cruisellama
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Posts posted by cruisellama
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7 hours ago, FrenchieMama79 said:
We are taking our very first cruise ever in November, departing from Fort Lauderdale. We are flying in the day before the ship leaves, and we have a layover in St. Louis which will also be our first time experiencing that. My question is… you see and hear all these stories regarding lost luggage. Is it safe to check our bags through or do you recommend carry on to be safe? TIA!!
Luggage handling has become very reliable. The times we've used it, our bags made it with us. Its lower risk if you don't have tight connections (or direct flights), but if you're uncomfortable, it is also possible to do carry-on for a 7-day Caribbean (very casual). We carry-on most of the time because we hate the waits at destination.
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I'm aware of the port cams. Many ports have them. I was specifically curious about the webcams they used to operate on OoS. It would toggle between neighborhoods, Central Park, Boardwalk, Promenade and another venue. Its wasn't video, but just snaps of the area.
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Maybe there was an $18/pp/day deluxe drink package offered and they shut down the site to clean all evidence.
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I wanted to make a final payment but wasn’t up yet
- Neesa and RCIfan1912
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Same problem. Cannot sign into Royal or Celebrity webpages.
- RCIfan1912 and rjweber3
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The times we've been there yes. Seating around the pool area goes fast and folks seem to camp around the pool all day.
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and of course Dal..
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The Captains Club event for higher tier levels (Elite and above) offers a limited drink menu during specific hours, so not really a benefit we even partake; hence, we always book drinks as part of an inclusive package, so not been an issue. We do like the complimentary laundry service on the 7 night or longer trips. With 2 people, each Diamond/Elite, you get a bag each after the 3rd night.
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On 9/7/2022 at 10:24 PM, cruisecontrol said:
Not sure how common this happens, but this far ahead what are the chances they move coco cay to Monday or Tuesday instead of the very last day?
I guess weather could influence such a decision, but we wouldn't know that until we're sailing. And they couldn't reschedule unless there is room on the island. Lots of demand from many ships and it can get very crowded. All such factors would need to be considered.
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We are in the peak of the season. Actually been a quiet year so far.
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18 hours ago, Larry Muster said:
Do we have any time tables on when they will release schedules for Summer 2024? I haven't cruised on anything but Royal in 5 years and try to book pretty far out. Next cruise I book will be summer 2024 and want to try Celebrity. Excited to find out when those itineraries will be available.
Think they'll be released around December/Jan timeframe. Its frustrating, but with still some level of uncertainty on country requirements, understandable.
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Floating island meringue dessert
- Eyeonhevn, Al Miller and FireFishII
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On 8/22/2022 at 2:07 PM, JasonOasis said:
Oh no they won't struggle to find places to deploy them in the Norther hemisphere winter season. The number of ports in the Caribbean that can accommodate an Oasis Class ship has grown over the past several years. It is my understanding that Royal continues to work with Islands in the Caribbean on port upgrades so Oasis class vessels can visit more islands.
For the northern hemisphere's winter 2024/2025 season a deployment could for example look like this:
Harmony, Galveston 7 night Western Caribbean cruises;
Wonder, Port Canaveral 7 night Eastern and Western cruises;
Allure, Port Canaveral 3 and 4 night Bahamas/ CocoCay cruises;
Symphony and Oasis, Port Everglades 6 and 8 night Eastern and Southern Caribbean Cruises;
Utopia and Icon, Port Miami 7 night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.
I hope at some point you all Down Under do get an Oasis Class ship I really do. However, I still think any chance Australia has of getting an Oasis Class ship is directly tied to both China and Hong Kong. Both of these markets when they reopen need to see strong demand for cruising because Wonder of the Seas could then cruise the Chinese and Honk Kong markets from mid-April through early-October before repositioning to Australia from mid-October through early April for Southern Hemisphere's spring/summer season.
IMO - I prefer Oasis class ships in the Caribbean. As we've experienced most of the off-shore island offerings, we make the ship the destination and Oasis class ships deliver. We sailed the Med on Symphony, and as we spent most of our waking hours touring, we couldn't enjoy the ship as much. We have a couple of bookings from Galveston on Oasis class ships, and I doubt we'll even get off the ship at the stops. If we want port intensive tours, we'll go to a smaller ship and line. [Analogy: If you're planning to tour desireable/historical land sites, do you need to stay in a 5-star hotel? Or if you're in a very nice resort (as your vacation focus), do you really plan tour the surrounding land sites? So we formed our opinion in if the focus is the shore destinations, ship amenities are the focus, and vice versa, if the shore offerings are the most attractive, the ship is our destination. Just a thought.]
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On 9/12/2022 at 1:34 PM, Reigert2008 said:
We just returned home from our first cruise out of Texas. One thing that struck us as different was that the Texas flag was hanging on the promenade, over the "TV" at the pool, and off the bridge. These were only there on embarkation day and then disappeared until the last night / early morning of disembarkation (next embarkation).
With Royal, we have cruised from Maryland, Washington State, and multiple ports in Florida and we've never seen a state flag being displayed in this manner. Is this some Texas regulation or something that requires ships to do this?
I've sailed Liberty a few times from Galveston, and the ship does sport a state of Texas theme as it has been home ported there. We'll have to wait and see if the new ships home ported take on the theme.
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Its not a 1:1 comparison because there are no toys on Celebrity ships. Just pools, hot tubs, sports court, fitness center and spa. The dining opportunities match to a point. Edge class will the the greatest number of culinary opportunities.
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I remember Oasis of the Seas used to have a shipboard webcams. Anyone know if they will they ever be used again?
- RCIfan1912 and USFFrank
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and if you're not happy with what's on the menu, you can request a MDR menu and they'll give you something from that venue. They'll work hard for customer satisfaction.
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Good news story.
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17 hours ago, jaedam0820 said:
We would be on board the Freedom of the Seas next week out of Miami. As per the weather forecast, it's going to be rainy all week. Does Royal ever cancel a cruise due to bad weather and how soon do they notify their passengers if ever? Also, how do they inform their passengers of the cancellation? We would be flying to Miami a day before the cruise.
They'll just try to sail the ship out of the inclement weather. Now if there was a hurricane moving into port, you might see a cancellation.
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On 7/23/2022 at 11:32 PM, Traveling Mike said:
I have been on multiple of both cruise lines and the way I explain the difference is...
- Royal is where you want to play with toys and do things
- Celebrity is where you want to relax and enjoy shows and events
- Royal is where you want to take your kids and have fun
- Celebrity is where you want to avoid the kids and enjoy peace and quiet
- Royal (Symphony) has old ladies on the wall when men are going to the bathroom
- Celebrity gives you riddles on the wall when men are going to the bathroom
A great summary - ready for Powerpoint
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20 hours ago, twangster said:
It's interesting how the specs of the ships has been changed over time.
When first announced at 201,000 GT that grew to 208,000 GT but the cabin count remained around 2,500. At double occupancy original specs called for 5,000 passengers.
https://www.offshore-energy.biz/mv-werften-starts-construction-of-1st-global-class-ship/
Somewhere along the way that grew to 9,500 passengers but still only 2,503 cabins. That yields an average of 3.8 guest per cabin.
It was very bold of them to assume they could consistently fill the ship with 3 and 4 guests per cabin.
At 208,000 GT they were to have less space compared to Oasis class, 12% smaller than Wonder, yet 2,500 more guests in that smaller space. More of the internal space was to be allocated to casinos.
These ships were designed specifically for China. Between the cabin capacity and the space allocated to casinos it would be hard to imagine them successful in a role other than casino cruises. The ships weren't designed to be destinations themselves as the west understand that concept or to visit destinations in the vacation market. They were designed to be massive floating casinos where the casino was the destination.
I have a hard time imaging any mass market cruise line finding a place in the fleet for such vessels.
Birthing is part of the load, but they also have to accommodate "life raft" space for 9000+ - as well as all the other "hotel infrastructure" for that bump.
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I notice the "aging" more after being on one of the newer or more recently upgraded ships. Ah the smell of fresh deck primer
Celebrity Solstice
in Celebrity & SilverSea
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Nice ship. Solstice is first of its class. Mid sized by today's standard and a little smaller than the new Edge class (smaller than Freedom class). Its been through its "Revolution" upgrade but the suite Retreat area is still decorated like Michaels club (old name). Its a different feel than RC, Princess, or NCL - a bit slower paced. First, Celebrity doesn't have toys, so less for kiddos if there going also. Just pools and hot tubs. There is a Solarium area (16 and older) with a some quick and healthy menu/drinks. You won't see pool events like biggest belly flop or even VP tourneys. No large promenade, but there is shopping and areas of around the clock entertainment and guest activities. Like most Celebrity ships, the martini bar tends to be the primary hangout for guests. The bar tenders put on a good show at night. Focus is on dining, entertainment, and relaxing. On the upper deck there's a real grass lawn and you can play bocci, put, or just lay on the grass and watch a movie. Its smaller than a Freedom class ship. Easy to get around. Has a 3 level main dining room and a buffet. Specialty restaurants and bars, spa and workout area. Solstice has been a Pacific mainstay with west coast, Alaska, and even Hawaii and south Pacific itineraries in past years. Its a relaxed venue.