Engineroom Snipe

The poor "yuts" (My Cousin Vinnie) always get blamed. 😁

I think the 'Mouse' was previously a pickpocket. My wallet is empty every time I leave the "Kingdom" as a pauper. 😁

There seems to be a lagging price droop (intentional, not price drop) which you are noticing. The cruise lines are trying to be optimistic. Thank you for posting your observations. You have to watch for the best price available!

This has been a reason why I am hesitant to get an UDP. With fully booked ships now sailing, one must (or should) completely book all UDP meals immediately after boarding. This does not allow any wiggle room in the vacation schedule. There have been posts that even when reserving immediately on boarding the ship, peak reservation hours were booked and some venues not available. The UDP package does have a reserve clause that states, "Subject to availability."

September 3, 2023, Oasis out of Bayonne: was able to book 7 night for an assigned interior cabin. I made the booking on November 30, 2022, for two people including taxes, port chargers for $990. I check the prices every day and thought the website had a 'typo' since it was significantly cheaper than RCI website through mock bookings. I found out through my TA that a block of rooms was released by the Travel Agency and the price was legit. I immediately booked. Three days later, the price went back to RCI website pricing. Current price for cabin next to mine if assigned is $2,240.

My observations agree with your hypothesis. 50% higher than 2023 at this point. Only two things can happen: 1. Future bookings remain strong and the prices eventually go to the !00% increase for the last remaining cabins with no decreases as the cruises are almost full before 90 days out. 2. The initial pent-up demand of saved money for travel starts to be depleted as revenge travel at any price starts to recede to a more normal number. People took that huge special vacation and might do a "lighter" vacation the following year. This might keep the increases moderated with occasional pricing going below what cruise lines would like to post as the new normal. I read all of the posts. I do not have to be reminded how everything is more expensive now. I get it. Things can change quickly: interest rates will affect consumer spending. Vacations are important but optional.

You literally found your "happy place", enjoy. 😁

Always matters where your starting point is located. I have a spacious cabin in November on the Enchantment of the Seas EXACTLY where I want the location to be. I could be offered a Junior Suite for $200 more and not even give it a thought. My cabin has a 180 square foot balcony next to an $8,000 Grand Suite. Would I like a Grand Suite, YES! Do I want to pay five times what I paid for a Grand Suite, NO! Every thing is relative in life. My bed onboard is the same as a much larger suite. My balcony is actually larger than the GS next to me. I am happy to be cruising. As so many have expressed, I hope everyone gets an upgrade of their dreams but if you want a specific type of room on a special voyage, do not leave it to chance. Just purchase it and know what you have is want you want.

I tend to agree with your hypothesis more than holding a suite open. Royal-Up will have an existing standby price of a bid waiting for acceptance. RCI will be given that price information from Royal-Up and can keep the suite price as high as possible until sold or debarkation. This also works into the idea that a last-minute cancellation or no show has a purchaser on standby who is already authorized and prepared to be on board. Again, we speculate and hypothesize but it is fun to try and understand the "system."

Always seems to be thin aboard when finished. A new crew member is slicing a large solid piece of bacon like normal deli meat on the automatic machine not realizing that it shrinks considerably after cooking: or they are ordering generic commercial trays of precut bacon (the bacon is prearranged on an 18"x10" wax paper serving, one deep, that can be lifted and perfectly fitted on a baking tray (minimum 10 Lb box) I use these at home, easy and economical but as you stated, thin at the end of cooking. Canadian bacon is usually a thicker cut. I wonder what they served you. I am getting hungry thinking about it, darnittt @DaKahuna, your vivid descriptions and pictures are making me hungry. 😉😁

I agree that Anthem's Sorrento's is consistent in being above average. I do not eat much pizza in general just due to the calories and salt. The crust is thick enough to chew but not so thick that it is doughy or so thin that it is more like a baked Pita bread (many people love thin crust and thick crust pizzas, just my eating preference). My wife and I have about one slice (or two depending on the size being served) somewhere about 3pm on the pool deck. I will run down and get it. It is that little light snack between lunch and dinner. We tend to go for the veggie pizza but have tried all of the choices to find them more than satisfactory. 😋

I can appreciate the work involved. 😋

On CC, it is sometimes far easier to use words to describe only the shortcomings. This makes sense. We all expect a good cruise and then it goes from there. If 98% of your cruise was positive, you would be wasting so much time saying things like, "My air conditioner worked, my TV worked, the plumbing and toilet (head) worked. The room service was outstanding. I enjoyed my breakfast of locks and bagels." We would be snoring in no time. I understand you review to be what it was, your review. 😁

