yj_eugene

Why are those of us that pay premium prices for suites so disliked?

 

It's not you per se. It's that to give you more, Royal is taking away things that were available to all. Most non-suiters are probably OK with you getting more as long as it doesn't mean we're getting less. When it does, then it's a problem. Good example: the new suites-only sun deck/lounge/bar above the Solarium on Oasis class. More for you, not less for me, winner winner. Unlike the Viking Crown, a signature feature, which used to be available to 5000+ guests, now limited to what, 200? Shameful.

I don't care how they do it, I just want to see CK get added to other ships! It's a great addition.

 

I don't if it means kicking all the non-suite customers out of the Viking Crown like they did on the Oasis class. They've taken away enough from those of us in steerage already.

Ooh, Jax would be awesome!!

 

Jax to Hamilton, Bermuda, would be even more awesome (though I'd bet more on Norfolk for that run).

I believe it's usually on ABC.

 

That's because most Dawg fans don't know any letters beyond those. :)

 

THWG!

I had thought they might do something with Explorer following the Alaska season, but it looks like that might not happen until 2018 now.

 

It would look good doing the 5/9-night cruises out of Port Canaveral again. :D

[quote name='harry0']Royal Cmon-make the changes needed-Website was easier to navigate 10 years ago[/QUOTE]

Anyone else remember many years ago when this was the graphic on the first page? That site was easy to navigate and a breeze to get done what you needed to get done. Ah, to have those features once again ...

Not sure what the number is, but the one I am talking about is where Brilliance docks...further from Channelside.

 

That's Terminal 2. Does anyone know if Terminal 3 where the Vision will be docking this Fall has one?

Yes, there is...as you walk into the terminal, it is at the furthest end....right near the doors to the ship.

 

Is that Terminal 2, Terminal 3, or both?

Don't feel bad...I've already pre-chosen my cruise for summer 2018! :p

 

Join the club. Whatever ship's doing the Inside Passage round trip out of Seattle the second week of June 2018, I'll most likely be on it. :)

My DM LOVED the Chicken Pho.

 

Everything I've had there was very good, but the Pho is great. Get it.

We'll be sailing over Thanksgiving and really hoping to catch the GA/GT game on TV.

 

Obviously you meant to say the Georgia Tech-U[sic]Ga game. If this year's Tech victory over the Mutts will be on ABC or ESPN, there's a chance it might be carried on the ship. If it's on any other network though, you'll probably be spared seeing all the happy Rambin' Wreck fans (except the ones on board of course) after their win. I think all the ESPN channels to search are in the low numbers, which is good for you, since I'm sure you want to avoid anything in the 30-24 range right now. :D

 

THWG!

MDR every morning.

 

Same here, and almost always the same thing: salmon benedict if available or salmon/cheese/mushroom omelet if not, fruit yogurt, orange juice and earl grey tea. Life's too short to not enjoy a civilized sit-down breakfast each morning. :)

Don't miss the specialty restaurants because of seating either - they have seating options too.

 

Agreed. Never had a problem in any of them. On the other hand, the Windjammer is a place where finding an armless chair is nearly impossible. Most ships have a few benches or banquettes, but they are often all taken, and even so sometimes the table doesn't move and is too close to the seat to be of use. The lack of armless chairs in the Windjammers is something I mention on every post-cruise survey, but to no avail.

 

We found more of an issue with some of the theaters

 

This is certainly true on Voyager and Freedom class ships. I was on Explorer last December, and at that time there were no seats that were love seats or larger or had flip up arms, so I had to ask for an armless chair each night.

 

I didn't go to the ice rink/Studio B, so I can't say for certain about those, but I've had no luck with them on other ships, and hence didn't expect the outcome to be any different.

 

If you have a balcony, those chairs usually are narrow and have arms as well. Sometimes the desk chairs don't have arms though, so I take that out to the balcony when I want to sit out there.

 

If you're going to take any RCL excursions, you may want to stop by the excursion desk as soon as you can once you're aboard. Often they use buses or other transportation with seating issues, so if they know ahead of time they can work with the excursion operator to make it more comfortable for you.

