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Last year was our first year back cruising after the Pandemic. Cruising is the only vacation I care to do. It had been post poned 2 times because of the pandemic. We are the type that that books and pays a year in advance. We pack in advance and are a little OCD about making sure we have everything we need to have. We get to our airlines 2 hours early even though we are in a tiny airport in ICT. The night before we were supposed to leave, we get a call from RC saying the hurricane is messing things up and we were going to lose a day. SAD but okay. Then an hour later another call from RC they booked us FIRST CLASS on the new airline for the following day. COOL. I wore a sundress with NOTHING under it and crocks. I wanted that first picture to be great. We had so much fun flying first class and drinking Mimosas at 5 in the morning. We fly to Georgia and are so frikin excited and happy. Have another mimosa and talk to some other passengers that were also cruising for the first time since pandemic. We were sad about losing a day but after 3 years we didn't care at all~ Get to Florida and both of hubby's bags come right away. Then my smaller bag comes. and we wait and wait and wait. And wait and wait and wait. I get near the flap where the luggage comes out and hear voices and yell into there I'm missing my bag. Guy yells back says check baggage claim as that was all he had. I go to baggage claim and start the process. I am in there for an hour while they call Georgia. bla bla bla at some point the guy in baggage claim says I should run to walmart to get stuff. I didn't know what was in each bag other than my shoes were in the bigger bag. Meanwhile, RC representatives to drive us to the pier are saying we gotta go.... We make the decision to go on. Have the numbers for luggage info and baggage claim has our ship number and that is about I can do at that point. We get to our state room. Both hubby's bags are there. Now my one and only bag isn't there. I am melting down now. It is really ugly. I went to customer service and GOD bless that lady I pray for her daily! She got me 2 white extra large shirts and a toiletries bag to get me started. The entire cruise she called daily to see if my suitcase came on a plain. (ALWAYS have your DECK TAGS on your luggage) By night time my one suitcase showed up. I realized I had no shoes and no tooth powder (dentures -gotta get them to stay in put) I had 1 formal dress and a swimsuit and socks and undies 3 pair of shorts and shirts so I could get buy. Most nights in the evening I just walked around in socks. 1st nigh tof dinner I had my newly given WHITE tee shirt and hubby's black swim shorts and black crocks to eat dinner in the MDR. I felt so under dressed. Hubby to break the ice told everyone he had been trying to get me out of my panties for years When we were in Plya I found come cool tennis shoes that I wear a lot now so I could have something other than crocks. We had a fantabulious cruize. But I especially want people to know that RC guest services will go over and above what they can when they can. she called me every day with a new status. NOW-I never got my 2nd suitcase until a month after we were home and the suitcase was beat the hell up . I got all my clothes back and all my new makeup I had just bougnt for that cruise. bUT Delta also bought us new luggage. Lesson learned. Wear tennis shoes on plain and split between suitcases . One swimsuit in each suitcase. thanks like that. If it hadn't been for my lady in RC GS I might have pouted the whole cruise.

Towel buddies all lined up for self-assist departure tomorrow morning. Dudes, gonna need a bigger bag to get you through customs.

Another strategy is mixing clothes with your travel partner. Put some of their clothes in your luggage, put some of your clothes in their luggage. Next time it might be your travel partner that has a lost bag. By mixing stuff between both of you at least you both have something.

Did a quick 2.5 hours ashore in Victoria. Not enough time to really explore, but fine for a nice walk to the wharf and a crab fight. Came back to a Genie gift. Carved wood salad serving set with Tligit style eagles on the handles. Awesome! It's really is a personalized gift -- Yen knew I loved cooking. Her two other cabins got different, equally well thought out gifts. I spent some time looking for some sort of a Tligit raven to take home that piqued my fancy (no joy -- eagles everywhere). In Tligit mythology, the raven is the one who releases mankind from a clam shell. The raven is also a notorious trickster. I like the raven. Eagle is beautiful, but raven is me. A lot of Tligit art has raven, man and clam on one side... and all the other animal spirits on the other having a, "WTF did you do, raven?" moment of stern stares.

