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Loyal to Royal


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Thought I would start this thread for fun.  We just got off a ship that I won't name (would not want @twangster to accuse me of blasphemy again ?) and I found myself missing RC desperately. So here goes...

You know that you are loyal to Royal when:

1. You catch yourself constantly referring to the buffet on the unnamed non RC ship as Windjammer. 

2. Every ship you see in the distance looks like an Oasis class ship to you.

3. You stare longingly at every RC ship that you are docked next to and wish you were on it instead. Then you snap pics of it for @Matt's Friday photos even though you are not sailing RC.

4. You catch yourself comparing every single little thing to RC and thinking RC does it better.  Then you start promoting RC to the rest of your sailing party and some crew members. ?

5. You find yourself wanting your sailing to end so you can quickly get on to your next RC cruise! March can't come soon enough!

 

How about the rest of you who love RC? How did you know? 

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@Sabrinaklai Oh snap, you were on Carnival too? I found myself doing the same and vowed that after the last Carnival booked sailing I would never return.  We booked that one because of friends that have never sailed wanted to test the waters, so it was the closest place to drive to and short sailing.

i think I have convinced some lifetime Carnival customers to try RCI this last cruise ?

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3 hours ago, mworkman said:

@Sabrinaklai Oh snap, you were on Carnival too? I found myself doing the same and vowed that after the last Carnival booked sailing I would never return.  We booked that one because of friends that have never sailed wanted to test the waters, so it was the closest place to drive to and short sailing.

i think I have convinced some lifetime Carnival customers to try RCI this last cruise ?

Nope, not carnival.

IMG_5891.thumb.JPG.fd28d8ac5cb33507a4a72a80b902dd4b.JPG

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8 minutes ago, murphmatic said:

I’ll be cheating on RCL in March with NCL. So I’ll see what you’re talking about. This will be my first non-RCL cruise. 

Unfortunately I’ll be cheating again in 2019; will be on Carnival out of Long Beach for a family thing. Everyone lives in So. California except me. 

You know you're loyal when you use words like cheating.

 

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20 minutes ago, murphmatic said:

I’ll be cheating on RCL in March with NCL. So I’ll see what you’re talking about. This will be my first non-RCL cruise. 

Unfortunately I’ll be cheating again in 2019; will be on Carnival out of Long Beach for a family thing. Everyone lives in So. California except me. 

That's what happened with us. Big family cruise.  All the kiddies wanted the ship with Dumbo on the back. 

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We started on Carnival but my brother in law (who was diamond at the time now D+) talked us into Royal.  Now we are so close to diamond I want to get there but I will explore others after that.  Looking at Holland America first then we'll see after that where I go.  Not too crazy about Royal nickel and dime us but guess thats where they are all going.

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2 minutes ago, arebee said:

We started on Carnival but my brother in law (who was diamond at the time now D+) talked us into Royal.  Now we are so close to diamond I want to get there but I will explore others after that.  Looking at Holland America first then we'll see after that where I go.  Not too crazy about Royal nickel and dime us but guess thats where they are all going.

I have 117 days on Holland. 

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12 minutes ago, arebee said:

We started on Carnival but my brother in law (who was diamond at the time now D+) talked us into Royal.  Now we are so close to diamond I want to get there but I will explore others after that.  Looking at Holland America first then we'll see after that where I go.  Not too crazy about Royal nickel and dime us but guess thats where they are all going.

My parents who are in their 60s have cruised many cruise lines many times (Carnival, Princess, NCL, Holland, Royal, Celebrity, Disney). Our dinner conversation one night this past week on our family cruise was MDR food and who does it best.  We had a party of 14 and my parents felt that the service on Disney was excellent compared to some others but they felt that Holland America was best for food quality followed by Celebrity.

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1 hour ago, arebee said:

 Not too crazy about Royal nickel and dime us but guess thats where they are all going.

Most cruise lines do have upcharges now.  For example on Carnival's last investor call they stated their greatest source of new revenue is from on board upcharges.  

I have a different perspective on 'nickel & dime'.  As cruise lines have introduced new concepts such as specialty dining or Voom internet there remain guests that don't want or need it.  On my current 19 night B2B I'm quite happy with MDR food for the last 2 weeks.  To make specialty dining free they have to increase base fares, nothing is 'free'.  Why should I pay higher base fares for others who want specialty dining?   Why should people who don't want to be connected pay more so I get 'free' internet?   