For the right price, getting the Key just for Internet service allows you to ignore the other benefits without financial worry. Should you want them, they are available. I expect them to start charging more for the Key since we might like it. 😮🤔😭😁

I never smoked so I guess I was not listening beyond the first sentence, "We are fueling and requesting that no one smoke...." . I did not bother to hear the "exceptions". With all of my years on board boats and ships, (mostly in US navigable waters), Federal rules prohibited smoking while fueling. Live and learn as I read these post. Still makes me a bit nervous that the smokers could not bear to not light-up for the few hours it takes to fuel. Not anti-smoker, just Sam the Safety Eagle (Muppets). 😁

So interesting @DaKahuna made that observation about Key buyers. For a fraction of the cost of suite or C&A higher tiers, one can bypass everyone else. I was never one to like the shows so much that I wanted reserved seating but for those who do, the Key could be a good buy because it includes internet and a few other perks for lest than 5% of a suite. You full disclosure is appreciated and makes your comment that much more interesting. 🤫

Thank you for your time and information @DaKahuna.

Wow! I thought this was a Royal Carribean International thread if I do not read the heading. I could cut and paste RCI instead of Princess and it would almost be identical. I cruise RCI but read other blogs for comparison. I did the same thing for three cruises this year (2023) with prices which were good but more than previous years. The exact same thing is happening in 2024, prices much more than I would hope. I will stand on the sidelines too, waiting for a bit of pendulum swing towards more modest prices. I am not holding my breathe. It is good to read some the blogs of other cruise lines. 😁

Nice out-of-the-box thinking for your solution without involving a long phone call to RCI or dealing with their IT issues.😉

I have interacted with fellow passengers onboard and this is a big discussion point with cruisers who I find on their first cruise. Most of them really enjoy the alcoholic package for the first day and first sea day. They have been waiting for a long time to go on a vacation and there is much pent-up energy. About the third day, should I meet up with them in the jacuzzi or pool, their drinking rate has slowed considerably. They discuss how after the first few days of eating and drinking, they would reconsider getting the package knowing there would be high-action days and low recharge days. They are, in a polite way, "Saturated and need some recovery time." 😁 I do not think this question will ever be answered definitively in my lifetime of cruising. Everyone has a different take on packages in general, whether they be food, beverage, cabanas, or excursions. There is no one size that fits all. 🤔

A person might be seen smoking during refueling but it is highly unlikely that is permitted with the knowledge of any experienced crew. I have never been aboard any small, ship, or vessel that allowed smoking during refueling. Most insurance companies will refute a claim if they have an accident onboard knowing the activity was illegal at the time. Needless to say, a fire onboard a vessel can be fatal. In most cases, you fight it until the ship is no longer viable. Imagine someone throwing a butt that lands on the fueling barge. Diesel fuel and kerosene do not "ignite" as easily as lighter grade fuels like gasoline but the hazard is there.

Thank you for taking the time to post this. 🙂

I think from the responses, I need to do some more research. In general, I enjoy turning technology off during my vacations. I so enjoyed "airplane mode" while flying as it gave me an excuse to "disconnect" for a few hours. Thanks to all for the advice if I need to do it again onboard. 😊

I used standard SMS texts which would not be IMessage. SMS texts are relayed through the mobile servers and do not use a third party app. This might explain why your experience was different from mine. It could be that IMessage is Internet Protocol (IP) based which again only uses the ship service like an email. IMessage, to the best of my knowledge, imitates text messages through their App but is like sending an email with all of the framing information stripped out through the App and thus appears as a text message to the user. Both users must have the App installed on their device and the information is routed through the IMessage servers. Apple uses the same type of service for their messages which use Apple servers. I do not want to bore people with technical details so I will end it at that. 😉

On Oasis in September of 2022, T Mobile user, Veteran Magenta Plan, out of the roaming range of any identified T Mobile area both foreign and domestic. There was a family emergency. I purchased a one day ship internet package. All text had a $0.50 charge for outgoing and incoming messages using the ship package. The charges were billed to my T Mobile account and there were no charges on board beyond the one daily internet fee. Should you not have an emergency, I would advise anyone who has purchased a ship internet package to use "emails" instead of texts as there are no additional charges for emails (I sent emails as well as texts during this period and was not charged for emails). I did not try to make any voice calls during this period. I hope this information helps.