twangster

22 hours ago, mworkman said:

I will be looking to book a TA on this ship  Then i can check another couple of cruises of the bucket list. Of course i will have to see what ships line up for the Mediterranean before i cruise back on the new Boaty McBoatface of the Sea's. 

The inaugural TA's have become elite top heavy.  I'm not saying you shouldn't book it but prepare yourself for the entitled masses and some closed venues for the top elites at times.  

For example last year on the Symphony TA the entire center section of the aqua theater seating was reserved for D+ for every showing.   Dazzles was closed nightly for Pinnacle only.   For anyone not top elite it can seem like the cruise is focused on top elite.  

Normally on any given Oasis class cruise there are thousands of newbies but on these TAs most people are experienced Royal cruisers who know all the tips and tricks.  Those tips and tricks don't work the same because everyone knows them.  It's different for sure.  

12 hours ago, MrMarc said:

As usual, I was totally wrong.

 

I too was optimistic the grandfather clause was to allow a more graceful exit from Cuba cruises but it seems that isn't the reality.

Not yet.  

As a scuba diver I use reef friendly sunscreen when I need sunscreen and I'll be in the ocean but so far that isn't a requirement at CocoCay.

Just now, WAAAYTOOO said:

That's awesome.  I thought you had decided to cancel your Majesty and Vision cruises.  Glad it worked out for you !

Cancelled Vision but couldn't pass up 50% off a cruise.  Since I'm flying, might as well do two. 

Royal is constantly adjusting the dining plans but doesn't always note everything in the terms and conditions.  Once upon a time they tried including Starbucks in certain beverage packages but that was short lived and never "official".  

They may be trying something with the Galley Brunch to determine impact.  Anyone's guess if it sticks long term.

3 minutes ago, Baked Alaska said:

I'd like to make a formal request to join #teamcoastalkitchen. 

@Lovetocruise2002 is taking names for the wait list, as soon as she achieves #lifetimestatus

So instead of making lemonade out of one lemon, I decided more lemonade was in order so I made it a B2B on Majesty. 

50% off the second leg and pretty decent fares on the 1st leg.

Cozumel, Puerto Maya, Key West and Nassau.  

Saved $50 by luck on Southwest for these dates.  Gotta luv no change fees.  

Extension for refunds has been offered:

ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

Dear Guest, Yesterday, we shared that your upcoming 2019 Cuba sailing was modified due to the recent travel restriction. We advised that if you wanted to cancel, you should contact us by Friday, June 7th, 2019, but we realize you may need a bit more time to make the best decision for your vacation. As a result, feel free to contact us by Wednesday, June 19th, 2019 to make this decision. If you’d like to cancel your cruise and live in North America, please contact your Travel Advisor or call us at 1-888-281-9344. If you live outside of North America, please click here to find your local office’s phone number. Please remember, you’ll receive your refund between 3 – 5 business days from the date you cancel. Again, we are terribly sorry for this unexpected and sudden change, and we thank you for your understanding. It’s important to us that every aspect of your vacation is enjoyable. Sincerely,

Welcome to the message boards!

Landing at 6am, getting luggage by 6:30am and heading to port will likely put you there around or before 7:30am which is too early.  Everyone at that point is focused on getting luggage off the ship at that hour.  

9am is even pushing it but they might accept luggage.  Typically check in opens around 10am. 

Also in the cruise compass posted here from Ovation there are a couple pages for teens (ignore the babies and Adventure Ocean pages).

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/ovation-of-the-seas/mon-2019-05-13-0000-0

Different ship (Ovation) but something to look over.

Not a teen but can offer this:

Another user is boarding Anthem this week.  They posted the schedule of teen activities in their live blog:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/12964-anthem-of-the-seas-june-6-9-night-bermuda-ol-8720-sc/&do=findComment&comment=128198

Different ship but gives you an idea of the sort of things to expect.  

I have heard from some participants that going on the first day and meeting other teens is better than trying to go mid-cruise for the first time.  By going on day one you meet people and get to know them a little versus going mid-cruise when certain teens or groups have already made friends and are hanging out with each other then when you appear you are the stranger popping in.  

31 minutes ago, FreedomClassKid said:

 Also does this ban apply to British cruises (P&O)

There are a couple of cruise lines that visit Cuba from non-US ports like the Dominican.  There are some details that play into that too though.  Once a foreign flagged ship visits Cuba for this purpose there can be a waiting period before that ship is allowed to visit the US.  If they continue going to Cuba from a non-US port that can work for non-US guests, so long as they don't try to bring that ship to the US for a while after they stop going to Cuba with it.  If that ship goes to Europe or some other region, no problem. 

It gets complicated pretty quickly.

21 minutes ago, FManke said:

Can somebody please elaborate on this mystery fellow?

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/04/22/spotted-stowaway-piano-player-anthem-of-the-seas

Blog post is about Anthem but same deal on Harmony, Navigator, Mariner, Symphony, etc...

Email received... Nassau for me!

I've got a B2B on Navigator a few weeks before so I'm going to cancel.  Three visits to Nassau in less than 30 days is too much for me.  I'll put this money into another cruise sometime.  Royal will still get my money, just another day.

ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS

Dear Guest,    Yesterday, the United States government declared that effective immediately, educational and recreational (or people-to-people) travel to Cuba is no longer permitted. This new regulation prohibits travel from the U.S. to Cuba by cruise ship, recreational vessel, or non-commercial aircraft. As a result, this change requires us to immediately replace all Cuban ports.  We understand that this is disappointing and we know how much time and effort go into planning your cruise. While this decision is completely outside of our control, our goal remains the same - to make sure you have a fantastic vacation! Below is our new Majesty of the Seas, October 14, 2019 itinerary, which will be reflected on your reservation by tomorrow, June 6th, 2019.   Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Mon Fort Lauderdale, Florida   4:00 PM Tue Cruising     Wed Key West, Florida 8:00 AM 7:00 PM Thu Havana, Cuba Cruising     Fri Havana, Cuba Nassau, Bahamas 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Sat Fort Lauderdale, Florida 7:00 AM       Additionally, to make up for this unexpected change, we are providing the following: If you sail with us on the new itinerary, you will receive: A 50% reduction of your cruise fare, excluding any taxes and fees. This amount will be discounted off of your current cruise fare and will be reflected on your reservation by Wednesday, June 12th, 2019.  If you paid your reservation in full, you'll automatically receive a refund for any overpayment. You should see this reflected on your credit card by June 19th, 2019. Please know, times may vary depending on your financial institution. If you haven't yet paid in full, your remaining balance will be based on this 50% cruise fare reduction.  Additionally, you'll receive a refund for any affected pre-paid Royal Caribbean International Cuban shore excursions to your original form of payment. Our Shore Excursions Team will send you an email with the details within the next 3 business days.  While we hope you choose to stay, if you decide not to sail with us, we'll provide you with a full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare to the original form of payment, including any non-refundable deposits. If you'd like to cancel your cruise and live in North America, please contact your Travel Advisor or call us at 1-888-281-9344 by Friday, June 7th, 2019. If you live outside of North America, please click here to find your local office's phone number. Please note, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation. You will receive your refund between 3 - 5 business days from the date you cancel. We are sorry for this unexpected and sudden change, and we thank you for your understanding. It's important to us that every aspect of your vacation is enjoyable, whether you are celebrating a special occasion, or looking to explore, relax, and recharge - we have no doubt your time with us will be amazing. We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.    Sincerely,   Aurora Yera-Rodriguez  Director of Guest Service  Royal Caribbean International   Below are some answers to questions you may have.  Why is my sailing being modified? On June 4th, the United States government declared that effective immediately, educational and recreational (or people-to-people) travel to Cuba is no longer permitted. This new regulation prohibits travel from the U.S. to Cuba by cruise ship, recreational vessel, or non-commercial aircraft. As a result, this change requires us to immediately replace all Cuban ports.  Will Royal Caribbean International be providing compensation to guests booked on this voyage? If you sail with us on the new itinerary, you will receive: A 50% reduction of your cruise fare, excluding any taxes and fees. This amount will be discounted off of your current cruise fare and will be reflected on your reservation by Wednesday, June 12th, 2019.  If you paid your reservation in full, you'll automatically receive a refund for any overpayment. You should see this reflected on your credit card by June 19th, 2019. Please know, times may vary depending on your financial institution. If you haven't yet paid in full, your remaining balance will be based on this 50% cruise fare reduction.  Additionally, you'll receive a refund for any affected pre-paid Royal Caribbean International Cuban shore excursions to your original form of payment. Our Shore Excursions Team will send you an email with the details within the next 3 business days.  While we hope you choose to stay, if you decide not to sail with us, we'll provide you with a full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare to the original form of payment, including any non-refundable deposits. If you'd like to cancel your cruise and live in North America, please call us at 1-888-281-9344 by Friday, June 7th, 2019. If you like outside of North America, please click here to find your local office's phone number. Please note, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation. You will receive your refund between 3 - 5 business days from the date you cancel. How/when will I receive my refund? A refund in the value of 50% per stateroom of your cruise fare, which is based on your total cruise fare, excluding any of taxes and fees. This amount will be discounted off of your current cruise fare and will be reflected on your reservation by Wednesday, June 12th, 2019. If you paid your reservation in full, you'll automatically receive a refund for any overpayment. You should see this reflected on your credit card by June 19th, 2019. Please know, times may vary depending on your financial institution. Additionally, you'll receive a refund for any affected pre-paid Royal Caribbean International Cuban shore excursions to your original form of payment. Our Shore Excursions Team will send you an email with the details within the next 3 business days.  Will Royal Caribbean International reimburse incurred expenses for the Cuban visa? Unfortunately, this situation was out of our control. That being said, if you purchased your visa prior to boarding, we will not be providing any refunds. What if I booked a shore excursion? If you have any Royal Caribbean International Cuban shore excursions pre-paid, you'll receive a refund as a credit. You may use this credit anywhere onboard and if you don't use it, it'll be refunded back onto your credit card on file. If I cancel, will you be refunding my Royal Caribbean Travel Protection? Royal Caribbean Travel Protection will be refunded.  Will I receive a refund for the new port taxes?  If the new port taxes are less than the Cuban ports, you'll receive a refund on the last day of your cruise.  What if I want to cancel, but my reservation was a NextCruise booking? NextCruise Onboard Credits that were applied to Cuba sailings can be reapplied to new bookings.

I think this was a foregone conclusion.  If they can get a ship to Perfect Day they will.  Once Freeport is "Perfectized" I suspect we'll see lot of stops there too. 

Fortunately Perfect Day looks pretty awesome.  The Oasis Lagoon pool alone is a huge draw with it's swim up bar.  I'm going to try the zip line and balloon once but most visits for me will be the low cost version. 

3 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

Here's June 15 majesty....

My October itinerary looks pretty much the same now. 

I'm doing a double dip to Nassau in September on Navigator.  A 3rd visit to Nassau a few weeks later is too much for me so I cancelled my Majesty sailing.  My plans had included a cruise on Vision then sliding over to Majesty so I cancelled Vision too.  Thankfully they were fully refundable so no harm, no foul.   

Lost my insurance costs though.  This time having insurance didn't pay.  

14 minutes ago, Allen2 said:

Having gone to Cuba on RCL, we really are sad about the rule changes.  Maybe RCL will "work" with you if you call and talk to a friendly CSR. 

Full refund if you choose not to sail or 50% refund if you keep your booking.  Sounds pretty fair to me.

I don't however think they accept requests for alternate ports.  i.e. - "no Nassau please"

17 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

The per-person per-night rate for our 3+4 night NAV cruises compared to a “regular” 7 night cruise is very high.  Royal is definitely charging for the convenience of the shorter cruises.  There is no way I would be forking out full fare for these 2 cruises.  If they weren’t upgraded casino comps we would not be going !

13 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

I thought the same thing when I looked at them (After @twangster Navigator Live Blog!) because I figured that if I was going to fly to Florida for a cruise I'm going to make it worth while and do 7 days worth. No Casino Comps for me...

On a per night basis that is correct.  However when looking at the total costs of a 3 or 4 night sailing the stand alone price is less - exactly what the short market is looking for.

$299 for 3 nights is less than $599 for 7 nights even though the first is $100 per night and the second is $85 per night.  

Four night versions are often cheaper than the three night versions, same effect.  More demand for 3 night because they occur over the weekend so minimal impact to work.

Experienced cruises and retired consumers look at these things.  New to cruise and younger families have a different perspective.

I pack a pair of neoprene liners that I use with my snorkel fins.  I bring them even when I don't bring my fins.  

They are effectively waterproof "slippers".  Easy to pack, super light, non-slip bottom, can get wet and save me from walking around barefoot.

I wouldn't use them all day long, but when it's time to jump in the pool or hot tub they are great for getting there from my cabin.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UTQY1Q/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_o0.9CbRSTC09H

53 minutes ago, FManke said:

Does RCCL make more money running a 3 day and 4 day back to back cruise rather than a 7 day, all things being equal?

Or is it simply easier to sell and fill the ships with shorter cruises?

Great questions.  

I don't have access to the numbers, but I can imagine that when people pay less for the cruise itself they have more money to spend on related activities for that vacation.  This possibly drives on-board revenue higher for short cruises compared to longer cruises.

We know of several things that are related and might play out differently on short cruises.  Two that come to mind are:

• Consumers are looking for an "experience" not simply a trip.
• Consumers will spend peripheral money that become masked by the larger purchase of the base fare.

Let's say a 3 night cruise is $299 pp.  On the surface that appears a whole lot less than a 7 night cruise at $599 or $699 pp.  "It's only $299, we can afford that".

Having spent that $299 pp now the drink package questions comes up.  Short cruise, weekend, drink all you wan't, "We're on vacation, let's do it!".  

Drink packages on long cruises start to lose appeal.  The longer the cruise, less appealing.  Same effect as the cruise fare itself.  The drink package for a short cruise costs a lot less than it does on a long cruise, $210 pp vs. $500 pp, times two.  "We can afford $210 pp, but $1,000 for the week is too much!" which is pretty much how the mind that wants to justify it will look at it.

Next come excursions, including Perfect Day excursions.  Consumers are looking for an experience, how better than to add a few Perfect Day experiences?

In the end the short cruise guest can buy a cruise, add the drink package and add a couple of experiences and still be under the base fare of a 7 night cruise yet they've bundled in so much more.    Now they are getting an experience, not just a cruise AND it's all done for around $1,200 or so which is easy to place on a credit card absent of guilt. 

Carrying several thousand on a credit card for a longer cruise appears daunting if you are going float it on a credit card.  Floating $1,200 on a credit card for a few months is no big deal and they still have those great memories in mind with each payment applied.  "Totally worth it".

The weekend cruises are easier to plan with friends... "It's only $299 dude, even you can afford that!".

Three night cruises over the weekend don't require consuming vacation days.  "Call in sick dude, it's just one day".

So yeah, the short cruise market is a thing and is very attractive to consumers that are often younger, early into careers and can't commit thousands of dollars to a vacation but still want to experience something.  Capture them now and when they have progressed in their lives and have more disposable income to put into longer vacations who are they going to cruise with?

Even for seasoned cruisers, there is appeal for a quick inexpensive cruise.  "We've haven't cruise for a few months, let's jump on a ship for 4 nights, it's pretty cheap compared to those 7 night cruises we just did".

Put it all together and you have a business solution with near term revenue infusion coupled with a long term strategy to expand your customer base.  If it were just a short term money grab you could question the tactic but it isn't short sighted in nature.  There is a potential long term benefit as well.

5 minutes ago, Joe01 said:

Yeah, I get that they are a business and that these short runs make money, but is it really what people want? I'm frustrated that all of the amped ships are going to itineraries that only Americans can sail.

As a non-American, it feels that my options are getting gradually more limited.

Florida is the cruise capital of the world, by a large margin over other regions yet by numbers the majority of Americans have never been on a cruise.  

Royal's strategy is to capture those "never cruised" and create brand loyalty that will go on for years to come cultivating a larger loyal customer base.

I understand your frustration but it isn't about Americans or non-Americans, it's about the market where demand is strongest and opportunity to further capitalize is greatest.  Similar reason why they have the newest ship in Asia that Americans will never get to experience unless they go to the ship.  I'd love to sail Spectrum but it's not going to happen unless I go to the ship.

Come over for a 7 night cruise and tack on a 3 night on an AMPED ship.  

19 hours ago, Joe01 said:

So they are doing 3/4/5 day cruises?

Yay...

Surely they could have been a bit more creative with itineraries, especially with 2 large ships covering that market? Basically excludes anyone from outside the USA that may have planned to sail her in the Caribbean (I'd seen some on CC suggesting UK travellers to fly to Florida for ID). No Indy for me, back to the drawing board.

The short Florida cruise market dictates the 3/4/5 cycles which in turn defines the ports available for these durations.  

It seems that Mariner and Navigator have done so well on these routes it warrants a bigger ship.  It's interesting they can make more money by placing Indy into that market compared to the UK.  This is after all about money. 

Royal is a business.  A publicly traded business with a responsibility to it's investors.  That will always be the primary guiding force behind all decisions they make.  

1 minute ago, FManke said:

I think you guys are on the wrong blog? I think you want the statistics blog. 

And to think, my fellow classmates said we'd never use this crap in the real world.  

3 minutes ago, FManke said:

I agree with everyone that for the most part, cruise employees are painfully under paid for the work they do. The flipside to that is many of them have worked for many years in the business, so even with the wages, there must be many reasons they stay. I think most people would say they are underpaid for what they do. I don't think I have ever meet anyone who said they were overpaid.

It's about relativity.

They are underpaid by American standards which is exactly why you don't see Americans working as cabin attendants, wait staff, galley cooks, bartenders or similar positions.  Where do you see Americans?  Entertainment positions, officer positions and similar that are above the median figures listed above.

In many countries around the world a good paying carer job is very elusive.  In these countries that tend to be source countries for the majority of ship crew, a job that pays $19,000 per year is hard to find.  For them compared to their home country that is not underpaid especially for someone with little or no post-secondary education.  These countries have no or few labor laws.  Good, consistent work is out of reach for the bulk of the population.  Good health care can be out of reach.  The opportunity to work hard and earn advancement into a better position with an increase in compensation is elusive in their home country.  That is why many stay in this line of work.  It can take them months, even years for the immigration paperwork to come through after applying.  When that letter comes that says they've been accepted they are ecstatic in many cases because there is no work available in their home countries.

When they accept a position on a ship, they are not "coming to America".  They do not receive a work VISA that allows to them to work in America.  Nor are they subject to US taxation.

If the parents are Diamond or higher so are their kids.  Royal passes the parents status unto kids < 18 years old.

Kids are allowed in the club, but by the letter of policy they must be Diamond.  

At any rate, glad they were able to accomodate them.