JasonOasis

I've seen Royal play live sports on TV's in the casino on the cluster of TV's near the bar on Allure, but who goes to the casino to watch TV? LOL!!! There have also been a few times where Royal has shown live NFL games on the screens in the Aqua Theater when it is not in use. However, if you really want to watch the Stanley Cup Finals on your cruise I would suggest you once again bring your iPad, purchase the internet package and watch it on your personal devise because there is no guarantee that they will have the finals on any of their TV's.

I've done several Halloween cruises prior to covid the party always takes place on Halloween 10/31 although you will see decorations up starting the morning of Halloween. This past year 2021 we were on Symphony it departed on 10/30 for a 7 night cruise the party (was not really a party in the normal sense) took place on 10/31. So if your cruise ends the morning of 10/31 and you are looking for a Halloween party on 10/30 that isn't going to happen, the party takes place on Halloween.

I think this really shows just how much COVID has change the cruise industry's outlook in China. Genting Cruise Lines had some very ambitious plans prior to COVID. If I remember correctly they were looking at expanding the company's Dream Cruise Line brand throughout all of Asia then eventually expanding into Europe and perhaps even offering cruises in the US under the Dream brand, and now they are scrapping a 200 gross ton new build. I hope these ship yards in Germany find a way through these difficult times.

Does that mean your booking your next cruise on Carnival Luminosa

She will be brand new to Carnival Cruise Lines but she has been sailing around Europe and the Mediterranean for 13 years, under Carnival's Costa Cruise line brand. Originally Carnival was going to take the Costa Magic (a larger ship) and repurpose it into a Carnival branded ship but changed their minds and will now take(the somewhat smaller) Luminosa instead. I guess this is Carnivals answer to Royal sending Quantum to Brisbane.

A couple years ago (again) was before COVID it has only been a little over a year since cruising resumed in the US. Royal did say the ship would be amplified in 2020, they said the same thing about Allure of the Seas. Stop trying to make it appear as though Royal Caribbean engaged is some kind of deceptive practice when both these ships were scheduled to be Amplified in the Spring of 2020 and then the world shut down in the last week of March in 2020 and weeks later Royal announced later they were temporarily pausing the Amplification project to conserve cash. During early days (most of 2020) of the shut down Royal Caribbean was burning over $1.2 Billion dollars every quarter, with a cash burn rate that high you still expected them to amplify ships? Really???

I've experience it as well sometimes the input button works and sometimes it doesn't because they've disabled it. To get around that what I did was purchase a universal remote (that I always cruise with) that works with Samsung TV's and that has alleviated that problem for me.

Hit and run people, hit and run. If this persons post had any shred of truth in it that means they booked the cruise prior to COVID (no one could predict COVID and it impact) and there were several ways for this individual to either get their money back. Or if amplification was really the deal breaker they could have switched their cruise to any number of newer or amplified ships. Hit and run.

That is something I wish could happen more often. I wish during the sail away they could take the ship up river to get a bit closer to the Statue of Liberty then turn around and head out under Verrazano on her way out to sea. I'll never forget cruise I took on Norwegian out of the Manhattan Terminal (the terminal is a dump in my opinion at least back then) but sailing past the Statue of Liberty during the sail away has always stuck in my mind and I still look at those pictures. I remember my first cruise on Royal out of Cape Liberty and as we sailed away I asked some people who had cruise with Royal out of Cape Liberty before if we would sail up to the the Statue of Liberty they were like no this is a close as the ship gets, zoom your camera in if you want a good shot of the Statue of Liberty LOL. Other than that bit of disappointment I have to say sailing out of Cape Liberty is fun and there is a lot to see.

The Trade association CLIA that represents the interests Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian and other cruise lines is now asking the CDC to drop its recommendation that recommends all cruise passengers present a negative COVID test prior to boarding. Although CDC only recommends passengers be tested it appears as though (at least here in the US) cruise lines will not take the next step and remove the testing requirement on their own unless the CDC first ends their recommendation that the test be required. This probably has more to do with legal ramification no cruise line wants to be sued by someone claiming they got COVID onboard a cruise. The CDC's recommendation is a problem for cruise lines as long as it exists. Should the recommendation go away that then may provide legal cover for cruise lines against someone looking to file a frivolous lawsuit. According to the article (link provided below) the CLIA is only asking for the CDC to remove its testing recommendation there are no signs yet that the industry is looking to move away from the vaccine requirement. The CDC finally caved into the pressure from the nations airlines, lets see if they extend that same courtesy to the cruise line industry. https://www.thestreet.com/investing/cruise-lines-call-for-cdc-to-change-covid-testing-policy

So far 61 countries no longer require international travelers to present a negative test to enter including a few Caribbean Islands (which have seen their vaccination rates jump) and on Sunday at midnight that number becomes 62 as the US joins the list. If some articles are to be believed by the end of July the list of countries no longer requiring negative test should reach 100 or more as more and more countries continue to drop the testing requirement for entry. I would appear as though governments around the world are finally realizing what normal everyday people have been saying for months if not a year or more which is we are going to have to learn to just live with COVID.

