FamilyCruiserUK

Nice to see all the pics and videos. We are so looking forward to hearing feedback and seeing blogs when she sails. She is on our list to go and try but will wait till closer to UK if possible and prices drop, esp air fare.

Do you remember the old glass milk bottles with the foil lids you used to get from the milkman left on your doorstep? I think it was the blue lid and when first opened the top cm or so was a like a dollop of cream then full fat milk below. You had to get it quick before the birds pecked through the foil to get at the cream. 🤣 But yeah half and half, not for me so not bothered by royal not having it. 🤷. But essential they label things correctly.

I do feel its trivial tbh However that said, labelling food wrong is a massive no-no. Many people with allergies cruise and its important to label any food correctly, so it is a valid point. But royal have been bending the truth for many years, you only have to look at their "deals" to see how misleading the pricing is. As for cut backs it has to happen. Massively in debt, new ships being built, inflation high, cost of living high, lack of trained staff high. Add all that together means they have to tighten belts and make cut backs.

During sea days it is very busy by the pools. We did struggle on a couple of occasions getting a sunbed, but on port days always empty till late afternoon.

Yes there is as well as two pool tables 👍 or there was last Aug when we sailed on her from Italy.

Ah you miss the point. Alot of people may possibly not have been on Indy and will try it. Maybe i should have put that people like to see a change. Different ships each year. Keep it fresh. Or more choice in what is becoming a competitive market from Southampton. Alot of Royals faithful will go back to Indy, then the following year will want a different ship. Very poor of royal to keep peddling the same entertainment sadly.

I also think us "brits" want something different. We have one choice from Southampton of a Royal ship and it's been doing the same itinerary for years. Its stagnant and very boring. Yes people have fond memories like myself of Indy and i cant wait to have her back at Southampton. I personally have never understood the people who go on many cruises a year on same ship around same locations. Where is the excitement in that? We as a family like to try new things, ships, destinations, food, meeting new people. Its much more fun and exciting.

Cover it in baked beans mmmmm soooo good

People that drink from dawn to dusk, are very loud, swearing and assume they don't have to follow any rules, usually have a drinks package and must get moneys worth out of it. By all means have a drink have fun but also have some respect for others. Thankfully its only a small minority that cant handle a drink or two. And this is not aimed at everyone who have the drinks package as plenty have it but behave.

We are coming back to P&O after years away. We left P&O as we wanted to try different cruise lines. We went to Royal which is fantastic for our now 9 year old however they have become very expensive compared to P&O. We have tried MSC,Princess and NCL since our last P&O cruise. So will be interesting to see how things have changed. We are mid 40s with 9 year old so always look for ships with more family fun activities. Not remotely interested in Cunard or silver seas etc, and do not expect that level service on a P&O cruise. You cannot compare the two brands. Covid hit holiday and cruise lines hard. Its not just cruise lines that have made cutbacks, land based holidays have as well. I am looking foward ro my Arvia cruise in three weeks time, although maybe not the booze cruise chavs that will be onboard 😂

We did indy from southampton around the canaries and back to southampton, 2 weeks cruise. Anthem at the time was one week around the uk and other time we went on her was from new york to Bermuda. Personally for us we prefer the layout of indy and that was before she was amp,d. I believe anthem did the same down to the med and back but the cost was high compaired with other cruise lines doing the same from Southampton, or even including flights to europe and around the eastern med. So we discounted that cruise. I am very surprised how behind the competition royal is, esp releasing summer 25 bookings.

Personally after being on both indy and anthem i am very pleased to have indy back. 👍

Thanks for the nice balanced review it was a bice read and some bice pictures as well. This year was our first time back an an Oasis class as well since the ship had been amp,d. We enjoyed it more then the first time tbh. The size or the ship, the activities, the pools, slides and my fav place to relax with a coffee and watch the geckos is of course central park. Crowds: sea days on any ship always busy. But i have to say i found the ship less busy than when i was on Anthem of the seas. I really didnt enjoy that ship. Food: like the OP said its always up ans doen, some good meals some bad meals and always those people that hog food tables for hrs but have finished eating. Ports: The oasis class ships are resort ships, so less ports and the same old itinerary's. Back and forth cash cows really. Cococay: Nice first time you go but after that its been done. The extras, slides, merch, etc really expensive. But i can see the appeal to new cruisers. Would i go on an Oasis class again. Yes 100% however prob not untill i have experienced other cruise lines and better ports.

