WAAAYTOOO

Not any longer. They were on the Epic up until her recent refurb. They are no more.

Didn't know this... We were on the Eoic in 2013 and saw the BMG and boy was I disappointed. I didn't care for the show at all. It was just a bunch of noise to me. I hope RC does NOT do the BMG

I almost suggested Wicked, but I figured it still had too much life left in it and would cost Royal too much.

Excellent point

Jersey Boys would be nice!

I woul LOVE for it to be Jersey Boys ! I was it in London and I loved it !

From the clues, I believe it might be Wicked. That's a pretty new show and that was one of the clues.

Welcome, Susie !

. I once upgraded to the GS on a Jewel 4 night sailing that only cost me an additional $250 for 3 people.

On the cruise that Marc and I just finished (liberty to Bermuda) the price difference between Jr a Suite and Grand Suite was just $20 total for 2 ! We were both able to upgrade for $20 - an amazing deal and if Marc hadn't pointed it out to me I would have missed it completely b/c I never would have been looking for that kind of deal.

Sorry....don't know about this one. I've never taken a Chukka excursion before. Did you find them to be reliable ?

Agree with everyone ! It's funny b/c some people (I will call out the women more often here than the men) will THINK they're dressed up and really they look ridiculous. NOT that I'm judging...ok...maybe I am. So being dressed up doesn't always mean you look presentable. I guess that's why they keep some outline of a policy in place, otherwise God only knows what would come tromping through the MDR.

It's been my experience that ALL of the horseback riding excursions suffer from that same issue. Being a horse person, I know my expectations are WAAAYTOOO high for such things but they are all pretty dismal.

From my conversation with the Chukka people, apparently RCI offers this same [Good Hope] excursion but of course, it's much more expensive through the cruise line than it would be booking directly with them.

I guess I really am looking for anyone who has gone to Good Hope Plantation and seen what the grounds look like and whether the all-inclusive package would be worth the $125 they are charging. To be honest, with all that they are advertising PLUS an open bar, it seems like a pretty good deal but I really have nothing to use as a basis.

I agree with Doc and Matt. Just about anything goes in the theaters these days. But as with all things, it's a matter of your personal taste and the image you want to present. One thing's for sure...this is not the opera.

Welcome, Jay !!

I am looking at a tour out of Falmouth with Chukka. It's called the Good Hope Ultimate Thrill Seeker's Pass. Has anyone done this tour before or done business with Chukka before ?

It looks like a pretty good deal but I wanted to get some feedback if I can.

It has been my experience that if you ask for a repricing (price reduction), they WILL basically rebook you. That means (or always has for me) that if there were any incentives (i.e., OBC) associated with the original booking and that incentive is not a part of the deal at the time that you reprice, you will lose your incentive. Sometimes the reduction in fare is worth losing the OBC - sometimes it's not.

A good example of that is the special that they offer on tax day. I booked the blog cruise (Feb 21, 2016) on April 15, 2015 which gave me the price without taxes or port fees. If I were to try and reprice that cruise b/c of a fare reduction (which has NOT happened, BTW...that fare is now $700 PP more than what I paid in April) then I would be rebooked at whatever the current lower price would be, but then I would have to pay the taxes and port fees - so in order for the repricing to be a net gain, the new, lower price would have to be low enough to cover the added cost of taxes and port fees, which would be highly unlikely.

I think the reason that people think their prices were simply "adjusted" is because they did not have a situation where the rebooking cost them any incentives...in other words, the "deals" were the same in both cases, the price just went down. I have had that happen as well. On the Oasis in January 2015 the price on my B1 Boardwalk Balcony went from $1099 PP down to $629.50 PP due to BOGOHO and C&A Balcony D+ discount. In the end, I ended up getting upgraded to a regular balcony on that cruise so it ended up being maybe the best price I have ever had on an RCI cruise - especially on an Oasis Class. Those days are long gone !

So I read someone's comment that perhaps Oasis 4 will be going to China. You really think so ? I'm betting on Europe.

What do you think ?

I'm considering this one for our blog cruise mini-group too...

Woohoo ! That's awesome. Congratulations !

Yep. There she is. Never noticed her !

How could I have missed that ? I have been on the Freedom twice and don't recall any women hanging from the ceiling ! I guess I just don't pay attention !

...not to mention the expense ! Yikes ! WDW has become a HUGE expense...at least, for those of us who have to travel. I could probably go on 3 cruises for what it costs to stay at one of the premium WDW resorts these days.

In a post I read earlier this morning, someone commented that the ship is just the means for getting to your destinations (ports of call) and I completely disagree with that. I wouldn't care if the ship just cruised around in circles for 7 days (or more !) - at least, in the Caribbean. There are VERY few ports that I look forward to - Curacao and Bonaire are about the only 2 that come to mind. As for the rest of them, I really don't care much about the islands. For me, the ship IS the destination and that's why it has become more and more important for me to have the ship and the kinds of accommodations that I really want.

I'm sure this is a function of the fact that I have cruised in the Caribbean so much. For newer cruisers I'm sure the destinations are very important - they used to be to me, too. But after a while, they all begin to look alike, sound alike and have pretty much the same experiences. This is not a BAD thing - it's just that your perspective changes after a while. I love the ship. The ship is why I cruise.

When I go to an island for the first time I usually just do a general island tour. That gives you an idea of what is there and if you have time, or when you come back again, you will have the opportunity to do 1 or 2 specific things based on your earlier recon.

I've been to Antigua a few times and I know that it's beautiful...but I cannot recall anything specific. After a while, they all run together in my mind.

Dunno...but that's as good a hypothesis as anything. I have been reading posts on other sites that suggest the same. ...South American market has apparently gone the wrong way. Wonder if China is going to be a similar miscalculation ?

Thanks, Marc !

Steph, you CAN sign up for MLife on the Royal Caribbean website. I've done it myself. Just signing up gives you almost nothing (I think there is some minimal savings at MGM properties but nothing you couldn't get other way, I'm sure) but you CAN become a member online at RCI. I'm sure you have to visit one of the properties and establish some kind of history in order to gain any kind of status. I rarely go to Vegas or AC so I'm thrilled that MGM is building a big casino closer to us - just outside of DC. Can't wait for it to open !

While Club Royale reciprocates with MLife, I wonder if MLife returns that favor ? I would assume that they do. Guess I'll find out when MGM opens at National Harbor.

Actually, you a CAN get the free drinks at the Champagne bar. That's usually the one we go to (or the R bar for the renovated ships) b/c it's right by the dining room.