emilymad

I am worried about this is as well. We are indifferent about Star Wars. One day on the cruise will be fine since I assume we can avoid most of the festivities if we so choose. If it takes over the entire cruise we would be very unhappy.

Ironically, it was Disney prices that had us return to RCL.

Hoping that RCL is not going to lose customers too.

 

Happy Anniversary!

We sailed with Disney this year because RCL prices were higher. Now that is saying something when I can sail on Disney cheaper than RCL!

Not liking any of the prices for next years cruise.

I was really hoping that BOGOHO was going to die....

I am glad I am not crazy by thinking the prices were high! That is why we ended up DCL this year since it was actually a little cheaper when you factored in airfare. We are not looking a holiday week either so I don't get it.

We will keep looking for now I guess.

We have a cruise out of San Juan booked on DCL for January but are leaning towards canceling it due to price.

Thank you all for the information. This is very helpful!

We are looking for January 2016, Western Caribbean, in a balcony cabin. In the past I feel like we have paid around $2K for 2 adults. This past January we did DCL for less than $3K but it was still less then the price Royal was charging for the same week on the Oasis.

So far Freedom and the Oasis class ships are staying around $2,500+ for 2 adults and this just seemed a little high. Maybe that is just what Royal charges now regardless of what "sale" is happening.

I have been away from Royal for a few years. We thinking about sailing them again but I very confused with all of these "sales". I have been vaguely watching prices for next January. How can I tell what is a good price? Every day there seems to be a new promotion but are any of them actually any good?

Th dive center may, or you can ask the driver for a number too. But you are correct, taxis stop in as it's one of the more popular beaches...

Thanks!

If there aren't cabs waiting at Sapphire is there someone that would call one for you? We are in port with 3 other ships so I am assuming that there will be cabs waiting. I am just thinking worse case scenario.

I believe $9, but you also have to pay a $4pp admission fee to Magens so you can base your desision on on the beach setting.

Magens offers a nice, calm water in a large, deep bay and has some shaded areas along with picnic tables, restrooms and changing facilities, runners on the beach with drink service, and food that we rate as poor. You can also rent stand up paddle boards. The most popular beach by far and highly-touted by the cruise lines and tours.

 

Sapphire is one of the beaches with free access and is home to 3 condo properties. Sapphire is best described as having more "character", at least in our opinion, with the island views, different water colors with a reef, sandy area, and seagrass area, and usually a bit more waves but it's also quite calm as well. Sapphire has abundant natural shade and room to spread out. When we rent there we never see it that crowded even on big ship days, but no guarantee of course. As noted in the beginning of this thread Dive In rents chairs, snorkel gear, kayaks, and floaties and has restrooms and now an outdoor shower and improvised changing rooms. We like the mahi mahi sandwiches at the Banana Cabana beach grill, they and the Sapphire Village restaurant have runners taking drink and food orders on the beach. Off The Grid is a food truck located near the entrance with excellent take out food as well.

 

So both are nice beaches with about the same taxi fare, just depends on the experience you're looking for.

Thank you for the wonderful information. We have been to Magens and had a nice time. We do agree with you about the food though. How deep is the water in the swimming area at Sapphire? We aren't interested in snorkeling.

Yes, the dive center is open again, and Sapphire is a great choice for a day at the beach with abundant shade along the shore.

How much are the chair rentals at Sapphire? We are trying to decide between Sapphire and Magens Bay and chairs are a must for us as well.

We are thinking about booking a cruise for January. We have previously sailed on the Oasis. The week we are looking at Allure goes western and the Oasis goes eastern. We would prefer the eastern itinerary but right now the Allure is cheaper.

Will their be that much of a difference between the two ships after Oasis goes through dry dock? We don't care either way about Dynamic Dining. We would probably lean towards thinking it was a plus but it is hard to tell since there aren't any reports on it yet.

We just got off the 3 day Dream. We stayed on the ship and skipped Nassau. I would guess maybe 3/4 of people did the same thing. We were happy with the decision but don't expect a quiet ship.

These sales are driving me crazy! We booked during the first BOGOHO sale for a great price on the Oasis in February. We since have had our schedule change and we need to travel in January now. I have been watching the prices for January and there is nothing that seems "on sale" about them. We will see if we end up rebooking at RCCL at all. Disney is the same price for our dates and Celebrity is $1K less. Thats lots of options.

Before the sale the sailing on the Oasis we were watching for February was about $3,000 for 2 people in an ocean view balcony. With the sale we booked for $2,200. Now the price is up to $3,700 which is just insane! We still aren't 100% sure we can go but for that price I am holding the reservation. I can't imagine the current prices won't drop.

Thanks!

We have a cabin on hold on deck 12 across from the concierge lounge. Will this area be noisy? On the deck plan I can't tell exactly what things are.

Must complete the transfer within 60 days. Allow a few days for processing.

Thanks!

If I book under this promotion can I transfer my reservation to a TA later on to take advantage of any OBC?

Thanks everyone! I think we are going to wait until after the final payment date and see what happens.

How long to residency rates usually last? We are looking at the Explorer to Bermuda this summer. There is currently a residency rate that is available for us. The final payment for this cruise is 3/31 which is also when the current promo ends. My thought is to wait until after the final payment date and see what the price does. There seems to be lots of balconies available still but the residency rate is better than nothing. We have never booked any last minute cruises so I am not sure what the best strategy is.

Emily

I was on the same January 12 sailing with Sandi and had dinner in the Lawn Club Grill. I was able to make both the flatbread (which was really more like a thin crust pizza) and grill the meat. I was the only diner there who was cooking and was therefore the pre-dinner show. I thought I would drop the dough when the chef had me tossing it to make the pizza. All in all a fun, and with the exception of the side dishes, a delicious experience.

Thanks! Sounds like lots of fun!

Thanks for the wonderful review. Could you have helped cooked both the flat bread and your meats if you had wanted to at the Lawn Grill? My husband is very interested in doing both.

Nobody did it from our group, but I don't think they would care. They didn't seem to care if the shoppers and town tour people went on their tours, or went on their own. I don't know if you could join one of the other tours though.

Thanks! We wouldn't want to join any other tour. We don't dock until 11 so it is already late in the day. I could see us just wanting to get on to St John as soon as possible.

Thanks so much for the pictures and information. We are booked on the coastal cruise. If we decide when we get there we want more time on St John do you think it would a problem to get off with the shopping people?