DCL cruisers tried Royal...

[anjuan]

We have only ever sailed DCL. A part of me feels like we should try something else (21 cruises and counting!), but then again, if we are all happy and enjoying it, why? My daughter just turned 18, and I asked her if she wanted to do a different cruise line and she looked at me like I'd grown a second head.

I've watched a lot of vlogs of Royal, NCL, and Virgin, and they just do not look appealing to me. The things they have that Disney doesn't are not really things I would do (e.g., bumper cars, Flowrider, etc.) or things that we can do at home pretty easily (e.g., ice skating---there are rinks right here, I'm not doing that on a vacation). We are Disney people though, so not surprising. The good thing is that there are so many options out there, there really is something for everyone. It's that magic that really makes it special for us.

Your comment about your daughter looking at you like you had a second head for going on a different line made me laugh. We did go on a NCL cruise this past May because of the itnerary that DCL didn't have. Even during the cruise my 19 yr old mentioned how she missed DCL and didn't want to go on NCL again (and this was on their brand new ship).

 

[elvispursley]

Thank you for your review!

 

[DCLMP]

Yes, I do hate this. What’s crazy is carnival does this too but you can almost always get $50 or $25 deposits, so if we have to cancel we won’t be to upset about losing the deposit. Still I am much more reluctant to pull the trigger on carnival than I am on Disney or Princess— carnival’s loss. We booked a Hal cruise once and had to cancel— their deposits are all refundable.

And along with the hard to describe meh Ncl vibe I get from Royal, I also REALLY hate how I can’t put a hold on a Royal booking. That’s how we book. I find the cruise, put a hold on it, then get feedback from dh and if he says it’s a go, we have to check our work schedules and all the kids’ schedules. I usually then get the cruise line in house travel agents to book the hold. So tell Royal to get rid of the no holds and non refundable deposits!

Princess is doing this too.

 

[CarolynFH]

Princess is doing this too.

Which is Princess doing - nonrefundable deposits, no holds, or both? I'm asking because I'm considering looking at Princess for our next cruise, but I'd like to know their payment requirements first.

 

[auntlynne]

Which is Princess doing - nonrefundable deposits, no holds, or both? I'm asking because I'm considering looking at Princess for our next cruise, but I'd like to know their payment requirements first.

I am still getting mail from Princess touting refundable deposits.

 

[auntlynne]

I personally disagree here. It IS nickel and diming, regardless of how many other mainstream cruise lines do it. One of the ways the other cruise lines get you in is offering a low price up front, and then charging you for everything extra: soda package, specialty restaurants, etc etc. It's like the Spirit Airlines model. Once you start pricing in all the etras, the delta in price between DCL and other mainstream cruiselines lessens. DCL is still more, mind you, but the other things around service, food quality, etc., then come into play.

I haven't recently sailed on RCCL (though we've been considering it), but we do swap back and forth between DCL and NCL, partly because of the price, and honestly we are a DCL-preferred family as well. It's just sometimes the DCL price is too high for us, or DCL doesn't have the itinerary we want, so we sail another cruise line, but we always miss the level of service, food, and lack of constant "pay extra for this" that occurs on the Disney Cruise Line.

The unintentional? use of the word, “delta,” made me laugh; made me think you were going to compare Spirit to Delta.

 

[auntlynne]

This may have little value to the conversation, but I am responding to the phrase,
Nickel and diming. Not that it’s wrong, incorrect or being misused. It just set my brain wheels in motion. (It gets used on any forum when discussing various cruise lines, but not Disney. I don’t think Viking or Virgin are subject to the phrase.)

I just call it “what is this going to cost me?” It starts with the do you want to chose your cabin or let us choose? (Disney calls it a GTY rate - and also shows it as the cheapest rate for a category. But they don’t typically offer that far out from sail date).

It’s the taxes not included in the room quote (or rather, the per-person cost, if not Disney). You have to fill in personal info before you see the taxes included. And, yes, I have learned to jot down the $ amount (written in small letters) from the first page. It sets the tone for the relationship. Almost a bait-and-switch. Look at our low price.

