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foxrunner

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Posts posted by foxrunner

  1. 12 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

    I didn't request the sides; they just brought it to me like that.

    However, it may be ship and/or sailing dependent because the previous times I've had it, all of which were on Anthem, it did not have as many sides.

    September 2022:

    PXL_20220925_083228478.thumb.jpg.66a77c9bff82087e06d8a4df5becdcc1.jpg

    April 2023:

    PXL_20230427_125340553.thumb.jpg.b8a6ad864a5ac169752f6defcb227c17.jpg

    And July 2023:

    PXL_20230714_061653264_MP.thumb.jpg.b9542f5b4ed9db4b03c1f33b255f5e29.jpg

    So the one on Symphony was the best as it came with lots of sides. I expect you could ask for them if they don't come out straight away. The salsa was really good.

    The sides are the reason I love the burrito. I have been meaning to try the power wrap based on your excellent advice. Our next is on Icon in April so we will see. We are not doing any specialty dinning and I love the MDR for breakfast. We rarely eat out at home so MDR just feels better than the Windjammer.  

  2. Hoping the pricing will be more along the lines of specialty dinning not the Empire or Chef's Table level. We just had an opportunity for a very nice wine all included dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. The problem was the price at $250 for a couple, we did attend when it was $150 a couple.   When on the cruise I also factor in that we have paid $20ish each as part of our cruise fare. 

  3. 4 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

    This is my new “go to” spot for a quick breakfast! I normally go to park cafe but decided this morning to try something different. The steak & eggs sandwich and classic breakfast sandwich (sausage,egg,cheese,ham) are equally delicious! The service was very quick at 6:45am. There are 2 lines that eventually form, one to the left for speciality coffee (most likely drink packers speciality coffee option) and one to the right for food. The food line was short!

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    Is the steak and egg on a croissant? Looks delicious! Not an onion fan but if that was a bacon frittata, oh boy yum! Please keep sending food picts!

  4. On 3/11/2024 at 7:42 PM, jdornbush said:

    Joining the countdown club! 33 days, feels unbelievable after waiting 500+!!!!

     

    Lucky ducks getting that 11:30am check-in time! I started refreshing my app at 12am eastern when check-in was supposed to open. I did that for about 5 to 10 minutes before it still wasn't showing check-in available so I got sidetracked and came back at 12:45am and by then Noon was the earliest 😞

    I'd come early and see what happens. I'm not speaking from actual experience though. Best of luck!

  5. We did a 4 day shorty when our plans unexpectedly changed for a land vacation. We were flying to Florida anyway and used the vacation week with hotel stays on the bookend and a nice cruise Freedom sandwich in the middle. We had a blast and the cruise ended too quickly. If you're ever in a bind the short cruise is a great way to make some lemonade.  

  6. 2 hours ago, Southern Dan said:

    I was looking for a 10-12 night Caribbean itinerary leaving from PTC, FTL or MIA for Jan/Feb ‘26 but those were unfortunately not part of this batch.  Guess I’ll keep waiting…

    That is what we are looking for as well. Do you think they will show up later this week? Maybe next week but that should be shorts and LA.

  7.  @Ditchdoc "Many Diamond member's that already get 4 or 5 drinks a day, it is probably not going to be worth it." I see this reply often in combo with I'm Prime in the Casino so we don't need a drink package. Maybe @Zimmerberg with one post has been on many cruises and is Diamond/Prime in the loyalty programs but likely not. The point the good doctor is making is that everyone's situation is different. I like the price certainty of the drink package as a non Diamond/Prime cruiser. 

    Side rant  @loki007"We were just on Odyssey and to get a decent glass of wine it was $14.99 which was a dollar up charge over the package limits." This drives me crazy, the included wine is almost plonk and they get a buck a glass for the solid stuff.  Not a wine snob but when I look at the in package included hard booze just doesn't add up.

  8. Inspired by your blog and soon to retire school teachers we would love to go to Antarctica and the surrounding Isles. Did you see a Caracara in the Falkland's? Our book club read this book "A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathan Meiburg" and we now stalk them in our travels. 

    We looked at Silversea in Antarctica and the cost was prohibitive to us given we have other travel destinations on the list. Do you have any suggestions to reduce the cost? I looked at Nat Geo and some other lines and they were in the same price range.  TIA

  9. By looking at my signature area you can see what ships I've been on and where. We are destination over ship people.  Having said that we have sailed on Allure and Freedom. They are more similar to each other as Quantum class is kind of it's own design. I felt like Allure was an evolutionary and bigger Freedom.  We do also enjoy the Quantum experience but not everyone does.  Cost and number of days are also a factor, if I got more days for less on Indy, I'd jump on that. 

  10. Do you have the time to move up to a 7 night cruise on an Oasis class ship? I have been one one 4 nighter and it is like you get on board have a blast and it is time to go. 7 nights really gives a much better feel for the whole cruise experience. Normally I'd not suggest moving to the longer cruise  due to cost but because Utopia is new and the overall cost of short cruises are more per day, you might find the cost in the same ballpark. Very few people get off their first cruise and say "I wish that had been shorter".

