DublinFC

We have been strongly considering a land vacation instead of a cruise.  We have been waiting for the vax requirement to stop.  We would be losing out on the extra 25% FCC if we did rebook.  

With this news about the CDC stepping back we are going to hold out longer.  I am hoping by the end of the year they drop the vax requirement. 

20 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

They only have 2 padded loungers and side tables in them.

They are also only on the upper deck of the pool area.

That makes me thinking I will need to have 2 reservations to accommodate all of us.  Thank you for the information.  

Hello,

I am seeing Casitas available (Oasis of the Seas) to rent on the Cruise Planner.  How many people do they accommodate?  We have 4 people total traveling.  This would be a nice place to have and not need to fight with chair hogs.  Any information on this would be welcomed.

2 hours ago, AlmondFarmer said:

I think everyone in the world should get a 10x raise. Make it easy, just add an extra zero to all wages.
Imagine how happy everyone could be. I wonder why this hasn’t been done worldwide or at least in a few countries?

If implemented, hopefully this will not change the cost or availability of goods in the marketplace or decrease the demand for labor.

I have to apologize, It’s been 15 years since my last MBA course and my memory is fading. 

 

Doesn't take an MBA to know cost, availability etc. have gone up/become harder in the 15 years your memory has been fading.  Just look at the last 2 years as an example. 

Also, no, everyone in the world does not deserve a 10x raise.  However, those who work for it should be rewarded.  Sit on your ass and do nothing then you are not part of the conversation.  

22 minutes ago, twangster said:

I don't see the need to raise labor expenses just as a nice gesture.  Everyone who is employed anywhere in the world would love a raise.  Raises are earned through hard work but also other criteria.

If crew are dissatisfied with wages they can find other work with a competitor who pays more, if any exist, or on land, if such a job exists.

This applies to anyone who is employed.  I don't understand the concept that just ship crew should warrant a raise.  Plenty of people around the world would argue they warrant a raise too.  If wages are so wrong, crew would not return and new crew would not be drawn to ship life and sign on for their first contract.

Why should outsiders who don't understand the industry parachute in to dictate change? 

I don't like the way P&O ferries handled this but then again I wasn't directly involved and I don't trust the media for reporting it accurately.  Maybe it went down like they said, maybe there is another side to the story.  Either way it's not my government's place or the UK government's place to get involved in international affairs.  If the UK doesn't like foreign crew working on ferries that service the UK they can pass laws like the PVSA (US law) or other immigration laws that might cover such a scenario.  Then a ferry company would have to employ UK residents and at that point the UK government has a standing to dictate wage levels.

Now you are expanding the issue being discussed.   

Focusing on the crew, its not just a nice gesture.  Providing a raise across the board is something companies do to stay competitive so they can retain their workforce.  Or, to match industry standards.  Or, to recognize the hard work the crew are doing day in and day out.

I never said the wages were so wrong, I just think they could be raised higher. I get the sense you think I am saying all staff should be on $40K/yr, Im not.  Maybe I am reading too much into what you are saying, this is the internet after all.

We can go back and forth all day.  I appreciate your conversation on the matter.  I just do not see a problem with the cruise lines raising wages a little.  You do.  To each their own.  

As for the government forcing it to happen I can agree that they should not be who makes the decision.  I am for way less government involved in pretty much everything. 

Can anyone comment on the football helmet ice cream sundae?  It looks like its a fun and yummy treat.

20 hours ago, Esmom said:

My girls had the refreshment package on Allure.  They loved the smoothies at the vitality bar. It was included in the package. 

I have heard they make some really tasty smoothies there.  Any favorites? 

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

Where crew come from, their source countries, dictate what is considered a reasonable wage.  You can't apply UK or US labor and economic ideologies to other countries around the world where the social and economic factors of that country are so wildly different from the US or UK.

Go to the Philippines or India as examples.  What does a day laborer make there?  What is the average income?  What is the poverty line?  Why would you tell another country they have to pay labour rates based on UK or US rates?

I know they are earning more compared to what they would be getting in their home country, but why is it bad to try and raise the standard for the crew that are working on the ship? 

I think trying to add their home country is irrelevant. We are talking about people who are working for companies that work mainly out of the US and UK.  I know they work around the laws of the US and UK by being incorporated in other countries.  

I also know a lot of the crew are very happy and come back contract after contract, I just do not see a problem with raising their pay a little.   Make them happier to come contact after contact.  

I fully understand your thoughts on the subject, I just have a different opinion.  Normally I agree with your thoughts on cruising. 

