WAAAYTOOO

We are on Grandeur now on the 5 night Bermuda itin so I guess you will be on the next Bermuda run after us !  

Our Concierge is Dudley but I think I heard him telling one of the guests that he’s leaving after this cruise so I don’t know who will be taking his place. I will try and find out for you.  Whoever it is, you will most likely hear from him/her at 5 days out.  That seems to be the magic number these days.

I love Grandeur but I am not overly in love with the location of the full suites on the Vision class ships.  They are all bunched up at the very front of the ship and are directly beneath the Windjammer so it’s very noisy.  But a noisy suite is better than no suite so I still book them.  I didn’t understand from your post whether you chose the GS or the OS.  Unfortunately, the OS are even MORE up front.  We are in a balcony room on this cruise and it seems incredibly small - especially the bathroom.  Can’t wait to get back into a suite !

There is quite a bit of remodeling going on in and around the Centrum.  Hopefully it will be completed by the time you board.  It isn’t particularly problematic but is somewhat unsightly and a bit of a traffic impediment.  I believe it has something to do with flooring but Dan said they were welding yesterday which doesn’t seem like a flooring activity.  Whatever...

The weather in Bermuda was as close to perfect as it gets.  Simply beautiful. We did not go in the water (matter of fact, we never left the ship) but those who did said that the water was warm and enjoyable.  I think it will still be nice when you get there.

Enjoy your cruise.  This is a very common cruise for us as it’s driving distance and with a a Federal holiday incorporated, we gets the biggest bang for our vacation buck.

4 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@WAAAYTOOO the one thing I am curious about is if they updated the rooms and furniture in the star class suites. If you could check on the ATS, it would be much appreciated.

I don’t know that I will have the opportunity to see any of the ATS but if I do, I will let you know.  I can certainly ask.

1 hour ago, spiralqueen said:

Where would you recommend for quiet on board Grandeur? Also how busy has the solarium been? No pressure, but I would love a recap of your trip when you are done! 

Yes, the Solarium would be quiet but it can sometimes be hot in there.  The Centrum had SOME music playing but was reasonably quiet.  It can get busy and noisy in there though.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

With respect, going to any bar for quiet seems seems an odd choice.  Those trivia activities are rarely quiet  

The bar was closed

I guess maybe I will be next “up”.  We are in the Grand Panoramic Suite on Oasis Dec 1.  We have already received our [useless] questionnaire but have not yet heard from our Genie.

I am a terrible live blogger b/c I don’t take pictures and I only have an iPad so I try and minimize the narratives (to everyone’s relief, I’m sure).  Since it seems that we will be the first to experience the newly amped Oasis is SC, I will make more of an effort than I have in the past.

So excited for you, Pookie (I love both your names !). The first SC is so amazing.  Just wait until you do your first B2B SC. Then you will really understand decadence !

Don’t go to the Schooner Bar if you want quiet !  I tried going there today b/c the internet was SO bad on Grandeur while we were in port.  We got blasted out of there with loud and obnoxious music.

I’m SO with you about Papa Johns.  Their sauce is horrific.

I’m somewhat concerned after reading accounts of Genies who would not coordinate the Cabin Crawls without a fee.  Maybe the days of gala Cabin Crawl parties is over.  I sure hope not.  It was a wonderful service.  I’m not saying it isn’t a lot of work for the Genies.  It is.

Maybe the new strategy should be NOT to mention Cabin Crawl at all.  Just request food and drinks without mentioning the reason.

Just now, marti314 said:

I dont think Diamond Plus gets into the Concierge Lounge, only suites.

Currently, the Concierge lounge welcomes Suite, Pinnacles and Diamond Plus.  Once they switch over to a Suites Lounge, it’s only Suites and Pinnacles.

Happy Thanksgiving. Do you guys do turkey, too ?  Are the ovens in your igloos big enough for a 20-pounder ?
 

8 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

 

I had the unfortunate experience of seeing it twice. lol

You obviously have a much higher threshold for pain than I do.  Once was enough for me !

I have had lots of experience organizing group cruises.  It’s a PITA. Everyone enthusiastically says “YES !” When you first talk about it and then when it comes time to pony up money, everyone scrambles and disappears.  Even family.  

