Peter D

Perhaps the lack of bookings beyond August aligns with the 30-45 days as referenced in the RCL Blog article. In about 30-45 days, they hope to launch their second theme, Silk Routes, which is a Marco Polo journey from the Orient back to the West. It's more adult-themed in the sense they envision it being a good fit for date night.

Recently it seems the Comments section for RC Blog articles has changed. I think it used to be 'powered by' Disquis but seems broken. Did something change?

They both have escape rooms. Harmony has Escape the Rubicon and Oasis has Mission control: Apollo 18. I would give the edge to Harmony for that.

or refundable deposits.... which is even worse, because the per stateroom cost for refundable rates, changes with every sale also... or C&A vs non....

If it is wrong when you get on the ship, the Loyalty Ambassador can correct it for the sailing, but not necessarily for the overall account. My daughter had this problem in April where, for some reason, she lost her C&A match to ours. We dealt with it on the ship, no problem, but when she went to book another, her account also showed the wrong status. We had to call the C&A number to get it resolved. Good luck.

I have had two instances over the last month where repricing without C&A number yielded a better net price due to the OBC promos. For example, even today. Allure 22Jun2025 out of Barcelona GTY suite pricing 4960.12 (with C&A Balcony/Suite NRD discount) vs. 5135.12 (w/o C&A) but including a $550 OBC. Basically $175 more for $550 OBC (net $375). It doesn't work for all of my bookings, but it has worked out on occasion. It's more work when checking prices through mock bookings, but I don't mind.

That is interesting. Taxes and fees are shown once again when you get to 'Who's Traveling' page. Still, it would be nice if you could see the fees without going through so many pages. Oh well, I guess it will just take some time to get used to it. As for the pricing, as of today, none of my currently booked cruises have changed in overall price, so it seems that (at least today) there is no pricing funny business. I also hope this change does not make repricing a pain with the fluctuating taxes and fees.

It's there, it is just hidden under the estimated room total.

We just got off the Anthem out of Southampton for our 14Jun2024-21Jun2024 cruise. The casino was smoke free for the whole cruise, which was very nice. Is this just a Southampton or European thing or just an Anthem of the Seas thing or are all casinos transitioning to smoke free?

We just got off the Anthem for the 14Jun-21Jun. Couple things i would mention, for what it's worth. The weather was very cool overall with a fair amount of rain, so I recommend planning for potential cool/wet weather. It might be warmer/drier in July, but something to consider. The specialty restaurants were pushing hard to generate sales. On several occasions, waiters approached with 50% off per person offers to Chop's (which we did), but I suspect they were offering them for the other restaurants. I bet if you went to a restaurant and asked about it, they might go for it. If you have not already done so and you have a smart phone, I recommend putting the Royal Caribbean app on it for use during the trip. You can also use it now to preview things like entertainment and dining (main dining room menus should be present to preview, but they are subject to change). If you plan on seeing shows, Spectra's Cabaret requires a reservation. The other two shows, (The Gift and We Will Rock You) do not require reservations.

Has anyone hear of this before? Is it on any other ship??

Thanks for the replies. I had held two different category of cabins, once I decided that the others were not needed, I was hoping to release the hold. I like that they give 5 days for a hold, but I'd hate to see it go away if too many cabins get held, and ultimately released.

Does anyone know if there is a way to cancel a courtesy hold on Royal Caribbean Website before it expires in 5 days?

You can do it all through the app going to Logon.com while on ship wifi. it will bring up the internet logon where you can either sign up for new service (or log in once you purchase it). It will give you the option to price 1 person/4 device with a single D+ discount before you actually purchase. I would say it is likely that 1 person/4 device with a single D+ will be cheaper than doing 4 separate/1 device even with all D+. Depending on your true needs, you might also consider waiting until midnight or later on Day 2 for further saving as it will prorate the "whole voyage" price as 6 night instead of 7 night (or however long the cruise is). Basically using cellular services on embarkation day.

On our April Harmony cruise, there were two comedians each doing a set in The Attic and then they did a 'late night adult only' show the theater (which I missed). I only saw them once, so I cannot say if they change their act. If they did, it is probably only slightly.

We did get them on Harmony and Genie told me that we could go to guest services on next sailing and get non star class bands for free as well.

Last week on Harmony of the Seas, they provided footwear and you do not use your own. I'd assume that is a standard practice across the fleet. If you had to use your own footwear, I'd think sneakers are the best option and water shoes would be worst option.

Do the Genies cover all potential concierge/guest services needs or do the suite concierges do certain things a Genie does not, hence tipping warranted?

We were in the Sitka National Historical Park where the trails crisscross the Indian River. The salmon were running up the Indian River. The salmon were also 'running' back to the Sitka Sound Science Center where workers were collecting eggs to supply the hatchery. It was pretty interesting.

This may be all true, but I had another observation as it pertains to Harmony sailing. Back in early November, I purchased a single HDP for $249.99 with added gratuity, the total price was $294.98. Just last week, that $294.99 price was still available (not as $249.99 plus gratuity, but rather total, gratuities included. Now it is $384.99, a 30% increase. This seems more a cash grab to me, rather than simply cost increases. I suppose if people will pay it, they can charge whatever they want.

Unlimited dining package pricing is out of control right now. For my October 2024 Icon sailing, the UDP price is $420.99 per person (discounted 15% from $495.99). Harmony (April) and Anthem (June), $384.99 per person (discounted 15% from $453.99). Even 4-night Utopia in November is $259.99 (discounted 15% from $305.99). These are all 'gratuities included' pricing, but still.... Any insight on what is going on???

It is difficult to believe this is even the enchantment. I have my doubts.

It is showing now for our April cruise. Its up to $35pp. Yikes! Gone are the days of $19.99pp it seems.

Chef's table is now listed as 'Smart Casual Attire' like every other specialty restaurant.

I would say it is not as good as coffee shop, but it might suit your needs. The coffee machine in the lounge is pretty easy to operate, but it really can only do basic espresso drinks (espresso, capuccino, latte, maybe americano) and while I think there is sugar/sweeteners, there are no flavored syrups or options for cream/milk. The machine supplies its own 'dairy' for those drinks that need them. Your best bet will be the coffee card and then go and check it out to see if it will serve your needs going forward.