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RCCL and Celebrity


KevBew

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[quote name='TechKnowBabble']it did...and trust me that was a tall order today. I would quit my job but then how would I fund my cruises? :p[/QUOTE]

Been in that situation myself, not a fun place to be. Hang in there.

At least you have your priorities in place, cruise funds FIRST!
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[quote name='kelmac']Nicki is more than correct. As a stock holder of RCI (off and on for the past six years), we used to see reports of what Royal Caribbean/Celebrity spent on different items. A few years ago Celebrity was spending almost twice as much, per person, per day, on the raw ingredients and the staff needed to prepare meals. [/quote]I've worked through their annual reports of late, and haven't seen anything but consolidated numbers. Where are you getting info on [U]relative[/U] costs (or profits, or anything else) between the lines? Would love to see [B]non[/B]-consolidated numbers about many items. Suggestions?
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[quote name='canderson']I've worked through their annual reports of late, and haven't seen anything but consolidated numbers. Where are you getting info on [U]relative[/U] costs (or profits, or anything else) between the lines? Would love to see [B]non[/B]-consolidated numbers about many items. Suggestions?[/quote]

canderson,

Most of the stuff I got was from guys over on the Yahoo boards (stock boards). They used to break it down, but in the last few years, everything is consolidated. It's been over two or three years since I was active on those yahoo boards.
You might email the Investor Relations department of RCI and see if they would respond??
Good luck, and let me know if you find any additional information.

Kel
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[quote name='kelmac'].
You might email the Investor Relations department of RCI and see if they would respond??
Good luck, and let me know if you find any additional information.

Kel[/quote]Tried that. No luck with IR. Unless there are other sources (estimates by those following the industry), that kind of information isn't going to be available. It's very convenient for them to keep the numbers close to the vest. Used to be I could even find more specific breakdowns re expenses, but not these days.
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I've been reading everyone's posts about RCCL vs X. Presently, I am booked for Radiance for Aug 5th Alaska trip. Only because my husband wanted to do the cruisetour on the Wilderness Express. My TA failed to tell me that Celebrity offers this train also! Now I'm thinking about switching to Celebrity. Has anyone done the Alaska cruise on this ship? I read from your posts that the rooms are larger, service better, etc. I have to agree with this, because I cruised Celebrity two years ago and the rooms were bigger. I found the decor not to be as nice as RCCL, but I was on the RCCL years ago. What's everyone's advice?
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[quote name='Lovincruisin1321']I've been reading everyone's posts about RCCL vs X. Presently, I am booked for Radiance for Aug 5th Alaska trip. Only because my husband wanted to do the cruisetour on the Wilderness Express. My TA failed to tell me that Celebrity offers this train also! Now I'm thinking about switching to Celebrity. Has anyone done the Alaska cruise on this ship? I read from your posts that the rooms are larger, service better, etc. I have to agree with this, because I cruised Celebrity two years ago and the rooms were bigger. I found the decor not to be as nice as RCCL, but I was on the RCCL years ago. What's everyone's advice?[/QUOTE]


Radiance class ships are really pretty, IMO, and the best of what RCI has to offer. They are built on the same hull as M class ships but carry a few hundred more pax.

IME, the cabins on M class are larger than Radiance class, except for the suites and JS's which are a good value.

I cruised on Infinity and thought she was a beautiful ship. Not sure which X ship you are considering? If Mercury, stick with Radiance. If an M class ship, I would consider the itinerary, cabin size, as well as the more formal environment you will find on X.

The biggest plus for Radiance is the Concierge Club, if you are booked in a category that affords the perk. X has nothing like it.
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[quote name='Lovincruisin1321']I'm considering the Summit. On the Radiance, we are booked in an oceanview stateroom. Nothing fancy. What is the Consierge Club?[/QUOTE]

Concierge Lounge is a perk for Diamond members and above and pax booked in a full suite.

On Radiance class, RCI took areas that were orginally going to be suites and made them into a private lounge. It is key only access and adults only after 5pm.

