ShmuelCharlie

On 5/30/2021 at 12:18 PM, ace2542 said:

So a tracking device basically?

 

I wonder if a man in a suit will come along and kneecap you for not wearing your mask.

I would rather have Congresswoman MTG come along to kneecap me for wearing the mask! lol

On 5/30/2021 at 2:09 PM, reallyitsmema said:

 

They are only on Quantum at this point as Singapore had trackers on all of their residents and made them a requirement on the ship.  There is no information supporting the OP statement that an email was sent to future cruisers.  Very few ships use the Wow bands and I would be very surprised to see these tracelets on the ships sailing in the near future, other than Quantum.

Regarding the Wow bands, do they function like Disney's MagicBands, enabling resort guests and park visitors to not only unlock hotel room doors, but also enter the parks, and buy stuff at the food and souvenir stands? I ask because the last time I was aboard an RCCL ship was in December '18 for an Allure cruise, and that ship didn't have Wow bands for its pax. So which RCCL ships do require them to be worn? 

On 5/31/2021 at 12:33 PM, hellsop said:

If you wear it visibly, nobody will hassle you to show that you have it with you. Wearing it on a lanyard will probably work too. 

I'd imagine the amount of patience with people who "forgot it in my cabin" will be thin.

I'm guessing that if the tracelet were worn on a lanyard, it will probably resemble Princess's Ocean Medallion. That said, I wouldn't mind having it around my neck as a lanyard or as a bracelet on my right wrist. That said, what happens while you're wearing the device? For example, if you're in a queue at the security checkpoint to debark the ship for a shore excursion, does a crew member approach you to take a reading on a scanner? 

On 5/30/2021 at 12:46 PM, SeaHunt said:

Here's a picture of a Quantum tracelet:

 

The "tracelet" looks like something Disney or Princess developed in a lab and then sent to a factory to be made by the thousands. Question: can it be used to order drinks, unlock cabin doors, and buy stuff aboard, or it just used to trace people aboard and/or ashore? Can you get a tracelet in a particular color or is it issued in just one color? Thanks.

On 3/14/2020 at 9:38 PM, C-Dragons said:

Bumping this up... 

I'm sure many could use a chuckle right now.

Anyone else want to step up to the “mike” ? 😊

“So a Penguin, a Horse and Polar Bear walk into a bar on the Edge..."

Then they all get roped-in to join the performers doing the immersive Cirque d'Soleil dinner show. However, the polar bear will have eaten the penguin and the horse will be laughing aloud at the spectacle only to be eaten later. By that time, everybody will have left the lounge in sheer fright except for the polar bear--who is revealed to be Liddle Donny Trump in a costume. 

28 minutes ago, Oskial said:

We are looking at a cruise for late 2022 or early 2023 and have choices Edge vs. Equinox.  Is the Edge that much better than the Equinox(our favourite ship so far)?  Should we spend the extra just to get on a newer ship?  I would appreciate your thoughts.  

I haven't been aboard the Edge class ships yet because I have a personal policy not to go aboard new ships until the "bugs" have been ironed out via constant operations of the vessels. That said, from what I've seen in independent YouTube video guides, the only things that make Edge stand out are that Magic Carpet thing on the starboard side of the ship; the Infinite Verandah cabins; the immersive Cirque d'Soleil-type dinner shows; and the Rooftop Garden with those weird sculptures. Maybe those new features will entice pax to book cabins for vacays or maybe they won't.

Frankly, though, when both RCCL and Celebrity constant cater to their suite guests by offering exclusive venues like the Retreat aboard Edge and take away others like Michael's Club aboard Solstice Class ships to give to suite class pax, that constant catering has bugged me to the point of annoyance if not anger. And what do angry guests do? We vote with our feet, credit cards, and checkbooks by booking cruises with competing cruise lines. That's one reason I decided to do a South American cruise aboard Coral Princess in February 2020: Princess doesn't seem to constantly cater to their suite class pax the way RCCL and Celebrity does. Bottom line: IMHO, I don't think that spending extra $ is worth booking a cabin aboard Edge. In addition, if Eclipse is your fave ship, then stick with what works for you. 

