KmomChicago

Would be crazy to have a Hawaiian night I suppose!

I love the repeat of MDR in the buffet! Just me. I would usually rather sample a bit of everything on the quick instead of the hour routine and committing to one entree. I want to try it all! Except when I prefer to sit for an hour and be served like a princess, of course.

Late stage Farcas. Recognized it immediately!

@EngIceDave late to the show but thankfully when following a live review you can board at any port, no visas needed! Just starting but have been interested in the integration of the Costa ship to this hybrid Carnival experience. I found you because of the Oscar call reported yesterday on the RCI threads.

Thanks for this. Why does he like it better?

Glad you ended up with much more value for your original fare to make up the difference. This is how I booked two interior rooms on a Carnival shorty last year and ended up in Cloud 9 (spa) balconies. . . they wouldn't give back $$ but let me upgrade. Given the option I would have preferred the original rooms for the much dropped price (they were about half what I paid by that point!), but got to go more fancypants at a price I had been willing to pay in the first place, and got to try a cabin category I had always been slightly curious about but would never have chosen to pay the premium under normal circumstances. We both ended up with lemonade instead of lemons. Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you both!

Thank you for this. We have sailed Oasis once and loved it, Adventure once and liked the experience but the ship itself underwhelmed us a little though there was nothing wrong with it - just no wow factor. On both, WJ was very, very good and MDR did not work for us. Sailing Ovation next year; we have been kinda wanting to try this class, and really we are the "bad day on a cruise ship is better than a good day at work" people so it should be fine for us even if the layout doesn't compare to Oasis class. . . of course Icon looks mind blowing but way out of the budget being the new shiny object. Appreciate the perspective.

I have found one exception to the least useful note. I realize this is a Royal Caribbean thread so I apologize. On certain Carnival ships - Sunshine class and I think maybe Conquest Class, the OV cabins actually have the same footprint as the balcony cabins, i.e. what would be balcony is instead interior space so the room is about 220 SF which is not bad. Also the window is in sort of a recessed shelf that kids can sit in and they tend to love doing so. The view is not fabulous because these rooms are down on decks 1 and 2 and there's a lot of sea spray on them, but the windows are probably 2x3 feet, so not super tiny. And you do get a good amount of daylight in the room which makes a difference for some folks.

Why was Ovation better than Quantum?

What is the difference between the free version and extended?

That’s a great pic. Some classes look like Little baby ships next to Oasis class. This looks more like a teenager ship next to it so maybe that’s the answer OP has been looking for all along!

This is a good point. We did sail Carnival Vista last year in the spring shoulder season and there were barely any kids aboard so I get where that vibe makes a difference as well, going to have that year round I suppose. If anything sailing with affluent people would just make me intimidated and self-conscious.

@MeganGC1983 I didn't want to put words in your mouth but all through the live review - or I should say until the interruption of it - I was getting a "meh" vibe. You liked your bartenders and I always appreciate your appreciation of the crew. But of course Celebrity is "known" or "expected" to be at least a modest/noticeable upgrade from poor old bargain bin Carnival. . . and I did not get much of a sense that it was for you. I thought your interior cabin was really gorgeous and gave a wonderful first impression. When my mom and I sailed Millennium 21ish years ago of course being new the ship was lovely but I don't remember our stateroom (balcony) being that pretty. I actually started a whole thread a while back asking people to tell me what exactly you are getting on upgraded lines that is worth the cost, and overall, most of what was mentioned was not the kinds of fine details that appeal to my lowbrow sensibilities. As we all know, the ship itself can make a huge difference though and as you note, I would kinda assume if you want to really feel some wow factor you would go to Edge class nowadays. Still, it really sounds like your cruise was basically just a regular RCI cruise on a middle-of-the-road RCI ship.

Just me, but I would not book a walking tour in Ensenada. If you are thinking to say close you can walk around on your own and sample something as you walk by businesses that look interesting. If I were booking something there I would look at something that goes further away to see the blowhole at Bufadora or Califia Valley wine tour - it is the "wine country" of Mexico. Back to your original question, whether to book an excursion for us would not have anything to do with the length of the cruise but the destinations. If I am going to some port for the first and probably only time, I will check out the options and if something looks intriguing, pull the trigger.

Agree, Ensenada little downtown area is like 1/3-1/2 mile-ish walk and it's more authentic than Cozumel, no sanitized-for-tourists shopping plaza. Plenty of shops and some are set up for souvenirs of course but it's the same storefronts they have been running the local economy through for years.

