Why Do you Prefer RCL over the others?

[lovemylab]

We first booked RCCL at the recommendation of a travel agent. We had a fantastic cruise and decided to book our next cruise with them also.

 

I like that RCCL caters to all age groups so there is a good mix of people onboard. As well, there are lots of activities for everyone.

 

I loved the food and I also like that they have traditional dining. The service we received from everyone on the ship was excellent.

 

I am sure in the future we will try other lines but for now we plan to stick with RCCL.

[dennbr9]

As you can see below, I move around the Cruise Lines ( Only Carnival was our Honeymoon though) based on where they are going and how I feel at the moment. Have enjoyed all of my RCL Cruises, favorite so far was the Brilliance. We also love Celebrity, and had a great time on the Disney Magic a few years ago. Tried a Princess this year and are doing another in two Months.

 

Are already booked on RCL Jewel for next summer- because of where and how long it stayed in certain ports, and will probably book the Tahitian Princess for April 08.

 

Have never had a "BAD" cruise. Maybe a few things that went wrong here and there, but never anything that ruined the trip for us.

 

Dennis

[GMoney]

That is how we feel also. We tried NCL Dawn, did not care for ship layout and that closed in feeling. And do not get me started on the food, freestyle dining, it woukd take to long.

 

I feel exactly the same way about the Dawn and FS dining. They are just not for me. NCL is the only cruiseline of the 7 I've sailed I will never go back to.

[gsb]

Just back from AOS Nov. 5th S. Caribbean cruise--

 

Yes, the ship is beautiful. Ice rink and show very nice, mini golf and rock wall--nice.

Promenade very nice.

Now the CCL pluses--(talking about their newer, larger ships)

Elevators--not close --AOS was terrible, CCL'S much, much quicker.

Pizza, Ice cream--CCL much, much better.

Burgers--fresh off the grill to you bun on CCL- also, dogs, steak, etc.

AOS--cold burgers sitting in a metal pan.

Buffet and dining room food--better on CCL. Can't get a decent lobster tail on AOS--their lobster night in the dining room is a midget tail, smothered in chives and ??? taste was not good. The Portofino had only a small tail as part of a Skewer choice.

Bedding--no question--CCL rules with its bedding. AOS is scheduled for an upgrade in April I think.

Entertainment--again, CCL by a bunch--AOS was weak to poor.

Overall, CCL has a more fun feel to it IMHO. Been on 5 Rccl's and 17 CCL's--I guess the above are part of the reason besides the itinerary.

[watsor1]

My wife and I have sailed RCCI several times and Princess once. We found RCCI to be a better experience. We have sailed Rhapsody out of Galveston and each time it got better. Last September I sailed separately from my wife (with my best friend instead) and we partied out butts off. At the Schooner bar we were with two couples we had met on board and were really getting smashed, but having a good time. The bartender, without asking or being overt about it, began serving iced water to us as the evening wound down. We were surprised, but we all seemed to feel this was in our best interest. The next day I asked him why he did it and he said "experience". Do you know that bartenders on RCCI have to have 3 years experience with a 4 star hotel before they will be considered for employment?

 

Another thing, sailing with RCCI as much as we have, we feel comfortable and familiar with the ships and we kinda know what to expect. We booked outside our travel agent for our upcoming Alaska, booking directly with RCCI by phone. I asked if the fares changed (reduced) between now and the cruise, would we qualify for the lower rate and were assured our fare would be adjusted. This happened on my last cruise when, after the cruise was booked and fully paid for, they offered a senior citizen discount. RCCI honored my request to lower the fare $121.00 and refunded my credit card that amount.

 

The amentities that come with being a Crown and Anchor Platinum Member are great also. Priority checkin, robes, little gifts and parties, complementary wine tasting, etc., make it great. Since we only cruise once a year, we will stick with RCCL. It's great to use a company who knows your name and treats you like a special and valued customer.

[isujim]

There is no real reason other than we are comfortable with their overall product and service.

 

RC was our first cruise........basically except for straying once with Celebrity and once with Princess, we have always sailed RC. The other cruises weren't bad.........and had some good points........but we just feal more comfortable with the overall product and service provided by RC. They have a product that is basically the same throughout the fleet, using the same types of activities.........it has worked very well for them.

