I like royal Caribbean ships especially the ones with promenades. I know the setup on the ships with dinning in the back and theaters in the front. I don’t get lost!
The "sphere" had several trampolines. Your were harnessed to a bungee that connected to each side of your hip to bounce up and down. However, after several injuries and even a death - it was shut down.
I have been on this ship several times and had a great time! Some of the rooms were a bit worn but enjoyed it. Sorry you and your sister had some issues 😊
I like that their ships have a similar feel, comforting. Now we don't exhaust ourselves trying to see it all and just spend time relaxing in our favorite places and save our energy for exploring new ports.
Not only did we see a piano player in the elevator, it was in the elevator that we took. My hubby and I had to sing along until we got to our floor. FUN!😂
If you haven’t been on Icon yet - it is amazing! And in my opinion much different than the other ships. I cruised it solo as an older female and loved it! I say that as I know some adults without kids don’t think they would like Icon.
One of the things I know about myself is that I really like routine. I want to park in the same place, go to the same restaurant, and order the same meal. I've forced myself to break that fairly often, and I continue to do it (much of the time, not always) because I do like the rewards. But if I'm not forcing myself, I want to know every bit of what I'm going to do and how things will be. All that to say I wouldn't be put off by most of the ships being the same. But vacation is one of the times where I try not to plan much out so I can just float to wherever appeals to me at the moment, so I appreciate some differences. So yeah, not really an answer from me, sorry!
With Princess the ships are laid out the same just different colors and some changes in the artwork. I like this as you take less time to learn where things are. I like the routine of knowing where you are and how to get to where you want to go.
Totally get that. For me, I like that discovery aspect on the first day. But I also like longer (7+ night) cruises, and so it isn't as paramount to know where everything is right away.
There is an advantage, it’s a general familiarity. From what I understand Princess ships are very similar with layouts in common. This appeals to many. The convenience of the ships is as important as the itineraries.
I have to agree. I was a carnival cruiser for years and ended up switching to RC for the same reason. The ships began to all look the same. I am afraid The same thing is happening with royal carribean because I sailed the freedom of the seas last year I’m doing the independence for my birthday this year and these two ships are identical. So I booked another cruise in September on the utopia to see what’s new? I’m always looking to explore ships I cruise on because of days at sea. You want to have a big ship with plenty to do. That’s why I like RC way better than carnival. The ship is just as important to me as the itinerary. The upside is knowing I’m going to have a blast on the independence because it’s the same as freedom. I’m looking to try an adults only cruise like Virgin next.
I usually go on Royal & the sameness really helps my SO. He’s got anxiety & needs me to be with him most of the time. However he can go get coffee or do the hot tub without me because he’s a little more familiar with the layout.
Really enjoyed the tour of the ship, especially the different views of the promenade from different angles . Glad you let your sister back in from the balcony.😂 IMO, I think it is a mistake to make the other ships of this class all lookl the same. Making each one with a different look would definitely be more interesting. 😀🩵
My family sailed on Icon recently and it was our first RC cruise and it was fabulous - I have few complaints. However RC's obsession with offering the same things on every ship has already made me doubt if I'll cruise on any other RC ships any time soon.
The round shower sprayer near the mini golf course is also on the Mariner. Not sure if its on the other Voyager or Freedom class ships, but the mini golf course and shower rings thing look exactly like the mariner and were probably both part of a very similar amplification process.
If you watch other youtube cruise bloggers giving tours of ships in the voyage and freedom classes from 2018-2021 or so, you will be able to see the yellow circle dome thingy in action. They had three small trampolines in there where people would be attached to harnesses and jump up and down while wearing a vr headset that would show various earthly or other planetary landscapes, and the viewer would feel weightless or like they are jumping around an other world landscape. I bet they had just enough people who didn't land on the trampolines properly to decide to cancel the activity on all those ships. I hope they put their brain caps on and really think of something else worthy of that cool circle dome.
Don't feel bad about repeating certain things on each ship. While some things look almost identical, there are always little things on the deck or the promenade or the colors and styles of the main dining room or the wind jammer buffet setup that are important for people to know the little differences, and some people like me enjoy seeing those little differences as well. Sometimes those little things end up making a big difference to someone and how their cruise will be.
I agree with you about the amplification. I would love the best of both worlds where you have a lot of the same items for familiarity, but have some different color styles, different themes, and some variations on the different ships of places, activities, and items to encourage people going on different ships as they rotate the cruises and ports.
