tonyfsu21

11 hours ago, GatorCruiser said:

The plan is for  chaos. Disembarking icon last August was a massive fustercluck. I dislike port of Miami. 

Miami disembarkation is normally pretty efficient in my experiences. This is surprising. Now once you leave the terminal and get on the highway….. That’s chaos.

57 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

I am doing a b2b with Santorini at both weeks.

Week 1 we have a  royal excursion-so no worries there

 week 2 we arrive 7am and have a 10am outside vendor  excursion…. Is this something we would make?  I see you mention not getting off the ship until 5 so you booked something via royal. Is it that bad?  Please describe the tender situation for Santorini.  Thank you!!

Yes, we had originally booked a 5pm catamaran excursion via RC. I think you will be ok for 10am but there is a mad rush at 7am. Play close attention as to how you get a tender ticket because the Odyssey staff was not overly communicative on the process. Since you are on a B2B with a RC excursion on week 1, you should be able to get the process down before week 2. Have a great time, it was such a great cruise for us. 

I bet they have a plan…

On 7/9/2025 at 9:42 AM, Vancity Cruiser said:

While Super Mario is a great an interesting story to some of us the 'time and resources' from the company is less than the equivalent of you dropping a penny over the side of a ship and they wouldn't hesitate to burn him to improve the bottom line.

Haha. I agree, the new leadership under Liberty would burn this guy in a second but it would be such a bad look for the company. This guy is the # 1 and literally is the living definition of Royal Caribbean loyalty. Tossing Mario to the curb has some consequences attached to it. Could the company ever have the audacity to hold another loyalty tier party? All that crap the captain, hotel and cruise director (including the orchestra) spew out to the crown and anchor members would all be set ablaze. 

And the post will be locked in 5…4…3…2…1

On 7/9/2025 at 8:19 AM, melski94 said:

Final Thought

As much as I appreciate Royal Caribbean…the familiarity, the service, the ease…I’m not sure I’d choose them again for a European or major destination cruise. What I usually love about Royal is the consistency, but on this trip, that consistency started to feel like a limitation. The same menus, the same wine list, the same everything you’d find on a Caribbean sailing including Caribbean night… just didn’t quite match the vibe of a Mediterranean itinerary.

For our next big trip (probably 2027), we’re considering other options. We’ll likely look at Celebrity or Silversea, since they’re part of the Royal Caribbean and would allow us to keep our points and perks but we may also branch out and try something totally different like Princess, especially if it means a more regionally immersive experience. I’ll always have a soft spot for Royal, but for travel this far from home, it might be time to try something new.

This consistency is the reason we cruised on Odyssey for the last 7 days of our 15 day vacation. After a week of planes, trains and automobiles it was really enjoyable to be able to be in a place that felt familiar. The kids were relieved to be back on Odyssey after all the walking (Rome was hot!) and they love the sports plex. We are 100% doing this again next year.

1 minute ago, steverk said:

I enjoyed talking about cruising whenever I'm on a ship. And I always find it amusing how everyone complains there aren't enough destinations from their favorite embarkation port. That's even true from Florida, which has regular cruises to the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean in addition to the Bahamas 

I'm not saying anyone is wrong or unjustified in these complaints. I'm saying there's only so much Royal can do. And when they do develop a new destination,  we get tired of it as well.

This is true. Since they decided to do the Oasis class 3/4 voyages it’s been Perfect Day and Nassau overload for us. 

15 hours ago, PhillyLady said:

Perhaps you can remember the popular Love Boat television show featuring the Pacific Princess, which I sailed on way back in the early 80's. 

The Mexican Riviera cruise itinerary was very famous then, leaving from LA and then visiting Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, and ending in Acapulco.  It was great to stay down in Acapulco a few nights in one of the fantastic resort hotels and watch the cliff divers. There was tons of shopping, great restaurants, discos open until 4 AM for dancing, and very comfortable beaches. 

Do you wonder why all that has more or less disappeared?  

Crime and violence, especially from drug cartel gangs in those areas of Mexico created so many advisories that cruise lines just stopped doing that route. Most Americans no longer travel to Acapulco due to the high advisory level. 

I have also done the LA cruise going to Ensenada and Catalina, very sweet to see those places, but not necessarily hot spots to return to again and again. 

And yes, I visited Tijuana way back in the day when it was a fun shopping escape from San Diego --not sure I would ever set foot there again, sadly.  Again, a lot of the violence comes from gangs.

I am sure the Central and South American countries would LOVE to have more cruise lines and tourists, but do they have the capacity to create the infrastructure, and can they guarantee safety? Even Ecuador, traditionally a very safe place to visit, now has increased cautions in place.  A long, long time ago I visited Caracas, Venezuela, twice on cruises--who goes there now?  

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that any cruise line can help these countries become safer for tourists.  You have to think of a West coast cruise as more about the cruise experience itself rather than great ports.  

By the way, I cancelled my tour to Brazil I had scheduled for last month, because their new visa process required access to bank account information and/or pay stubs, which I was not comfortable sharing with a foreign government. They are doing that because the US requires similar information from Brazil citizens to visit here. 

If you want to see a lot of great ports, just save up and head to the Mediterranean.  That is my favorite cruising destination in the world!

 

 

Agree, once you sail the Med it’s something you will want to see again and again. I’m done with Mexico.

We had an excursion on Odyssey in June but I did see people lined up the night before getting tender tickets. I believe it’s first come first serve w/o an excursion. I can tell you this, it’s absolute madness if you are attempting to be off the ship early AM. 

