JohnUK

The casino on Navigator has been fully non-smoking for many (if not all) of the sailings from Southampton this year. At least, that was the situation whilst we were on board in September and we heard from others that this had been established some time before we boarded. I also recall that Independence had trialled a ban on smoking in all interior venues a few years ago. I don't remember if the ban extended to exterior spaces as well.

Irrespective of being Gold in C&A, you are entitled to use the Suite line.

When booking a cruise, I now make a point of checking previous Cruise Compasses (posted on this site) for the ship in question. There is always a reference to smoking areas featured, which then guides my selection of cabin as to where the risk of smoke contamination is lowest. Usually, no changes in smoking location occur on a given ship, although it could happen..... Incidentally, on Freedom and Voyager class ships there is a spiral staircase in the middle of the Promenade that leads down to the Casino. Smoke from the Casino is often noticeable on the Promenade around that area. Not much can be done about it so this is just a matter of information. Similarly, smoke can often be noticed near to the Casino entrances in the Schooner bar and Boleros (or equivalent).

I was on the Venice cruise, on Vision, in May and I don't recall any horse racing event. The cruise and itinerary were fabulous - one of my favourite cruises.

Interesting. I am on the 24th Jan 2019 sailing on Grandeur and I haven't been notified of any change in itinerary - perhaps news takes longer to reach the UK! Please excuse my ignorance, but I know nothing about Grand Bahama. I could google it but I am pretty sure I can get more relevant information from people here, if anyone would mind sharing their knowledge and experience of this destination, please.

We love doing B2B cruises as we find just one is never enough! We always stay in the same stateroom as we book early enough to get the room we want. However, we have met many people who have changed staterooms and it is made very simple for them. I believe everything hanging in the wardrobe can be left there and the stateroom attendants will transfer it to the next room. So the amount of packing is substantially reduced. All of our B2Bs have had different itineraries, which has been great for variety, but I wouldn't totally discount doing the same itinerary on consecutive cruises. Our best B2B was a repositioning cruise on Explorer, starting from Sydney, going to Seattle, then going to British Columbia, then going to Alaska. It was well worth traveling right around the world to do.

I think your wife is correct and the record for your stateroom is locked as you go through the booking process so that no-one else can access it (or you could get 2 bookings trying to get the same stateroom at the same time). However, if you abandon the booking process, the record still seems to stay locked for a few minutes longer. I suspect this is due to a timeout mechanism that caters for an inadvertent pause occurring during a booking (such as a glitch with your internet / wifi connection).

Good question - and I am wracking my brains to try and remember whether bar prices changed between our B2B cruises. We don't purchase many drinks at the bars so we may not have noticed. If your cruise calls into a port outside of the Schengen area (and most do) there will not be any risk of additional taxes. On our last cruise around the Med, which was just a few weeks ago, bar prices were normal. So I think you are likely to be safe from taxes. It may still be a good plan to purchase the drinks package ahead of time, through Cruise Planner, as they are often offered with a discount (during the many "sales"). That will be cheaper than buying the package on board and the price will definitely be fixed. It does assume, though, that you will consume enough drinks to make it worthwhile (Matt's analysis on this subject is very helpful). The tax situation in Europe is a bit confusing, even to us who live here (!) and we were caught out in the past. Our B2B was on Rhapsody and we had decided to purchase a couple of bottles of spirits from the on board shop on the second cruise. When we came to purchase, we were surprised to find that the prices were about 20% higher than they had been the previous week. We didn't make the purchase! Sorry I can't be absolutely definitive in my response.

VAT is included in the price of excursions published by RCCL so the price you see is the price you pay. A more interesting nuance concerns VAT with on board purchases. If a cruise only visits ports that are in the Schengen area, prices will be higher as VAT is added. However, if there is just one port of call that is outside of the Schengen area, VAT will not be added. We found this out on B2B sailings, the first of which included a non Schengen port and the second did not. Prices were higher in the on board shops for the second cruise. Usually you would not be aware of it as the VAT is not shown separately - only the total prevailing price. But the difference in prices between one cruise and the next was significant. So my tip to anyone sailing in Europe would be to try and ensure the itinerary includes a non Schengen area destination. A list of Schengen area states and the overlap with EU and non EU countries can be found here: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-countries-list/ As you can see, the Schengen area is NOT the same as the EU. For example, the UK has never been part of the Schengen area but has been (and is for a little longer, at least) part of the EU.