I went back to our cruise photos from Jan 2014. Some things look better. I’m sure the kid waterpark is nice, but it’s so generic looking. The old Britto one was cool. On Symphony my husband wasn’t allowed to use the slides, even with a glasses strap. We really preferred the Freedom class (did all 3), but it was all before Amplifications. The adult pools were great on them, the inside ones on Oasis class are too small.
And that outside dome thing wasn’t on the ship in 2014. I saw the Ice Capades in Toronto in about 1990. Our first cruise in 2007, we didn’t need helmets to skate!
I’ve cruised on Indy. I had a nice time of course but it wasn’t my favorite. I’m not a fan of interior promenades. I much prefer old school atriums. Brilliance class is my favorite so far that I’ve cruised. ( And I would happily cruise on a Fantasy Class Carnival ship again)
Rather than revamping all the ships to look the same and have the same features, would much prefer if they refurnished and renovated the cabins and main areas of the older ships to look much more sleek/ modern/ and brighter. Personally love cruising on the mid-size and smaller ships, (the larger oasis and icon class are just too loud and have too much going on that I don’t enjoy anymore at this age) but would enjoy them even more if they were not so dated.
I like wind ships have their own quirks from the time that they were originally built. I don’t like all of them looking the same. I want to explore something new on a sea day on a new ship.
I choose my cruises for the itinerary, not for the ship. I am not a fan of these mega-ships where there is so much to do on the ship alone that the ports take a back seat. The purpose of "traveling" is to see new things and places and people. If I wanted the same vacation every year, I would buy a time-share. I don't want to get off the ship at the end of a cruise with the feeling that I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do because there was too much to do both on and off the ship. I want to relax when onboard and spend my time, energy and money in the ports.
As a person who often gets very overwhelmed it’s great to be able to see the world and always have the comfort and sameness of home just a few miles away. Personally i probably wouldn’t hate the small ships I haven’t been though and I think the large ships are great for families because they obviously visit new countries and such to appease the parents and have tons of activities for the kids to not get bored
Your video encourages me to book a trip on independent of the Sea in the future! It looks more interesting than the way I have imagined it. Having a more or less identical setting on most Royal Caribbean ships is sometimes a bit boring; but I tends to focus on the friendly vibe on their ship more, so it’s okay for me.
You know what ship does not have the central shopping mall? The Brilliance of the Seas a her sister ships. ...ahem... ;) It also had a center atrium that goes up forever!! I will FB you a picture. Buying furniture (or anything else) in bulk to cover multiple ships could save a lot of cash. As far as the trend, I don't think the target market for Royal has had more then one or two cruises, so they won't notice the similarities... How many people go to dizzy world over and over , and talk about seeing "the same thing" on ever trip... no, I do not think it is an issue, at least for most people in the target audience. Tangent - what are the oldest ships RCCL is operating now? There are still a few Vision class.. the Voyager and Radiance classes are all '99-'03 so that is 10+ ships over 20 years old. I bet they have been paid off for a while! Have you been on a Vision class? ( edit - 13 ships in the vision/rad/voy classes)
Newsflash: "Royal Caribbean pauses private beach calls in Labadee, Haiti", Franz Neumeier, Germany's most renowned cruise journalist, reports. Why? RC fears that Haitian people angry about the modern slavery practiced in Labadee by the shipping company will attack cruise guests.
@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides No. Only in the video about Labadee you published in February 2024, and in this one. Your viewers should know that they currently should not expect a stop at Labadee.
The "Stow away " piano player, changes where he plays to not be caught. Have a pic of the "globe" as the trampoline, will try and get it to you.
We had so much fun with the elevator piano guy on our Navigator cruise in 2022. He was awesome!
The young lady playing the Navigator elevator piano was so engaging.
I like royal Caribbean ships especially the ones with promenades. I know the setup on the ships with dinning in the back and theaters in the front. I don’t get lost!
I heard that there was a major injury on the Sky Pad so all of them were shut down after that.
Yup. Two separate injuries that lead to at least one lawsuit. Not sure what happened with the lawsuit, but RCL closed all Sky pads on all ship😢
Yes I remember the Ice Capades show! I rode Dino the dinosaur on the ice way back in 1965.
I rather have the cruise ships from the same cruise line to be different it's more exciting thanks for your vloggs happy cruising
The "sphere" had several trampolines. Your were harnessed to a bungee that connected to each side of your hip to bounce up and down. However, after several injuries and even a death - it was shut down.
