Meghan Trainor godmother of Utopia

[Surfguyxxx]

Why???????😏

[cruisegirl1]

39 minutes ago, Surfguyxxx said:

Why???????😏

Because Taylor Swift wouldn’t do it. 😄
m

[Crazy planning mom]

21 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

I think just the opposite.  Using both of the new Oasis class ships on short cruises limits the available options for longer cruises in that class, which is my favorite (been on all five).  While I might consider a Quantum class cruise on the right itinerary, I have no interest in the older, smaller ships that Royal now wants to pawn off on the 7+ day cruising crowd.  There's a reason I have three upcoming reservations on Celebrity E Class ships and none with Royal... this!

E-Class is great.  Loved the Apex.  We also are looking forward to our 7 day cruise on the Symphony which is a terrific.

[Crazy planning mom]

The Star of the Seas is slated to do 7 day itineraries.

[TheHawk1]

12 hours ago, Cruising89143 said:

Good choice for this ship. Her most popular song is “All About That Bass”. I think RCG has done their homework and they know what their target audience is. This thread has been interesting. I think the old saying of “Don’t let the door hit you where the good lord split you”  means a lot. Bye Felicia. 

I guess it RCI wants to write off the generation with the most discretionary income, that’s their choice. Millennials and Gen Z can’t even afford to buy a house, so not sure they will be spending a lot on future cruise vacations. Only time will tell.

[smokeybandit]

30 minutes ago, TheHawk1 said:

Millennials and Gen Z can’t even afford to buy a house, so not sure they will be spending a lot on future cruise vacations.

They can't afford their house BECAUSE of discretionary spending, like expensive cars and vacations. RC is right to target them.

Edited July 6 by smokeybandit

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Honestly never heard of her. 

 

Also royals business plan is bums on seats, 3/4 day short cruises where its only one stop = more passengers per week spending onboard rather than a 7nt port intensive cruise. 

They will be a booze cruise aka carnival......

[Another_Critic]

41 minutes ago, TheHawk1 said:

I guess it RCI wants to write off the generation with the most discretionary income, that’s their choice. Millennials and Gen Z can’t even afford to buy a house, so not sure they will be spending a lot on future cruise vacations. Only time will tell.

 

11 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

They can't afford their house BECAUSE of discretionary spending, like expensive cars and vacations. RC is right to target them.

My daughter is a mid-tier millennial ... she has her own house, a new car (no loan), and goes on cruises (no credit card debt).  🙂

[smokeybandit]

Just now, Another_Critic said:

 

My daughter is a mid-tier millennial ... she has her own house, a new car (no loan), and goes on cruises (no credit card debt).  🙂

Well certainly that's not an across the board statement. But there are plenty of spend-poor people out there who have more than enough money for the basics, they just choose to spend elsewhere.

[Another_Critic]

1 minute ago, smokeybandit said:

Well certainly that's not an across the board statement. But there are plenty of spend-poor people out there who have more than enough money for the basics, they just choose to spend elsewhere.

Yes.  My Dad's neighbor had the exact same job, pay, and vacation time as my Dad and the neighbor always commented "It must be nice to go on all those vacations."  Well, my Dad didn't smoke, stop at the bar after work, have a swimming pool, etc. 

[djyellowsub]

I have cruised on 8-9 different RCI ships and who the godmother or godfather is hasn't seem to impact anything. I think I actually one saw a picture of the godmother on Wonder.  The other ships, I don't even have a clue who has that honor. RCI seems to be a good fit for my 31 year old daughter and my 67 year old self.  We both would have preferred Taylor Swift, but she seems to be a little busy at the moment. 

[Tree_skier]

7 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

 

My daughter is a mid-tier millennial ... she has her own house, a new car (no loan), and goes on cruises (no credit card debt).  🙂

She's the exception not the rule though.  I'm sure you are proud of her... I know I would.

 

Millennials have the highest consumer (non-mortgage) debt to income ratio of any generation. 

Edited July 7 by Tree_skier

[Homelines]

I would think the crew would hate being assigned to the Utopia.  So many turn around days!

[cruise_co]

7 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

They can't afford their house BECAUSE of discretionary spending, like expensive cars and vacations. RC is right to target them.

Not so sure about that. My kids are mid 20's, early 30s.  Apparently, the "in thing" for that generation, at least in our neck of the woods, is savvy financial planning. The 3-4 day cruises fit that mindset perfectly. They can have multiple cruises over weekends and get back to their work-aholic jobs. I am always amazed at how financially informed that age group is.     

 

We are retired but must be out of the norm because we have 2 Allure short cruises, 1 Star, and 3 Utopias booked for next year. We love, love the idea of multiple short get-aways to sit on a beach during snow storms back home.  For sightseeing, we do land trips.

