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Having been on Symphony's Maiden voyage I got to try Hooked restaurant, we had this booked up for day 5 of the cruise at 8pm. the restaurant was fairly busy but we were seated in good time and met the waiter Robert who was outstanding. I've attached some images for you all to drool over. Main Menu^ These were a sort of pre starter, very hard to explain what they are but it was like breadcrumb / cheese straw but in a cluster .... whatever they were they were scrumptious take a look at the oyster shooters! Calamari which was not rubbery in the slightest Muscles in a white wine sauce, one gripe was that the pot was a little too deep to get the remaining sauce out but I got there in the end Shrimp Coktail, pretty standard really but my father in Law ate it all! Clam Chowder ... faultless Captains platter which is a lobster tail, this fell straight out the shell, shrimps and a whole filler of cod which was one of the best meals ive had on a ship my fiancé grace had the roll , she admitted she ordered wrong but the flavour was still amazing now for the Sides! the mac and cheese was to die for! we got 2 portions, fries and corn on the cob were all fantastic another picture of my half eaten captains platter one of the shooters, certainly an experience to be had if you have the drinks package we didn't have much room for desert but here they are well and truly HOOKED for hooked overall as I've heard a few say the menu could have some improvements I guess but its very early doors for Hooked but I can certainly see it being a hit on other ships in the future. would I go back Most Defiantly

I was on the maiden voyage and loved the ship and itinery. I took a royal caribbean coach into Marseille and that was $18 per person with coaches going every half hour so that was great. As for the ship, We loved hooked. they do special shooters with an oyster in which is certainly a new experience. the food quality was amazing, our server Robert really was exceptional. ive attached some images of the food for you to all enjoy

Thank you for the heads up. It's ok, I already know that if I book something, it's not going to be the same as Royal Suite Class on Oasis/Quantum ships. I probably wouldn't even book a suite on Voyager class but it's kind of last minute and it's either oceanview or suite...so you know where that leaves me ?

I can't post a reaction as @Matt has scolded me from yesterday! Has anyone been scolded for 2 days straight? I'm feeling like I need a time out! LOL

Buying the drink package in advance allowed me to not even think about the money I was or was not spending. In the past without a drink package, was was constantly tracking my expenditures which completely changes my relaxation level and I wasn't willing to try new drinks. With the drink package, I was free to try any drink they could make without worry. If I didn't like it, I just got another one. Between the bottled waters, sodas, specialty coffee and alcohol, I was free to enjoy my trip knowing it was all covered.

I'll simply say the fault lays with RC for not enforcing the rules more effectively. Say what you will about people's fashion choices, at the end of the day, I think it's up to RC to set the tone for what is and what is not acceptable dress in the MDR.

You will have to call Royal Caribbean for that, these pages and discussion threads are opened and supported by Royal Caribbean enthusiast, the blog has no control over what Royal does or doesn't do. Well, @Matt might, but none of the rest of us do...

Living at the beach as we do, in a resort area, NOBODY dresses up to go to dinner. I think I"m usually the most dressed! Beautiful restaurants and shorts and tank tops. Men don't even remove their baseball hats which drives me crazy! I no longer can wear heels so a complete formal with gown is out for me but there should be respect for the dining venue. On the other side of the coin, the way people dress is not going to make me have less of a great time, to each their own.

Yes, all GS and higher receive complimentary in-suite room service from the MDR during normal MDR operating hours. I can't answer about Luggage Valet in Miami. We cruised out of Miami in December of 16 and they did not offer it but things may have changed. That was during the time when most ALL of the cruise ports had a lapse in the availability of LV. I will warn you about the Concierge service in Miami. Unless things have changed, the amenity of having your Concierge escort you off the ship is completely non-existent in Miami. We had a lovely suite Concierge who was very helpful during the entire cruise...but when it came time for disembark, she escorted all of the suite guests down from the Concierge Lounge and dumped us at the end of the elevator ride to the tail end an ENORMOUS line going into the terminal to get to our luggage off of the carousel and heading in to Customs. It seems that, at least back then, the Concierge was not permitted to leave the ship. This was a Port of Miami rule and had nothing to do with the Concierge. There was no special line for the Suite guests and it was a complete MESS. The WORST disembark I have ever had from a Royal Caribbean ship. I'm HOPING that with the new terminal they will change all of this so that the Suites Concierge can take the suite guests all the way to a priority Customs line like they do at all other ports (at least, all other ports that I've cruised from). I will NOT sail out of Miami until this process is fixed.

According to our friend at RC, yes, we can order from MDR, actually was told I can from MDR etc on Grandeur? You have something up your sleeve don't you? ?

I was on Harmony in March and also thought it was the most casual cruise we've been on...especially the couple in a Phillies shirt and shorts on Formal nights. As this is the most expensive cruise we've ever taken, I was a bit surprised. I think it is the way RC labels the dress code. There were 2 formal nights and the other nights were labeled as "Casual". If you were off a ship and someone said the dress for dinner was "Casual" wouldn't you think it was nice shorts or jeans, polo shirt or button down shirt for men, etc. We routinely go to expensive restaurants where people dress like this on land so why wouldn't they on a cruise ship. Even RC doesn't suggest Smart Casual any nights so I can't blame the people for not dressing up to a smart casual look. To me, I think the way of the world is changing. As a society we have become more casual whether at work, church or on a cruise ship. Now do people take it too far...absolutely... take the baseball shirts on formal nights.

Thinking about it, combine the two. Call it Hooked and Chopped maybe Chops and Hooks. Sure the two menus could coexist.

I'm in NO way disagreeing with you as you are entited to your opinion, as i stated in a post yesterday it's RC that makes the rules not the guests and as you yourself mentioned it's a suggested dress code not compulsory , HOWEVER you must realise that times change, you wont get a cruise like you used to nowadays! the days of the Love Boat style cruise are gone, not because of the passengers but because of RC. Cruising used to be about doing very little except sit outside in the sun and read, then get dressed up to the nines for evening meals. RC and all other cruiselines have made cruising more open for less affluent families meaning it's not just the snobs who get to cruise now. This means familes with children , young couples on honeymoon or family groups who are celebrating a special occasion can experience visiting new places that previously were maybe outwith their budget, Cruiseline companies have realised that their Love Boat style guest will in time vanish, so they have been opened up to a new breed of cruiser because it's a business and they need to make money. By doing this they have had to change how ships are to keep these new cruisers coming back, that means ships have had to change to accomadate these HORDES ( your words) , Waterslides, Broadway shows, ice rinks to name a few have been included to cater for these new cruisers ( who may be teachers, nurses or even doctors). would you want all of these attractions introduced removed as well, to return to the good old days of cruising? We should never judge a book by it's cover, like wise we should never judge someone by how they dress

Segregation wow, I guess you are old school. That’s not a cruise I would like to be a part of.

You are always looking for trouble...

This is interesting, I noticed this months ago already that the Spa Jr. Suite option was gone. And I was checking for fares beyond your October 2018 sail date. I just thought it might be due to the re-categorization that is due to happen next month but now after reading all of this I'm not sure anymore. Regarding the price checking, you can still price check and get re-priced even if your category is gone. I have done it many times before. Basically, if I book a suite and notice that the other suite prices have dropped, I call and see if mine dropped. More times than not, it has as well. The same applies to if you booked a balcony and your exact category is gone, if others have dropped then call. The most recent example is the TL that I booked for March 2019. There's only 2 of those on board. I grabbed the last one, however, I have already had it re-priced twice now saving an additional $500 since booking using that strategy.

First of all congratulations for the anniversary. I see that most of your questions already been answered , The BOGO package was very successful for us as we booked exactly the restaurants we wanted (Wonderland and Hooked) so we paid 40 $ each which otherwise would cost us almost 96 $ each. (Wonderland 53.90 and Hooked 42.90) so it can be a big saving , the only issue is that you need to use the restaurants in the first two nights but its good. If you booked it , once you board the ship go to one of the special restaurants (the best will be to go to central park on floor 8 which has many of the special restaurants) and ask them to book you the one you wants. For the Napoli shore excursions , I tend to agree with other people comments , its going to be very hard to do it and July its going to be very hot and humid in Napoli , The Ruins of Herculaneum can be a good option as it quite short and will leave you time to do other things (The ship is there between 8 am to 7:30 PM so you gave almost 12 hours) . Another option if you really want to see Pompii is maybe Taste of Sorento and Pompii is the one for you. Please note , most of the archaeological items that was found in Pompii is actually presented in a Nappoli Museum . Another option for Pompii will be to take go first thing on the morning to Pompii before it will become too hot (with a private tour or ship transfer 31 $) and add to it later something else. I would not take a tour from the ship just for Pompii as they will waste your time on some ceramic factory near the Pompii gates. Capri , Sotento and Pompii is a crazy route which I would avoid , its good just to say I have been to this places as you will not have much time to enjoy them ... Regarding Marseille , you have an option to take a bus from the port to the old port were you can spend easily few hours , the bus cost is 18 $ both way (you can pay at the ship) another option is to go to Casis with very nice view in the way. By the way this week you have 15- 25% dicsount on most of the excursions in the cruise planner . For the internet package, I took the faster one but it depends what you want to do , if it is just emails and whats up + surfing the internet the lower package will do , if you want to watch YouTube and Netflix you need the stream one. Enjoy your cruise

Thank you for your answers :-)

If you do that, you must send me a pic of the liner notes! ?

