Thinking of trying RoyalCaribbean

[Itsbeentoolong]

Hi

 

I know this is the P&O site but i wondered if people who like P&O would recommend RCI? I read some posts over there and they seem to really love their boats and are a bit 'touchy' about criticism.

 

It it similar to P&O? someone told me its not as 'dressy' is this true?

 

Also they say they add 18% service on everything, if i got a drinks package do they put the 18% on at the end?

 

Also Anyone been on the Navigator of the Seas? started sailing in 2002, is it a bit old?

 

Thanks

[wilson2579]

We tried RCI Independence of the Seas in October and although the cabin was the biggest we have ever had and the ship, I still preferred P and O. Didn't find the food was as good and drinks prices were more expensive but if a good price came up we would go on it again.:cool:

[the english lady]

Hi

 

I know this is the P&O site but i wondered if people who like P&O would recommend RCI? I read some posts over there and they seem to really love their boats and are a bit 'touchy' about criticism.

 

It it similar to P&O? someone told me its not as 'dressy' is this true?

 

Also they say they add 18% service on everything, if i got a drinks package do they put the 18% on at the end?

 

Also Anyone been on the Navigator of the Seas? started sailing in 2002, is it a bit old?

 

Thanks

From what others have posted in the past

You will probably get a larger age profile from young to old, with maybe more towards the younger.

Dressy,not too sure others have posted there are few are really dressy, however you will get more than on p and o dressing casually.

The 18% will be on each drink. Not too sure about if you got a package, whether you would then get charged the 18% of total package price on top.

You may get charged for items with them that p and o do not charge for.

If you do sail with them do post back on here with comparisons, in case others are thinking of doing the same.

[tartanexile81]

We really like P&O but do not cruise exclusively with them - we've also cruised with Cunard, Princess, Fred Olsen and Celebrity, all of whom we've cruised with more than once. A couple of years ago we tried RCI on Independence and really did not like it at all and we would not cruise with them again. We liked our cabin and the food was excellent as was some of the entertainment especially the ice show but we couldn't get our head round the ship layout which was too American for us. As others have said this included gratuities being added to everything. Also we hated The Royal Promenade. It is based on the principle of a town in the USA with lots of venues off it causing over-crowding in the evenings and there was all too much razzamatazz for us.

[CCFC]

There is a certain WOW factor on Royal Caribbean that you cannot get on P&O, its unique in my experience so far. The drinks are more expensive but if you do like a drink the packages are very reasonable at around £30 a day for soft drinks, beers and wine.

 

I think its nice to try other cruise lines, we are going on a RCI cruise in June after a break of 6 years, I tend to go for the destinations rather than the cruise line as we are eyeing up an Xmas cruise on P&O.

 

Not much help but I don't think you will be disappointed.

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

There is a certain WOW factor on Royal Caribbean that you cannot get on P&O, .

 

I have cruised on pando/princess/RCCL/carnival/HAL and have had cheap cruises on Airtours and Thomson.

 

Each offer a product to a target audience.

Try Royal Caribbean and as mentioned has the WoW factor.

P&O (pando) is very much targeted towards the British market, and although nice, is often very bland in comparison to RCCL.

 

 

Much better on P&O is afternoon tea, especially in the Lido cafe.

That's and event not to be missed.

 

Go with Royal Caribbean, you will not be disappointed then try P&O.

 

 

 

.

 

 

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Edited March 25, 2015 by P&O Lynn Knickers
Lynn loves her scone to be all creamy

[Suebiker]

Hi - we decided to try Independence of the Seas a few years ago, but we decided to stay with P and O. Independence is a beautiful ship. The cabins are very spacious, entertainment is good. However whilst the food in the buffet was fantastic - huge selection. The food in the main dining room was not so good. There were virtually no vegetables served with our meal. So we asked if we could have some extra and we were given carrots and broccoli every day for 2 weeks!!!!!!! Our cabin steward did not do a good job either but I think we were unlucky as I did not hear any other complaints whilst onboard. Would we try Royal Caribbean again? Possibly we would give it another try but I keep getting drawn back to P and O as we like the product.

 

I would say that Royal Caribbean is definitely not as smart on formal night as P and O.

 

Sue

[Presto2]

Hi, tried RCI IOS for 4 nights on a mini cruise mid October.

 

We enjoyed the cruise and there were many positives and some negatives.

As a couple (no children) we would never do this ship in the Summer - no way!

Too much entertainment for families - we'd hate it.

 

The formal night from Southampton was very formal - everyone in formal gear and the restaurant was fabulous.

 

The cabin 1530 was great.

 

15% gratuities and just bringing 2 bottles of wine on.

 

Specialist restaurant we used was the best ever - I think it was Giovannis.

 

Breakfast was a nightmare - chaos in the buffet.

 

Having sailed P&O and - mainly before this cruise Celebrity - we came away thinking that we would do it again --------- but just the 4 days in October!

[Apeeler]

Went on IOS to Norway in 2013, then it was 15% on top of drinks. I like a drink although not to excess, but the drinks package like on most American lines was too expensive to be worth while and glad I didn't as my bill was much lower doing PAYG. Often had cocktail of the day which was cheaper plus given the cocktail glass as souvenir each evening.

 

Entertainment was on the whole good, the promenade had a great atmosphere and only very congested when they had the parade etc...

 

We found the food and snacks thru the days good, we also had to ask for extra veg but it was no trouble and the veg did vary (at times).

 

Cabin was kept spotless, steward fantastic and nothing too much trouble if ran out of anything, ice required etc...

 

My only grumble is due to the fact of the capacity of passengers and the nights being somewhat cooler in Norway that everyone stayed inside in the evenings and on a couple of occasions could not get seating in any of the bars/lounges with entertainment going on (probably applicable to most large ships).

 

Would certainly cruise with RCI again if right price and itinery :)

[john watson]

I tried a RCI cruise on Vision of the Seas a few years back. There were 112 British on board (Copenhagen round trip) the others were mainly Swedish from a cruise club which had chartered a train.

 

The dining style was bizarre to say the least but I think that was just our waiter, he explained the "best" of each starter, main course and pudding every day and then just said "so everyone wants this?" which never was true. It wasted a bit of time but was frustrating mainly then he showed you "how to eat" which people said they wanted to do it their way.

 

Lifeboat drill, frozen to the cods on deck with the children at the front which daughter did not like because I am tall had to stand at back.

 

It was a bit American, do not get me wrong I love Americans and Princess. They just seem to have gathered a lot of elements in which were not what I like. The only good thing about the cruise I recall was the "White Theme" deck party with atmospheric waiters spinning trays, dancing and singing with special coloured flashing cocktail glasses. There was a giant white swan made out of balloons floating on the pool, as I scanned the scene I noticed a bather in speedos showering off in the middle of the party. Highlight of the cruise.

 

Regards John

[Esprit]

We went on IOTS and I hated the ship. That Royal Promenade was awful. If I want to visit a shopping mall I can go to Bluewater. The Windjammer buffet restaurant was just the worse place to eat on any ship I've been on.

 

The entertainment wasn't too bad though and if you have kids they will enjoy it. I thought the Flow Rider was brilliant, once I mastered how to stay standing for more than two seconds!

[groovechick]

We cruised RCI on our return to cruising in 2011 on a fly cruise out of Venice. We were on Voyager of the Seas, which I believe is the same class/age as Navigator and I thought it was wearing very well. In fact I would say she was in better nick and better maintained than say Aurora, which is of a similar age. Agree with OPs' "more bling" assessment. Having since done 2 P&O cruises (Aurora and Azura) we noted the following differences:

Embarkation/disembarkation: much less well organised than on P&O. They were doing work at Marco Polo airport and despite there being v. limited capacity there we were kicked off the ship at 08.00 and bussed to the airport, where we spent the best part of the day with nowhere to sit and no food/drink.

