Why Royal?

[mkcurran]

I'm eyeballing cruises out of San Juan next year. What makes Royal special? My choices would be either Enchantment of the Seas or Freedom of the seas. We are two adults, who like a casino, but not heavy smoke. We also don't drink much. 

Can you just show up and shows and grab a seat?

Is Royal for us?

[Clarea]

On Enchantment and Freedom, you can just show up and grab a seat at shows in the Main Theater.

[mkcurran]

19 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

On Enchantment and Freedom, you can just show up and grab a seat at shows in the Main Theater.

Good to know! 

Thanks!

[bostonfred]

Multiple lines sail from San Juan....find an itinerary you like,they may be similar, and you will be treated great on all ships. You will get positive feedback here from Royal cruisers and if you considered another line use their board, we had a great 11 night cruise in January on NCL. Wanted more than a week. Celebrity also has cruises. Good luck, if you choose Royal you will have a great time.😎

[mkcurran]

3 hours ago, bostonfred said:

Multiple lines sail from San Juan....find an itinerary you like,they may be similar, and you will be treated great on all ships. You will get positive feedback here from Royal cruisers and if you considered another line use their board, we had a great 11 night cruise in January on NCL. Wanted more than a week. Celebrity also has cruises. Good luck, if you choose Royal you will have a great time.😎

Well I've been hanging around this board and I'm unsure of what makes Royal great. So I asked and really haven't gotten an answer. I asked a similar question over at the Carnival board a couple of years ago and got plenty of valuable feedback. 

For my next trip I'm eyeing a San Juan cruise or possibly something leaving from Miami or Port Everglades (FLL). Royal is attractively priced compared to Carnival. So I'm wondering what people love about Royal and if it would be a good fit for us.

[Clarea]

6 minutes ago, mkcurran said:

Well I've been hanging around this board and I'm unsure of what makes Royal great. ...

 

Where did you get the idea that Royal was great?

 

I say try it and decide for yourself.  Only you can determine if Royal is a good fit for you.

[mkcurran]

6 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Where did you get the idea that Royal was great?

 

I say try it and decide for yourself.  Only you can determine if Royal is a good fit for you.

I assumed there were people on this board that thought so, as they have sailed many times. I would like them to share their thoughts, if they would. 

[poncho1973]

I think the big thing a lot of people realize is that great is subjective.  My great and your great might not be the same.

 

Coming here and expecting to base a purchase like this on someone you don't know on a message board selling you a line seems like a rough call.

 

If you dislike smoke in the casino, you need another line because Royal allows smoking in the casino. You are begging to hate it if you base your decision on that, mostly because that's the ONLY place you're allowed to smoke indoors.  I won't even walk into the casino because of it.

 

You should review this page:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=225

 

 

However, it sounds like you just want hype, so: DO IT! YOU WON'T FIND A BETTER CRUISE! IF THE WORLD ENDS, I WANT IT TO BE ON A ROYAL SHIP, SO I CAN DIE HAPPY! THE BEST EVER!  NOTHING GOES WRONG ON A ROYAL CRUISE! EVERYONE IS THE HAPPIEST!

[mkcurran]

27 minutes ago, poncho1973 said:

If you dislike smoke in the casino, you need another line because Royal allows smoking in the casino. 

Well I usually counter this with morning visits when it isn't as smoky. Doable on Royal?

 

Anyway I was looking for why people like to sail, not hype. I am interested in why you think it's great. Maybe I'll like the same thing, maybe I won't. But I'd like to hear about it.

 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, mkcurran said:

Anyway I was looking for why people like to sail, not hype.

How about it's the only line with a Flowrider?

[mkcurran]

Just now, Biker19 said:

How about it's the only line with a Flowrider?

Is that good people watching? Because I'm likely not to get on that sober...and I'm hoping they don't let drunks get on it---but that could be interesting if they did.

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, mkcurran said:

Is that good people watching? Because I'm likely not to get on that sober...and I'm hoping they don't let drunks get on it---but that could be interesting if they did.

Yes, there are seats/bleachers just for that. BTW, you don't need to drink to try it - you might just like it sober.

[vacationlover_mn]

2 minutes ago, mkcurran said:

Is that good people watching? Because I'm likely not to get on that sober...and I'm hoping they don't let drunks get on it---but that could be interesting if they did.

I definitely love watching people on the flowrider :)

[vacationlover_mn]

We like big ships, and lots to do on them.  We also like a variety of shows.  That is part of the reason we've been mostly leaning towards Royal.

[lovescats5]

• I will put my 2 cents in and say that we like Royal because of the balcony's.  We have been on Holland, Carnival, and Celebrity.  Celebrity we had a good sized balcony but most of the balcony's on Carnival are really small and we like a bigger balcony because that is our happy place on nice warm evenings.

[A2Mich]

This is just my opinion.  I personally like the decor of RCI’s ships a bit better.  I also enjoyed the freshwater pools on the Freedom class ships.  The promenade concept on the Voyager class and newer seems more conducive to crowd moving than how Carnivals ships tend to be designed.  I’m also not a fan of the Carnival traditional design of the main galley being in the middle of a deck, requiring passengers to either go up or down a deck just to bypass it.  

