njm5378

We use Country Inn and Suites. Staff is great. Price is affordable. If you need to park your car it is cheap to leave it there for the week.

Our Feb 2016 FOS cruise went up $200. Not seeing this is a deal. I think the days of price drops are gone. In a discussion with our cruise planner he stated that since the start of the BOGO sales they are seeing ships fill much earlier allowing prices to rise. Supply and demand. We booked a New Year's trip on Oasis in December in a D1 for about $2200pp. Looked last week it was up to $4000pp. We ended up switching our trip to FOS in Feb and saved $8000 on 4 cabins. May have to look at other lines also.

Best advice I can give is if you drink make friends with Vivian and Jorge at the pool bar. They are great. We tipped them even though we had the drink package, they brought us drinks and had one ready as we were walking up to the bar when it was crowded. We have never had more fun with any other RCCL staff. Suite guests get reserved chairs on the steps to the sides of the pool bar, we never had an issue but be prepared for the dirty looks from the people that automatically assume that because you are in a suite you think you are better than them(actually had one drunk jerk ask me that). Raj was a great concierge. Anything you need he will get. Jamie the CD was a bit much for me also. I love the cabanas in Labadee if you are going there, I think its worth the price. I think the best place for sail away is on your balcony, never a crowd. Just my humble opinion.

24 and counting.

Grand Suite and above have them also. If you want a robe bring yours. I find the ships are really uncomfortable.

We always do traditional early with our kids. If something doesn't work with that we grab dinner in the WJ or grab pizza. Our youngest would rather go to Adventure Ocean than the shows and my older two are always up for whatever.

Cozumel. Food and drinks at Noochi Cocom.

Hi,

 

Does anyone know where the reserved seating is for suite guests on Indy? On Freedom they were above the sky bar and not very desirable. I thought I heard somewhere on here that they were moved. Any news?

 

Thanks in advance!

Freedom class are all above the skybar.

I did not run into a beer I got charged for so i am assuming yes. If you order the more expensive wine you will be charged the difference.

We used bz last year. It was great. Going outside the port gates is a little unnerving but simply turn right and look for the yellow shirts. Jonathan and Nadi were our guides and the trip was great. We went with children 16, 13, and 8 and they had a great time also. I would use them again with no question. Lunch and rum punch we good also.

I too had a cruise ruined last year by a group of over 1000 who took over the ship, displaced all of us from 1st seating dining, cancelled our scheduled ice show etc.

How can we find out before booking if a large group such as that will be on board? RCCL won't tell.

Our cruise planner at RCCL told us about the group and offered to help us rebook with no penalty and same rate if we wished.

Last year we were on Liberty with the "Grown and Sexy" group. I was very worried with some of the things I read on the internet but all was fine. We did notice some people with the group who thought they had special privileges because they were with the charter group (using concierge lounge, suite sundeck) but staff was quick to correct them. We met some great people, never lost access to something we wanted to do because of the group, and one night they had a dance party to which they welcomed us warmly. I wouldn't sweat it.

PZtv posted that it was returning to dock with emergency crews standing by. I assumed it was only a few feet from the dock when it returned. Thats why marine traffic does not show a return loop. I have heard nothing about the specific reason. Speculation would lead me to believe a medical issue maybe?

I learned the hard way my first cruise. If you pay in full early RCCL does not have to honor any price drop. The may but they do not have to. Also if you book through the line you cannot export the reservation to a TA if the reservation is paid in full. I say wait, if you paid the deposit your room is held and you will not lose it.

The choices are to try to lure other customer groups. The choices offer lower fare options which make the dream of a cruise reality to some. I could care less, personally. I choose to sail in suites because I like the extra room. I do refuse to pay to eat in the "for fee" restaurants, except for Johnny Rockets, but that is my choice. There is no one size fits all. But there should also be no everything is equal. I won't speak for everyone, but looking at some of my friends shows me that there are some people who want everything for nothing and still others who do not have the money for vacation but go anyway( I have a friend who is loosing his house but still went to Mexico on vacation, confusing!). These are the complainers. The moral of the story is go on vacation for yourself. Don't base the enjoyment of your vacation on what someone else got to do. It is supposed to be relaxing. What it comes down to is simple, if cruise lines cannot fill cabins then ships get sent to areas that will fill them and we all pay more and get less. Just my opinion.

