JasonOasis

Southwest has hubs in ATL, BWI, MDW, DEN, HOU, BNA, OAK, PHX, and STL, they don't like to call them hubs but any airport where thousands of passengers make connections on the same carrier every day is a hub. There CEO says its going to take a week to get things back on track so for anyone who has a cruise leaving over the next 2-4 days flying out of Southwest I hope they have a back up plan to reach the port. Today Southwest has canceled 2,362 flights, it is a slight improvement over yesterdays 2,510 flights that were canceled, which was an improvement over the day before where 2,749 flights were canceled and the day prior over 3,000 SWA flights were canceled. It is slow, tedious work because Southwest thus far has refuse to update their crew scheduling technology all of it has to be done manually which is mind boggling that an airline the size of Southwest was still doing crew scheduling and crew tracking manually. I've have some flight attendant friends who work for Southwest who were literally on hold trying to get through to crew scheduling for over 30 hours. I work for a different carrier in Chicago and when I walk past our crew scheduling department at our WHQ it always looks like organized chaos, nonstop phone calls and that's with the help of automation and technology. I can imagine what is going on right now at at both pilot and flight attendant crew scheduling for Southwest where they are having to do all of this manually.

Airlines began those early morning flights to LHR for business travelers. Since the pandemic there are a lot less early morning LHR flights out of NYC (JFK and EWR (yes I know EWR is in New Jersey )) than there were pre-pandemic. However one of the main benefits of taking one of those early morning flights out of NYC is you don't have to wait for a hotel room and it kind of keeps your body on a schedule your use to. The downside was pre-pandemic those early morning flights were a lot more expensive than flights that leave in the afternoon/evening. I don't know if that is still true now as there isn't as many business travelers today as there were in 2019. If you are looking at an afternoon/evening flight just know you will arrive at LHR in the morning and your hotel room will NOT be ready, especially if your flights arrives into LHR around 5 am, 6 am, 7 am. People haven't even checked out of their rooms yet at that early hour so what you will have to do is just leave your bags at your hotel and go out and see the city grab some breakfast and do whatever you want as you wait for check-in to begin. To get from LHR I would suggest taking the Heathrow Express and as far as getting around LHR you don't need a car, Uber or Lyft the Underground which is an extensive subway system that can get you all over London. There are multiple ways to reach Southhampton from London, you can do a private car if you like but if you are looking to save a few bucks there is also a train from London that goes to Southhampton Central Station and from there it is a short taxi or Uber ride over to the cruise port. As far as what to see or do while in London I can't answer that because I don't know what peaks your interest. What I will say is London like New York has something for everyone it is an absolute fun city to spend a few days exploring. At the end of your cruise I would suggest booking a private car because there are no trains that take you directly from Southhampton to LHR (you will have to switch trains multiple times and if you have suitcases that won't be fun at all). And please do NOT book a tight connection give your self more than enough time to not only make the drive/ride to LHR but then go through all the check-in and departure procedures.

That is another great question. Clearly it takes longer to clean a 2 or 3 bedroom 2 bath suite verses a standard balcony but I am also wondering how many suites is a steward responsible for verses a steward who is responsible for balconies, oceanview or interior cabins, and what is the difference in take home pay for each? Like someone else stated and I 100% agree with, I hope the stewards will see an increase in their paychecks as a direct result of the increase gratuities. I hope this doesn't just end up going towards NCL's bottom line.

