Curt From Canada

Thank you … we were expecting your feedback, we just needed to confirm. 
I have never been in a “speakeasy”. Still, I had imagined there was almost as much dancing as drinking 😂😂😂.
Typically, we “adapt” quite nicely to the ship we are on.  We have danced in all the “regular” spots plus:
Schooner Bar (too many to count), many Elevator lobbies, 2 Elevators (once with the Stowaway Piano Player), 3 times on the MainStage (plus twice at the back of the Theatre), in the MDR, and Central Park (a lot). 😂😂😂
Say hello sometime, when you see two amateur dancers dancing where they shouldn’t be and having a blast. 😉
Curt from Canada

We just finished up an amazing week on Icon of the Seas, sailing from February 17th to the 24th of 2024. We were a family of 5, staying in an Family Infinite Ocean View Balcony room, and there were definitely some things we learned along the way and since lists are always fun thought I would share some of them in a Top 10 format
Obviously this is all just based on our experience and everyone cruises differently, but thought this could create some discussion and would be interested to hear tips from others who have cruise on Icon as well. Also should mention the ship was not at full capacity yet - there were about 6,000 total guests, with 1,200 of them being children. Also, we were seeing them making some tweaks to schedules and what is included in various packages, pricing for things .... basically, your experience may differ from what ours
With that out of the way, here we go ....
 
10. You Will Need to Prioritize What You Want to Do
This goes without saying but this is a massive ship with a ton to do and a ton of new stuff not seen on other Royal Caribbean ships. Because of that at the end of the week my wife and I were commenting about the things we didn't get to. For example we never ate at El Loco Fresh and never visited the Sports Court - whereas on our last cruise those were two locations we spent a lot of time at. A week goes really fast and if there is something you are really looking forward to checking out, make it a priority / add it to you "calendar" in the app. 
 
9. Consider Skipping a Port To Stay On the Ship
On a related note, you may want to take advantage of a less crowded ship when in port to accomplish more of your priority list. We found on sea days the pool decks to be very crowded and longish lines for water slides and crowded venues. We decided to not get off the ship when it docked at Perfect Day at Coco Cay and it turned out to be a great call as we got to check out multiple pools and hot tubs, ride the water slides a bunch, attended a trivia session with only 3 total groups, not lines at bars, minimal folks in the Hideaway Area pool, ... you get the idea. Just to give you an idea, here is a photo of the Royal Bay Pool, the main pool in Chill Island, at about 11am:

It was just really nice to explore this ship with low crowds and made for a really relaxing day. 
 
8. You Don't Need to Pack as Many Mutli-Port Adapters
One thing the rooms on Icon have is outlets, especially USB ports. Between the desk, the shelf near the TV, in the bathroom, by the beds - there are outlets all over the room. Our room also had multiple USB-A outlets near the bunkbed area. If I counted correctly, we had 4 US Outlets, 1 European Outlet 10 USB-A Outlets, and 2 USB-C outlets.  We did utilize one multi USB-A plug on the desk just to keep things more organized with phones and battery packs, etc. but we absolutely could have made it through without anything. This is very different than other ships where we felt like we had multiple multi-port adapters in use at all times.
There are also outlets out around the ship with the Overlook area having an exceptional amount and a great place to go if you need to get on a laptop or similar.
 
7. You Will Want to Pack Magnetic Hooks to Hang Things From in the Room
One negative things we found about the rooms (and heard from others as well) is the lack of storage compared to other ships like the Oasis class. For our family of 5 we struggled to fit everything on the hanging racks and just ran out of shelf space. We fit everything, but was tight. Additionally, there is no close line in the bathroom for hanging up bathing suits or other wet items - only a couple of knobs to hang a few things from. We are glad we brough a number of magnetic Hooks to use on the walls (which are metal) as it allowed us to hang things like hats up but also put nearly-but-not-quite dry bathing suits to air out and finish drying - and just not get other stuff damp.
Bonus tip: Bring at least 1 more swimsuit than you think you might need, but also try to not overpack other items as storage is at a premium.
 
