HBE4

3 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Out for a walk this morning.   It must be Christmas in July.  
 

Also saw what happens when a wife tells her husband that the only way she will go camping, is if she can pick out the colors for their outdoor area. 

 

Just a guess, but I think Jenny likes pink. 

Maybe a Mary Kay giveaway? 😉

29 minutes ago, George C said:

Congratulations, 4 drinks would not be enough on vacation for me , we do suites so we get 3 hour happy hour plus 5 free drinks for diamond plus. Suites are a easy way to get from diamond to diamond plus😁😁

4 drinks a day is not enough for me either, it just changes the "breakeven" point on whether I buy the package or not.  But I'm sure I'm up to the challenge.

I might be mistaken but as a solo passenger in a suite, I get triple points. I might need to upgrade my room for my upcoming cruises. It's possible a couple of 7 nighters & 8 nighters will get me to D+ real quick. 🙂

4 hours ago, elcuchio24 said:

No interest in smaller ships, but if there is market segment where they can make $$ off smaller ships, be interesting to see what they roll out. 

I think you've hit on the key phrase.  Royal likes to make money and if the 8 smaller ships that comprises a quarter of their fleet are making a profit, why abandon the ships, ports, itineraries and more importantly, the approximately 20,000 passengers that sail on them?

I know some people will argue that a Oasis ship is more profitable per person based on lower operating cost, etc, etc, blah, blah so just build 3 or 4 more Oasis class ships to serve those 20,000 people.  But if those people prefer a smaller ship or certain port, they will not be persuaded to cruise a mega-ship.  I guess they could go to Celebrity if the price is right.  Or they could go to the competition. 20,000 per week is over 1 million passengers per year. That's a lot to concede to the competition.

B

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

We are not sure how it happened but his two hind legs were paralyzed and the surgery did not go well.The Veterinary Surgeon is supposedly the best in Long Island .He is likely going to be in a dog wheelchair when he comes home.

Thank you ,Debbie for your words and prayers.

I'm so sorry to hear about this Lenny.   Hopefully he'll adapt to his new situation quickly and with the extra attention he is sure to receive, will have many more happy years ahead of him.

9 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

My logic would be...these are brand new chairs so the bands must have been in place for shipping to keep the chairs in an upright position.  They must have forgotten to remove the "shipping bands" when putting the chair on the balcony. 

That was exactly my thinking as well.

21 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

We just made final payment for our first b2b cruise in Oct/Nov on Harmony, after which we will be RCI DIAMONDS!  Just in time for Bella02 😁

Congratulations!  My upcoming Aug 2nd 8 night cruise will finally push me in the the Diamond realm as well. Also just in time for Bella 2. 🙂

With the 4 drink voucher, I'm going to have to rethink my Deluxe Drink package math. I usually buy it & generally breakeven give or take $30-$40 either way. I just like having the convenience of knowing everything is paid for upfront & trying new drinks I wouldn't normally purchase.

Then again, from what I read, even with the 4 additional drinks, I still may need the drink package. 😆

8 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Well, we agree on enough things that I won't hold this against you.😊 However, the show was awesome!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-BFY9IkUt8w

2 hours ago, Mick B said:

Hi,

Sorry, I did not say Indy was a small ship, I said she was now one of the smaller ships in the fleet.

 

I believe just a couple of years ago she was still in the top 10 biggest ships (competing with her 2 Freedom class sister ships due to refits and extra tonnage), but now not only is she not in the top 10 biggest, she is not even in the top 30, nor is she even in RCIs top 10 due to all the newer and bigger ships.

 

BTW Indy was my first ship I sailed on.

My first cruise was on the one-year old Liberty of the Seas. At the time she was Royals largest cruise ship as Oasis was still over a year away & Indy had just come out.

She now ranks #14 in size out of Royals 28 ships, placing her solidly mid-pack. So she's not small but not sure she can be considered large either. I would say mid-size.

Is she still a mega-ship? Debatable but for those that only think in terms of small vs large, I guess she could be considered a mini-Mega Ship🙂

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

I sailed on Voyager during her maiden year when she was the largest cruise ship in the world and old time cruisers said she was too large and not for them! My first cruise was on Monarch of the Seas and it was considered large! I think there are two strains of thought here some who want small and others who want smaller and they get confused. Indy is certainly not small but I guess to new cruisers who only know the mega ships it is small. 

But that is why the definition of small vs large has to evolve. Monarch and her sister ships are considered Royals first mega ship back in the day. So does that make the similar-size Vision class mega-ships? Of course not.  Yesterdays big ships are today's small ships.

5 hours ago, Coralc said:

Thanks for asking mema. No, not really, and I have only been online for about half an hour a day. Mostly reading. This is really awful pain, but it is getting a little better everyday. The PT exercises hurt and walking with the walker is not really walking. It is slide bad leg and walker a little, use arms to move other leg forward. Very tiring. And it hurts. (much worse than hip replacements)

 

Thanks for asking though, I really appreciate it. I haven't posted because I didn't want to sound anymore whiney, than I already am. 😊

Thank you for updating us. Many people here including myself have shared our burdens so feel free to continue to keep us updated, if you wish.

Hope the pain subsides soon & recovery is quick. 

15 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

On 7/15/2024 at 5:49 PM, George C said:

I wake up on a cruise just with enough time to make it to breakfast.

Sounds about like me, but I don’t always make it to breakfast.

They serve breakfast on a cruise? 😉

3 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Okay my cruising friends, particularly those of you who have done a Norwegian Fjords cruise, I’m looking for some input.  We are considering planning one for next spring and I want to get the most bang for my buck, scenery wise.  Celebrity Apex has three sailings in May, all with different port stops. These are the itineraries for each, two are 7 night cruises and one is an 8 nighter.  They all have two sea days at different points. 
 

5/3 - Haugesund, Olden, Flam, Bergen

5/10 - Nordfjord, Flam, Geiranger, Brussels Belgium (8 nts)

5/17 - Brussels, Olden, Geiranger, Alesund, Stavanger

 

Celebrity Eclipse has a 12 night which also includes the Arctic Circle but it departs on June 5th.  This would mean missing my new grandson Tyler’s first birthday, so that’s a no go for us. 
 

I feel like Geiranger is the ‘not to be missed’ port for seeing fjords and more nights are always better, so I’m leaning towards the May 17th itinerary. 
 

Thoughts??

 

I have not cruised Norway but I've slept in a Holiday Inn Express so I feel like an expert.😄 Does anyone remember those commercials?

Seriously, I have read twangster's review of his Norwegian Fjords cruise & was impressed by Flam. And with Geiranger  being a "not to miss" port, the 5/10 cruise would be the winner for me. Plus, it's an 8-nighter. Extra days are always better.

6 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

It used to be that Uber had a few advantages over taxis...It was often cheaper, you never had to deal with payment for the driver (done in the app), you could see exactly where your car was and when it would arrive, you can track your journey while in progress, etc.  When we were in NYC in January, the taxis there used an app that was similar to the Uber app and had many of the same advantages.  I wouldn't be surprised if Boston also had an app for their taxis. 

Knowing the price in advance & being able to track the arrival time of the car are the 2 big advantages. Especially when out for dinner or drinks. I had drivers offer me water & snacks. I know tipping can be done via the app but most of the time, drivers do appreciate cash.

5 hours ago, h20skibum said:

There are some things to watch out for, if you are trying to schedule a ride in advance.

For me, I will stick to booking when I need it, or will be more careful so that doesn’t happen again. 

I've had no luck scheduling a driver in advance. I know Uber touts that you can reserve a car 30 days in advance but twice I've tried to do it 1 day in advance. Both times, the driver accepted the reservation only to cancel a few hours later.  Not tragic but mildly annoying.

Like you, I'll book only as needed from now on.

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

At @Sea Dog's Tiki Bar back yard.

+1

3 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

By the time it will air I will have the tiki patio packed up for the winter. I store everything to keep the elements off it during winter.

Hallmark movies premier as early as mid-October, correct?  Don't underestimate a hearty New Englander like @Ocean Boy. No doubt he'll be wearing "flip flops until the first snow drops." as the saying goes. 🙂 

Tiki viewing party is still a possibility.

@Sea Dog

Congratulations on starting the road to stardom. Many famous actors have started as background extras. As both Christmas & Kansas City's #1 fan, you're natural and soon the producers will recognize you have so much more to offer & no doubt you'll be elevated to a higher status.  I predict next year at this time, filming will begin on Hallmarks newest movie: "SeaDogs Ode to Christmas" and the summer time sequel "Tales from the Tiki Bar".

Make sure to give this thread a shout out during you Emmy award acceptance speech.

41 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Uber or Lyft. $62 approximately.
We drive, but we are 1 hr 30 minutes from the port.

You do not want to be picking up and dropping off rental cars, unless you are staying in Orlando a couple of days and want to get around.

24 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We cruise with another couple.   We have done Lyft almost every time.   Always worked for us. 

Thank you!  I'd gladly pay an extra $30+ more dollars (vs GO PORT) to go directly to my hotel in a more comfortable car than a bus.  And I get 5% cash back on my credit card if I go with Lyft, 🙂

2 hours ago, alfaeric said:

Icon is actually bigger than Oasis, so that's extra large. (248k GT vs. 227k)

 

And Quantum is not much larger than Freedom- 168k vs. 154k delta of 12k GT

 

Freedom is just a longer Voyager.  But it's bigger relative to Voyager 154k compared to 137k delta of 17k GT.

 

Just to be accurate.

Understood. No worries. My sizing chart was very subjective & not based on any real quantifiable unit of measure, hence why I said its "only in my mind". 

I guess in the back of my mind, I was thinking passenger capacity. So:

Small = 2000 - 2,500

Mid-size = high 3,000's - low 4,000's

Large = 5,000+

Extra Large = 6,000+

Of course, I tried to do this from memory without looking any statistics. With cabins being added over the years, the numbers are probably on the low side. And with some ships being amp'd, the passenger capacity can vary greatly even within a class of ships.

I'm not saying this to be argumentative, just trying to give some insight into my thinking at the time. I do know the true measurement of ship size is GT.

EDIT: Total brain fart on my part putting Icon in Large and not in Extra Large. I guess I missed the memo that billed it as Worlds Largest Cruise Ship😉🙂

40 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I know you said that you'd rather not do it, but we would do the one-way car rental when we were flying in.  We liked the freedom of having a car the night before.  We stayed in the Orlando area a couple of times and drove to the port the next morning.  If we did that, we used Enterprise since they are right by Gator's and it's easy to drop the luggage and everyone else first, before I returned the car and caught a shuttle back to the port.  We now drive to the port (about 3 hours away) but our kids are flying in to MCO for our next cruise.  They will get an Uber and stay near the port.  I'm not sure about price difference between renting, Uber, and shuttle, especially with more than just a couple of people (since the shuttle cost is per person).

Thanks. I'm like you in that I like the freedom a car provides and in the past, have done the one-way rental since we would stay in the Orlando area a few days pre-cruise & at the time, I could use a very sizable corporate discount to rent from Hertz.   But this time, I'm going directly from airport to hotel for a one night stay and then have the option of taking the hotels cruise port shuttle or having my friends that are cruising with me (and driving to the port) pick me up, although space is limited in their car & my check-in time is an hour earlier 🙂 10:30 am baby!!!!😁

The shuttle advertises the price as "starting as low was $30 pp" which probably makes it the cheapest option. But that's direct from airport to the cruise port, going to the hotel is extra. And the thought of the time wasted waiting to load all the passengers onto the bus & then going to a half-a-dozen hotels before mine is not appealing either. I'd gladly pay more for Uber or reconsider renting a car.

On 7/12/2024 at 10:19 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

Most people who want/like smaller ships are older passengers who miss the way cruising use to be in the past. It’s pretty obvious RCI’s main focus these days is on younger families with kids.

I somewhat agree with this. It does seem like the older passengers that like "traditional " cruising gravitate towards the smaller ships. But then, so do people of all ages that like port-intensive itineraries.

And yes, Royal does love young families with young kids. But they market themselves as "multi-generational"  so that includes middle-age parents with teens or young adult children as well as the grandparents. Something for everyone.  That is why I think they'll offer enough ships & itineraries to serve everyone.

4 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Even within Royal's fleet it's hard for me to say Freedom class small.  I would say it's solidly mid size in the flee

Agreed. In my mind - and perhaps only in my mind - this is how I would classify them:

Small = Vision & Radiance.

Mid-size = Voyager & Freedom

Large =  Quantum & Icon

Extra Large = Oasis.

Given that the last 12 ships ordered by Royal have with been either L or XL, I think the real question to be asked: "Is Royal going to build anymore mid-sized ships"? I would think "yes".

JMHO

Question for those that fly into MCO for a cruise out of Port Canaveral:

How do you get from the airport to the your hotel near the cruise port?

GO PORT shuttle was recommended to me but I like to have choices. Any other shuttle companies I should check into or avoid? Uber/Lyft? I'd rather not do a one-way rental car.

Thank you in advance. I did scan thru the Florida Homeport forum but I trust you guys more.

6 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

I will say, Kate is the prettiest. 🙂

Photogenic, personable, smart, engaging, professional, fun loving & has a zest for life.

It's no wonder why she has a large following.

3 hours ago, h20skibum said:

This morning’s sky

 

Warning!

Red sky in the morning,

Sailors warning.

Good thing you are on land. 🙂

6 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

@HBE4

 

H., So glad for this "accident" and, hopefully, we'll get to finally meet.

 

Group rates come with refundable deposit, so you'll have until beginning of November to decide.... For me, it's fast approaching and the "situation" here is still not resolved 😢

 

Here is the roll call for Bella 2. On page 42, post #1035 you'll find info about group rates for a pre-cruise hotel near the port ---

 

 

Thank you. I was wondering where all of the group planning was taking place. It seems the "Friends of Bella" thread is mostly quiet these days while the host(s) are in the World Cruise. And I'm not on the other social media site (the book of faces). Although if I absolutely have to join, I could, just for the sake of joining the various cruise groups over there.

  I'll head over to the roll call in a little bit. Thank you again for the info & hope to meet you and everyone else as well!

Just now, helen haywood said:

Night sky.

 

 

Fire in the sky. 

7 minutes ago, akcruz said:

 

Woo hoo, you will learn of initation once on board 😇

Now I'm worried 😟  Hope I booked refundable. 

Just kidding 😂 

I was going to wait until after my August cruise but anticipation got the better of me. And it's a good thing.