jjbescher

Review of RC Adventure of the Seas and Comparison to DCL.

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long post.  Also, when I say compare, there are a few things I am going to be able to compare, and some things that I am not.  I am not going to compare Staterooms, since I had a suite on RC and never had a suite on DCL.  Also, ports, I will not compare, since I chose this Itinerary based on ports.  Although DCL goes to some of the same ports, it is not fair to compare what happens on the port and compare it to another cruise line   Most of the things that happen outside of the port are totally not in control to the cruise line.  However, I will compare Labadee, Haiti, to Castaway Cay, Bahamas.

To get started, I started to look at cruises for Spring Break about 14 Months before the actual cruise.  I first looked at Disney and the prices were very high, and it would have been on the Disney Fantasy, doing the Western Caribbean, again.  This is a cruise that we have already done, and the only Itinerary that my Daughter has done.  I wanted something different.  So, I started looking at different cruise lines.  RC had an 8-night Eastern Caribbean going to 4 ports, with 3 sea days.  2 of the ports would be totally new to me, 3 for my Wife, and all 4 my Daughter.  Looking at the difference in cost, I would be able to save a boat load of money, and stay in a Grand Suite on RC, compared to a Deluxe Inside Stateroom on Disney.

Adventures of the Seas is in the Voyager class of RC.  I thought the ship was beautiful.  It definitely has a different style than Disney.  Would I stay on this ship again? Definitely yes.  Staying in a Grand Suite gave us some perks that come along with staying in a suite.  Priority Embarkation (Definitely was a nice perk).  We used the saved seats for the shows twice.   We were very happy to have the saved seating for the Ice Show, since it was sold out, and we were able to show up only 15 minutes before it started.

Pros:

Flowrider, Rock Climbing Wall, Ice Skating Rink.  I would have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them being on the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to do the flowrider as much as I would have liked, but that was because of a few things.  1 was the times it was available, the other was just timing of other things we had going on.  The Rock Climbing wall we only did once, and for me, it was very quick, but my Daughter was able to go up at least twice.  My daughter really enjoyed the Ice Skating Rink.  She went at least 3 times.  I know I went once, and that was enough for me.

Cons:

Windjammer Buffett.  Although it was open a lot, the food selection for Breakfast and Lunch really didn’t change that much.  We don’t know about Dinner, since we ate in the main dining room every night.  The service from the staff in the windjammer were very nice, but it was the same menu with many 1 or 2 things different.  Also, no outside seating, except by the pool, which you had to walk through people smoking.

Evening activities – at least to us were so-so.  The Ice Show was awesome, but other than that, nothing really appealed to us.

Pools – The pools being Salt water are always are downer, we love that Disney uses Fresh water.

Drinks – Having to buy sodas during the day, I understand smoothies, milkshakes, and coffees (which is the package we bought)

Smoking – Smoking was allowed in areas of the boat that we would have to walk through, especially on deck 11 by Windjammer.

Comparison between Disney and RC.

As I said earlier, I would definitely do RC again, especially if the time, cost, and ports were what I was looking for.  The cost being a lot cheaper was definitely a plus.  The ability to have more selection of ports, both departure and during the cruise is a benefit to RC, however, Disney is working that way with the 3 new ships coming in the future.

Food – the food was comparable in the Main Dining Room, but the options by the pool on Disney, are much better.  More options to be able to go to in your bathing suit, no shirt on Disney.  On RC, I needed shirt and shoes to go eat at the buffet, or even Café Promenade.  We did miss rotational dining on Disney.  Going to the same restaurant was kind of boring.

Service – I would say the service was very comparable.  Everyone was very nice.

Pools – I liked Disney pools better, mainly because they are fresh, compared to Salt water.

Other entertainment – RC wins this one.  The flowrider, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink were a nice touch.

Evening entertainment – Disney wins this one, other than the ice show, there was nothing that I, or the others wanted to see.  At least on Disney, there are things and shows that the other 2 would like to see.  I am not a huge show person, it is normally nap time for me.

Casino – a cause to a lot of the smoking on board.  With is being on deck 4, the smoke went through the whole ship.  I didn’t notice it as much, but others did.  I only went once and that was to learn craps.  Otherwise, it was space that Disney uses in other ways.  I think the casino is one of the reasons that RC is cheaper than Disney.

Kids Club – My daughter decided to finally go to the kids club and had a good time.  I think she is starting to open up.  When she went to the kids club on Disney ships she had a good time.  So, I really can’t say which is better, but for her to want to go to kids club means that it was good and kept her entertained.

That is my review and comparison, if you have any questions, please let me know.