Disney - I have complimentary Palo (years and $ spent to get this ). Coke is no charge if fountain (including MDR), onboard has no activity I chose to purchase. The cost is the quoted price, gratuities, and whichever excursions I opt to do (be they ship or independent).

It’s not just nickel and diming money, but also time. I am not rushing around onboard, sometimes daily, to get reservations for meals or activities.

Precruise, I don’t have to keep an eye out for price drops on cruise fare or soda packages.

It definitely is a less stressful cruise in many respects (familiarity plays into that). Way less stressful than WDW (home of the $5 bottle Cokes and ever-lengthening queue times).

But I do try other cruiselines and their various ships and have had pretty good results. Especially to see new places - or save money.

I don’t think about these things very often; this thread just brought it out of me.

I have only sailed once on Royal; it wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t offer such a great experience to lure me back. I sailed NCL 3 times from Sep-Dec and would do them again. Also sailed with Princess, MSC, and one Carnival.

Royal started on the wrong foot when we found out there was no laundromat and I was traveling with a college student who had packed mainly dirty laundry. We both were Disney cruisers and were used to laundromat pricing $2/wash v $2 to launder a shirt.

Smoke, no reserved table (but we ended up with the same table and servers each night on Anytime Dining), mall atmosphere, and Western Caribbean itinerary. Too many bad variables.

I needed to use some of my brain’s word allotment; thanks, all.

 

[Erica1016]

he unintentional? use of the word, “delta,” made me laugh

In this case, "delta" is the "difference". My science brain had no problem, but when I reread, I can see what you mean!

 

[kps7795]

This may have little value to the conversation, but I am responding to the phrase,
Nickel and diming. Not that it’s wrong, incorrect or being misused. It just set my brain wheels in motion. (It gets used on any forum when discussing various cruise lines, but not Disney. I don’t think Viking or Virgin are subject to the phrase.)

I just call it “what is this going to cost me?” It starts with the do you want to chose your cabin or let us choose? (Disney calls it a GTY rate - and also shows it as the cheapest rate for a category. But they don’t typically offer that far out from sail date).

It’s the taxes not included in the room quote (or rather, the per-person cost, if not Disney). You have to fill in personal info before you see the taxes included. And, yes, I have learned to jot down the $ amount (written in small letters) from the first page. It sets the tone for the relationship. Almost a bait-and-switch. Look at our low price.

Disney - I have complimentary Palo (years and $ spent to get this ). Coke is no charge if fountain (including MDR), onboard has no activity I chose to purchase. The cost is the quoted price, gratuities, and whichever excursions I opt to do (be they ship or independent).

It’s not just nickel and diming money, but also time. I am not rushing around onboard, sometimes daily, to get reservations for meals or activities.

Precruise, I don’t have to keep an eye out for price drops on cruise fare or soda packages.

It definitely is a less stressful cruise in many respects (familiarity plays into that). Way less stressful than WDW (home of the $5 bottle Cokes and ever-lengthening queue times).

But I do try other cruiselines and their various ships and have had pretty good results. Especially to see new places - or save money.

I don’t think about these things very often; this thread just brought it out of me.

I have only sailed once on Royal; it wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t offer such a great experience to lure me back. I sailed NCL 3 times from Sep-Dec and would do them again. Also sailed with Princess, MSC, and one Carnival.

Royal started on the wrong foot when we found out there was no laundromat and I was traveling with a college student who had packed mainly dirty laundry. We both were Disney cruisers and were used to laundromat pricing $2/wash v $2 to launder a shirt.

Smoke, no reserved table (but we ended up with the same table and servers each night on Anytime Dining), mall atmosphere, and Western Caribbean itinerary. Too many bad variables.

I needed to use some of my brain’s word allotment; thanks, all.

Perhaps we're all getting caught up in semantics, but "nickel and diming" is how my DW and I described our experience on two Royal cruises. What we didn't like were things like the upcharge AT the MDRs. It's one thing to have a restaurant that you have to pay additional money for like Palo, but it really got under our skin that the menu has a regular steak or a better steak for additional money.

