Newbie-Need help to choose between ships, please

[twoatsea]

Hi all. DH & I have cruised several lines, last several years HAL, but never RCCL & we want to give RCCL a try. Here's our dilemma - such a great one to have! We have 3 choices for cruising from U.S. (Florida) to Europe in April '07 & since we have no experience on RCCL, don't know which one to choose. I have read the reviews & looked over the first 3 pages of the message board, but really want to hear from the folks in the know! We will book either an oceanview or balcony cabin. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Our choices - Jewel - 4/15, 12 nites, Ft. L. to Belgium

Navigator - 4/14, 12 nites, Miami to France

Voyager - 4/21, 12 nites, Miami to Spain

Our decision will not be based on the itinerary, more on the ship, food, service, enjoyment onboard. The onboard entertainment shows are not that important to us either. I realize everyone has their own opinions & favorites, but I am still interested. So here are my questions:

 

1. Navigator is about $300 cheaper; does that indicate anything about the ship?

 

2. Which ship is known to have the best food, especially the buffet? We seem to eat mostly at the buffet; can manage our own time; see what we are getting; more relaxed.

 

3. Which ship is known to have the best/friendliest staff service in all areas?

 

4. Bed comfort - I've read that the mattresses are not that great; does one ship "sleep" better than another?

 

5. Crowds & lines - is one ship better for avoiding crowds at the buffet, tenders, pool chair hogs, gym, etc.?

 

6. Ease of getting around the ship - does one have a better "flow", better location of elevators, less "dead ends"?

 

7. Cabins - in the categories I mentioned, does one ship have better size, style, amenities, etc.?

 

8. Enclosed pool - do any of the ships have one for cool days? Any have heated pool & if so, is it "really" heated?

 

9. Does any one ship have more sitting space at the pools & around the ship to watch the folks & the sea go by? I'm figuring in April it will too cool going across the Atlantic to sit outside.

 

10. Generally, does RCCL have good prices or do the online discounters usually beat their price (right now I have a discounter price). I know at HAL, one can ask for a "sales specialist" & get an individually assigned travel agent with HAL that gives better prices. Anything like that with RCCL?

 

Can't think of anything else right now, but I'm sure I will! My questions probably reveal that what is important to us on this trip is relaxation, sitting & watching, daily treadmill time, cabin comfort, & of course - the food! Once we figure out which ship, then we can talk to everyone about the itinerary, excursions, & the in's & out's while onboard.

 

Thanks so much

[lovemylab]

Navigator and Voyager are sister ships (part of the Voyager class) so they will be identical in terms of layout.

 

The Jewel is a Radiance class ship and smaller than the other two. I know the Jewel has a closed in Solarium pool while the Voyager class ships do not.

 

The Voyager class has the Royal Promenade (indoor mall like area) that is great for people watching. The Jewel has more views of the water from inside the ship.

 

The cabin sizes and styles are identical for all three ships.

 

Crowds and lines will depend on the individuals on your ship. When I was on the Explorer I didn't notice any chair hogs - however I have read other Explorer reviews where there were lots of them. I don't think this is something you can really plan to avoid as it is beyond your control.

[GMoney]

I would sail Jewel b/c of her enclosed Solarium and b/c she has a thermal suite.

[PhoenixCruiser]

We've been on The Navigator and The Jewel. We loved both of them, however the Jewel is our favorite.

 

We decided that the Navigator is just a bit too big, the Jewel was the perfect size. The Jewel also has the covered adult only solarium as well as the Thermal Suites.

 

Have fun planning :D

 

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[twoatsea]

Thanks for your help. And now sorry, but more questions -

 

1. Regarding the cabin size - I noticed the Voyager=173 square ft, 47 sf balcony; Jewel=179 square ft, bal 41 sf; Navigator=184 sf, bal 46 sf.

 

Those who have sailed these ships, does the small differnce between the Jewel & the Navigator really matter?

 

Also, is the balcony square feet part of the square feet given for the cabin or is the balcony sf in addition to the cabin sf?

 

2. Has the age of the Voyager caused any plumbing and/or heating/AC problems that anyone has heard of?

 

Anyone heard of any of those problems on the other ships?

 

We had such problems once on a full ship & that is miserable!

 

3. Now, to add to my planning, I found on the RCCL site - Brillance from Miami on 4/16, 13 nites to Spain. Can anyone compare this ship to the other 3? It is difficult to determine from the picture - is the bed next to the balcony door?

 

4. Anyone have any food comparisons between the 4 ships?

 

5. Also, some time ago I read a post about bed bugs. Do you know what ship that was on & if the problem has been fixed?

 

Thanks again.

[cb at sea]

I've found that the overall quality of the food has declined in recent years--I think it's because they are trying to make the price more universally affordable for all. That's too bad. I miss the 4-5 star quality--especially in presentation that RCI had in the past.

OK--Brilliance is a beautiful ship with a wonderful crew. Had no A/C problems, no bedbugs, etc... The sq. footage for the cabin is separate from the balcony. GET A BALCONY!!! The OV are ok, but all you really get is light--not much of a view. And no--the size difference in a Radiance class and Voyager class is not really apparent. The main difference is the lack of a "promenade mall area" that is on the Voyager class ship. We seldom used it--not much into "logo" shopping! Also, there is no ice rink on Radiance class, but aside from the ice show, we didn't care! Everything else is similar!

Radiance class does have an enclosed pool, which may be good on a transatlantic--I didn't like it in the Caribbean--no tan!!! Close your eyes, throw a dart and pick a ship--you'll have an excellent time, no matter what!

[Fun Cruiser]

Newbie,

We went on Radiance and made the mistake of going during Spring Break. They didn't enforce their curfews or stop the kids from drinking alcohol left by other passengers. There were kids falling into and breaking windows and passing out drunk. Other than that the ship was quite nice and the food good. I don't remember waiting in long lines and the staff were friendly. The crowd on RCCL tend to be more families because RCCL is catering to them.

 

To tell the truth, my favorite cruise line is Celebrity (I've been on RCCL, HAL, Carnival, and Celebrity) because of the service and especially the food. The last time we went on Celebrity and we were in line boarding the ship, I turned to my boyfriend and said that it felt like we were "coming home" again; meaning the ship and line really made us feel comfy and welcome. Plus the production of their shows is great. They spent nearly a million dollars on costuming for the finale show on our last cruise and it was truly a sight to behold!

 

Just remember that the worse day cruising is still better than the best day at work!!!! Also, no matter what ship you go on, take bleach based disenfectent and clean the door knobs, phone, etc as soon as you enter the room. The Norwood virus has hit all the ships at one time or another. The problem w/the virus is the symptons last only 3 days, but the person is contagious for 2 weeks! Use hand sanitizer as well as hand washing. I even carry the sanitizer in my purse and use it after shaking hands to ensure I do not catch this nasty little bug.

 

Regarding bed bugs, I haven't heard of any on the ships (only in hotels). You might check w/Lysol and see if their product will kill them and spray the bed before you lay down.

 

Here's another hint: Buy Casino Credit online before your trip. The reason is two fold---first, I can put it on my credit card and get airmiles. The second is I can turn the credit into cash in the Casino (you do not have to use it to gamble) and therefore I do not have to carry a lot of cash onto the ship. I like not carrying a large some of cash on airplanes, etc. This is quite convenient. Also, be good to yourselves and give yourself flowers and/or an appitizer that is waiting in your room on arrival. This is great fun and not that costly. The chocolate covered strawberries are great and perks us up while we unpack. The flowers make it seem more homey to me and always give me a smile.

 

Good luck on picking your cruise. Planning it is half the fun!

 

Denise

[The Big Booper]

The Jewel and Brilliance are sister ships, same basic layout but different styling inside, especially in the glass domed solarium pools.

 

The Voyager and Navigator are similar but not identical. The first 3 Voyager types have different balconies than the last two (Navigator is #4). Also The first 3 Voyager types have slightly different cabin sizes than the last 2. None of the Voyagers have glass domes over the solarium pools.