st5310

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

The purpose/premise of what I wrote was to state that @LobsterStalker's post had no influence on my opinion or experience.  I did not agree or disagree with you or @LobsterStalker, I only stated my opinion/experience.  Again, I don't understand the disagreement.  At least it wasn't "disagreeable", in my opinion. 

 

So, the only inference I can make is that you don't think @LobsterStalker's post had anything to do with influencing my opinion/experience?  

I misread the intent of your statement and for that I apologize.  Thanks for clarifying.

11 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I don't know what there is to disagree with.  I went out of my way to separate my comment(s) from @LobsterStalker's comments, not that there was anything wrong the them.  Then I gave my experience and I gave my opinion.  I did not disagree with your post, I just stated my experience and opinion(s).

You had written: "This comment/furtherance of a discussion does not directly involve what @LobsterStalker stated."  That is what I disagreed with.  Not with your other comments/opinions.

1 minute ago, LobsterStalker said:

100 % . 

I have also been cruising many years and this was the first and only time that I had heard this .

It was quite unmistakable . I have always wondered what the right answer to the question was on the survey where they say "did anyone ask you for a positive review " , or something to that effect.

I was always wondering if I get them in trouble if I mention it , but after hearing it over the P.A. I determined it is standard practice and now I'm wondering if they get in trouble if they don't Beg for their 10's.

 

Cheers

Roger that.  Thank you for the clarification.  DW and I have a series of B2Bs coming up on Anthem, so I shall pay closer attention to the announcements.

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

This comment/furtherance of a discussion does not directly involve what @LobsterStalker stated.

 

I personally have never been asked directly for a good survey comment by an individual crew member or even by an announcement.  But, things can be asked for but not be asked for directly.  "If you enjoyed your service tonight, please remember us"!  I've enjoyed serving you, here is my name (he/she hands you a handwritten sheet with his/her name written on it or a business card).  We live and die by passenger comments on surveys.  And on and on!  I, personally, don't have a problem with a crew member asking for a good survey comment, it shows initiative and motivation.  What I don't like are those crew members/employees, in general, asking for positive actions when they have been everything but positive and they know it.  

I disagree.  LobsterStalker stated he (she) heard an announcement specifically requesting that guests award a 10.  How much more directly involved could my comment/question have been?  It's one thing to be solicited personally at the table, and quite another to be solicited over the ship's PA system.  I have never heard the latter in my 20+ Royal cruises.  

I have also heard similar requests to "remember us" and/or "we live and die by passenger comments."  To your point, those statements in my experience have always been personal, at the table.  Not over the ship's PA system.  Nothing wrong with that.  That was why I posted the original comment that staff covet those positive reviews, maybe even more than tips. 

9 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

I'm up in the air on this one as we were leaving the windjammer and an announcement (over the loudspeaker ) comes on and asks that we give them a 10 .... If it were not acceptable , I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a public service announcement ! ? 

 

Cheers

So the announcement you heard directly addressed the service and food in the Windjammer?  Are you sure you heard that correctly?  I've cruised 19 years on Royal and have never heard such an announcement. 

14 hours ago, cruisin from florida said:

I hate being asked to give good reviews. Yuck.

I agree, but the staff are not supposed to ask.  I know they do anyway and I mostly ignore it.

2 hours ago, NightOne said:

 

Oooooo

 

We gave MSC 2 tries and that was enough to determine we don't want to cruise with them again. Beautiful ships - in fact Meraviglia may have the most magnificent looking ship interiors I have ever seen - problem is everything else 😉

NightOne, could I trouble you to elaborate on the "everything else?"

What the staff really want is for you to gush about their excellent service on the post-cruise evaluations.  They love the cash tips, but they seem to covet those reviews more. 

We'll be on Anthem in December 2023.  Anyone know who the concierge is in the suite lounge?

Thank you!

1 minute ago, LuCruise said:

That's the beauty of it...it's just a regular promenade room, but it is only for room 6305.

 

They decorate it with cows (less over the top than they used to) and you get extra benefits.  

 

It's only on Independence, Liberty and Freedon.

Okay, so it's one specific cabin.  Wow, what a deal!  There must be a lot of competition for it.

I have been cruising Royal for 19 years and must admit I am unfamiliar with this cabin class and the perks that apply.  DW and I book Grand Suites so it's not surprising, but please fill me in.  If I'm reading these posts correctly, they come with gold cards and access to the suite lounge?  How big are they, what is the general cost, etc.?  How many are available and on which ships?  Thank you kindly.

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

But not really helpful to the OP since they are looking for a Canada New England sailing in late August / early Sept. in a Grand suite. Your cabin is more comparable to a Jr suite.  

 

You can't just pick random sailing, in a random cabin at a random time and call that a fair comparison.

Good point.  I agree.

I have looked at MSC cruises, Yacht Club in particular, and it does look like a pretty good deal.  Some of the comments on CruiseCritic complain about crowding, food, and long waits, but I'll admit one can find similar complaints about Royal as well.  We are, however, moving closer to Pinnacle, which is arguably one of the better top tier levels in the industry, so it seems more sensible for us to book Royal over others.

Joeyancho, could I trouble you for a few more details on that $3100 price you quoted?  Did you book a Yacht Club cabin?  May I ask how you were able to get all those perks for that price (premium drink package, private lounge, private pool, private dining room with upgraded offerings, unlimited access to thermal spa, 24 hr concierge, personal butler, etc.)? 

$9K for 9 days in a Grand Suite is not a crazy price, considering what is included.  I was only making the point in my original post that the discounts were not applied.  But even had they applied them, the price would not have been reduced by that much.  That price is generally competitive with other similar suites on mass market ships.  As everybody on these Boards knows, pricing depends on length, time of year, cabin size, etc.

Again, I appreciate all your replies.  Thank you for taking the time.

Good replies, folks, thank you.  To HicksRA: yes, the price is for two.  I would spend $9K in a GS on Liberty, or most any other ship, but the sailing would need to be longer than 9 days.  For that length, I agree.

Good day all,

I was investigating a Liberty of the Seas sailing, August 29-Sept 7, 2024, Canada/New England in a Grand Suite. There seems to be no difference between the regular pricing and the discounted pricing when factoring in C&A, state (PA), military, and senior discounts.  For the aforementioned sailing, total price listed without discounts is $9085.46.  WITH discounts the price is $9085.46.  I thought maybe the discounts would be subtracted at the payment step, but it does not appear that's the case.

What is your take on this?  Am I not reading the pricing correctly?

2 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

There is a report on Roll Calls of her sailing Bayonne to Southampton in April, 2024.  Poster states she is booked.

This makes no sense.  Please clarify.  I asked about the Vision out of Baltimore.  Are you saying Vision is doing a Bayonne-Southampton run between April 20 and May 25?

4 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

That itinerary does not exist.  It must be an old sailing that has not been removed.  The last sailing ends on the 20th.

 

Perfect amount of time for a drydock.

OK, but the dates are crystal clear on the site.  Still, your theory makes sense.

13 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

It's really missing from April 20th to May 25th.

Thank you, Jimbo, but on Gangwaze.com it is showing an itinerary between April 20 and May 2.  Lots of islands and 6 sea days.

https://gangwaze.com/cruise-lines/royal-caribbean/vision-of-the-seas/2024-04-20/12-nights

Does any of you know where the Vision will be between May 2 and May 25, 2024?  Can't find anything on the Royal web site.  A charter maybe?  or a dry dock?

Thank you!

5 minutes ago, stephenandrew said:

Frankly, it is rather remarkable that given the hygiene habits of many individuals there isn’t more illness on ships than what is currently experienced.  Obviously one can only do so much before life becomes too difficult to navigate, but whenever practical, I avoid using public bathrooms, eating at buffets that are self serve, etc.  

Indeed.  Self-serve buffets are among the worst.  I always try and get there when it opens before the crowd pounces.  Think of all the hands that touch the spoons and tongs.  The Buffet on Summit and other ships have gone back to self-serve, but at least they still dish out the ice cream (I once caught a little kid about to place his mouth directly on the ice cream dispenser).

On 6/22/2023 at 4:45 AM, JollyJacqTar said:

Our last cruise was during the time when there was still daily testing and a great emphasis on hand washing and general hygiene to prevent Covid infection and we both saw a disturbing number of people not washing their hands after using the public loos. I despair! 

Can't tell you how many times I observed an individual in the bathroom whose idea of washing hands was to place 3 fingers of each hand under running water for 2 seconds.  No soap.

On 6/20/2023 at 1:08 PM, Selion said:

The pandemic is over.  Why should I bother washing hands?

Is this a serious question or are you being sarcastic?

All good (and accurate) information, R,D,W.  Just an alert to add, if I may.  When you pop onto the Viking Ocean site to look up current pricing for the cabin you wish to upgrade to, be aware the prices you see may not be the same prices you will get with an upgrade.  The prices on the consumer site are current promotional rates for new bookings and likely will not apply to your upgrade.  The chat agent will be consulting a different price in the system that will be considerably higher.  Your TA will run into this issue as well.

Thank you, Linda and SantaFe.  We do have the Silver Spirit package, so that's good to know!

We'll be on the Neptune in July and were also interested in booking a Chef's Table.  Really appreciate those of you who provided information... VERY helpful.

My question... On one of the videos I watched, the lady mentioned that wine pairings cost an extra $25.  Is this correct?  Is there an upcharge for wine pairings at a Chef's Table?