WAAAYTOOO

6 minutes ago, Jamesszy94 said:

just throw a bunch of clothes, underwear, socks, pants and shorts into a suitcase and call it a day!

This is also my packing philosophy.

You write such a nice blog, @FionaMG.  I truly do enjoy them very much.  Thank you !

Have a great cruise.  It was a little foggish this morning when we disembarked.  Hopefully the sun will come out and it will be a beautiful day !

We are already home and unpacked !

10 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Yes dressing per culture suitability is a must!  He will definitely pack accordingly for our TA over to Rome next year!  But for our leisurely Bahama/Caribbean cruises…his dress shorts and loafers are perfect paired with a button down shirt or polo shirt. 

 

Yes, and he always looks very handsome !

2 hours ago, GatorCruiser said:

Hootie hoo!!

Wow.  It’s been many years since I’ve heard Hootie Hoo.  I had a dear, dear friend who passed away several years ago who used to say that.  Sure brought back a lot of fun times with her.

17 minutes ago, melski94 said:

@Lovetocruise2002I’m on this cruise too with DH, DS17 and DD12.  It’s been a while since I’ve been on RCBlog but I’m glad you are having a better start than us.  Our flight was cancelled after a few delays this morning.  Being spring break there was no availability on any airline to Miami or FLL, so we rented a car and driving about 15 hours to Miami.  This cruise we’ll only be in a JS and I’ll miss the suite deck around the pool.  Hoping we can get into CK for dinner a few nights. 

OMG….this is horrific.  Please be safe on your drive down.  You still have your return flight though, yes ?

No more Diamond lounges anywhere.  Oasis has a Crown Lounge (renamed from the old Diamond Lounge) and yes, there is a Concierge there to help with things like reservations.  It is a lovely lady whose name escapes me.  She has been very helpful to guests during our cruise this week.  Francis (and another lady whose name also escapes me) are the Suites Concierges….also very helpful.

I seem to recall that as long as your old WOW band doesn’t have a muster station on it, you can have it reprogrammed on a different sailing….obviously so long as the ship has/uses WOW bands.  Some of the original WOW bands had a muster station printed on them (they discontinued this at some point) so those can’t be reused.

For those on this cruise, the entertainment reservations opened up today.

1 hour ago, Sweety said:

I love your food blog. I can't wait until next year. I will be on Oasis. Portside here I come. Have a joyful cruise.

 

Forgive the brief hijack, @Lovetocruise2002....but I couldn't remember which thread was the one where we were chatting about BBQ and more specifically, Portside.

I wanted to let @Sweety know that we had Portside last night and it was really good.  The first time we ever had Portside (many years ago, right after the amplification) we had it delivered to our suite and it was pretty...marginal....so I am happy to report that this time, we ate on site and it was really tasty.

It seems that Pinnacles now have a $25 food voucher on Oasis, Quantum and Icon (I think) ships to use at specialty restaurants.  There is some confusion about this as, originally, it was designed to "make up" for the fact that Pinns were being excluded from the CK when numbers were high.  This has, apparently, evolved into a standing "benefit" (who knows for how long) regardless of whether the Pinns are allowed into the CK/SL or not....so we used our vouchers for Portside.  It was a win-win.  Great meal for nothin' !  ...and we still have access to both the CK (exception - breakfast, which we enjoy at Chops) and SL

4 hours ago, DoomSlayer said:

 I can use the cash value of the certificate and apply it towards the room I am staying in and already have booked? 

You used to be able to do this but then again, you used to be able to convert an existing booking to a casino comp and just pay a [then small] upcharge for whatever the upgrade is.  So I don’t know if they still allow you to use the $value of the comp towards the balance due on an existing booking or not.  I would tend to think that the answer is “yes” b/c this is much better for them than granting you a completely new full comp.  But who’s, these days…

We’re on the one right after yours (8-15-24).

13 minutes ago, baltodave said:

We fly a week from today (Friday March 15) and got notified that our RoyalUp bid was accepted.  We are moving from an oceanview (e.g. window)  to obstructed balcony and hope the obstruction isn't too bad.

Did you know you were bidding on a potentially obstructed cabin ?

1 hour ago, monctonguy said:

Oct,05,2024-Liberty

Dec,21,2024-Adventure

 

We will be with you on the AD Christmas cruise !!!!

