CrimsonCruiser

2 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Bridge and galley tours were advertised perks on all classes prior to the shutdown. You'd get a card in your stateroom saying "join us on X day for a tour." Now it's just bridge tours and it's by request only.

We literally never got one before and I've never known to ask after....

well...now I do know....gonna make a note to ask the concierge...worst they can say is no

Are bridge tours only available on certain classes of ships? We've sailed in grand suites on all but one of our cruises and I've never known it to be a perk...

I do see where OP got the information (https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-the-suites-program) but I wonder if this is another instance of Royal not updating their site...Or maybe it's new and a good perk to booking a smaller ship since this isn't offered on the Royal Suite Class perks

I was just coming to say I got lucky and this totally random midweek sale had the package back down to the $220 it was last week haha...

really did think I'd have to fight longer for that.

Snagged and paid and still hoping something miraculous will happen and we can get it for a smooth $200

21 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

I feel like this might have something to do with a film or coating of some sort on the towel (either lack of, or too much of). Maybe they come new with something on them? Or fabric softener/dryer sheets? I use a fabric softener liquid during wash (an eco one, so very lightweight) and mine end up in that happy in-between. They do get a little staticky in the dryer but once I fold and separate them, it doesn't come back. 

12 hours ago, asquared17 said:

also, not all microfiber towels are created equal??

i pay the premium for the aquis brand for my hair. the other ones i use for body i actually got at target but i found a brand on amazon that was pretty good too. 

i’ll add the link when i find it! ** ECCOSOPHY Microfiber Beach Towel - Sand Free Towels are Quick Dry, Light Weight, Super Absorbent - Perfect Pool, Travel, Cruise, Camping Essentials - Oversized Extra Large for Adults 71x35 in https://a.co/d/eVg0JVj **

also @jbrinkm might be on to something with the coating/fabric softener we use tide in the yellow bottle. i always wash my towels before i use for the first time. 

 

this is a similar one from the same collection i got at target last year (not my fave color combo but the cheapest i found): https://www.ebay.com/itm/276013955821?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=C14eqOPpS32&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=zdMAI3_QSYa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I suppose it may be true that I just have bad ones. my first foray into microfiber towels are ones that came in a college room-in-a-bag set (2 towels, a lamp, pop up hamper and a whole bedding set for maybe $100) and then some kitchen ones from dollartree

I have washed both several times with multiple different soaps and fabric softener methods but they still suuuuuuck lol. maybe I'll give more pricey ones a try....maybe

18 hours ago, asquared17 said:

this is a big one for me. 

when in st. maarten we go ashore at the holland house to spend the day and i am dry when we head back…. but J is not because she uses a ship towel hahah

I have never had a microfiber towel that actually feels like it's drying....it either sticks to me like static or the water just runs off of it and doesn't take it off of me....lol what is your secret

It so seriously looks like it was MADE to be there. You can really tell by that picture just how much PDCC impacted the design of the upper decks and family area

For adults? Beaches, pools, plenty of food.

For kids there are a few toddler-sized slides that are free as well.

But here's the thing...I thought that so little free to adults would make it boring and a let down but it really wasn't. I brought my own snorkel gear and spent like an hour just playing with the fish and then another hour just enjoying the water. Actually never made it to the pool lol

Definitely depends on sailing. We did our first jr suite last year and booked CK for dinner on boarding night. It was crowded and we weren't able to get a seat until I think 8 or so.

BUT on the flip side, on the second to last day we got a call inviting us to have lunch, comped, for no other reason than the CK host wanted to. I can only assume they had lower-than-normal numbers eating there and therefore opened it up to JR suite guests.

15 hours ago, Sail909 said:

Thanks for the replies!   So, you don't think we'd have to wait long if we showed up at 645 without a reservation?

Eehhhhh.....6:45 seems to be a really popular time and there are lots of folks with reservations getting in so I don't know how fast the non-reservation line would go. That said, the reservation line is usually fully seated by 7 so I figure worst case, maybe a 15-minute wait?

See this is one of those bent/broken rules it's best not to talk about. Per the rules of the package, no the bar tender is not to give you a drink if it's not your card.

That said, it can get busy and there's not always a foolproof system to verify who is using which card. It happens and I'm sure the increasing cost in the package is reflect that royal knows that.

