Candocruises

Can you contact the resorts directly to obtain a day pass?  Has anyone done this and if so how did you go about making the direct contact.?

Also looking for information on resort day passes in Curaçao. Arriving 11Jan on Odyssey of the Seas. 

Just finished Thanksgiving cruise and for the first time traveled with extended family to include children, ages 11-16. We paid full gratuities for each one.  Probably opening a can of worms on a subject that has been previously discussed but do you all pay full gratuities for children.  BTW the program for the kids was poorly staffed and almost nonexistent. Thanks

Can anyone confirm statistics from the Diamond Princess?  It isn’t easy to find but what has been available shows that the infection rates, hospitalization rates and death rates are not dissimilar from what society has seen with the same demographic for the entire country over the last year.  If true why is the cruise industry restricted when all other forms of travel and accommodations have been allowed to adapt and continue to provide service to those who choose to travel and take vacations?

The CDC was told by the President they could not extend the No-Sail order until February 2021.  Well those of us who love and miss cruising, welcome to how the bureaucracy in "the swamp" works.  The CDC has struck back with a vengeance after their decree to extend their No-Sail order to February 2021 was rescinded.  How dare you challenge the scientist/bureaucrats of the CDC.  The CDC has created an almost impossible pathway to resumption of cruising from U.S. ports.  This should drive this industry out of our country and quite frankly how can anyone blame the industry for setting up in the Bahamas, St. Martin, Barbados, etc.  There are plenty of airliners parked in the desert and unemployed pilots, easy to create Royal Caribbean Air Shuttle if the U.S. airlines don't want the business.    

48 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

 

We all have computers and can check what is said on a social media site.  Seeing as you obviously cannot figure that out I will help you. From www.Defense.gov

DOD COVID-19 Cumulative Totals

As of 0600, Oct. 5, 2020

4 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

How many believe we should be wearing masks, socially distancing, etc., until 3rd, maybe 4th quarter 2021 like Fauci says we should?

No way!!  The pandemic is OVER!  We now have a "casedemic."  The number of cases, which is greatly exaggerated, is making the death rate, which is also exaggerated, plummet.  I am sure this argument has been made many times here but here are some stories you will not hear because they don't exist:  "Military ravaged by Coronavirus."  As of last week there were, hold your breath, 8 deaths of active duty and reservists.  Most deaths are from the 1.4 million reservists, with only a few among the 1.1 million active duty members.  "Coronavirus ravages Sub-Saharan Africa."  In countries that are extremely poor, have rancid living conditions and populations living in areas where malaria is the biggest threat the virus is not taking lives much less having the number of cases reported in more developed countries.  Wonder what is used by this population to prevent or control the spread of malaria?  Finally, if you are still reading and my post has not been censored, what ever happened to the wealth of knowledge scientists obtained from the controlled environment they had back in March when the Princess ships with Covid were quarantined for weeks?  When and where did they apply this knowledge?  Cruising and airline travel may never return unless the people grow a backbone and stand up and say "enough is enough!"  

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

Please find a reliable source for this information. The website you cited is run by an "ambulance chaser" lawyer.

The source of this story is irrelevant once it makes its way to the mainstream media.  The Story in today's  Miami Herald may very well be picked up by others and with the less than favorable spotlight that has been on the cruise industry since before Covid much less since the constant pictures of the Ruby Princess in Japan, the industry has a tough road ahead to remain solvent.  Those of us who frequent this board are predominately folks who love cruising and want it to flourish again, however if the industry cannot attract new cruisers and those new to cruising they will have a difficult time returning to profitability.  

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/

An article on this site describes the situation with tens of thousands of crew members trapped on cruise ships for over two months.  When this story makes it to the mainstream media the cruise industry will have a serious problem recovering from this terrible news.  Crew member "apparently" jumping to his death?  CEO's not willing to spend to charter an aircraft to get them home?  Protests among crew members?  The Miami Herald ran the story "Thousands of Crew Members Still Out to Sea" in today's, 17 May, edition.  This is not good for future cruising. 

The CDC, a misnomer if I ever saw one, will never approve of the return or large ship cruising anytime in the near future.  The abuse of power of this bureaucratic governmental agency will be continued as long as they can find enough media to report the hysteria.  Cruising has been a target for quite some time with front page headlines anytime a ship has an infectious outbreak. Cruising will be a thing of the past except for the wealthy who can afford the fare that will have to be charged in order to make a profit on ships sailing at 50% capacity.  

On 3/1/2019 at 12:17 PM, Bootman4U said:

My unfavorite memory: the Oasis and being told to expect dinner in the MDR to take at least 1.5 hours at a minimum

      A meal taking at least 1.5 hours is called "Dining", a very special event and not readily available or possible in this day and age..  "Eating" is what you do every day and is usually accomplished while driving, watching a sporting event or television, yelling at the kids, etc.  

     My most unfavorable observation is that RCI has chosen to encourage and accommodate those who choose to "eat" in the MDR verses the dining experience they once provided decades ago when we began cruising.  

Broadway shows on Oasis ships are a draw, we have seen them all and "Cats" was by far the least attended, especially after intermission.  "Grease" on Harmony was probably our next least liked show but we found the water show and ice show on Harmony to be dark and not as good as the shows on the other ships.  In addition Harmony had this weird guy(?) spinning in a dress in the stage show and even the water show.  Really strange.  Does Harmony still have this act as part of their current shows?   

We have always used the Avis Rental Car return and free shuttle to the ship from Pier 66 but just discovered that Pier 66 is closed for renovation.  Where is the closest Avis Return with Port shuttle now?

