Carol28

10 minutes ago, George C said:

Extremely difficult there is a wait list for flower power , we do rock and romance which is 70’s music , we book the following years suite while on the cruise, we had the royal suite for last 3 or 4 , ours has wait list also both Star Vista , sky suite doesn’t get drink package included, royal suite does , but both has suite lounge and Luminae, fun seeing some of the stars in suite lounge and Luminae.

I’m not into 70’s music. So I don’t think we’ll get on the Flower Power so I booked a 9 day on the Explorer this week. We’ve 5 cruises booked between now and Dec. 2024. It’s a shame Star Vista doesn’t need new people. 

1 hour ago, George C said:

Interesting most of the people and comments I have heard seem to favor Luminae, we like costal kitchen for breakfast and lunch but book UDP so we can have dinners in specialty restaurants. I trained the bartender in celebrity beyond suite lounge to always pour me doubles . Agree size of sky isn’t great when we do our yearly music charter we book royal suites on summit , great balcony, free specialty restaurants, liquor setup for suite . My sister is taking her children and grandchildren to Europe on apex at end of this month from Rotterdam all 11 .

Is your music cruise on Star Vista?  I’m trying to get on the Flower Power but there aren’t any Retreat cabins!

7 minutes ago, George C said:

My only owners suite was in 2018 on oasis , I had booked the grand suite for about 2500 each but price kept dropping so I was able to get the owners suite for that same price , now I book only oasis class for the entertainment but also do all 3 classes for celebrity, mostly sky or royal , did to a move up a couple of years ago to penthouse on the Edge that was amazing.

We were introduced to the Allure several years ago, and now we love the megaships, but we like this itinerary.  And we will be on the Oasis and the Symphony this year and next year. We were on the Apex this year and the Beyond last year. The sky suite on the Apex was too small. Next year we are on the silhouette in a celebrity suite. On the Beyond we were on a two day charity cruise in one of those balconies that have a balcony that can open and close. (Forget the name)  The Beyond is gorgeous. I like our RCCL better.  I totally prefer the coastal kitchen and the lounge to the Luminae. And there were very few people in the suite lounge on the Apex. And their martini glasses in the suite lounge are smaller than the ones at the martini bar!

3 minutes ago, George C said:

My only owners suite was definitely a bargain , we now just book grand suites but would look at move up to upgrade.

I’m wondering what ship you are on. I’m looking at the Explorer. I believe the other ships have better configurations of owner suites, but I could be wrong. And I believe it’s only $1100 difference. It’s not the money. It’s the value.

19 minutes ago, George C said:

We normally book grand suites , big advantage on owners is separate shower , on grand suites it’s a fairly deep tub not that easy to shower in it, other is there is a dining table so if you order room service you have a comfortable place to eat .

We also get the Grand Suite. You’re absolutely right about the tub on all of the royal Caribbean ships. But I don’t know if it’s worth $2000. The only thing I’m worried about is the noise from above. Thank you for responding.

2 minutes ago, TeachAloha said:

and this one! https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2771

As the previous message said, it doesn’t exist on this ship. I thought it was interesting what the person said about the balcony being so tiny, and that he might not choose that cabin, the owner suite, again. I’d love to know what you decide.

24 minutes ago, TeachAloha said:

I am looking at the same thing and weighing the price difference vs. value. It seems the Owners Suite comes with some additional perks since it is considered a Star Class and the Grand Suite is a Sky Class? 

 

I didn’t know that. I know Grand Suites are not Star, but I’m unaware of Star class. I’ve seen store class. People will be escorted to the front row of the ice show. I don’t know what else they get. I’m so glad someone else is trying to figure this out. If you know of the other parts of star class, please let me know

I was surprised at the configuration of the Owner's Suite in that the balcony is small. I realize there is more floor space which is why there is a large window in the bedroom area. It has a separate tub and shower.   The Grand Suite doesn't have that big couch or separate shower, but the balcony is bigger.  All locations for both types are under the pool deck.  I'm wondering if there is an advantage to the Owner's Suite? The only thing I worry about is  noise from above. People seemed to indicate that they did not hear anything though some admitted to deck chair movement in the early morning.  We booked a Grand Suite under the Whirlpools.  Just keep wondering if that was a smart cabin to book.

47 minutes ago, derorim said:

Here you go:

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P02jhe9iw-mXyk3L9xhEJ_8lv_j4LHI6Qt0TMYy_WP8/edit?pli=1#gid=109586028

 

Thank you!

What is the link to find the EXCEL spreadsheet for this topic?

What is the link to get to the template please? I had it a few days ago, but cannot find it now.

More information 

57 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

That would be annoying to them pre-start on the dry dock work during my cruise.   Checking for a cruise to exist after mine is something I'll remember to check next time.  This time I got lucky.  

It was very annoying and other people complained. We were upgraded on our next booking which we already had in place and I believe everyone who complained was given $1000 cash.

I just saw on the RCCL deck plans that there is a change of configuration of the deck plans between April 19 and April 28. We intend to cruise on the April 19 sailing.  We were once on a ship that was going into drydock the week after we were on the ship and crew were working on the changes while we were cruising which caused noise all of the time in our cabin. Can anyone explain why there is a change of those deck plans on the RCCL website?

We saw Perry Grant on a HAL ship in 2001. He was the piano bar musician and he was fabulous every night.  I believe that is how he started getting a following.I guess he became a main stage act?  Too bad that his humor became uncomfortable.

He used to say, "I'll sing any Judy Garland song, but don't ask me about Barbra!"   He was a lot of fun as the piano bar person and made the cruise even more memorable.

We are considering an Owner's Suite or a Grand Suite on the Explorer. I am concerned that they are right below the pool deck.  Is there noise from the pool deck in the suite, like moving of lounges or anything else?

Thank you for your kind responses to my previous question.

8 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Yes there is a suite lounge and concierge with a happy hour.

 

On this class you will have a separate area in chops or set off to eat breakfast, but not other meals.

 

No there isnt free water except during happy hour. Oasis class has it during the day, not this class.

 

Yes there will be a diamond lounge. Suite and diamond lounge will both have a specialty coffee maker and some continental breakfast. A container of OJ and water, but not bottles you can take. If you are diamond you get 4 free drinks and can pick water. 

Thank you!  I forgot about the four drinks. 

This info has been very hard to find.  I'm now talking to an RCCL rep who cannot answer my questions.  I'd like to know if there is a Suite lounge. I'd like to know if there is a Suite Happy Hour available somewhere.  Is there a separate dining area for suite guests?  May we have as much bottles water as we choose?  

I'd also like to know if there is a Diamond Lounge.

I hope to get this info.  I've looked at several places for it, but cannot easily access it.  Sure do appreciate your help!

Is there a suite lounge on the Caribbean Princess?  Will bottles of water be delivered as an amenity to suite guests?

9 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

Nothing. Well said. For @Kay S  and@Carol28who just posted, consider watching the Youtube video, The Sanctuary, is it worth it? 

Whether the Sanctuary is full or empty is irrelevant. Because for everyone else, the Sanctuary is part of the ship that we all pay to be on, and that area used to be accessible to everyone.

I watched some of it but you did not answer my questions.  Is it completely enclosed and is it a sociable place or just very quiet?

On 5/3/2023 at 1:42 PM, MTNest93 said:

We are in a suite on the Caribbean Princess and I was able to book our free first night SD on the app and was not charged.  It showed the price and then a credit with a final amount due of -0-.  I wish I had taken a screen shot, but it worked just as it should.

We are also on the Caribbean Princess in a full suite.  I cannot find the dining options on the app, but we haven't paid for the cruise yet as it is in September. Do we have to pay for the Medallion to reserve dinners?

On 3/28/2023 at 12:57 PM, RNRcruisers said:

I liked the Caribbean Princess, love the layout and lounges and especially the promenade deck. However, it was a full sailing and we did feel like it was crowded. We were lucky to book some days in the Sanctuary, including the Panama Canal sailing day. 

I hope you can answer my questions about the Sanctuary.  We are sailing in October Canada/New England itinerary, so it won't be warm weather.  We have a Penthouse Aft suite.  I'm wondering if the Sanctuary is a necessary place to be in cooler weather?  Is it a social place?

I am unfamiliar with the Sanctuary. It looks like it is completely enclosed like the Solariums on the RCCL and Celebrity ships. Is that accurate?  Do people mingle up there or is it a quiet place? 

9 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

For similar historical reasons, ss Rotterdam is a very special place to stay.

I just looked at the hotel  We're going on a cruise, so going from one cruise cabin (hotel) to another would be too much for us! But thank you!

On 4/8/2023 at 8:21 AM, MAVIP said:

And Globaliser did give you a good advice too. We (living near Rotterdam) would do it that way via Leiden (special bus to Keukenhof almost in front of the railway station). My car would not drive faster than 1 mile per hour near Keukenhof on a sunny day like today..... So: 5 minutes walk from ship/cruise terminal to Metro station, few minutes in metro to Rotterdam Centraal Station. train to Leiden etc.  Absolutely check the links Globaliser gave you.  You will enjoy Keukenhof, I am sure.

We will be in Rotterdam next year the third week in June.  Will the tulips still be in bloom?  Besides Hotel New York (which does sound nice) what other hotels would you recommend? What is the best area to stay near restaurants and shopping and places to see? We will be cruising from there.