[FrancescaH]

I'm not sure I really DO like Royal Caribbean over others but I seem to be sailing on their ships a lot so here is a little list of why I do

1. Smooth as glass embarkation- very easy to get on the ship
   
2. Sail-away party- best in the business if they do it right
   
3. Cooler Image- I just think they have a better image; not stuffy, not party-crazed, not cheap, not expensive
   
4. Easy to do business with
   
5. I like the decor of the ships
   
6. Like the above- Excellent maintenance of ships- even really old ones like Empress (still my favorite)
   
7. Pricing- sure, you can sail for x number of days for less on Carnival but who knows if you got the best deal. Consistent pricing. I like the whole "no-haggle" thing.
   
8. Their ships are conveniently located to me, I can drive to the port easy.
   
9. Generally happier crew members...or so it seems to me
   
10. Beverage service on deck- hardly ever a wait to get a drink
    
11. Royal Promenade on Voyager and Freedom Class ships- nobody can touch it
    
12. Double credit for higher category cabins on past guest account
    
13. Handicap Access program- they really try, they don't just "accommodate"

 

Chris's #13 is my main reason for having only chosen Royal Caribbean. I've heard wheelchair accessiblity is hit or miss on Carnival ships, mostly miss. Meanwhile RCCL is always making an effort to improve their access be it on the ship or their tender system. It's the little things like the fact that most of the Mariner's putt-putt course in wheelchair friendly, and the balconies are easily accessible in the accessible cabins.. not to mention that RCCL has more accessible cabins than Carnival. While I've heard Princess has good access as well, I also have a toddler so I wanted to pick a line with a good kids program too. RCCL suits my family well.

[stbmom]

We like the service - they really do a great job

Ship design - they don't just put up rooms, they actually have things to do. We like the Radiance class and something as simple as 24 hour minature golf is a big plus for us.

Food - very good with a lot of variety and dining options

Seem to be very easy to get on and off the ship

The cabins are laid out very well, even though they may be small and are designed very smart and you don't feel cramped at all

Non- smoking areas! I love that there are places you really can get away from the smoke on board and they have non-smoking areas in a lot of public places making it okay for everyone to enjoy the cruise

Adult only areas, we are taking out son for the first time, so I do remember what it was like to be childless - it was nice to have the Solarium and be away from other people's kids (even though my child is perfect and everyone will love him - ha ha)

[Majesty Fan]

I had done over 22 cruises and jumped ship for Disney. We have no kids. Most of our cruises have been out of Miami. So about a 5 drive time difference made a huge difference. Price difference was $150. I thought the stage shows were way better but they are disney themed. The food in the dinning room was better RCI. So was the Midnight Buffett was better on RCI. the food optiond during the day are better by the pool there was a total of 4 food options. free drink station for cokes. But RCI has a coke card that is free cokes anytime. Disney they are free in the dinning room and at drink station. Not at the bars. Nice outdoor adult pool. Not warm and humid. like the solarium The rooms are bigger, split bathroom. RCI has smaller bathrooms and cabins. There is more to do for the adults on RCI but the service is way better and debarkation is 10 x better on DIsney!

Lexi

[lv2bcruzin]

The overall RCI experience is just fantastic. Great staff, customer service, ships, ship experience, atmoshphere, loyalty program.

[zachnlucy]

We like different lines depending on the itinerary. NCL and Princess do an excellent job with Alaska, which has completely different priorities than the Caribbean.

 

When cruising Alaska, I want information and NCL and Princess both had great talks about what was going on, and the ship would slow down when cool things show up, i.e., whales, seals, calving glaciers, etc.

 

As far as the Caribbean goes, I loved the Carnival Conquest so much. It was our second cruise (first being the Holiday) and it had so many options for entertainment. Food also was spectacular. After having cruised these other lines after CCL, I've actually found the CCL food to be superior to most.

 

As far as RCCL, I've only cruised on the Grandeur so far and it was also Caribbean and I loved it, and am about to on the Splendour (both older Vision class).