Yo2slick

38 minutes ago, marti314 said:

I was told on Allure (yes its a bigger ship) they sold 250 KEYS.  This is why they are having such issue with the embarkation day dining.  Between CHOPS / GIOVANNIS they cant handle all these KEY members plus the UNLIMITED Dining folks.  

25.00 a day for these perks does seem like a lot, especially when you can get chops lunch for 21.99 on the cruise planner (Yes it comes with Internet but the lunch is only on embarkation day).

Honestly, I could care less about the lunch.  Im more interested in not having to wait in line for certain things and having reserved seating for the shows.  If it saves me some time and stress its worth the 25 a day.

29 minutes ago, FManke said:

Is a perk still a perk when you have to pay for it?

I dont see how its not.  People receive perks for booking suites right???  

On 7/17/2019 at 5:33 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I thought the whole idea of limiting the number of Key packages was to keep the overcrowding of the restaurant from happening. It sounds to me like they have abandoned the concern with overcrowding and simply chosen to herd everyone into the MDR so they can get sell as many pkgs as possible.  This utterly defeats the concept of an exclusive, leisurely upscale lunch at Chops.  Disappointing,IMO

I would like to know how many they are actually selling per cruise.  We purchased it on our upcoming Liberty cruise and if they are selling as many as possible then Ill cancel it.  Why spend that kind of money if EVERYONE is going to have the same perks?  Makes absolutely no sense.

2 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

I also strongly agree... My Time is our preference. No downside, especially if you book your reservations through the Cruise Planner right after it becomes available so you get your pick of time slots. You will see your reservation in the Cruise Planner calendar and eventually on the phone app (if available). The MDR menu is the same regardless of the dining preference you select.

Your SeaPass card will also state which dining room is assigned (there are usually 3 levels for the Main Dining Room). Our SeaPass card indicated: "DINING: DECK 3, MY TIME" for our 5/19/19 sailing on Allure.

On that cruise in May, we chose 6:00 PM 5 of the 7 evenings (other 2 evenings a little later due to port days). We had the same amazing server team all 7 evenings and the same window table for the four of us for 6 of the 7 evenings (odd evening we still had a window table in same section, but right next to our usual table!). You can still link reservations if you are traveling with another party so you can be seated together (that's what we did). On that cruise, we only did Specialty Dining for lunch (2 of the lunches were complimentary due to Central Park balcony and the Key perks).

We planned our entertainment accordingly. As mentioned above, you still retain the flexibility to later change your reservation prior to cruise (Cruise Planner), onboard well in advance of that meal, or you can just walk up and wait for a table if you have the time and patience. We never found ourselves racing to finish our meals to get to a show. If you feel you're going to be tight on time on any given evening and you still want to eat in the MDR, you can let your waiter know and they will move the meal along a little faster to ensure you get out on time for your show.

Have a great time! 

How did you reserve a window table?  Cruise Planner as well?

2 weeks off (80 hours) a year.  I have 6 paid holidays but we only close Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I work rotating nights  4 on 2 off.

Basically someone didnt watch their child and was careless resulting in the childs death.  Instead of taking responsibility the family is going to try and cash in on this horrible situation.  If they sue I hope the judge throws it out and charges the family with ALL court costs.  

This may turn into a Hurricane when it reaches land.  Looks like Louisiana is going to get hammered.  I would keep an eye on it for sure.

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2019-07-10-barry-hurricane-tropical-storm-flooding-forecast

I assume that my wife will have a separate C&A number when we finish our first cruise?

2 hours ago, tdcackler said:

I am far less upset about not getting the rate (disappointed, sure. I mean, who doesn't like an outrageously good deal!) than I am about their whole way of dealing with it. The reps made promises they had no business making and the mistake was live for at least 4 hours - probably longer. As someone who has worked in IT, Customer Service and IT Customer Service (call center help desk rep for a major financial institution), the response would have gotten people reprimanded or fired. You don't make promises you can't keep nor do you leave a mistake like that up for hours on end. At least turn purchasing off and direct people to call in for those purchases where they can be told it is a mistake.

