pangyal
#TeamSven
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2014
Hi all!
We just returned from our very first cruise on Royal and I had been looking for a thread like this before we left, so I promised myself that I would do a quick write up comparing the Star Class product and DCL’s Concierge Level when I got back while it was still fresh in my mind
.
Rooms:
DCL- Dream and Fantasy- Family Deluxe Stateroom (category V)- have never splurged on the one bedrooms.
RCCL- Anthem of the Seas- Grand Loft Suite
I want to underscore that we paid about the same price for both of these rooms. I feel that this is important in making the comparison, since it really does become a one-to-one, direct dollar to dollar evaluation.
Booking Details/ Pre-Cruise:
DCL: We always received a booking confirmation immediately, followed by multiple emails of various nature including potential activities to try on-board, dining information, and the dedicated Shoreside Concierge phone number to call with any questions.
RCCL: We received a booking confirmation email and nothing else. We were first-timers and were feeling completely lost and in the dark about how to book activities, dining, etc. as well as how Star Class even worked. I spent a LOT of time on the cruise critic forum to try to familiarize myself with how this was meant to go. We didn’t even receive a welcome letter of any sort outlining any of the associated benefits with our booking.
Concierge Booking Experiences:
DCL: We know to send in our requests to Shoreside at exactly 125 days out because they work them in the order they are received, but only after midnight on day 125. There is always a bit of nail-biting going on with wondering whether we are going to get a cabana on CC because there are often more Concierge guests that want them than there are cabanas. It seems like extra legwork on our end to get our requests.
RCCL: About four weeks before sailing, our “genie” contacted us with a slightly odd, generic survey that asked about our preferred snacks, waking times, and a few more esoteric questions such as who would we most want to invite to dinner, living or dead. She asked about any special occasions and what time we liked to eat. About a week before sailing, she emailed us a rough copy of the dining schedule that she had arranged, and was able to make adjustments immediately upon our requesting them.
Embarkation:
DCL: Finding the Concierge check-in and waiting area is extremely easy and smooth. We have never waited more than 45 minutes to board and usually arrive around 10:30. The Concierge team does a good job of leading you onto the ship and showing you to the lounge, where you sit with a glass of bubbly and review your itinerary with one of them, making changes as desired, then heading to a quiet lunch at Royal Court. Our rooms have usually been ready around 11:30am. The staff will hold your carryons if you would like to jump on the Aquaduck before the crowds arrive and then head to lunch.
RCCL: This was the New Jersey Bayonne port and we arrived around 9:30. Our genie had told us to go to zone 6, Star Class. We saw a sign outside that said Zone 6, with a SC banner, so we went there and waited. And waited. And waited. There was a group there already, so we asked them if they were waiting to get picked up. They said yes, so we kept waiting. Finally, we found out that they were waiting to get picked up by an Uber because they were actually disembarking the ship, not embarking. We headed inside the terminal to see a Star Class banner by a desk, but nothing saying zone 6. We were checked in quickly, but waited about 20 minutes for a porter. We were eventually led to a room where all of the Royal Suite Class guests were sitting (Sea, Sky, Star) and there were no chairs left. We felt that the check in process could have been more transparent and communicated to us in advance much more clearly than it was. Our genie eventually came to get us and led us onto the ship. Our room was not ready until about 1pm.
Staterooms:
DCL: This room is fine for two or three people. We feel that they make great use of the space and try to book early so that we can get a bumpout balcony for more room to sit overall. We didn’t really see much difference between this category and the Navigator’s Verandah that we stayed in on the Magic a while back.
RCCL: You guys, this room was BONKERS. We are in a condo in midtown Toronto and this stateroom was legit bigger than our apartment. Two floors, two very large bathrooms, a dining area, a gigantic balcony with multiple loungers/ tables/ chairs, a Captains Chair, an espresso maker, and an insane amount of storage space. I will say that we barely left the room.
On-board Inclusions for each:
DCL: Rotational dining included, Palo and Remy additional charge. Specialty Coffee additional charge. Alcohol additional charge. Concierge gets a sweet coffee maker in the lounge and happy hour from 5-10pm (sometimes 4-10). One special character appearance. 100mb (because we live in the Stone Age?) of Internet instead of 50mb and they will immediately replace it if you burn through it on the first day. Priority embarkation and disembarkation off the ship but no further. Otherwise, there are no extra inclusions for this sail class that I can think of right now.