Assume you’re joking but RCI has plenty of trivia and similar parlor games during the day and high quality nighttime showroom entertainment, at least one show per sailing is what I might call cirque-lite, plus typical song and dance revues, they have temporary acts onboard each voyage (for example we saw a good magician and a very good Journey tribute band). The usual suspects, some kind of love and marriage/newlywed type game show, liquor /wine sampling or cocktail making or sushi making classes, ask-the-CD-and-Captain session. We plan to ride around on the North Star at least once. What else would you be looking for if this is a more specific and serious inquiry?

Knowing Megan is a fashion maven I am glad for her confirmation that gigantic sunglasses are back!

I was on them once over 20 years ago. It was a very nice cruise but for me it wasn't drastically different than other lines. The ship was new - it was also Millennium - so it was nice and sleek and shiny but otherwise my experience was similar to other cruises. That was also my first time in a balcony when I realized I can take them or leave them.

We strongly prefer bigger ships (though we have never had a bad cruise). You simply get more good stuff with more space. And RCI does a good job overall of crowd management so that, while there are of course more people on a larger ship, there are lots of places to be which spreads it out and it rarely feels like too many people (basing this on our experience of Oasis of the Seas on a full booking during a spring break timeframe). A main point might be the need to prebook certain shows - I am not 100% sure on this myself as we just booked our first Quantum class (Ovation) for May 2024 and my account is suggesting the evening entertainment needs to be reserved, which is what we did on Oasis class. However on other threads people have told me that Ovation has only one show that needs prebooked so basically when the time gets closer I will be checking it out. The high quality evening entertainment on RCI is one of the primary benefits for us so we are willing to do whatever it takes to prioritize this. Some people don't like the prebooking, want to be spontaneous on vacation but to me it's no different than prebooking a shore excursion or a specialty meal. Another point might be just having to traverse further and more often to get from wherever you find yourself to wherever you're going. Like a Vegas megaresort. Pace yourself, allow time for elevators and/or stairs and/or getting a bit lost before finding your way. And a slight improvement may be a few more included food venues to jazz things up a little, than you have had on the smaller ships, as well as a nice selection of specialties if you like that sort of thing. After Oasis which has a ton of included dining, we found Adventure of the Seas options surprisingly limited - however since the Windjammer was exceptional on our sailing we were still very well taken care of and happy, just accepted that we would have 80% plus of our meals there. Last point, since you obviously like RCI you should overall get the same pleasant experience and high quality product you are used to, just in a newer and larger package.

I am waiting for her final impressions as well. . . she always has a good time and I am interested if she felt this was elevated over her other many cruise experiences.

The crime is: confusion and a small mistake. Culprit: innocent bystanders.

Having tried suites only because I was rooming with my mom who insisted, I would never choose them. They are not slightly more expensive but exorbitantly more. We could have gotten two adjacent balcony rooms at single occupancy and paid slightly less than the grand suite on Carnival Legend. And it wasn’t that great a suite imho, one open room about the size of two cabins. To your point I then did feel pressured to spend some awake time sitting in the suite because well you bought it, ya better use it. But I don’t cruise to sit in the room, any room. It’s still just a room. The ship has all the fun amenities and experiences we want. But not in the room.

Absolutely. This is still one of the largest cruise ships ever built though not as big as Oasis Class. RCI specializes in plenty-to-do, floating full service massive resorts. Odyssey is also brand new and they’re constantly coming up with fun new stuff while keeping signature features that have proven popular. It would have to be a pretty hard to please teen who wouldn’t love the ship.

I prefer interior rooms overall but I am in the minority. I sleep better in the total darkness, I love the tomblike silence and don’t like nightlights at home or traveling. When I have a balcony I use it some, but not enough to impact my enjoyment of the cruise very much. When I have a window, same. I have been in everything from awful little interior on Carnival Fantasy Class to Grand Suite on Carnival Spirit Class (and most Carnival categories in between), standard interior on Oasis of the Seas to Jr. Suite on Adventure of the Seas, my favorite room ever because of the generous floor space more so than the oversized balcony on the hump. For me that interior space is a more appreciated luxury than a “backyard” as I am slightly claustrophobic, use the room for privacy and downtime and I can always find a good spot somewhere on a deck to see the sea. Often the balcony is just carved out of what would otherwise be room space and I prefer the 4th wall pushed out a bit further.