I say give it a few more months I think by the end of 2022 cruise lines will drop the CDC recommended pre-cruise COVID test. We are getting there slowly but surely, dropping the testing requirement for international passengers flying into the US is huge and long over due.

Several other articles have asserted that Virgin could have taken delivery of Resilient Lady in August as planned because construction is back on schedule and the ship will be ready for delivery in August of 2022. However it was Virgin that initiated the delay citing supply chain issues and other things. According to one article from thestreet.com it stated Virgin could have still taken delivery of Resilient Lady in August of 2022 but has chosen not to do so citing a softening economy in Greece where the ship was supposed to be home-ported until moving to San Juan. According to thestreet.com Virgin Voyages is also questioning whether Carnival, Norwegian and Royal are really seeing strong demand they've publicly stated in the face of growing inflation? To which Royal's CEO responded telling thestreet.com Royal is keeping an eye on inflation but thus far future bookings and demand for cruises on Royal remains strong. Inflation has had no effect on future bookings or demand on Royal Caribbean. According to other articles that were a bit more objective or critical than travelweekly.co.uk they assert the root cause of Virgin Voyages delay of Resilient Lady has more to do with lack of demand on Virgin Voyages not so much supply chain issues, covid restrictions or even staffing. I asked this in a different thread which is what can Virgin Voyages do to increase demand on their cruise ships? https://www.thestreet.com/investing/virgin-cruise-line-news-a-warning-for-royal-caribbean-carnival?puc=yahoo&cm_ven=YAHOO

Passengers booked on Norwegian Escape between September 8, 2022 and October 2, 2022 are being advised this week that their Mediterranean cruises have been canceled. In a statement Norwegian advises the cancellations are necessary as Escape must go into dry dock for required repairs, all effected guest will be given a full cash refund back to their original form of payment. According to some articles a 10% future cruise credit will also be given to all passengers and guest who book their airfare through NCL, are covered whereas passengers who booked their airfare separately unfortunately are on their own and will have to deal with the airlines directly. Some articles have speculated that this unplanned dry dock is directly tied to Escapes running a ground earlier this year in the Caribbean although NCL has not confirmed that. All NCL has said thus far publicly is the ship must go to dry dock for require repairs. https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/ncl-cancels-norwegian-escape-sailings In other news do to staffing shortages especially on the Pride of America Norwegian has decided instead of canceling entire cruises they would instead cancel an unspecified number of passengers reservations as a way to reduce capacity on ships. According to NCL effected passengers will be advised and offered a cruise on a different vessel. If the passenger chooses to not sail on a different vessel Norwegian will offer them a full refund, a future cruse credit worth 100% of their cruise fare and in this case NCL will cover any airline imposed cancellation or change fees. https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27617-norwegian-limiting-occupancy-on-hawaii-cruises-due-to-crew-levels.html

The biggest benefit is more space. If you want or need more space than what a junior suite offers then yes upgrade to a larger suite. However you will still have to pay for internet package as it is not complementary on Jewel of the Seas or any other non Oasis or Quantum Class ship. I've sailed on Adventure and Freedom numerous times and I've always only done a junior suite on those ships. When I sail on an Oasis or Quantum Class ship we generally will go for a grand suite or higher.

Royal never emailed you your FCC's? I didn't take the cash refund because I the 125% was better and I knew as soon as the CDC allowed cruising to resume I would be back out there on a Royal Caribbean ship. I jumped the gun and canceled one cruise and only got 100% FCC but every other cruise I waited until Royal canceled and on those cruising the FCC's were 125%. It could be Royal's mistake because I thought I used all my FCC's but I'm still searching to make sure I haven't forgotten about one because I had quite a few FCC's.

