USCG Teacher

11 minutes ago, leesam82 said:

Hello Fellow Cruisers! 

I checked in and was assigned a boarding time for all of the family for 10:30 for the upcoming Oasis OTS sailing out of port liberty. I wanted to know is there an earlier boarding time or is 10:30 am the earliest. Also due to logistics some family members will be there about 20 minutes prior to the assigned boarding time. Does anyone know if there will be porters there to take their luggage? Any insight would be helpful thanks!

I just checked in last night and received at 10 AM boarding time, so I have to assume that porters will be around and at the ready when your family arrives!

30 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

My recommendation would be to ask for room service to deliver the souffles to your suite since MDR room service is complimentary for suite guests.  That way, they could bring it any time, even if you aren't there.  Then you could enjoy it at your leisure.  This method would eliminate the need for you to wait around for someone to bring it to you and then have to haul it back to your room.  Just have them deliver it !

And THIS is why I keep turning to you all for advice, I never would have thought of the room service option!  So, it sounds like I'll go with asking Monday evening to start with (being sure to emphasize that I have a plan B if it is a big inconvenience), and if it is, I'll order a few through room service.  Well done, team, and many thanks!

5 hours ago, Carlos A. said:

When I have made offers it ask me for a CC number every time I make a new bid. 

It doesn't take the CC you have on file with RC as they are different companies.

I had the same experience; I could not even enter a bid without also providing CC information.  In my case, I used the same card that my reservation was booked under, but it seemed as though Royal Up did not have any of my payment information on file.

So, as a newly-minted suite haver, I am very excited to try out CK.  Here's my dilemma: I love a soufflé for dessert, doubly so if it is not chocolate.  The Grand Marnier Soufflé from the MDR is one of those "cruise items I must eat" items.  It is served on night #2.  If I let the CK staff know the night before of my irrational love of this dish, would it be problematic for the staff to get one for me?  From what I've read, it is likely that they would certainly try, but the bigger issue here is I don't want to be "that guy."  If it is a P.I.T.A. for them to do so, I'd be more than willing to just dine in the MDR that night.  Alternatively, would it be an inconvenient ask to pop in the MDR after dinner and ask for a serving of soufflé to go?  Looking for some experienced feedback here.  I know how overstretched the crew is right now, and while I appreciate every staff member's efforts to provide top notch service, I also don't want to be stressing anyone out so I can get my sweet nom-nom on!

1 hour ago, WinterRuby said:

Do they allow you to order more than one main per person? He wouldn’t eat multiple plates of food, but he’d definitely eat more than 1 portion. 

Oh yes, he'll be more than welcome to have several portions of the same item OR many different selections.  In my experience, the dining staff take it as a personal challenge if a person requires a larger portion to be filled up, and I've never seen them fail!

10 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

My favorite CK item, besides the filet, was the flatbreads they serve for lunch.

Sounds like a lot of CK lunches in my future!

I mean, @KristiZ obviously nailed it with world cruise, but failing that I'd have to go with Antarctica #1 and Australia/NZ #2.

3 hours ago, endofturn said:

Checking off what you want for room service breakfast the night before was one of my favorite parts of the cruise.

Right?  It's such a silly thing, but I also always really enjoyed it.  Maybe it's something about going to bed every night thinking about how I was going to start the next day's adventures, or maybe it's just because I'm a glutton.  Maybe both?

5 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Since I believe menus are mostly fleet wide (i.e. same dishes on different ships), filet mignon in CK was excellent and if you see ribs for lunch there (listed as rum and something), loved those too. More like a short rib than a spare rib there was so much meat on each bone.

I know the CK filet has something of a legendary status around these parts, and I as recall they're a night #1 speciality, so that's 100% on my to do list!  Thanks for the tip of the ribs as well, I'll definitely keep an eye out!

1 hour ago, Kirsten said:

Congrats!  We were lucky to get a 2 br Grand Suite on Oasis with a minimum bid as well.  I agree with everything @OCSC Mike says.  We found the suite deck on the last sea day and wish we had found it earlier in the cruise.  It was quiet and there were a ton of empty spots.  CK for breakfast every morning was fantastic; we ate there every morning.  The bartenders were fabulous as well in the CK.  Dudesh will make you anything you want; if they don't have it in their bar, he will get it for you.  

Thanks for this, Kristen, I'm looking forward to trying CK, and  I'll definitely seek out Dudesh! 

1 hour ago, SPS said:

@USCG Teacher May I ask when you got the initial offer to bid on a Royal Up?

I was surprised yesterday to get a Royal Up email offer 75 days before our Quantum sailing to Alaska. Now I'm weighing my bid options.

I can't remember the exact day I received it, but it was right around 75 days.  I thought for sure I wouldn't hear anything until Mid-July at the earliest.

Thank you @OCSC Mike, very helpful!

Here I am, 51 days out from my Oasis of the Seas cruise out of Bayonne, and low and behold I see those magical words in my email inbox: Your Stateroom Has Been Upgraded.  My minimum $700 bid moved me from a JS guarantee to a 1 Bedroom Aquatheater Suite!  I am beyond stunned, the timing, the acceptance, all of it!  So Suite Snob crew (this is in fact a term of endearment!), help a dad who's never stayed in anything bigger than a Promenade View room taking his kids on their 1st cruise with the lowdown: what do I do now?  Do I cancel my MDR reservations if we're going to do CK, or will the concierge do that?  I suddenly have so many questions that I hadn't even thought about!  Any advice/pointers/experience would be greatly appreciated!

On 5/28/2022 at 3:49 PM, Milty said:

Does anybody know how many people can fit on a buggy with this store

Saw a quick little overview video on YouTube, looks to be about 15-16 people.

