Icon September 28 canceled

[Aaron3]

5 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

 

May 2023 - 7 nights in Wales

 

Rental car (Southampton to LHR): $347.05  + $149.66 (petrol) = $496.71

2BR/2BA house rental (Wales): $612.60

Groceries (Wales): $113.94

Sightseeing: Free

Beautiful. We spend about £150/$180 a week for our food shop for a family of 4, and are tied to uk school holidays (hence we go to the US when term times are different) and cottage rentals go crazy. We go away in our campervan in uk school holidays and a site with a small pool and some playparks can be over £50 a night

[JsMom2]

5 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I find it interesting that younger families these days appear to be willing to pay way more to cruise than older people. I realize this is a generalization to some degree, but the prices tend to support this view. Although prices on Icon and Star are still extremely high, you can still find good deals on every other class of RCI ship. I would never pay $6K to go on any RCI ship in a balcony, let alone an interior. You could book a cruise on Oceania for that amount. But as a stockholder I like that young families seem to have no issue paying the current prices to book Icon and Star. 

 

I don't think it's a generational thing.  Back in 2010 my daughter and I had to cancel an Adventures By Disney trip to Peru when we got a stomach bug.  A week later we were feeling better, and I booked a last minute interior room on Allure for $7k!  It was less than the land tour, but I still shake my head about how expensive that got!  It's not just families booking the newer ships.  I don't use the water slides or rock climbing walls, but it's fun to see the new shows and fun venues onboard as well.  I'm hoping prices will come down eventually, but it'll probably take another 5 years before they recover from COVID, and of course before people get tired of paying the higher rates as well.  

[JsMom2]

8 minutes ago, Klstaack said:

My cruise planner is not showing as locked. But I cannot go in and cancel pre-cruise items.  I tried to do this last night after I started thinking again but could not do so.

Try again today.  I just logged into mine, and got right in.  Good luck!

[cruisegal40]

I feel bad for all of you.  I spend month on end planning for our yearly cruise.  My husband can only do certain weeks/time of the year.  It's such a disappointment for you all. On a side note, we did just get off Beyond 2 weeks ago. Loved the ship.  Food is always subjective.  But the service was awesome and only 33 kids.  (sorry for those that have them). 

[Ocean Boy]

6 hours ago, firefly333 said:

My comment was about the lack of empathy on cruise critic. It's gotten bad lately. People have no sympathy for others and will argue with a wall. It's just gotten extra bad lately. 

 

Empathy has never been a strong point of these boards.

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

LNG buses use a spark plug for ignition, but marine diesels are too big for that.  Wartsila has developed many years ago, an engine that runs on crude oil, so offshore oil platforms can take crude straight from the wellhead and use it to power the platform.

That is amazing! I never knew anything could run straight off unrefined crude. Wow!

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, JasonL78 said:

We go on October 5th, and have been told RCI is "confident" that we'll sail! I'm hoping a bunch of people cancel out of fear so we get an upgrade! 🙂 

That cruise is already within the 15 day window. Who, exactly, do you think is going to be cancelling and forfeiting their fare?

[chengkp75]

27 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

That is amazing! I never knew anything could run straight off unrefined crude. Wow!

Actually, during WW2, the Japanese didn't have enough tankers, or control of the sea lanes to get crude oil from Sumatra to the refineries in Japan, and were burning crude oil in their boilers.  Efficiency went down the hopper and repairs increased exponentially, but the ships kept moving after a fashion.

[Womack21499]

22 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

I'm an super curious to learn what's wrong with her

We just disembarked on the 14th. We felt the ship shudder multiple times very hard when trying to dock at ports. It was a bit disturbing. It was felt forward and aft by multiple family members. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:54 PM by Womack21499

[Tree_skier]

3 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

 

May 2023 - 7 nights in Wales

 

Rental car (Southampton to LHR): $347.05  + $149.66 (petrol) = $496.71

2BR/2BA house rental (Wales): $612.60

Groceries (Wales): $113.94

Sightseeing: Free

Yeah but who wants to spend a week in wales!!!!

 

🤪

[Another_Critic]

30 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Yeah but who wants to spend a week in wales!!!!

 

🤪

 

It's a killer experience.  😉

 

[Secretlyfi]

Lucky passengers on Adventure of the Seas will have Coco Cay all to themselves on Oct 4th without Icon. Looks like they are the winners in this circumstance. Very concerning that such a new ship would have such a serious issue.

[superjerryw]

12 hours ago, SUgwoz said:

A few of us families went on Icon paying $4k with gratuities included.  One of the families went to Disney for 4 nights, only 2 days in the parks and spent $4k a few months later.   1 night 2 days of parks in Universal ran us $1k+.  Disney World Halloween and Christmas Party nights sell out every year, for a family of four that is $800 for one day of tickets. Cruises is still a bargain for families, for ksf and food. 

 

Even a week cabin trip in TN/GA will easily run you $3k+ for a family and that includes cooking most meals yourself.

Going to Disney or sailing on Icon is now an activity reserved for the rich.. Average people can't afford this type of vacation anymore and I think it's very sad when people have to go in to debt to take a vacation.