 
6. Bring Ear Plugs if You are a Light Sleeper
While we overall really liked the room we had and the rooms in general on Icon, thought I would mention another slide negative thing we found which is that the walls appear to be quite thin as we could definitely hear our neighbors on both sides - with one group being rather loud with quite a bit of screaming (from both kids and adults). If you are someone who needs things really quiet to sleep or just wants quiet when relaxing in the room, consider bringing ear plugs or headphones or something that can block sound out
 
5. If You Are Debating It, Get the Drink Package
I know the drink package, especially for this ship, is expensive - but if you are someone who is contemplating getting it, go for it. There are sooooo many unique bars and drinks on this ship that we got so much use out of our package and really enjoyed trying different things that we might not be as open to ordering (for fear of not liking it) if we were paying per drink.
Also, consider doing a bar crawl as motivates you to check out the different bars and different drinks - and you can spread it out over the course of the cruise, you don't need to do it all in one day

 
4. Similarly, If Contemplating The Empire Supper Club - Book It!
Speaking of things that are not cheap, we got to experience the Empire Supper Club and it did not disappoint - one of the best meal experiences i have had in my life. The food was wonderful and creative, really interesting cocktails - with some pairings I would never have thought of but worked - and excellent music that absolutely complemented the meal without taking away from being able to have conversations. And probably the best service I have ever had on any cruise ship.
It's probably not something you are going to do every cruise but for a special occasion or if just something you think will appeal to you, go for it! A meal like this on land, when factoring the cocktails and entertainment, would likely cost 2-3x what they are charging. 

 
3. Pearl Cafe is a Game Changer
One of the best changes they made for this ship was the opening up of the promenade and the addition of the pearl Cafe. I cannot overstate how much of an upgrade this is over Cafe Promenade. The setting is lovely with the large windows, view of the Pearl, and the artwork above your head. The food is really, really good - the steak and egg breakfast sandwich become an everyday item for me - and it is open 24 hours a day.
I will say the line for the coffee where you can get lattes and the like made with Starbucks coffee can get rather long - the crew there is working hard, just lots of people want their coffee!
 
2. Seating for the Shows - Including Non Reserved Seating for the Aqua Show.
Royal Caribbean entertainment is generally amazing and what is found on this ship is no exception - probably don't need me to advise you to go see the Wizard of Oz, the Ice Shows, or the Aquashows ... but for each, here are a few tips for where to sit.
Wizard of Oz - do you best to sit in the lower section, as close to the middle as you can, but if only thing available is on the side that is fine too. Just being closer to the stage is great and a number of effects will, literally, go over your heads and really adds to the experience
Ice Shows in Absolute Zero - Outside of a few seats that may have a pole impacting your view, there really aren't "bad" seats, but I would advice to get as close as you can and even going for the front row. Especially for the secondary show which is aimed at families as we had the kids in our group sit in the front row and at times the performers would come by and give them high fives and they loved that.
AquaAction - this is probably my best tip overall all. The reservations for the shows in the aqua theater (there was only one ready on our sailing) are just for the wooden benches and chairs within that area, NOT for the chairs behind the benches. We wanted to see the show twice and just showed up early and found we could just sit in the chairs at the back and they are way more comfortable than the wooden benches (plus have tables for your beverage or a crepe from the Aquadome Market). While slightly further away, the view is just as good and I would take these over the area the reservations are for

 
Before my #1 tip a quick bonus: Ranking the Water Slide
We did get a chance to ride all of the water slides in Thrill Island and I would rank them in this order
1a/b - Storm Chasers Mat Slides: These were definitely my favorite as they were fast, fun, long, and had great lighting effects in the tubes. The lighter blue colored slide was my favorite, but both were excellent
2 - Hurricane Hunter: This is the pink colored family raft slide and was an absolute blast - also very long and with a lot of different lighting effect. Just not as fast/adrenaline filled as the mat slides, but really, really fun
3 - Storm Surge: This is the green colored family raft slide with the "leaf" that goes out over the edge of the ship. This was also quite fun but just noticeably shorter than Hurricane Hunter. Also, they were only allowing 3 people in this one vs 4 for Hurricane Hunter.
4 - Pressure Drop: The yellow drop slide that is located with the raft slides. This is a straight forward drop slide and rather short, but gives a kick of adrenaline and is overall a positive experience. 
5 - Frightening Bolt - I feel a bit bad listing this one last as it does what it says it will do, which is dop you, and then is a nice long ride after the drop, but the drop was pretty severe/hard and I wound up banging my head some. Just was one of those "well I did that and don't need to again". By far the most "extreme" of the slides

