dodgestang

I have heard that Carlington has taken over for Francis. I can neither confirm/nor deny since I haven't been on Grandeur since end of Dec when Francis helped us have a great time. So just parroting what I have heard. As for tipping that is always a hot topic. Francis on the Grandeur and Wendy (Genie) on Anthem I tip with a large bill when I met them and another one when we left. Is it too small? Is it too large? Who the heck knows....it's what I did and I felt perfectly fine doing it.

Maybe I don't call them enough....I've never really had a major problem. They always helped me book just fine...I called them this morning and repriced/booked a sailing I had booked while on board....they walked through all my offers and found out I could maximize my savings using the Prime cruise that was awarded 4/1.....saved me over 5k on a sailing in August. Worked out similar in January when I called for the cruise I just took in April in terms of being helpful and helping me apply my comps as effectively as possible. Worked out similar in September when I called for the cruise I took in Dec. On the flip side the one time I called them about prebuying chip program they had for a while....they gave me a pretty clear answer....that was then done the complete opposite while on board which made me a little grumpy...but they appear to have canned that whole program.

I mean I keep giving it back to them after I win in other forms ;). I mean this was the 3rd cruise in 8 months....and we've got another one in August now. I think the kids are going to have cruise fatigue

The show scheduled rearrangement on the last day was certainly do quite quickly. We were on the back stage tour at noon and the "we will rock you crew" was still saying they were doing the 2:30 show. When we are dinner our Genie was confirming for us that we still wanted to go to the 8:30 farewell show and I said "That was cancelled, the 2:30 Rock show was moved to 9 so I assume the farewell show is bumped"....she got a look like "WTF are you talking about" pulled out her phone made a call....and then apologized profusely that I was right and the show was cancelled. Didn't really bother us....but it seemed to bother her. Only reason I even knew is I just so happened to be walking out of 270 when the Cruise Director gave the schedule update.

I just got their survey.....I roasted them a little bit....I just got off the Anthem and they had the Texas Hold'em table Trips bet max set at $50 (It is $100 on other ships)....I was pissed. This was also the first sailing with Royal where I did not get a free cruise cert on the last day. Instead I got $500 off...and I'm thinking 'those bastards' they know I haven't scheduled anything with my free prime cruise yet and wouldn't give me something that might net me a larger discount on my next cruise OR since the table max was lower...I didn't get as many points since my betting style was altered.

Got my prime free cruise email this afternoon, so maybe yours will show up soon

But Pineapple on the door mean swingers inside ?

I love dogs....but....if someone's 'support animal' peed on my or any member of my family the animal would be in need of a vet since I would have punted it while it was defecating. And if I was in the right place....I would have scored a goal with it on the owners face.

My 8 and 12 yr old have never seen the kids menu in the MDR.....they love the escargot, fish of the day, pasta entrees, etc...

I 'booked' through the website....Casino rep called me within 24 hours. Of course I booked a ship/itinerary that wasn't applicable to my offer...but I knew that when I did it ;). The process is certainly wonky isn't it.

Everyone's different. I've stayed in 8500 on Grandeur multiple times. This room is right under the WJ and none of us (2 adults, 2 kids) had any issue with noise.

Go to pool deck order a bucket of corona

When I was a kid I went on a couple cruises with my grandfather. We always got a porthole/ocean view room....I always loved the idea of cruising...but hated the rooms I was familiar with. In 2000 my mother in law took the family on a cruise...so my wife and I got another ocean view room. I hated it.....so did she. So we never considered going on a cruise again. Flash forward to 2018 big things happened with my company and we were just coming out of a bad year with a health scare with my son....so I decided to give it another try....except this time since I was paying...I was going top of the line. We are going on our 3rd cruise now in 8 months because we enjoyed it so much ? So yes, the suite life is for us.

Be more concerned about pick pocketing between your arrive point and the boat ?

Still out of price range even with a 50% off coupon? Sorry to hear that....I would look hard for another cruise on the same schedule and call them to try and get the price down to where you can stomach it

I would imagine that embarkation day is the only time during the cruise that the people who work the spa have any personal time off hence the late, post sail away time slots. It also helps make sure the people who booked them will be on board at the time of the appointment.

Just to call out the subtleties of the English language based on my experiences on board and what has been written in this thread... There is a difference between: Suite access to priority boarding/disembarking. AND Suite access to priority boarding/disembarking lounge. One statement deals with how you get through a line and the other deals with things you can do after the line (while waiting to get on the ship if you are too early to board) or before the line (waiting to get off). Have a great sailing!

Let's define 'right now'. Right now...as in August 2018 and December 2018 there was a suite only area and buffet. It was next to the cabanas. There was beach/swim/seating and chairs just for suite quests. How this will play out in the future when they 'open' perfect day and have the additional 'new' cabana locations remains to be seen. The beach area at the current cabanas was very very nice. No water shoes needed.

I 2nd (or maybe 3rd) this idea

If you are there before the dock is finished....since you are tendering over they only have one ship there at a time...so there is ample seating/chairs around the island. After the dock is finished it might feel a little more 'full' if you are there with multiple ships

Maybe I just have low expectations/lack experience with comps. I generally only have gambled in two places....I have a players card for Golden Nugget in AC, the most comp I've ever had was enough points on their card to buy some souvenirs for the family and one time they called me on the phone to invite me a concert and overnight that was literally the next day...and I play at the local Hollywood near my house and have never even bothered to sign up for a card. On the cruise ship I knew all the 'bosses' by name because they all introduced themselves over the course of the first gambling night. They and the dealers all welcomed me back telling me it was great to see me again (this was on the second trip and I was really surprised they would remember me). I had a 'conversation' with Casino Manager about the way they managed the free chip program that made me consider not going back on that trip...but here I am...going again ;). All in all.....3-4 bottles of champagne and multiple trays of chocolate strawberries and magically appeared in the room plus the 2 free balcony room cruises and the icing...I'm technically up (pretty much broke even trip one and came home with 2 fancy paintings from trip two that were bought with winnings)

Waaaaytoooo I've sailed twice on Royal in 2018....before that my last cruise was in 2000...so essentially I had no history with Royal. I went out on Grandeur, booked the royal suite with drink packages and ate at Izumi and chops with the wife and 2 kids....had a fabulous time. I gambled what to me seemed like normal amount for a couple nights, same type of gambling I would do in AC when I am at the Jersey shore with the family and I made 'prime' on this first sailing and also received a free balcony cruise cert. I used that cert for a second sailing, upgraded it to the RS for only a few $$$$ with the wife and 2 kids again and at the end of that sailing received another free balcony cruise cert. Going on 3rd cruise in April ? and already thinking about summer cruises to take since I know I will have the prime I can leverage or maybe I will get another cert with a favorable sailing to my schedule and port preferences.

If you are Prime during Casino period April 18 to March 19....as I understand it....prime cruise becomes available April 1 2019.