Hoopster95

In my very humble and unknowledgeable opinion, but knowing 100% that RCL is all about the bottom line $$$$$, there is no way that RC will cancel a full 4 months of the UWC after the Suez crossing, with all those segments prepaid. And the re-routing/home-porting the ship where? At what costs? How will they sell cabins? to who? and at what price?? Again in my humble opinion with zero facts, the Dubai to Athens sailing is an 18 day sailing with 7 port stops, by removing the port stops I think perhaps enough time to send her around Africa and into the Med in order to get to Athens on time. BTW, RCG already did this in January with the SilverSeas Silver Moon, albeit without passengers. In Serenade;s case, they can easily sail around Afirca with passengers, however would be a lot of sea days I would think as there would be limited time for port stops I would think. https://crew-center.com/silversea-alters-silver-moon-cruise-route-amid-red-sea-security-concerns There's a great CC thread about SilverMoon and her progress now around Africa here if you're interested

Late Nov 2023 - Oasis, available and advertised at the bar on day 5 of 7 night sailing Early December 2023 - Odyssey, available and advertised at the bar on day 4 of 6 night sailing These were both the first times I had seen it advertised since the pandemic

check out Lima Gourmet company… excellent!!! Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re fully booked however Also I was happy with Haku Tours… look them up. if you’re overnighting in Lima, their afternoon City tour + Magic Water full day tour is excellent. or DIY walking Miraflores on the cliff walk is a must. Walk all the way to.Barranco, back up to Kennedy Park. (Map it out to see how far). Makes for an excellent day!

Machu Pichu is not viable as a cruise ship excursion. I bet many will regret having only a few hours there considering the length of travel and expense. Yes, the bean counters in Miami are probably pi$$ed!!! I feel that the strikers are doing cruisers a favor. I did 7 days from Cusco with Kensington Tours ( a luxury land tour company like SilverSea/Regent would be to cruising) for the quoted price $5000 per person. Not to be mean, however $5000 for this limited experience to truly one of the 7 wonders of the world is way too much money.

High tide that day is around 6:07pm... which means Ovation would be in danger of not passing under the Lion's Gate Bridge. And guess approximately what time the lowest tide is? Yep .... 12:33am

Hey SteelCity. great to see you enjoyed your cruise 👍 A couple of long work days prevented me from getting to those Tobago pics... not enough free time. Safe travels home and thanks for the review

I didn't lie when I said this at the beginning of the review 😉 Both Trinidad and Tobago are both excursion days away from the port/city. They are both likely not places you will walk off the boat and simply stroll around. However, I feel since these are both rare destination ports for RCI, anyone getting here should get out and see the island. SteelCity, since quite a few people following you here are looking for Trinidad/Tobago info, would you mind if I add a post with excursion pics/description of my own? I don't want to hijack your thread. I did this excursion. Their rum punch is deadly!! By the time you get your vouchers tomorrow night in the lounge, your words might be slurring on this review lol! And do you like Soca music? If the boys running the catamaran start playing Carib music, there could be some dancing & singing going on. Have an awesome day! 👍

It was working great last May so hopefully SteelCity can still enjoy it. Just ask the bar tender to flip the switch behind the bar. If I remember correctly Serenade's and Radiance's bar have not been working for years. See you in Athens 😉

This is a super rare photo SteelCity. A very small percentage of cruisers get to witness this, even those who have sailed on Radiance Cass many times. Last March, I had a pre-booked with a fb group on a mini-bus, same size of bus as SteelCity shows you here so about 25 people I think. We paid $25 return. IIRC a taxi was $30-$40 return. Again IIRC there are not many (if any) taxis sitting around at Maracas waiting for a return trip. So you'd need to arrange and pay a driver to wait for you. There were plenty of drivers/cabs available just outside the gate all of them pleading for your business. :or $60 pre-booked non RC group tour https://www.myguidetrinidadandtobago.com/experiences/maracas-day-trip-to-maracas-beach-from-port-of-spain

Just wait if they hit rush hour or some kind of event on the roads on the way back. My experience was about 1 hour 20min back... stop and go traffic. Hopefully SteelCity doesn't experience this.

I'm guessing you might not not have a good comparison as you won't have 1500-2000 children on board like 7 day Caribbean sailings all jammed in triple and quad occupancy cabins

