Currently on Harmony of the Seas

[tidefan]

Oh yeah no reason to just limit ourselves on choices you're right about that, I think my husband likes the idea of all the opportunities that Royal has on their big big ships but we're def. open to others. I'm glad there's someone whose done Virgin so far, I've just been relying on blogs to get an idea (plus checking out the website).

We absolutely loved Virgin Voyages. The food was the best we've had on a cruise ship. Also, there's not a lot of extra charges, save alcohol/specialty coffee. Even with that, they have specials that they run. When we went, they had a deal where if you put in $300 to the "bar tab", they added an extra $100.

I thought that the hammock on the balcony would be a gimmick, but we found that it was one of our favorite things. Also, we enjoyed the little touches (included ice cream was gelato, there was a popsicle stand, pre-made "take-away" food boxes, there was free gummy bears/twizzlers/taffy and other snacks in the Social Club, great "bowl" making place hidden away on the deck). The shows (save one, and you will know which one it is when you board - it's not one of the main ones) are great and very different than traditional cruise fare. Their "Beach Club" in Bimini was a lot of fun too...

The only downside is that the pool area is a bit small, but we still enjoyed it.

 

[mousefan73]

Oops

 

[mousefan73]

This is extremely helpful!

The price was one thing we've been weighing heavily. Although we've been dabbling at looking into Virgin Voyages which is costlier than many other cruises but is also running a lot of good deal and is kinda a 180 from normal style cruising sooo we're a bit all over the place. Plus originally my husband mentioned Wonder of the Seas (which actually jumpstarted our renewed interest in looking at cruises since just before the pandemic started when we were soooo close to booking a cruise; glad we didn't though) and well that's just a gargantuan ship right there which is a pro but also a con in ways.

Mollorca looks stunning. We know we want either all Greek stops or at least 1 to 2 (preferably at least 2) but wow Mollorca makes you want that side.

I can see the childish part, it does take I think for many to enjoy still getting that Disney fix, most don't seem to start with DCL before having found a passion for Disney.

My husband would love the surf simulator.

One of my DISer friends is doing DCL in Europe although I can't remember the stops at this moment. I do know they will be doing DLP just not sure at what point (before or after their cruise), which another couple from our DISer friends who just got married they will be doing their honeymoon in europe with a stop in DLP as well. You're right about the concentration of DCL, the DISer friends that just got married live in FL and have done multiple cruises in that area (actually just did one a few weeks back) although usually fairly quick 3-5 day ones.

I like how you compared what you would do depending on who would go. We asked our DISer friends if they wanted to do a trip to Greece (either cruise or island hop) but next year traveling is jam packed for all of us (we also have a Mexico trip next year) so we understood but in terms of our plans it is different planning for just my husband and I than if we are planning around with our friends to come join.

Again thank you for your information you've shared

Sorry taking this thread a bit OT,Just my tip about Mallorca. A one-day port stop does no justice. Since we live in Germany we had been there many times before as a land only. The island is breathtaking an offer so much. Whether you’re a party type or a relaxing type or an outdoors, hiking,biking, exploring type. I was happy to see this sailing stopped there As and I could go back to one of my favorite beaches.

United Airlines now flys there nonstop from Newark to Palma. I highly recommend checking it out because Mallorca can be expensive but doesn’t have to be.

It’s cool how I just learned that Disney is now stopping there tooo

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We absolutely loved Virgin Voyages. The food was the best we've had on a cruise ship. Also, there's not a lot of extra charges, save alcohol/specialty coffee. Even with that, they have specials that they run. When we went, they had a deal where if you put in $300 to the "bar tab", they added an extra $100.

I thought that the hammock on the balcony would be a gimmick, but we found that it was one of our favorite things. Also, we enjoyed the little touches (included ice cream was gelato, there was a popsicle stand, pre-made "take-away" food boxes, there was free gummy bears/twizzlers/taffy and other snacks in the Social Club, great "bowl" making place hidden away on the deck). The shows (save one, and you will know which one it is when you board - it's not one of the main ones) are great and very different than traditional cruise fare. Their "Beach Club" in Bimini was a lot of fun too...

The only downside is that the pool area is a bit small, but we still enjoyed it.

So much good information from real life experience with them, thank you!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Sorry taking this thread a bit OT,Just my tip about Mallorca. A one-day port stop does no justice. Since we live in Germany we had been there many times before as a land only. The island is breathtaking an offer so much. Whether you’re a party type or a relaxing type or an outdoors, hiking,biking, exploring type. I was happy to see this sailing stopped there As and I could go back to one of my favorite beaches.

