Just had dinner with a 10 yr RCCL employee

[pittisit]

Hi there:

 

I had dinner with a former 10 yr RCCL employee who is now with Disney. I won't say what he does because I want to protect his identity.

 

He regularly cruises all the lines (for evaluating the competition) and he said the main problem with RCCL from a loyalty perspective, is that they spend SO MUCH on the new ships, that they become the marketing draw for the entire line. The commercials feature the latest ship, and every passenger thinks that's what they'll get when they board.

 

However, these brand new ships also bring with them a huge premium in fare, which most of the RCCL passengers can't afford or won't want to pay.

 

(hence Quantum going to affluent Asian customers first)

 

This is also why they don't do much to the ships when they DryDock - the money is spent on the new ships.

 

Disney's strategy is different, as is the customer. Less ships and more margin per customer means better food, more upgrades and dry docks, and more "magic."

 

So, to all those comparing who think one is better than another - remember that if you're comparing Carnival to Royal to Disney, you're comparing Chevy to Toyota to Lexus - (not saying Carnival is CHevy and Disney is Lexus - I've never been on Disney and it's been a while since Carnival)

 

I'm just pointing out that these are profit-seeking businesses with different targets, goals, and strategies. Choose the line that fits your style and budget. Wanted to share a 10 year higher ups comments about RCCL from the inside.

 

Happy Cruising.

[leinhto]

Good insight. Thanks.

[griffy116]

Cruise line preference is subjective. Just saw a post from someone saying Disney's food was the worst between Carnival, Royal and Disney. I think we all figured out the money was going toward the WOW factor on the ships and that we are being asked to pay extra for much more every year.

[debandbill]

Well I have and while the cruise was very nice, Disney did nothing to make me change cruise lines. I would say in most arenas, it was a comparable cruise with RCI and it was way more expensive. Embarkation/Debarkation was maybe a little smoother but Disney ships are smaller than the most recent RCI ships so understandable. Entertainment was great on Disney but so are a lot of the shows on RCI. Food, rooms, etc...very similar.

 

We had a great time with our family on the Fantasy, but I will stick with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

Edited January 19, 2015 by debandbill

[JasonV1]

It is hard to be objective about many things from Disney given that their ecosystem and brand is such a powerful draw for their guests.

 

I will say that on my one Disney cruise the service was second to none. I'm not saying I get bad service on Royal, just that Disney was superb.

 

Disney certainly has impressive entertainment, and the experience that is the ship seemed to go from start to finish on our cruise. Their younger kids program was amazing; can't speak for teens though.

 

DCL in prime season(s) is super expensive though, so all of that comes at a cost. You can still get decent deals on Royal ships in prime season if you are willing to take any cabin available. Will that continue this year? Who knows. I just know that when I sailed Oasis the first week of August 2013 you could snag an inside for $649pp once final payment had passed. Similar deals were available on my Allure spring break 2014 cruise. Whenever I browse Disney prices I don't find deals like that, although there are reasonable deals to be had off season.

[Toddcan]

I had dinner with a former 10 yr RCCL employee who is now with Disney. I won't say what he does because I want to protect his identity.

 

He regularly cruises all the lines (for evaluating the competition) and he said the main problem with RCCL from a loyalty perspective, is that they spend SO MUCH on the new ships, that they become the marketing draw for the entire line. The commercials feature the latest ship, and every passenger thinks that's what they'll get when they board.

 

However, these brand new ships also bring with them a huge premium in fare, which most of the RCCL passengers can't afford or won't want to pay.

 

(hence Quantum going to affluent Asian customers first)

 

This is also why they don't do much to the ships when they DryDock - the money is spent on the new ships.

 

 

Although I agree with some of the stuff he mentioned - it sure sounds like opinion, and not some corporate strategy he was telling you.

[mark290]

I didn't see much in the way of insights in the OP's post.

Doesn't RCCL put a lot of money into drydocks on their ships ?

 

Sure seems like they have one of the best kept fleets in the business.

Stretching ships, adding flowriders, virtual outside cabins, flat screens, dining venues, gig screens by the pool. You might not like what they are putting the dollars into at drydock but it seems like they are spending the bucks.

[pittisit]

Yeah, I am protecting him by being general/vague.

 

Really interesting to get the perspective - kind of like talking to a Pilot on a flight.

 

He did say that both lines - that when at sea, the captain "owns" the boat. The execs back on land can only make "requests," but when they do, they are asking the Captain if "he is able to x or y." They also ask him what they can do for him - because the Captain is in charge.

 

Pretty cool.