I totally agree that it’s best to let a TA handle this.  Just make sure that your TA understands that you expect all “bonuses” associated with the book grouping are going to be credited back to the group.  When a booking is a group booking the Agent receives all of the discounts and bonuses and if you have an unscrupulous Agent they can hold some of the benefits for themselves.  Just make sure it’s someone you trust.

We always tip in cash

A couple of weeks prior to your cruise you can email web_reservations@rccl.com and they will send you the information that they have on what entertainment will be on your sailing.  Just know that it is always possible (quite probable, actually) that there will be last minute changes to the entertainment lineup.

I thought NCL had the contract for Jersey Boys. I love that show. Saw it in London a few years ago.  I didn’t know that a Royal was considering it.  Hopefully....

Bummer on the VOOM performance. Very sketchy, IMO.  Good luck with the remaining days

We had a pretty smooth night but honestly, for most of it we were still in the Chesapeake Bay.  We were pitching and rolling earlier but now (2:00) we are really smoothing out.  Beautiful weather.  Looking forward to another sea day tomorrow 

Just an observation....we are on Grandeur now (5 night Bermuda) and I noticed that our list of D+ bennies does not include the complimentary wash & fold laundry.  It shows a $10 discount on W & F on cruises of 8 nights or more, but not the free one which we have always gotten (even on 5 night cruises). We will still put our bag out and see what happens.  It’s kinda shiesterish for them to intentionally leave that benefit off the list, IMO.

Welcome to the blog, Noonstar

Joe, so sorry to hear about your foot problems.  Take care of yourself and don’t push yourself so hard.

5 hours ago, Kris10May said:

Ten years ago, I took my first cruise and found a different message board similar to this and looked for as many tips as I could find.   One tip that I took away was to take a small box of Cheerios from the breakfast buffet to take with us when we went snorkeling in Cozumel.  

I got all situated with my fins, snorkel, mask, life vest and Cheerios and headed out into the water.   I really have very little experience with snorkeling but was enjoying all of the fish that I was seeing.  I decided it was time to feed the fish.  Hmmm, how am I going to open this bag of cereal?  I'm floating in the water and have nothing sharp and only wet fingers.  I worked and worked and finally ripped the bag open, only to have the cereal all go flying in the water around me.  Instantly it was a feeding frenzy and there were fish all around me, touching me and gobbling up the cereal.  I freaked out - and quickly got away from all of the fish that were surrounding me.  

Needless to say, my friend's container of Cheerios went back on board with us.  Unopened.  

This is a funny story !  
 

The only similar situation I can think of is at Grand Cayman.  We always sneak some cereal from the Windjammer and take with us.  We love to snorkel at Paradise.  We learned very early on that you cannot take the cereal into the water with you.  You normally end up with a soggy mess or the explosion of Cheerios that you described. We take the cereal and feed the fish from the shore.  The funny part is....the little fish absolutely gobble up the cereal but the big tarpon cannot be bothered.  They’re such snobs !

Maybe they have decided they’re not going to allow parties in the suites anymore.  I’ve certainly never had a Genie tell me that would charge us but maybe things have changed.

Yes, we are on the cruise departing tomorrow and received that email.  Truthfully, I am not a bit upset with this itin change.  I have cancelled the hotel for tonite and we will now drive up tomorrow afternoon and just park in the port parking lot.  2 sea days over gives us more casino time so I am thrilled with that !

Of course, nobody is happy with the idea of sailing in a storm...rough seas are never a good thing but neither of us gets sea sick so I'm sure we'll be fine.

The only thing that I am cross about is that we will lose at least 1 specialty restaurant meal and perhaps 2 (not sure how reasonable it is to think that we can get into a specialty for dinner that first night) but I feel certain that they will give us a partial refund or some kind of credit for that.  Other than that, I am ok with this change.

Actually, those aft cabins are highly prized.  I think you scored a winner !  Yes, there is superstructure that blocks some of the views but in most cases (all, if I am not mistaken), the balconies on those aft rooms are giant.  I think you may have a stumbled onto a real bonus.

15 minutes ago, Jill said:

Mine said that until yesterday and now we have a cabin assignment. We leave in 2 weeks. 

We’ve never done guaranteed and won’t do it again. We ended up with a cabin at the back, with obstructed view. Not Happy. 

With a GTY you can call and change rooms if they have any available.  If you don't like your room location, see if you can change it.  Maybe yes. maybe no.