Norwegian just announced they are raising gratuities by 25% for most cabins. For passengers staying in non-suite cabins the new rate on January 1st will be $20 dollars per day per person a $4 dollar per day per person increase. For passengers staying in the Haven suites their new rate will be $25 dollars per day per person that represents a $5 dollar per day per person increase. For a family of four traveling together this translates into $700 dollars in gratuities if they are staying in the Haven on a typical 7 night cruise. Granted if you are staying in the Haven you probably can afford $700 dollars in gratuities but according to The Points Guy the high price or gratuities is a level not seen in this segment of the cruise industry. Also this will be the second time in just 9 months that NCL has increased their gratuities prior to this announcement NCL had only increased their gratuities by $.50 to $1.50 per person per day depending on cabin. According to the article NCL will allow guest who hare unhappy with their service to adjust their gratuities but they can only do so onboard, in person after speaking to someone at guest services. NCL also announced they are increasing the price of several onboard items like their Unlimited Open Bar package will increase to $138 dollars per day. And customers who get the free drink package as part of their promotion when they book an NCL cruise will have to pay a 20% bar gratuity on "free" drink package. NCL is also raising the price "free" drink package so the 20% gratuity that customers have to pay (which is separate from the cabin gratuities) is also going up. Also I don't know if this is a new change or not but the free onboard wifi which passengers can select as part of their booking promotion will be limited to a total of 150 minutes. That is about 2 hours 30 minutes worth of free internet on a 7 night cruise. Norwegian and other cruise lines have said the high cost of food, liquor, fuel, and other supply chain/inflation issues are behind the latest increases in fees. Even though Royal just hiked their gratuities will we see Royal and other cruise lines follow NCL's lead and hike their gratuities by $4 dollars and $5 dollars per day/person depending on cabin? https://thepointsguy.com/news/norwegian-cruise-ship-gratuity-fee-hike-2023/

If you fly internationally a lot, Global Entry is definitely worth every penny. You save a TON of time using Global Entry if you are reentering the U.S. at airports like MIA, ATL, JFK, EWR, BOS, ORD, DFW and LAX.

If I'm not mistaken I think both Oasis and Allure have retractable stacks, I don't know about the remaining Oasis Class ships.

Highly unlikely that Utopia would set sail from Cape Liberty in 2024. With the ship scheduled for delivery in Q2 2024 it is far more likely Royal would have Utopia homeport out of Barcelona and Civitavecchia for the entire spring/summer season before moving Utopia to Florida in November of 2024. It is far more likely that an Oasis Class ship already here in America will find its way up to New York and Cape Liberty in 2024.

Do you see Royal keeping these smaller ships in their fleet once they past 30 years in service? I don't the first thing about cruise ships and how long their life span typically is before the originally owner retires the vessel. However in the airline industry which I'm very familiar with most major carriers in the US do retire their aircraft between the age of 25-30 years. Some of these aircraft find new operators in other countries some of these aircraft are turned into Coke or Pepsi cans. Which is why I ask the question do you think Royal would keep these aging vessels in their fleet once they past 30 years in service? Another reason many major carriers retire aircraft which are over 30 years old is because once an aircraft hit 30 years in service your maintenance cost on that aircraft increase dramatically. Maintenance cost go up when an aircraft hits 20 years in service but at 30 years it becomes cheaper for an airline to buy a new aircraft than spend the money on required maintenance. I think earlier in this thread twangster was saying something about maintenance cost, how much more money in maintenance cost will for example Grandeur of the Seas cost Royal once it crosses the 30 year in service mark?

If Royal were to phase out all ships smaller than Freedom Class over the next 5-10 years would they be doing themselves a disservice? Take NCL as example and the Prima Class which is smaller than NCL Breakaway Plus Class it is even smaller than Royal's Freedom Class, and while Prima Class isn't exactly small the fact that it is only slight larger than Royals Voyager Class is a win for NCL. A ship the size of Prima gives NCL options at different ports that could/would disappear from Royals schedule if they continue to go down the road of bigger is better. I understand the ship being the destination, but not every passenger is looking for the ship to be the destination some passengers want to actually visit a destination set foot on dry land and not the same destinations all the time. I 100% agree with twangster about it being the end of the line for Vision and Radiance Class ships. However, if Royal intends on continuing to offer their guest a diverse number of ports I think they need a ship that size wise fits somewhere between Voyager Class and Freedom Class, or they are going to have to spend upgrading ports around the world. If they don't people may or may not take a look at Celebrity Cruises, as Celebrity isn't in the same category or price point as Royal. If Royal continues to go down the bigger is better road this could result in limited ports of call/itineraries . It may have people taking a look/switching over to NCL, especially with NCL's price point being lower than that of Celebrity and a bit closer to that of Royals. Not everyone chooses their cruise based on the ship, for some people there are a number of factors they consider when booking a cruise, including ports of call and price among other things. I hope Royal isn't looking at alienating loyal customers who pick cruises based on ports of call/itineraries, in their never ending quest of bigger is better.