That is true, but my room was on the port side, along with the towel station, so we were on the port side when we got up to 11.  It would be nice to not to have to walk through a smoking section at all.

Review of RC Adventure of the Seas and Comparison to DCL.

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long post.  Also, when I say compare, there are a few things I am going to be able to compare, and some things that I am not.  I am not going to compare Staterooms, since I had a suite on RC and never had a suite on DCL.  Also, ports, I will not compare, since I chose this Itinerary based on ports.  Although DCL goes to some of the same ports, it is not fair to compare what happens on the port and compare it to another cruise line   Most of the things that happen outside of the port are totally not in control to the cruise line.  However, I will compare Labadee, Haiti, to Castaway Cay, Bahamas.

To get started, I started to look at cruises for Spring Break about 14 Months before the actual cruise.  I first looked at Disney and the prices were very high, and it would have been on the Disney Fantasy, doing the Western Caribbean, again.  This is a cruise that we have already done, and the only Itinerary that my Daughter has done.  I wanted something different.  So, I started looking at different cruise lines.  RC had an 8-night Eastern Caribbean going to 4 ports, with 3 sea days.  2 of the ports would be totally new to me, 3 for my Wife, and all 4 my Daughter.  Looking at the difference in cost, I would be able to save a boat load of money, and stay in a Grand Suite on RC, compared to a Deluxe Inside Stateroom on Disney.

Adventures of the Seas is in the Voyager class of RC.  I thought the ship was beautiful.  It definitely has a different style than Disney.  Would I stay on this ship again? Definitely yes.  Staying in a Grand Suite gave us some perks that come along with staying in a suite.  Priority Embarkation (Definitely was a nice perk).  We used the saved seats for the shows twice.   We were very happy to have the saved seating for the Ice Show, since it was sold out, and we were able to show up only 15 minutes before it started.

Pros:

Flowrider, Rock Climbing Wall, Ice Skating Rink.  I would have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them being on the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to do the flowrider as much as I would have liked, but that was because of a few things.  1 was the times it was available, the other was just timing of other things we had going on.  The Rock Climbing wall we only did once, and for me, it was very quick, but my Daughter was able to go up at least twice.  My daughter really enjoyed the Ice Skating Rink.  She went at least 3 times.  I know I went once, and that was enough for me.

Cons:

Windjammer Buffett.  Although it was open a lot, the food selection for Breakfast and Lunch really didn’t change that much.  We don’t know about Dinner, since we ate in the main dining room every night.  The service from the staff in the windjammer were very nice, but it was the same menu with many 1 or 2 things different.  Also, no outside seating, except by the pool, which you had to walk through people smoking.

Evening activities – at least to us were so-so.  The Ice Show was awesome, but other than that, nothing really appealed to us.

Pools – The pools being Salt water are always are downer, we love that Disney uses Fresh water.

Drinks – Having to buy sodas during the day, I understand smoothies, milkshakes, and coffees (which is the package we bought)

Smoking – Smoking was allowed in areas of the boat that we would have to walk through, especially on deck 11 by Windjammer.

Comparison between Disney and RC.

As I said earlier, I would definitely do RC again, especially if the time, cost, and ports were what I was looking for.  The cost being a lot cheaper was definitely a plus.  The ability to have more selection of ports, both departure and during the cruise is a benefit to RC, however, Disney is working that way with the 3 new ships coming in the future.

Food – the food was comparable in the Main Dining Room, but the options by the pool on Disney, are much better.  More options to be able to go to in your bathing suit, no shirt on Disney.  On RC, I needed shirt and shoes to go eat at the buffet, or even Café Promenade.  We did miss rotational dining on Disney.  Going to the same restaurant was kind of boring.

Service – I would say the service was very comparable.  Everyone was very nice.

Pools – I liked Disney pools better, mainly because they are fresh, compared to Salt water.

Other entertainment – RC wins this one.  The flowrider, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink were a nice touch.

Evening entertainment – Disney wins this one, other than the ice show, there was nothing that I, or the others wanted to see.  At least on Disney, there are things and shows that the other 2 would like to see.  I am not a huge show person, it is normally nap time for me.

Casino – a cause to a lot of the smoking on board.  With is being on deck 4, the smoke went through the whole ship.  I didn’t notice it as much, but others did.  I only went once and that was to learn craps.  Otherwise, it was space that Disney uses in other ways.  I think the casino is one of the reasons that RC is cheaper than Disney.

Kids Club – My daughter decided to finally go to the kids club and had a good time.  I think she is starting to open up.  When she went to the kids club on Disney ships she had a good time.  So, I really can’t say which is better, but for her to want to go to kids club means that it was good and kept her entertained.

That is my review and comparison, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Review of RC Adventure of the Seas and Comparison to DCL.

