cublet

Hello, I cast my favours widely as you can tell from my signature. 2025 was due to be predominantly X but I am now wondering what will be left of what I thought I was going to get. I think what this needs is some big American TA, or whatever you call them, to pick up the 'phone to Freedom and say something along the lines of 'we can no longer recommend X to our clients because of the diminishing standards, blah, blah etc, etc'. Perhaps then he will get the message as the complaints here will be water off a duck's back. Regards, Cublet

Hello, What I think is careless is that the Pilgrim Fathers, en route to New Plymouth, seem to have lost the recipe/method for making 'biscuits' and the soggy mess called 'cookies' is the result. Royal, Celebrity, Uncle Tom Cobley and All can charge what they want 'cos I won't be eating them - for free or for a fee. Don't be too upset, the Aussies can't make 'biscuits' either even though they do call theirs that. Regards, Cublet

Hello, OK, Yes, I got that - thanks. Regards, Cublet

Hello, Are you saying that, re my post #36, black-out dates AREN'T universal but dependent on geography? With Thanksgiving, this does not apply to UK as we have no sailings, but there are sailings out of continental Europe - so the black-out date of Thanksgiving should not apply to these sailings? Should the C&A Member Benefits document be made clearer? My dealings with the muppet CSRs tells me they cannot keep abreast of one set of rules never mind, say, 7 for seven continents - even though (to my mind) it makes sense. Regards, Cublet PS: I'm not aware of any RCI sailings out of Antarctica to be honest though.

Hello, When I was on in June the coffee machine had gone but the cupboard on which it stood was still there. Regards, Cublet

Hello, See my posting #36, Thanksgiving is a 'black-out' date for the reduced single supplement. Regards, Cublet

Hello, And I don't know whether I left the church or the church left me, but I don't think we have such a thing as a 'Thanksgiving' national holiday in November. I do remember 'Harvest Festival' from Sunday School though! Regards, Cublet

Hello, From the Member Benefits .pdf: 43) Single members must have at least 340 Cruise Points earned to receive the single cruise fare at 150%. This offer is based on availability with certain restrictions. Ocean Voyage Packages, Holiday sailings (Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, Easter/Spring break) and the peak summer months of June 15 thru August 15 are not included in this offer. As you can see, some dates are not specific like 'Easter'. The crunch generally is 'start' or Embarkation day: If your cruise starts before and goes into or over a 'blackout' date then that is fine, but you cannot start or embark on/during a blackout date/period. What to my simple mind makes no sense is to have 'global' blackout dates - they should be relative to the region in which the ship is sailing. I presume 'peak summer months' in US are 15th June to 15th August, I would not say that those precise dates are the same for UK or most of Europe yet the above 'black-out' still applies. Regards, Cublet

Hello, RIP the former Concierge Lounge on Independence of the Seas (Deck 10). Regards, Cublet

Hello, I went back and found it: Someone was reporting on a message from Royal re Shareholders' OBC still quoting either old or not enforced T&Cs. Regards, Cublet

Hello, One of the many differences between Royal's ships and Cunard's is that if you are sat indoors it is in a venue that Royal expects you to be paying for something to be there, whereas on Cunard you might have died in your wingback chair three days ago and not be disturbed. Regards, Cublet

Hello, I am not disagreeing with you, but as I think back to the number of times I've performed a quick sprint along Anthem's deck 14 fwd to aft, in the cold, rain and wind, I wonder what about it was better suited to the climate than other ships I've sailed on. Here is something I do no know. I've never sailed on an Oasis ship. Can anyone that *has* sailed on it tell me what's it's like when it rains and does the rain get into the gap along the centre of the ship? Regards, Cublet

Hello, To be fair, that isn't a phrase I use often, Stelios Haji-Ioannou founded easyJet - and quite successfully - and thought he could extend the model to cruising. Whilst that failed, there are still 24 companies in the group with the 'easy' moniker. Regards, Cublet

Hello, I think that reading all the pizzagate posts may have confused me but hasn't there also been a post saying that OBC (from RCI) cannot be used to pay gratuities? Regards, Cublet

