OP: They are both good machines--I bought the rmpb and am happy with it, but I thought about the cmbp (I've used both--my wife has the 2011 cmbp).
People are right that it's probably not worth getting the cmpb if you need to upgrade it with an ssd right away. On the other hand, if you want the optical drive (I do actually miss it, and I keep having to remember where I put my external when I want it) and you don't need the extra performance immediately, you could save some money now by just getting the base model. It's still a pretty fast machine for most people's uses, and components will be cheaper later. It probably won't have great resale value in a few years, but you might not care--especially if you're still using it.
As far as the rmbp: I would get Applecare in case there is a problem, but I wouldn't be scared by reading about people's problems on the internet (mine is just fine, for the record). Obviously, there are people with problems, but if most late 2013 rmbps had screen trouble it would have been a major disaster for Apple. It is true that you'll probably need to get Apple to make any repairs on the computer, which is irritating and expensive.
However, the screen is, in fact, very nice, and it is a light and zippy computer--so it just depends on what is important to you. I spent a lot of time chewing over the cmpb/rmpb/air decision, and might have been happy with any of the three choices. They are all good laptops in slightly different ways.
