madawa6

On 2/18/2023 at 3:02 PM, cruisegirl1 said:

Yes, it is true.  That is the current practice on several ship and more implementing that practice soon.  I understand Wonder will start once a day service tomorrow ( Feb 19).

Tipping prices go up and service goes down. Something is wrong with this picture!

On 2/20/2023 at 10:52 AM, njm5378 said:

Just off Voyager. Lots of people we dressed up for the formal nights. I was surprised as I felt it was a higher level of participation than other cruises in the past few years. Overall there are always some dressed to the 9's and others not. Last week was no different.

Yes I’m not expecting most of the ship like 40 years ago. We have done enough cruises to know things have changed but that is nice to hear lots of people on your cruise dressed up. 

On 2/20/2023 at 11:42 AM, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

I'm sure you'll find at least 5 or 6 other people that still want to look nice on formal night.

😂 

On 2/5/2023 at 10:30 AM, island lady said:

 

Yes, I believe there was a comedian on the last night in the theater...but we did not go.  Actually just the ice show we have been to.  Will try to do more shows this week.  

 

Food for us in the MDR (first traditional seating) has been decent, though many are complaining about the intro of the new menu that came out last week.  I am finding interesting new dishes to try, and especially enjoying the nightly Indian food choices, plus a few Vegan dishes...though the separate Vegan menu with a lot more choices (on the app) is no longer available.  Every night is "theme" night now.  

 

We eat in Chops for breakfast every day, and it has been basically quite good.  Food better than the service sometime.  Lunch has been out and about, since we are very port heavy on these PR cruises.  

Can you tell us what kind of theme nights you had? Was it just food or also dress for the occasion? Also I’m guessing they’ve been very strict about not doing substitutions?

On 2/10/2023 at 8:59 AM, island lady said:

White night last week, and this week (last night) on Voyager. 

 

Though not too many participating.  You would not even know it was a suggested dress theme night.  

It’s hard to have participation if they do not do it on a regular basis. How does one even know what the themes are of the week? It’s hard to pack if you don’t know.

On 2/9/2023 at 1:55 PM, island lady said:

 

I am seeing lots of shorts in the dining room and some other costumes best suited for the red light district.  😮  

 

Also a lot of dripping wet swimsuits in the lounges and the WJ.   Sat on a chair that I did not notice was wet.  Yuck.  

On 2/9/2023 at 1:51 PM, rumnsun said:

Just returned from Voyager week:  formal night was far less black tie and cocktail/ball gowns than in the past, dress your best night was a discretionary multiple choice issue and white night was not.

Changes from the past.... at least most people on this cruise chose to stay out of the dining room in shorts and swim suits...

 

I’m hoping someone on our ship wants to dress up with us. 😔

Can someone please tell me what “The Key” is all about? I have seen several posts about people mentioning it but I have no idea what they are talking about.

Someone just told me they are on voyager right now and doing “white night” tonight. Maybe they are starting it back up or it depends on where they are sailing. 🤷‍♀️

9 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

I am seeing lots of shorts in the dining room and some other costumes best suited for the red light district.  😮  

 

Also a lot of dripping wet swimsuits in the lounges and the WJ.   Sat on a chair that I did not notice was wet.  Yuck.  

😔

1 hour ago, billslowsky said:

Having a day designated formal night doesn't forbid anyone from dressing up any night they want. 

 

And having a formal night doesn't compel anyone to dress up that night either.   You will see more people dressed up on the designated night, but not as many as you would have seen even five years ago.

I figured as much but I would rather join in on the night chosen then stand out on one not chosen. 😉 I know less and less people are not choosing to dress up. It is a lot to pack and many flights only allow 40lb luggage anymore. Thanks

Thank you….we know many ships aren’t doing formal nights anymore so weren’t sure since Covid if that had changed on this ship. One of our kids went on a Celebrity ship October 2022 and they didn’t have any. 

