JohnnySB

Hello folks, as we get ready for our inaugural cruise this summer. I’m trying to get as much info as possible. This blog as been a wealth of knowledge for first time cruises like us. I have a question concerning passports. Do we need a passport to board the cruise ship? And what about port days. I kk is USVI is a us common wealth. But what exactly does that mean? And what about st. Maarten?

I don’t mind smaller portions just don’t sacrifice quality and taste

I see. So if we ate at windjammer for breakfast or lunch then had hibachi for dinner one night. Then the next day have Izumi prefix for lunch and maybe Jamie’s for dinner. Thanks for clarifying things. It was a little confusing in the beginning

Thanks for the info. What if we wanted the teppanyaki style dining. Is that prefix? And is teppanyki included with the UDP I purchased. Let’s say I wanted a bowl of Raman and my daughter wants chicken teriyaki for lunch. Can we still do teppanyaki for dinner same day?

Good morning all, ive been following this blog regularly and the YouTube version to get as much information as I can before my family’s maiden voyage on harmony of the seas this august. Today there was a video blog on this exact subject concerning changes and cutbacks. The narrator Matt pointed out some changes and he makes a lot of good and strong point about the changes to 1 a day housekeeping or the increase in gratuities to the 1 lobster rule in the MDR. I have 1 topic that I’m a little confused about. It’s regarding Izumi. I purchased and UDP. What’s the difference between the fixed price option versus the UDP? That’s the only section I was totally confused about. Is the fixed price dining something different from the package I got?

I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m perfectly ok with raising prices just as long as service and quality doesn’t suffer. I think that cruises are a great bargain for the family. When we were deciding on this years end of summer trip for the kids. It was between a cruise or Disney world. The cruise was a better deal. And you are correct about booking early. We got a crown loft for like 11k. We added unlimited dining and beverage. Day excursions and on ship activities and it was still cheaper than Disney world. And I don’t really mind cutbacks to get out of debt. But I hope they don’t go the route of the airline industry. Where they keep raising prices and keep cutting things. I’ve traveled for business for over 30 years. And it’s outrages that the airlines industry has become. You’re basically cattle being herded to your seats. And unless u pay for business or first

Oh good I’m glad to hear that. I am so much looking forward to our vacation. We’ve been planning this for 2 years. But since it’s our first cruise. I did t have any expectations. Only what I’ve read and heard. So either way I feel we will have a great time. It’s hard to be disappointed when you do t expect anything

And I hope you’re right. I am just concerned because these big corporations Just care about the bottom line. We live in an era where it seems that their main goal is to fill as many rooms as possible and fill as many seats as possible while cutbacks are the norm. the one glimmer of hope is Las Vegas. In order to attract customers Vegas has had to reinvent themselves. Offer the customers more value and keeping costs at a manageable number. It’s worked for them as they’ve rebounded very well after the pandemic. We were there for the Super Bowl weekend. Complete pandemonium. Rooms sold out. And these rooms weren’t cheap. But the amenities and restaurants were all great

I agree! My expectations are none because my family have never been on a cruise. Any experience will be new to us. So I won’t have anything to base this experience on. If it’s great then great! If it’s not so great then there’s something better to look forward to. But I have read elsewhere that the cutbacks be more noticeable to people who have traveled in the past. Seasoned travelers who are “frequent “ cruise passengers who are used to certain amenities might be upset if those things are missing. Especially if there’s a price increase. Airline’s industry is a classic example. I remember before flying was something different from what it is today. Even in couch you used to have drinks and snacks. Nowadays, the seats have gotten smaller as the industry tries to squeeze more and more seats in. Checked bags used to be first one free. Now you have to pay for everything. And now there’s not just coach but a second tier couch. And the airlines industry never got their issues straightened out. I hope the cruise industry doesn’t go the way of the airlines where they pack as many people in as possible and give the least amount back as possible.

Good to know about St. Thomas leaving at around 3. We’re not early rise people so I think after breakfast aboard the ship we’ll just relax at Magens beach for a few hours. Looks like at. Maarten is where we’ll do some sight seeing

Lmao..

Me too! This is my family’s first cruise ever. I have no expectations. The only things I know about cruises so far are from what I’ve read on blogs like this one and trip advisor or when my kids show me a YouTube video of a family’s cruise vacation. I think my friend was letdown because his family go on cruises all the time. They’ve gone on 3 so far in the past 12 months. So his expectations are based on previous experiences. Despite the cut backs and lower quality food ect ect. I’m still looking forward to spending quality time with my family.

Yeah it makes sense. In any business, if revenue goes down there’s usually a lay off or cutbacks to services that follows. I.E google. And when you cut back staff that means service suffers because there’s more work and less people to do them. Quality is affected because now they’re just putting out anything for the customers because high end stuff are more expensive. You’re right and it’s sad that this is the new reality

I have a friend who is a frequent cruiser. This couple just got back from a recent cruise on independence of the seas. I was surprised by the negative feedback I got about his experience. He basically said that while prices have gone up, quality and service has gone down. He says the specialty dining restaurants were a let down. The portions were smaller and the quality of the taste was mediocre. The buffet was a letdown as well. I’m not a big fan of buffets to begin with but the specialty dining is a cause for concern if what he said was true. And he said that royal Caribbean posted that they won’t clean the rooms twice a day? I’ve never been on a cruise so I didn’t quite understand that statement. Anyone been a a very recent cruise on Harmony’ of the seas? What did you guys think? Did you guys notice a decline in food quantity, quality and customer service?

Excellent idea!