Ready for a happy thread. How did you start cruising with RCI??

[LMZinSC]

RCCL mistakenly published a sale for free air on a Hawaiian cruise departing from Acapulco. They neglected to say from which airports. Those offers are typically only from the West Coast and we lived in MA. Friend of a friend who was a travel agent grabbed a handful of cabins before they could recall the offer. We had literally just gotten off our first cruise (Carnival) the day our friend told us about it. It was too good an offer to pass up though, so we went for it. That was Legend of the Seas back in 1998. The rest as they say is history.

[Host Faith]

Host Faith, we were on the Serenade this past February from San Juan and would agree with you. Southern Caribbean has been our favorite so far! Booked again for Feb 2012 but changed to the Mariner do to air fare costs.

 

Yes, the islands are a little more exotic, a bit less commercialized. Love them! I can't wait for this itinerary, since we've never seen these islands before. I can relate to the airfare costs. We cashed in our US Airways miles for our flights. The airfare alone would have been over $1000! :eek:

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Enjoy your honemoon on the Oasis! :)

[Janice M]

I had wanted to cruise for a long time. We used to do day trips with a group and the lady that organized the trips was planning a cruise to Alaska on NCL. We took part and I said I had my cruise and loved it. Then the same person that did the NCL cruise had an offer for a Costa in the caribbean which we did. Loved that one and I thought we were done.

Then DH saw the Voyager on television and wanted to try a RCI voyager class ship. We did the Navigator and the cruise bug bit. Since then its been at least 2 a year, but the past 3 years its been 5. This year it will be 6.

 

 

Jan

[Wanderlust813]

Ok, this may have been done before, but I have read enough of the threads that never seem to end that the OP keeps getting negative posts (just or not) or the never ending argument on smoking. :(Tell us how you came about choosing to cruise with RCI and what keeps you returning??:cool:

Atlantis charter on the Radiance, Mexican Riviera, Oct. 2004, with a dozen friends. Best vacation of my life! Keep going back as I love cruising and am trying to reach C&A Platinum, which I will on the Freedom 11/2011!

[Linda/Ohio]

One year during blizzard like conditions it was evening, dark and cold. Recently had connected to the web via the old dial-up connection. I needed a vacation and began my research. It was perhaps 97-98? Enchantment of the Seas had recently made her debut. We had a "C" cabin--now known as a Junior Suite.

[Familygoboston]

We were very active 20 year olds, who loved to travel. My DH parents planned a 7 day cruise on Monarch for their 40th anniversary and all the other siblings were going. We felt we should go for his parents, even though we were sure we would HATE cruising!

None of the rest of the family have been on another cruise- DH and I are still cruising. Guess we changed our tune:rolleyes:

[BillOh]

Ok, this may have been done before, but I have read enough of the threads that never seem to end that the OP keeps getting negative posts (just or not) or the never ending argument on smoking. :(Tell us how you came about choosing to cruise with RCI and what keeps you returning??:cool:

 

I think it has been done before, but I'll enjoy reading some new stories and contributing mine. As the OP said, a nice thread will be enjoyable, at least to many of us.

 

It was 2004 and I own a PC repair company and one of my new clients was a travel agency in Central Ohio. I saw all their posters and mentioned how my wife wanted to go on a cruise for our 20th anniversary (May 2001) But I totaled a car and we didn't have the money. Truth be told I wasn't to keen on the idea. I told them I would like to go on a cruise for our 25th anniversary which was more than a year away. They gave me a great deal on a cruise and any work I did they paid the money direct to the cruise and gave me an updated invoice for the trip. I let them pick everything, except I want to go to the Caribbean and make it a 7 day. They picked Voyager of the Seas and its Eastern Itinerary. They booked an ocean view on deck 3 I think, but business was going well, so I moved to an E1 balcony on deck 8.

 

The cruise was everything we hoped for and hooked us on RC. I wasn't that heavily involved in Cruise critic before the cruise, so here is a review I did afterwards.

 

http://mccallw.tripod.com/cruise.html Keep in mind this was VOS, out of Miami in 2006. Also keep in mind we have lost 200 pounds between us since then.

[cruiserhal]

It was in 1987 and I wanted nothing to do with a cruise. My wife made me a deal - we would go and if I didn't like it she would not mention it again.

 

So, off the the Song of America we went. The moment the bus pulled up at the pier I started changing my mind. By the end of the week I didn't want to get off. My wife still kids me about getting up before 6AM just to watch us come into port during that first trip.

 

Did I like it? Well, 35 cruises later I can say yes. (Most on RCI, followed by Holland America and X with other lines thrown in for good measure.)

[jebl]

Back in 1986, my late husband and I wanted something special to celebrate our 25th anniv. He always talked about San Juan and St Thomas. He had been to both aboard a US Navy ship. I really wanted to see those islands.

