JAYRAY1259

Thank you, Ellie and the Geezer's

loved your memories, fascinating how much cruising has changed. You certainly bring the old days to life. Thanks to everyone who have taken the time to regale us with you wonderful memories and experiences.

I really enjoy reading everyone's responses to this post, thanks for your input. Most cruisers enjoy talking about their experiences, I know I do. I love being at seas. I even enjoy rough seas. I spent three years in the Navy. Navy ships for the most part did not run away from rough seas unless the ocean was capable of capsizing ships, lol. I saw some large waves to say the least, but never got sea sick. I must have a cast iron stomach, lol. Those Navy ship did not have stabilizers on them. Did run into a few rough cruises though, once on the Carnival Celebration (Our first cruise) 1992 (no stabilizers} and 2009 on the Freedom of the Seas Hurricane Ida, caught the tail end of that one. I loved it, the wife not so much. Neither one was really all that bad though, No furniture flying across the decks, etc. lol. In any event it's nice to get all these response. Would certainly like to hear more. The older the stories go back, the better.

My wife and I just celebrated our 50th Anniversary with our whole family on the Allure, June 26th to July 3rd. We had a wonderful time.

My husband did several trans-Atlantic crossing on HAL and the Home lines back in the 1950's.

 

He talks about the segregated deck system for the various class passengers and how he and other "cabin" class kids would sneak into the First Class deck areas until they were caught by the crew and sent back down to where they belong. He said the crew seemed to expect the shenanigans and would leave them alone until a First Class passenger appeared and then would send them back down with a smile.

 

He also talks about one crossing where there was a hurricane in the Atlantic and the bow of the ship was going up and crashing down with the waves washing across the front of the ship. He was eight and loved it. His mother, however, was as sick as a dog and stayed in the cabin for two days.

 

We started cruising together in 1976 on the Chandris Britanis. We rented the deck chairs at a minimal fee for the week. The chairs were labeled with our names and were placed in each day was our preferred location that we has specified on the first day.

 

Every night was formal and the dinner service was white glove French style. It was great. One could pick the cut of meat from the rolling trolley and select whatever sides that were wanted from the trays that the waiters carried around. Dinner was a social time to relax and enjoy your table companions.

 

Besides the nightly entertainment in the lounges, all the ships were sailed on through the mid-80's always had a dedicated space for movies and showed a different current movie each night. Because my husband and I were too busy with our jobs and other obligations at home, we used to look forward to our cruises to catch up on the recent films.

 

The dress for the evening slowly changed over the years from nightly formal (long dresses for women) to include several semi-formal nights (semi-formal short dresses for the women that many would now consider to be overdressing for formal nights).

 

Cruising was a time when one could totally disconnect from home and relax. While there was ship to shore radio, a passenger would only have access in an emergency. Cabins didn't have radios or TV. In the 80's radios appeared that gave you access to different channels broadcasted by the ship. These would be channels that played different kinds of music on a loop (i.e.; classical. pop) or gave ship updates.

 

There was no such thing as towel animals. The cabin steward had turn down with locate your night clothes and nightgowns and PJs would be displayed on the bed with pleating and draping by the steward. I make sure to bring my better nightwear on the cruises for th nightly display.

this is what I was looking for memories of the old days, people who sailed back then as they say, thank you.

I just wanted to delve into a little history lesson from some of our elder states people on Cruise Critic. By this I mean, I think it would be interesting to hear from some real old timers that possibly cruised during the "Golden Age" of cruising.

I only go back to 1992, so I'm a novice (11) cruises. Is there any folks that sailed on the great ships, e.g. SS United States, Queen Mary and the like?

If you did, tell us a little about that experience, compare it to modern day cruising if you still go on sailings

I know there are a lot of people on this site that have been lucky enough to go on 25, 50 or more cruises, I'm not interested in that type of cruiser. What I would like to hear from, is the ones that have the experience of back in the day.

I'll bet that there is a lot of people who would enjoy hearing from you.

Thanks, Joe Philadelphia.

P.S. The SS United States is still rusting away tied to the pier down on Delaware Ave. here in Philadelphia One of the major upscale cruise lines invested a lot of money to do a study on the ship and possibly get it back sailing again. They finished the feasibility study and then backed out. The United States still sits in limbo and will in all likelihood end up being scrapped. I think it costs something like $60,000 per month just to maintain it in the condition that it's presently in.

I was on this sailing with the wife and 11 family members, We celebrated our 50th Anniversary while on board. Wife and I have been on 11 cruises 10 with RCCL twice on the Allure and once on the Oasis, found them both to be fabulous. the wait staff in the MDR was absolutely incredible. The food was for the most part pretty good and the entertainment was excellent. Especially enjoyed MaMa Mia and the comedy club. The only thing I would do different is book after school goes back, there was a lot of kids on this sailing and we had some younger people with us, 11, 14 and 15. Things were a bit crowded in the venues in their age bracket. Forgot about everyone waiting for school to let out for the summer to book with their kids. I did the same thing. Next time I'll let the kids miss a week of school and book after they go back. They are all smart enough to catch up, lol. to hell with their perfect attendance for the year. lol. So other then that We enjoyed ourselves and we felt that the staff was excellent, service was great and would not hesitate to go on the Allure again. Although I would probably do the Harmony next time, after all it's the biggest ship in the world now, Hahahaha, size matters as they say.

Thank you guys, appreciate the help

What I'm really trying to find out is the schedule for the main dining room, i.e. what nights are formal nights, we like to go to the main dining room on those nights, I'm pretty sure the first formal night is the second night out. Also which is the best night of the week to avoid the main dining room and book a specialty restaurant. We are leaving on a Sunday and coming back on a Sunday. I'm guessing the 2nd formal night would be Thursday or Friday,

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi all, Just wanted to know if any folks who have sailed on the Allure of the Seas recently could give me the dinner scheduling for the week. I need to know to schedule a few things.

We are sailing on June 26th Eastern Caribbean.

We sailed on her before in 2013.

Also if you have any suggestions for activities that may keep a group of 11 people, three of which are 11, 14 and 15 happy, Lol

The wife and I are doing our 50th Anniversary on the ship.

We are frequent sailors, but it's a first time for the rest of them.

Thanking you in advance for any and all input. Love Cruise Critic. You always get answers to what you need to know.

RCL has yet to put anything on there website about what happened on Anthem.

They had not responded to most media outlets. Its time for RCL to talk. RCL and cruise lines need reform. They need to have emergency lines with staff that are able to contact the ship and give status updates during emergencies. In todays day of technology its not hard. I found out more from cruise critic and social media, and nothing from RCL. If you called this morning, they would only say they had some ruff seas last night on anthem.

I love cruising, but its to be safer.

My take on this is negligence on the part of RCI. Mind you I am a big fan of RCI been on 10 cruises with them and have one booked on Allure in June. But, I find it hard to believe that with all the modern technology that is on that ship that they did not pickup on a storm of that magnitude. How about other ships at sea, were there no reports from any of them warning of 35 foot waves. They had winds in excess of 100 MPH. Dear God a hurricane registers at 75plus MPH. How they could miss this with all the latest dopplar radars and weather tracking equipment is unbelievable. I know it's about the God almighty dollar, but does sending a ship down the Atlantic from New Jersey with a storm forecast like that makes no sense, The risk of passenger safety and of course the possibility of the loss of a three quarter of a billion dollar ship is unfathomable. Cancel the sailing, and take the loss of 10 to 20 million. give free cruises to the passengers and accept congratulations for using extreme caution for the safety of their customers. How many passengers will never cruise again because of that sailing. Many of them were first timers and now they will be last timers. It wouldn't change my mind on cruising because I have been on quite a few, plus three years at sea in the Navy. but I know a lot of people are on the cusp about cruising and now they won't give it another try after that experience. From what I have read from passengers on that ship many were absolutely terrified. I don't just blame the Captain, although he did handle himself admirably once the crisis developed. I also blame RCI themselves for allowing that ship to go out. They will have the spin doctors working overtime on this one for sure. Now they will probably lose a week sailing because of damage to the ship and Coast Guard inspections. So they are losers all around.

I remember the "Victory at Sea" series - they helped fuel my interest in WWII history. The footage you mention might be from December 1994 when Admiral William "Bull" Halsey unwittingly sailed the 3rd Fleet into the teeth of a typhoon, which cost us several hundred lives, 3 ships and dozens of aircraft. Incidentally I spent a week aboard the Indy in the early 90's while she was docked at Subic Bay in the Philippines. Awesome machine, have great respect for the crew that operated her and her aircraft. It takes some pretty big seas to throw a ship her size around!

