Have you ever left RCCL for another line?

[bross2410]

I am a brand-loyal cruiser with RCCL. Not for any particular reason at first and then I just stuck with what I know. I'm always pretty happy with everything they do, but during my last cruise I started thinking about seeing what the other lines had to offer.

 

If I had to find a complaint with RCCL it would be the food. And of course I'm speaking about quality, not quantity. But I read about food complaints a lot across many lines so maybe it's a cruise thing and not an RCCL thing.

 

So my question for other past or current loyal RCCL cruisers: Have you ever left Royal? Why? What did you try? Did you come back? Why?

 

A quick note about food: I've seen people get flamed for making negative comments about cruise ship food on these boards. If that is your intention please move on. This isn't a thread about cruise ship food, I am simply providing a baseline for why I might consider switching lines. Thank you.:o

[LoveyHowell]

Yes, cruise different lines.

 

Why?

 

Different ship

Different entertainment

Different ports

Pricing may come into play

 

Too much of the same thing gets boring, need to keep it fresh by trying different things.

[Alohaaloha]

We too are very 'loyal to Royal' partly because we have moved very quickly through the loyalty programme and we are enjoying the benefits of doing so. However, we look at other cruise lines, other itineraries and wonder what it would be like to try something new, but we always get cold feet and stay with RCI. I'll be really interested to read what others say on this subject and it may persuade us to take the plunge too.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[sjb317]

We've been on 34 RC cruises and 1 Celebrity. We decided to try Celebrity because people have always raved about the food and service, that it is a "step up from Royal". We found both lines to be very similar, service was not any different on Celebrity, and, while the menus had more offering in the MDR on Celebrity, the quality of the food was similar. We actually felt we have had better food on some of our Royal cruises.:D

 

Don't get me wrong, we had a great cruise on Celebrity and will cruise again with them, plus, we would like to try other lines, but, so far, we seem to prefer Royal.

 

Sherri:)

[Aquahound]

So my question for other past or current loyal RCCL cruisers: Have you ever left Royal? Why? What did you try? Did you come back? Why?

 

Yes. I wouldn't say I left...only that I've tried other lines. I tried Celebrity, Princess, Holland America and NCL. With the exception of NCL, which I thought was awful, I thought the others were really good at certain things.

 

I love Celebrity and their modern themed Solstice Class ships.

 

Princess, I found to be very similar to RCI. My only complaints with them were tiny staterooms and very dated styling. Also, don't go here expecting an improvement in food over RCI. But everything else was impressive.

 

Holland America...the "Heaven's Waiting Room" stereotype is true. However, they have really good itineraries and my Mediterranean and Alaskan cruises with them have been excellent.

 

And yes, I still returned to RCI. No real reason other than RCI is still currently my preferred line.

[matj2000]

Yes, cruise different lines.

 

Why?

 

Different ship

Different entertainment

Different ports

Pricing may come into play

 

Too much of the same thing gets boring, need to keep it fresh by trying different things.

 

This basically sums it all up.

Especially with RC because every venue/decor/restaraunt/menu/ is almost exactly the same from ship to ship even down to the names.

We did 3 RC cruises in a row and it became very predictable.

We even knew the menu before sitting down.

Do you really think all the other cruise lines stay in business because they are sub-par??

[reney313]

I cruise different lines for variety. I enjoy each line I have sailed for different reasons. I prefer RCI although Princess offers a very good product as well and I'm interested to see how their Caribbean cruises stack up to RCI.

 

I love RCI ships, but every now and then the same entertainment, lounges, menus can get boring. Switching it up helps me to not get into any type of "lull".

 

I say go for it...you might find you enjoy the variety of what others have to offer.

[George C]

My last 2 cruises and my next 3 cruises are RCCL, I really think in general they have the best ships and entertainment. But we cruise almost all the major lines food seems to be hit or miss on all of them. RCCL does not always leave from ports we like NYC (NJ is not NY) and we like a change of pace. Price also can be a issue we like the smaller suites when possible. Love the food on Costa and MSC since we love Italian food, will most likely return to HAL, X and Princess again sooner or later

[LindaAndBillTravel]

We had cruised exclusively with Royal Caribbean for 15 years. This past year, we decided to try Azamara and Celebrity because they had itineraries that were of interest. We would definitely do Azamara again -- the food was very good and the service exemplary. We loved that Azamara could get into small ports and stayed later or even overnight in port. We would not be inclined to do Celebrity again though -- the food was hit or miss, the service was not good, and the maintenance of our cabin was horrid.

[galfromkazoo]

I have sailed with Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival, Norwegian and Holland America. I sail with RC the most but go with other lines for the variety, ports and price. I think it is a mistake to only cruise on only one line. Ships in all fleets are very different and many things change over the years. To cruise on one line for twenty years because there was something I didn't like about a cruise ship twenty years ago doesn't make sense to me.

[Topo Gigio]

Variety is the spice of life. Just went on HAL & Princess after I became D+ on Royal. Both were excellent cruises,but Royal is my favorite cruise line.

