Rackham

14 hours ago, GAPEACHNTX said:

I recently missed the 20% off deal on the refreshment package. Any idea on how often they offer the discounts? My sail date is in April so I still have time just don't want to miss out on a good deal.

 

12 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

I may have to make up some little slips with that sentiment to leave on such chairs on future trips, even though I rarely use deck chairs (I'm fairly certain that I've used a deck chair for less than 8 total hours on 87 cruise nights with the longest single use easily less than 30 minutes).

Couldn't help myself.

Chair Letter.pdf

I'm going to go out on a limb here and anticipate Royal not releasing all prime time dining slots for dining package purchasers (all dining slots could be available for off-peak dining). Maybe 30% for dining package holders to 70% for individual bookings to start, then shift the percentages as the sail date draws near depending on number of tables still available (along with holding a percentage back for people paying the full rate aboard the ship). I would also not be surprised if Royal does something about people booking a dining package and a separate reservation for hibachi, only to request a refund once aboard for hibachi while keeping the reservation. Maybe lock out purchases of individual reservations once a dining plan has been purchased? As far as people pre-booking all available times, Royal might make the change to the UDP so that only one lunch and one dinner per day can be reserved in advance. They could also redefine "Unlimited" to mean 1 dinner per night of the cruise and 1 lunch when the specialty dining restaurants are open.

Edit: Concerning no shows. Assuming they don't limit people to one reservation per night, they could always implement what they're already doing with select activities. In other words, charge a fee for people who don't appear and don't cancel their reservation early enough for it to be resold. As an example, "Due to the popularity of Ripcord by iFLY, appointments not cancelled 12 hours in advance will be subject to a $25 no show fee."

Comparing the pricing on a similar 7-night AK itinerary (in the same interior  cabin category) to the one I did summer 2023, rates increased by only 14%. Gut feeling is so many people preach, or require, a balcony or suite that Royal is increasing balconies and up by what they predict the market will bear. With how crazy current booking rates are, I wouldn't bet against this strategy. 

Reservations for Spectra's Cabaret are now open. I'd recommend booking it for later in the week as typically nights one (Christmas Eve) and two (Christmas Day) have the majority of holiday events happening during this sailing, but we won't know until we're nearly aboard due to when the final schedule is released. 

3 hours ago, Bazza said:

Awesome but can you split Restroom into #1 and #2 so some data can be 'logged'?!

Totally unnecessary. Like anyone using this sign is getting out for #1. 

1 minute ago, tonyfsu21 said:

$25 for the day. If you think that’s elite then call up CEO “up charge” Liberty and voice the concern because it’s coming. 

Is that sea day or port day pricing? 

How long before chair clocks become mandatory? 2 for $25 in the gift shop*.

 

 

* No, not really.

It's my understanding Juneau is better.

1 hour ago, Gilley said:

I’m on in Anthem in 7 days.  I don’t see the ability to book solarium bistro in the  cp or the website.

‘I was on Anthem 3 years  ago reservations were not required to eat at Bistro.  I do understand things changed over the years.

I wonder if reservations were scrapped after switching from the kitchen service, for the entrees, to having them on the buffet?

And the person with the sign might actually be in the pool or whirlpool. Unless I saw them post the sign and then leave, I'd assume they've had issues in the past (I know I have as a solo cruiser) and decided to literally leave a sign that the chair is in use by someone using the pool deck.

2 hours ago, Plasticbrain said:

1. Is 4 excursions too much while on Oasis for 7 days? (How much onboard events will you miss out by only having 3 days on the ship + some evenings/nights) 

That's really up to the individual. I found that 3 full days, and evenings throughout the sailing, was plenty of time to experience everything Oasis has to offer. Do book show reservations in advanced (will be available about 30-40 days before sailing) so you can see the shows when you'd like to see them.

I want an investigation into why the bars have taps, but limited draft beer selection.

2 hours ago, texaskstar said:

Just curious where you saw that Allure is getting amplified?  Have they announced what they’ll be adding to it?  I like this itinerary and maybe booking it in a few weeks.

The senior officers aboard have been saying spring 2025 for amplification.

On 10/26/2023 at 11:45 AM, OCSC Mike said:

This seems to be a new trend. First it was the C&A discount on certain CocoCay extras like cabanas, now this.

Are we too jaded to think RC is possibly doing something good here?

 

My gut feeling is sales on these items are down due to price increases. While Royal does have a large percentage of new cruisers per sailing, enough aren't biting on these purchases due to a combination of price and enjoying what's included in the fare for the first time. Long time C&A members remember when prices were far more reasonable (even adjusting for inflation) or are more likely to know pricing for similar offerings on Royal's competitors. Thus, Royal is offering special discounts to C&A members to drum up sales.  So through offering the occasional C&A discount, it's something of a win for everyone involved. Royal sells unsold reservations while displaying they value loyalty. Previous cruisers with Royal receive actual discounts on cruise planner items.

On 10/26/2023 at 8:38 AM, MLH said:

Interesting that it now says Ravenna. apparently RCG was sent a warning letter from the Uk's Standard board like the FTC regarding false advertising saying it was leaving from Venice.

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/royal-caribbean-cruises-ltd-a23-1198946-royal-caribbean-cruises-ltd.html

 

1 hour ago, Mike.s said:

Wow, look at those prices, over $2k for 7 days for an inside cabin, no wonder they annouced good results yesterday.

It's my understanding the test load  cruises are higher priced during the test load period. Once the full load happens, prices will start lower than where they were during the test load period. Or at least that's what's happened historically. 

1 hour ago, Jill said:

Geiranger: I’ve always heard it’s a “must” port but it’s only offered twice on the 7 night. Neither date works for us. Will I be super sad to miss it? 

 

Only you can answer that. But if time you have available doesn't mesh with when you can visit, then is it something to get sad over? 

With that said, due to regulations changing on where ships can sail in Norway starting no later than 2026, if you're wanting to visit Geiranger on a RCCL ship, realistically your last chance is summer 2024. It appears the stepping in of new emission regulations will keep out Royal's current fleet starting in 2025.

Edit: It's also not like Geiranger has a lock on fjord beauty either. Take a look at what the other ports of call are using something like Google Earth to get a feel for what's there. 

11 hours ago, FionaMG said:

I wonder if it is or if the opposite is true. I expect the bean counters have their eye on this. It would be interesting to see some numbers. I'm sure thay have them but do they share them with anyone? Shareholders I suppose would potentially need to be informed.

They've increased the voucher count by one after the vouchers were introduced, which tells me the voucher program had a serious amount of unused funds budgeted based on passenger use, and there's multiple ways for them to make up for the lost revenue.

From a pure cost perspective, looking at the Allure sailing I was on last summer, there was 6,600 pax aboard. Of those, 277 were Diamond, 149 Diamond Plus, and 46 Pinnacle. Assuming everyone used their vouchers for premium cocktails, and assuming Royal's cost per cocktail was no more than $4, that means Royal's daily cost was $8,516 or $59,612 for the week to service the vouchers. The cost of servicing the vouchers in this example, divided among every passenger aboard, would be $9 for the week. Without trying to model the effects of drink packages, revenue lost by Royal on drinks which would've been bought if not for the vouchers, and the revenue made by Royal because Diamond and up loyalty members chose to sail with them versus another line, adding ten bucks to everyone's fare to keep and encourage customers who've shown that they're interested in your product, when the total cost and company profits are significantly higher, is a no brainer. I suspect if Royal isn't already factoring in C&A benefit cost based on an individual sailings, versus an annual average, they'll start soon. i.e. Sailings popular with Diamond and up members will have fares starting higher to compensate for the additional cost to service C&A benefits aboard while random summer sailings in the Caribbean will have a lesser tariff factored in. Though depending on servicing costs, Royal might just increase things across the board for that sweet additional profit on sailings with limited higher C&A tiers aboard. 

 

Edit: Just ran the numbers on my Brilliance, Multi-glacier cruise from this summer. Royal's weekly cost, based on the assumptions above, spread among everyone aboard would be about $4. 

13 minutes ago, Hope said:

Any idea when the 2025 schedules will come out?

 

Getting this roll call started. 13 nights to the top of the world and through world heritage fjords which won't be sailable by Royal soon.

----

Going to add links and such as I think about it below this line. This is certainly not a comprehensive list. Rather it's things I've bookmarked and such.

For a few attractions which are possible to visit on this cruise have free audio tours available in the app "VOICE OF NORWAY" available in the iOS and Android app stores.

Hop-on/Hop-off buses through CitySightseeing (city-sightseeing.com) are only available at very limited ports of call in this itinerary. There is at least one location they're servicing which is asking visitors to the site to check back at a later date.

 

Day 3 (Sun July 7, 2024) - Geiranger

Shore excursions available with:

https://emob.no/en/ (This company rents the minicars Matt mentioned in his trip review.)

 

Day 6 (Wed July 10, 2024) - Honningsvag

Shore excursions available with:

https://www.northcapetours.com/en/

https://www.blue-puffin.com/en/ (Also offers a tour in Tromso.)

Car rentals:

https://www.nordkappbilservice.no/car-rental

 

Day 7 (Wed July 10, 2024) - Tromso

Public transportation app:

https://fylkestrafikk.no/menu/tickets-and-fares/troms-billett-tickets-app/

 

Day 11 (Mon July 15, 2024) - Olden

Shore excursions available with:

 https://www.oldencruise.com/ 

 

Day 12 (Tue July 16, 2024) - Bergen

Shore excursions available with:

https://vikingvoyages.no/

Hop-on/Hop-off Bus:

https://city-sightseeing.com/en/67/bergen

1 hour ago, Mr.Cruiser said:

Thank you guys for your links to local tour operators.

I have been to Norway several times and know it is expensive but Royal's excursions for Norway are currently just overpriced. Period. This year I was there with another cruise line and the excursions were much more attractive.

There is only one thing that still makes me hesitate to book through local providers. On our trip we had to significantly shorten the time the ship was in one port due to bad weather. As a result, many excursions that lasted longer were cancelled. Since I had booked through the cruise line this was not a problem. However, if I had booked through a local operator it would have been my risk and no one would have refunded me the cost....
Or are there also local providers who offer a compromise if the ship is shorter ashore than planned?

Thank you!

I've booked a tour with Blue Puffin (https://www.blue-puffin.com/en/) for Honningsvåg and in their T&C they mention they'll adjust the tour for late cruise ship arrivals or early cruise ship departures. However, they also keep 10% of the tour cost if the ship can't make port to cover their expenses instead of a full refund.

3 hours ago, Reigert2008 said:

I think this is part of the overall problem, not @RCIfan1912 in particular, but the earning rates.  We all know the "loopholes" to get those extra points, which was all fun and games when we earned them, but now we're hitting the limits.  I'm all for getting what we've earned, but maybe Royal should change it so that you only get 1 point per night as the standard rate and not do the doubles for single cruisers, gaining a suite, etc...  They could then offer up double points promotions when they need to fill the ship and it could be done on a ship by ship, sailing by sailing basis.  

I sail solo, and the extra point per night (when paying a single supplement) is in recognition that solo cruisers have to buy out the cabin by basically paying fare for a ghost on non-studio cabins on the vast majority of sailings. I don't sail suites, but the extra point there is for how much more expensive a suite is versus a non-suite cabin. Even Celebrity awards points differently depending on cabin booked and how many people are in it.

Double point promos aren't happening anytime soon as Mr. Liberty (I believe) has said. And from the same conversation, Royal will be far more strategic about them in the future. I can also see the company changing to a "Double Points Promo*" where the fine print is earn an extra point per night when staying in any cabin instead of total points per night x2; aka the "Double Points" promotional title is based on nightly points awarded for double occupancy in an interior stateroom category cabin. Thus the maximum amount of points per night is 4, not 6, for sailing solo in a suite. Most people aboard would be earning 2-3 points per night under such a scheme versus 2-4. 

Royal carries a full line of sugar free vodka. In fact, if your vodka has sugar in it, then something is wrong.

What I'm curious to see is the average % of passengers who are Diamond and above versus month. Because based on public postings it appears the number of Diamonds and up is less during school breaks and higher when school is in session. 

Going to be contrary and say Texas because of the Star.