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New Explorer and Freedom Deployments Booking


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29 minutes ago, Mike.s said:

Think RCCL are missing a trick here, not everyone wants to their private islands, or visit the same ports year after year, it certainly makes you look at other alternatives to RCCL

Agree here.  To me, St. Martin is a little tired.  I wouldn't avoid it, but again choosing between it and Grenada is easy for me.

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5 hours ago, RCVoyager said:

 

The Explorer is not a sister to the Freedom.  Freedom is one of three in the Freedom Class.  Explorer is one of five in the Voyager class.

I'm aware of this.  I'm really trying to stay positive about all this.  I decided to sleep on it to see how I felt this morning. 

Given that our B2B on Freedom for January 2022 was the result of two "lifts and shifts" of cruises scheduled in 2021.  Considering the time spent to make it so we could stay in the same stateroom.  Then factoring in that we upgraded our rooms because the price guarantee that carried over to the cruises in 2022 seemed attractive.  Finally given that we were very pleased with the net result and this was all done about one month ago ...

I have slept on it and have concluded that L&S is nothing more than Bait and Switch!

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8 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

I agree with others that not everyone is all that interested in CocoCay.

Ding! Ding! We don't have any interest to get on a cruise ship as transportation to a land resort. Not our personal interest when it comes to cruising. Other's mileage may vary.

I think in general...reduced capacity (for the foreseeable future) will result in reduced numbers @ CocoCay in comparison to their original plan...unless they start pushing more ships and/or capacity there.

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5 minutes ago, Gears said:

Ding! Ding! We don't have any interest to get on a cruise ship as transportation to a land resort. Not our personal interest when it comes to cruising. Other's mileage may vary.

I think in general...reduced capacity (for the foreseeable future) will result in reduced numbers @ CocoCay in comparison to their original plan...unless they start pushing more ships and/or capacity there.

For me, CocoCay or a day in a real port will ALWAYS go the direction of selecting an itinerary that has the port (even if it is a multi-time repeat location).

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42 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

I'm aware of this.  I'm really trying to stay positive about all this.  I decided to sleep on it to see how I felt this morning. 

Given that our B2B on Freedom for January 2022 was the result of two "lifts and shifts" of cruises scheduled in 2021.  Considering the time spent to make it so we could stay in the same stateroom.  Then factoring in that we upgraded our rooms because the price guarantee that carried over to the cruises in 2022 seemed attractive.  Finally given that we were very pleased with the net result and this was all done about one month ago ...

I have slept on it and have concluded that L&S is nothing more than Bait and Switch!

Didn't mean to come off to forward.  I just wanted to be sure you knew the facts.  Good luck with your choice(s) here.

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32 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

Didn't mean to come off to forward.  I just wanted to be sure you knew the facts.  Good luck with your choice(s) here.

Your comment was absolutely fine ... no problem with it.

However, Royal's notification to me about the changes were another matter --- here's the excerpt from the notification I was referring to ... in Royal's words:

"The good news is, our sister ship, Explorer of the Seas, is heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico! The even better news? She'll sail on the exact same day as your original cruise and will visit similar destinations!"

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26 minutes ago, Dad2Cue said:

Your comment was absolutely fine ... no problem with it.

However, Royal's notification to me about the changes were another matter --- here's the excerpt from the notification I was referring to ... in Royal's words:

"The good news is, our sister ship, Explorer of the Seas, is heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico! The even better news? She'll sail on the exact same day as your original cruise and will visit similar destinations!"

That is dishonesty on RCCL's part.  The Explorer is clearly not a sister ship to the Freedom.  I find it hard to believe they thought nobody would call them out on this.  RCCL needs to clarify and correct this notification.  This is sad if Royal has come to this.

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Freedom class is a stretched version of Voyager class.  Voyager Ultra class.  Other than the extra 90' feet in the middle, the ships are basically the same.  They literally took the Voyager class design and added 90' in the middle.  This new space afforded a dedicated Sorrento's pizza venue and a Ben & Jerry's ice Cream shop in the promenade instead of pizza being offered in cafe Promenade.

Personally Voyager class is a real sweet spot for me.  I have always found them to be the perfect blend between being a large ship but also being easy to get around.  Voyager class is still larger than anything in the current Carnival whale tail fleet so they are large ships, make no mistake.

