SkaterJasp

On 6/19/2020 at 10:09 AM, firstsailor said:

Going with a room above it... wish me luck! LOL

I cruise on Quantum class pretty frequently, including Spectrum. I have never really see anyone use that area. As with any public area, it has the potential to get loud and rowdy, but I never had an issue with the port side cabins. I’m also not going to say it’s 100% quiet because other people had complain on noise and I’m probably out of my cabin when there was something going on there.. but every time I look, I rarely see anyone there.

On Spectrum it’s just an outdoor dining area... but, I never actually seen anyone had a meal there. 

On 6/19/2020 at 9:55 AM, gmerick said:

Which side of the ship is it on?  Could it be the "Bus Shelter" that was the smoking area on Anthem and Ovation?

Port side, you can tell by the direction the lifeboats are facing. 

Harmony of the Seas have one of the best stage production of Grease that I’ve seen. They basically took the best elements from both the original stage production and the movie to make their version of Grease. In addition, as stated earlier, they also have a 2nd musical production call Columbus. Columbus have one of the most elaborate set pieces at sea and is really well done. Royal Caribbean Productions does an amazing job putting together original musical productions on their ship. I use the word musical because it isn’t like Carnival and other cruise lines where it’s just a medley, or a mashup, of random songs... but there is actually somewhat of a plot or theme that ties everything together. Royal Caribbean have some of the best collection of musicals production at sea, some of them are the full production as you would find on the West End or Broadway... intermission included. For example, Oasis has Cats and Allure has Mama Mia. Other ships such as Anthem have “We Will Rock You”. 

Prior to COVID-19 shut down, I would attend broadway shows in New York pretty frequently. The entertainment on Royal Caribbean can go up against most broadway productions that I’ve seen. They spend millions on the shows and it shows. Also don’t knock on the ice skating production and the aqua show. Harmony of the Seas has one of the best ice skating show I’ve seen, both on land and at sea. It uses state of the art projection mapping to add a whole other element to the show. In addition, the main show in the aqua theater is better than most of the cirque show’s I’ve seen. They’re both high energy productions that is worth the time to watch. As someone that attend live theater frequently on land... I’m always WOWed and blown away with what Royal Caribbean Productions been putting together over the past few years. Especially the Super Hero show on Spectrum of the Seas. 

Also I personally think the food on Royal Caribbean is way better than Norwegian. I’ve been on Norwegian once and it was onboard the Epic... that was my first and last Norwegian cruise. There was no reason to go on Norwegian when Royal Caribbean offer a much better overall experience. I’m also Platinum on Carnival, only because Royal Caribbean doesn’t sail out of California. Carnival is great with “Reno” style entertainment... they’re entertaining, but won’t pass for a Vegas production. However, hands down, Royal Caribbean offers the best experience overall and I do fly all over the world to experience all that Royal has to offer. By far over 2/3 of my cruises had been on Royal Caribbean. 

 

3 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

 

Hi Jasper!

 

What are you doing with your down time since cruising is not an option?  Hope you still have your job, too!

 

Hope to hear baby shark or something else stupid while I am on the wave again someday.

 

jc

Skateboarding and hanging out around Southern California. So far only had 2 cruises canceled. Still have my job but I took a couple months off since it was an option. 

what about the Wash Your Hands song? LOL. 

 

3 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

This *is* on-topic - really!

 

I have never taken-out US motor insurance so don't know how it works. Here in the UK you earn a 'no claims bonus' the longer you drive with no accidents. Some companies offer up to 60% discount, some up to 75%. Ah - but 75% of what?

 

The inference is that a DP340+ single price is 1.5 times the 'each person' price for a couple. Sadly this is not always so. I found earlier on this year for 2021 that the per person price for a solo was greater than the (total) couple's price so after the DP340+ discount of 25% was taken off I was back to paying the price for a couple (or would have been if I had booked).

 

So don't believe the rhetoric, do a dummy booking for a couple then one for a DP340+ and compare the two.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

When I was Diamond Plus, I would have to call in every time to get the single supplements reduce to 150%. You may see some discounts, but those are often time the suite / balcony discount and not the supplement. You can always book online and than call in to get the discount. Same deal when I use a travel agent, they had to contact Royal Caribbean directly to get the discount apply. Once you reach Pinnacle, it’s all automated on the website.

If it’s $250 out the door for the upgrade, I would take it if a balcony is that important. If your RoyalUp bid is $125 or lower, the odds of you winning the bid is extremely low. If you royalup for a suite at that low of a rate, the chances are even worst... Especially over spring break. I’m assuming your RoyalUp is $125 or lower, otherwise this wouldn’t be a debate. I would just take the balcony for $250... it’s reasonable. Plus often time the Balcony rooms are larger than most interiors as there are a good number of interiors on most class of ship don’t even have enough space for a sofa. 