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long post.  Also, when I say compare, there are a few things I am going to be able to compare, and some things that I am not.  I am not going to compare Staterooms, since I had a suite on RC and never had a suite on DCL.  Also, ports, I will not compare, since I chose this Itinerary based on ports.  Although DCL goes to some of the same ports, it is not fair to compare what happens on the port and compare it to another cruise line   Most of the things that happen outside of the port are totally not in control to the cruise line.  However, I will compare Labadee, Haiti, to Castaway Cay, Bahamas.

To get started, I started to look at cruises for Spring Break about 14 Months before the actual cruise.  I first looked at Disney and the prices were very high, and it would have been on the Disney Fantasy, doing the Western Caribbean, again.  This is a cruise that we have already done, and the only Itinerary that my Daughter has done.  I wanted something different.  So, I started looking at different cruise lines.  RC had an 8-night Eastern Caribbean going to 4 ports, with 3 sea days.  2 of the ports would be totally new to me, 3 for my Wife, and all 4 my Daughter.  Looking at the difference in cost, I would be able to save a boat load of money, and stay in a Grand Suite on RC, compared to a Deluxe Inside Stateroom on Disney.

Adventures of the Seas is in the Voyager class of RC.  I thought the ship was beautiful.  It definitely has a different style than Disney.  Would I stay on this ship again? Definitely yes.  Staying in a Grand Suite gave us some perks that come along with staying in a suite.  Priority Embarkation (Definitely was a nice perk).  We used the saved seats for the shows twice.   We were very happy to have the saved seating for the Ice Show, since it was sold out, and we were able to show up only 15 minutes before it started.

Pros:

Flowrider, Rock Climbing Wall, Ice Skating Rink.  I would have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them being on the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to do the flowrider as much as I would have liked, but that was because of a few things.  1 was the times it was available, the other was just timing of other things we had going on.  The Rock Climbing wall we only did once, and for me, it was very quick, but my Daughter was able to go up at least twice.  My daughter really enjoyed the Ice Skating Rink.  She went at least 3 times.  I know I went once, and that was enough for me.

Cons:

Windjammer Buffett.  Although it was open a lot, the food selection for Breakfast and Lunch really didn’t change that much.  We don’t know about Dinner, since we ate in the main dining room every night.  The service from the staff in the windjammer were very nice, but it was the same menu with many 1 or 2 things different.  Also, no outside seating, except by the pool, which you had to walk through people smoking.

Evening activities – at least to us were so-so.  The Ice Show was awesome, but other than that, nothing really appealed to us.

Pools – The pools being Salt water are always are downer, we love that Disney uses Fresh water.

Drinks – Having to buy sodas during the day, I understand smoothies, milkshakes, and coffees (which is the package we bought)

Smoking – Smoking was allowed in areas of the boat that we would have to walk through, especially on deck 11 by Windjammer.

Comparison between Disney and RC.

As I said earlier, I would definitely do RC again, especially if the time, cost, and ports were what I was looking for.  The cost being a lot cheaper was definitely a plus.  The ability to have more selection of ports, both departure and during the cruise is a benefit to RC, however, Disney is working that way with the 3 new ships coming in the future.

Food – the food was comparable in the Main Dining Room, but the options by the pool on Disney, are much better.  More options to be able to go to in your bathing suit, no shirt on Disney.  On RC, I needed shirt and shoes to go eat at the buffet, or even Café Promenade.  We did miss rotational dining on Disney.  Going to the same restaurant was kind of boring.

Service – I would say the service was very comparable.  Everyone was very nice.

Pools – I liked Disney pools better, mainly because they are fresh, compared to Salt water.

Other entertainment – RC wins this one.  The flowrider, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink were a nice touch.

Evening entertainment – Disney wins this one, other than the ice show, there was nothing that I, or the others wanted to see.  At least on Disney, there are things and shows that the other 2 would like to see.  I am not a huge show person, it is normally nap time for me.

Casino – a cause to a lot of the smoking on board.  With is being on deck 4, the smoke went through the whole ship.  I didn’t notice it as much, but others did.  I only went once and that was to learn craps.  Otherwise, it was space that Disney uses in other ways.  I think the casino is one of the reasons that RC is cheaper than Disney.

Kids Club – My daughter decided to finally go to the kids club and had a good time.  I think she is starting to open up.  When she went to the kids club on Disney ships she had a good time.  So, I really can’t say which is better, but for her to want to go to kids club means that it was good and kept her entertained.

That is my review and comparison, if you have any questions, please let me know.

We did the refreshment package, so on the cruise we didn't have to buy each soda.  None of drink a lot of soda, I have stopped since I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  However, all the little costs add up.  If we hadn't gotten the Grand Suite, every time we would have ordered room service would have been a charge.  We probably wouldn't have ordered room service if it wasn't included with the suite.
The Grand Suite was awesome, and definitely got spoiled by it.
I would love to to try an Oasis or bigger ship, but I like the smaller feel of the Adventure.  Even on the Disney boats, I like the Magic better than Fantasy, and the Fantasy is a great ship.

Review of RC Adventure of the Seas and Comparison to DCL.

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long post.  Also, when I say compare, there are a few things I am going to be able to compare, and some things that I am not.  I am not going to compare Staterooms, since I had a suite on RC and never had a suite on DCL.  Also, ports, I will not compare, since I chose this Itinerary based on ports.  Although DCL goes to some of the same ports, it is not fair to compare what happens on the port and compare it to another cruise line   Most of the things that happen outside of the port are totally not in control to the cruise line.  However, I will compare Labadee, Haiti, to Castaway Cay, Bahamas.

To get started, I started to look at cruises for Spring Break about 14 Months before the actual cruise.  I first looked at Disney and the prices were very high, and it would have been on the Disney Fantasy, doing the Western Caribbean, again.  This is a cruise that we have already done, and the only Itinerary that my Daughter has done.  I wanted something different.  So, I started looking at different cruise lines.  RC had an 8-night Eastern Caribbean going to 4 ports, with 3 sea days.  2 of the ports would be totally new to me, 3 for my Wife, and all 4 my Daughter.  Looking at the difference in cost, I would be able to save a boat load of money, and stay in a Grand Suite on RC, compared to a Deluxe Inside Stateroom on Disney.

Adventures of the Seas is in the Voyager class of RC.  I thought the ship was beautiful.  It definitely has a different style than Disney.  Would I stay on this ship again? Definitely yes.  Staying in a Grand Suite gave us some perks that come along with staying in a suite.  Priority Embarkation (Definitely was a nice perk).  We used the saved seats for the shows twice.   We were very happy to have the saved seating for the Ice Show, since it was sold out, and we were able to show up only 15 minutes before it started.

Pros:

Flowrider, Rock Climbing Wall, Ice Skating Rink.  I would have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them being on the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to do the flowrider as much as I would have liked, but that was because of a few things.  1 was the times it was available, the other was just timing of other things we had going on.  The Rock Climbing wall we only did once, and for me, it was very quick, but my Daughter was able to go up at least twice.  My daughter really enjoyed the Ice Skating Rink.  She went at least 3 times.  I know I went once, and that was enough for me.

Cons:

Windjammer Buffett.  Although it was open a lot, the food selection for Breakfast and Lunch really didn’t change that much.  We don’t know about Dinner, since we ate in the main dining room every night.  The service from the staff in the windjammer were very nice, but it was the same menu with many 1 or 2 things different.  Also, no outside seating, except by the pool, which you had to walk through people smoking.

Evening activities – at least to us were so-so.  The Ice Show was awesome, but other than that, nothing really appealed to us.

Pools – The pools being Salt water are always are downer, we love that Disney uses Fresh water.

Drinks – Having to buy sodas during the day, I understand smoothies, milkshakes, and coffees (which is the package we bought)

Smoking – Smoking was allowed in areas of the boat that we would have to walk through, especially on deck 11 by Windjammer.

Comparison between Disney and RC.

As I said earlier, I would definitely do RC again, especially if the time, cost, and ports were what I was looking for.  The cost being a lot cheaper was definitely a plus.  The ability to have more selection of ports, both departure and during the cruise is a benefit to RC, however, Disney is working that way with the 3 new ships coming in the future.

Food – the food was comparable in the Main Dining Room, but the options by the pool on Disney, are much better.  More options to be able to go to in your bathing suit, no shirt on Disney.  On RC, I needed shirt and shoes to go eat at the buffet, or even Café Promenade.  We did miss rotational dining on Disney.  Going to the same restaurant was kind of boring.

Service – I would say the service was very comparable.  Everyone was very nice.

Pools – I liked Disney pools better, mainly because they are fresh, compared to Salt water.

Other entertainment – RC wins this one.  The flowrider, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink were a nice touch.

Evening entertainment – Disney wins this one, other than the ice show, there was nothing that I, or the others wanted to see.  At least on Disney, there are things and shows that the other 2 would like to see.  I am not a huge show person, it is normally nap time for me.

Casino – a cause to a lot of the smoking on board.  With is being on deck 4, the smoke went through the whole ship.  I didn’t notice it as much, but others did.  I only went once and that was to learn craps.  Otherwise, it was space that Disney uses in other ways.  I think the casino is one of the reasons that RC is cheaper than Disney.

