I'm starting to think RCL's itineraries are tired.

[i-m-ed]

We just returned from a Western Caribbean Cruise that put us into Platinum status, I'm also a shareholder and placed $100 towards in the Nextcruise program on our last cruise. As I look at all of the Caribbean ports of call nothing that RCL offers is exciting me when compared to what I see Princess offering. At this point the only itinerary RCL offers that I like is the "Exotic Southern Caribbean" on Empress and my wife wants to be on something a little newer.

 

Maybe it's my imagination but it seems as if RCL is moving away from Southern routes while Princess is embracing more exotic Southern ports of call.

 

Great Princess itinerary

 

Another fun one

 

Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

Pics from previous cruises

[isujim]

I tend to agree with you with one big .........BUT.........they do appear to be getting better over the last year or so. When you cruise one cruise line almost exclusively, and take two or more cruises a year, the itineraries do tend to get a little old. I have noticed however some new ports of call from the last release and am hopeful this week when new itineraries are released there will be some more new ports of call.

 

I agree with you on Princess itineraries.........from what I have seen they are some of the best..........but then again, not sailing them regularly, maybe they are just new to us that sail RC almost exclusively.

[Lvs2Cruise2]

I was also considering Princess for our next cruise on the Crown Princess because I was impressed with their itinerary. Although at the time of booking, the balcony rooms were sold out (DH is a "balcony snob!") So we opted for Freedom on 4-22. I don't think it's a bad choice because the ship seems fabulous. This will be my third time to these ports, thankfully there are alot of excursions to see different parts of these islands! (however never been to Labadee and excited about that!) So this time I guess we chose the ship instead of itinerary! Maybe if enough people suggest newer itineraries, they may consider putting a ship like Liberty there instead of doing same old same old? Plus, this will be my 5th RCCL cruise and that's all I've ever cruised so I guess I would be a bit nervous to "Jump Ship"!! Happy Cruising

[i-m-ed]

I was also considering Princess for our next cruise on the Crown Princess because I was impressed with their itinerary. Although at the time of booking, the balcony rooms were sold out (DH is a "balcony snob!") So we opted for Freedom on 4-22. I don't think it's a bad choice because the ship seems fabulous. This will be my third time to these ports, thankfully there are alot of excursions to see different parts of these islands! (however never been to Labadee and excited about that!) So this time I guess we chose the ship instead of itinerary! Maybe if enough people suggest newer itineraries, they may consider putting a ship like Liberty there instead of doing same old same old? Plus, this will be my 5th RCCL cruise and that's all I've ever cruised so I guess I would be a bit nervous to "Jump Ship"!! Happy Cruising

 

I'm starting to think that RCL is banking on people choosing the ship over the itinerary as they are positioning all of their new ships in the Western route. We've done AOS' and Serenade's Southern route already so we are looking forward to something new.

 

FWIW, we just came off of FOS and also chose the ship not the itinerary. Although FOS is nice I don't feel it is nice enough to sacrifice on the itinerary and will not make the same choice on our next cruise vacation. At this point my wife is suggesting we do a 3 or 4 day to eat up our Nextcruise deposit and that we consider Princess for our next big vacation. Even with all of our newly acquired RCL benefits I'm in agreement.

[big al]

We just returned from a Western Caribbean Cruise that put us into Platinum status, I'm also a shareholder and placed $100 towards in the Nextcruise program on our last cruise. As I look at all of the Caribbean ports of call nothing that RCL offers is exciting me when compared to what I see Princess offering. At this point the only itinerary RCL offers that I like is the "Exotic Southern Caribbean" on Empress and my wife wants to be on something a little newer.

 

Maybe it's my imagination but it seems as if RCL is moving away from Southern routes while Princess is embracing more exotic Southern ports of call.

 

Great Princess itinerary

 

Another fun one

 

Am I the only one that feels this way?

 

Pics from previous cruises

 

I-M-ED..I have been urging RCL to change/add some new itineraries to both Eastern & Western routes...at least add Grand Turks,Tortola and either St.Lucia or Antigua to the east..look what Carnival is doing-they built a PORT in Grand Turks!Princess built up Costa Maya,now most ships go there....I love St.Thomas & St.Maarten,but we've been there 5-6 times and the Western 4-5 times(don't really like Western,prefer Southern)...I am a P/T cruise agent,Platinum club member,and I have e-mailed RCL at least 3 times with suggestions..never a response!!

