Royal confirmed in Alaska

[cruisegus]

4 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

The policy is clear. No vaccine, no boarding, there is no exclusion for country of origin. That would be completely counter productive 

I 100% agree, no vaccine no cruise

[Sunshine3601]

12 hours ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

So still says if 12-16 will need vaccine, even though uk are not giving vaccines to those ages. 

Unfortunately for travelers from UK and other countries that are not yet vaccinated ages of 12+ , these are the rules.

I'm sure it was part of their negotiations with our cdc for a restart.

[Tree_skier]

Folks from the Uk can cruise from the UK on the many cruise ships committed to the UK market. US residents can cruise here.  Canadians may soon be able to float on BC ferries and watch the cruise ships pass them by and hope for better days.  

[Blizzard54]

7 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

How is Serenade getting to Seattle from her current position? And how much will it cost RCG?

How much will to cost RCG to sail Ovation empty to Seattle from Singapore?... and then what, hang around for 30-45 days (5 or 6  one week sailings) at 1/2 capacity and then redeploy her where? At what cost(s)?

 

Something doesn't add up here for me. I think we'll see more changes before this is all said and done. Unless RCG is planning for one or both ships to stay on the west coast after the Alaskan season (instead of Navigator)

 

 

 

edit: the announced HAL & Princess ships already on the west coast... ginormous difference.

I believe the Serenade is in the Atlantic and would probable come by way of the Panama Canal. It would not be cheap but it is what it is.  If the Ovation crews up where it is the transit to Seattle would cover the quarantine time needed before it can take passengers.  Although not cheap the only added cost is the fuel.

With cruising still in doubt in Australia next winter the Ovation could hang around the west coast as easy as Singapore.  It would be great if they could either retrofit or get a wavier from California and run some 14 night R/T Hawaii trips.

[molly361]

11 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Well done.  It'll be nice to start seeing some live reviews again around here.  I booked the VT Panoramic suite.  I think that might just be the best suite in the house for an later August Alaska cruise 🙂 

Good cabin choice.  The Panoramic suite was the last cabin I was in on the Mariner before the world shut down last year.

[BillB48]

16 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

How is Serenade getting to Seattle from her current position? And how much will it cost RCG?

I just checked marine traffic and she is in Miami presently.  As Blizzard pointed out, the Panama Canal would be the logical choice.  As far as costs, the Canal would be a figure that may be hard to get a handle on as there are a few variables.  The simplest Canal fee to calculate would be a passage without any revenue customers on board which would save about $67K on a transit with paying passengers.  They also could probably avoid paying the daylight transit guarantee which would save another $30K.  If they could bake enough time into their schedule they could just show up at the Canal and wait their turn.  That could involve anywhere from a day or two to five or six days, but that would save $35K for the reservation. 

 

However RCG may have already had money committed for a transit slot/s before Covid hit the fan.  If that is the case the Canal has mechanisms on switching ships and dates for the transit.  Rest assured that any on the switching will not involve lowering the price of the transit from what would have been from the original cost of the transit.  The fee for a regular transit of the Serenade with passengers, reservations and daylight guarantee would be somewhere around $440K and the in "ballast" transit would be around $305K.

 

The last option would be to bid on a transit slot and that will only make expensive, more expensive!

[Tree_skier]

4 hours ago, molly361 said:

Good cabin choice.  The Panoramic suite was the last cabin I was in on the Mariner before the world shut down last year.

This trip was on the schedule for a week later but we lifted and shifted to 2022.  However, now the schedule has been completely rearranged and this should not have happened. I just couldn't resist though. Soon as I saw the Royal email in the morning and then logged into CC and saw two days worth of posts about the restart my brain started working. 

 

I was going to just get a standard balcony like usual but I saw this one available and I have almost half the fare coming in FCC so I thought I might as well do it.

[Jimbo]

35 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

This trip was on the schedule for a week later but we lifted and shifted to 2022.  However, now the schedule has been completely rearranged and this should not have happened. I just couldn't resist though. Soon as I saw the Royal email in the morning and then logged into CC and saw two days worth of posts about the restart my brain started working. 

