The things we do out of love, but what shall I expect??

[Disneyhenry]

Ok my baby sis got a wonderful job with Royal Caribbean Cruise line. I am a DCL fan, I love DCL, I cant imagine cruising on anyone else, but now, well I will have too at least try it.
I think I will start off with a 7 day Caribbean, I know that you have to pay for your own soda on Royal, do we have to pay for juice, coffee and milk too? What else is there that they charge for that Disney does not? How are their kids clubs, I hope they have them, their stateroom look smaller are they?
It will be DH, myself and DS (5) and maybe my older DD (25). What should we expect??
Thanks

 

[Donut23]

How close to you to Royal Caribbean Ports.

You may want to talk to your Baby Sis about Friends and family m (last minute 1&2 months)

Trust me, we do this with our RCI friends (Bermuda). Trust me, you won't give a hoot what drinks cost.

 

[Disneyhenry]

How close to you to Royal Caribbean Ports.

You may want to talk to your Baby Sis about Friends and family m (last minute 1&2 months)

Trust me, we do this with our RCI friends (Bermuda). Trust me, you won't give a hoot what drinks cost.

ok sounds great! Thanks

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Milk, coffee, tea, iced tea and lemonade are all included; there is juice in the buffet in the morning and in the MDRs.

You can also prepay for a soda card ahead of time and then really, it feels no different than DCL about sodas (except that you can go up to any bar and get one - not just in the dining rooms/buffet or from a single place on the pool deck).

If the ship you go on has the coke freestyle machines, there are close to 100 choices of flavoured beverages.

There are kids clubs but since I have no kids I can't comment.

The cabins really depend on the ship you're going on. On the older ships, they may be a lot smaller, on the newer ships you may not notice much of a difference (other than the split bath).

 

[Ready to go]

So if you buy the soda card, are you given a special cup like at the WDW resorts? One that has a chip?

 

[Donut23]

Your room key also will indicate you have the drink package. The little coke cup doesn't hold enough for me. I always bring an insulated cup with a lid and straw---Dollar Store vintage. I just show my card and they fill the cup and I'm off to my balcony.

No need to carry the cup if you do not want to.

 

[SevenWonkas]

I definitely recommend the week-long cruises, as opposed to the short 3-4 day cruises with RCCL. I honestly have never been on the short cruises, but I have friends who have. We call the short cruises "booze cruises"….. The ships are older.

The previous responses seem to answer your other questions. The big thing to remember, is that even though RCCL charges for things like pop/soda, the base price is also cheaper. So you may end up still paying less, even if you add all the extras. The only exception may be Oasis/Allure, because these cruises are still more expensive than other cruises.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

So if you buy the soda card, are you given a special cup like at the WDW resorts? One that has a chip?

Yes, you're always given a cup. If you're on a ship that has the freestyle machines, you'll need the cup to use those machines - you can still get a soda from any bar (or the MDRs) but they are only the basics, coke, diet coke, sprite, etc. The freestyle machines have almost 100 flavours to select from.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Milk, coffee, tea, iced tea and lemonade are all included; there is juice in the buffet in the morning and in the MDRs. You can also prepay for a soda card ahead of time and then really, it feels no different than DCL about sodas (except that you can go up to any bar and get one - not just in the dining rooms/buffet or from a single place on the pool deck). If the ship you go on has the coke freestyle machines, there are close to 100 choices of flavoured beverages. There are kids clubs but since I have no kids I can't comment. The cabins really depend on the ship you're going on. On the older ships, they may be a lot smaller, on the newer ships you may not notice much of a difference (other than the split bath).

How much does the soda card cost?

 

[C & L Shaw]

This is the information available on the RCCL website:

ROYAL REFRESHMENT

Includes:
• Unlimited fountain soda with
Coca Cola® souvenir cup.
PACKAGE PRICE PER DAY
17 and under: $4.50
18 and over: $6.50

ROYAL REPLENISH*
$20 USD per person, per day

Includes:
• Premium coffee
• Premium tea
• Bottled water: Sparkling
(375ml) or Still (500ml)
• Fresh squeezed
orange juice
• Non-alcoholic cocktails
• Fountain soda with
Coca Cola® souvenir cup

SELECT*
$40 USD per person, per day

Includes:
• Beer
• Wines by the glass
(up to $8 value)
• Non-alcoholic cocktails
• Fountain soda with
Coca Cola® souvenir cup

PREMIUM*
$55 USD per person, per day

Includes:
• Call, and premium
cocktails (up to $10 value)
• Frozen cocktails
• Beer
• Premium wines by the
glass (up to $12 value)
• Non-alcoholic cocktails
• Bottled water still (500ml)
• Fountain soda with
Coca Cola® souvenir cup

ULTIMATE*
$65 USD per person, per day

Includes:
Virtually unlimited options.
A combination of all the
benefits from Premium
and Royal Replenish
packages.

 

[dpswift]

My DS then 8 loved the kids club. We had early dining and they would pick them up halfway through. We were on the Independance (Freedom class). We all had a great time.

Our MDR server far exceeded the service that we have received on Disney, The only thing that I did notice on our RCI cruises was that the assistant servers did not speak English very well.

You have many chances to spend extra but do not need to. We went to Johny Rockets and wished that we had not.

Go and have fun.

 

[HannaBelle]

We went to Johny Rockets and wished that we had not. Go and have fun.

Why did you regret going to Johnny Rockets?

Are milkshakes included in any of the drink packages? What types of drinks are considered non-alcoholic cocktails? Would virgin frozen drinks fall in that category?

DH and I drink mostly water and are not big drinkers, we do not drink coffee either. I am planning on bringing a case of water bottles and just buying a fresh squeeze juice or frozen drink if either of us wants one.

I get very sleepy and melancholy when I drink too much, it pretty much ruins the evening. DH on the other hand loosens up after 2 or 3 drinks. Maybe I will get him the drink package!

Is pricing for the fresh squeezed juice or individual drinks posted somewhere? If you order a soft drink at dinner, does it come with free refills like standard restaurants?

 

[valee]

RCI has a policy that all adults in a cabin will need to get the same drink package, so that there isn't sharing.

 

[Arkum]

RCI has a policy that all adults in a cabin will need to get the same drink package, so that there isn't sharing.

I noticed when I was on their site that this policy has changed. You can buy for just 1 adult in your room but are still not allowed to share, obviously.

 

[bumbershoot]

RCI has a policy that all adults in a cabin will need to get the same drink package, so that there isn't sharing.

It changed at the very end of last year with the addition of the new packages! It's pretty awesome.