Ditchdoc

In AARP magazine this month is an article "Cruise Ships are Revving Up".  Its speaks briefly on a few aspects of returning to cruising after COVID.
There is one segment that compares some vacation costs:
$2,720 A seven night Royal Caribbean cruise $6,698 A seven night Oceania cruise $4,981 Seven nights at Secrets Aura Cozumel resort $7,299 Seven nights at Sandals Grande St. Lucian Recently I read an article (I tried to find it again with no luck) about Royal Caribbean reconsidering its pricing.  The gist being, there was thought being given to equivalent land based vacations and that in general, cruising was under priced. The implication being, cruise lines, and RC in particular, may increase prices to be more in line with other vacation choices.
Though I certainly would hate to see prices at RC increase, I do understand. Not only does RC incur all the burden of a massive hotel, but it also must maintain its moving platform or ship.
Anyway, it was just an observation and I am interested in others thoughts or insight.
 

RE ship movement and room location
The least movement will be lower decks mid ship. The most movement will be forward on the upper decks. The most engine noise will be at the rear. You may hear water slapping the hull on exterior room near the water line or lower decks.
Having said that, larger ships are more stable with mild or moderate oceans. Near shore, where cruise ships stay most of the time, the ocean waves are usually less than 10 feet which is barely noticeable on a large ship. Typically, you never notice the ships movement.
Sometimes you can get good size swells over a fairly long period. If they are broadside to the ship, it rolls left to right. These are usually the most noticeable if you look out a window from, say the dining room, you may see the the horizon move up and down as the ship rolls. Again, you may not notice it unless you look.
The captain and the crew want smooth sailing. Sea sick people are no fun. Neither is trying to work in the galley, serve tables and so on. As such, the captain will do all they can to minimize any rockin and rollin.
Some times, it can get a little rough. Not crazy dangerous or anything but it can be uncomfortable. Walking down a long hall may cause you to wobble from wall to wall. This is rare unless you are going trans Atlantic or Pacific.
I think most people deal with moderate ship movement with no issues and room selection will not make enough of a difference to even put it on the worry list.
Everyone is different and how they cope with ship movement. Some are more sensitive than others. There is always Dramamine and Scopolamine. You see people wearing these as patches behind their ears. They tend to make you a bit drowsy and sleepy as a side effect. Some people swear by the pressure point wrist bands. In addition: Don't use close vision like reading or phone browsing if the motion of the ocean is bothering you. I find it helps to just lay down and close my eyes if I start to feel flush and warm, the beginning signs of motion sickness. Its kind of like swinging in a hammock or porch swing. Take a nap. You will feel better. Some say to keep moving, fresh air, look at the horizon, stay hydrated and eat ginger (ginger ale, ginger snaps, ginger tea etc.)
I really do not think room location is going to make a big difference. I certainly do not want to spend my expensive vacation closed up in my room because there happens to be less movement there. If you are prone to get really sea sick, maybe the ocean is not for you. No where on the ship is going to give you much relief. If you do find one spot on the ship that is not moving much, everyone else that is sea sick will be trying to find the same spot. Personally, I am not sure I want to go where a bunch of people are throwing up if I am already queasy.
Finally: Watch your alcohol intake. A seasick drunk is a bad combination.
 
PS ... if your ship hits a hurricane, tsunami, giant whirlpool or worm hole  in the Bermuda triangle, all bets are off.
 
 
 