Going back to what I mentioned when as my first post in this thread.  I am happy to pay the gratuities and tip a little extra.  Do I think I am saving them or some sort of knight in shining armor?  No.  I am just saying thank you for taking care of me and my family while we had an amazing vacation.  

4 hours ago, Riley said:

It is also possible for you to bring two bottles and your wife to bring two bottles - just go through two separate security lines. 

I thought it was tied to your stateroom? If 2 people in the same stateroom bring wine won't that be flagged?  If not, go to!  More the merrier. 

1 hour ago, jay1021 said:

Yep, as of today, the jab and testing is required.  It could change any day now.  Stay tuned!

I hope they drop it sooner than later.  We have sailings with Royal and NCL booked for next year.  Used FCCs to make both deposits, only out of pocket cost was  $75.  I am not putting any more money into either sailing until the vax requirements are dropped.  

11 minutes ago, twangster said:

But will the average household that enjoys a $5,000 cruise be able and willing to pay $15,000 for it?   

First I doubt it would go that high.  It could, I don't have the numbers to figure out the ins and outs of what their salaries would need to be to make the cost rise that much.  Second, I am not suggesting raising annual wages to $40K/yr and $50K/yr.  My understanding is that those who are not in the service part of the staff make a good deal more than what I found in that article.  Bring the service staff wages up to a minimum of $20K/yr plus the tips the get each sailing.  Allow for some raises and upward movement still.    

I guess I find it odd that it seems like a bad thing to support the idea of people that work very hard for their money to earn a little more than what they currently do.

On 4/3/2022 at 1:23 AM, Pattycruise said:

I suppose they could increase their salaries and then charge them for their room and board,food, and medical. 

Raise their pay and keep the benefits the same.  Cruise fare goes up, to help cover the increased pay for the crew.  

On 3/28/2022 at 2:26 PM, Ray said:

Some may be aware of an ongoing situation in the UK which kicked off a week or so ago.

P&O ferries terminated the contracts of over 800 long serving employee's so they could replace them with crew from countries such as India etc. 

This is not illegal it's what lots of companies including cruiselines do, they have ships registered in places where they can pay low wages. However the UK Government are extremely pissed about it and are now planning on tightening the rules which will mean ships sailing out of UK must pay all crew UK minimum wage. Its hard to see how they can have 1 rule for 1 and another rule for others doing the same which would mean cruiselines sailing from UK having to pay higher wages for crews.

 

 

 

 

Pay the crew, they work hard for the guests to have a great vacation.  The crew have a lot of expenses included with their work, room and board, medical care, meals, etc.  But, this is not a living wage and why I am more than happy to pay gratuities and tip extra while I am at sea.  https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-ship-workers-reveal-how-much-money-they-make-2019-5 

Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings — reported in regulatory filings the following median annual earnings for 2018:

• Carnival Corporation: $16,622
• Royal Caribbean Cruises: $19,396
• Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings: $20,101

"In addition to their salary, crew members typically receive free medical care, room and board, meals, and many other benefits that are often unavailable in their home countries," said a representative for the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade association for the cruise industry. "Crew members are very satisfied with their jobs and the opportunities for career advancement, which explains why employee retention rates in the cruise industry are upwards of 80%."

Ice cold Miller Lite or a creamy pint of Guinness.

22 hours ago, Matt said:

It will take a long time for certain protocols to completely disappear, as in years.

Do you think the vaccine requirements will take years as a personal opinion or is this an educated guess based on information you have heard through sources or press meetings with Royal Caribbean?  

2 hours ago, Zacharius said:

I've stayed here before, but it has been since...2019? That sounds about right. I'll give you my one experience, but I do urge you to check out Google and Tripadvisor too...once or two people's experience is great, but hundreds/thousands are better. Take them all with a grain of salt, because people only usually post if they have really good or really bad experiences, and mine was middle-of-the-road. BUT, trends still emerge from reviews.

Okay, enough of that. I did NOT stay here for a cruise, but that shouldn't matter. The airport shuttle was fine - not super quick, not super slow. I remember the room being fairly basic and somewhat run down (pretty common with airport hotels due to their high turnover), but decently clean. I did not try the restaurant, but I remember it being crazy expensive because (a) it's a hotel, (b) it's an airport hotel, (c) it's an airport hotel in the NYC metro area, and (d) it's an airport hotel in the NYC metro area with literally no non-hotel restaurants anywhere around it. 

So yeah, it'll be fine...but don't expect a whole lot. 

Thanks for the run down.  I am not looking for a whole lot.  arrive, eat, sleep, cruise.  I will be looking at other places too.  I just want something handy to get to and then to the port.  We are not spending any time sightseeing in NYC.  

