Not thrilled with Itineraries, how about you?

[nomarfan5]

We can't wait! We are sailing the 12 day in April 2015. Having a combination of sea days and port days is perfect. Time to explore the ship and time to sightsee. We returned from the 12 day Equinox in Sept to the Med. Had very little time to see the ship but the itinerary was fab.

 

We're on the same cruise with you! We can't wait either and I've found a new obsession - tracking the progress of the building of our ship. It's so fascinating to see how they put it together. I love that all the ports are in the middle of the itinerary so we have relaxing days in the beginning and end.

[celebrity]

We're on the same cruise with you! We can't wait either and I've found a new obsession - tracking the progress of the building of our ship. It's so fascinating to see how they put it together. I love that all the ports are in the middle of the itinerary so we have relaxing days in the beginning and end.

 

Please join our roll call. The most active one I have ever seen.

[SnowBird Cruzer]

this has been a fun discussion. I want to thank everyone for their input.

I still know that RCCL wants us to spend our money onboard and not onshore. And the recent Tweet I got on the 7% increase in onboard spending just goes to support that.

 

Anyhow, I'm sure I'll end up on Quantum. Maybe the 9day, maybe the 12 day. I'll probably end up in a interior room with virtual windows, which will really stink because I'm getting used to Suites. In fact, for the family cruise I'm planning for Spring 2015, I might just splurge on a Grand Suite.

 

New England would be fun, but I'm gonna have to have a Caribbean cruise within 6 months cuz that's what cruising is all about!!!!

[m*u*g*]

Sailing from NJ in Nov? How many days before you get to a climate where you can even go on deck?

 

A colossal mistake.

 

No thanks.

Edited October 31, 2013 by m*u*g*

[celebrity]

Sailing from NJ in Nov? How many days before you get to a climate where you can even go on deck?

 

A colossal mistake.

 

No thanks.

 

To each his own. I totally understand if you want warm weather from the time you step onboard the ship. However, many people prefer driving to the port and avoiding the expense and hassle of a flight to a warmer climate. On day 2 in the afternoon, the weather should be warm enough to enjoy the outside decks.

[Yankee Doodle]

I think that the longer itineraries are AMAZING.

 

 

I agree! I think just as with the Allure and Oasis, the "SHIP" is the destination!

 

Nancy

[SnowBird Cruzer]

Sailing from NJ in Nov? How many days before you get to a climate where you can even go on deck?

 

A colossal mistake.

 

No thanks.

 

Well, I was wondering about that too. But after one day, it can't be too bad. I've been on a cruise from Galveston where you didn't want to be outside at all on departure day.

 

And I was on a cruise out of New Orleans where day one was the worst storm we've ever gone through.

 

It's not like you shouldn't be prepared for a less than Caribbean day on the first day at see.

 

So it's not too colossal. At least not yet. RCCL will move the ship if more people think like you than not.

 

And it is a long drive for me, but I will need to do it someday.

[Giorgi-one]

Well, I was wondering about that too. But after one day, it can't be too bad. I've been on a cruise from Galveston where you didn't want to be outside at all on departure day.

 

And I was on a cruise out of New Orleans where day one was the worst storm we've ever gone through.

 

It's not like you shouldn't be prepared for a less than Caribbean day on the first day at see.

 

So it's not too colossal. At least not yet. RCCL will move the ship if more people think like you than not.

 

And it is a long drive for me, but I will need to do it someday.

 

I have sailed out of NYC and Bayonne in the winter. Weather was actually not that bad on the second day (day after boarding) and warm on the third day. I doubt RCL will be moving the ship if they are spending $50 million on a new port facility. There are somewhere near 100 million people within driving distance of NYC and most of them hate to fly, so I doubt RCL will have problems filling the ship. That said, I am booked on the 9 day cruise and was disappointed they removed Samana from the itinerary - looking forward to whale watching. Since the Itineray includes San Juan and St. Thomas, there is no reason they could not have added St. Croix to replace Samana. Hell, I'll even take a day in Key West.

[negc]

FWIW, I like the 10+ day cruises. Seems like the 7 day cruises just don't give you enough time to relax. The sea days are my favorite, just for this reason. You can spend the entire relaxing.

 

One of our favorite cruises was the Brilliance's inaugural transatlantic cruise in 2002. 7 nights between Harwich, UK and Boston with no ports of call. After spending a busy week of London and Paris sightseeing, 7 sea days was a wonderful way to relax and recover.:) This year we did B2B cruises (Baltic and Transatlantic) that involved 27 nights on Brilliance of the Seas with a nice balance between sea and port days. :) We are taking a five night cruise on Liberty in January but it will seem like we are no sooner onboard than we are preparing to disembark.

[Zigggypup]

Bring on the summer itineraries already.............lol.

The March 21st sailing on the Quantum now has a sucky itinerary. The 8 nighter now consists of 7 hours in San Juan and a day in Labadee. That stinks.

And you can't see the updated itinerary unless you log into my cruises. The itinerary that they are showing you from the home screen hasn't been updated. They are still showing an overnight in San Juan. I wonder if they are intentionally trying to be sneaky since they updated the itinerary almost 2 months ago.

[negc]

Sailing from NJ in Nov? How many days before you get to a climate where you can even go on deck?

 

A colossal mistake.

 

No thanks.

 

It is quite clear that it wasn't too difficult to fill the Explorer over its past years in Cape Liberty and that ship wasn't really built to sail in cooler or cold climates. Do you honestly think anyone would classify the Explorer experience as a "colossal mistake"? The people who are paid the big bucks to make these kinds of decisions have a pretty good track record or they would have been long gone well before now. Fortunately they, and not some of the armchair experts on these boards, are in charge. The Quantum isn't likely to have a problem since it is built to sail in all types of weather and climates and there are so many new features to attract passengers that a day or two of less than optimal weather shouldn't prove to be too great an obstacle.

[rjrpar]

Sailing from NJ in Nov? How many days before you get to a climate where you can even go on deck?

 

A colossal mistake.

 

No thanks.

 

It is warmer when you wake up the first morning and much warmer the first evening. Do the math, you can calculate where you'll be

[JoCruiser]

Bring on the summer itineraries already.............lol.

 

I AGREE! Bring on the SUMMER 2015 itineraries!!!:)

[joysav]

It is quite clear that it wasn't too difficult to fill the Explorer over

its past years in Cape Liberty and that ship wasn't really built to sail in cooler or cold climates.

 

Really . At what price ?? . Only a fool would invest in the Cruiseline Industry . A bit like the

Aviation ( Airlines not Airports) . Warren Buffett was asked how you can become a millionaire,

he answered by saying “there's really nothing to it. Start as a billionaire and then buy an airline.

 

Do you honestly think anyone would classify the Explorer experience

as a "colossal mistake"?

Yes .

 

The people who are paid the big bucks to make these kinds of decisions

have a pretty good track record or they would have been long gone well before now.

 

They do ??? . Not what I read and view about Cruiseliner Industry. Too many Ships and the

World Economy is going nowhere.

An Example of how stupid these people are, is the Top Suites . For some strange reason they

equate them to land based property View, View ,View.

On nearly all of RCI's ships they are way up the top so its passengers (mainly elderly ) are sure

to be seasick in rough seas. These are the very passengers that should have more disposable income .:o

 

Quantum of course has them a lot lower and at the back. A bit of a compromise to the perfect

location (down low and 1/3 from the back)

Strangely the only decent Cruise Liners with some suites in the perfect location is Queen Lizzy

and Queen Vic Q3 Suites. Ah but that Dress Code is the killer in Cunard's case. :rolleyes:

 

The Quantum isn't likely to have a problem since it is built to sail in

all types of weather and climates and there are so many new features to attract passengers that

a day or two of less than optimal weather shouldn't prove to be too great an obstacle.

Generally agree with you but time will tell won't it. Even on this forum there are people complaining

about QOS Timetable's/Venues.

 

'

Edited December 3, 2013 by joysav

[Giorgi-one]

We are booked on 9-day in Feb 2015. I understand that you need about 6 days at sea to get to Caribbean and back but was very disappointed when they dropped Samana and added nothing. Not that Samana was great but it is a great location for whale watching in the Winter. They could have easily added St. Croix since we will be about 20 miles away in St. Thomas.

[wwcruisers]

Definitely not wild about seeing Martinique on the 11 & 12 night itineraries. There are so many amazing islands in the Southern Caribbean, why stop at this dump, RC? :confused:

 

Many years ago (right before RC dropped Martinique as a port) our best friends went there on an RC cruise. They booked a tour of the island, through the ship. Once on the tour bus, they saw crowds of people burning the American flag, and chanting anti-American slogans. When the bus stopped at the first destination, the tour operator advised all Americans to stay onboard the bus, for their own safety. Our friends were worried that they wouldn't make it back to the ship safely, that day! :cool:

 

However, that's ancient history now -- so, I went over to the ports of call board, to see what's new on Martinique -- turns out, not much. Normally, I love exploring new islands -- there's almost always something I can find to do. But I'll just stay onboard in Martinique, thank you! :rolleyes:

[JoCruiser]

Maybe the long wait...is due to RCCL planning new itineraries for summer 2015...one can only hope!!

[atanac]

Wouldn't it be cool to cruise around Montserrat and see the volcano and all the destruction. Imagine being up in North Star for that!

 

When we cruised around the big island of Hawaii it was great seeing the lava flowing down to the ocean.

[wwcruisers]

Wouldn't it be cool to cruise around Montserrat and see the volcano and all the destruction. Imagine being up in North Star for that!

 

When we cruised around the big island of Hawaii it was great seeing the lava flowing down to the ocean.

 

From Antigua, you can take a helicopter tour of Montserrat. If you ever get the chance, it's well worth the $$. :cool:

[SSVacation]

Maybe the long wait...is due to RCCL planning new itineraries for summer 2015...one can only hope!!

 

Or that quantum may only be in Bayonne until the current itineraries are sailed, there has been some talk about her leaving and the independence coming to Bayonne, just rumors yes, but interesting how we have heard this a few times from different people.

[Zigggypup]

Or that quantum may only be in Bayonne until the current itineraries are sailed, there has been some talk about her leaving and the independence coming to Bayonne, just rumors yes, but interesting how we have heard this a few times from different people.

 

Don't think they would wait to complete all the itineraries before releasing the summer 2015 schedule. If they did that, then everyone who wants to book the summer of 2015 would have to wait until April 2015. That makes no sense no matter where the Quantum is ported.