Eastern, DCL vs RCCL - info and advice needed!

[gzmtlock]

My husband will be completing his Master's Degree and CLSSBB in May, then launching his second career. I'm celebrating by giving him a cruise!

We've only cruised DCL. Due to schedules, we can only cruise a specific week in May. I've got a 7-night Eastern on Fantasy booked (moved an OB booking). It would be our first time on Fantasy.

We LOVE DCL. But I'm not closed to options. RCCL also has an Eastern from Port Canaveral the same week. Ports are the same, except Cocoa Cay vs Castaway Cay.

DCL has one clear advantage to me - I know it, and preparing for the cruise would be MUCH easier for me. RCCL (or any other line, for that matter!) is a complete mystery to me. And I don't have much time/energy to do a lot of "homework." But DH likes a lot of activity, and I'm thinking there might be more for him on Freedom of the Seas than on Fantasy.

Thoughts? Advice? Should I shift from DCL/Fantasy to RCCL/Freedom? If I do, what do I need to know ahead of time to make an RCCL cruise not stressful?

A little about us. We don't gamble. We do drink. We will be traveling without our teenagers. I like shows and relaxing. He likes moving, being outdoors, and activity. We both like to know enough about where we are going to make the most of the money we spend.

TIA!

 

[Laz]

Tough decision, but a fun one!

My wife and I do not drink much either, but we loved Freedom of the Seas. The Freedom has lots of activities for active adults. Flow Rider is fantastic. I believe they will sell you surfing lessons if you want. Freedom also has a rock wall, ice skating rink, and many other activities for active people. Kids and teens will be in line with you for these activities, so you will not avoid them choosing RCCL. RCCL also offers many non physical activities as well. We love to go to the trivia games every day. Go on the RCCL web site and explore the ship.

Maybe someone can help with the DCL on board activities.

 

[jump4joy]

RCCL's Freedom of the Seas is a great ship with many things to do and see. They offer the Rock Climb wall, the FlowRider which is surfing at seas (they give lessons), ice skating, plus all the specialty restaurants. I went with a group back in November on the Freedom and found that their online check in is pretty easy. You don't have to wait the time frame like you do with Disney to reserve the shore activities. You can do it as soon as you book.

But just remember it's not Disney so as long as you don't go on comparing them to Disney, you'll love it.

Jana

 

[KristieBennett]

Having been on both lines sailing the Eastern Caribbean, I find they both offer wonderful itineraries and activities onboard. While the Freedom offered a little more on the side of sports activities. They had multiple times when one could engage in pool sports against the cruise staff, which was a lot of fun. The pool volleyball being a favorite for spectators too! I found the shows to be quite enjoyable and very different from Disney's. Although they do a fairytale evening show that was really well done. The best way to make the RCCL not so stressful is to be sure you get answers from someone that has sailed the ship and can offer you the correct answers. RCCL offers a nice drink package with lots of options. I spoke with several people that used this and found it a very good value. I opted for the soda package and I found it very easy to get a drink everywhere on the ship no matter what deck I was on. The ship is set up with ease of movement and a lot of indoor and outdoor options. The nice thing was each outdoor activity was very close to a relaxing lounging area so that you can easily watch and relax instead of participate. If you have any specific questions, I would be more than happy to answer anything! You can email me directly at kristie@dreamsunlimitedtravel or you can post here.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, in about a month we'll be off of Freedom from our first Eastern itinerary. We are REALLY looking forward to it. DS is going into it with an open mind, knowing that the kid's club isn't as all-encompassing as DCL's, but then we have a full 7 days to do things onboard (like the rock wall! he loves doing that sort of thing). We're in LOVE with the itinerary; ours has 3 sea days, one day at Coco Cay, and San Juan and St Maarten.

They recently changed up their alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks packages, so check out the RCCL site for that information!

Having this new forum on the Dis is cool, but don't forget to read read and read some more on cruisecritic.com! That site truly MADE our first RCCL cruise 10 years ago.

 

[gzmtlock]

Having this new forum on the Dis is cool, but don't forget to read read and read some more on cruisecritic.com! That site truly MADE our first RCCL cruise 10 years ago.

This is exactly what makes DCL more attractive to me! Once my holiday break is over, I won't have time/energy to do a lot of research. And when it feels like a chore instead of an adventure, it stops feeling like a vacation to me.

