topnole

2 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

 

Can I borrow your crystal ball? 

It only works for me.  

21 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

The pizza thread got me thinking of other things Royal could or might plan to charge for in the future; would you pay a fee for getting towel animals throughout your cruise?  Let's face it, they are MASSIVELY wasteful  - Need extra towels, more laundry (one of the biggest consumers of energy on the ship), laundry staff/labor, more work for stateroom attendants each day if everyone wants them. I personally don't care if we get them or not and would never, under any circumstance, pay for one. But I do see where some people will pay for absolutely any/everything. Curious where YOU fall in this; Yes, No, Maybe? 

Every single thing about cruising is massively wasteful.   Other than for the workers, it’s entirely unnecessary pleasure travel.  
 

As far as towels, I don’t care, but they put a lot of smiles on faces every day in every cruise and that is the reason many love cruising (the joy of the experience).  They aren’t going to charge for them anyhow, so it’s irrelevant.  
 

Nothing wrong with Royal doing surveys to determine what customers want and more importantly what they are willing to pay for.  This is a sign they are behaving strategically with justification as opposed to just guessing and implementing strategies without data to back up the choice.   

4 hours ago, sargemrs said:

Our group sailing the 27th, all suites.  I’m getting “antsy” for our concierge letters!  I’m assuming they’re emailed, correct?  First timers on RCL.

4-7 days out depending on the concierge.    Patience.  

19 hours ago, RobInMN said:

I wonder this all the time also. Even if they are well behaved, Even if they don't disturb anyone else, Even if they have a great time in the moment. I don't think a kid will remember until maybe the age of 5, maybe 4. I really don't think there's a point for the kid's sake, and there's really no relief for the parents. Yes, there's the kid's club thing, but it's got ending hours, and if you are bringing them and sending them there all day or evening, again, I also don't see the point. It's not for the kids. We never took our daughter on vacation until she was 4 or 5. Even so, she barely remembers her first trip or two. Possibly tiny fractions of things, but not a true "memory". We purposefully waited until she was 5 to take her to Disney. 

 

Agreed, not everyone has grandparents or a nanny. Growing up, my parents hired a live-in babysitter when they went on vacation. But I've also heard of kids staying with a trusted family friends or a friend's family.

 

@sjb317, Yes, an 18 month old can enjoy it at the time, but they'll never remember it when they are older.

 

Maybe I’m wrong, but from your post it sounds like you might have had one child.  Put yourself in the shoes of those of us with several children.  Should I wait until my daughter’s is 10 because my youngest won’t remember much?   Of course not.  And who cares how much they remember.   It’s about being together as a family and enjoying time together.  My kids would never want to go if we left our youngest behind (assuming we even could).  I love traveling with all three of my kids and that includes my 2 year old.   We all have a blast together and that is why I travel with them.  It’s really a pretty simple thing.  

3 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

I took my kids so many places, not so they could have memories, but so they could be formed by experiences. 

 

And really, I cruise for the feeling of being at sea, which is more a vibe than specific event memories. 

This is spot on! You aren’t creating memories.   You are providing them experiences that allow them to learn and develop.   By the logic of some in this thread, should 2 year olds not go to the zoo or a museum because they won’t remember it?   Of course not, they love zoos and learn even if it isn’t evident each time you go.  Same with any type of travel, they are learning from the experience and most likely having a ton of fun with all of the new and exciting things on a cruise.   It’s also a great opportunity for them to try new and less common menu items not typically served at home. 
 

By the way, on our last cruise my 7 year old asked me about something we did on a cruise when she was….wait for it…..2.    So yes, experiences gained can lead to memories for even a 2 year old. 

23 minutes ago, goldfish65 said:

Honest question - what is the point of bringing a two-year-old on a cruise? He won't remember it, his behavior is apt to disturb others,  and you have to watch him every second. 

Hmmm.   Because you can’t leave them home alone and you want to get away.   Two year olds are humans, not pets.   Not everyone has a nanny or a grandparent to leave them with and many wouldn’t even if they do.  Having a few kids, I’ve cruised with a two year old many times.  Had a blast every time and so did they (even if they won’t remember it) 

15 minutes ago, Rusty_lock said:

Generally I have had staff speak glowingly of their home countries and pleased to talk about what is great about their homeland.  I don't think I have ever had a staff member talk about how poor they are back home or how they are supporting so many people or anything like that.  I've had them mention, if I asked a question about home, their family but I dont recall an unsolicited mention of supporting others on their salary.

 

I only read about that on cruise critic. 

My experience is the same.   

23 hours ago, RFerrington said:

There was a post recently on the blog that indicated that those who stay in the Ultimate Family Suite receive a complimentary cabana + water park tickets for everyone in the suite.  I had never heard this before and cannot personally verify it or even find where that amenity is documented.  I do not know if it is true...but it might be !.

I’ve read that too and apparently it is true based on reports I read on a different star class forum.   However, that is a cabin specific perk and lord knows anyone staying in that suite is paying some significant $$$ for it.   Significantly more than most Star class cabins which are already expensive.   I priced it out once for my family and I think it was between 50-60k for a week.  It was less than half of that for a different star class cabin.  

24 minutes ago, Rackham said:

 

This survey and other changes since the restart make me think back to the changes in flying over the past 20 or so years. Things that used to be standard,  as part of the fare, are now either upcharges or only included with higher priced tickets or loyalty status. While I can't see Royal charging for checked luggage (operationally it'd be a nightmare on embarkation day) I could see them experimenting with lower priced fares which include a subset of dining aboard (aka MDR is an extra nightly fee).

They are already close to doing that. Many cruises can be found for dirt cheap (not all) and the food is of course solid at best and far from anything special.   In essence, to have a true nice dining experience you have to go to a specialty restaurant.   It wasn’t always that way.  
 

Like airlines, for standard fares (seats/cabin), the prices are way cheaper than they were 30 years ago.   So, they make their profits elsewhere.  
 

I doubt they ever do as you mentioned because it would be to complex to efficiently implement.   But who knows.  

It was a 14 day cruise so a bit over $8 extra per day.  Had it been a week long trip, it would a $60 on top.   I really don’t think that is some type of huge extra tip.  People tip a bartender a buck or two per drink, but somehow $8 extra for someone that cleans the room and bathroom is too much?   Honestly, rare is an occasion where I wouldn’t tip at least $60 extra to a room attendant for a week long cruise.   
 

Who knows about his reaction.   Maybe he was tired, got confused who gave it to him/her, or he was distracted/busy.   But I guarantee he/she appreciated it.   If you are happy with the service and feel tipping is appropriate, don’t stop because there many on here who chide anyone on here who tips or tips extra.   

11 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

Lol, that pizza isn't worth a charge, so I am convinced they never intended to charge but finding a way to sneak in something else.  

And there was a time that many thought it was crazy that some people would pay extra for an upscale dinner experience.   
 

Honestly, the survey seemed wise to me so that they have a feel for what people want and more importantly what they are willing to pay extra for while on a cruise.  That is one of the keys to executing strategy well.  
 

Cruising went from be expensive up front with most everything included other than alcohol, to mostly cheap up front with many a la cart up charges.   It’s a different business model now for all of them than it was 30 years ago.  It’s smart to figure out what customers feel is the bare minimum required for them to cruise on Royal.   

30 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

It seems like this is the answer you're looking for. Same ship, almost the same route.

 

 

It can vary based on many things

including cabin location.  So one experience can’t really be used to predict future experiences for others.  The best thing to do I assume there will be some slow times/spotty issues and plan accordingly for one’s job.  I’ve sailed a couple times since the Star link went in.  It is great for a ship, but in my experience  it isn’t anywhere near being like at home in terms of reliability.   Peak use time periods are going to slow it down on a ship.   Just a matter of when that happens and when you are trying to use it.  

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

If her job depends on it, tell her no. If she can live with some potential outages, tell her to go for it.

This!    Did a TA this year with starlink.   It was spotty/slow at times and I’m glad I didn’t need it for work for real-time meetings etc.  At times email would choke on simple attachments as an example.  Simply tasks took much longer than they would have otherwise.    