I have been on this ship several times and had a great time! Some of the rooms were a bit worn but enjoyed it. Sorry you and your sister had some issues 😊
I liked my Morgan too. Same ship as you but my Morgan was orange instead. Did all the crazy fun games, shows and trivia too.
I like that their ships have a similar feel, comforting. Now we don't exhaust ourselves trying to see it all and just spend time relaxing in our favorite places and save our energy for exploring new ports.
I’m with you. I like the adventure of figuring things out and exploring a ship to find the cool stuff.
Not only did we see a piano player in the elevator, it was in the elevator that we took. My hubby and I had to sing along until we got to our floor. FUN!😂
If you haven’t been on Icon yet - it is amazing! And in my opinion much different than the other ships. I cruised it solo as an older female and loved it! I say that as I know some adults without kids don’t think they would like Icon.
Does Royal have a single supplement?
One of the things I know about myself is that I really like routine. I want to park in the same place, go to the same restaurant, and order the same meal. I've forced myself to break that fairly often, and I continue to do it (much of the time, not always) because I do like the rewards. But if I'm not forcing myself, I want to know every bit of what I'm going to do and how things will be. All that to say I wouldn't be put off by most of the ships being the same. But vacation is one of the times where I try not to plan much out so I can just float to wherever appeals to me at the moment, so I appreciate some differences. So yeah, not really an answer from me, sorry!
We were on the Ovation of the Seas in Australia and we had a piano player in one of the elevators. He was dressed up as Woody, from Toy Story.
With Princess the ships are laid out the same just different colors and some changes in the artwork. I like this as you take less time to learn where things are. I like the routine of knowing where you are and how to get to where you want to go.
Totally get that. For me, I like that discovery aspect on the first day. But I also like longer (7+ night) cruises, and so it isn't as paramount to know where everything is right away.
There is an advantage, it’s a general familiarity. From what I understand Princess ships are very similar with layouts in common. This appeals to many. The convenience of the ships is as important as the itineraries.
I have to agree. I was a carnival cruiser for years and ended up switching to RC for the same reason. The ships began to all look the same. I am afraid The same thing is happening with royal carribean because I sailed the freedom of the seas last year I’m doing the independence for my birthday this year and these two ships are identical. So I booked another cruise in September on the utopia to see what’s new? I’m always looking to explore ships I cruise on because of days at sea. You want to have a big ship with plenty to do. That’s why I like RC way better than carnival. The ship is just as important to me as the itinerary. The upside is knowing I’m going to have a blast on the independence because it’s the same as freedom. I’m looking to try an adults only cruise like Virgin next.
I usually go on Royal & the sameness really helps my SO. He’s got anxiety & needs me to be with him most of the time. However he can go get coffee or do the hot tub without me because he’s a little more familiar with the layout.
We have seen the piano in the elevator twice also on Royal Caribbean cruises.
Really enjoyed the tour of the ship, especially the different views of the promenade from different angles . Glad you let your sister back in from the balcony.😂 IMO, I think it is a mistake to make the other ships of this class all lookl the same. Making each one with a different look would definitely be more interesting. 😀🩵
My family sailed on Icon recently and it was our first RC cruise and it was fabulous - I have few complaints. However RC's obsession with offering the same things on every ship has already made me doubt if I'll cruise on any other RC ships any time soon.
Loyal to Royal!
The round shower sprayer near the mini golf course is also on the Mariner. Not sure if its on the other Voyager or Freedom class ships, but the mini golf course and shower rings thing look exactly like the mariner and were probably both part of a very similar amplification process.
If you watch other youtube cruise bloggers giving tours of ships in the voyage and freedom classes from 2018-2021 or so, you will be able to see the yellow circle dome thingy in action. They had three small trampolines in there where people would be attached to harnesses and jump up and down while wearing a vr headset that would show various earthly or other planetary landscapes, and the viewer would feel weightless or like they are jumping around an other world landscape. I bet they had just enough people who didn't land on the trampolines properly to decide to cancel the activity on all those ships. I hope they put their brain caps on and really think of something else worthy of that cool circle dome.
Don't feel bad about repeating certain things on each ship. While some things look almost identical, there are always little things on the deck or the promenade or the colors and styles of the main dining room or the wind jammer buffet setup that are important for people to know the little differences, and some people like me enjoy seeing those little differences as well. Sometimes those little things end up making a big difference to someone and how their cruise will be.
I agree with you about the amplification. I would love the best of both worlds where you have a lot of the same items for familiarity, but have some different color styles, different themes, and some variations on the different ships of places, activities, and items to encourage people going on different ships as they rotate the cruises and ports.