I imagine the Crown and Anchor desk has been swamped with additional work since the self service capability has been omitted on the new website. However, I sent them an email concerning points that had not been added into my total after my last cruise. I received an automated reply almost immediately and a personal answer 13 days later. So, not too bad as these things go. I had also asked the question, in my message to them, concerning the reintroduction of the self service functionality. The response was somewhat enigmatic i.e it will be added back but they could not give any idea of when that would happen. By the way, the points total did get updated, probably without the C&A desk intervention; it just took quite a bit longer than used to be the case.

I believe that sailings from the UK include a kettle in every room whereas those sailing from the US do not. No idea why the inconsistency exists (unless they are afraid UK guests would riot if deprived of their morning cup of tea!!). Not sure what else I would want to see. Perhaps an afternoon cream tea?

Thank you for your review. It is very informative, balanced and useful. It is such a shame your experience was tarnished. I would like to think you are right and things will settle down a bit as Indy is one of our favourites. All of the Voyager and Freedom class have had additional cabins added and, if it is any guide to a more hopeful outlook for Indy, our experience of sailing on Explorer after the extra cabin upgrade had taken place was very positive. We did not notice any additional queuing or overcrowding over the 35 nights we were on board. Even though the first cruise of that sailing was a trans Pacific, which we expected to be a little busier, I can't say it was much different to previous cruises on Explorer (apart from the Concierge and Diamond lounges). We do not currently have any further cruises booked on Indy but we will be back on Navigator (which also has the additional cabins) in September so we will definitely take particular note of any overcrowding issues, if they arise. Sad about your MDR waiter. I understand how important ratings are but his approach was obviously counterproductive. You would hope that one of the senior staff would spot this and advise him of the error. Loved the photographs.

Hi Sarah, If you want a more personal experience from a UK based travel agent, you could try contacting the one that I use (details below). You won't get the same deals that are available in the US, and the rules in the UK for repricing are restrictive, but you may get some additional inducement from my TA. This may take the form of a gift provided in your cabin when you board, or a discount. It won't be much but it will be better than nothing. Even the personal service by itself is a definite advantage. Please contact your Travel Counsellor if you have any queries JANE COWLEY T 01932 808590 E [email protected] W www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/jane.cowley Alternatively, for less of a personal service but sometimes better inducements you could try vivavoyage.co.uk (tel. 0800 862 0137) or ROL rolcruise.co.uk (tel. 0808 102 3838). I haven't used either of these, as personal service is more important to me, but they do seem to be able to offer something extra to simply booking with Royal direct. I hope that is of some help.

Great idea for a topic. I have really enjoyed reading of other people's experiences. For us, our first cruise was a 4 night cruise on Carnival Ecstasy. We paid, what seemed at the time, an extravagant amount of money, to upgrade to an ocean view room. I think they put us into a broom cupboard by mistake! The port hole was small and we had to kneel on one of the twin beds (they couldn't put the beds together for us) in order to see out of it. The TV was mounted high up in one corner, virtually guaranteeing a pain in the neck. Disembarkation was an absolute nightmare; we were held on deck for hours under the heat of the LA sun, with no restrooms in service, and no refreshments. We then flew back to the UK and both of us were ill for the next couple of days. It was, in short, a disaster. We were put off cruising for the next 9 years until, almost on a whim, I booked the Explorer of the Seas in 2009, as a way of celebrating my wife's 50th birthday - mostly because it was sailing out of Port Bayonne and my wife had always wanted to see New York. Anyhow, without knowing any better (or the significance) we booked an Owners Suite. I was booking by price and I think the £/$ exchange rate was good at the time. Suffice to say, we were blown away when we entered our stateroom - all of that space, just for us! We had a superb cruise down to the Caribbean, which was a new experience for us, and we fell in love both with the destination and cruising. We haven't looked back since then (apart from reminiscing on happy memories).

We have managed to get some good deals through Next Cruise as they offer, at times, the current US deal to everyone. This is usually better than the UK deal of the time, especially if the drinks package (often included in the UK deals) is of less importance than overall price. Non refundable deposit is the norm for us, so that is not an issue. Then, as others have said, we pass the booking to our travel agent, who always manages to add something extra for us. (We have a good travel agent but, from all the excellent reports given on these forums about MEI, there are times that we wish we could use them in the UK.)

We were tendered to shore at Mykonos so we landed in the heart of the town. It is typical Greek cobbled streets and alleyways with plentiful small bars and shops. We walked through the town to some ancient windmills that are very picturesque. There are also some classical Greek churches with coloured domes that make for charming views. A lovely place that retains the character of Greek style.

Kotor was a real surprise to us. We knew nothing about the place but sailing in through a beautiful fjord, with mountains on each side, was a marvellous experience. Kotor itself has a walled city architecture which is well worth exploring. We knew what to expect with Athens and it is a classic destination, Mykonos was charming and very scenic. I think the itinerary has a lot going for it.