On 6/9/2020 at 6:56 AM, Billy Butlin said:

Hi. I've noticed there are no cruises available after October 2021 to Asia. Can I assume dates have not been released yet ?  Same applies for Europe but not the Carribean which is open for bookings till April 2022. 

 

I want want to move a cruise from this year to 2021 ideally Asia around November so when should I expect to see cruise schedules and pricing. 

 

Thanks. 

 

I would wait until they get Wonder of the Seas loaded onto the schedule too. Also when you do sail out of Asia, be sure to check out NextCruise... the NextCruise incentives in Asia are different than the ones offered on all the other sailings. Let just say I booked more NextCruise on Spectrum than any of my previous cruises.  The explanation given was Asia is a different market and the clientele don’t tend to take NextCruise offers so they have to offer something different. 

I’ve had large balconies on other Quantum and Quantum Ultra Class ships. It’s nice to have but not worth the $1K. Quantum Class balconies feels larger than balconies on other class of ships. I never took the time to measure the balconies but it does feel large compare to Radiance, Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class. Most of the “large” balconies are larger because they are in parts of the ship that transition out or in like a hump so one side is longer than the other... it does add significant space to the balconies.. but it’s not worth the $1K.

There are some “regular” balconies that are a little bigger than all the other balconies.. where one side is longer than the other... it’s still consider regular because it isn’t significantly larger... like x250 and x650 cabins on decks 8, 9, and 10. replace the X with a deck number. If you look at a deck plan, you’ll see what I mean.

There are some balconies all the way aft on the side (last balcony cabin on either side of the ship that isn’t aft facing) are consider regular balconies but have extremely wide balconies because of the location. It’s not shown on the deck plans. I had one on Spectrum and it was the size of 2 balconies side by side. 

Maybe the fine print is different... pick your own cabin at a lower price but the deposit is non refundable whereas maybe the GTY room have refundable deposit? Maybe theres something different in the terms. 

I think the stations should represent home ports all over the world that Royal Caribbean operates out of. Something like...
Miami
Barcelona
Shanghai
Sydney

I love Anthem and all the Quantum Class ships I’ve been on, including Spectrum. I like Spectrum the best, but Anthem is the easiest one to get to. It could get crowded at times, but the same is true on all ships. I find the public spaces get crowded at times, mostly after a show is done... but that is true with all ships I’ve been on. However, for the most part, I’ve always find plenty of open spaces that aren’t crowded all throughout the ship. 

Another thing to consider about obstructed balconies is that you will be on deck 6. From experience, on Quantum, Anthem, and Spectrum... there is a smoking area just below those balconies on the starboard side. Something to consider if you want to spending time on the balcony. 

I honestly think no one know when cruising will resume, at least in the US market. That’s probably one reason why they are only canceling several weeks worth of cruises at a time. Given the timing, I also have a feeling that they are only canceling several weeks at a time because if they cancel the entire summer, can you imagine how busy the phone lines would be to get everything rebooked? It’s already bad enough with the current cancelation, I can’t imagine how much harder it would be to get through on the phone if they canceled several months at the same time. I think it’s being spread out intentionally to keep the phone lines some what manageable. I think the US will be one of the last market to start up. I’m just hoping I’m wrong because I would very much like to go on another cruise. 

I actually like doing B2B out of Hong Kong. Living in California, theres a ton of airfare deals to Asia and the airfare is often time comparable or just slightly more than flying to Florida or New Jersey. Another reason why I like Hong Kong is that it’s super easy to get from the airport to port. Take the airport express train to town and take a cab rest of the way. After the cruise you just take the taxi back to the train station. Check in for your flight and your bags at the train station like if you are at the airport. From there you can either spend the rest of the day in Hong Kong sightseeing before your flight or take the train to the airport. They even have lockers to store your bags.

And than there are the cruises... Spectrum of the Seas have a ton of itineraries out of Hong Kong in the winter that goes to random places in Asia such as Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam. It’s possible to go on several back to back sailing and not repeat the same itinerary. You may repeat one or two ports, but you’ll be visiting new ports on each sailing. Also the prices are fairly reasonable too on the Asia sailings. As a further incentive, there aren’t that many crown and anchor members on Asia sailings so you may enjoy perks that are not typically found on a normal cruise.

In addition, the menu is totally different than a typical Royal Caribbean sailing. Dining room for the most part is the same with some dishes added for the Asian market. Chops and Jamies for the most part are the same. But there is a whole host of specialty dining options available that you won’t find on any other Royal Caribbean ships outside of Asia. 

Back 2 Back is handled flawlessly on Spectrum and in port. You’re essentially treated like you’re just visiting another port when doing a B2B. You have a whole separate hallway and security that you use and you’re basically using the same route as the staff and crew to board the ship. 

My next B2B is on Spectrum again and got a Jr Suite for all the sailing because it was priced similar to a balcony. Get to visit Taiwan and Japan on those trips. 

8 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Some of those rumors and hints came from the mouth of Michael Bayley.  🙂 

And the Port of Los Angeles when they leaked their schedule showing Voyager in Los Angeles twice a week starting late June. That was pulled from their site once someone blogged about it. 

I was going to ask this same exact question. I’m holding off Summer 2021 booking to see where Voyager will end up... Living in San Diego, it would be nice to drive to a Royal Caribbean ship... that isn’t a Panama Canal cruise. 

Well it’s going to be very easy for Royal Caribbean to say no because they don’t seem to have any ships in Jacksonville. However, it appears that Norwegian has 3 ships there. 

Same reason why most hotels get away with charging the same rate for a room regardless if there is 1 or 2 person in the room. In the end, you are paying for the room / cabin. If you look at all the publications, it’ll say or imply that the fare is based on double occupancy for the cabin. There are exception on ships where there are cabins designed for solo travelers. The rate isn’t always 1/2 that of a regular room because the size of those cabins aren’t 1/2 that of a regular room in the same category.

Also there are times when Royal Caribbean do offer reduce single supplements on sailings with low demands. In the end, you are paying for cabin space on the ship. It isn’t a Royal Caribbean issue, it’s just how the industry work. 

I always taken the skytrain between the airport and the port. It's super fast. 

2 hours ago, nattsyster said:

 Hello!

Was is sold as a studio or a balconyroom? What about the point as a solo cruiser, one or two points/ night? 

It was sold as a Studio Balcony. All Quantum class and Spectrum have Interior Studio and Studio Balconies. Spectrum have more Studio Balconies. Only 1 point per night for the studio. 
 

As a solo cruiser you earn 

1 point if booked in a studio

2 points if booked in an Non-studio interior, ocean view, or balcony
3 points if booked in any types of suites. 

I just got off Spectrum of the Seas and was in one of the aft studio... I can confirm that it is a Studio in terms of the bed size and storage space.. it's a smaller bed... but you get a full couch and some extra space. I was in 9322. It have the same amount of storage space as the regular studio balcony room... there is also no dresser that you see in regular balcony rooms. 

I don't think the cabana have AC either, I rented one before and its just a wooden structure with shade and seating... It's probably best to visit in the morning before it gets too hot. I don't think the new buildings will have AC either since they're all open air.. I've seen renderings with elaborate large ceiling fans, but no AC. The one place that *might* have some AC is the first aid station. There are some shaded area like the bars and the dining areas. 

55 minutes ago, purpletequila said:

 

Great!!!  Maybe I'll try a solo then. I was going to do NCL because of their solo cabins but they are out of their minds with their drink packages. And I know VV doesn't offer them but for what NCL charges, it would be a savings for me to order and pay per drink. Going to check out these solos now.

The solo rooms on Virgin looks decent if you're in the oceanview ones... the inside solo cabin looks a bit cramp. Some Royal Caribbean ships have solo rooms too, the best ones are on Quantum class ships because you have the options of either interior or balcony solo. Some, not all, Oasis class ships have outside solo while some Radiance class have inside solo... it's really a mix.. but the Quantum Class Single Balcony are amazing... 

1 hour ago, xpcdoojk said:

 

Jasper, did you buy the key on any of your recent sailings?  I would be interested in hearing about the key hours on the Anthem since there is only a single flowrider.

 

jc

I did Key on a Anthem for 2 sailings and both time the key hours were different. It’s like 3 or 4 1 hour sessions. Most are at 9am with one or two at the end of the day or at night. It appears regular riders loose an hour on days they had Key at 9am but when they do Key at night it’s an extra hour. 

On 2/18/2019 at 8:39 AM, cruisegirl1 said:

“...on Mariner, I understand that Chops is no longer open to all  for lunch.  It  is only  available for Key passengers. “

Chops should only be open for Key on embarkation day only. If the Key guest missed the Key lunch, they can go on another sea day for lunch. It shouldn’t be open for Key every day for lunch.. unless it’s Royal “testing” out another feature before they roll it out fleet wide.