Evantra

Idk but I had a similar experience on my last two indy cruises end of 2022. I went in Aug and then in Dec.

Did not enjoy MDR or WJ for lunch.

WJ for dinner was solid, great variety too.

I ended up paying for specialty dining and had a better experience + food was fresher. (I am a foodie if that helps and I have been cruising on Royal for some almost 10 years)

Bump! Same here. looking to do B2B med cruises on Celebrity for April 2024+

Is it fair to compare 2023 sailings in the same region just to plan ahead and get ideas?

I am surprised there isn't a dedicated forum to this here  really considering a segment

10 hours ago, twangster said:

The cruise line will keep everyone safe by avoiding the heart of the storm.  Itinerary changes and sometime cancellations can occur due to weather.  Indy from Port Canaveral offers short 3 and 4 night cruises so unlike longer cruises there are not enough days in a 3 night cruise to reach more distant destinations beyond the Bahamas.  If the Bahamas closes it could end with a cancellation.  If the situation ends up with a cruise cancellation then they will refund the cruise fare. 

Royal is at the mercy of the weather just like all of us are.  Royal is not responsible for the weather and they can't control the weather.  It is not reasonable to expect compensation when a cruise line has to make changes for something that is beyond their control.  If they can't visit one port on an itinerary sometimes port fees are refunded, sometimes they are not.  The single largest expense of operating a ship is fuel and a ship that ends up having a sea day when a port closes costs the cruise line substantially in fuel costs.  Each situation is unique so there is no single way it will be handled.  

Great point, we have a 4 nighter so maybe there is some wiggle room there. 

and everyone yes I asked about OBC but thats the least of my worries hahah

thank you everyone this is very helpful. I did my research on previous posts, facebook groups but nothing like this forum, thank you.

Sailed a few times and I am a Puerto Rico/FL native so been through this a few times! 

2 hours ago, JeffB said:

I'm sailing on Celebrity Equinox departing Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, the 17th and heading E to Key West, porting there on the 18th, tracking back NE with a day at sea, then a planned port call in Bimini, Island of Bahamas on Sunday the 19th. Fiona is far enough south through that time period that while it might be a bit rainy, nothing serious associated with Fiona is in the offing weather wise.

Fiona will be approaching PR from the ESE and moving WNW on Sunday the 18th, slowing down and extending its presence in that area through the 19th. Starting on the the 20th, we'll have a day at sea, while we cruise enroute to the NE and to Grand Truk to arrive on the 21st. Then we head a short distance in a southerly direction to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Not looking good! for that. Like, no way as the consensus tracks through day 5 are pretty firm. There is a high likelihood that part of our itinerary won't happen as we'd be cruising right into the path of Fiona as it tracks slowly W over Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) then (maybe) makes a right turn to head out into the Atlantic. Fiona isn't a Hurricane but rather a TS with a ton of rain and winds to 50-60+ kts. Right now, it is not very organized and isn't showing signs of strengthening. It is predicted to do that as it clears Hispaniola and turns to the N (fingers crossed) over open water late next week. 

I'm going to speculate that after Bimini, Equinox will make a dash to the west passing Havana Cuba to port and making a call in Cozumel.... and that all depends on berthing and the plans of 1/2 dozen or more cruise ships who will be altering E Caribbean itineraries to the western region due to Fiona's track. Lots of moving parts for all concerned to deal with. If Coz works out for Equinox what could happen next is a port call in the Caymans than east via a dash between S Cuba and Haiti then on to Grand Truk. After a day there, back to Port Everglades in FL. Sounds nice and like a decent plan if I were in charge. I'm not so ...... who knows.  

All very speculative at this point but we're not at all concerned as we've cruised numerous times in the Caribbean during Hurricane season and always had great trips even though we've experienced itinerary changes. It's up to the line to decide what sort of compensation you might receive - port fees and taxes come to mind but even then, the contract doesn't require the lines to offer anything. They usually do though. We just go with the flow.

For those traveling to Fort Lauderdale this weekend to start a cruise, it's been wet and stormy especially after 2pm with heavy downpours and lots of thunder and lightening. However, there is  plenty of sunshine early, breaks in the PM weather and sunshine between storm clouds. It is typically hot and humid though. It does dry out a bit on Sunday and into early next week.

amazing insight thank you for the response!

Anything else to look out for? OBC perhaps 

Indy next week and Fiona's flirting with it.

Asking due to this tweet! - 

Supposed to be this week! I am sure we will hear something before end of month

2 hours ago, mac66 said:

Regards of sales, we've found the cheapest cruises are between Thanksgiving and Christmas and after the holidays, from January to about mid Feb.

Just booked an 8 night that leaves the Sat after Thanksgiving. With travel agent loyalty perks and refundable OBC from RCI and our travel agent it comes to less than $100/night for the two of us in an ocean view cabin. Hey, it's a cheap getaway

We also have a first week of Feb 7 night cruise booked for just over $100 night. Also ocean view which in both cases was only $25 more than an inside. We like insides but a window is nice for the price.

Those prices includes all fees and taxes but not transportation costs or parking. We are driving to Florida on both occasions.

Love this! we also have the privilege/opportunity to sail during "off season" I was just looking at past sailings and those dec 4/5 cruises are usually great deals! hint hint

4 hours ago, Matt said:

Basically, you're booking at the last minute and there's little availability left.

It's why booking in advance is so important with cruises.

It's very similar to airfare. Booking a cruise less than a month before it sails is like booking a flight a couple days before the trip. You usually run into higher prices.

Compounding the problem is you're looking at 3-night weekend cruises, which almost everyone can book since it goes Friday to Monday. This means even families with kids in school can make these cruises work.  

Top demand + last minute = crazy prices.

Got it! Just haven't personally seen these figures in a few years of sailings, diff economics now and such.

I got a weekday 4 night coming up and my plan was to extend by possibly booking a weekender but def a no go.

Doing a 4 nighter during the week soon as well.

I was thinking about extending and adding a weekender but def not worth it, can book an Oasis class for EOY at those rates

Ah should've clarified this is September 2022 - Sailings : Sept 16, 23, 30

I understand supply and demand but jeez haha

Genuinely curious.

Can't wrap my head around this pricing for a 3 night weekend cruise. I know everything is technically opening up but wow!

Any tips for next cruise or is it typically very straight forward?

My first cruise and honestly the service was incredible, this was a few years back.

What I did learn is that the service excels on these smaller ships due to less overall capacity. After Enchantment I did independence which we loved but felt the difference in service, not bad by any means but there was minor, noticeable difference.

If its port intensive, would recommend. 

Also def felt the ship we were on deck 2 though haha

I am planning on doing something like this for 2024, did you go through a travel agent? thank you! 

$77.99 for U Drinking P on Independence  hmm

Anyone dealt with this?

What to expect with the "Cruise Vacation Cancellation Enhancement?" Also goes by the “Any Reason” Cruise Credits

Thank you!

This happened to us one time and we were upgraded from a 5 night on freedom to a 7 night on Harmony when it first launched   (we got a call not an email)

the branzino was great, and the service/experience well worth it.

They were supposed to update this week but I believe it could be after Aug 8 they update their site and copy.

Honestly I recommend the earliest you can do because dinner does take some time! We found out the hard way if we picked dinner after 630 prepare to spend a good hr and change.

Some servers did ask us if we had any shows planned and tried their best to adjust.

There is a current sale in the cruise planner for select sailings go take a look and see what works best! have fun!

I saved on the full day passes to perfect day and an anniversary decor with the recent cruise planner sale but skipped on the drink package it was quite high for a weekend escape!

You are actually located in a good area however its a bit of a drive from there to port Canaveral.

Caribe Royale is actually located on the principal road that takes you to Walt Disney World and Disney Springs, its also close to international drive with a ton of shops and dining options, dining within walking distance I definitely do not recommend if you look at google maps in the area you will find a few options in the area everything from buffets to casual dining options. iDrive is your best bet.

You have Walmart super center, Publix Shopping, and a lot of convenience stores, its usually a congested area so keep that in mind.

 I have not stayed there but it is a huge resort for the area you definitely won't miss it.