gumshoe958

I absolutely think it will happen. But will these new smaller ships just be new versions of Radiance & Vision which are popular with many on CC because they feel more like ‘classic’ ships without all the bells & whistles of Oasis & Icon? No, they absolutely will not.

I think Royal are perfectly happy visiting a very limited range of ports. The market they’re now chasing doesn’t care about quirky destinations. The ship (and Coco Cay, obviously) is the destination. The issue is the home ports. They need smaller ships if they’re to continue operating in markets like Tampa and Baltimore. And I agree with @HBE4. Discovery class will be like a mini Icon, not a reinvented Radiance or Vision.

There is no Broadway musical on Odyssey. Just in-house Royal production shows. @leaveitallbehind has already answered for Symphony & Liberty.

Yes, 2/3 Barcelona 1/3 Civitavecchia is about right. For those boarding in Civitavecchia it can feel a bit like you’re joining the ship mid-cruise but it’s really not a problem - you’ll still get to experience everything, just in a different order!

Motion sickness and seasickness are different things. On most large, modern ships you’d hardly know you’re moving so motion sickness isn’t an issue. The thing people do tend to have an issue with is the pitching and rolling of the ship if the sea’s rough. It can be a weird sensation if you’re not used to it.

You’re right. My bad. They do now stop at T4, which makes National Express a no-brainer. For an extra £5 you can upgrade at the time of booking to Change & Go which allows you to move to any coach up to 12 hours either side of the one you booked. You can call up to rebook as soon as you miss your booked coach, if necessary. https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/help/change-go

The train between Southampton and Heathrow is not easy - it involves two changes with a tube or cab ride across London in the middle. Easiest is the National Express coach. They leave Southampton at 9:45 (arrive Heathrow Central 12:00) and 11:45 (14:10). The later one doesn’t give terribly much margin for error if it’s late, which is annoying, but up to you whether you’re prepared to risk it as obviously that would give you a couple more hours to wander around Southampton.

The hourly direct Southampton to Bath trains do not have first class. If you’re seeing first class fares online, they won’t be for direct trains and you’ll have to change en route (maybe at Reading). YMMV on whether it’s worth the extra hassle. Bath to Paddington trains do have first class. It will normally be at the very front of the train (but on occasions may not). You should get some complimentary drinks and snacks, plus wider seats in a 2+1 layout with more legroom, if that makes a difference.

Be aware that National Express coaches from Southampton do not stop at T4, which is some distance from the other terminals on the other side of the airport. If you choose to go by National Express, get off at Heathrow Central then catch the free Elizabeth line train one stop to T4.

Absolutely. And they can change course at very short notice with no disruption to passengers if the situation requires it. Interesting that Cunard have already decided to divert QM2’s 2025 world cruise around Africa instead of through Suez. That’s a whole year away. They clearly aren’t optimistic about the situation improving so anyone who’s booked on the Voyager Rome to Dubai repo in 18 months would be wise to have a Plan B.

There’s no guarantee Option 1 will go ahead as planned either, the way things are going.

Which port?

It’s about 1.3 miles so 25-30 minutes. There are sidewalks all the way but plenty of roads to cross and if you’re dragging heavy luggage it’s probably not recommended. But if you’re keen walkers, YMMV.

Voyager transatlantic, 15 nights Galveston to Barcelona leaving May 1st. $2675 for an inside. Plus airfare home (but potentially not that much if you have miles).

I can assure you they’re not 20% occupied any more. TAs have shot up in popularity since the restart with surprisingly large numbers of kids.

Whether you can book for all nine nights on day 1 will depend on the maitre d’. Some might let you but others may only let you book one night at a time. As with many things Royal, there doesn’t seem to be a consistent rule.

It’s possible, yes. St Andrews involves a train ride from Edinburgh Waverley to Leuchars (journey time about an hour) then a 10-15 minute bus ride. So allow 3 hours’ travel time for the round trip plus however long you stay in St Andrews. So allowing for a 2 hour visit to St Andrews and travel time between the ship & central Edinburgh by bus, you should still have 4 hours to explore the city. Which isn’t a lot but enough to get a flavour of it.

I think you mean “have to use a TA for if you booked with one”!

There will be plenty of notice, and it will be well publicised.

Short repetitive itineraries are all part of the strategy to attract high spending young families with limited vacation time and shift older top tier cruisers over to Celebrity. Those short cruises are more profitable because of higher on-board spend and because people are prepared to pay higher average nightly rates for them. And don’t be fooled into thinking a loyalty scheme merger would be good news. Sure, some folks would benefit - the folks Royal believes it can make the most profit out of. But those it sees as a lost cause would lose.

Jason Liberty, like most CEOs, is happy to make hay while the sun shines. If and when the strategy starts failing he’ll change it. Most people have short memories. Those who’ve deserted Royal due to high prices and cuts to service can be enticed back if the price is right and they’re flung a few perks. But he’ll cross that bridge if and when he comes to it.

I never said I liked it. But if I was Jason Liberty I’d sure be considering it. Anyone who doesn’t think a major devaluation of C&A benefits is coming needs to get their head out of the sand. It’s just a question of when.

I have no plans to lose the lottery this weekend. But I bet I will! If a Hotel Director is even in the loop on board level discussions like that, which I doubt, they’re hardly likely to reveal confidential information at an officers’ lunch. RCG could actually play it quite cleverly and use a program merger to offer carrots and sticks to encourage more veteran top tier cruisers to move from Royal to Celebrity.

I was considering Rome-Dubai at the right price but I think I’ll stick with my Allure TA rather than pay 150% more for two weeks on a tired old ship. I’ll reconsider if and when Royal announce they’re sending Voyager via South Africa.

Prices are up everywhere, on all lines. Yet we’re told demand is at record levels and ships are consistently sailing full so I’m not convinced Australia will be any different. This is the new normal.