cruisingqueen74

I recommend doing the park first as well. I echo what Moki said plus it's so nice to have a relaxing cruise to look forward to after the hustle and bustle of exploring WDW.

I've sailed on the Wonder and Dream. Both were fantastic ships! Now debating between 7nts on the Magic vs. Fantasy. I know that there is a price difference with the Fantasy being about $500-700 higher on average. I know that one has the Aqua Dunk vs Duck. Etc.

What I would love to know is personal experiences and recommendations. Has anyone sailed both and how would you compare the two? Food? Public spaces? Activities? Accommodations?

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Outstanding customer service. Amenities and activities. Diamond lounge. Different stateroom options/varities. Specialty dining options. Innovation. Adult sanctuaries. Online vacation planning. Embarkation and disembarkation ease. Variety of class of ships. Children's program. Can go on...

#RCCLfan

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Don't worry. There will be plenty of opportunities for your little one to see and interact with the characters including parades (which are so much fun), shows and hanging out at specified times and areas which are listed in the daily cruise compass.

Enjoy!

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We took our son (now 12) on the Rhapsody when he was just 9 months olf back in 2003. Funny coincidence :p

We booked a Royal Family suite because my mom and aunt joined us which were s big help. RCCL provided a nice pack-n-play which was set up in the living room area. We did pack his full size stroller and bouncer (helped that we drove! ). Also had plenty of formula, bottled water, baby food jars and snacks in tow.

In the main dining room, a high chair was provided which was perfect. Since I had his food, I didn't ask for them to prepare anything but they were accommodating when asked for a little extra food so that he could nibble on and try.

Yes-too young for Adventure Ocean and since there were 4 adults there was no baby sitting service needed.

Out of my 19 cruises this was one of my most memorable and enjoyable. Watch out though, your little one will get hooked. .lol. Mine has 15 sailings under his belt :)

Enjoy, it would be a wonderful memorable vacation for you all!

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My stateroom, 8124 deluxe balcony, had a flat screen tv :p I noticed some cabins on our deck had tube tvs.

Overall I thought the ship was in good shape. Didn't see signs of age- even though 10 yrs is not that old ;)

Service was great. Public areas well maintained. Overall food was ok-went to Chops, delicious. The Seaview Cafe was less desirable- had fish & chips (too much batter) and my son said wings were just ok. Their tuna melt was good. Liked the layout and decor of Windjammer.

Had My Time dining and never had more than a 5 minute wait and was able to get the same waiter every night except one.

Really enjoyed the cruise!

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We just got back from sailing on the Jewel. Wonderful vacation! Stayed pre-cruise at Marriott Stellaris and really enjoyed the hotel, food and service.

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I've done it and was my very first zipline experience. I thought it was very cool! You're so high up overlooking the beach and Caribbean water. It's the longest zipline over water in the world (well it was when I did it 4 years ago) which is awesome. Yes $$ and yes it was a lengthy amount of time, but imoh, worth it :D

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I love Aqua Class! Access to the spa/thermal suites is a wonderful perk:p

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Curious about this too. We will be getting on the Jewel when you're departing and DS 12 wants to know about the tween/teen activities. AO was great when he was 10 & under.

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I've sailed on the Summit and absolutely enjoyed it! Had an Aqua Class stateroom and loved access to their thermal spas and exclusive Blu Restaurant. I'm sailing on JOS for 1st time in July and looking forward to it! I put little stock in negative reviews because sometimes they are gripe sessions about small issues. Unless I see A LOT of the same negative reviews where the complaints are similar, I go with my gut. It's all based on personal choices.

I totally recommend the Summit!

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I've had anytime dining on several different cruiselines and when I've found a waitstaff that I like, I request them. They've learned what I like and have my favorite menu items ready- just like when we have a "set" dining.

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Prices definitely keep fluctuating! I booked the Jewel with kids sail free promo last month with my diamond member discount of $200 off balcony. I got a much better deal with that offer! I've been checking the fares for price drops...yesterday the total price of my same cabin was $212 higher than what I paid and today it's over $300 higher! Feels like rates keep changing by the day. I know with the new program the discounts may vary by sailing (based on what the RCCL rep told me), the previous tiered program was a much better deal for those with higher statuses. This,for me, was a nice perk. So today for my particular sailing a Gold thru Platinum member would receive the same discount off of my same cabin. Oh well...by the time I cruise my way up to D+ (quite a few cruise credits away from that level..lol) maybe the perks will be better.

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I just checked my sailing again, not logging into C&A I see a $150 credit for balcony. When I logged into C&A before, I received a $200 discount on same room.

Seems as if full balcony discount is not being given..?? :confused:

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Just checked the website for my sailing and was able to select balcony and see the $200 discount which is for Diamond status . Unfortunately even with the recent price drops, I still got a better deal with kids sail free promo. Will keep checking though.

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Out of all the RCCL ships that I've sailed on I would agree that the Freedom would be a good choice - especially getting you pumped for the Allure. The Explorer is also a good choice which sails to Bermuda out of NJ. Happy sailing:)

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I'm sure that a thread may have been started, but why isn't RCCL sailing out of Bayonne NJ beginning next year sailing to Bermuda? This will be a huge miss! Only the Grandeur out of Baltimore is sailing there.

I understand that the Quantum is sailing out of NJ but no plans (according to the website) for any of their ships to leave from that port to Bermuda. Also noticed that Celebrity (sister cruiseline to RCCL) also pulled out of NJ sailing to Bermuda. What's going on??

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That sounds about right. Because of high fares to southern FL, I've flown into West Palm Beach and rented a cheap car, drove 30 minutes to the airport and took a shuttle to the port. It was a huge price savings. Plus when the ship returned, we had time before our flight & went site seeing.

May be an option...

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Christy- this is a FANTASTIC review. You've made me fall in love with RCCL all over again and I can't wait until I can sail on their MEGA ship :D