Christine Frances

The Alcoves are lovely. People say no one is ever in them but that is because you have them for 12 hours and can go and come as you please. You can go and watch a talk in the theatre or meet someone for trivia and when you come back it is sitting there waiting for you:) No hunting for 2 loungers together, no pool bedlam along with the noise. The bartender from the Sunset bar swings by regularly, there are games on the lawn which are fun to watch, if you are lucky there are jazz nights on the lawn. If you have friends you can split the cost as it easily holds 4 people. Phone Specialty Dining for a reservation but beware the sea days fill up fast!!

What is your explanation for the fact that from 2002 when Oceania was founded until very recently there were no incidents of Noro on any of their ships despite their "lax" attitude toward hand sanitizes? Ditto for many other ships sailing on the seas. For example, they have never enforced the sanitizers on any of the several Silversea cruises I have taken without any Noro issues (ditto for many other lines).

I never said that Oceania is perfect; if you had been on these boards longer than you appear to have been then you would know that I've had my issues with Oceania and I stated them here.

Sanitizers are quite useful but they are not the cure for Noro, nor is the lack of their enforcement the cause for Noro.

That is all that I am saying - please do not put words in my mouth.

Doesn't look like much has changed since 2012. I remember outbreaks on O in Asia but can't remember when. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=36231150&postcount=76

It is for the Canadian Air/Cruise packages which are very popular:) Apparently the service on board is excellent and also transfers and hotels (if necessary) are included. Most of these are offered back east and I think Calgary is the farthest west they come. Would love to do this out of Vancouver. I think they are chartered from Canada North.

Cruislines are a copycat business. Have you seen anyone copied the lawn concept. With all the new ships that have come out in the last 5 years. Example NCL waterfront concept will be copied because it's a great idea. Believe me there competion laughs at them when it comes to lawn, especially since it always resting. Never saw such a stupid idea. I will gaurentee you you will not see lawn on any of there new edge concept and soon they will follow the Bistro on 5 they will get rid of them. It's only a matter of time and they will be gone also. Nothing but wasted space.

Love, love, love the lawn:) I'ts peaceful and quiet, so nice compared to the jammed, noisy pool deck. Love the music in the evening on the lawn and it is convenient to the wonderful Sunset Bar:D. I just wish the M Class had them.

I can't comment on Bon5 as we have never eaten there (none of the menu's were enticing) but I am hoping the sushi will be available on the Silhouette in Oct!

First, you should never start a conversation with 'Sorry' & then proceed. If you're truly sorry m then you wouldn't continue the conversation. I'm not saying that you shouldn't express yourself/comments but to do so under the guise of 'Sorry' starts the topic off w/ hypocrisy from the get go.

 

BTW, we're sailing on X for the first time in 2017 and looking forward to the new experience!

I say sorry when someone bumps into me lol I'm Canadian!! We say sorry all the time for everything:D:D

As far as the rest. If it was anything else I had an issue with my neighbours about, like maybe turning down the music after 10pm or something mundane like that, I would and have done what you have suggested. But 99% of balcony smokers are fully aware they shouldn't be doing it. So if they defy the cruise line, in our experience, they don't give a flying ... to anything we have to say. They last time (with the finger) they bluntly stated they had to catch him first and he paid for the balcony just like we did. I do not want to spend any of our precious vacation time going through this again. The cruise line will deal with it.

they weren't ignorant because they were informed and just didn't give a damn. they may be stupid but they weren't ignorant.

 

also, we're not on celebrity so what they do doesn't really matter on an rccl ship. someone else could say on a hal ship they bring you a lighter and an ashtray to your balcony but that wouldn't be relevant either.

If you noticed the post I quoted, the poster said that they don't put people off the ship. I just replied with an example. I am quite aware this smoking discussion is not about Celebrity. They ignored the rules and in my books that makes them ignorant lol

informal

discourteous or rude.

"this ignorant, pin-brained receptionist"

not sure if this is Intimidation or a passive Threat, either way, this is exactly what I was speaking to in my previous posts.

Sorry neither. On another cruise, rather than being "in their face" we have stuck X's smoking policy from the Celebrity today with a "happy face" on their cabin door. The next day we got a finger around the divider. Made for an uncomfortable 14 night cruise. Since then we let the cruise line deal with it. They chat them up nicely, drop a copy of the rules etc. But.. next violation is a "cleaning fee" of $250. Oh a lot of people thought that is was a one time fee and figured they could just pay that and keep on smoking. Not Sometimes they get a second cleaning fee but the 3rd time they are off the ship. We have found our neighbours take Security Officers much more seriously than DH saying "Howdy neighbour" but then again Celebrity seems to take balcony smoking more seriously than RCI. X doesn't even have smoking in the casinos or anywhere in the interior of their ships. I guess we are spoiled but will just have to hope for the best. The itinerary is stunning.

Oh Brother. What's your tough guy hubby gonna do to balcony smokers? :rolleyes:

Nothing:) Security will handle it:D

The consequences would be that you might get a ticket, verbal or written warning. What's your point?

Someone posted that smoking on the balcony against RCI's policy was ok because everyone breaks rules eg speeding So that's my point!

It seems like most posters here have a "live and let live" policy or "it's your vacation and relax and ignore the problem. We do have a live & let live attitude up until this type of behavior impacts us.

ps what is with your font?

Speaking of agreeing, I guess you agree w/ me that you should never ever speed or break any traffic laws as they can kill you and others much faster than a whiff of a cigarette smoke while on your balcony.

If you gamble by speeding or breaking any traffic laws you are aware there are consequences involved if caught. I wouldn't try your luck smoking on a balcony next to my DH lol

Your strawman argument is flawed....I didn't say you shouldn't report smokers, I also agree its against the rules. All that being said, we will agree that people will smoke, agreed? If there weren't any smokers on balconies, there wouldn't be a thread about it. By reporting them, do you really think it will stop? maybe, maybe not....I have never heard of passengers getting kicked off the boat midway thru a trip for excessive smoking, but I am not an expert on cruise ship smoking police special weapons and tactics :rolleyes: Smoking bothers some people more than others. My point in the original response was that if catching 2nd hand balcony smoke could be that big of a deal breaker in ruining your trip, why would you even remotely subject yourself to that element, and just book an inside or window room? Do you want to risk your relaxation and vacation happiness in order to make a point?

 

:D

Here is an example how Celebrity deals with ignorant smokers:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49335336&postcount=39

So I guess that everyone is going to let this slide. Its not a big issue:rolleyes: As more and more people get away with smoking on the balcony's with no repercussions, the ships will eventually end up back where they were before the ban. I am totally surprised at the push back I and other posters have been getting regarding this. I so want to relax and enjoy ourselves but apparently it is ok for some inconsiderate idiot on the next balcony to ruin it for us!!! It is not up to us to take care of the problem - the ship should be required to enforce their own rules. They have no problem confiscating liquor or clothes irons!!!! I was looking forward to our first cruise on the Radiance but now .......

I am amazed at some of these posts. As an asthmatic, I cannot even walk through the casino or any designated smoking area, but I don't make nasty remarks about the smokers.

If I get smoke in my lungs, I not only can't exhale it, I cannot get good air in. Those of you that mock people with breathing problems should try the feeling of being suffocated. Just one time might make you just a little more sympathetic. We budget for our cruise and the best part of it for me is sitting on my balcony looking at the water. I honestly don't think it's right that someone would keep me from doing that because they don't want to walk to where they can smoke.

It is really upsetting to read the callous remarks in some of these posts chastising me and others like me for even caring that tobacco smoke is keeping us from using our balconies.

Do you honestly think it's the same as complaining about people saving seats?

Take a good hard look at yourselves and try for a little empathy.

 

 

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Great post and I totally agree!!!:)

I was offered an upgrade to a suite, and thus Luminae, in May 2015 - our travel friends wanted to try it, so I agreed. But for future cruises, I am not booked in a suite and am overall pleased with the value of a regular stateroom and the MDR. I'll use some OBC for one or two special meals in a speciality restaurant.

 

I have cruised both AZ and O in the past and am now thinking about either choosing one of those (in a standard cabin) or going back to land trips. The pricing shenanigans of X and a general uptick in prices have put me off the choice that I have been fairly pleased with for quite awhile.

Please let us know how you enjoyed the suite life, Michael's and Luminae and especially the cruise and itinerary:)

Is it just the smoking policy that you feel the need to help the cruise line enforce, or are their other policies? Do you call security on lounge chair hogs, children in the Solarium, diapers in the pool, bare feet in the Windjammer? Or do you just focus on the smoking policy?

I focus on the policy that impacts my cruise. I think I am in for a rude awakening on our first Royal cruise. I am used to pool butlers enforcing the chair hog rules , children in the solarium and I would yell very loud if there were diapers in the pool or hot tub. What is the Windjammer? Do you just let all this slide? Am I going to see all this stuff?