We just got home from our cruise and I can now honestly say I now know why everyone loves to share their experience with Star Class! To sum up our trip all I can say is that we were pleasantly surprised. Our embarkation was a bit delayed. We heard (rumor) that some fool jumped off the ship to avoid being arrested upon arrival in Galveston ! We found our star class agents in the terminal who quickly got us onboard. We had to wait for our cabin to be ready so we had lunch at ck. Our genie Alan was amazing. He was there for everything and we found the whole experience to be stress free. Trust me when I say they take care of everything snd make your journey special. We booked a star loft suite and really appreciated the sheer size of the cabin and balcony. We loved that it had 2 bathrooms. The wifi worked great and we were able to stream all our music via the sound bar that sounded amazing. The food! We dined at central park and Giovanni's twice and once at Chops. The service was excellent all all venues. My favorite meal was the lobster at Chops! We ordered room service for breakfast in our cabin every morning but some of the hot entrees were a bit cold when delivered. We never visited wj so I can't comment about that. The hot dogs and pizza were really good after a night of drinking lol! When they told us we had the UDP I thought how much can one person possibly drink in a day but boy we enjoyed that perk! Starbucks and the smoothies at the vitality spa! The lavender daiquiri was delish! I can't believe how many bars are on that ship. We enjoyed Mamma Mia and the comedy show but found the Blue Planet a bit odd and confusing. Another perk that we used several times was the laundry. I think that this is a very underrated perk. We sent our clothes out a few times and had our shirts pressed. They always delivered our clothes back the next day. A few things we didn't like about our cruise was how crowded the pools and hot tubs were. We enjoyed the suite deck but it was a bit of a pain to have to go down a deck and then back up again. I would have loved a small pool on deck 17! The whole genie experience was wonderful and I enjoyed the front rows seats and drinks as we sat down. Alan was very kind and considerate and I looked forward to seeing his smiling face. The express elevator rides were a big plus too! Im not sure we would book star class again based on the cost but think sky class might be a better fit for us. One tip I would like to share is that we ended up tipping our genie via zelle instead of cash. We only needed cash for tips at bars and our loft attendants and of course the casino lol. We look forward to our next cruise!

Day 7 - Victoria BC Brief update since I’m still doing it, but ship docked at 1700 and hit the gangway at 1730. Immediately got on the path that follows the harbor counter-clockwise. Er, Canada. ANTI-clockwise. About 8 or 9 minutes into walkies hit Fisherman’s Wharf, which was bustling. OK… must check out. Oh, seafood shack with local beer flights? I’m in. Unfortunately, there was a very obnoxious 2lb Dungeness crab in a tank talking smack. FOB kinda attitude. So we had it out. Armed with the mallet of goodness, taught the miscreant a lesson. And I swear, the deadly goose from Vancouver found me again. Just creepily staring me down If you want to brutalize a Dungee, don’t dally. The Fish Store (aka the place with crab) starts rolling up the carpet around 1830. Glad I did it first thing off the ship.

Disembarking (with a Genie) is pretty damn near magical. Seriously, at least 50% of the value of having a Genie is how friction-less they make everything. I used the old "go up to go down" trick to get down to deck 5 with my two bags to meet our Genie at the Shore Excursion desk. I'm glad that one still works. We (all of Yen's charges) bypassed the entirety of disembarking drama and parted ways when we reached the CBP checkpoint. Taxi rank was about 20 minutes. Not bad. Another 15 to the Lotte hotel with a lovely driver who moved here 15 years ago. She was sweet. At Lotte, dropped my bags at the entry bell desk, checked in at the 16th floor reception, and got another winner of an FH&R room upgrade. Decor here is all Philippe Starck, but a little more marble-y than any of the other hotels he's done. Still, pushes my buttons in a happy way. Lotte is a South Korean hotel brand, and they definitely have already shown an APAC level of excellence US hotels forgot a couple of decades ago. Immediately left the hotel to be a tourist. Pike Place Market is a ~13 minute walk away. Caveat: I'm all legs. I've been there before, so quick advice: yes, it's touristy as all get out. No, it is NOT a junky tourist trap. There are fantastic eateries, fantastic meat, spice, tea and produce markets... high-end cutlery, local artist stalls... and (of course) a wide selection of tourist trinkets and clothing. The surrounding 3-4 blocks are also all packed with a wealth of choices for all of the above. I went for crab cakes and a couple of pints of one of my favorite Elysium IPAs (local beer) at Lowell's. We get Elysium in SF too, but they have a giant selection on tap here. Yay! Followed Pike's up with a little retail therapy. Went to the Pendleton store for a couple of shirts, and then some very important kitchen supplies:

I saw this at my local dollar tree over the weekend and thought it would be a great door decoration for anyone sailing Star Class:

Glad your story ended pretty well! I must admit when I first started reading your story…that sentence about the sundress piqued my attention!!! I had to keep reading!

here is ours

Don't mix my wasabi into the soy sauce? How dare they?!

