JBC1

It's not just the Australians, the British struggle with it as well.

https://www.thetravel.com/bait-and-switch-art-auction-royal-caribbean-cruise-scam/
Please don't participate in these art auctions. My wife fell under the spell for 2 cruises and she finally wised up. I think it's beyond scam and quite frankly extremely low brow for Royal Caribbean to still offer this garbage. I attended one with her and immediately felt like taking a shower afterwards. Even the name Park West sickens me. The people who run it are cringe to the max. 
Sorry but this is particularly a sore spot for me. After the second cruise of attending these she said never again. Thank goodness!

Sailed star in September in villa suite.  It was our 8th?  star.  Told my husband and kids it’s probably our last one.  Shoreside was a nightmare and it’s just not worth the premium anymore. 
 

Good news for those who are planning a future trip the the Norwegian Fjords, the proposed 2026 ban on non zero emission ships has been delayed until 2032.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2024/08/28/norway-allows-cruise-ships-in-world-heritage-fjords-until-2032/
 

Yup! Seems that way at the moment. What I am most interested in knowing is will guests get the same response from the ship genie at one week out? If they do, then the SC program that we all know and love is gone.

Then they are utterly useless.  

Yes on Harmony 

I received an email from a shore-side Genie today named Ben. I am on Harmony sailing on the 8th of September for a Back-to-Back. It will be interesting to see how this works compared to direct contact with the Genie.
John 😀

I received an email from a shore-side Genie today named Ben. I am on Harmony sailing on the 8th of September for a Back-to-Back. It will be interesting to see how this works compared to direct contact with the Genie.
John 😀

"New Year, New Odyssey. Our Journey into 2024…" – OY 12/31/2023 – 01/06/2024

I am writing this blog with a heavy heart. Even as I write this, I am not sure if this sailing will be a go for us or not. I even contemplated not blogging, because I was not sure if I had it in me at this moment. However, blogging makes me happy, and these blogs remain a great way to record our memories, and that is what these trips are all about. Making memories with the ones we love.
About 3 weeks ago, our lives were unexpectedly turned upside down. My Dad is going through a major health crisis that took us completely by surprise. If you asked me 3 weeks ago if I was going on this sailing, I would have probably said no. However, as awful as the situation is, our health care system in Ontario has not totally failed us, and my Dad has received treatment, and is stable for the time being.
I have long supported the whole “YOLO Book It” mentality, the pandemic fueled it. However, with the events that have transpired over the last few weeks, it has only strengthened our resolve to seize each moment, to not let a single opportunity pass us by, to truly live, and have no regrets, and to take every moment to enjoy each other because life is so fragile.
We have no idea what 2024 is going to hold for our family. But one thing is certain, we take heart in knowing that God is working for our good in the midst of all of this, and there is always joy come morning.

I use a travel agent every single time. 
It’s not about booking the cruise.  It’s about who’s there to fix it when a problem occurs.

Australia is one of the few places that still needs proof of vaccination for sailings. When I was boarding Ovation for my cruise a week ago, everyone had to provide proof of vaccination, you also need to do a RAT test 24 hours before or a PCR test 48 hours before, if by the time the sailing has come around and Royal still hasn't replied, what I would suggest is that you get to the terminal a few hours early and explain your situation to them there, they seem pretty lenient at least they were when I was boarding... ymmv however.

Fantastic, I hope its the same for me February 19th.
John 😃

Just boarded Allure this morning…wow! Fastest boarding I’ve ever experienced in over thirty years of cruising. Never been on an oasis class ship before so was prepared for longer wait times, but from the time my husband’s cousin dropped us off at the (incredible, beautiful, new) terminal it took 7 minutes from curb to getting on the ship. So impressed so far! 

@Jason12 @mistertomatohead @smokeybandit   Good find! Deleted the last digit and then retyped it in…hit save. Back to normal!
**And yet another reason to love this forum!😎

Mine is not showing in the app or website 😒
John

Hi!
Thanks for the message and we can certainly check for a better fit for you. There are situations where we just need to diagnose your needs and communication styles, them match you with the perfect advisor.
I will send you a PM to get that process started. 
Always feel free to PM me or email me at [email protected] with any needs or feedback. 

He is fantastic, we had him on the Oasis earlier this year. You won't be disappointed at all.
 
John 😀

He is fantastic, we had him on the Oasis earlier this year. You won't be disappointed at all.
 
John 😀

Great report thank you.
John

I am looking forward in trying Gold dining in December.
 
John

Thanks for all the info, which makes me very happy! I'm sailing out of Singapore on 2 Jan and all I want is time in the sun by the pool, and quiet time in the solarium and spa. I've also purchased UDP for the first time and had no intention of going into Windjammer. Based on this post, my perfect cruise is going to be....perfect!

I had the same today for our Singapore cruise, great news indeed.
 
John

I had the same today for our Singapore cruise, great news indeed.
 
John

So, the wife and I just returned from our second cruise aboard Spectrum OTS, this time it was a shorter 3-night sailing visiting Penang with one Sea Day. Compared to our previous experience a few months ago (despite the loosened restrictions) - the ship still feels very different than a typical European or North American sailing.
A few things of note which I never mentioned in my previous post (which have remained status quo): so for anyone considering a Spectrum OTS out of Singapore - the market is a bit different based on the below:
Unlike our previous cruise, the Windjammer is now fully self-serve (and for the North American's on this board) - the WIndjammer on North American ships will typically have 'theme nights' featuring a cuisine of a particular country, look no further as on the Spectrum's Windjammer has dedicated sections for Indian and Chinese cuisine.
* Like my previous cruise on Spectrum earlier in the year... the pool decks remain largely 'empty' - hot tubs generally empty and of the people on the pool deck - the demographic on board including families tends to over dress aka pants and sweatshirts on the pool decks (as though it was Alaska) and hardly anyone in the pools as its just not part of the Singapore market.
***no 'chair hogs that we witnessed on this sailing, as most people in this market tend to prefer shade over sun and to avoid spending time at pools or on the outdoor decks generally - so if one is looking for a lounger, even on a Sea Day - there was a ton available... in fact the crew was removing loungers since they weren't even really being used***
* The Casino was extremely crowded (as per usual on sailings from this market) - as was the Windjammer (hard getting a table at any given time).
* The solarium remained largely empty and the bartenders were generally 'bored' along with the bartenders at the 'Schooner' Bar. In fact on the occasions we were in both venues... we were able to chat up the bartenders for 30 minutes average before anyone else showed up... and we were advised that drinking and bars are not very 'popular' in this market.
* The Flowrider was basically empty for the first two days of the sailing... in fact the Flowrider Instructors were the ones doing all the 'flowriding' for the first two days while people watched - basically 'performing' various stunts (this is something one would never see stateside as the Flowrider fills up on embarkation day). Only on the final day of the sailing did it 'fill up' and even then its nothing like out of Florida or California. Mind you something else you'd never see out of the US market is people waiting for the Flowrider carrying Umbrella's to shade themselves from the sun... and there were A LOT of umbrella holding people in the queue; though luckily no one attempted to flowride with an umbrella 🙂.
* Masks like the North America market are now 'optional' however the majority of crew about 95 % are still masked as again it makes the people in this market more comfortable, and for the guests... about 90 - 95% masked as well indoors and outdoors despite it being optional. The only ones who went unmasked were those visiting Singapore for this cruise and it was quite obvious who the guests were.
* Beverage packages are not very popular according to the F&B staff we interacted with since in this market... people tend to either a la carte beverages or just go with the free options ... in fact the drink of choice was typically hot drinks which the bars don't serve - again different market.
* NextCruise was quite a popular spot with many people booking future cruises... though when the wife and I enquired about potentially putting down a deposit for a cruise from Florida or from Seattle, we were met with 'those markets not being very common in Asia' since most people who booked future cruises on board were only booking in the Asian market.
* The Cafe270 was a nice upgrade from Cafe Promenade on the other ships, it serves a wide variety of things but closes at 1700 daily. Also Sorrento's is located in the Windjammer rather than on the Esplanade.
Speaking to the Hotel Director at a public Q&A, the Hotel Director advised that the vast majority of the 5000 onboard are from Singapore with about 600 Indian Nationals and only 53 from North America (US / Canada) making this the smallest minority of guests on board. This is also the reason why the hotel director further clarified that in Asia... the North Star, Rock Climbing Wall, iFly Skydiving Simulator are chargeable (around $40 and up) in order to 'control crowds' while on US Based ships, these three things are typically non-chargeable at least at on Port Days. Even the sports staff on board knew this though most passengers are not aware of this. When this was also raised in the public Q&A - the Captain also re-iterated that the above are 'novelty attractions' but stateside their 'common'. The Captain of this sailing was Captain Wu Huimin who is from China - though the main speaker at the Q&A was the Australian Hotel Director.
* Also there's a big hope that China will open again by late 2023 and 2024 and the plan is for Spectrum to offer cruises from Shanghai again - per the Hotel Director. Was also advised that if the ship does end up returning to China by then... everything would be in Mandarin only (in Singapore everything is still in English).
Overall this sailing was pretty much like our previous sailing except masks were 'optional'. It was still a relaxing experience and it was great to interact with the bored bartenders who were standing around, many staff on board have mentioned they prefer this market since its a lot less work at the bars however the Windjammer does have its work cut out since non-stop eating is a big thing in this market. Didn't attend the Art shows this time around, and the SPA was also empty the times we went by as was the fitness center (even on the Sea Day).
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask, also let the forum know if you're taking a cruise from Singapore soon, lots of useful tips including the revamped check in process at Marina Bay Cruise Center which is much to be desired.