JimnKathy

Chef's Table is discounted down to $59.95 this 4th of July weekend. We grabbed the opportunity on Night 5 of our sailing.  

All of the other Entertainment options are showing up in the cruise planner for our 8-night Sept 13 sailing on Harmony with the exception of Grease.

Given what I've seen/read on FB, I'd say that it's probably going away.  

The good news is that we're still sailing on Harmony AND it includes Perfect Day at Coco Cay!  

On 1/30/2025 at 3:05 PM, Itsmydogg said:

Do you guys see listings to reserve for the any of the shows yet?

Some shows are listed as of today...reserve them while they're hot off the press! 

"Grease" is the only show not yet posted. Edit: Looks like "Grease" is likely going away sometime in August.  

On 6/27/2025 at 12:32 PM, steverk said:

On the other hand, we se more and more ports balking at the number of cruise ship passengers and some are even restricting the size and number of ships in port. Economy of scale is great and all, but it's not all roses.

I agree that some ports aren't interested in some 1st world countries (Key West, FL, some of the Maine ports, some Canadian ports, some European stops, etc.), but the 2nd and 3rd world nations will be more open to opportunities to get the passenger traffic that the larger ships offer.

1 hour ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

You are thinking in terms of ships, Royal is thinking in terms of berths. Like it or not, scale of economy is Royal's direction.

I think we'll also see more ports upgraded over the next decade that can handle the larger ships, too.

The local economies need the injection of tourist dollars (especially in the 2nd/3rd world nations) and the large ships do a better job of bringing those needed travelers to their ports.

We've been fortunate to have enjoyed a B2B on Symphony a few years back coming off the lockdown...the experience was sublime!

Just knowing we were going to enjoy our same Central Park Balcony room for 14 nights was an incredible feeling.

I suggest anyone who can pull it off do so...it's quite the treat.

On 5/30/2025 at 10:00 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I am a terrible creature of habit and am remarkably predictable with my food choices.  I like what I like and avoid what I don’t.  I almost always order the same choices meal after meal.  Not an adventurous eater AT ALL.

Having done the MDR a few times now, I've figured out most of the go-to items to satisfy my tastes depending on availability. 

While I'm a pretty adventurous eater (I love to cook at home and do some private dinners for a client or two now that I'm "retired"), the MDR can offer up pretty decent offerings here and there even if it's not considered an upscale culinary experience overall.

The Prime Rib can be very good (love me some rare P-Rib), escargot is delicious, Indian food can be surprisingly good, fresh bread is tasty, creme brulee is solid (I ask them to put some strawberries/blueberries on the side), lamb is pretty tasty, etc. I've found that a nice glass of red wine elevates any meal in the evening (vacation lunches, too) and there are some decent by-the-glass selections available to please any palate.

My goal is to let the MDR staff know my preferences upfront while giving them a $20 handshake and ask them to steer me towards their favorite personal suggestions if a particular night's menu seems underwhelming at first glance. I've benefited from some out-of-the-box suggestions a time or two that work out well with this approach.

I've always enjoyed the service in the MDR (they're amazing with my grandkids, too) and love their hospitality and effort to make each dining experience a wonderful treat.

Happy Sailing to All!  

12 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

"re-imagined" is marketing code for 

It's like when a company tells their salespeople "You could actually earn more money under the new commission plan we're rolling out next fiscal year!"

11 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I find the GS on the Q class ships to be even worse than those on the later O class ships.  That wall down the center of the room just destroys the spacious feel that the older GS have.  I also hate the bathroom layout in the Q class GS.

Sounds like RCL architects/designers need to listen to you going forward.  

On 6/6/2025 at 9:56 AM, Carlos A. said:

Jason Liberty is the worst thing that has ever happened to Royal Caribbean.

I wish RCL would capitalize on their current popularity by improving the food quality in the MDR.

Seems to be an opportunity ripe for the taking to further differentiate themselves from the likes of Carnival, Disney, NCL and MSC.

I recall going there once really early in the morning to "bulk up" prior to an early shore excursion...the breakfast food was fresh and delicious.

On 5/30/2025 at 2:20 PM, Cakemeister said:

This is for two people, so $2K per person and no gratuities or wifi. Apples to apples, a 7-night cruise on Harmony out of Galveston is about $840 per person as I write this, no gratuities or wifi. Disney is more than double. Interestingly, 7-night cruises on Allure are over $1K per person (post-amplification, I guess, or maybe they are just cranking up the prices for 2026)

Once Perfect Day at Mexico is up and running, I expect the RCL/Celebrity traffic out of Galveston to increase significantly...higher pricing likely to follow as well.

