JohnK6404

Shameless display of wealth...

Yes, it's now BYOTP instead of BYOB!

It’s certainly going to be interesting and a little volatile over the next couple of years. Royal, and the rest of the industry, is in a very tough spot for sure. They will feel the need to try to recover some of the lost revenue quickly. If they go too far with pricing increases, not only will they lose the new cruisers, but they risk losing some of the more experienced cruisers in the short term. A no win situation.

No changes, since we're in good health (knock on wood), we'll just continue to use common sense and washy, washy frequently as in the past.

With the little info provided, since Royal cancelled the sailing and not you, I think they should extend your comp and provide alternate sailings for you to choose from in good faith. I’m not familiar with the casino program, but that seems like common sense since you did not cancel!

@Lovetocruise2002 Hi Sabrina! Keep fighting! This sounds all too familiar and typical of Royal CS these days. It sounds similar to the way they handled the DBP debacle. Yes, we’ll honor, no we can’t. OK, we’ll honor it... and likely only after they thought about the bad PR ramifications. Obviously, the CS management needs to learn how to effectively communicate to the CS reps so they are all on the same page from the start!

It looks like @CHRIS WONG just posted a new vlog with a little insight from his perspective as an RC crew member on Oasis of the Seas... he stated all 2,000 or so crew are remaining onboard the next 30 days, but they do not have details/schedules as to what they will be doing just yet. They are still at sea completing the current sailing (recorded yesterday). He's going to try to post something every day with some sort of update from his perspective... I'm assuming they will pop up on his running thread here on the forum.

LOL! You are too quick! I was just about to edit and say that we're on Oasis (hopefully) at the end of May. Have a great time!

Us too! May 31st... fingers crossed!

It will be some sight for sure! I guess the ships will unload passengers, some crew/personnel, garbage, extra supplies, etc., and then anchor off shore temporarily, then move closer to the port and drop anchor since they can’t all dock. I would think they would use this time to thoroughly sanitize and then do cosmetic repairs above the waterline and onboard while out of service. Let’s hope this doesn’t extend into May!

All of the Oasis class ships are effectively identical in layout. The whole bigger and better than the last ship is for bragging rights and a huge marketing gimmick (I'm OK with the gimmick! ). Each ship may be 1-3 tons larger, or maybe a few feet longer, but the ships are identical to the naked eye and more importantly to us cruisers. When you're comparing 225,000 tons to 228,000 tons... 1,180 or 1,188 feet long... not significant or something we would ever perceive. If you look below, Oasis is now "bigger" than Allure in total displacement and effectively the same size as Harmony due to the recent "amplification"! The ships will of course vary in the aesthetics and overall vibe... Harmony (2016) and Symphony (2018) are more modern in decor since they were built more recently. Oasis (2009) was just amplified at the end of last year and the public areas were updated, but many of the cabins were just refreshed and not completely re-decorated. Allure (2010) has yet to go through the amplification (scheduled soon) and from the little we hear, it may be slightly delayed due to all of the Coronavirus madness affecting operations. The biggest difference will be in the food venues and entertainment offerings on each ship. Each ship will also have their own selection of shows for each venue (eg. Cats, Mamma Mia, Grease, Hair Spray... Blue Planet, One Sky/Touch the Sky, Columbus, Flight... different AquaTheater shows). Some other little differences... Allure, among other differences, does not have the water slides, the Ultimate Abyss, Playmakers Sports Bar or an escape room yet (will after amplification). Harmony is the only Oasis class ship without a pool in the solarium. Also, the solarium layout slightly varies on some of these ships (some have a larger enclosed area vs. a larger open sun deck in front of solarium). Everyone will have their own personal favorite, but I do not believe you can go wrong with any of the ships. It comes down to cost, convenience of departure port, itinerary (although many are similar or even identical), and your preferences when it comes to the specific shows and restaurant offerings on each ship. I was just on Allure last year (out first Oasis class sailing - best cruise by far for us to date!), so my wife and I would personally go with one of the other ships unless you book a cruise after the amplification is completed (Allure will have the slides and newer restaurant offerings similar to what they added to Oasis last year).

79 days hopefully for us too!

Yeah... I'm sooo sorry! It's crazy now! https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1435/royal-caribbean-announces-voluntary-suspension-of-cruising/

Here's Royal's "famous" video... impossible to forget after you hear it for the first time on the ship! LOL!

We're still planning on going on Oasis on 5/31... just did a minor upgrade (regular ocean balcony to large balcony). Praying they do not cancel any upcoming sailings!

My wife called the TA this afternoon and after 3 hours (thankfully, they offered to call us back when they finally got Royal on the line), we received a small "free" upgrade (we'll take anything!) from Ocean View Balcony (Aft, but near mid ship) to Ocean View with Large Balcony (mid ship). Asked about upgrade to Junior Suite, but RC wanted $1,500 more right now for this sailing... maybe we'll try again down the line (5/31/20 sail date) or bid on RoyalUp if we have the opportunity! ? We did see the JS listed for the Oasis 9/27/20 sailing at $2,400 (double occupancy) last night! Definitely call and ask if there are any upgrades available... it can't hurt!

@LetsTryThisPlace, thanks for the pics! Have a great time!

I figured that would be the case... I wonder if there is anything in the T&C that will prevent you from cancelling, applying the FCC to a future booking previously made (one that qualifies for transfer of FCC in this program), and then re-booking the same cancelled booking at the lower rate.

Just cross your fingers they do not start cancelling specific sailings that drop below some minimum capacity threshold that they determine is still profitable for the ship to sail, etc.

I'm not sure... Right now, I'm just hoping they do not start cancelling cruises at some point due to the mayhem going on now (mass cancellations).

People are losing their minds. I just hope all of this does not result in mass cancellations of upcoming sailings. We're ready to go!

Have a great time! Almost here!

Take a peek at this past thread... the MDR menus tend to be consistent throughout the fleet in any given region from what I understand (Caribbean, Mediteranean, Asia, etc.)... I attached the MDR menus from our last 7-night Caribbean cruise on Allure last year... you will most likely have the same menus (maybe minor tweaks). At the very least you should have a very good idea of what to expect:

I agree it's a little unfair to focus on the cruise industry more than any other industry, form of transport, etc. As @FManke just alluded to, I would be much more nervous about flying in a small, pressurized metal tube with 200 or more strangers potentially hacking and sneezing all around you for hours at a time. You would think that people that are concerned would focus on the airline industry a little more. IMHO, we just all need to remain educated on the ongoing situation, exercise caution and use common sense right now. Hopefully, with the warmer weather approaching, the virus will run its course and no longer be as major of a concern.

Have a great time!