Sh2738

I am interested in this as well. Does anyone also know what exactly the menu looks like? Thanks 

I plan on getting some happy hour oysters from here. I really wish that I could go here for dinner but they have no vegetarian options for my traveling companion which is a bummer. Was hoping they would have at least had a pasta or something. Hopefully they will add that. 

3 minutes ago, DunkelBierJay said:

This is what I have been thinking in that the net cost ends up being $4-$5 per day if you were going to get VOOM anyway. Lunch at Chops is $21 on its own, so rationalizing further makes the total additional cost about $14 for everything else. The reserved seating would be worth it to me at that cost. Another question is that if one person in a cabin gets it, do all others have to get it? I think that if you value what you get, it's well worth it. I also like the idea of not schlepping a bag with some water and wine all over the ship on embarkation day before 1:00 pm.

Yes so if one person gets it all have to get it. So for two people at 19.99 per person per day this comes to be 279.86 for 7 night cruise. While a 2 device internet plan shared by a two person cabin is only 132.93 if gotten at 18.99 per day. 

Therefore, if two people share a 2 device package the difference between just having internet and getting The Key package is 146.93. So if one takes those facts into account, the remaining benefits outside of internet would need to outweigh this additional $147 cost. 

Thus for two people who can share a two device internet package, it depends on if they believe that the other benefits of the Key package are worth the additional nearly $150 cost. This would vary by individuals. Some might find that the cost doesn’t bother them and that they are willing to pay it for priority boarding and reserved seats being the main other benefits, while others might not depending on their individual situation. To each their own

It is really too bad that you have to get it for everyone in the same cabin though. 

Thanks 

9 minutes ago, spiralqueen said:

I'd respectfully disagree. The internet provided is the faster version, so it's not "basic" internet per se and it is one device per person. It also includes a nice debarkation day breakfast, private hours on different attractions like the zip line, rock climbing wall, and Flowrider, and reserved seats at the shows. I'm also not discounting the value for me, personally, that I can drop off my carry on bags for someone to bring to my room so I don't have to lug them around until rooms are open.  I will give you that it loses value on non Oasis or Quantum class ships or on longer sailings, but to say you don't get anything out of it is a bit unfair, in my opinion. I do appreciate, however, that you acknowledge that that is your opinion. I'm seeing in far too many places that people are saying it's a valueless scam as if that was a fact and it really rubs me the wrong way and makes me defensive. 

I also agree that it really ain’t a scam at all just another program that they are offering and some might find it worth the money while others won’t depending on what they value and what they like to do. Yes I think that it really depends on what you would do on the ship. Personally we don’t use any of the flowrider, rock climbing etc activities so those features aren’t of any value to us but would be very valuable to families that would use those features. Also, the price that we are paying for the internet for two devices is a total of 133 for two devices for our cabin since we don’t need any more than that. Also, we check our bags and just carry a purse on board so that feature wouldn’t be used by us either, but certainly might for other groups that might want to carry on luggage. The breakfast also isn’t anything that I would place value on solely for us because we are fine with getting room service or eating in the buffet, but again that’s only us. So for us I can only look at the value of boarding priority and reserved seating at shows as those are the only other features that we would be receiving in addition to the internet. Therefore just for us we would have a difference of around 147 for the added benefits beyond the internet. I personally don’t feel that monetarily speaking that priority boarding and reserved seats at shows is worth an additional 147. 

But it that’s just me. I would rather spend that kind of money on excursions and activities. 

But families might find this advantageous depending on what they like to do. 

To each their own though

I haven’t used it and personally I believe that it is a waste of money but that’s just me. It is pricey at 19/day/person. Maybe if it was just 19/day and if you didn’t have to only get Chops. But with only getting one lunch with no choice about where, basic internet for one device, everyone in the cabin must purchase, and only other benefit being early boarding/getting off at ports. It would amount to an extra 280 for two people. Is not close to being worth it in my viewpoint. Maybe if it was lunch everyday or if you were able to go someplace else, we can’t eat at Chops so it isn’t a perk for us. 

Others might have have different opinions but to me I view it as a waste if money for not really getting anything out of it. But that’s just me. 

Just now, irishgirl0525 said:

I keep checking since I have seen others say they got it for $42 but I'm guessing it won't change. Maybe I'll get lucky!

Yea it really depends on the time of the year for your cruise and which ship. I am doing the brand new Symphony so it’s going to stay high I am guessing. But other ships might drop. 

Just now, JLMoran said:

Yeah, the packages are definitely being priced appreciably higher for 2019 than they were for 2018. $42/day seemed to be the best sale price for most 2018 cruises, but I'm not seeing anyone who's reported less than $52/day for a 2019 sailing. The good news is that it "only" translates to one more cocktail, or a couple of beers, per day if you typically drink the same amount most days; if you're like most vacationers and do most of your "celebratory imbibing" on embarkation day, you may find that it's enough to make the Chefs Table day and port days more manageable. Here's a quick, rough example of a way to easily hit $52 on a sea day:

• Grande cappuccino / latte / espresso with breakfast, and one more in the afternoon: $8
• 1 "lighter" cocktail (e.g., mojito or one of the sake-based drinks in Izumi, where the alcohol / calorie content isn't crazy) around lunch time, or a sail-away beverage on port days: $13
• 2 glasses of wine with dinner: $26 (bearing in mind that most decent / good wines will have you going over the $13 per-drink limit by a few bucks)
• 1 beer at the pub while watching the evening entertainer: $6-7

Total for the above is $53-54, and in my view not an unreasonable or difficult "target" on a daily basis. Throw in a fresh-squeezed OJ with breakfast, and there's another couple of bucks shaved off, which would let you replace a cocktail with a more-manageable beer or two.

You definitely don't have to drink like a frat boy on hazing night to break even or keep up.

Yea the prices are staying high for 2019. I have a Nov 2019 sailing on Symphony but luckily I was able to get 49 for Black Friday but haven’t seen it any lower and it probably won’t go lower than that. Back at 52 now. 

56 minutes ago, irishgirl0525 said:

I thought the same thing when I saw that cauliflower "steak". Give me a break. I know a lot can be done with cauliflower, but let's not get carried away. We're not idiots.

Yea I mean no way am I paying 30 or so for a piece of cauliflower. That’s not a meal. 

I wish I could do 150 but as I travel with a vegetarian it’s not really an option as the current menu only shows one so called option for a vegetarian, a piece of cauliflower. For sure not worth the cover charge for some cauliflower. 

Would love to try it so hopefully they get a better menu soon with more options for vegetarians. 

But if anyone has experience lately eating there as a vegetarian please feel free to share, maybe I’m missing something. Thanks 

31 minutes ago, l9dance said:

Wonderland on Symphony is amazing and the mad hattter is to best in the fleet!

Sound cool. Wish I could go to it but it is yet another specialty restaurant that is amazingly not vegetarian friendly  . Maybe one day they will have a more inclusive menu.  

Just now, Aneedels said:

Do we have to call/talk to someone and tell them that we want our room to have the 2 twin beds pushed into a King or do we have to do it ourselves??

You just tell the cabin attendant or call them from your cabin once you get into your room and they will change the setup when they do their evening service. They don’t do this ahead of time anymore. But no you don’t have to do it yourself and it only takes them a couple minutes. 

Seen some people getting these. Hope I get the email too. 

Thanks for the review. Not doing Symphony for another year so got a long wait. Personally I haven’t ever had any issues with MDR food but I’m pretty flexible with free food for the price paid for the cruise. Also food opinions can be very subjective. I suspect though that it the food really was that bad, it might be due to a brand new crew perhaps or it could be due to it being a holiday cruise. Perhaps there was a lot of more stress or something attached to it. Not sure what goes on with holiday cruises as I’ve never done one due to the higher price. But again food can be very subjective to individual different tastes and expectations etc. and it is a new ship. 

But glad to hear that you still enjoyed it. Personally I would love to try more of the specialty dining onboard but unfortunately the specialty restaurants, with the exception of Jaime’s, aren’t vegetarian friendly which is disappointing as I always travel with a vegetarian. 

Thanks 

32 minutes ago, Crusinjunky said:

Need some hotel recommendations for Vancouver. We will be arriving a day early and would like to be close to the port but also in a good area to do a little sightseeing, exploring, and/or eating within walking distance. If all of that is possible within the same area. Thanks. 

Not sure about where the port is but I have stayed at a great hotel in heart of Vancouver. Good price for the area, close to great restaurants and sightseeing. The bus to go to the suspension bridges was right at the hotel. It is called blue horizon hotel. 

