Currently on Harmony of the Seas

[MakiraMarlena]

I priced DCL for a three night in January and it was well over 1K per person. For a 3 night. I can definitely get a 10 night cruise on RCL for that. I don't find the differences that stark (MDR food isn't very good but neither was DCL's, and NCL's was terrible, next time paying for unlimited signature dining), but I have not been on a mega ship yet (got one booked). I'm doing a four night on the Wish in prime hurricane season, then going right back to other lines

 

[PezRuth]

Sorrento’s pizza is maybe a step above Elio’s, flavorless crust and no crispness to it.

Yes but for some reason when I am on a RCL cruise I always end up eating alot of it around midnight.

 

[epcotrulz]

Another thing I want to point out is a complete lack of officers. They are not visible at all to what I can see … not in their dress whites in the lobby at night for example. I have yet to see any really except the one time I asked to speak to one and they appeared out from behind closed doors.

Pool towels, they are in a central check-out location and you need to turn them in or get $25 charge per towel. (Can also have them delivered to your room by stateroom host). I imagine that’s more of a threat, but I’m not testing it out. If the pool towels weren’t like sand paper this might make sense?

I UNDERSTAND that these things might not be deal breakers for some people. For others they are. That’s why there is Carnival and Cunard and everything in between. That’s not what I’m trying to get into here. Just sharing my experiences and observations. I understand not everyone is going to see things through my lens. That is life ….

 

[epcotrulz]

Yes but for some reason when I am on a RCL cruise I always end up eating alot of it around midnight.

It is definitely busy!!

 

[epcotrulz]

I priced DCL for a three night in January and it was well over 1K per person. For a 3 night. I can definitely get a 10 night cruise on RCL for that. I don't find the differences that stark (MDR food isn't very good but neither was DCL's, and NCL's was terrible, next time paying for unlimited signature dining), but I have not been on a mega ship yet (got one booked). I'm doing a four night on the Wish in prime hurricane season, then going right back to other lines

I hope you enjoy the Wish!! Can’t wait to read everyone’s reports on that ship as well.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I think the Wish will be the bomb! it'll be my 24th DCL cruise as I got 23 done before the price became too much.

I took a cruise in Alaska on the Ovation of the Seas which isn't a mega mega ship but it's not small...officers everywhere. The other ships not so much, guess I am not previously noticing that kind of inconsistency. but I have never actually asked to speak to one on any line

 

[robinb]

We were on Oasis in January and were underwhelmed. Followed that up with Independence in early May... that was the worst of 30+ cruises that I have done. The (included) food on RCCL is terrible IMHO.

Contrast that with our Princess cruise that we just got off. Food was very good. More options (like a poolside grill) and the International Cafe (the 24/7 place) is light years better than Cafe Promenade. Movies are free (they were $11.99 on Royal) in the stateroom cabin, room service is included, and you don't have to check out towels. In fact, "Room Service" is expanded. You can have Room Service and drinks delivered to you anywhere on the ship thanks to the Medallion. We ordered Room Service and drinks to the rear patio to watch sail away from Juneau. Also, the "Princess Plus" that included wifi, gratuities, and the drink package was only $40 per person, per day. A way better value than RCCL. To top this off, the cruise was cheaper with all this than the comparable Quantum of the Seas sailing to Alaska...

What ship did you sail on? We're on the Majestic in August to Alaska.

I've sailed RRCL once on a tiny ship, the Enchantment of the Seas, and it was very nice. We are usually NCL people but Princess was such a great price with Princess Plus and they sail through Glacier Bay which was my "must-do". FTR, DCL is too rich for my blood. I choose to spend less even though we could afford it.

 

[jeffporfirio]

Is there an NCL v RCL thread? searched and found none

 

[Cheburashka]

I UNDERSTAND that these things might not be deal breakers for some people. For others they are. That’s why there is Carnival and Cunard and everything in between. That’s not what I’m trying to get into here. Just sharing my experiences and observations. I understand not everyone is going to see things through my lens. That is life ….

Many posters appreciate the information you're sharing. No need to be defensive. Keep the posts coming, please.

 

[fitnessmouse]

Just came off Odyssey, our first RCL. I liked it overall but we were at 3000 pax, don't know if I would like it with full capacity.
The towel situation is just weird.
We took 3 towels to our room, only to find out a couple hours later that they were taken by (I assume) the cabin steward. (Never in 11 nights, saw my cabin steward)
We were in the pool for half an hour, to come back to find our towels missing (so no, not reserving sunbeds, both of them were on 1 chair)
You can take more (or less) towels at the station than you claim
You can hand in more (or less) towels than you claim
you can say they were taken at the pool, cabin and get a reset of the amount...
So not really sure, if the $25 threat is working

Food was just so-so, I like that DCL has more options on the top deck. And I love the dinner and show element on DCL.

