KristiZ

4 hours ago, Sh2738 said:

Now if you have traditional, I’m not sure if it is possible to get a table for two, I’ve never tried it. Thanks and Happy Cruising. 

Totally doable with Traditional too, just call Royal 14 days out and they will hook you up!

2 hours ago, coneyraven said:

On Brilliance, we were actually able to find our photos on a monitor that they had, oh, but don't get me wrong, they also had the printed ones on the wall, but this way was so much easier.  We picked the ones we liked, and they printed and held them till the last day, just in case there may be more that we would like to purchase.  So easy.

Recently on Explorer they had gone all digital -- just swipe your SeaPass at the monitor and you could see your photos. They no longer had the ability to print them out at all.

Also, this meant that at least once on the trip you had to give the photographer your room number. After that, the facial recognition software did a decent job of collecting all your photos. (The other option was find a photo by scrolling endlessly through the unmatched photos, finding one of you, "claiming" it, and then waiting 24 hours for the system to collect your other pics. Not very instant gratification-like!)

Every now and then they do a promotion where you get extra points for bringing newbie cruisers with you on a trip (in their own cabins). I think we got 6 extra points one time for that!

12 hours ago, coneyraven said:

We did the Turtle Farm and Stingray City that included a trip to Hell just a couple of weeks ago.  Completely had a blast.  

+1

4 hours ago, rjac said:

My wife and I usually request a table for two, early seating in the MDR and always get it. 

Us too. It's just nicer to not worry about making hours of small talk. We meet new people in places where escape is easier! Haha!

34 minutes ago, Marmaduke said:

Following on from this post. Can you tell me if these dollar notes I've got are still legal tender.  I'm in the UK and my husband had these left over from a business trip to Houston years ago. I've just found them and want to know if they will be of any use for tipping.

Thank you all! 

 

Yup! The dollar hasn’t changed in... forever. Huh. Now I’m going to go look up how long it has been! But yes, spend away!

2 hours ago, Tori B said:

Hi everyone. My first cruise is coming up, we’re 4 days out! I’ve been reading a ton of blog posts, threads, and Pinterest posts about do’s, dont’s, packing, etc... So today I came across a post that said on the first day you can go to the dining room and request to switch your dining time (we want the late time but are currently scheduled for early) and that you can also request to see where you are seated and request to switch to a different table. Has anyone had any experience with this? Is this something that is applicable to Royal Caribbean at all? I don’t want to seem silly by going and bothering staff over this. Like I said it’s my first cruise so I don’t even know what to expect!

Thanks in advance!!

Hi! You can totally do this! They will try hard to accommodate you. Make sure you do this first thing once you board. Good luck!

On 4/21/2019 at 6:02 AM, teacherdl said:

My first question would be about movement and motion on Symphony.  I know you can't predict the weather, but just in general, does it have less motion that a small ship like Rotterdam out of Seattle.

You're going to have a very different ocean! The Caribbean is far calmer than the Pacific during that transit to the Inside Passage. That, coupled with technological improvements should mean a much smoother sail.

6 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Does anyone know if travel agents are able to look up cruises by room type? 

I'm going to guess no -- the Next Cruise people can't do it. I can't imagine TAs would have functionality that RC agents done have.

I have been on a number of “culturally enriching” cruises in the past few years. Yes, they make announcements in Chinese, but absolutely everything is also in English. We have enjoyed the variety of food options in the MDR and the Windjammer that you don’t see in the regular fleet. If you are bothered by crowds, these cruises can be a shock — not that there are any more passengers, but the people just like to stand closer together so it feels more crowded. 

Dont worry about the language at all. 

If you watch for deals, you can find GSs for $500-$600 per person more on a 7 day cruise. On any ship I would say this is worth it. The Concierge Club and Concierge services are lovely, including the coffee machine that is free and much, much better than the regular coffee. Also, you often get a free Entertainment Tour, sometimes even a Galley Tour or Bridge Tour, particularly on the smaller ships. Oh, and free room service from the regular MDR menu is a great perk. In fact, I’d rather be in a regular balcony than a JS if I’m concerned about price because I don’t feel the JS is enough better. 