I guess miracles do happen - even with the current prices ! I just got a fare refund on a casino comp that I upgraded (again). The upgrade cabin category was actually cheaper than the original upgrade booking and to my amazement, they actually refunded the difference ! I figured they would upgrade me at no cost but I never EVER thought they would actually refund me the difference. This is for the 8-20-23 sailing on Wonder. This is Dan's annual tier comp. We had originally upgraded our "regular" interior to a Central Park interior view (never been in this category before) but today the Central Park balcony (a "629" double balcony) was actually cheaper than the CP interior so I called and changed rooms and will get $98 back ! WOOHOO !

AC never works in 666. Heat is always on high

I do all the wrong things…too bad. I always mix my wasabi into the soy sauce and I love getting the rice soaked with soy sauce (and wasabi !).

Mine opened last September for this May. 6 to 8 weeks is waaaay off. Check everyday.

I always tip $1 per drink minimum, even if it is bottled water with my drink package.

I started tracking Quantum's 7 day menus once they arrived in Canada/Alaska last week as I have 2 weeks booked later this summer and also want to figure out where I want to make specialty reservations. Last week it was: 1-Welcome Aboard, 2-France, 3-Mexico, 4-Caribbean, 5-Italy, 6-Royal, 7-Bon Voyage This week it is 1-Welcome Aboard, 2-France, 3-Asia, 4-Italy, 5-USA, 6-Royal, 7-Bon Voyage so days 3, 4, and 5 differ from the previous week and 2 of them are completely different menus. Am going to continue tracking for curiosity's sake...

To hedge my bets, if we're taking more than one suitcase I divide it so we each have clothes in each suitcase in case one gets lost. If they all get lost, well it wasn't meant to be

Most corporate VPN works fine on Voom but there is always a possibility one may not. Perhaps you can book time off work and try it for one cruise while officially off from work. Satellite internet is far from perfect. Ship wifi is farther from perfect. No one here knows how your corporate IT has configured your company VPN. I've worked often from ships. My work load can usually be time shifted. When I had important meetings I would schedule them for port days so I had cellular as a backup. I sometimes had to use cellular. Ship internet will have some hiccups and outages. Murphy's law will cause an outage right when you need the internet the most.

We were with you at CocoCay yesterday on Wonder. I booked Icon the day it was released. Our plain old balcony was $200 LESS than this Wonder we just did that I booked 14 months ago. Bottom line: you’ve got to book as early as possible.

also, apparently i cannot tell time or dates apart because the man that the FBI apprehended for videoing people in the bathroom off the pool deck WAS ON OUR SAILING. https://gizmodo.com/royal-caribbean-hidden-camera-jeremy-froias-cruise-1850419657 i'm trying to remember how often i used that bathroom and am hoping i diverted back to our own cabin for the majority of it.... okay UPDATE. apparently it was the bathroom aft near the flowrider, which we never used. there is a form you can fill out on the FBI's page if you were affected by this. HOW WILD.

Hello my peeps! I missed you all and am sorry to have been missing in action. I did not have internet access this cruise. Lots to tell you all, including a Royal celebrity sighting. Forgive me, I am just exhausted from herding cats all week. I promise a lengthy post later.

The “surprise” in-cabin lunch was both fantastic and overwhelming. 3 level cart shows up. OK. They put 3 covered dishes on the cabin dining table. Smells awesome! Cool Then they unload the second level of the cart. My eyebrow goes up. More? Then they unload the 3rd level. Dear god. Table is totally covered with food. Then the plates and silverware for 4 people (I’m solo). I’m beginning to think I’m being pranked. So, view of lunch facing our wake: No description of the food as it was unloaded onto the table, but I’m decent at IDing grub, so here goes: Crispy Filipino lechon (pork belly) with a dipping sauce I’m pretty sure was soy sauce, vinegar, green onion and a little cane sugar. Adobo chicken drumsticks. Adobo-ish pork (only meh thing). On the Indian side: Chicken tikka masala Vegetable basmati Chana masala Raita and a bunch of papadums.

