Jump to content

Curt From Canada

Members
  • Posts

    319
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by Curt From Canada

  1. Yes … they had both on the second leg of the Ultimate World Cruise (Serenade of the Seas). Curt from Canada
  2. Excellent summary … thank you. I am afraid you may know what I am going to ask: This is a real long shot, and from pictures we have seen it appears the venue is not set up for it. Still, just to make sure: Is dancing in the “2 Pianos Venue” encouraged, discouraged, not possible? Our minimum is a 12 ft by 12 ft “solid surface” (no carpet) … but we have danced in our small kitchen 8 ft by 8 ft (at the cottage). Any thoughts, would be greatly appreciated … Curt from Canada (and my “happy feet” Soulmate)
  3. Thank you … we were expecting your feedback, we just needed to confirm. I have never been in a “speakeasy”. Still, I had imagined there was almost as much dancing as drinking . Typically, we “adapt” quite nicely to the ship we are on. We have danced in all the “regular” spots plus: Schooner Bar (too many to count), many Elevator lobbies, 2 Elevators (once with the Stowaway Piano Player), 3 times on the MainStage (plus twice at the back of the Theatre), in the MDR, and Central Park (a lot). Say hello sometime, when you see two amateur dancers dancing where they shouldn’t be and having a blast. Curt from Canada
  4. This is a real long shot, and from pictures we have seen it appears the venue is not set up for it. Still, just to make sure: Is dancing encouraged, discouraged, not possible? We are very prejudiced with this question as we love to dance and an Empire Supper Club “screams” dancing to us. I am sure we would enjoy the meal and cocktails, but a great band would seem like terrible a waste to us. Any thoughts, would be greatly appreciated … Curt from Canada (and my “happy feet” Soulmate)
  5. The Ultimate World Cruise seems to be going a little bit above what a normal cruise offers when it comes to food in the MDR. We had that amazing Thai Shrimp dish one night and I had the best Filet at sea on day 1 (of the second leg) in Buenos Aires. After that dinners and breakfasts in the MDR were good to “OK” for the rest of the 18 day Antarctica leg. However, except for the two amazing dishes, the food was as per usual (nothing bad … nothing great). A typical Royal MDR experience. One major disappointment was lunch. We are not WindJammer people. In addition, the cafe in the solarium was not good at all. We tried the MDR for lunch many times and it always disappointed … nothing was very good at all. By the end of the cruise, we had soup for lunch in the MDR and tried to pick up a sandwich somewhere. Very disappointing. For entertainment, nothing can compare to the experiences we have had on Oasis class ships. However, the UWC is trying extremely hard in the entertainment area. They have 5 excellent principle singer/performers (you usually have 1 or 2 on a Radiance class ship), 2 excellent principle dancers and a 9 piece orchestra (I think the norm is 7). One night they flexed the orchestra up to an 11 piece. For a formal party in the Centrum one night they had a 7 piece orchestra on the very small stage. Big, excellent sound in the theatre and Centrum. They also seemed to have many more bands around the ship than normal. All of them were excellent. On sea days, the Centrum had music from just after lunch until late in the evening. Headliners were skewed to the culture of the part of the world you were in at the time. We love to dance, so we still enjoyed the 3rd Tango group as we sailed through Argentina. Still, we understand that might have been too much for some people. Given how strong the Royal singers, dancers and orchestra was we can only remember one bad performance in the main theatre in 18 nights. The Love & Marriage Show had the oldest newlywed couple ever. Going in we thought the show might skew older. It definitely didn’t disappoint. Lastly, there was an effort to have much more going on during the day than on a regular cruise. More enrichment lectures, more trivia, more dance classes, more movies … everything seemed to be intentionally just a little bit more. Curt from Canada
  6. We have never seen a reservation system for dance classes on a ship (and my soulmate and I “chase” any lessons offered all over the ship). They are typically offered by a couple of the principle dancers on the cruise on sea days. The best way to find them is to: - Look on Cruise Compasses from previous cruises (the closer to your sailing as possible) to determine possible dates and times. We have found (in the past) that just before or after lunch is a popular time. - Study the cruise compass the day before to find the classes that are offered. - We do find that the smaller ships have greater opportunities, but we have had classes on most ships. The pace of the lessons are good (maybe a little fast for beginners), but they are fun and the instructors have always been excellent. Curt from Canada
