USCG Teacher

Once again, pressure in the court of public opinion turned this around to a much better outcome, and honestly I think this new approach of offering a choice is how they should have done it from the get-go.

It was their original plan, but the intern only typed in the information about the $50 OBC.
 

It's not a dress code, if it's not enforced. It's a suggested dress. Just saying. I don't really care what people wear. It doesn't affect my dinner or enjoyment. You be you and I'll be me.

ha! Doesnt surprise me.  Not that this applies to me.... but i have been told that if the french know you can speak the language (even if its basic) they expect you to speak it and will let you suffer.
Still... i love France. ? Cant wait to go back at some point.

Effort should be made. If you show up, and make zero effort, they wont either. If you make an effort, and they see you struggle, they will come to the rescue (if they can).  Ive been on both sides of this....and its just MY experience, and opinion. 

August 16, 2020 - 7 Nights Bahamas on Oasis of the Seas.

Thank you for your service.
I was AF, but my wife had it a lot harder than I ever did.  
People always forget to thank the spouses.
 
 

I think a Shake Shack would be very nice on Oasis Class instead of Johnny Rocket's.

I saw a listing on monster.com.  "Odyssey Captain Required, salary TBD"  
Just kidding.
With four Quantum class ships they have eight Captains now since all Captains work on a rotational basis.  Typically the same two Captains will stay with a ship for several years taking turns while the other is on vacation.  I've heard they rotate every few months, two on, two off sort of thing.  The Captains stay in touch by email letting each other know of note worthy events and/or maintenance conditions.    
At the same time there are Staff Captains that do something similar.  They may move more between ships so they are exposed to different Captains and expand their knowledge in this fashion.  They are fully capable of being Captain, but each ship has only one Master of the vessel at any given moment.  
Every ship in the fleet works on this basis.  At some point a Staff Captain may be ready to become a Master.  They likely would not take a Staff Captain who has never served on a Quantum class ship to be the first Odyssey captain.  They'll likely take an experienced Quantum class Captain for Odyssey and backfill the vacancy on their old Quantum class ship.  It doesn't have to be this way, they could take any of their Captains and move them to Odyssey.   A Voyager Captain could be picked, an Oasis Captain could be picked.  If that Captain has worked through a build process on another ship that experience works in their favor.
The Captain and a Staff Captain will join the ship long before it is handed over to Royal however their position isn't official.  The ship yard has it's own Captains who will be on board for sea trials and fulfil the role of Master until the ship is handed over because until it's handed over, the ship doesn't belong to Royal.    Royal's own Captains will be on board but in an observation role.  Despite that they all tend to get along and be included in meetings and operations.  
Looking beyond the bridge as the ship becomes an actual ship and is ready for crew to live on board Royal will begin to assemble the "float out crew" for Odyssey.  They tend to pick experienced crew for all positions, from chef's to bar managers to waiters to hotel directors the entire crew will need to be selected.  Several of the Symphony crew I talked to on the transatlantic have been chosen to be the float out crew for several Oasis class ships.   They knew the drill, they've done it before, this is how a ship can launch and be so ready on the very first cruise. 
At some point as the ship is nearing completion the float out crew or many of them will start living on the ship.  The bridge crew may have been for months now.  They have had cabin attendants and meals served on board for a while.  In this manner the ship itself is tested albeit not for the thousands it will eventually serve.  At the moment of handover the crew is in place and ready to go, all experienced and hand picked from across the fleet. 
In conclusion they don't crew the ship with newbies off the street.  They tend to staff positions from across the fleet drawing on more senior or repeat contract employees who already know their jobs and the Royal way of doing things.  The vacancy they create on their old ship will see people move up within the ranks based on individual merit to do so.  It works this way for bridge crews as it does for the customer facing hotel positions.

August 16, 2020 - 7 Nights Bahamas on Oasis of the Seas.

I'm more of a forward person. 
Some ships do shake in the aft depending on ship speed but more importantly when I'm forward I get to where we are going first.  

Jim, you took a metric crap-ton of amazing shots (yes, that's an official unit of measurement), but this one belongs in the formal portrait folios you get on board...

Jim, you took a metric crap-ton of amazing shots (yes, that's an official unit of measurement), but this one belongs in the formal portrait folios you get on board...

Thanks teacher, you made me smile broadly!

YEARS (more than 30 !!) ago, during one of the MANY military moves we made, my daughter dropped her Kermit THE frog behind one of the beds.  Of course, we were many miles down the road before she missed him.  There was nothing to do but turn around and go back to the hotel to try and fetch him.  Thank goodness the housekeeper cleaning that room was not particularly thorough because we found him right where he had fallen down behind the bed.  Peace was restored.  I can sympathize with the OP.

