Vancity Cruiser

7 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Oddly, most of my sailings have been on  Quantum Class, and they are our least favorite class of ships.

Must be due to convenience?

40 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Quantum ships, by design, don't get Caribbean love like all other classes.
 

I want to get one a Quantum ship sooner rather than later, but itineraries outside of Alaska are limited. I may be stuck with a Bayonne trip

True, Odyssey (Quantum plus) is the only 'warm weather' ship of the class.

With all the hype surrounding the Icon class it made me think how seldom the Quantum class is mentioned or even recommended to  people looking for suggestions. There are folks who are big Oasis class fans (myself included), lots of folks who prefer the size and amenities (and price point) of the Voyager/Freedom class, and even a lot who prefer the relaxed atmosphere of the Radiance class. Obviously the Quantum class fill up and lots of people still sail on them and enjoy them (myself included) but I'm not sure there are many people who profess the Quantum class to be there favorite class. 

Just my Wednesday morning musing..........

23 minutes ago, Firefly said:

Cruise prices these days are insane

Correction.......Royal Caribbean new ship prices are insane. There are still deals to be had on other classes of ships

52 minutes ago, bobroo said:

The old man is sitting in his rocking chair trying to find the ambition to drag the soapbox into the good ol’ town square again. Star of the Seas has brought about many philosophical questions.

I'm here for the rant..........

I was able to book Symphony Jan 13th entertainment on Friday

Pros

 - Aqua 80

 - Portside BBQ

 - it has been 'amped'

Cons

 - Cats

 - Cats

 - Cats

2 hours ago, Geezer Of The Seas said:

After that......?

I've been finding some decent prices on Celebrity still. At least decent for todays prices......

I repriced my upcoming Symphony cruise just before final payment and the price tripled from when I booked it in early 2022. I have seen all my cruises go up in price from booking till when final payment was due over the last year but only Royal went up 3x.

FYI for anyone on this sailing. Entertainment is now available to book.

1 hour ago, TXcruzer said:

This is far from the first instance of this happening.  Rare? Yes, but there are several involuntary boarding denial instances in the past few years.

A GTY booking does not guarantee passage, neither does an assigned cabin booking, contractually speaking.

Its happened with cancellations ahead of time. First time it has happened at the port

8 hours ago, daha699 said:

There is no excuse to Over Book some people use this as a once in a Lifetime Vacation ,  they work there whole  lives for this , Not all have money or time to just do cruises on a Regular Basis ,  I am so Mad that this could happen to anyone ( Over Book )  because of Greed that is what it is and nothing more !!!!!!!!!!!

As others have pointed out earlier I'm sure there was some very unfortunate extenuating circumstances. A GTY booking is exactly that, a guaranteed room. This was the first instance of this happening, its not like its a regular occurrence.

5 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

My running commentary on cruise ship comedians is that they should be banned from telling jokes about the ship. We get it... the cabins are small and people eat a lot. *groan*

I couldn't agree more. Same with the cruise directors jokes. However, the majority of people on cruise ships are still first timers or once every couple years cruisers and find these hilarious. Those of us who have heard the cruise ship jokes many many times are the ones rolling our eyes.

So how long before the waterpark on Icon is an upcharge as well? 

13 hours ago, karl_nj said:

Doesn't NCL already have some ships where the ropes course goes over the end of the ship?

Yes, and it is a much larger course and is (checks notes), yes, is included with your cruise fare. Not $1 per second.

11 minutes ago, PatsFanBrian said:

Point of order, we are now 23 years past the 90's 

You are banned from the forum for pointing that out 

My wife and I are on this sailing as well. Have sailed on Oasis class many times. My advice would be to not feel you have to do everything (although with only 3 port stops on an 8 night cruise there will be lots of time to explore the ship). Check the cruise planner starting at about 30 days out to prebook any entertainment you don't want to miss. 

Unfortunate loss of life but obviously some extenuating circumstances. The area was not deep and the top of the boat was still above water when it fully settled. Unfortunately, people panic and chaos ensues. (while others jump on social media to live stream it).

8 hours ago, ScottD said:

I don't think a 90's party would happen just yet (maybe a small dance party in the club or bars would work).

on one of my cruises during the 'restriction' era (can't remember which one, maybe Ovation?) my wife and I were excited to see a 90's party scheduled for one of the venues. We were expecting it to be folks from around our age (40's) but when we walked into the venue it was wall to wall late teens and early 20's folks with the music at a deafening level. We looked at each other, nodded, and turned right around lol.

On 11/10/2023 at 12:48 PM, Lovetocruise2002 said:

As I was catching up on this thread, my daughter also mentioned that there is a fan based/fan led Taylor Swift cruise on Allure sailing 10/21/24. Hope you’re a fan if you are booked on that one. Might be a lot of kids on board

The cost of the cruise is about 1 tenth of the cost for a single nosebleed ticket behind the stage at one of her concerts.

8 hours ago, Xaa said:

I can't agree with this.  There are many cruises with groups of varying size that enjoy themselves within the boundaries of the cruise.  With enough coaxing you might get me to agree that when a group reaches a certain number it is now too large to control and ensure the experience for the unaffiliated passenger set, but I probably couldn't get there just based on one group that had some issues.

I totally get your sentiment though and knowledge that a large group was going to be onboard might impact my choice of cruise at decision time.  I'm just not sure how this would be implemented efficiently.

The most annoying 'charter' group I have ever encountered was for a group from a supplement pyramid scheme, sorry multi level marketing entrepreneurs, who took over the Adventure of the Seas. They took over the main pools every day and karaoke every night. It doesn't have to be the 'hip hop crowd' that causes all the problems. 

We just found other things to do and ignored the group and made the most of our cruise. Luckily it was a port intensive sailing out of San Juan so we weren't on the ship much.  

12 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I don't have a habit of giving out bad or incorrect information. And if my information is incorrect, I stand corrected and apologize.

Are you sure you're not Canadian?

Prepare to be shocked. Cruise ship spa prices are ridiculous! Doesn't slow down my wife though 

22 minutes ago, Matt said:

I'd avoid summer. April through October or so, because if your cruise goes down the Baja peninsula, it gets very, very hot in Cabo, Mazatlan, et al.

Spoken like a Floridian lol. Those of us who live in cooler climates are looking for hot weather on our cruises!

I just got back to LA on Saturday from the Cabo/Mazatlan/Puerto Vallarta itinerary. Weather was fantastic!

Check in time would remain same as a regular sailing due to working hours for shoreside employees.