I will write this story and plan to publish it on Monday morning. That’s when we will be bouncing along on the 5 in a van on our way to the Royal Caribbean Terminal in San Pedro. That ride should take about two hours, so we should get there by about 11am, right on time for our special early boarding privilege (we apparently bought some package for preferential boarding and full internet usage that allows us to embark a few hours earlier than our middle-of-the road accommodations otherwise would have allowed). Kim and I are used to traveling on Viking, whee every room has a balcony and there are no casinos, no kids and no inside rooms. None of those are absent on Royal Caribbean, so there is going to be an adjustment to our regular cruise mentality. I have booked two rooms next to one another and one of them is set up to accommodate my daughter Carolyn and her family of four. We both have balcony rooms and we will be on level 9 of this 16-level behemoth called Quantum of the Seas. It accommodates 4,900 passengers, which is approximately 5-6X what we are used to on a Viking ocean cruise. There are an added 1,500 staff to serve us, but that service ratio 3.27:1 compares to Viking’s 2:1. It’s only a four-day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico, with a stop on day 2 in Catalina, so I’m sure it will be just fine.
It just so happened that last night Kim and I stumbled on a Kelsey Grammer movie about a father and daughter who inadvertently end up on a Royal Caribbean Jamaica cruise for 10 days. While it was a different Royal Caribbean ship (I believe it was Harmony of the Seas, which is classed as one of their mega-ships which is 25% larger than Quantum), we were able to get an interesting sense of what life aboard one of the Royal Caribbean liners is all about. It is certainly a very different look and feel than a Viking ship. I would liken it like the difference between going to the LaJolla Playhouse for a refined play versus going to a 70mm IMAX theater on Hollywood Blvd. To see an action movie. Both are interesting and can be fun, but they are very different experiences. One big difference is that there are far more purchasable upgrade options on Royal Caribbean…everything from food and beverage to activities. Viking has several alternative specialty restaurants to allow you to venture beyond the regular dining room and buffet options, but they are more about availability than cost. On Royal Caribbean there are apparently far more alternatives, but they all cost extra. The strangest difference for me came in the beverage packages. I am used to the alcohol packages (which Kim and I refrain from), but on Royal Caribbean we have chosen to purchase a beverage packages to enable us to get sodas, smoothies and specialty coffees (though Carolyn tells me there is still a likely upgrade cost for certain high-end coffee choices). We have decided that on the first day, after sampling the welcome aboard luncheon, we will wander around and look at the other dining venues and menus and decide if we want to try for any upgrades during our four evenings. We will also determine where we are likely to want to do breakfast and lunch, or at least what venues we will want to try out. On Viking the World Cafe is so reliably good that it is never a bad choice. We’ll see what works best on Royal Caribbean.
As for activities, Viking has a few classes, lectures and games on offer, but it is intentionally not overwhelming. Royal Caribbean is far more like going to a theme park or to the circus from what I can tell. There is a FlowRider wave pool to practice your surfing. There is the North Star observation pod that lifts you up over the ship for a panoramic view of the ocean (I’m not sure how much that adds over being up 16 stories above the water already). IF that’s not daring enough they have an iFly RipCord experience that is not unlike the sky diving experience we took the family on last summer. It also looks like there is a kids arcade that has a bumper car ride. There is a rock climbing wall which I will observe, but not partake of. Starting from the top down, the 16th level has the fitness center, which I hope to make use of every morning. The 15th level has the running/walking track that gets you a mile in 2.3 laps, as well as the whole spa complex (which I plan to avoid like the plague since I never find the value very compelling…I guess I’m a stretch-snob by this point). The 14th level seems to be where most of the pools and spas are located. I will have a suit with me, but I seriously doubt I will be swimming…I’ve never found that to be a compelling activity onboard any ship. Then there are shops and cafes and something called Coca-cola Stations at various places on the ship, which I’m sure we will wander through over and over. I know from Viking that you end up finding the spots where you can never seem to get a chair or lounge (people tend to get very possessive of these and secure their favorites for the entire day) and other little nooks and out-of-the-way crannies where you can sit and relax and watch the circus go by.
We have the first day, which I will call our acclimation day. Day One is a sea day, presumably wandering around in the ocean west of Los Angeles. That will be the say when all the tricks will get tried and favorite spots established. Day Two is our Catalina day. Kim and I know Catalina well and just went to Avalon earlier this year with some neighbors, so this time we booked the longer buffalo tour into the Catalina hinterlands. I’m sure we will all be glad to get back to ship after that one. Day Three will be docked in Ensenada and be the first trip to Mexico for the Granddaughters. We have booked an open-top bus tour of Ensenada, so I’m sure we will get all the Mexican coastal town vibe in spades, which should be good fun and good preparation for our big Mexican Fiesta party next month. We have a last night on the ship and then we dock on the morning of Day Four back in San Pedro and catch the booked van back home before noon. Phew! I will report what the floating circus is like after we have lived the life for a day or two. Wish me luck.