CrimsonCruiser

2 hours ago, BrianB said:

Yes, Oasis changed Dazzles to the Music Hall. Two levels with an interior open staircase connecting them.

Bars on both levels. Beautiful venue overlooking the Boardwalk.

Oh did Oasis add a bar to the top level? That's smart cuz Dazzles on both Allure and Harmony only have the one bar on the main level and the roaming staff was the only way to get a drink if you were on the top level. Not a huge problem but I feel bad seeing them run up and down and up and down for a hour

6 hours ago, ScottD said:

So are the other music halls not set up the same? I loved the setup with the 2nd floor balcony to watch the bands, and basically a private bar and pool table up there, as well. 

Music Hall, in my opinion, on Odyssey (and I assume all Quantum class ships) is better laid out to view the stage/dance floor from all areas.

Dazzles/Music Hall on Oasis class ships have that long aisle entryway and if you get stuck at a booth by the entrance, good luck seeing anything.

Now, both venues do have 2-level lounge-like seating and are used for the same things - cover bands, lounge music, occasional trivia - but the wide space in Music Hall is my preference hands down

9 hours ago, bobroo said:

The venue Music Hall and the bar bands that play there are a feature of Quantum class ships. 

Pirate parades, balloon drops, and the perpetual Village People revue--that's every ship with a Royal Promenade.

Music Hall was added to Oasis at her amplification. It is Music Hall in name but not necessarily structure, as it's basically a renamed Dazzles from what I understand.

I just wish the percentages off a package weren't off the very very very high base price. 30 percent off of $400 is still $100 more than I want to spend on a photo package...

Hello friends!

We're  scheduled to make a stop in Cozumel on our 2024 Harmony cruise and, since we've been there quite a few times, we're okay with just making it a nice pool day. We did a resort day pass in Curacao and loved the experience, so that's what we're looking to do again.

The must haves:

• Pool with steps (not ladder) entry
• Food included (no vouchers, just free)
• Soda, water, juice included
• At least 1 or 2 included alcoholic drinks included
• Seating included (preferably in the shade)

The good-to-haves:

• Beach with good snorkeling (have my own equipment)
• transportation included or at least offered (if not, it needs to be under $15/person each way by taxi)
• no more than $100-125/per person
• resort guests that won't have an attitude about day pass users

44 minutes ago, Lucky said:

I took advantage of this when I was on Wonder in October and this is what came with mine:

So weird cuz I took a screenshot of mine from Harmony Aug 2023 O.O

I don't think they do. The chart on the next cruise pamphlet starts at 4 nights

We got the lucky opportunity sail Odyssey in the inaugural season when our trip on Independence was moved Odyssey during the restart. It was our first mega ship at all and getting to enjoy it empty was really nice. At the time, I don't think I appreciated it as much as I do now, looking back on it. It's quite a classy and modern ship and I think it's the class that more traditional cruisers would appreciate if they ever wanted to try a larger ship.

Personally, I had no issues with the Esplanade (though my mom echoes most sentiments here) and I realize that may be because of the low capacity when we were on it. There was no chance for the winding path to feel clustered and crowded because there just weren't that many people.

I definitely WANT to go on another Q class but we only cruise once per year and an active vacation as our only vacation just doesn't vibe for us. I'm hoping, that when we have the opportunity to do non-Caribbean cruises, Q-class is there waiting to greet us.

Okay but HOW did it get on?! Carry on or checked have to go through X-rays.....did....did someone just sedate and X-ray a cat...?....how did the staff not see that?! I have so many questions....

23 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

More modern luxury...they used real candles.

O.O Court the danger!

3 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

O.O

Mr bubble man is TERRIFYING!

On 11/18/2023 at 6:47 PM, Geezer Of The Seas said:

The demand for plant based fake meat seems to be declining. A fad? I'll admit to eating the occasional Beyond Burger at a Florida based upscale burger chain until they closed the neighborhood store. Were it not for the condiments, it would have been completely devoid of flavor and had a really weird texture. I really went for the peanut oil fried onion rings which were out of this world.

I don't think it's fading as it's just no one feels the need to advertise it in bold anymore. Almost any restaurant I go to has at least 1 Impossible item on the menu.

Magnet thieves were why, til recently, I opted for cheap decor. Rather than magnets as the decoration, I'd use them to hold up a cheap dollar tree tablecloth cut to to fit that had stickers or other designs glued on. No damage to the door, but no way someone can grab something off.

But last year I was turned onto Stateroom Statements and got a couple magnets I absolutely love and when I tell you I side eyed EVERYONE who looked at our door I mean it...I would have gone OFF if the custom one went missing

11 hours ago, SpicyCherry said:

Yes, you have to look carefully. This is what I found in the FAQs:

VOOM Surf + Stream package is not included for Sky Junior Suites on select ships***.  
*** VOOM Surf + Stream package is not available for Sky Junior Suites sailing on Allure of the Seas®, Anthem of the Seas®, Harmony of the Seas®, Oasis of the Seas®, Odyssey of the Seas®, Ovation of the Seas®, Quantum of the Seas®, Symphony of the Seas® and Wonder of the Seas®. Sky Junior Suites sailing on Icon of the Seas®, Spectrum of the Seas® and Utopia of the Seas® have this benefit included.
-Complimentary gratuities are not included for Sky guests.

Not sure if you get Suite Lounge/Sun deck access or Breakfast & Lunch also in Coastal Kitchen(doesn’t look likely) but seems clear, no Voom on those ships. Hopefully this will change and extend to all ships. It’s a nice option if you don’t mind spending extra. On Celebrity, their Sky Suites, which are really Junior Suites, have full Suite/Retreat access. 

What the HECK?! That's kinda messed up...but I guess they need to hold something back to lure people to sill book GS and above...

