colesc15

I think unless the price drops enough where we can pick our cabin, which then I can pick the same Ov balcony for both, we'll stay with what we have. If we used the balcony more than a few minutes each day I'd be more pushing for the change but 

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Is it definitely an OVB or any chance of ending up with a boardwalk balcony?   

 

Are there obstructed OVB on Utopia?   If yes, would you be upset if got one?  

 

Would it matter what location you ended up with a guarantee cabin?

 

Just some things to consider.

Yes, it'd be a oceanview balcony. And no obstructed oceanview view balconies on any oasis class ships

44 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

That’s somewhat similar to how we wound up in interiors. My wife cruised as a kid & her parents always had a balcony. When we went on our honeymoon cruise (my first ever) we obviously got a balcony b/c my wife said that’s what she needs.

 

After several more cruises with a balcony we were exactly 4 points from Diamond. I suggested we go on the cheapest 4N cruise from PC (an hour drive for us) in an interior to get to Diamond then we could go back to the balcony she thought she needed. It turned out that she liked the interior & we never looked back.

 

We’ve had balconies since then on family cruises (a couple with GS’s) and confirmed that we don’t even use them when they’re there for free. We even missed the darkness & how cold interiors can get at times.

 

Anyway, that’s why I mentioned “if you value the balcony” in my response. It holds virtually no value to us and I wouldn’t get one just because it’s a great deal on paper, even without the switching cabin part, but everyone values things differently.

Agreed! We found ourselves using the balcony less and less, and loved how dark and cool the interior cabin was. We randomly had the virtual balcony on Wonder last month and that felt like a nice in between because I could at least see what it was like outside at any time instantly. 

21 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

If you value the OV balcony even the slightest bit I would upgrade.

 

I've only done one 3/4 B2B. We switched cabins and it wasn't a big deal to us.

Decisions decisions. I was shocked my wife and I didn't hate the interior our first time after 20 cruises of balcony or above 

3 minutes ago, bajathree said:

I have very similar choice...have Oceanview balcony comp for the 4 night and interior comp for the 3 night. However I was able to get the interior directly opposite the balcony...so very easy move and same room attendant most likely. But just like you....for like $10 I could switch to an Oceanview balcony Guar for the 3 night.

I keep going back and forth on it since I didn't mind the interior when I was 100% against it for years until we tried it. 

Currently, we're booked in a casino comp b2b in the same cabin. It's a virtual balcony, which we've had before and didn't mind. 

I can upgrade to an oceanview balcony guarantee for each sailing for about $30 total between the two sailings.. Obvious downside is not having the same cabin and having to change cabins. 

Would you just keep what I have, or get the oceanview balcony but have to move after day 4? The more we've done interiors/virtual balconies, I don't mind them, it's just so cheap to go to the oceanview balcony that it has me considering it. 

6 minutes ago, cmurchake said:

I was on Icon last week. I'm probably not the best to answer dining questions, but might be able to assist with others. Not sure how many people were onboard, but I was very pleasantly surprised how good the service was, how small lines were, and overall how efficient things seemed to run. 

Is all the Icon merch that showed up in the cabin in the beginning no longer a thing? Like the Icon hats etc. I'm assuming that stopped after the first few sailings. 

29 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

The inventory may change while she's in Europe. A generic list should be available in the app (under bars).

Agreed. I noticed that on the transatlantic last fall on Odyssey going back to the US. Many food items & drink items were different than the normal US sailings. 

Diet coke was "coke light". The hot dogs & sausages at breakfast were completely different, and not in a good way. Not a fan of Italian hot dogs lol. 

The one major win was the ice cream. The Italian provider ice cream mix they used blew the normal US mix out of the water! 

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

Have dined at the Chef's table and it was horrible- had to dine after- a true waste of money.  Empire supper club looks interesting- however the menu is primarily seafood- so if you do not like seafood- don't go.  And the price!  Considering you have paid for dinner in the MDR price crazy.

Haven't stepped foot in the mdr in years. 

Anyone else with opinions on Empire Supper club and the steak? 

41 minutes ago, mramella said:

We were on the Icon last month (March) and we did ESC. We had the UDP, so it was a bit less. My wife and I really liked it. We would do it again. Very cool experience. Food was great. Drinks were great, and yep, we drank them all! LOL 🙂. You also have unlimited Champaign the whole dinner, on top of all the other drinks. Service was outstanding. Our table was right near the stage. Really cool! Below is a pic from our table.

 

Also, I asked our server if they were sold out for the entire week, and the answer was yes.

