Royal Caribbean

[JenniC]

Has anyone got any opinion on RCI, prices, service, ships etc.. All information welcome please. Particularly Adventure of the Seas.

[Princess]

Only been on IOS which is a bit bigger and newer than AOS. We thought we would not like it having been with P&O for nearly 30 years. But we loved it. Service was excellent - totally uncomparable to P&O. Much more little bits included in the price - ice cream, coffees, etc. Drinks prices more expensive, but got a double or triple measure and the mixer is included - unlike 90p (?) for a tiny can of coke/tonic. Tips more expensive, but we felt we had value for money and wouldnt dream of reducing them as the service and attention to details was superb. IOS was a wonderful ship - I am sure there would be some areas we might not have been happy in but we didnt find them!! Kids facilities looked awesome - but dont think we would enjoy RC in the school holidays if we didnt have children with us.
Will probably only go with RC or Princess in the future.

[towny44]

Thank you for that positive review of IOS, we are comparing an IOS Med cruise for 2014 with a similar Azura cruise, IOS prices look to be about 20% lower than P&O which is very much in line with their sister brand Celebrity, where we have already booked an Eclipse cruise for 2014.

[Kendhni]

Have deliberately not read any of the answers yet to see if I say similar things.

We were on Brilliance of the seas last year and had a fantastic time. On the plus side I thought the service was slightly bett6er than P&O and possibly the cabins a bit nicer. On the down side I found the price of drinks to be slightly higher and the tips were more than double those on P&O. I thought the food and variety of menu (especially in the select dining) was better on P&O, however we did enjoy many great meals on RCI.

The one thing we did notice though was that there was a much more cosmopolitan passenger base on RCI. This was both good and bad. Many of our American, Asian and Australian cousins preferred to sunbathe in the shade which meant that there was plenty of loungers for us brits in the sun. However that cosmopolitan mix also impacted the entertainment which had to be 'thinned' out to suit everyone. It meant that many shows were half empty and overall we found the entertainment on P&O to be better (they only had to satisfy a British audience).

Overall though we would have no issues on taking another cruise with RCI.

[Quizzical Bob]

Our first cruise was on Splendour of the Seas, seven nights Venice to Venice in 2001. Being our first we had nothing to compare it to but we enjoyed it and came back I more. All our subsequent cruises have been P&O out of Southampton.

[kruzgal]

We have sailed with Royal Caribbean on IOS and Navigator (sister to Adventure) and enjoyed both trips, but haven't sailed P&O so can't do a direct comparison. If sailing from Southampton I would avoid the school holidays (unless you have children and that is your reason for booking) as it is probably 'livelier'!

In terms of the cost I always think you should look at the total spend rather than the individual cost prices since at the end of the day it's all money that has to be paid! If P&O are pricing up 20% more then that additional cost would easily cover the higher tips and maybe the purchase of a drinks package to make it 'all inclusive' on Royal Caribbean. It doesn't matter to me whether the money is going to P&O to pay for the cruise or to the staff in higher tips on Royal Caribbean. At the end of the day it's the bottom line that matters!

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are generally much better about price drops (we got several last year on our Celebrity cruise and saved around £2000) so if you do book it is worth keeping an eye on things. If you spot a drop before final payment contact them (or you TA) and it will often be honoured, unless it is a special offer for new bookings only. After final payment you may get an upgrade but no refund.

[howard18]

Agree with everything said so far.
I am a regular on RCCI and they beat P&O hands down. The 15% tip has been taken off (but is now probably reflected in the drinks prices).
Writing of drinks reminds me that RCCI use a "free pour" as a measure - which I am sure more than competes with P&O.
I never travel in the school holidays and I would think that any RCCI ship is overrun with kids during that time. They really do cater for children.
If you can afford a top end suite (GS grade and above) then the benefits really kick in with in suite full restaurant menus, personal concierge, separate dining room for breakfast. No Windjammer!! Free bar before dinner etc. All suits benefit from priority boarding and disembarkation.
A bit more fussy than P&O as far as cigar and cigarettes are concerned. Especially cigars.
RCCI is as far as I know the only 4 star line to have a full size big band on board.
The one thing that I miss is buying my cigars on board. As an American line they have no idea what British tastes are.
Food is acceptable with a good menu. Things have got a bit tighter over the last couple of years with lobster no longer on the standard (MDR
menu. However it is always available in the speciality restaurants and perhaps as an item at additional cost in the MDR.
I'm sure that Ken was right as regards the entertainment on his cruise on Brilliance OTS but if I remember correctly he was out in Dubai and therefore their was a very mixed bunch of passengers. I'm sure he will correct me if I'm wrong. On U.K. sailings out of Southampton the entertainment is very much geared to a U.K. audience. Sometimes good - sometimes dire.
Sailing out of Miami is very different.

