DCL --> RCL: a Review

[MamaMermaid]

I know there are a lot of these but I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in...

We are seasoned DCL folks -- platinum Castaway Club members -- who decided to try the Symphony of the Seas this past weekend. Travel party included: me, hubby, my mom (mid 60s), and our son (6.5). There were some things I thought RCL did BETTER than Disney but ultimately, we'd choose DCL moving forward.

The Good:
1. The Food -- honestly, the food in the buffet and the Main Dining Room was better than Disney, I think. We also ate at Wonderland and that was delicious too.
2. CocoCay -- wow! This island is amazing. Love the splash pad and the pool. The trams were also so nice and much easier than the one at Castaway Cay.
3. The Shows -- we saw HiRo (the water show) and the ice skating show. Hairspray was too late for my little guy so we skipped it. They were really engaging, unique, and fun. I love DCL's quality but since we sail so often, the shows get repetitive and sometimes we just skip...
3. ROBOT BAR -- enough said. My kid was enchanted
4. Laser Tag -- literally so much fun! Wish we had been able to do it more than once.
5. The rooms -- the cabins felt bigger. I don't know if they actually are or not.

The Bad:
1. The theming -- I didn't love the neighborhoods and different sections of the ship. It really just felt like I was at a big hotel... maybe Vegas? I never felt like I was on a ship.
2. Smoking -- so stinky.
3. Balcony overlooking Central Park/high floor close to pool -- music played until 10:30pm... and it wasn't always good music, lol. I guess I'm an old grump.
4. Crew -- just not as overly friendly as DCL.
5. The bed -- felt like I was sleeping on a rock. Again, old grump? Maybe.
6. Generally dirtier -- tons of cups left behind, people didn't seem to pick up their trash and/or crew didn't clean it up as much as DCL.

Overall, we prefer the VIBES of DCL but I can understand why RCL meets the needs of the average/general cruiser.

 

[RedHead0186]

Thanks for your review!

As to the smoking, can you elaborate? Did you smell smoke all over the ship? In one area? People should only be smoking in designated areas of the ship (same as DCL), so I'm trying to figure out what about RCL made it so smoky/stinky.

I too have found crews on other lines to be less friendly than DCL. There have ben a few stellar crew members; however, I agree with you overall that pretty much every CM on DCL makes you feel special, whereas on other lines that's the exception, not the rule.

I also have found other ships to be dirtier. DCL seems to do a better job of keeping things clean/trash picked up.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Thanks for your review!

As to the smoking, can you elaborate? Did you smell smoke all over the ship? In one area? People should only be smoking in designated areas of the ship (same as DCL), so I'm trying to figure out what about RCL made it so smoky/stinky.

I too have found crews on other lines to be less friendly than DCL. There have ben a few stellar crew members; however, I agree with you overall that pretty much every CM on DCL makes you feel special, whereas on other lines that's the exception, not the rule.

I also have found other ships to be dirtier. DCL seems to do a better job of keeping things clean/trash picked up.

I felt that the 3rd, 4th, and 5th decks near the casino had a lingering smell of smoke. We also hated walking through the smoking section by the pool -- we never used that pool on purpose because of the strong smell of smoke and active smokers. We also smelled a LOT of weed that someone must've been smoking on their balcony...

 

[cvjw]

I felt that the 3rd, 4th, and 5th decks near the casino had a lingering smell of smoke. We also hated walking through the smoking section by the pool -- we never used that pool on purpose because of the strong smell of smoke and active smokers. We also smelled a LOT of weed that someone must've been smoking on their balcony...

Sailed the fantasy last week. 3 cabins were smoking weed and cigars on their balconies. Never experienced that on a DCL cruise before.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Sailed the fantasy last week. 3 cabins were smoking weed and cigars on their balconies. Never experienced that on a DCL cruise before.

UGH!!

 

[Princesca]

This basically describes our experience on RCL Odyssey. We did Fantasy before and loved it, but at the price point, it's kinda rough. On the whole, I felt RCL had more to offer in terms of entertainment, for all ages, and a much better price point. The rooms were great (except for the beds being hard and the lack of a bathtub, but we worked around that part at least). We really enjoyed the food more on RCL on the whole, except for the MDR, which was better on DCL IMO. The island food on RCL was markedly better, both at Labadee and Coco Cay. We would definitely sail RCL again, but we didn't leave feeling as pampered as we did sailing with DCL. Also, interestingly, we found fewer crowds on RCL, even though it was comparable in size. The lower kid to adult ratio helped things feel less chaotic, I think.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

Thanks for the review and comments... I have only sailed disney and sometimes get tempted by what seems to be better bargains, but in the end I do think the old saying still applies, you get what you pay for, just a matter of what you are willing to settle for.

 

[Hubie]

Sailed the fantasy last week. 3 cabins were smoking weed and cigars on their balconies. Never experienced that on a DCL cruise before.

We encountered this on our DCL 2015 WBPC cruise. All you have to do is pick up the phone and report them, and an officer will likely pay them a visit.

 

[cvjw]

We encountered this on our DCL 2015 WBPC cruise. All you have to do is pick up the phone and report them, and an officer will likely pay them a visit.

Yes. An officer visited them. Multiple times. They refused to stop. Said to just fine them. Supposedly, security spent a lot of time outside their cabins. Heard they were blacklisted from sailing DCL again. They were first time cruisers.

 

[CarolynFH]

Yes. An officer visited them. Multiple times. They refused to stop. Said to just fine them. Supposedly, security spent a lot of time outside their cabins. Heard they were blacklisted from sailing DCL again. They were first time cruisers.

Too bad they couldn't put them off the ship at the first port and let the authorities there deal with them based on the laws of that country.

 

[cvjw]

Too bad they couldn't put them off the ship at the first port and let the authorities there deal with them based on the laws of that country.

That is what some on the cruise wanted. They all had young kids with them, which is what kept DCL from putting them off the ship, supposedly. One of them even assaulted a lady at the adult pool. He was supposed to face charges for that.

Was a Carnival like bunch.

 

[JM_97]

We always prefer Disney and will sail when we can but I am totally a proponent of trying other cruise lines at least once. If you don't like it, you can go back to DCL. I like having the different experiences since Disney's price points make it hard to only sail Disney.

 

[JM_97]

That is what some on the cruise wanted. They all had young kids with them, which is what kept DCL from putting them off the ship, supposedly. One of them even assaulted a lady at the adult pool. He was supposed to face charges for that.

Was a Carnival like bunch.

Honestly, the smoking doesn't bother me but understand why it does for many. The assault is where the line has to be drawn.

 

[RedHead0186]

Honestly, the smoking doesn't bother me but understand why it does for many. The assault is where the line has to be drawn.

It may not bother you, but it is against the rules (to smoke on your balcony). If one doesn't care about bothering other guests, they should at least care about the safety aspect.

It annoys me to no end people who feel the rules don't apply to them.

 

[cvjw]

Honestly, the smoking doesn't bother me but understand why it does for many. The assault is where the line has to be drawn.

People in the surrounding cabins had to have their clothes cleaned due to the weed smell that took over their cabins. They all had to be moved to different cabins because DCL had to clean the carpets to get the weed smell out.

There is a reason for the no smoking rule.

 

[RedHead0186]

People in the surrounding cabins had to have their clothes cleaned due to the weed smell that took over their cabins. They all had to be moved to different cabins because DCL had to clean the carpets to get the weed smell out.

There is a reason for the no smoking rule.

Not to mention the safety issue.

 

[lklgoodman]

That is what some on the cruise wanted. They all had young kids with them, which is what kept DCL from putting them off the ship, supposedly. One of them even assaulted a lady at the adult pool. He was supposed to face charges for that.

Was a Carnival like bunch.

Part of me understands DCL not kicking them off the ship since they had kids, but what about the other cabins that have kids with them?! My dd has asthma. When she was younger it was easily triggered and having to deal with that(even for a short amount of time) would have made her really sick. Sorry, but they knowingly broke the rules and continued to do so. They should have been kicked off the ship at the first port. I would have felt bad for the kids, but that's horrible for all the other passengers who had to deal with them. Especially the assault. They have a jail on the ship. Please tell me he spent the rest of the cruise in it!

 

[cvjw]

Part of me understands DCL not kicking them off the ship since they had kids, but what about the other cabins that have kids with them?! My dd has asthma. When she was younger it was easily triggered and having to deal with that(even for a short amount of time) would have made her really sick. Sorry, but they knowingly broke the rules and continued to do so. They should have been kicked off the ship at the first port. I would have felt bad for the kids, but that's horrible for all the other passengers who had to deal with them. Especially the assault. They have a jail on the ship. Please tell me he spent the rest of the cruise in it!

He was supposed to be arrested in port Canaveral when the cruise was over.

 

[lklgoodman]

He was supposed to be arrested in port Canaveral when the cruise was over.

That's really disappointing to hear. He assaults someone and gets to go on his merry little way. What about the person he assaulted. That person and the people who saw it were probably nervous anytime they encountered him on the ship. I'm very disappointed to hear how DCL handled this entire situation. We've done 8 DCL cruises with 2 more booked so we love cruising on DCL. Glad this rarely happens.

 

[starvenger]

Sailed the fantasy last week. 3 cabins were smoking weed and cigars on their balconies. Never experienced that on a DCL cruise before.

There's always people that try to push the boundaries of what they can and cannot do. And when it comes to smoking, I'm sure it happens more than we think.

The theming -- I didn't love the neighborhoods and different sections of the ship. It really just felt like I was at a big hotel... maybe Vegas? I never felt like I was on a ship.

I get what you mean here. But with the ship being as big as it is, it's a good way to give you visual clues as to where you are.

Balcony overlooking Central Park/high floor close to pool -- music played until 10:30pm... and it wasn't always good music, lol. I guess I'm an old grump.

I think this is a major reason why I avoid high decks nowadays - just a lot of noise that wafts down. Central Park feels a little more sedate on the lower levels.