New to RCI from Disney

[skatie]

couple of more questions from a newbie (just booked on the 2/24/08 Mariner today!)...

1) What type of juices/milk are offered and what would a normal charge for a drink be without the soda card? My kids don't drink soda, so I'm wondering if the card is worth it? Also Is hot tea or bottled water free throughout the day or included with the card?

2) How often do they offer skating to the public? Anyone know what type of skates they are? My daughter is a figure skater and wants to bring her own skates, but I say no way are they taking up valuable packing space!

3) Is there anywhere I can go to get the current Compasses for a 7 day Western. I love to research and want to get a good idea of what and when things happens throughout the cruise.

4) We're not fans of swimming in salt water - are the pools like swimming in the ocean, or are they a little more diluted so the water won't affect our eyes and skin as much?

thanks

[alwalaska]

As for Johnny Rockets- you just pay the cover and what you order is at no-cost. Same with the food in the Royal Promenade with the exception of specialty coffees and the Ben and Jerry's ice-cream. Just pay the cover at Portofino's also- every on menu is no-cost. It will be the best $20 meal you ever had in this world!! The sandwiches by the way are declious there and a great filler between lunch and dinner.

 

But if you want milkshakes, malts, or coke at Johnny Rockets, you will pay extra for each of those. I think like $2.50 for the coke and close to $4 for the milkshake, but I can't remember for sure. Someone on CC posted a JR menu in their pictures on webshots.

[alwalaska]

couple of more questions from a newbie (just booked on the 2/24/08 Mariner today!)...

1) What type of juices/milk are offered and what would a normal charge for a drink be without the soda card? My kids don't drink soda, so I'm wondering if the card is worth it? Also Is hot tea or bottled water free throughout the day or included with the card?

2) How often do they offer skating to the public? Anyone know what type of skates they are? My daughter is a figure skater and wants to bring her own skates, but I say no way are they taking up valuable packing space!

3) Is there anywhere I can go to get the current Compasses for a 7 day Western. I love to research and want to get a good idea of what and when things happens throughout the cruise.

4) We're not fans of swimming in salt water - are the pools like swimming in the ocean, or are they a little more diluted so the water won't affect our eyes and skin as much?

thanks

 

I haven't been on RCI yet, but I have been researching extensively, so this is what I have learned from these boards, not first hand experience.

1. There are a variety of juices available at breakfast time, and sometimes a juice that is available all day. Things seem to vary ship to ship in this area. I have read several places about regular coffee and tea being available for free. From what I understand, there are usually drink stations near the buffet. Most ships have lemonade for free, but I recently heard of one where it was more of a punch type drink. Bottled water is not free, tap water in glasses is. I don't think bottled water comes with the pop card either. Only pop from the soda fountains. Room service pop is not part of the pop card either.

2) I'm not going on a ship with skating, so my knowledge it really limited here. I do know they use the areas for other things so there are only limited times. I also read to watch for when the skating show tickets will be distributed (near the beginning of the cruise) and be sure to get there to get them.

3) Try Cruisedailies at http://www.cruisedailies.com/portal/tabid/285/Default.aspx

4) I'll leave this one up to someone else. These boards are great. Have fun planning.

[katstoy]

I'm just the opposite from the OP, just off my first DCL after 4 RCI's! Loved them both for different reasons. I like the spacious appearance of the RCI ships, particularily the centrum areas. The RCI pools are much larger. The DCL Goofy pool looked like child soup - cloudy with lots of kids - so we did not go swimming on board. However, the adult pool was sheer heaven.

 

Here's my pluses and minuses for each:

 

Both lines are the same in service and staff. Dining and stateroom personnel were wonderful on every ship we have been on. No differences. The cruise and activities directors on each ship have also been wonderful.

 

RCI wins in the dining room food category, I liked the selection and taste better (this is not saying that DCL is bad, it was great but I prefered RCI). DCL wins in the casual food category, in locations, hours and variety. It was great to walk out on deck, grab a bite or slice and go. On the two RCI ships (Vision and Monarch, neither one a mega liner) the casual food choices were more limited.