Oh! If you want a rum drink, try a Dark & Stormy. Official drink of Bermuda but made everywhere nowadays. Just make sure it's made with Black Seal spiced rum and (if at all possible) ginger beer rather than ginger ale.

As a former Atlantic City casino employee, let me tell you unequivocally that there were approximately 423,654 things that were more influential in the Revel going under than their smoking policy...

I complain every time on the survey they send out after your cruise. 
Last year on Freedom we had a group of 8. None of us wanted to go to the casino because of the smoke. We wanted to, but couldn’t stand it. RCI lost 8 gamblers on that trip. 
Sitting outside the British pub on the Promenade, the smoke comes right up the stairs. 
I really hope they ban it. 

Or Edge class. RCCL covers all brands, not just RCI. 

Take a look at some of the cruise compass's from recent sailings that have been to Coco Cay.  This will show you all of the other activities that are offered.  I'm trying to convince my 10 year old son not to do the waterpark, because he won't ride the majority of the slides.  I think we would have a more enjoyable time with the beach activities and snorkeling.  We will be there next week, so I'll be sure to post our cruise compass when we return.

Two issues: physical access to the port on the TV. Some ships have the TV flush against the wall. I don't think this is the case on Brilliance.
The other issue is there is no means to change inputs on the TVs.  Royal Caribbean's remotes do not support it.  You could bring your own universal remote (remember those?), assuming the TV inputs aren't disabled in the TV's firmware.

Just keep calling, eventually someone at Royal will find a policy that tells them its ok to do it.

I have been on every class ship Royal has to offer minus the Quantum Class and that will be resolved next year.  I have even had the Pleasure of sailing my first Cruise in 1983 on the "Song of Norway."  Just a baby ship but for my first cruise I was in Awe!
I really do enjoy cruising and each class has its Favorites for my wife and I.  We sailed our first cruise as a honeymoon cruise on Sept 3, 1983.  Today is our 36th Anniversary and we will be sailing Symphony to celebrate.  We were lucky to sail Empress to Cuba while it was allowed. We sailed Vision thru the Panama Canal. Radiance, Serenade, and Mariner to Alaska(can you guess my favorite Destination).  Brilliance on a Trans Atlantic. Freedom and Liberty to the Caribbean and Bahamas. Oasis thru the Mediterranean twice.  Rhapsody from Venice. Allure and Harmony thru most Caribbean Islands.
I give this list not to brag but to give a small glimpse of my ships experience.  If you like to cruise and enjoy new experiences then take each class ship at least once if you are able.  Small ships give that "You are on the High Seas" experience.  By that I mean you can feel the Ocean fall and rise and you are not so high that you cannot hear the waves crashing. You can hear the engines rumbling as the ships dock at each port.  The Service onboard has a much more relaxed pace and I believe that the Service staff are less stressed on smaller ships.
Mid class ships in my opinion are the sweet spot for cruising.  Small enough that you don't feel overwhelmed but large enough that you can take that evening stroll on the deck or promenade.  The small and midsize ships do not draw many Families as most of the entertainment on board are more subdued.  By that I mean, a Theatre, Rock climbing wall and not much more.  I tend to call these the old folks ships (No offense to anyone, I am almost 60 myself).  I take these ships for the destinations they take me to and not to Party onboard.  Don't get me wrong,  My wife and I have a great time on board and I usually get scolded at least once per cruise because of my behavior.
I call the Oasis class ships my "Floating City."  there is so much going on all of the time.  There are times when you cannot even feel that you are moving because of their massive size they are seldom affected by the ocean waves.  You can tire yourself out trying to do everything they offer in a day.  On the other hand,  You will need to learn patience and understanding when it comes to crowds. I think many people forget to pack their manners on these Huge ships.  We buy the Unlimited dining package for these cruises because there are 6 dining choices on most if not all of these ships. I find that families (with little ones) tend not to dine in the Specialty dining rooms. I do miss not sitting at a table for 8 with my wife and son getting to know my fellow cruisers and sharing stories.  This is where I receive most of my scoldings as I mentioned above. Oh the stories I could tell,  as an example I can absolutely tell you how many people can fit in the shower of the "Royal Suite"  on Mariner.  It is 11 !!   Don't ask me how I know this.
To make a long story short (Too late I know)  I have been on most of Royals Fleet and although they were all unique experiences I have yet to say that we did not enjoy our cruises.
I hope that your adventures are happy ones as well.

Keep an eye out for cruise planner sales and also add ons if you are getting the drink pkg.  I know my last cruise I got voom for $9 a day.  Also if you aren't going to be on at the same time, you can share the pkg (if you get 1 device it's as many as you want, just 1 at a time.  Jane

Those little Mio concentrated "water enhancer" packets can go a long way to keep the tap water more interesting, too!