 

We anticipate a ton of kids on the Utopia sailings as add ons to a park vacation in Orlando.  We had 20 parents seriously thinking about it. Our kids were at a cheer competition in May at ESPN WWOS and we were sitting there thinking we should go book Allure.  Unfortunately, other plans back home got in the way for many of us. But if we could have, the allure of having a cruise ship for a few short days an hour away was pretty strong. We can't be the only ones.

[smokeybandit]

Gen Z and Millennials are the most likely to intentionally take on debt for a vacation

 

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/apr/24/survey-more-than-1-in-3-americans-will-vacation-in/

Edited July 7 by smokeybandit

[Vibe]

Keep in mind that Princess Fiona is the godmother of the Allure of the Seas. Royal Caribbean no longer has an affiliation with Dream Works. 

[Viajera7]

On 7/5/2024 at 9:25 AM, Billy Baltic said:

The business model is sound but it leaves out customer satisfaction. With this model there is no place for the loyal cruisers who want to sail on a newer ship with lots of dining choices, on a 10 -12 day sailing to interesting places. 

Not only that but what about the perks. Would you get free laundry as D+ and up if a cruise lasts less than 5 days?

[little britain]

38 minutes ago, Viajera7 said:

Not only that but what about the perks. Would you get free laundry as D+ and up if a cruise lasts less than 5 days?

Yes RCI is saving $$ on those: you only get free laundry on 5+ nights, you only get one amenity on cruises of 3-6 nights, you don’t get your $25 meal voucher ( P only) …. But you do still get your free WiFi 🛜 

[lovesthebeach2]

7 hours ago, Homelines said:

I would think the crew would hate being assigned to the Utopia.  So many turn around days!

We spoke to someone on Wonder last time we were on and had heard that next year they will be changing to the short cruises and they said they were NOT looking forward to that. So much work for the crew. My thought is they will burn out. I feel bad for them. 

[lovesthebeach2]

16 hours ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Honestly never heard of her. 

 

Also royals business plan is bums on seats, 3/4 day short cruises where its only one stop = more passengers per week spending onboard rather than a 7nt port intensive cruise. 

They will be a booze cruise aka carnival......

When Carnival was the only game in town way back when we lived in NY, we were young and still hated the “booze cruise “ atmosphere. So we decided to try Royal and never went near Carnival again.

 
our thought is the same as you, 3-4 day cruises are booze cruises. And from what we’ve seen lately on all the cruises we’ve been on, some parents no longer “parent” their kids on cruises and just let them do what’s they want. 

We’re currently on the World Cruise and the other day a very young boy who looked under 4 climbed up on a corner area in the WJ to try to get a piece of fruit! A Crew member ran over and took him down and got him an apple. Where were the parents?

 

Maybe we were always too old for Royal. Vacations for us were to relax from our busy lives and jobs, not come home still needing a vacation. 
 

 

[OCSC Mike]

2 hours ago, Viajera7 said:

Not only that but what about the perks. Would you get free laundry as D+ and up if a cruise lasts less than 5 days?

On the flip side (at D+) if you do a 3/4 B2B instead of a 7N, you get 4 days of internet, 2 BOGO dinners, 2 free pics, etc. per person. As someone who has no desire or need for free laundry, I see my perks increasing not decreasing.

Edited July 7 by OCSC Mike

[Billy Baltic]

31 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

On the flip side (at D+) if you do a 3/4 B2B instead of a 7N, you get 4 days of internet, 2 BOGO dinners, 2 free pics, etc. per person. As someone who has no desire or need for free laundry, I see my perks increasing not decreasing.

 

A B2B on that short of a cruise would be pretty pointless IMO. Two embarkation days. Two days at a private island. Each to their own though. 

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

Each to their own though.

This sums up cruising to me. So many different ways to enjoy it that everyone can find what works for them.

 

What you find pointless I find enjoyable.

Edited July 7 by OCSC Mike

[lovesthebeach2]

We were in the Solarium earlier and the song we heard being played was one by Meghan Trainor!

Coincidence? 

 

[cruisegirl1]

4 hours ago, Viajera7 said:

Not only that but what about the perks. Would you get free laundry as D+ and up if a cruise lasts less than 5 days?

You receive the parks that are not contingent upon specific days of sailing. So you get Internet, photos, daily drinks, etc. You do NOT get top tier back party, cheers with the officer, laundry, and on a short cruise you only get one selected amenity delivered to your cabin.  
 

Nothing new, as Royal has been doing 3/4 night cruises for years.  I started cruising in 1987 and because of my work schedule took some weekend cruises back then. 

 

m