BUT if at any point you get caught...they will penalize you. Period. Probably by either taking the package from your partner OR by adding the cost of one to your card.

Of course all of this is moot if you're planning to get the Deluxe Beverage Package because, in an effort to avoid this, royal requires all adults in a room to buy the package and even if you call for an exemption (medical, religious, AA etc) you will be told to buy the non-alcoholic package. So.....there's really no way around paying for it.

I don't even get why do it more than one night...

it's a celebration of all that was accomplished on that particular sailing...once toward the end, as a nice send off and big thank you (and a one-and-done way to remind us about the survey at the end) and that's good enough. There's no reason to have it more than one night....

3 hours ago, Hoppy2BHere said:

   They just copy and paste your paragraphs into an “AI” tool and it re-words it for them. Then post it back in as their own. Can be an automated tool that generates it as well. Notice this is a one and done a year later… Not sure why they do it, but interesting they chose yours and this subject.. 

Maybe it was a test for something? Crappy AI though that didn't even really reword it...it's 98% my words lol

You can easily get towels for free from the pool deck on the ship at pretty much anytime and you can take them off board when in ports so you can use them at the beach. There is a fee if you fail (or seem to fail due to a card read error) to return the towel, so some people like to bring their own to avoid the potential of this fee or the headaches of remembering to take them to the pool deck after a long day in port

In regards to shower towels, the towels in the rooms are standard bath towels and I've traveled with many a fluffy person who prefers to pack their own towel because the ones on the ship do not wrap around them comfortably.

I'm in the minority and actually like the bionic bar. I'm not well versed in bar...well..anything. I don't know a lot of cocktails, don't like trying to wave someone over when I can see they're busy and don't like sidling up to a stranger to try to get a seat or to yell over blasting music to get a bottle of water.

The bionic bar eliminates most if not all of that for me.

I just wish my diamond vouchers could be used there. When we were on Harmony last year, I watched the BB longingly but I was struggling to use the free drinks so couldn't justify paying for one even if it meant avoiding people haha. This year, we're skipping any drink package so I'm looking forward to using my diamond drinks on cans of soda or water or MDR drinks while I use a couple real dollars to play with the robots

On 1/7/2024 at 12:19 PM, steverk said:

I've used it for gratuities many times. Just don't prepay them an it will be handled automatically.  Easy peasy. 

On a side note, NCL doesn't allow this for obc. They also don't allow you to use it in their version of the cruise planner. 

Very good to know. They're low on my "brand to try" list since i don't think they rewards match but good to know all those pretty features and sales don't shine as much as they seem to

On 1/5/2024 at 5:19 PM, Hoppy2BHere said:

Wow. You’ve been chat bot-ed..  That is not a real robot move.. 

I had a feeling something was up.....though for as long as I've been on the internet I've never known someone to "chat bot" what even is that and what even is the point.....

OBC offered by Royal will be available in your cruise planner for any pre-cruise purchases (drink package, shore excursion, dining etc) as soon as you're booking is made. I have also heard, though I've not tried it myself, that it can be used to pay your daily gratuities (I imagine for this, you need to not pay them ahead of time, have them on your bill and your OBC will automatically be spent first as a credit on your account).

19 hours ago, bonanza88 said:

I usually prefer around noon, which is roughly the time I'm typically checking out of the hotel. It's not too far ahead of when the rooms generally become available, but not so early that I'm right up against all the other early birds.

Opting for a later boarding time has the advantage of going straight to your room. This is beneficial if you're carrying your own luggage or have heavy carry-ons,and may you can bring your game as bonanza88, as it means you don't have to drag them all over the ship. However, on the flip side, if you were hoping to be among the first at the pool or secure a good seat in the sun or at the Windjammer, you might be a bit out of luck. Some live tv in your cellphone can company you too.

Ultimately, the choice depends on what you want to do when you first get onboard. For us, we simply like to find a relaxed place to sit and soak in the atmosphere, grab lunch, and review the events and schedule for the week to rough out our plans.

We think so much the same that we even write the same! haha. (my reply from 2022 below):

Quote

I generally like around noon. It's around the same time I'm usually checking out of the hotel, not too far ahead of when the rooms generally open, but not so early I'm butt-up against all the other early birds.

