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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/29/2017 in all areas

  1. Zero. If your cruise ends up being cancelled or shortened, RC has shown with other sailings affected by the hurricanes they have provided the option of refunds or future cruise credits. I think what some of the responses boil down to is a response to an initial post that seemed a bit too alarmist. I think there's plenty of posts you can find here where we have called Royal Caribbean out for poor decisions/ideas, but the fair thing to do is look at each situation holistically and on a separate basis. I think we can all understand your anxiety related to your cruise happening, but as you stated, Adventure is slated to return to regular service on October 7. The bottom line is I believe your sailing will depart as scheduled, and odds are you will have a great sailing. Your departure date is far enough into the future that the impact of Hurricane Maria and the issues at hand today will be likely resolved to a point that it has little to no impact on your vacation.
    6 points
  2. {sarasm:ON} Great first post. {/sarcasm:OFF}
    5 points
  3. The Adventure of the Seas is not "shabby". It's a beautiful ship. To me, it's the sweet spot of cruising. RCCL is helping save lives and doing the best they can in a terrible situation. They will do their best for you. It's unfortunate, but for now, you have to wait. They are helping Puerto Rico recover. If things don't improve in San Juan, they will have to cancel more cruises, including your's. Because you have air-to-sea, you are in a better situation than those flying on their own. RCCL will know where you are in the process, and will hold the ship for a time if needed. If that is the case, the more people running late, the better for you. My advice, try to relax and see how it plays out. I know people who cruise in Sept or Oct every year because the rates are so low. However, there is more risk this time of year than other times. This is the year where Mother Nature decided to make the bills come due. It's not RCCL's fault.
    5 points
  4. Unofficial...check Fan site....check
    4 points
  5. It's an unfortunate situation, and if I was booked on this cruise I too would likely be frustrated by much of the uncertainty. Subjectively, I'd suspect that there'd be less of a negative feeling about this post if the subject didn't insinuate that uncertainty around a cruise vacation is in some way a humanitarian crisis analogous to over 3 million people being uncertain of when they might get clean water, medical supplies, etc. More objectively, with regard to the amount of time the ship would need to be cleaned - these ships have same day turnarounds every cruise. They're cleaned, sanitized, etc. The ships also generate their own supply of fresh potable water, so in a sense, the cleanest, safest place in Puerto Rico is likely Adventure of the Seas while she is in port, and there hasn't been a reason that the ship isn't able to maintain that type of operation at any point. With regard to the scheduling and uncertainty, I'm sure that Royal Caribbean and everyone else wishes things were different. If they cancel a sailing and it turns out they didn't need to be because the port re-opened and sailing was a safe and practical option then people get upset. If they wait until the last minute to cancel that makes planning very difficult. If they don't cancel there will be some who are glad their vacation is on, and others who don't feel they should be sailing for any number of reasons. In a sense they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. In terms of reviews - whether for cruising or anything else, you can almost always find multiple reviews to back up any opinion. This is great/this is terrible. It's clean/it's dirty. Service was fast/service was slow. I try and look for the specific complaints or praises within a review, especially those points which are measurable and objective, and decide what those mean to me. I also avoid giving much merit to reviews that give extreme praise or disapproval. For the record, I sail many cruise lines and haven't a reason to defend or knock RCI. I've got no skin in the game of reviews. Ultimately, I hope that if you want to sail, then you are able to without a hitch, and that if you don't RCI will work with you. I can appreciate that at this point you just want to know where you'll be and what you'll be doing in a few weeks. I hope you let us know how it all goes.
    3 points
  6. @tiny260 You should have said it was her level of maturity, intellect, and experience that led you to over estimate her age. ;)
    3 points
  7. Sure, but 1) who are you? A bit of preamble would be in order. Entering kicking and screaming and what should be expected on our end? 2) Where was your good? 3) Honestly, I do see this as a FAN site. Some may disagree with me, and that's fine. But I do think the majority are fans here. See, if you entered by saying, "I'm a fan, I love Royal Caribbean because, blah, blah, blah, but WHAT IN THE HELL ARE THEY DOING TODAY?" it's likely I would have reacted quite differently. 4) No one here works for Royal Caribbean, as far as I know. Maybe there are lurkers that do. None of the people that run the website do, that much I know. How are they in the know? By keeping themselves in the loop. That takes time and effort. Others can come here FOR FREE and benefit from their "hobby" and they gladly share their time and effort FOR FREE. So, showing some appreciation should be in order. Thanks for listening.
    3 points
  8. I can understand their frustration, they didn't say if it was their first or if they are Pinnacle level. If its their first or even first with RC I can see where it would leave a bad taste. People react harsh to less in todays world. I chat with a friend at work often and we talk about when boat are stuck somewhere how with our jobs we have enough flexibility that it wouldn't matter to us but some people have a strict vacation schedule. My father had two weeks vacation every year, week of July 4 and Christmas. This was dictated by the factory he worked in, it closed those two week for maintenance. If he planned a cruise during that time and it got messed up I'm sure he would be upset too so got to give them some slack on this even though RC is doing its part to help with the hurricane. Wish they would come to my house and help me finish my problems...
    3 points
  9. Yes, and that is also why I like cruises, I can completely "unplug" if I want, or I can use Voom and stay as connected as I like. As far as my company knows, I'm on a cruise ship and can't be reached, 24x7x365 on-call wears thin after awhile...
    2 points
  10. As a newer member myself I don't think this site has trouble attracting new members. I've found the posters here all to be super helpful and I enjoy reading everyone's posts and especially enjoy the overall tone on these boards. Speaking only for myself - I totally understand the frustration of the OP and OP has every right to his/her own feelings. Your $$$ trip is up in the air. There just seems to be a lack of empathy and maybe a little disassociation with the whole situation. My frustration with your post is that I'm with you for the most part but then you use words like "savior" and "humanitarian" and how maybe your trip is more important than people getting food/water/shelter.
    2 points
  11. Oh, I don't doubt there are blogs calling the ship shabby. You'll always find blogs written by people with an axe to grind who will be negative about everything *cough*cruisecritic*cough. Take exceptionally negative reviews with a big grain of salt, and try to read between the lines. Can't please everybody, and sometimes people have legitimately bad experiences that the line could've handled better. But sometimes they just had a bad day that was no fault of the cruise line and it colored their whole experience, and sometimes they're just miserable people who are impossible to please.
    2 points
  12. I get the frustration...when you plan a cruise there is so much more than just the cruise plan and cost. Airfare, hotels, connections etc. So by Royal moving or shortening or cancelling the cruise even with a refund, there is still a ripple effect and other factors that come into play. At this point, I would just want to totally cancel and get my money back as it would be stressful to say the least with everything up in the air. Its a terrible situation for sure for ppl in PR and I think its nice for Royal to be offering to help, but I agree that they need to remember the paying customers that give them a reason to visit these Caribbean islands in the first place as well.
    2 points
  13. Thanks for the comments (even the sarcastic ones.) Just a measly 4th cruise with RC. For Katrina, ships were placed in other ports. What I wanted was merely for 100% credit toward another cruise, I work in the legal profession and depositions and trials are scheduled daily, and every day I am asked will you be on vacation or not. Therefore, I'm in a precarious situation to be in. FYI I've gone through Hurricanes Camille and Katrina (not New Orleans where their levees broke) and didn't evacuate, so I know all about the aftermath oh hurricanes. As far as the shabbiness of the Adventure, I've read some of the blogs on this site and others. This is my first time on the Adventure. Are other cruise lines evacuating people since you all seem to be in the know? Just curious, how many bloggers here work for RC? Also didn't know my first blog on this site was to sing praise for RC with imaginary bells, violins, harps. I thought it was a place where info good and bad was exchanged. I do stand corrected. WHY RC HAS THE MOST FABULOUS SHIPS NEVER ANY PROBLEMS, FIRST CLASS IN ALL RESPECTS; BETTER THAN ANY AND ALL OTHER CRUISE LINES. IN FACT, RC IS JUST PERFECT. ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. Now did I appease the RC gods?
    2 points
  14. I certainly understand the frustration. What I can't understand is how someone comes here and makes that their first post. How should we react to that? It's like stopping a random stranger and complaining about coffee just because they are at a coffee shop. Does that automatically make us compadres?
    2 points
  15. mom2mybugs

