DublinFC

5 minutes ago, Smokey79 said:

I’m willing to concede that it may be an Oasis v Freedom thing but it was really disappointing. 

Possible.  And I agree that many people does not seem ideal for what the class is.  I thought the sushi materials were good during my class.  But, I do keep hearing quality has been suffering over the past several years.

7 minutes ago, Smokey79 said:

Background- my wife and I attended the sushi making class on Independence back in 2019. It was 12 of us in Izumi with the chef. Pretty intimate experience and we learned a lot. 
 

Today- currently in Allure, my daughter wanted to do the class so we booked it way in advance to ensure a seat for the 3 of us. Mainly because we expected the same type environment as before. 
 

Well, we were way way way wrong in our thinking. Intimate environment changed to 80+ people in another area of the ship sitting at two loooong tables. We ended up at the far end of the table from the chef which led to a de facto game of telephone being played during the course on what we were doing. I ended up “teaching” the people around me just so they could stay caught up as the class was very rushed feeling. I did notice most didn’t stay to eat once we were done. 

 

Maybe I’m wrong with my criticism of this but it just feels like a massive money grab by RC to conduct the class in this method. Plus the reduction in food quality showed as well. 

I did the class on Harmony back in May and there was maybe 20 down both sides of a few tables.  I would consider it an intimate experience, but there was some "telephone" going on at times. 

On 2/26/2024 at 11:18 AM, KWong said:

@DublinFC please let us know which hotel you settled on and how your stay was.

For me, I like staying at Hyatt Place 17th street. There are a large cluster of hotels in the area but the combination of free breakfast, large rooms and consistently competitive prices make this my choice. I'm not that fussed with pools though so ymmv with this. 

But the reason I like this area is that everything you need is within walking distance. Even Port Everglades if you wanted to save $10-15. There are various restaurants, a Publix/Dollar Tree for sundries, wine shops, and a TJ Maxx/Ross for "I forgot to pack this item of clothing".

I will try to come back and post this.  Our sailing is not for another year.  But booking hotels and flights will have to start happening soon.  I prefer to book well in advance for our hotels and keep track of the price to see if I can get a better deal down the road.

4 hours ago, michaelp1446 said:

Be vigilant on checking the Cabana prices for changes. If you find a price you're comfortable with-grab it. If the price goes down, don't cancel right away.

Book the better price under your traveling partner's name. You avoid losing the Cabana to someone who is a faster typer...lol.

 Only one name is needed for the reservation.... I wish I was joking but I learned this lesson the hard way...have a great cruise!

Lol I did that trick with the cabana when we sailed Harmony, but was trying to keep it a surprise.  

8 minutes ago, michaelp1446 said:

I'm also on the Oasis.

 

We booked for Symphony while on board Harmony, but we changed to Oasis.  I have wanted to sail on her for a while now.  

6 minutes ago, michaelp1446 said:

I have a sailing the end of January next year and most CP items are not available yet. I'm guessing 7-10 month mark it will start to populate but I check everyday. 

That's good to know.  I just want to be able to get a "good deal" on some of these items.  We picked the itinerary for the private island stops so excursions are not that big for me.  More drink package, internet (for work and school), maybe dining package,  and if we are going to do a cabana or go to the new hideaway beach area.  

Hello All!

I have been checking the Cruise Planner (CP) recently for our sailing next March.  I see a few things for Falmouth, but nothing for Perfect Day.  Also, add-ons like drink packages, internet, etc. have not populated yet.  We sail in 374 days  on Oasis.  Super excited to sail on her.

I could be 100% wrong, but when we sailed on RC last year on Harmony the CP had options well before this time.  So, I am just wondering if anyone else noticed when more items/excursions start to populate in their CP?  Or, is it a case of it depends on the ship and itinerary?

Hello, 

I know this one might be super early to start, but I wanted to see about getting help or helping others know when Cruise Planner sales were on.  Also, when the entertainment reservations become available.  

My wife and I are sailing this week and looking forward to exploring the ship and fun in the sun for a few days.

On 1/22/2024 at 4:24 PM, FionaMG said:

My go-to hotel in Fort Lauderdale is the Best Western Plus Oceanside Inn. We have stayed there twice before and will be back for the third time in just over two weeks from now. It's fairly basic but it does have a pool and a bar and breakfast is included in the room rate, if that's something that might make a difference to you. It's close to the beach and walking distance to restaurants and shops along the seafront. I seem to remember Lyft to the port being around the $12 mark but the last time we were there was pre-pandemic so I'd expect it to be more now.

