Trying RCCL instead of DCL

Smeece

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 20, 2014
My family has been on 4 Disney cruises and they're getting so expensive that we've decided to try something different. My wife and I cruised with RCCL many years ago but a lot has changed. We're thinking about a November cruise out of Galveston on the Adventure of the Seas but I have a couple of questions: Does RCCL offer a shuttle service from Houston Hobby airport that is pretty dependable and what are the seating arrangement like in the MDR's? Is it assigned seating or open seating?
 
what are the seating arrangement like in the MDR's? Is it assigned seating or open seating?
I'm not certain about Adventure but you should have both options. You have your traditional seating with set times and set tables, and "My Time Dining" which is flexible times and seating based on availability.

Allure will be sailing out of Galveston in 2021 I believe. Might be worth checking out.
 
We've been on Adventure of the Seas twice and one more coming up in August, all out of Bayonne, NJ. I definitely think you'll enjoy it. Not sure the ages of your kids, but have them check out the FlowRider at the rear of the ship and there's a two level mini golf course that's good to pass some time.

Anyway, they have two fixed seatings for dinner in the main dining room: one earlier (6:00ish) and the other at 8:00. The earlier one seems to book up the quickest, so if you want that one, you might want to book soon. If you pick one of those, they will assign you to a table. A hint would be to email them (I can find the email address if you like) about 3 weeks before you cruise and tell them if you have a table preference: for example, a table for four near the window, or whatever preference you may have. The past 3 cruises I've been on, my request has been granted every time. Unlike Disney, you don't rotate dining rooms. You would have the same wait staff each night.

You can also do "My Time Dining", where you don't get a specific time or table. In this case, you make a call each day to reserve a time for dinner. You might have a very short wait when you arrive for dinner. We've never done this, but many do...not sure if you can just "show up", but I imagine they would try to accommodate you.

There's also the Windjammer buffet for dinner. They tend to do a themed night each night and the food there is quite good and sometimes better then the main dining room.
 
Does RCCL offer a shuttle service from Houston Hobby airport that is pretty dependable and what are the seating arrangement like in the MDR's? Is it assigned seating or open seating?

We sailed out Galveston last winter. It was a great atmosphere on the ship and had some different islands for us. We liked it so much we booked the other Galveston itinerary. Adventure was maintained really well for an older ship. Hardly showed any wear and tear, and I'm picky since I sailed on all the Voyager-class ships now.

Our research showed Galveston Limo was the most dependable option for Hobby-Port transportation. You will probably get a big passenger van on the way down and then a motor coach on the way back. No complaints there. We flew in a day early to visit Johnson Space Center which was also great.

The MDR is assigned seating if you do the early or late scheduled service. You can make requests and link reservations to sit with other passengers. The MDR is the huge 3 floor Voyage design with beautiful views that is really a destination onto itself. And having the same waitstaff helps a lot with picky kids and preferences. By the 3rd or 4th night they'll be able to order for you.

On other hand, there is "My Time Dining". I can't relate but I'm sure it works well and is unassigned. I think they keep that to one floor of the MDR though, because I never saw people coming/going during our dinners.
 


We usually pick My Time Dining. I reserve the same time for every night using the Cruise Planner online. We always get placed at the same table each night with the same wait staff.
Denise
 
We did 3 DCL cruises and now have done 2 RCCL cruises. My son is 14 and he prefers RCCL. Hubby and I like having a drink package. We did early seating on our first RCCL cruise, but early is too early for us. We like to eat late so we switched to My Time Dining for our 2nd cruise and we liked it.
 
I'm not certain about Adventure but you should have both options. You have your traditional seating with set times and set tables, and "My Time Dining" which is flexible times and seating based on availability.

Allure will be sailing out of Galveston in 2021 I believe. Might be worth checking out.

I got off Adventure of the seas last saturday and I confirm they have assigned dining as well as MTD.
 


My family has been on 4 Disney cruises and they're getting so expensive that we've decided to try something different. My wife and I cruised with RCCL many years ago but a lot has changed. We're thinking about a November cruise out of Galveston on the Adventure of the Seas but I have a couple of questions: Does RCCL offer a shuttle service from Houston Hobby airport that is pretty dependable and what are the seating arrangement like in the MDR's? Is it assigned seating or open seating?

youd be better off flying in the day before and arranging your own transportation down to the island, or staying in Texas City ( cheaper hotels) then going the rest of the way the morning of.

you have both dining options.. traditional early and late seating or My time dining. You must stick with one, you can’t switch between.
 
Is there a helpful list of everything on RCCL that you have to pay extra for? I get confused on what exactly is covered.
 
Is there a helpful list of everything on RCCL that you have to pay extra for? I get confused on what exactly is covered.

You have to pay for:

-Gratuity
-Room service (per order)
-Sodas
-Specialty coffees
-Alcohol
-Specialty Dining
-Excursions
-Some special activities/classes/attractions on the ship, but every ship is different... When you have to pay for them, they are usually listed in the Cruise Planner.
 
You have to pay for:

-Gratuity
-Room service (per order)
-Sodas
-Specialty coffees
-Alcohol
-Specialty Dining
-Excursions
-Some special activities/classes/attractions on the ship, but every ship is different... When you have to pay for them, they are usually listed in the Cruise Planner.
Oh, that's pretty close to DCL. I thought it was wildly different based on some of the posts here. Thanks
 
Oh, that's pretty close to DCL. I thought it was wildly different based on some of the posts here. Thanks

How to say this delicately:

Some hardcore DCL fans --thankfully not the majority-- will do anything to try to convince people that any cruise line other than DCL is terrible (or nickel and dime you to death) ... When they are not!

