Goodtime Cruizin

No idea what a love button is but sounds fascinating.

Funniest thing I ever saw on a cruise was an elderly couple in the laundry. I was helping them work the machines. She was a bit "off with the fairies" and he didn't look like he ever used a washer. Suddenly he produces a plastic bag with washing powder in it. I asked him if he had brought it from home - Canada. Yes he had, he had brought a plastic bag with white powder in it through customs at Vancouver, then into Beijing without being challenged. Wow, don't think I would try this.

Fascinating indeed. :D

That's real pretty...but how long till "Bubba" from the farm reaches in with his fingers & fishes out a few of them bad boys...just sayin...:eek:

There is no need to offend Bubba. Unfortunately farming accidents happen a lot. Although losing one's hands are not normal.

On our first cruise, the pairing was great. My DW, Son, DDiL, & Daughter were tabled at a table for ten w/ another family of five in similar ages etc. The pairing was so nice that we all began to move around the table in different seats each night just to visit, exchange converstion about our day. Often we were the last to leave the MDR due to having such a nice time. Oddly, we seldom saw one another on the ship during the days or excursions. But as tablemates, we all enjoyed one another. I have found that the larget the table, the longer the dinner in terms of time.

And this is why I enjoy Cruise Critic! So many great replies, responses, and answers. Many thanks to each of you. Your experience speaks volumes and now I begin the planning phase. I'm especially intrigued w/ the dog sledding! :D

Thanks again everyone! We're very grateful.

End of June early July is about the right time, nice weather:)

Can't go wrong with Jewel, we did ALASKA before on Serenade, and will be on Jewel again for Alaska this June. So Radiance class all good.

 

6/26 Seattle

6/27 Cruising

6/28 Inside Passage

6/28 Juneau

6/29 Skagway(right side of train for best views)

6/30 Tracy Arm Fjord

7/1 Cruising

7/2 Victoria (British Columbia)

7/3 Seattle

 

Deck 10' hump either side of ship as Captain will do a 720deg turn when at the

Glacier. Just check position of WJ above before choosing Cabin.

 

If you want Whale excursions, book them early as group sizes are very limited

We were lucky enough to book all of our excursions for this upcoming cruise almost a year out.

 

The Maxwell hotel in Seattle is close to all the attractions and close to pier 91

 

Will be doing a review this June, so will have more info on Jewel and the Seattle to Seattle Itinerary.

 

Just my opinion, Seattle-Seattle as easy for flights, we did Vancouver-Vancouver

Before for the same reason.

 

Whatever Itinerary and Departure you decide on, Jewel will be a gem and you'll have a great cruise.

 

Happy Days!

Graham

 

Edit:1554 GS very good cabin and location

Thanks for a nice response. I printed this and look forward to following your review! Enjoy your cruise!

Be sure and thoroughly check out the Ports of Call Board on here for Alaska. It's the best!!! I recommend arranging your excursions on your own. The great folks over there are so knowledgeable.

I'll be spending a few hours over there this weekend. After our Med Cruise, I'm a firm believer of excursions outside of RCL. Thank you!!!

This is just my opinion. I actually went on Princess b/c it went to both hubbard and glacier bay. I started with Anchorage b/c I wanted to see the snow at the first part of the trip to set the mood., The day of the cruise we went on a cruise called 26 glaciers cruise (google that), you will have time b/c ship doesn't leave until late and Alaska is all about scenery. We stayed in a small town called Girdwood at the Alyeska resort (I know that's not spelled correctly) before the cruise, but that place sets you in the mood for Alaska as well. We did get a balcony and glad we did, but you do have to get out on the top deck and look for whales/glaciers, etc. You won't use your balcony as you would in the caribbean, but it's nice to have. Make sure you spend your money on excursions, well worth it. We left around May 21, b/c the prices are cheaper and there is still snow., especially taking the whitepass railroad in skagway. Hope some of this info helps. The alaska boards will have tons more advice already :)

Wow the 26 Glacier Cruise sounds amazing! Thanks for this info. I've heard that Princess is pretty special for Alaska. We could also do late May, so this might work for us. Thank you gain!

We plan to book an Alaskan cruise when the 2016 & 2017 schedules come out, so the planning is beginning. A few questions for the veterans of this destination. If you can assist it would be of great help. My many thanks in advance.

1. What month? Summer? July?

2. Which ship? I often see a quite a number of happy cruisers on the Jewel. So we're leaning toward this ship but still wide open.

3. Which itinerary?

Northbound? Southbound?

Depart from Seattle? Van Couver?

$. Which cabin? Which deck?

We want a balcony.

Aft? Hump?

If Aft, the best Aft Balcony? The best hump balcony?

Questions, questions, qusetions. :confused: :D confused but excited!

What the heck?:confused:

 

Someone is just saying they wish for my diverse itineraries. Why is everyone so combative to that perfectly reasonable idea.

 

Partial canal transits would be great from Texas!

I agree. I don't anything as they are complaining but moreso they are 'wishful'.

Variety is the "spice" of life! I love spices!

To all the pom pom wavers. Get a life.

I never stated once that we had a bad cruise. I stated it was not up to expectations. The oasis commands a larger price than most of the other ships. So I expect it to be done right. After 34 cruises with royal I know what I expect. And royal failed to deliver.

I have every right to post my opinion on here. Whether you agree or not.

I just took a hour filling out my online survey, and I hope royal acts on it.

All you that think their only market is going to be "families" I hope (and know) you are mistaken. What are they going to do when the kiddies are in school? Give me a Jr suite on a 4 night Liberty cruise for $324 pp. in December

But in your narrow minds you can't think it is about anything but you.

I hope the cruise lives up to your expereinced expectations and that it's almost free!

Pretty much the same dinner options in the MDR and elsewhere. English was the primary for everything, although we sailed out of Barcelona so the had a spanish speaking interpreter that followed line by line of the CD.

The crowd was about 75% European, the balance a mix of Irish, English and American. Boleros was all Latin music and latin dancing.

Enjoy your cruise!

Well in all fairness, the OP stated the folowing after a laundry list of dissatisfactions...

This was our 4th trip on this class, and our last unless they come up with an almost free cruise.

It's as if the loss of the "wow" factor would be acceptable if the price is right. Like almost free. That's where the OP lost me. I mean it basically states that expectations were not met so in order for me to do this again, I want better for much less. That isn't happening in any product and/or service of any kind that comes to mind.

With that, Peace Out to all and enjoy your cruise!

I was looking at the final Liberty of the Seas run from Bayonne to Galveston next November 1. There still seems to be plenty of rooms open, yet I am told that the only available dining is MTD with required prepaid gratuities. They say that main and second seating are filled with no wait lists available. Something about this just doesn't seem right. We are talking about a cruise almost nine months from now. If they insist on forcing prepaid gratuities, it becomes a built in fee as part of the cruise fare. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

I suspect it is because the TAs gobble them up. We were on Liberty & cruised the Med last fall and MTD was the only thing available until we transfrred the reservation to our TA. Then we were given the opportunity to move to early or late. We decided to stay with MTD and we were happy.

Enjoy your cruise!

The Port of Galveston and Royal Caribbean have recently signed a new agreement. Part of the agreement is an expansion of the Cruise Port to handle larger ships. I suspect that upon completion of the expansion, the larger ships will dock and RCL will then offer two different class of ships along with additional itenararies. I'm looking forward to it. :D

I just don't understand why all of the people that claim they don't care about what they receive versus what is advertised, or don't care about having amenities reduced, are even posting in this thread at all.

 

If you don't care about service and amenity standards why participate in a thread that deals with those topics?

 

I care about service & standards. Big time. And when I see that a cruise or a cruieline does not meet my expectations, I'll move on to another. I'm entitled to participate in any thread on cruise critic as long as I state my position within the guidelines.

 

Some of us do care about those items and welcome OP's post as "news from the front line" so that we can know what to expect in the future. And while there are more expensive and less expensive options out there, RC isn't exactly cheap and we all have the right to expect standards between what is advertised and what is delivered.

 

With this I agree. I've only been on three cruises w/ RCL and have always recv'd what has been advertised. And when something failed to meet the advertised standards, RCL has come clean and corrected the charges.

 

I think that too many of the "Don't care, not worth mentioning" crowd have effectively let RCI slip in their standards. People like OP hold them to their standards. Good for OP!

And I think the standards are better than expected, not overwhelmingly fantastic, but simply better than I expected. To get upset because of lack of pillow mints, not being able to squeeze into a private room for a free drink and/or the many other reasons that one complains about is such a waste of precious time at sea. Swetting the small stuff leads to frustration and the tarnishing of one's overall experience and memories. To sail on open waters, visiting multiple destinations while floating on a RCL Cruiseship is just such a great thing to do and to be able to do. To attempt to claim it to be a 5 star floating hotel is fool's gold for the pricing structure that's in play these days.

