CruiseGus

This was pretty typical prior to Covid. At some point MTD slots sold out and you had no choice but to select one of the traditional seating (early or late, also typically late was always available). But with all the trouble they have been having recently with MTD, at least some of us that used to love MTD are bailing for one of the traditional seating's. I would think that if you head to the maître d' as soon as you board you should be able to change to it. Most of the people on my May sailings were trying to change out of it when i was there doing the same.

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I tried them first week of May 2022. It is very close. It is certainly smaller and not a real beach there. The pool is nice, the restrooms are good. The crowd when i was there was middle aged ie NO young twenty-somethings being wild. the bar was a little limited on liquor selection, as most are, but the drinks and service were good. The food was very good also. If your looking to relax, maybe hop into some water to cool off, this could be a place View from just forward of the hottubs on Liberty Deck 12 - it is the red circle fuzzy pic but you get the idea ignore the prices on the menus as all is included

Nope, never write a name on the printed tag, just slide it into the plastic holder attached to the bag.

Been on liberty a few times this year, since they started allowing smoking again. I did not notice it in Scooner

In May on Liberty, it was the same " dining room will be open at 5:15 for the 5:30 traditional dining and they encouraged us to take advantage of that. they also said if you were not seated by 5:45 you would lose your table. " I'm usually, pre-Covid, a fan of MTD. So both weeks as I was leaving from my dinner between 5:45 and 6, I stopped and spoke to some of those waiting (a small group at that time since MTD didn't have the first official available booking till 6:45) on multiple nights. Every one I spoke to said they started to seat as soon as table became available right around 5:45, even the host confirmed this to me one night. I can also say I took a look at the MTD lines at around 7 a few nights and the were quite long.

This is so true. BTW another fan of Maya Chan here. It is on that REPEAT list for Costa Maya. Definitely good massages and the service is always top notch

good question. I will say that drinks on Carnival are maybe a $1 or 2 cheaper, but the last time I was at an Alchemy Bar on a Carnival ship 2 drinks ran me $27-28, which breaks down to about the same as on RCL. I have experienced some of the same problems outlined on both RCL and Carnival ships, sail enough and it happens. also understanding from OP's perspective as a VIFP Platinum (75+ nights) it would be very similar for someone that was a RCL Diamond to now take their first cruise on a Carnival ship. They might not enjoy the differences as much. @Donna Hunter as Matt and others have said welcome to the boards. I hope you will give RCL another try sometime. I know I sail on both lines and I think both have a different but enjoyable experience to offer.

No doubt Experience is the Best Teacher. Research helps, but actually doing seems the best for me.

my past experience with a drink package has been yes, you can order doubles, but it has been a while sine i have purchased one. Someone who regularly gets one may have a better answer

Some of the mix and even sometime the drink of the day are pre mixed in bottles. In almost every case the Liquor is added. What I have noticed, since capacity has started to increase is that almost inclusive tip or not most bartenders are watching there pours more carefully. I have even seen some, at least from my viewpoint (i could be wrong) not even fill the jigger completely. I think that throughout the fleet there is more emphasis on controlling costs in the beverage area

Definatly not my Concierge experience. Had I made those requests in advance, I would have been at the Concierge's desk the following morning to politely ask what happened. Good thing all my Concierge experiances have been with ones that did better than my expectations

The above doesn't say anything about the frequency of testing, just that boosters will be given

Sound perfectly appropriate for RCCL to require this. Keeping the customers as well as the crew safe is of tantamount importance to the company

my experience NO 6 am is the earliest delivery.

@Mattgreat advice!! I have been watching for my future cruises and the Voom prices have been consistently climbing. Maybe it is just when I'm cruising, but also there have been no price drops on my cabins either.

is the flight so close it has not yet been ticketed? Once ticketed at least with AA I could then make any changes I needed or wanted the time i used Air2Sea. At least that was my experience, I also like @smokeybandit only used them when there were still question marks early on about if the cruise would happen.

As @twangsterstated earlier, "Food is personal" as well as subjective. The key point, at least to myself, made by the OP @DocJr was " my first ever cruise". My advice to all first time cruisers is eat in the MDR every night that way you know what both the included no extra cost food is like and the MDR atmosphere. I would say on your 2nd cruise then try stepping out to either Specialty Dinning or the Windjammer for dinner if you like, as you now have something to compare those venues to. In this case for @DocJr i would modify my aforementioned advice if in a Grand Suite or higher and have the Suite Concierge make you CK (Coastal Kitchen) reservations and eat there every night for dinner for the very reason that you now know what is included with your suite on this class of ship. You can always try something else for your next sailing. BTW don't forget to eat breakfast and lunch in CK also, at least a couple of times. Enjoy your FIRST cruise!!!

I believe that each voucher has an expiration date printed on it

Let's get back on track to the original subject. I sure hope they are not replacing the duck with a chicken dish. One of the reasons I like to cruise is we eat food not on our normal menu at home like duck, lamb and even warm water lobster. In the midwest we have plenty of great beef, pork and chicken, so I don't really want that on vacation. Btw we also cruise to escape the cold winters, so it's not a complete deal breaker.

trying to explain Royal's pricing scheme is an effort in futility. I've been researching 2024 cruises this week and over half that I've priced it is cheaper to pick your cabin than to select a "Guarantee"

And we both think Breakfast opens up way to late late in the mornings on a cruise ship. We'd prefer that both venues open by 6am every morning, I hate waiting around for opening till I can have my breakfast.

Almost any drink you order will be covered by that $13. ?? Limit. There are exceptions for very top shelf call liquor like Johnnie Walker Blue, they hardly have any of these type liquors anymore. Special drink help if you have the recipe to show them, most will attempt if they have ingredients and you know that recipe

I'm pretty sure you were correct the first time you wrote it, at least if you were using definition 1. Now if you were using # 2, you should be sorry. Just call it the way I see it.

Seems I have just started paying attention, since my restart in August, but from what i have seen, almost every server makes there own drinks at the bar, unlike what they do at the bars where i live where they order up the drinks at the bar and the bar tender actually makes them. Yes most restaurants have to travel to another bar but I have witnessed those servers that I've seen coming in from restaurants make the drinks themselves