jeffd99 Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 We are experienced Disney cruisers (Platinum 16 cruises) but have never cruised Royal before. Just booked an Allure sailing for August - eastern caribbean (nassau/STT, St. Kitts) largely because we love St. Thomas and haven't yet been to St. Kitts. Have a balcony stateroom and am trying to consume everything I can to learn how to make our first Royal sailing amazing. We have two daughters - age 17 and 12. Because we know so much about DCL, we have become spoiled there, so the more I learn here the better. Been listening to various podcasts and perusing this forum. I hope I can ask some dumb questions over the next few months to get me up to speed. Be gentle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Welcome! Im dying to try a disney cruise but you will love royal! My 19 and 13 year old had a terrific time last year with tons to do! Ask away☺☺! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 One thing Royal gives you over Disney is a much wider choice of options, ships, ports, and cruise types. Disney goes after a very small percent of the market and puts 100% effort in being great within that market. And they control this very small area of the market. But I do not believe that makes them the best, it just makes them a different choice. I'm sure you will like the savings here at Royal vs Disney and the much larger ships that are available. You should also investigate if you can get any extra Crown and Anchor points because of your Platinum Disney level. The official answer is no but I know they have done things in the past to bring loyal cruisers to Royal from other programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 As nice as the classic and newer ships are, you're going to be amazed by the Allure. You'll find we're a friendly bunch and many of us have cruised with Disney before, so ask away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffd99 Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks all! You are so right about the savings. We generally sail during school breaks and summer and I have always known we were paying a big premium for Disney but it has proven to be the perfect vacation for us on a regular basis. Just for fun, I priced a DCL Fantasy sailing for the same time and the difference is more than 3 grand for the same cabin category My kids were hesitant until they started looking online at the Allure and seeing all the great activities, shows, restaurants, etc. Going to St. Kitts on an eastern vs. St. Maarten was a big seller for me since I've not yet been. I will ask my travel agent about the Crown and Anchor question. Am I able to even join C&A yet - or is that not until after first sailing? assuming the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 You can join Crown and Anchor before sailing much like you can frequent flyer programs. However, you won't accrue points or benefits until after your first sailing. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Welcome to the forums!I just got back from Allure of the Seas, and you may find this live blog that I wrote every day of the cruise helpful: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/allure-of-the-seas-live-blog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Welcome to our little family. You will find friendly people here and lots of helpful information. I think you have chosen VERY wisely. The age of your children indicate that this is an excellent time to make this transition (or, at least try something new, at least once). They will have SOOOO much to do on the Allure and there are still some sentiments of the Disney experience with the DreamWorks characters. It has a similar feel but the entire cruise isn't dedicated to cartoon characters. I believe they will love the variety of entertainment and sports activities. The same goes for the adults, BTW. GREAT ship Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffd99 Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Welcome to the forums! I just got back from Allure of the Seas, and you may find this live blog that I wrote every day of the cruise helpful: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/allure-of-the-seas-live-blog Thanks Matt. Listened to the podcast earlier this week too. Welcome to our little family. You will find friendly people here and lots of helpful information. I think you have chosen VERY wisely. The age of your children indicate that this is an excellent time to make this transition (or, at least try something new, at least once). They will have SOOOO much to do on the Allure and there are still some sentiments of the Disney experience with the DreamWorks characters. It has a similar feel but the entire cruise isn't dedicated to cartoon characters. I believe they will love the variety of entertainment and sports activities. The same goes for the adults, BTW. GREAT ship Thank you. My kids no longer are interested in going to the clubs on DCL - and our last couple of sailings we didn't stand in line for any characters. Those two things told me it may be safe to dip our toes in foreign waters! Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naas Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Hi Welcome,The folks here are always gentle, so don't worry lol Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zamboni03 Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 I'm in the same boat as you, except the age of our children. I have sailed 9 times on DCL and making the jump. My daughter of 6, has only sailed 5 times on DCL. We are cruising on the Allure in April. At first my daughter was disappointed she wasn't going on "Mickey's Big Ship." But given she is an outgoing little girl, and the kids club is more like camp to her, she is getting more and more excited. Plus the characters that she would have been excited to see in the past, while on our last cruise last April, she wasn't as interested (much to my wife's chagrin) in the characters anymore. Personally I am excited for the Allure and have been fascinated by Royal Caribbean for a while now. Finally I have convinced my wife to take the plunge. Of course saving 2.5K while upgrading from an oceanview to a balcony helps. While the Royal Caribbean cruise planning website needs some significant improvement, I will admit I