JasonOasis

Patience is a virtue. You will have a much better time on Royal than on Carnival in my opinion.

I'm not sure Royal is following NCL's lead with the 8th neighborhood on Wonder of the Seas. Keep in mind Wonder of the Seas wasn't built for the US market it was built for the Chinese market. Take a look at the deck plans for Spectrum of the Seas then look at the deck plans for Odyssey of the Seas paying particularly close attention to decks 15 and 16 forward on Spectrum you will noticed a big difference between those two Quantum Ultra ship one was built for the Chinese market the other was built for the US market. Even though Odyssey was designed and built after Spectrum there are no suites located on decks 15 and 16 forward o Odyssey. With Wonder Royal is making the best of a situation that is completely out of their control and cruisers here in the US and in Europe will be the beneficiaries. The one venue I think in a few years time Royal will take look at either updating or even removing is Bionic Bar. It is a great idea and a great show stopper but only once. After you've done it once for me I just felt like it was a waste of time and I could be better service from an actual bar staffed by humans not robots. In my mind if Bionic Bar is on Icon Class ships then that would signal Royals intent on keeping it and my personal opinion does not reflect the opinions of others who may love Bionic Bar. But if it isn't on Icon Class ships in my humble opinion that would signal the beginning of the end for Bionic Bar.

I’m sorry you all are still having to deal with this cruise stoppage especially at this point we governments know it can be done safely.

It took around 35 minutes just to get inside the terminal building do to social distancing they were only allowing so many people in at one time. I’m use to the cold so it didn’t bother me to be outside but for this cruise here it was first come first serve having a dedicated check-in time was meaningless. I remember when they use to make you take a seat in Bayonne after passing through security and you had to wait until someone came around to check you in. Thank God there was none of that it was through security, straight to check-in and board the ship. I just think seeing what Royal has done with terminals in Florida and in Europe they could do much better at Bayonne another thing that stuck me is they still don’t have a dedicated door for suite guest to enter the terminal. It wasn’t until after we passed through security that we were directed to the suite check-in area.

I will say this cruise is a bit different from my last cruise on symphony only because we now have to keep the mask on whenever indoors. While it is a hassle it has not diminished my experience while on Anthem and everyone seems to be in compliance. I feel really bad for the crew because on Anthem they are all double masked with N95s on their nose and then Royal issued cloth masks on top now that is rough but according to the crew Royal made this change to keep the crew safe and working as Omicron cases surged. I’m hearing they may relax that policy for the CREW (double mask) next week if cases continue trending downward.

Our check-in time was 12 - 12:30 we arrived at 12:15 and the line was already around the building we went to the front the line assuming some of the people who arrived early were being told to wait out side the employee said it was first come first serve and went simply we to the end of the line. I'm glad that hasn't been your experience but I never arrive at a cruise port before 12 noon and the 3 times I've cruised out of Bayonne even the 2 times before COVID the lines are simply ridiculous the terminal isn't big enough.

What is going on in Australia as it pertains to the cruise industry? Just yesterday Carnival Cruise lines confirmed to The Points Guy that they will be removing both Carnival Spirit and Carnival Splendor (the two ships they've dedicated to Australia for a few years) over to the United States. Carnival Spirit is heading to Jacksonville however there was no destination given as to where Carnival Splendor will end up at. According to the article Carnival is removing those ships from Australia because there is still no clear path as too when Australian government will allow cruising to resume and Carnival would not say if or when these ships would return to Australia. The Australian Government needs to take some action in regards to the cruise industry or risk setting the industry back because it would seem like cruise lines are not willing to go another year and let those ship sit idle while other countries around the world have allowed cruising to safely resume. The news about Australia can be found in the second half of the article. https://thepointsguy.com/news/2-more-ships-leave-carnival-cruise-line-fleet/

Royal Caribbean was the first cruise line I ever cruised with on the Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan immediately the cruise bug bit me and I was hooked. I'm loyal to Royal or book the most cruises with Royal because they really do have the best people onboard their ships, the service is outstanding, the ships themselves have been ground breaking, however I must say I have not been on any Vision Class vessel. I have cruise with Carnival once and I told myself afterwards I would never set foot on another Carnival ship. Full disclosure I do want to sail on Madi Gras I just don't know if it is worth it to my promise to myself. I've also sailed multiple times on NCL they are great but they are not Royal I can't explain it I like NCL I am looking forward to getting on Prima perhaps in 2023 but they are not Royal Caribbean. And I've also sailed 3 times on MSC and I'm putting MSC in a category just above Carnival. I will entertain the idea of getting on another MSC cruise but I don't envision myself doing so for at least a couple of years.

