DCL cruisers tried Royal...

[auntlynne]

I’ve never been on a cruise but I read these things because I think I’d like to one day. I definitely consider buying a soda package “nickel and diming” as well as the mandatory tipping (including providing envelopes) of all? Most? Cruise lines. Soda, tea, water, juice, coffee should all be part of your cost.

Tipping should be at your discretion—period.

These are the 2 main things keeping me from ever trying a cruise.

Gratuities above the cruise fare is an industry standard - with Virgin Voyages rocking the boat and including them.

Those envelopes are a Disney thing, from my experience. Usually, it’s just ”automatic gratuity” on my daily charges.

…This year is a bad one for a first-time cruise. Prices and crowds are up. The companies must be loving it! Smaller, older ships, and off-season are great options, though.

 

[starvenger]

No, just curious if you have and which ones if so at Concierge Level.

No, I've never done concierge, and thus I don't speak about it other than maybe comparing prices. So unfortunately I can't help you there, apart from pointing you to Gary from Tips for Travelers.

 

[European]

…This year is a bad one for a first-time cruise. Prices and crowds are up. The companies must be loving it! Smaller, older ships, and off-season are great options, though.

I think tourism in general is crowded and so expensive nowadays, with less service than before. But perhaps people are still doing their post COVID travel revenge (I know I am). And lots of companies in tourism must have had enormous losses and need to make up for it.

 

[LAS2AMS]

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!

I’ve been following this thread and it’s sad when I read responses similar to yours. It’s obvious from his review that he had his heart set on a Disney cruise and was going to be dissatisfied with anything else. A lot of Disney fanatics are like that, it’s completely fine.

But the way he justifies it is ridiculous. The price of the $100 soda package dropped by $10, and he had a hard time getting that $10 refund therefore he likes the Disney way of paying $4,000 more for his cruise better! He doesn’t like the fact that Royal had upcharge restaurants like Playmakers…even though an equivalent of Disney does not exist. And a poolside snack bar on Disney that offers tenders and burgers made all the difference in the world because putting on a shirt to grab such items from Royal’s buffet (and bring them back to the pool) is just too much of a hassle.

I love Disney but I’ve never had a disappointing cruise on Royal (or any other cruise line, really). Once you get past the Disney ambiance, the product is largely the same. Obviously some people feel that Disney ambiance is worth a ton of money, otherwise Disney wouldn’t be charging what it does, and that’s completely fine.

Last fall we took a repositioning cruise on Royal from Rome to Miami. 13-nights and $950 (including taxes and fees) total for three people (all adults by Disney standards). TOTAL, not per person. Absolutely amazing cruise. They even dumped a lot of premium provisions in the MDR and buffet…

 

[tidefan]

I’ve been following this thread and it’s sad when I read responses similar to yours. It’s obvious from his review that he had his heart set on a Disney cruise and was going to be dissatisfied with anything else. A lot of Disney fanatics are like that, it’s completely fine.

But the way he justifies it is ridiculous. The price of the $100 soda package dropped by $10, and he had a hard time getting that $10 refund therefore he likes the Disney way of paying $4,000 more for his cruise better! He doesn’t like the fact that Royal had upcharge restaurants like Playmakers…even though an equivalent of Disney does not exist. And a poolside snack bar on Disney that offers tenders and burgers made all the difference in the world because putting on a shirt to grab such items from Royal’s buffet is just too much of a hassle.

Well, I think that this is a bit harsh. IMHO, we are all entitled to our opinions and what works for one person may or may not work for someone else.

I happen to agree with OP on the whole about RCCL in particular. It's not just one thing, but it's the sum of a whole bunch of different things, sometimes, just little things. For instance, we sailed on Oasis OTS in 2022, and they only had 1 free soft serve stand open, located on the upper deck. It closed at 5:30pm. Now, you COULD get ice cream at the extra pay ice cream place all the way up to 10pm. Now, let's compare that, not even to Disney, but to the Carnival Mardi Gras that we sailed a couple of months after Oasis. They had 3 separate soft serve locations and they were all open 24/7. The whole towel check out thing bugged me too, especially as I had to fight a "non-return" charge on one of our RCCL cruises, even though we always returned our towels.

