WAAAYTOOO

I'm pretty sure Dynamic Dining will remain Dynamic Dining (all choice/all reservations on your own) and Classic dining (1&2) will replace both MTD and Early/Late seating Classic. I mean, once this monstrosity is fully implemented....where would you go ? There won't be any MDR anymore so both the early/late and MTD will be moot won't they ?

We tried the walkie talkie method when I was with a big group once and it was a disaster. Nobody wanted to carry the things around and when we were in the casino you couldn't hear them anyway. We just do a very good job of arranging meet-up times and places if we are going in different directions for some period of time and there is always a "rendezvous" point for "lost comm" (my husband's pilot lingo) that is prearranged on day 1. Never tried the Royal Connect thing. I think it's still around but we never used it. Maybe it has improved ? Anyone ?

I'm sure there are some spotty refurbs where it's needed but I don't think there was any large scale refurb on the cabins

I have used ChoiceAir a couple of times...usually when we are going overseas or during the dead of winter when I am concerned about weather. I am very surprised that you received poor customer service, JillyAlex. This is quite literally the first time I have ever heard that ! I have never had anything but excellent service and professionalism. I cannot imagine what could have caused that. First of all, you will NOT save money with ChoiceAir. ChoiceAir is not designed to save you money. ChoiceAir is designed to provide an integrated travel product to augment/supplement your cruise. If price is the most important thing to you, ChoiceAir is never going to be your best choice. Booking your own airfare will always be cheapest. However, if you want to make sure that your airline schedule and cruise schedule are complementary and completely integrated, and you don't mind paying a little bit more (I think there's a non-refundable $15 PP charge) to make sure that your trip is seamless, then ChoiceAir is a good choice (pun intended). They WILL find you a very reasonable airfare, but there is always going to be that extra charge. I do recall that when we took a transatlantic over and flew back from London they did get a fare that I was never able to match, checking on my own...so they do put some due diligence into looking for the lowest airfares. In a way, ChoiceAir provides the same kind of peace of mind that booking an excursion through the cruiseline does. They both provide a guarantee that the cruise ship will not leave without you OR if there is some unavoidable delay such as weather or flight screw-ups, they will get you to the ship some other way....but they are always more expensive. On simple itineraries where the risk of flight interruption is minimal (warmer months, etc.) or situations where I am spending an extra day on either side of my cruise, I don't normally use ChoiceAir but when I am going overseas or on a transatlantic where timing and coordination are crucial, I always do. It is worth the extra money to me. So, as with most things, it is a matter of personal preference and priorities. Jilly, I am truly surprised that you had a bad experience. If you are really interested in using ChoiceAir for whatever reason, I would try again. I am almost certain that you will have a better experience this time. They have always been very professional and responsive to me. Since you are obviously not concerned so much about $$ (b2b GS !) and if you are wanting some peace of mind about scheduling your best air itinerary, I recommend you give them a second try. There is always going to be that extra charge. No getting around that. Maybe they waive it for Pinnacle members...I don't know. Please let us know if you do try again. I would like to know if their customer service has really taken a dive or if it just someone having a bad day...as we all do from time-to-time. Good luck !!

I was on the Oasis in January. I do not think that they spent much time/money on refurbing the staterooms. I think the primary purpose of the drydock was splitting the MDR into 3 separate restaurants, which they HAVE done. Having said that, our balcony was in good condition and the "common" areas seemed to be in good condition. Honestly, I am not one to dwell on the condition of the ship unless it is REALLY BAD which is very rare. I thought the Oasis looked great. I feel sure that the Allure refurb will be pretty much the same.

Have cruised out of SJ a number of times (Adventure, Jewel and Serenade). AWESOME !! You will be glad you are giving yourself a couple of days on the island. Lots to see and do. I have always stayed at/near the [Condado] beach so I have no knowledge of the OSJ hotels. I can say YES to the Marriott and Ritz Carlton and NO to the Condado Beach Plaza Hotel (now the Condado Plaza Hilton). Here's a cool piece of intel... The Ritz Carlton San Juan offers a US government rate EVEN during the Holiday season EVEN Christmas week !!! We saved a BUNDLE staying at the Ritz just prior to a Christmas cruise on the Adventure a couple of years ago. So....if you are a government employee (including military) or a government contractor and qualify for a US government discount, you can stay in San Juan in STYLE for a very reasonable price and I will say, the Ritz San Juan is VERY nice. They have a nice little casino. The Marriott has a wonderful limit Texas Hold 'Em poker game in their casino in the evenings and the InterContinental has, I believe, the only no-limit Texas Hold 'Em game left anywhere in San Juan. IF you are interested in playing poker I would definitely contact the hotels in advance and ask if they still have a poker game although that did not particularly help US as we asked that question before booking the Condado Beach Plaza hotel to which the answer was "yes", just to find that they no longer played poker at that hotel when we arrived. Needless to say, we were NOT happy. San Juan is one of our very favorite cruise ports. I know you will have a blast !

Wow....this is a complicated one ! I am amazed and somewhat alarmed that the 2 entities have such divergent policies and that one entity cannot even TALK with the other. One would think that the booking/canceling/rebooking policies would at the very least, be consistent with one another. What was their excuse for why you lost your original deposit ? Are you with the time limits of the cancellation policy ? I cannot believe that they would penalize you for transferring your deposit from one cruise to another. That has never ever happened to me. I know that doesn't help you... I wish I had some advice for you but, alas, I do not have any experience or expertise in this kind of thing. One thing I have learned from your situation though....I will NEVER book an onboard cruise anywhere outside of the US or Caribbean !

Duh....what a dolt I am. I got my Freedom cruise next week mixed up with the Group cruise. UGH. Sorry

That isn't the same week in Feb that our group cruise is going is it ? Feb 21, 2016

I have heard many such stories about difficulties with scheduling and making reservations. I think there are still some logistical and software glitches that are being worked out. Any new system takes time to master. I also agree that they bought themselves trouble that they didn't need with changing a system that wasn't broken. We'll just have to see how it all works out. Judging from the fact that RCI has just refunded everyone $100 who has sailed on the Quantum EVER, I think it is an indication that they are getting some not-so-positive feedback on their decision. As for formal night, I have not sailed on a Quantum class ship so I cannot speak to that specifically, but I can say that the level of formality on formal night spans quite the spectrum. One change that RCI has made that I think it a GOOD thing is the softening of the formal "requirements" and accommodating those that do NOT enjoy doing the formal thing. According to the feedback and comments that I have read, I would expect to need at least a jacket for meals at the Grande. Show and entertainment events scheduled times...I would not rely on anything that is found in the PDF document. I would think that the online times are closer to accurate but I don't know that I would even depend on them as I have read MANY postings that say that the times that they reserved were not accurate once they got onboard. On my January sailing on the Oasis they made some last minute changes to the showtimes for the Water Show so those kinds of last minute changes are inevitable. I think these onboard schedule changes are a main causal factor for the frustrations that have been rampant on the Quantum. Once your dinner time gets bumped as the result of a change in the entertainment schedule, getting that dinner time rescheduled is problematic. It causes a kind of domino effect. I am not familiar with The Gift. Have a great cruise !!

The obstruction is some ship superstructure (flat beams) that extends beyond and behind the balconies. I do not find these beams to be a problem at all. Granted, there is not a completely 100% unobstructed view out the aft of the ship like there is on the Vision or Radiance classes, but it is not enough of an issue to make it a problem for me. The huge balconies and lounge chairs more than make up for any partial view obstruction, IMO. It just depend upon what your priority is. If you want the big balcony then I believe you will enjoy this room even with the partial obstruction. If you're looking for a 100% unobstructed ocean view then this might be more interference with that than you would want.

Well, that is true to an extent. Some obstructed view b/c of the ship superstructure but still worth it IMO

DEFINITELY fantail (aft) room if you can get it. The balconies are huge compared to regular balconies and you get lounge chairs in addition to the table and chairs on a regular balcony. Very private (usually) and lots of ocean view...if you don't mind seeing where you have just been (looking out the back !). These rooms are generally the first to go. BTW, there are also regularly priced balcony rooms (range from D1 - E2 ?? (not sure about that) depending upon the ship) on the fantail too. These are the best bargains on the ship with the exception of the family ocean view rooms when you can snag one for 2 people or the accessible rooms if they go out to general inventory. I will say that these fantail rooms require a bit of a hike. If you don't like to walk or cannot walk easily, these may not be the rooms for you but if you don't mind the walk to the fantail rooms are the best IMO.

Thanks, Stephanie. I am willing to withdraw my hypothesis re: lobster and thank you for your response. Maybe the Classic option will work just fine !!! Glad to hear it.

I see what you're saying, Mike. I look at it another way. I have not been on a Quantum Class ship so I do not know this for a fact, but I am willing to bet that not one of the 3 new DD/Classic restaurants (or any other complementary restaurant onboard, for that matter) offers complementary lobster on its static menu. If it did then they would be serving lobster left and right every single night. I ALSO suspect that lobster appears SOMEwhere on one of those menus (perhaps more than one) as an upcharge option. So now, those of us that had been getting lobster once during a 7 night cruise (usually the second formal night) will no longer get lobster unless we are willing to pay extra for it. I suspect that the same is probably true for other pricey main course options such as the lamb shank and/or lamb chops. I see DD as a weasely way for RC to get OUT of the business of offering these "premium" (although the lobster has become somewhat pedestrian in the past few years) once-in-a-week options. My objection is not solely with the lack of variety but with the loss of those special dishes that we have come to love and expect. I think they are going to be gone, gone, gone - unless you're willing to pay for them - very shortly. If I am wrong, someone please tell me. I am willing to retract my hypothesis. It is nothing more than that.

Will the new rotational dining plan be implemented on Oasis before our September 19, 2015 trip? I didn't know that they were going to implement Classic dining on the Oasis and Allure. I guess it makes sense since they will be doing it on the Harmony. I think that's good news. Better than Dynamic Dining, I think. Even though these are still static menu restaurants at least you get to keep your waiter which is 1 of the 2 biggest objections I have to the idea of DD. I still say that not having a rotating menu is going to be a bad thing. I hope I'm wrong.

Don't mean to make light of her misfortune, but did it choke the stingray ? Sorry...couldn't resist

I don't want to bash TAs on this site since I know that an agency is the sponsor of this site (and I thank them for that !)....but I will say, with no malice intended, that booking yourself is always the right thing with RC. Since RC does NOT permit agencies to discount their cruises there is literally no advantage to using a TA for RC, IMO. Now, agencies CAN add their own incentives such as OBC (although it is always minimal from what I have seen)and paying for gratuities, specialty dining, drink packages, etc. but that has never been enough of an incentive to get me to bother with a TA for RC. That is NOT necessarily the case for other cruise lines ! As for getting a TA to hunt for price reductions for you, that is not going to happen. It is a LOT of work to do that. You have to check VERY often. I check at least DAILY and have been the recipient of MANY discounts that just pop up. As one blogger mentioned, when the BOGO offer first came out for a VERY brief time (not more than 1 day), they had not yet increased the cruise base price to compensate for the 1/2 off deal and I managed to catch it before they did....I ended up saving a LOAD on the January 2015 Oasis cruise. It turned out to be nearly free by the time they added the 1/2 off ("free" being a misnomer...there is no such thing as a FREE cruise). But you have to be diligent. If you want to catch a deal YOU have to do the work. Yes, a TA will go in and capture a discount if you let them know about it but why bother with that ? You can do it yourself ! ..and SHOULD. If you want to be lazy and not do the work, you will probably NOT get the unpublished discounts or be able to take advantage of mistakes - and YES the cruise lines DO make mistakes from time-to-time - that come along periodically. One blogger mentioned a family room. I managed to snag a Royal Family Suite for my upcoming cruise on the Freedom LONG b4 it should have been released to the public. They hold those rooms to require a minimum number of people to book (usually 4 people is minimum. For some categories, it's 6!) but if those rooms don't sell close to the end, they will release them to "general inventory" which means that they will appear online and you can book that room with just 2 people (the same thing for handicapped (excuse me, ACCESSIBLE) rooms). I caught it on just the right day and even the [RC] agent who booked it for me commented that the room should not have been available for less than 4 people, that early. As soon as I booked my room they immediately moved all of the other Family Suites behind the "Not available for online booking" firewall. I just happened to see it b4 they caught their mistake. So....checking the website becomes automatic, and fun, after a while. Make it a THING. You will be the recipient of unexpected windfalls. It's awesome.

Stephanie (and anyone else who might be interested) my name is Raye. Thanks for asking. It is always a no limit game. I have never seen them play a limit game on any ship. When I cruise out of San Juan the Marriott has a limit game at night but I've never seen one on a cruise ship. I just don't think there's enough people interested enough. Sometimes we have trouble just getting a no limit game going. ...and then sometimes, like on the transatlantic I took several years ago on the Jewel, we played all day every day and all night for 12 days. There was always a waiting list just to get on. You just never know ! I know what you're saying about the electronic tables. Lots of people don't like them b/c they feel that they are subject to "electronic whim" but I have never really had that concern. I usually do pretty well...I just like having a live dealer better...more personal. I saw the hangover machine on the Oasis but never played it. Slot machines are nothing but money pits for me ! Now THERE'S where I think the machines can be set to exploit "electronic whim". If you enjoy poker and also table games then I recommend the Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em table game. It's one of my top 2 faves - the other being 3 card poker. It is raining like crazy here in Okinawa. I will be here all week and it's supposed to rain the entire time I'm here....which sucks in more than 1 way since I will have to be outside climbing telecom towers most of the time ! Not looking forward to that very much !

Yeah, Stephanie, that casino discount is awesome at the moment. I hope it stays that way !! The tax day discount was helpful too...$200+ more off ! I sense that the casino changes are being pushed back even further. I think they're encountering some problems...which is fine with me. I like the program JUST the way it is ! I look forward to playing (in the casino !!) with you on this cruise. Are you a slots player of a table player ? I despise slots so I rarely play any slots other than the occasional video poker. I will be at the Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em table or the 3 card poker table or the regular poker table. When I was on the Oasis in January they still the electronic poker machines - which are ok...I don't hate them the way some do - but I do prefer a live dealer. I am guessing that Allure is still using their electronic poker machines too. UGH Well, I am off to Japan for a week (business) so I won't be blogging much - or maybe at all - while I am there. Take care everyone !

Mike_ it is so much fun to watch new cruisers come to the realization that ....one Caribbean island is pretty much the same as any other...and that the ship itself is the real attraction. I'm sure I'll get lots of rotten tomatoes thrown my way for that...there are lots of beautiful islands and each one has its own charms but truly...sooner or later the ports become a nuisance and you just want the ship to keep on sailing so you don't have to get off ! I truly love the sea days the best ! I have my favorites (Curacao !) and I love going to the Caribbean, but.... If you were on the Jewel out of San Juan then you were on one of the island hoppers which is a GREAT way to see lots of islands if that is your goal, but an island a day is way too much for me these days. I HATE having to get up early EVERY morning (that means leaving the casino early and that is a bummer !) and go see more of the same thing I saw yesterday. I am also very annoyed that the casino is closed while in port (in MOST ports anyway) :) I think you will enjoy Bermuda. I put that trip off for years b/c I didn't think I would like it much...seemed kinda boring. ....but truly, the water is more beautiful in Bermuda than ANY tropic Caribbean island (IMO). It is VERY expensive in Bermuda so you probably won't want to do too much shopping unless you have money to burn but I think you will enjoy it. September should be a lovely time to be in Bermuda as long as a hurricane doesn't get you. It should still be warm enough. I like the NCL ships very much. I have not been on the newest ones (Breakaway or Getaway) but I was on the Epic and I loved it. The rooms were a tad snug but I found that RCCL did the same thing with their biggest ships....so it's a "trend" of sorts, I guess. Bigger ships...smaller rooms....more people...bigger profit. In fairness, I understand that the rooms on the Quantum class are a little roomier than the Oasis class. I haven't been on a Quantum ship so I can't attest to that...just what I've heard. So back the point of this missive. The ships ARE the attraction. Some people don't like the really big ships but I do. I love Oasis and Allure. LOVE them. There is so much to do and the casinos are SOOOO nice. I don't have small children to entertain but if I did, I think I would want to have the distractions...I mean attractions...that the big ships have to offer to keep them amused. ...and there are a lot of them on the big ships.

Matt, add us to the Feb 21 2016 Allure cruise as well ! Couldn't resist the Tax Free special combined with the awesome Club Royale discount.

May 3, 2015 - Freedom December 19, 2015 - Grandeur October 3, 2016 - Harmony October 23, 2016 - Harmony

Don, how was your transition from RC to Celeb ? I know they are supposed to honor your equivalent loyalty levels. Did you find that to be the case ? I also know that they will NOT honor my D+ balcony cruise discount, which kinda sucks...but it's a small price to pay for a short while, I guess. Do you know whether Celeb has a VIP casino program ? If I could find some parity there it might be of more benefit to me than the D+ discount anyway. Have you found the Celeb service to be more reminiscent of the old RC service ? Any drawbacks or regrets for going with another line ?

Hmmm...for reasons far too complicated to get into here, I do not participate in social media. I have neither a Facebook nor Twitter account and do not intend to ever have one. I guess I will have to leave it to others to voice displeasure using those tools. I will have to come up with something else. Great idea though.