WAAAYTOOO

8 hours ago, CableKC said:

It sounds like it's better to just go get dining reservations in person and as soon as possible.

Assuming that I plan out where I want to go on which days, am I able to try to book dining reservations at the various specialty restaurants on Day 1 when we board?

I figure that we'll plan to go to 2 specialty dining restaurants or 1 specialty restaurant and Chefs Table for a 4 night Cruise.

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

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

That's all I got for now. Reading back, there wasn't much reason to post all that, lol, but I feel the need to post something since I started this so early.

 

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

9 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

i don’t look under the bed, but that’s only because i shove so much luggage down there that it would injure/maim any unwanted stowaways

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 !

12 hours ago, Smokey79 said:

Just wanting to add this because I found the situation to be strange. Every night on this sailing, we have seen them allow crew members to eat at the specialty restaurants during the (what I consider) prime times from 6 to 9. It’s a full boat but our genie said they’re having real issues booking seats in them. It’s good for the crew at least.  

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.

25 minutes ago, melski94 said:

Just saw super Mario on the ship.  Not sure if anyone mentioned that. 

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.  

10 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

So the two guys sit down and another guy behind them starts yelling at them. The two guys start yelling back saying they have every right to sit there because they asked (which they did). Then all sorts of swearing and name calling begin. We told D17 to get ready to duck down lol.

These 3 guys caused such a commotion and neither would back down. Everyone was now watching. They basically did not stop swearing and name calling until the show began. So extra and such an overreaction on both parts.

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 ?

57 minutes ago, F1guynz said:

I do not understand what this means, in the same cabin?

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

36 minutes ago, markinct said:

My wife and I booked this cruise today. Who's ready to spend Valentine's Day on Coco Cay?  

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

2 hours ago, Hoppy2BHere said:

Not sure how far south you guys are, but I believe Stuart is also planned to be another stop…

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 !

That certainly is a valid concern.  We cannot eat 2 big meals for lunch and dinner so typically if we have a big lunch we will either skip dinner entirely or just plan on getting a light snack in the evening.  That’s the primary reason why the Unlimited Dining Plan just doesn’t work for us anymore.  It’s just too much food for us these days.  I used to be able to eat that much but I can’t do it now.  It’s nice to have the flexibility to skip a meal if you want to !   I will usually make a dinner reservation (MDR, Coastal Kitchen….whatever we’ve decided on) but if we decide to skip it, it is so nice to be able to just cancel and do nothing !

11 minutes ago, CruisingSteve said:

Brightline announces it will add train stop in Cocoa – Orlando Sentinel

 

Makes it much easier to go from Port Canaveral to MCO Airport. No opening date announced

Now....send one down our way...

@Smokey79 your experience does not sound like the norm, to me.  I have done this class twice - granted, both were pre-COVID - but it was nothing like what you're describing,  I would not be happy at all with a class that size in some random area of the ship.

54 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

Hideaway Beach at 12pm. It was getting louder...

This photo makes Hideway look much bigger than I thought it was...

44 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

I wandered over to Chill Island to shop and then South Beach. Successfully procured a Coco Cay shirt, something I forgot to do when I was here in September.

Best conversation overheard:

 

Drunk College Girl: *stands up*

College Girl 1: You're out! You're out! What are you doing????

Drunk College Girl: What?

College Girl 2: Oh my gosh, [name], your nipple is totally hanging out!

Drunk College Girl: Where?

College Girl 1: Do something about it! You're totally out!

College Girl 2: Fix it!

Drunk College Girl: *laughing* what?

She's lucky her friends were able to help her out. Or in, whatever. She's covered now, folks, we're all good.

OMG I laughed so hard at this !  This is DEFINITELY a @Ampurp85-level shenanigans story !

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

 That is about as exciting as my day is getting

...my kinda day...

Many people like to choose a specialty restaurant on "formal" night (not that there is a formal night anymore), which is USUALLY on night #2, but b/c so many people like to choose that night, it can sometimes be difficult to get a reservation...it just depends on what you like to do.

I agree with @Ampurp85.  I really hate the menu on the first night in the MDR so I will almost always choose that as one of my specialty dining nights.  Also, I am different from most people and couldn't care less who my servers are, or if they know me...so I have no special interest in "meeting' my MDR servers on night #1.  I would go so far as to say that I would actually PREFER to have a different server and a different table on every night of the cruise, but that almost never happens so I just do whatever is convenient for the maitre'd/staff.

I'm not sure if you will have any sea days on a 4 night (most likely you will have 1), but you also might consider doing a Chops lunch as opposed to a dinner.  The menu is very similar and the cost is less.  I guess you could look at both menus and see if there's anything offered at night that you can't live without and if so, there's your answer.... 

11 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Dinner was at 150CP tonight. We are not huge fans of the this place, but D17 likes the Lobster Thermidor, so we did one night for her. Dinner itself was fine and so was the service, but I still don’t love this place. 

9 hours ago, MamaShark said:

@Lovetocruise2002 the only thing I ever loved about 150 was the 6 (six)  fancy salts.  Even the breakaway bread never Wow’d me. It’s one of the first things I tell genie— I’m not to put 150 on our itinerary. Pass

Agree with both of you.  I actually love GOING to 150.  I think it's the most elegant of all the restaurants but the menu is just not my cup of tea.  Dan loves it b/c he's into the exotic meats (ugh) but not me.  Also agree with @MamaSharkabout the salts.  That was my FAVORITE part of 150 and now that's gone, so unless we have the UDP or SC or for some reason just have an abundance of specialty dining to fill up, 150 is second only to Wonderland in getting the boot.

I also find it very interesting that both Wonderland and 150 CP have been eliminated from Icon.  I expect there is a correlation...

11 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

The ship is rocking and I have been up since 6:30am. Calling it a night.

Sorry to hear that you are having some motion issues.  Such a shame b/c last week the ocean was just like glass.  I never felt a SINGLE bump or sway the entire week.  Also a shame that you keep missing Aqua80's !!!