Now, this really isn't about ice cream or towels, but more about the business model of RCCL. I mean, everyone talks about the cost, but quite honestly, especially if you look at the Icon, it's as much or more now than many Disney cruises. Other lines tend to be much more reasonable. We all preferred the then new Carnival Mardi Gras to Oasis (granted, Oasis was hindered by "CATS", which is the worst cruise ship production I've ever seen) and it wasn't close. That said, for us, we really aren't "bells and whistles" people in that we don't care about flowriders or ice rinks or rock walls. That does nothing for us. We more enjoy included food, and lines like Carnival, Princess, and especially Virgin Voyages are going to win there for us. However, if you ARE into all of the "bells and whistles" stuff, RCCL would be great for you. It just depends on each person and what they like. Similarly, if you value the experience that Disney provides, of course it is worth it!

All this said, I haven't been on a cruise on any of these lines that I wouldn't go on again, so there is that too

 

[ray3127]

I’ve been following this thread and it’s sad when I read responses similar to yours. It’s obvious from his review that he had his heart set on a Disney cruise and was going to be dissatisfied with anything else. A lot of Disney fanatics are like that, it’s completely fine.

But the way he justifies it is ridiculous. The price of the $100 soda package dropped by $10, and he had a hard time getting that $10 refund therefore he likes the Disney way of paying $4,000 more for his cruise better! He doesn’t like the fact that Royal had upcharge restaurants like Playmakers…even though an equivalent of Disney does not exist. And a poolside snack bar on Disney that offers tenders and burgers made all the difference in the world because putting on a shirt to grab such items from Royal’s buffet (and bring them back to the pool) is just too much of a hassle.

I love Disney but I’ve never had a disappointing cruise on Royal (or any other cruise line, really). Once you get past the Disney ambiance, the product is largely the same. Obviously some people feel that Disney ambiance is worth a ton of money, otherwise Disney wouldn’t be charging what it does, and that’s completely fine.

Last fall we took a repositioning cruise on Royal from Rome to Miami. 13-nights and $950 (including taxes and fees) total for three people (all adults by Disney standards). TOTAL, not per person. Absolutely amazing cruise. They even dumped a lot of premium provisions in the MDR and buffet…

The review police strikes again!

This is why I rarely post anymore. People insinuate that my opinions are invalid because of 'x', 'y', and 'z.' So I just don't bother.

To call my "justifications" ridiculous, is (ahem) ridiculous. For the 27th time, it's about a whole lot more than soda. If "soda" all you got out of my posts, then you missed the plot.

I'm glad that you've never had a disappointing cruise elsewhere. I have, so I shared about it.

I'm sorry that people who found my review helpful make you sad.

 

[LAS2AMS]

The review police strikes again!

This is why I rarely post anymore. People insinuate that my opinions are invalid because of 'x', 'y', and 'z.' So I just don't bother.

To call my "justifications" ridiculous, is (ahem) ridiculous. For the 27th time, it's about a whole lot more than soda. If "soda" all you got out of my posts, then you missed the plot.

I'm glad that you've never had a disappointing cruise elsewhere. I have, so I shared about it.

I'm sorry that people who found my review helpful make you sad.

Except that in reading your review, you were mostly disappointed because you had your heart set on a Disney cruise and it wasn’t. Instead of acknowledging that, you stretch for mostly silly reasons to justify your thinking.

I’m hardly the review police. To some people, Disney is a cult — unless they’re staying at a Disney property, eating at Disney restaurants, etc. they’re going to be disappointed. If you know that, why bother to try something non-Disney to begin with?

If watching full length hit Broadway show is boring to you compared to watching a show in which Peter Pan tries to convince you that magic exists if you believe it in, then yes you’re not going to like Royal.

 

[tidefan]

Except that in reading your review, you were mostly disappointed because you had your heart set on a Disney cruise and it wasn’t. Instead of acknowledging that, you stretch for mostly silly reasons to justify your thinking.

I’m hardly the review police. To some people, Disney is a cult — unless they’re staying at a Disney property, eating at Disney restaurants, etc. they’re going to be disappointed. If you know that, why bother to try something non-Disney to begin with?

