new to royal caribbean

[ladyruby]

we've cruised princess 4 times and are about to book our first cruise with rc , is the brilliance of the seas ok? what about a js grade suite? any tips please :)

[coxswain]

Welcome - what did you think of Princess ?

 

 

 

 

jj.......

[getoutthere15]

The Brilliance is a beautiful ship one of my favorites. We had a D1 balcony, can't tell you about JS.

[cruiserbryce]

I think you will enjoy RC a lot...we havent been on Brilliance but have cruised with RC 5 times and Princess twice. There are some similarities and while I would give Princess the edge as fas as food goes, I think the overall on board experience is better on RC. The shows and events during the cruise are more enjoyable in my opinion. I am sure you will have a blast

[ladyruby]

hi coxswain , yes we loved princess sailed caribbean and grand princess , and also been on p&o ventura , but never royal caribbean , are they similar?

[coxswain]

We've only cruised with RCI - but will be changing that next year. The Brilliance is our favourite ship we'e booked on her twice this year.

 

 

 

 

 

jj.....

[Hobiecat01]

Welcome to the RCCL world ladyruby! We are former Princess cruisers who switched to RCCL for the Voyager class ships several years ago. We have never looked back! The RCCL ships are gorgeous and the service very comparable to Princess. We usually book a JS as well. I don't know about the JS on the BOS, but generally they are very spacious, especially the closet. (And a JS gets you 2 cruise credits as opposed to 1).

 

I know you will enjoy your cruise!

-----------------------

Sea ya!

Ron and Lee

Canton, Ga

RCCL Platinum Member

Previous Cruises

Carnival Mardis Gras - 3 Day Bahamas - April 1982

Carnival Destiny - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 1998

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - April 1999

Princess Sea Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2000

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2001

RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2003

RCCL Mariner of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 2005

RCCL Freedom of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - 6/18 - 6/25/2006

RCCL Liberty of the Seas - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - 7/19 - 7/26/08

Planned Cruises

Something in 2009 - just have not decided yet

RCCL Oasis of the Seas - April 17, 2010

The BIG One - Southeast Asia 14 day - 2011

[ladyruby]

sorry cruise credits? is the food as good ?ie lobster on formal nights and steak available everynight?

[cb at sea]

A JS is great! Lots of space--most like a "hotel" sized room, with a large walkin closest with shelve and lots of hanging space. Tub in the bathroom, which gives you a bit more space (still only big enough for 1 at a time!!) nice sitting area, and wider balcony than standard cabins. All in all, the best way to cruise!

 

C&A credits are "repeat cruiser" benefits---the more "credits" the more "perks" you get with RCI--although they have just lowered the "perks"...so who knows what will happen in the future!

Lobster tails are only there on 1 night--and they're not Maine lobster tails....it's part of the "Seafood Platter"...if you miss it, it won't matter!!! Steak is avail. every night, in some cut or other!

The food is ok---you won't go hungry, but it's 2-3 star, at best. Think along the lines of "chain" restaurants, like Chili's, Applebees, TGIFriday....that sort of stuff.

Brilliance has 2 specialty restaurants where you pay additional fees and get better food and service, if you want to use them.

Do try the Seaview Cafe--that's included and on Brilliance, it's Italian fare--great pizza, paninis and pasta....up on deck 11 and it's fun!

[ladyruby]

so is the food not as good as princess? is there a 24hr buffet?

[ECCruise]

Just got off Brilliance a couple of weeks ago and loved it. Great size, good activities, everything in good order

 

We've also sailed on Princess a lot. I think you will find the food on RCL is not quite up to Princess standard, but not bad at all. No 24 hour buffet like Princess but plenty of food available.

 

I don't think you will be disapponted at all.

[lauramsr]

Hi!

 

My boyfriend and I are joining my family on June 13, 2009 on board of the Liberty of the Seas.

 

We were wondering if we could get some inside info about the amenities (attractions and shows, dinining, etc) and also suggestions on what to do while in Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Cozumel,Mexico & Georgetown,Grand Cayman.

 

Thank you bunches!!! ;)

[TNT]

Hi! I haven't sailed on Liberty, but I have Freedom which is a sister ship. I have, however, been to all the ports mentioned. Don't miss the ice show, Quest, and the flowrider. Try Chops and Portofino for a special dinner. You will love the ship!

Labadee- One of our favorite stops. We mostly use this as a day of relaxation. You can zipline, not really relaxing, but FUN! It is absolutely beautiful there.

Cozumel- My husband does scuba there. There is also Chankanaab, Nochi Cocom and other places that you can visit if you like beaches. Many peoplee have their favorites here. If you go into San Miguel, there is a shop called Los Cinco Soles. It has everything and Panchos Backyard, a restaurant, is there. Really good food and great atmosphere.

Caymans-Lots of shopping, if you like that. Pretty expensive, though. Stingray City is a blast!

Ocho Rios- Not one of my favorite places. We took a tour with Orville Taylor. He was wonderful. I wouldn't have felt safe any other way. He will take you wherever you want. He took us all around the island then waited for us while we lunched at Bipi Bips. If you go directly to the end of the pier and turn right you will find Island Village. It has lots of nice places to shop and Margaritaville. Food is good, it's fun and you can use the beach here. There are people there to keep out the locals from selling their wares to you. A really fun place. I wouldn't venture off in Ocho by myself.:eek:

[DrmnOfMaui]

The food is ok---you won't go hungry, but it's 2-3 star, at best. Think along the lines of "chain" restaurants, like Chili's, Applebees, TGIFriday....that sort of stuff.

 

Really?? Applebees or Chili's? We are going on our first cruise in July and I was not hoping for Chili's.... What would you compare the Portofino's to? Just curious. It's not a huge deal, but I was looking for better than that!

[ladyruby]

is the room service 24hr? what sort of things do they have? so the buffet is only open at certain times?

[jules815]

I'll agree that the food in the dining room isn't 5 star quality, but we've never had anything bad there. I also wouldn't compare it to Applebee's or Chili's. There aren't burgers and fajitas on the menu any night that I remember, and I don't recall ever seeing escargot on the menu at Applebees.

[jules815]

is the room service 24hr? what sort of things do they have? so the buffet is only open at certain times?

 

Yes, room service is available 24 hours. They now charge a small service fee for room service between midnight and 6am (or is it 5am?), and during the day it's complimentary. They have a variety of things on the room service menu; burgers, club sandwiches, etc., along with snack foods and desserts. There's a channel on the tv where you can order full meals and have them delivered to your stateroom.

 

The Windjammer Buffet is not open 24 hours, but it's always been open when we've gone, which is usually quite often. :) We've only sailed on Voyager class ships, and they have a cafe on the Promenade that's open 24 hours serving pizza, sandwiches, and really tasty cookies, cheesecake, pie, etc. They also have coffee and tea there. I'm not sure if Radiance class has something like it that's also open 24 hours, but I'm sure someone here knows. :)

 

I've only heard good things about Radiance class ships, and look forward to sailing on one someday!

[jmraggs]

I'll agree that the food in the dining room isn't 5 star quality, but we've never had anything bad there. I also wouldn't compare it to Applebee's or Chili's. There aren't burgers and fajitas on the menu any night that I remember, and I don't recall ever seeing escargot on the menu at Applebees.

 

I second that! We have never had a bad meal yet on a ship, and actually we think it's gotten better over the years. Each person is different on what they like/dislike/tastes, so it's each person's perception on food quality. A friend of mine has been on both Princess and Royal and he says the food is very comparable in taste and quality, but each cruise line will have their differences.

 

The Radiance class ships have a Seaview Cafe open at night from around 9pm until 1 or 2, something like that, and there is also the Solarium Cafe open around the same hours at night for Pizza etc. We don't stay up past those times much, so it doesn't affect us not having a 24hr buffet.

[brightsunshinegirl]

Hi Lauramsr,

I did that exact cruise one year ago, and it was AWESOME! Here are my 2 cents:

 

Labadee--beautiful island. Definitely do the zipline. Before the cruise, I had signed up for the zipline in Jamaica, so I thought I would skip the one in Labadee...big mistake! Looked like so much fun!

 

Jamaica- Highly recommend the zipline, as above. I have been to almost all islands in the Caribbean. Jamaica is not so great, in my opinion, but the zipline was my favorite part of the whole trip.

 

Grand Cayman- gorgeous island. If you haven't done it before, I would snorkel with the Stingrays. You may, however, want to do an independent tour (ie, not a RCCL excursion.) We did an excursion, something like snorkeling with stingrays then beach break. We were one of the first people off of the ship. However, it took so long on the dock for the RCCL tour people to get organzied and fill the buses, that we missed out on ever going to the beach at all. By the time the Stingray City portion of the excursion finished, it was time to go back on the boat. There were about 30 LIVID people on my excursion, therefore, including me. The beaches are great in Grand Cayman and should not be missed! A smaller, independent tour company may be a better choice. (ps- That was the first and only time I ever had a problem with RCCL.)

 

Cozumel- We went to Paradise Beach in a taxi we got from the cruiseship pier. Can't remember the cost. I think it took 10-15 min to get there. This beach had trampolines and rafts and things in the water. There were some other water sports there, too. The beach was nice, although crowded, and had a few stores and a restuarant. I remember we paid a fee that included our lounge chairs and a drink. Don't know how much it was, but I remember thinking it was cheap. Had a ton of fun there! I want to say we stayed there until 3, then shopped and walked around in town. There are some nice stores!

[ladyruby]

thanks for all your help i'm excited about trying a new cruise line, just need to pick the cabin now were thinking js grade

[scotslizzy]

Hi

 

I normally cruise with Princess or P&O but have now booked my first cruise with RC Navigator of the Seas in October.

 

Like you I am a bit concerned about the changes that I will encounter but am willing to go with an open mind. I don't expect 5 star dining and therefore will not be too upset about that . I have booked a JS as my sister will be coming along with us so I though that would at least give us a bit more space.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise and please writre a reportwhen you get back .I always enjoy reading other peoples experiences.

 

Scotslizzy

[lauramsr]

Hi! I haven't sailed on Liberty, but I have Freedom which is a sister ship. I have, however, been to all the ports mentioned. Don't miss the ice show, Quest, and the flowrider. Try Chops and Portofino for a special dinner. You will love the ship!

Labadee- One of our favorite stops. We mostly use this as a day of relaxation. You can zipline, not really relaxing, but FUN! It is absolutely beautiful there.

Cozumel- My husband does scuba there. There is also Chankanaab, Nochi Cocom and other places that you can visit if you like beaches. Many peoplee have their favorites here. If you go into San Miguel, there is a shop called Los Cinco Soles. It has everything and Panchos Backyard, a restaurant, is there. Really good food and great atmosphere.

Caymans-Lots of shopping, if you like that. Pretty expensive, though. Stingray City is a blast!

Ocho Rios- Not one of my favorite places. We took a tour with Orville Taylor. He was wonderful. I wouldn't have felt safe any other way. He will take you wherever you want. He took us all around the island then waited for us while we lunched at Bipi Bips. If you go directly to the end of the pier and turn right you will find Island Village. It has lots of nice places to shop and Margaritaville. Food is good, it's fun and you can use the beach here. There are people there to keep out the locals from selling their wares to you. A really fun place. I wouldn't venture off in Ocho by myself.:eek:

 

TNT,

 

Thanks for the insight...it is very helpful. I am going to be traveling with my boyfriend but also with my aunt (40), uncle (54) *they both have a 20yr old soul* and lil cousin (12) which makes it necessary to have variety. I was thinking about doing the waterfalls at Ocho Rios have you done that? ;)