JasonOasis

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.

Since you already live in Long Island you're already familiar with the weather. I live in Chicago and I've done Anthem several times I've cruise out during January, February and March. Although I've never cruised on Anthem in November I would say for their day I would wear what you normally would wear on long Island during the month of November which I'm assuming is probably a lite jacket and long pants. By the time you get up the next morning it will be warm outside, at least it was to me. Coming from Chicago in January where it could be single digit temperatures hitting 60 degrees and climbing to 70 degrees on the day after departure is shorts, teeshirt and flipflop weather. However some people were still snuggled up in their winter coats perhaps 60 degrees was too cold for them. By day three everyone is in shorts, swimwear, not a single winter coat in sight. On the way back to Cape Liberty this year I was still in shorts, teeshirt, and flip-flops on the last day of the cruise. In my opinion the temperature was great and comfortable I didn't need long pants and long sleeve shirt until the sun set on that last night. But once the sun set the temps really took a tumble and by the time we pulled by into Cap Liberty the next morning it was 38 degrees outside. Again as a person who is used to cool/cold weather 65 degrees on the final day of the cruise was lovely. Knowing what to pack totally depends on you and your body type, if you are a person who thinks 60-70 degrees is cold/cool then you might want to pack accordingly.

They can't please everybody and play all the sports customers want to see. My suggestion is bring your own devise with you and watch Formula 1 on it. I know it isn't the same things as watching it on a large screen TV but if it is your own devise then at least you have control over what is playing.

The only person who can answer if it is worth an extra $3,000 dollars is you, because only you know your finances. I enjoy the suite life when I cruise but my finances will only allow me to cruise up to Sky Class. We got lucky and booked a Star Class suite on ur upcoming December cruise but that was only because of a unbelievable sale Royal was running. If not for the sale we would not have book a Star Class Suite on our December 10th Harmony cruise. One thing you don't want to do in my opinion is go into debt to go on vacation or upgrade a vacation.

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.

I love 270, I think the space in innovative I like that the audience can get that close to the stage and the action. It feels much more intimate than the traditional theater. The glass dome is more than likely the solarium. One thing Royal commented on with Wonder of the Seas is people absolutely love the fact the solarium has been climatized.

That is easy to say however there are some destinations that will not even allow unvaccinated guest to embark the cruise at the embarkation port but the cruise line will still allow the unvaccinated guest to purchase the cruise. In the fine print you will notice the cruise line will not advise you of your ineligibility until you are at the embarkation port. Some destinations will not allow unvaccinated guest to disembark the ship, while other destinations require unvaccinated guest to test 48 hour prior to ships arrival in port. Depending on the length of the cruise (lets say 7 nights) you could visit 3, 4, or even 5 ports depending on the embarkation port. From the US that could be up to 5 different countries with different entry requirements for unvaccinated individuals that the unvaccinated guest would need to look up first before they purchase the cruise. With NCL reporting a near 40% increase, Carnival reporting over 50% increase and according to the Today Show report a travel agent reported a 200%-300% increase I wonder how many of those customers are unvaccinated and how many of them read the fine print v.s. how many of them just booked a cruise bases solely off the headlines? I wish everyone was as responsible and diligent as you but if entry requirements don't change for the unvaccinated this will certainly blow back on the cruise lines. One last thing if people have purchased non-refundable cruises and they don't have travel insurance and they don't find out until they arrive at the embarkation port that they can't even board the ship, correct me if I'm wrong but I think the normal cancellation policy applies, which means they loose all their money. How do you think that will play out port-side?

Twangster is absolutely correct both NCL and Carnival have buried their policy verbiage so deep that this morning even the Today Show on NBC which did a report on cruise lines dropping testing and vaccine requirements missed, didn't read it and did not report on it. All they did was focus on the headlines NCL, and Carnival have made over the pass few weeks with their announcements, and the fact that NCL is now reporting a near 40% increase in bookings, Carnival is reporting booking have double since their announcement. They also had a travel agent whom they interview who reported that his agency has seen a 200%-300% increase in cruise bookings and he didn't even mention anything about the warning to unvaccinated travelers. There was no mention at all in the NBC piece this morning that unvaccinated individuals should read the fine print before purchasing. If local regulations don't change at destination I fear there will be a lot of angry and irate passengers at the embarkation port when they are denied boarding because they do not meet entry requirements.

@bobroo I found an article from 2019 that went into a little more detail about this disagreement between San Juan and several cruise lines. In the article it is reported that Carnival Cruise Line in addition to Royal Caribbean had grown increasingly frustrated with the conditions/infrastructure of the docks, the Port Authority in San Juan had not invested any money in the docks and their financial situation at the time in 2019 didn't allow them to invest in money in upgrading their docks. It was reported that Puerto Rico back then was looking at privatizing the cruise docks although the article does not divulge which company they were looking at. However it is reported in the article both Royal Caribbean and Carnival asked the local government to stop the sell or privatization because both cruise lines were willing to invest their own money into repairing the docks. (I'm assuming if both Carnival and Royal wanted to repair the docks they would have also taken the time in upgrade the docks to handle larger ships.) Their offer was rejected at which point Royal decided they would pull out of San Juan. However now in 2022 San Juan signs a deal with Global Ports Holding this company manages ports around the world just look at what they doing at Nassau's port. I think this is a deal both Royal and Carnival can get behind. I think the whole reason behinds Royals frustration was do to the fact that the Port Authority had allowed the port and docks in San Juan to fall into such disrepair and they didn't have money to fix it and who knows how long talks or negotiations had been going on. At a certain point Royal and Carnival was like we will pay to get this fixed (probably because it was impacting their customers experience) and that offer was turned down Royal decided to pull its ships. Luckily for all everything worked out Royal is still sailing from San Juan and the contract to privatize was awarded to Global Ports Holding. https://www.theweeklyjournal.com/business/royal-caribbean-cruise-ships-canceling-calls-to-san-juan/article_adf16aa2-1084-11ea-9748-b31d04b39438.html

Well, welcome to the 21st century where the more money you spend with a company the greater the perks. If you want the perks that come with grand suite then purchase a grand suite or higher. When I first stated cruising I could not afford a any suite it wasn't in my budget. However things have changed for me financially and now I can comfortably afford Sky Class suites. My husband and I had achieved diamond status before we were ever able to afford suites and when we first stated cruising we could only afford 1 once a year in a balcony. Loyalty has nothing to do with perks we now get onboard when we book a grand suite or higher. Take a look at the airline the perks are different if you book an international a basic economy ticket v.s. a business class ticket. You loyalty to the airline is not a factor. You could have been loyal to an airline for 30 years and purchased a basic economy ticket and I come along no loyalty at all but purchased a full fare business class ticket I get perks that you don't get. You might as a member of their frequent flyer plus get to go to the general airline club where everyone goes. However, I because I purchased a business class ticket get access to the premium club within the club that has way more perks and benefits than what you find in the regular club.