Favorite things about Royal Caribbean

[CruisingSince2012]

I want to know why RCI fans love the cruise line and what they like most about it. This should help people who are thinking about taking RCI cruises and do not know if it is the right cruise line for them. Please vote and explain your reasons.

[Wilson]

All of the above. :D

[tip]

NO smoking on balconies!

[CruisingSince2012]

NO smoking on balconies!

 

Someone else said smoking is allowed on balconies. :confused:

[Midwestgal]

Someone else said smoking is allowed on balconies. :confused:

 

I believe NCL is the last line you can smoke on your balcony .

[krev]

Someone else said smoking is allowed on balconies. :confused:

 

 

Not anymore

[CruisingSince2012]

I believe NCL is the last line you can smoke on your balcony.

 

HAL still permits smoking on balconies, but not in cabins.

 

If the smoking policy is your favorite thing about RCI, do you love anything that is specific to the cruise line?

[LilBlackDress]

For my parents 50th anniversary they took the family on a cruise. He picked the dates, destination and the line, which happened to be RCI.

 

My DH fell in love with cruising and he is a creature of habit, hates change!!

I have tried suggesting other lines, but he is loyal to royal. Until we have covered all they have to offer or if they don't cover a destination he wants to explore.... then MAYBE

[raven1121]

For me it's a tie

 

Food: love the food in the MDR especially escargot

 

cabin: I find Royal's cabin more aesthetically pleasing and well designed than other cruise lines

[transam84]

Cabins: For the price point I believe Royal provides the nicest and most spacious suites, with some of the best balconies. The balcony on an aquatheater suite is incomparable in my opinion. I also like the 2 bedroom suites each with king beds and 2 bathrooms. Great for families with married adult children to share. My son got engaged on oasis. We were in Aquatheater suite. They decorated his bedroom with towel animals and rose pedals. It was phenomenal.

Entertainment: The quality and variety of entertainment is fantastic. We saw Mamma Mia on Quantum and it was better than Broadway.

Ship cleanliness and decor: Beautiful ships that are well maintained.

 

Yeah, things are not always perfect on my cruises but the big picture is always excellent. That is why I'm loyal to Royal. :cool:

[The Grumpus]

Many of the choices are a good reason to like Royal Caribbean but I chose "other". I think they have the best ships to choose from.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I haven't been on them yet (36 days I believe), but the thing that has me 99% there to booking another (and likely will unless things are HORRIBLE) is their Italy itinerary that hits the major cities I want to visit AND has an overnight in Venice. I haven't found another that has that itinerary. And it's on a smaller ship (Brilliance...I'll be on sister Radiance this summer).

 

Beyond that, time will tell if I come back. I am not a fan of the floating resort model, so as things go more and more that way I may well go back to land-based vacations - if I'm going to feel like I'm on a land-based resort (as in not feeling the ship's movement), I might as well BE on a land-based resort. I know (from the threads about the demise of smaller ships) I'm in the minority there, and I'm cool with that.

[LuCruise]

Fun post. I like positive ones like this. Wasn't sure if I could vote for more than one but I selected 'Entertainment' as my favorite thing. They have top notch entertainment (including Broadway shows on some ships) and I love being able to have a nice dinner and see a show each night.

 

Other things I'd mark are activities and other, for just the beautiful decor and layout.

[Ethelfleda]

I"m addicted to the flow rider, but I also love the beauty of the ships and the friendliness of the crew. I used to rate the food up there too, but my last couple of trips have been only average at best on food.

 

Also, I really like the soda package - I can drink a TON of diet coke.

 

I want to know why RCI fans love the cruise line and what they like most about it. This should help people who are thinking about taking RCI cruises and do not know if it is the right cruise line for them. Please vote and explain your reasons.

[karen&roy]

I am probably going to get negative feedback on this but I explain the ship lines and the crowd to people who have never been this way......

Carnival = Walmart

RCCL & NCL = Target

Celebrity = Macys

HAL = Older Crowd

Flame on :D

[DonnaK]

Entertainment and activities are most important to us.

[kandj05]

I like Royal because:

- I am spoiled when I am on the ship. I have housekeeping, all the food

imaginable, entertainment, ability to sleep in, etc

-On the 9 cruises I have been on, the workers (95% of them) are awesome and

appear to enjoy their job. This translates to a better tip from my DH and I.

-I do not go to high end restaurants when not on vacation. So, to have the

MDR and specialty restaurants spoil me, I am in heaven.

-The other guests I meet on the ship - My DH and I have met some very dear

friends on previous cruises that we now sail with regularly.

-C & A club. The more cruises we take, the more benefits we get.

 

Yes, I realize the above reasons could take place on any ship, but this is my reason to remain true to Royal!!

[marmstro]

It's hard to nail down one specific, so I'll just say this: the moment I step onto one of their ships, I just feel like I'm HOME.

[Cruise a holic]

Not anymore

 

Hooray about the smoking! We truly love Royal, especially the Oasis Class ships for so many reasons- it is hard to decide which is best. But we love the entertainment, service, choice of restaurants, Central Park and the Boardwalk. The layout of the ship is great-you do not feel crowded most of the times- And the choice of activities is wonderful! Kids love the rock climbing wall, the flow rider and the zip line to name a few! Overall this is our favorite line for family and Celebrity for just my DH and I.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Cruise a holic

[rafinmd]

The best itineraries out of my home port of Baltimore.

 

Roy

[temple1]

Hard to compare to other cruise lines, we've only been on one other - Coral Princess, kind of hard to compare one of their smallest ships to a Freedom class.

 

I found it interesting on our Princess cruise, DH loved the pizza and the poolside grill. I liked the covered lounges, great cabin attendant, great dining room staff, but after our 11 night cruise, DH was ready to go back to Royal. go figure.

 

I don't know how the cabins are on larger ships - but to get the same amount of cabin space as a regular balcony on Royal we had to go up to a mini-suite (jr. suite) on Coral Princess.

[Ladysilver]

Everything on the list. But mostly the beautiful ships themselves. :D

[CruisingSince2012]

Fun post. I like positive ones like this. Wasn't sure if I could vote for more than one but I selected 'Entertainment' as my favorite thing. They have top notch entertainment (including Broadway shows on some ships) and I love being able to have a nice dinner and see a show each night.

 

Other things I'd mark are activities and other, for just the beautiful decor and layout.

 

Yes, it is a multiple choice poll, as indicated by squares instead of circles beside each selection.

 

Entertainment is what I am most excited about should I ever choose RCI.

[The Sunset Glow]

RCI is the best overall for us (of lines we've tried anyway) but it's mostly the FlowRiders (activities) that interest us now. I know there's an "other" category but two categories that maybe should have been added are:

 

Loyalty program - best in the industry IMO

Ship design - both decor and layout

 

I think these would be my number 2 & 3 before any others on the list in the poll.

[tserface]

The crew and the ships mostly. We love the ships with Promenade decks. The crew always make us feel like we belong there and we often almost seem like friends.