 
1. Dueling Pianos is an Absolute Must Do - But Get There Early!
One of the most fun experiences I have had anywhere let alone on a cruise ship was at Dueling Pianos on Icon of the Seas. The level of talent and engagement with the crowd is off the charts and just singing along with hundreds of strangers/new friends and laughing with the antics of the performance, you just can't not smile. The "bit" they do for Piano Man was one of the funniest things we have experienced in quite a while.
That said, it is really popular - you will want to get there at least 30 minutes prior to showtime if you want a seat and you will, unfortunately, see people "Saving" seats with drinks for an hour or prior like they are deck chairs. You can see the large crowd reflected in the mirror of this photo

 
Also, the earlier shows seem to attract more kids and they try to go with the crowd (I mean, they did take a request for Baby Shark) so I would suggest going to a later show for the full experience where it gets a bit more "PG-13"
 
And there you have it - my top 10 list of tips and thoughts from our week long cruise on Icon of the Seas. I could probably add 10 more but this post is already more than long enough.
 
If you have sailed on Icon of the Seas, what tips to you have for new cruisers? If you have a sailing upcoming what other advice would you want to know?

Just got off Icon of the Seas and my wife and I dined at the Empire Supper Club for my birthday on February 21st.

 
It was hands down one of the best meals of my life and can't recommend it enough.
The creativity with the dishes and the cocktails, the amount you got, made the food alone worthwhile but the music just made the event - they really nailed being totally present but still allowing for conversation to take place.
The service was just top notch - but without being fru-fru or anything as well.
My only minor not pick is the wagu wasn't exceptional and they served it on a plate so hot the side touching it got a bit more cooked. So if on the fence for which entree to get, get the Sea Bass for sure.
The Raviolo was probably my favorite of the courses 

 
Happy to answer any other questions but if you are contemplating it and think it is something you would like, do it. I know not cheap but a comparable meal, inclusive of the cocktails would cost 2-3x as much 




 

so prior to this question, I hadn't even considered this, but thinking about it, I really don't think it would work logistically to dance during the event. 
 
There really isn't room and the food and cocktails are coming out at a pretty regular clip, and many, many servers moving around, etc. 
 
They didn't ever explicitly say you cannot dance but also didn't invite it and didn't see anyone try. The vibe they are going for is "speakeasy" and they "lock" the doors and you have to be escorted by someone to a back "secret" door to get to a bathroom, so I think it really is more about the food and cocktails and the music to enhance that vs a dancing situation.
 
Probably not response you were hoping for. There is a separate Jazz club in Central Park and still Baleros which has room for dancing, just don't think this is the venue for it, at least based on our experience 

The Ultimate World Cruise seems to be going a little bit above what a normal cruise offers when it comes to food in the MDR. We had that amazing Thai Shrimp dish one night and I had the best Filet at sea on day 1 (of the second leg) in Buenos Aires. After that dinners and breakfasts in the MDR were good to “OK” for the rest of the 18 day Antarctica leg. 

However, except for the two amazing dishes, the food was as per usual (nothing bad … nothing great).  A typical Royal MDR experience.  
 
