Stateroom_Sailor

I did a coastal down to San Diego in 2019, not even realizing that we'd be directly across the street. The window of our room almost facing the center of the ship. It may be cheaper to buy 30,000 Wyndham Reward points, than paying the cash rate for the hotel.

We sailed Aqua on Summit, Infinity, and Eclipse. I never noticed any of these problems either. It was only a 4-night Halloween cruise on Infinity in 2018, but I negotiated an upgrade from Concierge to Aqua after final payment, on the hump for $100 pp, $549 pp total with the package.

I've never tried Luminae, but we sailed on the Summit 8 years ago from Puerto Rico to New Jersey, which included an overnight in Bermuda. It was our first time in Aqua Class, and we absolutely loved it and Blu. I'm hoping that the OC restaurants on Pinnacle Class are a similar experience.

Glad we upgraded then. Both of our upcoming cruises are 13 nights, so $650 each for CO. We got $360 in cabin upgrades for the TP, and $588 for the Mediterranean cruise. Had we started from base fares, which we'll do moving forward, the cabin upgrades would be worth it alone.

We ended up taking the cabin upgrade on our Transpacific, in our signature suite. Comparing balconies, it looks like the standard room offers better function with outdoor furniture and space. The cabin on the hump offers better views, but is more exposed to weather.

It is better than nothing, we're going to do it! Thanks for the tips. I'd be curious to hear how you like Oceania. I've read that there have been cuts over the years, but with such competitive pricing it seems like a fair trade. Azamara may be a one and done due to all the booking shenanigans on our first attempt to sail with them.

Did you get an alternative gift in exchange for no upgrade? My understanding is you get OBC or something if there are no more upgrades, but I'm not sure what happens if you opt out. Still, 13 nights at sea with only a couple ports, upgraded dining sounds tempting.

Good to know. I believe it was a supply chain or cost cutting fluke at the time (pre Covid), but on our last Celebrity cruise in Aqua Class, there was an almost complete shortage of vegetables on our 12-night sailing. Blu and Luminae were not spared. I ended up paying for Murano during an Easter lunch special for a full serving of green beans. A few loyalists on CC told me that this was my fault for not correcting X, and that they would hold me accountable if they noticed any downgrades on their upcoming cruises. After 5 years, I wonder if I am past the statutes of limitations? We just paid for CO for our 2026 cruise yesterday, the cabin upgrade covered almost the entire cost. I was tempted to do it for our Transpacific in a few weeks, but we would lose our cabin on the hump in exchange for a better floor, which seems like a wash at best. Moving forward, I'll be incorporating CO into our cabin selections from the start.

Thanks, we're looking forward too. The 13-Day is already starting to inch up in price. Even the 28-Day and 35 Day voyages are stared close to their normal pricing. For anyone thinking of these sailings, I wouldn't wait long while prices are more than fair.

We're now booked on Oosterdam, thanks to those who started and contributed to this thread. It is going to be nice flying into Portugal, and back from Greece, without inflated hotel and airfare pricing, and general tourist congestion on land.

I booked Viking to pair with a visit to Spain, but that Oosterdam cruise does look tempting... Much more reasonably priced than Sky Princess, $4,300 for an inside cabin! I don't even know how on top of it the airlines and hotels will be, especially that I am counting on using Alaskan Miles to get to Europe for cheap.

This is not a FCC from a canceled cruise. It is an Azamara Passage.

I was told that this were good for 30 years, but under the fine print, it says that there is no expiration date.

Royal Caribbean still owned Azamara in 2019, and you could book an Azamara "Open Passage" while onboard Royal or Celebrity. These were not advertised, and the future cruise desk didn't have much experience with them, but they figured it out.

I had previously mentioned a double charge that was done during the booking process of our first Azamara cruise. There was some confusion about how this occurred, and refund dates that were not met, which felt like we were being blown off. This was booked with a particular online TA, due to having the cheapest price, which we'll never use again. I ended up filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau on Monday. An Azamara resolution specialist contacted me within 48 hours, wanting to understand the situation, and began processing the other half of our refunds. He was extremely professional and came across as sincerely concerned for the company image and customer retention. Since we have a future cruise credit (Open Passage) that we had purchased on our last Celebrity cruise, and attached to our normal TA, I am going to use it to book an 8 night cruise on Azamara Quest, and start over again fresh. In the end we're very happy with the resolution team.

We are in our mid 40's, and enjoy HAL sea days. We're easy going with entertainment, so that won't be everyone. We're going to Disney Japan and Universal Orlando this year, so we certainly enjoy attractions, where I can pair that with a nice hotel and food, I've sailed on a 14 night Carnival cruise once, too many people became disappointed and irritable by the end, not realizing it was basically a 7 night cruise worth of entertainment stretched out. The pace onboard is similar to Celebrity, perhaps even more low key. Celebrity has better shows, activities, and innovations, where HAL has better live music venues. I would call the MDR a wash, which of course is subjective, but HAL really wins on food when it comes to the buffet, breakfast menus, and poolside options.

I appreciate reading everyone's response, we're going to add Atlas to our watchlist. Some incredible itineraries at fair prices, looking at our brochures. I recently had a botched booking with duplicate deposits from Azamara, with over the top blaming and excuses from the cruise line. After reading BBB, Yelp, and Trustpilot reviews, I see that this is not unusual. There are two Atlas complaints on the BBB, quite hilarious, and it was reassuring to see Atlas being the adult in the room.

No, I'm talking about a HAL Oasis class! Imagine a multistory Billboard Onboard, with a moving platform for the dueling pianos. Four music stages, adding The Rat Pack and Beach Boys themed bands. Introducing the King's Day Orange Divers. The Orange Party expands to daily Dutch games on deck. The World Stage becomes a dome. Explorations Central (EXC) will add interactive Virtual Reality in the Crow's Nest. Premium acoustically engineering Lincoln Center Stage, that will be repurposed for the most clarity of sound in art auctions at sea.

I booked Viking River to pair with the 2026 eclipse, we'll just fly to Germany a couple days after. I figure that beats paying a premium on a ship. We might book a transatlantic with Viking Ocean while onboard.

I still think it's time for HAL to turn into an Oasis style ship.

I took the 7 night Yukon tour in 2018. While I don't regret doing it, it was a tedious trip with way too much sitting. I would go back for Denali, perhaps on a different cruise tour with Princess. If I were you, I would consider paying extra for another night in Denali if your airfare will allow the switch. It was the highlight of our trip, and we wished that we had picked a tour with another day. The Tundra Wilderness Tour is breathtaking when included. Lastly, buses and/or trains 3 days in a row is what I disliked about our trip the most. A day of hiking is an excellent idea!

I just used my American Express Platinum card for the $350 offer. I'm glad to hear that the promo is available on the Green card too, because I'll likely downgrade to it next year rather than canceling the card altogether. My vacation is ready too!

From what I hear, they're all over the ship. Virgin has gone overboard by putting one in each and every cabin!

I believe on land most people have a different outlook on reviews. Even if you prefer junk food, you're not going to get these two restaurants mixed up, viewing the choice as "too subjective". https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g35805-d479653-Reviews-O_Leary_s_Public_House-Chicago_Illinois.html https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g35805-d457447-Reviews-The_Capital_Grille-Chicago_Illinois.html

I wouldn't want to pay 2x or 3x either, especially with declining quality. I'm paying about 25% more on Holland America reposition cruises, and even on Viking River for summer 2026. There must be too much demand for Royal Caribbean from people who don't mind cheap food. If you still want to cruise, I would recommend: A. Reposition Cruises B. Sail in October or early December C. Look at other cruise lines. They all fall short somewhere, so depends on what's important to you, price, and itinerary.