goldfish65

Sister and I were on Spain-Florida in '22. The big thing for me was being far away and undisturbed for a long time. It was easy to carry our purchases onto the ship instead of wrestling to pack them for an airplane ride home, and more relaxing. I brought some good books to read. The two ports were fun. Ship tour was a highlight. Chef's table was not. Officers were seen often and very cordial to talk with. We were in a suite and it was worth it.

Royal hyped it so much! The best vacation land or sea bar none, they claim. Pricing is tricky but they seem pretty good at it. If they make it cheaper and get too trashy of a crowd, then they will alienate people who have real money, and people (such as myself) who pretend to have money but don't want to "lie down with dogs." Just my opinion. 🙂 High-end resorts that I know of are keeping their prices high right now, even though it creates lower occupancy.

Right now, Icon is an experience you can't get anywhere else. So they can price it as such. If they lower the price, they lose some cache' and once that's gone, it's gone.

Advice from my Dad, whatever you think you might spend, double it.

To continue the barrage of questions, Is your cabin temperature comfortable? Is it true that the thermostat will not go below 68 deg?

@cruisinghawg Is there an outdoor space closer to the waterline? Like on smaller ships there's the promenade on deck 4?

Same, but my TA wants the final bill for me to receive a bonus offer. Any tips on the easiest way to get my bill now?

The stories on the internet and YouTube are exaggerated; they are meant to get people worked up. A travel agent's expertise is valuable in saving you money and avoiding pitfalls. Seems like all the cruise lines have their pricing strategies and cutbacks, so in order to "move on," the option is to find other forms of vacation.

My long-time travel agent was on a pre-inaugural cruise and said, it "spoiled (him) for any other ships." Would you agree with that statement?

Thank you for taking the time to showcase the ship. I vowed I would never set foot on such a big ship, but now that I see, Icon is a game-changer. There are still deals through travel agents, I jumped on an inside guarantee for Sept. 2025. It was $2000 less than Royal's website.

Radiance and Vision. Freedom was very mall-like.

Be sure to spend time the suite lounge, and have spirited conversations with other elites about your extensive travels, especially comparing which places you hated the most. Other topics include how well you've done with your investments, how busy life is traveling between your different homes and building new ones, how fascinating it is to collect expensive things. Golf. 😅

Aside from daily gratuities, charges only happen when you use your Seapass card. You'll want to check your onboard account for accuracy while you are still on the ship. If there are any mistakes, you can resolve them at guest services.

I guess if you're a large party, and can't all fit, once the doors close, you request another elevator. I know sometimes on MSC, the display will say something to the effect of "there are no elevators available," hopefully Royal's system is an improvement.

Most recent cruise in December, no final bill email, previous cruises I got one. I checked it before disembarking, and then checked my credit card statement, just to see that nothing was added. Weird.

Never said "ungrateful." I meant that in general, if people are grateful for things, they would be happier. That's all. 😎

There is so much to like. The live music, the food, the promenade deck, the crew, the comfortable layout, rock climbing, etc. I skip the elevators but that's my preference. Tried doing that on Freedom and it was too much of a workout! When Vision class came out, it was state of the art design. You can see the ocean from almost everywhere on the ship. Thursday is the Full Moon! Pretty soon, our only choice will be big ships. If you look for cosmetic deficiencies, you'll find them. If something bothers you, ask a crew member if they can fix it. You have a great attitude, if people took a moment now and then to be grateful, they would be happier. Have fun!

Last month, South Beach had music playing, a bit too loud if you got near a speaker, but otherwise okay. I would go back there; we enjoyed watching volleyball and basketball, food and drink were handy.

The CocoCay bungalows. Suppose the weather is crappy.

Again, thank you. Royal commissioned these paintings. You can't get prints of them. The artist has work in the Smithsonian. He does a lot of book-covers, and science-fiction themed art. Prices aren't bad. Good to see you're already having a blast!

There's a firestorm of scathing reviews from that sailing! All sorts of allegations. I was on Grandeur in January and in September. I was aware of the ship's age, and I noticed some wear and areas that needed maintenance, and the sewage odor. No issues with cleanliness or bad food. Even in a Suite, the towels were frayed, I let it go. I cruise to disconnect and to be on the water. Eleven nights on Grandeur might be too much for me, if the ship is full. Thank you for sharing your experience. Here's hoping the ship gets back in shape during dry dock.

Yes! I appreciate your help. Hoping there are prints of these.

The double sliders will be wonderful especially at night, I would think, will be looking for your experience with them.

So envious, transatlantic last year on Jewel was my first Royal cruise, and so perfect. I get goosebumps imagining I'm there boarding! A favor, if you can, in the entrance hallway to the Windjammer, is artwork of sailboats, what is the name of the artist? Thank you and I hope you have the best time ever.

Duct tape is good for quick fixes of luggage or shoes or a hem or rip, also to block out any slivers of light coming thru the curtains.