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.

I'd also point out that I'm not the type of drinker who is fascinated with cocktails, which I've noticed is aomething that a lot of people seem to enjoy. They'll try them all, just to experience them, but I'm firmly a beer drinker in the evening, and I might have 6 beers in an evening, so that's around $60. But I'm also likely to not drink the following night, so then I'm down to $30 average. I also tend to fill up a 1 litre water bottle from the free drinks station a couple of times a day rather than buy bottles of water, but that's more down to my personal preference of monitoring my water consumption to ensure I drink enough.

I'll also point out that drinking experiences differ from ship to ship. So, on Odyssey there is a barista station in the Windjammer, so every morning I'd get a mocha, and a fresh OJ, it was so easy and convenient. But I then went on Symphony last year and there is no barista station in Windjammer, but apparently you can just ask a waiter to get you those drinks. Now, I dont like asking someone to get drinks for me, I've never been comfortable with that and I've always gone to get drinks myself. I didn't feel like I used my drinks package enough on Symphony. I also didn't find a lot of convenient places on Symphony to get coffees and juices, it's a massive ship and you trek around to find them, whereas Odyssey felt better designed for this, and there are less people on board and so the whole experience for me was to my liking. But then again....you get free milkshakes at Jonny Rockets with the drinks package but there's no Jonny Rockets on Odyssey! If you're not into barista coffees, if you're not into fresh OJ, if you're not a day-drinker, then don't do it. The free coffee is excellent (Lavazza), and the free juices are cold and delicious but are infused water rather than juice.

Family Infinite bunks aren't just bunks though, each has it's own TV. That's pretty swag, hence the price. Also a separate toilet and shower?

Yeah I achieved Prime on my Oct cruise, in essence I exclusively played slots and I recycled a lot of winnings and in the end it probably only 'cost' me £500. I juuuust eeked over the 2500 point line by the end of the 7 day cruise. But here's the thing, I like gambling and I like slots, and I wasn't aiming for Prime when I first started on day 1. But I had an eventful night, drank lots of beers, and I didn't even enquire about my points until the next day I was talking to a stranger and he told me about the points programme. In terms of benefits...meh, not bowled over but then again I'm based in the UK and there are hardly any European offers. Yes I am tempted to rest on my free drinks perk for my next cruise this Oct, but it's definitely not the same level of usefulness as the premium drinks package.

Do people from the UK use MEI as a travel agent?

Apart from those who make a fortune from rent from poor people. And politicians. And any tax-avoiders and bankers. In fact, what is the law on registered sex offenders and cruising? Presumably none. No, they can buy suites and are fine, as long as they don't 'steal' a $1 magnet from a corridor. Cmon champ, a bit of perspective wouldn't go amiss here.

I don't understand how some people afford to cruise with RC, or why they want to cruise when they don't seem to understand the social contract we all have on a cruise ship? I'm from the UK and typically a cruise for a family of four in a balcony is at least £3000, likely closer to £4,000, and often more like £6,000 when drinks and gratuities are added. I don't choose to cruise lightly. It's our one holiday a year. I find it odd to think people are putting a similar amount of money at risk by misbehaving.

Totally agree. Indy seemed a great ship for the UK 10 years ago. It seems cruel to give us a Quantum Class and then return to Freedom Class. I wouldn't mind as much if the price reflected the drop in standard, but it won't, it'll just rise again.

How often are lists updated?

Someone made their points in a particularly sarcastic tone, that's poor form. If we all did that then the forum would quickly become unfriendly. I guess I was surprised to find myself not totally falling in love with the Oasis class, as many YT shows had built up a wholly positive picture of them! Having said that, I'd love to try Wonder.