I believe that you are right about that film footage, That was incredible. Victory at Sea was a great series and the commentator was so dramatic it made you feel like you were there. I think you made a typo on the date though. It was during the mid 40's, the exact date I don't recall, but you are correct about the circumstances though. I was on the Independence 1967-68, fond memories and many friends. She is due to go to the scrap yards soon. They have scrapped just about all the Forrestal class, Forrestal, Ranger, are gone. The Kitty Hawk and the Independence are next. They are all stripped down waiting to be towed away. Sad to see those great ladies go along with all the history that goes with them. I lost my best friend on the Forrestal when she blew up in Viet Nam in the Gulf of Tonkin. Nice to hear from someone who actually was on the Independence. Take care my friend, smooth saling

Sorry to hear things are rocking and rolling a bit. It must be on the rough side to rock the Allure. I was on the Freedom in 2009 with the wife and a few other couples. We were in Mexico on our last stop when the skies got really dark. Hurricane Ida was on the way. we cut short a shore excursion to the island we were on and the small excursion boat took us back to the ship about a 40 minute ride. It was rocking to say the least. As I recall we had everyone on board and the Captain decided to leave a bit early. The trip back to Fort Lauderdale, was rocking and rolling most of the way we were staying just ahead of Ida but it was still causing a lot of ocean turmoil. No one was allowed out of the outer decks, the rain was spraying across the top deck pool area, etc. We just went all the way to the top most bar the Viking Crown Lounge and had cocktails watching the waves. (Cocktails cure everything} For me it was fun I was in the Navy for 3 years and had seen much worse. I was on a large aircraft carrier, the USS Independence CVA62 in 1968 when we hit a monster storm crossing the Atlantic. We moved all the planes to the hanger bay, good thing because the waves were actually breaking over the bow and washing up over the flight deck. I don't know how many of you remember a WWII series called "Victory at Sea" the lead in to each segment showed a storm at sea with all the Navy ships big and small being battered by waves. So believe me it wasn't that bad for me. The Freedom at that time was the largest ship in the world, I think it is around 165,000 GRT, that's a big ship. We made it back safe and sound and the wife only got woozy once, took some Dramamine and she stayed in the cabin the next day. One of the secrets to not getting sea sick is don't watch the waves, that is what starts the process. lol Been on the Allure and the Oasis and loved them both, I am booking the Allure tomorrow for a cruise with the family for our 50th Anniversary. Making it for late June, early July. There is usually good weather during those months in the Caribbean, the whole crew going with us have never been on a cruise and I don't want anyone getting seas sick, lol.

As I stated at the beginning of this thread, I have sailed on both ships. I was leaning more towards the Allure for a return visit , but wanted some input from others who have sailed both as well. It seems that Allure is getting the most votes and I polled the family, It's Mama Mia that they prefer. I don't think my younger ones will want to sit through Cats. Both ships are great and enjoyed them both. I want to thank all of you who posted their thoughts for me, Cruise Critic always comes through. Ask and it shall be given unto you, lol. Now I have to try to get all of these people on the same page, so we can get cruising. Somehow I have been elected to do the planning for this cruise adventure, its much easier when It's just the wife, myself and maybe another couple. Oh well it's our 50th Anniversary and they all want to be with us. I can't argue with that. Once again thank you all for your input it is much appreciated that you took the time to post.

I don't mind the new look, but it's not user friendly at all.

 

I attempted to place a booking for a few hours yesterday, would select the cabin, complete the details and then click to proceed, only to receive an error message that the booking request would not go ahead until I selected a dining preference. The dining preference button was greyed out, and could not be selected, irrespective of browser or computer. Had to wait until this morning to phone thorough and make the booking with one of the customer service reps. The whole thing is quite irritating.

 

 

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That's what I was saying, save your self a lot of grief and make them do the work. Call their Customer Service desk, that's what I do. I'm tired of banging my head against the wall with their BS web site. I'm booking a cruise this month for my self and about 12-14 family members. I fully intend to go right to the phone and do all my reservations etc. I will give the web site one try, if it works, fine, if not, I'll make them do the work. If enough people force them to physically do it for them, then possibly they will get rid of Obama's computer guy and hire somebody that knows what they are doing. They must have hired the same guys that set up the affordable care act web site, which was a total disaster for better then six months.

I have found RCI's old website to be maddening. They always promised to fix it , but in my opinion never did. I haven't been on it for awhile, but if the new one is anything like the last website, your best bet is to do all your business with customer service by phone. I got so fed up with their site, that I would just automatically call them They don't like it, they want you to use the computer, but tough, all the money they make get some computer experts to fix it right. Call them, believe me you will get better results. Maybe if enough people call and refuse to let them make you use the site, they will get the hint.

Does anyone know if the Harmony is going to be sailing in the Caribbean this summer? We have always liked sailing on the biggest ship in the world and I'm sure that the Harmony will be at least a half inch larger then the Allure, just as the Allure was about a half inch longer then the Oasis, lol. We sailed on the Explorer, Freedom, Oasis and Allure when each was the largest at the time. It's just neat to say you were on the biggest ship in the world. I think that the Norway was actually longer than Oasis and Allure, just not as big GRT. Sad about that ship going to the scrap yard It will be even sadder if the SS United States ends up at the scrap yard, but it is sure looking that way. It has sat rusting away here in Philadelphia, PA on the Delaware River for the past 15 years, waiting for some one to buy her and do something like the did with the Queen Mary in California. She once was the Queen of the Seas, the fastest cruise liner of all time. A record she still holds.

We have sailed on both the Oasis 2013 and the Allure 2012. My wife and I are celebrating our 50th Anniversary this summer. We decided that we want to go on one of these two ships with about 10 family members. My question is which ship is now the better one to go on. I know the Oasis is older, but it may have had some updating done since we were on it that makes it nicer than the Allure. Which ship is cleaner, and has better service towards their passengers. We had a great time on both of these ships, The Allure seemed in better condition, of course it's newer, but at the time I think we had a better cruise experience on the Oasis. If any cruisers out there that have sailed on both recently could give us some feedback, it would be greatly appreciated. I plan on making my decision and booking in mid to late November.

I have been a member of Cruise Critic for quite some time. I find it to be a great place to do your homework before you go on a cruise. It is a great place for a new cruiser to learn the ropes and by asking questions and weighing the answers that he or she gets back they can save money and save time on their cruise. As we who have cruise frequently know time is something that we value. If you know how to portion out the time for the things that are important to you it makes for a better cruise experience. Saving money is a given.

Thanks in advance for your input on my inquiry, smooth sailing to you and God bless.

Has the Oasis and Allure stuck with the traditional dining room options, i.e. early and late seating or have they switched over to the new dining options that are on the Quantum and the Anthem and I believe the new Harmony of the Seas. If not has anyone heard about them switching over in the near future? We like the traditional dining option and don't want to book on a ship that doesn't continue to have early and late seating, sitting at the same table and same wait staff each night.

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. I am a traditionalist, but I'm not against change per say. If it was just me I would probably give the Anthem a try. I have to deal with a bunch of people who never cruised before and don't need to deal with having to hold their hands all day. As most people on here who have cruised many time before, you have to defend cruising to people who have never been on one before and have 101 reasons for not going on one. You know what I'm talking about, "You can fall overboard," You will get seasick." "there is all types of crime going on the ships." I could go on and on. So I just want things to run as smoothly as possible. I did tell them that once you go on a cruise, you will want to go again as soon as possible. Most of them are relatives along with some friends, I think only four of them have ever cruised before. I already told them to go their own way and do their own thing, We just hope to all dine together, to talk over the days activities. BYW what is it exactly that makes you a big Quantum fan, just curious?

Hi fellow cruisers. I haven't posted for awhile, but we are going to book a cruise within the next 6-8 months. The theme for this cruise is our 50th Anniversary. We will probably have around 20 people going including around 5 kids. (No babies). When I am about 3 months out from a cruise I start doing my research. I mainly use this website because there is always so much useful info to be obtained from everyone. I have given advice on many occasions myself. Some good some bad I guess, lol but every opinion counts and is helpful. The wife and I have been on 10 cruises, so we are not newbies, so to speak. I also did 3 years in the USN so I know my way around a ship.

What I want to throw out there for discussion is feedback from people who have sailed both Oasis and Quantum Class ships The wife and I have sailed on most of the Voyager class, and on both the Oasis and the Allure. We loved all of them, especially the Allure and Oasis. We are sold on RCCL and basically I am in charge of making the decision for the family on which ship, itinerary, etc.

We love the Caribbean, so that's where we want to go.

The only drawback to taking the Oasis or Allure is flying to Florida. I'm not crazy about flying, too much hassle any more, but I would put up with it because I love these two ships.

The Quantum or probably now the Anthem of the Seas are home ported in Bayonne N.J. which we can drive to, (We live in Philadelphia PA).

I have been hearing a lot of complaints regarding some of newer policies instituted for the Quantum class, Most notably having to make reservations for dinner.

I heard from some posts that you don't sit at the same table or have the same waiters etc. every night.

We are traditionalists we like the early seating with, the same table and waiters, etc. If your not happy with the seating or the waiter you can ask to be moved and there is no problem with the Staff. Although we have never had to do this on any of the ten cruise we have been on.

The dinner reservation thing I believe would really create a problem with a group of 20 or possibly more.

I am leaning towards the Oasis or the Allure out of Florida. Even with the flying vs. driving.

So to sum it up I would appreciate cruisers that have experienced both types of ships and will you give what you liked or didn't like about them and the dining arrangements.

All of the others with the exception of 4 people are new to cruising.

The people who set that website up are the same one's that designed the Obama Care site. They have had issues with it at least since I signed up as a Crown and Anchor Gold member back in 1996. I am now an Emerald member and it still sucks. LOL. Although it's not a LOL moment when your trying to access information about your upcoming cruise and attempting to buy different packages and shore excursions, e.g.

The Explorer of the Seas is coming back to her home port two days early because of a Norovirus outbreak. Royal Caribbean is working with the CDC to clean and sanitize the ship prior to the next sailing. Question is - would you go out on the next sailing? I'm sure that the ship would be sparking clean and disinfected. My concern would be the crew members that are still contagious are going to be working on the ship. But I would hate to cancel a cruise that I have been looking forward to. What are your thoughts on this?

Let's put it this way. I read where the dirtiest thing that you can touch that can make you ill is believe it or not, the handrail on your shopping cart at the food market. Every type of bug and virus known to man is laying in wait for you to touch it. How many times do you see someone with a baby or small child sitting in the carrier section of the cart and the child is mouthing the hand rail, in addition to having his or hers little hands all over it. So make sure that you bring your Clorox or Lysol wipes with you, to wipe it down and put something over the handrail to put up a barrier for child. So I think that you are in much more danger going to the supermarket than going on a cruise. Make sure you take all the sanitary precautions when you go on a cruise or anywhere for that matter. I do know that I feel much more susceptible to contracting some kind of illness on a plane than on a ship. So go on your cruise and enjoy yourself.

I am sure this has been answered 1,000,000 times already but wanted to get everyone's opinon on which itinerary to go with on the Allure or Oasis:

 

#1) Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico

#2) Nassau, The Bahamas; St Thomas; St Maarten

 

To give a little bit of context, I will be traveling with my wife and a group of friends. We are all 30 years old.

 

Is there one that you would hands down go with?

 

Thanks for all of your help!

Joe

Hey Joe, We did the Western on Allure in 2012 and the Eastern on the Oasis in November 2013. First of all, you will have a great time on either the Oasis or the Allure. The ships are so close in amenities that it's hard to choose. We loved both of them. They are truly floating cities. We enjoyed our seas days on these two ships, mainly because we have been to all these island venues quite a bit. If there is one complaint that I have is that they pretty much only do the same islands all the time. That being said, it's understandable because of their gargantuan size there aren't too many Caribbean ports that can accommodate them. I'm sure that that will change in time because these islands will start to dredge their harbors and extend their pier facilities to lure them. One visit from one of them is equal to two regular ships.

As far as the islands go I think we like the western Caribbean if only because the Nassau day is just a waste. You have to be back to the ship by about 1:30PM I would much rather be at sea. Labadee is a nice destination. Only RCCI ships go there. so it's not packed like sardines and they have really improved the facilities there. Very clean and a real enjoyable beach day. Jamaica can be fun if you choose a good shore excursion and there is lots to do in Cozumel. St. Thomas is great for shopping and a trip to St. John's is a nice day. St. Martin's is also great for shopping and there are some great beaches there too. Both of these islands have good shore excursions. Try the Sea Trek diving scooters if you go to St. Thomas.

Most people that I spoke to on these ships, that have done both venues agreed that the Western Caribbean was more enjoyable. If you like to shop though, you can't beat St. Thomas and St. Martin. Believe me though, you will not go wrong with whatever one that you choose.

I hope that you guys enjoy your cruise. Take care and God bless, Joe and Libby Wright

Customer service is aware of this issue and don't know why it's happening (other than blaming the upgrade). On their side they can see I have a zero balance. He sent me a copy of my final invoice. He said as long as it shows up as a zero balance on their side, the reservation is ok.

I would still take this to the customer relations desk when you get settled on the ship. Take copies of your O balance receipt with you and get it in writing from them that the balance is O and that the issue is corrected. I take a print out of everything that I did over the computer with the web site e.g. receipt for cruise fare/air fare, shore excursions, beverage/food reservation, reservations for shows, wavers for various ship and any other purchases. With the printouts to back you up there can't be any issues that you did or didn't pay. They sent you the receipts from their web sits, so they have to honor it. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

I don't mind at all, glad you enjoyed the review. :)

Thank you. We appreciate that. Having some updated pictures especially of the last cruise under the RCCL flag will be nice to have.