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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/29/2020 in all areas

  1. MicDay

    It pays to listen

    By learning from these great people I just snagged a great deal!!! I already did final payment on our May 2020 Western Med cruise but still was checking prices and saw they had dropped. So I called, all RC could say is no. I got the best RC C & A rep, his name is Kenu. I went from a family interior to a GYT Suite (Some people here are a bad influence and YOLO) Yes, I paid the difference but since I listen to the wonderful people on this blog ( see above) I booked as soon as it opened so it was at a great price to start with. The price difference was $700 per stateroom (I know, it was a crazy good price, to me at least) So now we can try out a suite and see if it's worth they extra cost. Of course my husband is worried, he thinks once I try a suite I will never want to go back to a OV balcony (our typical room) Plus again taking the advice from here, I got two staterooms for us four (why we were in two family interior staterooms instead of a OV balcony) So our daughter and her boyfriend are also in a GYT Suite. I just had to share, I'm super excited. I can't wait to see where we land in terms of suites ( totally fine with a JR suite) Plus we get double C & A points!!
    9 points
  2. Today we were in Cozumel. There were 4 other ships with us at the International Pier, and I believe 2 more downtown. Empress was docked next to us and I wish I would have gotten a good picture, because that is quite the size disparity. It was very windy today and fairly chilly for Cozumel. All of the locals were wearing sweatshirts. First we went downtown to make a few must stops: COZ Coffee, Choclateria Isla Bella, and Sucré/Salé. All are in the same block, and are fabulous local places to frequent. After that we went to El Cozumeleño. Typically we would have gone to Nachi, but we thought we’d give Cozumeleño for Virginia since the pools are bigger. We got there a little later than we wanted, at around 10:45, but we were in port until 6:30 so we still had plenty of time. At check in, there was some confusion as to how many people we booked, even though it was clear on the paperwork I had, per instructions. All of us had to have our passports scanned, then they asked for the balance in cash or card, even though the paperwork clearly states no cash accepted. Then they kept one of our Drivers Licenses. There was very little information given, just a “pools are that way”. We went out to the pools and could not find any loungers. We finally found a couple of regular chairs over in a shaded area and snagged them. Soon the sun was covered by clouds, so there wasn’t a concern of sun or shade. The Gulf was very choppy, so no going into the ocean. Pool was cold, but that’s standard here. The facilities were clean, although there was a lack of a smoking area and it seemed like a RJ Reynolds convention must have been there as 70% were smoking all over the entire area. We sat for over an hour before we ever had a waiter come by and see if we wanted drinks, and any time we ordered, it took 20-30 minutes to get our drinks. The food at lunch was mostly “edible”. The American food looked very unappetizing. The Mexican food was not very good, the only decent items were the tacos, and the meat was well seasoned, but just a mix of chicken, beef, and pork all in one. The chips were stale and very thick. The guac was very bland and flavorless. The three of us went and ate first while my in-laws watched the table, and then we switched. When they went, they couldn’t find the guacamole and asked where it was and they were told that they shouldn’t be in the lunch area that they should have asked for guacamole from there waiter. All in all it was a pretty poor experience, and quite strange at that. Next time in Coz we will definitely be back at Nachi. We left the resort around 2:45 and headed back to the port to shop where Virginia got her hair braided. She’d been dying to have it done since she saw a couple of the girls do it on the Freedom GC. Back on board we relaxed for a bit and had Playmakers brought to the rooms for dinner so we could just relax. We had planned on eating it outside on the balcony, but it was too damn windy, so it was inside for us, and then watching the Aqua show from inside. (By the way, I think I’m at 4 buffalo chicken crunch rolls on the week. Probably my favorite item that I’ve eaten all week.) After dinner since we were still on the room, our state room attendant completed turndown service while we were in the living room, and then she had Virginia help her with the evening’s towel animals, which was very sweet. Tomorrow is a sea day as we steam back towards Miami way too quickly. No big plans for the day except a bridge tour after lunch.
    8 points
  3. DDemuth

