Engineroom Snipe

The most important reason of all! 😁 Why go on vacation if it leaves you mad at anyone? Sounds like you have a plan for happiness after the vacation. You choose life......😆, smart man.

Worse yet!!!!!! A cruise ship sponsored tour 😱 . There was a TV series on the history channel 😉 (the series was originally in black and white, and they remastered it in color). There was so much drama created for such a small group of people. I figured there was bound to be trouble when there were more men than women. I will not even venture why one of the men kept calling another one, "My little buddy." 😁

The barn door is open, and the herd is stampeding. As soon as there were serious rumors about restrictions being lifted in July 2022, I saw an immediate rise in future cruise prices.

I tend to lean towards @Nunagoras's ideas that RCI has a calculation of how much future cruise credit is outstanding and there are time limits on its reservation and usage. They are willing to test the market at higher prices than historical averages, even with inflation included. Time will tell as we get closer to the currently higher-priced cruises.

Please whatever you do, DO NOT pick the "Three Hour Cruise" option. 😉

I would consider it but wonder how the cruise lines could be held responsible if they break the agreed upon limits of the original passenger allotments.

Interesting point of view but it seems a majority of new first-time cruisers are very price conscious. I wonder why you would not consider more inclusive cruise lines considering your price point of four cabins for two people. I mention first-time cruisers because they still represent (according to C&A meet and great events) about 50% of each cruise I have attended.

I completely agree with Airbnb prices being high and they do not include food with the contract. The original poster has not cruised during the pandemic or looked at prices recently. I would feel the same going into an automotive dealership after not buying a car within the last 5 years. 😬

The prices for Oasis of the Seas cruise for September 2022, rivalled some of the cheapest I have ever seen when advertised around June 2022. There were still covid testing requirements and vaccination requirements at that time. As soon as the vaccination and testing protocols were lifted (there still a few so check their website for specific cruises), demand increased and so did the prices. I saw $600 to $1000 jumps in spacious balconies on a November 2023 cruises from June 2022 to August 2022. I cannot predict the future. I believe that going into 2024, you might see some of the pent-up cruise demand subside a bit. If we have a moderate recession, there might be cancellations before the 90 days before cruise refunds. This also tends to bring the prices down. Until the demand goes down, the prices will remain as high as the cruise line can keep them and the cabins full. An example, I booked an 8-day GTY inside for two under $1000 (not including gratuities or parking) in October this year. The travel date is April 20, 2023. There were many inside cabins available in my category. Today, there are only 7 cabins left in my category and they are going for $1390 for a GTY. This happened within 60 days. I consider that a huge demand factor.

When I was younger, I could easily see myself doing the same thing. Time and health have dictated a bit more restraint on my total allotment per day. I do not judge as long as your behavior onboard does not negatively affect others around you. Reasons to enjoy your DBP: 1. You do not have to worry about a DUI when vacationing on-board ship. 2. You can try a different cocktail and not worry if you 'have-to' drink it. 3. They also include non-alcoholic drinks for hydration. 4. No surprises on your final bill.

No gosh darnitt, you don't. You slip a slight tip and the chairs on pool deck level ten start to part the seas. Your service dog gives its puppy eyes and there are many chairs available ☺️. You are an experienced traveling devil who defies the laws of tourism! You need to start a school on how to achieve your desired cruising results without really trying. Oh, by the way, it is on a cruise ship to be tax deductible. I will be the first to sign-up. 🤣 Some people just do not appreciate sarcasm or truthfulness. 😁 Keep on posting.

This is the end of Thanksgiving week and Sunday is a HUGE travel day. The ship could be at one of the highest capacities of the year due to a holiday week with many families on board. The standard buses and shuttles could be delayed due to traffic and high demand. Taxis and online hailing rides will be stressed by demand volume. This is not just for cruises, AAA has stated that airport, road, and train traffic is exceeding 2019 numbers by almost 8% in some cases. When I boarded in September on the Oasis, it was a low demand season compared to today. They had problems with debarking passengers still waiting for pickup as incoming passengers were arriving. I would "guess" @Biker19 but it is only informed guessing at best. 😉

I agree that in the MDR for breakfast, which I rarely do, it is hit or miss. I do not mind strong coffee in the Windjammer since I can quickly add a touch of hot water immediately when I first fill it.

Last April out of Bayonne, 2pm. Second week of September out of Bayonne, 1pm. So 1:30pm would be a reasonable expectation plus or minus.

OK Mister, first you challenge my ability to reserve a chair for unlimited time with a towel, and how dare you, a $20 bribe to remove my privilege and have staff remove my towel. You call it a tip, I call it a challenge to my entitlement. Let's just not go talking about Manitobans! 😉😁

Again, this is why I like to read cruise critic posts. I was not aware of this policy because I never had the need to use it. I do book GTY cabins so it is important to be prepared for negotiations should this occur. One does not have to take the offer but it could be advantageous with the right circumstances and compensation.

This is the type of information I find useful from reading Cruise Critic. Small nuisances which allow problems to be remedied before they happen. It all starts with communication and making clear your request to staff and confirming the request.

@Biker19, you are right, how many times do we recycle the same thread. 😉 I should just sit back and observe because there is nothing more to add.

I only have one word, "Stunning". 😬

Not forever, only for last night! 😁

I tried to be witty and respond earlier @Ret MPbut my humor must not have been appreciated by the monitor of the site 😁. 😩😭 I am on two strike-outs tonight. Maybe time to give it a rest.

Strikes me a bit unusual, I have never heard of a tour of kitchen during main dining room hours. Almost all of the tours I have taken or offered were from 11am to about 2pm when they might have shown meals during preparation but not final serving. Which ship and at what time was this dinner tour offered? I would like to go on it just to listen to the commentary that a staff waiter would say such a thing in front of cruise guests.

I think your attitude of making the best of it and enjoying what you enjoy is the essence of why so many people like to cruise. No cruise is perfect. Every cruise is fun to my wife and I because we are not cleaning or cooking aboard. The food is more than adequate for our needs. We adapt to the situation just like you. Life is good as you breathe every day. There are just people in general who think they should have special access to seats in the Diamond lounge, seats in the Solarium, or seats near the pool decks. I wish I could correct all of the wrongs in the world but my father would repeat a mantra that he lived by all of his life: "Genius is limited but stupidity is not thus handicapped." We cannot correct on a one week cruise the ignorance of a lifetime. Look beyond the ignorance and enjoy yourself. 😁

The company could sponsor a "training cruise" which would be tax deductible. RCI could afford them a "discount" as ROTO ROOTER could advertise "daily hands-on training in challenging conditions". A win/win for everyone.

Ah,,,,,, Miss Fifi, she is on our most wanted list for chair abuse. The list includes over ten RCI ships and we have towel attendants on the look-out for her. The question still remains, how does she support you? Financially, emotionally, or is it, co-dependent? I am sorry to hear that she is so photo allergenic. You have just given yourself away and they will look for you both in the, "Shadows", dark spaces on the pool deck. 😎🤓😱