Vancity Cruiser

17 hours ago, Jmccaffrey said:

I hope Project Discovery is real and is between Freedom and Voyager class. This makes it small but not too small. Best of all worlds.

As long as they keep the promenade. That is the thing I miss the most when cruising other lines.

1 hour ago, steverk said:

Actually,  we get an extra hour on the ship. Does that mean I have to pay extra?

It wouldn't surprise me

You should get a prorated discount as you lose an hour of time on the ship

1 hour ago, barjpoe said:

Right now I've 7 up coming cruises on Royal.

I am down to just 1 more on Royal. 89% of my past cruises were on Royal. 1 of my next 11 are on Royal. This is more a change in my cruising wants than it is anything Royal has done. All cruise lines (except Virgin) have made changes that have taken away things we always took for granted.

P.S. Interestingly the cruiselines are making all these cutbacks in the name of struggling finances but meanwhile are posting record breaking profits! Not just revenue - record breaking profits.

21 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I have been to the DL on many of ships and the only time they fill up is happy hour for snacks. This past April on Freedom there was never more than 5 people in there and they have that wonderful outdoor deck.

I am diamond and have never been to the diamond lounge. 

Not to sound cynical, but the only way they would merge would be to move the goalposts farther away. No way are they going to make it easier for more people to get more perks.

I think we are just in a different era of time. 50-60 years ago people got dressed up to go anywhere. Men wore suits outside of the home most of the time. 25 years ago most workplaces still had very strict dress codes. Now, a lot of successful entrepreneurs and/or CEO's under 40 wear only hoodies. Things change and that's just the way it is. 

I still dress up somewhat but not to stuffy. I care more about someone's attitude than what they are wearing. I'd rather be cruising with kind hearted, fun loving onsie pajama wearing folks than a bunch of suits treating staff and fellow cruisers like crap.

4 hours ago, karl_nj said:

NCL has Vibe at an extra cost, but they also have Spice H20 for free, no?

 

yes

26 minutes ago, TimeRacer said:

While I'm fine with this change, it won't stop the drunken frat boys from being obnoxious.

 

I spend a lot of time in the solariums and have never had any issues (or even noticed) 16 and 17 year olds. Now the over indulged frat boys (and girls) have definitely got on my nerves a time or 2. 

1 hour ago, JasonOasis said:

Please don't give these people any more ideas. 

Take NCL for example a 1 day pass for their beach vibe club onboard their ships cost a minimum of $99 dollars and week long passes cost $229 dollars a price that is only bound to increase over time.  I like the solarium I use both the solarium and the suite deck but I don't want to pay to use the solarium.

If they didn't go all 'royal' with the prices and it was similar to vibe prices on NCL I would gladly pay for it.

12 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I don't know if a total savings of $320 is worth it. When I factor in Lyft costs, or car rental costs, it's even less. Might just have to stick with what we have.

Everyone's situation is different but $320 would not be enough savings to be worth the hassle for me. I just spent an extra $400 for flights to have better flight times and avoid flying Flair (you're Canadian, I'm sure you understand my aversion to Flair lol). 

If you drink soda regularly you will want the package. As @CanHardlyWait pointed out the drinks they pour you are loaded with ice in a small glass. You get about half a can in a glass. And as @Reigert2008 pointed out they are not refillable. 

I get the soda package on every cruise.

If you want to stay right by the terminal you will want PanPacific (right on top of terminal). Or Fairmont Waterfront (across the street from terminal). There are several others very close by including another Fairmont, Westin Bayshore, and Marriot. I should warn you that most of these hotels while expensive, are dated. They are well kept obviously but not necessarily as modern as you would expect for the prices. If you are looking for something cheaper there is a Sandman a couple blocks away or your regular assortment of airport hotels. 

For transportation the skytrain runs between the airport and waterfront as the most economical option or you can use uber or taxi.

5 hours ago, silentfaith said:

https://wsvn.com/news/us-world/florida-couple-stranded-in-mexican-hospital-after-cruise-pit-stop-takes-a-horrifying-turn/amp/

Interesting that as of the publish date of this article (Sept. 18) the couple is already back in the US.

Living in Raincouver this desire is hard to comprehend lol. I love the hot sunny Caribbean days. Book an April/May or September Alaska cruise and you are almost guaranteed some rainy dreary day. 

There is a ship tour for local TA’s in Vancouver on Friday. Have been watching Radiance’s issues for the last couple weeks with interest to see if it will actually be here

23 minutes ago, Doug_Texas said:

the Millennial beach party

It'll be interesting how this all plays out. I feel there are 2 'groups' of people looking for the 'adult only' experience and they want (expect) 2 very different things. There is the never had kids/haven't had kids yet crowd that are looking for a boisterous party atmosphere without kids around. Then there is the empty nesters/parents on vacation without their kids who just want some freakin peace and quiet.

This area seems to cater more to the first group.

1 hour ago, BrianB said:

Ditto! Big moneymaker for NCL having the private ‘Vibe Beach Club’ on the larger ships. Adult only, upgraded loungers, private bar. Solarium-like. 
Vibe started as a section on one side of the forward upper deck just behind the exclusive suite sundeck. Then, it expanded even further on newer ships to include virtually all of the forward sundeck for more purchasers. Prices have risen steadily…supply and demand. 
Maybe Royal’s considering upgrading some of the Solariums and making it an adult, for-fee area.

 

I always get the vibe pass when cruising NCL but that is due to lack of of pool area and whirlpools on NCL. The big difference is it is a quiet relaxing area, I will not pay extra for this 'party zone' at Coco Cay but I am fine with the free beaches and Oasis pool.

3 hours ago, PL8SWPR said:

If you approached the servers working for her and told them they'd be giving up their $2.13 per hour plus tips in exchange for a straight $15 an hour, none of them would take it.  They do much better the way it is, especially since many of them just pocket the cash tips (avoiding the tax man).

Here in Canada it is even more lucrative. Waitstaff are required to be paid full minimum wage ($16.75/hr here in BC) and still receive 15-18% gratuities on top of that! 

I'm sure the OP will be back at any moment to clarify.............

Of all the reasons to be soured off of cruising.............

I am doing the 8 night itinerary on Jan. 13th.

13 hours ago, JFCruise said:

I'm looking at this itinerary and it says that the ship is in Vancouver for Day 1 and, if I'm reading correctly, departs at 3:30 AM the next day (or basically, really, really late in Day 1)

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/itinerary/7-night-alaska-adventure-from-seattle-on-quantum/QN07YVR-2948065485?sail-date=2024-04-29&currency=USD&country=USA#step=0

Are the check in times in this itinerary "normal"? Could I expect to check in, say 10 am, explore around the ship a bit, then go back to Vancouver and explore? Or are check in times/rules different in this case?

This has to do with the tides for the larger ships to fit under the Lions Gate bridge, I don't believe you can check in and leave on embarkation day. 

1 hour ago, Jolly Ogre said:

it is still more food than we can eat at one sitting.

Man the first time we went to Portside I had no idea how big the portion sizes were! I did manage to eat the whole meal but had to save desert for later lol