Do You Do Repeat Cruising on Same RCI Ship?

[luvscruising2007]

We have only sailed one ship more than once, Explorer out of Bayonne. Convenience of the port made it ideal and we had a different itinerary each time.

[John&LaLa]

We have done Freedom 12 times, with 4 more booked. My wife likes to do B2B and treat it like a 14 day cruise. In fact she is on it now. However, Oasis will be our go to ship once she comes to PC next year. And that is fine because we love Coastal Kitchen

[SSVacation]

Getting ready to leave on the AOS for the 4th time out of San Juan Love the ship , wonderful itinerary . Never have had a bad crew. Its our favorite ship by far.

 

 

Couldn't agree more!

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I don't go out of my way to cruise on the same ships, but I have no problem repeating a ship or class of ships. To me it depends on the experience I am looking for... If I'm going to the Med or Alaska, I'll pick based on itinerary and if I've already been on the ship, fine! If I'm looking to go to the Caribbean and be on a large ship, I'll lean toward Oasis Class. If I'm looking for that sort of experience, I'll gladly repeat ships. It really just depends.

[nelblu]

I'll be sailing on Freedom in May 2016. I'm chatting with many who have been on her multiple times; they say it's one of the best ships in RCI's fleet. While I've done several RCI cruises, this will be my first on Freedom (and I'm really excited about it). What is it about this ship that makes people book it multiple times? Anybody sailed any of the other RCI ships several times?

 

I've sailed on the Adventure some 7 times (Southern Carib. itinerary and out of SJ), Serenade 5 times (3 on Southern route and 2 Meds.) and Oasis 2 times. It depends on the itineraries and price. I've never had a bad cruise no matter what ship.

[kohlepe]

We normally book different ship because we want to try them all. We did cruise on Indy twice though. Until we get to experience all the ships we want, we will avoid going on the same ship and itinerary.

[Desertbelle]

I imagine that if we lived in Florida and a short car ride to a port, we would be doing the same cruises and ships over and over also. Even though we are in landlocked Nevada, we have still managed to do more than one cruise on some of the RCI ships. We book mostly for ports but the ship does come into play if there are two similar cruises on different ships.

 

We used to be a Radiance class fan, but we are now leaning towards the Explorer, Freedom and Oasis class ships. We find that they are just more fun! My husband's favorite ship so far is the Freedom, so we can appreciate that there are many repeat cruisers on her!!

[rodenboy]

Excellent idea making this RCI specific so it doesn't get moved [emoji6]

 

I've sailed on the Allure three times and am sailing Harmony next year. Oasis class really appeals to me for some reason. Quantum doesn't quite draw me as much. I would like to go on Freedom class but the rest I don't think I would enjoy (for example I LOVE Studio B and On Air which are missing from the earlier class ships and the Quantum)

 

I like the extra space on the bigger ships because even though it's a family holiday/vacation, it gives us our own space as well!

[LisaAtlCruiser]

While it is my personal goal to cruise at least once on every class ship RCCL has - I have and will repeat on Independence of the Seas or any of the Freedom class ships because I know I absolutely love that class!

[kristinmc8]

We pick our cruises based on ports (trying to get as many Caribbean islands in as possible before we have kids), but have been on Freedom twice and love it! Just got back from being on her sister ship Indy on October 4th and it was great as well. The only other RCCL ship we have sailed on is Vision. We currently have three cruises booked for next year, one on Majesty and two on Serenade. Ports are much more important to us than the ship!

Edited October 19, 2015 by kristinmc8

[kalliekae]

A ship will feel different from sailing to sailing. If you were to do a B2B on the same ship, the 1st week would have a totally different "vibe" from the next week....it's the passengers who make the difference!

 

Totally agree. Plus, it depends upon the time of year one sails. We have been on Oasis twice. Once right before Christmas and once in February. Passengers were a different mix both times and the Cruise Director makes a huge difference in the vibe of the cruise. That said, I don't think I would want to sail the Oasis class if I were in the Mediterranean because that is a port intensive cruise and I would not have time to enjoy that class of ship.