One major disappointment was lunch.  We are not WindJammer people.  In addition, the cafe in the solarium was not good at all.  We tried the MDR for lunch many times and it always disappointed … nothing was very good at all.  By the end of the cruise, we had soup for lunch in the MDR and tried to pick up a sandwich somewhere.  Very disappointing.
For entertainment, nothing can compare to the experiences we have had on Oasis class ships.  However, the UWC is trying extremely hard in the entertainment area.  They have 5 excellent principle singer/performers (you usually have 1 or 2 on a Radiance class ship), 2 excellent principle dancers and a 9 piece orchestra (I think the norm is 7).  One night they flexed the orchestra up to an 11 piece.  For a formal party in the Centrum one night they had a 7 piece orchestra on the very small stage.  Big, excellent sound in the theatre and Centrum.
They also seemed to have many more bands around the ship than normal.  All of them were excellent.  On sea days, the Centrum had music from just after lunch until late in the evening.
Headliners were skewed to the culture of the part of the world you were in at the time.  We love to dance, so we still enjoyed the 3rd Tango group as we sailed through Argentina.  Still, we understand that might have been too much for some people.  Given how strong the Royal singers, dancers and orchestra was we can only remember one bad performance in the main theatre in 18 nights.
The Love & Marriage Show had the oldest newlywed couple ever.  Going in we thought the show might skew older.  It definitely didn’t disappoint.😂
Lastly, there was an effort to have much more going on during the day than on a regular cruise.  More enrichment lectures, more trivia, more dance classes, more movies … everything seemed to be intentionally just a little bit more.
 
Curt from Canada
 

The Ultimate World Cruise seems to be going a little bit above what a normal cruise offers when it comes to food in the MDR. We had that amazing Thai Shrimp dish one night and I had the best Filet at sea on day 1 (of the second leg) in Buenos Aires. After that dinners and breakfasts in the MDR were good to “OK” for the rest of the 18 day Antarctica leg. 

However, except for the two amazing dishes, the food was as per usual (nothing bad … nothing great).  A typical Royal MDR experience.  
 
One major disappointment was lunch.  We are not WindJammer people.  In addition, the cafe in the solarium was not good at all.  We tried the MDR for lunch many times and it always disappointed … nothing was very good at all.  By the end of the cruise, we had soup for lunch in the MDR and tried to pick up a sandwich somewhere.  Very disappointing.
For entertainment, nothing can compare to the experiences we have had on Oasis class ships.  However, the UWC is trying extremely hard in the entertainment area.  They have 5 excellent principle singer/performers (you usually have 1 or 2 on a Radiance class ship), 2 excellent principle dancers and a 9 piece orchestra (I think the norm is 7).  One night they flexed the orchestra up to an 11 piece.  For a formal party in the Centrum one night they had a 7 piece orchestra on the very small stage.  Big, excellent sound in the theatre and Centrum.
They also seemed to have many more bands around the ship than normal.  All of them were excellent.  On sea days, the Centrum had music from just after lunch until late in the evening.
Headliners were skewed to the culture of the part of the world you were in at the time.  We love to dance, so we still enjoyed the 3rd Tango group as we sailed through Argentina.  Still, we understand that might have been too much for some people.  Given how strong the Royal singers, dancers and orchestra was we can only remember one bad performance in the main theatre in 18 nights.
The Love & Marriage Show had the oldest newlywed couple ever.  Going in we thought the show might skew older.  It definitely didn’t disappoint.😂
Lastly, there was an effort to have much more going on during the day than on a regular cruise.  More enrichment lectures, more trivia, more dance classes, more movies … everything seemed to be intentionally just a little bit more.
 
Curt from Canada
 

We are on the Ultimate World Cruise right now. Just heading back to Ushuaia (after visiting a Penguin Rookery). I will post something more substantial and detailed later, but the short course is:
1).  No drama … the experienced cruisers already figured this out. Actually, the cruise so far has been extremely relaxing.  Although we have been a little bit too busy. 
 
2). Thé entertainment overall has been better than “normal” cruises (some of it excellent … rare for a Radiance class ship). The food has been hit and miss (as usual) … however, we did have the best MDR dish in over 30 cruises a few nights ago. 
 
3).  The staff is in over perform mode. They are doing a phenomenal job. 
 
4).  1,600 on this segment is well below capacity. 700+ Diamond and above C&A members.  1,600 only should bring up some questions. 
 
5).  Tons of dancing opportunities … only once did we have to elbow our way around the dance floor 😉
 
I will start a start a separate thread when we get back on board.
 
