New to RCI...have some ???'s

[A2Mich]

OK, I used to be on this board before, but my previous profile was wiped out when the boards were switched at some point. I have been on 4 Carnival cruises and 1 Princess cruise. My wife and I are in our mid 30's, and have a 2 year old DD, and a 4 year old DS. We are wanting to try something new, and to be honest with everyone, we are considering RCI and NCL. We are looking to cruise with our friends in Sept-Nov 2010. At the time we cruise, DD will be old enough to be in the children's program, BTW. So, here are my general questions, and again, I really only have Carnival and Princess for comparison purposes here. As for RCI, we are looking mostly at the Freedom and Voyager classes of ships, BTW.

 

1) Dining.....any opinions who is better? RCI, NCL, Carnival? We've always been content, and have heard horrible reviews of NCL and reports of lower quality on RCI.

 

2) Staterooms....Size, comfort, decor? Have always been in Carnival outside (one time had a Carnival balcony) and a Princess outside.

Princess stateroom was nicer, but all have only been functional.

 

3) Pools.....Carnival were always saltwater (YUCK) and Princess had

freshwater. RCI? NCL (if anyone knows)?

 

4) Overall atmosphere....Carnival was....umm....different, sometimes

"elegant", othertimes gaudy to downright tacky. How does RCI

or NCL (again, to those who might know) compare?

 

5) Do the Voyager/Freedom class ships seem overcrowded? Largest ship

we have been on was Carnival Legend...seemed ok...not too

crowded.

 

6) Any other hidden/extra costs, other than the usual drinks, bingo,

photos, spa treatments, Johnny Rockets, Chops, basically any

charges that most cruise lines include that are surprises to you?

 

 

We are having to do some serious saving to go on this vacation, so we're trying to spend our money in the best way possible. We had thought about another Carnival cruise, but the H2O zone on the Freedom class has us really excited, and we've seen posts listing the Childen's program activities for the kids' age group, sounds pretty good to us so far! We already know that we will probably spend more on RCI than Carnival, but have heard horror stories about NCL, as it sounds as though people were nickel-and-dimed more so than the typical photos/drinks, and reports of really poor quality food in the MDR, forcing people to pay extra for the specialty restaurants, etc.

 

Sorry to be so long winded, but we're trying to make the smartest decision we can, as we can't afford to cruise every year, so we have to make it the best trip we can. Any info would be greatly appreciated, especially those that have sailed Carnival, RCI, and NCL. Our TA is recommending RCI and NCL. We trust her opinion, but have heard many negatives about NCL, so the more honesty, the better! Thank you all!

 

Garry

[AlanAllyn]

We have sailed several times on RCI, once on Princess, but never on Carnival or NCL.. So I can really tell you only about RCI. We have been on the Voyager and the Independence (last December).

 

We never felt nickled and dimed. We did have the advantage of the coupon book as Past Passengers which gave us a free Johnny Rockets meal (It's worth the extra to take your kids there) and a couple of free beers or wine. But we spent almost nothing on board other than gratuities.

endenc

We were happy with the food. Look at the reviews of other people on Cruise Critic. They vary as do people's taste, but the vast majority were satisfied. The rooms are nothing special, but they are very well designed on the Freedom class. Crowds were rarely a problem.

 

We did not have kids with us but the biggest problem we heard were with kids who didn't want to leave the children's programs.

 

Alan

[unklez]

1) .... Dining.....any opinions who is better? RCI, NCL, Carnival? We've always been content, and have heard horrible reviews of NCL and reports of lower quality on RCI......

 

Just my humble opinions based on what I have read from friends and from several "xx vs. yy" threads on CC.

 

Comparing MDR to MDR, Carnival is marginally better than RCI which is significantly better than NCL. For buffets, RCI is marginally better than Carnival which is significantly better than NCL.

 

2) .......Staterooms....Size, comfort, decor? Have always been in Carnival outside (one time had a Carnival balcony) and a Princess outside. Princess stateroom was nicer, but all have only been functional......

 

Carnival has the biggest rooms unless you look at the latest ships when all lines have come close to each other. In terms of comfort, they are all equally comfortable and functional - not lavish unless you go suite. NCL rooms seem to be small based on website descriptions. Decor on RCL in the rooms as well public areas tends to be more tasteful compared to Carnival and NCL.

 

3) ..... Pools.....Carnival were always saltwater (YUCK) and Princess had freshwater. RCI? NCL (if anyone knows)? ....

 

RCI has saltwater. Helps you acclimatize for the beaches!

 

4) .... Overall atmosphere....Carnival is....umm....different, sometimes "elegant", othertimes gaudy to downright tacky. How does RCI or NCL (again, to those who might know) compare?.....

 

Atmosphere on RCI is definitely more refined than Carnival.

 

5).... Do the Voyager/Freedom class ships seem overcrowded? Largest ship we have been on was Carnival Legend...seemed ok...not too crowded.....

 

Most new ships have well designed layouts and you do not feel crowded by 2000+ people.

 

....6) Any other hidden/extra costs, other than the usual drinks, bingo, photos, spa treatments, Johnny Rockets, Chops, basically any charges that most cruise lines include ...

 

Not much to differentiate but just so you know, RCI has started charging $3.5 for late night (12 AM to 5 AM) room service.

 

OVERALL:

 

1. I think Carnival offers the best value for money. Their ships' decor as well the crowd can be a bit loud. If you are stretching your dollars, my suggestion would be to stick with Carnival.

 

2. If you want to go a bit upscale and avoid loudness factor, try RCI. Most of the complaints about decline in quality at RCI come from people that have been loyal to RCI for years. Some of it stems from recent changes to their loyalty program where some of the benefits that used to be available after 10 cruise credits are now available after 25. None of that should bother you!

 

3. I'd not consider NCL unless they offered a really nice itinerary and dates that no one else did. Everyone else is offering any time dining now. Everyone else allows options to get away from formal dressing. At times NCL offers some great rates for the 3rd and 4th person ($99 for whole cruise!) but I have never found a case where the comparable total family fare was lower than Carnival.

 

It would be helpful to know why your TA is recommending NCL. Maybe he knows something about you or your preferences that makes him recommend NCL?

 

Hope this helps.

[cafe rose]

much older than you and my 3 children are now much older than yours but we have always travelled everywhere with all three of them. Our favorite vacation when the kids were babies, toddlers and slightly older was to go to the Club Med in Florida, the Sandpiper Village. I was really into tennis then (more than now) so the clinics were great for me and the baby/kids clubs were fantastic. The rooms are huge and the food was always great even though it was buffet it was FABULOUS! Have done numerous cruises with the kids both Caribbean, Alaska and Europe. Have done Disney, Princess, CCL, NCL, RCCL. Loved the Gem last year even though we are not fond of freestyle cruising but you can make a reservation even for main dining room. And, just so that you know, an AB suite is great with kids. Disney has large rooms as a whole and the pay for restaurtant is probably the best. I love Princess, don't like CCL although my sister and her family love CCL. They will all nickel and dime you one way or another but I think that the best values that I have seen, IMHO are Disney and NCL.

By the way, my oldest is now 23 then 17 and youngest is 14. Our first cruise to Alaska was when the oldest was 3. This summer will be our third cruise in Europe. First one was on Golden Princess in 2006, last summer on NCL Gem and this summer on RCCL Splendor.

Got to say though that my best memories are of Club Med. Love that place!

[cb at sea]

Actually, the Freedom Class ships have treated pools---chlorine, and all that. But, the older ships do have the saltwater...

[unklez]

Actually, the Freedom Class ships have treated pools---chlorine, and all that. But, the older ships do have the saltwater...

 

I prefer ocean water to treated and chlorinated water :D

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I've sailed NCL, Carnival and RCI. I prefer RCI, most especially the Freedom Class ships which you must take to get the fabulous H2O Zone--a water paradise for kiddies.