Good to know.  depending on what we see for flights might influence the hotel.  time of arrival and flight costs.  much appreciated

Awesome.  This is good information.  thanks

I am pretty sure this has been stated somewhere, but I am not going hunting through the message boards for the thread(s).  

Any solid suggestions for hotels near Port Everglades?  Depending on arrival time a place with a great pool and pool bar would be nice.  Also, if staying so close what is the average cost of an Uber/Lyft to the port?  Just wondering.   I have only sailed from Miami and Port Canaveral.  PC we had a shuttle from Disney World.

thanks

1 minute ago, Xaa said:

Totally get it @DublinFC.  This forum would give you access to some resolution if you have difficulty with MEI.

I'm booking with them again today.  They have a special ongoing now to pay your gratuities if you book a balcony or suite between today and 06/18 and sail between 08/01/2023 and 04/30/2024.  

Not every business is for every customer.

I might try them again, especially if we are able to join a group cruise.  I think it would be beneficial to book with them for that reason.

27 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

It has been our experience (recently) that the worst night for MDR is the first night.  For whatever reason, they seem to be the most disorganized and rushed, but slow, on the first night.  So I would be a little cautious about scheduling shows on night #1 but not at all concerned for the rest of the cruise.

MDR for us was fast, not rushed just prompt.  I felt they were on top of drink orders and food came out hot.  We only did MDR 2 nights.  Too many other options to be there 7 nights in a row.  We were there night 2 and 4.  

@Xaa and @OCSC Mike

Ive worked with MEI before bad experience.  Testing AAA with an all inclusive.  I am going to see how it goes working with them.  So far not thrilled, very slow to answer emails.  

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

I'm new to the TA stuff myself; happy to pass it along.

Never cared about refundable in the past b/c we tended to book last minute deals with an hour drive to PC. Had to start booking further out now that prices went nuts.

I prefer to handle the reservations on my own, but if using a TA will now save me some money then I will check into it.  Or, just pick a date and know we are sticking to it.  

cant speak to the wings, but we had the breakfast a few times from room service on Harmony and enjoyed it.  Hot and was yummy.  We enjoyed listening to the sound of the water as the ship was sailing while eating our breakfast.

34 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Try using a TA. They often have refundable deposit prices that are lower than non-refundable going straight through RC.

Thanks for the info, good to know.  I will have to test that theory out when we are ready to commit to another sailing. 

10 minutes ago, Al Miller said:

They are going to keep raising prices until they finally see some demand die down. They have to be really careful to not artificially cause the drop in demand by doing this. Once they drive people away, between this and reduced services and myriad other cutbacks, it may be tough to get the casual "once a year" cruisers back. When the value proposition becomes no better than land vacations, they loose perhaps their strongest selling point. And IMO, they are getting there FAST. Right now, all the lines seem to be in a race to see who can offer the least value for money and still get away with it. I hope that in their race to recoup pandemic losses the industry does not cause its own mini-crash in the next few years through sheer hubris. I am kind of sour on the whole industry right now to be honest. It is not nearly the product that it used to be just 1 year ago. I am worried the decline will continue. It's dozens of little things that add up to a much worse experience IMO. I do feel like my loyalty is being taken for granted. It just seemed like Fain had a different value set and it has gradually been shed in the months since his departure.

We were on Harmony recently and several people we talked to said the ship was "boring" compared to before.  Activities to do had been cut.  Personally, I enjoyed myself 100%.  I was entertained and had great family time   I do not have a previous RC sailing to compare this sailing to though.  

What I have noticed is the increase cost for a refundable booking.  An extra $400 or more on some sailings I have been playing with. 

I was wondering the same thing.  We are looking for end of May or start of June 2025 for our next cruise.

Great cruise!  I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did!

On 5/18/2023 at 1:18 PM, FionaMG said:

It was very good. And, in fact, everything we had in the MDR on Anthem was very good. We never had to send anything back.

Our only issue was with the limited choices. I'm not a picky eater so I was able to find something to my liking most nights (although if we had had the Mexican menu on our cruise that night would have been a bust). But DH and DS, who are both pickier than me, struggled and both had the strip steak several times because there was nothing else to their liking on the menu.

We ate twice in the MDR on our Harmony sailing last week.  Lamb Kofta was was amazingly good, asked for 1/2 portion more.  The Asian Pork Bao Tacos were superb as well.  I liked the swiftness of the MDR and what we had was overall really good. 

Hopefully they get another meteorologist to take over.  

Safe travels to everyone heading down for the cruise this weekend!

17 hours ago, FionaMG said:

This was ours on Anthem a couple of weeks ago, with and without shell:

Thanks for sharing, plate seems to be just meh.  I hope it all tasted amazing and was hot!