Just returned from a really fun weekend. All women, 10 of us, were doing a little "mothers take a break" weekend while husbands stayed home with a total of 24 children. How lucky are we??
Anyhow, since there seems to be a lot of interest in comparing the two cruise lines recently, I thought I'd share my experiences. Take them for what they're worth, it was the group that made the trip SO much fun! This post is longer than I intended, if the moderators want to move it to the trip report board, that's fine.
We got a last minute deal ($229) on Majesty, which is an older and smaller RCCL ship. It was a nice looking ship and very managable (I seem to lose my bearings on the Wonder a lot). Rooms were TINY, but for the price? Totally fine. We had a very attentive room attendant who kept everything spotless. Some in our party weren't as lucky with their rooms - ran out of toilet paper, no beds turned down. The Wonder is much more elegant and the rooms/bathrooms are palatial compared to the Majesty.
The food on the Majesty was outstanding. I think I'd have to give RCCL the edge here. I enjoy Disney food but it seems more family-friendly and a little less adventurous. The midnight buffet was not to be believed. Great choices and nice fresh food. Desserts are terrific as well. Our waiters were top-notch, just like DCL. Our group really got the dining room going! Maybe a little too much. Other tables seemed a bit jealous of the attentive service we were getting, but we were fun!
While our waiters were great and our room attendant was wonderful, I found the rest of the staff not as friendly. They weren't rude but just not as personable as I've noticed on DCL. I love that everyone on DCL, not just "your" crew members, look you in the eye and wish you a nice day. It makes you feel special. It certainly didn't ruin the trip and I'm sure no one else even noticed. (I should mention that while I love DCL, I'm not a real "Disney" fan. I sometimes find the over-the-top perkiness a bit too much, but somehow on the cruise it's perfect)
The shows were just okay. The first night's entertainment was a musical revue. The accoustics in that room were horrible. I'm not sure if it was the singers' voices or the microphones but they all seemed really screechy. The dancers and singers were so enthusiastic and really cute, but it all seemed a bit "high school variety show". Nobody does entertainment like Disney, 'nuff said. There is no entertainment the second night, and the final show was two weird balancing guys and a funny comedian. We found the best entertainment up in the Viking Crown lounge. Steve Duell is a singer who will play whatever you want. We cleared out the room on the second night with our over-the-top sing alongs. Lots of fun, but we made it that way.
Some other thoughts: Loved the casino. Hated the in-your-face selling of wine packages and other booze plans before you've even gotten onto the ship. Pools were huge, much bigger than DCL but salt water, yuck. Private island, Coco Cay was beautiful. The disembarkation is horrible!!! They push you out of your rooms at 8:00 and we never left the ship until almost 12:00. Complete waste of time. I don't know how DCL does it, but all cruise lines should take note.
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. What a wonderful treat after that long winter. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
Anyhow, since there seems to be a lot of interest in comparing the two cruise lines recently, I thought I'd share my experiences. Take them for what they're worth, it was the group that made the trip SO much fun! This post is longer than I intended, if the moderators want to move it to the trip report board, that's fine.
We got a last minute deal ($229) on Majesty, which is an older and smaller RCCL ship. It was a nice looking ship and very managable (I seem to lose my bearings on the Wonder a lot). Rooms were TINY, but for the price? Totally fine. We had a very attentive room attendant who kept everything spotless. Some in our party weren't as lucky with their rooms - ran out of toilet paper, no beds turned down. The Wonder is much more elegant and the rooms/bathrooms are palatial compared to the Majesty.
The food on the Majesty was outstanding. I think I'd have to give RCCL the edge here. I enjoy Disney food but it seems more family-friendly and a little less adventurous. The midnight buffet was not to be believed. Great choices and nice fresh food. Desserts are terrific as well. Our waiters were top-notch, just like DCL. Our group really got the dining room going! Maybe a little too much. Other tables seemed a bit jealous of the attentive service we were getting, but we were fun!
While our waiters were great and our room attendant was wonderful, I found the rest of the staff not as friendly. They weren't rude but just not as personable as I've noticed on DCL. I love that everyone on DCL, not just "your" crew members, look you in the eye and wish you a nice day. It makes you feel special. It certainly didn't ruin the trip and I'm sure no one else even noticed. (I should mention that while I love DCL, I'm not a real "Disney" fan. I sometimes find the over-the-top perkiness a bit too much, but somehow on the cruise it's perfect)
The shows were just okay. The first night's entertainment was a musical revue. The accoustics in that room were horrible. I'm not sure if it was the singers' voices or the microphones but they all seemed really screechy. The dancers and singers were so enthusiastic and really cute, but it all seemed a bit "high school variety show". Nobody does entertainment like Disney, 'nuff said. There is no entertainment the second night, and the final show was two weird balancing guys and a funny comedian. We found the best entertainment up in the Viking Crown lounge. Steve Duell is a singer who will play whatever you want. We cleared out the room on the second night with our over-the-top sing alongs. Lots of fun, but we made it that way.
Some other thoughts: Loved the casino. Hated the in-your-face selling of wine packages and other booze plans before you've even gotten onto the ship. Pools were huge, much bigger than DCL but salt water, yuck. Private island, Coco Cay was beautiful. The disembarkation is horrible!!! They push you out of your rooms at 8:00 and we never left the ship until almost 12:00. Complete waste of time. I don't know how DCL does it, but all cruise lines should take note.
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. What a wonderful treat after that long winter. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
