blueslily

Ahhh. If they did not seem to be in a hurry to make it to the ship, I wonder if for some reason, their time was off by an hour. They arrived at 2:15 possibly thinking there were indeed on time? Just wondering since the above poster noted that no hurry was observed. 

18 minutes ago, turtle1947 said:

Sounds like this part of their email regarding the changes is just a bunch of baloney then 

 

" Our Shore Excursions team will automatically reschedule any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions affected by these changes." 

Are cabanas and day beds considered shore excursions also? Thanks!

On 3/24/2024 at 8:54 PM, bigque said:

No

Hi, what did you find out?

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

You can book it independently 

Thanks. Yes, I looked into that for my last cruise. But, I prefer not to book it independently. Thanks so much!

2 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Yeah, I know, but it was the only article that popped up about Royal not visiting Nassau -- and it was dated about three weeks ago.  Seems reasonable that that huge incident isn't yet resolved.  

Ok. I'm bummed Royal is not retarting those excursions yet. I get it though. Luckily other cruise lines have restarted the excursions which is good. I enjoy Blue Lagoon and plan to return when on a different cruise line. Thanks 

Just now, bigque said:

No

Ok. Not sure. What reason was given for the cancellation? How did you hear about it? 

45 minutes ago, bigque said:

Supposedly this is cruises in May though

Are you referring to the Blue Lagoon excursions being cancelled or the port? 

41 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I Googled, and this is what I found -- doesn't mean something isn't also going on with weather: 

 

Royal Caribbean International has reached out to guests who have pre-booked certain shore tours while visiting Nassau in the Bahamas to alert them that their selected tours have been cancelled.

The impacted tours involve the Blue Lagoon, as the cruise line has not yet completed its investigation into an incident from November 2023.

 

 

This is related to the excursion incident back in November 2023. Royal has cancelled these excursions since back then. 

On 3/10/2024 at 10:32 PM, A&L_Ont said:

I will keep you in mind during the week. If I don’t hit it on the last day remind me after my final thoughts and I will give you my honest feed back. 

Hi there, glad you had a great cruise. Touching base to ask your thoughts on the ship. Showing its age a bit much?  

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

I will keep you in mind during the week. If I don’t hit it on the last day remind me after my final thoughts and I will give you my honest feed back. 

Thank you. 

When you have a moment, how is Oasis holding up? We are thinking about planning a family group cruise in 2025 for a couple "big" birthdays that year. The two options are a 6 day sailing on Oasis and a 7 day sailing on Symphony. I love Symphony. I'm the only one that has sailed with Royal at all. So, others really won't know much of a difference if we go on Oasis instead of Symphony. But, I will indeed know that Symphony is newer and a bit fresher. Im guessing that Oasis may be showing some wear in thr csbins or some public places. The Oasis sailing is less expensive so that's where the group is leaning. How does the ship look to you? Would be a good impression for a group of first timers? Thanks 

9 hours ago, Jussabitconfused said:

Radiance is in dry dock right now until March 28. Grandeur from March 24-April 24. Spectrum March 28-April 18. Jewel April 20- May 15. Vision April 23-May 21.

Thank you so much! Very helpful 

Anyone have any updates to share on RC drydocks coming up?

6 hours ago, tschwa2 said:

I was up to check in last night but as midnight rolled around it still showed unavailable.  I refreshed several times over the next 10 minutes.  About 12:08 am check in was available.  I've never had to enroll separately for my spouse if we are in the same stateroom and this time was no different.  I filled out his information including passport and credit card and then went through the same process for me all within the same click through from my login for that cruise.  

Yep, same. I've been able to check in all parties that are on the same booking, right there when I'm logged in actually. I enter all passport info, credit card, etc. Picture was problem though, but not necessary. 

On newer, E class ships, is it really worth the added money? I can see some possible benefit on the older ships. 

I think the value depends on the ship. 

18 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

There are two things I really like on Oasis class ships that Icon doesn’t have: the Solarium and The Boardwalk. I spend a lot of time in these areas during a cruise. Icon has an adult only area called the Hideaway, but it is nothing like the Solarium. The Hideaway is loud due to its location (by the water slides and flowrider) and it is more or less a party atmosphere with music and people drinking in the pool. There is nothing wrong with that, but I like having a quieter place where I can layout, relax and read. There really isn’t a place like that on Icon (the Cloud 19 area is close but there were always lots of kids there in the pool during our cruise). And the boardwalk area doesn’t exist on Icon since it was replaced with Surfside, which is all about kids and family. 
 

