sail again. It was interesting, but not something we'd want to repeat. Once we experienced HAL, we felt we'd found the right fit for us - and we plan to stay put.

[kelmac]

I would love to sail one of their Radiance Class ships, but we tried RCL five times and the food is very weak. Large amounts of low quality stuff; it looks good, but the raw ingredients are substandard.

I would select Celebrity, or even Princess over RCL. If you wanted to try one of the new larger ships, I would try the new Solstice from Celebrity. We will be cruising her in March.

 

My wife and I have cruised 30 times and have been alternating between Holland America and Celebrity as of late. HAL has great smaller ships with outstanding itineraries. We've done Azamara (very nice) and are going to try our first Oceania cruise next December.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[griswalds]

We have sailed on HAL, RCI, Princess, Carnival and Celebrity and would go on any of them again. Our HAL experience was not that great, but we are trying again with HAL this summer.

 

 

Griswalds

[newmexicoNita]

Given similar ports of call, would HAL fans take a RCI cruise if the price was right? Or, would you stay loyal to HAL because you believe it is a superior cruise experience?

for us the secret is: itinerary and price. We have 2 favorite lines, HAL and NCL, for totally different reasons. Yes, I think HAL is a superior line, but not enough to be totally loyal when it doesn't offer exactly what we want at a price we can handle..

 

Nita

[whogo]

Four cruises on each, I find HAL and RCI to be very much alike, their differences insignificant. Enjoyed every cruise, my favorite was a transatlantic on the Legend of the Seas. Oops, I guess I am not a HAL fan. I would be a Seabourn or Deutschland fan if I could afford it.

 

Oh gosh - no way in hell! I've seen the RCI ships, and they scream tacky, tacky to me based on the nasty plastic slatted chairs in the pool area, lack of a promenade deck, no teak lounge chairs on their faux promenade. I'd spend the whole week bitching about the many ways it sucks compared to HAL.

I did not realize that RCI's plastic chairs at the pool were worse than HAL's plastic chairs at the pool.

[bellebaby]

HAL has been our line of preference, but we are sailing on Princess in May.... for the very reason the OP suggested... it was the right price.

 

B

[newmexicoNita]

Four cruises on each, I find HAL and RCI to be very much alike, their differences insignificant. Enjoyed every cruise, my favorite was a transatlantic on the Legend of the Seas. Oops, I guess I am not a HAL fan. I would be a Seabourn or Deutschland fan if I could afford it.

 

I did not realize that RCI's plastic chairs at the pool were worse than HAL's plastic chairs at the pool.

 

heck, I guess that shows our class or certainly mine:I would never have noticed. Of course if they were broken that would be a little different..

 

Nita

[Sea King]

Given similar ports of call, would HAL fans take a RCI cruise if the price was right? Or, would you stay loyal to HAL because you believe it is a superior cruise experience?

 

sometimes IMHO, loyalty "ends" when the $ sign is right:eek:

 

ever hear the expression "I wouldn't sail (fill in cruise line) if you paid me"

 

wanna bet:rolleyes:

[FireIce0010]

Never say never. We are fairly loyal to HAL as they sail where we want to go but if we'd consider another line if the itinerary and price fit.

 

I have an do. I like several of the lines out there including the two in question. It's nice to change it up every once in a while.

[marle7]

sometimes IMHO, loyalty "ends" when the $ sign is right:eek:

 

ever hear the expression "I wouldn't sail (fill in cruise line) if you paid me"

 

wanna bet:rolleyes:

 

I'll take that bet, because we wouldn't sail RCCL again if you paid us. That doesn't mean we'll sail exclusively with HAL either. We recently enjoyed our experience on Cunard, and may try Princess this year or next, and Crystal as well. But it won't be on RCCL.

[docksider21]

I sailed the Grandeur because the price was right, and location, I could

drive to port.

 

Didn't not like the cots, er, I mean "beds".

Overall, was not really my thing.

Not looking to go back.

 

However, to answer the question, yes, if the price/location etc were right.

I would be going in with "lowered expectations" and that would be ok.

[griswalds]

After our first and only HAL cruise, we said never again....but we are booked on HAL again for the summer. The $$$ was just to good to pass.

 

 

And it is a bigger HAL ship so that helped with the rationalization that we all go through.

 

Griswalds

[the_dylaness]

I am not a loyal HAL fan... I've sailed 3 other lines and while I liked HAL, I am looking forward to our X cruise in May and hopefully at some point in the not-too-distant future perhaps something like Azamara, RSSC, or Oceania.

 

I am very unlikely to be found onboard an RCCL ship in the near future; as $ permits I am trying to locate myself onto smaller ships rather than larger ones and RCCL doesn't exactly fit the bill. Also, I am against their draconian alcohol policy (more in principle than really worrying about bringing a little wine on board- I am an adult and I balk at the idea of a "floating hotel" telling me I can't bring on a little vino.) So, while I know RCCL is still filling their ships and doesn't miss me a bit, money talks and if I sailed with them I'd be implicitly supporting a policy I disagree with. Same with NCL. (Of course there are so many reasons I probably won't be sailing them anytime soon!)

[babyher]

sometimes IMHO, loyalty "ends" when the $ sign is right:eek:

 

ever hear the expression "I wouldn't sail (fill in cruise line) if you paid me"

 

wanna bet:rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

*LOL*

 

My uncle had a bad experience with a certain car manufacturer years ago. Got a real lemon and very bad service and responces from everyone from the dealership to the CEO of the company (He wrote and called to bitch to everyone of them)

 

For 25 years he damned the company up and down and vowed he wouldn't own another of thier cars if they gave one to him .

 

3 years ago he won one of those cars in a raffle.

 

It's the greatest car he ever owned , rides like a dream, yadda yadda yadda :)

[james j feller]

Been on both cruise lines a lot and our last cruise was on the IOS and we thought the service, food entertainment etc was just as good if not better than the last HAL cruise we took.

 

JIM