AGSLC5

Just got back from my second Vegas trip... They have now banned smoking at table games.. Not only does everyone have to wear a mask but if you want to smoke you cant do it at a table game.. I hope Royal follows suit once they reopen.. 

1 hour ago, Ray said:

As a smoker i have said previously on these threads that smoking in casinos should be stopped, however if we are just saying masks must be worn in all public spaces then that would include Restaurants and bars! And this is the problem finding a fine line that keeps everyone happy in this new normal. 

Ok we ban smoking in casinos ! Im ok with this but what about the guy who doesnt smoke yet he has been onshore all day not adhereing to any covid rules and turns up in Casino or MDR still wearing the same clothes from that days outing that he's been sweating into?

No masks while you eat or drink and god knows whats flying about the air but its ok cause hes not smoking! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally agree its two separate issues.. I personally just think smoking in casinos should be banned period not because of Masks or Covid but because its harmful to other people's health.. 

I hope they Ban smoking. I hate smoking.. a Few Casinos in Vegas have banned smoking but most have not and they require a mask except for when people are drinking or smoking.. so who knows its anyone's guess.. 

1 minute ago, sryan said:

I understand the point of charging more for shorter cruises. I don't blame them but I will stay hopeful. 

As far as Oasis class I have 3 booked within the next year. . Navigator I feel is going to simply be a matter of do I want to b2b cruise to the same ports or drop that ship from my list unless the itineraries change. 

Totally understand.. I have been on Navigator 8 times since its been amped. Its a great ship and I love Hooked seafood. I live in Ft. Lauderdale so before the shutdown I went on about every other month.. I miss it so much and I cant wait for cruising to be back.. Its a wonderful ship. If I ever see them post a longer cruise I will come on here and let you know!

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I've only sailed on Anthem, but I love the Quantum class.  It's my second favorite class, after Oasis.

It can seem a bit crowded along the Esplanade at certain times but generally not a big problem. There are lots of unique activities on the Q class and I love 270 and the Music Hall.

The food is about the same as any other Royal Caribbean ship.   I've actually never eaten in the MDR but I'm sure it's on par with the rest.  On Anthem, Izumi is a very small venue, if that's important - sushi only with no hibachi.  I would probably choose Odyssey just b/c I haven't been on that ship but I would not hesitate to go on Anthem, too.

Good news if you like hibachi... Odyssey is getting a separate Hibachi area.. Should be interesting how they execute that.. 

2 minutes ago, sryan said:

I booked 4 cruises all after May 29th this year so trust me.......... "Never" isn't in my vocabulary 

I don't see longer cruises on Navigator happening for years.. They Amped this ship specifically to do weekend cruises.. They needed a way to make the weekend cruises more expensive.. When weekend cruises were on old ships you could get rates in the $200 a night per person for an inside room.. Now They try to get $400 a person.. Of course they don't always and they drop the price when there isn't demand but they knew what they were doing when they amped navigator. They also charge more for drink packages with shorter cruises so weekend cruises I'm sure are pretty lucrative for them and they wanted to make sure they had a nice ship for that... Do you not like Oasis class ships? They have all the bells and whistles and go for the week you are looking for.. 

56 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Already booked on Rhapsody in an owners suite.  Really just hoping we go as planned.  I’ve nosed around the Celebrity site, admittedly not much but Celebrity looks much more expensive.

Really I appreciate your input but not looking for other ideas at the moment.  I will check back with you if my cruise gets cancelled and I can get my deposit back.

No problem. I hope your cruise goes as planned. An Owner's suite sounds wonderful. Enjoy!

2 hours ago, Pooch said:

We are going to Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya and Grand Caymans.  Hope it goes as planned but will keep your suggestion in mind if it doesn’t. Thanks

Celebrity does this exact itinerary.. So here is the thing about Key West.. Only small ships can dock there. Also Grand Cayman is a tender port so again smaller ships.. I would absolutely look into Celebrity Equinox and see if it is doing this Itinerary.. It leaves from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale but its a much nicer ship than Rhapsody.. Its a small ship but its newer and has a much higher chance to sail because its one of Celebrities newest ships.. 

1 hour ago, Pooch said:

Not that I want it replaced.  But I want the itinerary.  I like sailing out of Tampa.

Edited to add we’ve sailed Empress (MANY years ago) Majesty and most recently Mariner so really have no experience with bigger newer!

But a western Itinerary is extremely easy to get. You don't have to leave from Tampa to get that and you can go on an Oasis class ship and also get that Itinerary plus the shows are so much better, the food is so much better, so many more things to do, a newer bigger ship is just all around so much better. I go on a Family cruise every year.. We are 15 people and our ages range from 16-80.. We find an Oasis class ship makes everyone happy including the people in their 70's and 80's. I cant force you to change but if it were me I would switch to Port Canaveral and get on the Oasis class ship and just look for the week where they do the western itinerary. It should go to 2 places in Mexico, Roatan, and perfect day coco cay. Like I said just a suggestion but that's what I would be doing. 