I've only taken 3 Royal Caribbean cruises out of Bayonne including the cruise I'm on now (all my other cruises have either been out of Florida or out of Europe) and Bayonne cruise terminal the check-in process is still the mess that I remember from a few years back. When we cruised on Symphony a few months ago out of Miami check-in was smooth there were no long lines. That was not the case at Bayonne the line stretched around the terminal because everyone showed up nearly at the same time and they just did first come first served check-in time didn't matter at all. Everyone showed up and check-in and was onboard so early that we actually left Bayonne earlier than our scheduled departure time. The captain came over the PA about 45 minutes early to announce they were closing the doors everyone is onboard and we would be casting off shortly. Royal definitely needs to take another look at their terminal in Bayonne because once they do go to 100% capacity a fully load Oasis of the Seas leaving Bayonne in the summer the check-in process is going to be a nightmare.

I'm on Anthem now and we only have 1,446 total passengers onboard a ship that can when 100% full can carry 4,600 guest (at double occupancy with children) that of course is far fewer than Royal had hoped for but then this cruise did leave out of Bayonne where it was 26 degrees F (-3 C) when we left port. Not to worry by the next morning it was up to 59 degrees F (15 C) and all the northerns we shed our jackets and pants for shorts, tee shirts and flip flops. Just a few days before I left Chicago we had several day time high temperatures only in the lower teens 12 F(-11 C), 13 F (-10 C) so 59 was for sure shorts and tee shirt weather. I was talking with the concierge and he told me they have been told to expect to cruises on Anthem return to around 55% capacity by mid-February or early March. They are (at least on Anthem) seeing a lot of people book at the last minute 2 weeks out or even 1 week out from set sail. I myself booked this cruise literally days before set sail so hearing that didn't surprise me.

I’m on Anthem right now we they accepted our Royal Up bid taking us from a balcony to a grand suite then once we got on board (and I’ve never done this before) my husband and I went down to guest services right after the sail away after we cleared the Verrazano Bridge to see if they had any empty suite higher than a grand we got an onboard upgrade to an owners suite for only $900 additional dollars total not per person. We started out with the balcony guarantee got the Royal UP decided to roll the dice when we got onboard scored an upgrade to the owners suite all for $7,100 dollars TOTAL!!!!! That is a far cry from the near $17,000 dollars Royal wanted for this 11 night cruise if we would have booked the Owners Suite out right when we book this cruise last minute. To top things off we went to the casino last night played one hand Wheel of Fortune and won $500 dollars. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I have never had this much luck in all my life and I’m 41 years old.

You might be in for a much more complicated pre-cruise requirement on Wonder of the Seas sailing in June sine Wonder will be sailing from Europe. Depending on when you arrive in Europe you will need to test before arriving in Europe and if you arrive in Europe more than 2 days prior to your set sail date you will then need to test again before boarding Wonder of the Seas. It is unfortunate but unless we see more governments take the same path of the United Kingdom which has ended all pre-arrival testing requirements for fully vaccinated international arrivals then you will still have to jump through testing hoops prior to boarding Wonder of the Seas. Just keep your eyes open as you get closer to your June sailing to see what requirements are in place especially sailing out of Europe. Hopefully Adventure Ocean is back to normal by then and I think the shows will be back to normal by June. On our last cruise in October on Symphony they played every show, I'm on Anthem right now we set sail in a few minutes we will see if they play every show on this cruise.

At one point Chicago and the surrounding suburbs was up to a 5 day turn around for PCR test we are now back down to 24 hours.

Yes Yawn. I look forward to the day where they no longer name Covid variants kind of in the same way we no longer name different variants or strains of flu. The flu vaccine is modified every year based on what scientist believe will be the most active strains of that virus. I look forward to the day when that happens to Covid which will continue to mutate. Just modify the vaccine, make it available to the public and keep it moving while leaving the rest up to the individual to choose if they want to take it or not. At this point there is no eradicating Covid, there is no need stopping the world every time a new variant pops up it is time to move forward.

I've done several 7 night summer cruises in the past on Anthem where we stopped at Port Canaveral. I would for sure recommend the Space Center to everyone and you do have enough time to see nearly everything especially if there are not super busy. However if you are perhaps considering a trip to either Disney World or Universal Studios instead of the Space Center we did that as well on one cruise (Universal Studios) it was a complete waste of time and money because it takes over an hour to get from the port to Universal Studios if there is traffic and it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get back to the ship. The travel time alone doesn't leave you enough time (in our case) to fully enjoy Universal Studios. I've always wished the ship would arrive in the morning giving people all day to enjoy Orlando instead of an afternoon arrival with a 9 pm or 10 pm departure, it just isn't enough time if you are traveling into Orlando.

I'm getting on Anthem of the Seas this afternoon for an 11 night cruise. My husband and I went to CVS in Chicago on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. for a PCR test and we got our results yesterday January 30th at 2:45pm. NEGATIVE!!!! It looks like things are back to normal testing wise and people are once again getting their results back within the 24 hour window at least in Chicago.

Exactly how did this happen? Sunday is a huge turn around day at Port Canaveral why was the launch rescheduled during what would have been normal departure times for cruise ship? Or if NASA and Space X have priority why wasn't Port Canaveral and the cruise ships advised to delay their departure because there are several articles claiming there was a second cruise ship other than Harmony that would have been near the exclusion zone during the time in question as well.

You seriously believe the Australian government will not allow cruising to resume by October of 2022? That is when most of Royals ships could be back in Australia after spending the Northern Hemisphere summer up in Alaska. One would think at this point Australian government would be comfortable in following the Singaporean Governments lead since they have demonstrated cruising can be done safely seeing how they've done it since December of 2020.

My Royal Up bid was accepted for Anthem January 31st sailing they emailed me new documents right away. Royal wanted over $12,500 dollars total for a grand suite, (granted it is an 11 night cruise) since this was a last minute booking my TA advised me to book the balcony guarantee and cross my fingers for a Royal Up invitation because the ship was more than half empty. The TA got us a deal on the balcony guarantee at $1,300 dollars per person for my husband including taxes and fees. Two days later I had a Royal Up invitation in my email my TA advised Royal still had 12 grand suites unsold so I bid $1,800 dollars and yesterday morning bam bid accepted. So instead of paying over $6,000 dollars per person for a grand we paid $3,100 dollars each for 11 nights in a grand suite.

That would be a great if the rumor proved true, all 5 Oasis Class ships together for a big photo op. If that happens they have to put Oasis in the middle although she isn't the newest ship she is the ship that started it all. Just my opinion LOL.

I just booked a last minute cruise on Anthem departing January 31st, this past Thursday and I had a Royal Up email in my inbox on Saturday.

Right now a delayed launch is nothing more than an unsubstantiated rumor. Every email that I'e received from Royal and all the information I've read on line still has Wonder launching in March. Unless anyone here has insider information that they can and are willing to share I'm not putting any stock into the rumor of a delay in Wonder's launch.

Normally you receive an email letting you know you qualify for a Royal Up.

I think it will be quite a few months before May/June of 2024 is released. Royal is still hasn't loaded the entire 2023 summer/fall cruise schedule and I think I read somewhere the remainder of the 2023 season should be fully released by end of March or April of this year. So with that in mind and looking at how Royal normally releases their schedules I don't think you will see anything for May or June of 2024 open for sale before December of 2022 if we are lucky. The 2024 winter season January through April of 2024 will probably be posted in April of this year but after that my guess is the spring/summer season of 2024 may not be posted before December of 2022.

I know and I hope I didn't come off sounding condescending if so I apologize. I was just trying to point out for some people it is totally worth it savings to hustle to the airport from the port especially if they are saving a nice piece of change on the return flight instead of waiting until the next day.