44 minutes ago, D Alt said:

It's running today at 2pm and 6pm. 

I think we all know what the problem was...

7 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

I'm tracking a cruise for next year, actually a few but just now tried to do a "mock booking" but the screen goes blank. I find the cruises, find the date and click to continue to book but page goes blank, just a white screen. Anyone else having this issue?

This is ongoing issue right now.  Another thread is covering it pretty extensively:

15 hours ago, SFaz said:

Thanks! I don’t see it listed anywhere that they are shared for less than three.  All I can find is “equipped for four fellow explorers” and “sit in the drivers seat of your exploration vehicle” Just seems odd that if we are driving they would put us with strangers. Like Speednoodles said driving with a random unvetted person seems like something most people would not be comfortable with. Wishing it was spelled out in the description “You will be matched to fill the jeep” or something like that. We don’t go until September so maybe someone will go before we do and can report back  

I was on a similar excursion in Cozumel in the pre-pandemic era, and my wife and I were paired with another couple.  I was the only one who could drive stick, so that pretty much decided the driving situation.  Obviously a different company in another time, but RCI setting up a tour like that has precedence.

So, odd hypothetical: what happens if you win a RU, but then have to miss the cruise with a positive test?  What happens to the RU money?  Is it rolled into the FCC, refunded separately, or is it just...gone? 

7 minutes ago, Matt said:

We were thinking of doing an Airbnb so that we could get more space for the kids (as in, space away from us!)

Ah, fair enough!  In that case, I'll echo @KristiZ's sentiments about Georgetown as a good starting spot.   Good food in the area, interesting neighborhood, but not a ton of Metro stations if you're not near Dupont Circle or Woodley Park.  It's also a pretty healthy walk to the National Mall.  There will definitely be a number of choices available in Georgetown.

Given your parameters, I'd probably be looking just north of the Capitol building, too.  It's not nearly as much of a neighborhood as Georgetown, but there are usually quite a few choices in the area right around Union Station (which is worth a visit itself!).  Easy access to Metro stations on the Red Line as well as the Circulator Bus, which is perfect for tourists.  You can walk to the Capitol building easily, which is on the far eastern edge of the National Mall, and convenient to the Air & Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art but that's quite a walk to get the western side where the Lincoln Memorial and the wharf are (that's where the Circulator bus comes in!).  It's also convenient to one of my favorite places to eat in the area, Cafe Berlin. 

Can't go wrong either way, imho.  Just keep in mind that the Metro in DC is NOT open all night, so keep an eye on the hours depending on when you're there, or else you'll be limited to bus lines or Uber/Lyft.  Also, don't sleep on the Ethiopian food in DC.  A large number of refugees in the 70s and 80s ended up putting down roots in DC, and there are quite a few fantastic restaurants and markets in the city as a result (there are 2-3 within a block of the U St. station on the Green/Yellow line, near the original Ben's Chili Bowl).  Have a great trip, and if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to do my best to help out!

On 4/22/2022 at 9:24 AM, Matt said:

We are thinking of spending a couple days in Washington DC this summer with our kids.

Which neighborhood is ideal for being centrally located so we can easily walk to museums and/or access to the Metro?

Bonus points if it's an area that's convenient to not only museums, but also dining options.

Wait, *I* might actually get to help @Matt out with something for a change?!?

I actually travel to DC with my family fairly frequently.  Is there a hotel chain that you prefer due to loyalty program points/status?  I can probably offer some specific suggestions.

4 hours ago, Cruzin4ABoozin said:

Ok so we went to Hayhu!  I made a vid of the experience!

Seems like an amazing place, thanks for the video. Based on your conversation with Lucio, I'm assuming you had a great time!  I'm guessing you had the VIP package?  How did the food and beverage work?  Was it all inclusive, a credit amount or a la carte?  Looks like a great place to bring a family for a relaxed beach day, it'll definitely be on our radar next time we hit Costa Maya!

After Mariner's big adventure in Freeport, I'm glad to see that this is what the thread is about!

1 hour ago, Ecan said:

So I’m sailing out of there in May with my wife and one year old. We were concerned with the amount of luggage since my wife will be handling the stroller and all the luggage would be meant for me. Safe to say I shouldn’t be concerned, since we can just drop all our luggage off?

Correct!  The only thing you'll have to carry is what you plan to carry on.  The porters will even take the bags straight from your trunk/hatch, and they won't even grumble about it for a small gratuity!

In your situation, I'd be more concerned about disembarkation than drop off.  Even there, if you just look for the porters you'll be in good hands.  Well worth the money you'll tip them.

2 hours ago, Ja-sun said:

I'm just wondering if everything is pretty much ran the same. I like to eat, so is the main dining just as good as RC, and is it as much as you want or limited? Also, do they have decent entertainment and shows? I'm not worries about bells and whistles. No kids this cruise.

Not sure if you've seen it already or not, but there's a whole subsection on the boards dedicated to Celebrity (and Silver Sea).  It's not as active as the Royal threads, but there's lots of good info there:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/forum/12-celebrity-silversea/

15 minutes ago, BigMac3001 said:

I have a cruise coming up that I already purchased a meal and internet for. The meal reservation is showing up in my planner, but I can't see the invoice. I'm trying to figure out exactly what I paid for the internet package, so I can see if the latest deal is better or not. 

Any idea where I can find a list of past purchases? Thanks. 

On a computer, in the top right corner of your Cruise Planner, you should see your initials in a circle.  If you click on that circle, you get a drop down menu, and "Order History" is the 2nd selection.  That should give you access to all of your past purchases.  Word of warning, it will NOT tell you what you paid per person, just your total paid.  You'll have to do the math yourself for individual prices.