 

[Cfabar1]

There is nothing more annoying to me than sitting in the Central Park or something like that and having some peddler come up to you and ask "if you have had the opportunity to reserve your premium dining"....

The whole point of a vacation is to relax and have less pressure....

Not experiencing that is definitely worth paying a premium....

 

[Lorana]

The unintentional? use of the word, “delta,” made me laugh; made me think you were going to compare Spirit to Delta.

Ha ha ha, it was unintentional, as I just meant the difference, but the comparison also sort of works... though basic fares where everything from seat selection to carry-ons, etc., is extra is a good example of what I feel is nickel-and-diming.

 

[tinkerone]

This may have little value to the conversation, but I am responding to the phrase,
Nickel and diming. Not that it’s wrong, incorrect or being misused. It just set my brain wheels in motion. (It gets used on any forum when discussing various cruise lines, but not Disney. I don’t think Viking or Virgin are subject to the phrase.)

I just call it “what is this going to cost me?” It starts with the do you want to chose your cabin or let us choose? (Disney calls it a GTY rate - and also shows it as the cheapest rate for a category. But they don’t typically offer that far out from sail date).

It’s the taxes not included in the room quote (or rather, the per-person cost, if not Disney). You have to fill in personal info before you see the taxes included. And, yes, I have learned to jot down the $ amount (written in small letters) from the first page. It sets the tone for the relationship. Almost a bait-and-switch. Look at our low price.

Disney - I have complimentary Palo (years and $ spent to get this ). Coke is no charge if fountain (including MDR), onboard has no activity I chose to purchase. The cost is the quoted price, gratuities, and whichever excursions I opt to do (be they ship or independent).

It’s not just nickel and diming money, but also time. I am not rushing around onboard, sometimes daily, to get reservations for meals or activities.

Precruise, I don’t have to keep an eye out for price drops on cruise fare or soda packages.

It definitely is a less stressful cruise in many respects (familiarity plays into that). Way less stressful than WDW (home of the $5 bottle Cokes and ever-lengthening queue times).

But I do try other cruiselines and their various ships and have had pretty good results. Especially to see new places - or save money.

I don’t think about these things very often; this thread just brought it out of me.

I have only sailed once on Royal; it wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t offer such a great experience to lure me back. I sailed NCL 3 times from Sep-Dec and would do them again. Also sailed with Princess, MSC, and one Carnival.

Royal started on the wrong foot when we found out there was no laundromat and I was traveling with a college student who had packed mainly dirty laundry. We both were Disney cruisers and were used to laundromat pricing $2/wash v $2 to launder a shirt.

Smoke, no reserved table (but we ended up with the same table and servers each night on Anytime Dining), mall atmosphere, and Western Caribbean itinerary. Too many bad variables.

I needed to use some of my brain’s word allotment; thanks, all.

We have sailed Royal ten times, mostly B2B. They offer a laundry service at $35 dollars for all you can fit in the bag and if you fold your cloths you can fit one heck of a lot in there. I know its not the same as having a washer and dryer available however I hate trying to get one of those when others couldn't be bothered to come and remove their items from the machines. Handing the bag over and getting everything back clean and folded, for us, is worth every penny.
I also think, and I could be wrong here, that the cost of using DCL is now $3 per load. Again, that could be me not remembering correctly.
I've heard of the issue with smoke but have only encountered it while in the casino, never outside. I like the casino but I do have to remove everything I wore in there and toss it into the laundry immediately. We do 'My Time Dining' when we use the dining rooms and usually get the same table and servers. We prefer the buffet though, something DCL does not offer.
As for taxes not included until you fill out your personal info, that isn't how it works on the RCL website. You get the full cost before you input anything personal. You just need to scroll to the bottom of the page and presto, there it is. Not sure about any other line though.
No one has to keep their eyes open for a price drop in cruise cost or drink package, if your happy with what you paid just don't look. It's nice to know that there is a possibility of a price reduction, you don't get that on DCL, at least not in years.
Yes, soda is no cost....unless you go to a bar or entertainment venue. You can always run and grab one from the dispenser but it's nice to not have to do that and not get a bill for something they claim as included.
We have complementary Palo as well but that isn't the great thing it used to be now that they have a prefix menu.
I've never had to run around and book activities or specialty dining on the day of, do other cruise lines not allow prebooking? I'm only familiar with DCL and RCCL.
Not trying to change a mind here, just giving a different perspective.

