Ship choices from seasoned RCL cruisers

[GBones]

M

[GBones]

Darn computer...for the seasoned RCL folks what are your favorite ships.. My wife and I have sailed several times on Celebrity. But would like to try a different interary, as we have become alittle spoiled we are not sure which ship to choose with RCL... any suggestions would be appericated. May you always have fair winds and following seas...GBones sends

[brn2crz]

I really think you should pick an itinerary,then look at the ships that sail these.Quite frankly,any of the Voyager class are almost a no miss situation.Some have better than other reputations,alot of times,depending on time of year,and the particular route they are on.I think (from reading only,not experience)
that the Rhapsody is one of the best in the smaller RCI while it is 77.000 tons roughly,it is smaller than the voyagers.The Rhapsody is very well maintained,well layed out,great staff,and pretty good ports.It must be very popular,because some of her sailings are more expensive than the Voyager classes. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]
Probably has to do with higher demand/fewer cabins.Galveston is not the most exotic place to sail from,but probably the easiest.

RCI-Rhapsody- 2003
RCI-Rhapsody- 2004
until the return to the Rhapsody of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2004;09;12;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0600[/img]
[img]http://heathersanimations.com/Fish2/netdiver.gif[/img]

[Hlitner]

The different classes each have pros and cons (we have been on them all). Personally, we are not big Voyager fans because if we want to sail inside a Hyatt Regency we would just go to a hotel. But, many do like these large ships that do not feel like ships. We prefer the smaller classes (which are still too darn big) and particularly like the Radiance Class. After cruising on the AOS (October) and Brilliance (March) we finally got sick of the large stuff and booked a long cruise on the 650 passenger Pacific Princess.

Hank

[superjerryw]

Have you sailed on Celebrity's "M" class ships? If you have, RCCLs's Radiance class ships (Radiance, Brilliance, Seranade, Jewel) would be to your liking. If you prefer the Century class ship you might prefer RCCL's Vision class. If you think Horizon or Zenith are you best choice the only comparable RCCL ship is the Nordic Empress. If you want something completely different then go for a Voyager class ship.

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ff00&cdt=2004;3;19;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Donuts, is there anything they can't do....

[TexasTwoSteps]

Voyager class all the way. The ships may be enormous in size, but you never feel as thought they are. We have enjoyed the Adventures of the Seas and will be trying the Mariner of the Seas this July 4th.

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=990099&cdt=2004;07;04;11;00;00&timezone=GMT-0700f[/img]

[breal6]

if you're coming over from celebrity i would suggest Radiance class ships. they are the most elegant of rccl's ships and everywhere you look you connect with the sea. they also attract a slightly more subdued crowd as they don't offer all the voyager class amenities so families tend to go toward voyager.

PROUD MEMBER OF THE PPS

1 Princess
1 Celebrity
21 Royal Caribbean

Mariner 09/04 in
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=8b0000&cdt=2004;9;6;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Jewel 11/04 in
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ff00&cdt=2004;11;6;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Splendour 01/05 in
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[breal6]

btw i've done the radiance three times, have it booked for this december and have the jewel (a sister ship) booked for nov.

PROUD MEMBER OF THE PPS

1 Princess
1 Celebrity
21 Royal Caribbean

Mariner 09/04 in
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=8b0000&cdt=2004;9;6;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Jewel 11/04 in
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ff00&cdt=2004;11;6;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Radiance 12/04 in
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;12;12;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Splendour 01/05 in
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2005;1;8;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[Jersey Cruiser]

I've sailed on the Radiance class and Voyager class ships and prefer the Voyager class. There is always something going on, but plenty of space for quiet times if that's to your liking. Let me know if any specific questions.

[img]http://www.karenpalumbo.com/M_M_s.gif[/img]
MS Mermoz...........1977
Emerald Seas........1978
Dolphin...........1980
Big Red Boat....1984
Nieu Amsterdam.....1985
Carnivale.........1986
Costa Riviera……………….Feb 1988
Song Of America…………..May 1990
Zenith……………………….May 1993
Voyager……………………..Feb 2002
Navigator……………………Feb 2003
Mariner.........Nov 2003
Radiance........Mar 2004

[Catnip]

My favorite are Vision class, followed by Radiance class ships on RCCL.
Be careful, however, if you don't like to cruise with tons of kids. The Voyager class ships attract more of a "family atmosphere" with more kids.

"To live on the land...we must learn from the sea"

(26 prior cruises & 2 flights on Concorde)

[GBones]

Many thanks to you all for your inputs.. especially on the different size ships, really hadn't given that a thought but I'm glad you mentioned it. As we have enjoyed both Millie and Century class ships on our cruises...we perfer the Century more...thanks again for the info...May you always have fair winds and following seas.. GBones sends

[tootsieh]

We have sailed both Celebrity and RCCL and we are big Voyager class fans----we are sailing on the Jewel twice in 2005 but still prefer Voyager class---Mariner is our favorite!!! Tootsie

[caviargal]

If you enjoy Celebrity, I would suggest you stick with Radiance class vessels. I personally do not enjoy Voyager class. Too big, impersonal, less service oriented and too many kids running all over the place.

I also thought the food on Voyager was the worst of any of my RCI cruises.

I have sailed on Horizon, Zenith and Infinity and believe the Radiance experience is more in keeping with the upscale experience of these Celebrity ships.

I do, however, prefer the entertainment and overall atmosphere of RCI in general. While I appreciate the overall quality of the Celebrity, I found the entertainment, especially before dinner, very limited and I was often bored.

Enjoy whatever you choose.

RCI(37),NCL(11),Princess(1),HAL(2),Celebrity(3), Carnival(2), Eastern Cruise Lines(13),Radisson(2), Star Clippers(1),Home Lines(2), Costa(5),Others (20)

[w&k]

No question! My favorite ship of all is the Grandeur of the Seas (Vision class). Unfortunately, she's not in Florida anymore (sigh). Beautiful ship, great layout, and the Centrum is the place to sit back and people-watch.

However, the worst ship layout so far has been the NCL Wind, closely followed by RCCL Nordic Empress & NCL Norway. (For those of you wondering why I listed the Norway last, we had our cabin right on stairtower 6, so we actually could 'get there from here'.)

Am booked on the Sovereign in a week, and Zenith for 14 days in November, so I'm looking forward to doing the 'small ships' again.

Of course, I'll take any cruise!

Wendy