The Fun Researcher

The more we've sailed on varying styles of ships, the more we appreciate the Royal Promenade/Esplanade.  They make it very easy to navigate around the ship and provide a grand casual space. 

We do not care for Centrums at all.  They don't provide the grand space inside the ship like you get with the Promenade, and makes the inside feel chopped up.  It's a night and day difference to us, reinforced by our sailings on NCL and Celebrity both of which only had Centrums.

You mileage may vary but that's our take.  Liberty for sure all else being equal.

Glad your mom is on the rebound.

On 2/16/2024 at 10:40 PM, Tatka said:

Liberty offers the best ice show we’ve seen on RCI ships.

Broadway show: Saturday Night Fever and Circus de Soleil like show: In the Air 

 

That is my video about Liberty & Bermuda last May.

As for Bermuda itself we were there  3-4 times multi days (3-4) so this time we took it easy and only went to Hamilton. Didn’t even go to the beach. But you can get idea about Liberty.

 

I love 12 dayers from Baltimore to Southern Caribbeans on Vision class too. Different type of experience though.

Thank you for the wonderful video Tatka.  Brings back great memories of sailing on Liberty (our previous sailing was out of Galveston).

In Bermuda, did you tour on your own and use local transportation or did you book through Royal.  We're doing the 5 night on Liberty to Bermuda in June this year.

4 hours ago, middlehaitch said:

CSHS1979 is still posting. She is the Lala of the duo, John can no longer post. 

They are both on the Royal Caribbean World Cruise, she posting occasionally, with pics.

 

Cheers, h

Ah perfect thank you!

I totally thought this was going to be another thread about Bluetooth speakers

Used to see their posts all the time.  Typically enjoyed their content.  Haven't seen anything months.  I hope all is well.

Rushing to open the door to the hallway is a pain.  I wish you knew ahead of time what they were going to announce.  🤣 

• Art sale, no thanks. 
• Captain's announcement providing some relevant information about the sailing or port, yes please.

1 hour ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

If you like Freedom class, you'll also like Voyager class. They have the same layout. The only difference is that Freedom is a little longer. I've been on both classes and to be honest, I don't see/feel a difference. Each ship has some different venues/amenities than the others so you'll notice that.

Agree completely. 

A few other small differences... Freedom class has the cantilevered hot tubs, a separate Sorrento's and Café Promenade (instead of them being combined), and I think Freedom class has freshwater pools vs saltwater for Voyager class (I could be wrong on this last one).

Personally, I love the AMPED versions of both classes the most. 

I'll let you know in June  🙂

We used to say Freedom Class and the nearly identical Voyager class (especially if they are AMPED!), however it's been almost 5 years since we sailed on those classes.  We've done Quantum and Oasis classes since then.  We've grown to really love both the Quantum and Oasis class mainly because there is just SO MUCH to do on those ships, but we'll be sailing on the Liberty again in June. We'll see if the Freedom/Voyager class is still our favorite.

What we do like about the Freedom and Voyager class is the over all layout and flow of the ship and they do a great job of dispersing the crowds.   They still have tons of amenities/venues and are not small ships by any means.

These cuts to quality and increases in upcharges is across the entire cruise industry, not unique to Celebrity.  We've experienced it on Royal too.   However, the problem is, the changes at Celebrity are bringing it down and removing it's "upscale" separation compared to 3-4 years ago.

1 hour ago, Gracie115 said:

 

I wouldn't have walked off the ship in Nassau....  

 

What kind of condition is Connie in?  We have always loved the M class ships, but it's been a long time since we've been on one.

By far our least favorite port in the Bahamas/Caribbean.  For being the busiest, it has a pretty pathetic lineup of excursion options.  It's only busy because it's so close to Florida.  I wish they could find a better alternative to Nassau.   We were just there again last month.  We've managed to mostly avoid Nassau but our kids had never been there so we got off the ship to explore the new port area.  If it wasn't for that we'd be HAPPY to stay on the ship.

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I moved on from Royal because I liked Celebrity better.  And then Celebrity became Royal....

 

I think that they are referring to setting the bar lower for realistic expectations...  I am ready to set it higher...

This is how we felt a month ago.  We've only sailed X twice.  Once in 2017 and once 2023 on the same ship.  Our first cruise with Celebrity was a noticeable bump up in food quality and service and amenities.  Now I feel like Royal's latest ships (Oasis and Quantum Class) have matched or even leapfrogged X.  Not only is there more to do, but the food quality is on par (in our experience), service is similar...

