ZiggaZagga17

On 4/15/2021 at 10:01 PM, MsPoppadom said:

Rules did state only one entrant per household but not sure how they'll enforce that... 🙂 Fingers crossed to all others taking part

Yeah ended up a big fat NO anyways ha ha ha ... Although they did offer 20% off cruises for 2021 lol

22 hours ago, CaroleC said:

Goodness, I do hope not! 😳

Money talks! .... 

21 hours ago, heatherb1958 said:

RCI learned the hard way re allowing large groups of the same sex on the ship out of Southampton  .  We got off a Transatlantic once and the next cruise was a 4 nighter , as we were waiting at the train station to go home a group of  loud , lewd women carrying an inflatable penis got off a train heading for the ship! Apparently it was bedlam with security on that short trip. It is one of the reasons RCI no longer sell drinks packages on the short trips . 
Another time a group of women got upgraded to a Royal family suite with concierge lounge access , they were dressed as nuns on formal night , the stories go on . 

Yeah I agree .. and being a cruiser back in the days where they didn't offer packages on cruises that started or finished in the UK - the biggest difference is they've had no cash through the tills for 12 months or so ... They won't care one jot if similar turned up at Soton!

19 hours ago, sgmn said:

It's true most hen and stag weekends are going to be in UK this year. My son should of got married last year but now it's Aug this year and he thinks the stag do will be in UK. So it is a possibility some could  book these seacations but I think its unlikely. 

They've just offered free cabins to Bluelight card holders too - well a draw, but if you're both holders like we are then there's double the chance!

22 hours ago, bigeck said:

Really

Nope ... especially as they've just offered them to Bluelight card holders!

On 4/10/2021 at 12:40 PM, Lindypops said:

Looking at all these ships doing seacations makes me wonder how they are going to fill them all.

 

Quite simple - they'll try to market them as nothing more than 'booze cruises' for hens n stag parties!

They'll also know that the status chasers will grab away at the C&A points (double points too, assuming they're still available) ... 

They won't struggle filling the cabins ...

On 4/7/2021 at 8:07 PM, Pandamonia said:

Its only in Royals head and some of its guests that think a Royal cruise is luxury and has any status. Most people think this because they have just not seen anything better. The line has gone down hill over the 6 years ive been sailing on them. 

 

You only have to look at the "key" product to see how desperate they have gotten to think of new ways to milk money from existing customers. Then there is the MDR(food is sometimes barely edible) Upgrade to Chops for $45 or what ever it is now and then sit down and see on the menu another $35 steak upgrade or lobster and find out there are barely any wines from the $65 drinks package but there are plenty of $50-$100 wines to drink with your $45+$35 steak(frozen) and then expect an 18% tip on top! 

 

Royal has lost the plot on what it thinks it needs to provide for that kind of money. in 2015 the cost of that upgrade was $18 on Serenade of the Seas and it was better! Contrast that to what i paid last year at the top of an Italian Ski Resort in a 5 star boutique hotel with a top notch Michelin Star quality restaurant 4 course silver service Tomahawk Steak flown all the way from Scotland and the whole meal cost me and the old man 70 Euros each including a proper bottle of Chianti and a glass of "real" champagne (not chateau Michelle *vom*) This is in a Ski Resort which isnt known for its value! 

 

Sometimes its all about perspective... Royal seem to be moving away from where they gained their loyal customers. They seem to purely trade in the allure of the fancy ships and its features more than ever. 

 

 

 

absolutely spot on!

1 hour ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

A few years ago RCG had a policy not to sell any alcoholic drink packages on short Southampton sailings for the reasons folks have mentioned.

I remember those days ... anything that originated/finished in the UK would be a 'pay at the bar' drinks policy!

Then they figured out that us Brits were abusing the packages - hence the all adults in the cabin must purchase - rubbish ...

Then they figured out we still spent more on the packages probably than any other nation ha ha ha

42 minutes ago, FirstTimeFreddy said:

I don't know how Royal Caribbean hope to compete when they're offering nil perks and just $25 OBC. Princess and Celebrity are both offering either all inclusive or upgrade packages. I'm booked on the Sky Princess in a Balcony cabin on a 6 day seacation with two ports, premium drinks, wifi and gratuities included for £799pp. Royal Caribbean want £779 for a similar cruise in a balcony cabin with no perks.  As for Celebrity, £1450 is super expensive for a similar offering. For me the choice is easy as I want the most bang for my buck, and it seems to me that Princess are the best value choice (so far).

Because they know (somewhat) that the status chasers will pay the money they ask for - plus the extra to pay for your food again, not forgetting the inevitable drinks package etc - so they can amass even more 'pointless' points!

Diamond Lounges are packed 3 x over (most of the Oasis class will use 2 additional venues) and the D+'s have been kicked out of the Concierge Lounges to add to the scramble for free drinks (we've not forgotten all this Covid stuff yet hopefully) .. 

I've never understood it .. there's a few nice touches that we get, but I cannot see the importance of it in front of a different cruise line that's cheaper and has a better itinerary/standard etc .. 

Like you say .... let your £ decide and not the Crown n Anchor Balance! 

2 hours ago, bigeck said:

Next step will be to kick D's out DL and make them use the drinks on the card only. DL will become CL and will be for D+ & P

CL will become a SL for suite's only.

Just my opinion though

I'm of a similar belief! .. slightly different in the fact that the D lounges as such won't exist, any lounges will be for Suite guests and Pinnacles and us mere D & D+ will just have a different number of free drinks on our cards daily (maybe all day, maybe usual hours?)

Other cruise lines do World Cruises as you say - probably one of the best being the Cunard 'Queens' which do World Cruises from time to time ... I'd personally work on the basis of places to visit around the world/memories of a once in a lifetime experience (my parents have done one) as opposed to chasing a status that's worth very little and for that matter thinks even less of you!

It may sound a little negative, but why waste a chance like that over a free drink or a cheaper balcony? 

You'll soon see (if you haven't already) the absolute carnage that they call Diamond Lounges - and in my experience, the quieter ones are more the minority nowadays than the majority - IF they did a world cruise, then it would also be heavily subscribed like the Transatlantic crossings are ... 

20 hours ago, bigeck said:

Self isolating you are allowed to go out as long as your not in contact with anyone. For quarantine in Norway my son was confined to a hotel room with 1 our outside. Quarantine is a lot stricter

Fair enough! 

2 minutes ago, hazence said:

Why is France exempt? 

Done a deal! .... 

15 minutes ago, bigeck said:

They say quarantine but I believe it's self isolating. Should start at the end of the month

Pretty much the same thing surely?

Person steps off a plane/ship and goes into self isolation for 14 days - if that person is in self isolation isn't that the same as being in quarantine ?

" ... a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed ... "

I wonder if this new 'idea' of Boris' will affect people cruising out of Southampton (if that actually goes ahead) or for that matter if other countries take up the same idea?

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/business-52594023

RAF 1988 - 1997

Served with - 

USAF at Incirlik (twice) 

USN at Sigonella

What is a 'Veteran'?

A Veteran - whether on active service, discharged, retired or on reserve is someone who at some point in their life wrote a blank cheque made payable to ' Her Majesty the Queen ' for an amount upto and including their life.

That is an HONOUR and a privilege!

Sailor, Soldier, Marine or Airman - we are brothers and sisters together.

On 5/5/2020 at 12:47 PM, alfaeric said:

To me, the big reason that there's not much demand for this product, though, is air travel.  Instead of taking a week to cross, it's 6-8 hours.  So there's not nearly enough demand to make it cost worthy, even if it ends up being less expensive per person to move them from A to B, and you can charge more for the better experience.

This is why I believe it would only work for most people if they did a B2B, which ever side of the pond was their starting point! A day overnight to slake the thirst for shopping or whatever and then back on for another 6/7/8 nights - sounds like bliss to me!

It's a more northerly track that the Allure used in March which set off 1st from Fort Lauderdale and arrived in Barcelona on the 13th with very little bad weather - most days weren't necessarily hot, but they were sunny!

That said, on probably a similar track, the Titanic sunk during the night of the 14/15th April so the weather can't have been that great, yet how much notice do you take in the fact there's been 100+ years of climate change?

The ship is plenty capable of occupying most people during bad weather, I guess it goes down to what you want from it and if that includes a suntan then I'm not too sure you'll get one!

8 hours ago, Lbicklel said:

If I could do a TA (US to Europe) then a week or two later do another TA home after touring, I would be thrilled!

That's kind of what I was suggesting a few post up 

I actually think the OP could be onto something really - 

They could allocate different sized ships year after year to slake the thirst of TA lovers, doing return trips from whatever port from maybe April to October - the 'Queens' doing the liners crossing to NYNY goes on a more northern route so weather wise, this way would work longer throughout the cruising year!

Imagine 'a' ship for 2021 - it's base is varied and does constant trips east then west, yet stops each time in different ports and overnights there (maybe a double) to satisfy the B2B'ers? 

Leaves Southampton, 8 days later arrives in Miami - overnights then sets off for Lisbon, again ON's then sets off for Orlando and so forth ...

European ports could really be very numerous and there's a decent choice on the east coast of the US, even including the Caribbean inc CC and Labadee maybe and then possibly as far up as Boston in the better weather times.

For those that hate the flying pre or post cruise(nevermind the cost) the idea of a B2B that was say 16/18 nights may be ideal?

Just an idea and if someone from RCCL is watching - you heard it here first ha ha ha

5 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Aqua Theater was nice

Yeah had 2 in the Aqua Theatre on the Harmony 2 years ago ...  It was nice n warm, but I'll still take the huge comfy chair in the MDR over the Aqua Theatre ha ha  ....You hit lucky their though buddy, perfect location, especially for when it ends! 

1 hour ago, pcur said:

The whole idea is to keep people away from grouping together.  My guess is we do it from our TV in our cabin, then do the code thing, or they record the cabin number that watched it.

I guess the only 'spanner in the works' for this idea (of which I thought would/could happen myself) is whether maritime law over rules a way of allowing cruise lines to resume their business!

In that I mean 'if' the ship has to wait for everyone to sign in, watch the video and then input a code to say they've watched it and the end ...

then imagine this scenario - 

we've all witnessed people pitching up at muster drill 5/10/15 mins late? Well these are the people that won't have watched the video as they'll have gone to the bar/pool/Windjammer the moment they stepped foot on the ship! ... They certainly won't be able to confine/lock people in their cabins for safety reasons so it would create a nightmare as the call goes out ...  

" Can the residents of cabin 1234 please return to their cabin to carry out the Edrill because the captain is waiting to leave port!" 

It'll funny only once .. then the novelty will wear off!  ha ha ha

1 hour ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

I know it's mandatory and we've been through it so many times, but I really do pay attention.

I think some once said that a high percentage of people who survive plane crashes/evacuations etc are the ones who regularly watch the safety videos/demonstrations etc! I guess the rest are the ones still trying to get their bags and put on their coats as the aircraft burns away!

5 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Oasis class as well. 

Most comfortable one I've attended was our last cruise on the Allure TA in the MDR!

All I know is the towel mountain in the bathroom is getting bigger by the day! The steward hasn't picked any up yet ... I've tried to complain to guest services but my eyes have closed up due to the 'accident' I had t'other day!