If watching full length hit Broadway show is boring to you compared to watching a show in which Peter Pan tries to convince you that magic exists if you believe it in, then yes you’re not going to like Royal.

Well, I went to what was a full length Broadway show on Oasis and half the theater was gone by intermission. While I had seen CATS before, this version was painful!

Search it on Cruise Critic and you’ll see that lm not the only one. That said, they do say that other shows (like Mamma Mia) are better…

 

[LAS2AMS]

Well, I went to what was a full length Broadway show on Oasis and half the theater was gone by intermission. While I had seen CATS before, this version was painful!

Search it on Cruise Critic and you’ll see that lm not the only one. That said, they do say that other shows (like Mamma Mia) are better…

People walk out on shows all the time, no exceptions including Disney. Half the audience? If it’s not an exaggeration it must be specific to your cruise. I’m ashamed to admit how many cruises we’ve been on and I’ve never see anything close to that… and I’ve see many, many snoozers.

 

[ray3127]

Except that in reading your review, you were mostly disappointed because you had your heart set on a Disney cruise and it wasn’t. Instead of acknowledging that, you stretch for mostly silly reasons to justify your thinking.

I’m hardly the review police. To some people, Disney is a cult — unless they’re staying at a Disney property, eating at Disney restaurants, etc. they’re going to be disappointed. If you know that, why bother to try something non-Disney to begin with?

If watching full length hit Broadway show is boring to you compared to watching a show in which Peter Pan tries to convince you that magic exists if you believe it in, then yes you’re not going to like Royal.

Go back and re-read my words with an open mind, and you might be surprised.

I'm not going to re-litigate all of the reasons the cruise fell short for us, but here were the biggies:
- Poor quality food
- Smoking directly adjacent to a large portion of the pool decks.
- Restrictive kids clubs hours
- Add-on process where the price constantly changed
- Pool deck conveniences (towels & food)
- Crowds, especially on the pool deck

The items listed above are not really up for debate. They were our impressions, and they are valid. You might not think they are a big deal, but they mattered to me.

We didn't have a miserable time. There were certainly things we enjoyed, and overall those are the pieces we will remember.

Overall, it didn't add up to a relaxing cruise experience. But I wanted it to. Very badly. Because we could be cruising more often, and/or for less money, if that was the case. But unfortunately it wasn't.

The experience was helpful in that it led me to realize that, for now, DCL is best for our family. We feel good about that conclusion, regardless of your flippant remarks towards me.

I am all for a respectful conversation & discussion, but you're basically calling me a Disney rube. To call my thought process "silly" ... that's downright disrespectful and rude.

I am not part of the "Disney cult" that you mention, nor did I have my heart set on a Disney cruise. In fact, The Walt Disney Company has frustrated me to no end in recent years.

In summary, you are completely wrong. But you're also obviously not worth arguing with. It's times like these that I'm glad the DIS has the "ignore" button.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I’ve been following this thread and it’s sad when I read responses similar to yours.

Condescending

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Well, my reluctance to the tipping is i would be one person cruising solo. I don’t need turn down, I don’t need beds dropped out of the ceiling or whatever. I don’t need 2-3 waiters during my meal. I don’t need a “team”. heck I don’t even need ONE person. To me cruising seems like a floating resort. I’ll do what I want when I feel like it and I can take care of my room and myself.

I can see where the value is not there overall for a solo cruiser. For me a lot of the value is that I do not have to think about what to feed people for a week— absolutely glorious when you have 3 male teenagers who constantly ask what’s for dinner, what’s for breakfast, can you make cookies??? And then not having to constantly remind them, can you bring me your laundry? Also, once we do not use the kids clubs— I don’t know about dcl. You are subsidizing very extravagant kids clubs on dcl when you cruise without kids or solo cruise. That would annoy me. But there do seem to be a lot of people solo cruising. Probably not as many on dcl, because they don’t really encourage it with their pricing. There are other lines that do.

