I have never seen such a lack of interest ...

[xxHadleyxx]

12 hours ago, matj2000 said:

If I ever go to China.

 

I am not going to do a Royal Caribbean cruise there.....

Which is a reasonable choice. 

Then again, so is taking a cruise.  We found it a relaxing and enjoyable way to get to see a bit of Japan while already on this side of the world for a few weeks in China.  We met so many really nice Chinese people too.  We're very much hoping to add a cruise to next year's trip to China as well.

[xxHadleyxx]

5 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

China itinerary releases don't follow the normal RCI schedule - it's not unusual to only have about 6 months of itineraries available.

Next cruise staff had thought they'd have them by now.  Or so they told us and others.  And gosh I feel like we booked this trip over six months ago.  I'd have to double check I guess

Edited March 29, 2019 by xxHadleyxx

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

China itinerary releases don't follow the normal RCI schedule - it's not unusual to only have about 6 months of itineraries available.

 

Went to Shanghai and all I got was this lousy coffee mug. 😇

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by John&LaLa

[pstone1]

1 hour ago, Andy C said:

 

Quaint?

 

Not us, perhaps some, who knows?  No need to categorize people - whatever their reason, it's all good and shouldn't be measured by anyone else's standard.  To each is own.

Edited March 29, 2019 by pstone1

[Iamcruzin]

10 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

 

Amen. We are going to Europe in May and will be traveling through Germany, Spain and France. Briefly considered a TA but then realized how limiting and boring that would be.

I feel the same way about Europe. Yes you can hit more cities in a week on a cruise but it's a hit and run. Most of the major attractions are hours away from port and again you can't spend much time seeing them. While it's nice to have everything included you are really sacrificing a true experience. However if it came to a cruise or nothing I would take the cruise.

[Joseph2017China]

21 hours ago, spookwife said:

they are marketing it.  to CHINA.  

Sorry, but the ship is going to China.  The ships design, is like any shopping mall.  A store rents the space, 2 years later, it closes and a new store opens, but redesigns the space.  The Ship is a RCCL ship, where some of the spaces are changed to suit the needs of the market.  Those spaces, will be changed out, in two to three years when the ship moves to a new market.  (Just like the Quantum).  People keep saying the ship is designed for China.  So, if it is designed for China, why are all the facilities and infrastructure on board designed for Europe/USA?  Why is the money on the ship USD?  Electric outlets?  Toilets? (yes, there is a difference).  No, the ship is very much a RCCL with store fronts and restaurants changed out.  It will change one day.   I am extremely excited to be on this ship (arriving in Shanghai, the new temporary home for the ship). 

[gatour]

11 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

 

Amen. We are going to Europe in May and will be traveling through Germany, Spain and France. Briefly considered a TA but then realized how limiting and boring that would be.

 

11 hours ago, Andy C said:

 

This.  My wife and I laugh at the whole thing.  The things people will do for mediocre food, free drinks made with cheap hooch and loyalty status recognition.  Now for the occasional mindless, Caribbean cruise - you usually can't go wrong.

I actually booked a TA and it wasn't for cheap hooch and loyalty status.  A TA was always been on my bucket list.  Plus I hate the overnight east boand flights across the the Atlantic (can't sleep sitting up in a chair)

 

So we wanted to visit England.  I booked a TA on Cunard then stayed in England for a week.  Then we flew back (it was a "daytime" flight).

 

We love sea days, me always bringing a e-reader, some real books etc.  So we just relaxed, used the spa and its pool.  It was great.

 

This was the only time I have ever taken a Cunard cruise and haven't take another one.

 

Different strokes for different folks and don't assume that everyone is doing something for the same reasons.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

On 3/29/2019 at 8:55 AM, Iamcruzin said:

I feel the same way about Europe. Yes you can hit more cities in a week on a cruise but it's a hit and run. Most of the major attractions are hours away from port and again you can't spend much time seeing them. While it's nice to have everything included you are really sacrificing a true experience. However if it came to a cruise or nothing I would take the cruise.

We sure didn't feel that way at all, and we've been to Europe 3 times as a destination and once on a cruise.

 

The 13 hours in one port, 11 in another and 10 in a third gave us a long, long day to see and enjoy numerous things during our Western Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona.

 

We have a friend who spent 3 days in Rome (for example) - our 13-hour port stop in Civitavecchia allowed us to actually see more targeted places and enjoy those strategic sights there than their trip. 

 

We sat down a few months ago and compared pictures and well as travel details. On our pre-planned cruise and pre-planned private tour of Rome (which ironically cost less than the ship's tour),  we saw more sights for more time than the other person did (they spent much more time to and from places as well as standing in line).  Yes, they saw more "things" (of course over 3 days), but all the desired historical and well-known sights were covered during our private excursion in non-rushed and enjoyable fashion. A few of those key "must see" goals were actually missed on the destination trip by our friend.

 

Having traveled all over the world, in a number of cases more than once to destinations...e felt "0" sacrifice of any experience.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[CRUISEFAN0001]

1 minute ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

We sure didn't feel that way at all, and we've been to Europe 3 times as a destination and once on a cruise.

 

The 13 hours in one port, 11 in another and 10 in a third gave us a long, long day to see and enjoy numerous things during our Western Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona.

 

We have a friend who spent 3 days in Rome (for example) - our 13-hour port stop in Civitavecchia allowed us to actually see more targeted places and enjoy those strategic sights there than their trip. 

 

We sat down a few months ago and compared pictures and well as travel details. On our pre-planned cruise and pre-planned private tour of Rome (which ironically cost less than the ship's tour),  we saw more sights for more time than the other person did (they spent much more time to and from places as well as standing in line). 

 

Yes, they saw more "things" (of course over 3 days), but all the desired historical and well-known sights were covered during our private excursion in non-rushed and enjoyable fashion. After all...2+ hours at the Colosseum allows you to pretty much see all you want to see, so that you're ready to move on. A few of our key "must see" goals were actually missed on the destination trip by our friend.

 

Having traveled all over the world, in a number of cases more than once to destinations...e felt "0" sacrifice of any experience.

 

 

 

[SakeDad]

Well it is TOTALLY SOLD OUT from Barcelona to Singapore so clearly someone is excited. And I am included in that as I will be boarding in Dubai and sailing to Singapore. I will post many pics and reviews once we return (not getting an onboard wifi as we like to disconnect) Yes, it is for the China market but so far the ship looks GORGEOUS! And we have never sailed these ports so that will be fun as well. And there are 7 sea days to really get to  know the ship and all she has to offer. 

 

[xxHadleyxx]

I'm going to add another benefit *I* got out of sailing from Shanghai:

 

I don't travel to check off "places" and sites from a list.   I enjoy seeing interesting places, well known and not, trying foods and MEETING PEOPLE.

On a cruise, you get to make friends and spend more and better quality time with strangers than in just about any other vacation setting.   Sailing out of Shanghai, I made friends while playing silly games and dancing at parties.  I learned K pop dance moves from those friends and taught them the YMCA.  We took selfies and laughed lots and to know one another far better than I got to know any locals while staying in a hotel and visiting tourist sites in Shanghai later on.

For me, that was a huge draw to sailing from China, and the people were so nice it's one of the biggest reasons I want to do so again.

[ChipLondon]

On 3/28/2019 at 3:40 PM, CruisingNole said:

As a marketing professional, I would market the ship to the market that will actually be buying tickets. Because that's who my customers are. Americans typically don't just decide "hey, let's fly to China to take a cruise, even though we have 50+ of them right here in America." It's just kind of common sense.

 

Then surely as a “Marketing Professional” you would also realize that generating interest through Social Media actually cost very little. Also my point was not solely about RCL generated information, but across Social Media. I do appreciate there is one thread on here that has been dominated by a few members, but to me there was a lot more excitement for previous ships.

FYI Americans are not the only people that take cruises, there are also people in Europe and Asia as well as the “soon to be” free British cruisers. Some of us will/are choosing to sail on this new ship from Barcelona ( its in Europe ) to Dubai ( not Europe or USA ) and onwards to China ( the real one not China Town ).......sorry to point out that the world does not evolve around Mr Trump ......but for us second class citizens its just common sense !!!!!!!!!

Edited March 31, 2019 by ChipLondon