 

I was going to just get a standard balcony like usual but I saw this one available and I have almost half the fare coming in FCC so I thought I might as well do it.

I thought you were doing a land Hawaii trip? Is that still a go or off now?

[Tree_skier]

Haha, you pay way to close attention.  Yes the Hawaii trip is still on.  That was a precondition for DW to agree to this cruise.  She has always wanted to visit Hawaii and said if the Alaska cruise meant cancelling Hawaii she wasn't interested.  I assured her Hawaii was on.  

 

She enjoys cruising, she just isn't as fanatical as me.

[Jimbo]

24 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Haha, you pay way to close attention.  Yes the Hawaii trip is still on.  That was a precondition for DW to agree to this cruise.  She has always wanted to visit Hawaii and said if the Alaska cruise meant cancelling Hawaii she wasn't interested.  I assured her Hawaii was on.  

 

She enjoys cruising, she just isn't as fanatical as me.

What makes it good for you, both desinations aren't as far away  as there are for us on the East  Coast.

 

Enjoy both vacations !

[Ocean Cat]

For the poster above, why did you choose Ovation over The Serenade. I’m not familiar with the ships. 

[Hoopster95]

20 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

I believe the Serenade is in the Atlantic and would probable come by way of the Panama Canal. It would not be cheap but it is what it is. 

 

Correct Blizzard. i knew this already. It's why I posed the question to perhaps allow other CC'ers to  maybe think a little bit harder about the logistics rather than to continue to keep heads deeply entrenched in the sand...  I guess I should know better 

 

10 hours ago, BillB48 said:

The fee for a regular transit of the Serenade with passengers, reservations and daylight guarantee would be somewhere around $440K and the in "ballast" transit would be around $305K.

 

The last option would be to bid on a transit slot and that will only make expensive, more expensive!

 

Hello BillB! always great to hear from you regarding the PC.

Yes, exactly why I posed the question. I have mentioned in many past threads where many CC'ers were  booking cruise after cruise in months gone by, expecting exact ships in exact locations to be perfectly deployed with exact itineraries... just won't happen. I point out Serenade specifically for the reason of bringing her through the PC at a cost of $400,000 to do Alaska for 2 months.... then what? Send her back through the PC for another $400,000 out of pocket?... at 1/2 occupancy? Or send her to Oz... again at 1/2 occupancy? And that is even if Oz would allow her in her waters in the first place.

 

 There has to be other (better?) plans in play that we (the public) don't know about yet? 

 

HAL & Princess deployment make 100% total sense in comparison to RCG.... they're announced Alaskan ships are in LA, a mere 3 day sailing up to Seattle.

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Correct Blizzard. i knew this already. It's why I posed the question to perhaps allow other CC'ers to  maybe think a little bit harder about the logistics rather than to continue to keep heads deeply entrenched in the sand...  I guess I should know better 

 

 

Hello BillB! always great to hear from you regarding the PC.

Yes, exactly why I posed the question. I have mentioned in many past threads where many CC'ers were  booking cruise after cruise in months gone by, expecting exact ships in exact locations to be perfectly deployed with exact itineraries... just won't happen. I point out Serenade specifically for the reason of bringing her through the PC at a cost of $400,000 to do Alaska for 2 months.... then what? Send her back through the PC for another $400,000 out of pocket?... at 1/2 occupancy? Or send her to Oz... again at 1/2 occupancy? And that is even if Oz would allow her in her waters in the first place.

 

 There has to be other (better?) plans in play that we (the public) don't know about yet? 

 

HAL & Princess deployment make 100% total sense in comparison to RCG.... they're announced Alaskan ships are in LA, a mere 3 day sailing up to Seattle.

People on here go off half cocked booking new cruises when ship deployment is not even a guarantee yet..........

 

Hoopster, I guess what Royal is going to do is once they can't even fill half the ships again, they will just cancel the sailings and give everybody back their money again......

Just a vicious cycle

 

Wish these people would send me their money, I will hold it for 12 months for them.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Jimbo

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, Ocean Cat said:

For the poster above, why did you choose Ovation over The Serenade. I’m not familiar with the ships. 

Ovation is much newer, bigger with more amenities.