Oops - forgot to mention the lifeboat drill this morning. They actually took down every lifeboat on starboard side and drove them around the harbor.

From the other viewpoint, I have been on three chartered cruises. Two of the three were two of the best cruises I've ever been on. Mine were music cruises. You have all the trappings of a regular cruise (food, ports, casino, ect), except all of the on board entertainment, with the exception of comedians, is replaced by your special interest. In my cases, it was called Ships and Dips and featured the 90s rock band the Barenaked Ladies. None of those stuffy music, dancing, and singing shows that bore me to tears. Just great music from 20 or more acts all over the ship from about 10 AM til about 3 AM every day. For my brothers and me it is/was the best of both worlds. I do think the "offending cruise line" should be very generous with it's compensation in these cases. Very generous to the point of someone like the OP from this thread coming on a website like this to say "we were displaced and received a 50% refund, were rebooked on a similar trip with room upgrades and reduced drink packages, and any cancellation/change fees from our airline would be paid by them"... or something similar. This OP's post, is one of the few, perhaps the first, of these drive by "rants" that actually has merit to it... at least that I can remember.

For an infrequent or first time cruiser this may very well have been a trip of a lifetime. In this case the Odyssey itinerary the week that was chartered was more rare and not offered on a regular basis. That's extra salt rubbed in the wound. I argue it's quite sad that the practice of dumping guests has become so common place that regular cruisers have become normalized to it. "Oh well, dumped by Royal again". The OP's rant is well deserved by Royal and other cruise lines that do the same. They wouldn't have an agenda were it not for being poorly treated in the first place.

I agree! I was able to book 8+ months out on my last 2 PDCC trips. 6-8 weeks just isn’t correct at all.

Lost luggage: been there - done that, and our sympathies. One suggestion: if you have Apple phones, purchase Air Tags. Air Tags are four for $89 on Amazon. When you arrive with no luggage, you will at least know "where" the luggage sits. If it is not going to make it in time for boarding, you might have a chance to do some shopping for necessities. Plus you can have a base of knowledge when dealing with the airline claims people - who usually can give you some toiletries and maybe some clothing. For us, Air Tags saved the day when I was able to tell cruise ship employees that one piece of luggage had still not been loaded on board ship prior to a delayed departure for a 14-day cruise. The luggage was found still on the pier! Combine this with the prior tips of splitting clothing in luggage, your stress level will decline (although not go away). The earlier tip about splitting credit cards among pockets and travelers can also be critical. For us, spouse carries two cards and I carry two different cards.

Normally I would think that I can just wear Mrs. Cake's clothes if my suitcase is lost but now that I think about it she can't wear my clothes, so I think mixing clothes between the suitcases is best.

340 DAYS! Can we start packing LOL!

I don’t speak as a business person, just a standard WiFi user. Anthem has been horrific with starlink, worse than when it was Voom. I was just on Oasis and the WiFi was as close to perfect as can be, even in my forward ov cabin. The Diamond lounge was spotty after 11pm, I was not in there earlier to do a comparison. Symphony was very good. The smaller ships Grandeur and enchantment were not so great. Radiance was very good. For reference my idea of very hood is being able to go downloads, open web pages, send and receive emails, FaceTime or WhatsApp with family around midnight.

We have some from there as well, we put magnets on the back and use them both on the door and in our room.

Glad you had a great time! I know you're getting Harmony in Galveston and I wouldn't fly if you don't have to (I won't even drive 3 hours to Ft. Lauderdale b/c PC is only an hour away but that's just personal preference). That said, check out the suite area on Wonder if you haven't. They created a "suite neighborhood" where all the GS's & OS's are located aft right by the SL/CK and, most importantly based on your above comment, the suite sun deck is also right there in the aft and it does have a small pool with some loungers that sit in shallow water. We'll be in our 2nd ever suite on Wonder in 20 days (a GS courtesy of my generous FIL) and are very much looking forward to the layout. That said, we had an amazing time in a GS on Harmony last May/June too, the changes on Wonder are just a bonus.

SC is an awesome experience. We enjoyed them very much, esp the free laundry service. I thought we would always cruise SC but want to try different ships/ rooms and there are only so many SC rooms for a family of 5. I think sky class might also be our “suite” spot

I went to the May 21 sailing on Wonder and I see the Menu nights as follows Welcome Aboard Taste of Italy Taste of France Taste of Mexico Taste of Caribbean Royal night Bon Voyage

A Google search will show the email for the ceo. Click Here I’m wide awake at my normal time of 330 am but have the day off, so I have time to be curious about your post. It’s rather vague in the way that most complaining posts are so I have questions. Was there a chartered cruise called Nightmare of the Seas? Was it a Halloween charter? What happened to make it a complete disaster? or Did something happen on a regular cruise that made you rename the ship “Nightmare”? If so, what happened? To me, the phrase “complete disaster” brings images of suffering, injuries, and loss, however I know everyone is different. I also know that after disappointment, people will use phrases like this to put an exclamation point on their dissatisfaction. So please, tell me more.

If you're driving and want something different, consider Staten Island (we stumbled onto the idea during Boy Scout camping trip) - Hampton Inn and Suites Staten Island, New York Hotel (hilton.com) (free basic breakfast, perfect for pre-cruise) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/ewrsigi-hilton-garden-inn-new-york-staten-island/ (no free breakfast, unusual for this brand) We used Staten Island Ferry for a day in Manhattan. Then super-easy ~20 min drive over the Bayonne Bridge. Also some great pizza nearby - Joe & Pat's Pizzeria And Restaurant | Staten Island, New York (joeandpatsny.com) Denino's Pizzeria & Tavern | 718-442-9401 (deninossi.com) And if the season is right (they shut down) - Ralph's Italian Ices & Ice Cream, 501 Port Richmond Ave (near Denino's)

VAT in Barcelona is 21%, so yes those figures are accurate.

On a recent cruise I asked a CD about Mama Mia and was told that it is the most popular show on RC and they don't foresee an end to it anytime soon. Made my wife happy as she loves that show and is looking forward to our Allure cruise in September.

This is rough. Anyone who has read my drivel has probably noticed I don't feel a need to be exactly linear on timelines. So, here goes: Day 5 - Juneau Did the "Last Frontier Food Tour" Because I'm a lazy douchebag, here's the rain-soaked itinerary I've cobbled together: Started at Taku Smokeries, and nibbled on what are called smoked salmon wings. Near as I can tell, it's belly salmon meat. Small, tasty bites. Be prepared to smell like smoked salmon from that point on. Next up, Tracy's King Crab Shack. This is the one of the two places you want to go to be fed if you do Juneau on your own. Had king crab bisque, a world-class mini crab cake and a salted roll. I'll abbreviate and mostly ignore the rest. The stop that competed with Tracy's was Deckhand Dave's for rockfish tacos. It's a food truck atmosphere and the beer and rockfish tacos there pleased everyone. As always, I mostly eat food... rather than photograph it. Also visited Harbor Spice & Tea, Crystal Saloon for a blueberry mojito, and got a half pound of fudge. 2.5 hours of assorted food and drink, but doesn't equal a meal. Worth doing, but if you only have time to do one thing: make it Tracy's King Crab Shack.

Costa Maya is one of my favorite ports. Maybe OP gets offended/uncomfortable seeing the "slums". Personally it humbles me and makes me thankful that I can spend thousands of dollars to board a huge ship and be waited on hand and foot -- it puts things in perspective. I'll never understand complaints like this. Short of someone on the crew yelling at me or the boat sinking, I'm probably going to have a pretty good time.

Hello? Security? May have a towel issue.

That room comes with all you can eat lava cake.

