The Fun Researcher

Voyager or Freedom class ships.

 

Reason is that they have a Royal Promenade

Ditto this. Just what I was going to say. We love the promenade for that open expansive feel in the ship, and a great place for a stroll or snack. We liked, but didn't love, Oasis class even though they have HUGE promenades so this leaves you with Freedom Class and Voyager Class.

The ships are still big enough to host a lot of activities outdoors, (including the refurbed Voyager class ships). They also offer great views of the ocean and a nice wrap around walking path on deck 4 that isn't blocked by life boats.

I recall seeing them on the starboard side, in the drink station located between the forward and aft portion of Windjammer.

We will keep an eye out for them. Thanks! :)

Dan

Thanks for the info. Doesn't really impact us since we have always had non refundable airline tickets purchased well before that anyway.

I can see this being a pain in the butt for those who are in driving distance of the ships though.

Dan

Thanks for the update. I was curious if those soda machines were still there. Those are the only guest soda machines (other than Freestyle) I've ever seen on a Royal ship.

My wife will be happy to hear about this. Self serve in the Windjammer huh?

She and one of our daughters will have the pop package, so this will be a very convenient way to get pop while hanging out on the pool deck.

Dan

Good tips. Yeah, Oasis class isn't our favorite either. We've done Freedom class otherwise and much prefer it. Similar food quality, still plenty to do, and what felt like far less people. For us, the Oasis suffered in the fitness center, busy promenade, and disconnected feeling from the ocean as well. I can't wait to try the next smaller class with the Navigator in a month. Appears to be much more similar to Freedom class than Oasis class.

Dan

You're fortunate, others have had to pay the $8 price for kids.

Put us in that group. Like $9.40 per day for us (including gratuity). Ouch.

Purchased two packages for our upcoming 8 night cruise, so about $150. That's like buying 25 cases (600 cans) in our area. Crazy.

Dan

We prefer deck 9, then 8, then... something else I guess. Deck six wouldn't be a deal breaker. I would go for the connecting rooms if it were me.

Dan

I'm not a fan of the 70's party , seams to be the same thing every time , on rhapsody a few years back Graham Seymour and his crew put on a British rock invasion party I was fantastic , need more diversity with the party , I heard a while back of an 80's party , big hair and slouch socks

That sounds great too! I'd be up for that. Agree, as much fun as the 70's party is, a little variation isn't bad.

Kind of like the MDR menus. As much as I like the food in the MDR, I'm getting a little tired of the same menus every cruise.

Dan

We have a similar issue with our two daughters. My younger daughter is 11 so would slotted into the 9-11 group, but she turns 12 three days after our cruise. My older daughter is 14. They want to be together in the 12+ club. I'm guessing we'll be able to get my younger daughter into the 12+

Dan

Looks like we'll be getting on the Navigator as you get off!

Love's the 70's parties!

Typically there is a parade through the promenade the first evening also. Times vary.

Dan

Yeah those rooms 3700 to 3712 are in a very strange location. Open to the general public. Very strange

Dan

After getting off Oasis , the Promenade looks so narrow....:)

It is much narrower!! We like it more though. The oasis has a huge promenade but we found it much busier at all hours of the day.

Dan

The biggest changes are the rebranding of the bar spaces.

Thank you. It looks very similar to the freedom class ships that we have been on. That is good! We love the promenade on those ships. Can't wait for our cruise in April!

Dan

Thank you very much!

Can you summarize what you consider the changes to be?

Dan

I've never seen a midnight buffet since we started cruising in 2012. It doesn't sound like something we would enjoy anyway.

They make almost no sense to me other than to gawk at some food/ice carvings and such. To me, the sandwiches, pizza, panini's and cookies that are offered every night are perfect for us. ...but that's just us. :)

Dan

Thank you very much, especially for the menu order!!! I've been trying to find that. We'll be on the Nav. In April. Can't wait!

Dan

We've had tricks and puzzles on our relatively recent RCI cruises both in 2012, and in late 2014. Love the "magic" tricks.

I'm sure there were some awesome things about cruises of years long past, but the cruise lines adjust to the customers. There may be things mentioned here that are missed, but there are reasons for the changes, and not all of them "corporate greed". Many are driven by the passengers wants.

1) Cost of a cruise. Pretty reasonable now, overall. (Don't get me started on the price of drinks now though ;) )

2) Preferences. While I like getting dressed up for formal nights, it's apparent that many do not, leading to a more casual atmosphere. This isn't pushed by RCI, but from the cruisers themselves. I still feel that there is an elegant enough feeling to ship on the formal evenings.

3) Bigger ships. People want more activities. How do you get there? Make bigger ships that hold more activities (and more passengers). Makes for a broader experience.

I'm perfectly happy with the current state. There are many options out there for cruisers. Cruise lines vary from those who are value oriented, to those that expect luxury and the pampering that comes along with the price.

Dan

How much can the times vary for requesting the same wait staff? We have three dinners at 5:45pm, three at 6pm and three at 6:15pm. Are these close enough? We would have booked the exact same time for the reason you mention, but our dinner times are around the show times.

 

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In our experience, 15 minutes is not a problem at all. 30 might be pushing it, but you could ask the person at the kiosk out front of the dining room to be sure. The key is asking to be with the same wait staff if at all possible.

Dan

I feel the same.. would not pick Oasis again. This was our 5th cruise on RCCL (Voyager, Freedom, Enchantment, Freedom, Oasis). But like you, I felt a disconnect from the sea. But more so, we really disliked My Time Dining. The first time we tried it on Freedom, it worked out great. We asked for the same time each night, and the same wait staff. Felt no different than traditional dining, but at a better time slot. This time we did the same thing (reservations online before we sailed), but never got seated in the same section and had to wait each night even though we had reservations. One night they even sent us to a different dining room after waiting half hour. We were with friends who were trying RCCL for the first time. They were NOT impressed and doubt they will cruise RCCL again.

 

MY DH enjoyed the uniqueness of the ship. I LOVED the speedy internet. But in the end, we would select a smaller ship next time.

Just curious... did you ask for the same wait staff each night with My Time Dining? We do, as long as our dining times are all at pretty much the same. Actually, on the Oasis this past May, we didn't care for our first waiter and assistant, so we asked to be seated with someone else the second night. Much better. We then requested to be with the same wait staff for the rest of the cruise and it worked out well. We have had the same wait staff for the duration of the cruise for all of our cruises with My Time Dining. We tend to eat at the same time each night though which helps. We are typically on the earlier side.

It is interesting how people used to say that they felt disconnected from the sea on Voyager and Freedom class ships until Oasis appeared. Now that disconnection seems to have gone. I guess the V/F ships have have been re-designed?

It's funny how I didn't know how nice the Freedom class (and I imagine Voyager) is for views of the seas until I went to Oasis. Easy views from the top decks, as well as the awesome views from deck 4. Not life boats blocking your views like the Oasis class. I see that the Celebrity S class also has life boats blocking that deck as well. It's nice for the Freedom and Voyage classes to have the lifeboats up high enough that the view is not impaired.

Dan

If you are concerned about it, pay to upgrade to a room that you know you want.

We have not done a "stateroom guarantee". (and probably won't ever) There is too much $$$ on the line for us to get placed in some room that I didn't want.

Dan

Thanks all. I'm not looking to be convinced, never was. Just looking for information to base our decision on. I'm one of those people that research things to death, so I appreciate all of your comments! A lot of your analogies are great, and you are giving me a much better picture of what to expect on a X cruise.

Like one post mentioned, if we are with two other couples we make our own fun/party really. That's been our experience with our three "couples" cruises that we've done with RCI. However, there have also been a lot of other passengers our age, and even younger.

I also really like the idea of finding a cruise compass from a comparable itinerary on an S class ship. Thanks!

There are things that I see on the X S-class ships that have me drooling like the beautiful outdoor areas, bars, the class... and the food looks excellent too. I'm surprised to hear (not in this thread) negative comments about the food quality. We typically eat in the MDR on RCI ships for both lunch and dinner. How does the MDR on X class ships (like Silhouette) compare in your experience?

Thanks all.

Dan

Thank you all for your input. Obviously some here don't like the promenade on RCI ships. :) However, to call the promenade a mall or food court is like calling a Cadillac a Chevy in my opinion.

I did not like the Promenade on the Oasis much, mainly because it was too big and far too busy... all the time, even into the late hours at night. However, on the Freedom class ships they have been wonderful.

Honestly, the more I look into the Atrium(s) in the Silhouette, the more that I'm concerned that it's just not for us. It's absolutely beautiful, but such a small footprint! The entire ship looks beautiful. Stunning really. The class and elegance stand out.

However, there some things that concern me. 1) Lack of open space in the ship's interior. 2) No offense, but the average age and liveliness of the passengers 3) Relative lack of daytime and nighttime activities.

Celebrity looks like a wonderful cruise for those that want to slow down, relax, and eat... all things that we love too, but I need more. Can you all help me with understanding the nightlife? Day life? Activities for active early 40 year olds? We are considering the S class ships for a cruise with our friends. Three couples in their early 40's that are active, appreciate the luxuries a cruise can offer, and still like to party it up a little bit. RCI has been excellent for us, but I'm looking to try something new.

Dan

Thank God everyone made it out of this ok! Stating the obvious, but after seeing damage to the propulsion system, this could have gone south in a catastrophic way. I for one am patient enough to wait for this all to get investigated and for the findings to be disclosed. Easy for me to say though. I don't have a cruise on this ship planned.

I will say this, just like other major cruise problems / disasters (I.e. Costa Concordia) the entire cruise industry is in high alert/ safety mode now. Something that is a little comforting for our cruise in a month and a half.

Dan

I also just booked tour #2 for April 7. We are on the Freedom of the Seas.

 

 

My receipt doesn't have a date on it or the tour #. I assuming a more detailed one is forthcoming? This is just the payment receipt that I've received so far.

 

 

PCJMOM

Cool! Maybe we'll be in the same group! We will be a group of 10. One family of five with three kids 8, 12, 14 (boy, girl, girl). One Family with a daughter aged 9, and a set of Grandparents.

Yes, you will get an email from Bernard that has detailed information about how to get to their location from the dock, and it will list your time to meet as well as which tour you booked and such... For ours, we meet at 8:30am and leave at 9am

Kindly,

Dan

One thing we absolutely LOVE about RCI's Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships are the interior promenades that basically stretch for to aft 4 decks high. This is a fantastic open area inside the ship, and also makes for ease of getting around. We love the feel and look of them.

We're considering a cruise on an S class ship next year (Silhouette) but wonder how the feel of the ship's interior compares to the RCI class ships mentioned above. (particularly Freedom and Voyager class) All of the other areas that I see on the Celebrity S class ships look great, but wondering how much we might miss the interior Promenade.

Kindly,

Dan