Tutankhamen

Don't have a cruise currently booked. The adjustments being made would not be enough to cancel. But enough to be part of the decision equation if I was looking for a cruise. Might sway me, might not.

Cruising has changed over the years. The majority probably thinks for the better. For me and some others, not so much. Maybe my tastes have changed. When we first started cruising we would do ship shore excursions. Over the years as we researched ports we became more comfortable with some of the countries and explored more on our own. We now do land vacations in condos for the most part. Playa Del Carmen being a favorite destination. For about the same cost of a cruise we can have a 4br 2bath beautiful modern condo on the beach, with maid service and eat out most meals for about the same price as a cruise. And we eat well.

Cruising is not entirely off the table.

I'm with you, if they keep the UDP in place, then everything is A-Okay with me. If they don't, then that would be where I might have an issue.

As long as they aren't "booked up" do to all the "A la carte" patrons. Pushing the people who purchased UDP to the free troughs...((cough, cough))venues.

:)

Is the new gratuity added even if you have the dining package?

Thanks

Thank you everyone for the info.

My travel agent is submitting the request form on our behalf. Once Princess receives an "early disembarkation request", it takes about a week for them to approve or deny the request.

Thanks again.

He is a jerk. My bet is he is greased in somehow, being that he is the only golf cart concession at the port with such bad reviews. Maybe his oldman is the mayor. Horrible. Avoid.

You will need to get approval from Princess and Mexico. I think Princess handles the Mexican approvals. You would not get any discount for leaving early.

Thanks. I would not expect a discount, and I will be paying tips for the full cruise.

Wondering if Princess would allow us to check out at our last port of Cozumel.

Anyone have any experience with this?

I vape.

I understand the possible health risks.

I do not think anyone should be exposed to vapor that contains PG/VG/Nicotine/Sweeteners/flavoring as we do not know how these chemicals act when vaporized.

25 years ago I made the poor decision to smoke. I am now down to almost zero nicotine e-cig. Hope to be smoke/vape free in the next few months. In the mean time, people should not be exposed to smoke/vapor because I have made the poor choice in my life.

The screen comes with its own remote control where you can turn the sound up and down or turn the screen off altogether. The screens are fairly resilient as i caught #3 daughter, several times, running her car over the screen looking at all the trails it left behind with no lasting damage

I got to ask, what if did cause "lasting damage"?

Sorry, I can't see waiting more then 10 minutes. Anything over that is a pure waste of my vacation time. Even at that, I am not sure I would bother. Not sure what is so great about being a 100' above the ship.

Give me a VCL. I would rather of seen an updated VCL, why not add a rotating VCL?

Being in a bubble on the end of a crane is not appealing to me.

Cruise ships use to offer an experience not found on land. They are taking aspects of a land based AI but charging for it.

The lure of a cruise for me use to be the all inclusive experience, but more sophisticated feel. Now they are taking away the AI, and going down the Golden Coral feel.

Shame.

My father told me when I was just a young lad,

"Son, you will know when you are old when you look around, scratch you head and say boy, I miss the good old days".

I guess I am officially old. I miss cruising of the yesteryears.

She is beautiful. If the food and service matches the decor and ambiance she could win me over despite the crane, bumper cars and bear.

Sadly, I am not sure they will be stepping up the food quality and service from where it is today on all their other ships.

I am a watch enthusiast. I spend a lot of time looking for deals, reading about watches and partake in several watch forums.

First, you can expect a depreciation of 50% or more from the time you see it in the show case until you are walking out of the shop with it on your wrist. A value loss of 50% in three minutes is to much.

When comparing prices it is very easy for a novice to be confused when looking at two different models and be under the impression the watch they saw on land is the exact same model they are looking at on the ship. They may look the same, but often they are different models.

Invicta watches are pretty much mass market cheap watches. I know this will offend many, but they are pretty much worthless when it comes to resale value. Huge depreciation. However, if you like the looks of the Invicta, then by all means buy it.

I would not purchase a watch on the ship or even in port unless I knew the exact model I wanted and how much I could get it for on land. It would need to be a substantial savings for me to pull the trigger.

I suggest buying watches used. Many collectors buy the watch, care for the watch and only wear the watch a few times. You can get a used watch in perfect condition for 50% or more less then any retail establishment. When you grow tired of it or want to move up to a better model, you can sell the watch and not take much of a loss at all. As long as you took care of the watch and you are buying a brand that people collect.

Would you or anyone ever notice that the perfect Breitling Avenger II Seawolf was used?

 

Good luck getting our government to do anything.

No, this is right up their alley. Taking away our freedom. They love laws, makes it look like they are doing something. Much easier making stupid laws then enforcing laws that actually protect us.

Don't have a drone. But I think they are pretty neat. Feel free to fly past my condo and zoom in on the windows. Just remember, what is seen may never be unseen.:D Yoga in the buff.....

I will say the ship looks good on the inside.

Not a fan of a robotic bartender or bumper cars. But she does look good on the inside.

Outside, she could of been beautiful. Minus the crane bubble and the 30' ridiculous bear.