Howard

[Holiday Planner]

I am currently looking for a holiday for the beginning of September and am tracking a munber of cruises. RCI Adventure of the Seas is sailing to Norway and Iceland. This 12 night cruise is showing up as £599 pp for an inside cabin. Because our daughter has now said that she might join us if we cruise (!) I decided to do a test price up on the RCI website for a triple room. Amazingly it comes up that 1st & 2nd passengers are £599 each; 3rd and 4th passengers would be £299 each. At thoses prices even if our son chose to come too, we would be paying less for all 4 of us than we paid each for our Med cruise last Summer (admittedly we then had 2 obstructed view cabins - but I think I would be prepared to put up with the squash (our son is nocturnal anyway, and could have the cabin during the day!) I could be tempted away from P&O at these prices.

[clairemarie55]

''A bit more fussy than P&O as far as cigar and cigarettes are concerned''

How more fussy.? When I checked the smoking policy it was the same as P&O....ie,,Smoking on balcony's and designated areas only.

[howard18]

''A bit more fussy than P&O as far as cigar and cigarettes are concerned''

How more fussy.? When I checked the smoking policy it was the same as P&O....ie,,Smoking on balcony's and designated areas only.

This year RCCL have barred smoking on the balconies (at least on AOTS). I'm a cigar smoker and the only place I can smoke is in one lounge. In fact I should think the bar staff must be on danger money purely through inhalation. I think the same goes for cigarettes.

Hope this helps.

Howard

[Kendhni]

Maybe they only ask staff who smoke themselves to look after such bars ?

[howard18]

Oops! Got the cigarette question wrong.

Smoking of cigarettes is allowed on balconies that face the sea. However, smoking of cigars is allowed only in the designated lounge.

Hope this helps.

Howard

[Grando]

Hi Jenni
Cannot believe its a year since we were on Ventura for the Grand Event! We went on Adventure of the Seas at the end of June and can thoroughly recommend it. It compared very well with our 35 days on Oceana in January, in some respects it was better, in all honesty we couldn't fault it. As it was out of UK a kettle and tea bags are provided in the room but no coffee (room service) but we had taken our own! The ice show is spectacular. Doreen

[jay-ell71]

Don't all balconies face the sea Howard?

[david63]

Don't all balconies face the sea Howard?

I am prepared to be corrected but I believe that some of the RCCI ships have inside balconies that overlook the main public areas

[howard18]

Quite right David.

Howard

[chrisb60]

Hi all
We have just returned from IOS last cruise before she returns to America.
Firstly, the smoke from cigarettes can be smelt on the Mall. This is because the casino is just below. I guess this is allowed so as not to miss any money from the gamblers who would otherwise need to take a break and go outside! and give the rest of a us a rest.
We decided to try My Time dining, total waste of time. All the info on board advised booking a table in the My Time Restaurant as they got busy. Went to book a table and earliest time we could eat on any night was 20:15. If people want to eat at a specific time why didn't they book first or second sitting in MDR?
The American way is very evident. loads of meat no veg. 15% on drinks and prepaid tips.
Also, the library was smaller than the mens toilet on the 5th deck, or it at least felt like it.
No lounges to sit quietly and read. Only bars or cafes.
One of the acts was very good one wasn't.
The staff were no better or worse than any other cruise line we have sailed with.
Will we cruise with RCL again, probably not.

[howard18]

Interesting comments ChrisB60.
I cancelled my September cruise on I.O.S. because of the awful lack of staff, low staff moral and cleanliness on my May 2014 cruise on A.O.S.
I now travel with Silversea.

Howard

[allatc]

We did a one week cruise on Grandeur of the Seas, one of the smaller ships, about the same size as P&O Oriana. Itinerary was from Baltimore up the coast to Maine and Canada. We found service, cabins and food to be about the same as Princess, maybe not quite as good.
Would sail with RCI again if the price and itinerary were what we were looking for.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We did one cruise on IOTS. We thought the ship was fabulous, with a real wow factor. However we found it a bit OTT, with a lot of US style self-congratulation going on. And we didn't find the service better than P&O. It took them ages to clear tables in the buffet, restaurant service was mediocre and we got really fed up with the plastic "Have a nice day" everywhere. But it is horses for courses. No doubt an excellent cruise line, just didn't suit us.

[barney]

Ditto Merv !

Liked it but not enough to return

[Gill W]

We had a mailshot from Cruise Kings today, and something caught our eye

It's an Australian circumnavigation (plus a few stops in New Zealand) on Radiance of the Seas, for 33 nights plus 3 nights in Sydney.

We have always hoped to visit Australia once we had stopped working, so this looks very interesting.

We're going on Oceana for 35 nights next February, and have no real worries about that, as we are very comfortable with P&O

However, just wondering if anyone who has sailed with RCI has any thoughts about what it might be like doing a long cruise with them (or a shipload of Aussies for that matter!), plus any insights on how they deal with special diets on Royal Caribbean. According to their website, they don't cater for special diets in the speciality restaurants, which is a bit disappointing).

This cruise is a lot more expensive than the one we are doing on Oceana, and it would be a once in a lifetime thing for us, so I'd be really grateful for any comments

Thank you