WAAAYTOOO

The Krazy Lobster is a great place. Just take the shuttle over and walk down the beach. They’ll find you a nice table, lounger or hammock. $1 Coronas !

We also have the OV deck 9. I have gone back and forth about upgrading but with virtually no suites amenities and the awful location of the full suites on this class, I just don’t see the value.

That is correct

I agree that this is becoming routine for cruises with large numbers of upper tier on a sailing, but hasn’t it normally been for the D+ that are being kicked out of the CL/SL ?

Yessiree

Grab a room and let’s go !

Thanks, Tyler !

I agree with you about the heat.

No double points. The studio stateroom is designed for a single. No double supplement either.

Yes, apparently that was the case

Come go with me, Lorraine.

Welcome to the blog, pamici

NOT QUITE YET... ....is this going to be a Live Blog. I am NOT looking to set the new World Land Speed Record for starting the earliest Live Blog. It will turn into a live blog MUCH later when we get closer to sail date. I just wanted to announce to the world that the long anticipated 8 night Symphony itinerary for 21 - 29 August 2021 has finally shown up on the website !!!! I've been stalking this cruise for months. They announced the itinerary - Labadee, Aruba and Curacao - months ago, but never opened it for booking until today. I quickly snagged one of the Deck 8 Aqua Theater Suites because I could not afford (or didn't want) any of the other Star Class rooms that were left. Believe it or not, some of the SC rooms were already gone by the time I got there !! The aft-facing Star Loft was there but I don't really want that one. I have NO interest in that awful Ultimate Family thing and the Royal Loft is WAAAY out of my price range on this cruise (and so was the Ultimate Family thing, to be fair). So let the fun begin. I BELIEVE that this will be the first Oasis class ship to go to Aruba and Curacao. I could be wrong about that. For sure it will be the first time Symphony has been there. This will also be my first cruise on Symphony and I'm very excited. 3 ports in 8 days is my idea of heaven. Interest, anyone ?

Thanks so much. Great news. Maybe it was a flash in the pan, and is done.

Last summer we did a B2B on NAV over the 4th of July holiday. I found these 2 cruises to be particularly pricey on a per person/per day basis. I would probably NOT do it again but rather choose a different ship that was doing a regular 7 night itin. Don't get me wrong. The amplification on NAV was incredible. The best I have seen for any ship in the fleet...but I think for a 7 night cruise, you can do better on a different ship, price-wise.

Not much, if anything, is refunded. They will refund port fees for the missed port and of course, any excursions that you had booked through Royal would be fully refunded. The only time you will likely see any of your cruise fare refunded is if the cruise itself is actually cut short due to weather or other extenuating circumstances. We went through this recently on Anthem when the ship was stuck in Bayonne for 3 days waiting for health test results. Most likely, if they cancel CM, they would simply add another sea day or maybe extend the stay in Cozumel. They actually have a lot of choices in that area of the Caribbean/Gulf. I wouldn't look for much of a rebate on price though.

I agree with Montconguy. I think they refurbished the NAV and Mariner so that they improved the experience for 3 and 4 night cruisers. In the past, Royal (and many of the other cruise lines too, to be fair) have always used their older and frankly, worn down ships to do the short cruises. This move stepped up the short cruise experience to allow new cruisers to enjoy the BEST of Royal rather than the WORST of Royal.

Nobody knows, of course...but I think it is unlikely that Quantum would be redeployed to the US since it has undergone so much Asian redesign. I guess anything is possible, but I would think that it would be among the LAST ships to come to the US.

I would say "yes". Others will say "no". As long as you TRY and look snappy, that's really all you need. Dan always wears long pants to dinner, regardless of where we dine. I will wear whatever I have on that day so long as it is not pool/beachwear. On formal nights I would say long pants for the guys and something a little nice for the ladies, but trust me...nobody will be turned away as long as they don't have on pool attire. As you say, this is YOUR vacation. Do whatever makes you comfortable.

Of course you did ! 😵

We booked a virtual balcony when the FIRST came out on Liberty. We loved that room

😉

Actually, if you are booked in a Jr. Suite, you will receive double points ! YIPPEE !!!

I recently booked 2 cruises JUST b/c they were going to CM. Not the end of the world, but will be disappointed if we cannot get off the ship there.

The truth is, you CAN rebook your cruise right up until a couple of days before your sail date, but since final payment date has passed, you would be subject to the cancellation fee, which almost always negates any savings that you would realize by a new, lower cruise fare. Frankly, there is not much that an agent could have done for you, either. An agent is invaluable when it comes to making reservation changes BEFORE final payment date but there is little they can do for you once final payment date has passed. An agent MAY have been able to help you get a good deal on an upgrade (maybe, maybe) but just realizing a savings from a now-lower cruise fare price....sorry, nope. I still think you are doing the right thing by going with a good TA in the future. All sorts of bizarre things can and do happen where a TA is worth their weight in gold. Our most recent cruise, Anthem of the Seas (8 Feb), where the ship was delayed for 3 days, was a perfect example. My agent kept us up to date with changes that were happening, sometimes by the hour....and when our refunds came, she made sure they were correct and then transferred them to one of our already-booked cruises. I would have HATED to worry about all of that stuff on my own while we were in a hotel waiting or after we [finally] boarded the ship.