Kirsten

so you had fun? 

I noticed this "phenomenon" too when I started going for the drink package, but you have to remember they pour drinks differently than at home.
Watch them pour a cocktail. They will take the measuring cup and pour exactly one shot of the liquor in there (with maybe an extra splash).  That's what the drink recipe calls for. 
At home, I'd pour much more than that because I wouldn't measure.
But as you said, with the unlimited drink package, you can certainly keep going to make up the difference. 

I didn't call you a liar, I just pointed out how you signed up to complain about a cruise way after the fact.
I sailed Harmony in star class in Jan 2022, hardly any shows and the headliner was a hot mess express. Not to mention they were down a genie and so my first Star class experience was a bit lackluster. However, I had done research and knew that things weren't going to be a particular way.
You said this was your second cruise, if the first was before the restart and knowing you had to test, be vax etc.......I would have done a bunch of research. If it was your second after the restart, you would have known that even in May things regarding cruising were in flux. I am in no way saying you are a liar or that I don't value your opinion. I just am always confused as to why people go to "pro" places and try to be "con?" People who frequent this site know that for a while cruising was only for those who "could" and "would".......i.e be vaxxed and willing to put up with the restrictions and limitations. 
 

As you titled the thread, I feel people who are expecting the full, uninterupted cruise experience should wait to cruise. I have been on 5 cruises since the 'restart' and all have had shows cancelled, activitys cancelled or limited, dining limited etc......
As a cruise lover I still felt it was worth going on the cruises even though I really missed out on entertainment. However, I can fully understand why people may not want to cruise right now with a 'limited' experience.

I was on the May 1st sailing of Oasis out of NJ, it’s first of the season. There was a new staff for the Aqua show, they were in their second week of training and were not scheduled to show. However they did an awful lot of practice and put on a wonderful nearly full rehearsal show,NOT billed as a full show-nor was it, but I’ve seen Aqua before and it was pretty darn good. I think this was an announcement, or it may have been in the cruise compass.   I was with 2 friends who had never seen the show and they were in awe.  

As for Cats, I think they had cast that were sick and cancelled it, nothing that hadn’t happened with other shows on many of the other sailings I’ve done since August.
the comedians were the best I’ve seen on Royal, Paul Ogata was funny as heck, the other guy was good  as well.    I did not see them in the theater  I saw them in the adult nightclub   I liked them so much I went back and stood on the standby line to see them again 
the problem with the app is there are no notifications of cancellations.  The cruise compass had up to date info, but that doesn’t help if you don’t get it (it’s not always delivered to everyone) or if you just don’t expect to see the changes because we’ve been trained to use the app. They do make the announcements about changes but I typically never hear them (why they just can’t post it somewhere and put changes on the tv is beyond me)
frozen in Time ran as did the Hush party…I’m sure other things ran as well but I did spend time on the casino so did not go to everything.
 
as for the prizes, you must not sail RC, typically it’s a keychain, pen or highlighter for trivia. It’s somewhat a running joke.     I’ve seen them do medals, water bottles and backpacks but those are the “big game shows”, not trivia.
regarding alcohol, I try my best to remember to ask for the top shelf alcohol.  I’ve watched bartenders make drinks with the jigger and no extra pour (stay away from the white shirts (management)or anyone working next to a white shirt) and I’ve tipped with each drink.  Some bartenders make better drinks than others. 
this is not an easy time to go back to sailing.  I’ve done many cruises since August and all have been very different experiences.  It’s unfortunate that  Covid has had a huge impact on the sailing experience and that this cruise also had the change of staff impacting Aqua.  
 

 

Oh boy. A lot of red flags here that make me not believe the OP.
The comedian only does "adult stuff" and was forced into doing a family show? Never seen  a comic onboard that only does "adults only" shows. (Doesn't all booked talent "audition" for Nick Weir and/or his staff to be contracted? Surely, they would know what is expected of them before getting the job.)
The bartender pulled out a "separate bottle" from under the bar after being tipped? If you only knew how many new, sealed bottles of liquor have been opened right in front of my eyes! 😄
What kind of prize do you really expect for winning a trivia game? It's ALWAYS been highlighters, key chains, pens, and recently the "bag in a bag" shopping bags. Nothing of great value, just mementos.

Oasis Maiden voyage? I was on Oasis in May and I don't believe what i'm reading. We had Cats, We had Aqua 80 show. 

Hmmm, Oasis has been sailing from NJ since last year. Which means OP just signed up to complain about a cruise that was last Aug or Sept?

I understand there is the Facebook group for cruising ducks which is very good, the only problem I have with it is that there are so many posts that it can get lost in all the posts and you might miss someone finding your duck or not seeing you find their duck. What are your thoughts on a cruise ship duck website where each duck is assigned by the website a duck number and the ducks can be tracked and logged when found and rehidden. Each duck on the website will have a photo (both when hidden and found, the hider(s) or finder(s), the cruise line, cruise ship, duck origins, hint on hide or reside, special note on duck or cruise or cruisers, and the date. It can be searched by cruise ship, cruise line, or duck ID number.
Would a website like this be helpful ( hopefully because it is almost completely built)? Thank you for your feedback.

This is a preview so far

I usually either just take a picture or re-hide any ducks I find. I don't do FB so wouldn't be able to update it. I found a duck on Ovation last week and decided to take it with me and re-hide it on Voyager in October, maybe it'll start travelling the world.
 
 

Ducks are given only for fun, with no strings attached. Being a Facebook member is not a requirement to do whatever you want when finding a cruising duck.  We have distributed two hundred ducks so far, and maybe have seen 10 posts from folks finding our ducks.  But it doesn't matter.  We love it when a toddler or other youngster finds a duck, and it's unlikely they are on Facebook.😍 

They frown upon bears in the suite.  No pets allowed unless registered service animals.   🤣
A lot of what you are asking about can vary by genie and ship.  Some ships have strict rules about how far a genie can go and seating for non-Star guests is unlikely to be allowed but you can always ask.

We had an excellent obstructed balcony cabin on our recent Odyssey sailing. It was 6622, which we actually chose based on @twangster's predictions in the original post. Lots of open space and water. It was hardly obstructed at all, as you can see from the pics below. All of the pics were taken standing up at the rail except for the last one, which I deliberately took sitting down to demonstrate what the view would be like from that position.
The seating area just beneath us was rarely used, so we were never bothered with noise and, since the smoking deck on Odyssey is on the port side, there was no smoke to worry about either. The only thing to be aware of is that, if you are on your balcony, you are visible to people on the deck beneath you, so you'd not want to be doing anything out there that would be best left unseen!
Also, the cabin next to ours, 6624, would have an even better view but it's a 3-berth cabin so it would be a great choice for a family of three.
The location of this cabin is great too. Not quite half-way between the two sets of lifts, making it really convenient to get anywhere on the ship and, of course, just one deck up from the public areas, restaurants, Two70 etc on deck five. I would highly recommend this cabin if you're looking to save a few pennies by booking an obstructed balcony.

Who doesn't love a balcony cabin?   It seems a lot of people do because balcony cabins are one of the most popular types of cabins offered to cruisers.  What could be better than reading a book, eating breakfast or enjoying a favorite beverage on your very own balcony overlooking the ocean?
Budget minded cruisers can't always afford the extra cost associated with a cabin that includes a dedicated balcony exclusively for that guest.   Enter the obstructed balcony.
Cabins with obstructed views are nothing new to the cruise industry.  For decades cruise ships have had oceanview and balcony cabins in places where ship equipment or superstructure ends up blocking the view.  The obstruction could be a lifeboat, window washing equipment or structural pieces that are required in various places around a ship.  
Quantum class ships feature a design where the lifeboats are stored near the level of deck 5 for quick access in the event of an emergency.  Their location while optimal for quick and easy access in an emergency it does mean they obstruct some views for select balcony cabins on deck 6.
The good news is these deck six cabins are offered as obstructed balconies at a discount perfect for budget minded cruise guests who are willing to accept an obstruction in the name of saving money. 
It's pretty clear when selecting these cabins they are obstructed so no one should be surprised the first time they walk into their cabin.

 What isn't clear when selecting a particular obstructed balcony cabin is how obstructed one cabin may be compared to another in the same category.  Not all obstructed balcony cabins are equally obstructed.
Lifeboats are supported and lowered into the water by davits.  Davits are very strong structural towers that can raise or lower a fully loaded lifeboat.  The davits that support lifeboats themselves are an obstruction that also block the views for some deck 6 balcony cabins on Quantum class ships.  Davits can block more view compared to a lifeboat since davits are taller than the lifeboats they support.  
Consider this picture of Ovation of the Seas.

The deck 6 obstructed ocean view cabins within the green area in the picture merely have to look over the lifeboat which sits close to or just below the height of the balcony railing.  A few cabins in either direction the lifeboat davits impose a much greater obstruction.  The cabins highlighted in yellow may be partially blocked by a davit towards one end of the balcony.  
For someone picking a cabin on a deck plan it isn't immediately evident which obstructed balconies have less obstruction versus cabins that have greater obstruction.
Now we get to the whole point of this post.  Here is a preliminary guide to which cabins have davits in front of them and are therefore more obstructed.  

Using various videos and photos from Odyssey of the Seas during her construction and conveyance I've estimated which balconies are more likely to have a greater obstruction.  Since no guest has actually sailed on Odyssey when this post was written this is a preliminary version until guests can begin boarding and provide feedback with respect to these obstructed balcony cabins.
Since this is a preliminary guestimate follow through with your own research to make sure you pick the best obstructed deck 6 cabin for your needs.
Note that each ship within this class has slightly different variations of lifeboats and where davits are placed.  In addition there are at least four different types of lifeboats used on each ship.  Consequently you need to be careful drawing conclusions based on guest feedback from other ships within this class.
The image above may be a little blurry from web page compression so I am also including a PDF version that should be easier to read.
Odyssey Deck 6 Obstructed Balcony Guide.pdf
Obstructed ocean view cabins are a great way to enjoy all the benefits of having your own balcony while saving money if you don't mind an obstructed view.  If you book early you can often enjoy your pick of cabins within this category all at the same price.  By selecting carefully you can enjoy a much less obstructed view while saving hundreds of dollars that can be put into beverage packages or shore excursions.  

I whould do horse shoe bay pink sand beaches great  you can get an all day pass for bus right out side port   That’s the way it used to be been awhile 

No surprise here. For every person that says they will no longer gamble if smoking is not allowed in the casino, there are just as many who say the main reason they do not gamble is because of the smoke. The lines just have to choose who they want hear the complaining from. For whatever reason they choose to weather the complaints of non smokers. Maybe we need to be more annoying 😜.

I was at Disney last month, sure didn’t look like they were missing anyone, it was more crowded than I’ve ever seen it

I was there May 15-22 and only saw some small lizards (definitely real) and heard some birds (real or not).
 

Never do a pcr test unless required to

I tested positive in May also.  I took 3 antigen tests since and all have been Negative.  I cruise on July 17th

The antigen test usually is less sensitive, so test with that.

Definitely not a scam. They weren't selling you fake watches. Just you have a preconceived notion that you'd be getting a great deal just because it's on a cruise ship.
 
Always do your homework.  Just like the liquor stores. I've rarely ever seen any good deals there. The only things that catch my eye are bottles that are hard to find in my neck of the woods.

There is always something nice about buying something on vacation and every time you look at it it brings you right back to that moment where and when you bought it.
Sometimes that means paying a premium for a vacation memoir.   
In this day and age you can always find something cheaper online compared to what it costs in a retail store, brick and mortar or steel and sea.  Chances are that bargain on Amazon is a fake.  I've never looked at an online purchase, like my Apple watch, and remembered the moment I bought it, where I was, who I was with, did I use my phone or my laptop to do it?  etc.  There are simple things like a fridge magnet that bring me right back to the ship where I bought it.  I probably could have found something like it on eBay, but what fun is that?

But bookings are already up even within the current regulatory environment.  I don't think the vaccine requirement is hurting the cruise lines at all.