karl_nj

1 hour ago, CrznTxn said:

No MDR, but many different but themed restaurants with a menu that matches that theme and not served to the multitudes. Maybe they could divide the MDR into several themed eateries and you could reserve which one you want and the menu would still be restricted but you chose the restriction. OMG! What a concept.

How very, uh, Dynamic. Or something.

I once saw a family disembark the ship from coco cay because a member of their sailing party passed away. I assume they took a boat to another island in the Bahamas and then got a plane home.  You would need a passport for that.

Seems like Royal is in the process of killing Lunch in the MDR and transitioning to a Brunch concept.  I noticed this on Wonder back in August.  They still had lunch last week on Anthem.

6 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

That said, the classics, being rather basic and bland, were good for those with dietary restrictions in situations the other stuff couldn't be adapted too easily. I'm sure they've kept that in mind with the change.

My daughter will be sad to not always have the pasta bolognese and the strip steak as options, they were frequently her go-to's.  It was almost like the "picky teen menu"

5 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I'll be curious to see if the classics are truly off the menu or just not on the menu for the sake of the trial to get better metrics.

On Cunard they don't even put the plain chicken/steak/salmon on the menu.  But it's available if you don't like anything else.

On 11/5/2022 at 10:07 AM, karl_nj said:

Based on how things went the last time I sailed out of Bayonne (Christmas 2021) I fully expect to see lines like the ones in the photos you shared.  Nobody pays attention to the boarding times, and the terminal staff doesn't seem to do much about it.

Well, it turns out embarkation for my cruise last week was super smooth.  Much better than it was Christmas of 2021.  

Disembarkation was amazing too... looked at my watch when leaving our stateroom and I was opening my front door in just under one hour... 

We had a French class on Anthem last week.  There were 3 sessions; it was fun.  We are going to visit Paris for Spring Break next year, so it was a nice little refresher.

39 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

I did not sail out of NJ in Dec or Jan but the rest of the months they had "the guy" who had the bullhorn announcing who can enter.  His coworker checked the set sail passes.  He was always there for the larger ship sailings but was not there for Adventure of the Seas in Sept/Oct.  I imagine this sailing will be a super crap show in regards to luggage drop off and terminal entry.  If I imagine the worst I'll be super happy if it's not.    Lot's of newbies don't understand why the process is the way it is and then you have the "old timers" who remember it as a "show up as you want" so surely "this arrive at my selected time does not apply to me".  Lastly there are those who probably never even chose a time on the app, because they are fully oblivious to anything at all except that they are getting on a cruise.  

Yes I was really surprised how smooth things went October 2021 on Oasis (they were checking set sail pass times, etc.) and then what a mess it was just a couple of months later on Anthem.  Nobody was checking any times.  I was told JS's could not use the suite line for check-in, and that there was no line for Emerald or even Platinum and was sent to just one huge check in line.  I even tried asking nicely again and was yelled at by overwhelmed port staff.  Lots of fun.

11 minutes ago, ScooterScott22 said:

The first message is specific to your cruise so not really a mixed message.  That is the one that you need to utilize as the "truth".  You should still try to be there around your specified boarding time, taking into account any possible delays.  I'm sure there will be some leeway accommodated in actual boarding time. 

The second message is standard message that goes out to everyone for every cruise.  They are trying to avoid having people show up early just to get on the ship which will create issues like the lines pictured below for entrance to the terminal.

Yeah... I realize...  I'm just a little amused that yesterday they sent out an alert to give yourself more time to get to the terminal, and then today they sent out an alert that said basically said you will be punished if you arrive early.

Based on how things went the last time I sailed out of Bayonne (Christmas 2021) I fully expect to see lines like the ones in the photos you shared.  Nobody pays attention to the boarding times, and the terminal staff doesn't seem to do much about it.

14 hours ago, PRMLVM said:

For those who go "all out" (tuxes or suits for men, ball gowns for women): do you live close by and drive to your ports?  Do you pack these items plus clothes for the other 4, 5, 6 days and fly to a port?  How much luggage (and what kind - folding up a tux and gown in a standard rectangle case?) does that take?  (asking in light of all the extra charges for luggage these days)

It's been a long time since I've worn a tux on Royal Carribean.  I think it would be overkill.  I'll still bring my tux on Cunard though.

Sometimes I will bring a suit on Royal.  Other times just a sports coat/blazer, and sometimes none of the above.  It does depend on if we are driving or flying, and if we are flying how long the rest of our trip is (sometimes if I fly for a cruise I'll add some time pre or post cruise to do something on land.)  It also depends on what the weather is, am I packing mostly shorts and polo shirts, or do I need clothing that is more bulky and heavy?

Yes, it is possible to pack a suit in a regular suitcase.  There is a way to fold it to avoid too many wrinkles.  If it's the last thing you pack and the first thing you unpack, the wool fabric tends to de wrinkle itself pretty well.  usually.

When I first started sailing on Cunard 15 years ago, I would bring my tux, a suit *and* a blazer.  The blazer (no tie) was for "casual night" on day 1 and the last night.

12 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

That's not really a mixed message.  They're saying leave early so you're not late, due to the marathon

But whatever you do, don't arrive early!!

I'm enjoying the emails i'm getting from Royal Carribean for my cruise tomorrow:

tl;dr: Don't be late!  Leave early!

tl;dr: But don't arrive early!

I'm not sure they can really have it both ways...

In any case I'm actually kind of surprised that "last call" boarding time is 2pm, seems a little early.

11 hours ago, Adriana said:

Oh my. So, I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to explain some of the issues with the Diamond concierge...At this point I felt bad for going, his tone seemed like I was bothering him, so I just thanked him and left.

Wow... well at least you tried.  If you don't end up getting your diamond pin this time around, you can ask at the C&A desk on your next cruise and they will give it to you. 

Now you don't need to feel bad about giving any scores less than "10" on the survey.

3 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

One other thought. It's common to go get 2 drinks using 2 cards. Will they let you do that now?

What about a minor's drinks. Will they be expected to sign?

 

Probably not for either, but I'll be curious how that plays out.

Minors sign if they have charging privileges and order a drink have to pay for, so I don't see why they wouldn't sign a voucher one.

I know I had way too much fun signing for virgin pina coladas and virgin strawberry daiquiris as a 12 year old on Norwegian Carribean Line's Skyward in the late 80's.  Mom was a little upset when she saw the bar bill at the end of the cruise... lol

There are a few advantages for eastbound to westbound (again from the perspective of a North American)

• Little to no 'jetlag' when arriving in Europe.  If you plan to spend a few days being a tourist in Europe, you are already mostly adjusted to the timezone and you can be productive on day 1.  You aren't a zombie for the first day, as you are if you fly over on a redeye in coach.
• If you can take a car service/drive to the cruise port, fewer worries about having issues with flights and missing the cruise.
• Less stress about taking a COVID test away from home (but hopefully this will stop being a thing soon)

1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Adventure does not have the ability for this so I assume it is Freedom class and above that does?

If I recall correctly "First Gen" Voyager class ships (Voyager, Explorer, Adventure) have metal sided balconies with no door so there is nothing to open.   It might be possible on the 2nd gen ships (Navigator, Mariner) but I've never sailed on them so I can't say for sure.  (QM2 has similar metal balconies, but they do have doors that can be opened)

Radiance class ship balconies sort of look like they could open, but apparently, they don't.  I'm not sure if they actually don't open, or if they just can't be locked in an open position, and it's more of a safety issue.  I've been on other ships on other cruise lines where they open but don't "lock" and that was ok (at least at the time).  You just sort of stick a deck chair there to keep it from flying shut.  But with bad weather they might start to fly open/shut and something could break.

As far as I can tell, the "real" reason these things open is to make "balcony cleaning day" easier for the crew.  Making a 'mega balcony' like your photo is really just an awesome side effect.  But it works out really well for me, especially when I can't get a connecting room.

Yes, you can ask your cabin steward about it.  He doesn't have they key needed to open it, but he can usually find someone that does.  On some ships it's not possible, but it is on Oasis class ships, like Symphony.  If bad weather is predicted, the captain may tell the crew to keep them locked.

I request this on most cruises, since we usually have 2 adjacent balcony cabins.  I would say I'm able to get the opened about 90% of the time.

23 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

I'll be onboard Sunday as well!  

Ah, how funny.  I think we were both on Oasis of the Seas for the October 24, 2021 sailing too.

23 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

There are 3 different overflow lots. 

Just an FYI-it seems counterintuitive but they say stay in the left lane to do the overflow lot......others will drive past you on the right, they are likely uber/lyft/family who have done drop offs and are leaving

 

Ok thanks... I pulled up google maps in the satellite view and I see what you mean, much appreciated!

16 minutes ago, Al Miller said:

My two cents... They severely overestimated how many people would get off in Miami. Basically having 2 hours for the few who wanted to go into port and 30 minutes for what had to be at least 3000 passengers.

Well doesn't *everyone* in NJ have family in Miami they might want to visit? lol

13 minutes ago, Vlad said:

If course logically you had to disembark, but completely not the way it happened. 

No, they didn't *have* to have everyone disembark.  This has been handled in other ways in the past (e.g. do it onboard, as they have done in Bar Harbor)

Seems like someone in CBP in Miami decided that this was the way to handle it in this particular case.

12 minutes ago, nferr said:

The 7:30 in the morning mandatory port customs visit would be a killer for me.

Apparently it was "ok" to wait until noon to make your way off the ship, while keeping everyone else waiting outside....

These US "zero out the ship" rules are so crazy.  In Europe Royal has cruises where you can embark/disembark at a selection of ports.  On Transatlantic crossings on Cunard's QM2 from NYC to the UK, immigration officers from the UK board the ship with you in New York and you are assigned a (large) timeslot (at a reasonable time of day) to take care of all immigration formalities before you even leave the ship in Southhampton.  There are so many better ways to handle these things.

1 hour ago, Pattycruise said:

Bayonne lot:   It has been the overflow lot since about last November or so.    A lot of people do not pay attention to their arrival times which lends itself to those long lines to drop off luggage. 
 

We got to park in the garage last Christmas.  I figured the "overflow lot" was only needed when they had Oasis + Another RCL ship + Celebrity Summit going out of Bayonne.  But now aren't we back to just having Anthem sailing out of that port?  So I'm a little surprised they are still using the overflow lot.

Where is this overflow lot anyway?  How far from the terminal is it?  I'm boarding Anthem on Sunday.

15 minutes ago, Adriana said:

Good morning! Okay, I am sorry, I am just venting.

I think after all of this you are allowed to vent a little...

15 minutes ago, Adriana said:

Diamond and was looking forward to seeing my benefits, chefs gift, pin, etc. I had none of it. I go back down to Guest Relations and tell them again what happened and the response was, “okay, no worries.” Pardon? I am not apologizing, I am saying I did not receive anything. He directs me to Crown and Anchor. It was almost 9pm, except for lunch, I spent the entire day there, even missing sail away. So, I just went back up to my new cabin.

Yeah, after all of that I wouldn't have wanted to scoot over to the main C&A desk either (the one next door to Guest Relations).

My recommendation would be to stop by the Diamond Lounge tomorrow morning or this afternoon.  Play with the fancy coffee machine if you like coffee, and say hi to the Diamond Concierge.  They will usually have office hours at various points during the day.  It's listed on one of those sheets you didn't get because of the people that stole your room.  Then you can sit down at his desk and give the quick version of your story, mention how you didn't get any of the papers you should have, etc.  At minimum he should be able to give you the papers you missed.  Often the pin comes later on during the cruise anyway, but he can confirm that.  He can also make sure that C&A knows what room you are in, so you will get any more treats they may send to the room, etc.  Since you missed your boarding day cookies and the can of water.

On Wonder the office hours for the Diamond Concierge were 8am-11:30pm and 4:30pm to 8pm.  Morning might be less busy than the afternoon.

13 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

They put the key cards on the door. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often.

Yeah... but they are in a sealed envelope with your name written on it...

I think the response from the customer "service" desk is the *really* crazy part of the story.