 

Did anyone in your party have the steak? Curious if you liked it since reviews claim that to be the only negative being the steak 

31 minutes ago, sharktums said:

Our friends just did ESC on Icon this week. When I went to book it for them on Day 1 after boarding at 10:30am they only had Day 1 available and were nearly sold out. They had UDP so it was a bit cheaper and they said it was one of the best things they've done and it was well worth it.

 

To the poster asking about the Chops Iconic Cuts menu, we asked our server and he was very honest with us and said the Wagyu wasn't worth it at all but that the other cuts were good.  We ended up not upgrading and the meat was the best we had ever had at an RCCL Chops restaurant. 

Did you do the steak at empire? Curious if you thought it was good since the video reviews seem to say the only negative being the steak 

Anyone here done any of the Iconic cuts on icon in chops? Curious if they thought the quality was above the normal steaks at chops 

15 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

If you want a great meal go to Chops and order off the Iconic Steaks menu.  Wegu Filet, 32 oz tomahawk....

Completely forgot about that being an option with chops on Icon! 

We've gone back and forth on trying it. The one thing that's surprised me is many reviews on YouTube talk about how their only disappointment was the steak. Which, I'd be ordering the steak because paying that price for a fish or rabbit seems over the top, so that makes me a little hesitant. 

A few videos I saw said they thought the filet in chops was better, and I've yet to be wowed by a steak in Chops. 

For those who have sailed Icon, have you come across at any point where they're walking around offering Empire supper club at a discounted rate like other specialty restaurants sometimes during the sailings in the promenade, breakfast etc? 

On the flip side, at $200 a person, for those who have done it, did you enjoy it and felt the experience was worth it? 

Thanks! Considering it for next month. 

Would any of these cabins have a slightly bigger balcony and maybe a partial aft view? From the few aft pictures of Sun Princess, it almost looks like the balconies for those very last cabins would wrap slightly and have an aft view? 10639/11642 specifically.. 

On 4/12/2024 at 2:43 PM, MrsKC08 said:

My understanding is that the solarium on Wonder is climate controlled. I've heard and seen videos on YouTube where people have said it can be chilly in there and some say it is quite warm. I almost wonder if it depends on who has set the thermostat for that area.

I know two weeks ago it was stifling the entire week and we just had to spend most of the time in the pool inside. 

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

 

Yes. 

Excellent! Outside of it being a connecting balcony, definitely can't complain on location being right outside of the stairwell/elevators on such a massive ship! 

I have an android, so the add to apple wallet trick doesn't work, but I downloaded a barcode reader. Is it safe to assume my cabin number is at the top? I'm thinking it is. 

Hi all. First time sailing Princess in January on Sun princess and looking at flights from FLL. On Royal, we always carry off our luggage and have made 10am flights with no issues from Ft Lauderdale.. Is there a similar process on princess where we can carry our stuff off and be off the ship by 7-7:30 or is that not possible on Princess? 

Thanks! 

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

No dress clothes for us and I probably do 2 loads when we get home but I get it. Like I said, I've seen others post that they've had no issues like you. We all do whatever works for us.

 

I figure I have to at least do some laundry when we get home so a little more doesn't bother me a ton. It also helps that I work from home and am flexible and during the summer (most of our cruises) my teacher wife is on break so we don't always have to jump right back into the grind which is nice.

 

Switching topics... I've sailed Wonder twice, including last month, and will be back on her in June and July but still love reading others' thoughts and opinions. Any plans to post some sort of trip report?

You know, I considered doing a live report but then forgot about it. It's definitely been great so far. Oasis class has been my favorite and this being the most modern takes the cake. My only complaint is the solarium. 

This is a Casino cruise, and I've had very good luck in the casino this week which makes it even better. We're on Icon next month through the casino so I may do a live report from that one. I'm so excited to try it out. 

Here's a picture of my current situation ☺️

6 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Having just turned D+, we're still planning for our new perks and that's pretty much what we landed on (if we even use it). We don't sail longer than 7N and we've somehow managed without it thus far. Take away all the actual clothing (shirts, shorts, etc.) and it leaves a short list for us. Maybe my wife will send out her workout clothes. In my case, sending out 5 days worth of underwear and some socks doesn't seem worth bothering.

 

I've seen frequent cruisers share horror stories while others have never had an issue. If we sailed longer than 7N I'd likely be more interested.

We've used it a few times so far and it's just nice going home with less work to do to get back to the grind. I'm guilty of dumping all our laundry in one load at home, so outside of dress clothes, it all goes and so far, it's been fine. Lol. 

Is the free laundry perk only 1 per cabin, or since my wife and I are both diamond plus, we'd get 2 free bags on a 7 night cruise? 

10 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Try the cruise planner and not the app.

This is what I get when I go to the website and go to entertainment within the cruise planner: