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Reigert2008

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Posts posted by Reigert2008

  3. Oasis of the Seas missing a week?

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

    Or it was the Oasis 9 night sailing that got pulled a while back due to the CDC rules.

    That could be it as well. 

     

    11 minutes ago, Matt said:

    I would assume charter. Always the safe bet

    I thought this first and "googled" but couldn't find it ?

    My only point in looking is that we originally were booked on Oasis for a family cruise from Cape Liberty in 2020, but then changed it to Allure our of Port Canaveral in 2021.  I've been "holding out hope" that they shuffle things and swap the Allure for Oasis, just because we wanted to be on Oasis.  It's a family cruise, so we let the other members pick since we cruise frequently, and we wouldn't have picked Allure sine we've been on her several times already.

     

    Thanks!

     

    Stay Safe.

  4. Oasis of the Seas missing a week?

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    Oasis has the following on the website, but I cannot figure out what is going on in the "missing week"  I assume it's a charter, am just curious.  Anyone have any insight? 

    It is also switching from a Friday departure to a Sunday Departure.

    Oasis roundtrip from Cape Liberty - July 23rd through 30th

    ??????  -- July 30th through August 8th 

    Oasis roundtrip from Cape Liberty -- August 8th through 15th

     

     

     

     

    image.thumb.png.b7576a0add2a4cb4d2c2a3201a24820a.png

  7. Ship suggestions

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, micahd said:

    I'm in the rare minority that doesn't really care for Oasis class. We sailed on Harmony and just didn't care for it. They had to close the top deck due to high-winds on a sea day and it was just too crowded. While they do a great job spreading people out and there are SO MANY THINGS TO DO. It just feels so disconnected from the sea, it's a floating mall/amusement park and while I understand the appeal (especially for families) it's not for us. We love walking around outside on deck 4/5, going up to the helipad on Voyager/Freedom class and relaxing with drinks in the crown lounge area. On Oasis class the entire "crown" is dedicated to suites and suite amenities and we're not in that tax-bracket just yet.

    We've done the Allure twice, with a third one scheduled but i wouldn't say we're "fans" of the Oasis class either.  We don't really do a lot of the stuff on the ship and don't do specialty dining, so we probably don't need to do the Oasis class, but we did the Allure first, since we wanted to compare our first Royal Cruise to our Disney Cruises and wanted an "apples to apples" comparison.  Then our second Allure was with first time cruisers, so they wanted a "big ship" and that's the same story for our upcoming Allure cruise.  


    We really enjoyed the size of the Explorer (Voyager class) and we think that the Freedom class will be our "sweet spot" for activities and price.  We had a cruise planned for the Freedom of the Seas, but with COVID shuffling, Royal swapped the ships and it's now the Explorer.  

    I wouldn't worry about being in the "tax bracket".  We always get the cheapest room we can, so that we can do more trips.  I'm sure and we move up the C&A ladder, we may get "fancy rooms" if they are cheaper, but we'd rather take save the money each trip and do more stuff.   Right now we have 6 trips planned (only 2 cruises) in 2021 and by the time we're done, I bet our total out of pocket cost is barely what a Junior suite would cost.

    We do get the Refreshment Drink package.  We wait for it to be on sale and the most we've paid is $20 per person per day.  Right now for our 2 scheduled cruises we paid $18 per person per day. So if I get a fresh squeezed juice at breakfast, a soft drink at dinner, and a fancy coffee after dinner I break even.  Not even counting all the sparking waters i drink throughout the day.  

     

    Stay Safe

  9. Should I change July cruise

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    14 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

    Wait until RC cancels it then book the Thanksgiving cruise.

     

    18 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

    OK, I know I am opening myself up and I welcome all feedback so here goes.

    I have a July 17 cruise scheduled on the Symphony of the Seas out of Miami that I have fully paid. 