I'm not "down" on RCCL. If I had done 8 cruises on them, and was now looking at DCL, I'd feel intimidated by DCL! Has much more to do with where I am in my life than either cruise line. . .

 

[gzmtlock]

Having been on both lines sailing the Eastern Caribbean, I find they both offer wonderful itineraries and activities onboard. While the Freedom offered a little more on the side of sports activities. They had multiple times when one could engage in pool sports against the cruise staff, which was a lot of fun. The pool volleyball being a favorite for spectators too! I found the shows to be quite enjoyable and very different from Disney's. Although they do a fairytale evening show that was really well done. The best way to make the RCCL not so stressful is to be sure you get answers from someone that has sailed the ship and can offer you the correct answers. RCCL offers a nice drink package with lots of options.

Many thanks to you, and everyone, for sharing helpful info!

I think DH might be very interested in pool sports - as long as they are geared to both the young and the young at heart. (We're in our early 50s.)

I'll go research the drink packages. We are not soda drinkers, which makes that decision easy. We do drink both booze and wine. Typically carry what we want on board on DCL. With the two-bottles-of-wine limit on RCCL, I need to try and figure that cost difference in.

Are the rock wall and flow rider at added cost, or included? And can you reserve your turn, or do you have to stand in line? (We abhor lines, have very little patience with them.) We won't ice skate; we're Southerners with weak ankles.

 

[gzmtlock]

So I checked out drink packages. DH and I like a mixture of beer, wine, and mixed drinks. We carry all but the beer on board DCL. So the package that would work best for us is the Premium package, at $55 pp per day. That wipes out much (but not all) of the cost advantage of RCCL.

We would probably do MDR, as that seems simpler and should suffice for our first RCCL cruise. We can upgrade once or twice (similar to what we do on DCL) for special evenings.

What other things are added cost on RCCL but included on DCL?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

So I checked out drink packages. DH and I like a mixture of beer, wine, and mixed drinks. We carry all but the beer on board DCL. So the package that would work best for us is the Premium package, at $55 pp per day. That wipes out much (but not all) of the cost advantage of RCCL. We would probably do MDR, as that seems simpler and should suffice for our first RCCL cruise. We can upgrade once or twice (similar to what we do on DCL) for special evenings. What other things are added cost on RCCL but included on DCL?

I will say, even after carrying on our liquor and a case of water on the Fantasy in September DH & I still had about a $500 bar tab from drinks in lounges during the adult shows, a few drinks in the theaters, and a few random ones here & there. On the Allure in November we had the premium package. We had no real bar expenses other than a few extra tips for our favorite bartender. Tips for the beverages in the package are included. The convenience was well worth it. If DCL had a prepaid package along the same lines I'd pay it just for the convenience alone.

 

[bumbershoot]

So I checked out drink packages. DH and I like a mixture of beer, wine, and mixed drinks. We carry all but the beer on board DCL. So the package that would work best for us is the Premium package, at $55 pp per day. That wipes out much (but not all) of the cost advantage of RCCL.

We would probably do MDR, as that seems simpler and should suffice for our first RCCL cruise. We can upgrade once or twice (similar to what we do on DCL) for special evenings.

What other things are added cost on RCCL but included on DCL?

Just in case one of you doesn't drink THAT much alcohol, you do have the option of getting different packages, then paying out of pocket for the beer/etc for the one that isn't as much of a drinker. It's what we're doing for me; there would be no point to me having the Premium because I just wouldn't drink enough to justify it, and DH doesn't drink at all. So we're getting Replenish for each of the adults and I'll just pay cash for the drink or maybe 2 I might want one any given day.


I can't really think of other costs, but the WAY you pay is different. With DCL you pay for excursions once you're onboard. With RCCL you pay it up front when you book it. (same with drinks packages) RCCL's way is nicer for me once we're at the end of our cruise, but it shocked me a bit at the time because I had managed to get used to DCL's way.

 

[hgon76]

This may seem like a silly question but when you say $55 pp/per day, does it automatically go to the amount of days the cruise is? Or can you buy an amount of days? Because I'm just thinking that on days when you're in port, you probably wouldn't use it as much as the days you're at sea, if even at all?

 

[Arkum]

You actually pay for the entire length of your cruise. You can't just pick certain days to get the package.