I have a question for the OP (Original Poster): how did this issue arise in the first place? Frankly, though, many cruise lines have rules that are seldom enforced. For example, how many patrons of RCCL's and Celebrity's Solarium have seen young people under the posted age limit of 16 enter the venue and the pool stewards do nada to enforce that rule? Another example, how many times have you seen chair hogs actually get their stuff removed by the pool staff and taken to Lost and Found when the occupant has been away from his or her chair after 30 minutes? Answer: seldom. How about little kids coming to the casino w/their parents and nobody at the entrance  telling the party that kids under 21 are not allowed in the casino? Answer: not all the time. Lastly, when kids are making a racket in the hallways during curfew, where are the security staff to enforce the curfew? Answer: nowhere to be seen unless a pax calls the Guest Relations office to complain and security is sent to the hallway to enforce the curfew. 

Bottom line: if cruise lines aren't enforcing the posted rules, how can they enforce the contractual conditions when faked vaccinations creds are shown to security or the check-in counters? Answer: Not very well. If fake IDs are still made and sold to underage college students, then fake CDC vaccination cards can be made too. As for the cruise pax being banned "for life" from a vacay aboard a particular line's ships, how would that ban be enforced? By whom? Under what authority?  

On 12/22/2020 at 10:52 AM, island lady said:

 

OP was asking about a view of the port and which side for Allure.  As many of us have stated, and the OP is now aware of...Oasis class ships mainly dock on the starboard side, which they are designed to do.  He wanted his parents to have dock side view....so starboard it is.  

Thanks for the correction, Island Lady. I'm really not all that familiar w/how Oasis Class ships are designed to dock--starboard side--as you have just advised me. That said, some of the ships I've been on either dock on the port side or the starboard side--wherever the pier was located. In Barcelona, ships dock on the port side so that they head out to sea bow first and no turning was needed. Same thing occasionally happens w/Rome-Civitavecchia: port side docking to head out to sea w/o doing a 360 degree turn. OTOH, for other ports such as Lisbon, Livorno, Naples, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, Nassau, etc., the ships will dock on the starboard side.

However, I was aboard Reflection a year ago this past August, and the ship had been docked on the port side so that it had do a 360 turn to travel on the Rhine enroute to the first port, Dover, England. Similarly, when the Reflection had docked at the Cobh (Cork), Ireland, pier, guests debarked and re-boarded the ship on the port side, and that side faced the port facility while on station there during her overnight stay. When she weighed anchor for departure the following day, people gathered at the Solarium windows to watch Reflection's departure.

My last cruise, aboard Coral Princess this past February, the ship embarked pax at the San Antonio, Chile, pier on the port side so that we had the opportunity to watch the cargo containers get stacked atop each other by the gantry cranes. By the time we left port, en-route for the Chilean fjords and the sight of the glaciers on the third day out, I was able to see the glacier in the fjord outside my port side cabin on Coral's Deck 10. Did I go outside to see the ice? No, I was in recovery mode from an accident that happened inside the cabin the previous afternoon. As I mentioned in my review of the ship and sailing, that glacier was not as impressive as the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. 

I hope you had a nice holiday today, Island Lady. Merry Christmas to you, and Happy Holidays! 

7 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

I remember they would have 3 vegetables on a tray and you would chose what you wanted. 

Some dishes were prepared tableside and they would bring around a cart with the desert selections.

 

The parade of baked Alaska had to go away when they starting requiring ships to have sprinkler systems.  I believe that was about 2000. 

 

As for the strolling musicians,  I do remember them.  They were not near as intrusive as the photographers in those days.      

I thought that the Baked Alaska parade had stopped because one woman's blue hair caught on fire from the sparklers atop the cake, and the cruise line whose ship had seen that situation happen wanted to avoid liability suits. I don't miss the parade that much, even though some of it was amusing when the servers wore gorilla costumes to dance w/the pax. Nowadays, I prefer doing the Macarena during the parade of chefs and servers on the second formal night of the sailing. That's fun! 