Please indulge me! We are on Grandeur of the Seas on May 5th in a Grand Suite. Now, to give some background, I was a TA and in the hotel business for 20 years. Back then cruise lines gave you a discounted rate of $25.00 per person per day (yes that's right! ) HOWEVER, you weren't confirmed till 10 days out and you always got the dregs of cabins. I never knew what a port hole looked like other than sneaking peeks into a cabin door that might have been open! and of course back then (oh my, I think I'm dating myself!) there were no such things as Balconies! This is my husbands first cruise and we are so excited to able to share this NEW experience together now that it's a reality. I started out with a shorter cruise on a smaller ship close to home for his first cruise (mobility issues taking into account too). I saw our exact cabin on another website and it's beautiful! Hubby is super excited about sail away and has some questions so hoping @WAAAYTOOO or @coneyraven or any others that have sailed out of Baltimore, how long after Sailaway do we go under the Bay Bridge? And how long till we go over the Chesapeake Tunnel Bridge? He wants to be able to see both. We've been checked in since day 90, luggage tags are printed and in their holders (thank you Bloggers for the tip from Amazon!), magnets are here, Norovirus wipes all set too, Set Sail Pass printed, unlimited drink package, 2 Voom's Chops for dinner 2nd night out. We are really only in Bermuda for about 25 hours so planning on taking ferry to Hamilton when we dock and next day on RC Mini bus tour excursion) (We are going back to Bermuda in September so figured this is a good way to determine what we want to do then). Am I missing anything? Do you think they will do something for Cinco de Mayo?? Thank you all of you who have put up with my stupid questions all these months! (and I still don't get that Voom thing! LMAO!) This Blog has been the best and I feel like I'm friends with so many now. Thank you @Matt for all you do! Lorraine

This is what the letter looks like. It was delivered by the stateroom attendant. This was for Harmony but I imagine that the Allure one would be very similar.

Found this again, this should put you in the mood...

Thank you all for all of your comments and helpful information. It seems Ive been a bad girl and can't put anymore reactions last night or today. LMAO

I can't wait - we have never been on Allure so looking forward to it!

great photos I could eat seafood for every meal was it one price for all like chops or ala carte oh by the way I believe those to be royals version of cheddar bay bites (biscuits)

I haven't finished reading your whole blog yet...just had to make a couple comments before I forget them... The captain driving the boat "like a bat out of hell" made me laugh, lol, not sure why, it was just funny. That yacht...omg I'll take one! And finally, if I'm ever in another band, one of our albums will be titled " Cows on the Beach", and I'll add your name in the thank yous ?. Now, back to reading the rest of the blog.

I am very happy for you. I will be on Grandeur in June.

Straight from the horses mouth, "In an attempt that Royal Caribbean is trying to force all bookings to be nonrefundable, they have implimented this so-called website glitch, but failed to notify their customer service team of it, so as to not look so stupid when a perspective booking calls." Well folks, there you have it. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard it directly from within Royal Caribbean. IF this is not true, you must ask yourself, why hasn't Royal Caribbean fixed this issue AND their website, going on all this time? Makes me think that Royal is playing foul!! SILLY ROYAL, TRICKS ARE FOR SINKED SHIPS!! ?????

March 23, 2019 celebrating our 40th Anniversary on Western Caribbean Cruise. Symphony of the Seas. This will be our first cruise!! Accompanying us are my daughter and son in law, sister and brother in law. They are both celebrating 20th Anniversary. It is our Anniversary extravaganza

Yes we have an owners suite. First suite& first cruise on Oasis class ship so lots to learn. Very excited! Thanks everyone?

I saw this on the news and thought oh great... I'm flying Southwest 6 times over the next 30 days.

We're on Grandeur in exactly one year! I can't wait!!

Wow, I need to update. All three on Freedom. 7 night Southern Caribbean out of San Juan Sept 29, 2018 with my son Dec 09, 2018 with my wife Dec 29, 2019 Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise

Just to let those who responded know I cleared everything out and tried a different browser and still couldn't get in so I finally said "forgot password" and for the third time created another password and bingo I was in. To my surprise they changed the website again since my last visit. I'm not sure when this second change was done because I haven't been on for awhile. This was the third change since I booked, but I think the answer is to change your password if you have a problem logging on. Again thanks for the quick response to my question I really appreciated your help.

https://cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/Grandeur-of-the-Seas Toggle the room category and it list the perks.

Attached list from another web site CRUISIN_CruiseMusicPlaylist.pdf

I am going to do this tour in November!

I look at this similary to sharing the drink package. If an area is for suite guests only than imo you would be taking up space and potentially views of those that paid for that experience. Others may disagree just my two cents

Thank you so much for such a beautiful blog! My husband and I took our first cruise ever last fall on Serenade (to New England and Canada), and loved it. So we recently booked Serenade to Bermuda this fall! Your pictures got me even more excited to return to her. <3

Ugh, I hope your son's girlfriend gets better soon, that's just no way to spend the time right after a relaxing vacation! It's probably just the fact that we have so many folks here sailing on her and live blogging it, but it seems like Anthem has been getting hit with this more than any other ship I've seen reports of over the last several months. I seem to remember @J_Keeble reporting an outbreak that happened right before his trip (November last year?), leading to extra-heavy cleaning and precautions on his sailing. And I think either @twangster or @iamjohnbamber also reported an outbreak on one of their sailings before / after @J_Keeble, or maybe again was the week before their trips. Then again, @Lovetocruise2002 had no issues on her really recent sailing, so it's most likely (bad) luck of the draw. But I'm definitely going to be extra-careful when my wife and I sail her in October!

Day4 Today port was La Spezia. We slept late today until 8:30 am as we have not booked any tour.From all our stops in Italy La Spezia is my favorite one as it’s a nice small city which you can tour around without any issues. To go to the port gate, you must take a shuttle bus as ship passengers are not allowed to walk inside the port. Las Spezia is also the gate to Pisa (45 minutes ride) and Florence (90 minutes ride) .If you never been to Florence I would highly recommend to take a tour to this renascence city with many amazing sites to visit.Pisa on the other hand have only one attraction, and yes it is the leaning tower of Pisa , you come , you take the photo (with thousands of other people) you pose as if you support the tower and create a face book picture exactly like million people before you ? So I would go to Pisa only on the way to Florence. Another excellent option would be visiting Cinque Terre , its actually villages that are built on the cliff , they are very colorful and best view from the sea side although visiting one of them over the land is very nice.You can always take the tour from the ship but if you want to save some money you can find some tours operator in the port (There are many vendors inside the port building).The train station is 15-20 minutes from the port. The best way to save money (for sure if you have 4 people in your group) will be to rent a car and drive were ever you want, for example you can drive to one of the small towns near by, park outside (parking available on the road side using parking tickets machines, make sure you bring enough euro coins) , please note some of the villages/towns are not allow cars inside. or even travel to Pisa (many parking near by). If you choose to rent a car please note , most of the cars that are offered in Italy (and in many other Europe countries) has manual transmission , the automatic one are the more luxurious cars. Car rental with insurance (automatic transmission) will cost around 100$ per day. There are several rental cars in the city , I think the nearest one is the Avis which is 15 minute walk from the shuttle dropped. I used this option last time I visit this port (We were group of four), I rented the car few month ahead, took the shuttle , walked to the renting facilities and picked the car (do not expect to see US car renting like facilities , its actually travel agency with cars parked on the street). Once I picked the car I returned to the port to pick the rest of the group, It was quite easy. For sure it will be helpful if you will have access to Waze or other navigating application. If you just want to stay around the town you can walk and enjoy the seaside some parks and local restaurants There are many shopping option around (usually small shops) , remember shops can be closed between 1:30 PM To 3 or 4 PM for siesta time. . There is also a mall in walking distance (1 mile from the shuttle drop). We walked in the city for a while and at the end we went to the mall to complete some of the must things in Italy : Eat a pizza, drink espresso, eat a pasta and eat authentic Italian ice cream. There were many shops which offered mid session discounts ,My spouse bought some shoes and some T-shirts while I went to the supermarket (the local Walmart) and bought some aged balsamic vinegar and wine. We eat a wired combo of pizza which come with soft drink and espresso then went back to the ship (walking). I love to be on the ship during port day , excellent time to relax and use the different facilities, its also a good option to take some pictures. For dinner, we choose this time the WJ. They had a lovely chocolate fountain, but I should have complained to someone that they located it in front of the window which facing the sun, it is bad for taking pictures, how inconsiderateness of them. Later we went to sea the new ice show 1877, we came 10 minutes before and found some front seat , I must say they excel themselves , it was amazing , the effects is something out of the world although the level of skating was less than other shows over the different ships , maybe they need to run it for a while. Here some pictures from the show , for better quality you will need to wait for @twangster Trans Atlantic cruise in October \ \ Some observations: Internet is fast all around the ship, We have only 5100 people on board which can explain how there are always tables available in the WJ (tip , try to go to the middle of the WJ) The break room is not available yet. The CD is Michelle , BB is on the ship but he is not doing the morning show or most of the activities . The ship looks really well maintained and not showing her age at all

Just when you think @twangster live blogs can't get any better he goes and adds time lapses to his arsenal. Awesome blog as usual. Thanks for doing that, I know it takes a lot of time and effort! This made me want to sail on a Radiance class ship.