Kathleen

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. I am still vacillating between the two. I will explore Celebrity iteneraries bor Baltic when those are released next week. As @twangster said above, I think the appeal of the new ship is why this decision is so difficult. Because we have been Loyal Royal and know what to expect, it is hard to shop elsewhere. I will continue to give it further thought giving consideration to your comments and recommendations.

I thought the same thing! Misery loves company ?

We sailed the Alaskan Itenerary on Ovation this past May. I can’t say enough good things about the ship. I think one of the things that set s Ovation apart is best suited for a colder climate cruise. It’s indoor offerings are greater than other ships. On the pool deck there is an outside family pool as well as a seperate inside pool. This is seperate from the Solarium indoor adult pool area. The Solarium on Ovation is a tiered effect with beautiful views of the Alaskan coastline as you relax. It is heads above other lines aa well as other Royal ships. Google the ship, you won’t be disappointed. The activities and entertainment are also numerous and top notch.

We are Loyal Royal Cruisers. BUT I have been looking at Baltic Cruises for 2021. We like the Royal Iteneraries. The Baltic Itenerary will sail on Jewel. I have also looked at the same Itenerary on Princess Cruise lines. It sails on the new Princess Sky. It is considerably larger than Jewel and my Husband who is more sensitive to motion prefers a larger ship. We are leaningtowards Princess but because we have enjoyed our past cruises with Royal we are hesitant. A Junior Suite on Jewel is actually priced more than a Junior Suite on Princess although that is not the deciding factor. HELP US!!! Please let us know what you think and any experiences and comparisons you have experienced on Princess as compared to your RCI preference.

I am also a Loyal Royal Cruiser. BUT I have been looking at Baltic Cruises for 2021. We like the Royal Iteneraries. The Baltic Itenerary will sail on Jewel. I have also looked at the same Itenerary on Princess Cruise lines. It sails on the new Princess Sky. It is considerably larger than Jewel and my Husband who is more sensitive to motion prefers a larger ship. We are leaning towards Princess but because we have enjoyed our past cruises with Royal we are hesitant. A Junior Suite on Jewel is actually priced more than a Junior Suite on Princess although that is not the deciding factor. HELP US!!! Please let us know what you think and any experiences and comparisons you have experienced on Princess as compared to your RCI preference.

@KaydenDeen and @uniongodess I'm visiting Greek Islands on Explorer out of Rome in 2020, on Amazon now ordering Rick Steves book. Thanks for the tip!

We have never sailed to Coco Cay. It will just be the two of us. I think a cabana would be to much for jut two but this beach bed interest me. What does that consist of. Any other thoughts for two people who want comfort and a little shade!

Thank you. After I posted I reread the OP and realized I had probably misread that. I appreciate the clarification.

So Sky Class includes free gratuities? I did not realize.

Looks like some Caribbean cruises for2022 were released. It does not look complete. Any thoughts on when the rest will be released? It seems these may be early releases.

Where will Adventure be sailing? It looked like Jewel was doing Baltic.

@mpoole3 saw in your post that you are diamond plus. Id be interested in knowing what your thoughts of Jewel are. We are looking at a Baltic Itenerary on Jewel or one of the newest Princess ship, Sky Princess. It is 141,000 tons coming in a little larger than Voyager class and quite a bit larger than Jewel. We have always traveled on Royal Caribbean so I’m torn. TIA

@CarlaB try going to the RCI twitter account and leave a tweet or DM or both. I find their social media person is very responsive on there and very knowledgeable. They also will leave updates about changes there also.

For warm weather cruises the Oasis class ships are a favorite. For cooler weather cruises you can’t beat the Quantum class ships. Nothing like hanging out in the solarium or the 270 theatre during the day on the Quantum class ships. Inside warm and comfy with a spectacular view of the ocean.

Interesting. I’ve had decent luck it seems. What ships internet services are the worst? Are there general locations on the ship for rooms that is best?

My goodness, that will really discourage it if it’s more than price of cruise!!!???. Thanks. Didn’t look at fine print. That makes sense.

Looking at new 2021 European Cruises and when I do a mock booking for the Anthem Cruises the price of the refundable deposit adds back in the BOGO 60% amount as the increased price of cruise for a refundable deposit. Is this new? In the past the price increase would be close to the amount of deposit. In the instances I ran the increase in total price was @ $3100 and @$4000. Seems this is the new way of effectively getting rid of refundable deposits.

Looking at new 2021 European Cruises and when I do a mock booking for the Anthem Cruises the price of the refundable deposit adds back in the BOGO 60% amount as the increased price of cruise for a refundable deposit. Is this new? In the past the price increase would be close to the amount of deposit. In the instances I ran the increase in total price was @ $3100 and @$4000. Seems this is the new way of effectively getting rid of refundable deposits.

I'm looking for the release of the Artic Circle cruise for 2021. In 2020 it leaves out of Copenhagen. I don't see any Copenhagen releases yet so I am guessing this is still due to be released . In 2020 there was just one sailing so I am keeping my fingers crossed there is one for 2021 yet to be released. Anyone else waiting? Thoughts? According to Matts blog today it looks like the Northern Europe Itineraries still to be released is on Adventure which is promising. Wanted to compare to a few itineraries released today and decide which I liked more so it is a little of a bummer putting it off because if I decide on one of the itineraries released today, I will have needlessly waited. Since we aren't reserving any large suites, I think a number of nice junior suites will still be available!!

When is it scheduled to cruise there? That sounds promising.

We just recently attended the Sushi Rolling Class on Ovation and loved it. You make a good amount of Sushi that you get to eat, so that in and of itself was worth the cost to us. We highly recommend it. We were given the recipes in instruction form and have done it at home also.

Uggghhhh.....Still crickets! I suppose half the fun is the anticipation ?

The poster stated they were staying in an Owners Suite. What I meant was that they could now dine with the New Junior Suite (Royal up bid winners) because now poster and Royal Up bid winners were both in suites now and since Junior Suite can eat dinner at CK they would be allowed to dine together for dinner. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. Was only trying to help.

PS: Hope all is worked out to your satisfaction prior to your embarking. Enjoy the cruise.

The fact that you have a suite will allow all of you to have dinner together in Coastal Kitchen which is an asset. Otherwise you would have to forgo your dinners there to eat with them in MDR. I know you must be disappointed that the bed configuration doesn't change but the Spa Suite on the Ovation (assuming same for Anthem) has a separate toilet area in separate room and the shower/tub area has a separate tub and shower stall. Really nice bathroom. If eating together in Coastal Kitchen means anything, you may want to consider that if Royal is willing to give money back and restore you to original room. Not sure this helps your disappointment but wanted to throw in one additional thing to consider.