NS8VN

Remember that the reason it is such a big deal and such an uproar is that it so rarely happens so close to the set sail date.  If it frequently happened only 8 months before the sailing date it would have been met with "sorry this happened, it sucks, but it's fairly common" rather than outrage.  It is far more likely to happen over a year in advance, as the cruise line wants to cancel as few people as possible and the chartering company wants time to fill the ship.
I do encourage you to continue reading here and learn more about cruising before going, a lot of tips and knowledge are on this site and forum that can help things go smoothly.  Trip insurance is also worth considering.  A lot of things can happen and with a cruise any delays in travel can potentially scrub the entire trip.

That jumped out at me.  Having a dock versus tendering absolutely affects the vacation experience, otherwise they wouldn't be putting one in.  It's one thing to have to delay opening the dock cough-again-cough but that line is just a flat out lie, and a completely unnecessary one to boot.

You missed a word out so i kindly corrected it for you ? 

The Questions page does not appear to have been updated in over a year.  I would suggest asking questions on the board, then Matt as well as anybody else who might have an insight can weigh in.

As per Matt's recent perfect day at CocoCay podcast, he stated he'd love to do a cost analysis of a weekend cruise vs the same weekend at WDW.
ROYAL PERFECT DAY CRUISE
I picked a 3 night cruise (Nov 1 to 4) on Navigator of the Seas, balcony room. Family of four (2 adults 2 kids).
Base price: $2121.40
Tips: $174.00
Waterpark cabana (includes waterpark admission): $684. (I averaged out the high and the low prices from the official prices).
GRAND TOTAL: $2979.40

WDW
3 nights, Port Orleans Riverside
Disney Dining plan (regular)
3 day Park hopper plus water park tickets
GRAND TOTAL: $3097.68

You could tweak the numbers with Ultimate Dining plan for Royal, or just buying a waterpark annual pass for WDW (or add a WDW cabana at the waterpark), but I think this is a fair comparison.

As expected, Sharla and her supervisor did their magic since my cruise cancellation, and put on hold the exact same room on Mariner. Same week, same port, just one day fewer. They are now talking with Royal to see about price matching back to when i booked my original cruise, as I shouldn't be paying more for one less day through no fault of my own.

Best case scenario it all works out, and we end up with an extra day before our cruise. Hopefully my girls will be as accepting of this result as I will be.

You know, across multiple websites I am well known for being an "apologist" for cruise lines or resorts when it comes to their changing itineraries or other such changed due to weather or mechanical problems, even drydock delays.  Things happen and sometimes people get a bit too worked up over something out of everyone's control.  Even with the recent Coco Cay to Miami change that was talked about I didn't think anyone was overreacting as it appears to be a problem of RCCL's own doing, but I was still trying to find some positive thing to say for the company.
This is soooooo not that case.  To cancel multiple cruises with only 8 months to go because someone else wanted the boats?  Unbelievable.  We book cruises well in advance to get the best rate, we book airfare sometimes 8-9 months in advance to get it squared way.  This isn't a hurricane, this isn't a rudder breaking, this isn't some workers' strike somewhere that is affecting them, this is them choosing to tell hundreds of people to get off their boats so they can charter it out instead.
Quite honestly this has soured my take on RCCL.  Their response to @alamode123 will be on my mind after I take my first cruise with them in a few months (gee, hopefully they don't cancel it).  I have really been hoping this could be a company I could plant my flag and show some loyalty to as we enter a phase of our lives where cruising regularly becomes an option.  But is Royal going to be loyal to their own customers, or are they willing to stab them in the back for the right price?
I hope for the best alamode123, keep us informed.

Here's my email to RCCL customer service and the CEO:

Dear RCL;

Last August I wanted to surprise my twin 15-year-old daughters for their Grade 8 graduation and booked a 5 night Navigator of the Seas cruise out of Miami (Reservation #XXXXXX). I love researching our vacation, so I made sure and got a ship with a corner Large Panorama room, room 1864, which is oversized, on the corner of the ship, and amazing looking. 

We watched endless hours on Youtube of Miami (since we've never been), the ship (which we've never been on) and all the ports (especially Labadee, which looks amazing). Since its our March Break in Toronto, I booked the flights extra early, as soon as they were available, one day before our cruise and two days afterwards. 

Once I realized that Navigator will be coming out of drydock shortly before our cruise, we were even more excited. We watched even more Youtube videos about Mariner of the Seas' recent refurb and were hoping that the laser tag, the Skypad and the Bamboo Room would be included in our sailing. I even booked a beach bungalow and the Ultimate Dining Package, though I had to scrimp a bit more in our monthly budget.

Then yesterday, I got the news that you cancelled my cruise for a charter. Basically, from my point of view, you screwed over everyone currently booked on this and two other cruises because you had a better offer.

A 5-night cruise may not be huge to you, but I'm a widowed single father of three teenagers, and every dollar counts. I can't change the dates of our cruise to the options you gave me, since it's March break, and my girls will be out of school. I can't change my flights and go somewhere else, as the cancellation fees alone are $200/person/flight, and you'll only pay that if we rebook. Plus, because it's March Break, every flight has doubled in price, as have every cruise.

So I have two extremely pissed off teenagers and around $2000 of flights I can't change. And you're offering me $100 onboard credit? Really? 

What I would like, if at all possible, is for you to book us on the March 11, 2019 Mariner of the Seas cruise at the rate it was when I booked Navigator last August. It would be one less day of cruising, but I think it's the best I can do under the situation YOU created. Plus, I think my daughters and I deserve an actual apology for all the hardship you've created. Again, it's not a life or death situation, but I scrimp and save in order to afford vacations, and I shouldn't have them add stress to my life and expenses I wasn't planning on. My daughters shouldn't be crying and I shouldn't lose a night's sleep because RCL wanted a few extra dollars at the expense of their customers.


I await your prompt response.

Paul Cyopick

I was on Liberty recently and she has received the new cabins in her last refit.  I stayed in one of them.  I didn't feel the crowds more than any other ship.  I was on Freedom (some new cabins), Indy (before refit) and Liberty (most new cabins) all within 3 months of each other.  I never noted one feeling more or less crowded.  
People were complaining about the new cabins even before the refit began.  With that seed planted people will notice it when as you have indicated even on other ships on sea days the best loungers are taken (often by chair hogs - an increasing problem) or the Windjammer can be busy at peak times.  Muster seems packed on any ship but with people looking for crowds they find them in places they have always been.
Some people are overstating the numbers suggesting 500 more people.  To reach that every new cabin would need almost 5 passengers per cabin.  That's the exception, not the average.
If I started a rumor that deck 8 smelled like popcorn all the time there would be some that would board the ship and confirm the "terrible presence of popcorn smell at all hours". 
Go with an open mind and decide for yourself.  I'll be booking Indy soon and look forward to the changes.  
Any cruise is what you make it.  My virtual balcony didn't work that great on Explorer.  I could dwell on that and let it ruin the cruise or I could choose to move past it and not let it get to me.  Stuff happens in life everyday, on a ship and on on land.  For almost everyone who has experienced a mediocre cruise they themselves have played a role in that outcome. 

@JLMoran -- I thought of you when I saw this.

kind of thought that but had to ask. So, no Eagles flying around with cell antennae. Pretty sure I'll go with a Voom drink package

Person was injured on the job and then later fired because the company claimed the injury prevented her from doing her job.  I won't comment on the judgement amount, it will most likely come down upon appeal, but I wouldn't call this as frivolous as filing as suit against McD's for overcharging 30 cents on a burger.

That jumped out at me.  Having a dock versus tendering absolutely affects the vacation experience, otherwise they wouldn't be putting one in.  It's one thing to have to delay opening the dock cough-again-cough but that line is just a flat out lie, and a completely unnecessary one to boot.

It's pretty much a worldwide norm for customs and/or agriculture to not allow food like that to enter or leave the country. It's one thing to bring packaged foods; it's another thing entirely to bring fresh foods.

The money going towards upgrades should not be negatively affecting the stock price unless they are taking on large amounts of debt to finance them and/or investors feel that the upgrades are losing propositions.  I don't think either is the situation, I believe (without looking at their finances) they are paying for these upgrades mostly through money they have and I think these upgrades are positive improvements to investors.  I think this is related to an overall market adjustment for cruise lines, as @twangster showed with CCL and NCL.  Rather, I would say if someone were looking to invest in a cruise line RCCL might be one worth further study right now with the Perfect Day project looking to (theoretically) increase revenue over the next few years.
Please keep in mind I am not at this time an investment advisor and am not offering investment advice.  This is my standard CYA statement when I talk about money.

Person was injured on the job and then later fired because the company claimed the injury prevented her from doing her job.  I won't comment on the judgement amount, it will most likely come down upon appeal, but I wouldn't call this as frivolous as filing as suit against McD's for overcharging 30 cents on a burger.

I'm not at all a fan of forced arbitration. From the handful of leaked or very-after-the-fact reports I've seen on these things (because remember, it's also under a non-disclosure agreement where neither party is allowed to speak publicly about what happened or what was agreed to), it always works out in the favor of the corporation / employer / defendant, and leaves the plaintiff barely any better off than if they'd done nothing. And because it's never in the public eye / under NDA, it doesn't put the same level of scrutiny on the corporation / employer / defendant; and it's that level of scrutiny, public outcry, analysis by the press, etc. that actually ends up forcing the corporation / employer / defendant to actually make any meaningful changes that would prevent the same thing from happening again and lead to improved safety / working conditions.

Agreed! My reply wasn't meant to imply that it was frivolous. I was responding to the fact that companies are sued every day of the week as mentioned by @twangster ; I wasn't passing judgment on this case. With regards to the employee, the injury resulted in chronic pain, potential malpractice in the treatment of her injuries, lost wages, minimal disability pay, and the like resulting from trying to prevent someone from being injured by a closing door. It also appears that there may have been a safety or design flaw in the way the doors operated, allowing someone's hand to be pulled into the pocket the the door slides into if his or her hand is operating the latch/handle.
I apologize if my reply wasn't taken as such.

Person was injured on the job and then later fired because the company claimed the injury prevented her from doing her job.  I won't comment on the judgement amount, it will most likely come down upon appeal, but I wouldn't call this as frivolous as filing as suit against McD's for overcharging 30 cents on a burger.

Person was injured on the job and then later fired because the company claimed the injury prevented her from doing her job.  I won't comment on the judgement amount, it will most likely come down upon appeal, but I wouldn't call this as frivolous as filing as suit against McD's for overcharging 30 cents on a burger.

Person was injured on the job and then later fired because the company claimed the injury prevented her from doing her job.  I won't comment on the judgement amount, it will most likely come down upon appeal, but I wouldn't call this as frivolous as filing as suit against McD's for overcharging 30 cents on a burger.

Because you like cruising with RCCL?

To me, there is nothing more irritating than when Royal (and other Corps, to be fair) tells me that they are "enhancing" my experience with some new change to their policies that, invariably, do NOT enhance my experience.
The casino is famous (especially recently) for this one.  They proudly announce how much BETTER things are going to be for me when, in reality, they have made it harder for me in so many ways !
If you're changing your policy, just say so but don't try and convince me and everyone else that it's a change for my benefit.  It almost NEVER is.

Considering how many people have recently reported having Coco Cay canceled due to inability to tender b/c of wind/waves, I beg to differ with the above statement.

I think Junior Suites should be given access to suite lounge.  Maybe they can set up kid tables in the corner of suite lounge so that everyone can see "those are the junior suite people" sitting in smaller chairs at a low table.
Seriously - all that money for JS and what do you get?  A walk in closet and double points.  On a handful of ships you get Coastal kitchen dinner.  RCI needs to throw the JS people a bone.