Traveler

Day  -2 

Nothing much to write about , morning started by rushing to pack and finish some task at work before heading to the airport. No matter how many times I pack its still something which I wish I could avoid . You think after taking many flight by now I would do things almost automatically but every time is like the first time. Packing for cruise also adding ironing task (which I hate) since no iron on the ship and somehow my shirts (even the t shirts) looks as if someone run over them several times. So after trying to do several task in parallel (Iron , cooking and participate in some conference calls) we rushed to catch the train to the airport.

Flight was Ok , short flight to Rome and a very short flight to Venice , so we already arrived to the hotel which is in a middle of something which looks like industrial park. we got an upgrade to a suite (there are some benefits from all the endless bushiness trips)  so the room is very nice (1 bad room and separate living room). Tomorrow we are planning to take the train to Venice and tour it for a while.

Getting help packiing :

dd

Even at the work Cafeteria It was too long from our last cruise 

You leave them alone for few hours and that is what you get

19 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Following! Sorry to hear about your car, hopefully the damage to it is as minimal as the damage to you was.

Have a great trip!

Thanks, 

The car still in the garage , the good thing is that its a company car, got some replacement for now 

Wow no updates in live blog almost three days , its almost a blasphemy , lets see if we can fix it.

Time past fast especially when you read royal Caribbean Blogs and another cruise is just days away. Where my spouse and me  work we are forced to take a week off at the end of August so we had to find how to spend the time.

Lucky for us, not like last years the flights prices were very low for this week so we had several options :

Land vacation at London, Land vacation in Amsterdam and Paris (better firs Paris than Amsterdam, heard some people forget to go to Paris after Amsterdam for some reasons) , Land vacation in Italy or find a cruise. You will not be surprised  what I was leaning into…  quick check in RC site showed we had three options,  short cruise with Indi , 7 night cruise to the north sea with Navigator and 7 night cruise Rhapsody to the Greek Islands (north America cruise were not an option this time due to the short period , flying to north America require at least tow more days) . It was not easy task to decide which one to choose as we thought that Indi which is just after its upgrade can be very nice option but the cruise was just too short. Navigator on the other hand was also appealing to me as we cruise  Voyger of the seas in the pasts so we knew what we can expect and most important it has Sabor !  but the itinerary was not that appealing. So we left with Rhapsody and its very heavy port itinerary.

We had some doubts as the smallest ship we ever cruised before  was Voyager class , which you can say many things about this class but small it is not one of them. But reading some comments and reviews (thank you @Matt) and the fact we never been to any of the ports this ship will bring us to got us to decide and book it (aka YOLO).

Its not that I am using everything that there is on the big ships , I just like to know I have the option but it is ok , three weeks after we will return from this cruise we have another cruise booked on the humble Symphony.

The ship will leave from Venice, so we decide to fly in two day before and have at least one full day to tour Venice (yes I know its not enough , but better than nothing and not require us to take extra vacations days).

Weone of the four points hotels  outside Venice as the hotels inside Venice are very expensive even if I will book them using points. The hotel locate near a train and a bus station that will take us to Venice in about 20 minutes , so it should work fine.

The itinerary:

Day -1 – Visit Venice , depend on the weather we will choose some Museum or just go to the very nice places Venice can offer , we need to decide what to do with food as Venice known for its tourist traps (more like pitfalls) you can seat in the wrong restaurant eat something small and get a 200 $ bill easily/   

Day 1 – Venice  - we will catch a taxi from the hotel to the cruise port and enjoy exploring a new type of ship.

Day 2 – Kotor – we will arrive Kotor around 1 PM  , we took a tour from RC (it is tendering port) the tour will take us all the way to the mountains for some nice view over the fiord.

Day3 – Corfu – we have a RC tour here that will take us to some villages and later on to the old city.

Day4 – Athens – I thought to take the buss and the subway from the port to the city, it should have been quite easy to do but then I remember it is Grease , Grease have strikes  every second day (really, they are site that shows you what are the next strikes) so you never now if you can relay on public transportation or even on Taxis (yes they strike too from time to time). So to be on the safe side I booked a transfer to the Acropolis area were you can take many tours or just roam around.

Day5 – MYKONOS – No plans yet, its another tendering port so we will just go to the port and roam around the city find some good taberna to it good Greek food.

Day6 – ARGOSTOLI – go to town , do some shopping and enjoy the ship , we are planning Chef table (for my Birthday) during the evening    

Day 7 – Sea day , well mainly rest and recover from the wine paring the day before, and cry that this is the last day.

Day 8 – back to Venice , as we have late fight we considering or to stay on the ship extra hours (in Europe cruises RC given the option to pay extra 40 $ and stay on the ship until 2 PM) or to rent a car and do some food shopping , we did not decided yet.

