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BTE

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  1. Like
    BTE got a reaction from Mike P in Adventure - Dec 15th - Review of 6 Night   
    I leave on 2/1 & can't wait. Thanks for the pictures & info
  2. Like
    BTE got a reaction from WannaCruise in Adventure - Dec 15th - Review of 6 Night   
    I leave on 2/1 & can't wait. Thanks for the pictures & info
  3. Thanks
    BTE reacted to WannaCruise in Adventure - Dec 15th - Review of 6 Night   
    Final Thoughts
    Two things I haven't commented on yet are crowds and crew.  
    We've been on the largest ships including Symphony and Allure and my smallest was Grandeur (but that was awhile ago, so don't have fresh memories of it), and recently, the mid size ships of Voyager class including Adventure.  During our Adventure cruise, DH kept commenting "the ship must not be full" as nothing ever felt crowded.  At one of his comments, the crew member overheard and said "it's a fully booked ship".  Adventure isn't huge, and there isn't a ton going on at once compared with Symphony, but we had no crowd issues which was great.  The first night, even though there was only one showing of the welcome show, the theater was half empty.  I think that's because it was an awkward time of 7:15pm so people were probably still at dinner or unpacking.  But even going forward, we never had an issue getting a good seat.  
    On our Grand Cayman day, you could just go to the tender if you were within the first hour, or after that you had to get a ticket that would assign you a time to get off.  We managed to make the first hour so can't comment on how the ticket system worked.
    Now having said all that, I never found it that crowded on Symphony as there was just so much to do, that it spread the people around at different events and venues.  But DH isn't a crowd person so he noticed the difference.
    As for the crew, they were great. Our room steward was very friendly, always saying hello when she saw us in the hallways.  I'm impressed that she make the effort to remember our names as I imagine the she has many cabins that they look after.  
    We really liked our waiters at dinner.  They were a bit quiet and no magic tricks for us without our kids (ha ha), but they always had a smile and were attentive.  One night DH asked for "a" roll without seeds, and from then on, every night, our main waiter left him an additional basket of about 6 super fresh plain rolls.  And he's always smiled and said hello when we saw him in the MDR at breakfast. It's those simple things that mean a lot.
    We found our CD Drew Devine pretty good.  He was funny and introduced the shows well.  DH managed to chat with him briefly after one of the shows and the top tier and he was pretty personable.  And he is from Toronto so he automatically gets a point from us!  But one thing I find different these days, is that aside from the evening shows or the Top Tier event, you don't see the CD around.  I'm pretty sure you used to see them around the ship during the day too (or maybe I'm thinking of Love Boat episodes...lol)
    Rating
    I will start by saying that every cruise I have been on, has been amazing.  I really love them all and really have no bad comments.  Also, when we select a ship, the criteria is different if it's just DH and I going vs our kids.  For example, Dh and I both want to try Brilliance some day, but we'd never take our kids on that one.  We stick to the newer ships or the amped ones with lots of amenities when it's the four of us.
    DH comments that "Voyager class is his sweet spot".  It's not too big, not to small (and thus, he loved the lack of crowds).  His favorite ship is Mariner, but I think Adventure is way up there too.
    I really enjoyed Adventure too.  If you are in the dining room, and want to go to say the theater or Imperial Lounge or Starbucks (did I mention that you can get cappacino with Baileys?  ...lol), it took no time at all.  One of my favorite activities is to walk around deck 4...up to 5 to the front....and then back down to 4 to complete the lap.  I love that feeling just watching the water, or even looking at all sides of the port we are in.  A lap on Adventure only take a few minutes.
    But for me...my very favorites are still the mega ships with Symphony being my favorite.  You can't beat the amenities, the shows are amazing, and the decor of the newer ships is spectacular with the most beautiful and creative and fun art work all around.  
    So my current rating so far is:
    Symphony Allure Independence Navigator Mariner Adventure Voyager Grandeur Can't wait to try Anthem in March.  Will see where it rates.
    We also have Harmony and Oasis booked so looking forward to trying to too!  And another Freedom class as well.  I really love the variety of ships that Royal offers.
  4. Like
    BTE got a reaction from michelle in Happy New Year   
    Happy New Year! Thanks to Michelle for all her help
  5. Like
    BTE got a reaction from JohnK6404 in When is your next cruise?   
    UPCOMING CRUISES
    Adventure of the Seas- 2/2020
    Odyssey of the Seas- 2/2021
  6. Thanks
    BTE reacted to Lovetocruise2002 in Royal Up - JS or GS   
    Probably not then.  Even a JS would be at least $500 more.
  7. Thanks
    BTE reacted to Lovetocruise2002 in Royal Up - JS or GS   
    Depends, which ship?
    Non O or Q class, probably not.  No CK, no double points, not worth it.  You're basically just paying for the extra space.
    If it's O or Q class, then yes, I might.  The lack of double points would still bother me though.
     
