October 26th, 2009
Royal Caribbean Cruises. Have you done one and if so where and did you enjoy it?
Tell me the good and bad points please and if you think they are worth the money?
I have been on eight Royal Caribbean cruises and will be doing a couple more this year. I have also cruised on Princess, Celebrity, Holland America and Norwegian but Royal Caribbean is my favorite cruise line. They have great ships with features that are not available on other ships. The food is great and so is the service. And right now there are some great deals, especially for their Mexican Riviera itineraries.
AS far as food and service I think Celebrity, Princess and Holland America are just a little bit better but not by that much. Celebrity and Princess ships are more reserved and nicely decorated. Royal Caribbean ships are more glitzy, with lots of glass and brass.
I don’t know that I can give you a listing of good vs bad but I do enjoy Royal Caribbean cruises and I think they are worth the money. Their prices are comparable with the other "mass market’ cruise lines that I mentioned above.
October 27th, 2009
talk2much355995 Says :
i have never done one and i wouldnt go on it with there prices and this ecomy i would chose canaval i went on that cruse and i loved it its alot cheeper to
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October 27th, 2009
luludoodie Says :
Started on the big ships 15 years ago and enjoyed them.
Tried small ships (more expensive) and as a result will now never go on a big ship again!
Reasons:
Shore excursions overpriced and poor quality
Too many Chav’s
If a tiny thing goes wrong it instantly multiplies due to overcrowding.
Getting on/off is now worse than airports!
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October 27th, 2009
RoofingPrincess Says :
Yes, I’ve been on several.
Explorer of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas to the Eastern Caribbean (San Juan, St Thomas, Antigua, St Maarten)
Vision of the Seas to the Mexican Riviera (Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan)
Serenade of the Seas to Alaska
I’ve also been on the Caribbean Princess to the Eastern Caribbean and the Carnival Ecstasy to Cozumel & Progreso.
Of the three lines, I definitely prefer RC. The ship layout on Caribbean Princess made it seem really crowded, and the decor on the Ecstasy was too crass and gaudy.
But I’ve enjoyed every single one of my cruises! and definitely thought they were worth the money. If you’d like to see some pictures (including onboard), go to roofingprincessmos.shutterfly.com
Bargains can be found on many cruiselines if you can be flexible with your vacation plans. If you don’t know much about cruising, it can be helpful to find a good travel agent who does (not an online agency).
One of the good and bad points about cruising is that you wake up in a new port almost every morning; it’s good because it gives you a taste of a lot of places, and it’s bad because you don’t get to spend enough time to really get to know any of the places.
I like the fact that I unpack once and get to see many places, and that my meals are all taken care of.
As for shore excursions, if you can do enough homework, it’s possible to arrange them through private vendors instead of those on the ship; the number of people on them is generalllyl smaller and yet the price is also less.
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October 27th, 2009
Seven Seas Travel Says :
I think Royal Caribbean is over priced right now. You can find 7 night Princess cruises for $399 to $499, NCL for $418 and Carnival for $419. Your price can differ depending on the month you travel. The cruise lines are real competitive on what they offer on board. I would look at the other lines and the best price first. The cruise lines are offering a lot of great deals with additional freebies. Good Luck!
References :
Seven Seas Travel
1-800-951-5581
Frequent Cruiser
http://www.cruisecritic.com
October 27th, 2009
TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only Says :
I have been on eight Royal Caribbean cruises and will be doing a couple more this year. I have also cruised on Princess, Celebrity, Holland America and Norwegian but Royal Caribbean is my favorite cruise line. They have great ships with features that are not available on other ships. The food is great and so is the service. And right now there are some great deals, especially for their Mexican Riviera itineraries.
AS far as food and service I think Celebrity, Princess and Holland America are just a little bit better but not by that much. Celebrity and Princess ships are more reserved and nicely decorated. Royal Caribbean ships are more glitzy, with lots of glass and brass.
I don’t know that I can give you a listing of good vs bad but I do enjoy Royal Caribbean cruises and I think they are worth the money. Their prices are comparable with the other "mass market’ cruise lines that I mentioned above.
References :
experience of many cruises
October 27th, 2009
Veronica Alicia Says :
Just back from a Baltic cruise on Jewel of the Seas, from Harwich, England – been on P. & O. before from Southampton.
re the suggestion of private tours – there can be problems with Russia and you must apply for a Russian Visa if you don’t travel with a tour from your ship.
If you like glitz and glamour, Broadway style, then you’ll enjoy the Shows on RCI.
We loved the trip – different and more casual than P & O (our table waiter called us by our first names which would never happen on P & O or Cunard.
P. & O. had a slight edge on high standard of cuisine in the formal dining rooms and speciality restaurants, but RCI’s choice and selection of food in the cafeteria-style area was much greater.
We found more to do on Jewel though perhaps of a lower intellectual level, for example, the Art auctions on P & O are included in Art lectures; on Jewel they were straight-forward sales of art with little information about the history of the artist and his works.
We like the new Country tasters rather than a first-time full holiday – I wouldn’t go to Barcelona for two weeks, for example, after one day there, but I’d certainly love to return to Rome.
If you are considering a cruise with RCI, take a look at the web to view their new ship "Oasis of the Seas" which makes her virgin voyage this December in the Caribbean.
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