1 minute ago, H20 said:

This was second degree burn temperature water at full cold...when water was turned full hot, steam was coming out with the water.

Huh, I have personally never ever heard of water actually being hot enough to burn on cruises or hotels or anything like that. Sometimes it’s too warm at a certain point for someone who might not have a good tolerance for hot water. If it was that hot that it actually gave you a burn, than that is very interesting indeed. In my experience I seem to have issues with water never being warm enough and just lukewarm at best which for me is not warm enough to really even take a good shower just barely tolerable to wash yourself. 

That at is a very unique situation indeed. 

Just now, H20 said:

Greetings,

Returned on 11/4/18 from an 8 night sailing aboard Adventure of the Seas.

No cold water in shower the entire trip.  Maintenance visited four times the first night, nothing accomplished.

Second day, informed guest relations of the situation, sometime while we were out of  the cabin the entire shower faucet was replaced.

They did a nice job but still no cold water.

Even spoke with Captain about this after the "Captains talk" in the Imperial Lounge, still no cold water.

Eight nights of taking "sponge baths" from the sink was eight nights too many.

This was my 17th RC cruise, even booked another while on board, so if you are listening Royal Caribbean don't treat your customers this way. 

 

Just curious, why would you want cold water in the shower? You had hot water right? I’ve never heard of actually wanting cold water for a shower, was it really warm where you were and you wanted to cool down? Very interesting feedback that I’ve never heard from anyone before. Fingers crossed that there is no cold water on my cruise and that there is always nice hot water available. Thanks 

2 minutes ago, TOMMYP said:

I am sailing on the Symphony of the Seas October 2019. I see the Ultimate Drink Package is currently going for $52/Day on the Cruise Planner...

Does it ever go lower? If, so, what is the cheapest you have seen? and when do you think it will go on sale again?

Thank you!

Yea I am interested in this too. I am going on Symphony too just a month after you. So I’m interested in any deals as well. I’ve heard that maybe Black Friday. But curious if it should already be purchased now and then canceled and repurchased later if the price drops. So any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

On 7/26/2018 at 3:24 PM, twangster said:

For example, I have a 2019 reservation for the Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise on the July 4, 2019 sailing of Anthem of the Seas.

I make my dinner reservations online and "purchase" them at zero cost.

With that complete I look at my calendar and it shows "at your leisure".

By visiting the "Order History" link I can view my actual dining times:

 

Where is the spot to enter in how many people you want a table for? The last time that I did RCCL, when selecting the time my MTD, you also entered in how many for the table to ensure that you got only yourself at your table. Is this no longer an option? And if so do you just inform them when you get there how small or big of table you want to ensure that you aren’t eating at a table with strangers? Thanks

2 minutes ago, twangster said:

Drum roll....  Seattle's Best.

 

 

 

 

For those that don't know, Seattle's Best is a subsidiary of Starbucks.

Thanks. I was confused because pictures that I ad seen of the Symphony for the Cafe Promenade was showing that there wasn’t anything hanging up to show a menu. So I guess those were taken before they put the menus up. Thanks

I would suggest checking the Royal app. You can look at the menus for the current and upcoming trips to see what the menus are currently showing as being. That should give you a good idea about what to expect. 

I am thinking of doing the sushi class with my sister on Symphony because she likes making her own sushi but she is a vegetarian but loves vegetarian sushi. 

Are there modifications that can be done so she can eat the sushi? Or would she only be able to participate and not eat?

Thanks. 

Does anyone happen to know what coffee is served as the premium coffee on Symphony? They have a Starbuck store but Im curious what brand the premium coffee is that is included in the beverage package. Thanks

Glad to hear that people are having success at both getting the milkshakes free with the beverage packages and that you can just come in and get one without having to get any food. We wouldn't be interested in any of the food but I would love to get a milkshake.

1 hour ago, KathyC said:

Back to report that Cafe Latitudes has vanilla and chocolate milkshakes and they are included with the drink package. 

Which class of ship was this? Would love to know how the coffee and other premium beverages are that  would be included in the deluxe package on the newest Oasis class ships. Thanks, 

I am assuming this would be fine but how about bringing a whole bunch of applesauce individual cups for taking medicine?