BrianB

I understand these things happen everywhere…but I would expect cruise ships to be more responsible that the soap and water flows freely when so much emphasis is placed on washing my hands. I’ve yet to visit a restaurant on land where there are ‘washy washy’ people pointing me to sinks before I enter their business (not an altogether bad idea!). Plus, I agree with that. I want to wash my hands with soap and water.

I hate to be a negative poster, but I have to point out when I see something that needs to be addressed. We all know that properly washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and diseases such as Norovirus, flu, the common cold…and now most especially, Covid. Royal goes to great lengths encouraging passengers to ‘Wash Your Hands’ including having the ‘washy washy’ people posted at the entrance to the Windjammer. But, it has been my experience onboard the Anthem, the Oasis and now the Wonder…where many touch-less soap dispensers either don’t work properly, or dispense a pin-size drop of soap…and, more frustrating, the touch-less faucets in the public restrooms and Windjammer washing stations don’t work as they’re expected to. I find myself holding my hands under the faucet, waiting for water, and when it eventually does arrive…it's just a quick splash. Then it stops. I see so many passengers getting frustrated and just walking out without washing their hands after using the restroom or entering the buffet. And this is after they tapped and held the faucets (the same faucets many others have touched) trying to get water to come out…to no avail. This needs to be corrected! Before US Public Health comes aboard for their inspection and finally finds this flaw. Conserving soap and water shouldn’t come at the expense of public health! Is it just me on these particular ships, or are there others who notice this?

Wonder April 15…5 night cruise….a nice round figure… 5300! 92.4% double occupancy capacity.

I’m so sorry…I’ll try harder!

Me too! Love grabbing cheaper prices because I check it so often!

@jay1021 Anticipation is part of the process! Savor it! Enjoy it! I love the time leading up to the cruise. When I look back on it, time flew until I boarded. Then I concentrated on enjoying every single moment onboard and in the ports. I purposely make it drag out…no rushing…no pressure. No stress!! Enjoy your friends…enjoy your cruise.

Yes! Made out like a bandit! I cruise solo in a suite and usually get 3 points…1 per night, 1 per solo, 1 per suite….and with the double point promotion I made 6 points each night. Vaulted from 292 points to 860 points between September and now. Then again, I’m a Cruisaholic who can’t stand being on dry land!

No. I cruise solo so I don’t have another name to put it under. Every time I have done it, I was booked on the Anthem out of Port Liberty…I don’t know if that makes a difference, but I don’t see how it would. In fact…I’ll go log in now and try to double book something…be right back! @YOLOI booked another Coco Beach Club…at a much higher price ($160) on my October Oasis cruise..but it would be stupid of me to cancel the $99 dollar one…so I just cancelled the new one. The system took my second reservation and cancelled it without any problem, leaving my first, cheaper one intact. However, I’m thinking as this was done on the older Cruise Planner page, and not the newer one…I’m thinking maybe that’s the difference?

@jay1021 I have done it many times! When I see a price drop for the Coco Beach club…or a Beach Bed…I book it even though I already have one booked. Then I go back and cancel the first, higher priced booking. I’ve also done it for the three meal dining package, although that rarely changes from the basic price. One time I canceled the beach club first to grab a lower price and got blocked out. Lesson learned. *Do a test…book something twice, then cancel one.

Also…always a good idea to get back up tests. There have been many stories of tests going wrong. Such as the liquid in the enclosed bottle was empty…or accidentally dropping the card off the table…or losing your internet connection with the monitor.

Me too! If I don’t have the time, or documents handy, I’ll quickly hit check in…pick my arrival time…then exit check in. It saves my choice and I can then go back in and finish later.

Every time I got the Key…I received an email shortly before boarding (usually a few days out). It specifically said to come to the terminal between 11 and 11:30 and show my boarding pass with the Key symbol. I have done so many times at Port Liberty and was waved through right away. Regardless of what assigned time I had chosen. This is to make sure we have the time to take advantage of the carry on drop off service and the Key lunch…which is only served during a certain time. I think it’s before 1pm.

I lived right next to the Lincoln Tunnel on the Jersey side. If you’re traveling on a Sunday morning, traffic is light in both directions. On a weekday, traffic can be a mess going into the city, both through the tunnel and every approach to it, especially the NJ Turnpike. Coming out of the city on weekdays is a bit better, but still gets congested on the Jersey side when you get out of the tunnel. On a Sunday, without any unforeseen issue, you can make it from Times Square to the tunnel entrance quickly…then zip through and onto the NJ Turnpike South. From there it’s a quick ride to the cruise port, all highway until the approach road. Also, if you’re driving, the fee in the parking garage is $25 per night. But it’s right next to the cruise terminal…very convenient.

