JohnK6404

4 hours ago, Francois Boutin said:

Hi ! I booked yesterday a cruise Jan. 2026 with 13 peoples on Allure of the sea because I see that this ship will be Amplified in 2025.

So I'm a little bit anxious because I see today that 2026 deck plans are available online and I didn't see the waterslide and Playmakers bar. Normal or not ? I said to my group that ship will be amplified and be same as Oasis of the sea ship features but it's not accurated on 2026 plans online. What's wrong ? I dont want to disapointed my cruisers. Please help me to sleep well thanks.

Just my opinion, but I'm assuming they will continue to show the current deck plans until they actually commit to (or make public) any upcoming changes. I'd be extremely surprised if they did not add Playmaker's at a minimum for consistency and due it's huge popularity.

2 hours ago, Mike n Ky said:

That dry slide is such a waste of money and space so I am hoping they eliminate that from the old list.

For us, it was neat the first couple of times we went down the slide, but like the Bionic Bar, the novelty eventually wears off. My gut tells me they will still put it on Allure since all of the other Oasis class ships (Wonder and Utopia included) have the Ultimate Abyss. They may tweak it, but my guess is that a dry slide will be added. Unless Oasis 7 is dropping the slide, I'd expect it to be there for consistency.

We're booked for May 2025, so of course we're hoping for a significant amplification at least to the level of Oasis. I'm sure they will integrate new ideas (learned from recent Oasis and Icon class ships per Jason Liberty's recent comment) and can't wait to see what those changes will encompass! I bet new dining options/experiences like Utopia, Playmaker's, etc., at a minimum.

1 hour ago, Crown&AnchorEsq said:

Someone correct me if I am wrong (i admittedly don't order there) but I believe Oasis now has the kiosk on the promenade between Boleros and on the air.

I think they do (Oasis)... Funny, I did not take too many pictures of the Royal Promenade on that sailing. However, when we sailed in OCT 2021, the Starbuck's "basic" or limited menu was not available in the Cafe Promenade. I just watched a recent video of Allure last evening and they have added the Starbuck's menu (and they definitely have the kiosk), so possibly Oasis has added the limited menu as well (printed menu board not TV monitor).

Main point is that you cannot use a beverage package at the branded kiosks (only charge to ship account or SB gift cards accepted), but you can use it in the Cafe Promenade for Starbuck's products on the ships that offer the limited menu. We rarely stop for Starbucks at home, but we do take advantage while onboard. 

Hi @CoffeeNoodle!

We've sailed both recently (Oasis in late 2021 and Wonder twice last year) and absolutely loved both. I agree with all of the comments above.

A couple of other very minor differences... Wonder has a "regular" Starbuck's full kiosk in the middle of the Royal Promenade too, but they also offer a basic Starbuck's menu (coffee/tea/cappuccino/Frappuccino, etc.) in the Cafe Promenade which is included in the beverage packages. My wife and I normally do not go to Starbuck's at home, but of course we took full advantage of our DBP on both sailings! Oasis has a real Escape room (Apollo 18), unlike Wonder which offers a lame puzzle break exercise in one of the rooms in Adventure Ocean (we booked it and immediately cancelled once we realized).

Naturally, Wonder is completely new throughout. Oasis was amplified, but only the common areas really received an overhaul. The majority of the cabins have the same original decor/furniture which is somewhat dated and still slightly worn. They did repair/replace damaged carpet/furniture, etc. throughout, but it is dated. They did add additional cabins, but I believe they are suites in the forward of the ship below the bridge.

We too love the midship Oceanview balconies on Deck 8! No cabins across the hall (back of the restaurants and shops in CP) and on the same deck as Central Park! Enjoyed one on that Oasis sailing in 2021 and booked another for our Allure sailing next year! Can't wait!

Commodore 64... that was a huge upgrade over my first PC. The Commodore PET! Loved the cassette tape drive for saving files!  

... and here's Matt's article from just this morning  ...

Royal Caribbean announces order for new Oasis Class ship | Royal Caribbean Blog

Here's Matt's article this morning on the announcement...

Royal Caribbean announces order for new Oasis Class ship | Royal Caribbean Blog

Have an awesome time and please keep her shiny and new for all of us!    Will be following along!

54 minutes ago, Marlena said:

But oddly Wonder is still not showing where it will be past april

Summer 2026? Maybe Western Med... it's likely Harmony or Wonder unless they repeat one of the last three (Symphony-2023, Oasis-2024, Allure-2025).

EDIT: Gotcha... you meant 2025! 

Have a great time!