Kids Club – My daughter decided to finally go to the kids club and had a good time.  I think she is starting to open up.  When she went to the kids club on Disney ships she had a good time.  So, I really can’t say which is better, but for her to want to go to kids club means that it was good and kept her entertained.

That is my review and comparison, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Review of RC Adventure of the Seas and Comparison to DCL.

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long post.  Also, when I say compare, there are a few things I am going to be able to compare, and some things that I am not.  I am not going to compare Staterooms, since I had a suite on RC and never had a suite on DCL.  Also, ports, I will not compare, since I chose this Itinerary based on ports.  Although DCL goes to some of the same ports, it is not fair to compare what happens on the port and compare it to another cruise line   Most of the things that happen outside of the port are totally not in control to the cruise line.  However, I will compare Labadee, Haiti, to Castaway Cay, Bahamas.

To get started, I started to look at cruises for Spring Break about 14 Months before the actual cruise.  I first looked at Disney and the prices were very high, and it would have been on the Disney Fantasy, doing the Western Caribbean, again.  This is a cruise that we have already done, and the only Itinerary that my Daughter has done.  I wanted something different.  So, I started looking at different cruise lines.  RC had an 8-night Eastern Caribbean going to 4 ports, with 3 sea days.  2 of the ports would be totally new to me, 3 for my Wife, and all 4 my Daughter.  Looking at the difference in cost, I would be able to save a boat load of money, and stay in a Grand Suite on RC, compared to a Deluxe Inside Stateroom on Disney.

Adventures of the Seas is in the Voyager class of RC.  I thought the ship was beautiful.  It definitely has a different style than Disney.  Would I stay on this ship again? Definitely yes.  Staying in a Grand Suite gave us some perks that come along with staying in a suite.  Priority Embarkation (Definitely was a nice perk).  We used the saved seats for the shows twice.   We were very happy to have the saved seating for the Ice Show, since it was sold out, and we were able to show up only 15 minutes before it started.

Pros:

Flowrider, Rock Climbing Wall, Ice Skating Rink.  I would have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them being on the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to do the flowrider as much as I would have liked, but that was because of a few things.  1 was the times it was available, the other was just timing of other things we had going on.  The Rock Climbing wall we only did once, and for me, it was very quick, but my Daughter was able to go up at least twice.  My daughter really enjoyed the Ice Skating Rink.  She went at least 3 times.  I know I went once, and that was enough for me.

Cons:

Windjammer Buffett.  Although it was open a lot, the food selection for Breakfast and Lunch really didn’t change that much.  We don’t know about Dinner, since we ate in the main dining room every night.  The service from the staff in the windjammer were very nice, but it was the same menu with many 1 or 2 things different.  Also, no outside seating, except by the pool, which you had to walk through people smoking.

Evening activities – at least to us were so-so.  The Ice Show was awesome, but other than that, nothing really appealed to us.

Pools – The pools being Salt water are always are downer, we love that Disney uses Fresh water.

Drinks – Having to buy sodas during the day, I understand smoothies, milkshakes, and coffees (which is the package we bought)

Smoking – Smoking was allowed in areas of the boat that we would have to walk through, especially on deck 11 by Windjammer.

Comparison between Disney and RC.

As I said earlier, I would definitely do RC again, especially if the time, cost, and ports were what I was looking for.  The cost being a lot cheaper was definitely a plus.  The ability to have more selection of ports, both departure and during the cruise is a benefit to RC, however, Disney is working that way with the 3 new ships coming in the future.

Food – the food was comparable in the Main Dining Room, but the options by the pool on Disney, are much better.  More options to be able to go to in your bathing suit, no shirt on Disney.  On RC, I needed shirt and shoes to go eat at the buffet, or even Café Promenade.  We did miss rotational dining on Disney.  Going to the same restaurant was kind of boring.

Service – I would say the service was very comparable.  Everyone was very nice.

Pools – I liked Disney pools better, mainly because they are fresh, compared to Salt water.

Other entertainment – RC wins this one.  The flowrider, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink were a nice touch.

Evening entertainment – Disney wins this one, other than the ice show, there was nothing that I, or the others wanted to see.  At least on Disney, there are things and shows that the other 2 would like to see.  I am not a huge show person, it is normally nap time for me.

Casino – a cause to a lot of the smoking on board.  With is being on deck 4, the smoke went through the whole ship.  I didn’t notice it as much, but others did.  I only went once and that was to learn craps.  Otherwise, it was space that Disney uses in other ways.  I think the casino is one of the reasons that RC is cheaper than Disney.