[AF-1]

Wife and I have only sailed RC; been on six cruises with six different ships. Loved Splendor because of its size; but also loved Allure because of it's size. We are taking a NCL Jade trip thru Europe in May. 14 nights; why did I switch?

1. Itinerary

2. Freestyle dining; if I return from a shore excursion at 6pm, I don't have to rush to make my 6:30 dinner seating; I can show up when I want

3. No jacket/tie required. I wear a jacket and tie to work everyday; this will be a nice change

4. Try another line to see if we will like it; change of pace.

[mconthehighseas]

We enjoyed Royal, but switched to other lines to experience more interesting itineraries.

 

We came back when we had a child because Royal has a nursery for babies and toddlers. We will probably stick with them for a while because of their wonderful children's programs (our LO adored the Royal Tots program) and the easy access to the pier from our home. Everyone tells us to cruise Disney, but they don't have a casino, and Royal understands that you need to take care of the WHOLE Family, not just your children.

[Rede411]

I have sailed with Celebrity, Disney, NCL & Royal Caribbean. I think the decision really depends on what you like. Although I loved Royal Caribbean, I think NCL is more suited for my age and the freestyle dining they offer. I hated formal nights on Royal plus the age group was a bit older than I had thought. Price is also a factor. I use Costco travel as they work with a number of cruise lines.

[spookwife]

 

So my question for other past or current loyal RCCL cruisers: Have you ever left Royal? Why? What did you try? Did you come back? Why?

 

 

to date I have only strayed to Celebrity since sailing Royal. We have done Carnival and Disney prior and for a variety reasons would not return to either line. my next cruise is back on Royal. I will admit to CONSIDERING jumping ship to Princess for our big Alaska cruise for a couple of reasons.. the better itineraries, and the fact that they always offer OBC to military personnel( we actually rarely get OBC at all as we tend to book directly, not on board and do not use a TA)

 

Celebrity had better 'every day' food..I REALLY liked the buffet and I hate buffets just on general principles. I cannot for any insight in toothier specialties as I have not done any( Like I said the MDR and buffet more than satisfied us)

as for cabins.. well, I got what I thought was equivalent to a GS, but it turns out that on Century not so much, so no access to Michaels, which I would have liked to be able to compare to the CL. the cabin as very definitely smaller and the Butler.. well he underwhelmed us. way too quiet/passive( he barely knocked not he door for instance and if the TV was on we never heard it at all.)

 

But something about the attitude and vibe of all the Royal crews just makes me enjoy them better.. they actually seemed a lot happier to be there. I dunno if the celebrity vibe, being a bit more conservative/ relaxed made for a more solemn crew, but I just failed to get any enthusiasm from most crew. they were polite, attentive and very efficient. just not that personable.

[yolanda1]

We have never been loyal to a cruise line. There are lots of reasons to try different ships and itineries. No one cruise line, in our opinion, does everything well, and we haven't found one that does everything badly either.

 

As far as Royal Caribbean goes, it's a decent mass market line and we have returned several times because we like what they offer, but in recent times we have cruised less frequently because the competition is strong. I would always recommend trying the others at least once. There's a lot of great cruises out there! :)

[queenschick9b]

I've been on an similar number of NCL, RCCL and Carnival (between 3-5 each). It depends on if I am traveling solo or with others, the price, the destination. I did Celebrity once and I loved it, but as a solo it is too pricey for me to do by myself.

 

I wouldn't do Carnival again because the service was horrible the last time, but I was on an older ship and wonder it it would have been different if I was on a newer one.

Edited January 12, 2015 by queenschick9b

[nbsjcruiser]

We do like RCCL's product. I like the large ships and everything they have to offer but you do need to get out there and see what other lines have to offer. NCL offers a product that is in my opinion tops when it comes to service. They really stress service. Princess has the best food I've ever had on a cruise line. Carnival offers a downscale product that has its place and they do some things well - Comedy Club as an example. So its good to get out there and experience these things. We did for probably close to 3 years. Then we had a tour of the Enchantment of the Seas when it was in our home town and as soon as we stepped on board you knew you were on an RCI ship. It was time to go back.

[MMOMOM]