Later boarding gives you the perk of going straight to your room so if you're carrying on your own luggage or have heavy carry-ons later means you don't have to drag them all over the ship. But, on the flipside, if you were hoping to be first in the pool or to snag a good seat in the sun or at the windjammer, you're a little more out of luck.

Really, it depends on what you want to do when you first get onboard. For us, we just like to find someplace chill to sit and take in the atmosphere, grab lunch, and look at the events and what not for the week so we can get a rough plan of our days.

On 1/2/2024 at 8:26 PM, Pattycruise said:

Had this on my last cruise.  As a solo who can’t have someone babysit a seat for me I usually fill my Yeti and place it down along with my silverware and forage for the 3 things I eat.  This one cruise I grabbed food first…what was I thinking? Placed the food at a high top shared table and put down my silverware. Unfortunately the coffee dispenser near my seat was empty so I had to cross the dining room to the other side to fill my Yeti. By the time I returned my food  plate was pushed away and a father/ daughter were seated there.  He asked if he should move….boy did I want to say yes but who kicks out an 8 year old?! Then he proceeds to point out an empty chair at a table for 4 that had 2 people seated.  I walked elsewhere, placed my yeti and silverware and got fresh food.  I wonder what he told the kid when they sat down? 

Probably something like "there's just one person here, it's fine they can share" basically deciding for you that you wanted strangers next to you or had no other companions (children, friends joining later etc).

And then probably doubled down after you walked away with something like "well see now we get the whole thing anyway" OR some shade to you like "even you [to 8-yr old] know it's nice to share. That person is just angry" because people like that always think they've made the right choice and others are being unfair to be angered by their decisions.

The only thing I can see that is possibly different is that at a "suite guarantee" there is a small, itty bitty, microscopic baby chance that you get a Grand Suite. whereas the guaranteed junior is only junior suite and there's no ifs, ands or buts about it.

I've done it three times so far. my TA isn't a top star so i've had to do it myself 2/3 times. this last time, she was finally able to do it without issue. Just make sure you add the points ASAP after booking because the staff's understanding of the cut off for the "new" bookings requirement is all over the place. I've heard 7 days, 14 days 3 months, and 1 year after booking lol

I can say that ones booked through Royal will have you back pretty much exactly when they are supposed to. I think it's part of the terms the excursions companies have to adhere to be in good standing with the cruise line. That said...life happens. Accidents, flat tires, getting stuck waiting for other passengers, traffic etc. Plus you're not giving yourself much time to get back on the ship which could take 10 -20 minutes depending on the crowds at the time and on the elevators.

Non-royal booked ones, also to be in good standing and good rep, will also usually do their best to get you back on time, but you are taking a bit more of a risk as those are always a YMMV type of thing,

Either way though, I would suggest that if your dinner is MDR and you aren't tied to the menu, skip that reservation and do the Windjammer or something else so you're not as pressed about time. Or, if you have My time dining in the MDR, push it back.

If you have a specialty on that night, see if you can move the dinner later or to a different day.

16 hours ago, Mike9204 said:

Im considering building a tool that does this for you. You would be able to select the package or excursion you want to monitor the price for, then if it drops we would notify you. Would people be interested in this? Just trying to feel out if it is worth building. 
 

Benefit would be to make sure your notified even after booking one. 

very interested! I tend to forget to price check daily and actually just posted about missing out on the most recent sale so having something like this would be much appreciated.

Through the hecticness of the end of the year and the dreaded return to work, I ended up missing buying the slightly lowered 100 photo package during the New Year sale. I still want to snag that price as $220 is probably the best I'll get in this era of high pricing so I'm wondering...when do we think the next equivalent sale will be?

I'm hoping there's bound to be something before 4th of July....any ideas? Maybe a presidents day sale? (or is that only for mattresses? lol)

On 12/28/2023 at 6:11 PM, JS514 said:

Translate that... as proper authorities in Nassau have been paid off.   Their boats are all ancient and on last legs (or past them) - doubtful they upgraded or fixed their fleet - but we shall see.

Is cardboard covered panels or electrical tubes considered code in Nassau?   Though I guess any training is better than what they had, which seem to be zero.

Actually important to note the post doesn't say they GOT new fleet, policies, procedures or training but rather that the existing ones were examined (and through implication deemed safe enough to allow reopening)....not to say anything about a place I've never been (Blue lagoon) but I just thought I'd put a little fly in the ointment cuz...why not....