 

There were LOTS more kids on DCL - hmm, go figure - which was both annoying and great at the same time. Our dinner table had four adults and four children in the same age range. The kids became fast friends and I did not see my DD it seems for days. On the RCI trips we usually sat at tables of adults, so no friends were made and she was stuck with mom. I felt safer to let her roam about with her new friends on DCL as the kids activities areas were larger and had longer hours. She has participated in Adventure Ocean on RCI but liked DCL better.

 

The one thing missing on RCI that did not seem to be present on DCL was the drunken, obnoxious, early 20's party crowd. While there were young adults, it seemed that they were parents and were more restrained. On a few RCI ships (albeit the three day weekend cruises that are typically more of a party crowd anyway) there seemed to be more inebrieated folk lurking about late night. Needless to say my DD was always at my side. On DCL didn't see anyone that fit that dsecription. There were also more actitivites for families at night on DCL On RCI the main show was always family friendly, but once that was over, no more family activities. I don't know if the RCI big ships are different.

 

In any event I like both lines, and have reservations for future cruises on both lines. Each is different in it's way. Hey, you're on a cruise, it's all good:D

[Capt. Johnny]

Thanks Katstoy,

 

That is great info when someone has done both cruise lines and can let us know how they compare. We are super excited for our first RCI cruise and still loved the DCL cruise. Being on the bigger ship "Mariner of the Seas" should be lots of fun from what everyone else has already said. Maybe I will get lucky and Capt. Johnny will be on board as well.

 

Where my DS is 12, he should have plenty of time to hang out and with all the age appropriate activites for that age group it should be great.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experience!!:)

[ppfqp]

I have a question for all you savy RCI cruisers. I am trying to figure out the difference between the two besides all of the animates characters. Our next cruise is RCI and we are so looking forward to it. With that said, I am just noticing a few differences between the two cruise lines. What I have seen so far is that you buy a soda / juice program for every day of the cruise instead of having a free soda drink station, Rockets diner costs $3.95 each time you go there, and it appears there are two very nice nice restaurants on board instead of just Palo which Disney has. I also understand the swimming pools are salt water instead of fresh water.

 

Can anyone else help with our transition to RCI. If anything I listed above is not true please correct me. I did many hours of research on our first cruise and I am really looking for help from these awesome boards to just be prepared and knowledgable with our next. I can't wait to board the Mariner of the Seas and the whole family is ready to go now.

 

Thanks for any help!!!

 

We did the Disney Magic with our kids in 2005 and a RCI cruise in March. We're planning to do the Mariner in December because it's so much cheaper than doing the Magic.

 

I think that the experience is quite comparable, but there is a definite lack of "Disney magic." If you are a huge Disney fan, like I am, you will sense the lack. If Disney doesn't do it for you, you won't miss it. But I sorely missed the characters and the theming and the Disney details -- from the moment I walked on to the moment I walked off. It's not that we had a bad cruise, it's just that it wasn't Disney. Somehow, the waiters singing in the dining room was just plain hokey to me - whereas on Disney, where they're singing and dancing and waving their napkins with Mickey, it warms my heart!

 

The other big difference to me was the shows - I loved, loved, loved the shows on the Disney Magic. The entertainment on our cruise last month was okay, but it's just not *Disney.*

 

And this is not about the kids - my kids will have a great time on any cruise - it was definitely me that missed the Disney-ness.

 

However -- for half the cost -- I will "suffer" through without it on our December cruise!

[ppfqp]

Oh -- thought of another one -- you don't rotate through different dining rooms each night. You go to the same table in the same dining room.

[TampaMom2Girls]

Katstoy and ppfqp...you both make great points and I'm feeling better prepared for my own trip next year. I am like the original OP, have done 3 DCL's in a row and am booking a family reunion cruise for 18 of us on RC, hopefully Explorer of the Seas. Switching to RC for this one because we have a wide variety of family members sailing: some with young kids, some older kids, some singles, a couple with no kids...felt that there would be more of "something for everyone" on RC rather than DCL.

 

I have a question for Katstoy: you mentioned "There were also more actitivites for families at night on DCL On RCI the main show was always family friendly, but once that was over, no more family activities. I don't know if the RCI big ships are different." Does that mean that the kids clubs are not open at night, after the shows? I've been trying to get info on the hrs for the kids clubs with no luck. DCL clubs were open till midnight, some nights til 1am. Or did you mean that there wasn't anything to do as a family after the shows.

 

Thanks!

[katstoy]

 

I have a question for Katstoy: you mentioned "There were also more actitivites for families at night on DCL On RCI the main show was always family friendly, but once that was over, no more family activities. I don't know if the RCI big ships are different." Does that mean that the kids clubs are not open at night, after the shows? I've been trying to get info on the hrs for the kids clubs with no luck. DCL clubs were open till midnight, some nights til 1am. Or did you mean that there wasn't anything to do as a family after the shows.

 

Thanks!

 

I only have experience on two of the smaller RCI ships, Vision and Monarch. I don't know what class the Explorer falls into, or if it's one of the mega ships. On the RCI ships Adventure Ocean was open during the day from about 9:00 or so to noon, then reopened about 1:00 to about 4:00 or 5:00. These are approximate times. AO reopened at 6 or 7, then closed by 10:00 pm. They had child care until about 1:00 am, but for an hourly fee. Again, I'm just estimating on these times. I do know for the teen set they had activities until the wee hours as we would see them in the pizzeria. This was the over 14 age group.

 

As for the shows, the big production show was always great. However, there were no venues, like Studio Sea, that would have family oriented shows past 8:00. There was also no movie theatre. They did, however, show family oriented movies in the big showroom a few times. I do recall seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one night at about 10:00 pm.

 

As far as young children, unless you paid for child care (it was cheap, $5.00 per hour I think) activties closed down for the under 14 set by about 10:00 pm. I don't know if the large ships, a la Voyager and Freedom class, are different. They appear to have more venues, like the skating rinks, mini golf, etc. that may be open longer hours.

 

One thing I did notice is that during the day RCI had more activities going on than DCL that were separate and apart from the kids club. They had things that were interesting to adults, such as dance lessons several times per day, crafts, scrapbooking and the usual towel folding and wine tasting.

 

All of my RCI cruises to date have been out of LA, so Caribbean runs may be different, they may have more families and thus more of a demand for those types of activities. One of these days we'll do a Freedom class trip for a real comparison. But our next trip to the east is on DCL again!

[Ashley24]

We are going on the Mariner over Christmas 2007. This will be our first Royal Caribbean cruise after taking 4 Disney cruises. My older daughter will be 13, while the younger dd will be 9. The cruise was planned to celebrate daughter becoming a teenager. However, younger dd still believes (if you know what I mean). The magic is still alive for her. Therefore, I really wish we could go on a Disney Ship at least once more before she sees the world differently. Nothing better than the Disney show called Disney Dreams...I probably want to go more than the children! I'm sure the Mariner will be fun (and definately less costly) but I'm thinking I will keep wishing I was on the Magic (We will be in St. Thomas at the same time too). Why does Disney have to cost so much?????

[ppfqp]

We are going on the Mariner over Christmas 2007. This will be our first Royal Caribbean cruise after taking 4 Disney cruises. My older daughter will be 13, while the younger dd will be 9. The cruise was planned to celebrate daughter becoming a teenager. However, younger dd still believes (if you know what I mean). The magic is still alive for her. Therefore, I really wish we could go on a Disney Ship at least once more before she sees the world differently. Nothing better than the Disney show called Disney Dreams...I probably want to go more than the children! I'm sure the Mariner will be fun (and definately less costly) but I'm thinking I will keep wishing I was on the Magic (We will be in St. Thomas at the same time too). Why does Disney have to cost so much?????

 

Ashley24, we are doing this same cruise (deparating the 23rd, right?) Come and post in the Meet & Mingle thread - it's been dead!

My girls will be 12 when we sail (7th grade twins).