You can cruise and have an awesome experience on RCI without buying anything extra.  There are people who want more and people who don't.  

At least RCI hasn't created a totally chaotic boarding process then created a paid program to avoid it like another line has.  

 

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We don't, nor have we had any reason to try another cruise line. We like RCL for many reasons. There is no such thing as perfect, but all things considered they are excellent.

There are pluses and minuses to everything and trying to find greener grass for the purposes of a couple of free things on a vacation...or any other trivial, petty, non-life threatening, doesn't mean didily squat to us enjoying our vacation reason...is energy best spent elsewhere...like booking your next cruise.

We have a much better time on our vacation because...we know the ships, what to expect from everything from picking a stateroom to disembarking. End-to-end, top-to-bottom we haven't found a better vacation option.

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We have done 3 cruises... all on royal.   I took the first one because I was dying to do Disney,  just couldn't afford it and everyone said try royal as a good substitute.   I have never been sorry.   While I would do Disney on a heartbeat of someone else paid for it (i admit...I have a mickey obsession), royal is quality for what you pay.   I love the food, the service and the amazing views from the ship).  I will repeat my first ship (freedom)  in March and can't wait!   I will take a break after that (trying my first river cruise in Europe in August) but looking at maybe the Mediterranean or the gc in 2019!  Jane

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4 hours ago, Bazza said:

When you have never cruised with anybody and your first cruise is with RCI in a little over 90 days but you feel part of the family already - and you are looking to book a short 3 day one in August just to jump up the C&A ladder to Platinum!

That's how I ended up with my Indy booking lol!  Told hubby it was for the family to get away a bit during March break but really I needed 5 more cruise points to get to Diamond!  He was surprised when I said we did not have to be in a suite this time (it's a 5 day cruise so works out exactly) so he agreed. ?  All jokes aside though, he loves cruising too.

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I am curious to see how I feel in January..when I take my first cruise with Celebrity. I know its the sister company, but its still cheating, even if its with her sister right?! :4_joy:

 

It will be weird in the port of Miami and in Nassau to see Royal ships there and NOT be calling it my home ship for the cruise. Never experienced that before as it has always been Royal.

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5 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

I am curious to see how I feel in January..when I take my first cruise with Celebrity. I know its the sister company, but its still cheating, even if its with her sister right?! :4_joy:

 

It will be weird in the port of Miami and in Nassau to see Royal ships there and NOT be calling it my home ship for the cruise. Never experienced that before as it has always been Royal.

As you are walking back to your ship expect this...

image.png.2e41d84a2d6997686d0c18c88b8b9254.png

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37 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

I am curious to see how I feel in January..when I take my first cruise with Celebrity. I know its the sister company, but its still cheating, even if its with her sister right?!

I feel bad seeing this, I"m really cheating on RC, I'm booked on 4 Celebrity and only one RC!!! I hope I'm still wanted here ! LOL:4_joy:

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I don't have another--well, actually two--Royal cruise booked until 2019 mainly because of itinerary interests. However, the more I sail other lines, the more I come to realize the Royal fits my family best. I also find the passengers on Royal ships to be much more friendly and easier to start a conversation with. Also, the more I'm away from Royal, the more I appreciate some of the things that they do and how they match our lifestyle.

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19 hours ago, twangster said:

To make specialty dining free they have to increase base fares, nothing is 'free'.  Why should I pay higher base fares for others who want specialty dining?   Why should people who don't want to be connected pay more so I get 'free' internet?   

Bold for emphasis.

Whenever someone ask or says “such-and-such is free on a cruise” it raises my pet peeve meter. You are definitely paying.

ALL the cruise lines have figured out the math. Your fare either covers all the  complementary (which is a better word than “free”) items during a cruise or they are taking a gamble that you’ll spend more during the cruise.

NCL’s “Free” At Sea is pure marketing. Don’t belive me? Price out a Sail Away cabin (like a Guarantee cabin where you don’t choose the cabin but are guaranteed the cabin  category or better) with no Free At Sea options vs. one with them. You are paying for those options. Which is cool IF you understand that you are and maybe saving some money.