like is the ability to pay for dining, excursions, drink package, and tips prior to the cruise. I like it because is a great thing for my state of mind as most everything is paid prior to the cruise. Therefore, I'm hoping I don't get sticker shock when I get the bill at the end of the cruise. jeffd99 and Matt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 "While the Royal Caribbean cruise planning website needs some significant improvement, I will admit I like is the ability to pay for dining, excursions, drink package, and tips prior to the cruise. I like it because is a great thing for my state of mind as most everything is paid prior to the cruise. Therefore, I'm hoping I don't get sticker shock when I get the bill at the end of the cruise." You may not want to prepay everything. For example if you book more cruises with next cruise those credits need to be used. If you prepay everything they will be wasted. Also I have prepaid internet for the last few cruises and had nothing but problems. It seems the prepaid codes come from Miami and they are placed into your cabin. I never got codes that worked until after dinner, and the one time I got early they did not work. On my last cruise the Guest Service Manager was trying to fix the issue and I heard her ask if the list has come yet... it had not when I asked her how this can be with people wanting to use interest she said "only 12 cabins pre purchased". (12 out of 4000 passengers) I think from this point forward I will not buy online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalenaJ Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Hi! I, too, am new to this blog and new to RC. I've sailed DCL twice (on the Dream and the Fantasy) with my husband and 3 kids (12, 10, 6). We LOVE sailing Disney and we're huge Disney fans. But this year is our 20th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something just the two of us. After pricing out various itineraries on DCL and RC, we chose to sail on a 4-nighter on the Explorer of the Seas out of Seattle in May. Much better deal than anything else we could find, and being that we live in Denver, much easier to get to Seattle than Cape Canaveral. Much like Jeffd99, I'm looking for any information you folks can give me about the ship, activities, and things to do (or not do) in port in Victoria and Nanaimo. Is there an adult-only spa area similar to what's on the Fantasy? Final payment is tomorrow and we're SO excited to get away without the kids. Just a very different experience for us. Looking forward to reading whatever information you can pass my way. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Welcome to you, too, MalenaJ ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 You may not want to prepay everything. For example if you book more cruises with next cruise those credits need to be used. If you prepay everything they will be wasted. When you say "wasted", I think you mean you cannot use OBC for the stuff you pre-paid, which is true. But I don't think it's fair to say wasted. Not sure about you, but I never have any problems spending OBC onboard between drinks (I don't buy the packages), spa services, merchandise and child care. Is there an adult-only spa area similar to what's on the Fantasy? Welcome! So many folks are doing exactly what you are doing: abandoning DCL for their crazy prices and enjoying a very comparable product in RC. You're in good company :) Explorer of the Seas has a Solarium, which is the adults-only pool area. MalenaJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatMe Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Some day we would like to do a DCL cruise, but we have no you children and the no casino is an issue for us. We don't spend a lot of Tim or money in the casino, but an integral part of our cruise experience nonetheless. The first 10 minutes or so of this well made home video (not mine) always gets me excited about O-class. https://youtu.be/fdJA8nsimwI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyw Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 You`ll like Royal Caribbean. While Disney pays attention to every little detail, RCCL has a lot of variety for everyone. We`ve cruised 5 times on RCCL, mostly on the older ships, we love it. We have a cruise in July on Liberty of the Seas. We have been on Princess and Carnival recently, but are looking forward to coming back to RCCL. If you are an airplane enthusiast, or even if you are not. Maho beach in St Maarten is a great place to watch the planes come in. They fly right over your head. We did the bicycle tour as well and it was a great experience. Check local tour operators to compare with what`s available through RCCL. The guavaberry rum, made only in St Maarten, is fantastic. We brought two bottles home! The jungle canopy zip line in St Kitts was awesome. It`s a self braking line so your hands are free to video or take pictures. Enjoy! Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 You`ll like Royal Caribbean. While Disney pays attention to every little detail, RCCL has a lot of variety for everyone. We`vecruised 5 times on RCCL, mostly on the older ships, we love it. We have a cruise in July on Liberty of the Seas. We have been on Princess and Carnival recently, but are looking forward to coming back to RCCL. Well said, Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffd99 Posted March 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Thanks so much! We have been to St. Maarten many times on DCL - this sailing doesn't go there but hits St. Kitts which is a new port for us and so I very much welcome the thought on the zip line. I've been wanting to do a zipline the last few trips (we were in Maui last summer but just couldn't fit it in after I became obsessed with paddle boarding). Ideally in St. Kitts I find way to paddle board and zipline all in the same day. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisewithmary Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 You are in for a treat! Disney is wonderful, but Royal Caribbean's Oasis class is a destination in itself! From the neighborhoods, to ocean view, to fantastic suites and the ship is amazing! You won't be disappointed! jeffd99 and Matt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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