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Hoopster95

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  • Location
    Maple Ridge, BC
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    RCL

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  1. From experience.... Deck 3 zero issues. However don't book far aft (I sensed a "humming" sound in the evening when really quiet, I assume engine? propellers???) or far forward (bow thrusters and noise from dropping anchor), stay more mid-ship as possible. Deck 4 don't book any cabins within 4-5 doors from the centrum, and again not at the very front of the ship. I love deck 4 midship on Radiance Class.
  2. Just went from G to A in November. Yes shuttle was provided by Royal. The concierge lined it up. I met up with someone onboard who tried to walk it. Too much construction and closure to walk per that person... you'd end up walking on the actual lanes of traffic. edit: It's now 4 months later, may answer above is probably wrong.... different ship, different concierge, maybe less road works, maybe less closures, maybe different shuttle company, maybe different everything... who knows what answer you'll get RCI = Really Consistently Inconsistent
  3. I'm May 30.... I have a great itinerary coming up: Voyager May 16-27 Barcelona - Athens, 2 days in Athens, 1 day in Amsterdam, then board Jewel for this Arctic Circle sailing. 😃
  4. Just a follow up to this post.... This morning is 57 days before sailing date/33 days after final payment. Interior guaranty = $345pp before taxes Ocean view guaranty = $480pp before taxes Balcony guaranty = $583pp before taxes ... $463pp with my C&A balcony disc
  5. Regarding Virgin vs. Royal...... I had Serenade booked May 27. It was cancelled. Was offered $100 OBC to rebook elsewhere, no price protection, no nothing. My November Virgin Dubai-Singapore also cancelled just last week.... price protected to ANY (that is not a typo, any sailing, any length, any price) sailing I want in their system, and I keep my $600OBC. We have until Sept 11. I am looking at their Iceland sailing 2025 which is now at $7000pp and they will honor that. As always when there's a calamity in the economy, or conversely an economic boom, everyone claims "never saw it coming". No one seems to see anything coming today. I think I do. A Canadian airline LYFT just closed it doors, that American cruise line just closed it's doors last week, I am seeing flight sales every week emailed to me. I just booked YVR-Barcelona and then Amsterdam-YVR, taxes in + luggage + seat.... return for $1450 CA ($1070 US). And Gate1 just offered a solo supplement sale (100% fully waived!), the African Safari I'm looking hard at has a $1400US solo supplement.... fully waived. There's already deals out there starting to happen.
  6. As a 500+ point D+ ..... unfortunately yes Just did Celebrity in January. Also just had Virgin cancel my Dubai-Singapore cruise in November... we're looking to replace that with Angkor Wat + Vietnam land tour. 2022 Thailand land tour with Gate1 (14 nights $3200 total for two people), Trafalgar Prague-Budapest 10 nights $2200 which incl. a solo supplement, and coming up in one week Morocco with Gate1 18 nights $5000 for 2 which includes an extra night hotel at 5* Sofitel Casablanca. I have found many all inclusive land tours less expensive than cruises on many occasions post covid. When comparing prices be sure to include all the excursion costs & associated transfers as the land companies normally include 50-70% of all excursions in the cost. Guess what?? Internet is free. Also no "Pre paid" gratuities or fake wages. I am now focusing mostly on bucket list locales or one of a kind itineraries (ie. I'm on Jewel in May for her final Arctic Circle & Norway cruise with an incredible itinerary likely never again to be repeated).
  7. Did Oceana in a penthouse suite just slightly over for the same price (per diem) as Royal GS in both 2018 and 2020.
  8. I hear you, however I don't believe this is bizarre at all. RC's target market has become almost strictly for families & tourists... not travellers. Tourists want the "ship experience", lounge, dining, shows... like an all inclusive resort where you sit at the resort for 7 days and never move... not to see the world and go to different places. If you're a traveller and want to use cruising to see the world, RC unfortunately is, and has been for several years, moving farther away from that.
  9. Zihuantanejo? Huatulco? Acapulco? La Paz? Loreto? Topolobampo? RC can do better... but they definitely will not. This^ I would book Q in a heartbeat if she sailed around the gulf to Loreto and/or down to Zihuat (like Vision & Radiance used to do 15 years ago) for example on a longer 8-9-10 day sailing.
  10. Ooops.... https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=odyssey+of+the+seas The point is it takes 2 seconds to type "Ovation of the Seas" into a youtube search
  11. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mariner+of+the+seas+entertainment
  12. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ovation+of+the+seas
  13. Got it. I'm booked this May Bar-Athens. To say the prices are stupid is an understatement! Only two reasons why I booked: 1) group rate + 2) VY debarks in Athens on May 27, whereby I would walk over to Serenade for an 11 WC day mini-segment (which is now cancelled). Anyways the group rate for an OV gty was $1350pp taxes incl, current "retail" price OV gty is $2800pp taxes incl ... over 100% more! Also this is a perfect example where booking after final would not have worked.
  14. Are you on Voyager in May? I also scored a Vision corner-aft JS about 30 days after final a few years ago. Booking after final payment is not the easiest and sometimes you lose the game (twice this past year paid more but wanted that specific sailing, c'est la vie)... you have to watch and learn the trends. It doesn't work for all ships or all sailings.
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