    Too Much Free Time

    The Onion, about a year or two ago. Since then, the defenses around Coco Cay have been upgraded substantially and surveillance cameras on the helium balloon allow for much earlier detection of encroaching vessels.
    6 points
  4. Day 2: We woke up right before 10am just in time to have breakfast delivered. After breakfast, we went to the 2 for $20 t-shirt sale. I thought I pretty much had every shirt Royal offers, but to my surprise, I found a few new shirts. We spent some time in the arcade and grabbed Windjammer for lunch. I am a Starbucks addict, so I decided to try a latte from the espresso machine in the concierge lounge, and while it was definitely not Starbucks, but it was actually pretty good. In fact, I went back later for another one. We had hoped to take the kids to the pool today, but it was still too cool for us to want to swim, so we went to the arcade instead. The two older kids went to Adventure Ocean, while we did free play in the nursery with the babies. We had dinner in our suite. At which time, we realized how much of a drama queen our 7 year old is. She was eating on the balcony, when our son decided to do the same. She came back inside complaining that she needed her peace and quite and that she wants to enjoy relaxing to the sound of the waves in solitude. Talk about high maintenance! We dropped the babies off at the nursery and the kids at Adventure Ocean at 7pm and went to the concierge lounge. It was a lot less stuffy in there today, and the staff was very friendly as always. We also went to Next Cruise to inquire about a 7 day on Rhapsody. We have yet to go to Belize and have been wanting to check that block on our travel list. There was a pretty good deal on the Oceanview Suite (no balcony), but I was really surprised when he told us the next cruise OBC would only be $100. Although it is considered in the grand suite or above category for suite perks, it only gets the same next cruise credit of $100 that a balcony gets rather than the $300 that grand suite and above gets. He said this also applies to the Panoramic Oceanview Suites. If anyone else has booked either of these categories through next cruise, I would love to hear if you got the balcony/junior suite OBC or the grand suite OBC. We picked up the kids and went to the Windjammer for snacks. We have ate way too much and are telling ourselves that tomorrow we are going to eat way less, but I feel like that is probably not going to be the case.
    6 points
  5. Got this in my daily headlines from WaPo. This is written by a gent in his 60s who was on Diamond Princess but not diagnosed until he was on the flight home to the US. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/02/28/i-have-coronavirus-so-far-it-isnt-that-bad/ To summarize, apart from the high fever he said this is not even close to the worst he’s ever been sick. It’s been a lot of Gatorade and some Advil when the fever went back over 100, and lots of poking and prodding while he’s been taking voluntary part in efforts to find a treatment for the virus. But at no time did he feel like he was at death’s door or even in particular danger.
    5 points
  6. Pima1988

    Formal Night

    Formal nights are called dress your best. It really is up to you. I have noticed over the course of my cruises that the 2nd formal night (lobster tails in the MDR) people dress up more, including myself. I also have seen many couples that use the 2nd formal night as the night to celebrate an anniversary or a wedding, hence another reason why it may appear more formal. We dress up and make it our special date night. We always get a balcony. Hubby gets ready 1st. He than takes his Bourbon and diet coke, and watches the sunset on the balcony. I close the curtains, and get ready. MY TIME to MYSELF. At the time we have agreed upon he knocks on the balcony door just like if he was picking me up for a date some 37 yrs ago. We than head for cocktails prior to dinner. OBTW, we never do pics. We have no desire to stand in line. We take selfies, we ask the waiter to take pics, etc. Fwiw, we also immediately after dinner go back to our room and change before going to the shows.
    5 points
  7. Last night we celebrated my FIL’s birthday with Izumi Hibachi and it was fantastic. Food was great, and Smitha had decorated the table with Happy Birthday confetti and had a cake for us after dinner in the restaurant, which was great. After dinner was back to the room and watching the Aqua80 show for the third or fourth time. Today we are in Cozumel.
    5 points
  8. deep1

    Too Much Free Time

    Satire... Somebody had a lot of free time on their hands to come up with this one... https://www.theonion.com/shelling-from-royal-caribbean-s-m-s-allure-sinks-car-1819580080?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=SF&utm_content=Main&fbclid=IwAR19Y5xcaFSHdyYXbB8Y4Iq6-gQOihm-_hpOYftzVtkbeV8W9wBX6u2p3yE
    4 points
  9. FManke