Forgive me if information about this hotel has been asked and answered previously.

I am doing my research to see where to stay for a sailing out of Cape Liberty.  Has anyone stayed here?  What was the stay like?  Good enough to stay the night and get on the ship?  Was the hotel/room clean?  

Thanks for any information to help with my research.

On 8/24/2021 at 7:06 PM, PG Cruiser said:

I use this for my belt loop.

I was not aware of this option.  Thanks for sharing.  I am going to have to check this out for the next time we sail.  

2 hours ago, jeffmw said:

Just got off Mariner over the weekend and wanted to provide a few takeaways I felt stood out.

First, the positive:

• I hadn't been on the Mariner. For a 20-year-old ship, Royal has done a very good job keeping the public areas of the ship up-to-date, clean, nice-looking. It's still a great ship with a totally modern feel. 
• Entertainment seems to continually improve whenever I cruise. I'm not much of an ice skating fan, but felt the ice show was really well done and enjoyable. 
• The staff continues to be so helpful and friendly almost across the board. Somehow they really find a way to keep the staff upbeat and positive despite the tireless work schedules and repetitiveness of the job. This makes a huge difference in the overall experience of cruising Royal. 

A few negative notes:

• The staterooms need a refresh. Both of our rooms smelled a little musty and were showing age. Also, having only two electric plugs in the entire stateroom in 2022 is just ridiculous at this point. Also, felt like public restrooms need to be updated. 
• I feel like the food gets worse every time I cruise, and I think Royal needs to take a real look at the MDR experience overall. The selection in the MDR was repetitive and very uninteresting. I'd describe the food as average-at-best. Meanwhile, the Windjammer really lacks healthy options, particularly for breakfast. Honestly, the best food we had during the cruise was from the Promenade Cafe. It's the one aspect of Royal cruising overall that I feel has dropped in quality noticeably over the past 10+ years. I always enjoyed the experience of dinner in the MDR and the experience of dining overall on cruises. I hate that it's becoming less of something to look forward to.
• Playmakers - There were all these fans of particular teams at Playmakers to watch NCAA tournament games but the weird version of ESPN they carry would bounce back and forth between the two games. I felt so bad for the people who went there to root for a team they really care about! And we're not talking about regular season baseball games or something. These are huge, mainstream, national sporting events. Their lack of access to live sports is just ancient at this point. But the real question is... why is Royal putting these sports bars onto every ship if they can't support it with the live programming sports fans are going to expect?? Why drive additional attention and devote more space to an area of weakness? It'd be like adding fancy Internet Cafes to every boat and only having dial-up modems at each computer terminal. 

All this said, we still really enjoyed ourselves and don't love cruising any less!

 

How was the food in Playmakers?  The upcharge worth the bar food options?  Subjective I know, just looking for your opinion.  Thanks.

3 hours ago, Bel-Air said:

We are sailing June 11th on Allure of the Seas. We are not vaccinated and saw the current health protocols have vaccine requirements up to May 31rst. This is cutting it close. Thoughts on if Royal Caribbean will drop the requirement by June 1rst, in time for the summer?

Just my personal opinion, nothing based in factual data or information.  I would be surprised if the vaccine requirements are not lifted until the start of 2023 at the earliest.  Now, I remember reading somewhere that spring of 2022 was the targeted time for the government to drop all covid "stuff".  Have to see what happens.  I have not heard or seen fauci out in the news lately and I take that as a very good sign that we are going to be seeing more changes back to pre-covid.

Again just my opinion, I might be 100% off base here.

sofa by the balcony, seems easier to get in and out out to the balcony with out the bed there.  

Well we are going to try and give this cruise thing another go.  Just booked the Oasis of the Seas for May 21st 2023.  Hoping the vaccine requirement is gone by then.  If not, we will continue to wait.  Living vicariously through others cruises for now  

On 1/10/2022 at 12:30 PM, Matt said:

Welcome to the message boards!

I recommend the at-home tests.

Earlier this summer it was no problem to get a test at a pharmacy near me, but now it's really difficult.  Not to mention you're potentially exposing yourself to someone who has Covid by going to a test site.

Which test do you recommend again?  I am looking for the blog post about it, but not seeing it.

If we check in sooner than later do we get a better chance of an arrival time?  I want to get as early of an arrival time as possible now that it is being enforced.  

OK good to know, Ive been looking earlier to see if they might have opened it sooner.  I feel changes to the rules are coming every other day so it can be hard to keep up.