 

[gzmtlock]

I will say, even after carrying on our liquor and a case of water on the Fantasy in September DH & I still had about a $500 bar tab from drinks in lounges during the adult shows, a few drinks in the theaters, and a few random ones here & there. On the Allure in November we had the premium package. We had no real bar expenses other than a few extra tips for our favorite bartender. Tips for the beverages in the package are included. The convenience was well worth it. If DCL had a prepaid package along the same lines I'd pay it just for the convenience alone.

Great point! We usually do have a bar tab, beyond just the beer. Cost-wise, it may be a wash. And convenience-wise, a bonus, as you point out!

 

[gzmtlock]

I can't really think of other costs, but the WAY you pay is different. With DCL you pay for excursions once you're onboard. With RCCL you pay it up front when you book it. (same with drinks packages) RCCL's way is nicer for me once we're at the end of our cruise, but it shocked me a bit at the time because I had managed to get used to DCL's way.

Another potential bonus for RCCL - I will have a better feel of how much I am spending before we leave. Especially if I get the drink package, per the above.

Not converted yet, but definitely leaning on top of this fence. . .

 

[bumbershoot]

This may seem like a silly question but when you say $55 pp/per day, does it automatically go to the amount of days the cruise is? Or can you buy an amount of days? Because I'm just thinking that on days when you're in port, you probably wouldn't use it as much as the days you're at sea, if even at all?

When you buy it ahead of time it will go to the length of cruise. However, if you don't buy it at first and later want it during the cruise, there's a period of time when you can buy the package for the *rest of the trip* and it is pro-rated. But...that doesn't necessarily go along with the port vs sea days.



OP I did want to sort of give you some solidarity that when you start adding it up it starts to go near the same price. When I went to book RCCL I thought that it was going to be SO cheap, but then it wasn't. At first I thought "well we're getting 7 nights instead of 3 or 4" but even then, the big ships aren't "cheap". And now suddenly I'm adding Replenish x 2people x 7 days and the biggest water package for DS (DH and I have been really sensitive to the ship's water, and DS *can* drink the ship's water but we're happy to get him nicer water) and that's costing some money!

I don't even want to tell you how much we just paid to get them suits last night. Because we have two formal nights and we WANT to dress up...I haven't even paid in full for the alterations for my dresses (thanks to Weight Watchers I'm having my lovely and barely-worn dresses taken down quite a few sizes) and we still need to get shirts and tie(s) for DS's suit... I think my credit card nearly fainted last night, LOL. Of course, those things will be usable later (until DS grows and DH shrinks too much for more tailoring). But still, it's all part of our accounting for THIS cruise. And the 3-4 nighters on DCL didn't involve formal nights.


But...we loved our honeymoon cruise on Radiance, and Freedom looks really amazing!

 

[d3boyz]

I've been remiss in checking on details about our upcoming cruise on the Grandeur. We will be 8 couples, and most of us will be meeting this Wednesday to talk about shore excursions. Mostly those of us who understand what certain excursion are will explain them to the rest.

However, with reading what I have on THIS forum, I think maybe I'd better provide this link, a link to the cruise critic and RCCL, all the additional details I can find, and maybe pose a few questions to this learned readership and get some answers for our group so they're not too shocked when we actually go!

First ... on formal nights, are guests required to meet a certain dress code? Are there dining rooms where you must dress nicely to be served, or is it more relaxed?

Next, if we've requested early dining, does that mean it's 1830 (or something equally early) every night, or must reservations be made daily?

Finally (for the moment, of course), can excursions be booked after the cruise begins?

Thanks in advance for any help!
Deb

 

[bumbershoot]

First ... on formal nights, are guests required to meet a certain dress code? Are there dining rooms where you must dress nicely to be served, or is it more relaxed?

Next, if we've requested early dining, does that mean it's 1830 (or something equally early) every night, or must reservations be made daily?

From what I've read on CC, you aren't going to be turned away from the main dining room (or the "MDR"). Some will wear tuxes and long gowns. Some will wear suits and dresses. Some will wear things not as fancy.

My family will be wearing suits and long dresses for our two formal nights. DH just isn't ready for the tux yet, and rentals are weird because of timing. Onboard rentals would be too scary because DH is a larger man, so if they got the sizing wrong there isn't likely to be another tux he could use so he would have nothing. He just bought a couple suits last night (as did DS).

The other nights we'll do khakis/nice shirts and a nice dress. I, personally, like dressing up when I can, and a cruise is when I can!


I don't know about the paid dining venues, though.


