In this episode of Cruise Radio, Doug Parker and staff writer Richard Simms discussed the latest cruise news, including a Royal Caribbean incident, ship inaugural changes, a port lawsuit, and a free cruise being offered to rate the casino on the new Princess ship.
Guest Kevin reviews his three-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, detailing his family’s experience from dining to entertainment and excursions in Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
| This episode is brought to you by TripInsurance.com, giving you three levels of travel protection — Good, Better, and Best — a travel insurance policy for every budget. |
| Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or where you listen to your favorite podcast. |
Timestamps:
- Disturbing incident on Symphony of the Seas (00:01:16) Discussion of a disturbing incident involving a stateroom attendant on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas.
- Inaugural sailing changes (00:03:09) Information about changes to the inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas.
- Lawsuit over donkey incident (00:04:40) A humorous discussion about a lawsuit involving a donkey incident at a cruise port.
- Limitation on cruise passengers in Bar Harbor (00:06:59) Details about a limitation on cruise passengers in Bar Harbor, Maine, and its potential impact.
- Richard Branson’s surprise announcement (00:09:01) Discussion of Sir Richard Branson’s surprise announcement of free cruises on the Resilient Lady for passengers on a Delta Airlines flight.
- Sun Princess casino promotion (00:10:29) Information about a promotion by Casino.org offering a free cruise on the Sun Princess to review the ship’s casino.
- Charter cruise pricing (00:12:35) Insights into the costs of chartering a cruise ship, including pricing examples for different cruise ships.
- Cruise review of Allure of the Seas (00:17:21) A cruise review of Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, including pre-cruise thoughts, embarkation process, and boarding experience.
- These are the timestamps and topics covered in the podcast episode transcription segment.
- First Impressions (00:19:45) Discusses the ship’s appearance and lack of COVID protocols.
- Room Choice (00:20:36) Their choice of a balcony room and its features.
- Dining Experience (00:21:30) Discuss the Windjammer buffet and alternative dining options.
- Dynamic Pricing (00:23:01) Explains how dynamic pricing works on Royal Caribbean cruises.
- Main Dining Room Experience (00:24:19) Speaker 6 shares their experience with early dining and the service quality.
- Entertainment (00:26:16) The ship’s entertainment options and weather-dependent shows.
- Port Activities (00:31:00) Describes their pirate ship excursion in Nassau.
- Perfect Day at Cococay (00:33:10) Speaker 6 shares their experience at Oasis Lagoon and discusses budget-friendly activities on the island.
- Wi-Fi Experience (00:36:25) Comparison of Wi-Fi experience on the ship and on the island.
- Disembarkation (00:36:58) The process of leaving the ship at the end of the cruise.
- Disembarkation process (00:37:03) Kevin describes the easy disembarkation process, collecting bags, and using facial recognition.
- First-time tips for sailing Allure of the Seas (00:37:44) Kevin offers tips for first-time cruisers on Allure of the Seas, including entertainment reservations and planning.
- Family highlights on the cruise (00:39:11) Kevin shares the joy of his son during the pirate adventure and beach day.
- Carousel and zip line (00:39:53) Kevin discusses the free carousel and potential fees for the zip line on the ship.
- Kevin’s son’s cruise experience (00:40:40) Kevin mentions his son’s extensive cruise experience at a young age.
- Final thoughts on Allure of the Seas (00:41:19) Kevin recommends the ship and discusses its future location after leaving Port Canaveral.
