RCCl vs other lines

[merryecho]

We just returned from our first RCCL cruise, but have cruised 13 other lines, so thought I would share my first impressions. We were on Radiance, in a Grand Suite.

Best surprises- the ship is beautifully decorated. The schooner bar was my favorite, one of the most elegant nautical themed rooms I have ever seen. There was original art everywhere throughout the ship, and to suit every taste. I am now a fan of John Harris, an artist I was not familiar with before.

The windjammer was the best laid out buffet I have ever seen. Many small stations meant I never saw a line (except for omelettes).

Worst surprises- Short time on shore. Maybe this was just our cruise, but we usually had only about 4 or 5 hours onshore- which meant you were constantly nervous about getting back on time.

The food was really bad-and after reading this board I wasn't expecting much. Even Portofino was no better than the rest- the waiter warned me away from the first 2 items I chose on the menu- the watery mushroom fettucine was the same thing served in Windjammer the next day.

Our room, suite 1600, would probably be disappointing to someone who wasn't expecting it to be dark and oddly shaped. As DH has eye problems it was OK with us, he would keep curtains partly closed anyway. But it was so poorly laid out that they had glued half of the drawers shut, because if you opened them they would bump into the mirrored closet doors.

[Slam308]

The food was really bad-and after reading this board I wasn't expecting much. Even Portofino was no better than the rest- the waiter warned me away from the first 2 items I chose on the menu- the watery mushroom fettucine was the same thing served in Windjammer the next day.

 

So did you actually lose weight on this cruise???;)

[dagadget]

We just returned from our first RCCL cruise, but have cruised 13 other lines, so thought I would share my first impressions. We were on Radiance, in a Grand Suite.

Best surprises- the ship is beautifully decorated. The schooner bar was my favorite, one of the most elegant nautical themed rooms I have ever seen. There was original art everywhere throughout the ship, and to suit every taste. I am now a fan of John Harris, an artist I was not familiar with before.

The windjammer was the best laid out buffet I have ever seen. Many small stations meant I never saw a line (except for omelettes).

Worst surprises- Short time on shore. Maybe this was just our cruise, but we usually had only about 4 or 5 hours onshore- which meant you were constantly nervous about getting back on time.

The food was really bad-and after reading this board I wasn't expecting much. Even Portofino was no better than the rest- the waiter warned me away from the first 2 items I chose on the menu- the watery mushroom fettucine was the same thing served in Windjammer the next day.

Our room, suite 1600, would probably be disappointing to someone who wasn't expecting it to be dark and oddly shaped. As DH has eye problems it was OK with us, he would keep curtains partly closed anyway. But it was so poorly laid out that they had glued half of the drawers shut, because if you opened them they would bump into the mirrored closet doors.

Interesting review. Ok now the questions besides the Fettucine what else was bad? Or was it just cold? I also noticed Radiance in Port with us (Mariner) during our St Martin stop and a few people did complain about having to be back so soon. What was your opinion of the Dining room. Windjammer is a Buffet and that is always a carp shoot. The food can be great there if you hit the timing right. It sounds like you had an ok cruise. Please furnish us with more.

 

Thanks

[DeepWaterMariner]

As a veteran of over a dozen different cruise lines with many cruises on RCI, I've found the food on RCI to be pretty good in comparison to the other mainstream lines. There are a few lines and cruises that really standout from the food standpoint, but they haven't been that much better than the standard main dinning room quality on RCI. A particular cruise on a particular ship may still disappoint, but from our experience that is an exception.

[merryecho]

Well, since you ask...The food in Windjammer was the best on the ship, and I would say a step above most cruise buffets I have tried. As I mentioned, the great layout and attractive design made it a pleasant place to eat.

As for dinner in the dining room, I don't expect four star dining in a mass market cruise, or any stars at all,but this was bad enough that we preferred the windjammer. I am trying to think of a restaurant chain to compare it to, but even Applebee's and Red Lobster have flavor in their food.

