WAAAYTOOO

What a wonderful live blog, Sabrina. Thank you so much. Have a safe and enjoyable (inasmuch as that is possible) trip home. Can’t wait for the next trip !

Have a great time, @OCSC Mike and @GatorCruiser !

We don't get anything from the casino either. Once, when we were on a TA, the Casino Host(ess) gave us a complimentary specialty meal but that's it. I don't want anything though....I get enough of the cheap wine/champagne and over-ripe fruit from C&A. Just send me some *#$@#% offers !

It could have been. I just don't remember !

Thanks, Matt ! Great review.

I've arrived at my cabin the first time to find the doors open....but normally, the door is shut. Since I always sneak in to get my keys early, then the doors are ALWAYS all wide open. I suspect, but do not know for sure, that the doors are NOT supposed to be open when you arrive. I know we are weird this way but I absolutely LOVE the once a day service and we always ask for morning service so that our room is reasonably clean all day. So far, no problem whatsoever with this arrangement. Is it spotless ? Probably not....but we are pretty clean folks ourselves so it would have to be pretty bad for us to notice. So far, that has not happened. With a VERY few exceptions, our attendant(s) has always been very friendly and efficient. I really hate to make a generalization like this....but our male attendants are, in general, better than those that are female. I do realize that female attendants are pretty scarce so it's hardly a fair proportional analysis but that is my general impression. The single exception to this rule was the absolutely WONDERFUL lady we had on OA right before the pause. I wish I could remember her name. She was incredible. So much so that we gave her a gift, along with the Genie.

I spotted my beloved chicken picatta in the Gio pix. So agree about Cats. I managed to get Dan to sit through the entire production exactly ONCE. I also feel bad for the performers. It's not like THEY are doing a bad job...it's just a show that has come and gone and they need to make it go AWAY. Fat chance that will happen any time soon with the penny pinching at the moment. I guess Aqua80s makes up for Cats.

We were on LIB in January (2024) but nothing was refurbished in the rooms as far as I could tell.

Yes, your best bet is to go take care of that FIRST thing.

This is the best part of blogging....just sayin' "hi".

I was just about the write the same thing. No creeper has a CHANCE in my room b/c we clean EVERYTHING out from under the bed to shove all of our $hit underneath ! We always take the spare comforter and fold it at the bottom of the bed to use when we are napping (which is almost EVERY day at some point). I can't really understand why the folded comforter seems to completely perplex the stateroom attendant. 100% of the time I have to tell them to please just leave it like it is. Don't put it inside a sheet cover...don't move it back under the bed. Just leave it folded at the bottom. One of the recent attendants began mumbling something about us invading his "kit"...so I suspect that the spare comforter is something that they use when they make up the room for the next guest. Sorry...I don't care. Just leave my nappy blanky alone !

To clarify....the Genie is having trouble booking his/her guests into the specialty restaurants during peak hours due to crew being allowed to eat there ? I just want to be sure I understand what you're saying....

Not trying to relieve the guests of their responsibilities in this area BUT, this would be a heck of a time for Royal to bring up this issue for someone like @smokeybandit who's leaving like tomorrow, right ? If someone didn't know about this and to spring this on them at this point would be - awful. I guess they can say "we told you so" when you get to the port and are denied boarding.... I think it is a GOOD thing to remind people about this, but they should do it LONG before the day before you are boarding ! I realize this issue does not pertain to @smokeybandit. I was just using him as an example of poor timing...

Did I miss the Genie surprise ?

Just take it to the cashier and they will give you the 35 cents....if you have the nerve ! LOL

Almost no staterooms have a private bedroom. As noted above, there are a few staterooms that have a cubby hole where some bunk beds are located and some of the high end suites (but even very few of those) have a private bedroom. I know the Radiance class has some cabins in the very front of the ship that have a cubby hole second bedroom. This is where a good travel agent could really help. I would bet there aren't more than a handful of cabins in the whole fleet that have a separate bedroom and most of those are going to be very pricey.

He was on last week. I think he's been on OA for quite a while. If anyone cares (and I'm sure they don't), Mario has to eat breakfast in Chops just like the rest of the non-Suite Pinns.

What was the issue ? The guy in the back didn't want someone sitting in front of him ? HE wanted the seats ? What was the beef ?

I agree. It’s very oddly worded.

The most important part of this announcement, to me, is that they are pledging to now inform Pinnacle members, 48 hours prior to embarkation, if they are going to be restricted from the SL/CK. This has been a point of stress for us as we never know if Pinns are going to be restricted or not, until we board. We have yet to be restricted from the SL/CK but there's certainly every chance that can and will happen at some point. Hopefully, if we're going to be restricted, going forward, at least we will know about it before we board !

Hot off the press Dear Valued Pinnacle Club Members, We are thrilled to share exciting news regarding an enhancement to your Suite amenities access. Effective on sailings beginning March 15, 2024, and onwards, each Pinnacle Club member may now bring one guest staying in their immediate stateroom to accompany them into the Suite/Concierge Lounge, Suite Sun Decks, and Coastal Kitchen! As we implement this new policy, below are additional details to note: Non-Pinnacle Club guests must be always accompanied by a Pinnacle Club member, unless staying in an eligible Suite stateroom - this includes guests under 21 years of age which must always be accompanied by an adult1 Beverages consumed in these venues will be charged to guests' SeaPass cards - Diamond and above members may redeem their daily drink vouchers On sailings where the number of eligible Suite & Pinnacle Club guests exceeds the Suite venue capacity, access for Pinnacle Club members will be determined by cruise points and extended to one of their stateroom occupants. Those eligible will receive access notifications 48 hours before the sailing and a reminder on boarding day in the Welcome Letter Access to Coastal Kitchen is based on space and availability. Reservations are required and can only be made once onboard Crown Lounge access is not impacted by this announcement and remains exclusive to Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members, unless communicated otherwise2 We are committed to ensuring your cruise experience is exceptional, and we believe these updates contribute to that goal. Thank you for your unwavering loyalty - we look forward to welcoming you onboard as we continue creating unforgettable memories together. Crown & Anchor® Society

We will be on OA on the 2 cruises just before yours (1-24-26 and 2-1-26) !!

Yes, I had read that Stuart was getting one. That's close enough. I was just being impatient. We're in Port St Lucie

The carts that pick you up at the ship that accommodate wheelchairs/motorized chairs do not stop at the transportation center….so if you are lucky enough to get one of the accessible carts, you don’t have to get off and transfer to one of the big trams. I always try and get onto one of the accessible carts (without displacing someone who needs it, obviously).

I applaud you. That’s a LOT of food. Well done. Caprese is my go-to at both of the Giovanni’s, but I wish they would nix the strangely-colored tomatoes and stick with red. Something about a blue and/or yellow tomato just isn’t right !