 

[tidefan]

I can see where the value is not there overall for a solo cruiser. For me a lot of the value is that I do not have to think about what to feed people for a week— absolutely glorious when you have 3 male teenagers who constantly ask what’s for dinner, what’s for breakfast, can you make cookies??? And then not having to constantly remind them, can you bring me your laundry? Also, once we do not use the kids clubs— I don’t know about dcl. You are subsidizing very extravagant kids clubs on dcl when you cruise without kids or solo cruise. That would annoy me. But there do seem to be a lot of people solo cruising. Probably not as many on dcl, because they don’t really encourage it with their pricing. There are other lines that do.

That's when you start adding in Virgin Voyages or something like Princess/Celebrity/HAL...

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Except that in reading your review, you were mostly disappointed because you had your heart set on a Disney cruise and it wasn’t. Instead of acknowledging that, you stretch for mostly silly reasons to justify your thinking.

I’m hardly the review police. To some people, Disney is a cult — unless they’re staying at a Disney property, eating at Disney restaurants, etc. they’re going to be disappointed. If you know that, why bother to try something non-Disney to begin with?

If watching full length hit Broadway show is boring to you compared to watching a show in which Peter Pan tries to convince you that magic exists if you believe it in, then yes you’re not going to like Royal.

It’s the review police because it is trying to control other people by telling them what they should or should not write/think. I’ve figured out that there are two kids of people in the world (and therefore two kinds of people on disboards lol), people who live and people who live to control other people. If you study history, you see this time and time again.

 

[starvenger]

That's when you start adding in Virgin Voyages or something like Princess/Celebrity/HAL...

Was it NCL that had an area/common room designed specifically for solo travelers? I thought that was a good idea.

 

[starvenger]

The experience was helpful in that it led me to realize that, for now, DCL is best for our family.

This was one of the key takeaways for me. You tried Royal, you seemed to have a good, but not great time, and overall you weren't feeling it, and gave specific reasons why.

As someone who sails and likes Royal more than DCL, I could see and appreciate your POV. And I'm surprised that you even need to defend your opinions/position.

 

[mjkacmom]

Was it NCL that had an area/common room designed specifically for solo travelers? I thought that was a good idea.

Yes, they have solo cabins with a solo lounge, and a coordinator. I think they are adding solo insides, OV and balconies.

 

[TeamRiley]

… and I’ve see many, many snoozers.

That is becuase you are on the wrong cruise line.

 

[LAS2AMS]

It’s the review police because it is trying to control other people by telling them what they should or should not write/think. I’ve figured out that there are two kids of people in the world (and therefore two kinds of people on disboards lol), people who live and people who live to control other people. If you study history, you see this time and time again.

I didn’t tell him how to think. I pointed out that he had his heart set of a Disney cruise. I’ve been on these forums for 20+ years and I’ve never understood why people who are so obsessed with Disney that they can’t enjoy anything else, try something that’s non-Disney and then complain about it.

I’d happily bet that somebody else in his party was the one who decided on Royal…

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I didn’t tell him how to think. I pointed out that he had his heart set of a Disney cruise. I’ve been on these forums for 20+ years and I’ve never understood why people who are so obsessed with Disney that they can’t enjoy anything else, try something that’s non-Disney and then complain about it.

I’d happily bet that somebody else in his party was the one who decided on Royal…

It’s pretty evident to me that people are desperate to like other cruises besides Disney. We just pulled the trigger and booked celebrity for 2025 (@DCLMP— not Royal but close!). One balcony, one inside cabin on Beyond- newest celebrity ship. $4600 eastern Caribbean. (Amazing fares right now on celebrity if anyone is interested). Almost the same cruise on dcl $13500 (One ocean view, one inside). I mean it’s mind numbing. It’s not like you’re comparing a marriot off the highway to a ritz Carlton in Paris. Celebrity’s new ship is probably more luxurious than dcl. And yet… yes, I’d rather be on dcl. Unfortunately (or fortunately!), we have three kids, and we are not sailing dcl as a regular deal. In fact, the last time we sailed dcl, we booked one cabin, sailed off season, and only took two of our kids to save money. But if you don’t have three kids, dcl $ is probably easier to swallow. So I think when someone says they don’t enjoy other cruise lines as much as dcl, I think it is more of a lament than anything else.