It was very pretty and well presented, and the right temperature, it just didn't taste like anything. For example, the escargot looked so delicious I stole a bite from DH, expecting a yummy buttery garlicky mouthful. Instead it was just oily. My 'jumbo shrimp cocktail' was 3 tired little shrimp. Steaks were grey, regardless of how ordered. vegetables were steam tabled beyond any recognizable flavor. I ordered carpaccio, one of my favorites, in Portofino. If I had closed my eyes I would have had no idea what I was eating. The waiter said not to order the Saltimbocca, another favorite, as 'they got a lot of complaints about it'. We cancelled our chops reservation after paying $90 for a poor dinner at Portofino (us, 2 teens and tip), so don't know about the food there.

I should mention though that service throughout the ship was way above average, and the crew seemed happy.

Once again, these are the impressions of two people, on one ship. There are thousands of other opinions just as valid posted on this site. And yes, there is a silver lining, I did lose weight on this cruise!

[Hlitner]

I enjoyed the review and found much that was similar to our experiences. We have only been on 11 cruise lines (more than 50 different ships) and are Diamond with RCI (going on the Jewel in 2 weeks). In the past 2 months we have been on the Noordam and Infinity and the prior year were also on a few Princess and a Carnival (so what do we know?) We think RCI compares favorably to their competition which is to say its a good value, but also agree the food is nothing great (its not great on any mass market cruise line). On the other hand, we often cruise for less than $100 per day (per person) which is less than the cost of a single meal in a decent restaurant...so why complain. I might mention that about 19 years ago we cruised on the Sun Viking for 12 days out of Genoa and payed $1200 person for an tiny outside cabin (they had no balconies on that ship). In 2 weeks we will be on the Jewel for a 12 day cruise that cost us less than $1200 per person for a nice balcony cabin...and we even get free booze in the Concierge Lounge. Adjusting for inflation, the Jewel cruise will be costing us about half what the Sun Viking cost....so why complain. Yes, I refuse to pay for ice cream or coffee...but I do not complain...I just do not buy.

 

Hank

[Merion_Mom]

Windjammer is a Buffet and that is always a carp shoot. Thanks

Are you making gefilte fish? ;) :p :) :D

[RNSANE]

In twelve years, I've done 53 cruises with Royal Caribbean and I love the company. I know there are more luxurious lines, with larger cabins, gourmet cuisine, etc - but, for the most part, I don't think you can get better value for your money - or better crew. I haven't sailed on any of the megaships yet but I've done the Sun Viking, the Sovereign class, the Vision class and the Radiance class...and found them all special in their own unique ways. I especially love the Radiance...just returned from my last cruise in mid-January. I find the food very good, as far as cruise ships go, both in the Windjammer and the dining room. Of course, for the very reasonable price I paid as a senior for a balcony cabin, I'd be hard pressed to complain...you can't eat out three meals a day in San Francisco for the per diem rate I paid for this cruise.

 

Our Portofino experience was wonderful....everyone of our group ( twelve althogether ) was delighted with our choices, from appetizer to dessert. The six days aboard the Radiance went by in a blur...every crew member I encountered made this cruise experience a special one for me. In May, I'll sail out of San Francisco on the Serenade, sister to the Radiance. I expect it will be a delightful experience as well!

 

Carmen Henesy

Royal Caribbean Fan!

[merryecho]

Please- I am not complaining. I agree, Radiance is a good value for the money. That said, I thought I would give my honest opinion of the experience for others considering this line. For me, the biggest pluses were the ship design and friendly, efficient crew, the biggest minuses the short port stays and (to us) poor food. The kind of information I appreciate when trying to make a decision.

[RNSANE]

Sometimes, the food just isn't up to par, I guess....but I have to agree with you, the Windjammers in the Radiance class ships are so nice, with the separate stations. The renovations on the Sovereign class ships have

really helped to improve the Windjammers on those ships as well. But,

after being a nurse for forty years and eating in hospital cafeterias, I

usually go to the dining room so someone can wait one me!!! I find

the Windjammer so noisy much of the time.

