CRUSING: Save Money, Choose Better, Avoid Mistakes!
I have a passion for cruising and helping others discover this amazing type of a vacation. My mission is simple: to help you make informed, smart decisions at every step of your journey, ensuring that you enjoy the incredible experiences you’ve always dreamed of. From selecting the right cruise line to choosing the perfect cabin, I'm here to share insider tips, up-to-date cruise news, comprehensive ship reviews, and captivating destination guides.
Whether you're a seasoned cruiser or new to cruise life, this is your go-to source for making every cruise vacation memorable and hassle-free.
Hi and thank you for the great video, We have been on the Liberty 3 times and We have really enjoyed it. Going on the Freedom for the first time in October 2024. We invited some friends, first time cruisers, and we are worry if it would be a good cruise for them. What do you think? Any recommendations?
@@venezuelaentexas3456 I think you will really like Freedom. It is more updated than Liberty right now and I think, it is a good ship for first time cruisers. While there’s a lot of marketing going on for big ships, many people don’t like them and find them overwhelming. Freedom of the seas is a perfect midsize ship between the smallest classes and the huge mega ships. So your friends will be able to sample most of the things that cruise ships have available and then decide if they would like to have a bigger mega ship experience or a smaller quiet cruise. We find that we like all class ships depending on a specific vacation we’re looking for at the time.
I'm sure you'll love it! Our Icon cruise was absolutely amazing and I did another video on 9 best improvements that we saw on this ship - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zjpJqsZFOs8.html. The water park was one of them. You really don't have to get off the ship to have something to do all week. This specific video was just to be objective and show some of the things that we thought weren't as good and many people have commented since it came out that they noticed them too. Overall, though, it's a great ship!
We got ocean view. It doesn’t seem to bad because a regular balcony has bugs and dust on the chairs and tables while when the chairs are indoors it’s not dusty and there are no bugs
New is always good BUT not at double the price ! I would bet that experienced Cruisers like us would rather book the Oasis Allure etc instead of the over hyped ICON. If as a New Cruiser you want to show off ( “ I took newest ship “) go for it, let them rip you off !
My wife and I are diamond plus we loved the icon that’s for sure and I understand they’re gonna put the price up to try to help pay for the ship however they are gouging us. For instance, we went on the wonder of the seas we went to Cocoa.Cay we purchased a floating cabana for $1600 during the sailing. The floating cabanas were $3800. When the cruise was close they dropped the price a little bit because they were not selling the floating cabanas at 3800. They were trying to make every penny, could, so therefore, I feel obligated to search around other cruise lines to see if we can find a better deal!
That's what we experienced too. We've been loyal to Royal for the last 15 years but with Icon, not only the cruise was more expensive, everything else was more too. We're still going to cruise with RCCL but will stick to Oasis class for now.
My wife and I have sailed on all of the oasis class ships and I must say we love the icon we get unlimited dining package every time we sell . We had absolutely zero problems setting up reservations. the morning We boarded at any of the specialty venues we love infinity veranda. We would love to get back one icon however the prices are just out of control. we’re going to try Celebrity for a change.
That's good to hear that you didn't have problems with dining reservations. Hopefully, they fixed it since our cruise. I'm trying out Celebrity in a few months too. It's nice to have our Diamond status carry over there!
So, no. We are done with Royal till the prices improve. Example. We were booking for spring ‘25 in the Caribbean. A week on Oasis of the seas in an ocean view balcony was coming out more than we paid for a Jr Suite on Symphony in 2023. I looked at Princess and I have booked a Mini Suite on the NEW Sun Princess, with the all inclusive premium package, for the SAME price as the 15 year old Oasis of the seas for just the cabin. Similar itinerary at the same time. I get Icon prices but their whole fleet prices have gone nuts. Royal are a mid class cruise line and are charging premium tier line prices. It bothers me that people are letting them get away with it. Especially when you get much more for less elsewhere.
@@Fletch360PS Thank you so much!! 😊 I’m still learning all this so it’s so nice to hear kind words. I’m with you on the pricing. We have been cruising almost exclusively on Royal for the last 10 years but now, we already have 2 cruises booked on other cruise lines. My very first cruise was on Princess and I’m hearing a lot of good things about it. I’ll be looking into it soon again.
@@CruisingKat Yeah, We've been Loyal to Royal for years. This year we had our first cruise on Princess (we loved Enchanted Princess). We are trying out Virgin in a few months, and Already booked Sun Princess, as I said, for next Spring. All are far better value for money, currently, than anything Royal could offer. Even with any onboard credit and loyalty that we've accrued on Royal. It's a shame. I do miss sitting in central park with a cocktail :)
I agree. The original price is way too much. I've heard that some people are seeing occasional $25 "sale" prices, which is a lot more in line with what it should cost.
Oasis class is still my favorite. They did a lot of stupid things when they made this ship to turn me off: 1)the infinite "balcony" rooms that are just oversized windows and shuts off your a/c when it's down. 2) taking away the boardwalk and turning it into a kid's playground and relocating the aqua show with less seating. 3) less storage space in the cabins. Baskets in open spaces instead of drawers, less closet space too. 4) the set up of the junior suites. If you open up the sofa bed, it's right on top of the regular bed facing the outside. Less walking space compared to the same room on Oasis class ships. 5) no inside separate adults only solarium; the Icon just has a smaller outdoor area in the bad of the ship, not enclosed 6) the entrance and exit to the teen club is right in Playmakers
Not worth .. An example of my experience is that with 90 dollars i ate at the new otani hotel excluse restaurant in tokyo for that money they gave me like 6 diferent dishes with wagyu a5 meat!! (Most expensive meat of the world ) and wine... My experience took me 1 hour... We not talk about Japan that is an experience itself. Another thing is that with that money you can book an exclusive suite in a hot spring hotel for that money with private baths.. For me it s not worth
Now i know why rich people buy superyachts!!! The royal suite is a scam 😂😂you can buy a yacht with your friends and enjoy it 4 years if you pay 70k for 2, 3 weeks.. Imagine 10 people that puts 70k each its 700k a good superyach for have fun😂😂
Celebrity introduced ocean-going infinite verandas years before Icon of the Seas so I guess parent company Royal Caribbean must have gotten some good feedback to make the decision to include some on Icon. Anyway, I sailed on Celebrity Apex in the Norwegian Fjords and I was very happy to have the infinite veranda because it was COLD and I got to sit at a floor to ceiling window and watch the incredible beauty of the Fjords without freezing! That said, I went on Celebrity Beyond in the Caribbean and booked one of the 20 or so "porthole veranda" cabins instead of the IV. Some have an obstruction but if you book early enough you can get one that is not obstructed and you get a "real" outdoor balcony. It's like the cove balconies you see on other cruise lines so it's not windy and not full sun. It's a good alternative unless you wish to sunbathe on your balcony, then you'll need to find another ship 😉
Thank you for that comparison. I think I would have enjoyed the infinite veranda on our Alaska cruise too. One difference that they made was to get rid of the hard partitions that Celebrity has and just add a curtain, which does absolutely nothing for either sound or heat. I think Celebrity infinite veranda design is much better.
Royal needs a ship for adults only. It would be maxed out every sailing. Not the swingers kind. Kids are 💩 ing and peeing in the hot tubs, pools. Running unsupervised even in the main dining room
Children usually have a bed time so I would think it gets quiet at an earlier time than a cabin near the theater venues or adult dining and dance areas.
Yes! That would absolutely be the case and a great reason to avoid being near, underneath or above those areas. While my kids were raised on a rather strict bed time schedule, many others don't follow that parenting style so you can still have little kids playing in that area at 10 - 11 pm (when my kids would have been asleep a long time ago.) Granted, it's a lot quieter than during the day when Surfside is a very loud playground. So the point is, if you like peace and quiet (like we do), learn which area to avoid so you can enjoy your time on the ship. If loud noise environment is your thing, then none of those areas would bother you. 🙂
Great video! I won't need to worry about his for a few years. The Icon is priced tooooooo high, and we don't plan on it for several years. We are pretty much Loyal to Royal. Completing about four cruises a year. If I were to book the Icon, we would get one cruise a year, to the same ports as four. We are currently working on completing the Oaises class ships. 😅😅😅😅😅😅
I’m with you on that one! While we loved this Icon cruise, we wouldn’t consider it for “regular” cruising. We loved Freedom class for a long time, but Icon spoiled us. 😂 After going on Freedom class 4 times last year and then Icon, it was such a huge difference that we decided to upgrade to Oasis class for most of our cruises. Good middle ground, still affordable and a great class of ships! Looking forward to Utopia in August 😄
I agree. From what I'm hearing, they are sailing with more people than our cruise was. The staff was telling us that they kept it lower for the first month while they are working out the kinks. It didn't feel crowded at all, which is the opposite of what I'm hearing a lot now from people sailing in the last couple of months. Summertime will probably be even more packed.
