RCVoyager

Thank you for the good review. Im talking my husband on his first cruise in august and while id love to be going after the drydock, this worked out for us. Jane

The thing that makes me so mad is Immigration.  I have to buy a Passport for myself and my family and be subject to questions or have my stuff searched.  Meanwhile the border is wide open.  Non citizens can come and go as they please.  I don't know why we put up with this.

There is a nice beach with everything you need right in front of the ships on the town's waterfront.  It's inexpensive to get to.  You can rent chairs and shade.  Probably not very good snorkeling though.  We were in St. Maarten last April.  We went to Orient Beach.  It is nice, but they had a seaweed problem that kept us out of the water.

Take a cab to the park (Chakanaub (Spelling?)).  You can swim, snorkel, swim with dolphins, eat, drink, rest.  It's a nice place.  Also, the last time we were there, we rented scooters.  It was a fun day.

It's broken glass that has been worn down and rounded off by the sea.  Some of it is very old.  Most of it is not.  In the fort in St. Croix there is a small museum devoted to it.  The woman there, I don't remember her name, has the history of it in St. Croix.  There is a multi colored pottery that is very old from there.  We found one piece of it.  The greens and browns, although pretty, are likely beer bottles and not old.  However, the blues, reds, and yellows are old.  Regardless, there is lots there, and we have a beautiful jar full of it, and it's a conversation piece when friends visit.
 
We want to go back to get more.

I love the history of the islands.  I like to visit the forts.  San Juan is my favorite, but as mentioned, stay out of La Perla. 
 
Last year while on the Adventure of the Seas, we went to all islands I'd been to before... except the last day.  We stopped at St. Croix.  I wasn't looking forward to that port because of preconceived notions of it not being very good.  Turns out, it was great.  There is a cool fort right off the end of the pier.  Then we snorkeled and picked up a ton of sea glass that is now displayed in a cool jar on our back porch.  We loved St. Croix.

I fear (for RCCL), that this will be something that comes back to haunt them.  
 
If you push first timers to another line, you risk that they will like it and never come back to you.
 
If you push customers who never felt the need to try anyone else to do so, you risk that they too will prefer another line.
 
If you burn your faithful frequent floaters twice like this, they will be much less apt to jump into anything new you offer.  Initial bookings will lag what they could have been because you now have a record of promising more than you can deliver.  
 
RCCL really shot themselves in the foot on this one, but I don't think Goldstien or Bayley will loose any sleep over it.

RCvoyager.....I agree!
 
I'm just glad we were able to snag a decent room for a similar price last minute on the carnival ship on the same dates. I sure won't be surprised to see quite a few people onboard who are in a similar situation, RC faithful who were forced to make the switch.
 
Been reading off and on all morning trying to familiarize myself with carnivals world and to get some idea what the ship is like. I don't see any reason why we won't enjoy it.

When you get on the ship, go to Guest Services and ask for a sea pass card that says "Extra Key".  It will not be good for charges or getting off the ship, just to get into the second room.  You can each get one.

This does not affect me as I am not booked on that ship, but man what a bad deal.  RCCL is in the business of over-delivering to make it so we can't wait to come back.  What they are doing to some of their best customers is the opposite of that.
 
There are other cruise lines.  I guess it's always good to have options.
 
Good luck to each of you.
 
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This does not affect me as I am not booked on that ship, but man what a bad deal.  RCCL is in the business of over-delivering to make it so we can't wait to come back.  What they are doing to some of their best customers is the opposite of that.
 
There are other cruise lines.  I guess it's always good to have options.
 
Good luck to each of you.
 
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Thanks Doc.  I've done most of the lines myself.  I just noticed that PRC appears to be one loyal passenger.  Of all the lines I've done, I prefer RCCL and Carnival.  I've not done Disney, and I'm happy to travel with my kids, I just don't want to vacation with 1,000 or other people's kids.

Thanks Doc.  I've done most of the lines myself.  I just noticed that PRC appears to be one loyal passenger.  Of all the lines I've done, I prefer RCCL and Carnival.  I've not done Disney, and I'm happy to travel with my kids, I just don't want to vacation with 1,000 or other people's kids.