 

RNSANE

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we will not find it." Ralph Waldo Emerson

[lccruiser2006]

Worst surprises- Short time on shore. Maybe this was just our cruise, but we usually had only about 4 or 5 hours onshore- which meant you were constantly nervous about getting back on time.

quote]

 

Why were the port times a surprise? Was the itinerary as scheduled or was it changed?

[Cruising89143]

Please- I am not complaining. I agree, Radiance is a good value for the money. That said, I thought I would give my honest opinion of the experience for others considering this line. For me, the biggest pluses were the ship design and friendly, efficient crew, the biggest minuses the short port stays and (to us) poor food. The kind of information I appreciate when trying to make a decision.

 

 

I don't take your comments as complaining. It's your opinion and you are certainly entitled to it.:)

 

I have always said that the subject of food IMHO is nothing more than one persons opinion. You and I could sit down at the same table, same time and order the exact same dishes and come away with a completely different opinion of the food. We are all different and have different taste buds, likes and dislikes. So when I read anyone's comments about food good or bad, I take it with a grain of salt. Doesn't mean anyone is right or wrong, just their opinion.:)

[goofysmom99]

We're long-time cruisers with RCCL, HAL, Celebrity, and Princess. We cruised on the Jewel in Dec 05 (non-holiday) and the food and service we experienced in the dining room were, well, awful. The food was overcooked and rather tasteless. And an example of service, our waiter did not take the ladies' orders first (even after DH suggested to him that he take my order first). Then brought the wrong entrees and got some attitude with DH when DH requested that they be replaced with what we ordered. And the asst reached across in front of me from the left to my water glass and coffee cup on the right - no excuse for that because it was a round table. The second night, I just reached up and stopped him and quietly (no one else heard) asked him to pour from the right. DH & I were more or less dumbfounded. After two nights of this, we decamped to the Windjammer and loved it, especially the stir-fry (yum). We got to know the staff up there and they brought us our beverages each night and made a nice tray of desserts to choose from. Very charming.

 

Then this past Sep 06, we took the Radiance and the dining room service was just outstanding, right up there with the top one or two waiters we've ever had on any cruise. And the food was delicious! I guess sometimes it is a "carp shoot";) (I'm going to use that in the future). We'll be on the Brilliance in November and I'll be interested to see how they stack up.

[Merion_Mom]

I have always said that the subject of food IMHO is nothing more than one persons opinion. You and I could sit down at the same table, same time and order the exact same dishes and come away with a completely different opinion of the food. We are all different and have different taste buds, likes and dislikes. So when I read anyone's comments about food good or bad, I take it with a grain of salt. Doesn't mean anyone is right or wrong, just their opinion.:)

You are just SO darned logical and reasonable, Gordon. :rolleyes:

 

:D

[RNSANE]

I totally agree with you about food...I will always order escargot ( two or

three, even ) while others at the table may turn up their noses in disgust. Food is very subjective, to be sure....I think the cruise lines - and I sail

more often with Royal Caribbean so I'm more familiar with them - do a pretty good job of feeding the masses with their food allowance. I do hear complaints, "Why aren't we getting lobster?" I kind of laugh...when

I also hear that they paid about $399 for a four day cruise. In the San Francisco area, you can't eat out three meals a day, with seconds or thirds, for that. My two youngest sons, now 22 and 24, 6'4" college

athletes, always order and FINISH about three entrees each night on a cruise! Royal Caribbean doesn't make money on them, especially since they don't spend a lot of time in the bar no are they big gamblers. They do love to cruise, though!!!

 

RNSANE

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we will not find it." Ralph Waldo Emerson

[merryecho]

 

The itineraries were not changed. When I booked the cruise it just listed ports, not times in them, and I didn't pay attention when documents came. Our last several cruises have been on smaller ships where you have all day in port, so I guess I just assumed it would be similar. Not Rccl's fault, just a surprise for us.

I don't know if it is done on all RCCl ships, but on this trip everything was kept on 'ships time'- so even if you got off the ship at 9am local time and back on at 1pm, you were told to keep your watches set to be off the ship at 11 and back on at 4. It led to some confusion on our part the first couple of days until we caught on to this system, but then it is confusing to change your clocks to local time every day, too.

[chessbriar]

What other lines and ships have you been on so where know where your comparisons are coming from.

[Cruising89143]

You are just SO darned logical and reasonable, Gordon. :rolleyes:

 

:D

 

 

Well at times I can be Carol!!!!:)

[smoosh21]

 

The itineraries were not changed. When I booked the cruise it just listed ports, not times in them, and I didn't pay attention when documents came. Our last several cruises have been on smaller ships where you have all day in port, so I guess I just assumed it would be similar. Not Rccl's fault, just a surprise for us.

I don't know if it is done on all RCCl ships, but on this trip everything was kept on 'ships time'- so even if you got off the ship at 9am local time and back on at 1pm, you were told to keep your watches set to be off the ship at 11 and back on at 4. It led to some confusion on our part the first couple of days until we caught on to this system, but then it is confusing to change your clocks to local time every day, too.

 

RCL doesn't change the ships time? Boy, that can be confusing when trying to check what is going on locally. I mean, even if you lose time one night, you gain it back the next.

 

On the Oosterdam, the 2nd and 3rd nights were just 23 hours because we lost an hour each night. But, the 5th and 6th nights were 25 hour days, so we had an extra hour to party at the disco :)

[curiousaboutcruisin]

We were also on the Radiance and simply loved it. Our 1st so nothing to compare it with. I must say we did not find it confusing at all to stay on the ships time. We knew when to get off and when to get back on as we were told what time to be back on in ship time. I think it would have been very confusing to keep track of the time any other way. As for the food, well though I agree the steaks looked dry and over done( I'm not a steak eater) what I had was good but not anything to rave about. Some nights I would just order a couple of appetizers and skip the main course if it didn't appeal to me. The crab cakes were kinda weird looking and the taste was pretty bland but I was happy to get served and not have to cook. We ate in the windjammer and I agree the set up was very nice. But I didn't find the food special there either. The drinks however were very yummy. We loved out cabin with balcony even with the life boat overhang (deck 8)and our cabin attendant (dennis) was great.

 

As for the ports, I too would have liked to have more time, especially in Key West but 4 ports in six days is alot and I guess its only a taste. The day we were in Grand Cayman our stingray city excursion was canceled due to high waves and was naturally disappointed but noone has control over that. We went to the 7 mile beach which was so crowded. Would have liked a more secluded beach so next time we will try to find one. Jamaica was the prettiest port to sail into with the mountains and having been a little nervous about that port was delightfully surprised. We did the jungle river tubing. The water was very low and our guide had to warn us "buts up" so we would'nt hit the rocks but he was fun and getting out of town was really nice. Those people live very poorly. Went to the craft fair for the experience and my son felt so sorry for them he paid top dollar which was still cheap. Not me. I loved the barter system.

 

Also the beds were wonderful, new beds and bedding and slept like a baby.

 

I had heard so much about the disembarking at the end of the cruise being a mess but we found it to be very organized and smooth. no complaints there either.

 

Loved Captain Rune, he has a great sence of humor and was seen around the ship. 2nd night woke up to "BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO, DECK 10 POOL" at 3:30 am. A little startling but soon the captain was back on telling us to go back to bed. Turns out a crew member had wanted to break his contract early and was denied so he set off some fire extinguisers by the pool bar. He was in the brig and off the ship in Grand Cayman turned over to authorities. At least noone jumped the ship.

 

We found all crew members friendly, helpful and very happy.

 

Just one experience with a family on sea day who complained about smoking when they were hogging chairs on the smoking side of the ship. Some people want it all.

 

I hope this doesn't sound like complaining as we had a wonderful experience and would sail the Radiance in a minute. Nice size, easy to get around and beautiful.