Rackham

Check out this video from Matt: 

28 minutes ago, Va4fam said:

Thanks @TXcruzer and @melmar02...........for confirming Royal doesn't use the same technology for every ship.

How much does it cost them to print all those 8 x 10 pictures and throw most of them away?

Would it really be that hard to convert the space to the digital kiosks?

No idea on how much it's costing to print all of them, but the cost is less than what it'd cost to print at home with their equipment. Pictures are like drinks aboard the ship; it doesn't take many to cover the cost of supplies and labor for all of them. After that point, it's pure profit.

I haven't looked into this, but I'm assuming digital kiosks would require a complete equipment overhaul (besides the kiosks, cameras, printers, and computer servers could all need to be updated to work with this system). This might not be cost efficient on a smaller ship when the current equipment works fine.

I would expect the President's Cruise to have more passengers than usual booking specialty dining since it's a sailing targeting Loyal to Royal. So between an increase over normal on the number of cruisers with B1G1 free entitlements, cruisers wanting to try Sabor and Samba since they're not on too many other ships, and cruisers wanting to do specialty dining since it's a special cruise, plus cruisers purchasing dining packages and specialty dining because they're on vacation, specialty dining was probably packed during this particular sailing.

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Nobody really knows yet what will be included and excluded from the UDP/dining packages for Icon.  My personal guess (and that's all it is) is that the supper club will not be included in the UDP.  It sounds very much like Chef's Table to me.  My hunch is the same will be true for the virtual dining train car option, whatever it's called.  With the dining  packages becoming more and more restrictive, I do not see them including some of these more "involved" dining options.

We will be sailing Icon in Star Class in December 2024 and I am expecting some of these dining options to be an extra charge, should we decide to utilize them....and my first inclination will be to not pay extra for them.  The train car thing, in particular, seems like it will be a "one and done" kind of thing for most people.  I hope it's not another Wonderland blunder....but I haven't seen it yet so I will withhold final assessment. Hopefully I am completely wrong about all of it !!

One thing the train experience does have going for it over Wonderland is not needing to feature a weird and exotic ("imaginative cuisine") menu to keep on theme. If Royal feels a need to change it up, swapping out menus and destinations for a mass audience should be easier than updating Wonderland to something new. At least for the moment, the train does sound like a once and done, or seldomly done,  like the Chef's Table or any of the other dining experiences due to the fixed menu. The Empire Supper Club also falls into this category, though considering how often I'm anticipating on sailing Icon (or Utopia for that matter), and I expect it's about the same for the average cruiser, it's a rather moot point. 

Thanks for the heads up on the taxi situation. I'll be doing this on the 18th and based on this review, will need to report back.

August 13 - Allure

2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

Wow, what drinks are they charging $30 for??????

Or is it up to $30 in drinks a day?

That's not USD... or at least that's my assumption with where the poster is located.

"The package includes all beer, spirits, wine by the glass and cocktails $20.00 USD and under as listed on our menu(s), or $30.00 AUD and under for voyages departing from and returning to Australia and New Zealand."

Sorrento's isn't the equivalent of Alfredo’s on Princess. What Princess is doing with the above is covering prix fixe menus at places that'd be the equivalent of say Royal's Playmakers or Giovanni's Wine Bar aboard their ships. Basically, they're including a limited version of a dining package with each bundle.

Edit: Press release: https://www.princess.com/news/news_releases/2023/07/NR-Princess-Plus-and-Premier-Enhancements-27-July-2023.html

What I've been noticing since starting to book with Royal in 2021, is for the first month or two fares are a good value. After that, depending on the sailing, prices start to drastically climb and the value proposition rapidly diminishes. Comparing prices between now (or several months before sailing) and when I booked for this year and next with Royal, I'm getting something akin to buy-one-get-one free pricing. Royal's initial daily fare, for the cruises I'm interested in, haven't hit a particular number yet which will get me to consider not cruising with them since there are itineraries I'm interested in and haven't done yet. However, they're slowly getting closer to this number. For many of the sailings I have booked, I wouldn't be willing to pay the current asking price as the value isn't there for what they're charging.

4 hours ago, F1guynz said:

Even though Royal says they are experiencing unprecedented demand these days I usually see plenty of high value suites still available when previously these were the first to sell out. On our Harmony sailing next year I can see at least 18 crown loft suites available, and they have gone up $7000 NZD since we booked.

I'm wondering if under Royal's financial models they've discovered they can earn more money by increasing fares across the board, leaving some cabin inventory unsold, then filling those cabins through the RoyalUp program? Now empty cabins, due to accepted RoyalUp bids, get filled through GTY bookings or another accepted RoyalUp.

1 hour ago, Benneth said:

Don’t know if anyone is still following but Chichen Itza is in my excursion list for Cozumel. Entails 6 hours of travel time, 9 hours total. When does Royal Caribbean have the biggest sale usually? It’s currently listed for 35% off.

Let me be the first to tell you that trying to time a Royal sale is a fool's game. Buy when the price is acceptable to you, then cancel and repurchase if there's a price drop. Recently prices only go one way, up, so buying early is typically netting the best cruise planner pricing. 35% off is about the best you're going to see. There might be a 40% off sale sometime in the future, but it's not something that regularly happens or something you can count on.

Edit: And in the meantime the base price could go up. So the discount could be the same or greater, and you end up paying more.

29 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I agree for the most part but don't they at some point have to build "smaller" ships? I maybe not 90 thousand tons but to replace Freedom class and Vision clas ships? Freedom, Liberty, Indy getting up there. Same with the Vision class, Explorer and Adventure. They are gonna need 140 thousand ton ships at some point right? 

They don't have to, but the flexibility these ships offer for deployment and repositioning is a very much in support of keeping them around. They provide options for Royal to zig and zag depending on the company's needs, which Oasis-sized ships simply do not. I expect we'll hear something about them from Royal within a decade, if not within the next 5 years.

1 hour ago, barjpoe said:

No, sorry, I just did a copy and paste into my word file

Maybe someone else can find it. 

Was it this? 

Wavy10 (local news station) report on the cruise terminal enhancements. Basically, the terminal was designed for being a port-of-call and the occasional embarkation/debarkation and not as a regular homeport. So enhancements are needed for Carnival to homeport a ship there.

47 minutes ago, MLH said:

Thanks. We plan to drop off our bags at 930 am and then take the free shuttle to Capastrano Suspension Bridge for a few hours.  After you clear customs  do you have to get on the ship or can you go back out.  I'm thinking you can't as you cleared customs and cant leave.  Thinking I can try to beat the crowds in customs.

You probably can't clear customs and leave, but if you could, you'd have to go through the entire process again (and might need to clear Canadian customs on your way out). I'd just drop off my bags with the porters and then head off for the day.

8 hours ago, MLH said:

I have been reading that it can be a cluster embarking inVancouver.  Any one have any recent experience?

Yeah, last week. Check in time was at 1:30 pm (wanted to explore Vancouver a little first). Breezed through check-in at 1:20 pm. Like literally walked in, they scanned my SetSail pass, and I was handed a Brilliance paper ticket to keep with me until getting aboard the ship. Here's where the hour+ ordeal begins. You'll take the ticket, walk outside, and downstairs for security screening first and then US immigration control. Keep the ticket because you'll be mixed in with passengers for any other ship also embarking for both. We had a Celerity ship and a Holland America ship also embarking along with us. The lines will snake back and forth like you're waiting for a theme park attraction and move about as quickly. Immigration control is the automated kiosks where you'll insert your passport, answer some questions, and take a biometric photo. If your passport and responses are accepted, you'll get a ticket to take to the person at the end of the immigration area. If you're "X"ed, you'll have to wait in another line to speak with someone personally. My passport and answers were approved, so I got to leave without lining up again. All in all, without any issues going though the process, it took approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to clear and get aboard the ship.

Edit: You didn't ask, but while I'm thinking about it, the debarkation process went basically as you'd expect at any other port, but a Canadian customs declaration form is required to be submitted after getting off the ship. Said form, and instructions to fill it out, are provided by Royal on night 6 (or at least it was on my sailing). You might want to bring a pen as Royal didn't provide one. I do travel with one, so it wasn't an issue, but there were people in the terminal needing to fill theirs out at the checkpoint.

I wonder if it's a situation where Royal isn't planning on homeporting a ship in Norfolk yet, but is exploring their options with a limited amount of their vessels that can sail from Baltimore? So maybe Royal's made a visit and talked with people, however, there's not an immediate plan concerning the port over the next couple of years.

The issue I saw last week, with kids in the Solarium, on Brilliance was that with Park Cafe being in the Solarium, it was rarely an adults only space. I also think it was open to children (or the posted signs ignored or superseded) far more often than the posted signs allowed for, but I wasn't keeping track.

Smallest flow rider in the fleet aboard Brilliance.

Love from Brilliance. 

This isn't even a question. Oasis-class all the way. In other words, Symphony.

Symphony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFpcDuYKcBk

Navigator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9f32sctvt0

Ovation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY4oxVX2QIk

After looking at the two itineraries on Royal's website, I think I'd be booking the Hawaiian sailing. The itinerary overnights at Maui which provides a little bit more time to get to explore the island. The Big Island only gets 9 hours of tender, but with a bit of planning could still experience a bit of the land. Fly in a few days early to Oahu before embarkation and this itinerary would provide a nice taste of the islands. And that's before mentioning price. Lowest priced suite fare on this sailing, as of this post, is $3,185 versus an oceanview on Icon at $3,160. If we step down to a balcony on Ovation the fare is $1,213. The cost difference could make for some very nice excursions, onboard spending, and pre- and post-cruise experiences if you're looking to spend so much either way.

2 hours ago, ApexoftheSeas said:

Do you think a new class could be ordered to fill the gap?

With one step down in sizing, Royal has the Quantum classes, that have only 5 ships between them, which could be ordered. On the smaller end, there's rumors of a Discovery-class in the handy Panamax size to slot in between Voyager and Radiance classes as Royal's tiniest ships leave the fleet. There's really no reason to design another Oasis or Icon sized ship when both of those classes are no where near their end of life.

Sounds like an Ultra Spacious Ocean View.

From Harr: 

4 hours ago, deep1 said:

What about bears? 

That and the city are requesting that we don't use the local bus as residents depend on it for getting to work and tourists would overload the system.

 

Here's my position with Juneau apparently asking tourists not to use the bus to get to Mendenhall with the majority of people not following this stuff on Reddit. I would try to find another way to the glacier with the bus as a last resort. Knowing the Juneau is asking tourists to stay off the bus, them asking can lead to policy or route changes to discourage riders out to the visitor's center. With how high a priority visiting the glacier is for many, waiting till port to find alternative transportation to Mendenhall if the bus won't work will be too late. Keep the bus in mind, but don't stake a port day on it.