I went into our cruise last month very much looking forward to what we received from X back in 2017.  Unfortunately it fell flat.  We weren't looking to find problems with X, quite the opposite.  We love more options for cruising but we've mostly crossed it off our list.  I will keep Edge class on the list though and if the price, timing and itinerary is right we can give that a try

13 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

I would not call myself a fan of X anymore. I have been- a big fan- for many years. Then the changes came- the ships got louder and louder. I don´t need barwaiters or even the Captain standing on the bar and perform like they are in the theater. I don´t need senior members, including the Captain  in the pool playing games for bored quests to be entertained. I don´t enjoy sitting in the - say- Martini Bar which music so loud you can´t hold a propper conversation. I started sailing with X in my early 30´s and could not stand all that even then- which is now 25 years ago.

That said- I still come back ( from Cuanrd) to X every now and then- they still are a big step above the other mass market lines- the food is still excellent- the service has never let me - us - down.

The Elite Plus- perks are not to be missed either- LOL. Their ships are spottless and well maintained- nice- yet elegant-  interious. My perference are the Millenium and Solstice Class of ships. The new ones- not so much.

I appreciate your straightforward comments.  👍🏼

I don't have bias either way regarding Celebrity.  I'll "call it like I see it."  I gave a ho-hum review of the Equinox on our most recent cruise the 5 nights before Christmas 2023.  Our prior 7 night cruise in 2017 on the same ship was great.

Here's  a Celebrity compliment...

On embarkation day, I LOVED that I could drop off our carry-ons into the room before they were fully ready to be occupied.

I'm hoping the new Icon class ships put pressure to lower prices on the other classes.  We'll see.  Here's to hoping.

When I look at the tour of the Icon, it seems more like a reconfigured Oasis class.  Despite all the crazy hype for the Icon, the Oasis class was far more revolutionary in it's time IMO.  When I watch the tours of the Icon it looks like a tweaked Oasis class.

We love lunch in the MDR on sea days.  We did an 8 night on the Allure in June 2022 and we spent every opportunity we could, as a family, having a nice leisurely lunch.  I think there were 3-4 sea days on that itinerary.  Would SORELY miss it if Royal stops offering this on sea days.  A dedicated lunch menu is way more important to us than some sort of brunch mix.

5 hours ago, cruising in said:

A quick question.  We will be on the Equinox Feb. 5, for a 10 night Caribbean cruise.  My husband no longer has a dinner jacket and we're wondering about formal nights.  Will we still be able to eat in the main dining room if he has on,y a button down shirt and slacks?

3 hours ago, Arubamoose said:

 

No real formal nights.  Button down and slacks are fine.  

Airline luggage weight restrictions killed formal nights.

Agreed, no need for a jacket.  I had one but 1/2 the guys in our group did not.  A button down shirt and slacks are perfectly fine.  It’s interesting but Celebrity did away with “formal” nights moreso than Royal.  Dress as you like.  Happy cruising!

2 hours ago, cynt said:

We usually select late dining so we are just finishing dinner around 830/9pm. So we are not hungry or need a snack late at night. We are barely able to roll to whatever late show and hit the club or casino for a little bit. We make it back to our cabin around 12/1am and we are still full from dinner. We keep our water bottles full so no need for us to stop and get water. 

 

For those wanting late night snacks, are you normally a snacker? Just wondering. We are snackers but with late dinning we are too stuffed to snack late at night. We might have an adult beverage or two or three but that's about it. 

I’m a late night snacker but not a day snacker.  We do early MDR seating which has gotten really early on Royal due to how they are handling My Time Dining now.

So yeah after a few drinks I’m really looking for some protein and salty snacks before bed around midnight to 1am.  It’s just my thing.  👍🏼

5 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

My personal observation is over time passengers have become more health conscious. This has resulted in a much smaller demand for food later at night and eliminated cruise staples from years ago like the midnight buffet. At the same time I see way more people in the gym these days. In the past it was the exception when the gym was crowded at any time of day. Now it is the opposite and the gym is usually fairly crowded no matter what time of day you go and regardless of whether it is a sea or port day. I wouldn’t say this is the only reason for changes but I do think it is a big part of it. 

I haven’t noticed a shift towards more healthy eating, or more working out, in the past 12 years we’ve been sailing.  

18 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

There was tons of wasted Food and Cruises were more expensive 30-35yrs ago, even with recent price increases still cheaper now

No arguing that,

...but please Royal give me more or better late night options, even if it means paying. (within reason...)