People go up in sky scrapers, and "needles" all of the time to go up to the observation deck in cities all around the world, and they pay for those views.

 

Why would you think any differently about this?

 

Pull into a city and get view that you couldn't get anywhere else.

 

It may seem a bit gimicky, but then again, you could say that about most things - eating ice cream frozen table side using liquid nitrogen, for example :-)

 

I'm looking forward to all of the experiences that Anthem :D has to offer!

No doubt this apparatus cost a few shekels. To me it is an eye sore that takes up a good bit of real-estate and money that could go into something better. Just my opinion. But what do I know? I would never put a colorful bear on the side of a Royal ship either. Belongs on a Perter Max painted haul like NCL. The bear hanging from a rope course would be a better fit then just randomly put on the side of a ship built for a cruise line that once built beautiful ships.

I do not go to observation decks in skyscrapers, but I do understand that over being a hundred feet above a ship. If I am in port I am off the ship. If I am on the ship there is nothing to see up there that the VCL couldn't provide.

I think a rotating VCL would be more interesting and more of a revenue source then a crane.

Sorry, I don't get this contraption. Perhaps if my kids were 11, it would be worth taking them on the "ride".

Do they charge to be craned around in the air? Appears to me Quantum has lees then desirable open air deck space. I would be interested in knowing square footage of deck space on this ship compared to other ships.

I guess I am in the minority as I don't cruise to do carnival rides. Better ports, more ports, longer port times, refined experiences and exceptional service on the ship is what I would like to see.

I use to give people a hard time when they would call a ship a boat. As these floating carnivals continue to add gimmicks, referring to the ship as a boat is probably more appropriate even tho it isn't the true definition. "Ain't this boat beu-tea-full, where is that buffet at?" Yup, time to give up on people calling the ship a ship.

Then, I'm confused.....why are you on Cruise Critic if you prefer land based vacations?

Post 85, last line should answer your question.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44584135#post44584135

That answers my question. Thats how you are finding better value on land then. Thanks. :)

 

Cabin size is never a problem in any accessible cabin. I find them pretty roomy.

 

As far as land vacations go, you couldnt give me a free condo on a beach in FL for a week. Lived there, been there, done that and got the t shirts. No desire at this point in life to ever do it again.

 

When it comes to Caribbean ports, they are fun to visit but I have no desire to be there after the sun goes down. I WOULD try an AI but again, I find my money is better spent on a cruising.

 

Im sure if I ever get to the point where you are and I have hundreds of nights at sea under my belt and no longer see a value in cruising, I may feel the same way though. :)

Never have, and never will rent a condo in Florida.

I am talking about the Caribbean, Hawaii and Europe.

I

 

Where are you folks finding these wonderful AI deals at?

AI??? No, prison compounds are not for me.

This past March wife and I rented a condo 1/2 block from beach for $700.

airfare was $800 total.

Food $800, and that was eating good! If you wanted to, you could cut that in half and still be eating as good as you do on a ship. Maybe not the quantity as seen piled up on trays in the buffet lines.

Drinks $100

Thats $1,200pp for food, tips, air and accommodations. And we ate better, had more room and much more island time.

Excursions would be about the same if you did excursions while cruising. We typically hire a guide and or do something on our own.

OK, I guess the High Style Hits the High Seas marketing is directed at the Wal-Mart crowd.

 

and with that I am done

 

/unsubscribe

Oh, their advertising campaign says "high style" and so they are going upscale.

Walmart has what they call "high-end" products. I guess they are the next Neiman Marcus.

So I'm not booking for the most part. I've said it before and I'll say it again - We're finding much better value on land.

This is why our next vacation in a condo on the beach in Playa Del Carmen. Our third time there.

You have the beach.

Day trip over to Cozumel and rent a scooter.

Day trip over to Isla Mujeres and rent a golf cart and explore.

Day trip to Akumal bay and snorkel with the sea turtles.

Day trip down to Tulum and explore mayan ruins and some beach time.

Head over to the action park xplor. Ziplines, cenotes, ATV trails.

Head over xcarret action park.

Eat at one of the 700 places to eat.

Stroll down 5th Avenue.

Evening fire shows on the beach.

Coco Bongo club.

Bars.

And there is so much more to do. No need to wait for the ship to dock, race off and back for a 3:30 boarding.

What's the deal with the Bear...? Kind of looks way out of place - maybe it's just me...

I don't know. Perhaps if the Ritz Carlton strap a blue 15' penguin to the side of their hotels, they could gain another star.

Bear to me is equal to the infamous 'whale tail'. At least the silly whale tail on Carnival has an aquatic theme.

My point being that RCL is unique in some regards already and is moving in the direction of upscale casual. I am not saying that they are there yet.

I do not feel they are moving towards upscale. If they were, they would focus on quality of food and standard cabin perks. Champagne when you arrive. Having guest lecturers on every cruise. Teak decking. Adding bumper cars, a crane and a ghastly giant red bear doesn't give me the impression that they are trying to be more upscale.