 

Your kids might enjoy the ice skating show too.

 

But I have to say NCL has the better cinnamon buns of the three cruiselines. If you go on NCL, go no less than a ship like Pearl...their newest because it has more bells and whistles than their older ships.

 

Carnival's ships are OK, but I honestly don't care for their layout. I felt crowded, not by people, but by the ship's architecture. That's just me though. Oh, I also thought the dining room was more crowded...more tables in less space. Their food was good enough. I can't complain.

 

I think RCI really does cater to families and does it very well. I know when my sons were kids they would have LOVED being on a Royal Caribbean Freedom Class ship.

 

Good luck and great cruising in what ever cruise line you choose.

[aloha of the seas]

I know you must have a reason for choosing the larger ships of RCI, but if you are really worried about the number of people, the best ships in the fleet are the Radiance class of ships. Still quite new, approx 2500 pass., specialty rests although it is missing some of the features of the big ships like an ice rink.

[Philly Steve]

We returned to NCL last year for the first time since our first cruise in 1994, having cruised on Carnival and for the most part, on RCI. We enjoyed NCL's Freestyle dining, debarkation, etc. The food was delicious (especially in the fee restaurants) and the crew/hotel staff was the friendliest we have encountered. Stage shows were outstanding but other entertainment was average. There was no charge for after hours room service.

[hawkfish]

I prefer ocean water to treated and chlorinated water :D

 

Ditto on that. Saltwater is so much gentler on your eyes, skin and swimsuits. Plus, it makes you really bouyant, which is extra fun. :D

 

I don't really understand why people hate it so much.

[AMommyof2]

I can't tell you about NCL, because I won't cruise them until Spring Break 2011, but I can tell you a little about RCCL. As another poster mentioned, the Freedom class ship will have chlorinated pools. All other RCCL ships I've been on were salt water. Your young children would probably prefer the Freedom class because of the H2O Zone. My kids are 10 and 5, and they loved the H2O Zone when were were on the Liberty of the Seas (one of the Freedom ships) 2 summers ago.

 

The kids enjoyed the kids club activities on both RCCL and Carnival. To me, it seemed more kids were involved in the RCCL activities. I've only been on one Carnival cruise, which was the Carnival Destiny last summer. To this day, DH says we'll never do that again. Of course if we got a really good deal on an itinerary we really liked, he might change his mind. The room stewards, and well staff as a whole, on RCCL are far superior to Carnival. The overall ship cleanliness is also FAR superior on RCCL. We didn't care for the food in the MDR on Carnival on most nights. In fact, I had one steak that I could have broken the window with, had I decided to fling it across the MDR. I prefered the breakfast buffet on Carnival, but lunch, to me, in the buffet is better on RCCL.

 

The itinerary we had for our So. Caribbean cruise was better on Carnival vs. RCCL, which is why we booked that ship. We had a Cat. 12 Penthouse suite on Carnival, which was the highest category for the ship we were on. Certainly not worth writing home about. It was smaller than the Grand Suite on RCCL's Liberty of the Seas. From what I've heard, the interior and ocean view staterooms on Carnival are bigger than RCCL, and from what I've read, the staterooms on NCL are about the same size as RCCL.

 

Whatever line you ultimately choose, I wish you a great cruise and smooth seas.

[DonnaK]

I just wanted to comment on Question 4 - the size of the ship and crowdedness.

 

Although Freedom/Voyager class ships carry so many passengers, they are significantly longer/wider than the largest ships of any other line. They have a much more favorable space to passenger ratio, and the layouts have a better flow for crowd control. For example, we felt on Carnival Miracle and Caribbbean Princess that the ships were not large enough for the number of passengers they carry when at full capacity, even though they had 800-1000 less passengers than on our Voyager-ship cruises. So, we felt much less crowded on the Voyager class ships even with significantly more people.

