henrysea13

following one of my favorites have been on her 4 times and she never gets old

I too have noticed a huge decline in the mdr. Its such a shame as recently as last February on the Oasis I had such a great experience the food quality selection preparation were outstanding so much so that on the last night of the cruise the staff the chefs the wait staff all got a standing ovation from the entire room all three levels not just the usual napkin waving.November on the Brilliance terrible food mediocre preparation very obvious the menu selections were chosen out of cost consideration not what everyone wanted consisting of mostly pastas and some form of steak they called strip steak it wasn't not even shaped like a strip it was more like a sirloin tip steak which is dry by nature and has no fat and very chewy unless cooked in fluid. The food quality in the windjammer on the other hand was great. They dedicated one whole table to American cuisine even having burgers to order and had a great selection of toppings including bacon and bleu cheese. Fast forward to my recent Adventure cruise 8 days with for the most part hit and miss quality selection and preparation the poor wait staff was so rushed and just plain tired that they had no time for the socializing we have grown accustom to in the good old days of Royal cruising. I should have known something was amiss when on embarkation day in the windjammer I asked where on the ship were the kummelweck sandwiches being served the  in the windjammer looked at me like a deer in the headlights and asked "a what?"i tried to describe it she went and got the head lunch chef who said the exact same thing. In his defense he said he would research and have them on the food list the next day and true to his word he did just that BRAVO great customer service.i wish that was all I had to report BUT now to Giovannis my family and I look forward to visiting Giovanis every cruise for a great Italian meal, we have never been disappointed till now this was worse than some crummy land based Italian chain restaurant food was so dry overcooked beef short rib raviolis were old and dry oh did I mention beef short ribs were on the MDR menu the night before. The food and service on Royal ships is definitely in decline in my opinion and I guess the only way to deal with it is take each cruise not expecting anything so I wont be disappointed. I am fortunate to have been a Royal cruiser when perfection was there goal and seemed to come naturally.In my humble opinion. I guess its now more important to feed the bottom line then to stand out in the crowd.I will continue to be there for Royal and can only hope they will learn the importance of returning the favor.

Outstanding blog with great pictures I was on adventure oct24 to dec2 and see how much I missed cant wait to go back I love the forts in San Juan pictures as by the time we got off the ship I had barely enough time to enjoy EL MORRO. Next time I believe I will skip going ashore in St Martin rest up and get. An early start in San Juan what I saw I loved I could feel the history I wait excited for your review and pictures of St Kitts the monkeys there were so much fun and the people so friendly.Keep up your great blog and cruise on my friend 

following just gor off the Adventure

I second the vote on controlled meds I take an opiod for a hip injury these types of meds can be looked on differently in different country's Haiti has a particularly strict check from labadee to the ship make sure you can prove they are prescribed its just not worth the head ache

just got of the adventure coffee was very good in the prom café wish the MDR food was 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FANTASTIC BLOG IM ON TH ADVENTURE TOMORROW FOR 8

LOL think of it as a cruise ship with a nose job LOL 

I have seen the cruisers in front of me use them. They were punched multiple times for one coffee it pays to get the royal refreshment package instead of the card

WOW just watched the Celebrity Edge sail into Port Everglades.what a ship. I am sailing on the Adventure Saturday I hope the Edge is there for a closeup. anybody know what the giant platform/elevator is for?

Does anyone know if blue mountain coffee is available for purchase in st martin or st kitts san juan or anywhere on the eastern carib stops 

on loan when returned went in a container to go to the ships cleaners but guest services said if I liked some or all I could keep it

i don't know if this helps for clothing emergencies but years ago on the liberty I forgot some items at home. a friend took me to the customer service desk said something to the lady attending , she ushered me to the back room and to my surprise it was full of everything from tuxedos to swim suits many pairs of very expensive shoes t shirts underwear etc.i did the clark kent to superman and in minutes came out in full dress, saved my cruise it was new years eve and I wanted to look good   

last time I was stuck in port everglades for that long it was on freedom and it was because of coast guard inspections on my ship and the one docked in front of us mein Schiff mein Schiff had to move first because of high winds there are many reasons sorry I looked every where and could not find your cause and WELCOME to the form 

ha ha and I thought my run on sentence was funny hows that for punctuation?  And yes what balsam said.