[Sancho_proudfoot]

I would say (currently Royal loyal and diamond  status):

The Royal Promenade (l miss it on some older ships that don't  have one)

Great staff

MDR always pleases me

Johnny Rocketts

The Schooner bar 

Entertainment Team

Always clean fresh and frequently  newly painted 

[Snit13]

20 hours ago, mkcurran said:

I assumed there were people on this board that thought so, as they have sailed many times. I would like them to share their thoughts, if they would. 

I sail with Royal because there are 2 ports within 2+ hours drive from my home. I much prefer Celebrity but the drive to Port Everglades is long for me.  I have sailed Princess and NCL and both are ok but I did not get the same welcome feeling on either.  You would have to pay me to sail Carnival based on horror stories I have been told by friends and family who sailed her.  November will be my 39th cruise and my 13th on Royal and I hope to be able to enjoy many more.

I feel a cruise is what you make it.  If you do your research and decide what you wish to do/see on the ship as well as in port you should not be disappointed.  Some times I decide just to stay on the ship and enjoy all the ship has to offer.  As others have posted, try different cruise lines that are convenient for you to travel to/from and you decide which suits you best.

I am not a fan of the food on Royal as I find it not as well presented or as good as on Celebrity but way better than NCL.  I find Celebrity crew much friendlier and always smiling but Royal crew members for the most part are great too.  Did not experience that on NCL and have not sailed Princess since Carnival bought them.

Enjoy your cruise no matter which line you choose.

[Iamcruzin]

I started to read this thread because I was courious to see the replies. I’m very surprised of all of the meh generic responses.

OP Royal isn’t my first choice because I we are in our fifties and we don’t travel with young children who I think benefit most on Royal Caribbean. The Oasis class is not on my bucket list as we prefer the smaller ships.  We choose Royal Caribbean for the first time in almost 20 years since our first sailing because of the 9 day itinerary and we can drive to port. We have sailed 4 times from San Juan on Princess and Celebrity. I would consider Royal as well if the price and itinerary were right. Royal has good deals for families with the Kids sail free promotions and the many on board activities are great if you have young children or teens. If you are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere I would suggest Celebrity or Princess. I think Celebrity’s casino is smoke free. 

Edited April 3, 2019 by Iamcruzin

[LuCruise]

Entertainment, food, service, variety of ships and staterooms for choices to meet your needs (e.g. when we travel with our kids, its different criteria than when it's just DH and I), clean, beautiful decor and care Royal puts into their ships, first class while being affordable, ships handle crowds well, many activities going on (often hard to choose which one to attend) and areas to explore, etc etc

[er345]

Full disclosure: I have only sailed with Royal so I have no way to compare it with other lines.

 

Reasons I love to cruise with Royal:

The ships are beautiful.

Almost all of the staff I have interacted with have been friendly and helpful.

Many members of the crew are exceptional and can really make my day.

I love the variety of activities, even though relaxing is my number one priority on a cruise.

I like the variety and flexibility of food venues.

Entertainment is top notch. 

I have been wowed on 5 different ships with no major complaints.

 

However I can’t stand to go near the casino because of the smoke smell. If that were a priority for me and there was a cruise line with a non smoking casino, I would take it.

 

[mayleeman]

There are hundreds if not thousands of cruise reviews in the RC forum. Just browse through and you will get a much more comprehensive idea of what people have liked, and disliked, on their cruises.

 

Asking people to try to summarize their experiences, in contrast, cannot possibly include the details and nuances the multiple-page reviews include--especially the contemporaneous reactions in live reviews. And something just might catch your fancy that no one could anticipate in a short post here.

Edited April 3, 2019 by mayleeman

[Bee Guy]

When we first started cruising loyalty programs meant nothing to us because the rewards seemed so far away. So while we sailed mostly w/RCI we also tried Princess and Holland . 7 years later we are glad that we focused on RCI.  We sail mostly longer cruises and our diamond rewards easily save us $1000 per cruise.   We still shop, but find that we consistently choose RCI. 

[davekathy]

22 hours ago, mkcurran said:

Well I've been hanging around this board and I'm unsure of what makes Royal great. So I asked and really haven't gotten an answer. I asked a similar question over at the Carnival board a couple of years ago and got plenty of valuable feedback. 

For my next trip I'm eyeing a San Juan cruise or possibly something leaving from Miami or Port Everglades (FLL). Royal is attractively priced compared to Carnival. So I'm wondering what people love about Royal and if it would be a good fit for us.

According to you Carnival is your favorite cruise line. Just for my own curiosity why? 

[brillohead]

Well, I turn 50 this year and for me, Royal is just a good fit.

It's not trailer trash, and it's not Park Avenue.  
It's not all kiddies. and it's not all blue hairs.
It's not all tank-tops and cutoffs, and it's not all ball gowns and tuxes.

I don't drink, but I do like nightlife.  Royal has lots of evening/night options.

For me, it's the right mix of value and sophistication.  There are cheaper cruises and there are more expensive cruises, but these fit the bill for me.