Kids Club – My daughter decided to finally go to the kids club and had a good time.  I think she is starting to open up.  When she went to the kids club on Disney ships she had a good time.  So, I really can’t say which is better, but for her to want to go to kids club means that it was good and kept her entertained.

That is my review and comparison, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Review of RC Adventure of the Seas and Comparison to DCL.

Just a heads up, this is going to be a long post.  Also, when I say compare, there are a few things I am going to be able to compare, and some things that I am not.  I am not going to compare Staterooms, since I had a suite on RC and never had a suite on DCL.  Also, ports, I will not compare, since I chose this Itinerary based on ports.  Although DCL goes to some of the same ports, it is not fair to compare what happens on the port and compare it to another cruise line   Most of the things that happen outside of the port are totally not in control to the cruise line.  However, I will compare Labadee, Haiti, to Castaway Cay, Bahamas.

To get started, I started to look at cruises for Spring Break about 14 Months before the actual cruise.  I first looked at Disney and the prices were very high, and it would have been on the Disney Fantasy, doing the Western Caribbean, again.  This is a cruise that we have already done, and the only Itinerary that my Daughter has done.  I wanted something different.  So, I started looking at different cruise lines.  RC had an 8-night Eastern Caribbean going to 4 ports, with 3 sea days.  2 of the ports would be totally new to me, 3 for my Wife, and all 4 my Daughter.  Looking at the difference in cost, I would be able to save a boat load of money, and stay in a Grand Suite on RC, compared to a Deluxe Inside Stateroom on Disney.

Adventures of the Seas is in the Voyager class of RC.  I thought the ship was beautiful.  It definitely has a different style than Disney.  Would I stay on this ship again? Definitely yes.  Staying in a Grand Suite gave us some perks that come along with staying in a suite.  Priority Embarkation (Definitely was a nice perk).  We used the saved seats for the shows twice.   We were very happy to have the saved seating for the Ice Show, since it was sold out, and we were able to show up only 15 minutes before it started.

Pros:

Flowrider, Rock Climbing Wall, Ice Skating Rink.  I would have to say that I enjoyed all 3 of them being on the boat.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to do the flowrider as much as I would have liked, but that was because of a few things.  1 was the times it was available, the other was just timing of other things we had going on.  The Rock Climbing wall we only did once, and for me, it was very quick, but my Daughter was able to go up at least twice.  My daughter really enjoyed the Ice Skating Rink.  She went at least 3 times.  I know I went once, and that was enough for me.

Cons:

Windjammer Buffett.  Although it was open a lot, the food selection for Breakfast and Lunch really didn’t change that much.  We don’t know about Dinner, since we ate in the main dining room every night.  The service from the staff in the windjammer were very nice, but it was the same menu with many 1 or 2 things different.  Also, no outside seating, except by the pool, which you had to walk through people smoking.

Evening activities – at least to us were so-so.  The Ice Show was awesome, but other than that, nothing really appealed to us.

Pools – The pools being Salt water are always are downer, we love that Disney uses Fresh water.

Drinks – Having to buy sodas during the day, I understand smoothies, milkshakes, and coffees (which is the package we bought)

Smoking – Smoking was allowed in areas of the boat that we would have to walk through, especially on deck 11 by Windjammer.

Comparison between Disney and RC.

As I said earlier, I would definitely do RC again, especially if the time, cost, and ports were what I was looking for.  The cost being a lot cheaper was definitely a plus.  The ability to have more selection of ports, both departure and during the cruise is a benefit to RC, however, Disney is working that way with the 3 new ships coming in the future.

Food – the food was comparable in the Main Dining Room, but the options by the pool on Disney, are much better.  More options to be able to go to in your bathing suit, no shirt on Disney.  On RC, I needed shirt and shoes to go eat at the buffet, or even Café Promenade.  We did miss rotational dining on Disney.  Going to the same restaurant was kind of boring.

Service – I would say the service was very comparable.  Everyone was very nice.

Pools – I liked Disney pools better, mainly because they are fresh, compared to Salt water.

Other entertainment – RC wins this one.  The flowrider, rock climbing wall, and ice skating rink were a nice touch.

Evening entertainment – Disney wins this one, other than the ice show, there was nothing that I, or the others wanted to see.  At least on Disney, there are things and shows that the other 2 would like to see.  I am not a huge show person, it is normally nap time for me.

Casino – a cause to a lot of the smoking on board.  With is being on deck 4, the smoke went through the whole ship.  I didn’t notice it as much, but others did.  I only went once and that was to learn craps.  Otherwise, it was space that Disney uses in other ways.  I think the casino is one of the reasons that RC is cheaper than Disney.

