vjmatty

Yes, in fact I know people who purposely put one teen in each room instead of separating adults and teens if only one adult wants the alcohol package.

I didn’t mean “only” in the sense of whether the compensation is adequate. I meant only as in, why cancel and make people start from square one, scrambling to book the new sailing and try to maintain the same cabin. The change doesn’t seem big enough to warrant that instead of letting people choose. When the Star Princess sailing was changed, not only did the bookings remain but there was a significant price drop due to shorter number of days and fewer ports, as well as changing embarking location from Southampton to Barcelona. No OBC however. I just don’t understand why RC has to scrap the whole thing.

I agree, give people the choice to sit at the bar or couches. Sitting alone is a lot less awkward at the bar and I too like to talk to bartenders about all different things including where they are from and what ships and cruiselines they’ve worked. Bartenders also can be a wealth of information on ships, ports, events I haven’t been to yet…of course only when things are slow so I’m not distracting them from work.

So it’s only a 6 day difference, and to Barcelona instead of Portsmouth? When this happened in the reverse direction on the Star Princess for fall of 2025, no one was automatically canceled. It was a choice. Can’t bookings just be left in place for those who still want to be on the new sailing?

Thank you for all of this on stopovers as well as the tip on La Compagne. Are they partnered with any other airlines? We tried Delta Premium Select as well and didn’t care for it, even westbound. It’s one of the few airlines that flies direct to and from Athens, now that Greece no longer has its own transatlantic air service, so I had to try it out. I generally find Delta to be overpriced for what they offer, and very stingy with miles and reward flights/upgrades. I did like Emirates, which I was able to book using AC miles, direct from EWR to ATH but it wasn’t their famous first class with suites. Still their business class was more than adequate.

Yes I’m aware…I don’t need lie flat seats for westbound since it’s not an overnight flight. All the other traditional business amenities seem to be there though.

How many days stopover do you recommend? We can’t do it on the currently booked trip since I’m not yet retired, but definitely worth considering next time.

Yikes, not a very good deal. I did book a year out which probably helped.

Have you tried Iceland Air for transatlantic flights? I just booked Rome to NY for $950 business class next May, 2025, and that’s for refundable.

I loved We Will Rock You!

Check your itinerary and see how late the ship will be there. If the ship departs before 9pm I’m guessing there will not be fireworks as it will not be dark enough.

I’ve found this as well….most significant price drops are unannounced and not advertised as a sale. It happened with the first Star transatlantic scheduled next year

When did you book? There are some grandfathered reservations for those who booked those mini suites for sailings after October, but I don’t know when the cutoff date was.

That seems to be a glitch or mistake. There are no suite benefits to C1 or C2 Cabana Deck mini suites, either before or after the change. There is, until October, access to the Reserve Dining Room, formerly known as Club Class on older ships.

The rail between the individual balconies and the cabana deck is normal height, about waist high. On the outside of the cabana deck, facing the ocean, is the 8 foot wall of blue glass.

Unfortunately, ever since the introduction of Oasis class, RC has become more and more ship oriented and less destination oriented. They’re catering to people who sail more for the ship than the ports. Endless posts on that site we don’t speak of, livre du visage, respond to complaints about repeated itineraries with “I don’t care where it goes” or “I’m just there for the ship.” I laugh now when people say they don’t get off at this port or that port so they can have the ship to themselves….yeah you and a couple thousand others. It is a shame for those of us who want to see the world and not just spend time on a floating resort. I’m not a fan of seeking out other lines either, but it’s hard not to, especially when looking at Europe or the South Pacific.

It used to be earliest releases were the cheapest, but now I find that is no longer necessarily true. I just start looking when they first come out and check every so often until I find a fare I can live with. International flights come out as much as a year out for European airlines. US airlines are behind by about a month. If I can find transatlantic business class for under $1k I’ll book it, or a rewards flight at the lowest redemption rate. I find that I tend to use miles for eastbound transatlantic flights since they tend to be more expensive, and pay outright for westbound.

I think all SV are pretty large on all class ships…. certainly enough to fit loungers. Even those smaller aft Aqua cabins in Deck 11 in M class ships are large enough for two.

Yes there is a Rome to Bayonne TA on Odyssey in October 2025

For writing reviews of their cruise I think

Hence my disclaimer.

If you want to find places on this forum where people don't just praise X, please checkout the lounger thread.

When it comes to baiting people we do have a few masters. Not sure if Zitsky is one.

Yes this appears to be one of those “dishes it out but can’t take it” situations.

You’re not disagreeing with me. Pay attention.