Being a resident of Southampton, and a great fan of Indy and Navigator, I should not be recommending the Italy/Greek cruise. But we have just returned from a cruise on Vision that sailed around Italy and spent 2 days in Venice. It was fantastic. Vision is the same class as Rhapsody, and we have sailed on the latter in the past as well; the ships are perfectly suitable, particularly with a port intensive itinerary. So, although we have a slight leaning to Freedom/Voyager class, it is not a strong enough preference to forego the Med.

The days of taking a life jacket along are long gone. On some ships the muster stations are internal locations, whereas others are still on deck.

Hi Elaine, No problem. It's a good excuse to relive the holiday! I would say it is preferable to get an organised tour at Athens. Piraeus sort of merges into Athens but it is about 20 minutes (from memory) to make the journey. The big advantage of an excursion is bypassing the queues to get into places like the Parthenon. I don't think you will be allowed to take a kettle on board and you might be provided with one, anyway. We were in a suite so both a kettle and coffee maker were provided, but I don't know if that is true for all cabin categories. From what I have read on this forum, it is for cruises starting from the UK, and it is definitely not for cruises from the US. I am afraid I don't know for cruises from the rest of Europe. However, room service for breakfast is free, so you could have tea delivered to you room each morning. Like you, I am addicted to my morning cuppa, but I would suggest asking for English Breakfast tea from the London Tea Company rather than the Fresh Fields brand. If you haven't got an early flight, you could do as we did and leave the ship at around 8:30a.m. If your allocated disembarkation time is earlier, you can ask Guest Services, to change you to a later departure. I think 9:00a.m. is about the latest slot. If you think of anything else you would like to know, please ask. But I am sure you will have a wonderful experience. John.

I think you will have a great time. Sailing into Venice is a fantastic experience and the ship docks quite close to the main attractions. We took an excursion that started at the ship, and visited San Georgio, a Murano glass factory and a gondola ride. A bit cheesy, perhaps, but it had to be done and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The other, unexpected highlight was sailing into Kotor. I didn't know anything about Montenegro, but sailing into a fjord with mountains on either side made for dramatic and memorable scenery. Sorry, you didn't ask about that; I just got a little carried away. On this trip, we only went to Pisa from Livorno. It was a shorter trip that suited us better this time around. It was a very pleasant trip. The architecture of all buildings is impressive, but the famous leaning tower steals the show. There are lots of visitors, though, so be prepared for it to be busy. It doesn't detract too much from the experience. Again, on this trip, we didn't go into Rome. Previously, we visited the Colosseum, the Vatican, etc. all of great interest and well worth seeing. But crowds are to be expected. An organised excursion assists greatly in avoiding the queues for entrance tickets. Other excursions we took this time included Herculaneum (from Salerno) as an alternative to Pompeii. I had been to Pompeii before and recommend it. Herculaneum is smaller and a little less impressive but certain features have been better preserved. This includes painted columns and walls with some mosaics and even a shop advert for a wine seller. At Ravenna (although some sailings are calling at Split rather than Ravenna) we had a relaxing excursion on a river boat, sailing into a lagoon and watching water fowl and flocks of flamingos. Not to everyone's taste, but it worked for us. At Villefranche and Kotor, we just got off the ship (tendered at both) and walked around. Both places were fascinating in quite different ways. The walled city at Kotor was particularly interesting; we had not seen anything quite like that before. I hope this is of some use to you and you have a fantastic time.

Thanks Matt - that's very encouraging. I look forward to be able to confirm this from personal experience in about 20 months from now.