Just sailed on Oasis for New Years and what you say is correct.  Oasis will return to Finland next fall for an extended required dry-dock where it will be "Amped" and receive numerous upgrades.  That's the good news.  There were 6,497 passengers on board for New Years, with lots of children, making this ship feel crowded compared to the 3 previous times we cruised on her.  Now if you are from New York, think of being trapped with nearly 6,500 of your fellow neighbors for more than a week.  Sounds like a lot of fun to me.  It's a great ship!

There could be a solution to this question and it would not be that difficult, would cost nothing to RCCL and would be very telling.  Every ship we have been on has a multi deck MDR.  Simply designate one deck as the "dress code REQUIRED and Enforced" deck, seating by request.  My guess is that that deck would fill up very quickly and allow those who enjoy the formal experience to do so with like minded guests.  It is such a simple solution I cannot believe no one has considered doing it.  If it fails to attract enough patronage it would be very easy to reverse, however I would be willing to bet that there would be such a success that RCCL would probably want to have an up-charge to dine there.   

On 12/13/2018 at 7:26 PM, Host Clarea said:

 

Not always, but it takes a dry dock to change it.

About to sail on Oasis for New Years and after reading the reviews for "Cats" I believe asking if they will change out the broadway show during drydock is wishful thinking.   

Overall RCI has diminished the benefits of remaining "Loyal to Royal" by eliminating lounges, serving the cheapest of wines and alcohol, minimizing support staff and in some cases simply not offering what is listed as a perk for remaining with RCI over the years. We have decided to reduce the number of cruises we intended to take annually and explore other vacation options but will remain open to returning to our original cruising plan if we see a reversal in the current downward trends.

About Houston airports reopening:

 

The airports are not only shut down because Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump unprecedented amounts of rainfall on Houston and there's water on the runways. Houston Airport Systems (HAS) also has to consider whether passengers and employees can reach the airports safely. Employees include airport employees, airline employees, TSA employees, customs employees and more.

 

 

“There is a whole list of boxes that need to be checked ‘yes,’ and we will only open up when we can check all the boxes,” spokesman Bill Begley said.

SWA was flying its aircraft out of Hobby as the storm rolled in and I can only assume all the airlines did the same at IAH. Right now the plan is to reopen the airports at noon Thursday however that doesn't mean that operation will be anywhere close to normal for at least 24-48 hours. The airport closures will impact air travel nation wide, not just in Texas especially since the two Houston airports are hubs for two of the five major airlines. Good luck to anyone trying to fly anywhere in the southern half of the country as someone commented that they could fly to an alternate airport then drive to their home in South Padre, TX. It won't happen anytime soon.

Many in RCL management have spent time working in the US airline industry and it is painfully obvious. We might have to fly but we don,t have to cruise on any cruise line that thinks their customers will continue to be nickel and dimed to death. There is very little that makes cruising on RCI that makes you feel special.

Just finished Allure cruise where we discovered the DL on deck six just above the promenade has been eliminate and what was the CL on deck 11 is now the DL for Diamond and Diamond Plus, very crowded. So much for being "loyal" and working to get to 'Plus. Very little difference in perks between D and D+

RCI rep called yesterday to "welcome us back" as C&A members. When I asked about the possibilities created by the hurricane for cruises this weekend she stated that RCI has never cancelled a cruise for weather and it is up to us to get there. Unfortunately we travel space available, retired airline employee, and as such the travel insurance does not kick in for flying. When looking at driving, the storm will be over northern Florida late Friday then imagine trying to get to Ft. Lauderdale with over a million folks who evacuated and are trying to get back home. Add to that the possibility of no power, roads blocked by high water and debris, no fuel and no groceries and it makes driving a very iffy option. My guess is that the ships will sail with only 50% of the planned passengers. Hopefully we can lucky and get there in time. Oh yes, USAA trip insurance is all but useless for this type of situation as they explained all the caveats in the policy we purchased, to include what determines if a hotel property is uninhabitable. It actually made me laugh.

We were on Navigator in January,2016, and while the new rooms looked nice and the deck area above them was nice, not all was well with Navigator. The Sabor restaurant that was added seemed to be a bust. They were so desperate for customers that they took to walking through the Windjammer soliciting during breakfast and lunch, kind of like the bead and trinket dealers on the beach. It was really tacky to say the least. The additional passengers were not noticeable but other cuts being made by Royal are. They even added kiosks down the middle of the promenade which really restricted the walking space making it all but impossible to pause for even a moment and not be jamming up the traffic flow. Not much thought for anything more than squeezing more $ out of us. Hope they do better with Adventure because we are done with Navigator.

Many cruisers missed their cruises when the snow storm hit on a weekend and we heard a story that the ships were trying to get passengers to go back to back in order to fill the cabins of the many who were not able to make their cruises, offering huge discounts, upgrades, even free laundry service. Is there any truth to this story?

We were in cabin 1690 and with the larger deck and different view we thought we had a great week ahead of us however it was not to be. The cabin next to us, 1688, was used each night for loud parties with smoke of questionable content, loud voices, vulgarity, etc. On night two we had to call security at 2:30am to quell the disturbance. It took security over 25 minutes to respond. We were informed the next morning that the occupants were "counselled" by guest relations but were also informed that the partiers were told that we were the ones making the complaint. They continued to have the light on all night long and had gatherings almost every night, not as loud but still more than we have ever encounter in our previous 20 plus cruises so we basically stayed off the balcony in the evening for the remainder of the cruise. We have since read that these cabins are notorious for attracting this level of clientele, is this true?