    MEI travel agents

    We only use them because they're good. If they sucked, you'd be on your own!
    4 points
  10. Matt

    MEI travel agents

    Thanks to everyone in this thread for supporting our sponsor. It really helps out this site!!
    4 points
  11. Matt

    MEI travel agents

    Using a good agent is not about booking things on your own. Anyone can book a cruise, it's not difficult. The true value of a good agent is saving you time. It frees you up to do something else, costs you nothing extra, and when there is a problem (like when RC messes up), my goodness, does it help!
    4 points
  12. Smurfy

    Double digits now!

    So excited for my first cruise! ? Sorry, I just had to get it out! ?
    3 points
  13. raahc

    Thank you everyone!

    Thank you all so much for helping me organize our cruise! We returned from Harmony last Sunday (Feb 16), and had a great time. We had a few bumps along the way, and the sea was quite rough for the first three days – just goes to show that you can’t predict a cruise by the weather/month of sailing! I’m experiencing vertigo (trying to get my land legs back) so still not feeling 100% (lasted two weeks last time). I’ll keep this short ... just wanted to give my appreciation to everyone who answered every little question I had, no matter how big, small or silly! Oh, and the best way to deal with post cruise depression? Book another cruise!
    3 points
  14. On Allure this Jan we needed to sign waivers for each activity. Super planner inside tip, you can't sign the waiver with a beer in your hand. I'm not sure how I know that....
    3 points
  15. Had you booked a refundable deposit cruise, you would have been able to make this change. The reason for the $100 PP change fee is b/c you booked a non-refundable cruise. That's the way they work.
    3 points
  16. Perhaps try Giovanni's for one night. Their Eggplant Parmesan IS. THE. BOMB! Having done ROS southbound this past July (2019), I would either do a 3 Night Dining (to get Izumi in the mix) or just one night in Giovanni's. And, I agree, the WJ is great, too. Having the UDP on ROS was too much. Don't bother with Samba. Meh to blah. We are going back to Alaska on Serenade of the Seas July 2021 and this is the strategy we will take next time. 3 Night Dining Package + Windjammer.
    3 points
  17. RickinSTL

    It pays to listen

    I know this board can be very influential on us.. That's why I have a suite booked on Freedom in September lol
    3 points
  18. Day of Boarding Hello! Writing this from our hotel room at the Kimpton Epic. We arrived at the hotel at around 9 pm last night. We had a wonderful dinner at the sushi restaurant Zuma. Right now we are packing up. We skipped breakfast, and we wanted to arrive at the port at 10 am, but there is a race near our hotel so the roads are closed for a while. Next update will probably be when we get to our room on the ship. Sooo excited!!? We have a great view from our hotel except the crane! I will try to get photos soon. I am new to blogging so please feel free to ask questions or give suggestions!
    3 points
  19. Dazzles, Central Park, Pool Deck and The Abyss
    3 points
  20. Twice, now, @monctonguy has referenced/quoted me, so I feel the need to say SOMETHING. I stand by everything I have said. Im not worried about this virus. Im going to go on about my life as I always have.... I control what I can, and worry about nothing I cant control. Hell, I barely worry about things I CAN control. Worrying doesnt solve problems...it creates them. Saying people should be more concerned about things they are more likely to die from isnt trivializing corona virus. I 100% believe people should be MORE concerned with other aspects of their health and everyday life than corona virus. Until the likelihood, the numbers of deaths, illnesses and avoidable accidents from the things society is blatantly "flippant" about come close to comparing....that belief wont change. Would my level of concern be different if the epicenter was in the US? Well hell yes it would, just like i care more about a bowling ball over my head than one on the ground....but my opinion and ideas about this are based in fact, not hypothetical, and definitely not in speculation. ....with that, Im done talking about it. Bowing out.....Happy cruising.
    3 points
  21. Your statement is a microcosm of what you're essentially rallying against. Crew members have the flu. Not coronavirus. Yet, the port officials denied Voyager for absolutely no reason other than hysteria that MAYBE on the slimmest of chances coronavirus COULD be there (but it's not). If there was coronavirus, totally different situation. But the sensationalism around the virus that the media is peddling has caused a benign situation to turn into a missed port of call. If this were 1 month ago, this would not have occurred at all.
    3 points
  22. It is nice to hear about a "normal" case given that the media emphasizes the extreme situations.
    2 points
  23. You agreed to these terms and the fee schedule when you booked the original cruise but now you are upset they actually are following them. This shouldn't be a surprise.
    2 points
  24. twangster

    Deluxe Beverage For 1?

    A few years ago one person could buy the DX but people cheated and shared one package. In some cases four college kids were sharing one package so you can see how some people would abuse this. As a result they had to implement a policy like the other cruise lines already had - everyone over 21 must buy it of anyone does. To handle special cases under certain circumstances they do allow for medical or religious factors to have an exception but this requires the DX and refreshment package to be purchased. I understand that isn't desirable for you but the problem is that if they allowed what you want then people would spread the word and it would be abused. The power of social media is working against you. People find a loophole, abuse it then brag about it and the masses now exploit the loophole.
    2 points
  25. Thank you! I feel even better now ... I guess I will be able to sleep tonight ???
    2 points
  26. WAAAYTOOO

    Deluxe Beverage For 1?

    No. The very fact that Royal allows you to purchase the refreshment package in lieu of the deluxe package is somewhat unusual. Most lines require everyone in the cabin above the age of 21 to purchase the UBP if anyone does. If you want the UDP, you will have to purchase either the UDP or refreshments pkg for your mother. That's just the way it is. Nobody gets around this rule.
    2 points
  27. Neesa

    Coco Cay question

    @Matt S, We are on the Harmony 28 June 20 and travelling with 2 teenagers as well. I purchased them the water park passes and the adults the CoCo Beach Club Cabana. Yes, they are on opposite ends of the Island, but we are happy giving the kids their space and honestly now that they are old enough to be on their own we are looking forward to the tranquility of the club. I will make sure they have their bands for both areas but probably won't see them until the end of the day, when I deem a muster time and place to head back to the ship. I am looking forward to this, if it works out well this will be the plan moving forward. As of now there are 2 ships on the Island our day so I like knowing we have a relaxing home base as well. I would not do this if I was going to do the water park also, but just not interested in the Thrill water park this sailing, leaving that for the kiddos :) Happy decision !!
    2 points
  28. SnickerTail

    Coco Cay question

    You probably want to pick one. The Beach Club is to relax and be a little less crowded (and get upgraded food), the water park for slides and activities. Trying to do both (IMO) would just result in not enjoying either fully.
    2 points
  29. "I'm spending money on camera things, not things I can get at the dollar store but let's go shopping!" ??? Great videos!
    2 points
  30. Cruise Day 3: Sea Day: Shortly after sunrise, towels began finding their favorite spots around the pool. After breakfast it was time for some time in the Solarium. We spent some time in a clam shell lounger and the tub/pool on deck 14, before moving up to a lounge chair on deck 15 to be closer to the frozen drinks. Tonight was formal night in the MDR, we had purchased the all-digital photo package so it was time to get dressed and pose for pictures before dinner. With all the discussion on what’s acceptable to wear on formal nights in the MDR, I took a look around to see what everyone was wearing for the first time. I’d say that more than half the men were wearing slacks and collared shirts, some wearing ties, suits and a few tuxes’. Only about 1% was wearing shorts with a collared shirt or t-shirt or jeans. The cruise compass publishes suggested dress attire for the MDR, the ever accommodating dining room staff doesn’t want to confront anyone, and so as many have said you can wear whatever you’re comfortable in. The evening’s entertainment was “A Journey in Time”. This was a fascinating show filled with amazing skating and visual effects. This was the only show where “The Key” reserved seats were in a good spot.
    2 points
  31. Cruise Day 3: Sea Day: Sea days are my favorite time on a cruise, sea days are sunrises and sunsets; pools and hot tubs; and lounge chairs and naps. I’m an early riser so I grab my camera, a cup of coffee and wander a nearly empty ship waiting for the sun to rise on another day. Harmony has so many venues that it’s nearly impossible to experience them all in 7 days. The Promenade
    2 points
  32. DDemuth

    It pays to listen

    …. I'm sorry. What did you say? ? Just kidding. Know that you will enjoy the suites. Be forewarned, it's easy to get spoiled.
    2 points
  33. Only four ships left to add after today's blog post. The app matrix has been updated.
    2 points
  34. Trying to convince someone over the internet to change their stance on COVID-19 is like convincing someone to take your own political view. Not going to happen. Time to move onto a different topic.
    2 points
  35. The bus driver(s) will have a list of people who have paid and they will just check you off when you arrive. I'm pretty sure you should just stay on for another week....
    2 points
  36. Here goes attempt two at posting this. I'm not sure what happened, but everything I typed just disappeared. This will probably be an abridged version of our day since I'm too tired to type it all out again. Today, started out hectic, but it ended up working out and was a good day. When we went to check out of the hotel this morning, Steven couldn't find his wallet. After frantically searching for it for 40 minutes, we realized my wallet was missing too. At that point, we started questioning if we had left them in the car and if so, did we lock the car. After an hour of panicking and thinking we were going to miss the cruise since we didn't have IDs, we remembered the secret pocket on our carry-on backpack where our wallets just happened to be hiding. Crisis averted. We parked at port and made it onto the ship in no time. After exploring the ship a bit, we opted to bring Windjammer and Park Cafe to our room for lunch. We unpacked until muster, and then took the kids to the rock wall and arcade. We stopped in the concierge lounge for sodas, and while some of the guests seemed nice, there was quite a bit of stuffy people. One of whom was very rude to the concierge and bartender. The concierge, Amit, seemed very friendly and attentive. We had main dining room delivered to our room for dinner, and it was still warm when it arrived. The kids went to Adventure Ocean and the nursery, while Steven and I went to the Windjammer and the casino. We stopped at the shops to pick up a ship model, since we hadn't started collecting them yet last time we were on Brilliance. We had planned on seeing the comedian, but we were tired and decided to pick up the babies and go back to the room. We had already promised Christian that he could stay late for gaga ball, so we gave him an extra hour in Adventure Ocean. We are about to place our breakfast order and call it a night. Final thoughts: This time on Brilliance is much more enjoyable than last time. We are really enjoying ourselves and are glad we still have 3 more full days. Although, we were a little hesitant about 6 of us in a one bedroom grand suite, I'm happy to say, it is working out quite well. I will post a few pictures of how perfectly the pack and plays fit beside the bed. Royal uses the travel pack and plays so they are smaller than normal ones. The balcony is narrow, but that is expected with Radiance class. We realized how spoiled our kids are when our son complained about how tiny the room and balcony are. To be fair though, as long as he has arcade and gaga ball, he's happy no matter what room we are in. As for us, we are just happy to be cruising.
    2 points
  37. Hello All, I wanted to see if we could commence a running Cruise Director and Activities Manager list here on the Royal Caribbean Blog Boards. As many of you know, the Cruise Director can be very influential in providing a fun and interactive experience while on a cruise and for this reason the question is often asked "who will be the cruise director on my sailing?" However, as with any position of importance, the Cruise Director also enlists the assistance of his or her Activities Manager to host a number of events throughout a sailing (e.g. trivia, bingo, karaoke, etc...). Therefore, I would also like to keep the list updated with the current Activities Managers whom many of us develop strong relationships with based on our varying degrees of participation in ship events. While I know there are similar lists maintained elsewhere on the internet, my desire is to provide an easily accessed (thanks in part to the long-term edit function of these boards) and more user friendly document than what currently exists. In addition to receiving regular updates from the fantastic blog community that fill these boards with Royal Caribbean knowledge everyday, I also hope to leverage Kat's evergrowing Periscope community to obtain real time and accurate updates as to who holds these very important positions throughout the Royal Caribbean fleet. Below is my first stab at a draft of the list based on information I was able to retrieve from various social media and online content. As you can see, there are some blanks, which I am sure many of you will be able to assist with filling in. Please feel free to respond here with any list updates or any comments as to the format or layout of the document. I would like to thank all of you in advance for any assistance you can provide with making this list a useful resource for Royal Caribbean cruisers.
    1 point
  38. Here are some videos I took from my cruise to perfect day. I hope you enjoy both of them! Here is the zip line video.
    1 point
  39. There was another rental company in town that would have delivered a surrey to our hotel and then picked it up again at the end of the day. However, I couldn’t set up the rental online, so that was a deal breaker, for me at least. The parking near Island Bicycle Company looks pretty sparse, and I’ll have free parking at the hotel already. It could be fun to take the trolley down the Seawall to our surrey and the route seems quite doable. Pick up at 81st, jump off at 19th, a short walk at either end and $1.00 a person each way. Then we pedal our way back down the Seawall to the distillery, our hotel, and whatever else we discover on the way. Just have to remember to return the surrey by about 5-ish so we’ll have time to get ready for dinner and hopefully snag a good seat for the sunset.
    1 point
  40. It wasn't exactly a tour - my kids and I were poking around Ashton Villa after stopping into the visitor's center and wandered into the wedding venue area. Of course, we had to climb the steep and narrow stairs, to what would have been the family living areas (now I think used for the bride's rooms), and quickly hit a dead end. Coming back down, the steps were crazy-slick and I went about half the way on my tush, with my left hand still attached the the hand rail way back up yonder. The kids like to tease me that I was sent packing by a former resident. All I know is, I wouldn't want to try and maneuver those steps in a wedding gown!
    1 point
  41. If you read the original article (http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/feb/27/royal-caribbeans-pi-land-deals-revealed/), it sounds like Royal is buying up pretty much everything west of the Yoga Retreat (https://goo.gl/maps/o25HT4S8Gf4meN4f7). They are now trying to get access to the undeveloped government land between the last of the houses and the light house. When I was in Nassau in June, I thought that it was weird that a lot of the properties looked run down and abandoned. At the time I just thought it was just hurricane damage but it might have just been that Royal had bought them and were just letting them rot until they could tear them down.
    1 point
  42. PG Cruiser

    Airport transfers

    I've been trying hard to recall if they ever did that with me. I can't remember at all. All I did was find the bus, leave my luggage with them and tell them my airline. I actually remember telling myself, "People could just sneak onto these buses and get free transfers". One thing they don't forget to do though is to "remind" you how well they took care of you and that they'd appreciate it if you "took care" of them too. *cough* TIP *cough* Maybe I shouldn't "cough"... I might be denied boarding ... ha ha
    1 point
  43. I recently redeemed 2 X $100 OBC's against the same reservation. From 2 seperate MyVegas account's as I maintain account for both she and I for just such a purpose. No issues or questions... Just applied both credits.
    1 point
  44. Might be worthwhile to mention this on the post cruise survey. Not a knock against Smitha, but the fact the Genies on Oasis seem to be spread too thin. This seems like the common consensus among the other SC people sailing with you this week who have the other Genies.
    1 point
  45. The rules definitely require you to initialize your UDP on nights 1 or 2 BUT I have read and heard that they are flexible about this. Once on board you should be able to have them switch things around. ...but, as Matt Says, be prepared for “no” as that is the official answer.
    1 point
  46. Grandpa's plea deal is likely the best course of action for the family at this point in the game or they wouldn't go there. The civil case is very different and not associated or bound to the government's criminal case against Grandpa. By accepting the plea deal the parents prevent a lot of discovery and evidence that might have worked against them in their civil case against Royal. Grandpa is a puppet following orders.
    1 point
  47. Escape room: a little prodding helped us not still be in there! It was fun! Used a lot of brain cells I could ill afford to expend. ?
    1 point
  48. Never underestimate the power of redneck ingenuity. The divider to the next suite squeaks at incredible decimals. Waiting until a decent hour to let Allan know and see if something can be done. It sounds like a nest of about 27 baby pterodactyls chirping in hungry angst..
    1 point
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