Switched From CCL to RCCL

[going2cruz]

I've just booked my first RCCL cruise and I'm not sure what to expect.

 

I'm felling that RCCL may be nickle and dimeing the cruisers. Why is there a charge for a hamburger. I don't really eat them I'm just seeing it as yellow flag.

 

Can anyone who's done both tell me where I'm in for a shock?

[TennisLover]

I took my first RCCL cruise this year. I did not feel nickled and dimed.

 

Johnny Rockets is a surcharge ($3.95 for the meal - as much as you want), but you don't have to go there.

 

Similar to Carnival as far as the "extras."

[Aquahound]

The only place there's a charge for a hamburger is in Johnny Rockets, a chain restaurant on board. Otherwise, the burgers, etc in the buffet are free.

 

What ship are you going on?

[Host Kewlguy]

Actually Carnival are the kings of nickel and diming. Plus they let their ships fall a part without investing any money in them.

[tazdeb]

I dont think its an issue of nickle and diming....On RCCL you will pay an upcharge for certain services that are FREE elseware on the ship ( although usually at a lower quality). For instance, hambugers are availiable free in the windjammer, but if you want a Johnny Rockets burger with the floor show you will pay a $3 upcharge. If you want free ice cream, it is availiable by the pool out of one of those tasty freeze type machines in either chocolate or vanilia. If you want more interesting choices you can pay an upcharge and go to Ben and Jerrys. There are also specialty resturants which offer a more intimate and upscale dinning experience then the main dinning room ( the main dinning room still offers a 5 course meal). Theses resturants charge $20. As you can see the charge will only apply if you want them. Other than that both Rccl and Carnival offer pretty much the same type of expierience. ( if you compare them ship size to ship size).....TAZ

[time4u2go]

Actually Carnival are the kings of nickel and diming.

How does Carnival nickel and dime more than RCI?

[uksimonusa]

I've just booked my first RCCL cruise and I'm not sure what to expect.

 

I'm felling that RCCL may be nickle and dimeing the cruisers. Why is there a charge for a hamburger. I don't really eat them I'm just seeing it as yellow flag.

 

Can anyone who's done both tell me where I'm in for a shock?

 

 

There is no charge for a hamburger, it is included in your cruise fair, and can be collected form the windjammer.

 

There is a cover charge of $3.95, to eat at Johnny Rockets, this was started, basically to stop the kids from hanging out there all day. Once inside JR's all food is included.

 

There is no charge for tea. coffee, lemonade, juice with breakfast, or water.

 

There is a charge, as there is on most mainstream cruise lines, for soda, alcohol, or bottled water.

[going2cruz]

I took my first RCCL cruise this year. I did not feel nickled and dimes.

 

Johnny Rockets is a surcharge ($3.95 for the meal - as much as you want), but you don't have to go there.

 

Similar to Carnival as far as the "extras."

TennisLover,

I see you are a CCL regular did RCCL in 07 and you already decided to go back CCL in 08.

 

I'm expecting RCCL to pick up on a some of the areas that I feel CCL is lacking. I'm not look for anything major.The cruise it self is very relaxing and I enjoy most of the people I meet on CCL.

 

Did something fall short of your expectation's on RCCL. What send you back to CCL?

[gsb]

you'll miss the ice cream/frozen yogurt, the best pizza and calzones, the great hamburgers fresh off the grill.

 

Your cabin will be a little smaller, and the entertainment won't be quite as good and won't go on as late into the evening.

 

You will have a good time on either line.

[going2cruz]

I dont think its an issue of nickle and diming....On RCCL you will pay an upcharge for certain services that are FREE elseware on the ship ( although usually at a lower quality). For instance, hambugers are availiable free in the windjammer, but if you want a Johnny Rockets burger with the floor show you will pay a $3 upcharge. If you want free ice cream, it is availiable by the pool out of one of those tasty freeze type machines in either chocolate or vanilia. If you want more interesting choices you can pay an upcharge and go to Ben and Jerrys. There are also specialty resturants which offer a more intimate and upscale dinning experience then the main dinning room ( the main dinning room still offers a 5 course meal). Theses resturants charge $20. As you can see the charge will only apply if you want them. Other than that both Rccl and Carnival offer pretty much the same type of expierience. ( if you compare them ship size to ship size).....TAZ

 

I guess if I'm going to eat a burger I would want it to be better quality.