 

[mousefan73]

When we sailed the Oasis, Kids were allowed to eat in the Solarium Bistro. Age requrement was excluded there. In fact we ate almost every dinner in there. We liked it much better than the MDR.
Too bad you missed the Aqua show. IMO much better than any DCL show.

the Oasis class ships do not have a deck 4 outside promenade ( the oasis ships I believe are only open on their "track" on the aft side, but the outdoor spaces on the upper decks are no more or less than on any DCL.

And we loved Sorrentos.. Pizza was good and I liked their anti-pasta bar. For my teens much more to do vs DCL.
I missed the Lake Buena Vista theater. on Royal they show movies during day in the Aqua theater.. not the same as a real theater. My son also loved the juice/smoothe bar. Interesting how DCL doesnt have those as they are popular on other ships.

Oasis ships can be huge and does imply more planning for reservations for activities and dining.
My teens found the lifeguards, surf and upper decks staff more engaging ( and hotte, lol) vs DCL.. DCL lifeguards just stand and guard, on royal you have pool deck, sport actvities staff that are great to hang out and chat with.

 

[loislane]

I appreciate hearing about your experiences - and others who have shared as well. We sail on our second Disney cruise this summer (hello Wish!) but started looking at other cruise options for longer cruises, different destinations, different departure points, and of course, different prices. RCCL has a lot of options - but......we are definitely feeling hesitations. Everyone has different things they are looking for on a cruise so there is no point in even bringing up the things important to us, but hearing about other experiences does help. So thank you for sharing.

 

[PezRuth]

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. We sail both Disney and Royal. We have been very happy with our Royal cruises. We have been on the Freedom and the Adventure not the huge ships. I do feel like it is comparing apples to oranges to compare an Oasis class ship to say the Magic.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I missed the Lake Buena Vista theater. on Royal they show movies during day in the Aqua theater.. not the same as a real theater. My son also loved the juice/smoothe bar. Interesting how DCL doesnt have those as they are popular on other ships.

The Dream and Fantasy do! The Smoothie bar is right behind the check in desk. Cant say I've seen the same on the Magic.

To the OP of this thread, thank you.

I know others are ragging on you but as someone who has done 10 DCL, and one NCL (Which was literally the worst three days) I have been hesitant to branch out to the Oasis Class ships because of experience/service concerns. Also, everyone talks about how "expensive" DCL is but I dont feel nickeled and dimed around every corner when I'm on a Disney ship. ($100 bucks per person for slides on the private Island? Hard pass.)

We want to try one of the newer Celebrity Ships (Edge, Apex, Beyond) and Virgin Voyages but I think RCCL is out.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

OP (and everyone else who expressed their experiences and opinions) please keep commenting.

After my Sept 2021 UOR/WDW trip, I have never seen such chaotic reactions on both sides of the coin at both resorts from people. I’m sharing MY experience (and that of my parents). Everyone’s experience is different.

No one is perfect, no one’s opinions are the same and we need to remember this. I for one am glad to hear about all these experiences.

 

[mousefan73]

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. We sail both Disney and Royal. We have been very happy with our Royal cruises. We have been on the Freedom and the Adventure not the huge ships. I do feel like it is comparing apples to oranges to compare an Oasis class ship to say the Magic.

You cannot compare the two... For some the Magic would be too boring and the Oasis too crazy. It's like do we rent a house on a lake vs going to Vegas

 

[Cheburashka]

You cannot compare the two... For some the Magic would be too boring and the Oasis too crazy. It's like do we rent a house on a lake vs going to Vegas

That's a bit of a stretch. They're both cruise ships and they both encourage families to sail, so they're in the same ballpark at least.

 

[mousefan73]

That's a bit of a stretch. They're both cruise ships and they both encourage families to sail, so they're in the same ballpark at least.

not really, unless you are a kid in the clubs there really much "active" activity to do on the Magic.. I am not complaining as my days are happily spent with my kindle in Cove cafe.

 

[tidefan]

You cannot compare the two... For some the Magic would be too boring and the Oasis too crazy. It's like do we rent a house on a lake vs going to Vegas

Actually, we were bored silly on the Oasis. IMHO, RCCL relies a bit too much on the "bells and whistles". If you aren't a rock wall/flowrider/zipline kind of person, there is not going to be much to do. To compound our issue, there was no entertainment staff until the last 2 nights of the cruise as they were quarantined. They did do shows the last 2 1/2 days. Aqua80, I will have to say, was amazing, the ice show was "OK", and CATS was downright terrible...

However, I found that RCCL doesn't seem to do as much of the "during the day" activities (trivia, game shows, etc.) as something like Princess or especially when we were on Carnival Mardi Gras. Could have been due to lack of staff, though.

Also, during our voyage, the Solarium Bistro was closed the entire time.

Last comment. No one comes close to Princess when it comes to Pizza...

 

[mousefan73]

OT: Agree CATS was horrible. We left after 15 minutes. Felt bad as the production and actors were great. The STORY was the issue for us. I am baffled how in the 80s this was a huge hit. I had read that Royal is stuck in the contract for that show... As most want to see it gone. As horrible that was, the Aqua Show was the complete opposite.. That was simply stunning.