Curt from Canada
Partial Ultimate World Cruiser 😂

All taken in and around Ushuaia 
 

F I N A L L Y

All taken in and around Ushuaia 
 

Trying to get caught up and then wrap up this terribly disjointed Antarctica recap. Remember we were on the Ultimate World Cruise (freeloader edition) … the price will forever be held as a secret. 🤫 
Ushuaia was our next spot and it was another highlight. 
Spending two days at « Fin del Mundo » (End of the World) was not enough. The overnight was great, but we could have spent another day or two there. It had a lot of things to do and not enough time to do them all. 
We did not do our homework on Ushuaia. I assumed it would be a sleepy little town that was the jumping off point for many Antarctica cruises. It definitely was the start for many cruise ships (we saw 7 different expedition ships) using the port in the 2 days we were there. However, there were other things to like about the port:
Since it is in the Beagle Channel you can do lots of exploration by catamaran (and there are lots of them).  We explored the lighthouse, National Park, some wildlife hangouts (cormorants, sea lions, albatross, penguins, etc) and a number of « End of the World » sites 😂. The penguins sanctuary was particularly interesting. The catamaran beached within feet of the penguins. We could not get off the vessel, but the penguins were very close and easy to see.  We only saw a fraction of the National park. Given how different the topography was, more time was definitely required.  Given how many places claimed to be the « End of the World », we were unsure when we were actually there. However, I think we were well covered with 3 sites we visited 😉. Both tours took 7 hours, so we did not see the town at all. Like I said, 1 or 2 more days would be required.  Sail away through the Beagle channel was spectacular.  We saw glaciers during sail away and the next day as well. 
There are very few glaciers that come close to the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska. We have seen it twice and it is a must see. We have also flown on to the Mendenhall Glacier and drank from the crystal clear waters. Still, southern Argentina and Chile have some of the most beautiful glaciers we have ever seen. Even more amazing was the sheer number of them. Glacier, after glacier … after glacier. Many more seen in 2 days than the 15 days we spent cruising in Alaska.  I will try to post some pictures when I get on to the big computer.  Glacier watching at “Fin del Mundo” was spectacular.  If you get the chance do not miss this. 
Just a few more sea days to get caught up on, before I wrap up. 
Curt from Canada

All taken in and around Ushuaia 
 

Meanwhile my 13 and 10 year-old nieces are borderline suite snobs. We Facetimed them from our interior on Indy (they've only been on Oasis class) and they acted like we were on a row boat... There's no Central Park? There's no Boardwalk? There's no CK? WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? 🤣

Thanks to you all for taking the time from your vacation to present us with an amazing trip report. I really felt like I was right there experiencing it with you! I was so excited to get a peak into what Royal had created and while it's not for me personally I know it will be a hit for them. The photos and descriptions were so appreciated, you all did a great service to those of us on the sidelines. I was sad it was over as it was so much fun! Thanks again, so very much!
 

All taken in and around Ushuaia 
 

Trying to get caught up and then wrap up this terribly disjointed Antarctica recap. Remember we were on the Ultimate World Cruise (freeloader edition) … the price will forever be held as a secret. 🤫 
Ushuaia was our next spot and it was another highlight. 
Spending two days at « Fin del Mundo » (End of the World) was not enough. The overnight was great, but we could have spent another day or two there. It had a lot of things to do and not enough time to do them all. 
We did not do our homework on Ushuaia. I assumed it would be a sleepy little town that was the jumping off point for many Antarctica cruises. It definitely was the start for many cruise ships (we saw 7 different expedition ships) using the port in the 2 days we were there. However, there were other things to like about the port:
Since it is in the Beagle Channel you can do lots of exploration by catamaran (and there are lots of them).  We explored the lighthouse, National Park, some wildlife hangouts (cormorants, sea lions, albatross, penguins, etc) and a number of « End of the World » sites 😂. The penguins sanctuary was particularly interesting. The catamaran beached within feet of the penguins. We could not get off the vessel, but the penguins were very close and easy to see.  We only saw a fraction of the National park. Given how different the topography was, more time was definitely required.  Given how many places claimed to be the « End of the World », we were unsure when we were actually there. However, I think we were well covered with 3 sites we visited 😉. Both tours took 7 hours, so we did not see the town at all. Like I said, 1 or 2 more days would be required.  Sail away through the Beagle channel was spectacular.  We saw glaciers during sail away and the next day as well. 
There are very few glaciers that come close to the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska. We have seen it twice and it is a must see. We have also flown on to the Mendenhall Glacier and drank from the crystal clear waters. Still, southern Argentina and Chile have some of the most beautiful glaciers we have ever seen. Even more amazing was the sheer number of them. Glacier, after glacier … after glacier. Many more seen in 2 days than the 15 days we spent cruising in Alaska.  I will try to post some pictures when I get on to the big computer.  Glacier watching at “Fin del Mundo” was spectacular.  If you get the chance do not miss this. 
Just a few more sea days to get caught up on, before I wrap up. 
Curt from Canada