We need to demand standards, or things will continue to slip! Just telling people to move to another line, is part of the problem. We stopped Dynamic Dining and we CAN pressure (by our $$$$) to stop its present course and return to a company of high standards & regard to long time passengers.

Respectfully disagree. When people start moving away it'll hit them where it really counts, the bank account. To continue to pay for cruises to RCL, then return home & complain on message boards.... won't.

I would be confident that the 11.45am flight would be fine. You will have time to spare.

 

 

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This is correct. Plus there should be no wait whatsoever to obtaing a Taxi or RCL bus to the airport. Taxi's are everywhere, lined up and ready to roll.

I've never seen anything like the way cruisers defend/take offense to anything negative anybody says about "their" cruise line. It's mind-boggling. There are so many pople around CruiseCritic who literally take it personally if somebody has anything but utter praise for "their" line. It's so bizarre, as if the cruise line an offshoot of themselves. Royal Caribbean could dump a thousand passengers in the middle of the Atlantic and there would be a very vocal group on CruiseCritic arguing that it wasn't Royal Caribbean's fault and the passengers must have done something to deserve it.

 

I've said time and time again, I enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean. I'm also not going to pretend Royal Caribbean is the jewel in the crown that people like to pretend it is. It's ok to acknowledge what a company is doing wrong, just as it is to acknowledge what they are doing right. I think Royal has a well rounded product but going down a slippery slope with questionable pricing schemes and blatant corner cutting.

It's not that some feel the need to protect "their" cruise line (RCL) as much as it is that some feel the need to protect "their" cruise. Look, it's vacation. It's not buying a TV or a car, any inate object. It's an adventure. No one wants to go on a vacation with others that just are flat out negative. Including you & I.

But seriously, you lost me with the whole "dump 1,000 cruisers in the sea" bit. This type of comment completely diminishes any valid complaint that you may have.

This is my standard canned response to those that complain about their lack of free perks or a D+ Lounge doesn't meet their standards, etc. Basically your entitled, Country Club, Cruise Critic Complainer that Royal just doesn't WOW them anymore.

 

 

My family and I always get a good laugh at Thurston Howell III and Lovey as they parade around the cruise with a general air of displeasure and general grumpiness. They complain about the Scotch to Soda ratio in their drinks, that there isn't enough Bloody to go with their Mary, and they shouldn't let all of these kids on the ship.

 

The mainstream or big box cruise industry has changed. Royal won't tell you this but their key market is not you. The Family is the key market and who Royal and other mainstream lines hope to attract. Count the new family friendly activities, spaces and initiatives on new ships, they greatly outweigh exclusive lounges and spaces.

 

I am always amazed by these forums and how upset folks get over a stupid lounge or loss of a perk. Really? Are they that important? Do they make or break the trip? Get out and explore the ports and the world while at sea, enjoy life.

 

On a side note my 7 year old daughter is one cruise away from being Emerald. I estimate that before she graduates high school she will have easily surpassed the diamond level, but I hope and pray she never steps foot in the exclusive lounge or is concerned with her free perks, but instead is more concerned about the adventure and memories we make.

__________________

This! If one is constantly making bad memories, one needs to do something differently.

A lot of the negativity around RCL lately is of their own doing. I know that for me it started with the WOW sales. Jack up prices and then offer a "deal" where the second person travels for 50% off. Only problem is, its total BS. There's a lot of countries that would be investigating RCL for this but for some reason its ok in the US. Now we hear about the great deal with Chops and Giovanni's - buy it ahead of time and get 30% OBC. Only, the price went up before this "great" deal.

 

I find this type of marketing insulting. If there's one thing that gets my goat its someone who tries to insult my intelligence. I'm not an idiot. I know when a company is trying to slow-roll me or outright steal from me and that is where I hear a lot of negativity with respect to RCL.

 

They better smarten up. I know that for me I'm actually contemplating other lines INCLUDING Carnival. RCL isn't the only game in town.

No one is stealing from you if you actually open your wallet. If you don't like the pricing, don't buy a cruise. If you don't like the deal on the specialty restaurants, don't buy them. As consumers, we have choices.

I currently have two more cruises booked w/ RCL. I'll be looking for the same type of pricing when I book another cruise. If I don't receive it, I will have a choice to book or not to book. No one is forcing me to pay for something that I elect not to. Your choice is just like my choice. RCL will not miss you and/or me. The cruise industry is growing new passengers every year.

