SuzanneM

On Rhapsody out of Haifa this year, breakfast and lunch in the MDR was exactly the same every single day. It was a buffet for both with pretty much the exact same items (sometimes they'd have one fruit instead of another). No ordering off a menu. In general the food was pretty dull, considering dinner in the Windjammer consisted mainly of the items already offered in the MDR. Quite the letdown.

To be honest it seems a bit too busy for me. I cruise for a relaxing time away from home where I don't have to cook or clean, with awesome views and falling asleep to the rocking of the sea. Just looking at that ship exhausts me.

I'm in a crown loft suite for this one! Looking forward. It's my last double points cruise, so six points a day (since I'm also solo).

I've gotten the refreshment package for $14/day in the past but I think that was a special deal for out of Haifa. I haven't seen it lower than $19.99 for Europe or USA. So far this sale I've bought the internet for $13.99/day and the 24-pack of water for $13.99. Both for my Oasis trip next month.

11-18 December, Oasis.

I've never had a problem being seated at a small table by myself, before or after the lockdown. If they start to seat you with a group, say you want a single table. There are plenty of two-person tables and they shouldn't have an issue with it. Best to mention when you make the actual dining reservation with the concierge (or when you're on the phone with them before the cruise; you can ask them to note the request for a single table) but it's no big deal to ask when you're there, if you're unexpectedly being seated with strangers.

Just came off of Rhapsody and unfortunately spent some time in the medical clinic. I noticed that at the front of the clinic, before you get to the nurses, there's a box that has little packets of motion sickness pills you could just take for free. They dissolve in your mouth. I took a little packet just in case.

Also seeing issues when looking at cruise prices. It works selecting a cabin but when you enter your Crown and Anchor number it claims it's not valid and keeps you on that page.

Thanks for the info. How many days is that for? How much per day?

There's definitely a broad range. Some wear black tie, because they enjoy it, and others wear khakis and a nice shirt. It really depends on the guest. They don't really police it, though I'd expect on formal night they'd gently remind people wearing t-shirts that it's formal night. But one could get away with a lot that isn't a t-shirt and jeans (honestly, some even come in jeans with a nice-ish shirt and they're fine). Personally, I avoid formal night (you're not getting me in pantyhose on vacation and I like to wear t-shirt and jeans most days, especially when relaxing). Instead, I visit the Windjammer buffet for dinner instead, or book a specialty restaurant that night. On non-formal nights in the main dining room, you can wear almost anything except swimwear. And you need a shirt and shoes.

With all the motion sickness remedies and prescriptions I've tried, what's worked the best and most consistently is green apples. When I'm on a cruise I always have one or two in my stateroom.

Then again, if you book one of the highest decks and the weather gets choppy, that's where you're most likely to get sea sick. There was one very bad day on Jewel of the Seas a few years ago where the spa on (I *think*) Deck 14 experienced so many people getting seasick that they called for cleanup like five times that day. I was one of them. And one of the spa employees confessed she was another. A couple employees agreed it was the worst weather they'd experienced in their years at sea. And the cleaning crew said they'd been up and down the ship nonstop all day. They were super-professional though and had cleanup down to an absolute science. This was right before the pandemic so there was no COVID risk; just a bunch of seasick people.

I was on a writing cruise a few years ago and one of the activities was to write something short (story, poem, etc.) inspired by a piece in the ship's weird art collection.

How much?

It's both. I've found over the years (I managed a software department for five years) that roughly 90% of the issues and mistakes one sees in the workplace are ultimately a fault of bad processes or systems. Sure, it's the human making the mistake, but the system or process often has a number of flaws that invite mistakes and make them unavoidable long-term. They *will* happen because the process or system is not optimized for real usage. This can sometimes be aided by better training, for that one person and others to be on the lookout for this mistake, but at the end of the day, what will fix it long-term is updated software where this mistake isn't nearly as likely. Yikes!!

Yiiiikes. They had the UDP and left a gratuity, and when entering the gratuity, the person entered the ID number instead of the dollar amount, and it charged the card. Looks like a software usability issue at the heart of it all. As someone who works in software, I definitely know how important usability is for an application. It can make all the difference. Very smart people can make very big mistakes. https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-line-accidentally-charges-couple-almost-100k-for-dinner/81263

It means you're new to the site. It's waving hello!

Yup, any concierge at any restaurant can book all your reservations for all restaurants.

The #1 reason I stay with Royal Caribbean is the safety of having a chief meteorologist devoted just to RC ships, their possible routes, and the weather they could encounter. Pretty much unless a whirlpool arises out of nowhere exactly where the ship is or very close nearby (which could happen but would be very rare), they're always going to be right on top of the weather and navigate smartly. That's something no other cruise line has. They all use third parties that don't know their ships, officers, and routes as well.

Looking in the cruise planner and watching for sales is part of what makes cruising fun for me. I love pre-cruise planning.

I'm vaccinated and I still have to test since I'm going out of Haifa.

If you want to meet new friends while solo cruising, the easiest way is probably the Chef's Table. Everyone's drinking wine and eating delicious food at the same table and they're in a great mood.

Try putting it in your cart. It will ask you to choose night one or two. Or maybe that's just the UDP? It's been a bit since I last got the three-night.

I have five solo cruises booked for the near future. The first is in a week. I love cruising solo; I've done both and enjoy both but prefer solo. I honestly don't understand when people say it takes courage to cruise solo, or go to the movies solo, or a restaurant solo. All of that is just fine by myself; I've never had a single problem. Peaceful and enjoyable.

Yes, Taste of Royal is only on sea days.