This itinerary is almost identical to our upcoming sailing in May (we just have PDCC added)! We'll be following along... will love to hear your thoughts on Costa Maya and Roatan as this will be our first time in either port.

Have a great time! 

We prefer early dining as we like to see an 8:00-9:00 show after dinner and still have the rest of the evening to do whatever.

I'll be the first to admit I had to learn to avoid eating lunch too late and eating too large a meal! I ate a huge lunch at Portside BBQ one day and could barely eat my dinner at Chops that evening. 

On our upcoming Icon cruise (5/11/24) it's offered at 5:30 every night. Only Day 2 sold out for our sailing to date.

Oh, another question! Is there any venue on Icon similar to Wonder (Cafe Promenade) where they serve the basic Starbucks menu that IS included in the beverage packages? Does the Pearl Cafe have Starbucks? Thanks!

56 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

It "shouldn't" but there's no telling with RC IT, especially with dining. Several people, myself included, have had traditional dining booked and then boarded the ship only to find "the computer" had switched us to MTD for no reason.

If you still have MTD when you board, it's worth a trip to the MDR in the afternoon to see what they can do. In my case (and at least one other), a manager basically had us just show up at 5:15 every night and we were seated within 5-10 mins every night. It was like having MTD but early. We had different servers and tables but that didn't bother us as long as we had a 2-top and early seating.

We've had similar experiences. Our first sailing on Wonder last year, we booked 5:30 early traditional... when they posted the cruise docs it changed to 5:15... when we boarded, the SeaPass cards stated 5:00!  

Our last sailing (also Wonder), we booked early traditional once again, but purchased the UDP. They dropped us out of early dining (did not know until we looked at our SeaPass cards!) and moved us into MTD. We only chose to dine for one evening in the MDR and they were very accommodating when we explained our situation. Same response... they told us to come to the desk at 5:15 and they would seat us. 

3 hours ago, CGTLH said:

Chef's Table is held in the same spot as Celebration Table.

Thanks for clarifying!

Apologies in advance if this was addressed already! 

Does anyone know where Chef’s Table is held? One video I watched showed a semi-private area near the Aquadome and Hooked, but another video stated that area was for Celebration Table. 

Thanks!

We just sailed Wonder over Halloween last year. Excellent atmosphere (our 2nd Halloween cruise)... I did not notice an unusual amount of kids onboard. Certainly less than when we sail in May, but probably typical for sailings during the school year. Since most schools do not have a break for Halloween, the parents would have to pull their kids out of school for that sailing.

Just saw that too! We were hoping that would be the plan during the upcoming early 2025 Cadiz dry dock! Now is the time with all this high demand and record revenue! 

We next sail on her in May 2025 (Western Med)... fingers crossed for sure!  

Almost double-digits! 

Watching the inaugural cruise live blog very closely!  Can't wait!  

Everything is booked except the entertainment... will keep my eyes  peeled for when that opens up in the planner!

That travel advisory is a little Wild, Wild, West scary for those areas outlined in the bulletin!  Eeeesshhh!  

Even back in May 2019 when we visited Jamaica on Allure, there were some "minor" safety concerns. Our friends that traveled with us have a go-to driver that they always use while in Jamaica (FYI... he was armed from what I was told... concealed of course). They actually just returned from a quick getaway this past week in Montego Bay without any incidents or concerns.

Our driver explained during our travels, that at that time, Jamaica was a hotbed for international phone scam rings. The government had just cracked down on these rings and some of the organizers/leaders were still on the loose on the island and the military was trying to track them down.

They set up military checkpoints throughout the island... we must have passed through 3 or 4 on our way to Rick's Cafe and all of our other stops! He clearly knew the soldiers at these checkpoints and we passed through quickly! 

We never felt unsafe during that 2019 trip, but I guess it's become a little more dangerous in some areas.

I would do what makes you feel most comfortable... most of the risk appears to be primarily after dark and in the more sketchy, remote areas. 

Have a great time!!! Love the longer sailings!

Have an amazing time everyone! We're so jealous! 

Yes, feel better! 

1 hour ago, MaryS said:

I grew up in Mineola and Oceanside.  Last November was my 1st time back to LI in 20 years (uncles 80th Bday party).  Almost all of the family moved and never had a reason to go back.  I really don't miss it.  What I do miss is how close the beaches were.   Now I have to drive an hour to get to the northern part of the Jersey shore.  I am also thinking about moving down south to Florida probably in the next 2-3 years.  

We love the beaches, East End (Hamptons, Montauk, wineries), restaurants, and proximity to NYC, but after a lifetime here we're going to be ready for a change when we retire down the road!