Absolutely nothing extra as Star class.  They even charge extra for the pay food, so don’t assume it is included like

specialty restaurants.   

4 minutes ago, ginnynj said:

Used internet in March on the EoS. Pretty good time for connecting and downloading work early in the morning, from the cabin as well as other spots. Much better than a previous experience w Oasis, so I hope your experience is good. Enjoy your cruise. We enjoyed the EoS, sailed out of Baltimore.

Thanks. Glad to hear it. 

Can anyone with recent experience on Enchantment chime in on how your internet has been working.   Slow?   Spotty?   Time of day makes a difference?   Have a little work to do on a future cruise as just want to prepare accordingly.   No high demand stuff like video calls, just want to get ahead of some things if it takes 10 minutes to pull up a file.   

On 8/5/2023 at 12:52 PM, molly361 said:

I didn't know that you can still get a full refund if you have COVID.  I thought that expired quite a while ago

Officially it has.   But still in their best interest to keep sick folks off the ships.   Per the OPs words, they would’ve gone otherwise which could’ve easily caused illness to other people.   So the in practice method (unofficial policy) must be working with some folks at least.  I still can’t understand why anyone would knowingly board a ship with Covid (or other things like the flu) regardless.  Glad Royal does refunded them so others didn’t get sick as well.  

6 hours ago, avatar133 said:

Does the Harmony OTS suite lounge have a Coke machine in it? I know I'll get thirsty at night but I don't want to go all the way down to the promenade.  

No soda machine.   Just the bar when open.  Ask for a few sodas to go and leave a dollar or two.   They will be happy to give them to you.  

3 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Walkie talkies are used by some people but they are annoying for those around the person using them.

The thousands walking around aimlessly with their nose in their cell phones are more annoying to me.   So are the folks talking on them or listening to music/video on speaker mode.   Reminder folks.  Pull of to side if reading something on your phone on the promenade.   Get some earphones/buds and no need to shout when on a phone call.  90+% of folks are clueless about how loud they are or they are just plain rude.  Either way, they are annoying bozos.   

49 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

10 year old isnt old enough to use app and sign in as herself.

 

I sat in the theater next to a 3 and 7 year old who came down early nightly to save seats for their parents. Very mature 3 year old. We had some nice talks lol. Seems they even went to eat alone. 

 

Some kids can and some arent mature enough. 

 

I forget the age to use app but I'm sure it's like 14 or whatever. 

3 and 7.   Wow.  Can’t imagine leaving a 3 year old with a 7 year old in charge.   At some point that strategy is going to fail miserably.   

10 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

 

Wrong, Suite passengers already buy Internet.OMG

What?    You said everyone is alway paying more?  Your current comment has zero to do with your prior comment.   And how can you say every suite guest buys Internet?   It is 100% fact that isn’t true. 

1 hour ago, steveru621 said:

Everyone is always paying extra.

Wrong and wrong. Not everyone does any particular thing and they certainly don’t always do it.  

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

No disagreement here.  Not something I would expect to see added anytime soon with the accountant in charge though.

You do realize many wouldn’t want to pay the extra Royal would want for including the additional perk?  If everyone was willing to pay extra for the perk, they would build it in.  They have been excluding it for a reason for a while.   Maybe they will change when everyone wants and will pay the extra for

the perk. 

3 hours ago, Ashland said:

It certainly should be included fleetwide when staying in a GS and above !!

Suites are cheaper on the older ships.  They would just charge more if they started adding sky class benefits to all ships.   You get what you pay for and for some that is good because they don’t want or need internet for everyone in the suite. 

6 hours ago, rdemn said:

 any cruise that has 3 or more days consecutive at sea will require infants to be 12 months old on the first day of the cruise.

Any children younger than the infant policy will be denied boarding. This is in royal Caribbean‘s rulebook. Know my question.
let’s say a cruise leaves Miami then has 2 sea days. Would that be counted as 3 sea days? 
thanks

We did several week long cruises before my daughter turned one.  I think most week long in the Caribbean are no problem for this.  You can always call or ask a travel agent to confirm.