twangster

A lot depends on the specifics of your situation.  

Depending on the cities involved and the airline there may not be any options available without additional fees.  Some airports have few daily flights and some airlines have more restrictive change policies.  Air2Sea doesn't circumvent airline policies.  So long as connections, if any, remain legal and the flight times still allow you to make the ship on time, then the flights as booked are valid.  Changes because you don't like the flight times would require fees if the airline imposes them.  

1 hour ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

I am a Canadian citizen and am able to disembark in US ports with facial recognition

If I'm not mistaken CBP facial recognition limited to US and Canadian citizens.  Some signage still reads US passport holders only.  

I've always defended @Matt when someone claimed he was being a princess.

Now I'm not so sure.

Finding an alternate port on short notice is like playing a game of musical chairs but coming to the game late after many other cruise lines are already seated.

In a perfect world they would find a berth open somewhere close to Labadee so they wouldn't have to completely redo the entire itinerary.  Cruise ships are slow.  They can't cover great distances quickly.  An available port that is too distant doesn't help them at all.  

Nassau has many berths and it's relatively close to Florida making it the best choice for some itineraries impacted by the situation in Haiti. 

In other cases Jamaica is relatively close to Labadee so if a ship was already passing by this area and Falmouth has space then it's a best choice for this situation. 

Grand Turk was developed with an investment from Carnival so they likely have priority there.  On days when it's available and if it fits due to proximity it is the best choice for some itineraries.   

The DR may work best in some cases.

Once you start looking at more distant alternate ports they would have to completely change the itinerary but given how many ships from all cruise lines are competing for ports completely re-doing an itinerary is a tall order and very disruptive to guests.  In some cases an extra sea day is the only choice. 

13 minutes ago, Jamesszy94 said:

Ah, yeah, fair enough then. I was mainly just saying that because of how many ships are in the United States that there's more route variation in a way.

Honestly, once you've been to Adelaide and Tasmania for the 194871209451294th time, like you said, it seriously gets repetitive. I guess those types of cruises aren't aimed for me. Maybe it's time to try different cruise lines that sail to more exotic destinations.

I like sailing other lines to try something different. 

Royal feels like home compared to other lines but if I never left home, home would get pretty boring. 

I don't have bad cruises on the other lines, they just don't feel like home.

Maybe it's good to try another line if for no other reason than to remind you what line suits you best.

3 minutes ago, Fastfaller said:

Ok, I looked it up. So someone has a lot of disposable income. To me the big deal isn't that someone is rich/stupid enough to buy it. The big deal is that he is leaving a $100k cup sitting on a table at a beach.

My guess is that he didn't leave it.  It was probably an Albatross around his neck.  

I wonder if a 3D printer could...

1 minute ago, Jamesszy94 said:

Carnival and P&O Australia goes to ports like Moreton Island, Fraser Island etc, and P&O goes to Fiji. P&O also goes to Norfolk Island. But what do I know.

You can't really compare ports in the United States to Australia imo, because while, yes, you still need to travel to get to other ports around the US, at least the other ports still have some variety in their itineraries. Unlike Australia where we literally only have Quantum and Ovation and they basically have identical itineraries.

 

I was comparing the markets on the basis of route stagnation, not the actual ports of call. 

Unless it's a casino comp I can't see myself booking a Royal ship to the Caribbean.  Yawn.  Same old stuff on every itinerary.  Just about every Royal itinerary in the Caribbean is all about beach, sun, water sports, etc.  No history.  No culture. 

Seriously repetitive.  Different island, same s***.  Is that you feel about Royal in Australia? 

Granted for many, especially those that have to suffer a miserable winter somewhere, beach, sun, water sports, etc. sounds pretty freaking great.

Fricken YouTubers...  

1 hour ago, Mick said:

It was a shock to see it being used as an actual CUP

Don't you have to use it to reap the benefits?

1 hour ago, Chili said:

I reckon if Voyager turned up in Singapore they would use it for target practice.

I think Singapore is a very different market.  Gamblers don't care the name painted on the ship.  

Sure some would complain about it as they will if anything but the newest ship in the fleet doesn't go there.   Unless Royal places Icon 3 there, Singapore will complain, so Royal might as well put whatever ship there.  

1 hour ago, F1guynz said:

Other cruise lines go to Tonga and Fiji including Celebrity.

Royal tends to stick to Mystery Island, Noumea and sometimes Vila. The itineraries are less diverse than they used to be because some islands never reopened for cruising after Covid, and also some places limit the ship size. Maybe having Voyager/Adventure will provide opportunities for new ports.

Cruises also tend to be shorter now than they used to be with less opportunity to travel further afield. I think it is the cruise ship equivalent to chocolate bar manufacturers who make the chocolate bar slightly smaller each year but still charge the same price.

Also the ships are travelling slower so a port stop that used to take 2 days now takes 3 so the total number of port stops is less.

 

I like the chocolate bar analogy.  

Speed is definitely more of a focus now as it is for shipping in general including cargo, container, tanker, etc.  The difference between them being nobody is on social media complaining about container ships going too fast therefore increasing emissions.  Cruise lines are much more aware of brand image and social media.  I think many in the world are oblivious to shipping beyond cruise ships which are a tiny fraction of global shipping.  The only way a non-cruise ship makes the news is to block the Suez or take out a bridge.

The focus on shorter itineraries I feel is a reaction to market demand.  Not so much from seasoned or frequent cruisers, that isn't where significant revenue comes from.  Right now the new to cruise market is in overdrive and frequent cruisers are losing out so the new to cruise market is satisfied.  

I feel like the parent corporation, the Royal Caribbean Group, is putting their brands into lanes.  Royal is to focus on mass market, new to cruise, fulfil the market demand of the day if it makes money.  The Celebrity focus has been broadened to take advantage of the short cruise/newbie upscale market with many better routes to entice seasoned cruisers to go X.  I think Royal would love it if seasoned cruisers would consider X leaving more berths for newbies to book on Royal.   SilverSea is in a market competing outside of the RCG family leaving little overlap within the family.

My first experience with the elevator buttons on Odyssey was during the pandemic when cruising restarted.  Since we were still in the craze of the pandemic the touchless elevator buttons were a welcome feature.

I've never had an issue with them, they just work for me so I struggle to understand why others have a problem.   

Perhaps it's the very brief delay when hovering your finger above a button that is a problem.  Or perhaps it's the lack of immediate feedback.  When you actually touch a button your body has that feedback that contact was made.  When hovering near a button there is a brief leap of faith that something will happen.  

6 hours ago, Plasticbrain said:

Instead of making yet a new topic, I decided to add some cruise related news from Norway to this post:

Norwegian newspapers report that this year there will be 5049 cruise ship dockings in Norwegian ports, a new record (pre covid record was 1985...), and that co2 pollution from cruise ships this year will SURPASS domestic flights! So as much as  you all love visiting my country, it is understandable that they are limiting cruise ship visits from next year... 

Ironically it's the pending change in emission regulations that led to cruise lines trying to maximize visits satisfying user demand since everyone knows there will be no more cruises to the heritage fjords in the foreseeable future.  

9 hours ago, Jamesszy94 said:

South Pacific again... I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up for new itineraries. 

Curious what your expectations were that were not met.  Not trying to start or suggest anything.   

Do other lines have more diversity to better ports of call?

Are there new or unused ports of call that Royal mysteriously avoids?

 Trying to understand what Royal is missing that other lines do better with.

Florida even has itinerary stagnation but there are more ports of call reachable from Florida so it's more of a hidden issue unless you are a frequent cruiser.  California and Texas are subject to a lot of itinerary stagnation due partially to a lack reachable destinations that fit desirable cruise lengths.   Bayonne has very limited options for ports of call since it's so far North.  

What is Royal missing in Australia?

14 hours ago, Chili said:

Brilliance is mobile off Sydney, looks like it’s building up for the release of the 25-26 season.

 

They must use an Etch A Sketch for the autopilot.  

3 hours ago, Vincent said:

Do you know which ones??? Quantum class is our next pick, and I would love to be able to sit outside and enjoy breakfast. This was a family tradition when we sailed with Disney some 18 years ago.

Quantum, Anthem and Ovation.

Spectrum and Odyssey are Quantum Ultra class and do not have outdoor seating for the Windjammer.

I enjoy Quantum class because they are different.  I've sailed four of them and mostly to bucket list destinations like Alaska, Hawaii and New Zealand.  

Oasis class, until Icon came about, have always been in a league of their own and can't be compared to any other ship class.  Oasis and now Icon are very wide ships, much wider than all other classes of ship.  It's the extra width that allows things like Central Park and Boardwalk.  On any other platform without the extra width it's not practical to install these areas without removing all guest cabins in those areas.  Removing guest cabins to add more venues and features isn't practical for any cruise line.

Oasis class are much larger ships at 225,000+ GT while Quantum class are around 168,000 GT.  That extra 30% of space allows them to put more venues and areas on Oasis class.  

Why doesn't Radiance class have ice skating rinks and zip lines and central park and boardwalk and aqua theaters and so on?  Because Radiance class is one third the size of Oasis class and obviously you can't put the same features and venues on a ship that doesn't have the space for them.   

The Windjammer on Quantum class is my favorite across the fleet.  I really dislike the Windjammer on Oasis class.  The food stations are all over the place with some on the side and some around the corner on the back.  It's really hard to find seating on Oasis class Windjammers at peak times.  Oasis class Windjammers are truly jammers slammed with people.  Some Quantum class Windjammers have outdoor seating which I love.

The lack of waterslides is known before booking.  It appears odd to me to complain they are missing.  That's like buying a sedan then complaining it's not a 4x4 pick up truck.  Given where most Quantum class are deployed waterslides are impractical.  

It's okay not to like something but that doesn't justify calling it a dud.  

Royal's next class of ship, Discovery class, is not going to be a mini Oasis class ship.  They too will be much smaller ships that won't have the space for all Oasis class features.  Like Quantum class the smaller footprint will allow them to sail into ports that Oasis class can't fit into.  That's kind of the point.  They will be different too.  Different doesn't make them duds.  

Oasis and Icon class ships are the destination and the ports you visit are less important.  If the itinerary is boring it doesn't matter because the ship is as much the destination as the itinerary may be.

Other classes of ships can visit more unique ports of call where mega ships can't sail.  When visiting these areas the ship isn't the destination as much as the ports of call are the destination.  

Anthem out of Bayonne was a perfect pairing with two sea days down the coast and two sea days on the way back home in the cold Atlantic ocean where few would be using waterslides most of the time.  The indoor family pool means kids are not trying to sneak into the adult only solarium pools on those colder sea days in winter months.

What I love best of all my 14 Quantum class cruises are the memories of the destinations.  Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand for example.  Greek islands and Europe for Odyssey is a great summer pairing.  

I like that Royal's fleet is diverse and not just ships that are variations of the same thing.  With research I can choose a ship that fits my needs based on the region I'll be sailing.  I suggest doing more research next time and avoid booking a ship that doesn't have features that are important to you.  

10 hours ago, Va4fam said:

Diamond vouchers work at Labadee too.

Using diamond/diamond plus internet perk for a 7 day (or less) cruise usually makes sense vs. the pre cruise price.

Curious to see if the internet package will be cheaper than the D+ free days when we go on our 12 day cruise.

Diamond drink vouchers work at Labadee.  

Diamond/Diamond Plus internet vouchers do not work at Labadee unless you stay on the ship.  Labadee has no WiFi coverage while CocoCay does have WiFi coverage.  Using a CAS internet voucher as the ship pulled into Labadee would waste a lot of that CAS internet voucher if you planned to get off the ship at Labadee.

Anything is possible at this point.

It is almost certain Royal will deploy all new ship builds where they they will maximize revenue.  I think Royal tends not to put very much weight on factors such as which market is being served by a new ship for emotional considerations and guest sentiment.  When they consider all things it will come down to how much money they project a ship will earn.  If deployment choice A means more certainty of assured revenue over deployment choice B then it will be deployment choice A.

Things like "a new ship hasn't been deployed in XYZ market in years" mean very little to Royal while guests in market XYZ let emotions influence where they think the ship should go.  Royal cares about money first as they should.  The board and investors who approved the ship want their investment maximized.  

If it is Barcelona then it is Barcelona because they feel it was the best choice to assure maximum revenue.  

Tragic.

The balcony discount gets better as you climb higher up the CAS ladder.  Unfortunately it is not a fixed amount off all balcony fares.  The balcony discount is often not combinable with other sales promotions and you will likely find that, depending on the ship and sail date, at the lower levels of the Crown and Anchor Society other sales and promotions can yield a better fare.

It all depends on the ship and sail date so maybe it will work out for you on one cruise but not another.  As you climb higher the discounts increases and more frequently it becomes effective.  

As advised I would not wait 3 months to find out.  If you see a cruise you like I'd suggest booking it now.  

The next several scheduled cruises for Brilliance:

April 4 - 8 Night South Pacific

April 17 - 17 Night Transpacific

April 28 - 8 Night Hawaii

May 6 - 6 Night Alaska

Keep checking.  Sometimes they open up earlier times later.

Does he have your CAS status or his own based on his actual points?

If they recognize him as your dependent he may have your status but his own points counter has been running in the background.  

In the case of a dependent child the policy isn't precisely clear and there have been two experiences reported.  The first is that he is frozen at your CAS status upon turning 18 and will only progress to the next level once he earns the next level based on his own cruising.  The second is that he is reset to his actual level earned by his cruising to date and all future progress is based on his own cruising.  

The verbiage leaves room for interpretation but it appears once they decide one way or another, reports of challenging the decision seem to indicate they won't reverse whatever they decide.  

6 minutes ago, Chili said:

Edge is.nice I was on it a couple of weeks ago. It’s bit like a smaller Quantum.

One I noticed was the ceilings where higher than RCL ships so they could reduce the overall height of the ship there so it could get under a few bridges.

More importantly Edge class goes through the Panama Canal.