Full Ship Or Not

[eroller]

Yep. Very few cabins left for our 1/16 cruise.

 

 

 

I just checked availability for my sailing, which is 1/23. It's completely sold out, all categories. This is not to say a few categories might not open up, but for the moment it's sold out.

 

Ernie

[Cruising89143]

I just checked availability for my sailing, which is 1/23. It's completely sold out, all categories. This is not to say a few categories might not open up, but for the moment it's sold out.

 

Ernie

 

I think that we are going to get a good test of how she handles a near capacity crowd.:)

[eroller]

I think that we are going to get a good test of how she handles a near capacity crowd.:)

 

 

I have a feeling it will be fine. Some that have sailed with around 4200 passengers actually mentioned the ship felt a little empty, and there were tons of chairs available around the pool.

 

I think think the worst part might be the Windjammer. People still have this mindset that the restaurant and buffet are your only choices for main meals ... so they head straight to the Windjammer. I'm going to try NOT to ever eat in the Windjammer, as there are too many other choices and why wait in line?

 

Ernie

[Cruising89143]

I agree. We may try the WJ for dinner one night but other than that, we will try all of the other venues.

 

I'm not worried about crowds or lines on the ship either. Don't think that there will be any issues.

[CKforensic]

I just returned from the Jan 2 sailing on the Oasis and we sailed with more than 5,800 passengers. I'm sorry to say that this was WAY too many people and many of the venues felt very crowded and sometimes chaotic. Part of the problem was that many (if not most) of the passengers did not speak English and there were a lot of kids everywhere (including the Solarium at times :eek:). It wasn't as much of a problem on the nice days because all of the outdoor activities were available and could help to spread the crowds out. However, on days where the weather was not optimal, the crowds were very bad. The worst problem areas were in the Windjammer and at the elevators. My wife and I only ate at the Windjammer twice during the entire week because it was so packed with people trying to figure out what to eat, where to sit, and how to get out. I also heard that the ship would be sailing at near capacity through March. My cruise was the first one where it was sailing near capacity so I'm sure that there will be some lessons that they can learn on how to manage the crowds...hopefully they will do something to ease the pain for future cruises.

[Cruising89143]

Until RCI gets the two life boats fixed, she will not be able to sail at full capacity. She left out today without her two lifeboats that were damaged on the Atlanta crossing.

[CanuckMO4]

I just returned from the Jan 2 sailing on the Oasis and we sailed with more than 5,800 passengers. I'm sorry to say that this was WAY too many people and many of the venues felt very crowded and sometimes chaotic. Part of the problem was that many (if not most) of the passengers did not speak English and there were a lot of kids everywhere (including the Solarium at times :eek:). It wasn't as much of a problem on the nice days because all of the outdoor activities were available and could help to spread the crowds out. However, on days where the weather was not optimal, the crowds were very bad. The worst problem areas were in the Windjammer and at the elevators. My wife and I only ate at the Windjammer twice during the entire week because it was so packed with people trying to figure out what to eat, where to sit, and how to get out. I also heard that the ship would be sailing at near capacity through March. My cruise was the first one where it was sailing near capacity so I'm sure that there will be some lessons that they can learn on how to manage the crowds...hopefully they will do something to ease the pain for future cruises.

This is something we all have been concerned about but up until now I havnt heard of any problems,all reviews I have read have been so far,however maybe they didnt have the weather issues you were facing.We sail in 2 weeks and have no idea howmany will be onboard but now I feel nervous.Other that too many people I hope you cruise went well.

[CKforensic]

This is something we all have been concerned about but up until now I havnt heard of any problems,all reviews I have read have been so far,however maybe they didnt have the weather issues you were facing.We sail in 2 weeks and have no idea howmany will be onboard but now I feel nervous.Other that too many people I hope you cruise went well.

 

Overall, the cruise was wonderful. My wife and I have been on nearly 15 cruises on RCI, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, and Carnival in many regions around the world. The ship and the entertainment were leaps and bounds above any other cruise we have been on (best before this were Celebrity Solstice and Mariner and Explorer of the Seas). The service was very good, the food was okay (non-specialty restaurants). I was very pleased with the level of service and convenience of My Time Dining after having been nervous about it (we had a party of eight). Embarkation and disembarkation were very good.

 

You will not be able to board the ship without saying "WOW" at every turn...it really is amazing. Try to board early, if possible (~11:15 AM) to explore the ship before most of the other passengers. Also, since the ship is docked in every port, it is possible to enjoy the ship on port days for part of the day while also spending some time ashore...

 

I'm sure that the staff will make continual improvments to the operation of the various public areas and events to help to provide a good experience to all. Just be aware that some places may be crowded and try to plan your schedule accordingly. You'll have a great time!!

[RCCL-thebest]

Winjammer was filled up good when I was on for the first two sailing. Especially for the first when there was 4800 people onboard. But there is a lot of other restaurants thats not full, so they need to get people out of winjammer and out to others.

 

When I am going back in February, I am going to try some of the others.

[WineDown17]

Where are y'all checking availability?

 

I just booked for 11/10 and the website does not show availability for any of the suites.. I have to rely on my TA..who has better things to do than check rooms for me every day! I used to be able to just go to the RCCL website, so I hate "flying blind".

 

I did not get the suite type I wanted, and would like to keep an eye open for rooms that come available between now and sailing.

 

Appreciate your insight.

[CanuckMO4]

Overall, the cruise was wonderful. My wife and I have been on nearly 15 cruises on RCI, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, and Carnival in many regions around the world. The ship and the entertainment were leaps and bounds above any other cruise we have been on (best before this were Celebrity Solstice and Mariner and Explorer of the Seas). The service was very good, the food was okay (non-specialty restaurants). I was very pleased with the level of service and convenience of My Time Dining after having been nervous about it (we had a party of eight). Embarkation and disembarkation were very good.

 

You will not be able to board the ship without saying "WOW" at every turn...it really is amazing. Try to board early, if possible (~11:15 AM) to explore the ship before most of the other passengers. Also, since the ship is docked in every port, it is possible to enjoy the ship on port days for part of the day while also spending some time ashore...

 

I'm sure that the staff will make continual improvments to the operation of the various public areas and events to help to provide a good experience to all. Just be aware that some places may be crowded and try to plan your schedule accordingly. You'll have a great time!!

Thanks for the response .Im glad you had a good trip,and yes we love the Mariner too.

[Cruising89143]

Where are y'all checking availability?

 

I just booked for 11/10 and the website does not show availability for any of the suites.. I have to rely on my TA..who has better things to do than check rooms for me every day! I used to be able to just go to the RCCL website, so I hate "flying blind".

 

I did not get the suite type I wanted, and would like to keep an eye open for rooms that come available between now and sailing.

 

Appreciate your insight.

 

 

You should be able to pull up your sail date and it will show what category cabins are available. They just don't usually show all cabins available within each category. Suites are going fast on all sailings. Very few to choose from.

[Tagsalong]

Until RCI gets the two life boats fixed, she will not be able to sail at full capacity. She left out today without her two lifeboats that were damaged on the Atlanta crossing.

 

This is just not true. Just off the Jan 2 sailing and only eight rooms were empty. This info from a three striper. The ship was over 100% capacity with 5700+ quests as previously stated (100% is 5200 passengers). The ship never felt as crowded as our 10 day Granduer cruise in December. Most shows were never filled to capacity. Only did Windjammer one day but with so many other lunch and dinner opportunities, why go there?

Elavators had normal waits, never excessive. JMHO!

 

OBTW, They are always required to hold back 8 rooms for any emergency that might happen during the cruise.

[Hobiecat01]

I'm seriously not trying to be a smart A$$ but, if someone is concerned about crowds, why in God's name would you book a cruise on the largest ship in the world? Just sayin.

 

I could not have said it better!

------------------------

Sea ya!

Ron and Lee

Canton, Ga

Proud RCCL Platinum Member

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria." – Ben Franklin

We are proud Oasis Camel Cruiser – April 17, 2010

The Oasis Camels Website

Previous Cruises – 59 Days at Sea!

Carnival Mardis Gras - 3 Day Bahamas - April 1982

Carnival Destiny - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 1998

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - April 1999

Princess Sea Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2000

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2002

RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2003

RCCL Mariner of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 2005

RCCL Freedom of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - 6/18 - 6/25/2006

RCCL Liberty of the Seas - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - 7/19 - 7/26/08

Planned Cruises

RCCL Oasis of the Seas – Our Friends Cruise - April 17, 2010

RCCL Allure of the Seas – Our Neighborhood Cruise - 2011

The BIG One - Southeast Asia 14 day – 2012?

Princess Cruises - The Med – 14 day – 2013?

[Cruising89143]

This is just not true. Just off the Jan 2 sailing and only eight rooms were empty. This info from a three striper. The ship was over 100% capacity with 5700+ quests as previously stated (100% is 5200 passengers). The ship never felt as crowded as our 10 day Granduer cruise in December. Most shows were never filled to capacity. Only did Windjammer one day but with so many other lunch and dinner opportunities, why go there?

Elavators had normal waits, never excessive. JMHO!

 

OBTW, They are always required to hold back 8 rooms for any emergency that might happen during the cruise.

 

 

5700 is not 6400 which is her total capacity. No way will the Coast Guard let that ship sail if she doesn't have the proper life saving equipment on board to handle the number of guests on board. If RCI did do this then they would find themselves in a huge amount of trouble if there was an actual emergency on this ship. The 16 current lifeboats that she has on board would take care of 5900 guests. Doesn't matter how many cabins are booked. Some cabins hold more than two guests.

[Older Party]

I had heard also they were/are holding back cabins.

 

But I wonder if in actual fact they just cant sell a lot of the cabins as folks just dont want to pay the high prices?...so by this "holding back story' is useful in a way for them...a get out if you like.

 

Then again perhaps they need to check that their plans onboard work...embarkation/disembarkation...crowd control...and maybe just maybe they do honestly want to be sure everything works correctly before they do have a full sailing. 4700 upset pax is bad enough but can you imagine a full ship getting angry etc :eek:

 

On the Dec 1st sailing when there was 4700 onboard and the A/C wasnt working and the stink from the sewage was on many decks and the Internet wasnt working properly and some TVs werent working etc etc..the queues at Guest Services were scary :eek: Actually some of the guests were scary...I thought a fight was going to break out on more than one occasion:eek:

We must have been standing right next to each other. I saw and thought the same thing! :D

[Older Party]

5700 is not 6400 which is her total capacity. No way will the Coast Guard let that ship sail if she doesn't have the proper life saving equipment on board to handle the number of guests on board. If RCI did do this then they would find themselves in a huge amount of trouble if there was an actual emergency on this ship. The 16 current lifeboats that she has on board would take care of 5900 guests. Doesn't matter how many cabins are booked. Some cabins hold more than two guests.

I have a couple of friends who are crew and both said the last cruise (Jan. 2nd) had 5900 passengers. I find it interesting that this is the same number you quote here regarding current lifeboats and maximum occupancy. I'm wondering now if the crew is being fed information? Also, have you noticed the shoreside employees always have different information than the crew? I lean toward taking the crew's word since they are the ones on board.

[MTSHQMP]

I have been reading a lot of the posts (sense my last one) My wife read there corporate report (not sure the technical name but she has to do it for her job) and it says in there due to the economy they intend to sail with less rooms avaible to keep the price up. They want to be able to hold the line with prices in the future and not let people get use the discounts. I know that my cruise in Dec was not sold out but they had big signs saying there was no upgrades available.

 

I agree with someone who posted there was a lot of foreign travelers and that made the cruise a bit more difficult. I agree totally, I have no problem with foreign people at all but culturally and language wise it makes it more difficult to interact especially when it was probably 60% foreigners.

[cde48]

We just got off of the Oasis, this past weekend, and it was full (5,500)! The ship is nice, just way, way to big, and way too many people! I now can say that I went on it, but will not do another ship of her size again!

[MTSHQMP]

cde48 I agree totally!

[Cruising89143]

I have a couple of friends who are crew and both said the last cruise (Jan. 2nd) had 5900 passengers. I find it interesting that this is the same number you quote here regarding current lifeboats and maximum occupancy. I'm wondering now if the crew is being fed information? Also, have you noticed the shoreside employees always have different information than the crew? I lean toward taking the crew's word since they are the ones on board.

 

Who knows the truth. Someone else posted that the two lifeboats would not be replaced for another six months and that RCI had placed extra life rafts on board to make up for the two damaged boats.

 

I have found over the years that the cruise lines customer service is hit and miss. More miss than hit and it's not just RCI. Carnival was just as bad. Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. If it's not on a computer screen in front of them, most cannot answer the question.

[bwest the man]

Guest services is more of a miss than a hit. Totally agree.