ILCTCRUISER

15 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

It is a little more money however, Oceania has a small ship that stops at St. George and Hamilton.  

We’re booked Oceania Insight this July.  Read @LB_NJ’s post and did a check.  Celebrity June 26 to King’s Wharf.  Our Oceania fare is roughly $200 less than comparable X fare and we have gratuities prepaid and a $400 OBC.  We port Hamilton and St. George.

On deck 10, I’d avoid any JS that are located anywhere below the galley area of WJ.  Personal experience, though it is possible this was a ship-specific situation.  About 1 am each night, we had noise of what seemed to be carts being moved/rolled in that area of deck 11.  We checked it out and it seems our JS was under the galley doors.  Our guess is that they may have been rolling out clean dinnerware/trays/similar.   This did not last a very long time but there was enough noise that it would wake us.  We complained, it may have been lessened but it was still a problem.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

 

That's what I'm seeing too.  

 

I never buy drink packages on long cruises, the free loyalty drinks for being elite worked for me.    Now I'm forced into a drink package.

 

I Imagine for the folks that like to disconnect on a cruise they'll feel the same way being forced to pay for wifi they won't use.

When it comes right down to it, and I’m adding this in support of what @twangsterhad just said and has said in the past (assuming I understand everything he’s said), it all comes down to marginal utility:  How do we choose to spend our next dollar?  The “buying” proposal tends to change over time, whether it’s a product or service.  It’s our decision, as buyers, to decide if that proposal makes sense for us, is worth our hard earned dollars.  Consider the airlines:  it wasn’t all that terribly long ago when you paid a fare and the fare INCLUDED your luggage.  Luggage fees.  They were added to the mix and each and every person who looked at fares on carriers that charged a checked-bag fee had the option to accept the fee or fly another carrier or drive?  And now we have had changes with cruises...but haven’t we had changes in the past?  X:  the all-inclusive proposal.  You review it.  If it makes sense to you, you buy.  If it doesn’t you buy elsewhere.

We currently have 3 RCL cruises booked and one Oceania.  The Oceania is July so our hope is that it will go.  The RCLs?  Coin toss.  Paying a lot more on the Oceania than I’d pay on RCL or X.  It made sense so we booked.  And we’ll continue to do the same for RCL.  We’ve enjoyed RCL over the years and our D+ perks.  But and I dread using this phrase, It is what it is!  If X has decided to make those changes, it is, after all, their bat and ball.  If RCL decides to make similar changes, then we will consider whether or not that’s how and where we want to spend our next dollar.

Based upon first reading, it seems that the CDC has established a number of steps that the cruise lines need to undertake before there will be any cruises open for booking.

First it appears lines will need to show and demonstrate that they have systems and procedures in place to protect crews.  Then, they must complete any build-out (medical facilities, quarantine areas, social distancing measures, etc) needed to operate safely in the current situation and undergo inspection during an approval process.  Then, cruise lines must participate in “test” cruises: again, to get approval to resume operations.

Check out the area off the coast near Miami and you'll see one pod of Carnival ships and another pod of RC and X ships.

Not sure when cruising will resume, but I have a very good idea where we’re headed.

Given the difficulty of these decisions, the Panel recommends that cruise lines favor ports with low infection rates where risky contact points can be minimized. One way to do that would be to, on a temporary basis, sail primarily to the cruise operator’s privately owned and operated destinations, especially when first resuming passenger operations.
 

11 minutes ago, twangster said:

With a cruise every other year chasing status on any particular line is not likely worth it.  Go for ship and itinerary.  If Royal happens to have the best or most appealing then so be it.   Otherwise spend your vacation dollars on what most interests you.  

@twangster hit the nail on the head here.  If you don’t foresee cruising a great deal, look for itineraries that interest you.  Then, ship and ship amenities.  

1.  Insignia Jul 2021

2.  Insignia Jul 2021

3.  Disappointed, yes, but we've held off booking anything until picture clears up.  Will book again when we get more information about what cruising will entail once cruising resumes.

@Merion_Mom has provided a very good summary for you.

Best scenery on Barbados is on Atlantic coast if you can get there.  We spent honeymoon  there.  And, oh yes, lots of rum.

We always enjoy St. Kitts.

Aruba.  It’s not all that difficult to grab a bus and head up to Palm Beach.  Bus terminal is close to port.

Curacao is our favorite of the ABC’s

Antigua, as Merion Mom pointed out, has great beaches.

We head to Saint Martin, French side.

Unfortunately, your suggested itineraries do not include Dominica.  Special island if you value ecotourism.  Beautiful interior.  Sadly, a very poor nation.  Or Grenada.

Avoid Empress.  Of those you’ve listed:  Freedom, but we’ve enjoyed better itineraries.

South America,

Thank you VERY much @JK300!  @ORV, thank you and a very good point.  No tenders.

On August 8, 2020 at 1:20 PM, island lady said:

 

Oh yeah...the mosquitoes are here alright!   We are walking buffets for them!!  😮 

 

Not really seeing any Moosehead beer, instead...lots of choices from Anchorage Brewing company.   A lot of small company craft breweries as well.   Gives them something to do in the dead of winter I guess.  😉  Denali Brewing company is located about 2 miles from where we stayed in Talkeetna...very popular place!

Also enjoyed Denali Brewing.  In Talkeetna there's also a small ice cream shop owned by a woman originally from Chicago's South Shore neighborhood.  

Thank you @LHT28 and @CintiPam for your help.  TA offered up 6039 which appears to be VERY obstructed.   It's a Bermuda 7 day, so won't be in cabin all that much but that may be more obstruction than we could handle.

Thanks in advance for any information or photo of extent of obstructed view.