    What would you experienced cruisers recommend:

    1. Keep July 17th cruise scheduled in hopes that it sails

    1a. Keep July 17th cruise and if its cancelled, receive 125% FCC and MAYBE receive extra cruise credit on Cruise Planner Purchases

    OR since I dont wait to keep the family waiting until next summer for their first cruise (i have been on cruises previously) and we were scheduled for cruise in summer 2020 that was cancelled:

    2. Cancel July cruise and go ahead and book Thanksgiving week cruise on Oasis of the Seas or Symphony of the Seas out of Miami

    2a. put refundable deposit down on Thanksgiving week cruise to lock in price and wait and see if July cruise is cancelled so I will not miss out on any extra FCC that Royal may give me for them cancelling July Cruise. And then roll money into the Thanksgiving week cruise

    I am so conflicted because of the roller coaster ride of whether or not the CDC will let July cruises happen and then the thought of maybe relaxed protocols on Thanksgiving cruise

    AND on top of all that the normal concern of Hurricane season for a July cruise

    *edited to add. I am welcome to any suggestions in addition to what I have come up with this far

    I would just wait and see what happens.  Way too close to make a decision now and if you would feel comfortable going on the cruise in July (with whatever rules they have) then you can go on the cruise.  If it is cancelled, then you can take the FCC and use it to book the Thanksgiving cruise for this year (or move to a cruise next year).

     

    My family is in the same "boat", we have a cruise planed for August with final payment coming up.  This was booked in 2019 for 2020 and then moved to 2021.  We are making the final payment and then let the chips fall where they may.  We also have NRD, so if Royal cancels we should be able to get a full refund at the "worst case scenario", but within our party everyone will be fully vaccinated (except 1 person under 16), and we would plan on still going on the trip should it go off and "the kid" either has the vaccine or they allow kids to cruise with other provisions.

     

    Stay Safe and good luck.

  12. Air Quality in the Casino

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, GaryAA said:

    Nothing worse than going back to your cabin and having your clothes smell like smoke. 

    The way I get around that is that I have a special “casino outfit”.  It’s really just my workout clothes that never make it to the gym ? 

     

    If I spend enough time in the casino, I give them a quick wash in the sink and hang them in the shower to dry.

     

    stay safe

  13. Air Quality in the Casino

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, Sharla said:

    I hate hate hate it that Royal Caribbean allows smoking in the casinos. One, because I'd love to play. But besides that, I can smell it wafting into the Royal Promenade from the ships that have that spiral staircase from the Promenade into the Casino. 
    So I don't agree that their air filtration system before was great, and I hope that it gets better from here. 

    I totally agree, I am a "non smoking gambler" and we travel to some casinos from time to time and some are better then others with the smoke issue.  We go during times that are "less busy" to help, but on the cruise that is not really an option. 

    On one of our cruises, we spoke with the hotel director after the "captains talk" and he said that it was his opinion that Royal should stop allowing the smoking in the casino and he "hoped" it could happen with the LNG powered ships.  He was talking about some extra costs that the ships incur for things and then there is always the risk of fire should someone not dispose of it properly.  

     

    I'm sure Royal (and other lines) are studying the numbers to see at what point it becomes financially able to stop the smoking in the casino.  Honestly though, the casinos have never really been that busy on the ships we've cruised at any time of the day.  

     

    Stay Safe.

  16. Another Cancellation Round Forthcoming??

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    29 minutes ago, KathyC said:

    I see some sailings during that time: image.thumb.png.5c9c3d04047512d15cec8c67c00b814a.png

     

    The original post included images from the Norwegian Cruiseline site, which is not relevant to Royal Caribbean's plans. I understand everyone is on "pins and needles" and wants to know what the status of their cruise may be, but i personally don't think it's healthy to speculate based on the actions of another company.  Royal has provided us with many options to manage our vacations and if you are "on the fence" about going,  you can certainly take action on your own, with the understanding that you may "miss out" on a potential "deal" they may offer if they cancel on thier own. 

     

    Will they cancel? will they not?  The only correct answer is that no one knows until it is announced, so it's not helpful to your stress levels to worry about what "may happen".  My advice is to make your own personal decision, based on the facts you have at the time.  Make the best decision you can and move forward.  Life is too short and you never know what could happen (as we've all learned) so live life to the fullest and enjoy it.

    I'm a "planner" type person and the uncertainty is extremely frustrating, but I also want to go on the vacation i had originally planned, so we have some "backup options" that we could pull the trigger on should a future cruise get canceled.  

     

    Stay Safe

  17. Timing of Notification of Cancled Cruise?

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, MMiles04 said:

    You will receive an email from RC if it's been cancelled. Nothing was in the media before we got the email so keep a look out in your Inbox.