There is nothing more annoying to me than sitting in the Central Park or something like that and having some peddler come up to you and ask "if you have had the opportunity to reserve your premium dining"....

The whole point of a vacation is to relax and have less pressure....

Not experiencing that is definitely worth paying a premium....

10 RCCL cruises and I have never had anyone come up to me in Central Park to try and sell me anything. We spend a good amount of our day there and always book Central Park balcony, never seen this. For us, it's a very relaxing spot. Trust me, I would not be happy if I was approached there.
We have had staff approach us on boarding day but only in the Promenade and the buffet. A simple no thank you sends them on their way.

 

[Cfabar1]

10 RCCL cruises and I have never had anyone come up to me in Central Park to try and sell me anything. We spend a good amount of our day there and always book Central Park balcony, never seen this. For us, it's a very relaxing spot. Trust me, I would not be happy if I was approached there.
We have had staff approach us on boarding day but only in the Promenade and the buffet. A simple no thank you sends them on their way.

Glad for you.... We had it happen at least 2 times, maybe 3 on our Allure sailing.... And that wasn't the only location it happened on board.

So far it has been our only Royal Cruise.... We are doing DCL so long as we need the nursery, we feel more comfortable with DCL and our kids than Royal... maybe controversial to say, but nevertheless how we feel... When we age out of that, probably will switch to Celebrity.

 

[loislane]

Not RCCL, but we just got off NCL last week and two big things I did not like.

1. Having to go to a bar to get a soda. The deal we got included the unlimited beverage package, but we aren't big drinkers, mostly preferring a soda. I hated having to go to one of the bars to get one and REALLY didn't like seeing children waiting at the bar to get a soda.

2. Our package also included 150 minutes of wifi, and I did not realize the time would keep ticking on those minutes unless I went to a specific site and logged out. So, I basically used it up 150 minutes after logging on - lol. Anyway, I knew I would want it for the cruise, so I went ahead and bought it when the app prompted me. Then the next day I heard from no less than 4 other people in our group that they also purchased it, at the internet cafe on board, for $100 less!!! Needless to say, I went right to the cafe, where I had to wait in line about 30 minutes, to ask why mine was so much more. At first, the guy said the lower price was a special deal for people who used up their 150 minutes and opted to buy a package. I explained that was what happened to me and he had to look something up based on my room number. In the end, they gave me $100 back, but I hated that I had to go through the hassle of asking for it. And I never would have known there was another price if I hadn't heard from other people.

Those things aside, we mostly enjoyed our cruise (except for the 36 hours my husband was down with food poisoning) and we personally did not experience much of people trying to sell us anything. We got approached a few times the first night or two - for the art auction and maybe one other thing, but we both have pretty good "we don't want your stuff" faces that tend to deter.

 

[auntlynne]

We have sailed Royal ten times, mostly B2B. They offer a laundry service at $35 dollars for all you can fit in the bag and if you fold your cloths you can fit one heck of a lot in there. I know its not the same as having a washer and dryer available however I hate trying to get one of those when others couldn't be bothered to come and remove their items from the machines. Handing the bag over and getting everything back clean and folded, for us, is worth every penny.
I also think, and I could be wrong here, that the cost of using DCL is now $3 per load. Again, that could be me not remembering correctly.
I've heard of the issue with smoke but have only encountered it while in the casino, never outside. I like the casino but I do have to remove everything I wore in there and toss it into the laundry immediately. We do 'My Time Dining' when we use the dining rooms and usually get the same table and servers. We prefer the buffet though, something DCL does not offer.
As for taxes not included until you fill out your personal info, that isn't how it works on the RCL website. You get the full cost before you input anything personal. You just need to scroll to the bottom of the page and presto, there it is. Not sure about any other line though.
No one has to keep their eyes open for a price drop in cruise cost or drink package, if your happy with what you paid just don't look. It's nice to know that there is a possibility of a price reduction, you don't get that on DCL, at least not in years.
Yes, soda is no cost....unless you go to a bar or entertainment venue. You can always run and grab one from the dispenser but it's nice to not have to do that and not get a bill for something they claim as included.
We have complementary Palo as well but that isn't the great thing it used to be now that they have a prefix menu.
I've never had to run around and book activities or specialty dining on the day of, do other cruise lines not allow prebooking? I'm only familiar with DCL and RCCL.
Not trying to change a mind here, just giving a different perspective.