12 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Don’t want a bigger newer ship!!!  Ok the cruise is a 7 day western Caribbean out of Tampa.  If Rhapsody is out, do you think they’d replace the itinerary with a different ship?

Well I don't know for sure Rhapsody Is out. And if you don't want a bigger or newer ship what would you hope they would replace it with? Also if they continue to leave from Tampa it wouldn't be a bigger or newer ship as only small ships can leave from Tampa because big ships can't fit under the bridge so the biggest ship they could have is a Radiance class ship which is better than Rhapsody but still its on the older side and not very big.. I think you should look into Celebrity.. If you don't want a big ship Celebrity has beautiful smaller ships that aren't as old as Rhapsody.. Any solstice class ship would be nice.. Look for Celebrity Equinox.. It leaves out of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami most of the time and its a great ship.. 

23 hours ago, Pooch said:

Ok what is Rhapsody?  Just had my Disney trip blow up because of Governor Numbnuts don’t take my February cruise away too!!!!

Rhapsody I am sorry to say is an Old Vision class ship.. Its small and old so its not looking too good for that boat but hey you never know.. If I were you If you booked a refundable deposit try to move it to one of the bigger newer ships.. 

1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

Just pulling a guess out of the air, Michelle, so please don’t take anything I say as being “in the know” or a solid prediction.

The original question was simply what we think the first and last ships to sail would be. I’ll stand by my statement that Ovation will sail Alaska before any Radiance ship; but if they do indeed keep two Radiance ships in service there for round-trip and open-jaw sailings, then it would be a toss-up in my mind for which resumes last.

Really? I thought that all Radiance class ships were smaller than Vision class, but maybe I’m thinking of the Voyager class. (that also came out before Radiance class, if I’m remembering right)

I’m honestly not sure if Vision class has any future at this point with Royal. They may well have to sell them off for scrap the way Carnival has done with some of their oldest ships. Radiance class can serve their itineraries just as well, and it gets the oldest ships (besides Empress) off the books.

Yeah I was going to correct you also lol.. Radiance class is absolutely larger than vision class.. It must of been voyager class you were thinking of.. Voyager class and Radiance class were actually built during the same time period but radiance was made to like you said do different itineraries one specifically being Alaska but still they are larger than vision class ships.. I personally think Vision class ships are done. They are old and probably cost a lot to maintain.. Plus they don't have as nice of a view as radiance class ships do in my opinion of course.. Anyway everything else you said I totally agree with lol. 

but the $10 a person is if the kid eats off the Children's menu.. If they want the real menu with Steak they sometimes charge you full price.. 

4 hours ago, Rene Desmarais said:

Thanks,  wasn't aware Oasis class ships can only port out of Miami and Texas..

Actually Oasis class ships currently can only leave from Florida and NJ.. There are no other ports that can hold them yet.. Texas will be coming soon.. Also they can leave from Europe too but I was only counting places in USA

1 hour ago, Rene Desmarais said:

Question:    Where will RCL, Carnival & Norw..  port their ships to pickup their passengers to sail into the Caribbeans? 

It certainly will not be Florida and/or Texas  in the next 4 to 5 months.

 

 

If they do sail they will of course leave from Florida and Texas... Where else do you think huge Oasis Class ships could leave from.. If they don't feel its safe they just won't sail.. 

3 minutes ago, Jill said:

So with RC and NCL collaborating (that’s new news to me) I guess that means they don’t get along with Big Brother Carnival. I would have expected an united front with all 3. Hmmm

 

So health protocols due by end of August. Seems a little close to September 16. 
 

I’ll believe it when I see it. I’ve got Symphony October 17. I’m giving it a 10-15% chance of sailing. I think pigs will fly first but I’ll keep that sliver of hope. 

They went back and said they will have the plan by August 15.. So that gives just about 30 days.. I personally think they will end up starting Nov 1 just in time for holiday season but I do hope your cruise goes in October.. 

I also highly recommend Oasis with kids. The pool deck hands down better for kids, Laser tag, Ice skating, Ice skating show, The new Aqua 80's aqua theater show is amazing and kids will it. its the best Aqua Theater show in the fleet. All the different quick service food options so much better than Brilliance.. To me there is no question if you have kids Oasis or Quantum class is the way to go.. 

Just now, Jill said:

I’m in North Florida. Kids are in Orlando though. Our cases suddenly spiked and all of a sudden, masks appeared! 

We don’t have nearly the “visitors” y’all have down south. 

Also have to keep in mind that if you test positive, you have to keep testing until you’re negative. Each positive after your original is ADDED to the positive cases. So our “new” cases could be double or triple of what they actually are. 

Bottom line: regardless of what the numbers are.....in order to return to any semblance of normal, the cases have to decline whether they’re real or not. 

Yes this is true.. I wear my mask lol. Do I like it no but if it helps to slow down the virus I understand.. I would even be fine with wearing it on cruise ships if it got me on quicker.. I really do hope it slows down. I would love to go on my Symphony Thanksgiving cruise. I really do think cruise lines want to be out for the holiday season but who knows what's going to happen.. 