[HesterMofet]

At the risk of sounding like a cheerleaders, I've been on there cruises and they were all of FOS. It was easy for us to get to with the Orlando airport nearby and the ship is so big you really can't do everything on one cruise!

 

I will say that now since we have been on her three times, we are ready to move on to a different ship. Which one will depend on itinerary and home port.

[jayblue]

I've done 2 on Majesty, and will be doing my second on Enchantment in a couple of weeks. So, yes!

 

Each experience is different, so I don't mind.

[John&LaLa]

At the risk of sounding like a cheerleaders, I've been on there cruises and they were all of FOS. It was easy for us to get to with the Orlando airport nearby and the ship is so big you really can't do everything on one cruise!

 

I will say that now since we have been on her three times, we are ready to move on to a different ship. Which one will depend on itinerary and home port.

 

Lucky for you that Oasis is coming to PC next fall

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Yes! Been on the Radiance 7 times, some of the crew is like family, they treat us very well.

 

We have also repeated other ships as well, mostly due to location...west coast sailing, flying to FL is too much, an all day adventure and very expensive, sometimes a real good cruise fare is killed by high airfare.

 

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[polymedia]

For me a lot has to do with price. I don't mind repeating a ship, but I am done with Majesty. Too many on her and Monarch and the itinerary not my favorite.

 

That said, I like to go to Spring Training in Tampa and then cruise on Brilliance, and I'll probably do that for the foreseeable future.

 

Other than that, I'm looking more at itinerary these days instead of price.

[steveru621]

We haven't specifically repeated a sailing on a ship. We choose and vary our embarkation ports and itineraries. It is really a coincidence that we have sailed on the same ship multiple times.

 

We have tended to choose itineraries on Radiance class ships, but I really think that had more to do with what we wanted to do than a specific class. RCI moves their ships around to different ports, that probably has more to do with variety than most other factors.

 

I have been fortunate to sail on every class of ship from Sovereign to Quantum. Radiance, Freedom, Oasis, Voyager, Quantum, Vision class in that descending order would influence a decision but not control it.

[Ladysilver]

We did the Navigator 3 times in a row. LOVE that ship! :D

[ARCruisinNana]

I sail a lot out of Galveston because it's the only port that we can fly to nonstop or drive. Therefore, I repeat ships. I've sailed Navigator from Ft. Lauderdale, New Orleans, Barcelona and Galveston. Last month I got my 4th Navigator crystal block😳. Navigator leaves Galveston next month and Liberty will take its place.

 

 

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[John&LaLa]

I sail a lot out of Galveston because it's the only port that we can fly to nonstop or drive. Therefore, I repeat ships. I've sailed Navigator from Ft. Lauderdale, New Orleans, Barcelona and Galveston. Last month I got my 4th Navigator crystal block😳. Navigator leaves Galveston next month and Liberty will take its place.

 

 

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Acquiring different Crystal blocks is the one thing that gets me to leave sailing out of PC. :eek:

 

Fortunately, we have 3 more ports nearby. ;)

Edited October 20, 2015 by John&LaLa

[philobeddoe]

We've sailed the Navigator several times. Usually once a year. But the main thing in our case is proximity to port. We're about 8 hours from Galveston, which isn't a bad drive. Otherwise, for us to cruise, we'd have to fly to port. Although it may be the same ship, it is a different trip from year to year. Looking forward to the Liberty for our next cruise in Sept of 2016!

[Grandma Petania]

When we first heard about the Oasis being launched, my son-in-law really wanted to sail on this large ship. In Nov. 2012, I sailed her with my live-in family: older daughter, son-in-law who is wheelchair-bound with muscular dystrophy, and my semi-adult grandson. We had connecting ocean balcony cabins on Deck 10. DSIL spent MUCH of his time on the accessible balcony, while the rest of us went to shows and other activities.

 

I enjoyed the ship so much that I talked my younger daughter into sailing on the Oasis (just the two of us) in November of 2013. Our waitress in 2012 was so delightful, we arranged to be seated with her in 2013. That time we went for the economy of an inside cabin. We liked the cabin fine, but it was all the way forward, and I got pretty tired of all the walking to meals and such at the aft end of the ship. (I'm now 76, and deal with arthritis and fibromyalgia.)