Explorer's cancelled amplification is definitely unfortunate.  Much like Allure's cancelled amplification is also a disappointment.  These are extraordinary times without a doubt. 

When I sailed Explorer in 2018 for a Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise I was surprised my cabin was already refreshed.  Many areas of the the ship had been refreshed without calling it an amplification because Royal did that back then without all the marketing hype.  The Tavern for example with a large screen TV for watching sports.  

Here is the 2018 trip report from that group cruise with Explorer pictures.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6634-explorer-alaska-62218-7-nights-rclblog-group-cruise/

The big thing lost from the missed amplification is water slides.  If water slides are important to your family that is probably the biggest consideration.  The pool deck area may have been updated with new furniture and decor but that is largely cosmetic.

I understand change is always unwelcome at first.  It represents an unknown.  Take a second to look at Explorer with fresh eyes as if you weren't already booked.  I'd have no issue booking Explorer tomorrow absent of the history of how you got here.  With that fresh perspective made an informed decision.   

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37 minutes ago, twangster said:

Freedom class is a stretched version of Voyager class.  Voyager Ultra class.  Other than the extra 90' feet in the middle, the ships are basically the same.  They literally took the Voyager class design and added 90' in the middle.  This new space afforded a dedicated Sorrento's pizza venue and a Ben & Jerry's ice Cream shop in the promenade instead of pizza being offered in cafe Promenade.

Personally Voyager class is a real sweet spot for me.  I have always found them to be the perfect blend between being a large ship but also being easy to get around.  Voyager class is still larger than anything in the current Carnival whale tail fleet so they are large ships, make no mistake.

Explorer's cancelled amplification is definitely unfortunate.  Much like Allure's cancelled amplification is also a disappointment.  These are extraordinary times without a doubt. 

When I sailed Explorer in 2018 for a Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise I was surprised my cabin was already refreshed.  Many areas of the the ship had been refreshed without calling it an amplification because Royal did that back then without all the marketing hype.  The Tavern for example with a large screen TV for watching sports.  

Here is the 2018 trip report from that group cruise with Explorer pictures.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/6634-explorer-alaska-62218-7-nights-rclblog-group-cruise/

The big thing lost from the missed amplification is water slides.  If water slides are important to your family that is probably the biggest consideration.  The pool deck area may have been updated with new furniture and decor but that is largely cosmetic.

I understand change is always unwelcome at first.  It represents an unknown.  Take a second to look at Explorer with fresh eyes as if you weren't already booked.  I'd have no issue booking Explorer tomorrow absent of the history of how you got here.  With that fresh perspective made an informed decision.   

Good call Twangster as usual for you.  However, for RCCL to call Explorer a sister ship is dishonest.  They are the one's who named the ships and put them in classes to begin with.

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2 hours ago, RCVoyager said:

That is dishonesty on RCCL's part.  The Explorer is clearly not a sister ship to the Freedom.  I find it hard to believe they thought nobody would call them out on this.  RCCL needs to clarify and correct this notification.  This is sad if Royal has come to this.

Good call Twangster as usual for you.  However, for RCCL to call Explorer a sister ship is dishonest.  They are the one's who named the ships and put them in classes to begin with.

To be fair, in one sense EVERY ship in the fleet is a "sister ship" to every other ship in the fleet. The different classes might be considered "step-siblings" to us but...

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1 hour ago, twangster said:

Freedom class is a stretched version of Voyager class.  Voyager Ultra class.  Other than the extra 90' feet in the middle, the ships are basically the same.  They literally took the Voyager class design and added 90' in the middle.  This new space afforded a dedicated Sorrento's pizza venue and a Ben & Jerry's ice Cream shop in the promenade instead of pizza being offered in cafe Promenade.

Personally Voyager class is a real sweet spot for me.  I have always found them to be the perfect blend between being a large ship but also being easy to get around.  Voyager class is still larger than anything in the current Carnival whale tail fleet so they are large ships, make no mistake.

Explorer's cancelled amplification is definitely unfortunate.  Much like Allure's cancelled amplification is also a disappointment.  These are extraordinary times without a doubt. 