 

Whats the floor show and how much is Ben & Jerry's.

[time4u2go]

Actually Carnival are the kings of nickel and diming

How does Carnival nickel and dime more than RCI?

Just as I thought...no answer.

[cb at sea]

I can't answer about Carnival--have never sailed on them! But, there is no need to spend money on anything "extra" on RCI--except for alcohol!!!!! You can have a perfectly wonderful cruise without going to a specialty restaurant, without eating ice cream that you can buy in the supermarket, (I've never figured out why Ben and Jerry's is such a "must do" for some!!!) without buying expensive excursion, without buying gold "by the inch" without paying for pictures that you can take yourself, etc...... the list goes on! I know folks get on vacation, and think "Why not? We're on vacation!", but it's really not necessary to get the most out of a cruise!

[FitzLA]

 

There is a cover charge of $3.95, to eat at Johnny Rockets, this was started, basically to stop the kids from hanging out there all day. Once inside JR's all food is included.

 

There is no "cover charge" to get inside JR's. There is a $3.95 charge for all you can eat food. But you can go in there and not eat, but rather just have shakes or malts. I have been there and did not eat but sat and had a shake. And only paid for the shake, and not the food.

 

I guess if I'm going to eat a burger I would want it to be better quality.

 

Whats the floor show and how much is Ben & Jerry's.

 

Have you ever been to a land based Johnny Rockets? It is a 50's diner, and they do a dance show...to 50's music, and they dance on counters. It is quite silly.

 

Ben & Jerrys is a ice cream shop and you pay for individual items. I think I paid $4.00 or so for a sundae. Prices are different for each item.

[Aquahound]

I guess if I'm going to eat a burger I would want it to be better quality.

 

Whats the floor show and how much is Ben & Jerry's.

 

 

If you've ever eaten at Johnny Rockets, you know their burgers are very unique, especially that double rocket burger.

 

Like we've said, it's an alternative dining option only.

 

As for Ben & Jerry's, if you book the B&J room, you get free B&J ice cream. It's the promenade view interior room on deck 6 that has a view of a cow's butt. The cow is a statue on top of B&J in the Promenade.

 

You've made a great decision for your first RCI cruise. RCI's Voyager and Freedom Class ships are unrivaled in the cruising world.

[Leafpeeper]

I've never paid for a hamburger on any cruise. Besides, that is the last thing I am looking for on a ship.

 

We like cruising on lots of different cruiselines each year just for the variety of entertainment and restaurants. We've never felt nickled and dimed on any cruise.

 

Things we love on RCCL:

 

Windjammer Buffet--multiple food stations with a great variety of desserts. Fish, chicken, or steak cooked directly in front of you and served hot. CCL is defintely lacking when it comes to dinner buffets with very limited food selections and only one or two dessert choices.

 

Specialty Restaurants--fantastic on RCCL. We enjoy multiple dining venues on any cruise 7+ days.

 

Room Service--hot food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on RCCL. Only cold food on CCL room service. We often have dinner on our balcony on RCCL at no fee. Princess charges $50 for dinner on your balcony.

 

Entertainment--fantastic shows and excellent singers. We recently cruised another line where the pool singers sang oldies but goodies instead of reggae. I want the steel drums on a warm weather cruise.

 

 

Solarium Pool--no other ship has had a lovelier indoor pool/solarium for adults only than the ones on our RCCL cruises. We love it on HOT days for the A/C and cool days or rainy days. It's a great place to read a book. The solarium pool is great anytime of day. We sometimes skip dinner just to have it all to ourselves.

 

Finally, the decor on RCCL ships is my favorite of any cruiseline--from the cabins to the DR and even the lounges. CCL defintely has some work to do in this area. CCL ships could use some decorating help to update their ships away from that Las Vegas theme.

 

RCCL usually doesn't have as many sea days as CCL. I like seeing as many ports as possible.

 

We still will sail on Carnival for our fun 3-5 night cruises when we don't need multiple dining venues and don't have time to think about the decor. Our favorite things on CCL are the kareoke, ice cream, and pizza. We were on a Carnival cruise six weeks ago.