  7. Trying to get caught up and then wrap up this terribly disjointed Antarctica recap. Remember we were on the Ultimate World Cruise (freeloader edition) … the price will forever be held as a secret. Ushuaia was our next spot and it was another highlight. Spending two days at « Fin del Mundo » (End of the World) was not enough. The overnight was great, but we could have spent another day or two there. It had a lot of things to do and not enough time to do them all. We did not do our homework on Ushuaia. I assumed it would be a sleepy little town that was the jumping off point for many Antarctica cruises. It definitely was the start for many cruise ships (we saw 7 different expedition ships) using the port in the 2 days we were there. However, there were other things to like about the port: Since it is in the Beagle Channel you can do lots of exploration by catamaran (and there are lots of them). We explored the lighthouse, National Park, some wildlife hangouts (cormorants, sea lions, albatross, penguins, etc) and a number of « End of the World » sites . The penguins sanctuary was particularly interesting. The catamaran beached within feet of the penguins. We could not get off the vessel, but the penguins were very close and easy to see. We only saw a fraction of the National park. Given how different the topography was, more time was definitely required. Given how many places claimed to be the « End of the World », we were unsure when we were actually there. However, I think we were well covered with 3 sites we visited . Both tours took 7 hours, so we did not see the town at all. Like I said, 1 or 2 more days would be required. Sail away through the Beagle channel was spectacular. We saw glaciers during sail away and the next day as well. There are very few glaciers that come close to the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska. We have seen it twice and it is a must see. We have also flown on to the Mendenhall Glacier and drank from the crystal clear waters. Still, southern Argentina and Chile have some of the most beautiful glaciers we have ever seen. Even more amazing was the sheer number of them. Glacier, after glacier … after glacier. Many more seen in 2 days than the 15 days we spent cruising in Alaska. I will try to post some pictures when I get on to the big computer. Glacier watching at “Fin del Mundo” was spectacular. If you get the chance do not miss this. Just a few more sea days to get caught up on, before I wrap up. Curt from Canada
  8. Exactly the same as the ones on the UWC. A big upgrade. Curt from Canada
  9. Thank you, thank you, thank you … Central Park = Best place on any ship for us. Just seeing the pictures makes me happy. Curt from Canada
  10. Revised numbers based on a new Icon total of 5,500 (I hope I get partial marks from the teachers out there … it is literally the only way I graduated ): ICON 34% SERENADE: 46% Curt from Canada
  11. Sorry everyone … the numbers for Icon were mind boggling (so I had to get out my slide rule). For the teachers out there, I can show my calculations, but quickly: Diamond and above percent of cruisers: Icon of the Seas JAN 27 to FEB 03: 31% Serenade of the Seas JAN 05 to 23: 46% Curt from Canada
  12. More Diamonds and above than the number of passengers on the entire second leg of the UWC (we were told around 1,600 on Serenade). I hope the Crown lounge is the size on 3 Quantum style music Halls Curt from Canada
  13. THERE’s the STOWAWAY PIANO PLAYER that disappeared from the Ultimate World Cruise. We are so relieved to see that he is safe. Ask him to play Crocodile Rock. He does it really well. Curt from Canada
  14. Update from the investigating done during the 18 segement: 1). UWC Pinns can use the Concierge Lounge anytime. It still looks virtually empty every time I am on the way to the Crown Lounge. I think I saw 5-7 people once. All the other times … empty 2). Regular “normal” Pinns are in the Crown Lounge. Once you meet them they are a blast. Obviously the Crown Lounge opened up into the Viking Crown Lounge is the place to be. Still, if there was no voucher system it would not work. Curt from Canada
  15. I am way behind on updates. We are home (but getting to and from South America was incredibly exhausting). I am missing updates on the last 6 days. Sometime this week I will put a “bow” on the updates and be able to answer any questions retrospectively. However, your two questions are excellent ones … quickly (oops, I just saw how non-quickly the thoughts are below): Social Media: The majority of the social media folks are really doing a “job”. We did not notice them everyday, but when we came across them they were in one of two modes … Planning their next “shoot” or in the middle of their “shoot”. I am sure they were having fun, (and potentially writing off the cruise as an expense ), but they were at work. For a number of them it seemed to be their job. We also did not see the work that has to go into “post production”. Unless the “camera was on” they were just normal people. They did tend to spend a lot of time together, but I like spending time with Engineers, Teachers, Medical Professionals, and Executives … so I think we are normally attracted to people who share our passions (sorry for the tangent ). i have seen some of their material pre-cruise as a part of studying for cruise. We are experienced cruisers, but we knew the UWC would be different. With a few exceptions, they are like a “Friends” episode. I enjoyed watching Friends when I was younger (the versions I watched were not recorded ). It was entertainment that I knew was not real, but acted, written and directed by some very talented people. So (for the most part), the social media material is not real, not well acted/written/directed, and totally devoid of the smallest amount of “depth” that shows like Friends explored. Still, there is something comforting about a blended Scotch by a fire (rather than the 15 year old MacAllan that I really, really want ). Social media is what it is … a diversion. However, to be clear, it is not a very accurate representation of the Buenos Aires to Santiago leg. We were never even close to being in danger at sea. Some of the food was good, but some was not good at all (hit & miss as usual). The dance floor in the videos was rarely the dance floor we were on (they seemed to wait until everyone had left to get their “footage” … which was nice, I guess). However, some them are capturing the exceptional beauty we saw (I still think @twangster does it much better). I have tried to describe the experience for those who are interested (and to what I consider a very sophisticated cruising audience). I hope I can wrap that up soon. Maybe don’t send them the link … I am not sure I want to end up in their next episode … “Canadians are mean” Dancing: ”Hello, I’m Curt from Canada and I’m a Dance-aholic”. We only ended up getting to 2 classes (I think they had 6 in total on this leg). Experienced cruisers know how busy it is (even on sea days) and we had multiple conflicts. However, there was a lot of dance music in the Centrum (with a very spacious floor). The Caribbean Duo transformed into a 50s, 60s, 70s group as they crossed the equator. They were lots of fun. There was even a chance to dance in the Schooner Bar (try to find that dance floor ) and the colony club. Lastly, we were invited on stage (with others) to dance with the Tango group that were the Headliners that night. We did not mess up, so that was a relief. We had lots of opportunities to Foxtrot, Rumba and Swing our way around the ship. More to come … Curt from Canada
  16. We had a very calm night, with just a slight roll, has this has led to an excellent nights sleep. Today we treated ourselves to the “Taste of Royal”. It was good (some of the dishes were excellent). We chose not to take the wine pairing. 5 drinks each per day is more than enough. We met Captain Stig on our morning walk. He had come out on deck to check that the weather was as good as it appeared on the bridge instruments. It was very overcast, but very little wind and hardly any waves. I guess we finally got our “Drake Lake”. He liked my jacket I got in Norway at the Northern Cape (71 deg N) … thé town of Honningsvag is close to his home town in Norway. The captain was very surprised at the calm seas. He said it will be overcast, but a good opportunity to see the Cape. Cape Horn was very nice. It was as calm as predicted and very easy to see the lighthouse and the monument. We did get there early … allowing us to have a nap before dancing, dinner and the show. If you are sailing East to West to view Cape Horn, consider a port balcony. The Schooner Bar is an excellent Starboard side viewing location (that not too many people use). Instead of running between the port and starboard sides on Deck 11 and 12, we ran between our room, the Schooner Bar, and back to our room. We hope our Canadian passports are not revoked due to us avoiding the cold and damp weather we were born into. Curt from Canada
  17. JAN 15 The Piano Man Show was slightly better than Radiance in May due to the strength of 5 excellent voices. The Piano Man was just as we remembered. A ton of fun. The orchestra continues to impress. They have done a very good job of recruiting the talent for this cruise. The “Caribbean” band continues to be the furthest thing from the Caribbean. 50s, 60s and 70s standards (they know their audience). We got in a good number of foxtrots, a couple of rumbas and a swing number before having to go to dinner. Tomorrow is Cape Horn. We will easily make it there before 6PM planned arrival. The captain thinks it could be as early as 2PM. This will be our third visit to the Drake Passage. No hints yet as to what we will get. Curt from Canada
  18. JAN 15 Sea days are a lot busier than we remember. Mostly, because there: Is much more live music around the ship as is normal. On sea days music will start in the Centrum just after noon and go through until late in the evening Are many more Enrichment Lectures than usual Are many more dance class and exercise classes Are not too many theatre shows we want to skip. Most have been very good Last night was Big Band Penguin Party night. The orchestra is perfect for that big band sound. We can not remember an on ship orchestra having 5 brass pieces. The sound in Centrum was big and the dance floor was over flowing. Lots of “penguins” on display (very funny penguins, but not necessarily the cute cuddly kind ). The theatre show was the exact Tango show that was on Radiance in May. It was great in May and great again. We can not get enough Tango, but understand how a third tango show in 11 days might be a little too much for some. Tonight is Piano Man (another show “borrowed” directly from the May cruise we took on Radiance). The lead vocalist is the same one from May and has hired on as a principle singer (1 of 5). It is unclear how many segments the 5 singer’s contract are. We loved Piano Man in May, so we will be early to the theatre tonight. We will miss the Falkland Island port today (high winds have ruled out the tendering process that is required for Port Stanley). Disappointing, but par for the course in this part of the world. We hope to get an afternoon nap as consolation. We are exhausted. Curt from Canada
  19. There are a number of little things (that are adding up) that they did for the UWC that were noticeable. In no particular order: New bedding. New linens. New bathrobes. An under closet night light that is on a motion sensor (I do not remember these on a Radiance class ship before). An in cabin refrigerator that works (it appears to have very low fridge type temperatures). A balcony door that works extremely well. Last cruise (on Oasis) it almost took two people to open and close. This balcony door requires 1 finger to easily open or close. New glassware (at least for martini glasses) … how we know they are new is the funny part. New library … stocked full of books. I am certain all of these improvements will not be as noticeable in 3-4 months, but for now it is difficult to miss. Curt from Canada
  20. Oh no … I have opened a can of worms. Not sure if UWC Pinns are allowed in the Concierge Lounge (it sure looks empty when I pass by) … I will try to find out tonight. However, it is 100% certain that UWC Pinns have their breakfast in CHOPs. Regular everyday Pinns have a section of deck 5 MDR. LET THE GAMES BEGIN … Curt from Canada
  21. Let’s not tell too many people , but: The segments when they came out were very, very low priced. The were a steal. We have stopped talking about prices, as it is a little bit of a sore spot on the ship. Currently, the prices have gone up, but they are still priced “OK”. The key jump is between an Oceanview to a Balcony (it was double for this cruise). We made up this strategy by “mistake”: 1). We booked an Oceanview 3rd deck midship (we were OK with that) 2). We Royal Uped to a balcony with a slightly over minimum bid and had it accepted two days before sailing. We would have been fine with the Oceanview, but we all really are enjoying our Balcony … but don’t tell anyone Happy “hunting” Curt from Canada
  22. Second Drake Crossing was as close to the “Lake” as we could expect. Less than 2 meter waves, and a barely noticeable sway to the ship. Yesterday’s visit to Elephant Island was very restful. Lots of whale and penguin watching. We saw a “double fluke” where two whales dove down side by side at the exact same time. That was a first for us. We found two great places for site seeing. The Viking Crown lounge (that was obvious), and the Schooner Bar (having live piano and guitar music made it even more relaxing … if you turn the chairs around, it is like you are the only people in the world watching Antarctica pass by … we enjoyed that the most. Oh yes, the ice cold martinis helped.) Dinner in the MDR continues to be good (better than most of our past cruises). We were only able to squeeze in one swing dance on the way to the Illusionist’s show. The number was quite fast and, we had lots of room on the dance floor, so it was an “oxygen required” swing number … only one or two of those per night are allowed (I have a doctor’s note ). No sign of the Stowaway Piano Player … We are becoming concerned for his safety. The Illusionist was good, but better still due to how he engaged the audience. The show was late (due to a late departure from Elephant Island), therefore it was straight to bed after the show was done. Tomorrow is the Big Band Penguin Party Day. We will sleep in to make sure we do not miss the orchestra playing dance music. Curt from Canada
