HeWhoWaits

19 hours ago, Ray said:

I must agree 

I couldn’t care less whether someone is good or bad as a CD, AM or whatever, for me it’s about the trip, seeing new ports, meeting new people etc 

The crew are only a small part of the experience and in my opinion not worth worrying about

 

Agree - I've been on 6 cruises and couldn't have told you the name of the Captain, Cruise Director, or any other "main" crew when I got off any of them.

Still remember some of the dining room staff and cabin steward names from trips in the 1990s, though. The people we interact with are the ones that are memorable.

4 hours ago, mworkman said:

If i were in close driving distance that would be great...closest port would be in New Jersey.....it would be great if RCCL would share port in Charleston, SC or Norfolk, VA.

If you're in North Carolina, and New Jersey is your "closest port," you're doing it wrong! Baltimore is on the way to New Jersey for Tar Heels.

Charleston isn't much closer than Baltimore for us but Norfolk would be great.

6 hours ago, LToman said:

Have any of u seen scooters out and about the decks. Are there ramps? Etc.....

 

Scooters are (almost) everywhere. Accessibility is not an issue.

13 hours ago, toodle68 said:

I loved to find out who came up with the Caesar wedge.  We love Caesar salad but this dish is beyond stupid. Our last waitress said most people complaint about it. She actually chopped it up for us which made it decent. 

A prep cook who used to be tasked with chopping up the lettuce for the Caesar salads realized that the tedious effort could be eliminated and suggested the wedge as a "time saver" for the kitchen.

1 hour ago, lovecruising!!! said:

New to this Forums. I have been on 4 cruises. I will be going on my 1st Royal Cruise in 5 Months ( Sept 2018). (Serenade of the Seas out of Boston)  Looking forward to interacting with everyone here.

 

Welcome - lots of great information here from lots of folks with many cruise experiences.

9 hours ago, Toyman55 said:

Thank you.  I will try that.  I love French toast.  When it is made right it is like bread pudding on a plate.

If I am served French toast the consistency of bread pudding, it will immediately be sent back to be properly cooked.

French toast should be firm (but not dry), bread pudding should be soft (but not soggy).

December Cruise Compass will give you a pretty decent idea of what to expect in May. General activities don't change much.

If the last one available was a couple years old, that would be a different story.

6 hours ago, Lindsay said:

...  I was thinking...what if they had to fly there?  Change fees on airlines aren't cheap.  Bummer!!!!!

That's why we always purchase trip insurance.

21 hours ago, tiny260 said:

Yes, it is complimentry on Liberty. Or at least it was last year, things change so fast this might have changed.

Was not the case in September 2016 on Liberty.

If looking for 14 nights, back-to-back New England and Bermuda on Grandeur would be a good option.

5 hours ago, Matt said:

I've heard of it happening but rarely buy anything onboard these days on the first day while still in port.

I think the concern is with the period of time while within the borders of Maryland/Virginia after leaving port, rather than while still in port. Definitely something I'm interested in since we are sailing Grandeur in October. With an afternoon sailing time, the entire first evening/night could be impacted.

11 hours ago, Courtd said:

That's the one I was looking at. I don't see the day the tasting will be offered. I don't want to register if it is offered during a port day but I would love to sign up if it offered on a cruising day.

Our experience has been that wine tastings are on sea days. We almost always add this when it becomes available in the Cruise Planner.

If sticking together is the most important factor, just try getting in whichever line is shorter.

If they "can't" join you in the shorter Platinum line, join them in the regular line. Vacation together start to finish.

Rule of thumb for elevators on the ships

- if going up three decks or less, the stairs will usually be faster

- if going down less than six decks, the stairs will usually be faster

- exceptions are between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. and in port as long as you avoid the first and last hour

33 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

How come nobody ever offers me a banana split ? 

You just have to ask! No kids required at the table to get a kids menu.

Book it now so you have a good selection of times. Even on port days, your preferred time may still be one of the most popular times.

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

I didn't see my previous cruises listed but I didn't look real hard either. Figured I should get out while things were working and not tempt fate....

Previous cruises showed up for me on my second successful login (after adding my C&A number to the account on the first pass).

Looks and sounds like RCI wants their island to be more like Disney's.

CocoCay has to keep up with Castaway Cay as a place to visit.

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 3:07 PM, Matt1 said:

 Even though the shuffleboard courts theoretically close at 9, there was nothing stopping us from playing and no one waiting, so we played several games (I eeked out the win too).  A nice way to start the trip.

 

My sons and I have played shuffleboard after midnight on multiple cruises.

9 hours ago, catinthehat300 said:

i was reading in a "cruise info site" (dont remember which one, but related to RC), and it said to list upgrades in my preferences. but when I go to my settings and preferences, I dont see that option any where. Am I missing something?

 

That would be in your C&A account preferences, not your RCI account.

On the contrary - I prepare for the increased opportunities to eat by upping my caloric intake leading up to the trip. Stretch the stomach a little ahead of time so that it doesn't rebel at the sudden significant increase in volume.

Ships with the Freestyle machines make the "soda" package worth so much more! PowerAde is great to have on hot days and flavored water just adds some interest to keeping hydrated.

After experiencing the Freestyle ships, the package was disappointing when not available.

Stop by Park Café to pick up your salad then take the kids to Sorrentos.

"seamless" appears to have the measles.

1 hour ago, KLAconQueso said:

HAHA... I was playing off of the "most hated crew question" you hear about all the time... what time does the midnight buffet start. 

On three different 7 night cruises between 1998 and 2003, the "midnight buffet" was only at midnight 4 nights. First night was at 11:00 or 11:30, Chocolate Buffet was open for eating at 12:30 (after an 11:30 "viewing opportunity" for early dinner seating guests and 12:00 for late seating), and the last night of the cruise was at 11:30.

"What time does the midnight buffet start?" was a legitimate question for those who didn't read the Cruise Compass.