 

Variety is the spice of life. You won't know what you are like and don't like until you try as many ships on as many cruiselines as you can. We've still got lots of ships to try and many many cruiselines before we settle on just one cruiseline.

[GTO-Girl]

Since we are on the food subject and since I have never sailed on RCI, could you tell me if Chops and Portofino's are speciality restaurants? Can you tell me what the extra charge is for them?

 

Thanks a bunch....

[Aquahound]

Since we are on the food subject and since I have never sailed on RCI, could you tell me if Chops and Portofino's are speciality restaurants? Can you tell me what the extra charge is for them?

 

Thanks a bunch....

 

Yes, they are the specialty restaurants. Chops is a steakhouse and Portofino is Italian. The cover charge is $20.00 pp.

 

Both are excellent. IMO, Chops is FANTASTIC!

[GTO-Girl]

Thanks Aquahound.....could you tell me what the dress code is? I have a husband that while he's not oppose to dressing nice, will get out of wearing a coat/tie any time he can.

 

Thanks again....

[Ms Belvedere]

We have enjoyed both lines and found that both have extra charges that some call "nickel and diming". The one thing that I have found on RCCL that actually blew me away was Quest. I have never laughed so hard on a cruise and thought I had seen it all.

 

Chops has great food and is well worth the extra charge even though the light from the kitchen was shining directly into my eyes the whole meal. Carnival charges $10.00 more for their Specialty Restaurants ($30.00). We had the promenade rooms on both RCCL cruises and the room's size wasn't an issue.

 

After our second trip on the Mariner I'd say you'll have a similar group of pax as Carnival. I'm looking forward to our cruise in Oct on the Carnival Legend and also the Radiance of the Seas in Dec.

Ms B.

[Cruising89143]

I've just booked my first RCCL cruise and I'm not sure what to expect.

 

I'm felling that RCCL may be nickle and dimeing the cruisers. Why is there a charge for a hamburger. I don't really eat them I'm just seeing it as yellow flag.

 

Can anyone who's done both tell me where I'm in for a shock?

 

 

You can look at my sig line and see that I cruised with Carnival 16 times over 11 years. In 04 I decided to try the Navigator of the Seas for seven days as a change of pace from Carnival. I have not looked back since.

 

Is there a difference? IMHO there is. If you are a person that only cares about the lowest price then go with the least expensive. I for one am a person that wants good service, a clean ship that is well maintained, friendly crew and a cruise line that says "hey I want you back". My last two or three cruises with Carnival were lacking in those areas. Carnival had no past guest program in 04 and the one that they have implemented falls short of RCI's. The new RCI ships are jaw dropping beautiful compared to Carnival. RCI also offers a MUCH better evening casual dining experience in the Windjammer. You aren't made to feel that you're being punished for not eating in the dining room.

 

I see that you have chosen the Liberty. I will be on this ship a week from Monday and will have photos to share but I can tell you that Carnival does not have a ship in service that can compare to RCI's Voyager or Freedom class ships.

 

As far as the food and entertainment, each line does something better than the other but in the end they are even IMO.

 

As far as the nickle and dime stuff. All mass market lines do this including Carnival. One thing you won't find on RCI is the tacky games of bingo each night before the shows. Both lines offer the inch of gold, art auctions, etc. Also RCI does have the ice cream machines like Carnival. Ben and Jerry's is an option for those wanting something better. Same with Johnny Rockets.

[going2cruz]

Yes, they are the specialty restaurants. Chops is a steakhouse and Portofino is Italian. The cover charge is $20.00 pp.

 

Both are excellent. IMO, Chops is FANTASTIC!

 

Yeah,on CCL I didn't mind the supper clubs the beef there was better than anything I've gotten at a Morton's or Ruth Chris's in the past few years. I will not do Italian. I can't stand that food as I'm Italian and I've already had my share of it while growing up.

 

I will do a Chops if thats what its called on the Liberty. It should be better than CCL supper clubs so I can't wait to experience it. Its not often that I eat beef so I do prefer the taste to be worth the calories.

[FitzLA]

Thanks Aquahound.....could you tell me what the dress code is? I have a husband that while he's not oppose to dressing nice, will get out of wearing a coat/tie any time he can.

 

Thanks again....

 

Dress code is smart casual every night at the specialty restaurants. No, he doesn't have to wear a coat and tie there.