 

The TA I delat with had just come back from her own honeymoon cruise and convinced us to cruise on the Nordic Prince. What really sold us was that we overnighted in St. Thomas and stopped in San Juan till late in the evening. Plus the fact that the TA had chosen RCCL for herself.

 

Got to see the places DH had talked about for so long. We docked in St Thomad at what is now Havensight but then was just old East India Trading Co warehouses. In those days the ships were small enough that it was easy to get accquainted and see the same folks all through the cruise.

 

The ship had no casino but seems to me there was more entertainment onboard in the lounges as well as the theater.

 

More pool games involving couples and singles that were really fun, not the stupid sexy legs or belly flop contest.

 

And dinner in the MDR was a wonderful experience. Even though I still love to cruise I sometimes feel the wait staff is so rushed now days that they just throw the food at you. Back then the Asst waiter came around with dishes of veggies for you to choose from and there was always a choice of potato with every entree. Also lots of caviar that trip, at the Welcome Reception, as an appetizer, etc. Now we were lucky to get a miniscule dab in the CL before they changed the rules for Diamonds.

 

I got mad ar RCCL for those changes but have since cooled off and am coming back. I really missed the RCCL experience.

[cruisecriticmember]

Well we like to combine family visits with our cruises so we pick departure ports where our loved ones live. We've done this in Seattle, San Juan PR, and Europe. Our next one will be out of Harwich and my niece lives in London. This has worked really well for us. After that it will be out of NJ.

[orville99]

Nothing exotic or inspiring, but moving a ship made all the difference. We used to do 2-3 cruises a year on Disney, but Disney decided to move the Magic to Europe a few weeks earlier than previous year, and it wiped out our May cruise, so we reluctantly switched to FOS. Oh well, now we do 5-6 cruises on RCI each year for what those 2-3 Disney cruises used to cost us:D

[immsc2u]

My mother and I started on a short cruise to the Caribbean years ago. It took several years later and a girlfriend asked my to join her on a cruise with a lot of older people in her neighborhood. It was great and we went the next year. Missed a few years here and there, maybe two, but been cruising everyear since. Really can relax and enjoy.

[Familygoboston]

Well we like to combine family visits with our cruises so we pick departure ports where our loved ones live. We've done this in Seattle, San Juan PR, and Europe. Our next one will be out of Harwich and my niece lives in London. This has worked really well for us. After that it will be out of NJ.

 

Lucky you! I need to get family with better real estate:D;)

[NorbertsNiece]

My sister passed away in 2008. Our Uncle Norbert, who lives in California, came over a few months later to visit and said that he and his wife were going to cruise out of Southampton and why don't I join them. This seemed the perfect way to take a break from the grief I was experiencing and as I had cruised many years before following the loss of my mother it just seemed the right thing to do. I've not looked back since. Will be revisiting Indy next year.

 

This also explains my name on CC :)

[jst4fun715]

In Feb of 2001 I had been shopping for a dress for my son's wedding. I happened to be in CA on a business trip and thought I would look there to see if I could find something different. I went into a store and found the dress of my dreams but it was in red and that would not have gone with the wedding colors. And it was on the sale rack because it was no longer available to be ordered in other colors. I decided to buy it anyway, brought it home and jokingly told my DH that we would either have to go to a really fancy Christmas party or on a cruise. Several months later, one of us mentioned a cruise so we went to a TA and booked our first cruise on the Enchantment for November of that year and the rest is history!:D (And I got to wear my red dress!!)

[K1200S]

I'm blaming the travel channel and a show they did on the building of Voyager of the Seas back in 2002.

[Meanee]

Never been on a cruise, but I did look at Independence and Freedom when they just came out, but never actually pulled the trigger. And my father just came back from his 1st one on NCL. He like sailing out of NYC, since there's no flight. I do not mind the flight, and thought I'd rather see more destinations.

 

I went ship hunting. To me, I wanted to be on the biggest floating thing in the ocean. Heck, if someone gave me a ticket to ride on aircraft carrier, I'd be happier than pig in ****. I am not afraid of being at sea (scuba diver), but I wanted something with more amenities. Quick googling showed that currently, Oasis class were the biggest. And Oasis was going to St Maarten! Already feeling the sweet jet exhaust of Maho Beach (I'm a pilot as well, small planes only, however), we booked the cruise.

 

Cruise was somewhat great. I did manage to pick up common cold on board and that screwed up few of my days. St Thomas was mostly spent in bed. Other than that, I loved the ship, the staff. And we are sailing on September 25 on Allure.

[How'sBartCruisin'?]

Honeymoon...2 months ago. We'd both always wanted to take a cruise and decided that it would be perfect for honeymoon. We were right. It was the best 9 days of our lives...of course after the first best day of our lives.

[Virtopia]

I had always wanted to try a cruise as I love ships and being on the water, so my friend recommended a family friend who was a travel agent to look into it. We had first thought about going Carnival based on price, but when I told her what I'd be looking for, she recommended RCCL and said the extra cost would be worth it.

 

When my sister and I stepped foot on the LOS in Sept 09, it was the biggest ship at that time and it completely blew me away. The crew, the atmosphere, the guests, the activities, the FOOD!! I was depressed when I had to disembark.

 

I stepped away in May just to try NCL and I don't see myself being that foolish again. Lined up 2 RCCL cruises and looking to do at least 2 a year, one being in September for my birthday.

[benjoon]

I did my first cruise with Royal Carribean in Aug 1999 for our honeymoon. At this time there weren't many to choose from. It was hard to find information on cruises from Australian Travel Agents. The only one we found at the time we wanted to go was Majesty of the Seas from Miami. My husband had sailed from Australia to UK many years before. I took some convincing to try cruising. I loved it. We took many years to try cruising again and did a short Costa cruise from Shanghai that now has me hooked on cruising. Our next one is in 2 weeks time. This time on a much large ship and I hope the experience will be even better than the previous two cruises. I am now always looking out for the next cruise we can do. We are now lucky to have plenty of cruises leaving from Australia but we still love to travel further a field to enjoy new and exciting places

[Maeshel]

Our kids book a cruise for my wife and me aboard MOS for our 25th Wedding Anniversity. We weren't supposed to know but we kind of knew they were all comming along. My son drove us to the airport for an early morning flight. The rest of them had a later flight and we all met on the ship.

We just completed our second cruise in Aug. My with won a cruise at bingo. We will be taking that cruise early 2012. I was already looking at Southern Carabean for early 2012.

 

Going to book a northbound Alaskain cruise for 2012. Don't know if it will be on RCI or not. I am not in the least dissatisfied with RCI, but would like to see how others do it.

[Maeshel]

Our kids book a cruise for my wife and me aboard MOS for our 25th Wedding Anniversity. We weren't supposed to know but we kind of knew they were all comming along. My son drove us to the airport for an early morning flight. The rest of them had a later flight and we all met on the ship.

We just completed our second cruise in Aug. My with won a cruise at bingo. We will be taking that cruise early 2012. I was already looking at Southern Carabean for early 2012.

 

Going to book a northbound Alaskain cruise for 2012. Don't know if it will be on RCI or not. I am not in the least dissatisfied with RCI, but would like to see how others do it.

[Maeshel]

Our kids book a cruise for my wife and me aboard MOS for our 25th Wedding Anniversity. We weren't supposed to know but we kind of knew they were all comming along. My son drove us to the airport for an early morning flight. The rest of them had a later flight and we all met on the ship.

We just completed our second cruise in Aug. My with won a cruise at bingo. We will be taking that cruise early 2012. I was already looking at Southern Carabean for early 2012.

Going to book a northbound Alaskain cruise for 2012. Don't know if it will be on RCI or not. I am not in the least dissatisfied with RCI, but would like to see how others do it.

[WeLove2CruiseRCI]

I did my first cruise with Royal Carribean in Aug 1999 for our honeymoon. At this time there weren't many to choose from. It was hard to find information on cruises from Australian Travel Agents. The only one we found at the time we wanted to go was Majesty of the Seas from Miami. My husband had sailed from Australia to UK many years before. I took some convincing to try cruising. I loved it. We took many years to try cruising again and did a short Costa cruise from Shanghai that now has me hooked on cruising. Our next one is in 2 weeks time. This time on a much large ship and I hope the experience will be even better than the previous two cruises. I am now always looking out for the next cruise we can do. We are now lucky to have plenty of cruises leaving from Australia but we still love to travel further a field to enjoy new and exciting places

 

You will love the Mariner! Beautiful ship! The Mariner was our first cruise with RCI and so far has been our favorite ship. After 2 cruises on the Radiance class ships we found we prefer the larger ships with the Promenade. Enjoy your cruise!

[BillOh]

It was in 1987 and I wanted nothing to do with a cruise. My wife made me a deal - we would go and if I didn't like it she would not mention it again.

 

So, off the the Song of America we went. The moment the bus pulled up at the pier I started changing my mind. By the end of the week I didn't want to get off. My wife still kids me about getting up before 6AM just to watch us come into port during that first trip.

 

Did I like it? Well, 35 cruises later I can say yes. (Most on RCI, followed by Holland America and X with other lines thrown in for good measure.)

 

Love it, Change the specifics to match mine and I could have wrote this. To go even further, I'm now the official cruise planner, my wife just shows up with me to the airport. I'm doing all the reservations, and researching here on CC.