Piano on an elevator, only Royal, we have seen it in all the Oasis class ships, the Quantum Class and lately on Icon.
Ice Capades ❤
I went back to our cruise photos from Jan 2014. Some things look better. I’m sure the kid waterpark is nice, but it’s so generic looking. The old Britto one was cool. On Symphony my husband wasn’t allowed to use the slides, even with a glasses strap. We really preferred the Freedom class (did all 3), but it was all before Amplifications. The adult pools were great on them, the inside ones on Oasis class are too small.
And that outside dome thing wasn’t on the ship in 2014.
I saw the Ice Capades in Toronto in about 1990. Our first cruise in 2007, we didn’t need helmets to skate!
I’ve cruised on Indy. I had a nice time of course but it wasn’t my favorite. I’m not a fan of interior promenades. I much prefer old school atriums. Brilliance class is my favorite so far that I’ve cruised. ( And I would happily cruise on a Fantasy Class Carnival ship again)
These piano players are called "Stowaways". Mine was dressed as a SteamPunk guy with gears all over his piano.
I don’t love that new top front deck on rcl. I feel like they could have done much better. Like maybe extend solarium on one half.
Rather than revamping all the ships to look the same and have the same features, would much prefer if they refurnished and renovated the cabins and main areas of the older ships to look much more sleek/ modern/ and brighter. Personally love cruising on the mid-size and smaller ships, (the larger oasis and icon class are just too loud and have too much going on that I don’t enjoy anymore at this age) but would enjoy them even more if they were not so dated.
I agree with a lot of what you wrote! Update the tired old cabins!
I like wind ships have their own quirks from the time that they were originally built.
I don’t like all of them looking the same. I want to explore something new on a sea day on a new ship.
Title made me check my volume.
Haha. :-P
You’ve aged yourself with Icescapeds.
If they all become the same look,it will take on a monotone atmosphere/vibe therefore the variety will be gone.
I choose my cruises for the itinerary, not for the ship. I am not a fan of these mega-ships where there is so much to do on the ship alone that the ports take a back seat. The purpose of "traveling" is to see new things and places and people. If I wanted the same vacation every year, I would buy a time-share. I don't want to get off the ship at the end of a cruise with the feeling that I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do because there was too much to do both on and off the ship. I want to relax when onboard and spend my time, energy and money in the ports.
As a person who often gets very overwhelmed it’s great to be able to see the world and always have the comfort and sameness of home just a few miles away. Personally i probably wouldn’t hate the small ships I haven’t been though and I think the large ships are great for families because they obviously visit new countries and such to appease the parents and have tons of activities for the kids to not get bored
Your video encourages me to book a trip on independent of the Sea in the future! It looks more interesting than the way I have imagined it.
Having a more or less identical setting on most Royal Caribbean ships is sometimes a bit boring; but I tends to focus on the friendly vibe on their ship more, so it’s okay for me.
I hope you have a great time!
You know what ship does not have the central shopping mall? The Brilliance of the Seas a her sister ships. ...ahem... ;) It also had a center atrium that goes up forever!! I will FB you a picture.
Buying furniture (or anything else) in bulk to cover multiple ships could save a lot of cash. As far as the trend, I don't think the target market for Royal has had more then one or two cruises, so they won't notice the similarities... How many people go to dizzy world over and over , and talk about seeing "the same thing" on ever trip... no, I do not think it is an issue, at least for most people in the target audience. Tangent - what are the oldest ships RCCL is operating now? There are still a few Vision class.. the Voyager and Radiance classes are all '99-'03 so that is 10+ ships over 20 years old. I bet they have been paid off for a while! Have you been on a Vision class? ( edit - 13 ships in the vision/rad/voy classes)
I loved Brilliance!
Even though they amplified many ships they still come across as aesthetically dated.
Newsflash: "Royal Caribbean pauses private beach calls in Labadee, Haiti", Franz Neumeier, Germany's most renowned cruise journalist, reports. Why? RC fears that Haitian people angry about the modern slavery practiced in Labadee by the shipping company will attack cruise guests.
Heico are you going to post this in all my videos now? 🧐
@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides No. Only in the video about Labadee you published in February 2024, and in this one. Your viewers should know that they currently should not expect a stop at Labadee.
Fun video
Piano on an elevator, only Royal, we have seen it in all the Oasis class ships, the Quantum Class and lately on Icon.