twangster

1 hour ago, BaikG said:

 Spectrum already has Battle for Planet Z in the SeaPlex and they've also repurposed some of the pods so instead of Xbox, they have a free AR-style game pod and one empty multipurpose pod where they do the fencing training and the inflatable S.A.F.E. archery.

I'm surprised they haven't added Planet Z to the existing Q class.

Is Xbox big in Asia?   

57 minutes ago, mook1525 said:

Just curious. Is Flowrider THAT popular? I would think more people would prefer water slides over Flowrider so I am more than okay not having a Flowrider if it meant we can get water slide. 

Plus I think having retractable roof would be fantastic.

Flowrider is popular in North America.  Some people even bring their own boards with them.  

The main challenge for slides will be height.  They don't have much to work with and stay under the top of the iFly and stack areas.    They could try something like Navigator's water blaster ride since the jet blast of water keeps you moving (don't need to start as high).  

If they removed Skypad they could build a small water slide tower in that corner.  

The more I think of it the more I'm inclined that she will be a close copy of Spectrum with a different name painted on her, at least in terms of major infrastructure.

It's a short build window.  Making changes requires re-modeling a lot of engineering data to determine how adding or removing a few thousand pounds here or there alerts ship handling on top of modifying blueprints and architectural designs.

When Navigator was refreshed and AMPED they went to sea with engineers on board and sensor tanks placed around the ship to validate and measure handling under various conditions such as sharp turns and emergency stops.  

There is a lot that goes into modifying a design such as hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on modeling and predicting handling characteristics.  It's one reason why they find a design and stick with it.  Deviating costs money.  

Looking at Ovation's top decks:

Where would slides go?  There isn't much room by the Flowrider and iFly.  The SeaPlex area contains all the communication antennas.  Those need to be up high to avoid blocking satellites by ship infrastructure and causing outages.  No slides there.  Putting slides midship by the main pool blocks a lot of sight lines for the pool.  North Star needs it's own space, no slides there.  Slides forward over the Solarium and newer suites area wouldn't work.  

Slides would have to go at the back but there isn't a lot of room for the landing zones and tower of stairs to climb up unless they remove iFly.  

Big part of me says no slides.

Only time will tell.

Slides on Quantum class.  Interesting idea.  Certainly would buck the trend but a missing feature.  The challenge is keeping the slides below the height of the stacks (retracted) so as to maintain the neoPanamax dimensions.  

I think SeaPlex stays just for the bumper cars and multi-use aspect.  They should add laser tag to the SeaPlex, it's just inflatable walls, easy to add to existing Q class ships as well.

The design has been set for some time, it's not like they figure it out as they build it.  Removing SkyPad from the Q Ultra design would cost money since it deviates from the cookie cutter rinse and repeat method of ship building.  However given the current Skypad situation maybe they'll sign that change order.  

Ships move from region to region over the years they'll be in service.  The question becomes how much will they deviate from the cold weather capabilities just for the initial deployment where ever she lands for the first few years.      

Retractable roofs for the indoor pools and solarium solve some of that while keeping the cold weather capabilities.  

I'm equally interested in the suites only concept of the Solarium on Spectrum.  Blocking off the Solarium from the non-suite masses would be a first in the fleet for North America yet a dedicated suites only area is what MSC and NCL offer so maybe they go there with Odyssey.  

10 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

FLL is a pretty terrible airport to be hanging out in, there’s no airline lounges, and the food is terrible. I haven’t been but others on here swear by La Bamba which is near the airport. Im sure they’ll have a place where you can leave your luggage and catch a leisurely lunch before heading over to the airport. 

Also, if you are near an airport that offers Clear Service, they usually run 90 day free trials. Sign up before your cruise and it’ll cover you both ways. It’ll mean even with long lines you’ll be through security in five minutes or less. 

Agree about FLL.  Some airlines have baggage rules and accept checked luggage only within so many hours of your flight.  FLL offers a bus service between the land side different terminals but's it's slow and infrequent (walking between terminals is sometimes faster).

Not all terminals in FLL offer Clear so validate which airline you are using and if Clear has a presence in the terminal used for your airline.   At the moment there is no shuttle between terminals after security so once you go through security you are limited to what that terminal offers.

As a data point, a shot of liquor added to a complimentary hot chocolate on a recent Alaska cruise was $10.61 all in (including gratuity).  

When I did a galley tour on Navigator a couple months ago (right after refresh) they explained how the menu was created.  It varies by ship and sometimes even sail date.  

The food and beverage manager sits down with the head chef and they plan the menu.  They have a budget, such as $100,000 for a 9 night sailing.  Historically they know how much lobster will be consumed on the 2nd formal night so that consumes so much of the budget.  So many nights will have a steak entree so that consumes more of the budget.  Historically they know for each and every entree -  chicken, lamb, beef, etc. how much will be consumed so each offering is calculated how much of the budget is consumed.  

As the cruise progresses they track their estimates versus actual budget dollars consumed for that sailing.  If near the end there is surplus budget they may alter a menu and add something they know will be popular and consume more of the surplus budget.  They might even place lobster and other seafood in the Windjammer on the final night if the budget allows it.

It's all tracked against the budget so they are constantly fine tuning the menu to stay within the budget as seasonal and regional or cultural differences trends change over time.

Consequently they don't publish the menu in advance and the menu in the app doesn't always match what is actually offered on any given night of the cruise.

17 hours ago, marti314 said:

Anyone else think 9.95 per person for fast food (on top of what you already paid for food with your fare) is getting a bit steep?

If you go to any mall you are at about 9.95 for a meal just as you are paying on the ship.  Personally i would never pick Johnny Rockets as a preference on land, if its true all ships are 9.95 now I cant see the draw.  Yes you can eat as much as you want but why?

Agreed, which contributes to my low participation there.

Back in the day of free JR the lunch lines became absurd which is why they claim they introduced the $4.95 fee (at that time).  

Why does JR serve breakfast only on Oasis class ships?  Why not on Freedom and Voyager class?  

I also think $50 for Chops is absurd.  For a couple that's a $100 meal for a slightly better than MDR steak.  

47 minutes ago, ScooterScott22 said:

 The cruise compass stated the solarium hot tubs opened at 6:30, did you find that is when they opened the area for public access.  

I was all over when they were pressure washing waiting for my 6am room service breakfast window.  I found the Solarium fire doors closed on deck 14.  Some passengers ignored them and went through.  The bridge wings have signs that state the hours are 6am to 6pm yet at 6am the Solarium fire doors were closed.  I'm hoping the marine maintenance department that does all the pressure washing figures out they need to set their alarms an hour or so earlier in Alaska.   I noted it in my survey comments.

4 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

@twangster help! Mr. SpeedNoodles and I are having a disagreement.  Is the hull of the Ovation baby (powder puff) blue, or is it white, like every other Royal Caribbean ship?

The lower hull is baby blue, same as Anthem.

In these photos you can the white side of the ship deck 5 and higher and the blue color of the hull down low by the waterline, deck 4 and lower.

When I was on Anthem at Captain's Corner this topic came up.  

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/&do=findComment&comment=51116

•   The blue color of the lower hull was a marketing decision.  In the Captain's words "they wanted to make the ship look more white so they painted it blue".  He said it's a challenge because the sun causes paint to fade and trying to touch up various shades of blue over time is very difficult.  It was much more simple when the lower hull was white - they just painted it with more white.

15 hours ago, Galveston Steve said:

Passenger fees were increased from $8.30 to $15 per passenger on January 1 of this year.

Ouch!  Hefty increase.  

On the surface it may seem like "Oh so what?  If spending $2,000 on a cruise who cares about a 90% increase in port fees"  but wow. 

Looks like the City of Galveston has found it's cash cow.

No words or rumors yet, although rumor is that Icy Strait Point *might* expand somewhat.  While seemingly unrelated it does open up additional options for itineraries since Glacier Bay NP is right beside ISP.

Buy the Voom multi device plan for as many devices as you will want to be connected at the same time, it doesn't matter what cabin your daughter stays in. 

You'll want to activate airplane mode then connect to the ship wifi.  If you have never used wifi calling on your cell phone at home make sure to set it up and test it at home before sailing.

Most US post-paid cell plans include wifi calling, not all pre-paid services do.  It depends on your cell phone company.  If in doubt talk to your cell company now, well before sailing. 

You can test wifi calling and wifi texting at home before sailing assuming you have wifi at home.  Turn on airplane mode, connect to your home wifi.  Try making a call.  Try sending a text to your daughter.  That is pretty much how a paid Voom plan will work once on the ship.  If it doesn't work at home, it won't work on the ship with Voom.  By testing it now you have time to troubleshoot any issues you have.

15 minutes ago, Cruisegirl1976 said:

Does anyone know roughly what the prices for the beach loungers are?

Regular individual beach loungers are included.  There are some with a clamshell cover pictured above that vary in pricing depending on ship and sail date.  You'll find these in the cruise planner sometimes called "Beach Loungers for Two".  Price is for two, you don't have to buy it for each guest.

Here is the price for an August visit:

12 minutes ago, firebuck said:

 We're on Deck 13, so it'll be a quick jaunt in the morning out to the wings on the side of the Solarium... looks like one of many great spots for viewing.  

The doors from the passenger hallways to the Solarium on deck 13 are marked "Crew Only".  I checked this out for a future booking.   In theory you are supposed to go up to 14, into the Solarium and back down to 13 within the Solarium to access the bridge wings.  Still a quick trip, just didn't want you thinking you can go straight from deck 13 into the Solarium.

Adding too that all airlines including the LCCs and ULCCs keep an eye on oil prices which can influence their fuel costs.  If oil prices are stable and predictable so will airfare be.  If there is turmoil or projected turmoil in oil prices the airlines will protect themselves from the uncertainty by nudging airfare up until they have a better projection how fuel prices will actually be getting closer to the flight.

Sometimes this plays into the 90 day rule and sometimes it is at odds with the 90 rule.

45 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

Bringing up this old thread.....as I am watching flights like crazy for my Nov cruise(as this will be my longest and most expensive cruise ever) so we need good flight deals.

 

Have been watching for a cpl mths now...we are about 170 days out.....flights are around $280 USD return out of Portland and have been up/down $30 or so. However, when I check seat selection it looks like very limited seats left(on the cheapest flights at least)...so I am worried about waiting till the 90 day mark to pull the trigger.

 

That being said, seems strange flights could sell out 6mths in advance  to Orlando...I would think this would be a popular route with lots of seats....

 

I am torn right now as to what to do.....Is everyone still sticking to and swearing by this 90 day price rule?

The 90 day concept is centered around legacy carriers.  The Delta, American, United, Air Canada type carriers.  It does not apply to LCC or Low Cost Carriers (Southwest, JetBlue, Westjet, etc), or the ULCCs - Ultra Low Cost Carriers (Sprint, Frontier).

The LCCs and ULCCs tend to have a fixed number of cheap seat and once they are gone they are gone.  Next they have some cheaper seats but as not as cheap as the lowest cost seats.  These can fluctuate based on supply and demand rules with no time period involved.  If demand is strong at 90 days prices remain high, or at 120 days , or 60 days, or when ever.   Lastly the LCC/ULCC have business rates that are often higher than even the legacy carriers.  These are just for frequent business travelers who aren't paying out of their own pocket.  

The variable to the 90 day concept is that the legacy carriers price against the LCCs and ULCCs.  If Southwest is charging $245 from Phoenix to New York, American or Delta is probably going to be in that vicinity until a capacity threshold is crossed.

So it depends who you are thinking about flying and it isn't written in stone, it's too competitive for airlines not to be aware of market prices.

I found some time to stitch together a series of video clips that I took in between taking still photos of our morning in Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.  11m52s

1 hour ago, Dblumy said:

Thank you. We are in sky, so no genie. I will try to request one. If we decide to go with the air mattress, will RC give us sheets, etc?

Approximately one week before sailing you should be contacted by the suite concierge.  Reply and ask them.  

6 minutes ago, mworkman said:

Which group cruise? RC Periscopers or RC Blog? 

Either.  Both.  

8 minutes ago, mworkman said:

Oh Snap!!! Did the bot just reveal his first name? 

So like everyone who has sailed on a group cruse with me knows my name.  You should try it sometime.  A group cruise that is.  

57 minutes ago, Skid said:

Oh geez. I usually look there before I post and obviously missed that. I'd say I have an excuse because I was on a cruise that day, but so were you @twangster. Oh well. @Matt, feel free to delete the post if you so desire.

I've made the same mistake, no worries.

Just received this update stating payment is pending in the amount offered on the phone call.  

Article here as well at RoyalCaribbeanBlog:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/05/21/royal-caribbean-extends-singapore-season-quantum-of-the-seas-2021

For those interested in Alaska you can check out my previous trip reports here at RoyalCaribbeanBlog,com:

Celebrity Millennium June 2017 Southbound Seward to Vancouver

Explorer of the Seas June 2018 Seattle RoyalCaribbeanBlog Group Cruise!

Radiance of the Seas August 2018 Southbound Seward to Vancouver

For anyone new to Alaska cruising my best advice is to book it!  You won't regret it.  Don't spend too much time over analyzing which ship, which itinerary or which side of the ship.  If you can, budget some extra money for excursions.  Go and experience Alaska, it's a pretty amazing destination.