[PEPI2]

Royal Caribbean has the most spacious feel to me. They have the best pool areas..nicer than Carnival's and the ship is wider so less of a feeling of all these people sitting on top of each other.

The adult only pool area on Royal Caribben is far superior to that of Carnival..as is the children's pool areas on Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean's adult pool area is beautiful with cushioned chairs and there is seating in a covered area as well for shade or it's drizzling.

 

I do love the adult pool area off the aft of the Caribbean Princess...

 

I enjoy Carnival and had a great time on their cruises..and will sail them again..but when price is not the deal breaker or maker..I go with Royal Caribbean.

 

As far as charges on the ship..the only real difference you will find is that right now Royal Caribbean is charginf for room service after mid-night..they say many people were ordering late at night and leaving full plates of food outside cabins..my guess is that people were ordering and then falling asleep by the time the food came..haha...

[A2Mich]

Wow! Thank you all so much for the answers and opinions, and yes, they do help tremendously. As for previous remarks made by respondents, my TA thinks we will absolutely LOVE the NCL Freestyle dining because of the kids, but then again, Royal Caribbean appears to be offering the My Time option now, so I think that negates that argument. As for why we're interested in the Freedom class, we've been on several cruises and can always find something to do, but the kids haven't cruised before, and we were thinking that the H20 Zone would be great for them. If it turns out they don't have much interest in it, then we can always try another ship next time..we are just worried that if they aren't happy in the kids program, we KNOW that they will like the H20 Zone. I agree that the Radiance-class ships look gorgeous (from the photos and TV programs we've seen). As for the concern about the ship feeling crowded, I know there are thousands of people onboard, but my idea of vacation is to relax, not have to wait in line for absolutely everything, and not feel like I am constantly surrounded sardine-like by 3,000 other people. I'm used to the lines for debarkation, tenders, etc, BTW. Actually, an ice rink means nothing to me, but the kids may like it.

 

We're hoping to cruise with some friends and their kids, so we'll see what decision they come to and what kind of compromise we can all make so everyone will be happy. Thanks again to all who responded, it looks like Royal Caribbean could be a very real possibility for us, maybe not so much for NCL. Thank you again everyone!

[dacsmom]

RCI is starting My Time Family Dining on their ships. Check out their website, it may work out well for your family.

Whichever line you choose I am sure you will have a great cruise.

[Longtimecruiser#2]

OK, I used to be on this board before, but my previous profile was wiped out when the boards were switched at some point. I have been on 4 Carnival cruises and 1 Princess cruise. My wife and I are in our mid 30's, and have a 2 year old DD, and a 4 year old DS. We are wanting to try something new, and to be honest with everyone, we are considering RCI and NCL. We are looking to cruise with our friends in Sept-Nov 2010. At the time we cruise, DD will be old enough to be in the children's program, BTW. So, here are my general questions, and again, I really only have Carnival and Princess for comparison purposes here. As for RCI, we are looking mostly at the Freedom and Voyager classes of ships, BTW.

 

1) Dining.....any opinions who is better? RCI, NCL, Carnival? We've always been content, and have heard horrible reviews of NCL and reports of lower quality on RCI.

 

2) Staterooms....Size, comfort, decor? Have always been in Carnival outside (one time had a Carnival balcony) and a Princess outside.

Princess stateroom was nicer, but all have only been functional.

 

3) Pools.....Carnival were always saltwater (YUCK) and Princess had

freshwater. RCI? NCL (if anyone knows)?

 

4) Overall atmosphere....Carnival was....umm....different, sometimes

"elegant", othertimes gaudy to downright tacky. How does RCI

or NCL (again, to those who might know) compare?

 

5) Do the Voyager/Freedom class ships seem overcrowded? Largest ship

we have been on was Carnival Legend...seemed ok...not too

crowded.

 

6) Any other hidden/extra costs, other than the usual drinks, bingo,

photos, spa treatments, Johnny Rockets, Chops, basically any

charges that most cruise lines include that are surprises to you?