Just my two cents!

On 4/15/2019 at 8:58 AM, melski94 said:

 

Most Western hotels in Beijing will arrange for a private car and driver.  You can look at Trip Advisor for private guides, cars and drivers which would probably be cheaper than what the hotel can arrange.   This way you can maximize your time for a great tour of exactly what you want.  

The day of your cruise, you can arrange with the hotel to take you back to the airport to meet the bus to take you to the port. 

It’s easy and relatively inexpensive to get a private tour with driver in Beijing. I would do this, and just have them take you to the cruise terminal at the end — don’t try to go back to the airport. It will waste your whole day. We have had good luck with Viator/Trip Advisor. 

This is the first time we've had two booked at the same time. But they are B2B, so kind of cheating  

I'm definitely looking forward to the days when I can book 3, 4, 5 or more at a time though!

I have to giggle a little that everyone in this thread assumes the taxis will have seatbelts at all... 

2 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

I will never EVER go back to 2 wheeled luggage again. 

So much this!! I literally took my MIL's ratty old suitcase away from her and handed her a spinner. She's never been happier!

10 hours ago, Mljstr said:

Also, the cruises are usually port intensive so give yourself some time to unwind somewhere.

Very this!!

The thing I noticed most (at least in the MDR) on any cruise that doesn't start/stop in the US or Australia... the portions are smaller! I kind of like it that way, actually. Then I don't feel bad asking for an extra appetizer  

Otherwise, I like all the curry options in the Windjammer on Asian-based itineraries. There are always 3-4 choices it seems. This might be more a reflection on the chef and his team though.

I pick almost exclusively based on the itinerary. I want to do and see new things! I suspect once I've "seen it all" I'll have a different mindset

There are many things to do on any of the ships, and since you haven't been on Royal before it'll all be new to you. I say pick the best itinerary or the best deal!

27 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

HotWire didn't work for me in Seattle because I couldn't narrow down the area of search to where we wanted to stay, or I would have gone that route.

oops, that was Priceline. I didn't try HotWire.

 

Hotwire's pretty good about letting you narrow the neighborhoods -- for example I would choose "Downtown" and "Seattle Center" if I was looking for a pre-cruise place.

For the OP, Hotwire is not so great for cheap rates a year out, but as you get closer I'd definitely consider it!

In downtown Seattle specifically, I've had excellent results using Hotwire. Does that prove I'm old?? Haha! Unless your primary concern is point accumulation at a specific hotel chain, since it's the whole "don't know where until you book" thing. Otherwise, there really are no bad locations as far as getting around -- they're pretty much the same.

I find the prices through Royal to be 35-60% higher (since it's the whole per person thing) than doing the hotel on your own. It's only worth it if transportation to the ship is overly expensive when purchased separately.

Just my two cents!

On 2/18/2019 at 7:13 AM, Nancy sheldon said:

 we are on the spectrum of the seas for the first 5 cruises April 18th starting,  

#goals

After living in the Caribbean region, my husband discovered that "formal" attire is khaki linen pants and a white guayabera shirt. He's worn that ever since on formal nights! 

I wear my contacts when I snorkel and have no issues. My mother bought a mask with prescription lens inserts and just brings it with her; she uses the tour company's snorkel and fins. Investing in a mask depends on if you might want to snorkel more in the future or if this is a one-time thing.

Also, if you are only a little near-sighted, the light refraction in the water will make things appear about 25% larger/closer anyway, so you might not need to do anything special! 

2 hours ago, firebuck said:

I find the lack of Macallan 25 disturbing... 

It wasn't on the menu but they had it in at least the R Bar on Explorer last month. Don't give up hope!  

31 minutes ago, Bob_KY said:

We will be on the HOS in a Grand Suite January 2020.  We are traveling with another couple (Diamond Level) and will purchase Ultimate Dining Packages.  Question.  Is it okay to have the Concierge make dinner arrangements for a table of 4 (Not for the CK).   Thanks in advance.

We just did this on our last cruise and had no issues. We just told the concierge how many we wanted the reservation for and the additional cabin numbers and he took care of it all.