Thanks Doc.  I've done most of the lines myself.  I just noticed that PRC appears to be one loyal passenger.  Of all the lines I've done, I prefer RCCL and Carnival.  I've not done Disney, and I'm happy to travel with my kids, I just don't want to vacation with 1,000 or other people's kids.

Agreed with above.  Option 2 would be my choice.  Warmer weather in Florida and good weather in the Caribbean.  Florida can be relatively cold in February.  By late April that should be past, and kids should still be in school.

There is a nice beach with everything you need right in front of the ships on the town's waterfront.  It's inexpensive to get to.  You can rent chairs and shade.  Probably not very good snorkeling though.  We were in St. Maarten last April.  We went to Orient Beach.  It is nice, but they had a seaweed problem that kept us out of the water.

Sheraton Old San Juan is great for access to one of the great pieces of history in the hemisphere.  The pool is not great and there is no beach there, but it has awesome access to the old city.  I believe you can get it for less than $200 per night.

It's like America, but South...  sorry I couldn't resist.

Got it.  I think I misread you.  Happy Easter!

Got it.  I think I misread you.  Happy Easter!

RCVoyager, I agree that activities won't be in short supply. I was referring to the two lines in general and not this specific cruise.

There won't be less activities on a music cruise.  the live music will start at about 10:00 AM and go until 3:00 AM.  That's one of the real beauties of it.  I don't want to bore anyone with a personal story, but below I will report some of the highlights on the first BNL cruise in 2007.
 
First, the boarding process was really long, and we didn't know why.  It turns out we finally came to a door.  When it was our turn the door opened, our party of 4 walked in.  There was the all 5 members of BNL.  They posed for a complementary 8 X 10 photo with each group as the boarded.  A copy for everyone was delivered to the stateroom a couple of days later.  The band performed a sail away concert on the Lido Deck that afternoon.  They asked the fans that if we saw the band together on board to approach and chat or pose for a photo.  They asked for privacy if they were with their family.  They performed 2 full length shows during the 5 night cruise.  They had tons of appearances with the fans over the 5 days.
 
There was at least 20 other acts of similar genres on board.  Some we had heard of.  Most we had not.  On about the second night, the four of us were playing Blackjack together in the casino.  A band started playing in the casino.  At first, we wished they would stop because of the noise and distraction.  But, as the minutes went on, we all four started to like it.  After about 20 minutes, we abandoned the Blackjack table to join the gathering crowd around this unknown band.  They were amazing musicians.  They were very entertaining.  They were funny.  They music was great and not the normal "cookie cutter" music of today.  They loved performing for the gathering group.  The band is Gaelic Storm.  They are for me, the single best best band there is anywhere.  I have seen them at least 20 times in concert since that night in January of 2007.  They still play small venues.  They still meet and greet their fans after the show.  They know many of us by name.  In meet and greets they ask about my family.
 
On the last day at sea, at about 10:00 am, we were invited to go to our stateroom, remove all of our clothing, put on a robe, and come out on deck.  Not knowing what was about to happen, and unable to resist temptation, the four of us complied.  We arrived on deck at about 10:20 am.  We were lined up for a large photo.  On the count of 3, we ALL dropped our robes for about 5 seconds.  It is estimated there are 1000 barenaked people in that photo, and you can find it on the internet.  It was original, amazing, fun, and not dirty like many would think.  There are beautiful women in it.  There are children in it.  There are men in it.  BNL is in it.  It was a highlight of an amazing cruise, and as you can imagine, not like any other cruise I've been on.

I read about last year's '80s cruise and they had some decent acts. I'd go for it. Also, I don't think you'll find Celebrity all that different apart from better food quality and less onboard activities.

I notice you've done the Adventure of the Seas 4 times.  I love that ship.  June will be my third sailing on her.  My wife once invited me out for dinner.  She said she would take me to my favorite restaurant... wherever it was.  My answer was that dinner would not cost her a dime because my favorite restaurant was the MDR on the Adventure of the Seas.  Obviously the restaurant has little to do with it!  I really love San Juan and the Southern Caribbean.  In June, we'll go there again with 8 family members who have never been there.

While I have absolutely loved all of my RCCL cruises and I like the idea of cruising with just one cruise line in order to gain a higher standing, I think the lesson in this is to spread yourself around among the cruise line so as to not be taken for granted.