baltodave

On 7/4/2025 at 11:42 AM, Pooch said:

I’d like to see Jersey Boys or Chicago.

This issue is any new show would require a new set and that would very likely be built during a drydock.  I don't know how they could build a new set so quickly and have rehearsals in time for September. 

20 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Nooooo!!!!!!

Why why oh why?? 

Why get rid of Grease and they keep Cats on Oasis...!!??

100%. Apparently it has to do with the contract for Grease and the fact that Harmony is going to dry dock in a few months. 

37 minutes ago, Pooch said:

Thank God. Such an awful musical.  The original musical was bad enough but this is based on the even more awful movie.  Double the “just bad”!!

Ok. So we've established that you didn't like the show nor the movie (fun fact: the movie has grossed over $396M).  But you didn't answer my question. 

I've seen massages on FB that Grease is ending its run on Harmony OTS the end of August.  I have not gotten any confirmation from RC but one of the commentors on FB has a son in the cast and he confirmed it. Does anyone know what it will be replaced with?  (don't say "Columbus...The Musical" because it's already performed on that ship)

TIA!

3 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

Are you posting AI generated responses?

No, I also posed the question because when I looked at a recent Cruise Compass, I didn’t see the 70s party and my wife enjoys them  

We are going on Harmony OTS in October and when I looked at a recent Cruise Compass, I could not find any mention of the 70s Disco Inferno party that has been held in the Royal Promenade.  Did Royal do away with it?

Thanks @twangster I've been wondering if GigSky is any good and you answered that question.  My cell plan allows for WiFi calling so I'll stick with Voom and Celebrity's equivalent.  Also, as long as you book far enough in advance, you can usually get decent prices during Black Friday week.  

I'm familiar with Royal's "Key" add-on (and its benefits).  We are taking our first Celebrity cruise next year and just bought the "Premium Access Wifi..." add-on.  What are the differences between Royal's "Key" and Celebrity's "Premium Access"?

Is there a resource like RoyalCaribbeanBlog for Celebrity Cruises?  I'm taking my first Celebrity Cruise next year (after about 13 RC cruises) and would like to learn some tips and hints.

Thanks!

We are 3 couples (6 adults) taking a western carib. cruise in October.  We're looking for recommendations for an excursion in Roatan. 

Thanks! 

40 minutes ago, JasonOasis said:

Let me start out by sayin gI'm not disagreeing with you and I certainly hope to  see Project Discovery fulfilled somewhere between the size of a Voyager Class ship and Freedom Class ship. 

What now has me worried is given how expensive it is to build a clean sheet design cruise ship how long would it take for a Royal to turn a profit off a potential Project Discovery ship if it is smaller in size.  Right now Oasis Class and Icon Class ships are the destinations there are just as many people sailing on those ships just because the love the class of ship as their are people sailing on those ships to visit the various ports of call. Can a smaller Project Discovery have that same duel appeal that has made Oasis and Icon Class ships so popular? Whereas ships in the Voyager/Vision/Radiance class aren/t necessarily the destination, the destination is the destination and the cruise ship is just the vessel transporting folks fro one port to another.   Can a ship smaller than Quantium Class be the destination while also getting you to the destination that the larger mega ships simply can't visit?  And if the ship is the destination like an Oasis or Icon Class how much space does Royal dedicate to things like activities, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, shopping, the list goes on and on keeping in mind the more space you dedicated to things like that equals less space for staterooms or worst smaller staterooms. 

Again I want to see Project Discovery come to fruition but given how competitive that part of the market has become and given what we've seen from companies like NCL which has done a complete 180 with their Prima Class realizing the original Prima which is a destination ship was to small didn't have enough staterooms something they are correcting with Prima 3 and 4 which will be 10% larger than the original Prima, and when Prima 5 and 6 are delivered both those ships will be not only longer than Prima but also wider than Prima by at least 20%.    On the other hand you have Virgin Voyages which has found success with its smaller ships that are also destinations but Royal isn't Virgin.  

Trying to thread this needle is going to be difficult and I don't think Royal wants to find themselves in the position NCL found themselves in within months of Prima's launch where NCL went back to the drawing board to expand Prima 3, 4, 5, and 6 which pushed the delivery of all those ships back by a few years do to design changes.  Prima 5 and 6 because of the massive changes taken place will now not be delivered to NCL until 2027 and 2028 which is years behind their original schedule and a ta point in time where NCL needs every new ship it can get.  Royal doesn't what that to happen to Project Discovery to avoid that they've have to take the time now to get this right or suffer the same fate NCL is currently suffering with Prima Class.

