Scoular

9 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

@ScoularI am soooo very happy to hear that you were able to turn that huge disappointment into an even BIGGER surprise for your mom.  Sometimes it's hard to accept when it's happening, but I do definitely believe that when something disappointing happens, something even better is coming to take its place. I think your mom is going to be absolutely blown away and if for some reason she decides that she doesn't want to be up on the upper floor, she can always take the bed downstairs.  There's just no losing on this one !!  Congratulations.

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?

11 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Hi @Scoular 

I'm so glad you've managed to find an alternative cruise to make up for the earlier disappointment.

I will be on Harmony the week before you and am planning on doing some posting while on board. It won't be a proper live blog as such because I refuse to pay the huge amount of money they want for internet but between DH and me we do have two free Diamond internet days, which we will use on our two sea days, so keep an eye on the Live Blog board during that week and if there's anything you want to know I will happily try and find it out for you.

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?

7 hours ago, em.down.the.rabbit.hole said:

@Ray just found this on https://infocovid.viaggiaresicuri.it/index_en.html : number 8 would apply to a cruise ship I think:

 

EXEMPTIONS 

As per Order of July 29, 2021, the following categories of travellers may be fully or partially exempt from the requirements of an EU Digital Covid Certificate, self-isolation and subsequent test.

I. FULL EXEMPTION from the requirements of pre-departure testing/Certificate, self-isolation and subsequent testing 

Provided that they do not show any symptoms compatible with Covid-19, the following travellers are exempt from the requirements under title I, but they are still required to fill out a Passenger Locator Form (dPLF). 

1. Crew and travel personnel/hauliers; 
2. People travelling to/from Countries in List A;
3. Cross-border workers; 
4. Pupils and students to attend a course of study in a country other than their country of residence, dwelling or abode, to which they return every day or at least once a week;
5. Any person entering Italy for a period not exceeding 120 hours due to proven needs of work, health or absolute urgency, with the obligation, on expiry of that period, to leave the national territory immediately or, failing that, to begin the period of surveillance and fiduciary isolation;
6. Any person transiting, by private means, through Italian territory for a period not exceeding 36 hours, with the obligation, at the end of that period, to leave the national territory immediately or, failing that, to begin the period of surveillance and trustee isolation in accordance with paragraphs 1 to 5 of Prime Ministerial Decree of March 2, 2021;
7. Any person returning to Italy after a stay abroad of less than 48 hours and at a distance of less than 60 km from their home/domicile/residence in Italy, provided that they travel by private means of transportation.
8. Any person remaining in Italy for less than 48 hours, in areas of the national territory no further than 60 km from their home/residence/domicile abroad, provided that they travel by private means of transportation. 

Only travellers listed under points 7 and 8 are not required to fill out a dPLF either. 

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

On 8/23/2021 at 8:00 AM, Tira04 said:

Cunard are also sailing this winter out of Southampton, UK. I'm on a cruise with them in December visiting ports in Spain and Portugal.  

I reason its bound to be warmer than where I love in the North of England! ?

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!

21 hours ago, em.down.the.rabbit.hole said:

@Scoular not sure what the issue is (but a little worried now)...check out the Travel advise on .gov.uk for Italy entry requirements:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements

It states that British are allowed in for 36hrs or shorter, if travelling on private methods, without isolating etc...

I had my back2back cruise on Anthem cancelled a few weeks back (whilst onboard), and the customer relations person has just booked me on Harmony out of Barcelona on 24th October.  Not heard anything about British being cancelled off and would like to think customer relations would know more than other departments.  Fingers crossed.

I know that you can't book through the US website for Harmony out of Spain atm...maybe it has something to do with US passengers onboard...?

Also, if you don't step foot on land inside the borders of a country then you don't have to declare that country on any passenger forms you need to fill out when returning to the UK.

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.  

On 8/22/2021 at 11:18 PM, Plumlee2028 said:

That said the Iona Gin distillery would keep me pretty busy.

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

On 8/22/2021 at 10:17 PM, FionaMG said:

@Scoular I'm so sorry you've lost your cruise on Anthem.  and I hope you will manage to find a suitable alternative.

Royal do not leave their ships in Europe over the winter. I think they tried one once and quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth their while. What limited demand there is is all soaked up by the European brands.

That said, I think you should definitely look into MSC and especially their big new ships like Virtuosa. These even have a promenade on them similar to the ones on Royal's Oasis class and Quantum class.

We too like the Royal product but on two occasions in the past we sailed MSC essentially because they had the sailings that suited us at the time. I can tell you the ships are beautiful and the service is very good too. The difference is that it's what I call "European-style" service, by which I mean the crew are every bit as accommodating but will generally expect you to ask for what you want rather than being expected to anticipate your needs like on the US lines. 

Food-wise, it's also more generally European, so no pies and curries like you get on Anthem (you don't get those on Harmony either, mind you  ) but also a lot of healthier stuff that I feel is sometimes in short supply on Royal's ships (think Mediterranean diet, with plenty of fresh fruit, salads, etc.). Admittedly, I found it to be a bit more hit and miss in terms of quality than on Royal's ships but any time you weren't happy with something you just had to say and they'd happily change it for you.

As far as fellow passengers are concerned, the demographic is much more multi-cultural than on Royal and you might find the announcements in five or six languages annoying at first but you'll soon get used to it tune out all of the non-English ones.  This also means that the onboard entertainment tends to be much more visual or musical, since comedy or anything else relying on knowledge of a specific language is going to fall down flat when your passengers speak umpteen different languages. I found all of the entertainment I saw on my two MSC cruises to be very good. They sometimes have very impressive opera singers, who are usually rapturously received by the European audiences.

I don't know if you've ever seen any of the videos by cruise vloggers Ben and David but they did one very recently on the brand new MSC Virtuosa that will give you a good idea of what it's like (except for the passenger demographic since they were on a UK-only sailing). Here's the link if you'd like to watch it: 

 

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!

3 hours ago, Plumlee2028 said:

Azamara may have some ships stay there over the winter, but they are going to restart  little slower I believe.  There may be some similarities in style on them for you, but its definitely a different cruise idea, and more higher end then Royal. 

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!

56 minutes ago, Allancy said:

Tui has sailings in Europe and Middle East. Smaller ships than Royal. 

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

21 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

uUGH.  I am so very disappointed for you.  I loved reading your posts b/c you were so excited about this cruise and about the upgrade. I am sick about this.  I know this is no consolation to you but I feel your pain.  I hope you are able to find something else that will bring you the same joy that you were feeling about your Anthem cruise.  When did this happen ?  I didn't even know about these new restrictions.  Again...so very sorry to hear about it.

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.

47 minutes ago, Ray said:

I read a report on the scarlet lady sailing by some journalist onboard!

Sounded good until they reported you had to pay to open the sex toy box in your cabin( no joke ) 

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

50 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

@Scoular, your cruise with your mother on Anthem has been cancelled ?

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!

56 minutes ago, Linda R said:

I rec'd the Royal-Up offer on Anthem for Sept. 23rd, about 2 weeks ago.  And our friends also.  We both bid on 2 room categories.  We will see.  Did you receive an offer yet?

Not yet. What rooms have you currently got and what did you bid on?

I keep trying the RoyalUp page but it just spins. 

On 7/30/2021 at 12:41 AM, Pooch said:

Or maybe she meant comfy for her so mum can have the real bed to herself.  Frankly I know my kids would give ME the couch!!’

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. 

On 7/30/2021 at 12:14 AM, AshleyDillo said:

If it's a loft room the argument can be there's no stairs to the sofa bed!

It is exactly this. Thank you! 

On 7/30/2021 at 12:01 AM, Pooch said:

Wait, you’d make your mum sleep on the sofa bed?!?!?

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. 

4 hours ago, SmoothJ24 said:

I spoke way too soon I guess...

I saw all my bids expire except for one, and then I saw the email, charge, and upgraded stateroom under royalcarribean.com.

 

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.