What I like about other cruise lines is that you have many different options to upgrade your experience (ex: Just Sodas, Sodas and Specialty drinks/coffee, All included, etc.) and you are free to buy them or not.

So...

Let us know if you have any questions. :)
 
Oh, that's pretty close to DCL. I thought it was wildly different based on some of the posts here. Thanks

If I may add. In my opinion, excluding sodas, RCCL has one of the best offer in terms of included drinks: water, lemonade, unsweetened iced tea, Strawberry-Kiwi infused water, apple juice, orange juice, hot cocoa, coffee and a vast selection of teas (at least 10-12 different kinds) ...

On my last RCCL cruise, I decided not to get the soda package because I was satisfied with all the included choices.
 
Is there a 'golden age' for switching kids over to RCCL? I know some kids prefer some kids clubs over others. My kids are young and still very much into the Disney characters. Plus they couldn't take advantage of some of the fun things on the RCCL like rock climbing, bigger slides, etc.
 
Oh, that's pretty close to DCL. I thought it was wildly different based on some of the posts here. Thanks
One thing to note... What I will give to DCL is that the experience is very consistent across all 4 ships. What you may find on other lines is that your experience can greatly vary by WHICH ship you are on even more so than what line you are on. For instance, our RCCL experience (which, I am going to admit, has not been great) is limited to Serenade OTS and Majesty OTS. However, this summer, we will be trying Harmony OTS and I bet we have a completely different experience. Likewise, if you go on Carnival, you will have very different experiences say on the Elation and Breeze...

Also, there's more than just RCCL and Carnival out there for options. We prefer Princess if we are not sailing DCL...
 
Oh, that's pretty close to DCL. I thought it was wildly different based on some of the posts here. Thanks
It's not, but because they have drink packages, they will try and upsell you the first couple of days, and that can be a turnoff for some people.

Is there a 'golden age' for switching kids over to RCCL? I know some kids prefer some kids clubs over others. My kids are young and still very much into the Disney characters. Plus they couldn't take advantage of some of the fun things on the RCCL like rock climbing, bigger slides, etc.
It depends. 3-5 is a separate grouping and I think it's beneficial to know that your kid won't accidentally get trucked by a 10yo.

Ages 6+ will probably depend on the ship. Some of the ships getting refurbed are switching to a 6-11 group and I think this will make AO and Oceaneers a wash in terms of programming. Ships that have separate 6-8 and 9-11 clubs create more of a noticeable difference with Oceaneers.

One thing to note... What I will give to DCL is that the experience is very consistent across all 4 ships. What you may find on other lines is that your experience can greatly vary by WHICH ship you are on even more so than what line you are on. For instance, our RCCL experience (which, I am going to admit, has not been great) is limited to Serenade OTS and Majesty OTS. However, this summer, we will be trying Harmony OTS and I bet we have a completely different experience. Likewise, if you go on Carnival, you will have very different experiences say on the Elation and Breeze...
Agreed here. With Royal and Carnival and Princess it's best to group each class of ship as a separate brand within the brand, as you'll end up with 3-4 ships per class and that makes the comparison with DCL a bit easier to do.
 
One thing to note... What I will give to DCL is that the experience is very consistent across all 4 ships. What you may find on other lines is that your experience can greatly vary by WHICH ship you are on even more so than what line you are on. For instance, our RCCL experience (which, I am going to admit, has not been great) is limited to Serenade OTS and Majesty OTS. However, this summer, we will be trying Harmony OTS and I bet we have a completely different experience. Likewise, if you go on Carnival, you will have very different experiences say on the Elation and Breeze...

Also, there's more than just RCCL and Carnival out there for options. We prefer Princess if we are not sailing DCL...

I agree. That was us with Carnival Sensation vs Carnival Vista/Victory (post-refurb).
 
It's not, but because they have drink packages, they will try and upsell you the first couple of days, and that can be a turnoff for some people.

I guess we got lucky because that did not happen to us. They tried to sell us the Specialty Dining package on the first day but that's it. Took 15 seconds, no thank you. Never heard about it again.

They tried to sell us the Wine Package on DCL in the dining room. We already had it. LOL
 
One thing to note... What I will give to DCL is that the experience is very consistent across all 4 ships. What you may find on other lines is that your experience can greatly vary by WHICH ship you are on even more so than what line you are on. For instance, our RCCL experience (which, I am going to admit, has not been great) is limited to Serenade OTS and Majesty OTS. However, this summer, we will be trying Harmony OTS and I bet we have a completely different experience. Likewise, if you go on Carnival, you will have very different experiences say on the Elation and Breeze...

Also, there's more than just RCCL and Carnival out there for options. We prefer Princess if we are not sailing DCL...
Why Princess? Looking at their ships, they seem to offer fewer on-board activities. Is it the food and service?
 
I guess we got lucky because that did not happen to us. They tried to sell us the Specialty Dining package on the first day but that's it. Took 15 seconds, no thank you. Never heard about it again.

They tried to sell us the Wine Package on DCL in the dining room. We already had it. LOL
We usually don't get upsell pitches. I attribute this to demeanour (acting like we've been here before) and avoiding the people that are clearly pitching the upsells.
 

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