[GTO-Girl]

My Husband Thanks You Very, Very Much !!!!

[Mikew0805]

Your cabin will be a little smaller, and the entertainment won't be quite as good and won't go on as late into the evening.

 

You will have a good time on either line.

 

I totally agree. Based on the Splendour, the entertainment does not even compare. Only once production show, and there was nothing to it but singing & dancing. No lights, props, special effect.. nothing :(

 

But still had a good time.

 

You can look at my sig line and see that I cruised with Carnival 16 times over 11 years. In 04 I decided to try the Navigator of the Seas for seven days as a change of pace from Carnival. I have not looked back since.

 

I for one am a person that wants good service, a clean ship that is well maintained, friendly crew and a cruise line that says "hey I want you back". My last two or three cruises with Carnival were lacking in those areas. Carnival had no past guest program in 04 and the one that they have implemented falls short of RCI's. The new RCI ships are jaw dropping beautiful compared to Carnival. RCI also offers a MUCH better evening casual dining experience in the Windjammer. You aren't made to feel that you're being punished for not eating in the dining room.

 

As far as the food and entertainment, each line does something better than the other but in the end they are even IMO.

 

As far as the nickle and dime stuff. All mass market lines do this including Carnival. One thing you won't find on RCI is the tacky games of bingo each night before the shows. Both lines offer the inch of gold, art auctions, etc. Also RCI does have the ice cream machines like Carnival. Ben and Jerry's is an option for those wanting something better. Same with Johnny Rockets.

 

Sorry, but I really disagree! Starting at the top, I have never sailed a Carnival ship that has not met the requests for Good service, clean, maintained, and a friendly crew. The ships that I have sailed on have been spotless. Talk about not maintaining, Splendour had a couple places ( one huge panel below the Viking crown ) that had broken glass.. not shattered but a huge spider web of cracks, that had mold in the cracks... obviously didn't happen recently at the time. Nevertheless, it would not chase me away from RCI.

 

As far as the past guest program, I guess I just don't see what everyone else does. With the exception of the preferred seating in the dining room at Diamond + level, I don't think any of it is beneficial. I know that many mention the cash off a balcony cabin, but that is also available on Carnival.... to everyone, since the balconies tend to be $400-$500 less per person anyway. On the other hand I don't see much benefit to Carnival's program either with the exception of the wash and fold service. So IMO they both have *1* thing that I would use, and both of those would not be really that important.

 

The only other thing I can mention is that you said no "tacky" games of bingo before the show. Funny, on Splendour we played the "tacky" games of bingo on 3 of the 5 nights, before the show.

 

Those are just things I feel, not saying your opinion is wrong, because it isn't. Just that I see it a little differently. I hope to be sailing on both lines for many years to come.

[Cruising89143]

I totally agree. Based on the Splendour, the entertainment does not even compare. Only once production show, and there was nothing to it but singing & dancing. No lights, props, special effect.. nothing :(

 

But still had a good time.

 

 

 

Sorry, but I really disagree! Starting at the top, I have never sailed a Carnival ship that has not met the requests for Good service, clean, maintained, and a friendly crew. The ships that I have sailed on have been spotless. Talk about not maintaining, Splendour had a couple places ( one huge panel below the Viking crown ) that had broken glass.. not shattered but a huge spider web of cracks, that had mold in the cracks... obviously didn't happen recently at the time. Nevertheless, it would not chase me away from RCI.

 

As far as the past guest program, I guess I just don't see what everyone else does. With the exception of the preferred seating in the dining room at Diamond + level, I don't think any of it is beneficial. I know that many mention the cash off a balcony cabin, but that is also available on Carnival.... to everyone, since the balconies tend to be $400-$500 less per person anyway. On the other hand I don't see much benefit to Carnival's program either with the exception of the wash and fold service. So IMO they both have *1* thing that I would use, and both of those would not be really that important.

 

The only other thing I can mention is that you said no "tacky" games of bingo before the show. Funny, on Splendour we played the "tacky" games of bingo on 3 of the 5 nights, before the show.

 

Those are just things I feel, not saying your opinion is wrong, because it isn't. Just that I see it a little differently. I hope to be sailing on both lines for many years to come.

 

Fine that you disagree but I know what I have experienced on both lines and I stand by that.