Kids Club – My daughter decided to finally go to the kids club and had a good time.  I think she is starting to open up.  When she went to the kids club on Disney ships she had a good time.  So, I really can’t say which is better, but for her to want to go to kids club means that it was good and kept her entertained.

That is my review and comparison, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Awesome, would love to see the Cruise Compasses and the MDR menus.  I will be going on this in itinerary in April.

Finally arrived back at the room, first towel animal of the cruise! 
Goodnight!

Hub teases me about my wanderlust and wanting to travel.  He says if I could I'd say "I wanna go to the bahaaaaaamaaaaaas"  Now he's never been on a cruise (I told him being on an aircraft carrier doesnt count as a cruise vacation) so over the past several years I've been trying to convince him to vacation with me, and I brought up a cruise again.   Now most of our cruise discussions had been 20 minutes or so mulling over how nice it would be and my answering all of his cruise related questions.   Well this time the conversation lasted 2 hours and I was given the go ahead to book the cruise.   My parents both have been cruising a lot and I was at my boiling point to finally book the cruise.  I found the 5 night Bermuda cruise and the price was definitely right for a suite.  I figured to go suite to give him the best experience he could have on a cruise since I knew that the smaller sizes of an interior or even ocean view cabin would immediately turn him off.  Then on black friday the price went down even more and I said that there'd be no way the suite I wanted would be much lower, so I booked.  I had that initial "omg I just spent a ton of money" fear, but then I ran in to him and told him we're going on a cruise and he legit looked happy!  A bit of a fairy tale story, but it just all worked out for us.

It seems I have more money than sense and patience, and knowing that the summer 2020 schedule is coming soon, I am concocting a plan...
I floated the idea of a cruise with my wife and I, and her two sisters and their husbands (sans all of our kids) in the not-too-distant future. My wife just rolled her eyes (but didn't say no) and at least one of her sisters is on board (pun intented).  2019 doesn't work, so it would have to be 2020. Also, this aligns with the 5th and 10th anniversaries of my two sisters in law.  We're tied to the summer, and specifically late June/early July due to work and school schedules.
So here's my plan: secretly book a cruise as soon as the announcements are made, and then present the plan as a fait accompli at an opportune time (did I just hear sleigh bells?). I have the cash flow to float the deposits for all three cabins, especially for a 4 or 5 night cruise, which would probably work best for all involved. Make refundable deposits, and no down side, right? I mean, other than my wife will probably kill me for not talking to her. Then she'll cool off, bring me back to life, and enjoy the cruise.
My question is then, which ship/itinerary would you recommend, especially since neither of the sisters has cruised before? We'll be coming from the midwest, so no port is all that more easily reached than another.
Being on these boards is such a bad influence...
 

Awesome, would love to see the Cruise Compasses and the MDR menus.  I will be going on this in itinerary in April.

Nice question, for me it has to do with a few things.
1.  Being able to go to multiple places and not have to drive.
2.  Being able to eat almost 24 hours a day and not have to pay for it or worry about how much it costs, if not doing specialty restaurants.
3.  Being able to relax and hang out at the pool/hot tub.

Day 1: Embarkation Day
Once again, I was up early and excited. Since we had to have two, non-adjoining rooms at the hotel, my wife and I had to text each other to coordinate our morning plans and get the girls up and ready for breakfast. Breakfast was really good, one of the better we've found in a European hotel, and we all got filled up for the morning. By the time we got back to our rooms and re-packed our bags, the front desk called and said that our driver was waiting for us downstairs. We were in the van and on the road by 10:00. The drive was very quick to the port, and we were walking into the terminal at 10:20. 
There was no one in line, and even the photographers were still setting up. We got boarding group 7, and found seats to wait to be called. No sooner had the girls pulled out their iPads to pass the time did the boarding commence. It quickly advanced to group 7, and we went through security and on to the Rhapsody of the Seas by 10:40. I must say I was really impressed with how quickly everything went and how soon we were on board! And thanks to every one who advised getting to the port early!
We boarded and were immediately shepherded into the Centrum for the girls to get their wristbands with out muster station on them and we sat down to get our bearings and figure out a plan of attack- still 45 minutes until Windjammer opened! Meanwhile, my wife made friends with an older couple from Canada who were sitting nearby...apparently traveling with 4 girls draws attention- who knew?!? We then headed up to the pool deck and jogging track for a lap around the ship and see what we could see. Granted, I have only sailed out of Barcelona, but I can't imagine a better port to sail from than Venice.

