Vancity Cruiser

All Gen X and older will not like this change as we have been burned too many times by 'faulty' connections in our lives. Millennials and younger will not bat an eye at this.

I'm skeptical. there is absolutely no reason to ban them

Europe, Asia, and Australia are all alternatives if you'd prefer to avoid the US. However, as a Canadian cruiser I have flown into and cruised from US ports recently with no issues.

21 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

It would still be a disaster though. The amount of time and resources the company has burned through to essentially make this guy an unpaid brand ambassador would all be tossed into a dumpster fire. 

While Super Mario is a great an interesting story to some of us the 'time and resources' from the company is less than the equivalent of you dropping a penny over the side of a ship and they wouldn't hesitate to burn him to improve the bottom line.

22 hours ago, skywalk640 said:

I'm pretty sure Royal Caribbean has conditioned me to expect exorbitant prices because the pricing seems relatively reasonable, especially if you get one of the $200/$150 days. I'm glad that they included a non-alcoholic option for those who don't drink much or at all. Excited to see what it looks like when it's completed and what the food options are

So true! 

That is one click baity thumbnail lol

On 6/27/2025 at 7:08 PM, Thumper44 said:

I think some of the more cynical comments in this thread (and on these message boards overall) are an indicator that some faithful cruisers have felt that the cruise industry may not quite be hitting that mark often enough

Not the cruise industry in general. Some other lines (not all) still offer the more traditional cruising vibe. Personally I feel that Royal's direction is successfully filling a needed role to expand the industry, and their results speak for themselves. I personally have gone from cruising about 90% Royal to 25% Royal because as I age I prefer a more laid back vibe while cruising. I continue to maintain though that Royals entertainment (shows) is unmatched and that is what keeps me coming back at all.

7 hours ago, Thumper44 said:

That's what I want.  Maintain around 30 ships, maybe more!

My personal hope is that the Discovery project is going to be huge, like 10-12 ships.  Presumably this is from Meyer Werft in Germany (who built the Quantum class) or possibly Chantiers de L'Atlantique in France (who built the last several Oasis class).  Maybe both companies will be involved.

Meyer Turku in Finland (they build Icon) is also supposed to be working on a climate-neutral ship design projected for 2035.  I'm guessing that they build six to ten Icons and then switch to the newer design about a decade from now.

If that many new-design ship orders is too ambitious, I think another Quantum Ultra like Odyssey of the Seas would be great.  And order a couple new Edge-class ships while you're at it; Celebrity won't mind! 

You are thinking in terms of ships, Royal is thinking in terms of berths. Like it or not, scale of economy is Royal's direction.

Yes I would! 100%. With the fleet growing fleet I keep waiting for a cold weather ship to be based out of Seattle year round. 

Every Royal ship should have a playmakers

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Some other video.

Looks like it was broken from inside somehow, then gave way shortly after.
 

 

I love the dude walking by with his drink completely unfazed lol 

They are spending enough money, might as well invest in a breakwater for the port

It would be a nice place to have the Oasis class ships doing 3 and 4 nighters change the 4 nighter to PDM so that cruisers could do 7 nights (3 night/4 night B2B) and not just hit Nassau and PDCC multiple times.

1 hour ago, All4family said:

Or how much I should expect to spend on them?

If you own your home you may want to start looking into second mortgage options in preparation.........

I would use Uber for sure but that is because I do not like the inconvenience of having to wait on others with a shuttle service

On 5/12/2025 at 7:29 PM, twangster said:

Kind of disappointing there are some gaps in their database for many cruises in between 2016 and 2025.  Some common routes too, it's not all of those were on obscure ships in weird places.  Dozen plus cruises didn't compute for them.  

Cool idea, poor execution.  

3 of the first 5 cruises I inputted didn't have the data and that was the end of my interest in the website

I am going to sound like an old man here (I'm only in Gen X range ) but I feel like the short cruise market trend is a reflection of where society is at. Everyone's attention span is shot to hell, all information is consumed in short form (videos or news) and in order to remain stimulated need to constantly be moving on to something else. While I am not a fan of short cruises (although I would partake if I lived close to a port offering them) I understand why Royal is doing this. The financial aspect of it is fascinating as 3 or 4 night cruises are about 75% the cost of a 7 nighter which means in a 7 day span RC is making 50% more in cruise fares. The onboard spend is probably just as much on a short cruise than a longer one so doubling revenues there.

For those of us born in the 1900's who enjoy a longer vacation we just have to find other options.

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I also think this is a way to begin to nudge the interloper Pinnacles out of the Suites Lounge

100% agree that this will affect Pinnacles

It also works for juices and smoothies from vitality cafe on Oasis class

11 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Dan and I were watching a documentary recently on the evolution of Royal Caribbean International and I was surprised to learn that Labadee was an inheritance from Admiralty Cruise Lines BEFORE Royal acquired Coco Cay.  So Labadee is an "older" private destination than [what is now] Coco Cay !

What was this documentary called and where can I find it?

I wonder if there is a minimum bid?

My only experience with Quantum class was Ovation to Alaska in 2021 in the middle of the 'restart' so things were very different (masks, limited capacity, vax only venues, and lots of stuff closed). It wasn't my favorite cruises but I did love the solarium (as a mainly west coast cruiser I love a good solarium). I'm having another go on this class this fall when Quantum will be sailing from LA.

I don't mind repeating on the Oasis class because the entertainment (especially aqua theatre and ice shows) are so unique to the industry. My style of cruising does not include any of the daytime entertainment but dinner and a (good) show is a must each evening. So outside of Oasis class I do try to book different ships whenever possible but I do repeat from time to time and still have a great cruise.

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

You're thinking too deeply into all this.  Only a handful of people on either side would personally hold another country's citizens responsible for disagreeing with another country's leaders.

https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/reaffirming-friendship-hundreds-gather-at-peace-arch-to-show-solidarity-7898863

5 hours ago, Gadget Hackwrench said:

Should I throw on Canadian maple leaf themed clothes and try to convince people I am a local to obtain better service? How will it impact goods purchased on ship and at these destinations for re-entry at customs?