The dining info should be in your booking information, I think. If you signed up for My Time Dining, then you go when you want to. But you CAN also make reservations. If you don't make reservations with MTD, you might have to wait for a table. If your whole group wants to eat together, the wait might be longer than, say, for my family of 3. So reservations might be a good idea. I've read that you can make them now or you can make them by phone each morning if you wish.

 

[Laz]

I've been remiss in checking on details about our upcoming cruise on the Grandeur. We will be 8 couples, and most of us will be meeting this Wednesday to talk about shore excursions. Mostly those of us who understand what certain excursion are will explain them to the rest.

However, with reading what I have on THIS forum, I think maybe I'd better provide this link, a link to the cruise critic and RCCL, all the additional details I can find, and maybe pose a few questions to this learned readership and get some answers for our group so they're not too shocked when we actually go!

First ... on formal nights, are guests required to meet a certain dress code? Are there dining rooms where you must dress nicely to be served, or is it more relaxed?

Next, if we've requested early dining, does that mean it's 1830 (or something equally early) every night, or must reservations be made daily?

Finally (for the moment, of course), can excursions be booked after the cruise begins?

Thanks in advance for any help!
Deb

When you read various forums, you will find that dinning room dress code discussions can get lengthy and sometimes seem heated. It is hard to bring dressy codes with the cost of luggage fees. In the end, use your best judgment. On one Smart Casual night, We were seated with a younger couple who had obviously taken time to think about what they wore to dinner. They were clean, neat, and classy looking, but in shorts. AT 55 year old, I would not do that, but for a younger couple it actually looked pretty good.

 

[tmoret]

As card carrying RCI member I will give you my thoughts on a few things.

1. RCI now will let you carry on 2 bottles of wine. This is may or may not be enought for the week depending on how much you drink. Also if you take it into any bars or dinning areas on the ship they will charge a corking fee but if you are looking just to have a glass at night or one to walk around with this may work.

2. Formal nights. Well as said this is a big topic of discussion. It really depends on the ship and who is at the door to the main dinning room each night. They request no shorts at all in the dinning room and on some ships they do ask you to please go change if you try to walk in with them on(yes I have seen this even on non formal nights). That is not all ships. I for one wear a suit to work so it is easier for me. I just take 1 black suit and 2 different shirts and ties for the cruises that have 2 formal nights.

3. Dinning time. RCI really have a few options for this there is early dinning 5:30pm and late at 8:30pm. They also have my time dinning. with the early or late there is no reservation needed you just let them know what one you want. My time you can make reservations everyday or make a standing reservation for the week at a time you want or just show up and there may be a little wait. I always say to either go with late dinning or my time. The early is just too early on the first day and on the days your at port because it is very hard to get back on the ship and be rushed to get ready for dinner.


4. Yes you can book excursions after you get on the ship. I always tell everyone to do it the day they get on the ship because the popular ones can fill up. You can even book threw your TV in your room.

Hope this helps....

 

[gzmtlock]

OP I did want to sort of give you some solidarity that when you start adding it up it starts to go near the same price. When I went to book RCCL I thought that it was going to be SO cheap, but then it wasn't. At first I thought "well we're getting 7 nights instead of 3 or 4" but even then, the big ships aren't "cheap". And now suddenly I'm adding Replenish x 2people x 7 days and the biggest water package for DS (DH and I have been really sensitive to the ship's water, and DS *can* drink the ship's water but we're happy to get him nicer water) and that's costing some money!

I don't even want to tell you how much we just paid to get them suits last night. Because we have two formal nights and we WANT to dress up...I haven't even paid in full for the alterations for my dresses (thanks to Weight Watchers I'm having my lovely and barely-worn dresses taken down quite a few sizes) and we still need to get shirts and tie(s) for DS's suit... I think my credit card nearly fainted last night, LOL. Of course, those things will be usable later (until DS grows and DH shrinks too much for more tailoring). But still, it's all part of our accounting for THIS cruise. And the 3-4 nighters on DCL didn't involve formal nights.


But...we loved our honeymoon cruise on Radiance, and Freedom looks really amazing!

Thanks for the confirmation! It's nice to know that the cost of the two cruises will be pretty close, making the decision about what to choose simpler. At least it doesn't involve finances!

I really don't know what I am going to do. RCCL/Freedom, and a totally new experience? Or DCL/Fantasy, and complete our Grandslam? With cost and itineraries very similar, it's looking like that's what the choice boils down to. . .