10 RCCL cruises and I have never had anyone come up to me in Central Park to try and sell me anything. We spend a good amount of our day there and always book Central Park balcony, never seen this. For us, it's a very relaxing spot. Trust me, I would not be happy if I was approached there.
We have had staff approach us on boarding day but only in the Promenade and the buffet. A simple no thank you sends them on their way.

I like the tone of your response!

I definitely have mix-and-match memories of various cruiselines (especially ones not Disney). Yes, some ships you need to book activities or dining onboard - they don’t reserve to 100% capacity. And others don’t give you prices straight away. I truly look at a bunch of them: Princess, HAL, NCL, MSC, Cunard, Celebrity, Disney, and, yes, Royal.

You are correct: Laundry on Disney was $3 wash or dry recently. The $2 was the price on Disney around the time I sailed on Royal. And $35 for a bag of laundry is close to what I paid ($29 special) on NCL this December. My issue was that we started the trip having to pay for laundry (kid’s fault. But she was used to Disney having laundromat. I may have told her we could do it in the ship, having bad info, myself). I decided her laundry was about the same as my soda package - both things we could have / should have been able to avoid. (There was also a W/D in the hotel the night before. It was such a compounding of errors. And it’s not the cruise line’s problem nor fault.)

I really dislike smoke. Worse is my niece sounds like she’s gagging if she smells it (not just an act). Now that most places I frequent are smoke free, it really is obvious. And our Royal Muster Station was in the Casino - the non-smoking “side.” As if the lingering scent just stops at an imaginary line.

I have been on ships that have done a really good job of limiting the scent, but this was 2013 and it wasn’t quite there yet.

I mentioned somewhere that one cruise turned me off Royal for a bunch of not truly consequential reasons. If I had gone a different week, a different itinerary, or any number of factors, I might have become a Royal Loyal. It can’t be all bad - they have the repeat cruisers (and full ships on a large fleet) to prove it.

I would say that every cruise company I have tried is right for some people. We are fortunate to have choices.

 

[tinkerone]

I like the tone of your response!

I definitely have mix-and-match memories of various cruiselines (especially ones not Disney). Yes, some ships you need to book activities or dining onboard - they don’t reserve to 100% capacity. And others don’t give you prices straight away. I truly look at a bunch of them: Princess, HAL, NCL, MSC, Cunard, Celebrity, Disney, and, yes, Royal.

You are correct: Laundry on Disney was $3 wash or dry recently. The $2 was the price on Disney around the time I sailed on Royal. And $35 for a bag of laundry is close to what I paid ($29 special) on NCL this December. My issue was that we started the trip having to pay for laundry (kid’s fault. But she was used to Disney having laundromat. I may have told her we could do it in the ship, having bad info, myself). I decided her laundry was about the same as my soda package - both things we could have / should have been able to avoid. (There was also a W/D in the hotel the night before. It was such a compounding of errors. And it’s not the cruise line’s problem nor fault.)

I really dislike smoke. Worse is my niece sounds like she’s gagging if she smells it (not just an act). Now that most places I frequent are smoke free, it really is obvious. And our Royal Muster Station was in the Casino - the non-smoking “side.” As if the lingering scent just stops at an imaginary line.

I have been on ships that have done a really good job of limiting the scent, but this was 2013 and it wasn’t quite there yet.