As we went through a TA we had to get them to book seats etc 30 days out on a jet two flight. We couldnt access rhe booking. Also we flew out of manchester and could drop our bags off evening before early morning flight. 👍 Twilight checkin

My sister got a private transfer, granted it was both ways, Venice to Ravenna. But another option would be the royal shuttle to the airport and then a taxi from there into venice itself.

Love this half and half debate, yet no one has mentioned how horrible royal blend coffee is. I dont drink coffee that often on board but MSC was so much better flavour. Half a cup of coffee, top up with hot water and a bit of milk 👍. MSC had flannels in the room and massive thick pool towels too. Culturally MSC ( European) and Royal (American) are very different and the only time you notice it is when they cross over in each others markets. And its fulfilling to engage with other cultures and respect that.

Having done both Royal and MSC this year its hard to compare them. All i would say is dont expect the service, decor, food and clientele to be the same across the two companies. I liked both cruises i went on for different reasons. Free food: MSC Extra paid food:, Royal but too expensive. Decor: MSC Customer service: Royal Shows: Royal Value for money: MSC. Clientele: Draw, both had nice people and complete 🔔 wackers. But they both good in their own ways.

Glad you had a great time and enjoyed Arvia, we are sailing on her in Aug and cant wait. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said " most people couldnt have cared less that you were a gay couple and most people we chatted too were lovely". I would like to think times have moved on from the sad bigotry from 30-50 years ago. I know it has in the military, i work with some fantastic engineers gay and straight who i trust with my life. We cant change the wrongs of the past but we can change the present and future. Most people i like to think of a younger age do not care what your sexual orientation is. I think its more the older people who have an issue, and i suspect the couple you mentioned were maybe older. That said you will sadly always have a small minority who cant and wont change and dont know any different from all races, genders, sexual orientations etc, And i feel its sad for them as they are missing out on getting to know some really nice people.

Late may is a uk school holiday, so may have a few uk children on board. We have done a may school holiday cruise around the med a few times.

Went on Oasis in Feb and loved it. Yes was busy on sea days esp round pools. Evening was never that busy as so many venues to go too Didn't eat in main resturant tbh stayed in the buffet which suited us. Dau loved trying lots of little bits of different foods and they have a fab allergy chef named Jamie who cooked my mum a surprise gluten fee meal every night. And OMG is was super tasty. Water show and ice skating show amazing. Cats seen before not my cup of tea. The el loco fresh was tasty and as a brit the bbq was tasty too. Prob no where near proper bbq food in the states. Central park, great to grab breakfast or just chill with a coffee. Over all i think Oasis clas is our fav ship 👍

Love cruising. Love trying new ships and destinations. However a few things that have made me sad about royal and made me look elsewhere. 1, Royals prices have gone sky high. Yes so has a lot of things but other lines more competitive. Alrhough airfare prices ro the US and Europe have gone equally mad, esp in school holidays. 2, Graturites, enough said on that. Its cultural for me. 3, Cost of the extras, Royal is becoming Vegas at sea where your paying for everything and then grats on top of grats. 4, mislead deal pricing. Oh thats a good price and kids sail free, oh no they dont as the adult prices go up by the ammount the kids are orginally discounted. 5, Lack of new itineraries. I like to see new destinations but royal do the same old routes. However that said i do really enjoy royals new ships and some great customer service on the ships and great friendly staff. Ive got to the point where like i said if the ship and deal is good then i will try it, no matter what line it is.

However that doesn't stop people using the many other entrances on virtuosa when we were onboard. I got ill for two days sadly yet washed my hands everytime i went into the buffet and used sanitizer after i put my plate down on the table post using the tong's. Still got ill 🤷

We went to do it on Oasis but when we got there and asked the price i think it was about 40usd i said no. It was silly money for what effectively is a few £s worth of cupcake and decorations. There was only two children doing it at the time and it is no way a professional course. Almost like a birthday party cake decorating.

Its the same from florida 3-4 nights to coco cay and back, the only difference is how cheap those cruises are!!!

So glad there dosnt seem to be any serious injuries. Looked rough but you could clearly see the weather closing in. Surprised people didnt notice it or checked their phones for weather forcasts 🤔