Keep in mind we are in our late 50s. Someone younger and especially someone with kids would probably feel a lot different than I do about Icon. RCI constantly states how Icon is for families and no doubt in my mind they nailed that with Icon. 
 

The one area I loved on Icon was the promenade. It is huge and more importantly you can see the water outside the ship in several areas. We are on Symphony right now and the promenade looks and feels small compared to Icon. 

Thank you so much. Very helpful. Enjoy your cruise.

5 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Me and the friends I am cruising with prefer Oasis class ships (we were on Icon together last month). 

I have not been on Icon. What do you all like better about the Oasis class? Like what are the differences with Icon that you like more on the Oasis ships? Thanks so much!

On 3/3/2024 at 11:58 AM, Jim_Iain said:

It is impossible to make a blanket statement about all cruises and classes of cabin. 

 

After many years as an exclusive upper Celebrity Suite Passengers I finally decided to explore other cruising opportunities and have found some very good deals that won my booking as oppose to Celebrity.   Price was on of the considerations while many other changes at Celebrity also played into my recent bookings.   Our target market is different from many others is usually CS and RS.

 

I will give one example - Where Price had a major influence on decision.

 

Oceania -   Istanbul - Barcelona  -  Oceania Vista Nov 9, 2025   10 Day

Booking includes $600 OBC, Free Champagne, Free Specialty Dining , Free Wif,  Free drinks with all meals and a cocktail hour.   They do sell a premium upgrade.

 

We booked the Owner Suite  which is larger than a PH so that can be used for comparison -  $24,000.   To us it was an incredible deal-

 

Compared to Celebrity on a similar cruise approx same number of days -

Celebrity Suite    $20,536    500 Sq Ft

Royal Suite          $29,536    759 Sq Ft

Edge Villa            $34,536     950 Sq Ft

Penthouse           $40,536    1,575 Sq Ft

 

 

 

Highlights

• Complimentary laundry service - up to 3 bags per stateroom (some restrictions apply)
• Priority Noon ship embarkation with priority luggage delivery
• Exclusive card-only access to private Executive Lounge staffed by a dedicated Concierge featuring complimentary soft drinks, coffees and snacks throughout the day
• 24-hour Butler service
• Complimentary in-suite bar setup with 6 full-size bottles of premium spirits and wines from our suite beverage menu
• Complimentary welcome bottle of Champagne
• Fresh fruit basket replenished daily
• Priority online specialty restaurant reservations
• Unlimited access to Aquamar Spa Terrace
• iPad® upon request for your enjoyment on board
• Optional private in-suite embarkation day lunch from noon to 2 pm in Owner’s Suites
• Customized entertainment system
• Bulgari gift set and variety of amenities
• Choice of daily printed newspaper
• Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag and personalized stationery
• Cashmere lap blankets
• Choice of pillow from a luxurious selection
• Complimentary shoe shine service
• Complimentary pressing of garments upon embarkation (certain limitations apply)

Man, one day I hope to be at a place that spending $20,000+ on a cruise would be an option for me. It's really far off right now. Enjoy. 

57 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

A little off topic but I am on Symphony right now and having a great time. I did a 7 day cruise on Icon last month, but based on this cruise I still prefer Oasis class ships. 

Woohoo, I love Symphony. My favorite Royal ship. 

I LOVE Symphony! ❤️ 

12 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Royal is taking newer ships on shorter itineraries to a all new level. Even I'm surprised and didnt thjnk royal could surprise. Too short. Waste of a nice new ship. 

Yep, not for me. 

12 hours ago, Cruising89143 said:

I read a recent article that stated the shorter cruises are much more popular now. Royal is simply taking advantage of this current situation. The article also stated that the shorter cruises worked out better financially for Royal.

Yep, better for Royal. But, not better for me. Definitely skipping all these new short cruises. Plus, they are way overpriced. 

7 hours ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

Another way to boost profits. It’s more money per night compared to the 7 night cruises. 

Sure. Cruises I will be skipping. Short cruises aren't for me. 

All these big ships doing short cruises. Man, goodness. 

Fun!