 

Big Al

[i-m-ed]

I-M-ED..I have been urging RCL to change/add some new itineraries to both Eastern & Western routes...at least add Grand Turks,Tortola and either St.Lucia or Antigua to the east..look what Carnival is doing-they built a PORT in Grand Turks!Princess built up Costa Maya,now most ships go there....I love St.Thomas & St.Maarten,but we've been there 5-6 times and the Western 4-5 times(don't really like Western,prefer Southern)...I am a P/T cruise agent,Platinum club member,and I have e-mailed RCL at least 3 times with suggestions..never a response!!

 

Big Al

 

One of the reason's I'm posting this is to see if other people feel the same way. If enough of us feel the same way and write RCL about it maybe they will get the picture. But I am starting to believe RCL thinks people will choose the ship over the itinerary as we just did. One thing I noticed on our FOS cruise was that the cruise director acted much like my kids when discussing FOS, kind of like "na na na na naaaa, our ship is bigger than yours!" I personally found it to sound quite childish and when I pointed it out to my wife she noted that most probably chose FOS because it being the largest cruise ship in the world.

[KillaFee]

I don't know about you but I'd consider these two itineraries on the Legend of the Seas pretty darn exotic. A B2B on this would be ideal!!!

 

http://travel.travelocity.com/ecruise/CruiseDetailsItinerary.do?action_code=MoreInfo&pagerIndex=&resultsIndex=0&lead_price=599&price=&currency=USD&cruiseId=7762&deckId= (first itinerary)

 

http://travel.travelocity.com/ecruise/CruiseDetailsItinerary.do?action_code=MoreInfo&pagerIndex=&resultsIndex=3&lead_price=599&price=&currency=USD&cruiseId=7779&deckId= (second itinerary)

 

Laura

[superjerryw]

One of the reason's I'm posting this is to see if other people feel the same way. If enough of us feel the same way and write RCL about it maybe they will get the picture. But I am starting to believe RCL thinks people will choose the ship over the itinerary as we just did. One thing I noticed on our FOS cruise was that the cruise director acted much like my kids when discussing FOS, kind of like "na na na na naaaa, our ship is bigger than yours!" I personally found it to sound quite childish and when I pointed it out to my wife she noted that most probably chose FOS because it being the largest cruise ship in the world.

 

You need to understand that cruise ship passengers seem to be divided in to 2 groups. The first group likes to see different places and plans a cruise based mostly on the itinerary. The second group plans a cruise based on the ship itself. For these people, the ship is their destination and the ports are not that important. Making the ship the focus of the cruise seems to be RCI's goal given the fact that RCI keeps building the biggest ships and offering amenities on board that cannot be found anywhere else. People have been complaining about RCI itineraries for years and nothing has been done. The vast majority of people that go ashore in Jamaica say they hate the place and have complained bitterly to RCI, but RCI still goes there. In this battle the people that are more interested in what's on the ship seem to have won out over the people that are more intersted in what's on shore.

 

As is always the case, the best thing to do is to vote with your wallet. We have sailed on Princess numerous times and have always had a great time. The Princess product is overall very comparable to RCI with the quality of food, service and entertainment being about the same. Princess just doesn't have a ship comparable to RCI's Voyager or Freedom class along with their associated amenities. If you can do without the rock climbing wall, ice skating rink, etc., Princess offers a fine product.

[newbeestl]

I think this might have something to do with how old you are or how many cruises you've been on. I highly doubt RCL is going to try to target 50 and 60 year olds that have been on 20 cruises, simply because that would not be very many people to target.

 

I'm in my 30's and haven't been on many cruises at all and I'm overwhelmed with what RCL has to offer. Granted, if I had the time and money I would LOVE to go on one of those 14 day Princess cruises. :)

[Suzanne74]

I completely agree. Funny thing is I posted something similar to this yesterday. We just got of NOS and while we liked it, we want to try another Voyager or Freedom ship. There itineraries are so similar it is so boring. Liberty is starting in May with almost identical itineraries as its sister ship - BOTH out of Miami, one sailing Sat and one sailing Sun. The only difference in western is one goes to Ocho Rios and the other to Montego Bay. The only difference in Eastern is one goes to Labadee and the other to St. Thomas. BORING!!