Perhaps many posters use their balconies more often than not, I don't know. I do not use my cabin at all except to sleep, so I am walking around the ship at all times from morning to night...... I sailed Symphony last Jan, Harmony last Apr, Oasis in Nov.... all 3 crowded almost everywhere. I sailed Independence b2b 11 nights in Nov, then immediately onto Oasis.. Windjammer on Oasis was a joke regarding crowds, El Loco fresh had a 15-20 minute line that extended to the sports court, sports deck awful lines, slides and Flowrider 1/2 hour wait, every single hot tub had over 20 people in it at all times of the day including many hot tubs overrun with children swimming in the hot tubs with flotation aids and toys. We had a poor weather day.... Solarium was empty because of the winds, and the upper pool deck bare as well... try an Oasis Class ship with bad weather and see how the interior spaces are (ie. bars, Promenade, gym equipment, etc) with 6000 passengers all inside. Likewise the next day was great weather so all 6000 people wanted to get outside... pool deck was a disaster. Best non crowded spots were the Boardwalk... hardly anyone ever goes there unless there's an aqua show or a scheduled event. Has become a colossal waste of prime real estate, which is likely why Icon has changed so much in that area in order to get better use. Also Central Park surprisingly was not overly crowded throughout the day, that was often my go-to (Trellis Bar, Jazz in the Park, etc) Independence was way better for crowding. Just my 2 cents

Hey SteelCity. Hope you're enjoying your time aboard. Thought maybe it be helpful if you mention more of the Pitt Stop (a couple of more photos?) as I'm only assuming that many reading this review may not realize that this is a one-of-a-kind venue found only on Jewel. (ie. where it's located, amenities, food, tv's? etc) It's kinda like the original long-lost Playmakers in a way I guess. It's great you're enjoying this area with all the games that are on

This is for SteelCity as well if you wish to grab your phone for a few minutes for some research while you''re sitting on your balcony.... islandexperiencestt dot com They offer both Trinidad & Tobago tours. I did the mini-tour in Trinidad (meh), and a private circle island tour in Tobago (great!). The other two times at both ports I joined a group of fellow cruisers (from that other social media site) that pre-arranged Maracas and Bucco Reef. However, both ports (especially Tobago) had a ton of taxi/tour drivers wanting your business, so no need to prebook.

This is my go-to cocktail as well! Too bad they don't have the shaved coconut like most Boleros on other ships (I say "most" because Oasis and Odyssey did not have the shaved coconut in Boleros either which is b.s. considering it's one of their signature drinks). If you enjoy the coconut syrup and wish to try something new/different, head up to the Schooner Bar and order a rum old fashioned sometime Congrats!! Bon voyage Steel City 🙂

I wish to add, if you do end up deciding to do something on both days, in Trinidad look at Maracas Beach for an easy/calm day for 4-5 hours away from the city... great beach, and you can try local Shark Bake for lunch. And then perhaps opt for some island touring in Tobago. This way you get to do something in both ports. Either way, you'll have a great beach to choose from on either island

Sailed on Rhapsody last March b2b2b... twice in Tobago, 3 visits to Trinidad. Trinidad is not a pretty city where you would want to walk around in on your own around the port... do some homework (google is your friend) on this. If you do anything it should definitely be on an excursion, RCI or private. I did both on the first two visits, then stayed on the ship the third (first time ever not getting off the ship). Trinidad to me is like what most here on CC say about Nassau (sea day). Tobago is another story. Lots and lots of private tour guides wanting your business at the port gate. Lots to see (island tour), Argyle waterfall is a great little hike/walk and swim/climb. Buccoo Reef snorkelling and Pigeon Point Beach are highlights, however all tourists go there. I thought Buccoo Reef was over-stated... snorkelling was underwhelming, but the beach is gorgeous (but far from port 50min). knowing both options I really enjoyed the island tour... driving, scenery, lunch at a beach, photo ops, hike/swim waterfall.... great day! Bottom line... if you need that "rest" day on the ship, stay on board in Trinidad

Royal ships typically dock at Crown Bay. I doubt you'll be walking to the SkyRide. I was just there 2 weeks ago. Very well run taxi/tour services at the port gate herding people into different open air vehicles going to the various different beaches. Also available are combo island tours with beach time that you should look in to. They will arrange to pick up at specific time if you wish. Emerald Bay two loungers + umbrella = $25 We opted to walk back to the ship for a bit of exercise. The walk was not difficult and no more than 25 minutes to the gangway. A $6pp each way shared "taxi" (open air bus) would be 3-4 minutes tops.

Perfectly said. If cruisers want the "yesteryear" cruise experience, it definitely exists... All they need to do is book Oceania, SilverSea, etc. Those prices are adjusted for inflation to today's true prices. I just sailed on Silhouette Jan 2-11... 1st time on Celebrity since 2012. MDR was a bit better, but not a whole lot better than Royal unfortunately. The Ocean Cafe (aka Windjammer) was fantastic! Should've had dinner there every night. Specialty venues QSine and Tuscan were both a noticeable step above Royal's specialty. There were other positives besides food,.. surprise surprise the entertainment and game shows/trivia were way better than expected, easily equal to Royal (ie. Voyager Class and below with headliner and Production shows). I enjoyed the change of perspective... classier environment, more mature/learned demographic, there was no slamming of doors, screaming/yelling in adjacent cabins, and running in the hallways at all hours day and night.