5 minutes ago, CntPAcruiser said:

We started cruising about the time Royal began to drop a number of niceties, like turndown service with chocolates (might've had that on our first two cruises), live music in the MDR, medals awarded for the athletic events, and so on. Remember when they would bring around trays of specialty after-dinner drinks in souvenir glasses? Haven't seen that in many years. Sometimes I wish we'd started cruising earlier, but then I suppose we'd miss even more of what's missing.

 

They really could eliminate the roving photographers, though, who bother you at the table and take pictures with water glasses and half-eaten plates of food in front of your faces. We always say no thank you when they approach our table. 

 

At least they still have live music elsewhere, and many other things we enjoy about cruising. And someday we'll get to experience them again. Wishing you all the best in the new year!

Regarding nightly turndown services w/chocolates on the pillows, I think that Celebrity stopped putting those candies on pillows for everybody below Suite folks, but then only the Suite occupants got the candies. However, Princess still offers candies on pillows for their guests, regardless of what kind of cabin they occupy. I agree w/you about those damned roving photographers in the MDR. 

On 12/23/2020 at 7:35 PM, jsf said:

We started cruising in the 1991  and recall when musicians roamed the dining room and played requests. It was a treat to be so entertained while dining, can't seem to recall when they stopped doing this.

I don't know about RCCL having these groups, but I do recall being aboard a competing vessel where there was a singing headwaiter in the MDR taking song requests. That said, I think I recall Celebrity having violinists taking requests as they strolled the MDR. 

1 hour ago, sfaaa said:

Interest free loan? Has RCCL gone nut? Money is never free. 

Of course not, especially if RCI has issued bonds or authorized new shares to sell to current or new investors for continuing operations. 

3 minutes ago, carlandlyn said:

Can anyone explain what the current problem is with Visa payments to RCI.

 

We have been trying to pay the deposit on a number of bookings for over two months but we cannot! We have tried online, via the Australian number, and directly into Miami. At all times the payment was rejected due to problems with Visa (and no, we have not tried a different company's cards, all ours are Visa). The latest issue was our most recent booking was cancelled (with no warning) because we hadn't paid the deposit - guess what WE CAN"T.

 

The team has been helpful, and very apologetic, and admitted there is a problem, but there is nothing they can do. A full two months without taking Visa payments, that's gotta be hurting, but after two months the next question is WHY is it taking so long to fix? We have asked this question directly to the company via email, with glib, or no response, so does that mean they don't care? Or they don't want the public to know that there is a problem, there must be others like us who are not able to make payments??

 

Anyone else experiencing this, or know why?

I wish I could help you but my experience in using my Visa to make deposits and final payments to RCI has been nothing but positive. Ditto w/Princess: very good experience using my Visa for last February's Coral Princess sailing to South America. 

On 2/26/2020 at 5:52 PM, taglovestocruise said:

We were on Radiance in Mexico in 2009. There was the captains get together in the back of the ship in the club area. End of the talk the captain said in all seriousness, our stock is cheap, buy all you can afford and watch it grow.  

Oh yeah, right. Didn't Enron management say the same thing back in the early 00s to their employees? Then look what happened: the execs started selling their shares, but the rank-and-file couldn't sell their shares because they been vested in their employee stock option plan as part of their retirement program. Then somebody told the auditing firm to shred documents and down went both ships: Enron and the auditing firm (Arthur Anderson). Thousands of employees lost their shares and jobs. Thousands of Enron investors lost money in this company.

Bottom line: don't listen to backstabbing cruise line employees like ship captains. Buy the stock because you like the company and you know what how it makes its money: it sells cruise experiences. IOW, I follow the Peter Lynch method of buying companies' shares: Buy what you know and you can illustrate what the company does with a crayon.  

I buy my stock shares using dollar-cost averaging so that I don't time the market and can compound the returns using reinvested dividends. That's how I grew my RCI shares but getting access to the OBC is a PITA. That's why I don't bother with that issue. 

On 12/18/2020 at 3:19 PM, VT658768 said:

Hi all.  I hope this type of post is permitted.  My brother and I have decided to surprise our parents with a cruise for the holidays.  We've decided on the Allure of the Seas.  The particular itinerary is likely going to be an 8 night eastern carribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale and stopping at Puerto Plata, DR; Charlotte Amalle, St. Thomas; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, and Basseterre, St. Kitts.

