First mega-ship and first repositioning - talk to me please!

[darlacat]

Greetings - we have done a few cruises - with Navigator being the biggest.  I generally select cruises for the ports but we have signed up for a transatlantic repositioning cruise on Allure of the Seas for November 2020.  There are NINE sea days - and seven of them are consecutive!  We both work and our vacation time is very precious and we try to use them well - so I hope we have no regrets about this - definitely have an open mind though!

For those who are inclined to share - can you tell me how your first experience with a whole bunch of sea days was? 

And for those who transitioned from smaller ships - what was the first experience on a mega ship like?  We are excited!

And thanks for all who contribute to this thread - I don't post often, but the folks here have provided me with SO MUCH INFO.  Thanks and happy new year to all.

[NSnewcruiser]

While I can't help you.....you are not alone.We are doing the same cruise and it's our first transatlantic.We have cruised on the Allure before and did Harmony earlier this month.There is lots to do on these big ships.Which is why we choose to do the transatlantic on Allure as there should be lots to do on those sea days.Join the roll call at :https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2615033-allure-of-the-seas-november-1-2020-transatlantic/

Still 2 years away and we are on page 9 already.Lots of TA vetrens will be on board and there will be a wealth of info for you on that thread.

 

[Andy C]

If you’re staying in a suite be prepared to deal with a very large pinnacle population that will compete with you for seats in the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen neither of which is adequately sized or staffed to deal with suite guests PLUS non-suite paying pinnacles. Make sure to make dining reservations in Advance with the concierge and be prepared to have to wait beyond your reservation time. And forget about finding a seat in the suite lounge for evening cocktails - the swarms will have arrived to stake their claims to their seats every night well before happy hour starts. 

 

Enjoy your TA. We’ve always wanted to do one. We stay in suites but after our experience traveling with large numbers of pinnacles and the many accounts we’ve read on CC we’ve lost any interest in doing a TA. 

[Cigar King]

51 minutes ago, darlacat said:

Greetings - we have done a few cruises - with Navigator being the biggest.  I generally select cruises for the ports but we have signed up for a transatlantic repositioning cruise on Allure of the Seas for November 2020.  There are NINE sea days - and seven of them are consecutive!  We both work and our vacation time is very precious and we try to use them well - so I hope we have no regrets about this - definitely have an open mind though!

 

We're on that cruise as well.

 

We did a TA that had nine sea days in row last time.  It was wonderful.  I really like the sea days myself, as I feel like I can truly relax.  Even when you don't plan on getting off the ship in port there is a flurry of activity, whereas on a sea day everything seems calmer.  Leisurely meals, relaxing in the pools and some time to read are high on my list.  There are also plenty of activities listed in the Compass when I need something to do.

 

See you aboard.

[Cigar King]

8 minutes ago, Andy C said:

If you’re staying in a suite be prepared to deal with a very large pinnacle population that will compete with you for seats in the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen neither of which is adequately sized or staffed to deal with suite guests PLUS non-suite paying pinnacles. Make sure to make dining reservations in Advance with the concierge and be prepared to have to wait beyond your reservation time. And forget about finding a seat in the suite lounge for evening cocktails - the swarms will have arrived to stake their claims to their seats every night well before happy hour starts.

 

I've not found it quite as dire as you portray but it is clear that the TA's tend to attract a more experienced cruise crowd.  I find the lounges crowded in general, and I'd love to see Royal do something substantive about that.  We do often find space and if not there are plenty of other options.  It's life and lemons you know.

[Crazy planning mom]

I have never been on a repositioning cruise but I was on Harmony of the Seas last spring.

We loved going to Dazzles most nights.  It also nice to sit in Central Park during the day for peace and quiet

and at night for the light classic music at the Trellis Bar.

[dplusd]

As for the number of consecutive sea days on a TA, we love them.  But, we love sea days in general.  To the OP, if sea days were not a favorite part of your past cruises, you may want to consider doing a TA.  It is a long time to be at sea and as much as we love them, we are always anxious to get off the ship at the first port after the crossing!

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We were a little concerned before our first TA, too.  But, we LOVED it.  You get into a calm and relaxed mind set when you have a string of sea days. We have done 4 of them. 

 

We did the Harmony of the Seas TA.  We liked having all those days to do all of the activities, etc on the ship.  We had time to do everything. You are correct that there were lots of D. D+, Ps onboard.  . . . and we did not love that. A couple venues were used when I wanted to use them. But, we still enjoyed the cruise a great deal. 

 

Barcelona is a good port to embark.  Try it and see if you like it. 

[skiiergirl]

 

 

2 hours ago, darlacat said:

Greetings - we have done a few cruises - with Navigator being the biggest.  I generally select cruises for the ports but we have signed up for a transatlantic repositioning cruise on Allure of the Seas for November 2020.  There are NINE sea days - and seven of them are consecutive!  We both work and our vacation time is very precious and we try to use them well - so I hope we have no regrets about this - definitely have an open mind though!

For those who are inclined to share - can you tell me how your first experience with a whole bunch of sea days was? 

And for those who transitioned from smaller ships - what was the first experience on a mega ship like?  We are excited!

And thanks for all who contribute to this thread - I don't post often, but the folks here have provided me with SO MUCH INFO.  Thanks and happy new year to all.

 

If you love seadays, then it will be great.  There is plenty to do (if you want to be active) and very relaxing if you just want to "chill out". 

 

2 hours ago, Andy C said:

If you’re staying in a suite be prepared to deal with a very large pinnacle population that will compete with you for seats in the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen neither of which is adequately sized or staffed to deal with suite guests PLUS non-suite paying pinnacles. Make sure to make dining reservations in Advance with the concierge and be prepared to have to wait beyond your reservation time. And forget about finding a seat in the suite lounge for evening cocktails - the swarms will have arrived to stake their claims to their seats every night well before happy hour starts. 

 

Enjoy your TA. We’ve always wanted to do one. We stay in suites but after our experience traveling with large numbers of pinnacles and the many accounts we’ve read on CC we’ve lost any interest in doing a TA. 

We were on the SY TA with over 220+ Pinnacles onboard.  RC did an excellent job of handling both the suite guests and the large number of Pinnacles. While there may be people who "claim their chair" in the SL and "squat" there....I have no way of knowing if they are in a suite, P, or in a suite AND P unless I know them personally.  I have seen just as many suite guests "stake out" in the SL/CL as I have P.  So until the SL/CL is designed so that it accomodates every single suite guest at the same time, there may always be issues....P or not.  The lounge is not designed for any person/group to stay there all night! 

[flamingos]

2 hours ago, darlacat said:

For those who are inclined to share - can you tell me how your first experience with a whole bunch of sea days was? 

 

 

 

We did the transatlantic on the Serenade last spring, and are going both east and west transatlantic on the Brilliance in 2020.  I was also apprehensive, but it was fabulous.  There is so much to do that we missed quite a few fun things to do each day. We went to the gym each sea day so we wouldn't get too much weight gain 🙂 , we both finished two books, and we did a lot of people watching in the public areas.  There was music and dancing every night before and after dinner, lectures and small shows every morning and afternoon.  Food options are everywhere, from healthy to decadent.  You will have a wonderful time.

 

[Andy C]

32 minutes ago, skiiergirl said:

 

 

 

If you love seadays, then it will be great.  There is plenty to do (if you want to be active) and very relaxing if you just want to "chill out". 

 

We were on the SY TA with over 220+ Pinnacles onboard.  RC did an excellent job of handling both the suite guests and the large number of Pinnacles. While there may be people who "claim their chair" in the SL and "squat" there....I have no way of knowing if they are in a suite, P, or in a suite AND P unless I know them personally.  I have seen just as many suite guests "stake out" in the SL/CL as I have P.  So until the SL/CL is designed so that it accomodates every single suite guest at the same time, there may always be issues....P or not.  The lounge is not designed for any person/group to stay there all night! 

 

My point exactly. They swarm on TAs and neither the SL/CK is large enough for every single suite guest and then on top of that add in pinnacles. Most suite guests aren’t on CC and have no idea about this because RC markets it to them/us as exclusive when it is not. 

[lakelorain]

We do a trans-Atlantic every year.  Ship sizes from Radiance Class to Oasis Class.

We love them.  There is a lot to do on the ship.

Advantage of a larger ship is you can eat at a variety of places at no extra cost.  

There will be extra activities scheduled to keep you busy while at sea so you won't be bored.  However, I'd suggest you bring a reader or some books for when you want to get away from the everybody else.  9 sea days in a row is a lot.

The size of the Oasis Class allows the ship to carry a large number of people at one time yet not seem crowded.  Different activities are going on in different parts of the ship at the same time so the crowds are spread out.

Only place we found crowded is trivia in the Schooner Bar.  

There will be a lot of high level C&A people but a large area will be set aside for them during cocktail hour so it won't be a problem for anyone.

If you like the tranquility of the sea, you will enjoy a trans-Atlantic.  If you are always itching to get off at ports, you may not like it.

[SKSMIKE5]

We did our first Transatlantic in 2016. We are in our late 50s and went with 3 other couples. We had a GREAT time. We were afraid we would be bored with so many days at sea (we had 8 I think) but they have tons of activities scheduled throughout the cruise for you to do (or not). We left from Florida and sailed across with our first stop in Lisbon, then Vigo Spain, then LeHavre France, and ended in England. The Roll Call was very active and scheduled a pub crawl and slot pulls etc. It was a wonderful vacation. We were on a much smaller ship, Celebrity Silhouette, and it was great. Being on the Allure I'm sure you'll have plenty to do (or not).

[Coralc]

6 hours ago, Cigar King said:

 

We're on that cruise as well.

 

We did a TA that had nine sea days in row last time.  It was wonderful.  I really like the sea days myself, as I feel like I can truly relax.  Even when you don't plan on getting off the ship in port there is a flurry of activity, whereas on a sea day everything seems calmer.  Leisurely meals, relaxing in the pools and some time to read are high on my list.  There are also plenty of activities listed in the Compass when I need something to do.

 

See you aboard.

 

Were you going to let us know?  I hope that we weren't that offensive last time we sailed...just because we aren't on FB.  I looked at the itinerary and we have now booked as well. Email to follow. 

[fredflint]

We love TAs and the sea days are great you will have time to be able to do anything you want, there is not the conflict if choosing one show over another.  For use we bring several books both physical and ebook.  Bring along some TV shows or movies we have wanted to watch but could not find time.  Last time we were on the Allure the guest speakers were OK and fairly interesting if that kind of thing interests you.

 

Do not make any reservations for a while as you are a long way out and things can and probably will change.

 

If you like sun get a cabin on the port side, if you like it cooler and more shade go for a starboard side  cabin.

 

Remember that is where the word POSH came from ( POrt out Starboard Home).

[Milwaukee Eight]

6 hours ago, Cigar King said:

 

I've not found it quite as dire as you portray but it is clear that the TA's tend to attract a more experienced cruise crowd.  I find the lounges crowded in general, and I'd love to see Royal do something substantive about that.  We do often find space and if not there are plenty of other options.  It's life and lemons you know.

I think it’s a bit different in regards to the SL and CK when lots of P’s onboard. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

4 hours ago, skiiergirl said:

 

 

 

If you love seadays, then it will be great.  There is plenty to do (if you want to be active) and very relaxing if you just want to "chill out". 

 

We were on the SY TA with over 220+ Pinnacles onboard.  RC did an excellent job of handling both the suite guests and the large number of Pinnacles. While there may be people who "claim their chair" in the SL and "squat" there....I have no way of knowing if they are in a suite, P, or in a suite AND P unless I know them personally.  I have seen just as many suite guests "stake out" in the SL/CL as I have P.  So until the SL/CL is designed so that it accomodates every single suite guest at the same time, there may always be issues....P or not.  The lounge is not designed for any person/group to stay there all night! 

Your kidding, right?

 

Don’t the majority of P’s wear their pins?  Easy to identify in the SL. 

[Cigar King]

1 hour ago, Coralc said:

 

Were you going to let us know?  I hope that we weren't that offensive last time we sailed...just because we aren't on FB.  I looked at the itinerary and we have now booked as well. Email to follow. 

 

Hey!   Nice to have you with us.  Email replied to.  Don't forget to join the roll call.

[skiiergirl]

On 12/31/2018 at 2:37 PM, skiiergirl said:

 

 

 

If you love seadays, then it will be great.  There is plenty to do (if you want to be active) and very relaxing if you just want to "chill out". 

 

We were on the SY TA with over 220+ Pinnacles onboard.  RC did an excellent job of handling both the suite guests and the large number of Pinnacles. While there may be people who "claim their chair" in the SL and "squat" there....I have no way of knowing if they are in a suite, P, or in a suite AND P unless I know them personally.  I have seen just as many suite guests "stake out" in the SL/CL as I have P.  So until the SL/CL is designed so that it accomodates every single suite guest at the same time, there may always be issues....P or not.  The lounge is not designed for any person/group to stay there all night! 

 

On 12/31/2018 at 3:14 PM, Andy C said:

 

My point exactly. They swarm on TAs and neither the SL/CK is large enough for every single suite guest and then on top of that add in pinnacles. Most suite guests aren’t on CC and have no idea about this because RC markets it to them/us as exclusive when it is not. 

  The CL nor SL/CK on any ship is big enough to hold every single suite guest at one time.  (remember suites can also have 4, 6, 8, or even 10+ guests)

On 12/31/2018 at 7:20 PM, Milwaukee Eight said:

Your kidding, right?

 

Don’t the majority of P’s wear their pins?  Easy to identify in the SL. 

Nope...not kidding.  RC team did a fabulous job on the SY TA managing the suite guests and large number of Ps.

 

Nope....The majority of P's don't wear their pins even when requested to do so by staff.  We have sailed with numerous P that do not wear their pins. Many times we have lovely chats with folks and don't find out until days later that they are P.   Please don't stereotype people by their tier level. A good person is a good person no matter what their tier level.  A rude person is a rude person no matter their tier level.  A chair hog is a chair hog no matter their tier level. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

6 hours ago, skiiergirl said:

 

 

Nope....The majority of P's don't wear their pins even when requested to do so by staff.  We have sailed with numerous P that do not wear their pins. Many times we have lovely chats with folks and don't find out until days later that they are P.   Please don't stereotype people by their tier level. A good person is a good person no matter what their tier level.  A rude person is a rude person no matter their tier level.  A chair hog is a chair hog no matter their tier level. 

I don’t believe this at all. I believe the P’s on here will also disagree with you. 

[darlacat]

I am the Original Poster and just wanted to thank everyone for contributing to this!  I am beyond excited now - and have a long time to wait.  THANKSS

[CNickMN]

My husband and I did a 23-day transpacific from Seattle to Sydney. There were lots of sea days on an even smaller ship (Explorer) than you will be on. And I loved all the sea days, to be honest! It was nice to be able to keep a somewhat more relaxed routine rather than feeling I had to smush all the entertainment and hoopla on board into a couple days. Most mornings, I'd go to the gym or walk the track. Then I'd have an iced coffee, maybe a quick swim...maybe trivia later in the day or find a quiet place to read. Some evenings we'd catch a show after dinner or just sit at the piano bar or the pub or gamble a little in the casino. Some nights we'd be out until pretty late. Some evenings we'd turn in a bit early. In a way, it began to feel more like a community instead of just a bunch of people on vacation, you know? Anyway, I'm sure you will have a great time. The Allure is a gorgeous ship!

[ssb]

There is a reason you want a booking on a mega ship and repositioning . Logically you want it . Go and Enjoy the company of your partner . 

 

We have done many. Never have we wanted to get off at the end of those cruises . It’s precious quality time with the one you want to be with . Slow down and smell the roses . 

 

What could be better ? 

[skiiergirl]

On 1/2/2019 at 4:42 PM, Milwaukee Eight said:

I don’t believe this at all. I believe the P’s on here will also disagree with you. 

Well....we could take a vote.  What is my prize when I win???😀

I will agree there are a few that are never seen without the pin.  They probably wear it in the shower!

However,  it would be hard to know who was voting unless they post a photo wearing their pin.😀

I do know a good number of P and know for a fact they don't wear their pin even when requested to do so by the staff. 

I certainly can't say I know more P than you do, but I believe I know enough P to know for certain that not all (or even most) wear their pin.  

On my most recent cruise, 5 of the 14 people at our dinner table are P...and not once during the entire cruise did I ever see any of them wearing their pin. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

1 hour ago, skiiergirl said:

Well....we could take a vote.  What is my prize when I win???😀

I will agree there are a few that are never seen without the pin.  They probably wear it in the shower!

However,  it would be hard to know who was voting unless they post a photo wearing their pin.😀

I do know a good number of P and know for a fact they don't wear their pin even when requested to do so by the staff. 

I certainly can't say I know more P than you do, but I believe I know enough P to know for certain that not all (or even most) wear their pin.  

On my most recent cruise, 5 of the 14 people at our dinner table are P...and not once during the entire cruise did I ever see any of them wearing their pin. 

We haven’t eaten in the MDR other than for lunch in 2 1/2 years so I can’t speak to that. I will say i’ve NEVER met a P in the SL without a Pin.  I’m sure there are some who do not wear them. For the purpose of this thread, it’s about overwhelming numbers of P’s in the SL/CK during TA’s and other times where many P’s travel on the same cruise. You can tell, the dynamics of the SL/CK change. The quantity of P’s drastically affect the quality of the experience for Suite Guests in the SL/CK.  This FACT is not arguable, PERIOD. 

Edited January 4, 2019 by Milwaukee Eight