I mentioned somewhere that one cruise turned me off Royal for a bunch of not truly consequential reasons. If I had gone a different week, a different itinerary, or any number of factors, I might have become a Royal Loyal. It can’t be all bad - they have the repeat cruisers (and full ships on a large fleet) to prove it.

I would say that every cruise company I have tried is right for some people. We are fortunate to have choices.

EWWW, I can’t imagine, having to use the casino for the safety drill. Even if it is the first day of a cruise you’re still going to eat the smoke from cruisers who just left that day. You would also have to change your clothes and shower immediately, that smokes sticks to everything. Definitely not a good decision on Royals part. I enjoy using the casino but I can’t stay there for very long. It’s just not the healthiest place.

 

[starvenger]

I really dislike smoke. Worse is my niece sounds like she’s gagging if she smells it (not just an act). Now that most places I frequent are smoke free, it really is obvious. And our Royal Muster Station was in the Casino - the non-smoking “side.” As if the lingering scent just stops at an imaginary line.

I have been on ships that have done a really good job of limiting the scent, but this was 2013 and it wasn’t quite there yet.

One thing I didn't like about France is how smoking is still very much a thing there. You can't smoke indoors, thankfully, but if you're outside, it's everywhere. Even saw a girl alternating between a cig and a vape. So if you're in a cafe with indoor/outdoor seating, the smell is going to waft in, whether you like it or not.

 

[Lillebelle]

Once we figured out to add salt & pepper to just about everything, it wasn't as bad. But still seriously lacking.

Yes, there was an ice show. It was very good! The ice show and Aqua show were impressive. We are just a Disney family, and prefer to feel some magic every now and again.



That's all I've heard for years: "it's worth a try." Well, I tried it, and didn't care for it that much. So I'm reporting my findings.

Sure, we're biased towards Disney. We are DVC owners after all. But as we've tried other vacations, we always seem to come back to Disney. As this is a Disney Cruise Line board, I gather most people here are biased towards Disney. So, I figured they'd be interested in my report.

I haven't read all the pages of responses but I just wanted to say I appreciated your report. We've only sailed Disney and are very happy with our Disney cruises but you can't help but wonder if you'd be better off not paying the Disney premium. The things you cited would bother me a lot so it sounds like for now we're making the right choice for us!

 

[Cheburashka]

One thing I didn't like about France is how smoking is still very much a thing there. You can't smoke indoors, thankfully, but if you're outside, it's everywhere. Even saw a girl alternating between a cig and a vape. So if you're in a cafe with indoor/outdoor seating, the smell is going to waft in, whether you like it or not.

Fortunately for us we never had that issue during our trip to France. We didn't spend much time hanging out in cafes, though.

 

[Lesverts]

Disney relativism on display here. Disney charges a premium, than also has premium prices on board for the things they do charge for. Disney merch is expensive. Disney's drink seminars are about twice the price compared to Celebrity. Disney drinks on board are near the most expensive I've seen on a cruise ship (incidentally Celebrity is the most expensive I've seen). Disney's specialty restaurants are some of the most expensive at sea. Only the chefs tables and multi-course tasting menus are more expensive. Disney's cabanas, that sell out months in advance, are the most expensive I've seen. And y'all act that Disney isn't after more of your money because they only have 2 specialty restaurants per ship and don't charge for soda that is probably only a couple cents per glass that I am sure they get for free from coke just like they do in the parks.

Disney Fantasy December 7 to 14. Eastern Caribbean. Inside stateroom: 5489 CAD
Celebrity Ascent December 8 to 15. Eastern Caribbean. Inside stateroom with prepaid gratuities: 2668 CAD. Ultimate specialty dining, premium drinks package and premium access (premium wifi, premium embarkation and disembarkation, room service fees waived, priority luggage and a bit more) total is 1957 CAD. For a total of 4625 CAD. Onboard I won't have to pay for a thing. On Disney I'd probably be spending another 600 to 800 dollars.

It is totally fine if the price difference and the difference in what is included is acceptable to you. I know I want to do another Disney cruise. But don't act like their premium price is fully justified because soda is included.