RCCL: Every. Little. Thing. Seriously, if we had requested rarified air that had been licked by unicorns, this genie would have gotten it for us. All of your food and drinks are included (drinks up to $13, but only bottles really go above that price anywhere), including the Chefs Table, sushi making class, cupcake decorating class, room service from any of the specialty restaurants anytime they are open, Starbucks food and beverage (we had a standing order for Starbucks drinks for 7am every morning), Ben and Jerry’s ice cream...EVERYTHING. Do you want to order four $21 lobster tails on top of your 32 ounce striploin? Go for it. We didn’t, but we could have. We were able to order alcoholic drinks alongside the food for room service. High-speed unlimited internet was literally life-changing (I work online most of the time and have had really tough times trying to keep up on DCL). Unlimited, free same-day laundry including dry cleaning and pressing if desired.
We didn’t wait in line for anything. The genie took us through separate entrances (I preferred this, since I didn’t want to be paraded past the line and be pushed to the front- this would make me feel very uncomfortable) and just got us onto everything we wanted immediately. We did bumper cars, trapeze, iFly, rock climbing, everything. Zero wait. She would also save the best show seats for us and get our drinks and popcorn arranged while there. She organized a galley and a bridge tour. She decorated our room for our son’s birthday and gave him wrapped gifts that she had obviously put a lot of thought into based on our survey answers (for example, a special edition of a book series he enjoys). She would check on us during dinners just to see if everything was going well. We booked this class knowing that as Royal newbies, we would have next to no chance of getting into anything, and it was a big trip for our kiddo, so knowing that we could circumvent disappointment around the activities was a huge deal to us.
Here is an example of the level of service we saw with Star Class. We went to Johnny Rockets for lunch on the second day. I have to eat gluten-free and she had assured me that she had told them to have GF buns ready for opening time. They didn’t, so I ordered for the hubster and the kiddo and was going to find something else afterwards....no big deal. Not ten minutes goes by and I can only assume that somebody must have called her from Johnny Rockets mentioning that I had not been able to order food since there were no buns...here she comes with a bag of buns that she had procured from who knows where deep in the galley. It was so unexpected and so thoughtful.
Disembarkation:
DCL: The concierge staff will collect a group and take them down past the line to the “border” of the terminal. Then, you are on your own, which I find reasonable. The longest line is always at Customs, though, and there is no priority with DCL.
RCCL: We asked our genie to walk us off at 8am. We were escorted off the ship and past the entire Customs line. We went from our room to getting into our airport transfer in fourteen minutes. It was unbelievable.
Final Thoughts:
I won’t get into entertainment and food quality since there have been multiple threads on those comparisons. I only want to touch on the products themselves and how they compare with regards to inclusions and value for the price paid.
We have had nothing but wonderful times with DCL, and have been fortunate enough to stay in Concierge many times when we do. However, I feel that we would be getting the same level of service in any room category. I tend to keep my lanyard flipped and have never, ever received service that was in any way different than if the gold card is showing. That being said, the tangible value for the money for the category V staterooms is much, much less than what we received on Royal for the same price. The room on Royal was at least three times the size of the cat V on DCL. The inclusion of every dining option, every drink, every activity, plus someone to coordinate your entire day the way you want, was an incredible value when compared to the Concierge team on DCL who are juggling dozens of guests at a time (each RCCL genie has only three staterooms, and there are I believe nine Star Class staterooms in total), so the amount of personalized attention is incredible.
I would not even have bothered to do this write up if the price difference had been significant between the two, since the first assumption would be that Star Class would be prohibitively expensive. However, I will say that we were so blown away by our experience that we booked again on-board for Allure in 2021 in a two-bedroom suite for less than our Fantasy cruise is going to cost in a category V next February, so I feel that a direct comparison is definitely warranted!
(just don’t you all now go and book up all of the Star Class rooms...lol)
I will add that Star Class on Harmony and Symphony is almost double that of Anthem, Oasis, and Allure. Just FYI.
