SkaterJasp

4 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

Your photography is excellent 

Thanks

4 minutes ago, Ashland said:

We (the two of us) are booked in cabin #1804 on Freedom for Canada/New England...very excited with this new to us category.

But I will miss the tub/shower I usually have.

Waking up to this amazing view is worth the experience.

8729 on Symphony of the Seas with the Ultimate Abyss “Obstruction”. 

These room are listed as partially or fully obstructed... but I still like them because it obstruct your view of the room directly across from you... however, the obstruction is minimal towards the aqua theater... The black tarp you see in the picture was part of the show “Hiro” because it is used in one of the scene so I don’t think it will be on Oasis since that element isn’t part of the show on Oasis. I had the same room on Oasis and they didn’t have a black tarp going across for the show. It’s the balcony with the Halloween decorations since it was a Halloween cruise.  Also keep in mind that the slide curves closer on Deck 9 so Decks 9 would be the most obstructed when it comes to view of the Aquatheater... Not sure about Deck 10. Deck 11 and higher, the slide is pretty far away BUT you are also higher up and further away from the action going on so it comes down to how good your vision is. 

1 hour ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

When my Nov cruise was canceled I requested the 125% OBC and have the proof. However, I got an email today saying it was going back to my card. I emailed them but i am sure it will take forever till I get a response.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

Call the crown and anchor number and verify, they’ve been picking up the phones pretty quick. 

1 hour ago, Russ Lomas said:

I was going to mention that we were on the Freedom in 1854 and 1804, on either side of the cabin the OP has booked.  The view was incredible.  Looking back at our photos, I see a glass and metal projection beneath our window (that is not viewable unless you go right up to the window).  However, I did notice a metal structure that could be in the view of the OP, that you captured perfectly in your photo above.  If that was not there, the view would be absolutely perfect.  If I was the OP, I would see if I could switch to one of the cabins on either side of where they have booked but slanting in the deck plan on a 45 degree angle near the front of the ship, but not the very front 2 cabins (1802 and 1852).  That metal thing would bug me.  Below is the photo I took from our window when in 1804 and you can see that large metal structure but it is to the side so it did not impact our view.

The metal thingie is actually directly between 1802 and 1852. You won’t see it or the obstruction is very minimal if you’re laying in bed or sitting on the couch but you will see it if you’re standing right up against the glass.  The flow boards do obstruct the view more when placed up against the glass. 

These are my favorite ocean view rooms and I try to get them if the price is right.  

I found some pictures I took of 1852 on Voyager of the Seas. Not as detailed as 1802 on Explorer. This sailing left out of Hong Kong so that’s why there’s slippers and a kettle in the room. 

The bathroom is nicer too 

This is the layout of 1802

From my 360 camera. The room is also longer than the standard room. 

I think the view is worth it. There’s even enough room to sit right next to the window. Just lay some towels there and a pillow and u got a nice spot to read or use ur laptop/tablet. 

More picture of 1802 on Explorer of the Seas. It should be identical to the one on Navigator. Just your room will be a mirror image of 1802. (Bed on the left wall / tv on the right wall). 
 

This is looking out 1802 onboard Explorer of the Seas. The walkway is 1 deck below and not many people go. It’s right next door to 1852.

That sounds about right. If you got say a D4 for $500... and right now a D4 is $700 and a D1 is $750... the upgrade charge would be $250, not $50... it’s based off the price you paid and the price it’s going for now. Now if say you paid $500 for your D4 and the D1 cabin for some reason drop to $450... they’ll move you at no charge, but they won’t refund or credit that difference. 

However, you can move to another D4 cabin at no charge. 

I can’t level up anymore from Pinnacle Club... so all I have to work for is getting closer to the next free cruise and more crystal blocks. 

It appears from this photo that all of these Jr Suite have the same opening. 

Photo 

On 10/20/2020 at 9:02 PM, Cruise Wonderland said:

perhaps nobody has ever observed an unusual situation about the Studio Balcony cabins

Oh it’s been observed and talked about briefly on various trends but largely ignored since the ship sails mostly out of Asia. I stayed in 9322 multiple times on Spectrum. It is indeed standard room reclassified as Studio Balconies. There are no modifications to make them smaller or furnitures taken out to make them studios. The biggest reason is outside Asia there is no need for that many studio balconies and single travelers are willing to pay the single supplement for a larger room. Also you have to consider that every ship that had since been designed for Asia eventually end up sailing seasonally in other parts of the Pacific such as Australia. The ship may be designed for Asia, but it also needs to be flexible to use in other regions in the Pacific. 