 

Explorer is being moved to NJ but is still almost identical in the Eastern carribean route just more days at sea. You need to do the 12 day to get more ports which most people can't do. They are at least offering Bermuda or Canada cruises but they are thru the roof.

 

Mariner is the same exact itinerary western and eastern as NOS and now FOS except it leaves from Port Canaveral. BORING!

 

Voyager when in Galveston is almost identical except they miss Labadee. EVEN MORE BORING!

 

Navigator at least goes to Belize late in the year when it comes back from Europe but it is only a 5 night cruise that takes you there and Cozumel only.

 

I am definitely looking into AOS but after that I am not sure where to look. :rolleyes:

[superjerryw]

I think this might have something to do with how old you are or how many cruises you've been on. I highly doubt RCL is going to try to target 50 and 60 year olds that have been on 20 cruises, simply because that would not be very many people to target.

 

I'm afraid that you're mistaken. While RCI may try to appeal to a younger demographic, the reality is that the majority of cruise ship passengers are in fact seniors, many of whom have cruised more than 20 times. Without the 50, 60, 70 and 80+ year old cruisers the cruise lines would go out of business very quickly. If you get to go on that 14 day Princess cruise the passenger base wil be almost entirely seniors. I guessing that the limited number of cruises that you have gone on have been 7 days or less. The general rule is that the longer the cruise, the older the passengers.

[i-m-ed]

I think this might have something to do with how old you are or how many cruises you've been on. I highly doubt RCL is going to try to target 50 and 60 year olds that have been on 20 cruises, simply because that would not be very many people to target.

 

I'm in my 30's and haven't been on many cruises at all and I'm overwhelmed with what RCL has to offer. Granted, if I had the time and money I would LOVE to go on one of those 14 day Princess cruises. :)

 

We are in our very early 40's, both working professionals, so we are fortunate that we can vacation often while we are young enough to enjoy it. We do drag along my mom and my wife's parents when we cruise. I find that her parents rarely leave the ship when it is in port and my mom usually does what we do.

 

 

KillaFee,

 

Those itineraries are very nice but again it is on one of RCL's oldest ships, I would be all over that if it were on at least a Radiance class ship, my personal favorite. Note that Crown Princess entered service in 2006. I obviously want to be able to have my cake and eat it too.

 

On another note, What's going to happen to RCL's Alaska itineraries in the next decade with RCL only building Mega Ships now?

[lmmn]

I was also considering Princess for our next cruise on the Crown Princess because I was impressed with their itinerary.

I went on this cruise...the itinerary is awesome!!! Plus, the Crown Princess is a great ship. I think most frequent cruisers are looking for itineraries with different ports. Not only is RCCL losing some of their loyal cruisers because of itineraries, but those customers are finding that other cruiselines have some amenities they like better.

[superjerryw]

On another note, What's going to happen to RCL's Alaska itineraries in the next decade with RCL only building Mega Ships now?

 

RCI may feel that a megaship that can be repositioned to Europe for the summer will bring in more revenue than a smaller ship that can be repositioned to Alaska for the summer. Besides, the Radiance class ships are still pretty new and RCI has more than enough time to build similar size replacements for them if they feel there is a need. Since RCI also owns Celebrity, they could also be planning to dedicate more of the Celebrity fleet to the Alaska run and replace the Celebrity ships that now sail in Europe with the megaships.

[travellady]

For the most part, we pick itinerary over the ship. We love RCCL ships, especially Voyager class, but both times we chose them it was because of the ship.

 

We just got back from a Hawaii cruise on NCLA's Pride of America. Picked it for itinerary. Though we loved the Freestyle dining, especially in Hawaii where we got ton's of port time and didn't want to rush back for dinner, the ship itself doesn't compare to RCCL's ships. It was nice, enjoyed it, but most people we talked to picked it because of itinerary, not the ship.

 

I'm currently booked on Enchantment and Norwegian Star for our New Year's eve cruise. I can only go on one and once again, leaning towards itinerary over ship. Need to think through this one...and make a decision by final payment due date.