RE ship movement and room location
The least movement will be lower decks mid ship. The most movement will be forward on the upper decks. The most engine noise will be at the rear. You may hear water slapping the hull on exterior room near the water line or lower decks.
Having said that, larger ships are more stable with mild or moderate oceans. Near shore, where cruise ships stay most of the time, the ocean waves are usually less than 10 feet which is barely noticeable on a large ship. Typically, you never notice the ships movement.
Sometimes you can get good size swells over a fairly long period. If they are broadside to the ship, it rolls left to right. These are usually the most noticeable if you look out a window from, say the dining room, you may see the the horizon move up and down as the ship rolls. Again, you may not notice it unless you look.
The captain and the crew want smooth sailing. Sea sick people are no fun. Neither is trying to work in the galley, serve tables and so on. As such, the captain will do all they can to minimize any rockin and rollin.
Some times, it can get a little rough. Not crazy dangerous or anything but it can be uncomfortable. Walking down a long hall may cause you to wobble from wall to wall. This is rare unless you are going trans Atlantic or Pacific.
I think most people deal with moderate ship movement with no issues and room selection will not make enough of a difference to even put it on the worry list.
Everyone is different and how they cope with ship movement. Some are more sensitive than others. There is always Dramamine and Scopolamine. You see people wearing these as patches behind their ears. They tend to make you a bit drowsy and sleepy as a side effect. Some people swear by the pressure point wrist bands. In addition: Don't use close vision like reading or phone browsing if the motion of the ocean is bothering you. I find it helps to just lay down and close my eyes if I start to feel flush and warm, the beginning signs of motion sickness. Its kind of like swinging in a hammock or porch swing. Take a nap. You will feel better. Some say to keep moving, fresh air, look at the horizon, stay hydrated and eat ginger (ginger ale, ginger snaps, ginger tea etc.)
I really do not think room location is going to make a big difference. I certainly do not want to spend my expensive vacation closed up in my room because there happens to be less movement there. If you are prone to get really sea sick, maybe the ocean is not for you. No where on the ship is going to give you much relief. If you do find one spot on the ship that is not moving much, everyone else that is sea sick will be trying to find the same spot. Personally, I am not sure I want to go where a bunch of people are throwing up if I am already queasy.
Finally: Watch your alcohol intake. A seasick drunk is a bad combination.
 
PS ... if your ship hits a hurricane, tsunami, giant whirlpool or worm hole  in the Bermuda triangle, all bets are off.
 
 
 

🙂 We spend thousands on a cruise .... and get so emotional over 98 cents worth of cookies ...  🙂
 
🙂 Along the same lines .... RC spends millions running a ship every day .... yet they begrudge the most loyal customers a  Budwiser that cost 10 cents a can in bulk .... go figure.
 

🙂 We spend thousands on a cruise .... and get so emotional over 98 cents worth of cookies ...  🙂
 
🙂 Along the same lines .... RC spends millions running a ship every day .... yet they begrudge the most loyal customers a  Budwiser that cost 10 cents a can in bulk .... go figure.
 

🙂 We spend thousands on a cruise .... and get so emotional over 98 cents worth of cookies ...  🙂
 
🙂 Along the same lines .... RC spends millions running a ship every day .... yet they begrudge the most loyal customers a  Budwiser that cost 10 cents a can in bulk .... go figure.
 

Last two cruises the wife and I took 2 bottles with accessories in our carry on picknik wine tote. We never opened a bottle either time and have decided it is one less thing we  need to carry.
I realize everyone drinking habits differ. Right now, we get 4 drinks each every day. We generally find that to be plenty. Several times at the end of the day before retiring, we have 2-4 diamond drinks we never used so we 'cash in' with bottled waters to keep in the fridge. Those we seem to always need/drink.

Port Canaveral is just convenient. Ruling out the few cruises RC does from Baltimore and New York, Canaveral is the closest port to most of the East coast north of there. The extra 3+ hours driving from Canaveral to Miami is significant if you have already been in the car 8+ hours. There are a few good hotels near by that offer shuttle and parking as well as port parking. I would check pricing on hotels and parking. Prices can fluctuate and stay & park  packages vary, sometimes by a hundred dollars or more. For instance, there are two Marriott hotels at the port and they seem to alternate as to which one has the better room price.
Boarding times are staggered to keep wait times short. The whole boarding process has changed a bit, the main emphasis being a lot fewer RC personnel. The days of the "bank window" checking your ID, paperwork and giving you your sea pass card are gone. Now you check in via the RC app, show your ID and board.
  Customs has gone high tech at Canaveral. Assuming you have a US passport, customs is  a quick facial recognition stop on the way out.
One tip, if you can manage it. Using rolling suitcases, shoulder bags etc., if you can exit the ship with all your stuff in hand, you can roll off the ship early and keep going. This can save you time if you have an early flight or a long drive in front of you. Otherwise, you may have to wait for your bags to be delivered and staged.

Cuba...was lucky enough to go there. The people, architecture, the food and yes, the old cars were all amazing. I still have a bottle of Havana rum from the Copa Cabana.

Just wanted to update you on my ship. I realized that I would be Emerald with Crown and Anchor after my 10 day Vision of the Seas cruise in May. So when I did a dummy booking using my Crown and Anchor number received $200 for Central Park Balcony. That was the deal breaker clicked on placed my deposit. So thank you all for you help.

I will say that for a trans Atlantic, an ocean view balcony, does not have a great deal of return value, at least for me. The view is pretty much the same 7/24. Ocean, horizon, sky. You mentioned people watching so I think I would go Symphony and pick either a Central Park or Boardwalk balcony. They are bit cheaper than ocean view balconies. Central Park view would be more relaxing where Boardwalk will probably have more activity. The larger ship will definitely have more variety.
So, my choice for you would be interior balcony and close to the elevators, maybe near the centrum. I say the centrum because there is almost always live entertainment and you have the choice of several decks you can sit, listen, people watch etc for those times you do not feel like hiking all over the ship.
Also, on the open ocean, the bigger the ship, the better. Its not like near shore cruises like the Med or Caribbean where for the most most part waves are 6-10 feet and a large ship barely feels them. In the open ocean you can have smooth days and rocky days and bigger is better.
 

Panama Canal is one of my favorites. Approaching the canal I could see about 60 ships of various types hanging out. Costa Rica is a great county to visit. We climbed an active volcano and roasted marshmallows over lava. Add Puerto Vallarta and San Diego along with  a few other stops over about 2 weeks and its a great time.
 
Thanks for sharing your photos. Brought back memories of good times.

Panama Canal is one of my favorites. Approaching the canal I could see about 60 ships of various types hanging out. Costa Rica is a great county to visit. We climbed an active volcano and roasted marshmallows over lava. Add Puerto Vallarta and San Diego along with  a few other stops over about 2 weeks and its a great time.
 
Thanks for sharing your photos. Brought back memories of good times.

I don't smoke cigarettes but I do miss the Connoisseur  Club on board where you could smoke a cigar in a nice lounge and have a drink. Now you are regulated to a small area on deck or the casino. Old world gentlemanly gatherings just don't exist anymore.
When I was young, I smoked weed, then I grew up.

I always tell myself ... its on the Internet so it must be true.

Think I've been up at midnight maybe twice while cruising and one of those was new years.
 
Now if they had a sunrise buffet ... I'd be all in. As it is, I have a hard time finding coffee when I get up because most places on board dont have it ready.

I will say that for a trans Atlantic, an ocean view balcony, does not have a great deal of return value, at least for me. The view is pretty much the same 7/24. Ocean, horizon, sky. You mentioned people watching so I think I would go Symphony and pick either a Central Park or Boardwalk balcony. They are bit cheaper than ocean view balconies. Central Park view would be more relaxing where Boardwalk will probably have more activity. The larger ship will definitely have more variety.
So, my choice for you would be interior balcony and close to the elevators, maybe near the centrum. I say the centrum because there is almost always live entertainment and you have the choice of several decks you can sit, listen, people watch etc for those times you do not feel like hiking all over the ship.
Also, on the open ocean, the bigger the ship, the better. Its not like near shore cruises like the Med or Caribbean where for the most most part waves are 6-10 feet and a large ship barely feels them. In the open ocean you can have smooth days and rocky days and bigger is better.
 

I will say that for a trans Atlantic, an ocean view balcony, does not have a great deal of return value, at least for me. The view is pretty much the same 7/24. Ocean, horizon, sky. You mentioned people watching so I think I would go Symphony and pick either a Central Park or Boardwalk balcony. They are bit cheaper than ocean view balconies. Central Park view would be more relaxing where Boardwalk will probably have more activity. The larger ship will definitely have more variety.
So, my choice for you would be interior balcony and close to the elevators, maybe near the centrum. I say the centrum because there is almost always live entertainment and you have the choice of several decks you can sit, listen, people watch etc for those times you do not feel like hiking all over the ship.
Also, on the open ocean, the bigger the ship, the better. Its not like near shore cruises like the Med or Caribbean where for the most most part waves are 6-10 feet and a large ship barely feels them. In the open ocean you can have smooth days and rocky days and bigger is better.
 

I always tell myself ... its on the Internet so it must be true.

Back home and almost unpacked from this cruise.
Overall it was a good trip.
For Christmas, the Centrum was very nicely decorated. Most all the crew members wore Santa hats. Many of the guests wore Christmas themed clothing. A lot of cabin doors were decorated.
The weather was great. We got out before the dramatic Arctic chill hit most of the US and we got back just in time for warmer temperatures at home. Most every day during the cruise the temps were in the 70s and 80s.
We attempted to get photos taken but the waits were long and the end results were not good enough to take advantage of even though we had some free ones we could get.
Overall, the food was very good. There were a few duds but considering how much food and the variety available, I would not complain.
As usual, there are always a few guests that could stand to have more patience and consideration.
Jewel was near capacity and probably the most balanced group I have seen with young children, teens, family's and older adults.
Entertainment was somewhat lacking I thought. There was a 4 member band, Kronos, that were excellent but there play list was almost the same every time they played. There was a 3 piece Latin group and a classic violin and guitar duo. That was it. The rest of the entertainment was crew members trying to engage people in trivia and karaoke.
The RC app was helpful at times. Other time it was not up to date with schedules/events and times were wrong. It has a lot of potential but I miss the Cruise Compass.
I missed some of the attentiveness of past cruises. Nothing major but things like Windjammer staff offer to get you get you water, coffee or refills. This just does not happen much anymore.
Dinning room staff seem to be short handed. You don't see them as often, they seem to be always rushed. Service was generally timely and if something did not meet your approval, staff was eager and willing to make it right.
Jewel was tidy, clean and a good looking ship but again, lack of attention to some details was present. In the past, it seemed every opportunity in port, crew members could be seen touching up paint, cleaning windows etc. Jewel had a few rusty spots and some windows need attention. Minor stuff but things did you would not have seen ten years ago.
Yes, I am being picky and nothing was noted that would keep me from cruising RC again. It just seems RC has lost a little of its edge. Maybe its due to COVID, maybe inflation.
Cruising is still the best bang for the buck but I see and read a lot of things where cruise lines are raising prices and catering more to the wealthy.
At the end of this cruise I found myself owing about $300 just for tips. I don't begrudge the staff tips and I should have expected it but it is disheartening to think you have paid everything in advance to be hit with a sizable bill when you get off.
So that's it. My totally biased opinion. I have some other RC cruises I am looking at that are interesting to me but the general trend of decreased service and increasing prices are starting to make me look toward other types of vacations other than cruising.
 

I always tell myself ... its on the Internet so it must be true.

I found most towel staff to not be overly zealous. I'm sure there are dozens of ways to run the towel station but on my last cruise the dirty container was across the walkway in front of the attendant.  I generally get four towels at a time. At turn in, I walk up with an arm full of towels, hold up 4 fingers and drop them in the container. I hand my card to the attendant, they swipe it, done. No serious counting done. Once, I asked for four, they gave me five with out knowing,. I turned them all back in, but again, just saying, not every attendant is that adamant about towel count.
The ship has video everywhere in public areas. If my personal stuff turns up missing, first I would go to the towel station to see if they had removed my items because you are not supposed to save chairs more than about 30 minutes. If that was not the case, I would call security. I have every confidence they would have any thing that happened around the pool on video and could resolve it pretty quickly.

Back home and almost unpacked from this cruise.
Overall it was a good trip.
For Christmas, the Centrum was very nicely decorated. Most all the crew members wore Santa hats. Many of the guests wore Christmas themed clothing. A lot of cabin doors were decorated.
The weather was great. We got out before the dramatic Arctic chill hit most of the US and we got back just in time for warmer temperatures at home. Most every day during the cruise the temps were in the 70s and 80s.
We attempted to get photos taken but the waits were long and the end results were not good enough to take advantage of even though we had some free ones we could get.
Overall, the food was very good. There were a few duds but considering how much food and the variety available, I would not complain.
As usual, there are always a few guests that could stand to have more patience and consideration.
Jewel was near capacity and probably the most balanced group I have seen with young children, teens, family's and older adults.
Entertainment was somewhat lacking I thought. There was a 4 member band, Kronos, that were excellent but there play list was almost the same every time they played. There was a 3 piece Latin group and a classic violin and guitar duo. That was it. The rest of the entertainment was crew members trying to engage people in trivia and karaoke.
The RC app was helpful at times. Other time it was not up to date with schedules/events and times were wrong. It has a lot of potential but I miss the Cruise Compass.
I missed some of the attentiveness of past cruises. Nothing major but things like Windjammer staff offer to get you get you water, coffee or refills. This just does not happen much anymore.
Dinning room staff seem to be short handed. You don't see them as often, they seem to be always rushed. Service was generally timely and if something did not meet your approval, staff was eager and willing to make it right.
Jewel was tidy, clean and a good looking ship but again, lack of attention to some details was present. In the past, it seemed every opportunity in port, crew members could be seen touching up paint, cleaning windows etc. Jewel had a few rusty spots and some windows need attention. Minor stuff but things did you would not have seen ten years ago.
Yes, I am being picky and nothing was noted that would keep me from cruising RC again. It just seems RC has lost a little of its edge. Maybe its due to COVID, maybe inflation.
Cruising is still the best bang for the buck but I see and read a lot of things where cruise lines are raising prices and catering more to the wealthy.
At the end of this cruise I found myself owing about $300 just for tips. I don't begrudge the staff tips and I should have expected it but it is disheartening to think you have paid everything in advance to be hit with a sizable bill when you get off.
So that's it. My totally biased opinion. I have some other RC cruises I am looking at that are interesting to me but the general trend of decreased service and increasing prices are starting to make me look toward other types of vacations other than cruising.
 

Back home and almost unpacked from this cruise.
Overall it was a good trip.
For Christmas, the Centrum was very nicely decorated. Most all the crew members wore Santa hats. Many of the guests wore Christmas themed clothing. A lot of cabin doors were decorated.
The weather was great. We got out before the dramatic Arctic chill hit most of the US and we got back just in time for warmer temperatures at home. Most every day during the cruise the temps were in the 70s and 80s.
We attempted to get photos taken but the waits were long and the end results were not good enough to take advantage of even though we had some free ones we could get.
Overall, the food was very good. There were a few duds but considering how much food and the variety available, I would not complain.
As usual, there are always a few guests that could stand to have more patience and consideration.
Jewel was near capacity and probably the most balanced group I have seen with young children, teens, family's and older adults.
Entertainment was somewhat lacking I thought. There was a 4 member band, Kronos, that were excellent but there play list was almost the same every time they played. There was a 3 piece Latin group and a classic violin and guitar duo. That was it. The rest of the entertainment was crew members trying to engage people in trivia and karaoke.
The RC app was helpful at times. Other time it was not up to date with schedules/events and times were wrong. It has a lot of potential but I miss the Cruise Compass.
I missed some of the attentiveness of past cruises. Nothing major but things like Windjammer staff offer to get you get you water, coffee or refills. This just does not happen much anymore.
Dinning room staff seem to be short handed. You don't see them as often, they seem to be always rushed. Service was generally timely and if something did not meet your approval, staff was eager and willing to make it right.
Jewel was tidy, clean and a good looking ship but again, lack of attention to some details was present. In the past, it seemed every opportunity in port, crew members could be seen touching up paint, cleaning windows etc. Jewel had a few rusty spots and some windows need attention. Minor stuff but things did you would not have seen ten years ago.
Yes, I am being picky and nothing was noted that would keep me from cruising RC again. It just seems RC has lost a little of its edge. Maybe its due to COVID, maybe inflation.
Cruising is still the best bang for the buck but I see and read a lot of things where cruise lines are raising prices and catering more to the wealthy.
At the end of this cruise I found myself owing about $300 just for tips. I don't begrudge the staff tips and I should have expected it but it is disheartening to think you have paid everything in advance to be hit with a sizable bill when you get off.
So that's it. My totally biased opinion. I have some other RC cruises I am looking at that are interesting to me but the general trend of decreased service and increasing prices are starting to make me look toward other types of vacations other than cruising.
 

$1000 charged = $10 credit. $10,000 = $100 credit. You have to charge in the neighborhood of $60,000 to get a buy one cruise get one free. If you have that much cash flow to make it worthwhile, good for you.