On 1/8/2024 at 9:24 PM, ReneeFLL said:

Two words, dollars and waiting. Guess that’s actually 3 words. 😀
 

Edited - So for a few cookies it’ll cost 8.00. No thanks.

Agree.  ...and to add, I want to be out and about enjoying the ship not cooped up in my room waiting for food to arrive (with no good spot to eat it.)

3 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

Hard for me to believe people would choose another cruise line specifically because their buffet is open later, but I suppose some may do that,  I don’t plan our cruise vacations based upon the buffet being open after 9. I love the ocean and visiting other countries in a floating hotel. 
Goes to show everyone is different and that’s perfectly fine.

Yeah, we'll never "have it all"  Each person has their own preferences in a cruise ship and you just have to choose the one that has the best mix for you.

I will still complain about Royal in this regard, especially when I've seen it done so much better on other lines.   ...and I just think they make a poor attempt at it

20 minutes ago, Toddcan said:

Curious... do you what time the Celebrity buffet closed?

Dinner buffet closed at 9:30pm but Late Night started immediately after until 1am.

On 1/8/2024 at 8:10 AM, Toddcan said:

One of the things that keeps coming back to me is how some other lines have their buffets open late into the night.  Typically, the WJ closes at 9pm.  I've found a few times (not many, to be honest) where I would have enjoyed heading to the WJ late at night (10-11pm) to enjoy even a limited food selection, or perhaps just some light snacks and a glass of ice water - and sit and relax - it's quite a nice area on most ships, and late at night it would likely be much less crowded.  

 

Would this be a draw for anyone else?  It would be for me. I wonder if ppl have made a choice to sail other lines (Princess?) who have late buffets?

 

Perhaps grab a plate of cookies, and play cards

Perhaps grab a burger and chat with friends around a large table

etc 

etc

YES!!!  I'm not a huge eater overall but I "need" a late night snack.

I've been harping about this for years about Royal Caribbean.  The late night food offerings are terribly limited.  Pizza and finger sandwiches get old fast.  Thank goodness Playmakers arrived on some ships. I'm willing to pay a little for some good pub fare.

The one time we sailed NCL, the biggest positive difference was late night food.  Loved having O'Sheehans open 24 hours.  The fact that it was full service, with a broad menu, and open 24 hours was amazing.

Just got off Celebrity a few weeks ago and they have a limited buffet offering open late (cold cuts, breads, cheeses, desserts and a salad bar) .  They also have hand tossed pizza and a pasta bar there.  (although the pizza was scarce and the pasta bar was not well run at all).  It was still a nice improvement over Royal.

The cost of specialty dining (except for a lunch here or there) is too much for us.  I can't justify it versus what I can get in the MDR.  Yes, the MDR quality has gone down but not enough to justify the cost of specialty.

Of course, this whole topic is completely dependent on what each person desires in a cruise.

On 1/7/2024 at 10:51 AM, MD_Dan said:

Fun Researcher,

    Thanks for this review.  We are in the same position ... all but one sailing on Royal (our first was Disney when DD was preschool).  And we're very curious about trying a X cruise. 

    From your review, we certainly want to try an Edge class ship.

    Our problem is very different from most.  DW and I enjoy a good meal but several issues have limited our diets.  How is X with passengers requesting off-menu items - modified or completely replaced printed dishes?

 

Thanks again!

Like @gfkcruiser mentioned, they will certainly accommodate special dietary needs.  I would contact them beforehand, and also speak with the Maître D and head waiter when you get on the ship.

On 1/5/2024 at 9:23 PM, hrmkr said:

The Fun Researcher, thank you for the detailed review.

 

For the evening entertainment, what was there to do after going to the show?  Were there many venues that were open to go listen to music other than the Sky Lounge with a DJ? 

 

What type of music was being played throughout the ship?  Rock, Jazz, Classical, etc?

 

In what way was it "sleepy".  Did it completely die at night?

 

Thanks

 

After the show there was typically a three person band in the main atrium.  The lead female singer was very good, but the song choices were more along the lines of "easy listening" in my opinion.  I did notice a violinist one evening in the Ensemble lounge as well.  Again, very nice but not very lively.

Besides the really late night DJ, yes it felt pretty lifeless at night.  If you like to belly up to a bar and just chill, there was plenty opportunity for that.  There were football games on the TV's in the Craft Social bar as well some evenings.  

However, the entire pool deck was essentially completely shut down by 9-10pm.

The entertainment and activities might perfectly suit some folks, but not us.  Again, we had a good cruise but not what we've become accustomed to.