This week did not start that well  , as I was stopping at a traffic light and 5 second after another car stopped , but the driver decided to use my car to stop instead his breaks and he came quite fast as his car front was damaged quite hard (his radiator was broken). I remember I turn off the engine , went out and was pissed off for 1 second , not because my car is only 3 weeks on the road with less than 500 miles , not because I knew I will lose time but because I thought , oh , I might miss the cruise because of it . Lucky for me I was not harmed ,did some X-ray to be on the safe side and the Doctor said everything is fine so I am clear to cruise. Now time for packing (I hate) tomorrow it starts

Thanks for enjoyable blog  

Will try to get early as possible (10-10:30), will go to  a special restaurant to book restaurants if I have BOGO or other dining package. 

Go to the WJ or Park cafe to eat , drink a frozen drink  and drop the bags at the room if it is open, on the newer ships I will go to do some of the activities like  laser tag or zip line before the lines will start to form 

6 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am still confused as to which we should check off on the post cruise survey that the server asked for good ratings. Our server has mentioned several times that if we are happy to make sure we give a good rating. We would regardless as he has been wonderful and it is well deserved but I also don't want to get him in trouble by what I answer. Thoughts anyone?

I am asking myself the same every time since whenever we are in the MDR someone will ask to at least fill the survey and many time will give a clear hint if we enjoyed the service to give good rate.

I guess they have allot of pressure on them to show good score in the surveys, maybe they have some reward system.

Until now , if we got good service I put it on the service and usually I will skip the problematic question ...  

Also I  try do separate the food quality from the service. next cruise (in about 10  days yeaahhhha)  I will try to find out what is all about, will try to locate someone from my spouse original country and ask , its always easier to ask the sensitive questions using other language than English to avoid any troubles.

Anyway , love the blog and the picture , enjoy the rest of the cruise 

Following for sure ,  Do not miss the laser TAG , try to do it on the first day were you almost do no have lines , another good way to burn some calories for 10 minutes we did it several time and it was enjoyable.

You are going to love the ship on Rome/Florence days were you are staying on board , its going to be just for you almost.

IF you will still have time , try to do a quick tour in Naples even for 1 hour , its a special city.

Have a safe flight.

26 minutes ago, mworkman said:

WOW...i can't believer Honduran Institute of Tourism is blaming the victims?

In one of the articles yes , 

Not sure how they can blame them , the operators are the one that tells you when to start, they are the one that suppose to know if the line is clear or not , very strange , but I guess they are trying to protect the tourism in the Island, very wrong way of doing so if you ask me  

The couple (from Israel)  were in their  honeymoon cruise , they book the excursions from RC (Extreme Carib zip line tour).

The accident happened few days ago, only lately it was published they were on Allure. The wife was treated in Honduras and later flown to  a Florida hospital for extra treatment, hope she will recover soon.

From the information that was published in the local newspapers it seems  the wife was first on the zip line and she might been stuck while the husband was sent and collide with her. the accident is still under investigation. I guess RC will  need also to check what happened and there connection with such vendors.

More information : 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2018/07/articles/excursions/passenger-killed-in-zip-lining-accident-during-cruise-to-roatan/

https://www.jta.org/2018/07/08/news-opinion/israeli-honeymooner-killed-new-wife-injured-zip-line-accident-honduras

Following , have wonderful time there

Enjoy the cruise , as always will follow 

Hi , 

Rhapsody of seas Aug 25  18

Symphony of the seas Sep 23 18

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

I emailed them recently about updating upgrade and gift preferences and received this reply:

We strive to give our high level Crown & Anchor Society members an especially warm welcome onboard.

[omitting irrelevant verbiage]

To ensure your preferences are updated, please contact our office directly at 1-800-526-9723.

You may choose your selection by calling us at 1-800-526-9723, or e-mailing us at crownandanchor@rccl.com.  Our representatives will be happy to assist further. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 11:00 pm EST; and Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 8:00 pm EST.
 

But is not crownandanchor@rccl.com the email you sent the request  before  ?, 

At the end you will create endless loop and you will crash RC site

Following , enjoy your cruise 

Regarding the welcome gift it is not added yet to the site , you will need to call or send them email with your request (at least one time).

Just now, monctonguy said:

They could just charge a small fee to visit the WJ after  9pm..like $5.95 per guest or something......

Don't give them ideas  , someone might take you seriously  

It should be quite simple for RC to keep the WJ open for extra few hours, even if it will be limit to one section.

Two more things I would love to have  are : Ability in the WJ to walk and bring some more food without losing the table and without the need to leave someone to watch. The other thing is some kind of a timer on the pool chairs , once someone is leaving the chair he can start this timer (for 10-15 minutes) and if he is not returning by that time he will lose it.

Regarding the late serving on the Empress, its very nice I wish they could have done it on all the ships

Kettle on each stateroom , I heard you can ask but not all the time they have one.

I guess we are all here love to cruise with Royal Caribbean. 

Although I only cruised with RC until now (so I cant compare)   I feel  we are  getting wonderful experience and a good value for our  money. 

