RCCL..A very different world it seems

[Napi's Mom]

We have been on Renn.2 times and "O" once, last fall.Been on larger Hal ships 2 times and RCCL1 We were thinking of a TA for 08 and felt due to the rather slow life aboard "O", (perfect for the port intensive cruises we had before) that we'd try a larger ship,with more to do on AT SEA DAYS plus RCCL had great prices for the Navigator TA in Nov. 08. So I reserved a room (AFT cabin...you think "O"'s are larger balconies, you should see the one we got about 120 sq' just a moderate class balcony cabin on deck 9 pricewise,but above most of the weird metal works on the aft of the ship) But when going to the RCCL Cruise Critic board, found a whole new world..peopled by short trip people who go to the Carrib. 4 times a year or more, and never look at another cruiseline!. But beyond that found mention of paying for This & That that we had FREE on "O". On this Mass market ship, well, you tip for roomservice,bribes are suggested to get good service in Dining room (We had great service at ALL venues on Nautica, no bribes, which I would never pay!) which to us on "O" was part of the general tip , Have soap in a dispenser in shower only, no other amenities, xtra charge for Specialty Rest. (20-25$) a "Cover charge" of 3.95$ to go to another hamb. joint on the "Promenade". Don't these people realize "O" is a better deal, but refuse to look at any other cruiseline, except Carnival. Well perhaps it's the Night life (which we don't need)?

Well we're still planning on taking the trip, as I said it's way less expensive than "O"'s and we don't exactly live fancy here at home so will survive. But I will be looking at "O" next trip to anyplace that has great ports etc. What a culture shock...685 pass. to 3500!!!! We'll see how it goes.

Forgot to mention there seems to be NO NON SMOKING rooms or areas!!!

[LHT28]

After our first O cruise we took a Princess & NCL cruise both were approx 2000 pax

...Never again

We are sticking with O ...I would rather pay a bit more and get the atmosphere & good food and don't forget the limited smoking areas....

 

Lyn

[merryecho]

We did RCCL at spring break with teen daughter and friend. It was fine for us, as I wanted lots to do for the girls, and thanks to these boards, knew what what to expect, otherwise I would have been very disappointed. The decor of the ship (radiance) was beautiful though, and the best buffet I have ever used, with lots of small stations, so no lines.

[mdmourges]

Have done a bunch of RCCL cruises, 1 Celebrity and one Silversea. We are booked on the Miami to Miami next March with Oceania. I must tell you I have never had a bad cruise on any of these lines. They all have a different marketing approachs and as long as you have the right expectations going in, how bad can it be? lololo One good thing about the mass market lines, you can get a very big room for less but you give up amenities. But if big is what you want, there you go. I am very much looking forward to our March cruise and will be interest in the comparison between the Oceania product vs. Silversea.

 

Mark

[Jane110]

Napi's Mom,

 

I honestly don't know how you can even compare the two.

 

I was invited on a two day pre-inaugural RCCL cruise two weeks ago. It was my first experience on RCCL, though not typical because everyone was an invited guest and there were no children allowed. Also, I've been on two Oceania cruises, one Princess, and 3 Celebrity...and on one Renn 114 pax "baby ship". (heaven!)

 

I loved the Oceania experience and hope to cruise with them again - but it's so port intensive that you can't begin to compare it an RCCL cruise to the Caribbean. Would I go on RCCL as a paying passenger? NO. Reason being that I don't have kids and it's geared for families. I don't want to cruise with hundred's - possibly thousands - of kids and overall it's not upscale enough for us. In general, it appeals to a more mass audience and they don't pretend to do otherwise so why even compare? BTW, I agree that RCCL's lack of bathroom amenities was disappointing, but they did give bars of soap, it wasn't dispensed by a soap dispenser, though the shampoo was. However, RCCL's new gorgeous high end beds, bedding and luxurious bathroom towels were wonderful. And unlike Oceania who as of our last cruise, still puts useless hair dryers attached to a bathroom wall, RCCL supplies a good hair dryer and keeps it in the vanity drawer, so I could dry my hair while my husband showered. On Oceania, I have to bring my own. On RCCL all cabins have refrigerator, on O, we don't get one on our 6th floor cabin w/ veranda. Have to be on a 7th floor veranda or suite to have one. So while O is certainly more upscale, they should be giving more in their cabins IMO. If RCCL can do it, O can too.

 

As far as nickel and diming. Well, I think Oceania's drink prices are insultingly high. After paying that much money to get aboard and considering what ships pay for duty free alcohol, I feel nickel and dimed when I'm asked to pay $9. for a drink and $4.00 for bottled water. Princess charges about $4.00 for a cocktail. That's fair IMO.

 

I don't agree with you that O is a better deal because on RCCL you pay $4.00 to eat at Johnny Rockets and on O you don't pay extra to dine in the specialty restuarants. It's a whole different audience and different price structure for the cruise. On O, the food in the main dining room is as good as the specialty restaurants so there's no reason for them to charge. DH doesn't eat red meat so there's no reason for us to go to their steak place. I'm also not a steak fan and the steak in O's main dining room is fine for me. We go once just to experience a different ambience. On RCCL, they have a specialty steak house and I'm sure it's a lot better than in the main dining room. So you can pay a cheap fare to get on an RCCL ship and pay to have a better meal. On O, it's a whole different ballgame. But then, on our Princess cruise, we were delightfully surprised at how good the food was in their dining rooms.

 

I met a couple, in their 60's on RCCL that prefer the big ships over the small ones. They cruised on O and it wasn't their cup of tea and they love RCCL and I don't think it was a monetary issue. They just liked all the non-stop action and activities and nightlife a big ship offers. They said they weren't "foodies" and basic food was fine with them but they would go to the specialty restaurants on RCCL because they liked the more personalized service over the main dining room. So they liked the small restaurant service but the big ship activities and made it work for them.

 

One last thing: Everyone I know, including us, tips the Oceania staff for room service. We don't see that as part of the overall tips that we're charged on our cabin account.