 

Otherwise I think you'll be fine. While not perfect, cruising is one of the most accommodating vacations out there for those of us who are gravitationally gifted. :)

But I fear the days of the 80K tonn ships will shortly be nothing but a memory...:(

 

Actually, you might start seeing more and more of that size ship soon. Of course, that's because they'll be the lifeboats on those new floating metropoliths. :p

NCL IS deserting us and you can't sugar coat that fact

 

Maybe if you change "deserting" to "desserting"?

 

Seriously, I think it's just economics. Houston, Tampa and NOLA all have long trips to the Gulf, and then from Houston it's a longer trip to the same ports, so it costs them more fuel money. Add to that the whole Texas alcohol tax issue, and I can understand if NCL thinks they can make more money with that ship elsewhere while Tampa and NOLA can handle those that still want cruise NCL to the same ports.

We have done both and, while Freedom Class is very nice, we much prefer Voyager class. Basic reason is Voyager Class has almost everything Freedom does with 1,000 fewer passengers, way fewer lines and less harried staff.

 

Totally agree. Two of the best cruises we've ever had were a B2B on the Navigator before the additional crowding was added. Went on the Freedom a few months later and was quite surprised how much more cramped and harried the feel was despite being bigger. As has been noted the Navigator and Mariner have their balconies outside the ship superstructure, so those cabins feel more spacious than their equivalents on Voyager/Explorer/Adventure. Alas, only the Mariner of its pair now exists in its original configuration, and I doubt it will ever make it back to the US without the additional crowding upgrade done, so the Voyager class I liked so well really only exists anymore for me as a memory. Yet, given the choice I'd still book a Voyager class over a Freedom class all other factors being equal.

That's odd. It also shows Majesty in KW on a Sunday (Jan 3). I'm gonna have to talk to the port people to find out what they're smoking over there. ;)

 

That one is correct. Majesty is doing a special New Year's 4-night then that stops in KW on Sun Jan 3. Doing the same the previous week for a Christmas cruise, so it'll be in KW on Sun Dec 27 also.

Why no mention of PC:what:

We took in 3 unscheduled ships in August 2014 because of Cristobol. No advance warning there to my recollection. Also Quantum called on PC when she was in NY.

 

Didn't Quantum dock at Terminal 6 then? If so, that should make at least two that could handle the class: 1 and 6, and perhaps Terminal 10 as well. Should be enough capacity to handle a Q class on short notice.

Nassau is not a Dump. It is the capital of the Bahamas and many nice folks live there. How would you like it if I called your home town a dump.

 

Forgive them, they're from Connecticut. They probably think civilization ends at the Hudson River. :p

Wake up HAL. Many cruisers will only wait so long before booking other cruise lines to get the best prices and cabins they want. I waited but now have booked two cruises with Princess because you still don't have your itineraries out!

 

Agreed. I was looking at the Oosterdam out of Tampa, but couldn't wait any longer, so I've booked Royal's Oasis out of Port Canaveral instead. You snooze you lose, HAL.

McDonalds is already starting to replace employees with ordering kiosks and this is just the beginning

 

Yeah, before you know it, items will be already prepared and waiting for you in a climate-controlled display, and all you have to do is pay, open a door to get your food, and be on your way. No ordering involved! And I've got just the catchy name for it: an "automat". :p

From there on out I didn't step out of my cabin without practicing the old "Stop, Look, & Listen" routine---stop, peek out the door to look for them, and listen for the thunder of their running feet. :rolleyes:)

 

One of my few advantages of being sumo wrestler sized: kid runs into me, kid falls down, I may or may not notice :)

If you're a C&A member, do you have your preferences set for automatic upgrade? Sometimes what Royal considers an "upgrade" may not be what most people would agree with (such as going from an aft to a side cabin :eek:). Just to be safe, any time I pick a cabin for a particular reason I also call C&A and make sure they note "no upgrade" on that reservation.

I think it is no problem bringing food/snacks onboard on embarkation

 

DW is diabetic, so we always bring a few packages of various snacks in case she needs to eat something quickly to regulate her blood sugar or needs to eat a little something before taking one of her meds. Never had an issue bringing them on, and the sealed ones go with us ashore on port days. Once on board we also go get some fruit from the Windjammer and bring back to the cabin to have on hand for the same reasons.

You will find that Giovanni's Table on Freedom is every bit as good as Portofinos was, maybe better! We did not care for Chops on Freedom either.

 

Agreed, we like Giovanni's better than we did Portofino's, and it has a better steak than Chops, so if we have a choice, Giovanni's it is.