[ILCTCRUISER]

51 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Ovation is much newer, bigger with more amenities.

Also, Icy Strait Point is on Serenade’s itinerary.  Been there twice.  Once was one time too many.  We booked Ovation since we haven’t sailed that class yet so it’s time to check it out.  We also thoroughly enjoy Alaska cruises.

 

[Crazy planning mom]

2 hours ago, Jimbo said:

People on here go off half cocked booking new cruises when ship deployment is not even a guarantee yet..........

 

Hoopster, I guess what Royal is going to do is once they can't even fill half the ships again, they will just cancel the sailings and give everybody back their money again......

Just a vicious cycle

 

Wish these people would send me their money, I will hold it for 12 months for them.

I am thinking Ovation is more likely to sail since its a newer ship with more bells and whistles.

It more likely to generate enough sales.  Much like how RCL cancelled Vision but not Adventure of the Seas.

[Biker19]

36 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Much like how RCL cancelled Vision but not Adventure of the Seas.

Don't think the cancellation of Vision had anything to do with the kind of ship she is and Adventure has yet to sail.

[wolfie11]

On 5/22/2021 at 5:38 AM, Ethanol95 said:

I've compiled the list of Alaskan deployments, including RCG's deployments to Alaska this year with the changes, if any of you are interested.

https://flyinghigher651812767.wordpress.com/2021/05/21/one-step-closer-to-alaska-cruise-season-2021/

Royal Caribbean doesn't go to either Glacier National Park or Glacier Bay National Park.

[Ethanol95]

50 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

Royal Caribbean doesn't go to either Glacier National Park or Glacier Bay National Park.

This is interesting. Several sites report Ovation calling at Glacier National Park, whilst Royal's website itself says otherwise. I have amended it, but if anyone has more information to clarify the confusion here will be greatly appreciated.

[Jimbo]

19 minutes ago, Ethanol95 said:

This is interesting. Several sites report Ovation calling at Glacier National Park, whilst Royal's website itself says otherwise. I have amended it, but if anyone has more information to clarify the confusion here will be greatly appreciated.

Cruisemapper, doesn't show it going there on any of the  6 sailings. I believe Royal would have to get a special permit to allow the cruiseline to go in there, pretty sure they will not get that for this shortened Alaska Season.

 

Princess goes in there, but that would have already paid for their excess.

[Ethanol95]

6 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Cruisemapper, doesn't show it going there on any of the  6 sailings. I believe Royal would have to get a special permit to allow the cruiseline to go in there, pretty sure they will not get that for this shortened Alaska Season.

 

Princess goes in there, but that would have already paid for their excess.

Thanks! @Jimbo

[Tree_skier]

20 hours ago, Ocean Cat said:

For the poster above, why did you choose Ovation over The Serenade. I’m not familiar with the ships. 

 

13 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Ovation is much newer, bigger with more amenities.

I booked Serenade because of schedule.  She is departing on Monday and that is going to work out better than a Friday departure that Ovation is doing.

[dswallow]

5 hours ago, Ethanol95 said:

This is interesting. Several sites report Ovation calling at Glacier National Park, whilst Royal's website itself says otherwise. I have amended it, but if anyone has more information to clarify the confusion here will be greatly appreciated.

 

They were approved a few years ago for a certain number of visits each year to Glacier Bay between 2019 and 2029. I believe the first scheduled visit was to have been Radiance of the Seas on the May 15, 2020 itinerary. We all know what happened in 2020.

[wreckem2013]

14 hours ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

Also, Icy Strait Point is on Serenade’s itinerary.  Been there twice.  Once was one time too many.  We booked Ovation since we haven’t sailed that class yet so it’s time to check it out.  We also thoroughly enjoy Alaska cruises.

 

Icy Strait is hit or miss. We were fortunate enough to see multiple bears and even had an extremely close encounter with one. 

[Tree_skier]

On our upcoming Alaska on Serenade our Itinerary takes us to Sitka, Icy Point Strait, Juneau and Ketchikan.  We are only duplicating two from our  previous cruise to Alaska, Sitka and Juneau.  What is disappointing about Icy Point Strait?