Of the 10 cruises we've done, we still like Royal the best. However, that being said, I've never been on a bad cruise! We just like some things better than others. We are flexible since retiring so we mainly look for price, timing for what we are doing at present in our busy life, as well as ports and/or to experience a certain ship. We've booked most times last minute and done gty cabins, always being pleased. We got spoiled early on with the JS so we always book that. We've found Royal's JSs to be the best for us. We've done a couple on Carnival and although we don't go out of our way to book Carnival, if there is a deal and the time is right, we wouldn't hesitate to book again. We loved a last minute deal we got on Holland's Eurodam. But, I will say my husband likes a bigger ship and really enjoys the Promenade on Royal that they don't have, but we still wouldn't hesitate booking again. We thought the food exquisite on the Eurodam. We did a last minute deal on NCL's Epic and it definitely was not for us. I've read many good things about the line, so I'm not sure if it was just the ship or the line in general, but NCL is not on my go to list, although as I said, we've still never had a 'bad' cruise. We recently went on RCI's Explorer of the Seas and for us it was like 'going home again' as it had been a while since we'd sailed Royal. We do have a trip booked on the Allure in May, which is really not like us to book that far ahead, but the deal was right for a Med Cruise and we took it. My husband has wanted to do a Med cruise for a long time and the time and pricing worked, we'd been on the Oasis and knew we'd love her sister ship, so we booked it. All that being said, I think it's good to experience other lines. We'd still like to try Princess and Celebrity, but the opportunity hasn't arisen yet. And, also, the benefits of Royal loyalty isn't bad either! :)

[birdlord]

We tried Celebrity last cruise (same company, I know) but found we liked the RCI experience better -- I admit we like the whole megabig ship/lots of activities thing. Celebrity has a nice product, but there just were a lot of issues on the particular week we went. I'm not willing to risk that with my vacation money. I might be willing to try NCL because they have a lot of cruises that depart closer to home and we could save $$$ on airfare (a pretty big deal these days).

[sippican]

Although most of our cruises are with Royal, we do not consider ourselves loyal to any one line.

We would never, ever, ever, go on Carnival again. After a horrible first cruise, we gave them a second chance (mistake).

We liked some things about NCL, especially their freestyle, casual dining and their itineraries.

Loved everything about our Celebrity cuise, would not hesitate to cruise with them again.

We will try Princes for a return to Alaska, superior land portion of the trip that no other line can compete with, and when we do the South Pacific.

We bit the bullet and did DCL with the entire family. I had such high expectations and came away disappointed with many aspects. You can't beat their private island, Castaway Cay, their family-themed shows and the pixie dust that only Disney can provide, sevice was topnotch. Specialty dining was superb (and pricey). But there were downsides, not major, but noticeable in relation to the price; the pool deck is a madhouse, woefully inadequate for the numbers, diningrooms are noisy (of course, with so many children), buffets are chaotic, lacking items found on other lines, limited room service menu (no hot breakfast selections, and no public computers or printers.

Looking forward to our three upcoming Royal cruises.

[MCC retired]

How would you ever know that RCI would be your favorite without experiencing others ?

I enjoy the differences and continue to cruise on multiple cruise lines.

There are some great experiences and deals out there also .

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

I have tried others. Celebrity is my favorite. It is RCCL with better food and usually a bit better entertainment. RCCL owns Celebrity, so if you want to venture out to another line that would be in your comfort zone. Carnival is several notches below RCCL on just about everything. Food is much worse and they have skimped on everything from the second you step foot on the ship. Instead of a live steel drum band by the pool, you have some goofy white guy spinning rap tunes at his little DJ station. That is just one of dozens of examples of how they have cut something out to save a buck. Been a long time since I have been on NCL. I am not really the person to comment on them these days. Disney is simply A+ awesome if you have young kids. They make the entire cruise magical and the service you receive on the ship is far beyond that of any other line I have been on. The shows are amazing as well. However, at around 10pm each night the ships become ghost towns. There is no casino and the evening night life is all but non existent. The ship is filled with families and they seem to call it a night when the kids go to bed. For some reason Disney has little tiny swimming pools on the ship as well. The kids have no room to swim and bob up and down like little corks. I have never really had a "bad" cruise. However, the few on Carnival have been my least favorite.

Edited January 12, 2015 by WhenIsLobsterNight

[Cauzneffct]

I'm the other side of the coin; I've really enjoyed cruising Princess but I'm looking at giving RCI a go. RCI sails out of Baltimore, which is far more convenient than flying, and I'm curious as to the ship-board experience of a different line.

[PORT ROYAL]

I am a brand-loyal cruiser with RCCL. Not for any particular reason at first and then I just stuck with what I know. I'm always pretty happy with everything they do, but during my last cruise I started thinking about seeing what the other lines had to offer.

 

If I had to find a complaint with RCCL it would be the food. And of course I'm speaking about quality, not quantity. But I read about food complaints a lot across many lines so maybe it's a cruise thing and not an RCCL thing.

 

So my question for other past or current loyal RCCL cruisers: Have you ever left Royal? Why? What did you try? Did you come back? Why?

 

A quick note about food: I've seen people get flamed for making negative comments about cruise ship food on these boards. If that is your intention please move on. This isn't a thread about cruise ship food, I am simply providing a baseline for why I might consider switching lines. Thank you.:o

 

Used to be a Celebrity and RCI fan, but with food/standards dropping, dumming down of dress codes, the snobbishness, and the new cruisers demographic being encouraged, have moved up to Cunard.

For those who think Cunard is expensive, yesterday I found an old invoice for the inaugural year of the Ocean Princess, and happy to note that I now pay less for a balcony on Cunard than I did on the Ocean:eek: