FSUFAN

I am the "coordinator" for our group of 8. Mrs Fan and I and our 3 grown kids/spouses for Alaska on the Quantum OTS in June. I booked all the rooms and paid a substantial amount of the cost thru {Big Warehouse Travel}. I am keeping the Shop Cards and discounting that back to them. I have a spreadsheet that shows what dad is paying for, any discounts thru my Costco Visa (5%) and the Shop Cards. They will Venmo me the difference. The only thing we are doing together at this time is Dinner in the MDR. And even that is an option if some want to spend money on specialty dining. Since they are our kids, anything I try to organize will be met with angst because "dad" wants to do it. Mrs Fan and I have done Alaska, so we are going to do little off of the ship this trip. Maybe a whale watching trip. I wanted to do a charter fishing excursion, but none of the others want to spend the money. I want to hit some local brew pubs. Our daughter wants to get T-Shirts of similar. About the only group thing that they are willing to do is some sort of slot pull or other casino game. They may also do some stuff together (Zip lines and such) that I really don't care to do.

Must be a day that ends in a Y. If the site is run by internal group, they need to perform a major restructuring. If it is outsourced, then they need to penalize them severely or move the business to another provider. I saw where the Southwest Airlines snafu over the holidays is going to cost them $800 million in lost revenue, payouts to travelers, lost time, fines and more. I have to think that RCL/CCL loses a ton of money every time the site hiccups and people can't process bookings, buy add-ons and such.

Post-Pandemic hangover. Coming off of Covid was pretty much a full restart with onboarding new employees, training, recruiting and more. I know they are working hard to backfill open positions. I've stated in other threads that the "fit-n-finish" is not there... Yet. It's pretty easy to tell the new hires from the veterans. Our last room steward was gold and definitely a vet. The server in the MDR was most likely a new hire. He was lost half of the time, missing items and orders, and his assistant was a ghost not to be found for the most part. Water glasses sat empty; drinks guy didn't show a couple of nights. Now cruise prices are starting to rise, and I hope the level of service does as well.

Listed in our June sailing on Quantum OTS. And yes, the web page now shows The Key under a "VIP" offering. What's Included Priority access into the terminal (within booked arrival time) on Day 1. Carry-on bag drop off and delivery to stateroom. Drop-off your carry-on bags in the Main Dining Room until 1:30pm. Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille Lunch menu. Private time at onboard activities including Rock Climbing, FlowRider and more. Priority departure at tender ports of call from ship-to-shore. Seats in the exclusive VIP seating section at shows in the Main Theatre, Aqua Theater, Studio B and Two70 (reservation is needed). VOOM ® Surf & Stream 1 Device high speed internet. On debarkation day, enjoy an exclusive à la carte breakfast and choice departure.

I loath the QR code set-up. Some local restaurants are doing it now. I guess it is not intended for old farts like myself. Nothing worse than trying to read the tiny type on a phone. With that said. We had not sailed on RCCL before and went on the Voyager this past October. My biggest piece of advice (at least for me) is to temper your expectations. I was really pumped and probably expecting too much in the post-pandemic world. We had a great time, but the "fit-n-finish" was not what I remember in our pre-pandemic sailings. As time goes forward, I have to believe that the post-pandemic "hangover" issues will be resolved.

Our sailing on the QOTS to Alaska this coming June is now >$2,900 more than when we booked back in March 2022. The overage is nearly what we paid. We also booked a HAL cruise out of Amsterdam in August (booked that trip back in Sept 2022). The price is up a few hundred bucks on that one. Plus, we got a bunch of perks during their "Best Sale Ever" event and that sale has not been repeated since then. Either way, I am glad we booked early.

We had the Key on our last sailing and when bringing on our wine, the bottles were barely looked at. The screener just kind of looked at the tops of the bottles while they were still in the carry-on bag. Not sure if this was normal or not. 2 bottles don't last very long, especially on a 7-day voyage.

Mrs Fan and I were on the VOTS last October and while it was nice, the ship is most definitely a little "long in the tooth". But as you stated, there are some cost and itinerary advantages with the VOTS. We are not "Loyal to Royal" (although we have another trip in June on QOTS to Alaska). We are doing a trip to Norway out of Amsterdam with HAL in August this coming year. The HAL packaged smoked the other lines with all the added stuff/inclusives. Drinks package, pre-paid gratuities, OBC, excursion credit, 1 night specialty dining and more. I'm more of a cost/benefit guy versus brand loyalty and the HAL sailing was hands down the best bang for the buck for going to see the Norway Fjords (a bucket list trip).

I booked an Alaskan trip more than a year ago (4 balcony rooms). I've been price watching for a drop and have seen nothing but higher prices. The rooms are now going for about $2,000 more than we paid.

I've tried to make a reservation and I keep getting an error. It might be too far out since out trip isn't until June.

Mrs Fan enjoying her morning tea while on an Alaskan Cruise some years ago. Also, doesn't one of the lines, Virgin maybe, have hammocks on their balconies as a standard set-up?

- Weak drinks - Hard sell from Spa staff - I stated in an earlier thread that Mrs Fan (an introvert) will just not go anymore due to the haranguing of the staff (even after asking them not to on the front end). Sad that going to the Spa is a now a hassle and not a time of relaxation. - Smoking "dude" who takes a big drag then comes in from the outside and blows his smoke inside - saw it happen on the last cruise. Same guy then just blew off the "Washie-Washie" attendant and refused to wash his hands at the Windjammer entrance.

We are on the Quantum OTS in June with our 3 grown children and spouses. I think all of us have flights to come home that depart between 11:00 am and noon. I think Mrs Fan and myself are the last out at 11:55 am. BIG Seattle HACK - Port Seattle has a service called Port Valet. Takes your bags straight from the ship to your airline flight at SeaTac. It is FREE!!! Port Valet - Enjoy Seattle Luggage Free! | Port of Seattle (portseattle.org)

It lasts that long for Mrs Fan. Keeps us from buying the DBP. I could cover the cost but she wouldn't come close. I get a double bourbon on the rocks with dinner. She might get a mimosa for breakfast while I get a bloody mary.

We brought bottles on our last cruise. I asked the room steward for a corkscrew as I forgot to pack one. I opened the bottle in the room, Mrs Fan had a glass while getting ready, then carried the opened bottle to dinner. Asked them to keep the bottle for next night and they did. No corkage fee and no one batted an eye on me bringing in an open bottle (with the cork stopper in the bottle)

Quoted from the linked article: "For cruises in the United States, the general rule of thumb has always been you are likely safe to book a flight after 11am, and noon or later is absolutely achievable." We are flying from Seattle this summer from an Alaska sailing on the Quantum (June). The flight is scheduled at 11:55 am. We are also TSA-Pre so that saves some time at the airport. My sons and their spouses are also flying out between 11:00 and noon. I was hoping to check the bags straight thru from the ship to the airline, via Port Valet in Seattle. Their restriction on SWA is noon or later. Our flight is 11:55, so hope it is allowable Port Valet - Enjoy Seattle Luggage Free! | Port of Seattle (portseattle.org)

Mrs Fan is a huge tea drinker of English Breakfast Tea and brings her own. I brought a small double wall steel thermos at Goodwill (enough for 2 cups) and would head down and get hot water for her in the morning from a coffee station near our room.

We are sailing June 12, 2023, on the Quantum OTS, and the spa options just listed yesterday (12/21). I snagged a week pass to the Thermal Suite as it is listed for $111.00. I will continue to monitor the price.

I just booked it for the week, and I had to choose a time. Since it was Day 1, the times started at noon and ended around 9:00 pm and there were no other options for the rest of the week. I want to go early in the morning. Hit the sauna/steam rooms, then shower (in the larger shower area). We will be on the Quantum OTS. Do you need to make reservations for each day? Can you go to the Thermal Spa at any time? I know that the facility is coed, but do they have separate locker rooms for men and women? Do they provide anything other than towels?

Our first cruise with Royal was on the Voyager this past October. The trip left a very bad impression due to a bunch of hassles and glitches (I posted about it, so I won't go into it again). We have another cruise scheduled for Alaska on the Quantum this coming June. I hope for a better experience, and I hope the "Covid Hangover" will be behind RCL and the cruise industry as a whole. We have another trip planned with HAL on the Rotterdam. On paper the HAL cruise is a much better value. Costs about the same as the Quantum balcony room but has built in Drinks package, WiFi, 1 night specialty dining, $100 OBC, $100 excursion credit, gratuities and more (about $1,500 of free perks that RCL does not offer). We both grew up and lived for years in Florida and jumping on a cruise ship was cheap and easy. We have sailed Carnival, Norwegian and Princess and had a good time (and less problems than the Voyager). I'm done with the budget lines though. At 65, I don't need rock walls and bumper cars. I have stated earlier that for families, RCL is probably a great choice with all of the activities. I'm just not sure that RCL is the right fit for us at this point.

I use Mio type water enhancers at home (I use the Walmart brand mostly). I like the lemonade specifically. Each little squirt bottle (1.6 oz) makes about 18-20 servings.

The last masseuse did not honor her request about the no upsell which she did state on the front end and was pretty aggressive even after the request (per Mrs Fan). She is an introvert, so has a hard time with pushy people. Now her mind is set that the hassle is not worth the reward. Shame on them.

Mrs Fan will no longer use the spa due to the heavy handed, hard upsell of lotions, creams and other products. She loves a good massage but will no longer use the spa on the ship as she says the steady hassling of the attendant make it more stressful rather than a relaxation experience that it should be. Sad.

I tried and failed to connect a Roku device on our October sailing on the Voyager. I bought a cheapo universal remote in hopes of changing the input on the TV. I fussed around with it for about an hour and then gave up. I was able to get the remote to connect to the TV, but it wouldn't change the input. I ended up streaming my laptop and watched some college football games as I have YouTube TV and can run that from the laptop. It was very glitchy and about every minute or so would go into a signal spin trying to stream the live show/game. It would have been nice to have the picture on the larger TV screen rather than my 15" laptop screen.

Mrs Fan and I stayed at the Yellowstone Old Faithful lodge (pre-pandemic). The old Lodge is an awesome sight to behold, but it is not air-conditioned. I ordered a cheapo box fan from Amazon (about $18) and had it delivered to our hotel in Jackson, WY where we stayed prior to driving up to Yellowstone. After the trip, I taped up the box and checked it as luggage (I had free checked bags). Also, we went on the Voyager in late October. Once we got to our room, I asked for 2 things from our room steward. A feather pillow and a fan. She came thru with both. So, they do have them on the ships. I worked in a large beach-front hotel when in college (many years ago). We had a room that held fans, coolers, beach chairs and more that were left behind by guests. Knowing this, that same trip to Yellowstone, I asked the front desk in Jackson, if they had a cooler/ice chest that was left behind by prior guests. Sure enough, they gave me a really nice Igloo cooler. When we traveled back to Jackson for our flight home, I gave the cooler to that hotel to give away to another guest in the future. My point here is that you just need to ask. Chances are they have stuff stored somewhere on the ship that they can loan you.