First time with RCI. Should I be concerned.?

[RTLS]

We are a 60 year old couple and have cruised only once previously on Celebrity Galaxy in 1998.

We were looking to do a Europe cruise next Fall but discovered that most cruises went to a least a few ports with which we are very familiar (or they are not on our top ten list of places to see!) and our preference is to visit some new areas.

 

We came up with the Transatlantic in Oct. 2006 on the Splendour. The itinerary suits us very, very well and we have booked a D1 Cabin but I just read all the posts about beds and other cabin shortfalls on RC! and now I'm really starting to have second thoughts.

 

The idea of "egg crates" for the bed isn't very appealing. In addition I've had one or two Cruise- going friends say that, in their opinion, RCI is for the younger set.

 

The local TA that we used told us the RCI has really improved since it joined the Celebrity group and that she now rates the line higher than Princess.Does she know what she's talking about?

 

If there is anyone around who has recently travelled on Splendour , I'd love to hear your comments. And it would be particularly great if anyone around our same age group has any thoughts to share.

 

Thanks

[Cam6959]

RTLS-I am not the same age but my mom is and she loves RCCL. She especially loves the Navigator of the Seas. We have never been on the Splendour but as with any cruise line the staples are about the same throughout the line. Book the Splendour and enjoy! My mom did.

[Mac]

Hello RTLS

I have not sailed on the splendour but have done 10 cruises 9 with royal carribean and won't do any other cruise line. The age group very's depending where and when you go, spring brake you might get more kid's but nothing to worry about, I realy don't think to many kid's will be traveling to Europe. I have always had such good luck with them never any problems. The Voyager of the sea's one of the biggest is heading to Europe next year great ship to travel on you would love it and there is just so much to do on her. Very clean and no crates to sleep on,the bed's are very comfortable and big . You should look into that ship you won't be disapointed if you decide to travel on her. Good Luck.

[Sheffie]

We did Splendour last Spring Break and had a wonderful time. We are in our mid 50s and would sail that ship again in a heartbeat. Don't worry about some of the posts you read. After you have been here a while you will find that there are so many different opinions about the same exact thing.

 

Go and have a wonderful time!

[PhoenixCruiser]

I suggest a newer ship, try looking into the Serenade and Jewel.

 

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[Pumbaamd]

I'm 59 and my wife is 52. We never have had a problem with RCL and sleep very well on their beds. We had a very nice D1 on the Brilliance in January and have another D1 booked for this coming January, again on the Brilliance. We're also on the Grandeur of the Seas next November with an Aft JS. We have nothing bad to say about RCL. You're gonna have a great time. Don't think about the negatives. Yes, "something" will go wrong. But you are gonna have a great time! Get Out There!

(P.S. And while you are on board, book another cruise with RCL. They'll give you a $$$ credit for doing so.)

[RTLS]

Want to thank you all for such quick and positive replies. As suggested I'll look into the Voyager as well as the Serenade and the Jewel but the Splendour Itinerary is perfect for us.

 

Mayber one of the others will be great for the next time.

[glgolfer]

Background - we have been on 22 cruises, 17 with RCI, on each with Cunard (QM2), Crystal, NCL and HAL. We started cruising in 1987. We have 2cruises booked next year on the Mariner of the Seas in Jan and the Freedom of the Seas in Oct (both RCI). I am now 63 and my wife is 59. So, as you can see, we're quite happy with RCI.

We did the Splendor transatlantic in November 2003 from Lisbon to Galveston for 15 nights. We would do it again. We have never had a problem with their beds and on a longer cruise, the demographics will average a little older than on a 7 night cruise to the Caribbean. We had a table for 8 (3 of us had met earlier that day at the Meet & Mingle, the other couple was from England) and we were all age and travel compatable. We were also all in the same catagory cabins. A significent number of the passengers were from England and Scotland (it was great seeing many gentlemen in their full kilt regalia on formal night) along with some other European countries. it made for quite an interesting cruise.

 

Also, on a cruise with many sea days, RCI has the "Academy at Sea". Make sure y0ou find out what days they will have them and attend the theater presentation. You will be able to go backstage, see the lighting and sound systems, meet and talk to the singers and dancers. We even got to be backstage for a run thru of one of the show numbers and see a costume change. There are also 4 or 5 other presentations on hospitality, spa, photography, etc. Each one is for an hour a day for 4 days and are staggered so you can attend more than one.

 

Don't think you will be disappointed if you decide to take the trip.

[evildiva]

We were on Splendour Feb 2005, and we loved it! The ship was the perfect size for us, we are in our 30's with 2 kids. I like it because it wasnt huge, overwhelming, and hard to get around. We didnt care much that it didnt have a Johnny Rockets, ice rink, etc...It might be a slightly older ship but it was is excellent shape. I found the beds to be very comfy, I have a bad back. Enjoy!