Hi Elaine, We returned from Vision last week and we had a great time. The ship is looking in need of some external cosmetic treatment, particularly at the water line, but it is in very good shape internally. More importantly, it felt to us that it is a really happy ship. All of the staff we met were great, which meant the atmosphere on board was very positive. The entertainment on board varied between excellent and ordinary, but everybody's taste is different in this regard. Food was very good overall. The menus seem a little more limited than they used to be but the choice is still sufficient. Dining room staff were brilliant. Giovanni's and Izumi were excellent in my view (we didn't use Chop's Grill). Windjammer is rather small so it can get a little crowded and the range of offerings is not as wide as it is on the larger ships. But we had no complaints. We think that Barcelona is a very easy embarkation and disembarkation port. It is reasonably close to the airport and a pleasant place to stay either before or after the cruise. It is also nice to have fixed taxi tariffs that apply from the cruise terminal to the airport. Embarkation was brilliant - we arrived at the cruise port just before 11:00a.m. and we boarded within 15 minutes! Disembarkation was similarly speedy and, although there was what appeared to be an extensive queue for taxis, it was extremely well managed and moved amazingly quickly. I know your itinerary is different to ours, but ours was excellent. Livorno is a good base from which to explore Pisa and Florence. These places are busy but well worth a visit, particularly if you haven't been there before. Similarly, Civitaveccia (for Rome) is a good opportunity to see the sights of that city. It can take an hour and a half, though, to get to Rome and sometimes longer to return. I would recommend using a Royal Caribbean excursion to see Rome as traffic can be bad and it would be easy to be late in returning to the ship. (This happened to me on a previous cruise - we were 3 hours late getting back and, if we had not been on an "official" excursion, the ship would have been long gone by the time we reached the cruise terminal.) As an aside, I think the excursions are a bit expensive, but that is also in part due to the weakness of sterling at the moment. Although we did not visit Athens and Santorini on this cruise, we have been to those places previously. In the case of Athens, it was worth visiting but a little disappointing. Piraeus is not the nicest location and there was conservation work taking place at the Parthenon. Inevitable, but it spoiled the experience to some extent. We love Santorini. It is beautiful and charming. The town at the top of the cliff is picturesque despite being thronged with shops and bars etc. The only thing to be aware of is that the cable car, particularly when returning to the ship, can be very busy with long queues forming. You can walk up or down the cliff path but you need to be fairly fit, not mind encountering (so many) donkeys, and be careful where you put your feet (donkey excrement etc.). We have seen people walking in flip flops here - not a good idea! I hope this is of some assistance to you. Please let me know if there are any particular questions you would like me to address. I hope your cruise is just as enjoyable as ours was and I would love to hear your experiences when you return. John.

I have never been in a Suite Lounge as I haven't yet sailed on a ship that has one. I have used the Concierge Lounge many times, either due to being in a suite or because I am D+, or both. Mostly, suite guests and Pinnacle (and D+) mix very well and accept that each deserves the perk. After all, whether one spends the asking price of a suite for one sailing or has spent an inordinate amount of money over many years to attain the loyalty status, the cost of entry has been paid. However, at times it has been amusing to see the tension between just a few members of each category on some occasions, where each feels they are more entitled than the other. This is sometimes exhibited in grabbing territory (for example, Pinnacles congregating in their favourite seats in the CL and showing an element of displeasure if suite guests beat them to those seats) or suite guests, on occasion, monopolising the Concierge's time. To be honest, I think Pinnacle members get very little above D+ in real benefits, particularly considering the number of points (and the money that represents) required. So my vote is to rename the Suite Lounge and let everyone who has earned it, in whatever way, enjoy the privilege.

Usually, the only way to obtain a lower price, or better promotional offer, under the UK terms and conditions is to cancel your existing booking and rebook. However, you will forfeit your deposit so you have to be careful that you don't lose more than you gain. The other aspect to take into account is that guarantee staterooms may be cheaper but don't usually include the offers (such as on board credit or included drinks package). As the current offer includes OBC of $500 for many sailings, the loss of this, together with loss of deposit, would negate the price advantage completely. Sometimes it will work out in your favour, but you have to do the sums to be sure. I have re-priced on several occasions, lost my deposit, but taken a lower price and a current offer that was better than the one under which I had original booked. There is, however, an exception to this loss of deposit which Royal has not widely publicised. I have pasted this below from their website. Please note that certain categories of Guarantee staterooms are excluded even so. I hope this helps a little (although, probably, not a lot). 1. The Early booking deposit guarantee is applicable to new bookings made between 14th November 2017 and 30th April 2018 on selected cruise itineraries commencing in 2019 for 6 nights or more. 2. Guests making new bookings for sailings in 2019 shall be entitled, subject to availability, to make one swap to any other future promotion on their existing booking subject to such promotion change being made no later than 31st December 2018. 3. Upon redemption of the one promotion swap, the cruise fare will be adjusted up or down to the prevailing cruise price. If the price of the prevailing cruise fare is cheaper, we will provide a refund for the difference between the existing booking cruise fare cost and the new booking cruise fare cost within 30 days. 4. The early booking deposit guarantee is applicable to the cruise element of a booking only. Other elements including, but not limited to, flights, hotel or transfers may be subject to a separate deposit, amendment and cancellation fees. 5. Group bookings shall be eligible to the benefit from the guarantee. Groups must be created, named and deposited within the stated booking period and will be at prevailing rate. 6. Guarantee stateroom bookings in class ZI, YO, XN, XB and WS are excluded from this guarantee. 7. For general booking conditions including advice on ATOL/ABTA protection, full booking terms and conditions, applicable sailings, cancellation charges & other information, please refer to the royalcaribbean.co.uk website or contact your travel agent.