  23. JAN 13 Sailing through the calm Antarctica waters was exhausting and serene. The icebergs were the highlight. So many different and stunning ones to photograph and the Antarctica Vistas played more of a “second fiddle” to the floating sculptures. For pictures it is best to check out @Twangster’s blog “Live from the Wind(s) of Antarctica” I am thinking about adopting @Twangster Lots of whales and penguins. This resulted in multiple sprints between the port and starboard side. We spent a lot of time on our balcony (in between sprints). We spent a little bit of time on the helicopter deck … mandatory viewing for Canadians (cold, wet, sometimes snowy and always windy … a stark reminder of home). The Crown Lounge is busy for Happy Hour, but you can still find a seat (especially after first seating starts). It is opened to the Viking Crown Lounge (as it should be), and that is critical. With over 700 Diamond and above cruisers the C&A drink “vouchers” are also critical in controlling the Crown Lounge. The Concierge Lounge is not open to Pinnacles (there are 115 on this segment). The barricades have not gone up and the revolution seems to be on hold. However, I will make sure to keep everyone in the loop. The entertainment is a level or two or three above what you see on normal Radiance Class ships. The orchestra is excellent and is a 9 piece. For one of the production shows they brought in 2 strings players for an 11 piece. It makes a big difference. All 5 principle singers would be the lead on other Radiance class ships. It maybe does not compare to Mama Mia or Hairspray, but it is very close. Certainly the number and quality of the bands around the ship compares favourably to any Royal ship. Due to the number and variety of styles it is probably the best we have seen. To be a little more precise: 1). Classical Guitar Player: A very creative and engaging guitar player. Some of it is danceable, all of it is extremely interesting and fun. This is not your normal classical guitar experience. 2). Strings Trio: Normally in the Centrum (which can have music that starts just after lunch most days). Very relaxing, very “classic cruise”, and very difficult to dance to … still, a great place to have a drink to on decks 4 through 6. 3). Caribbean Duo: South of the equator they transformed into a 50s, 60s and 70s standards group. They might be the best band to dance to on the ship, except for: 4). Big Band Orchestra: All 9 members on the small Centrum stage for the Big Band Penguin Party. They were great and it was a blast. We were having trouble getting room on the dance floor, and one of the principle singers whispered to us … “Get your elbows up and carve out some space” (professional advice executed by total amateurs that actually worked ). 5). 3 Different Piano Players in the Schooner Bar: Tons of talent in the Schooner Bar throughout most of the day. Yes … there is a small dance floor for 2 there. You just have to use your imagination and depend upon the kindness of strangers to deviate from the normal aisle ways. 6). Stowaway Piano Player: He was here for the first few days and took our requests. We have not seen him since … I hope they did not catch him. 7). House Band: We have not seen enough of them, so it is difficult to tell. Given the 6 points above, we have not missed them. High praise for the level and number of entertainers that are all over this ship. Curt from Canada
  24. JAN 12 We arrived in Antarctica quite early in the morning. Captain Stig delivered!!! Lots to talk about with his course and itinerary change. He gave a brilliant and funny talk as we were entering the Drake Passage. AND Elon appears to have delivered too. Starlink was 118 Down and 9 Up. Geez … we are at the bottom of the world. The Drake Passage was rough (between 25ft to 30ft waves), but nothing really too bad. If you stayed mid ship, it was “drunken walk” time. The theatre was bad (right at the front of the ship), so I skipped an enrichment lecture, and laid down for a nap. My soulmate felt no ill affects at all. They, obviously, cancelled the production show, and it was held the next night instead. Deck 12 (the walking track) and Deck 5 (outside promenade) were closed for the entire passage Slept like a baby last night (and I do not sleep well typically). The Drake rocked us all night long … (sounds like a song title from the early 70s ). The bars were not as busy yesterday (but it was still difficult to find a seat in the Centrum before the first seating). The dance floor was a little too difficult to manage … so we sat the night out. There was much anticipation for this … and, obviously, everyone is very excited. Curt from Canada
×
×
  • Create New...