Virgin Voyages yesterday announced they are giving away 1,000 free cruises. Winners can bring 1 guest with them and will receive a balcony stateroom and can depart from either Miami or Barcelona the sweepstakes ends on June 29th. However there is a catch if you are a winner you must claim and use your free cruise between July and October of this year. This isn't the first time Virgin Voyages has given away 1,000 free cruises they ran a similar sweepstakes last year, but The Points Guy article perhaps gives us clue as to way Virgin is once again running this sweepstakes. Back in April at the annual cruise industry conference when major lines like Royal, NCL, Carnival and others were announcing strong booking throughout 2022 and 2023 with some cruise lines reporting they were seeing future bookings stronger than what they were seeing in 2019, Virgin Voyages quietly announced their 2022 future booking have been soft. Virgins first 1,000 free cruise give away in2021 was in part due to soft future bookings and they wanted to expose cruisers to their brand. Reviews online for them have been mixed with many saying the food is outstanding but the staterooms are a huge disappointment among other things and now Virgin is once again giving away 1,000 cruises to drum up support for their brand. Why is Virgin Voyages still having problems attracting customers and how do they fix it to build brand loyalty? Is being an all adult ship working against them by alienating families traveling with children? https://thepointsguy.com/news/virgin-free-cruise-giveaway/

I just received the same email about a FCC that I have that now will not expire. I thought I had used all my FCC's but now I'm going through every email I've received from Royal since April of 2020 trying to find which FCC I missed.

A fire that started while the ship was docked at Grand Turk within Carnival Freedoms funnel this morning has been extinguished but according to reports it did cause some structural damage to the ships funnel. All guest and crew are safe, and all guest are currently ashore no word yet (at least publicly) if the remainder of the 5 day cruise is canceled. The second link below provides video from two different angles. https://thepointsguy.com/news/carnival-freedom-cruise-ship-fire/ https://www.wesh.com/article/carnival-cruise-fire/40115680#

Although the President has relax the rules I think cruise lines and even airline might be a bit leery of jumping back into the Cuban market because all it would take is a Republican to win the White House in 2024 and things would once again revert back as they did when Trump took office after Obama.

What about the 70's Party on the Royal Promenade? And the Quest (I know the Quest isn't back yet...... Fingers crossed it comes back.)

The devil is always in the details and for Princess the details are it is not unlimited drink package you are limited to only 15 drinks over a 24 hour period. Click on the hyperlink provided in the article and checkout the fine print at the bottom If you are a person who does not drink a lot on vacation then yes this sale is a deal. But I personally like when Royal says unlimited they mean unlimited not unlimited up to 15 alcoholic drinks over a 24 hour span. Royals DBP has gotten expensive but most of that is the result of out of control inflation. Liquor prices are up everywhere Royal can't be expected to absorb all of that cost, it has to be passed on to customers.

So you knew this whole time and bit your tongue .. You know how to keep a secret you gave nothing away this whole time. Royal had a lot of people fooled into thinking they wouldn't go larger than Oasis Class and you let us believe it.... I love it LOL

This is shocking in a good way. I was expecting Utopia to be the largest cruise ship in Royals fleet now we find out now we find out that instead of Icon fitting between Quantum class and Oasis Class, Icon Class will now be the largest class in the fleet.

It could be earlier than 2026. Odyssey 2021, Wonder 2022, Icon 2023, Utopia 2024, Unnamed (Icon Class), 2025, Unnamed (Icon Class) 2026. Looking at the delivery schedule and the total number of ships Royal will have in their fleet I think Royal could potentially be sailing year around from Australia starting in 2024. And with three Icon Class ship coming also can see Royal home-porting either the second or third Icon Class ship in Australia. I know in the past I've link Australia's chances of getting an Oasis Class ship to the recovery of the Chinese cruise market. However if by the time Utopia launches Royal is not seeing the demand in China they may send her to the U.S. like they did with Wonder which may cause some reshuffling. With either Ovation or Quantum remaining in Australia year around, Royal isn't going to give up that summertime capacity in Alaska with Alaska cruises being so popular. I'm thinking they move Anthem to the West Coast to replace either Ovation or Quantum for the 2024 Alaska cruise season. Icon would leave Florida go to Europe for the European cruise season (South Hampton) and Oasis would leave Florida going to New York for the summer season. At the end of the Northern Hemisphere's summer Anthem could be moved down from Alaska to Los Angeles (or maybe San Francisco (Carnival is launching cruises from San Francisco, Royal may want a piece of that action)), Oasis goes back to Miami and Icon comes back to the US and replaces Anthem in New York (since Icon will be an all weather ship), and Australia gets its year around Quantum Class ship starting in 2024.