BTW, the pricing strategy at RCL is not much different than most retailers, hotels, airline tix, and any number of other means of commerce.

Seems to me there's more complaining about complainers on these boards than there are actual complaints about the ships. Not sure why some are so threatened or annoyed when someone shares a negative personal viewpoint or experience with RCCL and feel they have to make holier than thou snarky remarks or provide their "expert" analysis of why someone would complain about something.

The Pot meets the Kettle.

I believe that some complain openly on a message board in an effort to feel better about themselves and hope they can find a few others that are supportive of their complaints. Which in of itself is somewhat strange. But IMO, complaining vs expressing a concern and/or having questions about a particular situation are two different things. I also believe most people can clearly tell the difference of the two.

Not so. A little over 3 years ago, we went on the Monarch 4 nighter. Not expecting much. We were totally impressed with the cruise. And went back 3 or 4 more times. In December we were on the Liberty, had a great time.

We are not snobbish diamond plussers. We don't expect a premium cruise. For the prices we pay. But we do expect to receive what royal advertises. The oasis is supposed to be one of their flagships. Our last 2 cruises on her were fine. And to us they have dropped the ball. Their bogoho is much more than we have paid in the past. They no longer allow you to combine the balcony discount with anything. Meaning that after 34 cruises the 1st time cruiser gets the same rate. When you try to use royal visa points for a cruise they jack the price up.

After staying basically loyal to royal for 12 years. We are now looking at other lines. The free drinks from 5 to 8:30 don't mean much to me. I usually only drink after dinner. The free bottle of wine in the stateroom we take home a give away. The absurd cookies and nuts (doggie bag) are no reason to continue. We rarely attend welcome back parties.

We have always heard royal had the best entertainment. But now I'm hearing better things from other lines.

It sounds like change would do you good. It doesn't sound like RCL can live up to your expectations after so many cruises. Best of luck to you in your choice going forward.

Simple answer, in my opinion. There are two types of people... those who embrace mediocrity and those who don't.

 

In the case of Royal Caribbean, unfortunately, everything aside from the ships themselves has become exceptionally mediocre. It didn't used to be.

Simple answer is you're wrong, IMO. Your standard is not equal to others just because it is your standard.

The whole "Loyal to Royal" cruisers thing is nothing more repeat cruisers. Period. Nothing more and nothing less. And each time one repeats the same thing over & over & over again, the freshness, newness begins to subside. Immediate followed by comparisons. It's a natural mental process that one can't deny. Eventually when one can't emotionally feel good on their vacation, the negativity sets in.

Bottomline, when one goes on any vacation and they can't chill out, relax, and look for the positives and ignore the negatives, one needs to find a different way to vacation.

No one owes anyone anything from a past cruise(s). Those were bought, paid for and in the books. RCL only owes you what they state openly on the next cruise. RCL is much like many things in this world, things change. You either change with it or you get left behind sitting on a message board whining and complaining.

Just off today. Lack of any WOW except for Carmella our stateroom attendant.

Seems like the rumors that royal isn't catering to repeat customers is true.

The concierge lounge now hosts all from diamond up (no specific diamond lounge) At ten minutes after 5 you can't even get a seat. We asked the staff about it they said try upstairs. I told them fine you carry my wheelchair bound mother in law up and down the stairs, and look for a seat

In the past they have always open satellite lounges for the overflow. Not any more.

The food and dining room service was so-so. Not poor just acceptable.

They schedule the farewell show at 8:45 (one show only) so nobody that has late seating can even attend. I'm sure they hope you'll go buy a diner somewhere that night.

I ordered the same drink in 5 different bars and paid 4 different prices. When I inquired about it the bartenders said the other guy made a mistake.

The elevators and guest services were worst than I remembered.

This was our 4th trip on this class, and our last unless they come up with an almost free cruise. And if royal continues their race to the bottom. Our royal days will be over. With the prices royal is getting with their bogoho "sales" you would expect better than ncl or carnival.

Well you have Wowed me! The number of cruises you have taken w/ Royal is commendable. Having said this, Im not sure that one can be 'wowed' any longer. With so many cruises, the 'newness' and excitement would most likely wane a bit due to the frequency of repeating the same things over & over again. With each passing cruise, one can easily begin to compare cruises against one another, but at the same time, one's anticipation, attitude and expectations change as well. Thus the comparison is not a fair representation.

The "gold" status reserved chairs are located between the Pool Bar & Sky Bar on each side of the bars. Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise.