foxrunner

3 Questions 1. I know that we have to wait until we board the ship to make reservations for the shows and activities using the app. People who have been on Ovation this summer, can you let me know if you can make reservations for Live, Love Legs and The Beautiful Dream? The app says that reservations are not required, but does that mean that you can't make a reservation? We would like to see these shows, but don't want to waste precious time when we first get onto the ship trying to make reservations that don't exist. Also, Pixels is not listed on my app at all. I see it did run multiple times in previous cruise compasses from this summer. Did other Ovation cruisers this summer have a similar experience where it showed up on the app when you embarked? 3. We have a 3 night specialty dining package(this is the first time we have purchased this). We have a 10:30 check in time slot. We have heard that it is difficult to get reservations for specialty dining. Do you think that if we go right to a specialty dining restaurant when we board the ship that we will have good luck accessing specialty dining reservations? We have a reservation for Chops on Day 2. We are interested in dining at Jamie's and Wonderland on our other 2 nights. Thanks for your help!

Hello Gang of Happy Cruisers, We are planning a summer 2023 Mediterranean Greek Isles trip. About us: We are very active 54 year olds. We enjoy physical activity and historic venues. Unfortunately, our 20 something children will not be able to accompany us on this cruise. Initially, we looked at Royal, but didn't find longer(more than 7 night) cruises to be very appealing. Additionally, we felt like all the bother of flying to Europe from the East Coast of the US, dictated a longer length cruise. We then started looking at Celebrity and NCL. They both(ncl and celebrity) have better itineraries in the +7 night category , unless we did a back to back on Royal Explorer, which would total 14 nights. Celebrity in the 9 night range could be less expensive than the back to back on Royal. The NCL Cruises seem to be less inexpensive and super all inclusive, however, we are wondering if that is fools gold? In the Caribbean we have traditionally purchased the deluxe beverage package and gone on excursions in each port. We don't travel in suites, and as school teachers, are always on a budget of some sort. Our loyalty status on Royal is Platinum, so that is not really a factory one way or another. European Travelers, who have been on these 3 lines: could you explain the differences. We understand what Royal offers, but we have never been on Celebrity or NCL, so how do these other lines stack up and/or compare to Royal?

How many Rick Steve's tours have you done? We have never been to Europe but outside of cruising love to plan our own trips. Seems like a good way to start. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Hopefully things are going back to more normal soon!

Another question about High Tea, is it better at the Empress or B. Gardens?

Thanks! We just called Royal and they do offer the Luggage Valet in Seattle. Has anyone used it recently in Seattle, and if so, what was the fee? The customer rep we spoke with could only give us an estimate. Also, if you've used the luggage valet, how was the experience? Ashley, if memory serves, you went on the Skagway bicycle trip. Any tips?

My wife and I are in our 50's and are very active, we are hiking in Juneau and biking down Whites Pass in Skagway as well as hiking and rafting. We have been to most of the lower 48 National Parks, but haven't been to Alaska. 1) Thoughts on our 10 hour stop in Victoria. Again never have been and the gardens look great, but open to other ideas. 2) Our flight out of Seattle is at 10:00PM. We will have checked luggage and are looking for ideas of what to do both for the day and if you know of anywhere to safely store our luggage while we visit Seattle.

Unfortunately no. It varies by ship/cruise/sales. Keep checking prices and rebook for a better rate. WELCOME!

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

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!