[LisaRhea]

We have sailed both the Magic (one time - Eastern Carrib.) and Mariner (two times - Eastern and Western Carrib). To me, they are two different products and in many ways difficult to compare because they cater to two different crowds. But, with that said, we prefer Disney because of the AMAZING service. We have sailed on Mariner twice and have had awesome trips, but the service just doesn't compare. Also, Castaway Cay is like no other private island - big time. And, we thought the food on Disney, especially desserts, was better. We like the variety of activities better on Mariner - wow, they know how to keep you moving. We also liked the fast food available on the upper decks on Disney and the option of eating outside at the buffet. That is not avaliable on Mariner - you have to go inside to Windjammers where there is no outside seating. All in all, if the two cruises cost the same, we would pick Disney. But, they are more expensive and our children are getting older and like the activities on Royal Caribbean. Of note, Disney has an absolutely awesome movie theater. :) Mariner has one too, it seats about 20 people - more like a really nice home theater. We looked for it on our first trip but never found it. On our second cruise, we found it and watched a movie - go to the forward elevators and all the way down to either floor 1 or 2. It is so small it is easy to overlook. But, it is there! You will have an awesome trip! Oh, shopping is MUCH better with RCI!!!

[mi3stooges]

There is a wealth of info here. I have sailed with Disney on the Magic and Wonder, both times WITHOUT kids and it was fantastic. I did stay in the adult areas most of the time. The only time I felt "kids" were a problem was when everyone was getting ready for dinner. Mom is usually the last to get ready, so while they get ready, where are the kids?? On the stairs.

 

I will be sailing on the Explorer for the first time and I'm sure it will be just as great!!

[clochette]

What a great thread, I have sailed on DCL 4 times, a 3 days to see if we liked it, we did! then 2 Eastern, and 1 Western. I am booked to sail on the Explorer next February, and really looking forward to it.

My kids will 12 and 10 and I think that they are going to love the Explorer, as much as the kids club onDCL are great, they never spend any time there, they just really enjoyed coming and going, swimming going to the arcade. So I have nothing to add as I have no point of comparison, but am really enjoying reading everyone's comments.

[ColoradoMom!!]

Awesome thread! :) We are waiting to see the rates for a Thanksgiving week long cruise on the Freedom or Mariner '08. We have already booked with Disney to the tune of about $4000 even. We book Cat. 11 and decline the trip insurance and transfers. We did the 4 night Wonder last Nov. and loved it. Yes, you can fit 4 people in EVERY Disney cabin but the 12's. We stayed in an 11 and there was a pullman bed and the sofa turned into a twin (not a pull out) to be like bunk beds for my boys, magically every night. BUT since they will be 10 and 14 in Nov. '08, we are looking at RCI. I just hope we can save the $$$. THinking about adjoining PR rooms. We can't afford the balconies :( I will miss the mouse, but we have to pinch every penny!

[Capt. Johnny]

Bumpity bump

[ColoradoMom!!]

I just read an unfavorable review (yes I know there are always some no matter what) but it said that the crew on the Freedom really feels overloaded with the amount of guests. Since we are considering a Thanksgiving cruise, this worries me a bit. Has anyone sailed a full Disney holiday cruise and seen a decline in service?

[alwalaska]

I just read an unfavorable review (yes I know there are always some no matter what) but it said that the crew on the Freedom really feels overloaded with the amount of guests. Since we are considering a Thanksgiving cruise, this worries me a bit. Has anyone sailed a full Disney holiday cruise and seen a decline in service?

 

From what I understand, most Disney cruises sail full, that is why you don't see any last minute discounts. I would not expect to see a large increase in demand on the employees because of this. One area though where you will see an increased demand is in the child care area. We went on a Spring Break cruise with Disney (closest to a holiday season for us) and the kids clubs were busy, but not so much that our children felt lost or ignored.

 

It was funny, we really felt the Sping Break crowds at Disney World before our cruise (not nearly as bad as the World crowds this past Christmas) but we did not feel it at all on the Wonder.