"About Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International" From: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/

I and others are still waiting to hear what's happening with our Freedom sailings in November/December 2024. They've been off the website for weeks and everything points to her doing her required dry dock in that period, including a booking at the port of Funchal in November that pretty much confirms this hypothesis. But we have yet to hear anything from Royal and those who contacted them have essentially been given the run-around, which is not fair because it prevents you from making alternative arrangements far enough in advance that the prices are still reasonable. Obviously it's way too far out for anyone to have air booked yet but, even so, a couple of the apparently affected sailings are holidays sailings that will be extremely difficult to replace closer in. I used to work in tourism and the one thing we held as gospel was always to keep our guests informed. Even if you have nothing new to tell them, you go and tell them precisely that, and you keep doing it until you do have some news for them. Nothing stirs up a beehive of discontent more than people feeling they are being ignored and disrespected.

In the case of a charter the typical offer is 3 or 4 cruises where you are price protected, some minor OBC or a full refund. The problem can be the dates may not work for you and for folks in suites often the suites on alternate dates are already booked. Cabin choice can be poor. I've yet to be able to take advantage of the alternate dates offered or my suites have been unavailable so I always end up with a refund. One was a Star Class booking and there are only two cabins of that type. They were booked on any date that could work for me so Royal's answer was tough luck, so sorry, here's a refund now get lost.

Couldn't be ChatGPT. It's actually articulate. Edit: Le ChatGPT Rant. Not providing the prompt, though it's rather simple. From GPT-3.5 (the free-to-use model). Hey fellow cruisers, I need to vent about the absolutely infuriating experience I recently had with Royal Caribbean. Brace yourselves because this is one rant you won't want to miss! So, here's the deal: I had been eagerly anticipating a dream vacation to the Greek Isles on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I meticulously planned, saved up, and counted down the days, only to have my dreams crushed when the company decided to cancel our cruise to charter the ship to a private group. Can you believe the audacity?! Let me start by saying that I understand chartering happens occasionally. However, it's how Royal Caribbean handled the situation that has left me fuming. They couldn't have cared less about their loyal customers who had booked and paid for this cruise months in advance. It's like they waved a dismissive hand, saying, "Sorry, but we've got bigger fish to fry." First and foremost, communication was abysmal. I received a generic email, buried in my inbox, informing me of the cancellation. No personalized apology, no explanation, nothing! I was expected to accept their decision and move on as if my vacation plans were insignificant. Well, let me tell you, they were anything but insignificant to me! What really irks me is that Royal Caribbean clearly prioritized profit over customer satisfaction. Instead of valuing us, the ones who have been loyal to them, they sold out to this private group. I understand that money talks, but what about the people who have supported the company all these years? Do we not matter anymore? It's not just the cancellation that angered me; it's the lack of compensation or alternatives. Sure, they offered a refund, but that doesn't make up for the countless hours I spent planning and researching this trip. And what about the emotional toll this has taken? The disappointment and frustration of having your long-awaited vacation yanked away without any meaningful explanation? It's simply unacceptable! To add salt to the wound, Royal Caribbean had the audacity to suggest that we book another cruise at a discounted rate. Are they serious? They expect me to trust them again after this colossal letdown? They think a few dollars off will miraculously heal the wounds they inflicted? No, thank you! I'll take my business elsewhere. I used to be a staunch advocate for Royal Caribbean, always recommending them to friends and family. But after this experience, they have lost a customer for life. There are plenty of other cruise lines out there that value their patrons and wouldn't dare pull such a stunt. So, fellow cruisers, beware of Royal Caribbean's lack of respect for their customers. They may seem enticing with their glossy brochures and tempting itineraries, but when push comes to shove, they'll ditch you in a heartbeat for a private group. Let's use our voices and make it clear that we deserve better treatment and transparency from the companies we choose to support. Thanks for listening to my rant. Together, let's hold Royal Caribbean accountable and ensure they learn from this disgraceful act.

Door decorations are very fun for us. As we're approaching our room, we recognize we're getting close, just by seeing the countdown of other recognized door decorations in our hallway. Back in 2016, we were gifted a door magnet with our names on it. We've never since been on a ship without it. This magnet was sold by an internet blog site of our past. I would like to see such a magnet available from this site. @Matt We add other things to our door decor as we travel. Funny too... We cruised with our Son recently. He was in a different cabin, so we hung a magnetic note pad on our door so we could keep in touch if the wi-fi didn't work. Never did he have an occasion to use this note pad, but other random folks would occasionally leave us a nice note. That was fun too.