In response to the OPs title - is RCL heading in the wrong dircetion? My answer is that I don't know if it is the wrong direction but, rather, a different direction with a different target market. They are a business and in business to make as much profit as possible PERIOD.

 

From reading CC for several years, I think the Loyalists, for the most part, are loyal because they have benefitted personally from their loyalty by receiving balcony discounts, free drinks and exclusive access to prime, non-revenue generating, real estate. Me thinks that if the balcony discounts and lounge access were reduced then many of the Loyalists would scream loudly and then start looking at their vacation alternatives.

 

RCLs business model is changing, like it or not. They were a single cruise line positioned as the best of the value lines. Consolidation of the lines within the industry has changed many things and made for a more tiered industry. Like it or not RCL, in my opinion, views Carnival and NCL as their prime competitors and they are all vying for their share of that market and the innovations in the ships are all about garnering a larger percentage of that specific market.

 

The acquisitions of Celebrity and Azamara have caused RCI to seriously look at their business model and the realization that each line must be targeted to a different market with a different price point. I am probably wrong but I foresee, in the not too distant future, a large cut back in loyalty perks. RCL is expanding their market and trying to fill more berths by positioning their ships in different markets around the world. If they can figure out how to sail full then the loyalty perks will be further reduced. Believe me, the bean counters have figured out that the higher end suite cruisers and the vacation cruisers spend much more onboard than the frequent cruisers, in general. How to attract and then keep each of these demographics happy is what they have to figure out. I think they are struggling with implementing their long range plans for growth. The IT is terrible, it is hard to employ, train and retain enough good people to staff the ships.... Only time will tell but anyone that thinks RCL has any loyalty to them (with a few exceptions) is delusional.

 

Wrong direction? I think they would say it is just a different direction with a lot of moving parts to figure out.

 

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I couldn't agree more. It is a different direction and most people resist change. RCI wants loyal cruisers but in the Gold category. The discounts that they give to loyalist come straight off their bottom line. I also see a changing demographic. Cruising in the past was a vacation seen for the elite. More and more people are realizing that it is a good value on a per day cost basis. Many of the changes they are implementing are what the 1st, 2nd, 3rd time cruisers want and while many of us hate to see things like formal night go, we are in the minority on an overall annual passenger basis. I will remain loyal to Royal until it becomes my decision to leave. I think that people need to experience the changes before writing them off as bad. I like to have facts before making decisions, but what is right for me may not be right for others and I feel everyone is entitled to their opinion.

We always book two cabins but chose a balcony for the wife and I and a promenade across the hall for the kids, we have 3. It worked well to use the bay window seat in the promenade for our youngest to sleep on. Just ask the steward for extra bedding. We were apprehensive to allow the kids in a balcony. We also make the room steward aware of the arrangement so they keep an eye out for any late night escapes from the room, though we have never had our kids attempt it. We also make sure the kids have a key for our cabin and we for theirs. It has been a great arrangement.

My favorite secrets are these:

1. If cruising with kids, Guest services can disable their seapass's ability to be used to charge things.

2. Use your waitstaff as a resource. These individuals spend a lot of time at the same ports and can offer some of the best port information you will get.

3. If you or your kids are interested in Flowrider lessons (freedom and oasis class) do not book private lessons. Book group lessons. Group lessons have a max of 8 people and usually at least half cancel. We have done this on multiple occasions and have had a max of 3 others. Once my daughter had private lessons at the group rate due to cancellations.

4. Walk around outside late at night. The ship is peaceful and quiet. It is very relaxing.

5. The biggest secret is relax. Don't let rude people get you wound up, most people took vacation to get away from the daily grind. Getting upset only ruins your vacation, those who are rude are not bothered in the least by what they did to upset you.

No regrets. I got my money worth, wife did not. The option to try different things coupled with the benefit of no receipts and no need to track expenses was worth it to us. We also liked that once you use it in the MDR the bar staff, if on top of it, will keep your information and there is no need to keep digging out your seapass. I think there is more to look at than the cost divided by number of drinks consumed ratio, to determine value.

300+ posts on what qualifies as formal attire. Crazy party of 300 your table is ready in the main dining room.

Rain should not unless it gets to the point of compromising passenger safety.