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@murphmatic You make a very good point and I agree that nothing is "free" on a cruise; it is simply included in the fare paid. What does annoy me, though, is the removing of things that were previously included in the fare. It's simply a way to increase profits (or cover increased costs) without actually raising the fare, but in the end it is the same.

I have noticed that other lines are much more reasonable when it comes to the non-alcoholic drink packages (e.g., it's $8 on Princess). The specialty dining is also much cheaper on Princess, much like it is on Holland America. However, the entry price point is also higher. Thus, you either pay upfront for reduced costs onboard or you pay onboard. For those who don't dine in specialty restaurants or buy the drink packages, then it's even a better value to sail Royal as you're not subsidizing the back end costs.

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22 hours ago, DocLC said:

I have noticed that other lines are much more reasonable when it comes to the non-alcoholic drink packages (e.g., it's $8 on Princess). The specialty dining is also much cheaper on Princess, much like it is on Holland America. However, the entry price point is also higher. Thus, you either pay upfront for reduced costs onboard or you pay onboard. For those who don't dine in specialty restaurants or buy the drink packages, then it's even a better value to sail Royal as you're not subsidizing the back end costs.

I might argue this particular example with Princess and HAL. As those are considered "premium" category (near-luxury for HAL?), I would expect the higher up-front fares to be covering all the things that make just the "included with cruise fare" items a notch above a booking on a more mass-market line. Things like the expected higher level of service, higher quality of food in the MDR and buffet areas (at least with HAL, where I see they are consistently ranked as having the best quality food of any line), overall nicer ship/room decor, etc. Possibly even covers the costs of running generally smaller ships that go to more exotic itineraries for longer times. I mean, HAL's biggest ship (the Koenigsdam, and soon Nieuw Statendam) holds only 2,650 passengers, compared to over 6,000 on an Oasis class!

That's not say those higher booking rates can't still translate into lower costs to buy upgrades like specialty dining. If they're already stocking the ship with higher quality ingredients for all of the main kitchens, presumably the cost to add the extra for the specialty restaurants is just part of the overall wholesale rate. On a mass-market line, I'd assume the main kitchens have slightly lower quality ingredients stocked, and the specialty restaurants now need to make a separate order for their higher quality ingredients; since it's a totally separate order for those kitchens, it costs more (especially since it's a much lower quantity compared to the rest of the ship's foodstuffs; no "volume discount" applied).

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On 12/10/2017 at 9:29 PM, mom2mybugs said:

We have done 3 cruises... all on royal.   I took the first one because I was dying to do Disney,  just couldn't afford it and everyone said try royal as a good substitute.   I have never been sorry.   While I would do Disney on a heartbeat of someone else paid for it (i admit...I have a mickey obsession), royal is quality for what you pay.   I love the food, the service and the amazing views from the ship).  I will repeat my first ship (freedom)  in March and can't wait!   I will take a break after that (trying my first river cruise in Europe in August) but looking at maybe the Mediterranean or the gc in 2019!  Jane

My wife and I just got off the DIsney Dream yesterday, Concierge level.  I'll be honest.... Disney does have a nice ship - the fit, finish, and attention to detail is incredible.  The food was great as well.  The concierge suites were so plush it was hard to leave when the cruise was over!  

That being said, the ONLY reason we did Disney was because RC has stationed the Majesty of the Seas at Port Canaveral.  We live ten minutes from the pier.  We had actually driven down to Miami a few months ago to go out on the Enchantment we were so desperate for a decent weekend cruise......  On Saturday my wife and I were in Nassau standing on the top of the Dream and watched the Majesty pull into the dock.  Ugh.... it isn't a very pretty ship and shows its age. 

Thankfully RC has heard our cries and is moving the Enchantment and eventually the Mariner to Port Canaveral.  Now my wife and I can get back to going out on weekend cruises every few months in addition to RC cruises from other ports.  Loyal to Royal!  :-)  

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On 12/9/2017 at 11:10 PM, Sabrinaklai said:

Thought I would start this thread for fun.  We just got off a ship that I won't name (would not want @twangster to accuse me of blasphemy again ?) and I found myself missing RC desperately. So here goes...