All taken in and around Ushuaia 
 

Trying to get caught up and then wrap up this terribly disjointed Antarctica recap. Remember we were on the Ultimate World Cruise (freeloader edition) … the price will forever be held as a secret. 🤫 
Ushuaia was our next spot and it was another highlight. 
Spending two days at « Fin del Mundo » (End of the World) was not enough. The overnight was great, but we could have spent another day or two there. It had a lot of things to do and not enough time to do them all. 
We did not do our homework on Ushuaia. I assumed it would be a sleepy little town that was the jumping off point for many Antarctica cruises. It definitely was the start for many cruise ships (we saw 7 different expedition ships) using the port in the 2 days we were there. However, there were other things to like about the port:
Since it is in the Beagle Channel you can do lots of exploration by catamaran (and there are lots of them).  We explored the lighthouse, National Park, some wildlife hangouts (cormorants, sea lions, albatross, penguins, etc) and a number of « End of the World » sites 😂. The penguins sanctuary was particularly interesting. The catamaran beached within feet of the penguins. We could not get off the vessel, but the penguins were very close and easy to see.  We only saw a fraction of the National park. Given how different the topography was, more time was definitely required.  Given how many places claimed to be the « End of the World », we were unsure when we were actually there. However, I think we were well covered with 3 sites we visited 😉. Both tours took 7 hours, so we did not see the town at all. Like I said, 1 or 2 more days would be required.  Sail away through the Beagle channel was spectacular.  We saw glaciers during sail away and the next day as well. 
There are very few glaciers that come close to the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska. We have seen it twice and it is a must see. We have also flown on to the Mendenhall Glacier and drank from the crystal clear waters. Still, southern Argentina and Chile have some of the most beautiful glaciers we have ever seen. Even more amazing was the sheer number of them. Glacier, after glacier … after glacier. Many more seen in 2 days than the 15 days we spent cruising in Alaska.  I will try to post some pictures when I get on to the big computer.  Glacier watching at “Fin del Mundo” was spectacular.  If you get the chance do not miss this. 
Just a few more sea days to get caught up on, before I wrap up. 
Curt from Canada

I thought we were using the term "poors." I like that one anyway.
43 days til I'm in an *gasp* INTERIOR!

I am way behind on updates. We are home (but getting to and from South America was incredibly exhausting). I am missing updates on the last 6 days. Sometime this week I will put a “bow” on the updates and be able to answer any questions retrospectively. 
 