That's correct! We wanted to experience the excitement of the inaugural cruise and were actually able to save by finding a great deal, but either way, it was more expensive than any cruise we've ever taken.
Thank you, Katerina! I like your videos. Very useful information. I can't walk around the ship much and I really like to sit on the balcony and look at the ocean. Your advice can help you make the right choice of a cabin for people with disabilities who can spend more time in the cabin and at the same time breathe the sea air.
Thank you! That's a very good point. While many people like interior rooms because they only spend short time in them, many others rely on the convenience of not having to go far to enjoy fresh air.
What if I wanted to open that window and the door to the room to allow for a breeze on a hot day? I mean would a alarm go off if I leave the room door open? I ment the the room with the balcony built in to it.
@@strata8383 , no there wouldn’t be any alarms going off. However, we found that opening both the balcony and the door to the hallway creates a strong wind tunnel. Meaning, things come flying, curtains blowing, etc. This is the same with the regular balcony too.
I have only ever cruised with Celebrity. I don't see that changing. Very reasonable prices, especially compared to Royal Caribbean. There is only so much you need on a cruise ship. Why pay double for stuff you will never have time to use. I mostly cruise for the ports of call one gets to visit anyway. The amenities of the ship are secondary for me.
I’m with you guys. Much prefer a “real” balcony than the infinite veranda. One other point… People say you get an “unobstructed” view of the ocean with the infinite veranda. I say that with two walls - one on either side - I see it as a totally “obstructed” view cabin vs the balcony. Thanks for your great review.
@@CruisingKat I do get your point about “the neighbors” too. But I’m still going with the additional forward and aft views without having to hang out the window… 😁
REASON NUMBER ONE TO STAY AWAY.... THE PRICES FOR THE CRUISES ARE OFF THE HOOK EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Infinite balcony staterooms were introduced on Celebrity's newest ships.
I just came off ICOn and it was ICONIC!! OMG so Awesome..from my room to the food and impeccable service....Im been on numerous ships which I had a good cruise to a bad cruise..Nothing compares to the ICON!!! CANT wait to try UTOPIA OF THE SEAS!!!
I agree! Even though the purpose of this video was to point out some things we didn't like on the cruise (just to be objective), it was still the best cruise we've ever taken. I did another video going over the 9 biggest improvements on Icon that I think took it to the next level - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zjpJqsZFOs8.html. We're looking forward to Utopia too!
If you don’t want to cruise with a lot of children, sail with Virgin, Cunard, Holland, Viking, Ritz Carlton, Regent Seven Seas. Why would you sail on a ship built for families and complain about kids being on it?!?! That’s like buying a motorcycle and confused as to why you got wet while riding in a rain storm.
I actually don’t mind having a lot of kids on a ship, but many people do so it’s an important factor to consider. With that said, the surface neighborhood cabins are positioned around the kids splash area and playground. Again, it may not be a big deal for some people, but I wouldn’t want to pay this much for a balcony cabin and spend a week listening to the playground sounds instead of the ocean. Just trying to highlight things to think about.
Oh the boat sailed only 2/3 full! This is a critical fact you revealed in the middle of the video. Everything good you said must be significantly discounted. At a certain level crowds become unbearable, and that level might be just a little higher than the number they allowed on the inaugural cruise.
Yes, I agree. It appears that many people are experiencing more crowds now and many are commenting about too many kids on the ship (which we didn’t have many of on our cruise).
I am going on the Icon of the seas next week and I have notice the cruise date the cheaper it would be due to it been random slots throughout the day. I was able to book it for $24 last week but my kids booked it in advance for $45.
@@adnelghotgirl , interesting, thank you for letting me know. Hopefully they experiment with prices and bring them down some. It’s a great experience though. Enjoy!
It depends on the season and the cabin. In off-season (I just checked February 2025), interior cabins are $225 per day per person and balconies start at $285. But in summer time, yes, its $400+ per day. Very expensive!
@@omgitsmatt3mdm117 I thought so too! I was pretty shocked when we logged it to download our photos and saw that we had to pay $25 for each photo. While having the video is nice, they could have included the photo that they ask you to pose for 😂
Thank you for watching. 🙂 You are correct, I chose this cabin and I'm glad I got to try it out. The goal of the video is not really to complain but to go over some points on a brand new ship to help others make a choice that will work best for them.
@@CruisingKat Another benefit of Windstar is that the cruise line does not believe in sea days. On MOST seven day cruises, you stop at six ports. I am just a lowly budget cruiser who scours for deals all over the internet so Windstar is a little out of my price range. (G)
