Cruising89143

I have been cruising for many years and I can tell by VV’s current marketing and itinerary choices that VV is not for us. Their standard staterooms look like they made a huge shopping trip to IKEA to dress a college dorm. Suites look nice but nothing else makes me want to board their ships. I’m glad that many like them and I read that they were looking to provide more interesting itineraries. They seemed to have found their niche. Celebrity on the other hand seems to still be confused as to where they belong. The pandemic certainly did not help.

Heard this exact comment from a Pinnie on RCI last year. He loudly stated that he was Pinnacle and if RCI could not accommodate Pinnacles in the suite lounge on a particular sailing then they should allowed to cancel at the last minute and then he loudly proclaimed that Pinnacles should have priority over suite guests in the suite lounge. The looks from the other guests and the two suite concierge was amusing.

MSC is back on the radar for us. We had five cruises booked with MSC during the pandemic and all canceled due to shutdown. We want to try the YC experience and see how it rates versus the Haven and Retreat. There is a huge price difference between MSC and the other two so if MSC provides a nice experience, they might pick up another customer. I do recall that their FLL shoreside customer service left a lot to be desired. Hopefully that has improved.

We avoid the MDR at all costs and have on ALL cruise lines for about the last fifteen years. We enjoy the smaller specialty dining venues where we’re not rushed. It’s all about choice. If a person enjoys the MDR then go and dine there. Same with the Oceanview buffet. If we don’t have Luminae available then we book specialty dining. If you have an issue with a particular venue then voice your opinion and with your wallet.

We tend to gravitate towards the Voyager class ships. We used to really enjoy the Oasis class but feel that they’re too large now. Since the Navigator is on the west coast we cruise this ship often. Perfect size. Other than that we love the Solstice class on Celebrity. It was great to finally get them out here this year.

Agree. My last 6-8 cruises, calling room service to pick up the trays resulted in being told to leave them in the hallway and they would be picked up at a later time.

Not a lot of info but yes it’s a dry dock. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/07/royal-caribbean-cancels-holiday-freedom-sailings-for-drydock/

I won’t be surprised to eventually see Eclipse of the Seas, Solstice of the Seas, Edge of the Seas, etc…….Seems to be moving that way.

We were on the Symphony late last year. We docked at Coco Cay along with the Independence. Over 10,000 guests on the island. It was definitely crowded and felt that way. We were also there the week prior on the Freedom. The only ship docked. 100% difference. I personally have no desire to pay Celebrity’s prices to land at this island.

We had issues on the Solstice in April. The lady in the stateroom next to is loved the “F” word. She screamed at the top of her lungs day and night. I think she liked the go go juice a bit too much. They were rude and crude.

Had wings today at a local restaurant. Six wings was $18.99. The RCI prices are a bargain.

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/05/norwegian-cancels-winter-program-in-europe-on-epic/

Our first cruise was on Norwegian Caribbean Lines (before they changed to Norwegian Cruise Line) on the MS “Starward” in May of 86 out of Miami to the western Caribbean for seven nights. The price for two in a standard outside stateroom was around $3000.00. No balconies on the ship at that time. I don’t recall the brochure price but the room was tiny. I remember almost being able to touch both walls with my arms spread when standing in the center of the room. The standard bathrooms today look like palaces compared to the ones back then. There is very little that I miss from cruising during that time.

Agree. When we book a cruise we book with the full intention of going but “life”happens. Things can change which can require a person(s) to change their plans. Not a chance that I’m willing to take. Someone also posted above asking if you lose your full deposit if you cancel. With their new policy RCI is taking your full deposit for canceling a suite booking even if you want to just change sail dates. You can bet X will follow with the same policy.

Agree. We booked/cruised three RCI cruises last October and all were in a GS. Two of the ships did not include Wi-Fi which we had to purchase. On the Symphony we had use of CK and Wi-Fi was included. I realize that all ships do not have CK but RCI needs to up the perks to at least include Wi-Fi in full suites on the older ships. I find their prices to be higher than Celebrity at times who gives full suites Wi-Fi, butler service, OBC, gratuities and Luminae.

The big difference with X versus RCI is that Sky Suites receive entrance and full use of the Retreat and Zenith’s no longer have access. Sky Suites are considered a full suite whereas the JS currently does not. I can see why X moved to this position for all suites.

Looking forward to your comparison between the two. We cruised on Bliss in the Haven shortly before the pandemic. Will be interested in your take on NCL and the Haven.

Miami has a lot going on with new terminals. They will be taking that title back. Not crazy about either port but Miami is building. I read that PC is looking to add another terminal over the next two to three years as well. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/03/msc-breaks-ground-on-new-miami-cruise-terminal/ https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ports-destinations/28b-royal-caribbean-portmiami-deal-gets-green-light

Mailed mine in three weeks ago. It arrived in two days. Expedited. Check was cashed the day after they received it. Hoping to have it back within the next few months. You can check the status online….https://passportstatus.state.gov

General routine maintenance. Nothing special. It will only be in dry dock for about two weeks. I was told that this was the only shipyard available since the ship is on the west coast. A good amount of travel time to and from Singapore.

It will be in dry dock. Heard that from several crew members last month. The ship will be traveling to the Sembawang shipyard in Singapore which is why it’s has the month of March zeroed out for cruises.

We had MSC YC booked five or six times but all during Covid and all sailings were canceled due to the pandemic. We were anxious to try them but after having to deal with their customer service reps in FLL trying to obtain refunds we changed our mind. Incompetent and downright rude. I have read that one should stick to the YC. We found the same situation on the Norwegian Bliss just before Covid hit. We loved the Haven but outside of the Haven, the ship was a zoo.

My source was a UK travel site that attended the tour where Bayley was present and spoke. It was posted on an RCI group on Facebook. I’m not linking it here as it might be in violation of CC.

It’s been packed on our last four or five cruises. Personally I will take the R bar or the Viking Crown. I’m not a fan of sweet cocktails. It has a nice atmosphere.

Read an article this morning that stated Michael Bayley alluded to a possible seventh Oasis class ship after Utopia on the media tour of the Icon yesterday.