We took 4 Freedom class cruises between 2012 to 2015  and liked them all.  Then we did an Alaska cruise in 2016 on Explorer.  We liked that cruise as well except that Explorer seemed like she was missing something but Alaska made up for it.  Ever since we have been on Quantum and Oasis class ships.  For me, I like Quantum class because of the indoor solarium when the weather is bad but that class tended to remind me of an indoor shopping mall everywhere else.  Oasis class was a bit too much because of crowds and reservations everywhere. 

We were just looking forward to returning to Freedom.  I'm trying to like the idea of going on Explorer again.  I haven't quite decided what to do yet.  As far as the notification goes, I think a humble apology and something about extraordinary times would have been received better than:

"The good news is, our sister ship, Explorer of the Seas, is heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico! The even better news? She'll sail on the exact same day as your original cruise and will visit similar destinations!"

The cancellations and the hassles with FCC's, refunds and L&S's are taking a toll on me ... Just when I had everything worked out ... BAM!

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Grandeur and Enchantment are "sisters" in the same class but different namely an extra section in the middle.  

For folks that had Radiance subbed in for Explorer cruises that represents a significant change in many ways.  Explorer and Freedom have more in common than different.  

As someone who had a star class aqua theater suite subbed to a grand suite on a Freedom class ship with zero offer of anything I totally understand the emotions of the situation.  At the end of the day you need to make a decision.   Once you can get to the point to take the emotion out of the equation, make a choice on the options available that best meet your vacation needs.

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and people still wonder how they are going to get to the reduced capacity without telling someone who is booked that they can't sail.

I'm sure this change will help reduce capacity so that after the cancellations they can cap the rooms they sell.  My self I'm real glad that i have a travel agent, my first worry is my Jan/Feb 2022 cruise is a b2b and will i have the same room on both of my cruises.

My second concern is they gave me, at least how I read it, a very limited time to get a true refund of my deposit have to decide by 30 Oct 2020.  There is enough restrictions on FCC use, one per sailing pp, each person has their own and can only be used on them, etc.

I also try to stay positive, but am also a realist.  Already been stung by the airlines and am just a little more leery now.

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1 hour ago, CruiseGus said:

I'm sure this change will help reduce capacity so that after the cancellations they can cap the rooms they sell.  My self I'm real glad that i have a travel agent, my first worry is my Jan/Feb 2022 cruise is a b2b and will i have the same room on both of my cruises.

We might be on the same B2B if you are talking about Freedom -- now Explorer 1/23-1/30/22 and 1/30-2/6/22 cruises. That deadline of 30 Oct 2020 is also strange given that I don't even know my new stateroom assignments and how "similar" the itineraries will be.  It seems like the default is that you accept the change if you don't cancel by the end of the next week. The cruises are more than a year away ... why do I need to decide in 10 days?

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3 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

It's....weird.

image.png.191746d6c93a7688f052f4f1f103722f.png

I guess the idea is that one person can be in the shower while the other does her hair.  That makes sense, but as you said, it looks weird.  That probably won't turn us away as it would come in handy for getting ready, but we would not want that in our house.

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20 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

I guess the idea is that one person can be in the shower while the other does her hair.  That makes sense, but as you said, it looks weird.  That probably won't turn us away as it would come in handy for getting ready, but we would not want that in our house.

I'll try to ignore the assumption that only women seem to hog the sink, but what bothers me is that someone getting up in the middle of the night is going to wake the other person up having to turn on the light to wash their hands. Dumbest. Thing. Ever.

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29 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I'll try to ignore the assumption that only women seem to hog the sink, but what bothers me is that someone getting up in the middle of the night is going to wake the other person up having to turn on the light to wash their hands. Dumbest. Thing. Ever.

I just did it to see if you would notice.  You did.  No offense intended.

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My April 2022 on Freedom got swapped for Explorer and I was able to see the new itinerary by looking up the Explorer sailing on that date.  All the same islands except in a different order and one new island replaced the only sea day we originally had.  I'm fine with the itinerary change because I prefer to do pool lounging on the ship while it's in port for less crowds and less wind.  I figure port intensive trips give you more options for either staying on the ship or getting off each day, while a true sea day is only one option. I'll just have to figure out which island I want to visit the least and stay on that day.

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We sailed on Epic a few years ago and I HATED that bathroom setup.  Water splashed all over in the room.  It was just too bizarre.  I liked the ship although I think it’s ugly from the outside....but the rooms were small, the balconies were small and that sink out in the middle of the room was just too weird.

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9 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We sailed on Epic a few years ago and I HATED that bathroom setup.  Water splashed all over in the room.  It was just too bizarre.  I liked the ship although I think it’s ugly from the outside....but the rooms were small, the balconies were small and that sink out in the middle of the room was just too weird.

This thread has been really helpful to me.  We are looking at a group cruise in Jan of 2022.  I've allowed myself to drift toward NCL despite the poor Main Dining Room experience when I was last on NCL (2007).  I really like their ABC itinerary with Grenada.  However, the discussion of the bathroom situation (Speed Noodles) and the small rooms/balconies (Waaaytooo) has me reconsidering my reconsidered position on NCL.

There is pressure when you are the person at the point of decisions for a group of friends.  I don't want to mess this up.

Thanks for the input, and any additional would be appreciated.

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10 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We sailed on Epic a few years ago and I HATED that bathroom setup.  Water splashed all over in the room.  It was just too bizarre.  I liked the ship although I think it’s ugly from the outside....but the rooms were small, the balconies were small and that sink out in the middle of the room was just too weird.

Agreed.  The room design on Epic is awful.  At least they learned from their mistake as it's the only time they ever did that.  The toilet and shower are on separate sides of the room with frosted glass the only thing keeping someone from seeing in and they weren't soundproof at all.  They did have a curtain you could pull to separate off the entry, but still not ideal, especially if you are sharing a room with a friend and not a spouse/significant other!

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36 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

 

There is pressure when you are the person at the point of decisions for a group of friends.  I don't want to mess this.

This is precisely how we ended up on Epic !  It was a group of friends and at that time, Epic was a brand new ship.  There are a number of our cruise friends who prefer NCL so we’re always happy to go on NCL when it’s their turn to plan the trip. Epic was the last NCL cruise for us and it wasn’t a great experience. We’ve stuck with Royal pretty much since then 

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We were booked on Freedom in Feb 2022 and have been switched to Explorer.  We are going to change to a different cruise all together.  This is a big disappointment, we were on Freedom a number of years ago and loved it, were really looking forward to the amplified Freedom.  We cruised on Adventure before and just are not fans of the voyager class.  It just seemed lacking compared to Freedom and Oasis class, most notably the quality of the on board entertainment and shows.  We will probably use this as an excuse to sail on Symphony.   

 

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1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

Agreed.  The room design on Epic is awful.  At least they learned from their mistake as it's the only time they ever did that.  The toilet and shower are on separate sides of the room with frosted glass the only thing keeping someone from seeing in and they weren't soundproof at all.  They did have a curtain you could pull to separate off the entry, but still not ideal, especially if you are sharing a room with a friend and not a spouse/significant other!

This is what kept me off the Epic several year back with my scuba buddy (teenage girl at the time).  One look at the bathroom setup and that was not going to work.  

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On 10/22/2020 at 4:12 PM, Dad2Cue said:

We might be on the same B2B if you are talking about Freedom -- now Explorer 1/23-1/30/22 and 1/30-2/6/22 cruises. That deadline of 30 Oct 2020 is also strange given that I don't even know my new stateroom assignments and how "similar" the itineraries will be.  It seems like the default is that you accept the change if you don't cancel by the end of the next week. The cruises are more than a year away ... why do I need to decide in 10 days?

yes same back to back and both from Iowa - hit me up at hotmail if you like.

it does seem like they want us to decide fast, but probably a method to retain money on hand.

good thing this one is with a TA

23 hours ago, Brobbins246 said:

My April 2022 on Freedom got swapped for Explorer and I was able to see the new itinerary by looking up the Explorer sailing on that date.  All the same islands except in a different order and one new island replaced the only sea day we originally had.  I'm fine with the itinerary change because I prefer to do pool lounging on the ship while it's in port for less crowds and less wind.  I figure port intensive trips give you more options for either staying on the ship or getting off each day, while a true sea day is only one option. I'll just have to figure out which island I want to visit the least and stay on that day.

Odd because i just checked all Jan/Feb 2022 sailing from San Juan and Explorer for our dates does not show.  Really would like to know if i have the same stateroom on both sailing, before I commit.  i have had to change staterooms before and will never do it again, worst part about that experience is there was a fog delay, had we stayed in the same room we could have relaxed there instead of waiting in the theater for 7+ hours

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