    If you’ve used a travel agent the email may go to your travel agent as well.  We’ve had some come to us and some to our agent. Could be a concern if your original agent has left the agency temporarily like ours has.  We have a new one with the agency, but it’s something to think about.

     

  18. Timing of Notification of Cancled Cruise?

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    56 minutes ago, FoxboroCruiser said:

    Was that formally announced?  I agree that’s likely the case, but I was really asking when an announcement might be made.  May be I missed it?

    There have been no official announcements from Royal and I think it’s unproductive for things to be stated as fact when they are not.  I think we all know the current status of cruising from US ports and are frustrated at the lack of information.  
     

    here’s the link to the Royal page about the status of everything.

    https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates

     

    @Mattwrote a post about the “cancellation schedule” and basically, it’s not standard and fluctuates wildly.  Of course, I cannot find the post at the moment.

     

    stay safe

     

     

     

  22. FCC Game of who's who

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    Here is a spreadsheet that I created to track our FCCs and credit card refunds for the one cruise we had that was paid in full before COVID canceled it.  I figured I would share it in case it helps anyone else.  It works for me, but your experience may vary.  Feel free to  use it how you wish.

     

    The only frustration we had was that the credit card refunds didn't come in together and it took a bit to ge the full amounts.  We'd get like 25% of the vacation plan one day, then get the other 75% on other days.  Luckily our TA was able to keep it all straight and we did get all the correct amounts refunded.  

     

    RCICreditRefundTracking.xlsx

  23. A change in the final payment date is needed for cruises whose home port falls under the jurisdiction of the CDC

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    36 minutes ago, Matt said:

    In January 2021 I never would have believed how quickly the vaccine could be rolled out, or that we'd have this many cruises to choose from this summer.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/nyregion/new-york-covid-vaccine-eligible.html

    To @Matt's point, New York just announced that people 30 and older can get the vaccine starting tomorrow (March 30th) and all adults starting April 6th. 

    I'm sure many other states will be opening up vaccine eligibility based on their inventory, and here in KY, we are already starting to see where some vaccine sites have more supply than demand, mostly out in the more rural areas, but once site had about 2000 available appointments that they were trying to get filled.

  24. Call It: First Cruise Sails.......????

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, twangster said:

    Perhaps they think vaccines don't work as well as we all hope.  It's the only plausible explanation.  

    Saw this today that in a "real world study" that both Pfizer and Moderna show to be 90% effective.  This would probably take into account at least some of the variants.  Report was from the CDC, so maybe this will affect future plans.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-29/pfizer-moderna-vaccines-prevent-infections-in-real-world-study

    *Edit: i forgot the link to the article!

     

  25. A change in the final payment date is needed for cruises whose home port falls under the jurisdiction of the CDC

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    We have a cruise in August from Port Canaveral, and i checked with our TA last week to check on the final payment and ours is still in May.  I totally get what Royal is doing and I really want to cruise, but i think the passengers need to have some clarity.   We still have cruise with confidence, but it would be nice if they changed the final payment dates as a good will gesture to not have additional money tied up.  For us, May is still a ways a way, so i'm not stressing too much.  Things can change greatly in a month so maybe we'll get some information sooner than later.

    I'm not so worried about it for my cruise (we have an FCC to apply), but we are cruising with other parties that don't have as much financial flexibility and we all have NRD cabins*.  Our current plan is to mke final payment when it is due and let the chips fall where they may.  We figure we have the following "worst case" outcomes.

    1. Royal Cancels the cruise and we get all our money back

    2. We go on the cruise as planned.  

    I think our cruise could still happen if the CDC provides a path to cruising, since we have stops in Labadee and Perfect Day.  We may lose Jamaica, but i'd be fine with an extra sea day or an extra stop at a private island.

     

    Stay Safe
     

     

    *we are thinking about the future and determining if we will continue to do NRD bookings, but for us, we like the lower price and we have started to do GTY cabins so I am not sure if refundable deposits are in our future.  We also don't change plans since our work schedules are flexible and we generally have 4-5 trips on the calendar at time so once we pick something, we stick with it unless an actual emergency occurs.

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