The Fun Researcher

I wouldn't personally base the decision on Freestyle machines or not. Soda's are quick and easy to get at bars and lounges and in the MDR. The big question is your limitation of choices. Can you have caffeine free diet sodas? If so, I'm not sure what Royal offers. Maybe others can answer that. We drink diet, but it's always been caffeinated on our cruises, (freestyle machines or not)

Fair enough.

I’ve eaten at Applebee’s and I’ve eaten in the MDR on Royal. Comparing the MDR on Royal to Applebee’s is absurd IMO. Sure you can find examples like “they both serve steak and fish”, however how many times do you see escargot on Applebee’s menu, or beef carpaccio, or scallops, or beef Wellington or lobster or white tablecloths with full serving ware. And not just a server, but a head waiter and a assistant waiter… of course, none of that really has anything to do with formal night or “dress codes” Dan

I sure hope Celebrity goes the same way as Royal with the vouchers. 5 to 7 PM is such a limited time and not really ideal either since it is around dinner time and not necessarily the time and we would want to be having drinks anyway

Yeah we have done a five night on NCL as well for a very good price with the drink package included. That was a couple of years ago over Christmas on the Getaway. However I am struggling more and more lately to find prices better on NCL than Royal (for a decent class of NCL ship). We enjoyed our NCL cruise but still prefer royal more. The killer for me is NCL‘s horrible pool deck. Dan

I also LOVE when our entire family dresses to the nines but I’m getting tired of hauling around the extra attire in our luggage. My tux just isn’t convenient. Our last cruise on the allure was simply dress shirt and tie. Can’t believe it but it’s true.

Wait, it’s not April 1st yet. 😉

and that's before the 18% automatic gratuity correct?

Wow, loved your analysis! Agree with much of it, but you have sailed way more individual ships than we have so I kind of have to take your word for it. 🙂

You'll be happy then. Be prepared for Voyager class to feel VERY much like the Freedom class. Voyager is just as wide. (the cantilevered hot tubs on Freedom class are what make them look larger on paper but actual width is actually virtually identical.). Layout it the same. Voyager just has slightly shorter Promenade with Café Promenade and Sorrento's combined. On the pool deck the only difference is the kids splash area missing. Personally I'll take whatever Freedom or Voyager class has been AMPED. Royal did an amazing job AMPING those two classes of ships. Dan

1. Love it!! 🙂 🙂 I do like them in some instances For instance love Amazing Grace on the bagpipes. Can't imagine it on the pool deck of a cruise ship though. That would be the ultimate juxtaposition. 2. Good stuff 3. I actually really like that song, but if you put it on repeat it would be pure torture. 😄

Thank you for thinking of us here on Cruise Critic. Sorry for your loss. Glad for you that it went so well. Kindly, Dan

Amen to that! Ah the good 'ol days! Thanks for the blast from the past. -Dan

I once brought a small portable speaker onto the Celebrity Equinox summer of 2017. I played it a couple of times on our balcony fairly loudly(Dance pop music like Pitbull), so that our friends next door could hear it while we were all getting ready for dinner. The speaker fit under the balcony divider and our balcony doors were open. If I offended anyone next to us I'm sorry about that. This thread did a good job reminding me that we weren't being considerate to our neighbors in a couple of cases. Hopefully it didn't end up bothering anyone. This is especially important because I'd probably be one of those people who WOULD confront someone else being obnoxious in a common area dominating the scene with their choice of music with a portable speaker. ☮️

Frankly, the cost of the drink package has been too high for us ever since we started sailing in 2012. But... what has drastically changed even more so has been the individual drink cost. Up through 2014 or so, I used to get a rum and coke or any other simple drink for $6. Now it's what, around $11? I have to think that they raised the per drink cost to make the drink package package look more attractive. When you purchase the package you are locked into that cost per day, which means Royal has a guaranteed margin from that. Either way though, there is no way I'm going to spend as much for a drink package as I am for the cruise itself, which in many cases is close to where the cost is now.

We use our Citi doublecash card for as many purchases as we can. 2% cash back on all purchases with no limitation. Of course, we do pay off our balance in full each month otherwise I wouldn't be using a credit card. I refuse to a debit card because 1) I don't get any financial reward for doing so, and 2) it just makes balancing my checkbook more complicated.

BTW, maybe it's my connection or something but your photos aren't showing up now.

Way to go! Happy for you all. Dan

First, your family is adorable. Second, your photos are great. Third, thanks for allowing us to follow along for the ride! Loved your review. Always fun to read ones like this! Freedom was the first to ship we ever sailed on back in 2012. Still love that class as well as the voyager class. May be still our favorite classes especially if they have been AMPED like the Freedom and Navigator…

After all these cruises I never knew there were curfews. All I knew were the restrictions for places like the Solarium. Our kids first cruise was at ages 13, 10 and 7, but now 21, 18 and 15. How time flies. I can’t remember a time that kids have caused us any real issue for us other than hogging hot tubs later at night, but that’s within the rules as that’s normally been before 1am. Dan

All I can say is it’s about time. The only thing we’ll need to figure out is how to get my iPhone to vibrate or ding when I am getting a message

This new policy doesn’t really change that though right since it goes to 5 AM that last night? I guess the difference is you only have the vouchers from the seventh night and not debarkation day after midnight?

Yeah, no arguments. However I believe Celebrity’s classic packages similar to Royals drink package. The premium gets you high end liquors that are more pricey than royal’s per drink $ allowance for their standard drink package. I could be wrong about that. Sure the WiFi may not be the fast package, but allowing me to text others in our party or keep in touch with those at home is all I need.

Love the change. Not major, but it's nice to see them listening to guests and making some adjustments. Once we're D in March, those vouchers will certainly help keep us coming back making the decision to cruise other lines more difficult. It will always come down to the itinerary, ship and value though. Dan

Things they do right: Here's a few, in my opinion. Basically what keeps us coming back: 1) Their innovation with ship layout, design, and venues. IMO they are the industry leader here by a significant margin. 2) MDR space (but maybe not Quantum class) and quality of MDR food 3) Pool Deck design and layout 4) Evening Entertainment 5) Connecting inside cabins (2-3, 2-4, 3-3, 4-4) Even though it's still costly, this has allowed our family of 5 to have an option that offers more affordability to cruise. Dan