Only freedom class in florida?

[berwyn]

They only list freedom class ships sailing out of florida in the summer of 2009. I was hoping to cruise a smaller ship to the eastern caribbean. Are there any other itineraries to follow,or are all the radiance,vision,and voyager class ships cruising Europe or Alaska?

[CedarburgCruiser]

They only list freedom class ships sailing out of florida in the summer of 2009. I was hoping to cruise a smaller ship to the eastern caribbean. Are there any other itineraries to follow,or are all the radiance,vision,and voyager class ships cruising Europe or Alaska?

 

For 7 night cruises out of Florida you can only get on a Freedom class ship. If you go out of Galviston TX get on Voyager OS. Also there are 4 and 5 night cruises on the Navigator, Enchanment and the Granduar.

 

Let me know if you have any further questions.:cool:

[mxylpic]

They only list freedom class ships sailing out of florida in the summer of 2009. I was hoping to cruise a smaller ship to the eastern caribbean. Are there any other itineraries to follow,or are all the radiance,vision,and voyager class ships cruising Europe or Alaska?

 

Unless you want to go to the Bahamas out of PC on Monarch OS, that's pretty much it. Grandeur switches to Bermuda cruises out of VA I think in the summer, which is too bad because I'd like to try one of her 4 or 5 night eastern routes. Since I teach, it's pretty much summer or spring break for cruising.

 

Good luck finding something.

 

Ed

[berwyn]

So if you want to visit St.Thomas or some other "saints" freedom class is the only way to go?

[mxylpic]

So if you want to visit St.Thomas or some other "saints" freedom class is the only way to go?

 

Yeah, pretty much -- with RCI anyway. Which is too bad. Folks don't always want the largest ship and a 7-day cruise.

[w&k]

We're fans of the smaller ships, and longer runs. 3 or 4 days for a long weekend, 10 days or more for a real vacation.

 

We do the Sovereign every year sometime in December as a X-mas present, and have been on all the classes of smaller ships (below Voyagers).

 

Unfortunately, first the Voyagers, now the Freedoms, and ultimately the Genesis classes will rule down here in Florida, particularly in the East Coast ports.

 

Don't get me wrong - I'm very happy that these choices exist - particularly to attract the young family crowd. I'm just not into the pack 'em in and port 'em around to the same old spots. Particurly at new ship prices. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

 

We have flown over to San Juan to do the Empress 11-day the last two years, and this year switched over to X Galaxy as the Empress was removed from RCCL service.

 

We are doing the Grandeur 10-day out of Tampa in November. RCCL seems to have forgotten that Tampa exists, with it's own airport within spitting distance, and approximately the same distance to Orlando as Port Canaveral. I don't understand why RCCL isn't running an itinerary out of there all year long.

 

With all of the 'good' ships either leaving convenient ports, (what brainiac decided to send ships to port in DR and Panama?), or being transferred out of the fleet, I was left with no good choices when setting up the spring diving cruise.

 

I abandoned my Diamond ranking (close to D+), and booked the Grand Princess for 14 days out of Ft. Lauderdale next spring. We won't have the additional hassle and expense of San Juan, and we get to spend that same time on the ship. Thus, more vacation for the time and the $ invested.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Wendy

[mxylpic]

Tell me about it. DW and I will not drive down to FLL or Miami to cruise. I really don't understand why RCI only sails the Grandeur out of Tampa and then nothing in the summer. Both Tampa and PC are about a two or so hour drive from here (Gainesville). Now if they would only sail to Bermuda from JAX!

[FL_Cruiser64]

To cruise to the eastern Caribbean you have to take a 6 Night or longer. San Juan alone is much further than any destination in the western Caribbean.

 

I think coming back from St Maarten/St Thomas is 2 days at sea. Add another couple days at sea to get down there and you already have a 4 Nighter without a port.

 

The distance is so much greater that when you have SJ as your first stop you get there in the afternoon. So its about a day and a half just to get to PR.

 

If they would do 4 Nighters or 5 Nighters to the eastern Caribbean the prices would be sky rocketing.

 

There is a reason that the southern Caribbean on the Adventure are so much lower (on the average) than a 7 Night eastern out of Miami - they have less cruising to do and more ports to visit (where the ship just sits).

 

If RCI would offer 5 Nighters to the Eastern nobody would book them.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

). Now if they would only sail to Bermuda from JAX!

 

I'm with you on this one. There is only one cruise to Burmuda from any Florida port and that is a Costa cruise from FLL once a year. I've been saying for years it seems like--why can't RCI schedule a few cruises a year to Bermuda from Florida, JAX or PC would be good choices?

[kornerkick2]

I couldn't agree more with all of you guys. I'm sailing on freedom this august...but I've been looking for next year and the freedom class prices are just too high! I was really hoping to sale a radiance class from FL, but that's not an option. When Majesty and Monarch leave the fleet in the next couple of years, i am praying that they will move at least another ship or two to florida. Also, my other question is where are all of the ships???? It seems as if they are disappearing. And I agree with another poster, how many people are really doing the asian itinerary or cruising out of panama??

[kingsgirl]

Majesty is a good choice too!

 

I fear the day when Freedom will be the smallest ship available.

[FL_Cruiser64]

Tell me about it. DW and I will not drive down to FLL or Miami to cruise. I really don't understand why RCI only sails the Grandeur out of Tampa and then nothing in the summer. Both Tampa and PC are about a two or so hour drive from here (Gainesville). Now if they would only sail to Bermuda from JAX!

 

That is something which bothers me with RCI.

I am in the lucky position to have 'smaller ships' within reach and I have choices as well. I have Lauderdale and Miami on my door steps and a flight to PR I can usually pick up for a couple hundred dollars.

 

What just bothers me is that they get rid of every smaller ship. Why not redeploy the Empress and the Sovereign for short quick ones out of Tampa?

 

The Grandeur is running 5 Night western out of Tampa. Use the Sovereign and Empress for those 4 and 5 Nighters and move the Grandeur to PC for a Bermuda run.

 

There is a lot of Floridians who would like to do the Bermuda run but the only ship doing it is the Explorer out of NJ. And those prices are ridiculously high, as is the Grandeur out of Baltimore and Norfolk.

 

RCI is making a huge mistake in building new ships and just letting go of the smaller ones.

 

The bread and butter for RCI are the Sovereign Class and all its loyal following who fill those ships weekend after weekend (Monarch in CA, Sovereign out of PC and Majesty out of Miami).

 

Without the residents in home ports most ships would leave half empty (and that goes for any cruise line) or they have to bottom out prices to just fill those empty spots.

 

It will get worse in the next few years. Flights are getting more expensive as does gasoline. Cruise lines will have to fight more for the customers who are not residing in or near home ports.

 

Unless you are doing an all inclusive with those giga ship like Genesis the interest will wear off rather quickly. RCI competes with land based resorts BUT to do that you have to fight the all inclusive as well. I find it extremely funny to see how people rave how many restaurant options they have on the Genesis. But forget that they have to pay extra for each one of them.

 

Once the novelty wears off RCI will have huge trouble selling all those cabins unless they begin an all inclusive.

 

I think they are counting that they could create a following amongst those who are full blooded cruisers. I am not saying that term mean but I will bet you a year's worth of a salary that 90% of those who started their cruising life on the Freedom Class could not do a 7 Nighter on the Sovereign Class.

 

Not talking about a quick 3 or 4 Nighter to the Bahamas but rather a full 7 Nights on a rather small ship with all those extra amenities gone.

 

If they keep on selling off those small classes and do away with those quick get-aways they will lose a lot of their loyal following.

 

BTW, how have you been. I just remember that I have to send you that video.

 

:D

[FL_Cruiser64]

I couldn't agree more with all of you guys. I'm sailing on freedom this august...but I've been looking for next year and the freedom class prices are just too high! I was really hoping to sale a radiance class from FL, but that's not an option. When Majesty and Monarch leave the fleet in the next couple of years, i am praying that they will move at least another ship or two to florida. Also, my other question is where are all of the ships???? It seems as if they are disappearing. And I agree with another poster, how many people are really doing the asian itinerary or cruising out of panama??

 

They are being moved to Pulmantur which is a Spanish cruise line owned by RCI.

 

RCI is putting more and more ships into the European market. The problem is though, they are taking away the ships from the Caribbean market and while building newer ones (and bigger ones) not replacing the small ones.

 

I just read that NCL will be coming back into the 3 and 4 Night Caribbean market. They pulled out of that years ago because the competition from RCI and Carnival was to great. That decision to move out of the 3 and 4 Night market in CA is, in my opinion, a slap in the face of the most loyal customers of RCI.

 

That decision by NCL is in line with my speculation based on the ship movement and new builds that RCI will be out of the 3 and 4 Night market very soon. Is that so far fletched? No. They already give that market to Carnival in California.