Regardless of all of our previous million+ cruises, wealth of experience, and personal/recent experiences on other sailings, we all need to remember:: "Royal Caribbean reserves the right to modify the Crown & Anchor® Society, Club Royale®, and MyCruise® Rewards programs along with their terms and conditions, at any time and without notice. ©2023 Royal Caribbean Ltd. Ships Registry: The Bahamas." To me, and knowing RCI over the last decade, this to me means "If we can make more money from cruisers by changing or reducing something (C&A), even if temporarily (so that we don't piss too many people off), we will" We also all need to remember that each ship makes decisions independently... a "rule" or "benefit" applied/change/removed on one ship may not have occurred on another ship docked next door. So the OP's experience on Explorer may have been different on Adventure for example. RCI = "Really Consistently Inconsistent"

Who remembers Project Genesis? How about project Sunshine, and Project Eagle? And for how long before the actual official announcement were any rumours. and how long after after the official announcement were they actually built and in service? For me, Discovery does not exist. I suspect there will be 4-5 more Icon Class ships built until approximately 2030 before we have confirmation of anything else.. I know.... And this has nothing to do with the point I was making anyways This is exactly the point I was making.

The focus on this thread has been RCI, not RCG.

I sailed 33 days in Nov/Dec, 4 diff ships, 4 different "Captain's Corners"..... all 4 Captains mentioned that they heard of, but know nothing about Project Discovery other than what Pinnacles tell them and other rumours. I also asked them about asset depreciation and if ships like Voyager (24 years old and Oasis 15 years old already) have a fixed date where they are deemed to be "paid off" in Royal's accounting books, and two of the captains said there is in fact a date but they couldn't remember them. I feel Royal will not at all replace the smaller sized Vision or Radiance classes ever again. I also met a ton of families (30'ish year old mom & dad in the pool with kids) as each sailing was heavy with kids (other than Grandeur)..And surprisingly at least half the ships were first time cruisers (not in the C&A Top Tier numbers) For the record, my cruises in 2023 were on Symphony, Harmony, Rhapsody, Jewel, Grandeur, Independence, Oasis and Odyssey... by a very VERY big margin, the best cruises were on Rhapsody and Grandeur, Jewel was 3rd... all three with great ports of call, the most amazing accessible and fun staff, excellent Crown lounges, not crowded public spaces, excellent Windjammers and great fellow cruisers whom I got to know as I saw them most everyday. The least pleasant cruises were on all three Oasis Class ships (super crowded everywhere, connect with one person on day 1 you wont ever see them again the entire 7 days, boring itineraries, terrible Windjammer, kids stomping everywhere above my cabin, slamming doors, good luck getting into a hot tub with 20 kids in it with floatation devices swimming back and forth, 3 sailings in a row). Just my 2 cents.

If anyone wishes to see what "smaller" ships need to charge their customers in order to make the same profit margins as what Royal is making (let's perhaps call it a cruise industry average), take a look at what Oceania, Azamara and SilverSea charge. Are you willing to pay that? If you want Royal to build a small ship, that is what you will have to pay. I am 100% certain no one on this forum wants that. And the funny thing is with some current pricing on Utopia and Icon, today I can sail on a much superior luxury line with the best of everything on it much cheaper when you include internet, dining, beverages, etc. The only reason why Royal still has their smaller ships is because they are fully paid for and any revenue produced on them is profit. Royal is 100% only about profit and the bottom line. The second the smaller ships do not make money, they are gone. They will keep small ships until they make no sense to keep (ie. like an old car with 250,000 miles that has been paid off for years, you keep putting gas in it and changing the oil but when the engine blows up you do not replace the engine, you simply scrap it and buy a new car). The technical issues of extra drydocks amongst many other factors just complicate their life span. Like many have said in previous posts/pages, Royal's target market is definitely the young family (mom & dad in the 30s and 40s with a couple of kids), and they want those kids to build up C&A points so when they are 25-35 years of age in the year 2040, they will not look at any other cruise line .... they will pay $20,000 for an inside cabin on the "Gargantuan of the Seas" because they are hooked on Royal Caribbean, going to 6 private fake islands and paying $5000 for a Cabana for 6 hours. That is exactly what has happened with families who's kids sailed in the year 2000 on Voyager.... today they are adults with kids bringing their families on Royal, not another cruise line, because of the C&A program. Royal's target market is not the mature cruiser wanting to travel the world, and definitely not the miserly cruiser who doesn't spend a dime on board.

Per Capt Artem (I think that’s his name… never met him and he’s new on board this week) on Grandeur, he just announced that Royal is putting “some money” into keeping the remaining Vision Class ships for a few more years … “3-4 years”. No clue as to where he received this info and his ability to confidently mention it during the Top Tier event. He also mentioned Grandeur is in dry dock in March. Thought I’d pass this along to those of you who like the smaller ships, hoping that they don’t get sold or scrapped anytime soon.