cherryblossom5

Which was your favorite and why?

Now that we have gone once and are hooked, what is the dollar amount you would consider a good deal for a 7 night cruise from Florida. Thinking your input might help me have a starting point for future shopping. :)

We're not sailing out of Florida (we're doing Galveston), but we're paying $4300 for a 7-night cruise in November 2016 for 2 adults and 1 child. Deluxe oceanview with a verandah (category 5B). We also get a $200 on-board credit. No idea if that would be considered a "good deal," but I think the price will only go up so we decided to just bite the bullet.

I noticed when searching the Disney cruise site by ship that the Wonder doesn't have any sailings scheduled in September or October 2016. Could it be headed to dry dock at that time? Sorry if they've already released this info (I haven't seen anything though). We're sailing the Wonder in November 2016 so that would be exciting!

More RFS photos ...

 

Thanks for sharing the pics. Looks really nice!

Note: We cruised in an aft Royal Family Suite on Freedom OTS in 2012, and soot was not an issue. Strange, maybe it has to do with winds at sailing? There may have been *some* but not enough to disrupt anything.

 

Definitely check pricing when released - this early out, you may find rates aren't $4000 per passenger for the 1st and 2nd. With suites, you get dinged on the 3rd, 4th, etc passengers. You pay more for the first two and then something between $749 and $1000 for the others. With a balcony cabin, you pay much less for 3rd and 4th.

 

Note, I did enjoy the large dining table on the balcony. We ate room service breakfast almost every morning on our balcony and it was a lovely, low stress time. No hustling out of the cabin. The menu is expanded from the regular room service menu.

 

Provided money is not an issue, if you are within a couple grand for two balconies vs. the RFS, I'd choose the RFS for a family of six. One of the sofas in the living room does pull out, and there is a TON of storage.

 

Also Note: we had upgraded balcony furniture from the photos above. It was very nice. Check your ship for exact details, but they now have a really nice dining table.

Room service on the balcony is definitely a huge plus for the RFS. Money is an issue to an extent, but I'm willing to spend more if it seems worth it. I agree with you that if a RFS is only $1-2K more we'd probably go that route.

Cherry - prices for the RFS are in line with the other "true suites" - usually between the price for a Grand suite and an Owners Suite, in my experience. We stayed in one on Freedom OTS and the extra room was really great. Not cheap, but great.

 

Do note that the RFS is usually not outfitted with high-end finishings like an Owners or Grand Suite. They are outfitted similarly to regular cabins in terms of decor, but have more room, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, separate sitting area and an extra large balcony with a full dining table (ours had 6 chairs I believe) and a couple of chaise lounges.

Thanks! I'll be traveling with my husband and our four children so I wasn't sure if it would be cheaper to get a RFS or connecting balcony rooms. Seems like it's going to be cheaper to get the connecting rooms. The summer 2016 dates haven't been released yet, but I'm planning to call and check prices for the RFS when they are.

We were "upgraded" to RFS from an Owners Suite. Should have kept OS.

RFS on Navigator in 2010. The living/dining area is very large, suitable for a gathering. One bedroom is a master, the other small with 2 twin beds & 2 Pullman (drop down) beds. Both bathrooms are small, would be better to have one big one,(there were just 2 of us).

Another consideration is that RFS is on aft of ship, even though the balcony is very big, there is no overhang. Two issues with this: Suites above have total visual access to your balcony, and Soot. Soot was pervasive, had to clean balcony furniture continuously, or sit on towels.

If you need a 2nd bedroom and bathroom, it's a good deal.

We definitely need a second bedroom. I hadn't considered the soot issue (I've actually never been on a cruise before!), so that's definitely something to think about. Thanks for your reply!

Has anyone ever stayed in one of these? The prices aren't listed on the RC website...does anyone know how much these typically cost? I'm interested in booking a cruise for next summer on the Navigator of the Seas. Any info on these would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!