Pictures and selfies taken, we headed down to WJ for lunch, and were quite happy with the selection and quality. Following lunch, we went down to the Promenade deck to kill more time before rooms were ready and we could register the girls for Adventure Ocean. I've become a bit of a cruise geek, and have been watching lots of documentaries about the behind the scenes of cruise ships. I also have indoctrinated my girls to watching them with me (so I have more firepower when talking to my wife about future cruises), so they were fascinated watching the loading of provisions and luggage. Right at 1:30, we went down to deck 2 to check out our staterooms, two connecting ocean view rooms on the port side. We met our cabin steward, Yerri from Indonesia, and got him to open up the door between the rooms and told him that we wanted the one room made up for the 4 girls to sleep and the other one just for my wife and I. Yerri was great and had already learned all of our names before we got there, which was a nice touch.
 
At 2:00, we headed up to Adventure Ocean to get the 3 younger girls registered. We had be preparing the girls that the kids club on this ship would be a lot different than on the Disney Magic and to try to temper their expectations, but spoiler- we shouldn't have worried about that. From there we went to the Roam the Rhapsody presentation in the theater, where I won one of the raffles: a soda package! In my opinion, that was the best giveaway of the presentation. Plus, I won on a raffle ticket that was left over from the previous talk that some guy handed me on the way out of the theater. After the presentation, we went back to our cabins to find our bags outside, so we quickly changed for dinner, and headed up to the top deck to watch the sail away from Venice. I said it before- leaving Venice at sunset was worth the price of the cruise.

Once we passed St Mark's Square, we hustled down to the MDR for dinner, only getting there about 5 minutes late. Dean, from the Philippines, was our server, and he was great all week. 
The rest of the evening was wandering the ship, letting the girls go to AO and the oldest to check out the teen club (turns out only she and 2 other teens showed up all week, from Australia of all places, but they became good friends), and watching the Welcome Aboard show. The show was fine, but after the elaborate Broadway-style productions on DCL, kind of a let down, and I thought the entertainment was a bit inconsistent across the week.
Since the show let out at 11:30, we were all ready for bed after that, fortunately, our first port call wasn't until 1:00 the next afternoon.

Nice question, for me it has to do with a few things.
1.  Being able to go to multiple places and not have to drive.
2.  Being able to eat almost 24 hours a day and not have to pay for it or worry about how much it costs, if not doing specialty restaurants.
3.  Being able to relax and hang out at the pool/hot tub.

Nice question, for me it has to do with a few things.
1.  Being able to go to multiple places and not have to drive.
2.  Being able to eat almost 24 hours a day and not have to pay for it or worry about how much it costs, if not doing specialty restaurants.
3.  Being able to relax and hang out at the pool/hot tub.

Nice question, for me it has to do with a few things.
1.  Being able to go to multiple places and not have to drive.
2.  Being able to eat almost 24 hours a day and not have to pay for it or worry about how much it costs, if not doing specialty restaurants.
3.  Being able to relax and hang out at the pool/hot tub.

Nice question, for me it has to do with a few things.
1.  Being able to go to multiple places and not have to drive.
2.  Being able to eat almost 24 hours a day and not have to pay for it or worry about how much it costs, if not doing specialty restaurants.
3.  Being able to relax and hang out at the pool/hot tub.

Thanks everyone! @lovetocruise2002 I unfortunately can only reprice about every 2 weeks or with a notice email (my day to day requirements make checking daily impossible, but hopefully I catch most of the biggest drops), but all yourr experience is surely informative! I wondered if re-pricing was possible after a change in status, so appreciate the suggestion about that too @melski94 !  All good information ???
Lynn
UPDATE Well I booked it! We are on the Adventure of the Seas in November next year in one of the two Oceanview Pandoramic Suites.  Major Beeze loves those big balcony’s, but decided he could skip having one this once for that amazing view. Worth a try for sure! And I will be checking the price @Lovetocruise2002 ??
Whoopsies - @Matt it would be wrong of me if I failed to also thank royalcaribbeanblog.com blogging for first alerting me to the fact that these two suites had been moved to Sky class as of Sept. (suites have been moving the opposite direction after all) - that played a huge role in our decision! ???????? <— my party for all of you ☀️

In the cruise planner right now, for my April cruise on Adventure, it is showing $79 Per Person (Adult and Child)

Thanks for the report.
 

Move Stick from directly below the item, either Left or right, so the stick is now at the edge of the bottom stick.  Move the 'Other' stick, that is not touching anything to make the upside down Field Goal.

Just learned that Royal is including a transfer from Symphony to Mariner and Serenade for guests doing a side-to-side.  I was just going to use Lyft and figured it would be ~$40-$50 so if this works out it should be pretty easy to move to Serenade after the TA.

I did it on the Majesty.  My sushi plate was judged the "best" that night.  Won a bottle of wine for it.  Yay!