Sorry so long...any questions, feel free to ask!
We just returned from our very first cruise on Royal and I had been looking for a thread like this before we left, so I promised myself that I would do a quick write up comparing the Star Class product and DCL’s Concierge Level when I got back while it was still fresh in my mind
.Rooms:
DCL- Dream and Fantasy- Family Deluxe Stateroom (category V)- have never splurged on the one bedrooms.
RCCL- Anthem of the Seas- Grand Loft Suite
I want to underscore that we paid about the same price for both of these rooms. I feel that this is important in making the comparison, since it really does become a one-to-one, direct dollar to dollar evaluation.
Booking Details/ Pre-Cruise:
DCL: We always received a booking confirmation immediately, followed by multiple emails of various nature including potential activities to try on-board, dining information, and the dedicated Shoreside Concierge phone number to call with any questions.
RCCL: We received a booking confirmation email and nothing else. We were first-timers and were feeling completely lost and in the dark about how to book activities, dining, etc. as well as how Star Class even worked. I spent a LOT of time on the cruise critic forum to try to familiarize myself with how this was meant to go. We didn’t even receive a welcome letter of any sort outlining any of the associated benefits with our booking.
Concierge Booking Experiences:
DCL: We know to send in our requests to Shoreside at exactly 125 days out because they work them in the order they are received, but only after midnight on day 125. There is always a bit of nail-biting going on with wondering whether we are going to get a cabana on CC because there are often more Concierge guests that want them than there are cabanas. It seems like extra legwork on our end to get our requests.
RCCL: About four weeks before sailing, our “genie” contacted us with a slightly odd, generic survey that asked about our preferred snacks, waking times, and a few more esoteric questions such as who would we most want to invite to dinner, living or dead. She asked about any special occasions and what time we liked to eat. About a week before sailing, she emailed us a rough copy of the dining schedule that she had arranged, and was able to make adjustments immediately upon our requesting them.
Embarkation:
DCL: Finding the Concierge check-in and waiting area is extremely easy and smooth. We have never waited more than 45 minutes to board and usually arrive around 10:30. The Concierge team does a good job of leading you onto the ship and showing you to the lounge, where you sit with a glass of bubbly and review your itinerary with one of them, making changes as desired, then heading to a quiet lunch at Royal Court. Our rooms have usually been ready around 11:30am. The staff will hold your carryons if you would like to jump on the Aquaduck before the crowds arrive and then head to lunch.
RCCL: This was the New Jersey Bayonne port and we arrived around 9:30. Our genie had told us to go to zone 6, Star Class. We saw a sign outside that said Zone 6, with a SC banner, so we went there and waited. And waited. And waited. There was a group there already, so we asked them if they were waiting to get picked up. They said yes, so we kept waiting. Finally, we found out that they were waiting to get picked up by an Uber because they were actually disembarking the ship, not embarking. We headed inside the terminal to see a Star Class banner by a desk, but nothing saying zone 6. We were checked in quickly, but waited about 20 minutes for a porter. We were eventually led to a room where all of the Royal Suite Class guests were sitting (Sea, Sky, Star) and there were no chairs left. We felt that the check in process could have been more transparent and communicated to us in advance much more clearly than it was. Our genie eventually came to get us and led us onto the ship. Our room was not ready until about 1pm.
Staterooms:
DCL: This room is fine for two or three people. We feel that they make great use of the space and try to book early so that we can get a bumpout balcony for more room to sit overall. We didn’t really see much difference between this category and the Navigator’s Verandah that we stayed in on the Magic a while back.
RCCL: You guys, this room was BONKERS. We are in a condo in midtown Toronto and this stateroom was legit bigger than our apartment. Two floors, two very large bathrooms, a dining area, a gigantic balcony with multiple loungers/ tables/ chairs, a Captains Chair, an espresso maker, and an insane amount of storage space. I will say that we barely left the room.
On-board Inclusions for each:
DCL: Rotational dining included, Palo and Remy additional charge. Specialty Coffee additional charge. Alcohol additional charge. Concierge gets a sweet coffee maker in the lounge and happy hour from 5-10pm (sometimes 4-10). One special character appearance. 100mb (because we live in the Stone Age?) of Internet instead of 50mb and they will immediately replace it if you burn through it on the first day. Priority embarkation and disembarkation off the ship but no further. Otherwise, there are no extra inclusions for this sail class that I can think of right now.