I’m on the Wonder now. Just so you know…I visited the Suite Neighborhood Sun Deck because I’m Pinnacle. Not very impressed. It overlooks the sports court and the mini golf areas. Also, and most annoyingly, there is always a covering of black soot spots from the smoke stacks. They have light colored fabrics on the seats and loungers and the soot spots are pretty obvious. Just touching them leaves black marks on your skin and clothes which are hard to remove. I like the concept, but the location leaves a lot to be desired……but the bar and staff are great!

Ahhhh…the puzzle of the light switches. Always a fun game pushing switches to see what does what.

Self serve buffet has been around virtually since the dawn of mass cruising. It’s been the industry standard for decades and very little has changed. Although I have only been cruising since 2015, I very rarely have been on a ship where Norovirus raised its ugly head. When it did, the ship went to a ‘code red’ and instituted pre-planned health protocols which included crew-served buffets. I would like to see a choice program at the buffet. Many food-type stations are repeated throughout the buffet. Give passengers a choice to get their meal from a self-serve or a crew-served buffet station. Then the cruise lines can get an idea of what their customers want. Stand in line for a crew-served station…or move quickly through a self serve. Just an idea.

The tub/shower combination in the Junior Suite on the Wonder leaves a lot to be desired. The step up and over isn’t too bad, but the space inside is tiny. I mean Munchkin Land or Lilliputian tiny! I’m a slender guy (or so I tell myself) and I still feel squeezed in. The drain is a pain! I keep stepping on it and it is very uncomfortable. Also, there is a half glass that covers only the front of the shower/tub. It swings open if you lean on it…or hold on for support…surprise! However, I highly recommend the Jr Suite on the Wonder. The space is large, the walk-in closet is nice, the balcony is huge and the bathroom itself is spacious. The Jr Suite is bright and airy and tastefully decorated. I love it! Too bad the shower/tub is so narrow.

I don’t wear the Pin-pin…but to each his/her own. I don’t fault anyone for choosing to wear it or not. We’re all different. I’ve seen fellow passengers who were nice, and others who were nasty. Didn’t matter whether they were ‘pinned’ or not. I just avoid the negative, mind my own business, and don’t let anyone else’s bad attitude affect me. Couldn’t care less. I never feel an urge to get into an argument. Online, I’ll just scroll away…in person, I’ll just stroll away. After decades of being in a high profile job, I have finally learned how wonderfully refreshing floating around in anonymity can be.

On the Wonder…just saw ‘Voices’. Amazing! Immensely talented singers, dancers and a fantastic production! Loved every moment! Can’t wait to see it again.

I just saw Voices and it was Amazing! Loved it! @GKMCruising…sorry, but I just saw your post now. While waiting for the show to start in the theater, they displayed the names, photos and backgrounds of all the singers and dancers on the two side screens. One at a time. However, I’m on a back to back and will definitely see it again! If you’d like…while I’m waiting for the show to start, I’ll take a photo of each performer’s bio (I think you want just the singers?) and send them to you..

I’ve done Johnny Rockets (express) to go many times on the Anthem. No problem…they just bagged my meal like any other take out service. I was planning to take out a Nachos order from Playmakers onboard the Wonder yesterday, but temptation won and I sat at a table and ate the whole thing….by myself….freakin’ DELICIOUS!

Too far out yet…..but, as soon as they appear, I always book what I want to make sure I get it before it’s sold out, even if the price is high. I love the fact that Royal allows me to re-book if and when prices should drop. Or even cancel the booking if I decide I don’t want it at the original high price. But remember…if you want to rebook at a future lower price, make sure you book the cheaper one first…then cancel the first, more expensive one. This way you don’t lose out altogether when you cancel first, and before you can rebook, it gets sold out…including the one you just cancelled.

Sorry…I saw ‘Pillow Talk’ in the description and was expecting something else. Never mind. Carry on!

When they pull up your cabin number on the computer…your photo comes up also. So, unless your an Evil Twin, it should be okay.

It’s happened to me several times where the emergency alarm would sound due to a malfunction. Once was the general alarm (7+1) and once the evacuation alarm (1 long). It is unnerving to say the least, and the reactions of the passengers around me at the time were just as confusing. Each time, after a few moments of uncertainty, an announcement came over to disregard. During a Captain’s Corner, he explained why the crew would be hesitant to react by immediately directing passengers to their muster stations. The crew has experienced malfunctioning alarms. They know it is highly unlikely for an emergency alarm to sound without a previous code announcement…ie; Bravo or Kilo. The priority would be the crew responding to the emergency itself prior to a decision regarding the need for passengers mustering. Also, an evacuation signal (abandon ship) is the last signal to sound after passengers have been mustered at their stations. As he said, this doesn’t mean the crew should have ignored the alarm. But, it is reasonably understandable why many of them delayed their decision to begin a full scale emergency passenger mustering operation realizing it was likely another malfunction…and waiting a few moments for clarification from the Emergency Operations Center. Malfunctions happen…but maybe there should be a better way to minimize the time between the false alarm, and the time of the announcement.