The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!

[ahecht]

^How about Huge Aft-Facing Balcony?

[MrMorgan]

I'm not a 'normal' balcony person. I would rather just take an in inside or one of the crazy options that Royal Caribbean has.

 

For example, I would put the following types of rooms above 'normal oceanview balcony':

 

- Promenade Window

- Central Park Balcony

- Boardwalk Balcony

- Crazy Suite Balcony

 

I don't think I would ever pay the money for just a 'normal' balcony.

 

I thought a Promenade View sounded cool, too, until I was actually on the ship. I am absolutely not shy, but I just feel like people would be looking in my window all the time... especially the people in the rooms directly across! That would mean I would have the curtain closed all the time and I might as well have in inside cabin. A Central Park Balcony, on the other hand, sounds really cool.

[SharkTums]

I loved the Promenade! There's a nice little seat there so you can people watch, watch parades all sorts of stuff. You just close it when you're naked or changing or whatever but you really should do that with an ocean view also as they're always out there cleaning and stuff!

[Tremindouz]

Thanks for the feedback Elissa. We're ironically going with our parents; proving your point of most people being 50+. We'll try to keep an open mind and make the most of it.

 

For those curious about the story. My brother in law was on a Carnival booze cruise to Ensenada for his best friend's bachelor party about two years ago. He had too much to drink and got a little rowdy. The ship police were called, but they clearly couldn't handle him. He's 6 foot 4 inches and about 240 pounds. They ended up needing an army of people to restrain him. They eventually got him into a cell and kicked him off the ship at the next stop. He tore his rotator cuff during the scuffle and actually needed surgery a few months later. He played baseball in college so we think he may have had already done some damage to his shoulder prior to the scuffle. He wasn't trying to hurt anyone but admitted he was being obnoxious. He also admits that hurting his shoulder was his fault and he deserved getting the boot. He didn't drink for over a year after the incident. As they were kicking him off the ship, they told him he will not be allowed to sail on any Carnival cruise line ever again. We called a few of the cruise lines last week and they confirmed that he was on their "do not cruise" list.

[jray21]

For me, the room type depends of where I am going, and who I am with. If i'm sailing to Alaska, or Europe, I would probably want a balcony view since a big part of those cruises are watching the scenery. If it's the Caribbean or Bahamas, I don't need to see outside too much because it's mainly all ocean. Also, if it's just Amy and I, I would want a balcony as we would be relaxing more in the room. If it's with TPR or friends, I would get something cheaper since I really won't be in the room at all. One major benefit of an interior besides price is how incredibly nice and dark it gets!

[MrMorgan]

Very well said! You seriously can achieve cave darkness in an inside cabin!

[SharkTums]

^^^Yeah, those short Carnival cruises out of the West Coast are all terrible booze cruises. They probably ban two people per voyage!!!

[BeemerBoy]

Agreed, the "cave darkness" thing of an interior cabin is amazing. We woke up one morning around 11 and literally couldn't see a damn thing.

[SharkTums]

^The best sleep I ever get is in inside cabins. It's amazing what real total darkness can do for you!

[BeemerBoy]

^ Plus the awesome mattresses RCL had. That combination was lethal for deep sleep!

[DougMJr]

Now I actually wanna try one of these inside cabins my next cruise. Deep eternal sleep is exactly what I need right now!

[SharkTums]

Big cruise news today!!!!

 

Piers is somewhere celebrating!!!!

 

Royal Caribbean just got way more Klassy!!!!

 

From cruisecritic.com

After years of going against the current and forbidding passengers from bringing onboard their favorite bottles of wine, Royal Caribbean is reversing its stance. Effective immediately, passengers on all Royal Caribbean ships can bring up to two bottles per cabin onboard during embarkation.

 

Bottles must be 750 ml each or smaller, and passengers who want to drink their wine in public spaces such as bars or restaurants must pay a $25 corkage fee per bottle. Additionally, each bottle must retain the original manufacturer's seal and exhibit no signs of tampering.

 

"Royal Caribbean International understands that vacationers may have a particular bottle of wine or champagne that they would like to bring on board to commemorate a special day or event while on their cruise," the line said in a statement.

 

This is HUGE!!!!!

 

Oh man, I can only imagine what the next TPR Cruise is going to be like now!

[Meteornotes]

^Holy crap this is awesome!!! I will so be bringing two bottles with me next time!

 

dt

[BeemerBoy]

Yeah, this is GREAT news! Way to go, RCL!

[AllenA07]

That is great and was one of the things I liked more aboard Carnival. Spending $35 on a bottle of wine that costs me $8 at Costco hurts.

[piers]

Yesssssssss!

 

And you can always put it in a Big Gulp cup to avoid corkage and still look fancy!

[RCFreak]

I'm sure Renee will also be thrilled at this news!

 

It's too bad I can't drink much wine before getting killer headaches, then again two bottles that way would last a whole cruise haha.

[laqueefa]

I'm sure Renee will also be thrilled at this news!

 

It's too bad I can't drink much wine before getting killer headaches, then again two bottles that way would last a whole cruise haha.

 

Thats what the second bottle is for. Once the headache from the first kicks in, you drink second!

[cfc]

Anyone caught carrying in a bottle of Thunderbird or Mogen David should be thrown off the ship.

[ernierocker]

If I remember correctly, the reason they stopped doing this was because some drunk idiot jumped off the ship a few years ago? I don't drink wine, but it seemed like a terrible policy so good for the wine drinkers like Piers!

[Hilltopper39]

Let the bottle tampering techniques discussion begin! (just kidding)

 

Seriously this is good news, it is nice to be able to have bottle in your state room to enjoy at your convenience.

 

Now if I could only convince them that if it's in a wine bottle it must be wine.......

Edited November 7, 2012 by Hilltopper39

[SharkTums]

^Just take a sharpie and scratch off whiskey and write wine!

[jedimaster1227]

I know what I'll be bringing aboard...

[cfc]

^That's not wine. It's an ipecac.

[jray21]

^

 

It wouldn't be difficult at all to print out a label!