10 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

 

Same dang company, don’t really see why we can’t combine cruises.  I would probably swap back and forth if they tried just a little bit.

 

jc

Combining loyalty programs would certainly go a long ways.  A tiered approach, possibly.  Points earned on RCL apply to status on RCL; points earned on X would apply to X and RCL; points earned on Azamara would apply to Azxamara, X and RCL.  Of course, I can't imagine RCL IT could handle it.

December 2015 Explorer crossing Tasman headed back to Sydney.  Broadsided by a squall.  I was seated at edge of bed, looked up and out balcony window.  Called to wife:  "This is strange, can't see the horizon any longer."  Then everything started crashing to the floor.  Corrected very quickly.  Later of course heard about all mess at bars, etc.  Ran into Captain the next day in the WJ and asked.  They thought is was a passing front with rain but it was a squall with wind nearing 100 mph.  Deck was able to turn ship as soon as it realized what was happening.  Not that this compares with what others have experienced but it was something I'll remember.

As the spouse of an airline employee, I've been on flights that are being ferried from one airport to another w/o pax.  Except me, that is.  At times, flights are no-go due to a mechanical (for example, cabin communication systems goes out) and cannot be flown with pax.  However, craft needs to go to a maintenance base so are ferried by crew.  

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Oh I think that is the last thing RCI would be thinking about doing. Who do you think it is that will be first back aboard the ships? For those who are not in love with cruising the images of the Diamond Princess will not fade that fast. It is the people that overcrowd the lounges that will shrug it off and get back to doing what we love. And the folks in Miami's corporate office will be grinning from ear to ear to have the problem of an overcrowded lounge in need of an overflow area.

I'm not suggesting they  SHOULD proceed with the changes.  I'm simply throwing out the idea that it could happen.  I'm happy with the benefits of being D+.  But I was probably much happier last December when I still had access to the CL.  We all recognize there have been a number of changes within the C&A program over the years just as there have been for the overall cruising experience.  These changes have ticked off D and D+ to varying degrees, but RCL made them and I'll hazard a guess management knew there'd be pushback.

11 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Easy way to kill off the Concierge Lounges.😉

We were thinking the exact same thing.  It seems this would be an opportunity for RCL to

reset the C&A program, including but not limited to the matter of the lounges.

42 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Jones Act has NOTHING to do with cruise lines.  And the only US cruise line for ocean sailing in NCL - for one ship.

Stand corrected.  I misspoke.  It is a PVSA matter.  

Who can predict when the virus spread will abate?  We know the Canadian government has guessed at July 1 and I'll guess that if data supports opening their ports sooner then the Canadian government will open ports earlier.  However, in the mean time, wouldn't it make sense for the US government to suspend the Jones Act for a set period of time.  That way, if healthcare officials feel the likelihood of spread has been diminished to a target level, then US cruise lines could restart Alaska service and bypass the need to stop at a Canadian port.  It would still need to be a call from healthcare officials, say CDC, but it would create possibilities not only to assist the cruise lines but also help Alaska.  DW is in my ear now saying, Dump the Jones Act altogether.  Made sense at one time but no longer.

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Yes, we've been 4-5 times. This was Pat's first time, and would have been my first time to visit the inside of SF

 

Maybe I'll wait until the finish it. 😉

The Sagrada F is impressive from the outside but the inside is marvelous.

1 hour ago, Blizzard54 said:

We have also noticed times on the Vision and Rhapsody that the lounge is almost empty and there are some in the overflow.  One of the reasons is that the lounge design is not particularly social.  Most of it is table of 2.  There is the back corner where you can arrange a group but most of it is 2's with an aisle in the middle.  I am also surprised that they have not changed the name yet.  

We always enjoy Vison Class (Well, I do more so than Nanci) but visiting  the CL on that class has been a challenge.  Small and, as @Blizzard54 noted,  the layout is not very conducive to meeting up with others and engaging in conviviality.   The overflow makes little sense, was always there simply to accommodate the numbers,  How many times have we gone to the Vison-class CL only to leave because there were no seats available, even after 1st seating.  So, in the end, are those who are D+ really losing all that much by not having access to the CL on Vision Class?  

One has to accept that lounges, DL or CL, were never conceived/designed to accommodate the large numbers of D and above that RCL has created.

Suites?  I always wonder just how many guests in full suite also purchase drink packages and have little 0r no reason to stop by the CL in the evening.  The appetizers?  Hmmm.   Yes, the Vision Class has fewer suites, but the reports suggesting the CLs are not being used as they once were suggests to me that maybe they don't always appeal to this who have booked suites.

There is a certain camaraderie that can be found in the DLs and CLs, and that is why they are important to Ds and above. This camaraderie can be found in the bars elsewhere on board, but, for many, it's not always as easy to turn to someone, say in Schooner Bar, and strike up a conversation as it is in the DL or CL.  At least, I don't.

Disclaimer:  I'm not happy that we're losing access to CL.

Indian menu.  Ask your waiter what is available and as Bob noted it's usually limited.  Fish curry has always been very good on any ship.  You can often get butter chicken but you can find that in WJ at times.  Once the waiters know your interest, they usually will check it out for you in advance of your arrival.  We've also had a head waiter come to our table and tell us what was available for the next few days.

31 minutes ago, spookwife said:

 

I'm just waiting to get the email  regarding my Alaska cruise this July stating that Ds will not be allowed into the D lounge any more and will have to use the free drinks coupons loaded for happy Hour.   

 

 

What the future holds is hard to predict.

Given the recent development with CLs, it may be a bit too soon for RCL to make another bold move such as refusing DL admittance to Ds.

Also, Alaska cruises tend to have fewer upper tier C&S.  Last August, a Radiance cruise had 7 P and about 170 D+.  Don't recall number of D.