[stuart2468]

20 hours ago, pyrateslife4me84 said:

If I paid $6k for a cruise and got $6k back plus a $6k FCC, I’d be booking a hotel in Miami for next week, enjoying the beach, and taking that free cruise next year. But, some people are only negative. 

 

Absolutely. You're already getting a free cruise out of it so you're hardly being caught out of pocket. And the insurance should cover the rest of the airfare that RCI doesn't. Is it ideal? No.... no cancelled holiday ever will be, but is it the end of the world? No!

 

Sometimes life gives you lemons, and sometime you have to drink lemonade. (note, I believe lemons to be the devils fruit)

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

8 hours ago, superjerryw said:

Going to Disney or sailing on Icon is now an activity reserved for the rich.. Average people can't afford this type of vacation anymore and I think it's very sad when people have to go in to debt to take a vacation.

I think it is very concerning that people would choose to go into debt to take a vacation.

[luckyinpa]

still available to book and i guarantee a good time in YC on MSC if you go

 

4 Days Bahamas

Carnival Cruise Line • Carnival Conquest

Miami, Half Moon Cay, Nassau, Miami

2 departure dates: Sep 30, Oct 21 2024

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 12:03 PM by luckyinpa

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I think it is very concerning that people would choose to go into debt to take a vacation.

Agreed. Vacation money should always be discretionary, never essential that one needs to cover basics like housing, food, etc.

[donsullivan]

16 hours ago, Womack21499 said:

We just disembarked on the 14th. We felt the ship shudder multiple times very hard when trying to dock at ports. It was a bit disturbing. It was felt forward and aft by multiple family members. 

I was in a suite up on deck 17 on the 9/7 cruise. The shuddering when they used the bow thrusters for docking, especially in and out of St Kitts was so severe it was rattling the metal ceiling and wall panels in our cabin. You could actually see the metal ceiling panels fluttering and actually hear them rattling, the level of movement was so significant.  I've never experienced anything like that.

 

I've felt a rumble from bow thrusters on Oasis class ships before, but never anything even close to the level of vibration, especially that high up in the ship to be vibrating wall panels. I can't image what it was like down lower and closer to them.

 

I have no clue if this is what they are repairing but that level of vibration, cannot be good for the ship to have to endure on a regular basis.  

[DCGuy64]

8 minutes ago, donsullivan said:

You could actually see the metal ceiling panels fluttering and actually hear them rattling, the level of movement was so significant.  I've never experienced anything like that.

I experience that on every ship I've ever been on, I've gotten to the point where I barely notice it anymore.

[SUgwoz]

10 hours ago, superjerryw said:

Going to Disney or sailing on Icon is now an activity reserved for the rich.. Average people can't afford this type of vacation anymore and I think it's very sad when people have to go in to debt to take a vacation.

Has cruising been an activity that was available to all?  I would say cruising in the 80's and 90s was far more limited to the average person than it is now.  Sovereign of the seas 3 nights in early 2000s cost as much as $2k for an oceanview.

[smokeybandit]

11 hours ago, superjerryw said:

Going to Disney or sailing on Icon is now an activity reserved for the rich.. Average people can't afford this type of vacation anymore and I think it's very sad when people have to go in to debt to take a vacation.

Then don't sail on Icon.  Plenty of cheaper cruises out there than the new fancy ship.

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

Agreed. Vacation money should always be discretionary, never essential that one needs to cover basics like housing, food, etc.

36% of Americans planned to take on debt for vacations

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/29/some-american-plan-to-take-on-debt-for-summer-travel.html

[DCGuy64]

3 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

36% of Americans planned to take on debt for vacations

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/29/some-american-plan-to-take-on-debt-for-summer-travel.html

Utterly foolish behavior. As the article states, "...Here's why that worries financial experts." Our practice is to save money throughout the year for trips, and we always pay all of our credit cards in full every month. And we are very much middle class.

[smokeybandit]

3 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Utterly foolish behavior. As the article states, "...Here's why that worries financial experts." Our practice is to save money throughout the year for trips, and we always pay all of our credit cards in full every month. And we are very much middle class.

No doubt, it's not good. But it is happening, and not just for cruises.

[JanNSteH]

On 9/23/2024 at 9:45 PM, JsMom2 said:

I just rebooked for 6 nights on Celebrity Beyond out of FLL on Sept 29th.  I changed my outbound flight, and rebooked a hotel in FLL.  They only had Single Infinite Veranda rooms left.  But it was half of what I spent for a balcony on this cruise.  The refund and 100% FCC will help, but prices have more than doubled since I booked.  Will probably have to wait until the next ship comes out, then book this one, as the prices will be lower than the newer one.

 

As others have said, great choice.  The Beyond is a wonderful ship. Was on it last March for 12 days and was sorry to see it end.  Beautiful ship and Captain Kate is magnificent!  We’ve been on over 25 + cruises,  majority of them with Royal and we were very impressed and loved Captain Johnny who is with Royal and now we can also add Captain Kate to the list.  She blew us away.