Still from time to time I think there are few small things which if RC changed/added could  make the experience even better  , I guess each one have is own list :

Leaving the WJ open for longer hours at the evening  - currently, beside the room service its very hard to find something to eat after 9 PM .

Iron room - I understand why they will not locate iron on each room but maybe iron room in few places  can be used if you need to iron a T shirt, yes I know I can give the shirt to iron for a fee but it takes time to get it back and sometime it cost more than the T shirt

In room  Kettle  - just to start the morning with a coffee or tea  without going all the way to the nearest station, I know its not a safety issue as you get them in JS and up . if its a matter of stocking the coffee product well , they can say its self service , meaning , if you want coffee/sugar/tea bags, just bring some from one of the coffee places.

Room service outside of your room - lets say its night time , WJ is already closed and you do not feel eating a Pizza or sandwich, your partner is already sleeping, it could  be nice to be able order food (with the same fee) to some of the other places , maybe even leave some of the WJ table sections open just for it ? 

Oh and most important , working, friendly, usable  website .... 

I wonder what other people will suggest ?

I was on Voyager of the seas when sailing was changed to midnight .

They did manager to have the dinner without any issues before the muster drill , but in your case with the sailing time earlier I might consider the option to eat that day in the WJ 

9 hours ago, cruise-y said:

I cruise all different lines so never bothered to sign up on RCCL's Crown and Anchor until I'd cruised with them a few times and finally figured I'd be back.  So now I'm "gold".  What does that mean?  What do I get?  The website says I get a private lounge on disembarkation day with a continental breakfast.  Is that true?  Is it worth it?  Where is it?

Do they accrue your points after you pay for a cruse or after you actually take the cruise?

 

Sorry, I'm sure this has been answered multiple times before.

The "breakfast" on the disembarkation lounge is usually coffee and some pastries , nothing near what you can get in WJ or other places.

4 hours ago, JLMoran said:

A) This is nuts that there is so big a discrepancy in points rewarded given the difference in play time and I assume average bet (although I'll grant you can burn through money at the slots about 20-50x faster than at your typical craps table).

B) It's a serious testament to how freaking tight the slots are.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd just as soon dump my money overboard after the casino host counts the bills, or set fire to it in a rubbish bin, as play those slot machines.

But I don't care about making that second tier, either, so I'll just play my $5 pass line with $5 odds, have my time in the casino last a hell of a lot longer, and also have some fun being social with everyone at the table.

Here is more and less how they calculate the points (its true for most casinos).

Its all about odds and math. each points has value , we can calculate it roughly by looking on the certification  , to get a 1000 $ certification you need 4800 points to get to 4800 points in  slots game (easier to calculate) you need to play 4800*5 = 24000 $  as you get one point for each 5$ you play , remember this number I will get back to it later

Now each game has its own house edge which is the chance you will loose , in blackjack (if playing right) its around 1-2%  in slots , its rally depends on the casino but can be 5% - to 15% and even worse, craps , again depends how you play , if you play the odds it can be also around 1% while 3 card poker is more around 5%.

The way they calculate it for a table game is something like : the house edge * the average bet * number of hands you played = theoretical casino earning  which % of it will return back as perks to the gamblers 

The average bet is exactly why everyone say you need to get the host attention (or the pit boss) since the house edge and time of playing are tracked automatically but the average bet is not. so lets say you were on a 5$ minimum  blackjack table  and played for 4 hours but you played 50$ per  game , if the host/pit boss is not tracking your average the automatic calculation will be done as if you played 5$ bet only ... 

Back to the slots example , so if the edge is 10% and you need 24000 $ play to get a 1000 $ certification it means your theoretical losing for the "free cruise" will be 2400 $ (they will add to it also the free alcohol in the casino bar).

To get to the same in a black jack table or crap (lets assume 1.5$ house edge)  you will need to  spend 2400/ 0.015 = 1600000$ ...   

The average number of black jack hands per hour is around 50- 60  so in other words if you play average of 10 $ to the the 160000$ you will need to play 266 hours ...  while only 26 hours if you play 100$ per hand (which you will get if you play 4 hours  per day * 7 = 28 hours) .

The better the edge of the house in a game , the less time you will need to play . 

This not 100% accurate but it can give you a good example why you are not getting so much points playing table game,  I think the most important is to remember :

For the long run the house always wins , so play for fun , do not ever play to get certifications/other perks , 99% of the time its cheaper to pay for it directly.

I have not got the email yet , but I never get any emails from Royal club , always need to call them to get the deals. no matter how many time they checked it and try to fix it still no mails. well I will guess I will have to call again in few days or maybe its just in the queue  

From financial perspective I think it make sense if you are using it at least 2- 3 times .

If not just order a treatment ... it will cost almost the same 

We used the Thermal spa on the Symphony of the seas.

It was nice although we did not use it too many times. On the first day you come to the spa you are getting some scrubbing kit (you can chose which one). Each time you go to the spa you check in in the counter and get a locker and a robe , did not see slippers. towels are available in the thermal suite area and in the lockers/sowers.