What to expect when sailing with Royal Caribbean

[alvin18]

We have booked 2 cruises on RCCL in 2017. Both will be with the larger mega ships, Ovation of the Seas leaving Singapore on 12 day repositioning cruise through Asia then on Dec 24, Asia cruise again leaving from Shanghai going to Japan and Korea on the Quantum of the Seas. These may be an 'explore the ship' more type of cruises as they ships are huge compared to what we have sailed in the past. We have really enjoyed NCL, Carnival is ok but due to schedule and itinerary they work, the one Princess cruise I did was to Alaska and had a much older crowd. We are in our early-mid 40s. Daughter is 10, son is 8. Reading the reviews about RCCL cutting things out, lowering the overall experience seems in line with the cuts other cruise lines have been doing. The reason we like NCL is their entertainment, have not been disappointed with any of their shows, music performers, etc. Seems they make entertainment a priority unlike Carnival that likes to recycle their shows with mainly their crew members but you pay for what you get. Will RCCL cruise be more on the lines of NCL or should I expect something way different. We are easy going people as we are blessed to be able to travel a few times a year and always make the best of what ever situation gets thrown at us. The only large ship we have done was on the NCL Epic last May in the Mediterranean. Had no issues making reservations and hope the experience will be the same with RCCL.

Edited December 8, 2016 by alvin18

[gaspumpcruiser]

We were on Harmony twice this year, the inaugural and the transatlantic. First time on the huge ships and not been in any other line except once on QM2. Entertainment was mixed. Two fabulous, and I mean fabulous, shows from the RC cast, Grease and the tongue in cheek Columbus. Grease worthy of the West End or Broadway. Then you get the comedy/magician or two and although they are good, if you've cruised enough it's the same old. Couple of singers, one to our taste, one not and then the Beatles tribute band. So lots if it and for the big productions you Have to book early, as soon as you get on the ship. You need to book for the ice shows and for the comedy club too.

 

My only other comment on Harmony, is that it is too big. All the public rooms and most speciality restaurants face into the ship, no views of the sea, so you could be anywhere, not on a ship. We've decided not to travel on the big ships again.

 

As for the at of cruisers. We are in our sixties. The inaugural had every age, 1-100, but the TA crowd was older, very few under 30 say, mainly because of the two weeks out of school issue for anyone with kids.

 

Hope all this helps.

 

 

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[Justmekaren918]

Make sure to have the kids do the kids center, so you can have some downtime, and check out the Solarium it is supposed to be the best in the fleet. Make sure to have restaurant and entertainment reservations. Schooner bar is usually awesome and they have fun triva stuff, and entertainment. Usually hardest working bartenders. Can't really say that about Adventure, Crown Vik staff won that title for me, last Sept. They have electronic boards, that can tell you a wealth of information. How to get places, dinning menu's, activities. The 2 are smart ships, so download the IQ app if you are into that. Try to see if you can follow live reports before trips, or ask what bands and such that will be on your ship during your cruise. Somethings do rotate, but that maybe more of a states option.

 

Have an amazing time, and enjoy.

 

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[vacationlover_mn]

We've found Carnival, NCL, and RCI to be similar. However, we prefer the giant RCI ships the best- we love having lots to do, and many places to wander around. I can hardly wait to try Harmony in Feb!

 

 

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[jordynshanemom]

As far as entertainment goes, I like NCL's better. There are also things I like better about RCI cruises too! I think you'll be very happy on those ships though!

 

 

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[matj2000]

I would love to visit China, Japan, & Japan.

 

If I did, it would never be on a mass market cruise line.

[alvin18]

Thanks for the replies, definitely looking forward to the upcoming trips!

[Biker19]

While the ports will be very different, read some of the Anthem threads to get an idea of what to expect on the ship. Be advised that in Asia some of what you read on Anthem could be different (free on Anthem but charge on Quantum), but you'll get a good idea what to expect.

[4774Papa]

We have booked 2 cruises on RCCL in 2017. Both will be with the larger mega ships, Ovation of the Seas leaving Singapore on 12 day repositioning cruise through Asia then on Dec 24, Asia cruise again leaving from Shanghai going to Japan and Korea on the Quantum of the Seas. These may be an 'explore the ship' more type of cruises as they ships are huge compared to what we have sailed in the past. We have really enjoyed NCL, Carnival is ok but due to schedule and itinerary they work, the one Princess cruise I did was to Alaska and had a much older crowd. We are in our early-mid 40s. Daughter is 10, son is 8. Reading the reviews about RCCL cutting things out, lowering the overall experience seems in line with the cuts other cruise lines have been doing. The reason we like NCL is their entertainment, have not been disappointed with any of their shows, music performers, etc. Seems they make entertainment a priority unlike Carnival that likes to recycle their shows with mainly their crew members but you pay for what you get. Will RCCL cruise be more on the lines of NCL or should I expect something way different. We are easy going people as we are blessed to be able to travel a few times a year and always make the best of what ever situation gets thrown at us. The only large ship we have done was on the NCL Epic last May in the Mediterranean. Had no issues making reservations and hope the experience will be the same with RCCL.

 

We are big Celebrity cruisers having done 9, as well as 6 on NCL. Since we are elite on Celebrity, we are diamond on RCI.

 

We are booked on two RCI cruises out of Sydney in April 2018, a NZ cruise on Radiance and TP on Explorer. Looking forward to those cruise, we picked RCI since Celebrity's pricing has become outrageous and RCI is still reasonable.

 

Regarding a cruise involving China and Japan, we did a fantastic one out of Yokohama, ending in Hong Kong last fall.

 

We loved Japan. Recommend spending several days on a land tour there. Don't miss Kyoto.

 

Here is my review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518503&et_cid=2531924&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards