The Fun Researcher

Can't ditch it when you've never done it.  😉 

I understand why people like it, not having to worry about cost once they are on the ship, and the convenience.  For some, it might even be lower cost than paying out of pocket.

However, for us, the numbers don't come close to working out.  We drink every night on a cruise but not nearly enough to cover the cost of the package.

Dan

2 hours ago, GalwayGirl03 said:

This may seem like a stupid question but on RC's website they have different deck plans from  Feb 24, 2019-April 21, 2019 ( that doesn't show the resort pool) and then deck plans from 4/26/19-4/27/20...does anyone have any idea why there are three different deck plans for the navigator refurb? Thank you and I am sorry if this was asked before

 All of the dates show the resort pool when I look. 

Dan

You the man Lloyd, thanks again for the progress photos

Dan

I wouldn’t deny anyone a good cigar and cognac.  I just think that area was underutilized compared to other areas of the ship.  It will be BUSY in the evenings now that it’s the Diamond lounge.

Dan

Thanks for the photos!

Dan

15 minutes ago, ecslady said:

Any pics of the inside cabins? Did they re-fresh them when Adventure was in drydock last year?  I'll be in an inside in a few months, and haven't sailed on the Voyager class in a long time.

Appears that they may have redone the carpet.  Other as needed I would suppose.  Here's a post refurb video of an inside.

And a link just after refurb

https://www.*****.com/2018/02/12/first-look-royal-caribbeans-newly-refurbished-adventure-of-the-seas

Dan

4 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

You mean like they did on Oasis class ships?  🙂 

Oh don't you dare.  :)

Did they really?  Didn't know that.  What a shame.  

Dan

A bad cruise director really is forgettable, a good one makes you wish they were on every ship you board, because they really do add a fun vibe to the whole cruise.

Our best has been Joff Eaton and his partner in crime the activity director (forgot his name, shame on me).  They were a really fun team and set the tone for the whole cruise.  This was on the Indy back in 2014.

Looks like he's moved onto Good Morning Britain!  Much deserved.

https://twitter.com/joffeaton?lang=en

Dan

2 minutes ago, CazV said:

 

That's different to the website deck plan image. 

 

There is no detail available in the App yet for my sailing at the end of April, so I guess they're still working on it. 

True.  Thanks for that.  The website version makes more sense in general.  I'd be shocked if they gave away that large main viewing area of the Viking crown to Suites only.

It shows the Suite Lounge, and not the Diamond lounge.  We already know the Diamond lounge is moving to Deck 5 so the website version appears to be more accurate.

Dan

1 hour ago, Glitterati said:

 

My boyfriend and I were one of the youngest couples on our Symphony cruise in May. Their newest, “amplified” ship, yet the passenger demographic was very heavy on the 60+. 

 

Hence why Royal may not necessarily be targeting millennials as their primary demographic.  That age group typically isn't in their prime earning years yet with as much disposable income as a little older age brackets.

Honestly, the more I've been thinking about someone saying "RCI doesn't cater to my generation", is like yelling out "Me, Me, Me!"  RCI needs to appeal to all generations as much as possible.  I think they cover it well.

BTW, the last thing I want to deal with is a Mario Kart competition on the outdoor movie screen.  I like the idea, but IMO some other venue would work better that doesn't impact everyone on the pool deck.

Dan

18 minutes ago, fred30 said:

The Sympathy 

Love it!

Yeah no doubt.

 As far as I know, the diamond lounge truly is where the old connoisseur club used to be on deck 5 and the connoisseur club is no longer .

Dan

Dang, is this accurate?  Not sure how I missed this.   I love the Viking Crown lounge, but now it appears that only a tiny section is available for standard guests (Cosmopolitan club), and it’s shoved to the rear.  Do they open up more in the evening for the DJ, music  and such?

1 hour ago, atricks said:

The Navigator is now on the Royal app.  Although I don't think they've loaded up all the sailing info yet.   If it doesn't pop up for your reservation yet, you can still manually pick it if you press the "Get more details on the ships we support" link on the home screen.  Then it'll allow you to pick the ship and sailing -- find a similar itinerary to yours before hand and you can get an idea of the schedule of the events for yours. 

Thanks for the heads up!  I do see the Ship, but not much loaded yet.  My reservations do show up as well.

3 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

This is how you make a nice ship looking ugly like a floating water park. For people who like ships for what they are this is just very sad.

I hear ya, and I felt exactly the same way before we went on the Liberty about a year ago.  I love the look of the Voyager and Freedom class ships.  To me, they are about as elegant as you can get for a cruise ship from an exterior perspective.  Now that we sailed the Liberty, I do appreciate the extra activities that the water slides and such provide, so I'm willing to live with the ugly appendages on the back of these ships.  It's really not as bad as I expected, visually.  We'll see how I feel about the "IN YOUR FACE" look of the new Navigator pool deck when I'm onboard next month.  I'll make sure to report back.  

Dan

3 hours ago, barbeyg said:

 

May not be the person that wrote it. CC website itself has changed my font to that when I corrected a spelling on a post before. 🙄

Yikes!  Interesting.  Never had that happen.  You would think they would notice a font that's so different though once they posted it.

Dan

6 hours ago, Gingerbint said:

As the others had advised the MDR is split in to four dining area - you will be allocated one for your evening meals - CHIC, Silk, Grande and American Icon.

 

They are included in your cruise fare, as is the WindJammer Café (main buffet restaurant) , Sorrento's (Pizza) and Seaplex dog house (hot dogs), Café@TWO70 , Promenade Cafe (coffees & sandwiches, small cakes & pastries) and Solarium bistro.

 

There are other venues which are for a fee.

Wonderland (its fab -we loved it), 

Chops grill ,

Jamie's Italian,

Izumi (Sushi) ,

Chefs Table (a bit more expensive but very nice dining experience),  

Johnny Rockets (burgers and chips - yum milkshakes! * They also do a breakfast which is free) .

 

Costal Kitchen is only for those guests in Suites and its their private dining area.

 

 

 My goodness, this font is incredibly hard to read. Especially on my phone.

Dan

9 minutes ago, GalwayGirl03 said:

What’s going on with March Navigator sailings? 

 

Thanks:)

3 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

You're welcome.

Thank you both.

Dan

By the way, the title of this thread is misleading and potentially alarming to those that are just browsing through the forum.

Is there a way to change it so something more reasonable, like

"Are March Navigator sailings still on?"

Dan

40 minutes ago, TXGreens said:

These photos are now agonizing since our sailing was canceled. 😢

Understandable.  I sympathize.

Please don’t stop with the photo updates though please.

Dan

March 15, which we're on has been sold out for a while as others have said.  It is extremely costly for RCI to cancel an entire cruise, so I have full confidence they are doing everything they can to hit the March dates.

I'm pretty confident...  I think.  😉 LOL

Dan

13 hours ago, Gquie said:

Compared to the $100 zipline that you get to go down once at Labadee, this price is a pretty good value. "Compared to" being the pejorative words here... 

5 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

My cruise planner is showing  the zip line pre cruise price (discount already applied) for $103. Can't imagine what the regular price is. All I know is I can grab a flight to Florida from JFK for a few dollars more that includes a snack and a soft drink. I'm finding out slowly that the only thing Royal about Royal Caribbean is that they charge a King's ransom for slightest thing. 

Yeah, the zipline isn't cheap.  (My son and I are going on it next month for $79 a piece)  I look at the zipline differently than the CocoCay water park.  To ME, the zipline is kind of a once in a lifetime thing.  It's the longest zipline, over water, in the world. (as they kept reminding us last time I went :) )   It  really is something special IMO.

Now, there are waterparks all over the place, and to spend that kind of money for a day at CocoCay for a whole family is REALLY steep in my opinion.  $500+ for my family?  no thanks.  Even the 1/2 day (which is probably all we would want anyway), is $300 for the 5 of us.

Royal really is making bank by having a captive audience on their own private ports.  I totally understand their reasons, and to be honest we LOVE Labadee, so I'm also looking forward to checking out CocoCay which we are visiting March of 2020.  I'm pretty sure we'll turn it into a relaxing beach day unless there is a good sale on the waterpark.

Dan

 OK, I will throw this out there. Maybe cruise directors aren’t  trying to win over millennials.  I don’t go around thinking about why cruise directors aren’t catering to my generation either  (Gen X) .   Never crossed my mind.    I do appreciate a fun, engaging cruise director though.  I think that is universal for all ages. 

Dan

10 minutes ago, vidsmart said:

For a book I wrote about cruising, I interviewed a couple who cruised 21 times (!) in 2018. In response to a question I asked regarding expense, he rationalized that by always booking inside cabins, the savings vs balcony/outside pays for a cruise after about 4-5 interior stays...

I could see that easily.

Dan

3 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

 

That's what I was thinking about the airfare. I mean, it's not as if they're giving a lot of notice here. I think they should up that because $200 is pretty much a joke. Even if you have insurance and don't have to worry about it, being offered that is sort of insult after injury.

I believe the $200 is for the change fee, not the airfare itself.  It's in hope that you can find another sailing and move your flights.  Even so, I think Delta is $200 for change fees(per ticket), but good luck finding a comparable airfare this close to the 24th which people had planned to have off.

Dan

52 minutes ago, frito58 said:

I am the next cruise March 1st rumors are we are getting cancelled as well . I didn't even know it was going in for dry dock until a few weeks before it went in , too late to cancel . What makes me mad is that they hold us and our money hostage till the very last minute when they know if its going to sail or not . They have done HOW many refurbishments .. 1000s ?   They know exactly how long each section takes , they can tell today when it  will be done .  Well I have several booked with them and yes I am just one small person , but if enough small people leave … well . 

33 minutes ago, frito58 said:

They just told me on a direct message on Twitter we are still On …. now watch them cancel us next week LOLOLOLOL

May want to go back and update your first post now that you had direct contact with them saying it's still on.  Where did you hear rumors about the 3/1/19 cruise anyway?

Dan