Thom Cruise

I've done 5 cruises now and it's only on the last cruise did I try a cheap lunch offer at Giovanni's for the first time, and now I wish I'd done it sooner. Honestly, I was a sceptic, but am now a convert. For $20 a head, it's such great service and they overfeed you, and it's sublime food. I also tried Chops, but found it inferior to Giovanni's, but still was spoilt by the waiter.

I'm based in the UK and so it's not quite as easy for us, but yes I'd love to sail on Icon class. I remain hopeful that an Icon class will be deployed in Europe in 2026.

Plus...the itineraries for Odyssey are much better in the med than the Oasis class. I've done both and I prefer the 9-12 day breaks offered by Odyssey than the 7 day breaks on Oasis (I went on Harmony from Barca last Oct) which aren't as adventurous.

Not all Oasis classes are equal. The line and coconut top deck decor is fabulous but not all Oasis class have it. Also, I don't like the split top deck with the gap in the middle. It makes the top deck feel smaller than the Quantum Class. Izumi? Ok, yes it's sort of odd but I didn't mind it. I didn't even notice it and I sat in there for a meal, for me, not a problem. And as some with kids, the Sea Plex is brilliant. Yes, the Playmakers is in a weird place I suppose, and I'd much prefer it was in the main strip instead of the British Pub. As a Briton, I don't like the British Pub. It's not representative of most pubs I've been in. I prefer the Oasis karaoke club to the Music Hall but then again the Music Hall is bigger. I haven't been in Icon, I can see how that would impress me, but it's not typical of the rest of the Oasis class.

Odyssey is their best ship. Nothing like that PLEX

Late night food has different meanings for different people. You want a steak and salad? Or you want a kebab after a few drinks? Or you want a packet of biscuits or chocolate? I think Royal has a good handle on the times, and you can always squirrel food in your room if you think you'll be late, and room service is the ultimate emergency option. But yeah, would be helpful to buy some Lays from a vending machine at 3am!

Is that the rumour, that an Icon ship will be in Europe?

Aren't the drinks prices only shown behind login pages? As login expires, how does it keep the link open?

I like Symphony when I went on it last October, but I wouldn't go back. I think I've realised that bigger isn't always better, but moreover I've realised that I don't want to cruise on any ship without the Lime and Coconut decor on top deck! Makes such a difference to me. But overall it's a great ship, well staffed, a great holiday is guaranteed.

Unfortunately I'm from Mud Island (Britain) and I'm under 50 so unsurprisingly nothing good ever happens to us! I've found Club Royale to be completely pointless so far, even with Prime membership.

I booked a cruise in November 2023. Final payment is August 2024. Cruise date is 22 Oct 2024. I phoned RC today (Feb) to re-price and was told that it was not possible as the original booking was made more than 48 hours ago. Note that this was through Club Royale, as I had a $500 credit applied to that booking. Even with the credit, the re-price would be cheaper, but I was told I would lose my deposit as well as my credit if I cancelled my booking and tried to re-book. Just to add to the unforgettable experience of Club Royale, I asked about Air2Sea flight booking and they told me I did not qualify for this service as it wasn't something Club Royale can do.

So I called back and the answer is still NO. There is a 48 hour policy for rebooking, IE, you cannot rebook if more than 48 hours after your original booking. Or last booking, not sure, same problem though.

I thought, indeed, I recall re-pricing a booking when 've seen a lower price advertised. Having just tried to do this via club royale they've told me I cannot?

That's really interesting. Are you all US based? Do you think I'm registered with the wrong Club Royale office? There is a UK and US dept I believe. I was on a cruise in Oct on Symphony and met a British guy who said he was sailing on a casino comp, in fact he was the one who made me aware of Prime.

Do European cruises ever appear in the list of comp cruises? I'm in the UK and am Prime, it's so frustrating seeing only Caribbean cruises.