DCL cruisers tried Royal...

[Jsoenning]

Thanks for the review. I’d say to give RCL another try perhaps on a smaller ship.

We have enjoyed RCL, Carnival and Disney. We were loyal to Royal prekids, back before the cuts that have impacted all lines. The smaller ships on RCL have tended to have better quality food in MDR. Disney has disappointed us on various nights in MDR post COVID, on the Magic and Wonder. I blame all lines price cutting and steering us to book specialty restaurants.

Carnival has surprisingly had the best free options, with a yummy sea day brunch and free Italian restaurant lunch. Plus the burgers, pizza, bbq (not great per DW, but I enjoyed the sauces), and wrap place offer fun variety. Guys burgers and the pizza are way better than the pool fare on Disney to me.

Being loyal to Royal has paid off in better perks than Disney. Just the four drinks per day anywhere you want to due to vouchers on your room card is great. We don’t spend money on alcohol beyond that.

Live small music acts are amazing on Carnival, pretty good on Royal and almost non existent on Disney. Bar drink variety follows the same. Gyms are typically better too than Disney.

Disney has the best shop merchandise but also by far the priciest (by double for an tshirt, with a super decline in quality - one wash and ruined last shirt / threads at seam came apart) and lately so picked over clothes wise nothing in my size. Two years in a row no large tshirts.

A knock on Royal that didn’t use to be the case is rock hard beds in all non suite rooms. To me this is almost unforgivable and would be the main driver away from Royal. A knock on Royal and Carnival is one day room attendant service, not a problem without kids but a bit of a pain with kids. We convert the couch bed back ourselves.

Disney concierge has insane pricing compared to when we started. Can typically sail two Royal suite experiences for one Disney concierge. The only equivalent yet still cheaper (though Royal is starting to push these up) are Star class suites. We did Royal Star class out of Alaska for not much more than Disney balcony room. Included tips, drink packages (including in room), all specialty restaurants (to room, including Starbucks and breakfast), priority seats in shows, walk off the ship past security at all ports, behind the scene tours, two story room, etc.

Lately we snag at least a Royal Junior Suite for the price of a Disney balcony.

We’re likely mostly done with Disney as kids (almost 13 and 10) aren’t into the characters and shows as much. The Broadway style musicals are still draws to them on Disney but there were an amazing couple of shows on the Quantum in Alaska. One some didn’t like but was some of the best dancing I’ve ever seen. Both kids do dance and so appreciated the degree of difficulty. We have a Disney cruise in less than 30 days that I plan to soak in lol.

The Edge is a big draw due to the freedom it affords oldest DD but to them the kids clubs haven’t been good on Disney since they combined and pulled out the electronic games. Post COVID initially it was mostly color with broken crayons per kids. But in fairness they’ve never enjoyed Royals kids clubs and used to enjoy Disney’s. They’d rather hang out with us as our favorite cruise pastimes are to play a huge variety of card games while watching amazing views and swimming.

 

[bobbiwoz]

@mjkacmom, what I found about Port Liberty in Bayonne
14 Port Terminal Boulevard, Bayonne, New Jersey 07002 United States: Coordinates: Owned by: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: Operated by: Royal Caribbean Group Metro Cruise Services

The terminal is operated by RCCL and I believe they should fix it.
I have no idea if the elevator is always working or not. But on embarkation, one bay was blocked off and one was not working for hours.
On debarkation, only one was operational, the other was blocked. Over a whole week, the one could have been fixed.

I am Diamond on RCCL, and have another cruise booked on that line. This was the second time I cruised on the Oasis, and in October, from Bayonne, I think it had the worse food I have ever had on any ship….except, I did enjoy The Park Cafe.

 

[starvenger]

Live small music acts are amazing on Carnival, pretty good on Royal and almost non existent on Disney. Bar drink variety follows the same. Gyms are typically better too than Disney.

Must be a company wide thing, because the music on Princess was good as well. The last night they had both bands, the solo guitarist, and some of the CD's staff singing in the Atrium. It was loud, it was boisterous, and it was honestly a good way to close out the cruise.

My memory of Disney was that the music was primarily 2 people and an iPad. Which is fine, but limits the ability for performers to ad lib (you've got x bars and that's it). Performers were good, wish they had more to work with.

Royal did this with the pianist in Schooner bar as well. But they did have a full band (who are, as previously noted, often quite loud) and would have sections of their orchestra do performances in the Promenade.

 

[ray3127]

Thanks for the review. I’d say to give RCL another try perhaps on a smaller ship.

We have enjoyed RCL, Carnival and Disney. We were loyal to Royal prekids, back before the cuts that have impacted all lines. The smaller ships on RCL have tended to have better quality food in MDR. Disney has disappointed us on various nights in MCR post COVID, on the Magic and Wonder. I blame all lines price cutting and steering us to book specialty restaurants.

Carnival has surprisingly had the best free options, with a yummy sea day brunch and free Italian restaurant lunch. Plus the burgers, pizza, bbq (not great per DW, but I enjoyed the sauces), and wrap place offer fun variety. Guys burgers and the pizza are way better than the pool fare on Disney to me.

Being loyal to Royal has paid off in better perks than Disney. Just the four drinks per day anywhere you want to due to vouchers on your room card is great. We don’t spend money on alcohol beyond that.

Live small music acts are amazing on Carnival, pretty good on Royal and almost non existent on Disney. Bar drink variety follows the same. Gyms are typically better too than Disney.

Disney has the best shop merchandise but also by far the priciest (by double for an tshirt, with a super decline in quality - one wash and ruined last shirt / threads at seam came apart) and lately so picked over clothes wise nothing in my size. Two years in a row no large tshirts.

A knock on Royal that didn’t use to be the case is rock hard beds in all non suite rooms. To me this is almost unforgivable and would be the main driver away from Royal. A knock on Royal and Carnival is one day room attendant service, not a problem without kids but a bit of a pain with kids. We convert the couch bed back ourselves.

Disney concierge has insane pricing compared to when we started. Can typically sale two Royal suite experiences for one Disney concierge. The only equivalent yet still cheaper (though Royal is starting to push these up) are Star class suites. We did Royal Star class out of Alaska for not much more than Disney balcony room. Included tips, drink packages (including in room), all specialty restaurants (to room, including Starbucks and breakfast), priority seats in shows, walk off the ship past security at all ports, behind the scene tours, two story room, etc.

Lately we snag at least a Royal Junior Suite for the price of a Disney balcony.

We’re likely mostly done with Disney as kids (almost 13 and 10) aren’t into the characters and shows as much. The Broadway style musicals are still draws to them on Disney but there were an amazing couple of shows on the Quantum in Alaska. One some didn’t like but was some of the best dancing I’ve ever seen. Both kids do dance and so appreciated the degree of difficulty. We have a Disney cruise in less than 30 days that I plan to soak in lol.

The Edge is a big draw due to the freedom it affords oldest DD but to them the kids clubs haven’t been good on Disney since they combined and pulled out the electronic games. Post COVID initially it was mostly color with broken crayons per kids. But in fairness they’ve never enjoyed Royals kids clubs and used to enjoy Disney’s. They’d rather hang out with us as our favorite cruise pastimes are to play a huge variety of card games while watching amazing views and swimming.

I appreciate the details, and can identify with a lot of your commentary.

The problem is the opportunity cost of a single cruise is pretty large for us. It's not like a restaurant we can just try to see if we like (not trying to be facetious, even though it probably sounds that way). We live in Nebraska, and can really only swing one cruise per year (financially and schedule-wise). Plus, we missed cruises in 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to you-know-what. So having a 'swing and a miss' on a cruise stings a bit.

Our kids are 9 & 6, and both preferred Disney after last week. So we're going back to DCL in 2025 for as long as they want. If their desires/interests change, then it's nice that there are options. But I suspect they are going to be Disney teenagers, too.

But again, thank you for the helpful feedback.

 

[DCLMP]

I appreciate the details, and can identify with a lot of your commentary.

The problem is the opportunity cost of a single cruise is pretty large for us. It's not like a restaurant we can just try to see if we like (not trying to be facetious, even though it probably sounds that way). We live in Nebraska, and can really only swing one cruise per year (financially and schedule-wise). Plus, we missed cruises in 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to you-know-what. So having a 'swing and a miss' on a cruise stings a bit.

Our kids are 9 & 6, and both preferred Disney after last week. So we're going back to DCL in 2025 for as long as they want. If their desires/interests change, then it's nice that there are options. But I suspect they are going to be Disney teenagers, too.

But again, thank you for the helpful feedback.

I agree DCL is the best for that age. Once they become teens and are independent around the ship. It will be less of an issue. The clubs were a big draw for my kids too. They enjoyed Disney as teens. They liked Royal too because with teens it's more about the socialization and finding other teens to do stuff with then the actual clubs themselves.

 

[Cfabar1]

We did Royal in 2022 and DCL twice in 2023.

We liked Royal, and were on the allure of the seas for a 6 night. My views:

Disney Pros:
- Higher standard of cleanliness all around
- More comfortable and classy environment - especially for families
- Better food
- Larger rooms
- Lack of casino (for others might be a con, but for us a pro)
- Highly limited smoking areas
- A truly first rate show every night
- More comfortable bed
- More inclusive pricing - not constant nickel and diming like on royal. It is exhausting on royal to keep having to tell people you don't want premium dining
- Felt more comfortable with nursery/kids staff
- easier to earn CC status with short cruises

Royal Pros:
- though the cruises on DCL we did priced very comparably (and in one case favorably) to RCL, at the moment all DCL itineraries are more expensive than royal
- more variety of activities/events
- more variety of itineraries/ports/etc.
- Easier to earn C&A status with long cruises

I think we will stick with DCL for a while. We don't cruise enough to hit high level C&A on RCL, maybe ever.

Once we are in our next stage of life - older kids, etc. I'd be more inclined to move to Celebrity than return to Royal, but we shall see.

 

[Alicatt]

I'm researching Royal and Celebrity but we just came back from the Dream and my kids really loved it. They are 13 and 15. My DS (15) said it was the best vacation he'd ever been on and we go on vacation every year all over. I am trying to talk them into trying something new but I think it might be while. Still it never hurts to research.
I'm eyeing the Mardi Gras. Any advice?

 

[starvenger]

I'm eyeing the Mardi Gras. Any advice?

Teenagers have the innate ability to adapt to whatever vacation you take. Have confidence that whatever cruise you go on, they will find a way to have fun.

As for advice, from what I've seen, the general rule of thumb on Carnival is more nights = less fights. Avoid the 3/4 night cruises and there should be more families and less party people.

 

[Cfabar1]

As for advice, from what I've seen, the general rule of thumb on Carnival is more nights = less fights.

and this is why we won't even consider carnival in our family....

 

[lklgoodman]

My family of 3 have done 8 DCL cruises(all 7 nights, 2 Wonder, 1 Magic, and 5 Fantasy). We decided to try NCL's Encore last summer. I was so excited before our cruise and had already picked out 2 other NCL cruises for summer 2024. Thankfully I hadn't booked them because after our cruise we decided we'd rather pay more for DCL knowing we'll have a good time. Only thing we liked on NCL was the food was really good in the sit down restaurants, however the service was horrible. Our cabin was really nice, however we never met our cabin host. Anytime we needed more toilet paper or clean towels I had to call the service desk. This would NEVER happen on DCL. No family activities on seadays or in the evenings. Out of 7 nights there were only 2 shows in the theater. And it wasn't because a show had to be canceled, that's all they offered. Race cars/laser tag was only opened 4 hrs each day. We were lucky to get reservations for each, most people in our cruise group didn't. Pretty much only activity they had was Deal or No Deal, in the atrium all the time. You could tell all they wanted was for people to sit in bars/casino. Same nickel and diming as you mentioned. There were 3 other families in my cruise group who had only sailed on DCL. After the Cruise we all had some of the same disappointments and all said we would be going back to DCL. We are cruising on the Magic in July. My dh and I did our honeymoon on the Magic in 2001. This will be our first time back on her and we're so excited to see all the changes. Plus we get to go to CC and Lighthouse Point. As soon as the rest of the Treasure's 2025 summer is released I'll be booking a cruise.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

My family of 3 have done 8 DCL cruises(all 7 nights, 2 Wonder, 1 Magic, and 5 Fantasy). We decided to try NCL's Encore last summer. I was so excited before our cruise and had already picked out 2 other NCL cruises for summer 2024. Thankfully I hadn't booked them because after our cruise we decided we'd rather pay more for DCL knowing we'll have a good time. Only thing we liked on NCL was the food was really good in the sit down restaurants, however the service was horrible. Our cabin was really nice, however we never met our cabin host. Anytime we needed more toilet paper or clean towels I had to call the service desk. This would NEVER happen on DCL. No family activities on seadays or in the evenings. Out of 7 nights there were only 2 shows in the theater. And it wasn't because a show had to be canceled, that's all they offered. Race cars/laser tag was only opened 4 hrs each day. We were lucky to get reservations for each, most people in our cruise group didn't. Pretty much only activity they had was Deal or No Deal, in the atrium all the time. You could tell all they wanted was for people to sit in bars/casino. Same nickel and diming as you mentioned. There were 3 other families in my cruise group who had only sailed on DCL. After the Cruise we all had some of the same disappointments and all said we would be going back to DCL. We are cruising on the Magic in July. My dh and I did our honeymoon on the Magic in 2001. This will be our first time back on her and we're so excited to see all the changes. Plus we get to go to CC and Lighthouse Point. As soon as the rest of the Treasure's 2025 summer is released I'll be booking a cruise.

Some friends of mine sailed the Encore to Alaska and said the same. They were hugely disappointed in the entertainment, especially for the kids. The port call times were also shorter than DCL. She told me to spend the extra for DCL.

 

[tidefan]

I'm researching Royal and Celebrity but we just came back from the Dream and my kids really loved it. They are 13 and 15. My DS (15) said it was the best vacation he'd ever been on and we go on vacation every year all over. I am trying to talk them into trying something new but I think it might be while. Still it never hurts to research.
I'm eyeing the Mardi Gras. Any advice?

We will be on Mardi Gras in a few weeks and can report back. It will be our second time on the ship and we are very much looking forward to it!

Teenagers have the innate ability to adapt to whatever vacation you take. Have confidence that whatever cruise you go on, they will find a way to have fun.

As for advice, from what I've seen, the general rule of thumb on Carnival is more nights = less fights. Avoid the 3/4 night cruises and there should be more families and less party people.

and this is why we won't even consider carnival in our family....

Quite honestly, I didn't notice much of a difference in the people onboard our Mardi Gras cruise and the one we took on Oasis a couple months before that one. I think that Carnival gets a bit of a bad rap on this as, yes, a 3 night cruise to the Bahamas can be more of a "booze cruise". That said, I think that can be true of RCCL short cruises as well. We did a 4 night on Independence OTS, and there were more than a share of "interesting people" onboard, most of which probably had maxed out their drink package...

 

[DCLMP]

I'm researching Royal and Celebrity but we just came back from the Dream and my kids really loved it. They are 13 and 15. My DS (15) said it was the best vacation he'd ever been on and we go on vacation every year all over. I am trying to talk them into trying something new but I think it might be while. Still it never hurts to research.
I'm eyeing the Mardi Gras. Any advice?

At that age I think they'd like any new ship. Royal has a lot of activities like laser tag, rock climbing etc. Mardi gras seems to be really popular with cruisers.

You can find you tube videos on every ship. I'd start there and show them to your kids. See if anything looks interesting to them.

 

[bcwife76]

Some friends of mine sailed the Encore to Alaska and said the same. They were hugely disappointed in the entertainment, especially for the kids. The port call times were also shorter than DCL. She told me to spend the extra for DCL.

Unfortunately when the Alaska cruises sail from Seattle (unlike DCL that sails from Vancouver) the port times are usually shorter because the ship has to travel further and must also allow time for the shorter stop in Victoria BC. Another reason to sail from here in Vancouver We've had two or three NCL cruises booked over the years but always ended up cancelling in favour of DCL.

 

[starvenger]

We did a 4 night on Independence OTS, and there were more than a share of "interesting people" onboard, most of which probably had maxed out their drink package...

I've definitely seen people try to "make their money back" on the first day of sailing. I don't always see them on day 2...

 

[lklgoodman]

Some friends of mine sailed the Encore to Alaska and said the same. They were hugely disappointed in the entertainment, especially for the kids. The port call times were also shorter than DCL. She told me to spend the extra for DCL.

We had cruised to Alaska on DCL with extended family in 2014. It was a wonderful cruise. I didn't think the shorter port times would be so bad when I booked with NCL, but once we were at the ports we were rushed to do things. Plus all the DCL characters in their Alaskan gear is so fun. My dh is very easy going and never cares what we do for vacation. Anytime I ask him his opinion, he tells me whatever I want is fine with him. After our NCL cruise he told me to not book another cruise with them and to book with DCL.

 

[auntlynne]

…

As for advice, from what I've seen, the general rule of thumb on Carnival is more nights = less fights. Avoid the 3/4 night cruises and there should be more families and less party people.

The fact that fights are common enough to take cruise length into consideration to mitigate the occurrence seems so … absurd? unnecssary? red flag?

But once that reputation is achieved, each time it does happen, I imagine it will be reported.

I sailed Carnival over a Super Bowl weekend. I saw no fights among guests. It was a lot of people having a boisterous party / tail gate / family reunions. And it was from a state known to love tailgating.

 

[auntlynne]

I'm researching Royal and Celebrity but we just came back from the Dream and my kids really loved it. They are 13 and 15. My DS (15) said it was the best vacation he'd ever been on and we go on vacation every year all over. I am trying to talk them into trying something new but I think it might be while. Still it never hurts to research.
I'm eyeing the Mardi Gras. Any advice?

I started cruising with my nieces at about that age. It stuck with one of them. She was never a big youth activity person, and continues to choose Disney at age 31 (having done Princess and Royal, too).

I would have a hard time moving away from DCL if the kids (and you) are happy with the experience and you can swing it. It doesn’t have to be a lifelong commitment. He may outgrow it. Sounds like it is a safe and happy place at this point. Or it may have been just the right circumstances and fellow guests. When it’s time to make the next vacation decision, see if the interest is still there.

Mardi Gras? The YouTube cruise vloggers I watch seem to like it. It sounds big. I have my own opinion of Carnival (loud, busy, full of pump- you- up energy and activity). And that is why I would rather try Celebrity. But my impression is that Celebrity is more designed for middle-age guests who like a more chilled environment.

Check out some YouTube videos (cruise reports are good) that are filmed while activities are going on. Look at pool decks for crowds and activities on Sea Days. Find out extras (race track, zip lines, laser tag, whatever) and question if you will use them - and if extra $ to your cruise fare. Visit to a private island? Have a look at those. Both Royal and Carnival have multiple and they can be more built up than Castaway Cay. See if their itineraries offer something that appeals to you.

Disney really limits your dinner choices to the MDRs, while many cruise lines push/ encourage you to pay for specialty dining. But also include more choices in quick service.

At this point in history, the cruise industry is booming - which means less availability and higher prices for consumers.

Another rambling post by me, but maybe something will apply to your situation.

Glad to hear your teenagers had a great vacation and still want to be with you.

 

[starvenger]

The fact that fights are common enough to take cruise length into consideration to mitigate the occurrence seems so … absurd? unnecssary? red flag?

It is indeed absurd to have to account for this. And yet there is enough anecdotal evidence out that seem to bear this out. Mind you, the odds of a person actually seeing a fight go down is unlikely. But if you have kids, maybe it's just better to avoid potential controversy altogether.

