XtremeGK

From the late 40's to the mid 50's, the Navy pier in Bayonne was also home to a second naval diving & salvage school...made famous by Men of Honor (most of which is actually not overly-dramatized and based off true events).

My first cruise out of Bayonne was in the old terminal (which I reminisce about as we drive past on our way out every cruise now), with the bus ride to the ship. I absolutely love the new terminal, very well organized.

I agree with @twangster -- even NCL's largest ships are really outgrowing the pier in Manhattan, so I'm not sure an Oasis class ship could dock there. Having lived in Weehawken previously and watching the ships turn in to those piers, it's a tight fit getting in and out.

Also agree with @BrianB -- probably the only downside is not getting the Hudson River sail out.

38 minutes ago, tjcruisers said:

For those that have done a crossing, is there any preference in going west to east vs east to west? I've heard it's easy to adjust going east to west

I prefer west to east, solely as you gain an hour each day rather than lose one.

We're on 8/24/24, so hope you're back aboard by then (or that you just love it so much that you extend out that first Icon contract )

2 hours ago, Cakemeister said:

7147 has an asterisk on the floor plan. I think CrznTxn is correct about the asterisk rooms.

Thanks for the info!

The asterisk and the cabin category (3V vs 4V) are all about capacity, not bed placement. If you want a specific bed placement, definitely see if your options line up with the rooms that have videos available that show the bed location and use that to inform your decision.

Sounds like you did exactly what I would have recommended. For long haul, I look at miles and a mix of miles + cash to see if I can get something more than standard economy. 64k miles for your trip is a good value (as mentioned 1.4 cents is what I'd consider a good value).

On 6/18/2023 at 9:31 AM, smokeybandit said:

Probably about 8 feet.

He never stepped into the master shower on the 2 BR GS on Jewel then. I'm 6'2, and couldn't stand up in that shower.

He always notes in suites that he doesn't fit in the tub/shower combos.

I'm 6'3" and very used to reaching an 8' crossbar. I'd put the ceilings around 7'6" in most cabins.

Wouldn't say loyal, but agree with others that right now, Royal is the line that best suits my/our needs.

DW and I sail now with our 4.5-year-old, so the kids programming is important to us, and Royal does that as well as anyone in the market. Does Disney do it better? At a cost, yeah. But I wouldn't rank AO much below Disney, and certainly ahead of NCL and Carnival.

Accommodations are also a little more important to us now than they once were. We're simple balcony cabin people and Royal offers us enough variety, with some unique choices for rooms, that we always find what we're looking for at a reasonable pricepoint.

Speaking of price, budgets matter in our house and while Royal's pricing is going up, so are other lines. Royal still presents a good value for us. And having reached Diamond, the 4 drinks save us even more as we never buy a DBP anymore.

Will I try other lines? If everything aligns, yes, of course. But right now, everything aligns on Royal pretty darn well for us.

Calling at Terminal 1 is entirely dependent on what other Royal ships are in port that day. I'm on a trip in August on Oasis that calls at Port Canaveral on a Sunday, when Wonder is there for turnaround day. We will definitely not be docking at T1.

On 3/4/2023 at 2:17 PM, Colombia20102018 said:

I am using the legend and deck plans from cruiseline dot com. The cross means rooms with two Pullman beds (bunks) and the triangle means rooms with a sofa bed. After reviewing all the Jewel OTS deck plans, I did not find any interior rooms with sofa beds. Is cruiseline information accurate? Because if that’s the case, the risk of being assigned a room with a sofa bed  is zero. 
Now, I understand there’s also the risk of capacity. How likely is this? Are there any real examples outside of pandemic times where Royal refused to add a passenger due to capacity?

The legends on CDP are very much outdated. Royal simplified their deck plan symbols several years ago now: triangle = capacity of 3, asterisk = capacity of 4, 5+ box = capacity of 5+, shadowed square = obstructed view. They stopped trying to accurately track which rooms have pullmans and which have sleeper sofas. If you call and ask if a room has a particular setup, 50/50 chance the answer is incorrect -- and yes, I've actually seen it happen.

Also, bear in mind that GTY rates for 5 don't exist. Should you call to add the 5th person to your reservation before a cabin is assigned -- which can be quite late in the game -- there is a very real possibility that you will lose your GTY rate for passengers 1-4 and have to book at the prevailing rate for passengers 1-5 (and as we have seen with cruise pricing in the past 12 months, that will likely be higher than it is today).

Gaming the system only works until the system games you back.

The ultraspacious balconies are about the size of a JS, so plenty of room. Balconies are a really good size. The deck 11 ones are near the fwd elevators (the ultraspacious OV without a balcony are further forward). Bear in mind that you have to walk forward to get from your room to the aft elevators to start with, so being near the fwd elevators would not really add that much to your "commute."

10 hours ago, Temeculaguy said:

This is one area where the industry and RCL differs. Many other lines are offering all inclusive options, RCL may introduce something as they have on their other lines. Princess for example has 2 bundle options, on a few cruises I've priced they charge $72 a day for the basic package (wifi, drinks up to $15 a drink, tips and $150 OBS per person) and $92 a day including all that plus $20 a drink, 2 specialty dining visits, photo package (3 prints, unlimited digital) and reserved show seats. For a 7 day cruise the OBC drops that to 50 and 70, tips makes it closer to 35 and 55 for wifi and drinks or wifi, better drinks, 2 specialty dining, photos and reserved seats. I priced these for a couple, so it may go down for kids but it's not a kid cruise line. I haven't figured out the math on celebrity who offers something similar that RCL owns but I think RCL is one of the few that has no all inclusive option other than star class suites which is about 10-15 cabins per ship, the others offer these options to everyone. As a shareholder, I'm fine with it, as a cruiser I think they may be turning people off as even I am looking elsewhere as their fares have gone up bringing them close to the lines that have more value priced bundles. Truth is I will probably still cruise 3 times a year on RCL and they win for us when bringing a large group of varied ages or grand kids. But as a mid 50's retired couple, my other 3 cruises per year are probably going to be on other lines, as a shareholder I would like them to prevent that from happening or groom us into their other lines with a combined loyalty program across their lines to keep us from exploring outside their bottom line and my stock price. Right now they are in the driver's seat, better positioned financially that any other line but this is when they should try and dominate the market and not price people into their competitors.

As a shareholder, I'd want them to make the most money they can. I'm sure they have analyzed and found that a la carte, purchased at higher prices by a smaller percentage of passengers, makes them the most money.

33 minutes ago, teddy said:

We book by price unless it’s a bucket list cruise  

39 minutes ago, PL8SWPR said:

For this sailing, the OV for 3 is actually $30 cheaper than the virtual balcony. 

They don't have any other interior rooms for 3 unless you go spacious interior for significantly more.

I normally book by price, and daylight does have value to me...but I HATE low deck cabins. I just feel like I notice engines/thrusters/mechanical noise more. I'd probably go OV if it were a forward-facing or other mid-/upper-deck OV. But if we're talking deck 3 and the VB is on a mid-/upper-deck, I'd probably spring the $30 for the deck choice.

7 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

But on the flip side, the economic impact to Turkey, especially to local vendors, is more important than ever right now.

Additionally, Royal has a history of using their vessels to help bring in humanitarian aid after natural disasters in countries that have cruise ports.

I have both flown on mileage runs and cruised for the points.

Cruised last year only because it got me to Diamond in time for a larger family cruise this year.

Mine aren't available on the app or on the site. I'm wondering if it's just a segment of points that are affected and unable to see their totals/tier.

Just booked Harmony for 2024 last night. Royal's website, when clicking on the guarantee, showed the pricing consistent with the neighborhood balcony gty. On agent sites, I was able to see the XB gty. I almost exclusively book directly through Royal, however I didn't feel like sitting on the phone, the XB pricing was really good, and this particular agent site was throwing in $50 OBC, so I booked it through them.

The separate guarantees exist (at least on occasion), but you might need to call or use a TA to book.

100% call back. That just doesn't sound like a logical response from them.

We're booked on it for next summer. Selling VERY well, especially the cabins that hold 3+. Going based off the FB group and the sales pattern, expecting a lot of kids.

I also get the "Oops" message on Oasis cruises out of Cape Liberty this Fall. So unless they're moving it for next summer and just blocked off all OA out of CL, regardless of year, then it's likely just another RCI IT issue.

Sounds like you're doing the Pfizer vaccine, which is only FDA-authorized as a 3-shot series. Therefore, you'd need all 3 shots -- with the third shot 14 days before sailing -- to be considered fully vaccinated.

21 hours ago, SaveTheSharks said:

Couldn't agree more with the OP.

It surprises me at the growing number of people who have a sense of entitlement, lack accountability, and a disregard for the consideration of others. It doesn't help that in many cases, rules rarely get enforced; and therefore no consequence in their actions are felt.

And unfortunately, it extends far beyond cruising.

On 5/24/2022 at 9:31 PM, MLH said:

CAn you tell me which telemed site you used?  When is your cruise?  We may need one for my daughter.

Evivia is the one we used. We sail this coming Tuesday.

I, for one, am most curious as to what type of emergency the CD would be best suited to address?

There was a flyer on the TA site for a cruise planner sale starting the 24th.

Yes, it is. Even qualifies as a "PCR" for unvaxxed kids.