    Oasis Teen Compass

    I totally 2nd the go the first night advice. On both cruises my teen met a bunch of girls she hung out the whole cruise with.... even without her phone! They would usually meet up at the teen center and rarely stayed the whole time... they would go in and out. It was nice to have her feel like she had a "place to be ". I know that the teen activities are often listed in the regular compass. I haven't sailed an oasis class so I don't know if there are a lot of different activities vs what's on other ships, but the activities were similar on the freedom and vision class. So if you find any teen compass for any ship you will get a sense of what there is to do. Hope you all have a great trip! Jane
    2 points
  16. HI everyone, I was wondering if anyone has done the New England/Canada cruise from Baltimore? It really looks like such a nice and different cruise. We are booked for Bermuda currently and then Bermuda in Sept 2018, the 2 Celebrity Eastern and Western in 2019 so thought this was nice. If anyone has done this I would appreciate any input. thank you so much!!
    1 point
  17. That's horrifying... Ventriloquists can be really hit or miss. But I will say, if you ever get a chance to see Jeff Dunham, don't pass it up. I've seen him twice live, first time when he was still getting off the ground and headlining only the smaller comedy clubs. He's always hilarious and has some phenomenal material, not to mention the great collection of dummies he uses. Walter is the best, followed close behind by Peanut.
    1 point
  18. I agree, I know I'd have a certain level of anxiety if my vacation that I had planned on and had been looking forward to for a while was in any kind of jeopardy, or just plain at risk of being less than awesome. I hope at the very least the person understands many factors are out of Royal Caribbean's hands, and the company reaching out with humanitarian aid to the suffering people of Puerto Rico is a wonderful gesture.
    1 point
  19. Last year on the Allure the headliner was an acapella band called The Edge Effect. I did not want to go but my husband dragged me in. Turned out to be one of the best headliner shows I have seen so far. Make sure you go check out Mo5aic. I wish they had that on Harmony last month instead of a ventriloquist.
    1 point
  20. Oh good, I was afraid I was the only one who felt really uncomfortable with the implied undertones of those comments...
    1 point
  21. Honestly, I don't find it odd at all. Folks like us (yeah, I'm a web developer and software architect, too) tend to find places like this. I'd guess it's partly because most of us have gotten used to scouring the web for solutions to our day-to-day problems, partly because a majority of us got into this business in the first place because we're detail oriented, meticulous, inquisitive, and love to learn as much as we can about whatever we're focusing on as our current "project".
    1 point
  22. Sorry, but your frustration seems to be based upon comparisons to normal sets of circumstances. If you watch Snapchats and Periscopes from PR since the hurricanes, you would know how bad it is there far beyond what the main stream media is reporting. If you spent time in this community and on this blog, you would know that RC is not immune from criticism here. You would know that issues pertaining to RC are treated fairly, and yes, the vast majority people here are frequent cruisers with Royal and love the company, because it consistently doea the right thing especially when there are circumstances beyond their control. As a mass market cruise line, they have mastered the art of mass customization. Despite the catastrophic conditions in PR, you will find that your experience on Adventure will be wonderful unless your practice in life is to criticize every adverse situation that comes your way. If you are any kind of a planner, why don't you simply seek out a plan B for accommodations on the island? It appears you didn't use a travel agent. Why didn't you do that? I won't touch your sanitation comments. They are just bizarre.
    1 point
  23. This is peculiar indeed. I'd put it under the "call back and ask someone else" category, but perhaps your TA already has. Do let us know if anything changes.
    1 point
  24. Thanks Doc, need all the help I can get.
    1 point
  25. I don't just like this post, I love this post.
    1 point
  26. This happen to me last year. I was on the Empress when my cruise was cancelled. I was upset, but I was glad that I was able to use the funds to re-book on the Empress in August 2017. I love the ship and booked three more cruises on Empress for June-July 2018.
    1 point
  27. There are positives and negatives in every situation in life. We just have to make the best of it. We were at Disney a few weeks ago for Hurricane Irma. Was our vacation impacted? Yes. Did we know it was hurricane season? Yes. Were we a bit stressed? Yes. Did we have to abandon some of our set plans? Yes. Did we still have a good time? Yes. It must be stressful but look for the good. Life is easier that way. Good luck.
    1 point
  28. Whether or not this is a fan site, it is clearly a site dedicated to RCCL and thus is guaranteed to have some bias. I'm sure we all try to be fair, but this site is not called "Unbiased objective observations of all ocean cruise lines blog." We clearly are coming in to this ready to provide RCCL the benefit of the doubt when possible. Now when someone decides to join said site for (apparently) the express purpose of complaining about Royal's reaction to a bad situation, what are we to think? Said person didn't ask opinions, or whether we thought there was anything they could do to make things more to their liking. All I saw were complaints, nothing but venting. So we know nothing about the person complaining, no familiarity or other previous contact. The company that is the target of the complaint, however, we all know well enough to be members of a blog dedicated to said company. How exactly is this supposed to go any other way than it did? If anything I'm impressed by the restraint shown by the members trying to defend RCCL. Far more restraint than the sarcasm soaked response given to them. Regardless, I wish the poster good luck with the situation. We have all had those moments in our lives, anybody who says they don't understand the frustration shown. I would only ask that a more constructive conversation or course of action be considered in the future. And paragraphs would be helpful as well.
    1 point
  29. Also, they are on different schedules. Don't expect them to open at the same time.
    1 point
  30. February/March is usually when they become available.
    1 point
  31. I can understand your frustration...you planned what looks like a great vacation and are eager to get it started, but things are kind of up in the air with what the situation will be like in a few weeks. Your cruise is not for another 3-4 weeks. A lot can change between now and then. The Port of Key West has already reopened. In Royal Caribbean's defense, I'm not sure what you want them to do that they reallistically can do. They cannot predict what the state of affairs will be in a few weeks, nor can they give you any 100% reassurances that your cruise will or will not occur. My advice is to take a step back, and not worry about things until you're much closer in. Perhaps 1-2 weeks away you can start looking around at the state of the airport, hotels, and the port itself. With a mid October cruise, you're just too far away to start worrying yourself over this. That's just plain false.
    1 point
  32. What!!! No way! that's awesome! :D I know another couple from the Periscopers group that will be joining as well. #HoneymoonCrashersCruise2017
    1 point
  33. I haven't been on Majesty yet, but based on what I've read and what I remember from her sister ship the Monarch, there's no real difference. It's one big two-story dining hall spanning Decks 3 and 4. You enter on whichever deck you're assigned to. Not sure if they break it up by time or just put you wherever your party size happens to fit when tables are assigned. Menus and everything else are the same. I think the chairs are different colors, but that's about it for differences.
    1 point
  34. You are not alone on that one ..... I think we're all cyber-stalkers of our favorite ship ..... I know I am, guilty as charged when it comes to Grandeur OTS.
    1 point
  35. Enjoy the relaxing! I'm a Disneyaholic who has been to Disney 13 times. My kid's got lots of pics... they were built into the touring plan lol! We opened the park and closed the park (and never went back for the nap!) I will tell you that my first sea day on vision in 2015 was one of the best days of my life. I was on vacation and sitting in my chair with nothing else to do but read a book, wave to my teens and drink my frosty beverage. I've never been so relaxed in my whole life. I loved the 4 ports and excursions that gave my teens something to do, but mostly I just enjoyed enjoying the ship and the meals and the relaxation. I have found and treasured those relaxing times on both cruises since. Remember that you just can't do everything, so don't worry about it and do only what you want to! I can't wait to read all about your trip! Jane
    1 point
  36. You folks MUST post a group photo!
    1 point
  37. No problem. I've noticed that, at least for Mediterranean / Adriatic cruises, they seem to have some better offerings than what Royal has (either in terms of length or port selection). Not so sure about their US itineraries, as I haven't really looked. But I did notice that with Celebrity, Bermuda cruises seem to always be 7-night offerings instead of the more typical 5 that Royal offers. On the flip side, Celebrity's offerings for Scandinavia seem to pale in comparison to what Royal offers, at least with regard to Norway and especially Iceland offerings. I'm considering a couple of those Mediterranean options myself for a 50th birthday trip; I'd like to bring the kids, though, and they'd have to be cool with being on a ship that doesn't cater to teens so much. Of course, those are really port-intensive trips and the lack of on-ship amenities for the younger set might not be as big a deal to them vs. being able to see those locations. Bummer that Celebrity doesn't sail out of Baltimore. It's definitely a nice plus having a cruise port with offerings you want to take real close to your home!
    1 point
  38. JLMoran

    Drink Cards

    Not as old as you guys, but still got to enjoy plenty of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; Jethro Tull; Moody Blues; Crosby, Stills, and Nash; and more as a kid.
    1 point
  39. rjac

    Drink Cards

    I get to explain what Woodstock was and what it was like!
    1 point
  40. jce2

    Drink Cards

    I have that as a button! Of course once I had someone spot it and exclaim "Really? You got to see xxxx, yyy, and zzzz?" (three groups I never heard of!). I had to explain what Fleetwood Mac, Moody Blues, Pink Floydd and others were!
    1 point
  41. CGTLH

    Oasis Teen Compass

    Check out this Compass, starting on page 19. Sure something newer might exist, I just know it exists in this one. https://issuu.com/hochmania/docs/merged.compressed_7208cf1f53160b/19
    1 point
  42. Matt

    Oasis Teen Compass

    The regular compass includes some teen only events
    1 point
  43. KLA

    Alternate to St. Thomas

    Before Maria hit, Allure was originally scheduled as San Juan and Labadee (after a couple itinerary changes) ... I'm kind of surprised we didn't keep Labadee as well and head to Cozumel and Labadee. Excited to check out Costa Maya now, though. Krazy Lobster, here we come!
    1 point
  44. melski94

    Oasis Teen Compass

    I don't have a teen compass. There will be teen only flowrider, rock climbing, basketball games, scavenger hunts, trivia, etc. The biggest thing for the teens is to be there the first night. They will do get to know you games and from there the teens sort themselves into groups. My teens rarely did any of the teen sponsored activities but used the teen club as a meeting place for their new friends. We've always cruised during Spring Break in March and there are a ton of other teens for them to meet.
    1 point
  45. I haven't been on Majesty, but my guess is one is for My Time Dining and the other for Traditional Dining? Paging @iamjohnbamber
    1 point
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