We are on an upcoming 7 day voyager cruise in March and are wondering how many formal night they have if any. Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and am hoping they have a formal night.

2023-RC/Voyager

2020- HAL/Zuiderdam

2019- RC/Harmony

2018- Carnival/Glory

2015- Celebrity/Constellation

2014- RC/Navigator 

2012- Celebrity/Summit

2010- Carnival/Valor

2006-RC/Explorer

2001-HAL/Zaandam

1983-NCL/MS Southward

On 2/5/2023 at 4:16 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

well, I beg to differ... You may be talking about non-school holiday sailings, but unfortunately, having a non-home schooled kid, we are limited as to when we can cruise.

I priced several cruises on RCI for this and next year and they are basically unattainable. So, yeah, I started looking at other lines and even booked MSC for less than half the price of a comparable RCI cruise. And that price includes drinks and wifi.

 

Will the entertainment be worse than RCI's? Yes. Am I bringing 6 people instead of 3 for this price? Also a yes.

I agree that the prices have definitely gone up significantly since Covid restrictions let up this year. Some of its to be expected with fuel prices and inflation but I have felt it has been over the top personally. It does make it difficult for some. I’d be curious to hear what you think of MSC. It’s definitely not RCI but maybe you will love it just as much. Making financial cuts is hard. We started cruising 40 years ago so things have really changed in that amount of time and it’s been hard to change our way of thinking for sure. Food is an area that has really changed for us and not for the better. We don’t like to have to pay for better food that once was included in our cruise fare. We set sail in 5 1/2 weeks and aren’t doing the cruise we wanted to on Royal Caribbean but are doing a more affordable one so hopefully it’s all good. I am all about the sun as we live where there is winter so as long as that shines I’m going to make the best of everything else. Enjoy your cruise.

12 hours ago, stealtown said:

We're $ailing on the Voyager in August 2023.  

I'm wondering at what point $hould we purchase our excur$ion$ and dining/drink package$ to $ave the most money?  

We've already received email$ for buy one, get one 50% off, but we're holding out for better offer$.  

Do the discount$ get better the longer we wait?

What'$ the cheape$t you have gotten them?

Any tip$ / trick$ / hint$ / $uggestion$ on big $aving$?

Thank$

We are 5 weeks out from our Voyager cruise and the beverage discount is the same as yours currently and many excursions are sold out. Discounts disappear when that happens of course. 

Thank you so much for sharing these pictures. We sailed in 1983 on this ship for our honeymoon and unfortunately I got home to find my film in my brand new camera had not advanced so I had no honeymoon pictures which was so disappointing. The ship seemed so big to me as we walked up to it but after sailing on around 10 cruises since then with Harmony of the Seas being our last one this ship looks like a row boat. It doesn’t surprise me that it cost almost the same today as back then because you had way less people sailing on it so therefore making costs higher. 764 passengers compared to Harmony’s 6000.  So it was fun reminiscing.  

Thanks Ashland. 

Does anyone know if the craft market on the French side is up an running since the hurricane. We always loved going there. It was by the water but I am not sure what the town is called.

Sorry....this should have said "Balcony Stateroom Guaranteed".

I have never booked a cruise going this route. Do you usually get a nice room or the worst of them? We are looking to book on either the Jewel of the Seas or the Adventure of the Seas. I can save a couple hundred dollars going this route but seems this is our first time booking a balcony I don't want to be disappointed by getting a view that is obstructed. Also, is there a better side of the ship to be on?

We sailed on the Southward on our honeymoon. It was our first cruise in November, 1983. We loved it so much we booked it again in January, 1985. The cruise director was awesome, Sandy Mc Nichol from Scotland. I was told many years later by a captain that he owns and operates a pub in Scotland.

 

We didn't cruise for 12 years after the '85 cruise (we had 2 kids) but are leaving next week on our 15th.

We also sailed on the Southward for our honneymoon in April, 1983. We never sailed again till 2001 because of starting our family. We will be sailing our 6th cruise in 2 weeks.:)