And somehow that makes the person reporting the issue feel like their vacation was much more enjoyable. Seriously, they just get pleasure out of imposing their views on others. I personally have never met a smoker who, when asked politely in the casino, if they would mind not smoking while I'm there because of allergies that have refused to stop. Some of you just want to bully others and don't even attempt to be civil. I have more reaction to the sickening smell of the perfume many use rather than shower. Getting into elevators with these people I often hold my breath but I would never dream of being so rude as to tell them they need to shower rather than cover up their offensive odor with an inordinate amount of cheap perfume.

duplicate = sorry

And somehow that makes the person reporting the issue feel like their vacation was much more enjoyable. Seriously, they just get pleasure out of imposing their views on others. I personally have never met a smoker who, when asked politely in the casino, if they would mind not smoking while I'm there because of allergies that have refused to stop. Some of you just want to bully others and don't even attempt to be civil. I have more reaction to the sickening smell of the perfume many use rather than shower. Getting into elevators with these people I often hold my breath but I would never dream of being so rude as to tell them they need to shower rather than cover up their offensive odor with an inordinate amount of cheap perfume.

Smoking is allowed in the Casino. Smoking is not allowed on balcony's.. Is that hard to figure out? Irons are not allowed, Rum is not allowed. There are consequences for not following Royal's stated rules. Celebrity has been known for putting people off the ship after 2 x $250 "cleaning fees" when they first implemented the no smoking on balcony's or any interior areas on the ships including the casinos. Either there are policy's in place or not.

The two smokers we reported did not even bother to play dumb, they knew the policy but gave us the finger. Sorry - we call Security.

Posts 7 & 8 say everything is cool on board. Not even in Code Red. Maybe it is just a precaution because Oceania is having lots of issues sailing out of Miami.

Why deal with it on a formal level by picking up the phone? Why not just politely ask your neighbor if he/she would refrain from smoking while you are out on the balcony?

 

I had a situation back in 2014 while I was sailing on the Oasis. I went out on the balcony around 10 pm on the first night. My neighbor must have heard my door slide open. A minute or two after I sat down, he poked his head around the partition and asked me if I minded if he lit up a cigar. I said, no problem, enjoy yourself.

 

I guess the point I am trying to make is most times dealing with people on a one to one basis goes a long way.

That would be the perfect solution if smoking was allowed on the balcony and we chatted with them to work out an arrangement so we could both enjoy the balcony.

But I am not going to enable people to flaunt the rules. From reading these posts I can see there is a huge difference in tolerance of smoking on the balcony's compared to Celebrity. I much prefer the zero tolerance on X. Do you have any idea of how many smokers are probably reading this thread and thinking, ok no problem. I can just light up and no one will say anything as it is all live and let live on Royal. For every one smoker you ignore that creates 2 more.

I will be calling Security:D

And as for the people that want to state the "rules". Is it only on a cruise you wish to police everyone. Are you stating you never break any rules. Are you saying you never go above the posted speed limit when driving, which is an actual law. People need to stop acting like they are perfect. EVERYONE breaks rules at one point or another.

Sorry We pay good money for a balcony which DH uses a lot. He naps, reads or just relaxes looking at the ocean. If someone lights up next to us when we cruise Royal for the first time next year, we will be phoning Security like we do on Celebrity. I have done that twice before and it gets results. They can cruise HAL (where it is allowed) if they want to smoke on their balcony.

I don't think you will regret the decision. We are long time Celebrity cruisers and have seen the decline in the quality of food and service in the MDR as they try to say cost competitive in the marketplace. We have only booked Aqua class for the last few years, mainly because of Blu. We eat breakfast there each morning and dinner around 4 out of 7 nights and going to the specialty restaurants the other nights. Going to Blu feels like you are going out to a restaurant. The service and food are better than MDR. I'm surprised to hear you have no perks, even from your TA? Just about everyone on the ships have been on the free drink package lately. Usually your TA should give you some OBC from their cut of the commission. We will be on the Summit for the 7/11 Bermuda sailing. Enjoy!

Sorry, really don't agree with your view on the MDR food. We have found over our sailings in the last 3-4 years that the food improves each cruise. The best one was our last on the Millie last Oct/Nov when the Prime Rib was to die for and everything else was perfect for our group of 8. The service was prompt and the sommelier was knowledgeable and attentive. The last few years we don't even bother with the Specialty's. Just wanted to provide another opinion encase people thought they may be eating food equivalent to a truckstop/diner or something lol

Ugh! So is every Celebrity cruiser somehow using a thread about a mere $4 PP price increase in the Crown Grill on Princess to tout the quality of the specialty dining on Celebrity? Enough already, this is it for me of the nonsense on this thread.

The only reason this came up was that Princess cruisers were saying that X Specialty Dining was waaay overpriced. So some X cruisers came on board to clarify.

This is no "savings" if I really only want to do a single specialty dinner. How is it that you all advocating Celebrity here on the Princess boards can somehow argue that the Celebrity specialty dining is comparable cost-wise to Princess? Whether the Celebrity meal is better, I can't comment, as I've not sailed Celebrity. I will say that I am entirely happy with the meal I get at Crown Grille (for either $25 or $29).

Since you quoted me, lol If you are happy with the Crown Grille that is all that matters.