You know that you are loyal to Royal when:

1. You catch yourself constantly referring to the buffet on the unnamed non RC ship as Windjammer. 

2. Every ship you see in the distance looks like an Oasis class ship to you.

3. You stare longingly at every RC ship that you are docked next to and wish you were on it instead. Then you snap pics of it for @Matt's Friday photos even though you are not sailing RC.

4. You catch yourself comparing every single little thing to RC and thinking RC does it better.  Then you start promoting RC to the rest of your sailing party and some crew members. ?

5. You find yourself wanting your sailing to end so you can quickly get on to your next RC cruise! March can't come soon enough!

 

How about the rest of you who love RC? How did you know? 

I haven't read everyone else posts yet. Flame me if you want, but I am not specifically loyal. I am happy to try other lines, and experience other ports. For instance, we are planning a river cruise. We also have a cruise next year on a ship I won't name. Now, the majority of my cruises are on RC. And i will probably hit diamond with RC before I hit whatever the nameless ship line's equivalent gets hit. That will probably hold my attention. I mean, you can teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry, gut give a man a free drink and he'll never get off your boat! 

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On 12/10/2017 at 4:12 PM, twangster said:

Most cruise lines do have upcharges now.  For example on Carnival's last investor call they stated their greatest source of new revenue is from on board upcharges.  

I have a different perspective on 'nickel & dime'.  As cruise lines have introduced new concepts such as specialty dining or Voom internet there remain guests that don't want or need it.  On my current 19 night B2B I'm quite happy with MDR food for the last 2 weeks.  To make specialty dining free they have to increase base fares, nothing is 'free'.  Why should I pay higher base fares for others who want specialty dining?   Why should people who don't want to be connected pay more so I get 'free' internet?   

You can cruise and have an awesome experience on RCI without buying anything extra.  There are people who want more and people who don't.  

At least RCI hasn't created a totally chaotic boarding process then created a paid program to avoid it like another line has.  

 

I'll drink to that! Wait a minute: That would be extra. Unless we were at an art auction. I'll drink to that at an art auction!

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48 minutes ago, NeonD7 said:

My wife and I just got off the DIsney Dream yesterday, Concierge level.  I'll be honest.... Disney does have a nice ship - the fit, finish, and attention to detail is incredible.  The food was great as well.  The concierge suites were so plush it was hard to leave when the cruise was over!  

That being said, the ONLY reason we did Disney was because RC has stationed the Majesty of the Seas at Port Canaveral.  We live ten minutes from the pier.  We had actually driven down to Miami a few months ago to go out on the Enchantment we were so desperate for a decent weekend cruise......  On Saturday my wife and I were in Nassau standing on the top of the Dream and watched the Majesty pull into the dock.  Ugh.... it isn't a very pretty ship and shows its age. 

Thankfully RC has heard our cries and is moving the Enchantment and eventually the Mariner to Port Canaveral.  Now my wife and I can get back to going out on weekend cruises every few months in addition to RC cruises from other ports.  Loyal to Royal!  :-)  

And Harmony too by May 2019!

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On 12/11/2017 at 12:01 PM, murphmatic said:

Bold for emphasis.

Whenever someone ask or says “such-and-such is free on a cruise” it raises my pet peeve meter. You are definitely paying.

ALL the cruise lines have figured out the math. Your fare either covers all the  complementary (which is a better word than “free”) items during a cruise or they are taking a gamble that you’ll spend more during the cruise.

NCL’s “Free” At Sea is pure marketing. Don’t belive me? Price out a Sail Away cabin (like a Guarantee cabin where you don’t choose the cabin but are guaranteed the cabin  category or better) with no Free At Sea options vs. one with them. You are paying for those options. Which is cool IF you understand that you are and maybe saving some money.

That's true. We are booked on a free at sea cruise, and the money we are paying is making it clear nothing is free. I don't know that "free" is the reasoning. "Taken care of" is more like it. I don't mind specialty restaurant charges: It's the all you can drink costs on Royal. In order to make them worthwhile, I'd be drinking all day and all night and probably be carted out on a stretcher. However, the individual drink costs are reasonable on Royal, so we just buy as we go. Another unnamable cruise line used to have a wine package where you could get a bottle of wine each day. That worked great. Anyway, the free-at-sea package will save us a little bit, but it's not a knock on Royal: Just different. And really this comment I am replying to is just about the idea that you are getting something for free, which you are not. Last I checked, all of the cruise companies are for-profit busiensses.

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I have taken around 40 cruises and am heading for Diamond Plus on Royal. Can't wait to get there. I also sail on Norwegian. There is only one ship I love in their line up and it is the Escape, their newest, until Bliss come out and I am trying to book that right now. NCL seems to give a lot more to the high ranking Latitude members. I am Platinum on NCL, heading for Platinum Plus. I brought the information with me for my status on both RCL and NCL on my last Escape cruise and NCL gives more, plus they give amazing discounts for playing in the casino. Last year I got 3 free cruises from NCL.

I have sailed Princess and I am a Ruby member, heading for Diamond, but I don't like there two big ships because there are no Ocean View staterooms, Interior and then Balcony.

As other people have said, cost factors in, ports, food, etc. I find the specialty restaurants on NCL to beat RCCL hands down. My last cruise in October on RCCL was the worst meal at a steakhouse I have ever had. The steak was tasteless, asked for medium well, got it well and the sides were just luke warm. 

I planned a huge Meet & Greet on the NCL Escape cruise, over 125 passengers attending and the officers were so amazing to us. Talked for about an hour. My RCCL cruise the M&G was a flop, officers just introduced themselves and left. (Before everyone gives me flack, I know they have a job to do but what can 30 to 60 minutes to speak to the passengers do to your schedule.)

I am taking my first HAL cruise in 2018, can't wait, doing a Montreal to Fort Lauderdale repositioning and there are only amazing things said about this cruise, just can't wait. 

I have 4 RCCL cruises book for 2018 and 2019, 2 NCL and 1 HAL. I wish I could remain loyal but I find the differences intriguing on the other lines.

Candie

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19 minutes ago, firegal2539 said:

I have taken around 40 cruises and am heading for Diamond Plus on Royal. Can't wait to get there. I also sail on Norwegian. There is only one ship I love in their line up and it is the Escape, their newest, until Bliss come out and I am trying to book that right now. NCL seems to give a lot more to the high ranking Latitude members. I am Platinum on NCL, heading for Platinum Plus. I brought the information with me for my status on both RCL and NCL on my last Escape cruise and NCL gives more, plus they give amazing discounts for playing in the casino. Last year I got 3 free cruises from NCL.

I have sailed Princess and I am a Ruby member, heading for Diamond, but I don't like there two big ships because there are no Ocean View staterooms, Interior and then Balcony.

As other people have said, cost factors in, ports, food, etc. I find the specialty restaurants on NCL to beat RCCL hands down. My last cruise in October on RCCL was the worst meal at a steakhouse I have ever had. The steak was tasteless, asked for medium well, got it well and the sides were just luke warm. 

I planned a huge Meet & Greet on the NCL Escape cruise, over 125 passengers attending and the officers were so amazing to us. Talked for about an hour. My RCCL cruise the M&G was a flop, officers just introduced themselves and left. (Before everyone gives me flack, I know they have a job to do but what can 30 to 60 minutes to speak to the passengers do to your schedule.)

I am taking my first HAL cruise in 2018, can't wait, doing a Montreal to Fort Lauderdale repositioning and there are only amazing things said about this cruise, just can't wait. 

I have 4 RCCL cruises book for 2018 and 2019, 2 NCL and 1 HAL. I wish I could remain loyal but I find the differences intriguing on the other lines.

Candie

That's kind of how I feel about my MSC Seaside cruise coming up.  I am just too intrigued by the Yacht Club concept and the low prices that I have to try it once.  Last night I watched a 1h 23min video on YouTube, it was a full ship tour in a language i did not even understand but that ship is one of the most beautiful ships I have seen.  I'm basically at the point where I will always try to pick Royal but if a really attractive opportunity presents itself then I don't think I would turn it down either.

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@JLMoran I have sailed both Princess and half few times. What I've personally learned is that the cruise lines are more similar to me than they are different. I can find something I like better on each of the lines as well as something I like better on each of the lines. It's all a give and take in the end. 

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