CrimsonCruiser

hey! That's my birthday! Lol - means absolutely nothing in this regard but I can't not point it out when I see it.

Yup. We heard from him 3 days before we set sail. Definitely one of the closer ones we've ever gotten - usually it's closer to 5-7 days. But despite the closeness, he was still able to book us in Giovanni's for dinner.

Priority disembarkation, diamond lounge (in lieu of the suite lounge), robes, priority dining reservations, access to a specialty restaurant for free breakfast (it was Chops on most of our cruises except Odyssey in which it's Coastal Kitchen).

I was the week after Matt on Odyssey. We did go in the "suite" doors at Ft. Lauderdale (there were some other doors further down that most everyone else went into) so there was at least a speedy check-in but we still showed up at our allotted 12:30 time. There was priority disembarkation still. We didn't partake because we had an airport transfer, but they were out by 7:45 AM.

Honestly, I think it depends on what the C&A means to you. In the case of my mom and I, we really pushed to book another suite in the double points period because it will ensure we are Diamond level at the end of that next one. And we *desperately* want to be Diamond to actually save money on our cruises lol. We've gotten spoiled by Grand Suite benefits and once we're Diamond a lot of our favorite benefits will be available even if we choose to book an interior hahaha. But if you don't quite care about the C&A level and don't mind taking more time to climb the ladder, I don't think that much money is worth it.

That makes sense. And congrats on the extension!

I did an MEI Quote for my 2021 cruise and there was no OBC offered. That's not to say they may not offer some out for more repeat customers or as a post-booking treat, but I didn't see any mentioned in the quote. (All that said...the service reviews here are so great, I'm *still* debating switching to MEI despite the loss in OBC I'll take)

Just got off Odyssey last week and the salsa/ sauce bar was open with staff serving you. No judgement on what I wanted or where on my plate I put it.

Odyssey last week did have 2 formal nights on a 8-day like normal. I would say maybe just over half of the people onboard participated. Also - fun fact. The cruise compass for the first Formal Night said the MDR dress code was formal for dinner but the 2nd had the "new" Wear Your Best. I found that interesting.

can verify as of last week - Travel Visa was not needed to make a stop in Nassau.

So in talking to the crew on odyssey I heard over and over again that their contracts would be ending at the end of the year and the extensions may not be possible as RCI tries to rotate more crew in. Is it normal to have so many contracts end at the same time or was this a side-effect of covid and the restart process?

One per sailing - no stacking allowed. But you can stack their OBC on top of other offered OBC (i used it with TA offered OBC and had no issues).

Would repricing a cruise with Next Cruise OBC potentially lose the OBC? I know those offers are kinda separate from regular royal sales.

Yes it will. But I would suggest calling to cancel and rebook just to be 1000% sure that it gets applied correctly (that's how I did 2 repricings most recently)

Hi! Just got off Odyssey yesterday. I saw you once or twice a but you were super busy so I was scared to interrupt. But I wanted to thank you for directions to the cat! Found it on my first day and it was a great boarding day photo.

I did the same! Between Matt and Chris Wong I have a backlog of videos to watch now that I've just finished my trip

Odyssey 9/11-9/19 guest count according to crew 1,080.

Stayed in GS on freedom back in 2015 of deck 10 and never heard a thing from above us. Morning noon or night

Hmm ... Just got off a GS on Odyssey and our concierge booked one Giovanni's for us with no issue. The offer to do so was also in the letter.

Still fine tuning our list as we navigate to being pro cruisers but i simply cannot cruise without those dollartree battery operated tea lights liquid handsoap suction hooks for the shower Multi-port usb plug Cruise. Binder! (honestly such a life saver before, during and after the cruise!) Some things I'm trying out and may get added: luggage tag holders mini clock with light (why don't they want me to know what time it is?!! hahaha) cup holder bags

Yup! same! There's something both really relaxing and really exciting about putting them on at that stage. Like both 'finally we're at the last step' and 'OMG IT'S HERE!'

I've wanted to do this but I scared of the baggage handlers at the airport getting confused and either ripping it off or losing my luggage

I would have said 100% a suite is worth it but on Freedom with so much to do and for such a short trip...I think a balcony is okay. The perks of being in a suite are great (my favorite being the double points and the complimentary room service from both the regular menu AND the MDR) but if you're not planning on spending at least a full day in the room to enjoy the space and room-related perks...it's okay to skip here.

yup! It's usually toward the end of the cruise (second formal night on 7+ nighters and I think night 4 or 4 or ones less than 7). At this point, lobster tails are part of the main, complimentary menu and they are as unlimited as everything else in that section. And yes, the staff is well aware that people go CRAZY with it. I've never heard of them running out or limiting people.

I'm pretty sure my answers will echo what other have said but...I want to toss my 2 cents in anyway hahaha Main dining room questions: Yes, the dining rooms all connect across three decks and depending on where you sit you can look up or down to the others. For the purposes of organizing guests, however, each floor is treated as a separate dining room with its own name and everything (usually following a theme). You will be assigned a dining room on your seapass card and that's the one you go to whenever you want to eat in the MDR for dinner. (I believe lunch and breakfast, due to the lower crowds, are all in one room) It does! There are about 3-5 standard items that will always be on the menu for each category (apps, mains, desserts) and 3-5 new items. I personally like to aim for the new items since they are usually unique to the chef onboard or maybe inspired by the port we were in that day. But the standard items ensure that I will never not have something I'm not going to be happy to eat. While I haven't personally tried it, I have it on good authority that you can order as much as you want in the MDR and while you might get funny looks for choosing to have all apps for dinner, I don't think they will get mad at you. We have skipped apps or dessert and the ship doesn't come crashing to a halt out of shock hahaha. I've also heard you can ask for smaller portions of the mains if you are just curious but don't want to potentially waste a full plate of food. Might I suggest My Time Dining. You can go at the same time every day or later if you were having too much fun to make the set time. I believe it's good courtesy to call and say you won't be able to make it, just so they can make use of your table, but there were plenty of times we just kinda forgot to do that and didn't show up and there was no issue. General dining questions: As long as the food is out there and your stomach can take it...you can grab it. There's a reason one of the jokes about cruising that you'll come back a minimum of 5lbs heavier than you left Reservations are really only needed for specialty dining or large groups in the MDR and I think this is really just a matter of space. I do believe you could try to just walk in but there is a possibility they won't have room to seat you. Good thing is it's easier to cancel a reservation than to try to plan something without it. additional information is also appreciated. Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos are great grab and go places especially for late night eats. A slice of 'za and a dessert on the promenade or boardwalk while you wind down from the day are just...*chefs kiss*