[quikb18b]

If you have two kinds of passengers one that goes for the ship, and one that goes for the the iteniary. Why can't you make both happy?

 

I'm barely about to go on my 3rd cruise, but I can see after a few years I would want to explore some new places.

 

My first two cruises we left out of Galveston(Western Caribbean), and this time we opted to leave out of Miami (eastern Carribean) so we could explore some new ports.

 

I myself weigh the ship and the iteniary the same. I think this will be our best cruise yet as Ive heard good things about the Voyager and I like going to new places.

 

I think next time well opt to either to a Transatlantic, or a southern carribean.

[dagadget]

I completely agree. Funny thing is I posted something similar to this yesterday. We just got of NOS and while we liked it, we want to try another Voyager or Freedom ship. There itineraries are so similar it is so boring. Liberty is starting in May with almost identical itineraries as its sister ship - BOTH out of Miami, one sailing Sat and one sailing Sun. The only difference in western is one goes to Ocho Rios and the other to Montego Bay. The only difference in Eastern is one goes to Labadee and the other to St. Thomas. BORING!!

 

Explorer is being moved to NJ but is still almost identical in the Eastern carribean route just more days at sea. You need to do the 12 day to get more ports which most people can't do. They are at least offering Bermuda or Canada cruises but they are thru the roof.

 

Mariner is the same exact itinerary western and eastern as NOS and now FOS except it leaves from Port Canaveral. BORING!

 

Voyager when in Galveston is almost identical except they miss Labadee. EVEN MORE BORING!

 

Navigator at least goes to Belize late in the year when it comes back from Europe but it is only a 5 night cruise that takes you there and Cozumel only.

 

I am definitely looking into AOS but after that I am not sure where to look. :rolleyes:

 

 

I think we need to start booking Alaska, Hawaii and Mexican Rivera Cruises and a Panama Canal Cruise. Everyone is sticking to the Caribbean cruises and there are only so many spots to stop in. Moving Legend of the Seas to a southern route is a good idea if people are willing to fly in to that Port Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. I hope this route works but I suspect this one will not make it to 2009 not enough passengers will book it. Now if Cuba ever goes to being our friend that would make things a bit better............

[NancyIL]

I'm one who chooses a cruise by itinerary first, then cruiseline/ship. That's why I'm going to Alaska on the Coral Princess and to the southern Caribbean on Carnival Destiny. Even if you prefer to stay with RCI - there are other places in the world to cruise besides the Caribbean. You could go on a half dozen European cruises on RCI and still not repeat a port: Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, British Isles, Western Mediterranean, Italy & Croatia, Greek Isles.

[negc]

 

KillaFee,

 

Those itineraries are very nice but again it is on one of RCL's oldest ships, I would be all over that if it were on at least a Radiance class ship, my personal favorite. Note that Crown Princess entered service in 2006. I obviously want to be able to have my cake and eat it too.

 

On another note, What's going to happen to RCL's Alaska itineraries in the next decade with RCL only building Mega Ships now?

 

RCI's pattern has always been to open up new itineraries with its smaller and older ships and as demand develops, they move larger and newer ships to those routes. It makes good business sense and there is always a trade off between the newest ships and the most exotic itineraries. Do a more in depth review of the itineraries that RCI is offering and you may find any number of cruises that would satisfy your need for different itineraries sailing out of different ports.

 

I wouldn't worry about RCI's Alaska itineraries for the future. The minimum expected useful life of most cruiseships exceeds twenty years so the present fleet should be able to cover those routes for another couple of decades. By that time the economics may have changed and it might be possible to invest in newer and smaller ships. By that time, as well, the larger Panama Canal locks may be ready to accept ships that are now too large to make the transit.

[NathanWLB]

It is a cycle. The ports will rebound, things will evolve. Too many people get off the ships not to attract more investment there. But I question if the governments down there, can actually handle the improvements needed. I don’t think many of them grasp what the outside world thinks of their locations. I think they are too busy trying to squeeze more money out of the lines.

 

For my money, I’d rather not be made to pay the port charges, and only pay if I get off the ship. If the ports are so concerned with passenger impact on their cities, I’ll vote with my wallet and not patronize their ports. But I’m somebody that can’t grasp why any human being actually buys tee shirts with the port names on them. I’d rather have the snazzy new stuff with RCI on it.

