mac_tlc

Thanks for update on Nova & Rozi! We are on the Beyond Thanksgiving week so I hope they are back by then. If they have their typical two months off, they could definitely be back by then. You never know if they will come back to the same ship. Rozi was originally slated for the Ascent, but they couldn't have all the top Luminae servers go at once so he ended up back on Beyond. We really enjoy Eden. It's our favorite specialty on E-class. mac_tlc

Our first HAL cruise will be this one ! Looking forward to our aft Vista Suite for all those sea days. It is convenient getting to Hawaii by only flying to San Diego. We will fly in three days early and enjoy the area a bit. mac_tlc

Here’s hoping that is with us on the 4/4/2026 Silhouette with @Stem to Stern and others 😜. I am also seriously eyeing the 4/28/25 Silhouette repo to NJ. mac_tlc

That same weekly pattern of pricing has been here for months. If you book on Thursday, reprice on Friday. Seems like a ridiculous idea, but they have been doing it for months. mac_tlc

Compared to "I" class, every ship being developed by every other cruise line is smaller. Someone must think they are viable. RCI may not go smaller, but I'm not buying their rationale. Re: World cruise -- again, other cruise lines do it year after year. They seem to be able to organize it. Bottom line is RCI will do what makes then the most $$$. I have no issue with that but their saying its not "viable" or "hard to organize" doesn't pass the sniff test to me. BTW, @Norwich Cruiser thank you for your reports from the Presidents cruise. Celebrity has one going on now and the reporting is pretty silent. mac_tlc

We have been a bunch of times on RCI and I would be fine if an X cruise I was on stopped there. Oasis Lagoon pool, Snack shack chicken sandwich and funnel cake, swim up bar --- and leave without spending a dime. The only time we spent $$ was when they first opened with the Oasis Lagoon cabanas, we had 8 and at $450 it was well worth it. Not so much at the $1000+ price tag. mac_tlc

Is LBH enjoying her lounger ?? mac_tlc

Since the online TA portal is the same for Princess and HAL, any HAL gift cards can also be immediately redeemed by a TA and the payment shows up instantly. Don't know why RCCL/X is so archaic. They built an entire automated process around redeeming FCC's and have one for other coupon redemptions, but the gift cards are very old school.

Yes you are correct ! Graciiiiaaaassssss !!! mac_tlc

Our afts last year in Norway and this year in Alaska are not suites, so the dining room(s ) are also aft. I agree I would probably not book an E-class aft suite as it is too far from Luminae and the Retreat sun deck, Lounge, , etc.

There will be an “incident” if my Bourbon and Peaches is an extra $1.20! mac_tlc

We had an aft last year in Norway. Stunning. For Alaska and Norway I would always seek out an aft cabin. If you are going to Geiranger, it’s an early morning sail in. Nothing like enjoying it in your robe and pj’s . A few shots from last year:

I agree with the previous characterization of "leaving". We are indeed branching out. Our first HAL and Oceania cruises scheduled for next year. Also considering MSC YC for our family cruise in August next year. But we have also booked the Beyond for Thanksgiving and Silhouette for April 2026. Why? Because we got a price that we consider reasonable. Both are Retreat at less than $380 pppd. At those prices we will still sail X, but also look around a bit. mac_tlc

We had Made as our assistant waiter in February. He was very nice. My wife and I had plain ice cream almost every night for dessert and he got a kick out of it, Our waiter was Rozi, and we hope he is still on board when we are back on Beyond at Thanksgiving. If I recall, he was leaving in July for vacation. His wife works at Eden. @abbydancer2003, any chance you can ask Made if he knows of Rozi's schedule? mac_tlc

We pay for the third seat and, depending on the airline, it’s assigned to us with a boarding pass and everything. No issue with someone thinking it’s empty. We put the boarding pass on the seat so the attendants know. On SW, they give you a slip that looks like a boarding pass and we leave it on the middle seat. No one wants that anyway. The flight attendants usually ask once to make sure it’s a paid for seat, then there are no issues. mac_tlc

Great to see the butlers using WhatsApp. We have used it on Royal with the genies and it is so convenient! mac_tlc

My wife and I have started doing it any time we are in economy. For most airlines, you just tell them it’s an extra seat for someone. mac_tlc

Your Santorini pictures are nothing short of stunning. Thank you for sharing. We have never been, but those pictures are calling us .... and many others. mac_tlc

Bravo! I wholeheartedly agree! mac_tlc

You know I’m following along !!!!! Sounds like a lot of fun. I’m contemplating a Reflection cruise next Apr/May so your observations will be timely. mac_tlc

Following along!! Reminds me of our only trip to Rome. We stayed in Trastevere and my kids still talk about the wonder of walking through the narrow streets and happening upon a wonderful piazza, such as Piazza de Santa Maria. Such a great place. Looking forward to your journey on Ascent. mac_tlc

While people are adding their suggestions, when we were in Honningsvag last year we did a third party tour by Blue Puffin. It was wonderful. Run by Monika and her husband. It was a great day! Luckily we had a great weather day with temps around 65 and no rain during the tour. Looking forward to following along, mac_tlc

Hello fellow Nutmegger! We have sailed all of the E-class ships in a Sky Suite. There are differences between Edge/Apex and Beyond/Ascent, both in the Retreat and outside of it. As far as the Retreat sundeck goes, it is much bigger on Beyond/Ascent -- two levels. Luminae is also larger since there are more suites. The rooms themselves are really no different. From our experience -- and other will chime in too -- we like the Beyond better. The Retreat lounge is completely inside and has floor to ceiling windows on both sides. On Edge/Apex, one side has some outdoor seating. Depending on itinerary, that can be good or bad. Luminae is larger with some nice views out the front of the ship, and it seemed a little quieter than Edge/Apex. Lots of opinions on this one!!! Outside of the Retreat, the Sunset Bar differences stand out to me -- much more inviting on Beyond/Ascent. You also have LeVoyage as a specialty restaurant option on Beyond/Ascent. As far as cabins, we always get one near the front elevators since it makes it easy to access Luminae, the Retreat Lounge and Retreat sundeck. In fact we shoot for the same cabin on deck 10 (usually 10123). It is behind the elevators so it gets very little hallway traffic. (Don't tell anybody, though or it will he harder to get) .You can find some info on the infamous balcony pole in the "sticky" regarding E-class cabins. If you look at the deck plans, the Sky Suites are in groups of four. For each group of four, the outside two cabins have no pole on the balcony, the inside two cabins have a pole. Not a big deal, but given the choice we try to get one of the outside cabins. You really can't go wrong with either choice -- comes down to itinerary and price . mac_tlc

And that is a great level!! Oh, I got my 3 and am now a third of a Z! mac_tlc

Exactly my feeling. I’m not interested in being treated like a child. I’ll try to keep my elbows off the table 🙄. Oh, and I promise to return my pool towel to avoid the $25 charge. mac_tlc