23 hours ago, Pooch said:

Would my teenage grandsons have enough to do?

Probably not. I don’t think my kids (8,12) would enjoy it. The kids want Icon or any Oasis class (especially Wonder and Utopia). Kids are hard to please these day. 

It’s a Royal Caribbean cruise which is a positive for sure. Enjoy 

3 minutes ago, DuckHunter said:

Cabo...don't forget the unusable beaches swarming with hundreds of sting rays...my first time was miserable.

It’s a nice place but not a nice place if you have this idea of enjoying the actual ocean. 

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Even if they did yank Mario's status (which they would never, ever do), it would take him no time to get back to being #1 again.

It would still be a disaster though. The amount of time and resources the company has burned through to essentially make this guy an unpaid brand ambassador would all be tossed into a dumpster fire. 

2 hours ago, DuckHunter said:

So this is an interesting point...I know people who love that geographic area and want/have traveled to all.  For my family and myself, we felt Aruba, Nassau, Jamaica were all-in-all very similar.  Again, that is how we felt.  We have done 3 cruises and visited those 3 places.  Just felt they were variations on a theme, much like how people feel about Mexico and the Mexican Riviera.

Even the Caribbean from FL becomes repetitive but there’s one huge difference between FL and California ports of call. The water in the Caribbean is useable year round unlike the cold waters of the Pacific or Sea of Cortez that are literally bone chilling cold. Cabo has beaches but the waves are so violent that it becomes a place to bask in the sun rather than a place to actually use the beach. 

6 hours ago, GatorCruiser said:

Do you have some inside intel?

None, but I can imagine this would have to be a delicate dance. This guy represents loyalty in every way so if they did decide to make drastic program changes, what would they do with his situation?

10 minutes ago, SoCalYeags said:

Maybe I should have clarified, out of Southern California (LA) options are limited. 

As I mentioned, it's not that they don't exist they are just HEAVILY focused on a particular set of itineraries (primarily Ensenada and Cabo) with a low volume being 7 night itineraries to the Mexican Riviera. Only Navigator of the Seas sails this itinerary. Let alone other parts of South America which would be amazing. 

There are 3 Hawaii cruises in the next 15 months and they all leave/return to Vancouver. Minimum 5 days at sea with international travel vs a direct flight to the island of your choosing. A tough sale for me, maybe not for others.

Alaska is a totally different conversation. They have increased the options over the last 5 years for sure. Still wish Glacier Bay was an option on a Royal ship.

My post was referring to the announcement of an increased Southern California presence and the hype around bringing Ovation and Quantum of the Seas to California only to have them sail niche sailings primarily targeted around Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada.

Some new itinerary’s would be great. I don’t think I would make a West coast flight at this point for what’s offered. If you have been to Cabo, Catalina, Ensenada once it’s enough IMO.

24 minutes ago, Thumper44 said:

Princess runs 16 night cruises to Hawaii and back.  They also have 10 night cruises add ports like La Paz, Loreto, and Manzanillo in Mexico.  I'd like to see a 10+ night cruise that goes to Central American Pacific ports and back.

IMO a cruise more than 7 days does not work for most people and would be undesirable. They need to come up with a different 7 day route (if there even is one) out of LA for this to work. There’s a really good reason that Florida is tier 1 for the cruise industry.

If Liberty has his way, Super Mario stands to lose his posh poolside office. 

What will super Mario do when Liberty yanks his status? 

On 7/5/2025 at 8:44 AM, karl_nj said:

You are correct; it's not like MSC and Disney where you have to sail every 5 years to keep your status.

With Carnival's new rewards program, status resets for everyone every 2 years, and everyone starts from scratch again. Sailing a cheapo 3 night cruise every 2 years won't help keep your old level. It's gone no matter what you do. Instead of rewarding lifetime loyalty, it's "what have you done for me recently"

This is a bold move for a company that doesn’t have much to offer like CCL. It’s not like they have amazing ships, private islands, a decent suite program or any great loyalty benefits. This decision will prove to be a mistake.

10 minutes ago, DuckHunter said:

I know that this may annoy others...BUT ME TOO! 

It might annoy others but at the end of the day the volume slider is there for a reason. I blast every machine I play.

5 hours ago, dougalsgirl said:

Apologies for asking this in the Casino section, but just wanted to check, you could smoke in the Casino on a cruise out of Italy? 
My parents are sailing out of Ravenna on Explorer in September and my Mum has a health issue that means she can’t be in an enclosed smokey space, would just be good to forewarn them as she enjoys a flutter so would rather prepare her for the disappointment if she won’t be able to go in! 

Yes, you can smoke in the casino. If your parents have issues with smoke, keep them out of the casino to be safe.

Icon has basecamp and also el loco fresh on the outside decks. The kids don’t really have to leave the pool deck for food. Basecamp is a pretty great spot. 

I will be looking into this. We normally stay at Cosmopolitan which is now MGM. Not sure where you would note MGM players number anywhere with Royal Caribbean that I have seen. Nothing connects with RC’s websites it’s very annoying. The act of booking a comped cruise should not be so murky, they need to firm up the IT dept and build these sites more user friendly. Rant over.

On 7/2/2025 at 11:55 AM, Icon vaccation said:

10k is INSANE! You can get a nice cruise for that price on an older ship. Most people would not even be in the cabana area because they would actually want to enjoy the island and not just one part of it.

Edit: you can get more than just a “nice cruise on an older ship” for $10k. Star of the seas for its first holiday new years cruise can be booked for $10k and that’s 4 people for 7 days!