Asia sailings, specifically departures out of China, have unique quirks and differences not found in other markets... the demographic and expectations is different and Royal does a very good job at catering to those differences and expectations. One good example that also ins’t talk about is how the NextCruise program in China is different. Than theres that whole other thing with the Gold and Silver level suites and perks offered... in addition, Diamond and above Crown and Anchor members have added, unpublished, perks on these sailings. 

Well you do get free internet and soda. 

On 10/13/2020 at 3:34 PM, Sianli said:

Like everyone else here we have had cruises cancelled and so I have been spending more time on cruise planner for the next 8 cruises which are now bunched together over a 15 month period, yikes. We are happy with the complimentary dining, but also like to try the specialty dining packages from time to time, and have always loved Hot Rock at Izumi. My question is, does anyone know if the hot rock is an option on the ships that do not have Hibachi? i.e., Jewell, Explorer, Navigator? Or do they just have the one price fits all sushi meal? DH does not want to try sushi, but we could go there for the hot rock. Hopefully sailing soon!

I love the hot rock but it’s random as to what ships have them... the easiest way to tell is if Izumi is on the royal promenade / royal esplanade... it won’t have hot rock... if it’s up on Viking Crown, you’re more likely to see hot rocks. I haven’t seen hot rocks offered on ships where hibachi is offered. 

Fun fact: Monarch of the Seas used to had hot rock when it sailed out of California... long before Izumi was a thing. They had it forward of the windjammer in the “sushi and karaoke bar”... It was my first time trying hot rocks and it had a much wider selection such as lamb chops and several cuts of steaks. I still remember watching them pull the hot rock out of the oven and bring it to your table. I remembered being excited to see it rolled out to other ships, than was disappointed to see it was a smaller selection of stuff you get to cook on the hot rock... but it’s still fun.  Was able to find a copy of the menu as proof Monarch had hot rocks.

My previous 3 TransPacific been around $1300 one way for Premium Economy  from LAX to SYD via TPE on China Airlines (Taiwanese Airline / part of SkyTeam). They have the same Premium Economy seats as Air France (hard shell seat so if the person in front reclines, it doesn’t recline into your space) The legroom and seat width was similar to a domestic first class seat. 

In the past, I tend to do Walt Disney World pre-cruise if sailing out of Port Canaveral / Tampa and post-cruise if sailing out of Miami / Fort Lauderdale. Most often I like to do Disney before a cruise because I tend to spend the most money at Disney so get the expensive part of the trip out of the way first. 

What constitutes as being “below” Voyager Class? I ask because Radiance class can be either above (in terms of age) or below (size and capacity). I think there is a market for Radiance class ships as it still offer many of the experiences and amenities of the larger ships.
 

Also when shopping for hotels with a package... make sure they have shuttle to the Port of Long Beach / Carnival Terminal. There are a lot of hotels that offer a package, but only have shuttles to the San Pedro port. 

Most of the hotels are pretty pricy around the port... but Hotel Maya is nice and they often time have a stay and cruise package. There are also two Best Westerns that offer stay and cruise packages. Last time I priced it out, it was cheaper to just stay at the hotel I wanted by Disneyland and just pay for parking at the port. Back in February the prices for the packages were crazy expensive. Even the nightly rate with out parking plus the parking at the port came out cheaper than what the hotel wanted for a package. I would shop around and price out how much it would be to stay at a hotel you like plus parking vs a package. 

2 hours ago, pcrum said:

I'm also glad to hear that you liked the food.  I just read a review by Little Miss Sunshine and I got the impassion that the food wasn't great in the MDR.  We definitely found the MDR food for dinner lacking on NCL.

 

Thanks again!!

MDR food on Royal Caribbean can be really good or really bad... but there are always those classics that are always good. I can always find something I like on the MDR menu. I do spent most of my time at specialty dining such as Solarium Bistro, Wonderland, and 150 Central Park. I think it’s worth the money for an upgraded dining experience.