[Mines]

I'm with you - an RCI fan.

 

RCI have expanded their european routes substantially over the last few years and are now moving back to South America (Splendour) and Australia and Asia (Rhapsody). The Legend cruises out of Santo Domingo are exotic and Celebrity have some interesting new Caribbean cruises with their new ships, Journey and Quest.

[i-m-ed]

I'm one who chooses a cruise by itinerary first, then cruiseline/ship. That's why I'm going to Alaska on the Coral Princess and to the southern Caribbean on Carnival Destiny. Even if you prefer to stay with RCI - there are other places in the world to cruise besides the Caribbean. You could go on a half dozen European cruises on RCI and still not repeat a port: Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, British Isles, Western Mediterranean, Italy & Croatia, Greek Isles.

 

I personally would not choose to visit Europe via cruise ship as there is just too much to see and do in one port day. I do plan on taking my family to Europe but think I will opt to travel by rail rather than via cruise ship when we do go. Also, I wouldn't consider anything less than two weeks for Europe. FWIW, I spent two years in Bavaria and loved every minute of it.

 

I recall Richard Fain said that RCL would not any new smaller ships so I started thinking about Alaska.

[kingsgirl]

I personally would not choose to visit Europe via cruise ship as there is just too much to see and do in one port day. I do plan on taking my family to Europe but think I will opt to travel by rail rather than via cruise ship when we do go. Also, I wouldn't consider anything less than two weeks for Europe. FWIW, I spent two years in Bavaria and loved every minute of it.

 

I recall Richard Fain said that RCL would not any new smaller ships so I started thinking about Alaska.

 

I completely agree about Europe. I really want to travel there and I keep trying to think how I could possibly afford a cruise vacation in the cheapest room + flights. Looking into smaller independant land backpacking and tour companies has really opened my mind. I could stay over there for a month or two on just what I would spend for a short cruise holiday.

 

The only downside for me is that I really want to visit Santorini and Pompeii which I haven't been able to find specific trips for as of yet.

[NancyIL]

I personally would not choose to visit Europe via cruise ship as there is just too much to see and do in one port day. I do plan on taking my family to Europe but think I will opt to travel by rail rather than via cruise ship when we do go. Also, I wouldn't consider anything less than two weeks for Europe. FWIW, I spent two years in Bavaria and loved every minute of it.

 

I recall Richard Fain said that RCL would not any new smaller ships so I started thinking about Alaska.

 

Cruises aren't a way to see ANY location in depth, but they are nice for sampling a variety of new places. We've been to Europe twice on land trips and once on a Baltic cruise on Jewel of the Seas. My husband wants to do a land trip to Italy next year, and I would prefer a combination of several days in Rome + the 13-night Italy & Croatia cruise on Legend of the Seas or the 14-night Italy itinerary on Celebrity Quest. We'll see who wins that round!

[Suzanne74]

I think we need to start booking Alaska, Hawaii and Mexican Rivera Cruises and a Panama Canal Cruise. Everyone is sticking to the Caribbean cruises and there are only so many spots to stop in. Moving Legend of the Seas to a southern route is a good idea if people are willing to fly in to that Port Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. I hope this route works but I suspect this one will not make it to 2009 not enough passengers will book it. Now if Cuba ever goes to being our friend that would make things a bit better............

 

The problem is majority of the US citizens live on the East Coast or South. The caribbean is ideal because many can drive to ports or get to a port on a 2-3hr flight. I understand there are other options out there besides the caribbean but I have a 5yr old daughter and have no desire to pay an arm and leg for long airfare to Hawaii, Europe or even the Mexican Riveria. Even without taking my daughter on the long flights, I myself hate to eat up days before and after on long flights home. This is why the caribbean is so appealing to many. There are many many ports that the Voyager and Freedom families do not hit in the caribbean. They chose St Thomas, Maarten, Cozumel, Jamaica and Caymens over and over again. AOS does the southern carribean but it is only one ship and it hits the same itinerary every week and you have to fly to San Juan. I think RCCL could mix it up a lttle more in the carribean. Many other lines are doing southern/eastern combos out of Miami - that would be a nice change.