Can we please put the "Caribbean" back in Royal Caribbean

[scorpluvsdolphins]

I am a scuba diver and the extra baggage cost and worrying if it makes it, dragging it along and the airfare isn't worth it. I prefer RCCI over NCL, but the NCL 9 night souther carribean is so much cheaper than flying to san Juan and back. I did NCL last march and would have gone again if I had a cruise partner. Since i don't, no southern carribean for me.

[Kokomo91165]

Well, I am once again looking for the "Caribbean" in Royal Caribbean. No short 4-5 night cruises during the summer next year!

 

Am looking for a Caribbean Cruise in May & June. Nada. Unless I want to sail on Oasis/Allure or Freedom for a small fortune. I really feel they are missing a market segment in the 4-5 night cruises to the Caribbean.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Kokomo91165

[Puffinater]

I agree it would be nice to see something different but as long as their ships are sailing full or near capacity I doubt they will be changing anything.

[negc]

Well, I am once again looking for the "Caribbean" in Royal Caribbean. No short 4-5 night cruises during the summer next year!

 

Am looking for a Caribbean Cruise in May & June. Nada. Unless I want to sail on Oasis/Allure or Freedom for a small fortune. I really feel they are missing a market segment in the 4-5 night cruises to the Caribbean.

I can only reiterate that if they agreed with your assessment, then they would schedule more 4 and 5 night cruises to the Caribbean during the summer. However, as long as they believe (and they should have the numbers to support their beliefs) that there is more profit to be had by deploying their ships elsewhere, that is what they will do. The people who make those decisions are risking far more than those of us who let our emotions determine when and where the ships should sail. Don't forget that their full name is Royal Caribbean INTERNATIONAL.:)

[constantcruiser]

There's also the weather in the Southern Caribbean to consider. We love X's S-class ships, and did an 11-night on Equinox this spring that sailed from Miami to Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Cartagena and Grand Cayman. We enjoyed the unique itinerary...but even in early April, it was very hot & humid near the equator. In fact, it was over 100 degrees the day we were in Colon. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it might be in July. And these are ports where people want to sightsee, not just play in the waves where the heat wouldn't be such an issue.

[Maraprince]

With the economy in Europe starting to change, it will be interesting to see just "how full" ships sailing from these ports remain and just how low RCCL will have to discount prices to fill them.

 

The claim is even with heavily discounted pricing, the ships sailing from European ports produce more on board revenue than those sailing from US ports.

 

As long as the air fares remain as high as they are and airlines continue to lose luggage, treat passengers like cattle, have flight delays that may cause you to miss the sailing even coming in a day ahead of time due to severe weather conditions, and keep imposing more and more additional fees, I will opt to sail from ports where I do not need to fly to.

 

Not everyone wants to sail on the "big" ships. RCCL should take a lesson from Princess who has ships of all sizes since many customers still like the smaller sized ships that can get into any port (unless there is no pier) without tendering and being limited to only those ports that can handle the "giants". This is part of the reason why the port choices are so limited -- the really big ships can only fit in so many ports.

 

Why doesn't RCCL try using the really big ships in Europe for a change and send some of the smaller ones back to the US ports? This would make for more variety on the ports.

 

MARAPRINCE

[hmallett]

Why doesn't RCCL try using the really big ships in Europe...? This would make for more variety on the ports.

Because they won't fit in the ports.

[Ocean Boy]

Because they won't fit in the ports.

 

You are telling me that Oasis can fit into St. Thomas but not into Naples? Not that I think the ship should go. I like it just where it is. :)

Edited September 23, 2011 by Ocean Boy

[Pichu21]

I too agree that RCI does not have the best Caribbean itineraries. Same old eastern/western. We were really looking forward to a Southern Caribbean from FL. We are not big on air fare. Guess we're going to have to flop over to Carnival for this one. :( They're offering a decent Southern Caribbean from Miami 8 nighter. Or maybe an 11 nighter on Norwegian. Step up your game RC! Not all of us can travel all the way to Europe!

[Ocean Boy]

I too agree that RCI does not have the best Caribbean itineraries. Same old eastern/western. We were really looking forward to a Southern Caribbean from FL. We are not big on air fare. Guess we're going to have to flop over to Carnival for this one. :( They're offering a decent Southern Caribbean from Miami 8 nighter. Or maybe an 11 nighter on Norwegian. Step up your game RC! Not all of us can travel all the way to Europe!

 

RCI's Southern Caribbean routes out of San Juan are awesome in my opinion.

[Pichu21]

RCI's Southern Caribbean routes out of San Juan are awesome in my opinion.

 

We would love to go on one of those but some of our family members have issues with airplanes :(

[Puffinater]

RCI's Southern Caribbean routes out of San Juan are awesome in my opinion.

 

I will second this opinion.

[Reijo]

I also completely agree. I would love to see another ship or two go to the Southern Caribbean. Just ONE out of Miami/Lauderdale/Canaveral NOT out of Puerto Rico. It is certainly possible to do this on a 7 day cruise. Any islands that differ from St. Thomas and St. Maarten (which I love) would be a nice change. Tired of the Western Caribbean. Carnival does have a nice cruise that does this BUT it isn't RCCL. Oh well..............

[negc]

I too agree that RCI does not have the best Caribbean itineraries. Same old eastern/western. We were really looking forward to a Southern Caribbean from FL. We are not big on air fare. Guess we're going to have to flop over to Carnival for this one. :( They're offering a decent Southern Caribbean from Miami 8 nighter. Or maybe an 11 nighter on Norwegian. Step up your game RC! Not all of us can travel all the way to Europe!

 

Check out the Norwegian boards and you will find that there are similar complaints from NCL fans who have found that NCL is not offering Caribbean cruises in the summer either. It may well be that Carnival is able to meet the demand for summer cruises in that region and most other lines have decided that it is better to leave it to them and concentrate their efforts elsewhere. They have to succeed or fail on those kinds of decisions, so the very fact that RCI is not alone in limiting their involvement in the Caribbean in the summer months should tell us something.:)

[PCWalton1]

Well if you can haul into RCL's office about 2,500 people who promise they will book a cruise week in week out, 52 weeks a year I bet they would put a ship where ever you want it. :D

But until then they will keep chasing the money.

[oskarNZ]

Dear friends:

 

RCCL is out to sell their cruises and earn money. Don't you think that if they could, in fact sell out a "14 Day Southern Caribbean Cruise" -- they would definitely schedule and market it?

 

RCCL has a global vision. Cruising is not just for North Americans.

 

Winter is high season in Florida and the Caribbean. Winter is low season in Europe. So in Winter most of the ships are in Florida and the Caribbean and only about two ships at any given time are in Europe.

 

Summer is low season in Florida and the Caribbean (except for families going to Orlando). Summer is peak season in Europe. So in Summer peak season RCCL has a great deal of ships in Europe, while still maintaining ships in several cities of Florida, New Jersey, Baltimore, etc.

 

And then you complain about Florida boasting the two largest ships in the world on a year-round basis. Believe me, we would love to have those two ships based here in Barcelona. Unfortunately, they were not really built for European cruising and most European ports would have to be rebuilt to accommodate them.

 

RCCL also takes advantage of the local Asian market and maintains seasonal ships there.

 

And RCCL has been catering to the extremely wealthy and high-spending Brazilian market by stationing at least one, and sometimes two ships to homeport in Brazil during their summer (our winter) season.

 

They are far more diversified than the were years ago and there is something on offer for everyone and for every region of the world.

 

Why is that bad?

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

I fully agree with this post.

 

If it's any reassurance to those who are unhappy with your options out of Florida, there are some of us down here in the Southern Hemisphere who are very envious of all the options you do have.

You have access to much cheaper cruise fares (due to competition in the cruise market), you have a choice from almost all of the major cruiselines, and your airfares won't break the bank.

 

I looked at cruises out of Florida as it's my dream to also take my son to Disney World. In the end I decided to book a SE Asian Celebrity cruise instead. My family are paying less for the 14 night cruise than it what it would cost us just to fly from New Zealand to Orlando. :eek:

 

Over the next few summers (US winters) a number of cruiselines are going to be sending some of their nicer ships down our way (e.g Radiance of the Seas and Celebrity Solstice). I, like many other NZers and Australians, am happy that finally our love of cruising is also being recognised.

[hmallett]

You are telling me that Oasis can fit into St. Thomas but not into Naples?