Thats normal for most customer service depts in 2019 though.  I have went round and round with AT&T for the last 3 months and promised 4 different pricing discounts and every single one fell through.  Most people dont have any clue what they are talking about because no one cares anymore.  No pride taken in their jobs, they just answer the phone and get paid.  I agree they should have handled it differently, Im just saying its 2019 and common sense no longer exists. 

If they cancel it can anyone really get pissed off......I mean in all reality you knew when you bought it that it was a mistake.  Hope they honor it for anyone that jumped on it but if they don't I would chalk it up to something you didnt get away with.

When do the new schedules usually come out?  We are going to look at 2021 for our next cruise and want to get the best deal possible.  So would  August 2021 show up in September this year?

Is it worth looking at Next Cruise while we are on the ship?  Thanks everyone!

1. Australia

2. Alaska

3. Hawaii

Would like to spend a couple of weeks in Australia.  

1 hour ago, DRLPP said:

My first cruise was before Disney Lines started and the family did a combo 4 days at Disney and 3 nights on the Big Red Boat. Had a blast. Very informal and there was a midnight buffet one night and a chocolate midnight presentation on another night. Most memorable part was finding my 15 year old daughter at the pool bar drinking an alcohol  Strawberry Daquiri with a crew member. Yes I did create a scene!!! 

Wow, is the dude still breathing?  

14 hours ago, Skid said:

So excited for you! Are you packed yet?

LOL Im always looking at stuff everyday and going over lists with my wife...She might strangle me before we even leave. LOL

Our first cruise will be this August on Liberty!

13 hours ago, FreedomClassKid said:

Although its simple, a good Pina colada was just great for me and I loved it! I also saw there was a drink that was a mix of Pina colada and strawberry daiquiri. Theres also a mix of mango daiquiri, strawberry daiquiri and Pina colada  and that just sounds divine

 

 

I believe the Pina Colada and strawberry daiquiri mixed is called a Miami Vice.  My buddy has been telling me non stop I have to try one! 

The only person I dress to impress is my wife...if she thinks dressing formal is appropriate and she is going to "get dolled up" for dinner then youre damn right Im going to dress nice.  Otherwise I would rather be comfortable and I quit caring about what others think about me a LONG time ago.  Life is so much better when you mind your own business and just live your own life.  If everyone would worry about them, get a job and mind their own business well.....that would fix 90% of the world today.

Stupid question, when purchasing the photo package only 1 passenger in the stateroom needs to purchase it correct?  

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/getting-started

This has loads of info regarding RCL and should answer many questions.  But everyone here is happy to answer any question you may have!  Welcome to the forum!

We paid 46pp per day during the Memorial Day sale on our Liberty cruise.  Cheapest Ive seen it.

1 hour ago, Astra616 said:

It is also on the 25th of August.

ME TOO!

1 minute ago, JLMoran said:

If you have the package, I would just suggest relaxing at the bar and trying some. You have the full menu available, and the sommeliers there can help you pick out options that you'll be most likely to enjoy.

That said, if you're looking for the social aspect as well, then the group activity may still be worth doing. At least on the two sailings I've done so far, Vintages has tended to be a very quiet location with few patrons at any time of the day or night.

That sounds much more my speed LOL.  Thanks for the info!

Just now, AshleyDillo said:

Covers up to $13 on most ships.  You just have to pay the overage plus 18% of the overage beyond that.  There are a handful of wines in each category that fit within the limit, but many of the wines are $$$.  If you can find out the wines to be sampled ahead of time it can make your decision to partake easier.

I have no problem paying the overage, I just didnt know if we would have a better experience doing the group setting or just relaxing at the bar and trying some.

If you have the UDP does it cover wine at vintages?  Was looking at this but we also have the UDP package so I didnt know if we could just go try different wines on our own.

On 6/10/2019 at 8:41 PM, rtread said:

Hope y'all have a great cruise! Ours is Christmas (and wife's birthday) so I hope you reply after your cruise with an assessment of this.....just for curiosity

I will for sure!  This is our first ever cruise for both of us.  We are celebrating wifes birthday and our anniversary which are 3 days apart.

16 hours ago, rtread said:

Exactly!  We are proud Key holders for our future Liberty cruise....wonder how many others are too? 

We are key holders for Liberty in August.  Guess we shall find out!