Al Miller

Radiance and Vision size ships sail in and out of Tampa & Baltimore. Voyager class and above are too tall. These new ships need to be able to sail under bridges in order to get into open water from those 2 ports. Not sure of the size criteria for Alaska & the Panama Canal, but maybe they could be a little longer and wider than the Vision & Radiance class and have a retractable smokestack like the Oasis class ships.

If I had to guess they will make them as large as they possibly can and still do the inside passage in Alaska, get across the Panama Canal and service ports like Baltimore/Tampa.  That is Radiance class size, no?  Would a ship sized in between Radiance Class and Voyager Class fit all the above criteria?

Good news. 
it is now on the planner.  Just the last 2 days.  But better than nothing.  Still upset that they don’t have a tribute rock band on them anymore.  
Seems like Royal keeps raising prices, but keeps cutting some stuff.  

The last few times we sailed on Anthem, reservations were not required for We Will Rock You.  The only show that required reservations was Spectra's Cabaret.  That was loaded onto the cruise planner for booking prior to the cruise.  

Royal Caribbean’s Liberty: Allure to Undergo Modernization - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News
https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/02/royal-caribbeans-liberty-allure-to-undergo-modernization/

I stumbled into Indian night in the WJ once and OMG, so good. I never miss it now. I still get surprised by how bad an item may be from time to time, but for the most part I've been enough times to know what I like and you learn what to look for. Like I try and sit where I can see them loading fresh stuff on the line. And then I'll go check out what they brought. I am always amazed that someone will get say a pork chop that looks like its been sitting for 4 hours and then complain about it. Yes, it'd be nice if they'd refresh it more diligently, but you have eyes in your head. If it looks like it is dry and not fresh, just move on. I also have taken to befriending the staff in the WJ and if you ask nicely they can go get you a fresher serving of something. I don't know if they are supposed to do that, but I've not had them tell me they cant. And I will most definitely tip that worker with cash directly in their hand for service like that. And if you do that on night one or two and sit in relatively the same area every time, they will seek you out the rest of the cruise and make sure you are taken care of. And I am sure to mention them by name in the survey.

I agree. They are slowly alienating what once was considered their base. That base has a value that is difficult to quantify until you no longer have it. And they are going to have A LOT of new inventory to sell in the coming few years. I am curious to see how this goes.

$$$$ of the Seas

We're done for a while after our March cruise. Between cruise fares and flight prices, we'd rather spend on land vacations.

Did you see his speech at the Icon naming ceremony? Richard Fain he isn't. Liberty came up from being the CFO, and it is showing. If it wasn't for Michael Bayley, the creativity would be dying.

If we got an upgraded experience overall with food and service I’d consider booking at higher prices. I’m not willing to pay significantly more for less product. Royal employees are being asked to do more with less, customers are being asked to pay more. Jason Liberty is the classic greedy out of touch CEO that reaps all the benefits and isn’t held accountable. 

I agree. They are slowly alienating what once was considered their base. That base has a value that is difficult to quantify until you no longer have it. And they are going to have A LOT of new inventory to sell in the coming few years. I am curious to see how this goes.

I agree. They are slowly alienating what once was considered their base. That base has a value that is difficult to quantify until you no longer have it. And they are going to have A LOT of new inventory to sell in the coming few years. I am curious to see how this goes.

This speaks to my question about a correction...I have reasonably priced cruises booked through June 2025, and the likelihood I will book again with Royal is almost nil right now. I may cancel one of the sailings too....I have no problem booking elsewhere. I will keep an eye on it, but I think it will take some time for the market to figure it out and tell Royal that their product isn't worth it...once the honeymoon period with Icon wears off, we may have a milestone. The sooner people realize the product doesn't bring the kind of value they are used to and when the novelty wears off may be telling. Utopia probably won't sustain the momentum they are having for very much longer.

Woo Hoo!!! You know what that means!? Price increases across the board! Are you ready for the $150 per day Beverage package? $5 to look in the direction of the Pearl for more than 5 seconds? $100 for Chops? $25 General admission to Coco Cay? What a time to be alive!!!

Woo Hoo!!! You know what that means!? Price increases across the board! Are you ready for the $150 per day Beverage package? $5 to look in the direction of the Pearl for more than 5 seconds? $100 for Chops? $25 General admission to Coco Cay? What a time to be alive!!!

It's sad, but true.  Royal Caribbean uses "Dynamic Pricing".  That's code for "they will charge as much as people are willing to pay".  As long as people keep paying these inflated prices, Royal Caribbean will keep charging them. I suspect eventually they will hit the ceiling where people are less willing to pay these prices and then we might see some relief.  Until then, though, I expect prices to remain high.

Yes (at least confirmed on Allure) - we used our magnetic hooks to hang some of our formal wear from the ceiling during showers to steam some of the wrinkles.

Yes.  I use hooks on the ceiling in the bathroom to hang my folding cosmetics bag.  Works great

I stumbled into Indian night in the WJ once and OMG, so good. I never miss it now. I still get surprised by how bad an item may be from time to time, but for the most part I've been enough times to know what I like and you learn what to look for. Like I try and sit where I can see them loading fresh stuff on the line. And then I'll go check out what they brought. I am always amazed that someone will get say a pork chop that looks like its been sitting for 4 hours and then complain about it. Yes, it'd be nice if they'd refresh it more diligently, but you have eyes in your head. If it looks like it is dry and not fresh, just move on. I also have taken to befriending the staff in the WJ and if you ask nicely they can go get you a fresher serving of something. I don't know if they are supposed to do that, but I've not had them tell me they cant. And I will most definitely tip that worker with cash directly in their hand for service like that. And if you do that on night one or two and sit in relatively the same area every time, they will seek you out the rest of the cruise and make sure you are taken care of. And I am sure to mention them by name in the survey.

My TA can get me "Tin Leg" policies and they seem pretty good. The last few cruises I have started getting the policies myself using the "Squaremouth" website for comparison. It's easier than I thought it would be to buy the policy myself and generally a lot cheaper and better than RC's offering. And it lets me pick and choose very specifically. I always try to get the highest MedEvac and Medical coverage I can. The trip interruption and whatnot I don't care so much about. Missing my cruise would suck, but it would not ruin me financially. Breaking my leg in Aruba, spending the night in the hospital in Mexico or being helicoptered off the ship very well could. So I usually err on the side of too much medical coverage.

I am from Brooklyn, about 30 mins away.  Normally around 9am the traffic is smooth.  After 10:30am there's always some traffic..  But that's just on my side coming from Brooklyn.  What time is ur check in?

Big difference in Food Quality between pre and post pandemic. We were on one of the last RCL cruises before the shutdown. I am celiac and must do GF. RCL used to provide me with cakes, pies, etc., heck even other people wanted my desserts and meals. Not anymore! Our last cruise on an Oasis Class was a disappointment. Food quality at the windjammer was “golden corral” level. MDR food quality very low. You will have a better meal at Ruby Tuesday or Perkins. Desserts for celiac’s are all pudding based now. No Cakes, No Pies, only puddings! They still have a good crème brûlée however that does get old on a long cruise. Going to try Celebrity in a couple of weeks. If not better will be looking for a new company to sail with. It’s a disappointment, retired now and staying in Florida for the winter trying to do several cruises each season and now having to shop for a new cruise company. Sad! RCL very SAD! 

I stumbled into Indian night in the WJ once and OMG, so good. I never miss it now. I still get surprised by how bad an item may be from time to time, but for the most part I've been enough times to know what I like and you learn what to look for. Like I try and sit where I can see them loading fresh stuff on the line. And then I'll go check out what they brought. I am always amazed that someone will get say a pork chop that looks like its been sitting for 4 hours and then complain about it. Yes, it'd be nice if they'd refresh it more diligently, but you have eyes in your head. If it looks like it is dry and not fresh, just move on. I also have taken to befriending the staff in the WJ and if you ask nicely they can go get you a fresher serving of something. I don't know if they are supposed to do that, but I've not had them tell me they cant. And I will most definitely tip that worker with cash directly in their hand for service like that. And if you do that on night one or two and sit in relatively the same area every time, they will seek you out the rest of the cruise and make sure you are taken care of. And I am sure to mention them by name in the survey.

I have an annual policy through Allianz. I'm not a big fan of cancel for any reason insurance so the annual policy fits me fine.