gumshoe958

1 hour ago, latebuyer said:

I don’t know why we’re rehashing this. There has been statements from royal caribbean officials including Michael Bayley that they are introducing this new class. Are people suggesting they are lying?

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. 

15 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

But to a very limited range of ports and Voyager class is as old as Radiance class. 

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.

3 minutes ago, CarolRoy said:

I would like to know before I book either of these ships.

 

Anthem has the 270 and also We Will Rock You.  Have been on the Anthem 3 times and saw We Will Rock You then.

There is no Broadway musical on Odyssey. Just in-house Royal production shows.

@leaveitallbehind has already answered for Symphony & Liberty.

6 minutes ago, RobInMN said:

We did this (from Rome) in 2018 on Symphony. We had the Orange card and kept it. I heard it was about 2/3 Barcelona, 1/3 Rome.

Other than the ship/MDR schedule being the back half of one cruise followed by the front half of the next cruise, with the embarkation party stuff being half way through the cruise, zero differences for us. These last thing don't really matter to us.

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.

1 hour ago, alc13 said:

Is that correct?  I've been on the National Express website and they do show a T4 stop.  Both going to and returning from Southampton.

 

I have a related question.  If we book a changeable fare in advance and then miss the bus because of a holdup in immigration (this is for LHR to SOU), can we rebook right away to the next available bus?

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

12 hours ago, epixx said:

Ship docks at 0700 on Saturday in Sept.  Flight departs LHR Terminal 5 at 1630.  Plan to take public transportation, either bus or train.  We would like to walk around Southampton if possible.  What time should we depart Southampton for LHR?  We only have carry on luggage, but I think we would need to find a left luggage location in order to go for a long stroll.  What area of Southampton would be nice for a walk within this time frame?

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.

8 hours ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

We'll be travelling from Southampton to Bath, then from Bath to London a few days later. From searching this forum, I see that first class train tickets (at least on the first leg) don't confer much of an advantage. Would that also be true for the Bath-Paddington leg? We won't have much luggage, just carry-ons. Both legs would be on weekdays - the first after disembarkation, the second probably late morning or early afternoon.

 

And ... embarrassing to admit, but the last time we took longer train trips around southen England, we had a lot of trouble finding the first class section, sometimes just giving up and travelling in regular seating. How are they marked?

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.

6 hours ago, Down-Unders said:

Getting off Queen Anne for a 2.15 PM afternoon flight from Heathrow Terminal 4, any advice appreciated.

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.

3 hours ago, Barley928 said:

They can move around Africa quickly with no stops without passengers. They can do it with no liability of passengers.  It makes perfect sense. 

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.

9 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Yep, Knew this was coming.  Just received a few of these for clients.  The 12 day Canaries sailing prior to this one has been shortened to 8 days

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

Which port?

4 minutes ago, k9Rulez said:

How is the walk (sidewalks, etc.) from the Ocean Cruise Terminal to National express Station?  We plan on taking a cab, but if cabs unavailable, it would be our backup plan.

                                                                                          Rob 

 

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. 

6 minutes ago, Steve2024 said:

What would be the cheapest way to get 30 points as a single occupant?  I need to get 30 Royal Carribean points asap.

 

Is there a cheap 15 day or would it be cheaper to take four four days?  

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).

1 hour ago, IsanTom said:

We cruised on Harmony of the Seas during Covid from Barcelona To Cape Canaveral. We

had a great time. 1200 Cruisers aboard, so the ship was about 20% occupied! Go and don't worry about TA's. We love them! I believe the cruise was 10/2021 to 11/2021. 15 nights

and go on TA's!

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.

8 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

The only things you can't use a TA for are to make payments or make a name change / modification or change dining times.  Everything else including cruise planner purchases, booking airfare and check in you can still do.

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

3 hours ago, helenb said:

There was something in the FAQ on the site stating that as countries were added, they would be given sufficient time to adapt. The question is, what is sufficient time. 6 months is very reasonable. 2 months, maybe not?

 

Regardless, TounchstoneFeste's suggestion is very reasonable. I check all of my travel arrangements again a couple of weeks before I travel, and this is something else that should be added to that list.

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

1 hour ago, cruiselvr04 said:

 I don’t want to lose any perks.  It really does keep us coming back when we compare having to buy drinks/internet on other lines.
 

What will make us leave Royal are the repetitive itineraries. The new cruisers don’t care as it’s all new to them but some of us want to see other parts of the world then just the Caribbean. Royals 25-26 leaves a lot to be desired, nothing longer than 7 days at a time in Europe.  They used to do 12 night. While you can string some together, the meals and entertainment gets repetitive.  Flights are expensive, I’m not flying overseas for a week cruise. 
 

I skimmed the blog rebranding article.  I’d be thrilled if Celebrity and Royal merged for C and A. It would certainly get us on more Celebrity ships! Elite on Celebrity isn’t much.  

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.

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Jason Liberty better remember that full ships today doesn't guarentee full ships tomorrow and realize just who is filling them. Look at the numbers people post about their cruise compositions. There are a lot of repeat cruisers. If those folks were not there would there be enough newbies to keep those ships full? I don't know and I'm not sure Jason wants to find out. Consumer debt is at an all time high. He may just not want to rattle the cage too much of those who choose to spend their money with RCI. Eventually the bottom is going to fall out of this debt ridden economy.

 

And as far as occasional cruisers losing their status, that will accomplish nothing other than to make them more likely to sample other cruise lines. D+ and Pinnacle level is hardly filled with people who only cruise once every few years.

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.

21 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

If you like that system why don't you go ahead and sail with a cruise line that uses 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.

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

At a recent lunch with officers this topic came up. The Hotel Director said there are no plans to combine RCI and Celebrity’s loyalty programs. 

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.

42 minutes ago, Blue Eyed Belfast Belle said:

An inside solo wasmt coming in much less at £2500

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.

16 minutes ago, onelilley said:

Thanks to everyone for the info on Australia.

 

Just looking at pricing for balcony cabins, and RCI can go take a jump. Their prices don't reflect the Australian economy in my opinion.  

 

For the prices they are asking I'll be booking with Celebrity or even Viking. It makes me sad as a Diamond Plus member to walk away from Royal Caribbean, but there is absolutely no value in their prices announced today. 

 

In my opinion they will absolutely struggle to fill ships if they are relying on Australian families to cruise at those prices. 

 

Anyone else have an opinion on todays asking prices, which are massively inflated from the 2024-25 season. 

 

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.