PocketsRN

Getting the itch to add #8 now, trying to restrain myself.

And nevermind being productive after the cruise, try the last week before.  Got 4 days to go, at work now, and all I'm doing is sitting at the desk, looking at the cruise schedule.  Spent the last few work nights sitting at the desk browsing excursions for what I already have booked.  

Well that's true, yay me.

They definitely have changed their target audience, going for younger, more active cruisers.  Good and bad to it, but seems they're starting to Carnivalize the experience...

Ya'll are just rubbing it in now...

6 hours ago, jurrjurr said:

Ship design has been leaning towards multi-purpose rooms.   

Definitely agree.  There are so many areas on the boat that have so much down time.  I was on Independence last year right before its overhaul; passed through the labyrinth nightclub a bunch of times, and never once saw it in use.  It was replaced during the drydock with cabins on the lower deck and Izumi above.  Two decks' worth of wasted space that's now actually generating a little bit of revenue.  What little bit it was used for could easily be accommodated in studio b or even boleros

Be glad you're where you are.  I've got 30 years yet, and by the time I get there, they'll probably have pushed it out another 10 or 15...

No such thing as overzealous when it comes to cruising.  I've got 7 on the calendar now (one of which I need to cancel, but still...).  Got one on sunday, then one in February, april, may, September, and next april.  Keep at it, man.

Empress is definitely more for those who enjoy a more laid back, leisurely onboard experience, and who like being on the ship.  I go to relax, drink, and enjoy the sea, and Empress is perfect for that.  The open air lounge area on the aft end of the promenade deck is an amazing spot, and the owner's suite at the bow is the best cabin I've had on any royal boat.

9 hours ago, HtownHolly said:

Is it an art or science? 

More like a myth...

I'll be the dissenter here and say size isn't everything:

1- Empress

2- Monarch

3- Anthem

Brilliance, Serenade, Navigator, Freedom and Independence are all a toss up for the #4 spot

9- Majesty

10- Enchantment

So what is it about the bigger boats that everyone loves so much?  Is it just the amenities?

This is #15 for me, and the first time I've seen this.  I assume the signature line and whatnot woulda popped up after i selected one.  I was just worried it might be a problem at checkin 

Is this something new on the set sail pass?  Never been prompted to make this selection when printing my pass.  And will it be an issue at the terminal?  We leave tomorrow, and of course I didn't catch it til today when I was getting my stuff together.

Enchantment got a 74-ft extension.  I think the cost effectiveness issue relates to both the size of the ship and the company's overall fleet.  Royal actually did this with their first two ships as well back in the late 70s, but those ships were a third the size of Enchantment, and for the company at the time, it was probably a cheaper and more manageable step to take to increasing capacity than splurging for a whole new boat or two.  By 2005, though, they're operating a much larger fleet of much larger ships, and with the massive steps they were taking then, with Freedom well under way and Oasis probably already in the works, the Enchantment project probably proved too big a cost for too small a gain.

Has anyone seen any changes regarding the ferry issues and whatnot in Mexico?  I've got 2 excursions booked in the next few weeks, both of which require ferries to the mainland.  I haven't gotten any notices or anything from Royal, and haven't seen anything new pop up in the last few weeks.

Any ideas about when it's supposed to be completed?

Forget the cruise planner, I'm on looking through the schedule 2-3 times a day.  I've even started going through it ship by ship and port by port, looking first for ships I haven't been on or places i haven't been to, then going back to the good ol' Bahamas and Cozumel routes I've done so many times already.  Anything I come across that jives with my work schedule and I think might be a good deal (or even relatively so), I'll go all the way to the end of the booking process just to see what the total's gonna be.  Luckily, only twice so far have I found a good one and completed the booking.  A few nights ago I did this for a coworker, but then almost completed the booking for myself when I realized it was for the same day I come back on that same ship, and that I had put in for a couple extra days off when I got back (yay!  Surprise b2b!).  Then I remembered I had cancelled those days because pretty much the whole staff had requested them off, too, and I was not happy.  Last time my cruisin' schedule takes one for the team!

I wouldn't plan on it.  Apparently they only carry the freestyle machines on those ships that sail year round out of the US, and since Rhapsody's only here half the year, probably safe to assume she doesn't have them.  

And don't get overly excited when they start announcing release dates.  You can expect them to be delayed a few times.  The 2018/19 schedules that were released this year I'm pretty sure were initially supposed to be released in January, but didn't start coming out til March, and it took til June to finally get the Australia/south Pacific schedule I was chomping at the bit for.

Embassy suites and Marriott waterside are both just a few blocks down from the port, though Waterside tends to be a little more $$$.  There's also the Hilton and Sheraton, both just a little bit further out.  I stayed at the Sheraton for a cruise a few months ago, and it was like a 3 minute, 3 turn drive over.  Close enough I walked from the hotel to the arena next to the port the night before, and only took me 10-15 minutes.

Next month will be my first experience using air2sea and transfers to the pier.  I had asked my travel agent a while back about how to get/print my plane tickets, and she said everything would be included in my paperwork.  Well I just got it yesterday, and there's nothing for the flights or transfers, just the set sail pass, luggage tag, etc.  Am I missing something here?  Thanks

Anyone have an idea when they're gonna be releasing the new South Pacific itineraries?  I figured they would've been included with the Australia dates last week, but they didn't. 

Not knocking triumph, just a sarcastic reference to that one incident. With some of the complaints I was reading, you'd think it really was something that dramatic.

Which seems to be so easily lost by some on vacation.

No kidding. I was reading some complaints by people onboard. You'd think they were on the Triumph...

Stuck in port or not, still beats being at work. Have a few drinks, chill in the viking crown, have a few drinks, load up in the windjammer, have a few drinks, enjoy some live tunes or a show, and have a few more drinks.

And then a few more...

That's actually what made me think of it. My diamond points finally got posted this past weekend, and I was poking around reading about benefits and all, and came across the coupons thing. I'd be hesitant to try to use em, though, after getting charged last time