I've never been to St. Thomas, so if you'd like to buy me a ticket for research purposes... ;)

I don't know specifically about Naples, but I was told by an RC source that many of the ports weren't big enough. I suppose that could mean that they aren't long enough, deep enough, or don't have the capacity for that many visitors. Don't forget that for a week-long cruise you need several ports which can accommodate the ship. Especially as in Europe we tend to have ports most days, with few sea days, unlike the Caribbean cruises.

[Ocean Boy]

I've never been to St. Thomas, so if you'd like to buy me a ticket for research purposes... ;)

I don't know specifically about Naples, but I was told by an RC source that many of the ports weren't big enough. I suppose that could mean that they aren't long enough, deep enough, or don't have the capacity for that many visitors. Don't forget that for a week-long cruise you need several ports which can accommodate the ship. Especially as in Europe we tend to have ports most days, with few sea days, unlike the Caribbean cruises.

 

And that is one more reason why Oasis and Allure will probably stay right where they are. Those two ships are suited to sea days as there is so much to do on them. And I suspect that RCI likes having them out at seas racking up on board charges instead of in port with passengers, and their seapasses, ashore.

[Lazz]

RCI's Southern Caribbean routes out of San Juan are awesome in my opinion.

 

My wife and I went on the Serenade this past summer, and we LOVED IT! We were ready to book the alternate route when we found out that RCI was leaving the Carribbean in the summer for most of its fleet. I am a teacher in NE Indiana, so cruising in the winter is almost impossible for us. The Cheif Engineer aboard the Serenade told us that RCI is trying to avoid Carnival and its low pricing (para phrasing his words) in the Carribbean. Oasis and Allure are too big for us. We have been on the Freedom and loved it, but we have been to the ports it visits many, many times. We have been looking at Clebrity, NCL, & Princess as many of you have, only to find the same situation. We do not want to go to Europe for the many reasons that were listed earlier. Until the cruise lines decide to come back in the Summer, my wife and I will be spending our vacation dollars at resorts like Sandals.

[hmallett]

And that is one more reason why Oasis and Allure will probably stay right where they are. Those two ships are suited to sea days as there is so much to do on them. And I suspect that RCI likes having them out at seas racking up on board charges instead of in port with passengers, and their seapasses, ashore.

I suspect that you're right. If everyone's in ports all day long, they may be less likely to be willing to pay for one of the many speciality restaurants available.

[Ocean Boy]

Oasis and Allure are too big for us. We have been on the Freedom and loved it, but we have been to the ports it visits many, many times. .

 

I do understand your thinking as I felt the same way..... before we sailed on Oasis. It really is an amazing ship and experience. I would just suggest keeping an open mind about it.

[negc]

I do understand your thinking as I felt the same way..... before we sailed on Oasis. It really is an amazing ship and experience. I would just suggest keeping an open mind about it.

 

Totally agree. Keep an open mind and be prepared to come away from the ship with a totally different and much more positive opinion. It is a totally awesome experience in cruising.:)

[genegri]

I couldn't agree with the title more!

 

Look at the low prices of Med cruises these days! Hard to imagine that's what RCI likes to see. Here in the US even with the on going crazy hurricane season the prices are still higher.

 

And I agree Allure/Oasis are the perfect ships to go to lesser ports. Jamaica, Nassau, yet another stop at Cozumel, you name it. If I go on Allure or Oasis, I am not there for the ports anyway.

[Lazz]

I do understand your thinking as I felt the same way..... before we sailed on Oasis. It really is an amazing ship and experience. I would just suggest keeping an open mind about it.

 

I am glad you enjoy those ships and hope you continue to enjoy them. However, we have been cruising since 1982, and I quess we are still hanging on to the old style of cruising. If we wanted an amusment park with beautiful rooms we would go to Disneyworld. My wife and I still want traditional dinning, traditional show times and all the little things that made cruising so special to us. The Serenade gave us many of those special things last year, but she too, has left for Europe. I know we may be a dying breed, but my wife and I are like many uspset cruisers who will take are vacation dollars elsewhere.

Edited September 24, 2011 by Lazz

[time4u2go]

I couldn't agree with the title more!

 

Although as another poster also pointed out, they are trying to put the "International" back in Royal Caribbean International. :rolleyes: