TheHawk1

Trust me, I am special 😂, although I'm certainly not out to flout any rules just for the sake of it. But let's be honest, an MDR on a cruise ship is not five star dining. It's more akin to a chain restaurant, albeit with a few service frills, to make you believe it's upscale. Having people adhere to anachronistic dress guidelines in an otherwise bourgeois restaurant is just Celebrity's way of coddling a group of passengers who are still stuck in a bygone era.

I wish the fashion police would stop telling people who don’t like the dress guidelines (not code) to go and eat in the buffet like they’re the hired help. This is a cruise ship, not some British period piece like Upstairs Downstairs.

I did this Med itinerary two years in a row, first on Wonder then last year on Symphony. Loved it both times. I think this class is the perfect size ship, except when it comes to port access. I wish RCI could find some other ports in that part of the world that would allow them to dock Oasis ships at, because the route they have now would become too repetitive to cruise more than a couple times.

Looks like the Celebrity lounger police raided your balcony too. Maybe for an Alaskan cruise, it isn't a big issue.

Just checking that it's the notch (indentation) on the deck plan that shows the location of the bed? That's why 15608 has bed closer to the balcony?

I booked an SV on the Edge two years in advance for an Australian cruise. Less than a month later, they were all sold out. You have to be fast to get one of these cabins.

Why should this comfort only apply to suite and Retreat passengers? My question is for Celebrity, not you btw. On E class, the sunset verandas have plenty of room for at least one lounger and even two if you don’t mind it being a little crowded. People pay more for those cabins than a basic IV, so why shouldn’t they be afforded some perk of a little extra balcony furniture if that will have them leaving as happy customers and returning for future cruises? Celebrity has this completely backwards.

This is really annoying how badly Celebrity is handling this issue, far worse than cookie-gate or butler-gate… frankly I can do without either and not impact my cruise. But to pay the ridiculous suite prices, which I have booked on Beyond next winter, only to be told I need to request a piece of balcony furniture that should already be included (and used to be on previous sailings) is insulting and just poor customer service.

Now there’s an idea. They should keep Allure doing the short itinerary cruises and move their better shows over to Utopia. Why Royal is putting their newest ship on duty for weekend booze cruises with accompanying cheap entertainment is beyond me.

It's amazing that Royal customers have to devise all these formulas to figure out where the bed will be in a particular cabin because, for a lot of us, it matters to their enjoyment of their cruise. However, at Celebrity, now part of RCI, their deck plans use a jagged line with an indent between the cabins, rather than a straight line like Royal does. The indent alternates between cabins and shows you where the bed is located, so you can tell at a glance whether it's by the bathroom or the balcony. Perhaps the brain trust at Royal could take a hint from their sister line and start updating their own deck plan drawings to make it easier for their customers?

Most of the so-called shows are actually audience participation, e.g. Crazy Quest, Friendly Feud, Majority Rules, Battle of the Sexes, etc. It seems Royal is counting on its customers to basically entertain each other now, rather than invest in real entertainment experiences.

I agree you can only watch something so many times before it gets stale, no matter how good it is. But does anyone really think Effectors II will have longevity for repeat viewing?

Was looking at booking a similar cruise on Ascent in Fall 2025. Very interested in hearing how this goes.

Was thinking more like Hairspray, Grease, Chicago and Mama Mia, all of which are (were in the case of Chicago) quite good productions for being on a cruise line.

Royal is done with Broadway style shows, as the licensing is too expensive and they aren't family-friendly enough. Icon has Wizard of Oz, to keep the rug rats entertained, but that's not something I would consider Broadway. They should stick to ice shows, aquatic shows and more cirque du soleil type entertainment.

Hardly. It's like a dreadful musical version of an old TV cartoon... think WonderTwins or PowerPuff Girls. It just shows how Royal panders to all things kid-friendly these days and has abandoned their adult Broadway style shows on all the newer ships.

It sounds more like a case of denying people who are asking for them now rather than the Celebrity chair police coming to take loungers away from the balconies where they already exist. I had loungers and chairs on Apex SV less than three months ago.

I asked that same question about five pages back. Are we not just going in circles now 😁? The only way to move the issue forward is for more people to complain directly to Celebrity rather than on CC.

This is so irritating that Celebrity chooses to stick to their nonsense explanation of "safety concerns". If a lounger is dangerous for me to use on my balcony, then the same chair is just as dangerous up on the pool deck. Let's remove them all if they want to reduce the potential liability. Perhaps they could have soft inflatable chairs or bean bag chairs instead, as that would certainly reduce the risk of injury.

I was on Apex at the beginning of March in an SV and the balcony had two loungers, two chairs and a table. I certainly would have raised the issue had there not been loungers, as that is part of the experience with these particular cabins.

One of the best experiences on Oasis class is being outside at night in the Aqua Theatre, with the fresh air and the breeze while enjoying the show. While I can understand this new indoor design allows Royal to be more creative with the production (and avoid cancellations due to weather), it doesn't look to be nearly as nice.

Oh no, you mean I will have to experience this on next year’s Australia/New Zealand cruise too? I thought it was only European cruises where I need to keep my gaze at eye level at all times 😁

Speedos, thongs, all the same to me, as little is left to the imagination and something that's difficult to unsee.

I realize you're asking about evening wear, but be prepared during the daytime to see lots of thongs at the pool, even on the men. Unlike their North American counterparts, European men don't believe in wearing board shorts.

Senior discounts are an urban myth. If Holland America offered them, the line would go broke.