I too would exercise extreme caution and advise to wait a couple years and see I just for information purposes spoke with a couple of Haitian friends about leaving the compound with or without a local guide and they said NO not just yet be patient they are cleaning up there act over there there are still some very powerful criminal factions over there the government is still never to be trusted tony was not kidding money talks over there and makes things that are illegal and immoral legal for a time many old Duvalier ways still can be seen as the sun rises my friends advise give it time its getting better and safer there let them clean house first if you could somewhat blend in with the populace maybe but we stick out like a sore thumb and make a sure target if you might think you will leave the jewelry and money on the ship wrong if you are accosted it will become tragic if you have nothing to give the perps my personal advice give it time it WILL get better the Haitian people are a wonderful people with a rich heritage I for one look forward to dinner at deniers parents house in port au prince once the all clear is sounded

I am on the same ship and itinerary nov 24-dec 2 please check in after your cruise let us know how it went by the welcome to the boards 

omg I must try the royal spirited coffee will try it on adventure 11/24 oh yes I am following I just got off brilliance but I cant wait for adventure 

I for one would be most happy to see rc skip all further stops to Nassau over the years it has changed so much to its present form crime ridden dirty little city with mostly rude desperate con men and women smelly horses and scooter rentals so iffy that only the daredevil should partake in the summer the straw market is so hot that it boggles the mind and heartbreaking to see the babies and young ones living under the booths I find the whole situation that is Nassau depressing and don't want to deal with this on a cruise I  for one don't get off the ship and haven't for years when my daughter hears Nassau is a stop she refuses to get off freeport is a little better but not much there is just nothing to do I for one say to royal find another quiet island in the Bahamas and put all your efforts into the beach and water experience forget the shopping most all the so called souvenirs are made in china and can be purchased in any port anywhere with people who truly appreciate you being there my belief is that the present selection of Bahamian stops is to far gone to save and should be deleted from the itineraries  

may I remind some of the real danger involved in what some consider "just a joint" in other countries remember the case surrounding "The Midnight Express"years ago in Turkey I believe other countries have different views on westerners breaking there laws and most don't have to even sentence the violator just toss them in what we would consider a bus station toilet they consider a cell never (possibly)to see the states again I have been to Nassau many times and cant remember a time the conch shell vendors dockside didn't offer to sell me pot fortunately I have not had any interest in the weed for over 40 yrs but in my younger days I am sure I would have been sorely tempted more then once over the years on carny and RC I have been on my balcony or walking the hall and smelled the distinctive odor I have seen a whole party turned over to the Mexican police for indulging in use of the weed on the ship and underage drinking I personally lecture my children every time we cruise of the difference of laws in other lands knowing fool well how short the young memories can be if you love them teach them never take for granted they know look at what happened to the college boy in china for trying to get a souvenir from the hotel a simple political poster ultimately cost him his life when in other lands even lands we take for granted like the Bahamas be on our best behavior if you have to think about it don't do it and remember as it has been stated many times not everyone in these ports has our best interest in mind be careful stay alert and visible not everyone in the world loves us  but as I saw stated earlier you cant fix stupid

following I just got off a solo on the brilliance I had a blast even had a solo cabin which was quite adequate hope you have a great time

following

I appreciate your posts very much my family and I will be on her next month for 8 to the eastern Caribbean we love the pictures

2 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Can you just confirm if smartphones will automatically change to the correct time zone, as long as they have some kind of network connection (wifi, cellular)? I seem to recall this is the case, as it's caused problems on other sailings where the ship chose not to change over to the new time zone (per captain's discretion).

I just got of the brilliance on the 6th I had cellular at sea on my phone it did not change on my I phone 7 automatically  

I just got home from a wonderful cruise of 5 days western on the Brilliance it was a solo and I had cabin 4587 a solo cabin which I was a little apprehensive when I booked but truthfully it was all a single cruiser needs. everything was in the perfect place it didn't bother me that there was no light or window to see out never gave it a second thought . The 2 1/2 hour drive was a pleasure and that's hard to say  after all it is I-4 .Smooth sailing till the fiasco of road work in O town arriving in Tampa was another story after the sign on I-4 telling you to get off here you are on your own through Ybor city you can see the ships but have a hard time getting to them after 5 turn arounds a police officer sitting on the side of the road began to remind me of an owl on a fence I swear he was laughing at me I spotted one of the private lots directly across from the ship maybe 2 blocks I had spoken to my TA about them and she said go for it after all they were 30.00 cheaper then at the ship and I was getting tired of being law enforcements enertainment I could almost hear benny hills music playing as I went past them.this lot is a family owned business the greeter said park there pointing to a great spot in the front he said lock it and keep your keys without warning he scooped up my luggage and put it in his very modern van and away we went 2 mins later I was tipping the porter and in less then 3 mins I was walking the plank onto the ship room key in hand and it wasn't 1045 yet I tried to get to 11 to the windjammer but the hoardes of hungry Vikings frightened me so I went to the park café and a couple fresh kemmelwerks  yea  no crowd the café is hidden and not easily spotted by the nubes I have not sailed this class before but I have a new love the schooner is huge I have never seen one this big great service fine piano the only minus is the casino smoke dominates everything it amazes me that these magnificent ships can be completely refurbed every 5 years new rooms put on new restaurants put in but they cant figure a way to vent the casino to the outside instead of the smell throughout the whole ship the crew on this ship are one of a kind I have been on a lot of royal cruises and never felt so genuinely welcome and appreciated I did not attend any shows frankly there not my thing I watched the movies nightly poolside and absolutely enjoyed the football games sunday and Thursday  this is more my speed and by the second night the kiddee mobs were in full swing and even that didn't bother me this cruise was spot on in every way except the food in windjammer breakfast  was outstanding eating on the outside dining area was a treat watching a new day begin then there was lunch pan after pan of slop pork chops so dry they were inedible same old mashed potatoes watery gravy two tables full of cheese and fruit which was very fresh the chicken wings yuck skin soft and slimey  BUT something new was added really good hand formed burgers cooked to perfection on fresh baked buns with every topping imaginable what an improvement and it was available lunch and dinner the entire cruise in a section called American now for the other big plus Brilliance has no sorrentos so I went to the park café once again pizza was created there and very well NOT one bit like the soggy crust under done saints awful cheese all new cheese sauce toppings and a great crispy crust is it new York or new jersey I think not but it is a pleasure to eat and worth waiting in line for I also noticed they no longer cook it on the pizza pans and sits there till they serve it which was why the crust was always soggy they now have racks in the serving area and the moment it comes out of the kitchen it goes right to the cooling rack obviously royal has people reading these blogs they are are improving and in a big way no longer the p poor school lunch room  of old and I sent corporate a thank-you for the improvements the fish they pile into those pans are seldom edible fish can not sit it dries quickly they made a salmon fillet encased in a puff pastry excellent but the five other fish dishes were awful I suggested that rather then offer a dry piece of meat like top round at the carving station when is the last time you saw a rib roast or tenderloin now they dropped to the cheapest piece of meat available it should be served immediately not left under a heat BUT seafood cooks super fast shrimp scallops salmon branzino can be cooked most all seafoods can be cooked to order very fast salmon a little butter minced garlic some shallots or lemmon grass bingo a fine meal I heard many seafood requests cod is a favorite oh well off the food this ship is an older royal masterpiece meticulously maintained combine it with the best crew I have run into yet and the attention to detail is obvious I recommend this to everyone its not the symphony the oasis and not even the freedom but if you want the true traditional cruise with PLENTY OF ACTIVITIES  try Brilliance you wont be disappointed CRUISE ON MY FRIENDS ps the red velvet cupcakes are for Sweety