1 hour ago, Jill said:

Ok so being a Floridian (who’s not on a ventilator by the way ) if schools are back in session in August and it goes well, we will be sailing in October. 

At the grocery today everyone had masks on. 

August is do or die in Florida. The 8 state universities are all starting back in person with social distancing and masks. Public schools too. If we make it through the first 2-3 weeks without a massive spike, we just may sail out of Florida. 

I’m most interested in how they will reduce capacity on board after all cancellations and Lift and Shift have taken place. Right now there are still many cabins available on my October Symphony 

Also a Floridian here.. But where in Florida do you live.. I feel like North Florida is different than South Florida.. Here in south Florida we have had the mask Rule the whole time for going into stores at least in Broward County... I want to cruise more than anything. I am ready to go now. I am not scared. I went to Vegas in June and I am going Back end of July.. With that said people are obsessed with the bad numbers in Florida.. Just because school is happening doesn't mean they will let cruises.. Also again I ask where in Florida you live because in south Florida they most likely are doing a hybrid school model where kids do distance learning half the time.. And in Palm Beach County Teachers don't even want to have any school open they want full distance learning.. So I promise not trying to criticize you just curious where in Florida you live cz down South I am scared they will be shutting us down again soon.. In Which case I need to go to Vegas quicker lol 

18 minutes ago, Bean79 said:

They very much want a summer cruise season too, but the CDC poopooed all over that!!!

Yes they did but A Christmas Cruise and a New Years Cruise sometimes brings in more money than the whole summer season.. I go on a New Years cruise every year with my family and the prices are always sky high. The top suites are Crazy Expensive so yeah I know they want a summer season but Holiday is most important time for them so I feel like they will try to Lobby Hard for it with the CDC.. Now do I know for sure of course not just my opinion that Royal will fight hard for a holiday season more than a summer season.. 

I Think November 1.. I think they very much want to have a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Season.. 

1 hour ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

I also remember (thanks Gmail) being able to book my January 16th, 2010 sailing on September 3rd, 2008.

I followed everything closely back then but don't remember timing of announcements, but as @AGSLC5 mentioned I recall them giving little teasers along the way. I still have some of the photos saved LOL.

Yeah it was great they kept revealing the ship neighborhood by neighborhood.. When they got to "Entertainment place" They announced having Hairspray the full broadway production.. I hope they do something special for Icon

33 minutes ago, Matt said:

I seem to recall a story where the Oasis construction was not announced until someone spotted satellite photos of the ship and then the cruise line confirmed. 

I heard it eons ago, so no clue if that's true.

I do believe it has less to do with being secretive as it does the cruise line not wanting people to wait. They don't want someone saying "Ooooh, Icon class? I'm gonna wait to book a cruise until 2022". They want people booking now, and then closer to launch wooing them with Icon.

I have an excellent memory lol.. So with Oasis here is what happened.. They kept talking about project Genesis. Then Finally like 2 years before Oasis was ready they decided to unveil their new concept "Neighborhoods". They explained that Royal's new ship would be divided up into neighborhoods. Then about every 3 months they released a new neighborhood! The first one they released was Central Park and everyone went crazy with excitement. I remember sitting at my computer looking at the concept art and saying OK yeah this ship is going to be a huge game changer and I HAVE to get on it!! Then they revealed Boardwalk and when they showed the Aqua theater I was in AWE. They kept this going until they were done.. Then they had the naming challenge where some one won a contest for picking Oasis.. Any way my point is If Coved didn't happen I think by now Royal should of released some Icon info.. Now that we have Corona virus who knows what they are going to do with Icon which is very sad.. I'm sure they will still build it but how delayed will it be? Will it still have all the amazing things we hope for? I hope so but who knows lol.. Anyway I wish they would announce things on it they way they did Oasis that was so fun! 

2 hours ago, Ogilthorpe said:

That is the only offer I have in my queue currently also. I suspect Club Royale is holding off on new offers other than the required annual status offers since most ad hoc promotions have a limited shelf life, and the short term future for sailings remains uncertain.  I do, however, check frequently just in case....

They are not holding back actually lol. Like I said I belong to a Facebook group for club Royale members and they post all the offers out there. There are like 5 different offers out there I have seen. You might want to call Casino like I did and make sure your account is able to get offers.

Just now, WAAAYTOOO said:

So have you gotten any new offers ?  The only thing on my list are our annual prime offers.  I haven't decided where I'm going to use these, yet.

No I also only have those and I am part of a Club Royale Facebook group and they keep posting all these offers everyday and I was like why I am not getting these I always get offers.. So This morning I decided to call and ask what the issue is and that's when the Rep started working on it for me..She had to submit this whole proposal to management and she told me in 5 business days it should be fixed and I should be getting offers again. She said keep checking the website and if I don't call again so they can make adjustments. She said I am entitled to about 3 offers they have running. Its just annoying that we have to be like policemen and police the website lol. If it weren't for the facebook group I would of had no clue.. One of the offers is for a cruise in Jan or Feb and I wanted a January cruise for my birthday so I was wondering why did I not get this offer and according to the Rep I absolutely qualify. So hopefully it gets fixed by management and I don't have to call again.