    Again a good travel agent like the site sponsors here are invaluable. Unlike other styles of vacations cruise TA don't cost you anything, they are paid by the cruise line. You might get OBC as well as a better fare going through the TA but never a higher fare. You can use the good folks here as your TA and just post questions, we really don't mind. The TA will always get back to you almost immediately and if you have a problem we can't advocate for you like a TA. 

  11. 17 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

    For lunch we went to Playmakers. This was our first opportunity to eat here this cruise. While I really like the playmakers menu, I did not like today’s experience at  all. 

    First of all, I hate the location of Playmakers here. I know it makes sense, but because I already don’t like the Seaplex, having it here makes it feel like you are eating in a gym, and it smells like it too.  

     


     

    Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your experience!

    We really had great service at Playmakers on Odyssey. I really like the location because of the Seaplex it just makes sense to have it in that themed area. The smell didn't bother us and we much preferred the location compared to the stale cigarette stench we had in Playmakers on Freedom.  I would agree the food is a bit underwhelming but the spicy wings are really good. I love spice and rarely satisfied in an American restaurant. Those wings had me crying and sweating! YUM

  12. 12 hours ago, wordell1 said:

     

    I don't think Royal is in any way obligated to allow us to bring wine aboard in the first place, so I see don't see any of this as nickel and diming.  

     
     

    We are just going to disagree about this. They don't enforce the policy consistently on board and ship to ship. I stated that Royal should charge the fee or not, as is their right. Why give us a cost savings and try and take a piece of it back, because it is nickel and diming.

    We enjoy the ability to bring wine aboard and not all lines allow it. If Royal would up their wine game just a bit we wouldn't bother. Most of what they serve inside of the drink package is OK but not what we enjoy at home. Trust me we aren't drinking expensive wine but it is much better than what is on the ships.     

  13. Although the fee is minimal and rarely enforced, it is very inconsistent. Which puts the staff in a bind and that is unfair. They allow you to bring on two bottles per stateroom and therefore shouldn't charge you corkage or should always charge you the fee. These are the nickel and dime tactics that degrade the overall experience. On a land based vacation we tolerate these tactics as it is part of the adventure. With cruising starting to cost as much as land vacations this becomes irksome. The thing I love about cruising is going away and that is cost certainty. Yes I've only been on 5 RCC cruises but have had a corkage fee once. The thread question was how to avoid the fee. This is a site dedicated to cruise hacks and I wish Royal didn't make us play these games. 

  14. We have only been charged a corkage fee once and it was in Chops. We brought in a nice unopened bottle and the waiter blamed the manager for the fee. No big deal. Now we open all bottles before bringing them in, request a corkscrew from your cabin steward. Wine glass should be on the table or nearby. Each ship has it's own rules around these type of situations so it is consistently inconsistent. With the screw top, have a little wine out of the bottle so it looks like it was opened elsewhere. The MDR will also hold your bottle for you if you are returning and we have never been charged for that. Generally we eat in the MDR and bring on two bottles of wine. 

  15. 1 hour ago, PRMLVM said:

    Can't wait to see what Hideaway looks like, to see if it's worth the daily pass fee.  Maybe, as the ships keep getting bigger and bringing more people.  Gotta enjoy these cruises before I'm finally priced out of them!

    I agree about the trails.

    We have feeling the Hideaway will be a one and done.  We have been to the Beach Club which is nice but needs to be in the $80 range per person for a repeat. We also loved the waterpark with our boys, that might be our next spend on Coco Cay. Of coarse like you we will only go again at a bargain rate. 

    We need to start a nature trail petition, those cheapos higher ups could hardly object to the cost. 

  16. I prefer South Beach as it has the swim up bar and the walk there is through tropical foliage. We are going to try the Hideaway next. What I wish they would put on Coco Cay was a running/walking path around the island. I know they have the shuttle roads but those drivers are rightly trying to get somewhere in a hurry. The trail would be much more peaceful. 

  17. On 12/23/2023 at 9:10 AM, Rackham said:

    Thus, I don't think Royal will be eliminating this benefit simply because people seriously overestimate how much the vouchers are worth, but it generates serious excitement towards climbing the C&A ranks. There used to be frequent posts asking how can someone climb the ranks faster and cheaper because 🍻DRINK VOUCHERS🍻!

     

     

    Please factor in the fact that some people don't purchase the drink packages because of the loyalty drinks. That does cost them quite a bit. I agree with Twangster it isn't a broken system. If most cruisers on a ship are new to cruising Royal needs to find ways to retain them. The current market will change and when it does the loyal members will keep sailing. I don't gamble outside of my freeplay, so I don't know if the Casino program is problematic. I do hear a fair number of folks saying the combination of the Crown & A. drinks and Prime drinks have led them to no longer purchase the drink packages. 

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