RCCL: Every. Little. Thing. Seriously, if we had requested rarified air that had been licked by unicorns, this genie would have gotten it for us. All of your food and drinks are included (drinks up to $13, but only bottles really go above that price anywhere), including the Chefs Table, sushi making class, cupcake decorating class, room service from any of the specialty restaurants anytime they are open, Starbucks food and beverage (we had a standing order for Starbucks drinks for 7am every morning), Ben and Jerry’s ice cream...EVERYTHING. Do you want to order four $21 lobster tails on top of your 32 ounce striploin? Go for it. We didn’t, but we could have. We were able to order alcoholic drinks alongside the food for room service. High-speed unlimited internet was literally life-changing (I work online most of the time and have had really tough times trying to keep up on DCL). Unlimited, free same-day laundry including dry cleaning and pressing if desired.
We didn’t wait in line for anything. The genie took us through separate entrances (I preferred this, since I didn’t want to be paraded past the line and be pushed to the front- this would make me feel very uncomfortable) and just got us onto everything we wanted immediately. We did bumper cars, trapeze, iFly, rock climbing, everything. Zero wait. She would also save the best show seats for us and get our drinks and popcorn arranged while there. She organized a galley and a bridge tour. She decorated our room for our son’s birthday and gave him wrapped gifts that she had obviously put a lot of thought into based on our survey answers (for example, a special edition of a book series he enjoys). She would check on us during dinners just to see if everything was going well. We booked this class knowing that as Royal newbies, we would have next to no chance of getting into anything, and it was a big trip for our kiddo, so knowing that we could circumvent disappointment around the activities was a huge deal to us.
Here is an example of the level of service we saw with Star Class. We went to Johnny Rockets for lunch on the second day. I have to eat gluten-free and she had assured me that she had told them to have GF buns ready for opening time. They didn’t, so I ordered for the hubster and the kiddo and was going to find something else afterwards....no big deal. Not ten minutes goes by and I can only assume that somebody must have called her from Johnny Rockets mentioning that I had not been able to order food since there were no buns...here she comes with a bag of buns that she had procured from who knows where deep in the galley. It was so unexpected and so thoughtful.
Disembarkation:
DCL: The concierge staff will collect a group and take them down past the line to the “border” of the terminal. Then, you are on your own, which I find reasonable. The longest line is always at Customs, though, and there is no priority with DCL.
RCCL: We asked our genie to walk us off at 8am. We were escorted off the ship and past the entire Customs line. We went from our room to getting into our airport transfer in fourteen minutes. It was unbelievable.
Final Thoughts:
I won’t get into entertainment and food quality since there have been multiple threads on those comparisons. I only want to touch on the products themselves and how they compare with regards to inclusions and value for the price paid.
We have had nothing but wonderful times with DCL, and have been fortunate enough to stay in Concierge many times when we do. However, I feel that we would be getting the same level of service in any room category. I tend to keep my lanyard flipped and have never, ever received service that was in any way different than if the gold card is showing. That being said, the tangible value for the money for the category V staterooms is much, much less than what we received on Royal for the same price. The room on Royal was at least three times the size of the cat V on DCL. The inclusion of every dining option, every drink, every activity, plus someone to coordinate your entire day the way you want, was an incredible value when compared to the Concierge team on DCL who are juggling dozens of guests at a time (each RCCL genie has only three staterooms, and there are I believe nine Star Class staterooms in total), so the amount of personalized attention is incredible.
I would not even have bothered to do this write up if the price difference had been significant between the two, since the first assumption would be that Star Class would be prohibitively expensive. However, I will say that we were so blown away by our experience that we booked again on-board for Allure in 2021 in a two-bedroom suite for less than our Fantasy cruise is going to cost in a category V next February, so I feel that a direct comparison is definitely warranted!
(just don’t you all now go and book up all of the Star Class rooms...lol)
I will add that Star Class on Harmony and Symphony is almost double that of Anthem, Oasis, and Allure. Just FYI.
Sorry so long...any questions, feel free to ask
!
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