 

Jason-

A great post!  You really hit the nails on the head (and I purposely wrote "nails").  Some things I would add to your discussion about whether the ships themselves or the ports are the destinations: There's a population of cruisers who like the "classic" cruise experience and don't want a floating theme park.  Also, I've heard more than one RC employee refer to the Baltimore embarkation port as the "Royal ATM" since it generates so much cash (it's in the perfect location for cruisers that don't want to fly).  I think the same can be said about Tampa.  I, too, hope Project Discovery comes to fruition and hope that RC doesn't turn it's back on the mid-Atlantic. 

Hi All,

We've been using the great Michelle Cunningham of MEI.  Well, we just got an email from MEI announcing that she is retiring and the TA we are being assigned to is Jenn Greene.  Just wanted to let everyone know in case you've been working with Michelle.

Hi Everyone,

We are 3 couples (6 adults/no children) taking a cruise out of Galveston in the Fall.  We are flying to Hobby either one or two days before the cruise.  If fly in 2 days prior to embarkation, we’ll probably spend the day at the Johnson Space Center.  In either case, we’ll likely stay in a hotel near Hobby (as opposed to a Galveston hotel).  With 6 adults all with luggage, what is everyone’s recommendation for traveling from the Hobby area to the cruise port in Galveston on embarkation day?  Also, we’ll want to return to Hobby post-cruise.

Thanks!
 

26 minutes ago, LTR said:

Sounds like what my wife always says to me 

Maybe they will ask you specifically next time!

That’s a pretty ignorant thing to say. All they needed to do is check a calendar or Google. Also, I’m sure there are some Jewish employees they can check with. 

5 minutes ago, Ryan79 said:

There is no single date range that is ever going to appease 100% of the people. If the dates work for you, great! If not, maybe next time! 

I understand that but it shows a complete disrespect and ignorance.  Quick story:  I used to work for a major manufacturer and whenever the national sales training manager scheduled anything, she consulted with me first 

13 minutes ago, Southern Dan said:

I was booked and then had to bail as we switched our Odyssey Mediterranean sailing from July to Sept during it.

Off topic but if your Odyssey Med cruise is the eastern med (Greece, Montenegro, Croatia), we did a similar itinerary on Rhapsody a couple years ago and it was wonderful. We also sailed on Odyssey out of Florida last year and she's a great ship. 

I am very disappointed in Royal Caribbean for scheduling the President's Cruise 2025 on Rosh Hashanah.  

I just clicked the link in the article but it's not applying the 20% discount.  I'm logged in (and I'm Diamond).  Did this promo end?

5 hours ago, ScottishRobbie said:

The same size as the Voyager class, and expected to be in service in 2027 is what was said at Captain's Corner on Ovation last week. Captain Espen added that there are renderings of the new class out there but that he personally hadn't seen them.

I hope it will be able to fit under the bridges in Tampa and Baltimore (Voyager class ships do not).

3 minutes ago, amanalo217 said:

Getting OBC for 1 day cruise fare, 1 day for any week long pre-paid purchase like beverage/dining/zoom, and any shore excursions that cant be accomidated do to rescheduling of port stops.

Have talked to some folks who are having problems with trying to get late hotel checkouts do to full bookings for weekend because of Taylor Swift concerts.

Has the itinerary been changed?

And I was wondering what people would do all day in NOLA who had to check out of hotels.  Can they store luggage at the port?

It will be interesting to see what RC does for the people disembarking late and for those embarking late.

4 hours ago, NRD said:

...A lot of people are leaving Royal for other cruise lines.  ...

"You can't please all the people all the time"   How do you explain that RCL's stock price is around $200, the ships are full and prices are up?

RCL is pricier than CCL but not by that much.   CCL's PE is 18.2 while RCL's PE is 21.8.  

(I just wrote this you Youtube)  I wonder how this will affect Maya Chan.

On smaller ships with less outlets, it's a good idea to bring a European adapter.  But it's a good idea to understand the difference between an "adapter" and a "converter".  Adapters are cheaper and simply allow a US-style plug.  That being said, European outlets put out 220-240 volts.  US outlets put out 100-127 volts.  Make sure whatever you plug into the European adapter can handle both.  In my case, my USB hub handles both.  A long time ago, when I wore contact lenses, they had to be soaked in a warmer overnight.  I didn't realize the difference and the lenses were brown the next morning!  Lesson learned! 

Converters are more expensive and convert the voltage from European (220-240) to US (usually 110).