 

 

We are having to do some serious saving to go on this vacation, so we're trying to spend our money in the best way possible. We had thought about another Carnival cruise, but the H2O zone on the Freedom class has us really excited, and we've seen posts listing the Childen's program activities for the kids' age group, sounds pretty good to us so far! We already know that we will probably spend more on RCI than Carnival, but have heard horror stories about NCL, as it sounds as though people were nickel-and-dimed more so than the typical photos/drinks, and reports of really poor quality food in the MDR, forcing people to pay extra for the specialty restaurants, etc.

 

Sorry to be so long winded, but we're trying to make the smartest decision we can, as we can't afford to cruise every year, so we have to make it the best trip we can. Any info would be greatly appreciated, especially those that have sailed Carnival, RCI, and NCL. Our TA is recommending RCI and NCL. We trust her opinion, but have heard many negatives about NCL, so the more honesty, the better! Thank you all!

 

Garry

We were just on the Freedom and I'm sorry my dd is 15 because the H2O zone looked like it would be a fabulous place for the younger kids. My niece went to the kids club a couple of years ago on the Mariner and loved it she was 5yr.old.

My dd preferred the regular pool water rather than saltwater pools

I was just on my 6th RCI cruise in 5 yrs. and have never eaten at the specialty restaurants. We have always been happy with the MDR and find something new to try each cruise. I've got the Freedom booked again for next year it's a beautiful ship.

As far as cabins if you can I would get a balcony or for something different the promenade cabins look interesting.

[bluegirlum]

I don't have kids, but it seemed that when we on Liberty of the Seas, all the kids loved the H20 Zone. I wanted to go in there, and I'm an adult! There was so much to do on the ship that I think the whole family could have fun. We stopped at Labadee, and there is a kids' area there as well, which was well-attended. I have sailed on Princess, and although it was Spring Break, I don't recall many kids. You didn't really notice the number of people on Liberty, unless you got to the pool really late in the day. It was really great.

 

Have a great cruise! Go Blue! :D

[unklez]

Ditto on that. Saltwater is so much gentler on your eyes, skin and swimsuits. Plus, it makes you really bouyant, which is extra fun. :D

 

I don't really understand why people hate it so much.

 

1. Unexpected

2. Burns the eyes some more

[PEGLEG]

It sounds like Disney would be better. Kids - The Mouse. Unbeatable combination.

[unklez]

Since this is an RCI board, you did not hear much RCI bashing! It is really true that overall RCI offers a marginally superior product than CCL. But CCL has the best value for money. There is a reason they have 50% of the market share.

[A2Mich]

It sounds like Disney would be better. Kids - The Mouse. Unbeatable combination.

 

For the kids's sake....you're probably right, but Disney's prices are ridiculous. I lived in Orlando, FL for many years and am very familiar with the Disney experience.....they don't deserve my money, sorry....

[A2Mich]

Since this is an RCI board, you did not hear much RCI bashing! It is really true that overall RCI offers a marginally superior product than CCL. But CCL has the best value for money. There is a reason they have 50% of the market share.

 

I wasn't expecting too much RCI bashing anyways, but there seems to be some on other boards here. Personally, I have nothing against CCL at all. We always had a great time, and while not perfect, we managed to get through everything. We were always well fed on all of our cruises (though Princess' buffet food was a bit strange from time to time (like a hard-boiled egg in the center of meatloaf???)). We may absolutely end up on CCL if the price difference is huge, but we've been looking for something different. We've also been watching the various RCI shows on the Travel Channel (Samantha Brown's FOTS, Samantha Brown's First Cruise, Why Not Med, Why Not Caribbean, etc.) I agree that Carnival offers great value for the price, and I do understand some of the complaints I've read about them, and a fair number of them come from either first-time cruisers, or cruisers who are more acustomed to HAL, Celebrity, Crystal. I do admit that some of CCL's decor is a bit odd, sometimes even bizarre, but I can certainly overlook the decorations to have a good time on vacation.