Here is a question that only one person can answer for sure. Cast your minds back to 2010 and the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull and the closure of European air space. Fain sent the brand spanking new Celebrity Eclipse to pick-up air passengers stranded in Europe. Not only that but he gave them $50 OBC to spend. Ever since the Brit's have loved it. After that intro here is the question: What would Liberty have done had he been CEO? Regards, Cublet

Hello, I don't mind being called a cynic, but, please, not an 'old' cynic. What I think is this. During the pandemic, Royal, X and others laid-off many of their expensive employees. They were 'expensive' because of their length of service and knowledge gained. As the market recovered, whether Royal & X tried to re-employ those let go I don't know but what we have is lots of newbies with little or no knowledge or experience both on the wet and on the dry. Royal & X, not unlike many others, seem not to believe in 'training' as it's money down the drain as, once trained, the employee leaves for greener pastures. Moreover the management of RCI & X could equally say they have no need for 'trainers' as they has 'x' millions of them for free - their regular clients and especially higher members of the C&A & CC Societies. If only they listened to us! We moan, justifiably, about their poor IT systems, we could equally moan about their poor record-keeping/process documentation. [Please, let's not get hung-up over the difference between a 'process' and a 'procedure'.] How many times have we asked a question or query and the person at the other end says they have asked/will 'ask'......- what I am saying is that should not be necessary - it should be documented and they should be able to 'look-it-up'. This thread is a case in point. The CC benefits have 'grown like Topsy' (no, I'm too young to know what that means), some logically, some because of a current need and some 'where on earth did that come from?'. There is not the pool of knowledge at 'the centre' (Miami) to pull the extremities into line. I fear this will go on for months. This could go two ways: By sheer weight of numbers, what the ships say, goes and becomes the norm; or somehow a pool of knowledge and history is amassed at the centre and enforced at the extremes. But I am not optimistic. It would probably be better for our equilibrium to cruise with a line, any line, for the first time on which we had no expectations for any 'earned entitlements' and thus had nothing that could be 'removed'. Yours, more in sorrow than in anger, Cublet

Hello, You are probably speaking for the US whilst I was speaking for the UK. If, in the UK, you try to apply the DP340 code to a sailing that is NOW outside the blacklisted dates but WAS previously within the blacklisted dates, you get this: Regards, Cublet

Hello, easyCruise used to charge for food immediately. But I question whether it merits (or merited, as it has gone) the classification of being a 'cruise line'). Nor do I think the cafeteria type venue would pass as a MDR or the portion of pizza as a starter never mind a main course. And you had to pay to have your beds made. I am both pleased and proud NOT to be speaking from experience, but from watching a TV prog about the vessel. Regards, Cublet

Hello, One of the problems we, and Royal, have is the incompatibility of northern European weather and ship design. One of those Royal has no control over, the other it has - if only it chooses to do so. I remember watching one of those 'banging the drum' promo films for the design/build of Voyager. Someone from the design team was giving a presentation and said something along the lines of 'we kept the decks open' (and this I remember exactly) "to maintain our relationship with the sea". Well whoopee for the Caribbean - but what about here and what about us? If the ship(s) don't suit the weather, Royal is not going to get the load factor and therefore return they require to station (more?) ships here. Perhaps it's time for Mr Bayley to use what influence he as, if any, to have a ship designed specifically for this market. Regards, Cublet

Hello, So following Carnival in more ways than one. Regards, Cublet

Hello, I can't remember how long ago but we had the Independence and a Voyager class ship out of Southampton for a season or two. Regards, Cublet

Hello, They could still surprise us all by basing it in Harwich. Regards, Cublet PS: But I'm not holding my breath.

Hello, Simple soul that I am, I thought there was some enormous formula in the background that worked-out prices based on some 'base' figure. Not so - or at least not for the UK - they have to be input manually and individually. For this reason, not all DP340 discounted figures have been input for 2024 UK sailings (!) AND the (old) black-out dates in July & August haven't been moved forwards by a couple of weeks. Words fail me. Regards, Cublet

Hello, On the excursion I was on, we were allowed so far into the mosque with our shoes on (eg to view the bathing areas) but they had to be removed to enter the Prayer Hall. Regards, Cublet

Hello, Looking at 2025 prices, I think that MSC thinks (hopes) Northern Europe is performing something greater than 'great'. Regards, Cublet