However, your two questions are excellent ones … quickly (oops, I just saw how non-quickly the thoughts are below):
Social Media:
The majority of the social media folks are really doing a “job”. We did not notice them everyday, but when we came across them they were in one of two modes … Planning their next “shoot” or in the middle of their “shoot”. I am sure they were having fun, (and potentially writing off the cruise as an expense 😂), but they were at work. For a number of them it seemed to be their job. We also did not see the work that has to go into “post production”. Unless the “camera was on” they were just normal people. They did tend to spend a lot of time together, but I like spending time with Engineers, Teachers, Medical Professionals, and Executives … so I think we are normally attracted to people who share our passions (sorry for the tangent 😉).
i have seen some of their material pre-cruise as a part of studying for cruise. We are experienced cruisers, but we knew the UWC would be different. With a few exceptions, they are like a “Friends” episode.  I enjoyed watching Friends when I was younger (the versions I watched were not recorded 😂). It was entertainment that I knew was not real, but acted, written and directed by some very talented people. So (for the most part), the social media material is not real, not well acted/written/directed, and totally devoid of the smallest amount of “depth” that shows like Friends explored.  Still, there is something comforting about a blended Scotch by a fire (rather than the 15 year old MacAllan that I really, really want 😂).  Social media is what it is … a diversion. 
 
However, to be clear, it is not a very accurate representation of the Buenos Aires to Santiago leg.  We were never even close to being in danger at sea.  Some of the food was good, but some was not good at all (hit & miss as usual). The dance floor in the videos was rarely the dance floor we were on (they seemed to wait until everyone had left to get their “footage” … which was nice, I guess). 
 
However, some them are capturing the exceptional beauty we saw (I still think @twangster does it much better).
I have tried to describe the experience for those who are interested (and to what I consider a very sophisticated cruising audience). I hope I can wrap that up soon. 
 
Maybe don’t send them the link … I am not sure I want to end up in their next episode … “Canadians are mean”😂
Dancing:
”Hello, I’m Curt from Canada and I’m a Dance-aholic”. 😉
We only ended up getting to 2 classes (I think they had 6 in total on this leg). Experienced cruisers know how busy it is (even on sea days) and we had multiple conflicts. 
 
However, there was a lot of dance music in the Centrum (with a very spacious floor). The Caribbean Duo transformed into a 50s, 60s, 70s group as they crossed the equator. They were lots of fun.  There was even a chance to dance in the Schooner Bar (try to find that dance floor 😂) and the colony club. Lastly, we were invited on stage (with others) to dance with the Tango group that were the Headliners that night.  We did not mess up, so that was a relief. 
 
We had lots of opportunities to Foxtrot, Rumba and Swing our way around the ship. 
 
More to come …
Curt from Canada

Exactly the same as the ones on the UWC.  A big upgrade. 
 
Curt from Canada

Update from the investigating done during the 18 segement:
1). UWC Pinns can use the Concierge Lounge anytime. It still looks virtually empty every time I am on the way to the Crown Lounge. I think I saw 5-7 people once. All the other times … empty
2). Regular “normal” Pinns are in the Crown Lounge. Once you meet them they are a blast. Obviously the Crown Lounge opened up into the Viking Crown Lounge is the place to be. Still, if there was no voucher system it would not work. 
 
Curt from Canada

I am way behind on updates. We are home (but getting to and from South America was incredibly exhausting). I am missing updates on the last 6 days. Sometime this week I will put a “bow” on the updates and be able to answer any questions retrospectively. 
 
However, your two questions are excellent ones … quickly (oops, I just saw how non-quickly the thoughts are below):
Social Media:
The majority of the social media folks are really doing a “job”. We did not notice them everyday, but when we came across them they were in one of two modes … Planning their next “shoot” or in the middle of their “shoot”. I am sure they were having fun, (and potentially writing off the cruise as an expense 😂), but they were at work. For a number of them it seemed to be their job. We also did not see the work that has to go into “post production”. Unless the “camera was on” they were just normal people. They did tend to spend a lot of time together, but I like spending time with Engineers, Teachers, Medical Professionals, and Executives … so I think we are normally attracted to people who share our passions (sorry for the tangent 😉).
i have seen some of their material pre-cruise as a part of studying for cruise. We are experienced cruisers, but we knew the UWC would be different. With a few exceptions, they are like a “Friends” episode.  I enjoyed watching Friends when I was younger (the versions I watched were not recorded 😂). It was entertainment that I knew was not real, but acted, written and directed by some very talented people. So (for the most part), the social media material is not real, not well acted/written/directed, and totally devoid of the smallest amount of “depth” that shows like Friends explored.  Still, there is something comforting about a blended Scotch by a fire (rather than the 15 year old MacAllan that I really, really want 😂).  Social media is what it is … a diversion. 
 
