Looking at Rccl but need help

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

Looking for a Non-party ship.
More Adults, less kids.
My husband wants to do a Cabbiean(maybe a southern) cruise 7day or 9 day, but not sure when the lowest price is.

He wants a cabin with a balcony, I want a nice window view inside .

What do you pay extra for(not counting shore excursions).
We have only been on a Disney cruise.

I don't even know which class/ship to pick.
Please help.

 

[Mpadovani2]

Party ships tend to be defined by length of itinerary....3 nights leaving Friday is a huge party. 9 nights leaving Thursday not so much. There will usually be less kids and more adults on longer itineraries and also sailing when kids are in school. As with all cruise lines, you can get on board and pay nothing extra except gratuities or you can spend a lot on dining, spa, internet, classes and more. It is all up to you. In terms of class of ship, depends on how much WOW factor you wish. The older vision class ships tend to be more adults along with the Radiance class vessels, which are my personal favorites. The freedom class and Oasis class are quite large and tend to attract a lot of families. January, May, September, and October sail dates are good times to score low fare and less kids. RCCL runs sails throughout the year, just register on their website and you will be informed.

 

[Tigger2ntinkerbell]

The only thing we paid OPP while on the Dream was for wine at dinner and a beer or 2.
If I could find the same luxury feel that the Dream had on Rccl that would be very nice.
Do any of the Radiance class have Adult only area like Disney??

 

[Mpadovani2]

Yes, all Royal Caribbean ships have a very nice adults only area and pool. One difference I should mention is Royal does not offer free soda like Disney. You are allowed to bring aboard two bottles of wine per stateroom. There is also only 1 main dining room, most other venues, besides buffet in windjammer, are pay venues. Radiance class vessels, IMHO, are the most elegant of the fleet. However, a true comparison of size and scope with the Dream would be the Freedom class vessels. These, however, are not my favorite. I have only boarded one and can't say I would do it again unless I got a stellar deal. If you are nervous about luxury, you could always try Celebrity, owned by RCCL. They have very luxurious ships, but you may pay a bit more to get onboard (still signifcantly less than DCL).

 

[JsMom2]

This is where a knowledgeable travel agent can assist. Dreams Unlimited sponsors these boards, so I would suggest consulting them.

 

[Laz]

Party ships tend to be defined by length of itinerary....3 nights leaving Friday is a huge party. 9 nights leaving Thursday not so much. There will usually be less kids and more adults on longer itineraries and also sailing when kids are in school. As with all cruise lines, you can get on board and pay nothing extra except gratuities or you can spend a lot on dining, spa, internet, classes and more. It is all up to you. In terms of class of ship, depends on how much WOW factor you wish. The older vision class ships tend to be more adults along with the Radiance class vessels, which are my personal favorites. The freedom class and Oasis class are quite large and tend to attract a lot of families. January, May, September, and October sail dates are good times to score low fare and less kids. RCCL runs sails throughout the year, just register on their website and you will be informed.

It can be hit or miss and can change week to week. We did a B2B out of San Juan, and the first week had a huge Quinceañera celebration for many young girls. Very active, fun week. The next week was much more subdued. Celebrity cruise line, which is owned by RCCL, may be more to your liking. More adult oriented.

 

[bumbershoot]

He wants a cabin with a balcony, I want a nice window view inside .

Get a balcony room and you just don't go out onto it. You get your oceanview and he has his balcony.


Look at the Royal site and check out the classes of ships.

Royal doesn't include soda, and they aren't as generous with carryon wine/beer as Disney is. Other than that everything I've paid extra for on Royal I've also paid extra for on Disney.

I've enjoyed Vision, Radiance, and Freedom class ships, as well as whatever class Adventure of the Seas is. (Explorer class?) They all have their own loveliness. They aesthetic is different than Disney's dark color schemes butonce you embrace that it's simply different you can appreciate it.

 

[ludari]

It's my experience that the shorter the cruise the more party atmosphere. I sailed on Anthem of the Seas last year on a 12 day cruise and it was great! It was definitely a lot older crowd than DCL (I've done 8 DCL Cruises) and although they where some events where the crowds got a little carried away I wouldn't say it was a party ship. The additional costs on RCCL will be for sodas and I you decide you want to try out some of the additional restaurants. On the Anthem they where numerous restaurants that you had to pay extra for which I tried them all except the sushi place and they where all wonderful.

They say least expensive time to cruise is between January and March which is called Wave Season.

Personally I don't like to pay the upcharge for a balcony since I use stateroom to sleep but I do like having a widow view. On the Anthem I tried the virtual balcony which is a live image of whatever side your stateroom is. I really enjoyed the virtual balcony because I had the option to turn it off or on plus I didn't have to close my drapes if I was changing in the room while in port.

I hope this helps.

 

[JsMom2]

A drawback to the Oceanview rooms is that they are usually on the lower decks of ship. Although some of the ships have Panoramic View rooms that are all the way forward (I'd hate that!) The virtual balconies are pretty cool. But also remember that you can get a balcony on RCCL for the price of an inside room on Disney.

 

[bumbershoot]

Although some of the ships have Panoramic View rooms that are all the way forward (I'd hate that!)

Oh wow, I loooooooved ours on Freedom.