 

Our family of four decided to sail on the Oasis again this past February (2015). We had the almost identical connecting cabins, but on Deck 9. Once again we were lucky to get our favorite waitress for dinner every night. As before, DD, DGS & I enjoyed the shows, while DSIL spent many hours on the ocean balcony.

 

While on board, I booked another Oasis cruise for my younger daughter and myself, for Feb. 2016. Although I had been thinking of switching to the Allure for a change of decorations and entertainment, I was offered a terrific deal on Oasis, so I grabbed it. I was determined to be as close to the aft elevators as possible, and looked for an interior cabin in that area. However, the booking agent got me a Central Park balcony with $300 OBC, which made it the same price as an interior. I had previously thought that a CP balcony wouldn't be that enjoyable, but my older daughter pointed out how much we enjoy people watching, and making up stories about people we've never met.

 

This will be my 4th Oasis cruise - all to the Caribbean. I had already decided that the 5th one would be on the Allure - until cabins were listed on the Harmony at super good prices - so younger daughter and I have another Central Park balcony cabin booked for February 2017.

 

It has been decided that my older daughter and son-in-law will start planning a romantic vacation for the two of them - maybe a trip to London - and my grandson will be starting college in 2016, so it looks like my younger daughter will be my cruising companion for the next few years. Having sailed in both November and February, I like having a break from winter when going in February.

 

While we are onboard Oasis in about three months, we will decide if we want to keep the Central Park balcony cabin that is booked on the Harmony for 2017. If we decide on a different class, there will still be plenty of time to change the reservation. And - we might be able to get a better deal while on board in February. Will just wait and see.

 

There is one direct flight a day between Richmond, VA and FLL on JetBlue, and the prices are quite good. ($99 each way per person.) I don't deal well with heat and sun, so it doesn't matter to me that we'll be visiting the same ports on each cruise. I'm at a point in my life where the ship is my destination. Fortunately, I traveled a great deal when I was younger and had more energy, and I've never been a sun and beach gal. My younger daughter gets to do those things with her significant other, who eschews cruising due to severe motion sickness. DD and I shopped briefly near the dock in St. Thomas, and she went off by herself to tour Phillipsburgh, St. Maarten last time. She says she'll be quite happy to stay on board with me on port days, but if she changes her mind, it will be okay. We're both very independent.

 

The Oasis class ships seem to have what suits me best - a wide variety of entertainment, complimentary food that I find quite enjoyable, seven days of not having to cook or clean up after meals, plus the opportunities to just relax, stroll around the ship, sit and look at the ocean, watch the people on the flow rider, etc. I don't drink alcohol, gamble, or shop in the high end stores.

 

I look forward to sailing on the Harmony in 2017, and will probably try the Allure at some point, but I don't anticipate switching to a smaller ship, a different itinerary or a different cruise line. My budget won't cover more than a seven-day cruise once every year or two, so I can't imagine that it will ever not feel special to vacation on one of these big sister ships.

Edited October 20, 2015 by Grandma Petania

[ARCruisinNana]

Acquiring different Crystal blocks is the one thing that gets me to leave sailing out of PC. :eek:

 

Fortunately, we have 3 more ports nearby. ;)

 

Just rub it in!!! The last NV was going to be LB, then I had to go and add another NV and just hit the next point level. Guess I'll just have to keep trying😉

 

 

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[ARCruisinNana]

We've sailed the Navigator several times. Usually once a year. But the main thing in our case is proximity to port. We're about 8 hours from Galveston, which isn't a bad drive. Otherwise, for us to cruise, we'd have to fly to port. Although it may be the same ship, it is a different trip from year to year. Looking forward to the Liberty for our next cruise in Sept of 2016!

Looks like we're from the same city. "Hi" neighbor! I get to try out Liberty next month⚓

 

 

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[STANMELB]

Our last 11 cruises have been on an Oasis Class ship. We also have booked 1 Harmony, 2 Allure and 4 Oasis as future cruises. We live 170 miles from Port Everglades and 35 miles from Port Canaveral. So we can drive to each port.

 

Coastal Kitchen/Suite Lounge is our favorite part of the ship.