MDR: food and service excellent. They dealt with our children's food allergy much better than P&O did the following year on Aurora.

Buffet: much more variety, more spacious. Free lemonade (very refreshing) and ice cream through the day. Fantastic poolside barbecue/buffet.

Entertainment: timed, ticket entry for the very popular shows, such as the ice show, and the system was very badly organised. Also entertainment much more geared to the American market. Greater variety of entertainment though.

Very hard sell on photos, drinks, etc. etc. Very pushy and intrusive (to the point of being rude) photographers.

Extra charges for many things (shuttles) plus the service charge and drinks prices are expensive anyway. One of our table companions paid £17 for a glass of very ordinary Merlot, the kind that would cost £5-7/bottle in a UK supermarket.

Kids clubs: nowhere near as good as P&O.

Pax: much more of a mix - Europeans, Americans, Australians.

Dress code: much less dressy on our cruise. On the first formal night DH wore a dinner suit and I wore a full-length dress with some beading around the neckline and we were very much in the minority. Most people were dressed in a way that fits P&O's smart casual code. A few more people made the effort on the second formal night, but it certainly wasn't the majority.

Excursions: pretty much on a par with P&O.

Pools: much more heavily policed than with P&O. There were always people there telling children not to jump in and to behave. More activities and games/organised in and around the pool.

Overall I think we prefer P&O but we would happily cruise RCI again if the price/itinerary was right.

[Itsbeentoolong]

Wow, thanks everyone for your detailed replies!

 

think i'm going to go for it as p&o hasnt really got anything I want and is alot more money than what i'm looking at....also the free drinks package seems to good to be true

 

I'm booking tomorrow, Thomson have offered me $50 OBC to do it with them in their 'Cruise Event' just hope i dont miss out....but 50 dollars is 50 dollars hahaha

Edited March 26, 2015 by Itsbeentoolong

[kevinyork]

Wow, thanks everyone for your detailed replies!

 

think i'm going to go for it as p&o hasnt really got anything I want and is alot more money than what i'm looking at....also the free drinks package seems to good to be true

 

I'm booking tomorrow, Thomson have offered me $50 OBC to do it with them in their 'Cruise Event' just hope I dont miss out....but 50 dollars is 50 dollars hahaha

 

Note that their advertised 'All Inclusive' isnt. Its some beers, a couple of choices of wine by the glass and non alcoholic cocktails. No water, spirits or coffees for instance. You can pay extra onboard to upgrade it.

[P&O SUE]

Wow, thanks everyone for your detailed replies!

 

think i'm going to go for it as p&o hasnt really got anything I want and is alot more money than what i'm looking at....also the free drinks package seems to good to be true

 

I'm booking tomorrow, Thomson have offered me $50 OBC to do it with them in their 'Cruise Event' just hope i dont miss out....but 50 dollars is 50 dollars hahaha

 

I love this forum :D

[MrsTW]

I've sailed 3 times on Indy and once on Navigator. They definitely have far more WOW factor than P&O. :) I t will be nice to have them both sailing from Southampton. :D

 

Great buffet and love the Royal Promenade. A much easier ship to navigate than Ventura or Azura. You must see the ice show and go to Johnny Rockets. :)

[aliandy]

Our first ever cruise was on Independence of the Seas and we had a great time. Having nothing to compare it with we thought it was fantastic. Have been on several cruises since then with other lines and enjoyed them all. On Britannia next month which will be the biggest ship we have been on since Independence so it will be interesting to see how they compare. We would certainly go back with RCI if the price and the cruise were what we wanted. Having been on two smaller ships (Black Watch and Oceana), each type of ship has its own pros and cons and in the end it is personal choice.

 

Have a great time - we did!