 

I know that my parents love balcony rooms and I see there are many options on this class of ships.  I've narrowed it down to an ocean view balcony (based on their preference on past cruises).  My main goal is to put them in an unobstructed ocean view balcony that has a view of the ports while docked (is there one side of the ship that faces the ports I've listed above more than the other?).  Floor recommendations would also be appreciated.  Not many options left on the particular sailing i'm looking at but I at least have the ability to choose floor and side of ship.  Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Edit: Here's the itinerary: 8 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise | Royal Caribbean Cruises

I agree w/the poster above: There is no one correct side of the ship that has a great view of the port upon entrance into its harbor and exit upon departure. I've occupied balcony cabins where the harbor entrance view is terrific on either port or starboard. That said, please keep your curtains closed if your cabin faces the port if you don't want to offend the residents with your bodily appearance or romantic adventures on the balcony. OTOH, there are ports whose views suck regardless of whether your cabin is on either side of the ship. Here's an example of that situation for illustrative purposes. Let's say you're aboard a ship that is calling on Willemstad, Curacao. Anybody who has ever visited that port knows how the ship enters the port: through the channel with the town on the starboard side and the not so nice view on the port side. If your folks are in a balcony cabin on the starboard side, then they get a wonderful view of Willemstad. Then it changes for the worse as the ship continues towards the harbor ahead. Why? Because all you get is a view of the oil refineries and tanks while the ship does a 360 degree turn to approach its assigned berth on the other side of the town. Now your folks face either a barrio or the underside of that big bridge overhead. anybody who has cabin on that side of the ship has a terrific view of the town. 

Upon departure from Willemstad, the pax on the port side get a great view of the port, and all you can do to level the playing field is take the elevator above to a higher deck than the one your cabin is located to get that great view of WIllemstad. A more realistic scenario for you is what your parents will see upon entering the harbor for Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas: the views from either side of the ship--port or starboard--are spectacular! The view is so-so for Philipsburg, St. Maarten, but some of the hills are green there, too, but St. Thomas beats out any you'll see at Philipsburg. I can't advise you about Puerto Plata or Basseterre because I haven't been to those ports. Bottom line: Regardless of which side of the ship to book for your folks, the view will either be great or lousy depending on whether the ship enters the port or leaves it. 

On 12/17/2020 at 3:37 AM, Kbonner said:

Hm, I would not recommend that company:

 

Skylux Travel | Complaints | Better Business Bureau® Profile (bbb.org)

 

Thanks for making me aware of the complaints. That said, I've had better service w/SkyLux rather than dealing w/somebody down in Miami or elsewhere. Moreover, if you book Biz Class using any airline booking engine or Travelocity (my go-to booking engine), expect to pay higher RT fares, especially to Europe. I'd rather go w/SkyLux to get those discounted fares than attempt using my FF points for Biz Class seats. Moreover, would other booking engines offer you transfer services from the airport to your destination hotel using Mercedes sedans? SkyLux does. 

On 12/20/2020 at 12:27 PM, voyager70 said:

 

So sorry for your loss, Pat.  We're big animal lovers. Here's my furbaby taking down our little Christmas tree!

 

This photo is a good reason I'm glad I'm Jewish and don't celebrate Xmas: I celebrate Hanukkah, and I use an electric menorah. This year, I decided to skip celebrating the "Festival of Lights", and didn't put the menorah out for display. That said, in 10 years of having my furbaby, she has not knocked down my menorah. A miracle! 

On 12/20/2020 at 10:32 AM, orville99 said:

If ships actually begin to sail again, 2021 will be a very busy year for us - cruises booked for late May, a B2B in July, one cruise in late August, another B2B in October, and a Thanksgiving cruise in November. Except for two, these are all CWC or L&S cruises.

 I know what B2B means, but what do CWC and L&S refer to? Thanks in advance for your reply.

On 12/20/2020 at 9:54 AM, RickinStl said:

We have Symphony on September 11, 2021. Harmony on November 28, 2021..  Maybe Independence on  September 5, 2021... 

Harmony OTS in June '21 sailing from Barcelona on port-intensive Western Med cruise, preceded by pre- a post-cruise hotel stays in Barcelona. Looking forward to visiting ports I haven't been to before such as Marseilles and Cinque Terre. 

On 12/16/2020 at 10:42 AM, DaniDanielle said:

The last few years we sailed the December cruises right before Christmas.  The festive atmosphere was contagious and the ships are decorated beautifully.🧑🏻‍🎄

Agreed. Meanwhile, both locals and tourists either wear shorts or Chinos, short-sleeved shirts, and they're walking around with drinks in their hand.  Drearmy!

On 12/16/2020 at 10:34 AM, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

What are your thoughts on cruising during the Christmas Holidays?

 

From a crew members point of view, it is by far the busiest time of the year. The ships are near enough full capacity every week, and there are a lot more activities to do onboard compared to the rest of the year.

 

I personally really enjoy being onboard for New Years Eve.

 

Do you think the ships are too busy, or does this contribute to the overall atmosphere?

 

 

Chris Wong

 

 

The last time I was aboard a ship for New Year's was several years ago aboard Majesty. I wasn't too happy about how the Lido Deck part of the celebration was handled: several big tables full of people--the high-paying pax who paid big prices for bubbly, decorations, etc.--placed in the center of the Lido Deck but no food service provided unless I missed the location of where the food was furnished. What's a party w/o food? The only good part of the cruise was visiting Key West.

As for whether a ship is too busy, I could care less. Too busy with what? Xmas activities? Santa's on parade w/gifts for the kiddos? A special menu in the MDR for Xmas or NYE? Whoopie Doo! I've gone on two Xmas cruises, one in '05 and another in '04, each one on different lines, but they're the same: many kiddos onboard, choral groups singing carols, Santa on parade, a small lit menorah near Guest Services, etc. Frankly, though, I felt that the '05-'06 holiday cruise I did w/Mom aboard Celebrity Millennium was far better than the one I did w/Majesty: food, drink, and dancing for NYE. 

The real question is whether I would do another holiday cruise in the near future. Answer: not likely unless I can swing a good deal and if the sailing is aboard Celebrity rather than RCCL. 

On 2/26/2020 at 1:44 PM, heidikay said:

Anybody watching the price drop?  Oh my I wonder it where it finish.  It is now at 82.28.

The share price is now around 71 bucks, down from over 83. Buy more shares on the dips if you like the company. 

46 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Its not quite the same as other Quantum class ships. 1 less pool i believe.  There are other differences.  Dh did Ifly on Quantum,  not my thing.  Love Northstar and don't forget bumper cars!

I think I would enjoy the NorthStar and bumper cars, but the last time I did the latter was at an area carnival last year, and i didn't care for the constant bumping of that big bar in front of me into my chest--painful! Are the cars new rather than the old ones used at carnivals? How many people were doing the trapeze? I think that would be scarier than iFly, but being upside down is scarier for me if I did iFly. 

54 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

You need 175 points to be Diamond Plus and 700 points to be Pinnacle.  ☺️

Thanks for the reply, MerionMom. I see that you live in Merion, PA. I used to live in Wynnewood during the mid-60s on Kent Road. The only family I knew who lived in Merion back then were the Kardons, maker of stereo speakers. Their son Ross and I used to attend the same special ed school. I don't recall their address though but do remember the exterior being of Tudor half-timber design.  

8 hours ago, billf0401 said:

It seems there is so much less Joy in our world.  Cruising was one of the few remaining outlets for having a Great Time.....We were on one of the final cruises from Port Canaveral in March and had so hoped to go again this year...we have 2 more booked...Oct 21 and Jan 22....as each day goes by the optimism for October is diminishing....who knows for 2022....

I was on a South American cruise from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina this past February aboard Coral Princess. At the time I was visiting Santiago for my pre-cruise hotel stay, there were many news reports from China and in Santiago itself about how the virus affected Chile's cherry crop (Chile is a big exporter of its cherries) and China is a major importer of Chilean-grown cherries. By the time the ship docked in BA, I still didn't see too many people walking around wearing masks or at the airports--Ezeia (EZE), MIA, and DCA.