Jasukkie

18 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Last 2 weeks in September on Jewel were terrible.

 

Had to keep cabin door propped open with trash can entire 14  days to get any kind of internet in cabin and we were mid ship on deck 8 near centrum.

 

Some people on our deck were sitting in the hallway's on floor with their lap tops.

I guess I had it good lol. I only had to open my door to connect a couple of times. 

Just off 14 nights on Jewel and they repeated a lot of choices, but not on the same nights. Overall, I would say the food was more basic but the execution has improved. Service was great.

2 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Really! After the Alaska season it must have done a one way to Hawaii and then another oneway trip coming back to Vancouver.  I never noticed that itinerary at all.  That is unusual.  

Yes, it was basically a big round trip to Hawaii from Vancouver. Nice back to back if you have the time. It was undersold, probably because it involved two flight legs for most people. We flew to Hawaii and then used Royal's compensation from the short notice PVSA  problem to fly from Vancouver to San Diego to complete that part of our trip, and then back east.

As a stargazer, I really like the name.

Jewel in September, marginally better than pre-Starlink, but intermittent problems connecting in the cabin. Midship, lower deck. It's nowhere near as good as the wifi on Virgin Voyages for comparison.

3 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

You are right... that does sound like they got the months mixed up.  Either way Radiance is westbound in Sept and eastbound in May. 

LOL, we definitely went from Honolulu to Vancouver! From there, Radiance did a coastal California sailing to LA, and then a Panama Canal sailing. This was fall 2022. We had been booked on the coastal sailing as well but the PVSA problem prevented us from doing that as a back to back.

I was on your cruise, what a wonderul trip! 

I had originally been booked on a RIB tour and had it cancelled due to port time change. I was only able to rebook on the regular iceberg boat tour and expected that to be like the whale boats in Alaska. Thankfully, the boats are really small and able to scratch right up on the bergs. We were able to touch them, get amazing pictures, and on one excursion have a chip of ice to eat. Yes, it was cold, but we did fine without the special suits. It was nice being able to move around to get pictures. I would definitely recommend saving the money and booking the regular boat ones. 

Sailed Honolulu to Vancouver on Radiance last year, late Sept/Oct. Absolutely perfect weather the whole way. Cooler the last two sea days but not cold. Arrived in Vancouver to a picture perfect fall day. We had four islands in Hawaii which was really nice for us because we were first time visitors. 

It's interesting to read of port problems on embarkation in Honolulu. We had the opposite experience. No line, no waiting, very friendly staff. By far the quickest drop off to stepping on ship experience I've ever had. Perhaps it's because we had our first night with the ship as hotel and didn't leave Honolulu until the next day?

Once you get to that info on the app, screenshot it so you have it off the ship if you aren't connecting your phone on land. 

That's interesting about the Aperol Spritz being renamed. It has a lot of haters but I like it. So pretty, light and refreshing. 

The best drink on my last cruise was something a bartender concocted on our last night when bar stocks were low. He muddled several lemons, added some syrup, and some sort of special vodka I didn't get the name of. Very lemony with not too much sweetness. I really wish I had written it down. I don't like most of the menu cocktails, way too sweet for my taste.

I've done time in the Anthem Fight Club, eh, Solarium, and I've never seen teens congregate. Adults fighting over chairs? All the time. Adults deciding they are the DJ now and providing tunes for all on their speaker? Yup. Big parties occupying hot tubs all day long? Of course. 

11 hours ago, GJustice said:

I've seen several people "doing takeout" from the MDR in the last few months. Came to the door, caught a waiter, waited a few minutes, waiter came back with multiple plates to go.

 

NO CLUE if they were sick and quarantined, or just wanted the MDR menu, but HAVE seen it happen more than once.

I've seen this too, and from specialty restaurants. I'd suggest keeping it simple and tipping.

Just want to tag on here rather than starting a new thread. This was as close to a perfect cruise as I could imagine. 

The excursions were magical and while they were very expensive, I have no regrets. For people doing research for future Greenland cruises, book those iceberg tours as soon as you can. By the time your cruise comes around you won't remember the money you paid for them six months before. 

We did the Hvalso Viking church excursion which was $309. Yes, a ridiculous price. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'm glad there wasn't a tour guide. It's a quiet experience. There are enough signs to tell you what you are looking at. It's so rare to be in a place where you can't hear a single man made sound. I would have liked more time but I also understand they have to balance that with no facilities on site.

It's hard to describe time on this sailing, the days flew by, yet I also felt like I had been onboard for a month or two. Weird to be back in the real world now.

Sometimes they have you sit in the theater with your excursion group and they escort you off together. Other times you just meet in the pier area. There will be plenty of staff to help you get where you need to be. Shore excursions staff have hours on the boat if you want to check in with them as to what to expect ahead of time.

2 hours ago, b&wcruiser said:

you only need it on the Oasis and Quantum class ships.

I've bought the pass on Radiance class before.

My doctor wrote a prescription for me ahead of my upcoming two week sailing. I figure covid will be onboard and I'd rather be less sick than more sick. A positive test is no longer required to fill the prescription. I've taken it before without problems, as have a lot of people I know.

The wind tunnel effect on the front of Anthem has lifted me off my feet enough that I have wondered if it were possible to be blown overboard. 

I've done Miami to Rome in the spring and there were some chillier days by the Azores to Gibraltar but nothing too bad. Overall, it was pleasant, but not warm enough to want to go in the pool. Of course, each sailing is subject to weather patterns at that time. 

Just out of curiousity, what do travel workers like pilots and flight attendants do with this issue? Is there any way to renew your passport without mailing in your current passport?

I want to buy the thermal suite pass on my upcoming Jewel sailing but I've never seen it available in the cruise planner. I've done it on Radiance. I know they pale in comparison to the thermal suites on other lines but it's a nice little extra for me. I will check as soon as I board and see if they are offering it.

I would advise opening a high yield savings account and depositing the money you would make as cruise planner purchases and using that as a vacation account.

I thought this was about a hurricane I hadn't heard about yet.

1 hour ago, jerseyjjs said:

  

 

At $3,000 for 2 for a 5 night western Caribbean sailing in early December, that ice cream and pizza are not close to being "free".

The price point is getting closer and closer though. Gratuities and great wifi are included, and the food is considerably better. There's a value to me in my cruise experience to not be seen as a revenue target as well. There's no upselling or nickel and diming onboard. I enjoy both brands. Time will tell, but I could see frequent cruisers who sail without kids deciding to cruise less often but spending more for an upgraded product feel. Royal gets the big family groups. There's probably enough market share for both as long as the economy keeps humming along. 

I've always had port fees returned. 

Virgin Voyages's free ice cream is really good. It's right next to their really good free pizza.