  8. Thanks
    BTE reacted to wstephensi in Royal Up - JS or GS   
    I'd consider the Spacious Ocean View Balcony if the current price is more than $300 than your current cabin.
    As for a JS, it is not much larger on most ships than a Spacious Ocean View Balcony.  A GS is very nice upgrade and if you want the extra space I'd do it.  I love the room layout of a GS.
     
  9. Thanks
    BTE reacted to Grenadyr in Experimental Drink Package Calculator   
    Alright, Drinkcalc V.2 is ready for testing.  The underlying math is identical but the interface is better due to it being through a different service.
    DrinkCalc V.2
  10. Like
    BTE got a reaction from DanielB in My time dining....   
    Exactly  & you have the flexibility to choose different times each night of your cruise that works for your schedule
  11. Like
    BTE got a reaction from CJS2766 in Sale on the Key   
    Cool  I don't sail until Feb 1st. Can you let me know?
  12. Thanks
    BTE reacted to CJS2766 in Sale on the Key   
    I sure hope so cause we purchased it and we sail on the Adventure of the Seas this Saturday on a 8 day cruise ?
  13. Like
    BTE reacted to JohnK6404 in The Key? Is it worth the price?   
    Welcome @LuciaYSL!
    To really over simplify it... how do YOU value the perks? Everyone has their own opinion and perspective... I can tell you that we, along with our friends, absolutely loved the Key on Allure back in May. I can only speak from experience from an Oasis class ship perspective. We are also just Platinum members in C&A and have not booked a suite, so there is no other way for us to experience VIP treatment.
    If you plan on purchasing the VOOM Surf & Stream package for each person anyway and you can get the Key for say $24.99 or less, then in my opinion it's a very easy decision. We got it on Allure for $19.99, just purchased it yesterday for Oasis for $21.99 for MAY 2020 (hope it drops to $19.99 again ), and plan on purchasing it for Symphony for APR 2021.
    In our case after crunching the numbers, effectively for the cost of ONE glass of wine per day, both my wife and I can get all of the other Key meals/benefits (over the VOOM package cost for 2 devices). Remember, like with the Deluxe Beverage Package, that everyone in your cabin must also purchase the Key.
    If you do not plan on purchasing the VOOM package for everyone in your cabin, then the Key may not make sense for you... 
  14. Like
    BTE reacted to AshleyDillo in Empress Bahamas Relief   
    Someone on one of my Facebook groups is on Empress and posted this letter about a Bahamas aid drop..thought it was prettt cool to get the passengers to write notes for the hurricane victims.

  15. Like
    BTE got a reaction from PRebecca in When you know you have a problem...   
    This helps pass the time until you actually get to cruise!
  16. Thanks
    BTE got a reaction from Pen in Dogs on Board   
    In my opinion unless it's truly a service dog it shouldn't be allowed around food at all
  17. Thanks
    BTE reacted to mikebarr in First Alaska cruise   
    I just got back from that cruise last week. I would get there early as it is quite congested and boarding was the most unorganized I have ever seen. They are boarding 2 ships ( Celebrity is boarding on one side of the room and Ovation on the other side)at the same in that terminal and it can be difficult to hear the announcements. Celebrity started boarding first but it felt like 90% of the people on the Ovation side got up and headed for the doors. They just stood there for about 15 minutes and then they opened the doors and people just started going no matter the priority level.
  18. Like
    BTE got a reaction from Hoski in Drink pkg price differences....   
    Yeah I had to purchase the refreshment package as my 2nd also
  19. Thanks
    BTE reacted to Kathleen in First Alaska cruise   
    Our Uber was directed by the traffic directors to the rideshare drop off. It is a designated area by the port. The drop off area is inside the port area but still about a 7-10 minute walk to the ship/boarding check-in area. There was a lot of yelling at the Uber/Lyft drivers trying to get them to drop off at their drop off area.
  20. Like
    BTE got a reaction from tiny260 in Drink pkg price differences....   
    If you call not everyone will have to get the DB package. I got 1 DB packages & 1 refreshment package.
  21. Thanks
    BTE reacted to Kathleen in First Alaska cruise   
    Do you know which pier you are sailing out of? We sailed on Ovation and left out of Pier 91. We sailed out of there and the Uber drop off was about a 10 minute walk to port. They do have a shuttle I believe if you don’t want to walk it. We didn’t find it to be too much of a hassle. I second bring binoculars. We got to port at 930. It was a bit disorganized but we were first sailing from that port for the year. 
  22. Thanks
    BTE reacted to SpeedNoodles in First Alaska cruise   
    We were at the Seattle port at 10:30 and on the ship by 10:40.
  23. Thanks
    BTE reacted to Matt in First Alaska cruise   
  24. Like
    BTE reacted to AshleyDillo in Set sail pass?   
    SetSail pass is all the paperwork that you need to get on the ship from Royal Caribbean.  You will also need your passports..so definitely don't forget those!
  25. Like
    BTE reacted to CDunninTX in MEI Travel   
    We love Michelle too!! 2 more big ?s !!
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