RCI becoming too cheap, what Cruiseline to move up to?

[gilboman]

I find that as I get older, RCI is becoming too unrefined for me, with the megaships, they are just churning customers like the mcdonald drive-thru churning thru dollar menu items.

 

I started on RCI but find it's much too Denny's and a lot less refined. What other cruiseline would be a good choice to escape the Denny's of cruising and a bit more refined? Cavaet being I also don't want to be surrounded by old people and still want to have fun.

 

Celebrity?

[mbjboyle]

As cruise vacations have become increasingly affordable and "family-frendly" to a growing sector of the population, you may notice changes. There has been unprecedented growth in the cruise industry within the last decade. This may contribute to your observation and opinion. However, this coincidently results in a deep depth and wide breath of cruise options and cruise line competition. Several ships and companies currently cater to specific tastes, preferences, destinations, options, and customers. Do some research on your own or speak with a TA, and you can peruse the boards on CC for more information.

 

Good Luck and Happy Cruising!!

[Archaegeo]

Celebrity is definitely (IMHO) more upscale than RCL (though RCL has better entertainment by far).

 

However, Celebrity does have a much older demographic in general. When we sail with my in-laws, my wife and I in (44/37) feel like the kids on the cruise, and the inlaws (66/65) are generally the mid to younger side of the demographic. Also the ship goes to sleep at 11pm each night it feels like.

 

Dont get me wrong, love me some Celebrity service and "feel" of the ship, but it is an older demographic.

 

Maybe look at Azumara?

[TEXASMUNK]

I would recommend you give a few others a try. Celebrity, HAL, Oceana, etc.

[voyager70]

I would suggest Azamara or Oceania. They are considerably more upscale than any of the mass market lines including Celebrity. They are also considerably more expensive.

[isujim]

I certainly agree with the getting older part:D.......I don't agree with the Denny's of cruising logic. I think RCCL made a business decision to basically make the ship the destination on some of their newer, mega ships.

 

That said, we are branching out ourselves and still enjoy a cruise experience as we used to know it. (although harder and harder to find)

 

I would suggest giving Princess a try. Not a terribly old demographic and still provides a wonderful cruise experience. Their itineraries are pretty good and the cruise experience won't cost you like some of the premium lines.

 

We enjoy branching out and trying different lines. Did RCCL in October, doing Princess in April and HAL in October of this year.

[CMHCruiseCouple]

Interesting post. Wife and I are discussing the same thing with Princess. We've sailed only their larger ships and have a cruise scheduled on a mid-sized boat next March. We aren't sure if that will ignite the spark or we will move to a smaller, more up scale line.

 

Azamara looks very interesting to us.

 

Cheers!

[Archaegeo]

And it also seems the smaller ships (Azamara, etc) tend to be more traditional service based (rather than experience based) cruising.

 

Maybe look at he 2012 Choice awards here in the mid or small ship catagories.

[beachseeker]

We decided to go with Azamara for our 1st Mediterranean cruise this summer. We often, but not always, sail in a suite. Azamara was more expensive, but not that much more expensive than our 2nd choice. We were pricing a suite on both lines. Azamara price includes all tips, wine with lunch and dinner, unlimited soft drinks and bottled water. Reviews are awesome, so hoping we made a good decision.

[Cindy]

I certainly agree with the getting older part:D.......I don't agree with the Denny's of cruising logic. I think RCCL made a business decision to basically make the ship the destination on some of their newer, mega ships.

 

That said, we are branching out ourselves and still enjoy a cruise experience as we used to know it. (although harder and harder to find)

 

I would suggest giving Princess a try. Not a terribly old demographic and still provides a wonderful cruise experience. Their itineraries are pretty good and the cruise experience won't cost you like some of the premium lines.

 

We enjoy branching out and trying different lines. Did RCCL in October, doing Princess in April and HAL in October of this year.

 

We're trying HAL a month after you!:) We really hope we enjoy it, because they have some phenomenal itineraries.:D

[isujim]

We're trying HAL a month after you!:) We really hope we enjoy it, because they have some phenomenal itineraries.:D

 

Saw your roll call and posts. We've been on the Eurodam and really enjoyed the cruise experience. Don't know what you are looking for but think you'll find it a good experience.

[gilboman]

Thanks for all the great replies!

 

I do like RCI still, but just not a fan of the family and the mass production type of cruising they have headed.

 

So sounds like Princess/Celebrity would be a good choice? I'm looking for something more upscale or less mass market, but it's hard to balance that with not wanting to be the kids on a cruise. FWIW I'm 30 and my partner is mid 20's.

[Dave4120]

My wife and I do not consider Princess more upscale. Celebrity? A bit more. We're both going on 58 and I understand the posters concerns. We have had the same. However, unless I'm wrong, it seems like there are some trade-offs, just like everything else...and, everyone has a different opinion on things.

 

We really like RCCL, and have thought about some smaller cruise lines with less passengers and more upscale services. However, the cruise prices are almost double. So, do we want to have a nice cruise, even though there might be a few quirks on RCCL, or, do we want to change and avoid the quirks, but pay double or more in price?

 

At the moment, we are sticking with RCCL and Princess, on occasion, but everyone is different.

[BILLSFAN83]

Why would you post this question in the Royal Caribbean forum? Like calling "Dennys" and asking them their favorite thing to eat at TGI Fridays is.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

Why would you post this question in the Royal Caribbean forum? Like calling "Dennys" and asking them their favorite thing to eat at TGI Fridays is.

then you will see why. He is trying to get a rise out of people but everyone has been classy and kept nice.

[gilboman]

Why would you post this question in the Royal Caribbean forum? Like calling "Dennys" and asking them their favorite thing to eat at TGI Fridays is.

 

There's nothing wrong with Denny's or McDonald's, but it's not always what people want. This is the RCI forum, I liked RCI but want something different and by the responses it was a great place to ask. Better than posting in all the other cruiseline forums and checking back? If I was eating at McDonald's and/or Denny's and someone asked me where's a nicer place, I'll be glad to answer and point them. Not everything has to be so personal or an invalidation of your choice.

 

I always choose the most logical course of action (or try to).

 

then you will see why. He is trying to get a rise out of people but everyone has been classy and kept nice.

 

Maybe that's what you do, but a lot of people like me just have a question that wants answered and go to the best source that I know of for it. Where else should this have been asked?

 

I hope you don't throw a fit if someone asks you where to go for a nice cup of coffee when you're at starbucks. I like starbucks and usually drink it , but I know of a lot better places too.

[TubbyMrT]

I agree. While others wan't lower prices and to cut ammenities, I want exactly the opposite.

 

Back in the day, flying was something special. We dressed up and were pampered in flight with excellent service and there were no crying babies. Not to mention the Stewardess! Today flying is like riding a stinky, packed city bus with gum on the seat and one has to pay for a sandwich and suitcase. Why? Because people want low airfares and were willing to suffer for hours to get it. Not me.

 

I have the fear that cruise ships will fail this way as well if they choose to cater to the low fare cruiser. One nice thing about a cruise ship is that if offers a wide range of room prices. I don't care if they make inside staterooms cheaper and make my suite more expensive. But I do care if the food, entertainment, and overall atmosphere become cheaper.

 

I have found RCCL to be the best so far. I might be willing to move on to something better someday, but for now, RCCL as EARNED my business.

[cruisegirl1]

If you have a substantial number of RCCL points, a Celebrity Cruise would offer some Celebrity Captain Club benefits. We are mid-late 50’s and just did a Celebrity cruise. We were likely right in mid-range for age at our sailing. We sailed mid-January 2012.

 

In my opinion, the overall Celebrity service was a bit more formal. Many people we spoke with were well traveled.

 

If dress is important, the majority of Celebrity cruise passengers seemed to follow the cruise line evening dress suggestions. (Please don’t turn this into a dress code thread)

 

We found the entertainment to be on par with RCCL – maybe better. We also found that there were many activities on board with lots of poolside activities.

 

Excursions seemed identical.

 

 

You might want to give them a try.

[Cindy]

Saw your roll call and posts. We've been on the Eurodam and really enjoyed the cruise experience. Don't know what you are looking for but think you'll find it a good experience.

 

We like a fairly traditional cruise experience...late traditional dining, good food & wine, interesting daytime activities (not necessarily the hairy-chest contest variety!:eek::rolleyes:), a big balcony...:D I'm hoping HAL is a "fit" so we can try some of their longer itineraries.

[voyager70]

Thanks for all the great replies!

 

I do like RCI still, but just not a fan of the family and the mass production type of cruising they have headed.

 

So sounds like Princess/Celebrity would be a good choice? I'm looking for something more upscale or less mass market, but it's hard to balance that with not wanting to be the kids on a cruise. FWIW I'm 30 and my partner is mid 20's.