They serve a European continental every morning and this is where I had my breakfast every day while cruising. Every evening at Happy Hour there are canapes and free cocktails. Coffee is ground and made fresh and the concierge is on duty for whatever you might need. There are internet terminals, news bulletins, etc. available for use.

I found it to be a wonderful perk.
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I agree with Ross. Everywhere I look, comparable cabins are shown to be slightly larger on RCL. Here are comparisons of square footage on the balcony and small suites for Radiance and Summit, taken directly off RCL and Celebrity web sites.

[SIZE=2]RCL . . . . Cab . Bal . . . . .CEL . . . . Cab . Bal
E1,2,3 . . 179 . 41 . . . . . 2A,B,C . . 170 . 38
D1 . . . . . 204 . 41 . . . . . CC . . . . . 191 . 41
JS . . . . . 293 . 66 . . . . .. SS . . . . . 251 . 57

We cruise primarily in D1 or CC and I can tell you that 13 square feet is noticeable. I don't measure the cabins, but I'm guessing the RCL cabins are 8-10 inches wider. That allows more room between "things" and it feels like a little more surface area for the desk/dresser. But again, I've never measured it.

I like both very much. The differences are not large in any major way. You can get variations is service and food from one cruise to the next with the same ship and crew. For that matter, you can get wildly varying reviews of the same cruise from different people. We all have our opinions and preferences. I feel very confident in saying that, if you have a good attitude, you will have a great time on either one.

We like the Concierge Lounge on RCL, but the perks in CC are nice on Celebrity. It's all a matter of taste.

My wife and I did a roundtrip 7-day on Radiance in Alaska and loved it. We went back on a cruisetour on Summit and loved that.

We have cruised both and will do so again.
[/SIZE]
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[quote name='Lovincruisin1321']So, should I just stay with the Radiance? I'm worried now.[/QUOTE]

The Summit and the Radiance are both beautiful ships. Summit will be a bit more formal in the dining room, as RCI has relaxed their dress codes. And, Portofino's is an excelllent specialty restaurant on Radiance if that is of interest. I did not care so much for Chops.

I did prefer the fitness facilities and sauna and steam room on RCI, as well as the options for nightlife, although Alaska is most definitely quieter in the evenings than the Caribbean, IME.

If you are not booking a Concierge level stateroom on either line, then those perks are not relevant.

Although I saw the posters information on cabin sizes, I can only state that in my personal experience on both lines, the inside and outside cabins on X were much more spacious than on RCI. I have only had suites on RCI, not on X but have visited the suites on several of their ships.

I really think you will enjoy either.
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[quote name='kruisecat']This is an interesting thread as DH and I are about to embark on our first RCI cruise. Previously we have only sailed on X on Century (2x) and we would not consider ourselves to be seasoned cruisers. My biggest concern has been that we have been spoiled by X and will have a hard time going backwards. We booked this cruise because it was out of Tampa our home port and we are going with friends who have children and we understand that the children's program is the best on RCI.

All that said, I have a strong feeling that for any cruises that are just the 2 of us will be X. I like being spoiled :D[/quote]We just came off RCCL Grandeur and were pleasantly surprised. The crew was excellant, friendly and helpful, the ship was beautiful, our balcony stateroom in good shape and the balcony was larger than I expected with comfortable chairs, not plastic. But the best part was the food,everyone at our table said it was the best cruise ship food we had ever experienced. The menus were ample, many choices,preparation was good and the food itself was excellant. We spoke to many others that shared our opinion. We are devoted X cruises, and yes several little things were not there, th chanpagne on arrival, the water carafes, no lotion, but not enough to spoil our cruise. Still prefer X but would do this ship again in a heartbeat.
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[quote name='poetic license']KevBew,
Here's something that will make your Jewel of the Seas cruise seem like a week at the Ritz: I was reading some threads on the HAL board this morning, and one of the threads was LIVER AND ONIONS. You can't believe the number of posts there were waxing poetic praising HAL for offering liver and onions as an entree item!! :eek:

Feel better now?:D:D:D

Cheers,[/QUOTE]


I myself would never eat liver & onions. However, there are quite a few who seem to love it. Go figure. HOWEVER, the variety and quality of food served on HAL is most definitely superior to anything I have had on both RCCL or X. HAL's entire cruising experience is just better in soooo many ways. For starters their cabins are larger, cleaner and brighter. The verandas are huge and very comfortable. Dollar for dollar you just get more value with HAL.
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I am a bit confused about the criticism of the menu in the Windjammer Cafe on Jewel of the Seas, especially the part about it always being the same. If talking about the breakfast buffet, I would like to know what was missing? The offerings seem to be as extensive as any I have seen anywhere and should suffice to satisfy just about anyone's wants. As someone else mentioned, if you don't like the eggs on the buffet (and I have yet to find a buffet anywhere where scrambled eggs are more than just edible) certainly the omelet station where you can get eggs cooked to order should have been your choice. At lunch there were different roasts being carved each day, a large selection of other meats, vegetables, burgers, pizza, and vegetarian dishes, as well as a large selection of desserts.
Perhaps some folks think that it makes their choice of lines better to denigrate others but posts such as these seem intent on dwelling so much on the perceived negatives that one wonders how the poster survived the torture of their seven night cruise.:rolleyes:
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[quote name='negc']I am a bit confused about the criticism of the menu in the Windjammer Cafe on Jewel of the Seas, especially the part about it always being the same. If talking about the breakfast buffet, I would like to know what was missing? The offerings seem to be as extensive as any I have seen anywhere and should suffice to satisfy just about anyone's wants. As someone else mentioned, if you don't like the eggs on the buffet (and I have yet to find a buffet anywhere where scrambled eggs are more than just edible) certainly the omelet station where you can get eggs cooked to order should have been your choice. At lunch there were different roasts being carved each day, a large selection of other meats, vegetables, burgers, pizza, and vegetarian dishes, as well as a large selection of desserts.
Perhaps some folks think that it makes their choice of lines better to denigrate others but posts such as these seem intent on dwelling so much on the perceived negatives that one wonders how the poster survived the torture of their seven night cruise.:rolleyes:[/quote]

Precisely.;)
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[quote name='negc']I am a bit confused about the criticism of the menu in the Windjammer Cafe on Jewel of the Seas, especially the part about it always being the same. If talking about the breakfast buffet, I would like to know what was missing? The offerings seem to be as extensive as any I have seen anywhere and should suffice to satisfy just about anyone's wants. As someone else mentioned, if you don't like the eggs on the buffet (and I have yet to find a buffet anywhere where scrambled eggs are more than just edible) certainly the omelet station where you can get eggs cooked to order should have been your choice. At lunch there were different roasts being carved each day, a large selection of other meats, vegetables, burgers, pizza, and vegetarian dishes, as well as a large selection of desserts.
Perhaps some folks think that it makes their choice of lines better to denigrate others but posts such as these seem intent on dwelling so much on the perceived negatives that one wonders how the poster survived the torture of their seven night cruise.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

The eggs at both stations had the consistency of powdered eggs. At least the X omelette station had eggs that were edible.

Different roasts at lunch? Beef, ham, beef, ham, beef and ham. Yup, that's different! A LARGE selection of other meats? Not on this cruise. Carved beef or ham, a pasta dish and hotdogs and hamburgers on stale buns and tacos.

ONCE AGAIN, it is a matter of taste. Luckily, it was only a 6 nite cruise. I nearly had to be airlifted off!

You should really read the post before you start making snide remarks.

There was no mention of a lack of diversity at BREAKFAST! The quality wasn't there, got it?

Lunch was a daily repeat, keeping up?

I tried a different line and I didn't enjoy it. MANY have agreed with me, some haven't. If you want to spend your life thinking RCCL is Manna from Heaven by all means, ENJOY! I will endeavor for better.
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[quote name='KevBew']The eggs at both stations had the consistency of powdered eggs. At least the X omelette station had eggs that were edible.

Different roasts at lunch? Beef, ham, beef, ham, beef and ham. Yup, that's different! A LARGE selection of other meats? Not on this cruise. Carved beef or ham, a pasta dish and hotdogs and hamburgers on stale buns and tacos.

ONCE AGAIN, it is a matter of taste. Luckily, it was only a 6 nite cruise. I nearly had to be airlifted off!

You should really read the post before you start making snide remarks.

There was no mention of a lack of diversity at BREAKFAST! The quality wasn't there, got it?

Lunch was a daily repeat, keeping up?

I tried a different line and I didn't enjoy it. MANY have agreed with me, some haven't. If you want to spend your life thinking RCCL is Manna from Heaven by all means, ENJOY! I will endeavor for better.[/quote]



[B]Wow, ok I got it, hope you find your mana from heaven.[/B]
[B] You might want to stay home, or is that a snide remark? Hope I am keeping up:D [/B]

[B]Phil[/B]
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[quote name='KevBew']I just returned from my first RCCL cruise and I can't begin to describe how much I can't wait to get back to X!

I have been on 5 X cruises prior to last weeks cruise on Jewel of the Seas. I have felt that X has been slipping over the years as a result of RCCL folding X under it's operations. I thought I would find a similar product, boy was I wrong.

The boarding process was about the same as X but with just a slight tinge of chaos. Once aboard the ship you were on your own. No one to escort you to your room and no champagne. The fire doors were closed to keep you out of the stateroom areas until after 1:00. Kind of strange but I guess I understand.

The public lounges, dining rooms, casino and other public spaces were adequate and relatively comfortable. Shops, spa, theatre and bars were equal to X. Upon first glance you almost could convince yourself you were on a ship that could have been X.

After settling in the differences were evident. I could only book an inside because I made the decision to go very last minute. I have had insides on 2 of the M class ships so I was shocked at how small the inside cabins on JOS were. There was barely enough room to walk along the sides of the bed. The closets were way too small and the bathroom was just slightly more spacious than a phone booth. The one nice thing was the shower that had doors instead of the dreaded sticky shower curtain on X.

Other members of our group had outside balcony cabins and they were also VERY small in comparison to X. The balconies were slightly larger than X balconies but I would have preferred more cabin space .

The biggest difference was the food. Although the food on X has been slipping lately it is still miles ahead of RCCL. Breakfast was bland, tasteless mass produced fodder. The eggs were so tasteless I couldn't help but wonder if they were powdered. The bacon was undercooked and swimming in grease. I ended up eating cold cereal for 4 days to avoid the hot food.

Lunches were nearly identical every day of the cruise. We ate off the ship whenever possible becuase we needed some variety.

Dinner, well, it followed the same path. The choices were very plain and tasteless. The beef dishes were very limited and small in comparison to X. You could ask for more but it usually took 20 minutes for it to arrive. Many remarked how good the food in Chops and Portofino was compared to the main dining room. However, that was a $20.00 charge and that could add up if all you wanted was a good meal. It was clear to all that they (RCCL) have found a way to force you to pay more for food by keeping the quality of food higher in the speciality venues.

The other passengers ranged from 20's to 70's. There weren't too many kids on the cruise but the time of year probably had something to do with that. There was one woman who had her dog with her on the cruise. It was one of those small yappy dogs. Something I have never seen on X. It was a much rowdier crowd. Dress codes were never enforced as witnessed by shorts and jeans in the dining room on FORMAL night!

The stateroom attendants were a far cry from what you receive on X. No carafe of water, just a small bucket of ice. I had to ask for additional bars of soap and resorted to retrieving ice on my own.

I may get flamed for what may be small details but that's what sets X apart from the other mass-market lines. We heard rumor that RCCL will eventually eliminate X. That would be a huge mistake. Without X, I for one would pay more to get a better product elsewhere. I will never book another RCCL cruise. Just my observations.[/quote]

hi KevBew

Thanks for your in put Sailed on the jewel of the sea last year 2005 (not up to par)

just booked the Mecury Mexico 11 night Riviera January 29th 2007 out of San Diego

Booked a Sky suite

They say the Mercury is getting Worn

please advise

if you have pictures please send My E-Mail is [EMAIL="Stur2@WOH.RR.COM"]Stur2@WOH.RR.COM[/EMAIL]

STUR DAYTON,OHIO
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