foxrunner

On Allure this April, they gladly showed me our table. The ship was at 75% capacity so that is a factor. We ended up with Ernesto as our head waiter and he was superb. Ask him to do his adult magic trick, cute!

"Cruising is super expensive, only the rich can go on cruises"

Good idea, but I have checked both locations. Thanks!

EmersonNZ now I get it. Family owned?

So is Speight’s or Tui.?

Glad for you but still a no show for me!

On Allure over Easter, things were great. We had excellent service from Ernesto. The ship was at 3/4 capacity and that might have been a factor. Every night we ate in the MDR, no specialty dinning. We were a 6 top and out in a comfortable hour each night. Going on Ovation this summer and hoping for the same level of service!!

We are sailing on Ovation in Aug and they don't have the deluxebev package and Voom bundled. They do have the soda and voom bundle though. Maybe an Alaska thing because I've heard the Wi-Fi is very spotty. Royal needs to recoup the Covid loses, so that is another guess. Although I love saving money the bundle does make things more complicated. Wish they dropped the coupled bundles and went to a super bundle that included everything at a discount.

On Allure we like the Solarium for breakfast, and most folks don't know they will cook your eggs to order if asked. They have out scrambled and fried, but you can get an omelet or poached egg to your liking. We tried Park Café and the breakfast sandwich was cold. Johnny Rockets is also a miss, as the eggs weren't great. The MDR has a breakfast bowl that is divine! We are early risers so in the MDR we get there at opening, and the meal time is around 30 minutes. The longest wait is for hot tea, the coffee comes right out. Man do I love breakfast on a cruise. Don't skip it, if I was looking to cut back on the food intake it would be lunch. Lunch seems to be a petite dinner.

Welcome!

Completely agree, I don't like to know what I'm having until I sit down and read the paper menu. Now get off my lawn youngsters! JK At home my wife and I plan the weekly diner menu, so on a cruise the mystery is what I want. I'm aware and understand that for certain dietary issues the menu needs to be discussed ahead of time. Tonight we are having Seared Salmon with Snap Peas. It will be great because the chef in this house is amazing, not me! If I didn't know what I was having and that magically appeared I'd be stoked. I know it is coming and that just changes it for me. The clean up is easy though and that is my job! Hungry!

Welcome! You are correct. You can do all of this in the planner or over the phone. It will take 7 to 10 days to get the refund. One piece of advice, if cancelling something that has a limited quantity (Cabana, Thrill Water park, etc.) use the phone. You could cancel in the planner and have someone scoop your spot. Drink packages don't run out, so no worries. If you are comfortable putting your next cruise in the signature it is helpful to answer questions. Enjoy!

Ovation Alaska

Wifey and I are cruising! The FCC pushed us into doing it! Never been to Alaska!

What bar did you find the Woodford and can you bet the Wheat one?

Hello Cruisers, With the recent change in FCC we had $500 burning a hole in our pockets. Alaska here we come! In the past we could combo the voom and booze package. On the new spiffy planner this isn't an option. Are we missing something? The booze going for $66 per day and $20 for the fancy internet, is this an attempt to recoup the shutdown or our new economic reality?

One of the best features of the Key if you are going to walk off with luggage is the breakfast. The menu is a small step up from the standard MDR breakfast menu. Your luggage will sit under guard while you eat. Then you just finish up and leave. Easy Peasy!

Or if you absolutely hate to stand in line. Also as a first timer you are figuring out so many other details that the Key will simply things. IMO the Key is too expensive, but it may be a great way to go on your 1st cruise. Another factor is the number of people you are cruising with as that drives up the cost, especially because Zoom get's cheaper with more people per person.

It seems to me that these are 1st world problems coming home to roost. If you have the money to cruise frequently and are complaining about RCL, why not try a more luxurious line? I never got the impression that cruising on RCL was for the elite. As a family that cooks and cleans up after our meals, cuts our own grass, keeps our own house and raised our children, cruising is a ton of fun. We also visit the national parks and sleep in tents, so again cruising is the lap of luxury. Post pandemic peoples manners have really regressed, too much time in a vacuum or echo chamber hasn't been healthy. Appreciate everyday as the gift it is, you never know when the ride is over. This site is overwhelmingly filled with great positive and generous people. THANK YOU ALL!

We snorkeled at C.Cay without fins with our older teenage boys. We are a family of lifeguards though, OK Mom and Dad are older lifeguards. No Baywatch here folks. You will cover a lot more ground with the fins. The snorkeling was fun but not next level so be ready for that. It is a great free activity. Even sold out the shack may have fins for you, and I thought lifevests were hanging on a rack free for the taking. Don't quote me on the lifevests that might have been elsewhere. Maybe a more experienced person will have intel on the vests. Diehard Pats fan as well! Mac forever!

Another tip is to note the price you pay for everything in the planner. They send you an email, but the planner only says that you purchased this on that date. I wish the planner would give you the price or had some kind of running tally. 1st world issues to be sure! Enjoy!

The ice skating show was great and the lads loved the novelty of skating on a ship. The MDR staff was also top notch, enjoy it!

Not in my limited experience.

Another factor, they don't give away much on board for free. If you need to buy it on ship or port it is likely going to be at a premium. Bring your necessaries, plenty of room in your cabin, this one area cruises differ from land vacations.

Cruise Compass from Feb 2022. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/allure-of-the-seas/sun-02132022-0000