Scoular

Thank you!! That gives me some security!! I just want her to just have the time of her life, whatever the cost! I also love that my partner hasn’t asked the cost. He just says whatever it is, it is, and make it memorable for her. I’ve kept the true cost to myself and I think he’s happy with being blind to that! Now it’s on harmony I’m super excited! I knew what to expect from Anthem as I’ve sailed on it before and knew we’d have a fab time but this is now a new experience for us both. I’ve also never been in a suite, so literally can not wait! She’s also going pretty wild, booked her first ever massage - a lot of firsts on this cruise! Have you been on Harmony before?

That’s great to know! I’ll keep an eye out! Where are you based?

Hi All, Some of you may remember I had a lot of posts a few months back when I was booking my mum’s first ever cruise and first ever holiday in over 17 years. We eventually booked on Anthem to go around the fjords which got changed to the med and I upgraded us to an Owners Suite as I wanted to make it special for her and to make sure she had enough space for her mobility scooter since there weren’t any accessible rooms left. Unfortunately that ended up being cancelled and changed to a British isles cruise which didn’t excite us seeing as we were planning to go end of September. I’m super excited to say that last night I booked us on Harmony OTS out of Barcelona on 3rd October. I was holding off as it looked like Italy were going to keep their borders shut to us Brits but they surprised us all and opened up! This time I managed to bag us the accessible crown loft suite. Apparently there’s only one onboard so I’m really happy I’ve got it - my mum thinks we’ve just got a balcony room . I’m a little bit nervous that she doesn’t like heights and it’s on floor 17 but I’m sure she’ll overcome that when she sees the room, right? This will be my first time on Harmony and first time on an Oasis class ship. It’s been on my to do list for a while now! My question is, what can we absolutely not miss on Harmony once onboard?

Does anyone know when the double points is due to expire?

Unfortunately there are 3 Italian stops on Harmony, which would take us over 48 hours.

Thanks. I’ll have to take a look at Cunard too ? Unfortunately this summer it seems that northern weather has taken over the whole county. I need some warmth! ?

Sorry to hear your B2B got cancelled, especially as you were on it already! That’s interesting. I wonder if that’s a new edit. I joined some of the August roll calls for Harmony so I could keep an eye on it and saw the Brits get cancelled. Hopefully they’ve updated their protocols to allow us now ? That’s also interesting about not being able to book via a US site, I wonder if that includes US TA’s as I’ve been getting quotes from MEI travel.

I have to admit, I have been eyeing this up! ?

Thank you so much. I really appreciate the detailed recommendation! I also watch Ben and David but can’t say I’ve seen that video so I’ll take a look! ?

I’ve bookmarked a cruise for December. At least there’s an option. Thanks for the suggestion!

Someone just posted this on a roll call Facebook group. Not looking good for the Harmony sailing!

Thanks. What are TUI cruises like? Similar to Royal at all?

Thanks. I really hope so too! I felt so secure in knowing that my mum would have a fab time on Anthem too as I know the ship and Royal. If Harmony falls through I’ll have to go rogue and book with another cruise line which is a big risk as I’ve only ever cruised Royal and I just really want her to have a lovely time, especially with it being her first holiday in 17 years! I hope the restrictions get lifted and Harmony goes through as I’ve wanted to try an Oasis class ship for a while, so it would be a new experience for us both! The cancellation happened about two and a half weeks ago. I suspected it would happen as they all suddenly disappeared from the website for a few days. They then got cancelled and moved to British Isles cruises. For us and many others, the new itinerary didn’t appeal as sailing around the UK in late September won’t be the most enjoyable weather wise and I’d also really like to take her to places she hasn’t been before and the British Isles just felt like a bit of a cope out. Unfortunately when we pulled out of the EU we lost the privilege of free movement so Italy and some other countries have imposed restrictions on countries outside the EU. Currently Spain and Portugal are fine, which is why no one understands why the Anthem cruise got cancelled. Unfortunately the one on Harmony has most of its port stops in Italy so they’re point blank refusing Brits to even sail on it currently. It’s now a waiting game to see what comes out of the discussions on 30th August. ?

Ha! That’s hilarious! I’ve not heard that one. Any idea who posted that?

Unfortunately so! We’re both super sad about it, especially after I bit the bullet with the upgrade. RCI didn’t even offer 125% FCC as a sweetener. We’re now pining our hopes on Harmony in October but so far Brits have been cancelled off these sailings due to restrictions in Italy on Brits. We can’t even just stay on the ship, it’s simply you can’t sail. The restrictions get reassessed at the end of the month so fingers crossed it opens up then, else we’re back to square one.

@Plumlee2028the recommendation is welcome! Thank you. I did check out Celebrity but saw they seem to disappear in October too! P&O have the new Iona ship with sailings but I don’t know if I like the look of it. I’ve never sailed P&O but some people have described the hang out area as an airport waiting lounge ? I’ve also seen some MSC sailings which is a possibility but I’ve never cruised outside of Royal so I’m not too sure where to look that’s similar. I checked out the new Virgin Voyager ships online today and they appear too modern for me and not classic like Royal. You’d think being 30 the modern look would probably have my age range in mind too! ? we know what we like though, eh!

@Plumlee2028thank you! That’s really helpful! Unfortunately my Anthem trip was cancelled and I’m on the edge of booking Harmony in October if Italy let us in. Otherwise looks like the alternative is either wait until next year or check out another cruise line (which would be a shame as I really like the Royal ships!).

Hi All, Does anyone know if RCI typically run cruises between November and March in Europe? I can see there aren’t any currently scheduled but I’m wondering if this is a COVID thing and some may appear still or if it’s normal with it being off-peak? Thanks!

Not yet. What rooms have you currently got and what did you bid on? I keep trying the RoyalUp page but it just spins.

I’d always give my mum the comfy bed ? but she’s got mobility issues and so may struggle with the stairs. She doesn’t walk around without her mobility scooter.

It is exactly this. Thank you!

It’s more if we move to a loft suite she may struggle with the stairs and so may prefer and choose to stay downstairs. But I won’t bid if it wouldn’t be a comfy solution.

Thanks @WAAAYTOOO. I guess I had two questions which I didn’t make particularly clear; firstly do the star class loft suite beds split - sounds like the answer is no. Secondly is whether the sofa beds in any of these suites are comfy? In case my mum would prefer more space.

With the main link not working, may I ask what link you’re using?

Hi All, My mum and I are booked in an owners suite on Anthem OTS in September. We are also considering a RoyalUp to a star class loft suite if it is an option next month. Has anyone slept on the sofa beds in either the owners suite or one of the star class suites? We’re wondering if they’re comfy if we just split up and both get a double bed or whether we go with splitting the double into twins.