Only reason I could see them being an issue is if you have if you planned on bring a burner (which it doesn't sound like you do) or  you had THC-infused oils.

I first heard about it on ParoDeeJay's channel when Dee participated. It looks fun but the way it's announced and advertised always feels like its missing the point of a true flash mob to me. Not a complaint really, just an observation. The thing I like about a flash mob (both as a spectator and as a performer) is that they feel like they just happen spontaneously like a dance number in a musical. I don't want to know  a performance is gonna happen...i just wanna be surprised.

I think, if they were cool about it, someone should tap people at the various dance-themed events on the first couple days and do a word of mouth thing ("hey, you should join the flash mob. Come here tomorrow at 10 to learn the dance. Bring a friend") And the people they tap could just be anyone who looks like they're having fun (instead of an objective talent-based thing). And recruitment could still be mentioned in the cruise planner. But just not the main event. Let the main event be a surprise Lol

Been wanting to get ramen at Izumi for a while and wondering if it can be a la carte? If not... Is it worth it to get the cruise planner dinner/lunch if we only want ramen? Also... How much is the ramen if it can be a la carte?

Also also... Is the ramen good? It might be the first non-instant ramen for my mom and I don't want her to get something not yummy.

On 11/16/2023 at 6:48 PM, mrs.gish said:

Perfect ty ty ty so very much you deff put me at ease . No one at carribean could give me a solid answer . This is our first cruise so very unsure about so much im praying the 9th floor I picked is a good floor lol

We were on 9 last year and liked it. Being that close to central park (Central Park is on deck made hopping down to the park cafe for breakfast a breeze! Plus a stroll through CP to get from front of ship to back is waaaay better in my opinion than ducking through room hallways or the often busy promenade. And deck 9 isn't not too far down from the buffet either. I think you have a good spot and if I'm remembering numbers correctly you should be about midship too

1 - Harmony actually does parties from 60s to 90s! SO MANY PARTIES!

2 - I would also drop the 70s party.  It's the same 10 songs and the same lackluster participation.

3 - I would drop the worlds sexiest man competition primarily because while it seems like most guys just do it to have fun, there's always that one conventionally attractive guy that enters and I know I would personally take a hit to my self esteem to see the reactions go from fun whooping to stripper screaming

Did the Sip Tour Brunch this past August. The tour was about 30-45 minutes and brunch is a mix of classic breakfast and classic lunch items from the regular MDR menu. I think the price isn't too bad though I did wish the tour was longer and better organized. Depending on where we stood, we couldn't hear the guide over the action in the galley and I missed the chance to ask some questions I had.

We have Jaime's lunch scheduled for our upcoming cruise after enjoying Jaime's dinner on the last one. The portions at dinner were huge and the taste was quite yummy. If lunch is even half as much food and all the same deliciousness, $14.99 is a steal.

There's a downtown strip area of restaurants and bars that gets jumping at night time. It's very reminiscent of City Walk in Universal Studios.

It's not too far from the port; on our recent land trip to Aruba I went to the port to stare at the ships and then walked over to the strip and it was less than 5 minutes.

And there are TONS of taxis around there too so if you're happily boozed or just exhausted from the day and don't want to navigate back on foot, you can grab a ride. generally well priced as well as the entire taxi system pricing in Aruba is government controlled.

17 hours ago, CanadaCruiser19 said:

Can someone clarify for me how the photographers identify you as having a photo package, or how they know whose account to upload the photos to? 

So confused. Cruising this February on Symphony.

The photographers don't know or care if you have a photo package. Anyone can take a photo - it's buying it where the package comes in handy. Very much like the snapshot on a rollercoaster or the pictures at the entrance of an amusement park. Free to take, pay to keep.

In terms of "whose account" photos are by staterooms so it will be available to all people in the room. (you give your stateroom number to the photographer after you're done posing)

Your package is pre-loaded in your account if you buy it ahead of time and you just need to "activate it" on board by giving your email address at the desk or kiosk. all the photos you take will be available to view on the kiosk (and maybe even in the app) a couple hours after being taken. You then select the ones you want. And you're always welcome to go over or under your package maximum. If you go under, you just lose the unused portion, if you go over, you pay per photo

So far haven't found anything really worth getting:

Jaime's lunch is a couple bucks cheaper but not worth the hassle to cancel and rebook.

We've decided not to get the soda package this year since we have our daily diamond drinks, diamond water, 2 bottles of wine, and can bring on cans of our preferred soda. We barely used the package last year and did a pitiful job on our vouchers, averaging only 2 a day!

Don't like any of the shore excursions (everything Royal is offering for Roatan is beach-based and as this is our first time we want to explore), the ruins explorations in costa maya are over priced (found same or similar ones elsewhere for less) and we're planning a resort for a day in cozumel.

Our actual fare is still over $500pp over what we initially paid.

And the photos package at 180 for 50 is still JUST over what I want to spend (shooting for 150-160 range if we're lucky)

So...so far...just going to enjoy everyone else's success

I second @Ryan79. We did the Sip. Tour. Brunch last year on the last full day of our cruise and it isn't short or turn-around day friendly. I'd say the tour is about 30+ minutes in the busy galley and then you get a full 3-course meal in the dining room. I can't imagine them having passengers in the galley during turnaround hectic-ness let alone giving them a calm 3-course brunch.. Definitely sounds like a glitch. Maybe it's from a previous 7-night sailing and they didn't update the back end to the actual date for your 4-night

I loved crossing the 3-digit mark! Congrats!!!

I would LOVE Dog house to be a late night option! I have craved hot dogs or the like after a late night show and been bummed to just settle for Sorentos or deli sandwich from cafe promenade. Dog house open late is such a great option AND gets people to see how pretty the boardwalk is at night!