[SandraLee]

The number of kids are controlled on the ship -- if a particular age group hits capacity, they will not allow any more bookings in that age group. I have seen that happen where you can book for adults, but cannot book for a child.

 

I have sailed on Disney during Thanksgiving week and it was one of my BEST vacations ever. So much better than being at the parks.

[ColoradoMom!!]

 

I have sailed on Disney during Thanksgiving week and it was one of my BEST vacations ever. So much better than being at the parks.

 

What was your intinerary? In 2008, they are going to Costa Maya, Cozumel and Castaway Cay twice. With our boys being 10 and 14 at the time, and different ports to see for us, we are thinking of Freedom. I just don't know if I can part with the mouse!

[SandraLee]

What was your intinerary? In 2008, they are going to Costa Maya, Cozumel and Castaway Cay twice. With our boys being 10 and 14 at the time, and different ports to see for us, we are thinking of Freedom. I just don't know if I can part with the mouse!

 

The year we went for Thanksgiving it was an Eastern -- St. Thomas, St. Martin, Grand Cayman. But, we love any itinerary on the Magic. It is a perfect family place. :-)

[ColoradoMom!!]

Well, I really thought Freedom would be cheaper than Disney for our upcoming Thanksgiving 2008 cruise, but it won't be for us. There is NO way to compare apples to apples since we will take the Cat. 11 room with two pullmans, which I believe is around 184 sq. fton DCL. On the Freedom, the rooms are a bit smaller, and use sofa beds for two additional guests. Yes, they have pullmans, but rarely two in the same room. Anyway, we opted for two inside connecting promenade rooms and it is 708.00 more than Disney! What to do!!!!!????? :eek:

 

Our boys will be 10 and 14, and the Freedom will be on a Western. Disney is doing two calls at Castaway Cay, Cozumel and Costa Maya.

 

I have two reservations now -- have to cancel one!

[OliverTheCat]

Well, I really thought Freedom would be cheaper than Disney for our upcoming Thanksgiving 2008 cruise, but it won't be for us. There is NO way to compare apples to apples since we will take the Cat. 11 room with two pullmans, which I believe is around 184 sq. fton DCL. On the Freedom, the rooms are a bit smaller, and use sofa beds for two additional guests. Yes, they have pullmans, but rarely two in the same room. Anyway, we opted for two inside connecting promenade rooms and it is 708.00 more than Disney! What to do!!!!!????? :eek:

 

Our boys will be 10 and 14, and the Freedom will be on a Western. Disney is doing two calls at Castaway Cay, Cozumel and Costa Maya.

 

I have two reservations now -- have to cancel one!

 

Two stops at Castaway Cay!?! WOW I would choose that in an instant over Freedom!! Sounds great!!! Thats just me though....

[ColoradoMom!!]

OK--I am spending Wayyyyy too much time on this, but the Mariner for Thanksgiving week THIS year is $1000 less than the Freedom in 2008. WOW -- going to have to think about this!:confused:

[MrsPete]

The bathrooms aren't divided into two rooms as they are on Disney ships.

Speaking only for myself, I didn't care for the "two bathrooms" in the Disney staterooms. They essentially took one bathroom and cut it in half, with the result that you can barely turn around in there. It sounds good in theory, but the reality -- even for a small person like me -- isn't all that great.

I have heard on these boards that Disney ships have a "kiddie" splash pool for the toddler set where swim diapers are allowed for non-potty-trained kids.

While this is true' date=' calling it a "pool" is a little over-rated. The "main pool" is shaped like Mickey's head, and diaper-babies are allowed in ONE of Mickey's ears, which means that ALL the toddlers on the ship are trying to crowd into a 3-4 foot circle. This "pool" is not a good reason to choose Disney over RCCI.

Also, Castaway Cay is like no other private island - big time . . . Of note, Disney has an absolutely awesome movie theater.

Castaway Cay is absolutely a perfect place! Disney really got that right!

 

We saw Pirates of the Caribbean on the Disney cruise ship, and that was a great experience -- we could feel the ship's motion as we watched the movie! Their movie theater was fairly large, but it filled up!