[evildiva]

We were on Splendour Feb 2005, and we loved it! The ship was the perfect size for us, we are in our 30's with 2 kids. I like it because it wasnt huge, overwhelming, and hard to get around. We didnt care much that it didnt have a Johnny Rockets, ice rink, etc...It might be a slightly older ship but it was is excellent shape. I found the beds to be very comfy, I have a bad back. Enjoy!

[evildiva]

We were on Splendour Feb 2005, and we loved it! The ship was the perfect size for us, we are in our 30's with 2 kids. I like it because it wasnt huge, overwhelming, and hard to get around. We didnt care much that it didnt have a Johnny Rockets, ice rink, etc...It might be a slightly older ship but it was is excellent shape. I found the beds to be very comfy, I have a bad back. Enjoy!

[sally r]

RTLS, I think you are on the right track..chose your itinerary and then your ship. The Splendor is smaller and older. I thought it was rather like a classy boutique hotel. I do agree with PhoenixCruiser that a Radiance class (Jewel, Brilliance, etc) would be my first choice of ships as they are newer.

 

We just did our first Princess cruise and the beds were so hard it was like sleeping on a mable slab! RCCL beds are fine, you will sleep like a baby.

[RTLS]

I'm getting more excited by the minute. I think this cruise could be GREAT!

[jkrislc]

With a transatlantic, you're bound to have an older crowd than what is even normal for RCI. And as the length increases, so do the mean ages. Further, my mother loved RCI, and she's 61. She didn't seem to fit right in, and she's not even young at heart :(

 

I think you'll be fine. I've been on many cruises where I've read reviews shortly before talking about "the cruise from hell" and never experienced a problem. In general, I think that many of the complaints you've been reading are simply personal complaints of single individuals, not a system-wide issue with RCI. For every person that complains about the beds, you'll find just as many who will say they've never slept better.

[madforcruising]

We are a 60 year old couple and have cruised only once previously on Celebrity Galaxy in 1998.

We were looking to do a Europe cruise next Fall but discovered that most cruises went to a least a few ports with which we are very familiar (or they are not on our top ten list of places to see!) and our preference is to visit some new areas.

 

We came up with the Transatlantic in Oct. 2006 on the Splendour. The itinerary suits us very, very well and we have booked a D1 Cabin but I just read all the posts about beds and other cabin shortfalls on RC! and now I'm really starting to have second thoughts.

 

The idea of "egg crates" for the bed isn't very appealing. In addition I've had one or two Cruise- going friends say that, in their opinion, RCI is for the younger set.

 

The local TA that we used told us the RCI has really improved since it joined the Celebrity group and that she now rates the line higher than Princess.Does she know what she's talking about?

 

If there is anyone around who has recently travelled on Splendour , I'd love to hear your comments. And it would be particularly great if anyone around our same age group has any thoughts to share.

 

Thanks

 

To answer your initial question:

Yes you should be concerned to cruise with RCCL !!!!

You will be spoiled for life and addicted to cruising. ;)

 

I´m not in your age group but my mother is and she loves it on RCCL. Though I´ve not been on any Voyager class I´m very happy with the smaller ships and though the Radiance class is a little newer I can´t say if I like them better than Vision Class. I really liked the Splendour and would go on her again immediately.

 

Just one more thing on the "RCI has joined the Celebrity group". Your TA is definitely wrong on this one. RCI has NOT joined the Celebrity group. Celebrity was simply bought by RCCL. Chandris, the former owner of Celebrity, sold it to RCCL. So it was more the other way round that Celebrity joined the RCCL group.

[megessey]

The idea of "egg crates" for the bed isn't very appealing.

 

I just wanted to say something about this-- while the name sounds kinda icky, egg crate foam mattresses are like

H-E-A-V-E-N! Thick and cuddly and huggy and cozy :p :p :p You can buy these at Target, or Bed Bath & Beyond, etc if you wanted to get a feel for what they're like before you go.

[caviargal]

We are a 60 year old couple and have cruised only once previously on Celebrity Galaxy in 1998.

We were looking to do a Europe cruise next Fall but discovered that most cruises went to a least a few ports with which we are very familiar (or they are not on our top ten list of places to see!) and our preference is to visit some new areas.

 

We came up with the Transatlantic in Oct. 2006 on the Splendour. The itinerary suits us very, very well and we have booked a D1 Cabin but I just read all the posts about beds and other cabin shortfalls on RC! and now I'm really starting to have second thoughts.

 

The idea of "egg crates" for the bed isn't very appealing. In addition I've had one or two Cruise- going friends say that, in their opinion, RCI is for the younger set.

 

The local TA that we used told us the RCI has really improved since it joined the Celebrity group and that she now rates the line higher than Princess.Does she know what she's talking about?

 

If there is anyone around who has recently travelled on Splendour , I'd love to hear your comments. And it would be particularly great if anyone around our same age group has any thoughts to share.

 

Thanks

 

I am a TA and have been in the business for many years. I do not agree that RCI has changed since they bought Celebrity.

 

The Splendour is an older ship but she is lovely. IME, RCI maintains its older ships better than Celebrity.

 

Where you will see differences are in food and service. I find the dining room food and service to be better on X, and the casual dining better on RCI.

 

RCI is more active but they attract a wide range of passengers. There is more to do than on X ships both day and night and the staff is energetic and a bit more casual.

 

My mom is 74 and really enjoys RCI. I took her on her first X cruise last month and, while she enjoyed herself, she told me that she really enjoys RCI. We cruised on the Mercury and I found that the older ships on RCI are better maintained overall.

[heatherb1958]

we did the Splendour eastbound this year from Tampa to Barcelona and had a

wonderful cruise. We are aged 47 and 52 , a lot of the passengers were older. We have sailed on all class of RCI ships but prefer the solariums on the Vision class as they have 2 hotubs, instead of one as on the radiance class.Also there seemed to be more loungers/seating in the solarium. This is very important because on transatlantics, when the weather is not favourable , the solarium is the first place to fill up! We had excellent service from all staff and no complaints about the food. So go ahead and book with confidence.:D

NB we set sail for our 3rd transatlantic this year with RCI on Friday 11th.so they must be doing something right.;)

[RTLS]

There seem to be several who have done transatlantics so now that we're commited to going I'm hoping for some help on "What to pack". I assume we could have lots of different weather patterns so I wonder what is the norm for coping with this in terms of clothes.Evenings especially could be tricky, I imagine.

 

Re: the "Egg crates" I've obviously got the wrong idea. Anyone bought them in Canada?

[megessey]

Here's a photo of what one looks like -- not sure where to get one in Canada, it might go by a different name.

 

[Lynnees]

I saw them in Sears, the Bay and actually in Zellers, although I would assume the one from Zellers wouldn't be of the same quality as the others.

[heatherb1958]

RTLS- the best thing to do is pack layers. Take a warm lightweight weatherproof . We have the type that fold into a small bag. For evenings I still wear what I would in the Caribbean but with a wrap. You may not be able to take your moonlight stroll on deck when crossing the Atlantic, the temperatures inside are still climate controlled.If you have any other questions feel free to e.mail me on jandhbarrett@aol.com ( until 8th Nov.)

[glgolfer]

The recommendation for layers is the best. We went from Lisbon to Gibraltor to Alacante to Bermuda to Miami to Key East to Galveston in early November. Our route was changed due to very hig seas around the Azores which was on our original itinerary.

 

The weather was nice in the Med, but you still needed a light jacket, sweater or golf wind shirt some of the times, especially at night. You should not need a heavy coat anytime on the ship or ashore. You will be able to wear shorts a good part of the time. I would guess the temperature would not get much below 50 anytime during the cruise and should get into the 80s around Florida and thru the Gulf.

 

There are quite a few pictures of our transatlantic on the Splendour here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/rcicruisers

 

 

We live 40+ miles north of Tampa/ St. Pete and the temp today was in the mid 80s.

 

If you have any specific questions, you can email me at thirdparty@tampabay.rr.com

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

My husband and I are 62. We love RCI ships. We tend to hang out at the gym and sports deck and love the many features on RCI ships that appeal to families and younger folk, but if you are not so inclined, do not fear.

 

There are many people in your age range on the ships and if you do not travel on spring break, school holiday times or summer vacation, the proportion of 60 and older to young families will be even higher. We did travel on Mariner of the Seas during a spring break and the captian said we had over a thousand children and teen agers on board, but they were never a bother. They have their own activities and areas of the ship, so that shouldn't be a concern.

 

I take that back. From these boards I have learned that some passengers really don't want to be on a ship with many youngsters. I may be underplaying the impact of children if you really don't want to be around large numbers of them and young families.

 

But I have never noticed any folks in our age range on an RCI ship who appeared to be bored or impatient. But maybe it is because I am having such a good time, I don't notice other passengers who aren't.

[prairie_fox]

I have not been on this ship but I can say that we have enjoyed all of our RCL cruises. We even went on the smallest they have and had a wonderful time (it was 8days with port change). May be small but had a heart of gold. We are looking at this ship in Apr for the trans trip it makes. My only fear is how rouch the water could be out there, not what the ship willbe like. I know already the beds I can sleep great in, the food will be wonderful as it always is. I would take the trip if it is doing what you want. We base ours on that and the fact it is RCL.

Lesia