However, to be clear, it is not a very accurate representation of the Buenos Aires to Santiago leg.  We were never even close to being in danger at sea.  Some of the food was good, but some was not good at all (hit & miss as usual). The dance floor in the videos was rarely the dance floor we were on (they seemed to wait until everyone had left to get their “footage” … which was nice, I guess). 
 
However, some them are capturing the exceptional beauty we saw (I still think @twangster does it much better).
I have tried to describe the experience for those who are interested (and to what I consider a very sophisticated cruising audience). I hope I can wrap that up soon. 
 
Maybe don’t send them the link … I am not sure I want to end up in their next episode … “Canadians are mean”😂
Dancing:
”Hello, I’m Curt from Canada and I’m a Dance-aholic”. 😉
We only ended up getting to 2 classes (I think they had 6 in total on this leg). Experienced cruisers know how busy it is (even on sea days) and we had multiple conflicts. 
 
However, there was a lot of dance music in the Centrum (with a very spacious floor). The Caribbean Duo transformed into a 50s, 60s, 70s group as they crossed the equator. They were lots of fun.  There was even a chance to dance in the Schooner Bar (try to find that dance floor 😂) and the colony club. Lastly, we were invited on stage (with others) to dance with the Tango group that were the Headliners that night.  We did not mess up, so that was a relief. 
 
We had lots of opportunities to Foxtrot, Rumba and Swing our way around the ship. 
 
More to come …
Curt from Canada

Quick background … we are on Serenade right now (we have done the Drake Crossing twice now). We are “segmenters” so we will be getting off in Santiago (on JAN 23). We have been cruising since 2006, so we are always looking for new parts of the world to visit. We can not envision spending too much time away from friends and family. Still, when the segments came out we jumped on the chance for this once in a lifetime experience. 
We booked an Oceanview for the Buenos Aires to Santiago leg, used Air2Sea to get a good price on our Toronto to Buenos Aires flight (plus the return from Santiago), AND won our Royal Up bid to a balcony (2 days before sailing). 
All of the updates will be in no order at all (get ready for a Tetris style information flow).  Questions are encouraged, but expect a delay (we may not have coverage every day, and we will not be monitoring this site when we are on the dance floor. 😂)
We went to the Loyalty Celebration on JAN 10 (we normally do not go). The crew appreciation portion of the hour was new to us (back of house and front of house nominees and winners for DEC were introduced and celebrated). It was nice. 
Top Level Cruiser Numbers:
115 Pinnacles
300 D+
325 D
Only 1,600 passengers for this leg. 
Cruise Director (Joff) is quite good. He has a nice mix of comedy and fun done in a mostly “relaxed” manner (very appropriate for a World Cruise). The World Cruisers are gravitating to him quickly … he is a stabilizing part of the cruise. 
Falklands port day was “juggled” to get us to Antarctica and back before some very bad weather sets in. We still experienced a “Drake Shake” on the way down (All most 30 ft waves). The sea sickness bags appeared in the stairwells at 8:00AM on JAN 10.  More on the Drake later. 
Like @twangster said … “It is part of the experience” … so we are going in with a positive mindset and a “boatload” of Gravol 😉
The singers are excellent (all 5 of them … no weak links). We will make sure we see all of their shows. 
I’ll post some thoughts on most of the days, but (to be clear) this is a “not at all live blog” so replies will be very delayed (we do not have the WiFi package). 
Send questions … but expect delays. 
Curt from Canada
Partial Ultimate World Cruiser 😂 

Update from the investigating done during the 18 segement:
1). UWC Pinns can use the Concierge Lounge anytime. It still looks virtually empty every time I am on the way to the Crown Lounge. I think I saw 5-7 people once. All the other times … empty
2). Regular “normal” Pinns are in the Crown Lounge. Once you meet them they are a blast. Obviously the Crown Lounge opened up into the Viking Crown Lounge is the place to be. Still, if there was no voucher system it would not work. 
 
Curt from Canada