 

This is just my opinion, but having been on Celebrity & Princess as well as RCI I honestly don't find much difference. Celebrity does have fewer announcements and people dress a little nicer for dinner, which is nice, and a slightly older demographic on average. Of course a lot of this depends on when & where you're going as well as the length of the cruise. Food is subjective so I won't even go there & I've experienced service ranging from OK to excellent on all lines. All three lines as well as HAL are considered mass market. If you really want to go for the next step up you'll have to go with one of the lines I mentioned earlier (Azamara or Oceania) or step up to the true luxury lines like Crystal, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas or the like. Of course, the higher-end you go the more $$ you'll have to shell out & the average age will likely be much higher as well. Have fun deciding ;)

[Mines]

I would like to add a different dimension to this discussion. You should also consider the destination and time of year as factors.

 

Not every RCL sailing feels the same. Ouside of the kid's holidays or on longer cruises, the composition of the passengers changes and RCL does seem to be able to adapt to this change. Our cruise on Allure in December had a very sober and well behaved bunch of passengers and we found it highly enjoyable.

 

We like both RCL and Celebrity and switch frequently between the two. On the Celebrity European cruises, I did not see noticable difference in the age of passengers and the experience certainly more interlectual. For example, they have a series of "Beyond the Podium" lectures, but no belly-flop contest.

[CruisingCaraCat]

At age 64 I can act at times as though I am a geezer but I still think of myself as having the mentality of a teenager.....that being said we have sailed Celebrity (3 time if I remember) and I liked the ships and the food was good and the service was also good BUT

I like to have FUN when I cruise - so I stick with RCCL.

[critterchick]

We decided to go with Azamara for our 1st Mediterranean cruise this summer. We often, but not always, sail in a suite. Azamara was more expensive, but not that much more expensive than our 2nd choice. We were pricing a suite on both lines. Azamara price includes all tips, wine with lunch and dinner, unlimited soft drinks and bottled water. Reviews are awesome, so hoping we made a good decision.

 

If you are booked in a Sky Suite (I know they've changed the name, but can't recall it) and are on a port-intensive itinerary, I suggest that you downgrade to a balcony cabin. We had a SS on Journey and a 2B on Quest, and found that the 2B was perfect for us (and we're normally JS people on RCI). It's really efficient, maybe a little light on closet space. In the SS (Continental?), most of the extra space is bathroom and more space in between the bed and vanity. Plus you get a DVD player and an extra butler, who we found to be superfluous.

 

And the European itineraries are amazing, so I think you made a great choice.:)

 

Thanks for all the great replies!

 

I do like RCI still, but just not a fan of the family and the mass production type of cruising they have headed.

 

So sounds like Princess/Celebrity would be a good choice? I'm looking for something more upscale or less mass market, but it's hard to balance that with not wanting to be the kids on a cruise. FWIW I'm 30 and my partner is mid 20's.

 

I don't find Princess to be more upscale than RCI, and I find the service on RCI to be superior. They're both mass market lines, with the attendant cost-cutting policies that have become common. I haven't been on Celebrity, so I can't opine.

 

What is it that you like to do on a cruise? If you like to party and dance the night away, then I'd say stay away from HAL (unless Dirtgirl is sailing;)), Crystal, Regent, Silversea, Seabourne (all $$$$), even Azamara. If you want to use the ship as a floating hotel that lets you explore lots of interesting ports of call, some overnight, I recommend that you try Azamara. Not much nightlife (we were often alone in the disco, but at least it was open), but an amazing journey if you pick the right itinerary. But I'm guessing that you'll be the kids on the cruise. I'd guess that most cruisers in your age bracket are travelling with kids.

 

And if you pick the right itinerary/time of year, you won't find many kids onboard. On our Honolulu to Vancouver cruise in early May last year, there were 27 kids on board. On a Canada/New England cruise in October, we had 11. The "small" ships, in the Vision or Radiance class, probably draw fewer kids becauase of their itineraries and not having as much for them to do. Of course, there are no guarantees, but we've had plenty of Dreamworks-free experiences in the past years.

[CaroleSS]

We like a fairly traditional cruise experience...late traditional dining, good food & wine, interesting daytime activities (not necessarily the hairy-chest contest variety!:eek::rolleyes:), a big balcony...:D I'm hoping HAL is a "fit" so we can try some of their longer itineraries.

 

Cindy,

I hope you will enjoy your HAL cruise. We have sailed them most, but have tried some of the other cruise lines. Some we enjoyed, while others we won't go on again! Our upcoming cruise with RCL will be our first.

 

As with most on this posting, the cruise line that you choose is a very personal choice, some like vanilla ice cream, others opt for tuttifruiti. Neither is wrong! Each appeals to a segment of the populataion and each has its positives and negatives. Try multiples with an open mind. What's the worst that can happen - no matter what - you'll ALWAYS be on vacation?!?!? ;)

[klingoncruiser]

I will put in another vote for Celebrity. Past that you are going to have to shell out quite a bit more money.