United Airlines now flys there nonstop from Newark to Palma. I highly recommend checking it out because Mallorca can be expensive but doesn’t have to be.

It’s cool how I just learned that Disney is now stopping there tooo

Good tips, when I was looking at it I could totally see spending several days there. Back to Greece for a moment, today we were watching an hour and a half long video of this couple who island hopped in Greece, although they spent 2 weeks there which is longer than we would it gives you an idea that def. some places are hard to even think about as a cruise stop vs actually spending a bit of time there. Mallorca would fall under that I believe needing more time to enjoy the beauty of it.

Off topic for the thread all this chatter but learning new things here

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I appreciate your experience, we're in the early stages of potentially planning a greek island cruise and so we're checking out multiple cruise lines, although I will echo was someone else said there's a lot of comparing DCL to Royal Caribbean. It's hard to get an idea if most of your viewpoint is just coming from wishing and hoping it was like DCL and it's not meeting that expectation rather than just giving your experience as a first timer on Royal Caribbean (which is what I personally was selfishly hoping for as that would help me out). It's a lot like people who are really loyal Disney fans who try out Universal and just can't help from comparing everything to Disney while they are in Universal. It ends up being less about the experience and more about wishing it was Disney, so in this case wishing it was DCL.

I tend to recommend on the Disney vs Universal stuff if you're so loyal to Disney that's okay, you don't have to force Universal. In this case if you're loyal to DCL no need to force Royal Caribbean.

Back to the actual thread what made you want to try out Royal Caribbean as opposed to sticking with DCL? Was it the ports of call? Was it the price point? Was it the size of the ship? I realize this was/is a group trip I just wondered if you were not really wanting Royal Caribbean but that was the cruise line settled upon

THIS! Look I love both Disney and Universal equally but I did not make a full comparison until I actually stayed on UOR property. Just like i wont make a comparison to DLR and WDW until my trip in August.

I will reiterate what I said earlier and that is I am happy OP started this thread and that we all have to realize we have different opinions and experiences. I want to hear the good and the bad and the ugly.

 

[mullysisters]

Disembarked at 9:00, was a very smooth process. Was passing time in Windjammer when called … 30 minutes from time called to my car in the parking garage.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Thank you for your experiences. We have never cruised, until now! July 18 on the Wonder. So looking forward to it. It has taken me many months to internalize the cost but we are ready to go and have a great time. At 64 I would probably sail HAL next, transatlantic, a life list cruise. I mostly would look forward to the sailing and seeing the ocean but the food has to be hot and edible at the very least. A great trip report inspiring some great discussions.

 

[epcotrulz]

Thank you for your experiences. We have never cruised, until now! July 18 on the Wonder. So looking forward to it. It has taken me many months to internalize the cost but we are ready to go and have a great time. At 64 I would probably sail HAL next, transatlantic, a life list cruise. I mostly would look forward to the sailing and seeing the ocean but the food has to be hot and edible at the very least. A great trip report inspiring some great discussions.

You’re welcome!! Everyone’s mileage will vary. I think you will love the Wonder. That was my first Disney cruise ship and I was hooked ever since.

 

[mab2012]

I've posted similar comments in other threads, but since it's on-topic here:

My family took a cruise on Adventure of the Seas last summer. We'd spent two weeks on Wonder the previous year, so it was recent enough for us to compare.

Not that we really meant to compare, but we couldn't help it, and DCL almost always won. In small ways, but overall, for us, DCL clearly came out on top. From food (we think DCL is a step better in the MDE and much better at the buffet,) entertainment, and theming, to stupid things like the towels, we just felt that it wasn't as good.

That's not to say we didn't enjoy it (we did) or that we would never do it again (we would, under the right circumstances,) but I do understand OP's perspective. For the same money / itinerary we would choose DCL every time, and my teenagers agree. For a moderate price premium, we'd still choose DCL. But there IS a limit.

We sailed shortly after the restart, so we didn't have any complaints about the service and never waited in line, but then there were under 500 passengers on a ship built for nearly 4000. I can easily believe that wait times could be a problem on a full ship. We did enjoy the ice show and the FlowRider, and I'm sure we got far more time on it than normal. Beyond that though... we're really looking forward to getting back to DCL in a couple of weeks!