 

[tinkerone]

We are Platinum with DCL so what I have to say isn't coming from someone without experience.
Once I got the nerve up to try RCL, it was a game changer. I was told so often that we would regret it that it took me years to try a different cruise line. I did not regret it. Our preference is to sail B2B, 14 days, as we have to fly into Florida anyways and we like longer stays. Sailing 14 days on an Oasis class ship was more often than not the cost of 7 on DCL.
We always bought a drink package. You do NOT have to carry a cup around to get a soda. You can walk into any of their bars and grab a soda with the drink package, no charge. If you walk into a bar on DCL and order a soda you will be charged. It is not included.
As for nickel and dimming, it's not much more than DCL does. Do you want a drink package? Other than a water package, DCL doesn't offer this so it's a bonus if you want it, if you don't just say no and move on. Do you want a dining package, they have a ton of specialty dining to choose from. Other than trying to get a reservation at Remy or Palo, DCL doesn't offer this so if you don't want it say no and move on. There is a charge for room service if you order anything other than a continental breakfast but we don't use room service on DCL so no biggy. It may be to someone who does utilize this service. There are things that you can purchase such as the Escape room but you don't have to purchase these either and it's not something DCL offers so is it really nickel and diming? What some call nickel and diming really isn't.
The cabins are only a few square feet smaller, it's not as much as everyone seems to think, however you can get a Jr. Suite and have lots of extra room and still pay way less than DCL. Our favorite is the Central Park balcony cabins. We can get ocean view on any ship but there is something magical with the Central Park balcony. Love to sit out in the evening with a glass of wine, watching the lights twinkle in the trees and soft music floating up. People dressed in evening wear going to dinner at one of the specialty restaurants. It really is soothing.
It took us a few cruises to find out that they have the buffet open for dinner on RCL, something we had always wished DCL did. The food in the main dinning rooms is okay but that's the same way we feel on DCL, but DCL doesn't really have a better option than the main rooms. Some of the post I have read here say the buffet is not very good, I disagree on that. They even have a noodle bar, which I love. Lots of choices and its an expansive buffet set in little island type bars. For us, we like the casualness of staying in shorts and shirts and dining when we want to, not when they want us to. Oh yes, RCL offers 'anytime dining' where you don't need to book a specific time, you can just show up. You may have to wait a few minutes but the option is there.
We've sailed out of Port Canaveral as well as Miami for RCL and have always entered through the Promenade so I'm not sure about others who spoke of entering other ways. The terminal at PC is absolutely gorgeous.
The adult only area on the Oasis class ships blows DCL adult only areas to bits. Amazing space. Their private islands, especially Coco Cay, are much better than Castaway Cay IMO. I find Castaway Cay rather boring and only get off the ship now to stretch our legs. Can't wait to try the new island. I like that Coco Cay has a pool as well as the ocean. They have a water park that you pay extra for but again, you don't need to say yes. I enjoy the fact that RCL has more than one larger pool to swim in. We always are able to find one that is near empty and have never had a problem finding chairs in the sun. That may have to do with the expansive adult only area, not sure. Never had a problem with the crew, they always seem nice. The shows are amazing! DCL shows are good but they are all the same. Stage productions. RCL has a water show, think Circ du Soleil, and an ice show that is unbelievable. They offer rock climbing and zip lining. Can't speak about the kids club, our children are adults now.
The one down side for us is that you need to check out the towels. Not a deal breaker but it is a bit of a pain.
Having said all this, you may think we don't like DCL. We do enjoy DCL. We sailed twice last year and have the Treasure booked for next Feb. My point is, we also like RCL, it's not as bad as some may think. To each our own. What I like you may not, what you like I may not. Just don't be scared to try something new because someone said it would be a mistake. RCL is different, that's all. It will not be what your used to but you may find you enjoy a bit of 'different' now and then.
JMO, some will agree, some will not. Whatever you decide will be right for you. Enjoy!