According to several articles Disney has just confirmed they have indeed purchased the 208,000 gross ton Global Dream cruise ship which might have been scrapped after Genting Cruise Lines declared bankruptcy halting all construction on the vessel. According to Disney the ship will have a capacity around 6,000 total guest instead of the 9,000 total guest and Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard is slated to complete the vessel. For now according to Disney this vessel will not be home ported in the U.S., so speculation is Disney might have their eye on Asia or some other international market. Disney expects this ship to join its fleet at some point in 2025. The sister ship of Global Dream which isn't nearly as completed as Global Dream is still slated to be scrapped. https://www.cruisehive.com/disney-cruise-line-confirms-208000-gross-ton-global-dream-purchase/87955 https://thepointsguy.com/news/disney-cruise-line-ship-purchase-global-dream/ Luckily Royal has a 6th Oasis Class ship being built and 3 Icon Class ships. I think Disney wants a piece of the Asian market especially once China allows cruising to resume. Royal will definitely need an Oasis/Icon Class ship to take on Disney and their unnamed 208,000 gross ton new cruise ship.

I think another issue Royal would have to figure out is where to put an Oasis Class ship during the Southern Hemisphere's winter season? I don't see them sending an Oasis Class ship to do Alaska sailing, or to Los Angeles for sailing to Mexico, and with China's cruise market still very much in uncertainty where does an Oasis Class ship go from April through September? But I honestly still believe with a 6th Oasis Class ship coming and 3 total Icon Class ships when China reopens and allows cruising to resume an Oasis Class ship will find its way to China. All of a sudden Australia/NZ ports will be developed enough to accommodate an Oasis Class ship during the Southern Hemisphere's summer season.

In person muster drills were the worst, I don't know a single person who enjoyed it. I hope they keep the e-muster especially if the Coast Guard allows it to continue. In my opinion the information is there for all passengers to observe, it is no different than the safety video or manual demonstration flight attendants do onboard an aircraft. The information is presented whether passengers to choose to pay attention to it or not is up to them. If passengers don't show up at their muster station to record they've seen the mistrial information then Disney should do like Royal does and just page them.

I've cruise with them multiple times out of Miami, I've been on the Seaside, Divina, and also Meraviglia. On all three cruises there were definitely more Americans onboard than Europeans and I got the distinct feeling that MSC didn't do their homework on the US market. Perhaps things have changed onboard, after all it has been a few years since my last MSC cruise. In my opinion they weren't just lacking a marketing plan, to me on all three cruise it felt like they just showed up and didn't do any research on US-Caribbean customer base. I gave them three tries and after the Meraviglia cruise my husband was like don't book another cruise with them any time soon and I was 100% in agreement with him. I may give them another try once/if they bring a World Class ship to the US, but I'm in no hurry to get back on a MSC cruise. It doesn't surprise me to hear they are still looking for a partner to help them with their ambitious project on Dodge Island. Having said that I'm extremely happy to hear Royal has finalized a deal for both Berth 10 and an all new Terminal G. It is going to be amazing once complete to see potentially 2 Oasis/Icon ships and perhaps a Freedom Class ship in port all at once.

Don't take this question the wrong way just trying to understand what you're requesting from Royal. Are you suggesting Royal's new ships should resemble new/newly remodeled airports with charging stations everywhere in all public areas on the ship?

I can't wait to see what Royal comes up with as a replacement for their Vision Class vessels. Those ships date back to the mid to late 90s, with Utopia coming as well as at least 2 more Icon Class vessels I think this is the beginning of the end of mega vessels from Royal because at some point next decade their smaller vessels like Vision Class and perhaps even Voyager Class ships will need to start being replaced. I know it's only 2022 and here I am already talking about the next decade but at some point in this decade Royal has to start thinking about what is going to replace their aging Vision and Voyager Class ships. I also think when Royal does replace their smaller ships I think the replacements will be of similar size but with less bells and whistles so as not to completely alienate an entire segment of the cruise industry.

Maybe you will get your wish in a decade or so as Vision Class ships get closer to retirement and would need to be replaced. I think Royal would replace Vision Class ships with a ship of similar size and not as many bells and whistles as Oasis and Icon Class. If you don't wish to wait that long there are some spectacular Panama Canal cruises in 2023 on Brilliance, Radiance and Serenade of the Seas. You don't have an infinity pool off the back of the ship but these ships are sailing through the canal in 2023. Royal has smaller ships in service the problem is none of them are near the end of their life cycle with Royal Caribbean. And I understand customers who like smaller ships are like what about us? When are we getting a new small ship? I guess for the time being that segment of the market is going to have to wait a little longer with the hope that the next class of ship Royal builds will be geared towards guest who like and appreciate smaller quieter ships where the ship isn't the destination.

Perhaps people should book which Virgin Voyages I hear the only highlight onboard is the food. However, there is literally nothing to do onboard their ships except yoga and boxing . I'm just joking around I hope no one takes offense. I sincerely hope people will give Icon a chance and if it isn't the ship for you that is okay. Royal has 26 other ships in its fleet. I have no problem saying Vision Class ships are not a class of ship for me, if the destinations are where I want to go I will consider Radiance Class ships, but if a Voyager Class or larger is going to the same destinations as a Radiance Class ship in the past I've actually chosen a Voyager Class ship over Radiance because in my opinion the smallest class of ship I'm willing to sail on is a Voyager Class ship, and that is okay. Every class of ship isn't going to be for every passenger who sets sail on Royal Caribbean.

Icon is going to be pricey right out the gate just like every other new ship Royal has launched since Oasis, and it is going to be crowded. At full capacity with every berth full I think she can hold over 7,000 guest. For those individuals who want to cruise on a newer ship but don't want to deal with the crowds and are not interested in all activities Icon offers, I would suggest looking at either a Quantum Class ship on Royal Caribbean or look at Royal Caribbeans sister company Celebrity Cruises and book a cruise on any of their Edge Class vessels. These are newer ships but don't have the crowds or are not as busy as an Oasis Class ship or the upcoming Icon of the Seas. The reason the cruise industry has been growing exponentially over the past decade or so is because of the cruise ships themselves becoming more immersive, larger, ships like Icon are now the destination with a lot of things onboard to keep anyone who wants busy. Icon is going to be one of the largest ships to every set sail, there literally has to be plenty of things for people to do while onboard.

I was thinking the same thing, it felt like sensory overload when I first looked at the website and the ship. But then I walked away had my breakfast started working and was like let me take another look. The second time around I didn't feel overwhelmed like it is too much. The second time around I completely understood where Royal is coming from with Icon where the Ship is truly the destination unto itself. Oasis Class comes close to being a destination but from my perspective it appears as though Royal has perfected Oasis Class with Icon Class and for the first time made a ship that really is the destination. I'm looking over the deck plans right now again and I'm loving what I'm seeing. I realize Icon my not be the ship for everyone, and it just might be to busy for some people's taste, but I don't think this is a jump the shark moment for Royal. I can wait to book a 2024 cruise on Icon.

Catching a flight at 11:45 out of MIA is okay even if you don't have TSA Pre. Try to be off the ship by 8:30 a.m. at the latest. There will be taxis waiting or (you won't have to wait very long for a taxi) outside the terminal and you will be at the airport by 9:15-9:25 a.m.. Even without TSA Pre you can check-in, tag your bags and get through security and still have plenty of time to spare. If you are flying domestically within the lower 48 most airlines usually don't start boarding until 45 minutes before departure on larger narrowbody aircraft on small narrowbody aircraft boarding will commence 35 minutes prior to departure. You should be through security by 10:25 a.m. which gives you at least 35 minutes maybe more to leisurely stroll from security over to your departure gate.

So excited for Thursday!!!! Can't Wait

Depending on how much you drink $700 dollars per person (which includes gratuities and taxes) is still a great deal. If you take out the taxes and gratuities I think the price is around $539 dollars per person. And divide 539 by 7 nights that comes out to 77 dollars per day BEFORE taxes and gratuities are added in. Divide 77 by $14 dollars (per drink) and that comes out to around 5.5 drinks per day. I don't know about you, I can only speak for myself and I can assure you I drink MORE than 5.5 drinks a day when on a cruise as does my husband . When I break down the price like that it becomes a no brainer for me to buy the DBP for both my husband and I.

I've been in the airline industry now for 26 years (just celebrated my 26th year on September 15th started straight out of high school), I've gone through furloughs after 9/11, bankruptcy, and mergers, I've seen people loose their jobs, departments shutter, entire stations closed, because the airline industry was in survival mode. In 2020 and in 2021 the nations airlines received a total of 3 government bailouts to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. The cruise line industry unfortunately was left out in the cold. The nations airlines were allowed to operate without any government oversight during covid, while cruise lines were forced to shut down. Some of the money the nations airlines received from the government does NOT have to be paid back at all, some of the money does have to be paid back but at unbelievable low interest rates. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean were forced to borrow billions of dollars. I'm sure every single penny has to be paid back with interest. Who knows what the interest rates are but I'm willing to bet Royal Caribbean's interest rates on their covid related debt is much higher than the interest rate the nations airlines are paying on their covid related government backed debt. No one wants to see anyone loose their job, but when a company has gone through what Royal Caribbean has been through without any financial assistance from the government sometimes cost cutting measure have to be put in place. Cruising is back and Royal has taken delivery of Odyssey, Wonder, and next year Icon will join the fleet. That is all exciting news for their customers because we all appreciate the fact we can cruise again. However, Royal Caribbean executives still have to deal with paying down all the covid related debt they were forced to take on just to survive. I think the last thing any of use want to see is Royal Caribbean forced into bankruptcy, or Royal Caribbean forced into a merger with another cruise line. To keep that from happening the executives at times must make hard, difficult decisions that unfortunately will impact the lives of some of their employees.

I think roller coasters and aqua coasters should be left on land. In my opinion they just aren't fast enough on a cruise ship and I don't think there is a way for any cruise line to really amp up the speed in a safe manner. I love roller coasters the faster, taller, scarier the better. If Royal were to put a roller coaster or aqua coaster on Icon would I ride it, once and more than likely then never again. Kind of like Bionic Bar it would be a one and done for me. I do like the idea of a lazy river a little more than go carts (let NCL have their go carts that is something else that is way more enjoyable on land). But somehow Royal did manage to capture the fun of bumper cars on Quantum class ships I absolutely love bumper cars. Having said that, I am hoping they come up with something truly innovative, but no matter what it is I simply just can't wait to set foot on Icon.

I fly a lot both for work it comes with the job and vacation one of the perks of the job. I will say the back end of an aircraft definitely feels more claustrophobic than the front and the longer the aircraft is or the larger the aircraft is the more you feel back end of the aircraft moving and that is because the vertical stabilizer is doing its job keeping the nose on track. For those two reasons I would advise you avoid anything behind the wings on an aircraft. If you really want to do an Alaskan cruise my suggestion would be this book a short flight but not on an RJ (regional jet) instead on a mainline narrowbody because you will be on a mainline narrowbody perhaps maybe even a widebody aircraft flying from the Northeast to Alaska. But more importantly regional jets have a totally different feel than a regular mainline jet. From NYC or NJ I would book a flight to perhaps Boston I believe most airlines are back to flying mainline jets on EWR-BOS and JFK-BOS routes on weekdays and the flight is around an a hour. Avoiding the back of the airplane also means you will have to pay more money and I'm not talking about first class although that is an option for you. I'm talking about EconomyPlus, Comfort+, or whatever other airlines are calling it now days. You get more leg room in those sections and you are close to the exit so you don't feel so trapped. Another thing I think helps with the feeling of being trapped is seat location meaning aisle or window. I personally like the window I like looking outside for most if not the entire flight, some people prefer the aisle. What I would advise you avoid at all cost even in EconomyPlus or Comfort+ are middle seats because they tend to increase the feeling of being trapped.