Getaway thoughts

[dbrown84]

6 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I think it depends on what the feed is.  I don't believe being docked or near the shore matters.  They contract with a programming provider that gives limited show choices.

 

But, I hear you.  If you're an NFL fan, would be great to get some of those games on board.

Thanks.  The reason I mentioned being docked was to point out that the ship should be empty and they hopefully wouldn't have anything else planned for that space

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 9/3/2022 at 7:21 AM, cusematt4 said:

I am debating a family cruise on the getaway over the holidays.  It’s double the price of a comparable Royal caribbean cruise.

Can you share which ships/itineraries you are comparing?

8 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

That said, I am a bargain shopper and I don’t think I can stomach it being double a comparable RCCL cruise.

I think we need more info before accepting this premise.

[qek585]

14 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

You know, I'm thinking about the wrong space.  I am used to the big screen being on the deck above the pool, where the hot tubs and big open space (dance floor at night).  I guess this is spice H2O.  Where they have the parties at night.

I agree with you. I think a big screen right on the main pool deck is a natural place for it. It's the case for most of the ships on carnival and it feels better IMO. There were some movies played at spice H20 which is a good place for it, but most were inside in the atruim which didn't feel right not being under the stars.

[qek585]

13 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Spent a lot of time on the track and never smelled any exhaust.  Maybe you should have tried it instead of dismissing it outright.

Oh I did... Played Basketball my whole life and tried it for 10 minutes only to get dizzy off the fumes. Track had it too but nowhere near as bad. I guess ropes course is wind dependent. On days with no wind, the conditions they open it, I can literally see a cloud of fumes right over it. I find it amazing that people say they don't smell anything. I guess I'm just sensitive to it.

[cruiseny4life]

19 hours ago, qek585 said:

Oh I did... Played Basketball my whole life and tried it for 10 minutes only to get dizzy off the fumes. Track had it too but nowhere near as bad. I guess ropes course is wind dependent. On days with no wind, the conditions they open it, I can literally see a cloud of fumes right over it. I find it amazing that people say they don't smell anything. I guess I'm just sensitive to it.

I think it depends on the direction the ship is traveling, the speed, and the wind direction. My husband and I played some hoops a few nights ago and were happy to finish! Even if he did win, I was still happy to leave the fumes and weird liquid that fell on me (only occassionally). It wasn't pleasant - we didn't get nauseous or dizzy, just felt uncomfortable breathing in so many fumes.

 

We also have an aft balcony room. Some days we don't want to use the balcony, while others it's totally fine. 

[Liljo22]

20 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

 

I think we need more info before accepting this premise.

That’s fair.  The OP said it was a comparable cruise so I was assume newish RCCL ships and a similar itinerary.

[nferr]

On 9/9/2022 at 12:48 PM, Liljo22 said:

RCCL uses dynamic pricing so it different ship to ship and cruise to cruise.  Right now it’s usually running between 55.99/pp/pd to 71.99/pp/pd plus 18% gratuities.  

 

It's quite a bit higher for the drinks packages on RCCL recently. I paid $50 a day in February, same ship this November is $67 on sale and $72 if not on sale. Most cruises are higher than that. I'm skipping it in November because I hit Diamond status which gives me four free drinks a day and I can bring on two bottles of wine.

[cruisewingman]

IMO, NCL and RCL are in similar classes offering similar products. One is not worth double the other.

 

I just sailed on a NCL cruise and I booked another one. But I would change allegiances to a much cheaper cruiseline! haahah.

 

Save the money and put it towards another trip!

 

@nferr congrats!

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by cruisewingman

[nferr]

On 9/11/2022 at 8:50 PM, cruisewingman said:

IMO, NCL and RCL are in similar classes offering similar products. One is not worth double the other.

 

I just sailed on a NCL cruise and I booked another one. But I would change allegiances to a much cheaper cruiseline! haahah.

 

Save the money and put it towards another trip!

 

@nferr congrats!

 

Thanks. I got lucky with the pricing on this November cruise. The RCL Anthem for seven days NY to Bahamas. I got a solo balcony (smaller solo cabin with a big balcony for $765), and as I mentioned since I hit Diamond I get four free drinks a day and RCL lets you bring two bottles of wine onboard. So I'm skipping the drink package which is a big savings. Should be a relaxing cruise. For next cruise I'm pricing some Getaway cruises, but so far I'm not getting any great solo pricing.

[dcipjr]

Just off the Getaway (9/3 to 9/12)...it was a marvelous cruise, even with the cancellation of Bermuda and redirect to Nassau / Miami due to Hurricane Earl.

 

Our sailing only had 1200 (!) passengers, so there were no lines for anything. It was wonderful.

 

Some thoughts based on the reading of this thread:

 

- I totally noticed the fumes on the last sea day. The wind was strong and was blowing the smoke forward along the port side of the ship.

 

- I can also verify the close proximity of the basketball court to the smokestack. I was walking around exploring the ship, looking for the lost mini-golf course (RIP). The smoke was very noticeable at the basketball court; it seemed like it would be unpleasant to play out there. Also it was hot up there.

 

- The ship aired three NFL games (1 PM, 4:25 PM, and 8 PM) in bars and on channel 27 in staterooms. The Eagles game wasn't carried so I didn't really watch.

 

- The ship is lovely and still looks great, though there were some broken things in our stateroom (mostly drawers that wouldn't stay closed or wouldn't open easily). Let me be clear that these were very minor complaints for ordinary wear-and-tear items.

 

- Service was absolutely excellent. The crew was super attentive because there weren't many guests onboard, and mentioned they enjoyed the bit of a break (the previous cruise was full). 

 

- Food was great.

 

- We had upgraded to the Haven and it was a lovely experience, as always. 

 

- We totally have sore throats and sniffles today, but still have tested negative thus far. We were fine on the cruise, but you have to imagine there's some spread onboard. I saw very little mask usage onboard among guests or crew (us included...we have all had COVID already and opted to just enjoy the vacation and not worry about it).

 

We had a wonderful, wonderful time and cannot wait to go again.