I have a family member who works for the DofD. They told us that a Passport Card is a waste of time in an emergency...said a passport book is the only and best option when traveling outside the states. particularly in the 2nd and 3rd world countries.

44 minutes ago, Matt said:

I'm sorry, but that's not going to solve anything and hurts the wrong people.

The corkage fee has been a published policy for years (dare I say, decades). Up until now, we've gotten a reprieve so we're ahead of the game with all those bottles that never got charged. 

This isn't a new policy or a surprise. It's them actually enforcing the rules they've had for a long time.

Plus, I don't see how taking away gratuities from your cabin attendant or dining room staff teaches anyone any lesson.

 

We always tip the staff we encounter on each sailing anyway, so that's not an issue for them.

My point is to have the EXCESSIVE corkage fees removed if we're dinged with them. $10 wouldn't bug me, but when you're talking about $15 or $25, that's just ridiculous.

As other posters have stated, to solve the problem going forward, we'll just open our wine bottles in the cabin and carry a glass to the MDR.

It's simple, basic Tex-Mex...a perfect place for a nice snack on a Sea Day or returning from a shore excursion.

If we get dinged on our upcoming September cruise, I'll be visiting guest services to remove all of my prepaid gratuities and let them know they lost several hundred bucks for the sake of gouging me for $15 or $25 or $42.

Gotta send a tough love message to the corporate finance and marketing folks.

23 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

The learn to play sessions in the casino are for the table games.  They are usually held 15-30 minutes before the casino opens on the first day

Each slot machine is different and yes, it can be very confusing. 

There isn't much skill involved, it's more of understanding how much you are betting per spin and how many payout lines you are playing.

Everyone gets at least $2 in freeplay loaded to their SeaPass card that's only available on days 1 and 2 of the cruise. That's always a good way to give it a try -- use the free money for a few spins.

While I don't gamble much anymore, I always forget to take advantage of the Free Play credit on my cruises. Looks like I'll go down to the casino for a few minutes on our next cruise and donate my credit back to the gambling gods. LOL 

Can I do a "high roller" $5 hand on blackjack these days? 

Perfect Day Mexico is a game-changer for Galveston cruisers.

17 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Royal's bottom line begs to differ.

Sad but true.

Thank goodness there's still some 7 and 8-night Oasis class sailings out of Galveston.

While we prefer the passenger "vibe" on Florida port sailings, until we can find longer sailings again on Oasis class ships, we'll stick to driving 9 hours down to Galveston vs. flying into Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Port Canaveral...either way we have to travel the day prior to embarkation.

While we dress appropriately in the MDR to satisfy the clothing police, I'm happy to focus on my wife, kids and grandkids and enjoy a nice dining experience in a pretty venue.

Add in the fact that I don't have to cook or clean anything or get up to find refills for my grands, I really don't concern myself with what other folks are wearing.

Sure, I might notice (for about 2 seconds) someone wearing cutoffs and/or a wife-beater t-shirt if they happen to walk by our table, I quickly return my attention to the people I love sitting at MY table.

Happy Sailing to Everyone!  

On 5/5/2025 at 7:19 AM, Sweety said:

I like both restaurants.

We enjoy the different Italian places just for the variety.

On 4/28/2025 at 3:11 PM, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

We have Chef’s Table reserved for our May cruise.  While I have no issue with the attire (silky palazzo pants and dressy tops are my typical dinner attire) my husband never brings slacks on a cruise…he is strictly shorts (some are pretty dressy like golf attire) and polo type tops, maybe a button down or two.  Our friends are very much the same…she wears dresses and he is like a clone of my husband!
 I’ve been researching and it looks like Royal isn’t very strict with the attire for this dinner so should they be ok?

I always pack a pair or two of lightweight black cooling slacks to wear at dinner and pack a couple of button down dress shirts just for various dinners.

5 hours ago, SPS said:

I've just seen a better deal on the Coffee Cards come up in the current sale.

Our cruise planner currently has them on sale for $25.99.

I bought a pair in early April for $27.99 each. I'm not gonna go through the cancel/rebook for $4+T/F, but those interested should check their cruise planner for current pricing.

Thanks for the tip...I just repriced 3 coffee cards for our Harmony sailing in September!  

What an awesome idea!