I am not a particular fan of Falmouth but I do like that the terminal is right there by the docked ship.  We will definitely NOT be getting off in Falmouth.

2 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Did passengers finally get off?  I wish there were webcams for CocoCay and Labadee even if just the docking areas!  Hope you have a beautiful day relaxing!  Does Dan scuba in Labadee or just CocoCay?  I’m looking forward to both of those ports in May!

Yes.  Apparently I was still asleep when the Cap made the announcement that disembarkation could commence.  I never heard a thing.

News flash :  I got off the ship !  First time I’ve set foot on Labadee in years !  We did a little walk- about and caught the golf cart over to Barefoot Beach where we ate some burgers.  Then our driver gave us a nice port tour on our way back to the ship.  It wasn’t beastly hot like it usually is on Labadee so it was a good time for me to concede to Dan’s wish for some island time.

Both Dan and I are certified SCUBA divers (actually, believe it or not, I am certified all the way to Rescue Diver !) but since we are over 65 they won’t let us dive anymore. . The truth is, diving is waaaytooo much work for me these days so I am grateful that I’m on the no-dive federal registry …but Dan would definitely dive if they would let him….but he mostly just snorkels these days.  He didn’t even get wet today - other than sweating !  

Safely back on the ship.  All aboard is 4:00 (I think).  Next stop - Falmouth.

23 minutes ago, Sweety said:

Cruising with family is awesome. My granddaughter is graduating from college next year with a double major. She is a straight A student. She just informed me she is going to law school. 

Congratulations !  What an impressive young lady....I'm sure you're bursting with pride.  

We are docked in Labadee.  Not sure they are letting people off yet (I haven't heard an announcement).  No reason to believe it won’t just be another day in Labadee.  Beautiful weather today.  

6 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

The suites and crown concierge can make reservations for all the restaurants. It is the restaurants trying to reserve Izumi that seems to be the issue. 

Thanks.  That’s nuts.  You would think the reservation system is the reservation system !  Why am I surprised ?

1 hour ago, RonnieB24 said:

So I’m curious to know everyone’s opinion on wearing like khaki or nice shorts with like a polo in the main dining hall?

Would not be a problem.  I probably wouldn’t do it on “formal” night (not that there really IS a formal night anymore) but on your average evening, you will see far more casual….you'll be fine.

1 hour ago, AGSLC5 said:

I am glad I could help you out. I have lived in plantation my whole life lol. I will never forget the first time my parents took me to La Bamba I was hooked and still am I am proud to say I dine in and take out from there quite often lol. Enjoy your cruise and of course Enjoy La Bamba!! I also am a big fan of the fried ice cream!! 

Still….great to “hear” from you.  I knew you were cruising more on Celebrity.

Thank you for the Pinn congrats.  Now that we finally made it, the door is slightly open to trying other lines.

It would be great to see you, Steph.  I hope it happens.

I agree with @WAYNO.  Keep the room.  Even if your wife is fully ambulatory, she will still be limited in how far she can hobble.  Staying closer to the elevators will be a blessing.  Don’t worry about Royal “taking the room away”.  It won’t happen.

@AGSLC5, where have you been ????

2 hours ago, RFar92 said:

I have an UDP question as well! I know you can make reservations at any restaurant when you get on board except for Izumi. Is that just Izumi Hibachi or does that also include the Sushi Section.

So could we make Izumi Sushi reservations at Chops on embarkation day? 

I think it depends on the ship.

We are on Oasis this week and we were able to make our Izumi sushi reservation at the Suites Concierge kiosk when we boarded.  Frankly, I was surprised.  I was expecting to have to go down to the Izumi desk to do it but the Concierge handled all of my specialty and Coastal Kitchen reservations on the spot.  I don’t think we could have done that for hibachi.  

Certificates can be combined if they are the same offer code.  I am assuming, but do not know for sure, that the offer code on any 2 annual Prime tier comps would be the same…..so I’m tentatively saying the answer to your question is “yes”.  Just be aware that the upgrade for a combined offer is pretty crappy….usually.  We have found, over the years, that we are better off keeping our annual tier certificates separate.  The small upgrade that you receive by combining them just doesn’t compare to 2 entirely separate 7 night cruises on the ship(s) of my choice.

Can it be done ?  Probably.  Should it be done ?  Not in our case.