bobroo

Time for some whataboutism! What about Crown's Edge on Icon? The upcoming thrilling activity where passengers are going be suspended off the side of the ship only being held by their safety harness. Walk around some obstacles then the floor drops out from under you and supposedly a trolley brings you back onboard like your area meat packing factory. I think passengers riding skateboards is perfectly on par with them ice or roller skating while at sea. Oh! and Crowns Edge.... I need to edit and add this to the list of confusing and not well thought out recent Royal nomenclature and lingo. What 'bout that?

My single lifetime attempt at dropping in was a complete failure and I my butt has zero ambition to try it again. However what I find interesting is the unmentioned traverse court in the background. Also I'd have to say that a half pipe/ traverse course is some type of land based activity and there's no way this happens on an intensely sunny and gale force windy future Deck 16. IMO

The reason I bring up the nomenclature of the new Royal lingo is because I am an optimist and thinking where is this company in let's say...25 years. New ships being added at nearly one a year and older vessels lasting longer than one might expect, I think it's reasonable that Royal may very well have 50 some vessels working in 25 years. Can you see that with a future exaggeration of 50 vessels it's going to be important to be clear what lingo would represent a ship, a cabin, a venue, an activity, or a level of C & A? Now, another chance to take a stab at current thinking; 25 years from now imagine how many Diamond and above there are going to be....ummmm humph.

Star of the Seas, North Star, Star Class... Crown Lounge, Viking Crown Lounge, Crown and Anchor Society... I am having every bit of confidence that RCBlog will live long into the future merely by unknotting confused passengers on the lingo.

Some more random thoughts: --This seems like a rash, not well thought out decision. Like someone woke up from a bad dream and said "these Diamond and above are really causing a drag on earnings"--without really understanding the Diamond and above customers. --This same person only sees the increased numbers of the top tiers (my last sailing they composed 10% of the total pax onboard--impressive!). This same person is blind to see the growth of Crown and Anchor to 25 million members. Yeah, 25 million members...so imagine getting 400-500 of the top ones any given sailing. --How much does it really cost Royal to have a Diamond and above onboard? Well, not very much if you think about it. You might chose to multiply your daily free drinks by $14, re-do the math on what the core cost per drink is, let's guess high at $2 a drink. Have you ever looked at your local liquor store for the cost of that wine in your stateroom on embarkation day? Boy, they are good at writing copy for wine. Is it the coffee machine? Of the four of those machines onboard, yes it's the DL machine is the one that has leg day 7 days a week but man-oh-man; could it possibly cost that much??? The appetizers and the Ranger cookies, all ya' alls know you can get them in the Windjammer too, no? --If you were to interview and ask every top tier member aboard your next sailing; you will find near 100% have a pending upcoming cruise. A better question might be just how many future cruises do they have booked? No doubt these are the best and most loyal customers. These are the people who kept faith and supported Royal when times were the worst. --The top tier folks consistently tip the crew the best. They also have the least problems and the most knowledge of how to have a cruise vacation. Relative low maintenance and give the crew benefits Royal doesn't have to pay for. At the end of the day, Royal is going to do what they are going to do. Our small voices will have no input. But if you are concerned about what changes may/may not be coming, I'll tell you I am finding increased solace in the recent wise words of our good friend @twangster "Royal Caribbean and I have a business relationship" As much as I might not like it; Twangster is very, very correct. Thanks bro!

Completely agree! A first thought may be That's crazy! Not in a million years but ummmm....there are those Cruise Like Rick Jessup people.

You are oh so right @smokeybandit! I refer to those DL days as Raccoons Entering the Dumpster and you could set your watch to them. Those open bars were far more expensive than todays system. I'll tell everyone here a dirty little secret, the free drink receiving top tier members don't redeem all their daily free drinks coupons. My (very uninformed and totally biased) guess??? 60% redeemed over the course of a week long cruise.

I am a frequent Enterprise customer and have used Enterprise to get from IAH to and around our hotel and then to the port the following day on two occasions; most recently last week. For me, the freedom and opportunities a vehicle offers me for the long distance between IAH and the port is worth the expense of A) the additional taxes and fees to pick up a car from the airport B) the $100 fee to drop off the vehicle at a different location C) the inability to pre pay and the mandatory Enterprise rule of using a credit card because of the different drop off location. The temporary hold is $300 in addition to the car rental, the drop fee, and all the taxes. Relatedly, the hotel for the night also put a temporary hold in addition to their charge. And Royal Caribbean put their own hold on the card when I got to the terminal. In short I am warning that you need to have a credit card that is expecting this type of traveler and has some room on it, say $800- $1,000. This is probably not the cheapest way to get from IAH to the port, but on two occasions it did keep my family and those I was traveling with together and under our terms. It allowed us to see and experience Texas and kept us from watching TV is some crumby airport hotel room. For me, it is a no brainer. The time and distance from the port to the Enterprise location is exactly what Google Maps says it is. This Enterprise location is not open on Sunday and they do not advertise free shuttle service. You’ll need some additional funds and time planning for a taxi, Uber, or Lift to get back to the port. They are kinda on island time there. Thank you for posting your Princess cruise question to this Royal Caribbean fan site!!!

Some random head scratching thoughts: --announcing this on a Saturday? --"celebrates roots, legacy, and commitment"....also very confusing with the Viking Crown Lounge which has a longer legacy and deeper roots. --WHY? Why make a change supposedly in name only? Is there that much excess funds in the signage budget? --Nomenclature? I think this would be a step to get away from the word Diamond. Diamond would be a word only associated with C & A and there would be no inference that this lounge was an entitlement of someone with a level of Diamond C & A status. --Lemme guess, this announcement will start with the words "In response to an overwhelming amount of passenger requests..."

One of the double doors to the Suite Lounge on Allure is broken and does not close all the way. During my sailing last week, never did I need my Seapass to enter.

A related question, do FL residents/ frequent cruisers feel that port offerings are redundant? ‘Cause let’s face it, if you are sailing from FL on Royal, it is really likely you are going to Nassau and Coco Cay.

Being on the very same Allure sailing, I happen to know that today is day 6 of our sailing. I think the earwig was brought aboard in your luggage.

Any North Atlantic sailing in late October thru February. Think Anthem sailings out of New Jersey.

I think many people will be willing to pay the $X to go to the club. Cruises are all about over indulgence. Let's remember 50% of every cruise are 1st timers and they are looking to spend money. Compared to other add-ons onboard; these cost of entry prices fall right in line with a day of a drink package, a dinner at Chops, but this is less than the cost of a random excursion. I think the regular admission sells out every day. Now as for me, a Royal Caribbean veteran; I do not see where the value is. I do not see why this area is any different than the other complimentary areas of PDCC. There is no WOW! here. Nothing unique, nothing special. I also do not see a single solar panel.

Yeah, between the flashing neon green hyphen of MS DOS and the work of that drink package intern, that'll foil any break ins.

It’s just me but if there was a time that I needed to convalesce, was injured and had to take it easy for a time, or broke my leg and couldn’t work…. I’m going to do it on a cruise ship. There is no better place to practice mobility.

As my profile pic shows, it's always an adult area wherever I go. Hence the guy pitching a tent on a lounger.

Due to the issues that are now going in with MGM, Cesars, and nearly all the Vegas properties, it makes me think of Royal Caribbean. Based on my Royal IT experience as an end user, is it even fathomable that Royal would have the cyber safe guards to prevent something like this??? Do they have the cash to pay the ransom??? I don’t think anyone of us is optimistic. So as a guy who is sailing next Saturday; my strong advice to anyone with an upcoming cruise, take the time to print out your cruise documents today; it’s just some sheets of paper.

<cringe> Obviously they do not want me on this boat.

My decision would be based on the type of cabin I have and the weather forecast. With the impact that hurricane Lee could potentially have on upcoming air travel everywhere, that makes this an extra juicy offer. Take a look at when you are scheduled to leave and guesstimate whether it might be a rainy day. If it were me and it looked like my scheduled departure was a rainy day and I have an inside, ocean view, or balcony...I'm calling right now and taking the offer as it is. If I have a doorbell room, regardless of the weather forecast; I'm calling Royal and I am going to let them know I am on the fence with the offer. I am going to play a little hardball with them. At the very least make them give me a full refund and double the FCC offer. Your deal doesn't have to be struck in one call, let them know you are open to compromise. They will be calling you back, I promise. I am certain Royal has a big problem with "stranded" Radiance passengers. Passengers who bought the extended travel packages, passengers who traveled from far off distant lands, passengers who paid big,big money for their cancelled cabin, and passengers who are just really good at pitching a bitch. Royal would likely really want to offer these folks a comparable Alaska sailing and give them a doorbell room as a consolation.

It's NEVER too early to add another additional day to being in town for an upcoming cruise.

During an engine room tour on Serenade I was told you can actually get inside a Serenade azipod. There is access from the berth of the ship. It was also said that the scuttle hole/hatch to get in there was only for the smallest of people. Dennis the Chief Engineer said he does not fit anymore. I looked at Dennis and said to myself "Eww...I bet he wears about a 32... DAMN!" So, very restricted access, confined space, and I'm guessing very little working room. Radiance should be the same. And although you might be able to send a spare kid from Adventure Ocean in there with a flashlight and a GoPro to investigate; you are probably not able to get the gears and parts themselves through that same scuttle hole to make repairs. So yeah, it's dry dock required. During the tour I asked why do azipods break and that it seemed to frequently happen to Oasis class ships. While they can malfunction for a variety of reasons I was told that often the big culprit is that they've sucked something in. Underwater debris like a stray timber or metal pipe can make its way through the fins of the propeller and jam up against the hull and/or damage it's internals pretty good.

I've used my Diamond status to talk to the captain and in telling him how upset I am; we've decided that we are going to Lahaina for two days after all! All passengers are going to be required to get off both days and work 12 hour shifts cleaning the mess up. Heavy lifting, long pants, and closed toe shoes required. Box lunch by others.

If it was me I would head immediately down to next cruise ASAP and take the FCC and apply it to the next Radiance sailing if I could find a cabin available. I could then spend the remainder of the week working with Royal shoreside to get me home from Vancouver......and lament the casino is not open.

This is an incredibly generous offer by Royal! With an offer like this I don’t think there is anything to claim from a travel policy. The passengers have no loss.