twangster

35 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

Are we sure that isn't a myth?  I know that no Oasis Class ship has ever gone to NY, but is it really because of the bridge?

QM2 sails out of NY most of the year, and Wikipedia claims that both ships are 72m (236ft) tall.

QM2 is 150,000 gross tons,  236' high total (keel to top of funnel) minus 33' draught = 203' above the waterline.  

OA class is ~225,000+ gross tons,  236' from the waterline plus 31' draught for a total of 267' (keel to top of funnel)

The bridge clearance (from the waterline ) is 215ft.  

Definitely no myth OA can't go there.

Yes, Indy has Freestyle machines.

@hayley_bopp scoped the interior of Indy on her recent cruise last month.

Here is her scope:

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1RDGlWwPZQoKL?t=7m41s

The freestyle machines can be seen around the 7 minute mark.  

25 minutes ago, Crabbycruiser said:

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm pretty sure the sun only sets once a day....

The links you added only appear to work for your login.  

If Cococay items like Cabanas appear for Nassau it's mistake.  They probably will correct in a day or two.   

8 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Lulu, flip flops and I'm good to go!

 

Lulu @ Lababdee

3 minutes ago, CaseytheGR said:

Hi 

We are Laurie and Dave from New England.  I love to travel, DH tags along to pay the bills.  We have been on Carnival x1, NCL x3, Celebrity x1 and Royal x10 (me) DH x9.  So I guess you could say we love cruising.  We have 3 upcoming cruises booked:

10/25/18 Grandeur 7 nights to Bermuda

4/20/19 Brilliance 5 night Grand Cayman - Cozumel

3/29/20  Freedom 7 nights Southern Caribbean from San Juan.

If that looks familiar it's because we are sailing with Mark (ConeyRaven) and Tyna.

Off to read some posts.

Laurie

 

Welcome!

If you are traveling with the Grandeur Poo-Bah ( @coneyraven )  then you are all set to have an awesome cruise!

@crfqueen Welcome to the message boards!

Drink package value is always very personal.  How much do you consume?  Do you drink lots of special coffees and bottled water?  Each of us varies.

10/25/18 looks like a 7 night cruise with 3 days in Bermuda.  With 3 nights in Bermuda, if you plan to be off the ship most of the day will you drink enough to break even overall? 

Your question is a common one and Matt has written different blogs that might be able to help you answer that question:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/12/21/5-things-you-need-know-buying-royal-caribbean-drink-package

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-beverage-package-costs-info-tips

In reference to your past experiences, Royal has come a long way in how weather events are handled.  Did you know they are now the only cruise line with a full time Chief Meteorologist on their payroll?  In the past each Captain had to make their own decisions but now and since your last Royal cruise they have the resources of a full time and dedicated meteorologist to help them understand the bigger picture and make better decisions.  

While the default statement "you should have bought travel insurance" is technically correct I understand how disappointing mother nature can be and travel companies are the ones left holding the bag when weather happens.   Last year was a bad year for hurricanes and even more lessons were learned when ships had to divert and cruises had to be cancelled.

No one wants to hear about terms and conditions or legal contract verbiage during a disruption whether it's correct or not and they have grown over the years to deal with it better.  That doesn't change the need to consider travel insurance though, regardless which cruise line you sail with.  I buy insurance from a 3rd party, not from the cruise line.  

Good point about having to send BC into the passport office.  People cruise often with just a BC. 

Take the expired passports with you, don't show them to the cruise line, that's just set off a red flag, but in case you need emergency travel VIA air they may come in handy with any local consulate or embassy in that worst case scenario.

On 8/4/2018 at 5:01 PM, Floski said:

I don't know why, but it really bugs me that RC charges $3 for a container of popcorn.  

Likely the additional cost of clean up personnel for the kids who let the stuff fly everywhere.  Popcorn fight on the pool deck?  Why not? No parents around to say otherwise...

In an Elevator? Popcorn fight!  In a hot tub?  Popcorn fight!

If it were free they couldn't make enough and places like hot tubs would be full of it.  

ESPN Caribbean is not like ESPN on the US mainland.  It's an international feed and typically will carry major sporting events like the World Series.

MLB has been known to get really picky about who is licensed to carry their games.  They went through a phase where Fox in Puerto Rico wasn't allowed to broadcast them even though Fox on the mainland was.  

This is all in the hands of MLB who likes to drive people to buy their online internet feeds.  In the past they have been available on ships but if they aren't this year, blame MLB, not the ship.  

Welcome to the message boards!

Cruising with a passport is always ideal but for US citizens on closed loop sailings like Harmony they are technically not required to board the ship.

If I were in your shoes I would try for the expedited passport service knowing that a raised seal birth certificate is there as my fallback plan.  But that's just me.   Many people only cruise with BC/DL as adults.

I did a similar Anthem cruise last December.  I started on a 7 night Bahamas cruise and followed it on the second leg on a back to back with a 12 night Southern Caribbean cruise.  My live blog for both cruises is here:

(The 2nd cruise starts about 5 pages in)

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/ 

Menus have changed in the MDR since but other than that it should be pretty similar.

My day in San Juan is blogged here:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/&do=findComment&comment=50523

I love Old San Juan, it's a great place to visit.

Welcome to the message boards!

Visiting ships not home porting there tend to the use the Old San Juan cruise piers. 

The Pan American pier is typically only used by ship that start and/or end their cruise in San Juan.

1 hour ago, Keeves said:

This sounds quite bizzare. Someone can get all the way to the credit card page, and only then is he told what he gets for the price???

I don't think that's an accurate statement.  It's generally displayed in the upper right corner and this is updated as you make changes such as a different category.  Not every single interior cabin is exactly the same price.  Not every balcony cabin is the same price.  There are categories within each cabin type.   A 4D balcony isn't the same price as a 5D balcony.  If you select a 5D cabin you'll see the price in the upper right is adjusted long before you reach the credit card page.  At each step as you progress that price changes depending on what you select.  A mid ship cabin is often more money than an aft or forward cabin, etc.

1 hour ago, Keeves said:

Oh, now I see, the previous screen had said "from USD $399 Avg per person". Gotta watch those "from"s!!! Caveat emptor!

Congratulations, you actually read the page.  Many folks get all bent out of shape when they just see a number and focus exclusively on that then get mad that somehow the price changed.  

The "instant savings" appears from time to time.  It's a limited time promo that doesn't apply to all ships or sailings.  Next week it probably won't be there.

Now here is the other thing that trips a lot of people up.  This week's prices are based on this week's sales and promos.  Next week may see a different sale and/or promo.  Next week's prices are not this week's prices minus what ever next week's sale terms are. 

This week may be the "Hoopdy Doopy Let's Get Loopy" sale and the price for two people in a balcony on this date on that ship is $395 per person. 

Next week is a new sale "Crazy Sale of the Second Week of the Month" sale.  This is a BOGO, second guest 50% off.

A lot of people think "Great it was $395 per person last week so 50% off second guest is $198 for a total of $593". Wrong.  This week's pricing is NOT calculated using last week's sale prices.  It's a whole new week like last week didn't exist.  It's calculated from the "regular price" which itself varies depending on sales trends.   It's not unusual for this week's sale price to be within a few dollars of last week's sale price.  This isn't a shady conspiracy, it's all there for any one who actually reads and pays attention to see.  

Bottom line - book when you see a price you are willing to pay.  Keep watching for sales and reprice it but don't be surprised if there are not massive savings every time a new super duper sale is announced.

In theory, yes, but it takes some work.  

First you need to bring a Samsung or universal remote control from home to change inputs to the HDMI input on the cabin TV.  

You'll likely also need to disconnect the gray cable on the back of the TV that looks like a telephone connection.  This is a data control cable that allows you to interact with the TV (review your account, order movies, etc).

Naturally you'll need a Voom Surf and Stream plan.  Fortunately Fire TV sticks do tend to work with 'captive portals' where you need to enter your Voom passcode however it can be tricky sometimes.  

It's not something I'd ever tell my parents to attempt but for a semi techie person who understands the underlying why and why nots when it doesn't go perfectly it is doable.  

Using the same Voom code for your phone can get tricky at times as well.  

16 minutes ago, Kim&N8 said:

Thanks @twangster does that bridge block both NJ and NYC ports?

Yes, all cruise ports in the greater NYC area reach the sea by traveling under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge.

Royal tends to use Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ which is in between the bridge and the Statue of Liberty (South of where the ship is shown sailing in the movie).  The movie would make it appear the ship is heading to the Manhattan cruise port that currently Royal typically doesn't use.     

Quantum class are their largest ships that can fit under the bridge.  Anthem for example, currently uses Cape Liberty in NJ.  However I suspect the movie wanted to show Manhattan to make it instantly recognizable.   

The ship speed heading up the river looks awfully fast as well.  That's likely because they had some stock footage of the ship somewhere sailing in open water and used that in the computer generated effect.  

Totally fake.

Just now, Kim&N8 said:

@twangster I was actually curious about that, it shows the ship in NY. Has Harmony been to ny or is that just a Hollywood special? 

Definitely a special effect. No Oasis class ship can fit under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge.  

6 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

When I saw them wake up from their drunken stupor already on board the ship, I just couldn't get past that moment. Not having gone through boarding once and knowing that if you have one piece of paper or travel document mismatch, you'll be denied boarding. Did the dad just happen to bring his passport, and does his name miraculously match the name of the guy who jilted his daughter at the altar? What did he use for a Set Sail Pass? Did Kristen Bell's character just magically bat her eyelashes at the guard (while still blackout levels of drunk) and get him / her to simply turn a blind eye?

Seriously, I have seen WAY too many episodes of Cinema Sins!

When Oasis class sails from NYC magic things happen, in fact anything can happen.  

Here are some scopes from this cruise:

Havana Arrival

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1RDxlWoVOwMJL?t=3s

Havana Departure

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1RDxlWoVOwMJL?t=3s

Havana Excursion and Walking around:

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1BRJjeVNkWQGw?t=3s

Walking around CocoCay:

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1BdGYogazLZxX?t=2s

Empress Sunset

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1eaJbVlqARQJX?t=16s

Cruise Compass has been scanned and sent to Matt.  It should appear shortly on the Cruise Compass page:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

30 minutes ago, ABT said:

Our first cruise was on the Empress in 1995 ( then it was known as the Nordic Empress ). 

The ship seemed massive to us back then.We really enjoyed your blog.

Thank you!

Ironically all of my charges while onboard are noted on my credit card statement as "Nordic Empress".

On 8/4/2018 at 2:48 AM, Tim B. said:

I saw it last night...cute and very predictable. The only thing I laughed at was the cell phone stuff. Throw it in the water and magically it still works; I don't think so. I haven't seen Kelsey Grammer in a long time so nice to see he still gets work.

Actually many phones are water resistant enough to survive a few minutes in a few feet of water so I'll give them that one, but there are many other inconsistencies. That's the Hollywood effect.  Virtually all movies stretch the truth or bend facts to support the story line.

I downloaded the movie while on Empress then watched it on the flight home.  I didn't want to waste precious cruise time watching a movie like this on my phone, or on a cruise

They played it on the pool deck Friday night aboard Empress.  

On 8/4/2018 at 2:48 AM, Tim B. said:

I just don't understand the necessity for throwing in profanity when clearly it is not warranted or needed. Do people really talk like that all the time?

Sadly yes.  I met a woman who cusses constantly and drops F bombs into every sentence.  

You'll probably be fine.  In theory it is strictly wine that is allowed.  Fortified wine is not allowed.  

If it's in your carry on bag and nothing else induces a search of that bag then it will probably go through without any issues.

RC Havana map attached to this post as a PDF.

Unlike the regular port map this was printed on heavy bonded paper like card stock and it's absent of the normal jewelry stores and Diamond Int'l references.

RC Havana Map.PDF

2 minutes ago, Sweety said:

I feel the same way about Empress. I took a back pack full of toothpaste, toothbrushes, pencils, paper, hair bands and other things. My private guide was happy to get them. I am thinking about the 7 day cruise also. I used my pics as a learning tool in my classes. The students were amazed no Mcd's, Burger King or Popeyes.

Our guide told us there is one McD's on Cuba.  It's in the Naval base at Guantanamo Bay.  Not available to Cuban residents, though.  I'm not sure that's accurate though, maybe a joke on his part.

Cruise Summary

I had a very enjoyable cruise overall.  As a Diamond Plus I was treated very good on Empress.  It's not that other ships don't treat the top elite well because they do, but on Empress they took that level of service up a notch.

At 48,563 gross tons Empress is small by today's standards.  That makes her almost 5 times smaller than Symphony.  With a capacity of 1840, our sailing at 1808 guests was near capacity (98.2%).  At times like at muster or at certain times in the Windjammer it felt just as crowded as any other ship but it never felt crowded for the majority of the time.

In considering a cruise on Empress (or any ship) research the ship.  Empress has only one main pool, no flow riders or water slides.  I was amazed though that it didn't feel like a small ship.  I knew what I booked and my expectations were set appropriately and because of that my expectations were achieved.  The cabin bathroom did feel a little dated and if you are the type that will see a spot of rust or chipped paint and focus on that then maybe this isn't the ship for you.  

I wasn't sure how I'd feel on Empress so I didn't booked any more cruises on her but now having experienced her I won't hesitate to sail her again.

The 10 drink card was offered for $75 on day 4.  A beer bucket special was $29 for 5 beer (buy 4 get 1 free).  I didn't purchase either.  

My total bar bill was $116 or ~$23 per day including gratuity.  The drink package on board was $63.  My 30% Diamond Plus discount would have dropped that to $44 or $52 per day with gratuity.  Granted I had 3 complimentary Diamond happy hour drinks each evening but I couldn't have consumed very much more and certainly not an additional $29 worth each day.

The bad dining experience on one night in the MDR goes to show that any wait staff can have a bad day on any ship.  

Cuba was an amazing port.  The people of Cuba were awesome and like the OFAC program that we travel under it is there to benefit the Cuban people (not their government so much).  That's exactly what I'll plan to do on my next visit. The 7 night sailing that visits more Cuban ports look very appealing at this point.

It was great to make CocoCay after having two missed calls on previous cruises.  I was very happy to see that construction had minimal impact on the island as I've experienced it before.  I'm not sure the pier will be ready for November.  It seems like they have a lot more to do but I'm not a construction expert.