Sushitex

Although this post is from February, there is a mention of Diamonds and up obtaining tender tickets from, I’m guessing, the concierge in the Crown Lounge. Does this still happen? We are booked on the Explorer for an 8-nighter next October and because I didn’t care for the prices of the remaining available excursions to Santorini, I booked with an independent touring company. We are Diamond Plus, but have never asked any of the concierges for tender tickets because we hardly ever visit ports that need tenders. Should we ask for tickets ASAP once we’re onboard? Thanks for any replies!

If one is Emerald or Diamond, you’ll receive 2 bottles of water as a welcome gift. Diamond Plus and Pinnacles will receive 3 bottles apiece. The can of soda (or beer) will not be available after March 9.

Back in October, when we were on the Liberty, all Diamond and up levels were issued, via their Seapass cards, daily vouchers because the Diamond Lounge's Espresso machine was still broken. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I did try Teavana, which was available at the Cafe Promenade. Hubby chose Starbuck's cafe latte. I didn't care for Teavana - I much prefer the Bigelow tea, which is also at Cafe Promenade, the Diamond Lounge, Windjammer, and MDR and it's free. I believe that you can also purchase Tazo tea bags in the Cafe Promenade. The Promenade Cafe, like the Windjammer, also has large machines that dispense free coffee. The hot water dispensers on the machines are yours to use if you want to brew tea. On the Adventure, it's pretty much the same offerings, with maybe less selections of tea and coffee at Cafe Promenade. I believe the premium coffee is still Starbucks and I'm fairly certain that I saw Teavana , and perhaps Tazo, offered there as well.

It's been several months since I discovered that the pork carnitas tacos served in the taco bar at Coco Cay are (were?) the same ones being served at El Loco Fresh on the Freedom. It was an unexpected bonus to see a crewmember behind said taco bar, digilently hand-rolling and cooking fresh, warm flour tortillas (I don't recall those at El Loco Fresh.) So, I have to give those tacos a boost over the yummy chicken sandwich (with lettuce, tomato, and basil mayonnaise) served at the Snack Shack. I don't have the urge to add mozarella cheese sticks, however, but to each his own.

If you and your spouse have both earned dollars-off certificates, or are receiving other offers from Club Royale, and each one of you has the same offer code (with perhaps a difference in the last digit) you can combine your offer with the same one as your spouse. Sometimes, if the cruise is a short one and during off-season, you can combine said offers to book a really inexpensive cruise - we have had some cruises that amounted to paying only for taxes because of the combined discounts. Just food for thought. If for some reason you don't know about the offers website, here it is: https://www.clubroyaleoffers.com/ You can insert the needed information to find out if your wife has any other offers listed (the one you referred to should be included.) You never know - something better than the certficates may be listed. The general rule of thumb is to book a comped cruise a.s.a.p. - they go fast.

Now, Carnival: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28044-carnival-cruise-line-removes-pre-cruise-testing-for-vaccinated-guests-more-changes-announced.html

...and here is your chance! https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28044-carnival-cruise-line-removes-pre-cruise-testing-for-vaccinated-guests-more-changes-announced.html Too bad our next 2 cruises are with Carnival (shh...casino cruises) and they are scheduled for August 20 and 27th.

Lighthouse Parking has raised or elevated lots. There are photos of their lots on their website that will show as much. I just checked and they are accepting reservations for November and beyond.

Thanks for all your responses. It sounds like Terminal 1 will be put to good use - I had forgotten that Disney and Princess will start to cruise out of Galveston.

I read that earlier, and thought, "Hey, I hope this is enough incentive for the cruise lines to discontinue the mandate of COVID-19 testing." I'm not against it inherently, BUT it's so darn expensive if you have to pay for it, and fewer and fewer places are offering it for free.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-covid-19-guidelines-updated-recommendations/ Especially: "Detailed recommendations are expected to be updated and "streamlined" over the coming days, including for travel, nursing homes, and other high-risk congregate settings. "

An alternative to Daniel Johnson’s excursion in Roatan are the those by Victor Bodden (independent shore excursions.) We have booked with him 3 times - the first 2, we had our then-teenage son with us, and he did the Zip & Dip tour, which included zip lining in a cool jungle environment, seeing the monkeys and macaws, and a ride to and from Bananarama, a beach and restaurant complex on the West End. Son was 16 the first time, then 17 the second time. The Zip happened at Bodden’s own Monkey Business complex. Hubby and I skipped the Zip, but we did everything else. Our third visit was last December. Our son is working in another state now, so it was just hubby and myself. We returned to Victor Bodden’s, and now we were also able to be hugged by a sloth, besides seeing the monkeys and birds. We were supposed to go to Bananarama and everyone else on the bus did go, but the driver kindly dropped us off near the cruise terminal (we just didn’t want to go to the beach and it had been raining steadily anyway.) Looking at his current website, it appears that he is still in business. Although we reserved online all 3 times (and paid cash upon arrival) I am not sure if things have changed since last December. I recall that one could also book by simply walking up to their kiosk at the cruise terminal.

I hadn’t really thought about it before, but when the new cruise terminal in Galveston opens in November, will all Royal Caribbean ships sail from that terminal, or will Royal use the older terminal for the older/smaller ships (those with 4 or 5 day sailings?) We have several cruises booked from November through March based out of Galveston- 3 on the Adventure and 2 on the Allure. Naturally, we expect to be able to use the new terminal for the Allure sailings, but have no clue about the Adventure. We are not too concerned about parking because we usually book with Lighthouse, but out of curiosity, is the Port of Galveston building a parking lot near the new terminal? Thanks for any words of wisdom or genuine news!

Ok, I get it, gas prices are high and we decided, at the last moment, to fly from the Gulf Coast of Texas to Seattle. I don’t understand why you chose this forum to complain about that issue - the high price of gas has nothing to do with cruise ships or cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean. Not only that, you or someone you know chose to go on an Alaskan cruise- no one twisted your arm. You could have switched to a cruise that sails from a port on the East Coast. Everyone not living on the West Coast has to decide whether the ability to visit Alaska is worth the extra travel expenses - just a thorn to go along with the roses. I am not sure what you were trying to accomplish by submitting your original post. You stated that you enjoyed the cruise but pretty much complained about the food, the itinerary being changed (due to a medical emergency), having to stop in B.C., the fact that someone caught Covid, and so on and so on. What part of the cruise or Alaska did you enjoy? I’m sure some of us would appreciate more details about the positive experiences. Or were you merely venting and expecting sympathy?

While we were on the Oasis last November for a short 4-night cruise, I made a point of going to the Park Cafe for an embarkation lunch. From what I recall, they had the famous Kummelwick (roast beef) sandwich, a salad bar, maybe soup, and some desserts. Oh, and bags of chips if you asked for them, lol. It is located on deck 8 (Central Park) which was convenient for us - our cabin was on the same deck. Central Park seemed to be quieter in general than other decks, and definitely less hectic than the Windjammer.